#file : jocelyn baker.

[likemosaic]

✏️ Cait and Jocelyn, Aries and Benny or Kaj and Nora and Gage?

send in a ✏️ for quote(s) for our muses from the incorrect quotes generator! / @arcanumsolitude

Cait: Stay foxy. Jocelyn: Die lonely.

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Jocelyn: You need to stop swearing so much. Cait: Shut the fuck up. Jocelyn: Yeah, that's not how you do it. Cait: Alright sorry. It's just that it's hard not to swear. The words just creep up on me when I least expect it. Jocelyn: Now now, don't be like that. Just replace the swear words with 'beep' and you'll be fine. Cait: Shit the beep up. Jocelyn: Cait: SHUT, DAMMIT! I MEANT SHUT!

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Aries: We can’t tell you because you’re not a member of the club. Benny: What club? Kaj: The hating Benny club. Benny: …The fuck? I should be the leader of that club!

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Aries: Why do you let me win when we race up the stairs? You’re the faster one. Benny: Erm... it’s nice see your smile when you win! *later* Aries: He's probably just staring at my ass, isn't he. Kaj: Yeah, probably.

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Nora, with a headache: Advil me up, daddy. Gage: I will short out the language centre of your brain if you say anything like that ever again.

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"where do you get these names. i never agreed to that. and you know carrington will throw it out." joss is too easy to rile up, to lead on a wild goose chase of a story. which may be what makes them such an easy target to tease. they kick a small rock out of their path. secretly, "charmer" is glad to have deacon's conversation to fill up the travel time.

"can't we do something normal friends do? audra made bracelets with nat the other day. it was cute. let's do that." they're trying to joke back, but it may not come off right.

brows furrow 'neath shades & lips downturn into pout. "the headquarters, duh!" he says as if answer is too obvious. "i'm sure desdemona won't mind." [she definitely will.] shoulders rise & fall in simple shrug before own question is thrown back: "what would you name yours? how 'bout stardust, to go with mine?"

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@o-rusted-heart.

the bright lights of "diamond city" are hard to miss as they approach, but joss mostly misses when you went there for a game and a hot dog. not grocery shopping, your public newspaper, weapon repair...so on and so forth. getting searched before walking into a baseball diamond wasn't what they had on their apocalyptic bingo card, either. or all these humanoid robots.

this model is far beyond any assaultron in baker's day, that's for sure, though it's in rough shape. and it (he?) doesn't respond to commands, either. joss wonders who programmed "valentine" to dodge questions about its designation like it did back in the vault. mostly, finds it an impressive work of technology, if a little infuriatingly too human.

once they've passed through diamond city's security and headed for the steps, joss gets worried the 'bot might get lost on the way home. that can happen. they stop it with a hand on the arm, gently so as not to damage anymore of the skin fabric. "can you navigate in your current condition?" there are some things a machine can do better, provided all is up to standard, and direction is usually one.

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“ look at me… i’m not gonna make it. it’s okay, i’m fine with that. but… you can’t stay here. you’ve got a good long life ahead of you. and you’re smart, too; too smart to wait around here and waste that long life. so you get out of here, and you go live that life. live it for both of us. will you promise me you’ll do that? “ (from Deacon ;n;)

settling dust prompts / @asmodcus

brotherhood bullets whiz inches above their heads, clipping the edge of the bench they've used for cover. they're both as full of holes as a block of cheese, their blood mingling together on the tile beneath them. "charmer" doesn't look down at their right side, or think about the fact that they can't feel their leg or their arm anymore, or the warm trickling sensation down their face. they know they must look terrifying to deacon.

joss is sloppily reloading their gun with one hand as deacon talks--methodically, at first, but they slow to a stop when they realize what he means. joss can teleport to the institute and receive medical attention--deacon, on the other hand, cannot. the only person caught in this ambush, truly caught, is him. the horror of the idea of up and leaving him like this shows plainly on their face. "what? no. no way." joss has to put their gun in their lap to do it, but they reach over and hold his hand, palms slick with blood. they know deacon would never jump ship without them, were the situations reversed. but then, if this is it for joss, then what will happen to audra? shaun? their infiltration of the institute? joss' throat tightens. maybe that's what deacon's thinking, too.

joss's lips tighten, then wobble a little. but as they've become so good at since they woke up from the vault, the pain gets stuffed down inside in favor of something else: action. they start tapping at their pipboy, having to hit the buttons with their nose to make it work, their good hand still holding deacon's. "if this doesn't work, i'm coming back with help, so just. pretend to be dead," they say, fumbling their words, knowing that they may not live long enough to come back to do anything. they've never tried to teleport into the institute with anyone else in tow before, and if they're unlucky, deacon will be shot by coursers on sight--if he's not vaporized in the process. or worse, simply left behind to die on the cold, bloody floor while joss disappears into thin air. but they have to try. deacon would do it for charmer, if he had to.

joss tries to think of something to warn him about the impending teleportation and comes up short. then they hit the button.

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starter call / @torntruth, for piper

it's rare that joss lets audra leave the vault. but they can agree that it isn't fair for her to stay cooped up in the warm den that is vault 88 all the time (as happy as it would make her bear of a mother). so when joss comes to diamond city one evening, it's with a very excited, very determined little girl at their hip, bouncing on her toes. danse stands in the distance in full power armor, because joss isn't taking any chances when it comes to the kids. though he seems to be having a difficult time communicating with the noodles bot, and joss cracks a small smile at his constant misfortune.

they graciously let audra knock on the door to publick occurences, and she does so a little too hard. there aren't many girls her age in the wasteland, and nat is not only one of them, but tough enough to withstand audra's rough idea of "play". joss just hopes they decide to skip the game of deathclaw versus radroach this time.

when the door opens, joss smiles, tired but good-natured. it could almost be pre-war, this whole setup, knocking on someone's door to ask if your kids can run around in the sprinklers together. audra talks before joss can, her voice far too big for her body. "hey, piper!" a sideways look at her mom, and she corrects, "miss piper. can nat play today?" the puppy eyes are brutal.

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🥀 what is your underlying motif? tagged: @magicxecustos & @alonggoodbye ty loves! tagging: @o-rusted-heart/@aamusedly, @pedirmisericordia/your other blog if you want!, @arcanumsolitude, @woodcries, @madeh0rror, and anyone else who wants to!

for jocelyn: THE DOG

whether it’s the way you bare your teeth when backed in a corner, your loyalty, or your tendency to act on instinct, your reoccurring theme is the dog. like mitski said “i get mean when im nervous, like a bad dog” or how halsey said “i won’t smile but i’ll show you my teeth” even when migos said “dance with my dogs in the night time” the essence of the dog runs through you. you’re tough and a quick draw on the outside, but if we got down to it we’d see you’re acting the only way you’ve ever known how. it doesn’t make you bad, survival is natural, your loyalty and determination is commendable. i don’t blame you for the way you act when your back is against a wall, but please remember to not bite the hand that feeds.

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this was jocelyn's dad for real

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@overclocks sent an ask : [ SHROUD ] - our muses argue about who has to wear the silver shroud costume (and then - optionally - go run heroic errands) @ jocelyn (tony like: i'm already a superhero??? i have a resume???)

MISC FALLOUT SCENARIO PROMPTS.

joss has no excuse. they just really wanna wear the costume, having had no time to flex their acting chops since they climbed out of the vault. silver shroud was the only piece of media they had time to consume back in the day. sitting in front of a television requires constant attention, but a radio can be taken on the go: like on deployment, or listened to on low volume while rocking your son to sleep. they wouldn't say they're a huge fan of the shroud, but the campy vibe is full of fond memories of better times. a better world.

they also don't really believe tony about this supposed superhero career. they were mostly caught up managing a newborn at the height of it, though, so anything could've passed them by at the time, metal men and most heroes included. the name tony stark vaguely rings a bell from news broadcasts, but it's overshadowed by memories of a crying, colicky baby. if you asked joss to talk about some of the pertinent events in the year 2077 outside of the end of the world, they'd come up blank. most mornings were spent staring at a television in disassociation while codsworth finished charging.

so joss is diplomatic. as diplomatic as one can be when being painfully blunt is their default state. arms folded, not unfriendly but stern, like telling a kid that no, they're not going to play outside, it's raining. "it won't fit you. it runs small. maybe it shrunk." does radiation shrink clothes? it's not their area of expertise.

they also think tony is slightly deluded, but that doesn't deter them. most people are in their own ways, especially after the bombs. "i was an actor once. i should do it. but we could probably find you a costume of...that red guy you mentioned. there's gotta be one around the broadcast building somewhere." mom mode is active, yes. though they're not saying it aloud, it's clear they're not convinced about tony's past. i'm sure iron man was real, honey. eat your dinner and give me the fucking costume.

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jocelyn gets the impression that this may be an elaborate joke being played on them. but nick isn't that type...they think, anyway. if their hands weren't busy playing around with nick's insides, they'd probably pull their beanie low over their eyes in embarrassment. they may not be the brightest, but they have, in fact, had sex a time or two and the noise isn't unfamiliar. though never with a man, or a synth, so maybe it's different? synths don't...do that, surely. it must be something else, then. it has to be. "maybe it was the screw," they offer weakly. "it was rusted. i'm sure the. um. i." the idea that they've misread the situation is mortifying, to say the least, but they're already wrist deep in his circuits and talking about relish, so. joss trails off and twists their hand gently inside nick's neck, mindful of the wires, feeling for anything that feels abnormal. a few abrasions, a forgotten bullet that somehow missed all his circuits. they do their best to be tender.

"i'm sorry. you're doing great, nick. relax if you can." joss is suddenly aware that the inside is...one, shocking their hand, rhythmically, like a living thing. two, there's some kind of liquid everywhere. they suspect a coolant pipe has come loose and, without thinking, push their hand deeper, squeezing into the smaller, tighter area. their hand is wet up to the wrist with what has to be coolant, by the smell. feeling for an empty spot inside, they grip at the loose cable and fumble, attempting to reattach it. it rubs uselessly against the empty port instead, because their fingers are just a little too short for the job. "shit. can't reach. gotta pull out and get the pliers, one sec. you okay? any more...uh..." nope. can't say it. "good shocks?"

He felt like he was going to throw up. But between no stomach, esophagus, or any sort of bodily fluids, that would be a pretty tall order.

It only got worse when they reached out to touch, and started unscrewing the panel on the back of his neck. Nick could feel pain, or at least some strange facsimile of it as an encoded deterrent from environmental hazards, but this sure didn't feel like how it usually did. Even the hand on his shoulder felt strange, like fever-flushed skin prickling from an itchy sweater.

He grimaced as the rusty bolt started working itself loose, his hands clutching the edge of his desk like it had pissed him off. "Relish-- the neon... artificial stuff. God, what I wouldn't give for a cold pop-- ohh!"

The protective steel underside of that panel finally came loose with a pop, and the sound that came out of Nick was somewhere between pained and relieved... or something else. Clearly it was an embarrassing effect, considering the way his hand slapped over his mouth.

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@nefariuus sent an ask : “i’m dying of boredom. — or maybe just dying.” - Cas and Jocelyn 🫶 HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE SENTENCE STARTERS.

"you're sick, azizam, not dying," joss chides without turning around to look at cas, though with no real heat or hatred. they're just focused on cooking their soup, perhaps a tad overmuch, and perhaps a little too spicy--it'll clear cas' nostrils, if it doesn't blow his nose clear off his face first. joss has never claimed to be a perfect cook, even pre-war, when ingredients were many and easily ordered from your doorstep. now that things are grown out of ground that was once a perfectly kept lawn, it's twice as hard. but they're trying their best for the sake of the ones they love, and if they close their eyes, they can pretend the bombs never dropped--though codsworth did a good portion of cooking back then. the robot lingers in the other room, as if worried joss might burn something down in his absence.

"i know how to cook, codsworth." said with a little bit of annoyance, which makes him shout from the other room as if he isn't listening intently.

"of course, mum! which is why i am currently performing other tasks within a close radius of you, in case you or master atticus need assistance!"

joss puts a hand on their hip and sighs, turning over her shoulder to look at cas. mom mode is currently active. "though maybe the medic should have another look at you."

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femme fatale picrew. from left to right: coco, kaj, ezra, jocelyn, fawn, max.

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also not to be on my shit again but when j*hn wick watches the video of his wife on his phone when he thinks he’s going to die vs when joss replays the holotape codsworth gives them, over and over, to hear their family’s voice again after so many years vs when kaj listens to christine’s divide logs in the big empty, to the point of memorizing her notes and muttering them as a sort of meaningless mantra

[likemosaic]

👫 I want them all bls,,, Kaj and six and benny and six and deacon and joss and whoever else u feel inspired for

send a 👫and i’ll write four headcanons i have about our muses’ relationship.

- i find companion!kaj and six as the courier so interesting because it's another level of power loss for kaj. because lbr a lot of the courier's advantages come from being the one house chose, and kaj not being able to do work directly and use her big courier six reputation would be so frustrating. so OF COURSE she's gonna try and talk six into furthering kaj's own opinions and goals (not realizing six is playing her a little bit too, but thats another post). the MAIN problem with that is that kaj isn't the only one sitting around with bloody hands; it gets six involved too, and kaj's biggest thing is that she wants to do the dirty work herself to spare her loved ones (see why she handles the whole bang & kill caesar plot by herself, it's too ugly and messy to get anyone else involved in it). on the flip side of that, kaj is probably willing to do a lot more than the other companions if asked, because she genuinely likes six, and that's as much of a benefit to her as it is a complication.

- benny and six is probably as close to an old hollywood movie as you're gonna get. you talked about once how benny would mentor six for a while and i think thats actually really cute and in character. after all its not like his authority has been all that respected. benny's had to fight SO HARD to get and stay in power and i don't think he's ever had a willing pupil? so it would be stupidly easy for six to get all the information she could ever want from him. he's not dumb enough to give her the chip or not realize that he is kind of being sapped, but like i've said, benny's depression is looming in the bg at this point in the story and similar to caesar's brain tumor or house's pride, it's his biggest blind spot. even the baddest men get lonely, and if someone rolls up and sucks up to you (see: how six and kaj do it) then how could you say no? also benny definitely shows six all the best ways to party: best food, best drinks, best drugs. definitely dont think about benny feeding six a really expensive bite of food in his lap or anything >:)

- synth!shaun loves deacon!!! this is canon but i'm expanding on it. i think the same way that audra rebels against joss and who they don't like and does things against their mom's wishes, shaun is a mommas boy who sees how much joss trusts deacon and thinks he's just the coolest thing since sliced bread as a result. i don't think that would be true if synth shaun had been there for all the events of the game since joss is ..... kind of wobbling back and forth on the railroad and that means a strained relationship and some arguments even with someone tolerant like deacon, but by the time synth shaun shows up, i think everything's cool--or, if it isn't, theyre at least good on keeping a lid on it. of course, everyone in the settlement loves shaun when he shows up but deacon is shaun's favorite by far. and deacon is one of the few who would know the truth about him and that he's not just a regular kid so that's an extra level of horrible pain

- expanding on deacon knowing things that no one else does: the line of dialogue that sticks out to me is THAT SPOILERY MOMENT WHERE maxson asks you to kill a certain companion and deacon tells you: see? this is what they're really about. with that kind of .... sad finality voice he uses when he's in depression mode. i think thats a turning point for joss (not just maxson saying that but deacon confirming it) where they have to exit their own denial and realize that maxson and the bos do not care about them, the same as the pre-war military didn't, and that their prewar life is gone and they can't get it back no matter how much they try. but i also think thats what kind of ... cements their faith in deacon. he knew from experience and he let them try anyway, he tried to warn them and they didn't listen but he stuck around to see it through. so in the same way that they've lost faith in the bos, they've gained faith in deacon; if they hadn't already spilled the beans to him about what's going on, they would after that.

[likemosaic]

👫 for any of the relationships with jin.... ur choice which ones <3

send a 👫and i'll write four headcanons i have about our muses' relationship.

- look i'm just saying, i'm 99% sure the nukaworld hq has only one bed. gage is so awkward and distrustful that he ABSOLUTELY sleeps on the couch and probably hurts his back horribly. maybe if him and jin eventually learn to get along he wakes up with a blanket draped over him :)

- jin has such high perception that i refuse to believe he can't sniff out how shady deacon is, especially since dee is always hanging around the j*hn wick of the fucking commonwealth. no one up to snuff does that. on the flip side, deacon has probably spied on jin before and knows more than he lets on. so i hc he's probably the one who lets joss know (as always) that they can cool it and stop being so suspicious of him. well, maybe not so much stop completely being suspicious but just ... stop being so weird and overprotective.

- audra loves jin in that way that kids do, where they can sus out who theyre NOT supposed to hang out with and then they do it anyway, especially since she's the rebellious one between her and shaun. not sure how jin would react to that, but joss has no idea and it's much better that way sadfasfasdf.

- rin is a natural gift giver, but i like to think jin actually gets rin the first gift!!!! and rin is like .......... oh okay this is what we're doing? since rin takes cues from the people he lives with on the island instead of the inverse since he's so accommodating. so instead of a slow steady stream it's just. CONSTANTLY bringing jin things like. hey jin i brought you this fish :) hey i made you dinner :) hey do you like this blanket i made you? sugardaddyfishmantakemebythehand.jpg

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on the subject of j*hn w*ck & his joss vibes, the main thing i like is jw doesn’t fight like a stereotypical action man. keanu isn’t a giant dude but he’s pretty relatively sized and they could’ve gone that way if they wanted, but instead jw’s main trait that makes him so unstoppable is his sheer fucking will. he’s not amazing strong, so he moves fast and operates on shock and surprise; instead of just swinging punches all the time, he uses his guns, his aim, and the environment around him, just like lorraine in at*mic blonde. if he’s outclassed in size by someone, he doesn’t try to just wrestle with them and hope he wins like a lot of action heroes. i wouldn’t say its....feminine fighting, because hollywood’s idea of feminine fighting is weird sexual thigh moves (looking at you scarjo) but it’s non traditional masculinity that i think joss really embodies, especially being so short and underfed. if you’re in the wasteland and you’re trying to fight someone and you’re shorter than most people you run into, you’re gonna have a bad time; joss is a “you do it once i do it twice” fighter and that only works for so long, you only have so much energy and most of the time it’s just joss vs 50 guys and deacon on the rooftop picking them off, so that doesn’t always work for more than a couple of minutes. of course you’re gonna have an over reliance on guns and environmental fighting. it’s not just the smart thing to do, it’s the efficient thing to do, which makes sense given that joss and jw both have a purpose and all these people they’re killing are just ....... in their way.

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"thanks," joss says, for lack of anything better to say. i'm sorry i hit my head? sorry super mutant behemoths exist? they put their pistol back on their hip, painfully aware of how much ammo they blew on that thing. then they sit, trying to sit straight, fighting bad posture. blood drips down their grimed up face, but they don't wipe it away. if that mine hadn't gone off, joss would probably be squished under one giant green foot right now.

too late, they realize their gunner mark is showing, and try to pull their hair back down over it. does the medic know what a gunner is? joss hopes not. they try to stand to get away from their would-be doctor, and wobble a little bit from blood loss. "actually, i'm fine. i think. sorry. just need some water."

' you should stay still-- i suspect you may have a concussion. ' in the years since she'd left the vault, her bedside manner had much improved, almost resembling her father's talent for it. however, the wasteland was a literal minefield and sometimes she couldn't bother with a proper introduction before she started pulling out her supplies.

@likemosaic / fallout starter call.