#i haven't thought of what she'd be like pre-war

[athanza]

Starlett - Part 3

Cooper Howard/fem!OC (not self-insert)

Tags: Hurt/comfort (sort of?), non-allowed romantic connection, lots of tention, pre and post war drama, some fluff

Warnings: Mentions of domestic abuse (no graphic scenes or descriptions of that nature), angst, canon wasteland violence

This branches out from canon but I thought it was a cute story idea so I had to write it. Enjoy! ♡

Part 1 | Part 2 | Final part

2296

Suddenly Irene looked unsteady and she held a hand to the wound on her side.

"Fancy seein' you here." She chuckled painfully.

"I know, I haven't changed a bit."

She laughed but immediately regretted it, groaning in pain.

"You uh," she said, blood dripping down her leg. "you wouldn't happen to have a stimpak on you would ya? I'm uh...I'm not feelin' too hot."

He looked her over, the gash was deep, she'd need more than one stimpak. "Unfortunately I don't think I do."

Suddenly her legs gave out from underneath her and she collapsed.

"Whoa." He said, catching her before she hit the ground.

Irene woke up hours later, lying on her back in what looked like a small cave, her head resting on a saddle bag.

She didn't look any different than she did before the war, albeit a little dishevelled, Cooper figured that however Moldaver survived must've been how she did.

"Coop." Irene croaked.

He looked up from cleaning his revolver and saw her try to move.

"Easy there Starlett, you're pretty banged up."

She winced in pain again and lay back down. "I thought you were dead." She said, weak from the blood loss.

"I should be. So should you."

"Fate had other plans I guess."

Cooper scoffed quietly. She didn't press it, even though she wanted to know if Janey made it.

"You're gonna need some proper medical attention." He said. "Ain't much out here though."

"Eh, it's just a scratch." She joked, swallowing a mouth-full of blood.

Cooper got up and handed her a flask of water, half empty. She took a few sips and handed it back.

"I'm lookin' for Lee, you know where I can find 'er?

"I've been looking for her myself, I'm afraid I can't help you there, I've found nothing but dead ends. The bitch is hard to find even in a fucking desert."

He smiled a little at the very different tone coming out of her mouth than he remembered; she must've been in the wasteland for a little while, at least.

"I'm glad I found you cowboy. You're about the only fond memory I've got left. I needed that right about now."

"I'm not the man you remember."

"Doesn't matter. You've reminded me of something I haven't seen in years."

"And what's that?"

"Kindness."

2077

The doorbell rang and Cooper opened it to find Irene looking remarkably understated compared to her shows, but she still had that aire of grace that she always carried with her no matter where she was.

"Come on in." He smiled, stepping aside for her.

"I can't thank you enough for letting me stay, I know its a lot of ask of someone you just met."

"It's the least I can do."

He closed the door and took her suitcase for her.

Janey appeared with Roosevelt, having been playing in the backyard and Cooper gestured to her.

"Irene, this is my daughter Janey. Janey this is Irene, the friend from work I was telling you about."

"Irene Taylor!?" She said, her eyes sparkling. "I've seen you on TV! Your voice is sooo beautiful! You definitely should have won the award on last month's show."

Irene and Cooper both laughed.

"Looks like you have a fan."

"That's very kind of you." Irene smiled sweetly.

"Janey, why don't you watch some cartoons while I show Irene to her room?"

"Ok." She beamed and sat down with Roosevelt in front of the TV.

Irene followed Cooper to the back of the house where the guest room was and looked at all the family photos as they walked through. Wedding photos, Janey's baby photos, a puppy photo of Roosevelt. When they finally reached the room she felt even more uncomfortable.

"This is you." He said, placing her suitcase on the bed.

"I'm so sorry to put you in this position Mr. Howard, I do appreciate it very much. I didn't know who else to come to."

"Don't worry about it." He smiled warmly. "I'm just glad you decided to leave."

"So am I. You made me realise the cause wasn't worth the abuse, no matter how much I told myself it was. Lee won't be happy but it'll be worth it in the end."

"I'm sure it will."

She smiled softly at him. "I'll let you get back to your daughter. You'll barely know I'm here."

"Nonsense," he said. "You're joining us for dinner, plus I'm sure Janey would love to spend some time with you."

She got choked up a bit at that. Everything she had done since getting into show business had been for other people, someone doing something like this for her was something special.

"Thank you Mr. Howard."

"Cooper." He replied.

2296

Irene lay sleeping and Cooper sat wondering what to do with her.

He couldn't spare any resources, and he didn't need stimpaks, so he had none. Could he carry her to Filly and get her to a doctor? Sure, but that was in the opposite direction of where he was headed, where they were both headed.

It would be more humane to shoot her now to save her the pain, but he couldn't bring himself to do it and it angered him.

"Fuck." He said, getting to his feet and picking up his gun, walking out of the cave in search of supplies.

[skyfallscotland]

Some updates since the last summary post. I didn't go to the convention on Sunday, but @caitm1 did and she said the workers told her that Rebecca's wrist swelled up from the amount of signatures she was doing (already, one day in!) and she had it taped up.

Rebecca also mentioned last night (Monday) at the second event I attended that she'd had a vestibular migraine just before and couldn't walk in a straight line a few hours ago, so I mean, I felt like I wanted to mention that first because as a chronically ill girlie I know how fucking hard it must be and I don't think a lot of fans appreciate what she does for us and how much she puts her body through.

Her signings this weekend were free and even though we paid for a ticket on Monday night, if you bought the ticket with the pre-signed book, that was at cost. $20 for a signed paperback. So yeah, just...I know it's a business, but she does a lot, ok. Don't be unappreciative of the extra mile.

Now, I recorded both Saturday's panel and Monday night's, I'm trying to figure out how to post it, but no website wants to cooperate with such a big file, so stand by, or like...help if you know tech things 💀

If you haven't seen my post with what we learned from Saturday's, it's here. Below is a summary of what we've learnt since then.

Bombshell alert: @caitm1 tells me that on Sunday, Rebecca said one of her original ideas for the end of Iron Flame was for Violet to become venin and not Xaden. *crickets* let's just take a moment here together... 😨

Honestly, I'm all for it, I low key feel like I would have liked that better, it would have been so good, but alas, we have venin-Xaden now, so we have to deal 🥲

Now, about Monday. A lot of the questions asked and things spoken about were the same as Saturday. The host picked the fan questions she asked and didn't really pick much that was plot or character related. She didn't pick any of mine and yes, I'm still mad about it. WHAT ARE THEIR NAMES

Here's the quotes, questions and tidbits I found interesting:

• Her editor for Fourth Wing and Iron Flame, is the head of Red Tower, so she's the publisher. I did not know this. I don't think I've seen this in practice before? She's also involved with the Amazon series because of this.

• "I'm not afraid of hurting you." That we already knew. 💀

• "Because we knew what had the television series when I was in edits, so we had to write out a synopsis and when I first thought it would be five books, I immediately sent the synopsis to my editor, who, you know, we sent it to Amazon because we needed to tell them; this is the definitive vision for the story. I can tell you, in Onyx Storm, I've already deviated from like...who I thought would pass in that book, as opposed to...I've already deviated some from that."

Sorry, what? Who was meant to die? My money is, as always, on Rhi or Garrick. You know I have thoughts/feelings about that. Look, if I've learned anything this weekend it's that someone important is going to die, a lot of people are going to die, ok? She's very frank about death and the realities of war and if you're worried about your favourite side characters for the next few books, well...you should be.

• She loves writing Ridoc. @yanny-77 no chance to ask about bodoc, sorry! 😂

• On Xaden and people's perception of him: "It's always funny because I always hear...he gets compared to Rhysand a lot? Xaden's like twenty-two at the beginning of Fourth Wing; Rhysand's like what? Five hundred? Ok, twenty-two, so it's very much like—it is a college. It's a college romance and that first love."

• She was surprised at how much people loved Aaric, given how little he's on-page.

• She also defended Dain again 🥳💗 #DainApologistsClub

• She expanded a little more on Jack. So perhaps what she meant on Saturday about his reasons, was simply that his reason will be touched upon in OS, but it's clear. "Jack's motivations are clear-cut, which makes him so easy to write. He's such an example of the hunger for power and what happens when you aren't selected for the power you think you deserve, which is one of the themes of Fourth Wing. So Jack's an easy character, he's straight-on."

• Are there any easter eggs that you put in the first two books that you don't think were caught by fans? "Violet's second signet! I totally thought it was obvious. Um, I did, to the point where my editor was like 'hey, we should probably put a line in here' and I was like dude no, people will catch it." Y'all know my thoughts on that so I'll stay quite over here in my corner.

Someone asked "what is it then?" and she replied, "no, no, no, now we're having fun with this, now."

• The hardest scene for her to write in Fourth Wing was the battle scene, because it was her first fantasy and so her first one. She wrote it and her editor said no, it has to be a little longer than this.

"So that was really hard for me to write, especially because in the moment she loses Liam, she has to get up and go. And I'm used to being able to give my characters this moment to grieve, this moment to take the news, this moment to absorb it and really feel it. And it's hard to get the reader to really feel that emotion when death is coming straight for you. So that was really difficult. And I was crying."

ME TOO, TBH

• If she was to describe Onyx Storm in two Taylor Swift songs, it would be Who's Afraid of Little Old Me? & So It Goes.

• If Empyrean was written in interconnected stand alones, she would have already jumped to Rhi or Imogen.

• Her favourite sections are the epigraphs that she writes above the chapter headings. "It's my most valuable real estate, the fact that you guys skip over them sometimes, I'm like—I'm wicked funny in there, ok?"

• If Violet and Xaden visited Australia, what would they do for fun? "I'd say go visit places they can't catch on fire. I guess they could find a beach." @empyrean-thrones there you go, we're on point! 😂

And that's about it! Happy theorising! 💗

It was a wild weekend, but so worth it. I was in my feelings a lot. I hope you guys get a chance to meet her or hear her speak in person one day, too 🫶

[radioactive-reactions]

Just a quick little idea for a reaction, could you maybe do companions (and maybe Mr. House) finding out that the Courier is a pre-war ghoul?

Of course! The New Vegas fandom has just celebrated Mr. House's 4th birthday, so consider this my small contribution.

Ghouls were anything but uncommon in the Mojave, but those who had lived through the Great War were particularly exceptional. Everyone knew about the ghoulish Courier - zombies rising from the grave made good saloon talk, after all - but only those closest to them were trusted with the knowledge of just how old they were.

Raul is just happy to have another viejo around to commiserate with. Invariably, he begins to keep the two up long into the night trading stories of the Old World - and more often than not, the Old World's failings - around the campfire. "Hey, boss, you... you remember Cuna de Lobos? Ahh, the bomb dropped right at the end of Season 91, just when Catalina was about to show everyone what she'd been keeping stashed under her eyepatch. My grandmother would have killed to see it. She could have, too."

Boone is as unflinchingly stone-faced as ever, and his thoughts are quickly summed up in three succinct words: "I pity you." There's a moment of consideration, a realization that he may have gone too far, and he tries again. "You and all the... others. There are a few in the service. You knew what came before. Saw it with your own eyes. Christ, the rest of us must be like kids playing dressup to you. In your shoes, wouldn't have bothered staying around to see how it'd all turn out. No point."

Veronica has a million questions. Try as the Brotherhood might to hoard pre-War knowledge, she's never come quite as close to a living, breathing repository of it as she is now. "Wait, wait, back up, like... five steps. You're telling me you could walk into the bunker anytime you please and totally school Elder McNamara and you've just been sitting on that?! Oh my God! Okay, okay - is it true that every kid back then was raised by a robot slave? A-and did you really have to ritually encase all your food in Jell-O before you ate it?"

Cass gives an impressed whistle, looking the Courier up and down just to make sure they haven't actually been feral this entire time. "Fuck me. Uh, that's not an invitation - I don't want anything falling off. But that'd make you, what, two-hundred-something? Older than the Republic, the way they tell it. We've got some Rangers like that, supposedly the ultimate badasses if you look past the bad knees and the death rattle... but between you and me, I think you've got a sturdier claim to the title."

Arcade freezes up at the news, getting that awkward, wavering smile he always flashes when he's backed into a corner. "Wow. Uh... hey. Just so we're clear, I in no way endorse - o-or endorsed - the whole Enclave 'cleansing of the world's tainted' thing. I'd like to think that goes without saying, given the way my life has gone since then, but... just so we're clear. Uh, if you need any kind of specialized care, please just say the word. I've given Beatrix enough topical collagen to fill a bathtub... if one inexplicably wanted to do something like that."

Lily doesn't quite seem to get it, bless her heart, but enough careful explanation does slowly get her to regard the Courier as more of an equal than a grandkid. "MY MISTAKE! YOU DON'T LOOK A DAY OVER A HUNDRED, DEAR. WHATEVER YOU USE, I'VE JUST GOT TO GET DOCTOR HENRY TO MAKE ME SOME! IF I HADN'T MADE A PROMISE TO MY HUSBAND, REST HIS SOUL, I COULD JUST EAT YOU UP."

Mr. House predictably uses this as ammunition to further his own plans. There's no change in the face on the flickering screen, but whatever cold mental calculus drives him moves the Courier up a few spaces in his strictly regimented list of priorities. "Then you, more than anybody, understand what we have to lose - or rather, what we have to gain. Put another way, you are in a unique position to understand the resources at my disposal. Imagine the luxuries you enjoyed before the barbarians in Washington reduced you to this base, hardscrabble existence among the ruins of their shortsightedness - and I think you'll appreciate that ruins isn't simply a turn of phrase here. Imagine having them again: not just the house and the car, not just the material indulgences, but the structure that made them possible - will continue to make them possible. We alone know what's been lost, and we alone hold the potential to see it returned."

[historicity-was-already-taken]

So many Holocaust memoirs contain sentences like:

"She was my dearest friend. She ended up in Switzerland after the war. I received from her one letter, but then heard from her no more."

and

"It was a beautiful friendship, but after the war I don't know what happened. We fell out over something like a broken vase. She lives in Australia now."

and

"After the war she no longer wanted to be associated with us. She wanted nothing to do with Judaism."

and

"I met her after the war, and there were two whole years she couldn't remember. Two years just gone from her mind, lost."

That's the thing with Holocaust survivors. So many of them had to kill the past versions of themselves to make a life for themselves after. They had to purge their minds of memories they couldn't cope with and block it all out. Sometimes I wonder how many of these people truly survived, and how many were simply going through the motions of living, despite having died long ago.

Like the cousin of my grandmother's. Who had to bury his mother by night in a Polish labor camp after she'd taken cyanide. He got into a car accident in the 50s after relocating to New York. Drove into a tree.

If you ask me, it wasn't an accident.

Sorry I'm really emotional right now. I've gotten very good at compartmentalizing this stuff and haven't truly cried while researching since I was 23, but I'm pre-menstrual right now and this thought process just broke me a little.

[nukanobody]

Funny Familiarity

For context: I posted a head-canon a few days ago, on how Danse actually ended up in the brotherhood of steel as a synth despite not being sent as a spy but instead is listed as "missing". It's probable he ran away from the institute where the railroad helped him escape, with Deacon knowing about the case.

I'm so obsessed with this idea now so read below for any thoughts or further hc's i had when making this. Or ask me anything about this hc i am going cray cray. sorry if this is ooc i'm bad at characters.

ty to @ericadrawsstuff for your addon btw!! it fueled me to draw this haha

For Danse, I don't believe he was a courser but maybe a failed experimental synth/synth meant for manual labor? The institute would probably be in a panic if a courser with a courser chip went awol, they'd probably take notice if the same missing courser became the poster boy of the people whose trying to destroy them.

Danse stayed in the railroad for a bit, like maybe 5 months? Formed a somewhat close bond with Deacon who was "Debbie" at the time.

Deacon loves collecting sunglasses, was toying with the idea of being a woman when he found novelty heart sunglasses. I see him as identifying as male but really flexible when it comes to presenting himself.

Obsessed with the idea that despite being reset/memories wiped synths may carry flaws or mannerisms. In Danse's case his fierce loyalty and self sacrifice are his major flaws, pre-wipe he didn't want to be a danger to the railroad and felt he needed to be wiped, post-blind betrayal he felt like he was a danger to the brotherhood and needed to be killed.

Deacon's a good liar sometimes, but in the cases where Danse says something against synths his hands clench and has to lean on a wall to catch his breath while the sides of him fight in his head. The first side is the railroad agent who has huge empathy for M7-97 and knows that if his identity is revealed it'll absolutely ruin him and get maimed by the brotherhood, the other side of him is absolutely disgusted by Danse and wants to put him in his place, the 3rd just thinks it'll be funny.

I depicted Nora as how I'd imagine she'd be. A woman from a pre-war era being dropped in a wasteland, it's kind of a culture shock for her and she has a savior complex, she assumes that everyone just needs to sit down and talk. Her main goal is to somehow "unite" the commonwealth, she's joined all the factions and some of her companions are kind of peeved about it. In the comic she introduced Deacon to Danse thinking they could have a civil conversation where Deacon could steer him to a better mindset (she sees Danse as a kid who got into the wrong crowd, despite being a fully grown man)

okay jesus, this took like 3 days of non stop drawing for me to do. Whoever designed power Armour i pray for your downfall what the hell. Sorry if it looks bad i study software so I haven't gotten the chance to draw in like, 7 months. Can you tell which pose I was able to find refs for and not the rest? lol

I ship them now too, i've been researching them and I love their dynamic and damn if the plot "Person A knew Person B before Person B forgot them and became a different person" doesn't hit like a ton of bricks.

[mercurygray]

The Only One I've Got

This one goes out to the anonymous Fred Friend.

It looked like it was going to be sunny today.

After the long slow slog through October and November's sleets and snows, sunshine would be welcome, even if it was only for a few thin December hours. The weather was pressing in on them just as much as the missions were, and so far 1943 had not had much to recommend it except that it would soon be ending.

(Their director had asked quietly at Thanksgiving if a reassignment would be welcomed, but she didn't really want to go. If she left she'd lose so many good memories.)

"I left the mail on the table," Tatty said, coming in from the front where they usually parked the jeep. "I didn't see what's there."

"Thanks, Tat!" Fred said, brushing the last of the toast crumbs from her fingers and going to look at the pile. Helen, Helen, Mary, Tatty, Helen - and a small square of what looked like cardstock, stamped several times in purple and red with a very serious German word in the upper left corner, and her name, Freda Torvaldsen, written in careful block script in the address.

She must have made a noise, because Helen was suddenly there, and maybe Tatty, too, and she couldn't remember sitting down in the chair, and the rest of the mail had fallen on the floor. Her vision was swimming a little.

She wanted it to be from him. Maybe it wasn't.

"Fred, honey, you need me to read it to you?"

She shook her head, her hands shaking as she tried to turn it over to open it and nearly ripped the thing in two. Tatty took it from her and eased the seal open before she handed it back.

It was dated three months ago - October.

Dear Fred,

I'm hopeful that maybe you've tried to get news about me before now. If not, my new stationery should inform you - I am alive, and a guest of the Germans in a Prisoner of War camp. I'm sorry I haven't written before now. Now that we are settled we are permitted to send three pieces of mail a month and I needed to tell my folks first.

It feels very strange to write your name at the top of a letter. I've never had to write to you before. I'm hopeful that maybe we can keep this up, if you still feel the same way you did several months ago. Quarters here are close and I couldn't keep who I was writing to private. I need to let you know there have been some complaints. Lots of guys from the old outfit are here with me, and many names that you would know. (I'm not listing them, as I think the censor will black them out.) Hopefully you don't hear from them, too.

I just realized I'm using the word hopeful a lot, but it's the only one I've got. Hopefully Yours, John

PS - There are a few guys here who are not getting mail. Can you share my address with Ma Brennan and see if she could write something? It would be nice to share a little of the news from home and let them know that they aren't forgotten.

She read it through three times, vision increasingly blurry, realizing, belatedly, that the pencil was getting on her fingers. Hopefully yours. She held it to her nose and thought she could smell pipe smoke, and it was the best gift she'd ever gotten.

Of course I'm yours. You're the only one I've got.

-

A big thank you to a friend who is asking to remain anonymous for sharing images of what POW mail looked like. Some of it was on pre-printed postcards and some was on a message blank, which is what I'm describing here. The big German word Fred can't read is Kriegsgefangenpost, prisoner of war mail. I also just found a website online that has a ton of pictures of what this looked like.

[pyrettawychwiggin]

'The Iron Angel: The Tale of Maria Røntgen' - Chapter 1: Welcome to Megaton

(A Fallout 3 Fanfiction)

Please be advised: the following story is based around my own playthrough of Fallout 3, and is basically one loooooonnnnnnngggggg spoiler. So, obviously, SPOILER ALERT. Maria Røntgen is my own original character I've created for this story, but all other assets are the intellectual of Bethesda Softworks. Please support the official release.

================

If you haven't already, feel free to check out Maria's character sheet here to get an idea of who she is before you begin. Alright, onto the story...

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As Maria pushed the door open and took her first step into the open air of the wastes, her eyes flooded with the harsh light of the midday sun. Squinting, she held an arm up to shield her eyes with a wince.

The air was hot - hotter than she'd ever imagined, but as her eyes slowly began to adjust to the light, she found herself in awe. Looking over the rocks and out to the wastes, she was seeing the open sky for the first time in her life, and an endless horizon that she could barely fathom.

Strange... she thought to herself. I'd always heard the sky would be blue. I guess that must have been more common during pre-war times.

Maria adjusted Butch's switchblade to settle on it's clip on her belt and started making her way down the dusty dirt path.

As she continued down the way, she started to hear the faint sound of shrill music; it sounded like a flute being played through a tin can, accompanied by a harsh snare drum.

As she rounded the corner and into the small abandoned town of Springvale, she watched a strange floating mechanical orb as it patrolled back and forth along the broken streets, paying her no mind.

Over the rocks and sandy hills, she could see the shadows of what appeared to be a large metal structure. Curious, she made her way closer.

When she arrived, she had to crane her neck up to see it's entirety; a massive composition of sheet metal and scrap with what appeared to be a jet engine over the centre of it. A robot in a cowboy hat, about the same height as Maria, stood alert outside the entrance of the structure.

"W e l c o m e   to   M e g a t o n." No sooner than the robot spoke did the engine whir to life, slowly pulling two large slats of metal aside to reveal a door.

"E n j o y   y o u r   v i s i t."

"Er, thanks." Maria cleared her throat, pulled open the door and stepped into the settlement.

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"Whoa..." Maria breathed, her eyes taking in the sight before her. An entire city constructed of scrap metal towered around her, bustling with wastelanders of all kinds. Down the path to the centre of the settlement sat a massive black bomb. Maria's stomach dropped at the sight.

"Well, lookee here. Another newcomer." A man's voice pulled Maria out of her awe. She turned to see a bearded, dark-skinned wastelander in a leather duster and a cattleman hat drawn over his eyes. "Hope you're not here to cause trouble."

"Oh, uh, hello," Maria stammered. "My name's Maria; nice to meet you mister..."

"Simms. Lucas Simms." He held out a hand for her to shake, tilting his chin up to make eye contact with her. He seemed to be regarding her with caution. "I'm the town's sheriff. I keep the peace around here."

"Oh, you'll get no trouble from me, Sheriff." Maria raised her hands in surrender with an easy smile. "Though, it seems you folks don't seem too concerned about danger... has anyone considered dealing with that bomb down there?"

"If any of us knew how, we would." Lucas shrugged and clicked his tongue. "Why, you volunteerin'?"

"I don't know about that - I've got a pretty basic knowledge on explosives, but nothing as dire as a bomb. Especially one of that size."

"Well, if you do find a way to disarm it for good, there's a hefty reward waiting for you." Lucas patted her shoulder. "Just don't go messing with it unless you're sure."

"No arguments here. Besides..." Maria's eyes started scanning the faces of the town's residents. "I'm really just looking for my father."

"Your father?"

"Yeah, middle-aged man, about yay tall..." Maria held her hand up higher to her father's approximate height. "We came from Vault 101 not far from here."

"Hm, can't say it rings any bells. Sorry," he shrugged. "But most folks swing by Moriarty's Saloon up the path around the edge of the walls. He might be able to point you in the right direction."

"Thanks; I'll head there next, then." Maria gave him a curt nod and started to step by him when he stopped her with a firm hand on her shoulder.

"But just a fair warning - don't trust the man." Lucas spoke low, his tone grave with his warning. "He'd sell his mother for a slice of rotting Mirelurk meat if he had one. He's not your friend, alright?"

"Thanks for the warning, Sheriff; I'll be careful."

Maria followed the path up to the saloon, and pushed the doors open.

=============================

=============================

"Come on, ya piece of junk..." a raspy man's voice grumbled over the sound of static. "Work, dammit."

Maria noticed a bartender tinkering with a hissing radio, his back turned away from her. An attractive woman with short red hair and a form-hitting sky blue jumpsuit leaned in the doorframe of a small room at the other side of the bar, rolling her eyes.

"Give it up, Gob," she sighed, taking a drag from her cigarette, leaving a trace of cherry lipstick around the stark white tip. "It's not the radio - it's GNR. Something's been up with their signal lately."

The bartender seemed to be ignoring her as he shook and smacked the radio, muttering raspy profanities under his breath. Maria slowly made her way up to the bar.

"Why-" he adjusted the antenna.

"Won't-" he fidgeted with the tuning dial.

"You-" he shook the radio with both hands.

"Work?" He smacked the side of the radio, earning him a solid two seconds of clear sound before the static returned.

"Er, excuse me, sir?" Maria tapped the man on the shoulder and nearly jumped out of her skin when he turned to face her. "JESUSFUCKINGCHRIST."

The bartender was only a few inches taller than Maria, with a ill-fitting white tee shirt and cargo pants, a dirty bar towel hanging from his pocket. However, where Maria was expecting to see a typical face - nose, flesh and all - she saw what appeared to be either a talking corpse, or the most unfortunate burn victim she ever imagined she'd see.

There was a triangular pit where a nose should be and wisps of light brown hair in frayed patches on his scalp. His eyes seemed to have once been baby blue, but had now taken on a milky gloss, fading their colour only slightly. Every patch of visible skin seemed to be covered in the same kinds of burns, revealing deep red scars, purple veins, and muscle tissue. In some places, skin seemed to be in the process of sloughing right off.

"What's the matter?" He sighed, placing the radio down, his brow bone rising as he folded his arms. "Never seen a Ghoul before?"

"A Ghoul...?" Maria gulped, feeling her heartbeat slow back to a normal pace. Not sensing that he was hostile, she took a seat at the bar as the initial shock passed. "What's that?"

"Well, not all of us got to hide out in a fancy vault when the bombs dropped." Gob gestured to the vault jumpsuit she was wearing. "Some of us got a big dose of radiation. Most of 'em died, obviously, but those of us that didn't, well..."

"And people call you Ghouls?" Maria frowned. "That doesn't seem right..."

"Well, look at the way you reacted when you saw me." He shrugged, picking up a shot glass and wiping it, moving his eyes to his task. He seemed to be masking a long-standing exhaustion on the subject. "When you've got a face like ground Brahmin meat, folks don't always treat you the best."

"I am sorry about that - I just..." Maria felt guilty about her reaction, now. "I've never seen a.... Ghoul before. I wasn't expecting it."

"S'alright, kid. Ya get used to it after a few decades."

"Though, now that that first shock has passed, well..." Maria trailed off, regarding the bartender curiously for a few seconds. "It's really not so bad."

Gob's eyes snapped back up to meet hers in shock.

"Really? Ya mean it?"

Maria did meant it. Despite his burns, she could see his eyes were still bright and expressive, and his smile, though crooked, was a kind one that made her want to smile back. He had rather broad shoulders despite his relatively lean frame, and strong hands, no doubt from his labours of work. He had the slightest belly that complimented his build surprisingly well.

"Mmhm." She gave him a genuine smile. "It's the eyes - you're very expressive."

"Well, I dunno about that..." He looked down sheepishly, fumbling with his towel. The red-haired woman watched from where she lounged just within earshot, smiling slyly at the exchange. Finally, Gob continued. "Still, even if you're just saying it to be nice, I like t' hear it. Most folks just spit in my face."

Maria frowned. "I hope you don't mean that literally."

"Well, I-"

"What the hell're ye doin', y'idiot?" an older man with shaggy white hair and a beard emerged from the room behind the bar, yanking Gob from where he had been leaning on the bar as he was speaking to Maria. The Ghoul let out a pained grunt, but made no effort to fight back. "I don't pay ye to chat - go make yourself useful!"

Maria looked to the red-haired woman who looked at the ground with a frown to avoid watching what was happening. It seemed as though this wasn't particularly surprising to her- or to any other patrons for that matter. Maria stood from her seat and pushed herself away from the bar, moving to walk around it, earning her a look of either shock or terror from the red-haired woman.

"Come here!" the white-haired man barked, raising his arm to backhand Gob as he knelt helplessly at his feet. "Ye useless waste of skin-"

"Hey!" Maria called out. When she was ignored, the man raised his hand again to strike Gob a second time. Without thinking, she rushed forward and grabbed his arm. "Stop that!"

"Fuck off!" the white-haired man shoved her to the ground, turning his attention to her. "What gives ye the right to interfere with my management, aye?"

"Management?!" Maria squeaked, realizing this must be the infamous 'Moriarty' Lucas had warned her about. "You're beating the poor man! What the hell is your problem?"

"Man? Hardly." Moriarty scoffed. He looked like he was about to approach her when Gob interjected.

"Wait, wait!" He rasped, putting himself between them with his hands up in surrender, hunching to make himself appear as small and meek as possible, shaking in fear and avoiding looking in Moriarty's eyes at all costs. "I-I'm sorry - I started talking to her and I just got carried away, that's all."

"Ye think I give a shit about your excuses?" Moriarty let out a wry laugh. "Just get back t'work, you lazy sack o' skin."

"Yes, sir...." Gob gave Maria an apologetic nod and scurried back to his place behind the bar, frantically cleaning glasses and focusing on looking as busy as possible.

"Now. Before I kick your ass out of my bar, what the hell d'ya want?" Moriarty folded his arms, glaring at Maria. "Ye don't have a drink in yer hand, after all."

"I'm looking for my father," Maria sighed and shook her head, pulling herself back to her feet and dusting herself off. "From Vault 101 - like me."

"Ohh, I see - the little baby brat from the vault's all grown up." To Maria's surprise, Moriarty's expression seemed to light up with genuine recognition. "And ye figure I'll be tellin' where yer dear ol' dad ran off to, aye?"

"That was the plan, yeah..."

"Ha! Well, ye can forget it," Moriarty scoffed, shoving past her as he flicked a cigarette between his lips. "Ye can get yer drinks and a bed here if ye've got the caps. That's the extent o' my generosity for brats that stick their nose in my business."

"But-" Maria tried to speak further, but the man was already out the door, slamming it behind him in defiant finality.

"Shit..."

"Tough break, kid." A sultry voice broke the awkward moment of silence. The red-haired woman from earlier had her arms folded as she spoke. "But that's Colin for ya. He can be a real bastard. Name's Nova, by the way."

"Pleasure to meet you, Nova." Maria sighed, slumping into a seat at the bar, watching Gob taking inventory with a clipboard, his hand still trembling. "Why is he so horrible to him?"

"Well, he treats us all like shit." Nova spoke plainly, taking a seat beside her and lighting up another cigarette. She offered one to Maria, but it was turned down. "But he treats poor Gob the worst out of all of us. Just because he's different, maybe?"

"It's not right." Maria found herself gritting her teeth at the thought.

"You don't know the half of it." Nova chuckled. "You know that asshole bought him off some slavers way back? Says he can earn his freedom if he works off his debt."

"When will that be?"

"Never." Nova dabbed her cigarette on the edge of the ashtray. "He charges him rent and board, too - so he'll never pay it off."

"What?!" Maria squeaked. "But that's just slavery!"

"And that's why he's been here for 15 years."

"Unbelievable..." Maria grumbled and shook her head. "And now he won't even tell me where my father is. What a dick."

"Hm..." Nova took another puff of her cigarette and thought to herself for a moment. "Hey, Gob."

"Hm?" He turned and walked over to the bar, eyes darting past them to the door to make sure Moriarty wasn't coming back. "What is it?"

"You think Colin's files have any info on that handsome man from the vault from earlier?"

"Are you kidding? He has dirt on everybody on that stupid terminal." He leaned in conspiratorially to speak with Nova. "Think you can give her the password? Help her out?"

"I don't know, Gob..." Nova winced with a shake of her head. "If Colin finds out, I'll be out on my ass so fast my head'll spin."

'"C'mon, Nova..." Gob pleaded. "I'll do all your errands for a week."

"You really wanna help her that bad?"

"I feel kinda bad - she almost got beat because of me." He frowned, shuffling his feet sheepishly. "No one's ever stuck up for me like that before."

"Gob..." Maria was touched. "Look, neither of you need to put yourselves at risk for my sake, alright? I'll ask around town - there must be someone else who knows something."

"Doubtful. Colin keep tabs on everyone here." Nova extinguished her cigarette and sighed. "No one'll wanna tell you anything if it'll just piss him off."

Nova clicked her tongue and thought to herself for a moment. Gob looked at her with pleading eyes, and she grinned before coming to some sort of silent conclusion.

"Alright, kid." She chuckled. "I'll tell you the password. But if anyone asks, you didn't hear it from me, okay? And Gob; you're running my errands for a month, got it?"

Gob and Maria sighed in relief. He went back to his task and Nova leaned in to whisper the password in her ear.

"Thanks, Nova!" Maria was about to slide away from the bar, but Nova gently pulled her close again to whisper into her ear again.

"Thanks for sticking your neck out for Gob. You've made a lifelong friend in him, I hope you know that."

Maria smiled and gave her a quick nod in thanks as she rushed to the backroom behind the bar, hoping she could find what she needed before Moriarty came back from his apparent smoke break.

===============================

===============================

As the hour grew late, the air cooled and the moon rose over the scraps of Megaton. Few stars could be seen through the smog, but Maria still found herself enchanted by the vastness of the open sky; and her eyes were glued to the waning moon - something she'd only ever heard about in songs and books.

Stretched out on an old, discarded couch by the community bunkers, she pulled Butch's jacket further over her shoulders and let out a heady sigh. Since Moriarty had conveniently decided to double the price of the rooms, Maria had no choice but to sleep elsewhere for the night.

So my dad's gone off to find this GNR radio station... Maria pulled out Jonas' glasses and sniffled idly, wiping off a leftover smear of blood from the frame with her sleeve. I guess I need to get to D.C. somehow.

Holding the glasses to her chest, she felt her eyes begin to well with tears.

I hope this ache goes away eventually... She wiped her eyes on her arm. I'll need to get my hands on some supplies before I even think about traveling that far. Guess I'll need to get my hands on some caps somehow.

Tucking the glasses away, she stretched out on the couch and felt sleep begin to take her.

I'll ask around in the morning. I'm sure there's something I can do around here to round up a pocket-full of caps...

===============================

===============================

"Well, I'll be damned!" Walter whistled, nodding in approval at the repaired pipes that had been giving him hell for the past few weeks. The man had one damn job in this gods-forsaken town, and it was made much harder when the water pipes had burst in three areas all at once. "You managed to patch 'em up in record time. Nice work, kid!"

"No worries, Walter; happy to help." Maria wiped the grime from her hands on the pants of her jumpsuit. She silently thanked Stanley for teaching her what he knew about maintaining the Vault's water system. "Clean water's hard to come by - it's a necessity of life, after all."

"Right you are, girl. Here you go." The mechanic handed her a handful of caps. "I know it's not a lot, but it should at least be enough to get yourself something nice."

"Thanks, Walter. I guess I should go check out this Craterside Supply I've heard so much about."

"Yeah, Moira'll be happy to help you out. She's a nice girl." Walter chuckled. "Might also be one of the strangest girls you'll ever meet, too."

"Take care." Maria gave Walter a polite pat on the shoulder before walking by him to Craterside Supply just down the walkway.

===============================

"Welcome to Craterside Supply!"

Right away, Maria was greeted by a woman in coveralls and blood orange hair. She had a spark of mischievous intelligence in her expression as she tinkered at her workbench with some sort of contraption that Maria couldn't identify.

"Hello - I'm about to take off on a bit of a long journey, and I just need something a little heftier than a switchblade." Maria counted the caps on the surface of the counter. "And maybe some food and supplies if I can afford it."

"You wouldn't happen to be heading north, would you?" The shopkeeper stopped tinkering, regarding Maria with a hopeful smile. "I could really use a research assistant!"

"A research assistant? For what?"

"Well, I'm writing a book, you see. I'm calling it 'The Wasteland Survival Guide' written by Moira Brown." She practically bounced with excitement at the thought. "It's going to save so many lives once it's written and out there in the hands of those poor souls out wandering the wastes."

"Why not just do this research yourself?"

"What? I'd get myself killed out there!" Moira scoffed. Maria appreciated her willingness to speak so candidly. "I need someone who can handle themselves out there."

"Does it pay well?" Maria raised an eyebrow. "I could really use the caps."

"You won't just get caps." Moira beamed. "You'll get supplies, new gadgets, and best of all - the very best survival skills that you can only get by being put in dangerous and traumatic situations!"

Maria stared at Moira in silence for about ten seconds, noting the shopkeeper's complete lack of concern from what she'd just said.

"That..." Maria trailed off. "...sounds awful."

"Pfft - nooo!" Moira shook her head with a flick of her wrist. "I think you'll find the rewards far outweigh the near-death experiences. So whaddaya say?!"

Well, this could be my opportunity to get my hands on the supplies I need... Maria sighed. "What's first?"

"You'll do it?!" Moira bounced and clapped her hands excitedly. "What do you know about radiation sickness, scavenging and... landmines?"

Maria gulped, somewhat dreading what she may be agreeing to.

====

TLDR

====

• Maria arrives at Megaton and makes a good impression on Lucas Simms; she has some knowledge on explosives, but not enough to disarm the bomb at this time.

• Maria meets Gob and Nova at Moriarty's Saloon. Having never seen a ghoul before, Maria is spooked by Gob's appearance at first, but when they start talking and she realizes that he's friendly, she warms up to him quickly and even admits to finding him oddly charming.

• Moriarty catches Gob conversing with Maria and starts to beat him - Maria jumps in to stop him and gets knocked to the ground. Before Moriarty turns on her Gob manages to convince him to stop. Moriarty refuses to tell Maria anything about her father's whereabouts and leaves the saloon to have a smoke.

• Nova is hesitant to help Maria at first, but between Maria's willingness to be so kind to Gob, and with Gob practically begging her to to help, she finally agrees to give Maria the password to Moriarty's personal terminal.

• Maria finds out her father has gone to D.C. and was headed to the GNR Radio Station.

• Moriarty doubled the price of the rooms at the saloon for the night, forcing Maria to use the old, discarded couch outside the common quarters. She laments about her losses and makes a plan to scrounge some bottlecaps together to try and get her hands on some more supplies before she makes the long journey.

• She helps Walter fix up the busted water pipes around Megaton; thankfully, she has some decent knowledge on repairs since Stanely taught her a few things about the Vault's water system maintenance way back. He hands her some caps and points her in the direction of Craterside Supply.

• Maria meets Moira at her shop and learns that she's in the midst of writing a 'Wasteland Survival Guide.' Moira asks Maria for help with some research in exchange for caps, supplies, gadgets, etc. Maria agrees.

Coming Up: Chapter 2 - Into the Wasteland

[novelmonger]

Okay, 7 from the Star Wars Universe:

Bant Eerin

Mace Windu

Siri Tachi

Lando Calrissian

Mara Jade

Wedge Antilles

Admiral Ackbar

From this ask game

Oh dear, I only know Mara Jade from hearsay/fandom osmosis, and don't really have much grasp on Wedge or Ackbar's personality - I haven't read much of the EU, especially not post-OT ^^' But I'll do my best!

Go grocery shopping with - I really don't know why, but somehow I wanna go with Mara Jade for this one? Maybe just because it would be interesting to see what kind of groceries someone from the galaxy far, far away would go for? Depending on when in the timeline I'd catch her, maybe she'd even bring her son along to ride in the cart, which would be fun. And depending on who's picking up whom, maybe I'd catch a glimpse of Luke.

Have lunch with - Lando is a great conversationalist and likes to talk, so he'd probably keep the conversation going pretty well over lunch, and if I felt awkward (which I probably would at some point), at least I'd have something to do. The only catch is that I'd probably be wondering the whole time if he was going to betray me to the Empire at some point :P I'd also have to make it very very clear that this is not a date.

Have coffee with - I think it would be really interesting to have a little chat with Wedge, find out more about what sort of person he is, hear some cool stories about his time in the Rebellion, and so forth. Maybe I could frame it as an interview, so I could always fall back on pre-determined questions in case the conversation started to flag.

Go thrift shopping with - I don't really like thrift shopping (unless it's thrift books), because I can never find anything that's in my size and not also the most hideous thing you've ever seen in your life, so it would be really good to go with someone friendly who has a calming presence to counteract my growing irritation and grumpiness. Bant fits that description perfectly, and it would also be really interesting to see what sort of clothes a Mon Calamari would go for.

Explore a museum/art gallery/aquarium with - Okay, because it said "aquarium," I immediately thought of Admiral Ackbar XD It would be kind of fun to go to an aquarium with someone of an aquatic species who could probably give some interesting insight into life under the sea. Maybe he could even, like...talk to the whales or something :P

Go the library/bookstore with - I think Siri would be fun for this! She would probably be very focused and driven, knowing exactly what she's looking for, but once we warm up to each other, I think we could have fun laughing over some of the dumber titles we came across.

Have as a plus-one at a wedding - Mace Windu. Okay, first of all, he wouldn't be my plus-one, I would be his plus-one, because the only way this would be happening would be if he asked me. I would be scared stiff at first, but eventually he'd put me at my ease. He has that effect on people. I also like to think that he's not bad at dancing, and if anyone could convince me to go out on the dance floor, it would be Mace Windu. I would be like a duck waddling around a sleek tiger, but still. You can't say no when Mace Windu tells you to do something. Especially if you're not even a Jedi.

[mechacringekitty]

the!

betrayal, bound, desire, future, mask, hate for damselfly [although I don't know how developed they are], daggers, isabeth, and kidako

you don't have to do all the characters/questions, sorry there's so many sdljghdfl I just love your characters so much

SOME OF MY FAVOURITES.. you know just what I like to write about <3 i am always happy to answer enjoy your food

betrayal ; Damselfly - No, they haven't. She doesn't have anyone close enough to her for it to be a betrayal on either end- most of her relationships are built on a mutual need to survive for the short time they interact. Daggers - Feels rather betrayed by Stellar, on an emotional level. She thought they would be happily together for the rest of their lives - they both did - and the fact that Stellar refuses to work any of it out doesn't make her feel any better. Daggers would never intentionally return the favour though, she knows how bad it feels. Kidako - Neither, so far, though he needs some more fleshing out and this might change. Isabeth - Absolutely. She put her trust in Iveya and Lullabies, and Iveya tore that down the second an opportunity for power was within her grasp. Lullabies less so, as she understands they just follow Iveya's orders, but it still hurt. Isa has betrayed mortals! Pre-Markata, she wasn't a huge fan and enjoyed leading them on just for fun. bound ; Damselfly - Has been caught by other denizens of hell several times. Usually by way of walking directly into traps like the cocky ass he is. They generally take it as a fun excuse to raze the area and whoever happens to be in it. Daggers - Not yet, though that could change :) Some questionable fellows lurk in the IceWing palace. Kidako - He is also okay so far. Isabeth - Iveya had her in a holding cell for about a week before the ascension; it was supposed to be a few days but there were distractions. It didn't leave scars, per say, but she's not alive anymore, so... desire ; Damselfly - It wants to be loved, quite a lot. Appreciated in general...seen for a powerful weapon. Power in general is a huge fantasy for them, they love the thought of ruling. They won't directly admit it, but it's not something they'll deny either. Pretty far! They already barely have morals and burn through hell like it's nothing. Maybe if they try hard enough they can rule a layer. Daggers - She'd love for her family not to be so distant and broken apart. Even her daughter not speaking to her much on the rare nights she's home makes her a little sadder every time. She's tried speaking to Stellar about it, but Daggers is too tired to handle much conflict and Stellar always turns it into an argument. Kidako - He's a pretty happy guy! Would love for there not to be a war! Not going to do anything about it, though! Isabeth - She wants Markata back...the love of her life, her other half. Isa has never had anyone to admit it to, but it's evident in the way she talks about Markata when Lullabies can get her to. She'd do almost anything just to talk to her wife again. future ; Damselfly - Stuck in hell, already scant mental health slowly degrading, nothing but a mindless machine with a broken soul. They're very aware of the possibility, but don't do much to avoid it, since everything is a "I'll deal with it later" situtation. Daggers - Wasting her life with Stellar and/or being killed in the impending war or from some other cause. Which is, unfortunately, the most likely future. She's too tired and stressed to think much about the future, though. Kidako - Losing his family, probably ? That or dying a meaningless death which is...also kind of likely. Isabeth - I literally do not think her life can get any worse. 1/2, once again

[lady-of-the-spirit]

Pick any OC for the "if OC was canon" asks! "What feelings does your character most often instill in their fans?" "If your character had a breakout show/film/comic, what would the plot be? Who would be in their supporting cast?" "What controversies/drama would your character incite in fandom?" and "Are there ship wars? Are they a popular character to ship, or the kind of character that gets shuffled off and away from shipping for whatever reason?"

Gonna answer these with Hestia because I've been thinking about her in a meta way lately! (It has to do with shipping.)

What feelings does your character most often instill in their fans?

Her fans would love her! Like, she's a soft kindhearted woman, what's not to love??? But also she's got a slight hidden trickster side to her, she's got a surprising amount of backbone considering her general demeanor, and she is fully capable of using people's perceptions of her to her advantage. Her fans are gonna want to protect her so bad but also are like "she contains multitudes!!!" she'd be stanned so hard by her fans.

If your character had a breakout show/film/comic, what would the plot be? Who would be in their supporting cast?

OOH I remember my sister once made a netflix original series edit a few years back for a potential Hestia-centered series, and I can see that being it. Kinda like Agent Carter covering the development of SHIELD, this series covers the pre-Thor 1 stuff, the story of Hestia coming to Asgard, marrying Thor, how they learn to live together and fall in love, how Hestia learns to navigate her new kingdom and world. It's like... romance, comedy, drama, political drama, a little bit of action. But honestly probably mostly romance and comedy. Freida Pinto as Hestia, obviously, all the MCU Thor cast as their respective characters. We've also got Hestia's family. My old cast for them was Evan Rachel Wood as Hera, Pedro Pascal as Zeus (this was pre-Mandalorian), and Jason Momoa as Poseidon. (I had faceclaims for others, but I'd change them now, and her whole family makes appearances so I won't get into every single one.) Hestia would also probably have a few handmaidens as a crown princess, but I haven't thought about them at all.

What controversies/drama would your character incite in fandom?

Well she's a queer woman of colour in the MCU fandom. That alone is gonna be controversial. Plus she's married and in a romantic relationship with one of the main mcu guys, Thor, generally seen as the hottest one, so there's that too.

I can see a lot of discourse over her usefulness as a character. Like, Hestia's role once the movie events start going is going to be a lot of background stuff - politics, keeping people organized and keeping the kingdom running. Stuff that is important but, because these are action movies and she's not kicking ass with a sword or something, is gonna get her sidelined. She's also not openly snarky or sarcastic, she's kind even though she can make jokes and be funny, and I think that would also get her mischaracterized as weak or useless. On the flip side, she has a lot of power but chooses not to fight because of trauma, and that would get her called out because "she could have stopped xyz event and didn't".

Are there ship wars? Are they a popular character to ship, or the kind of character that gets shuffled off and away from shipping for whatever reason?

I'd like to believe that Thor and Hestia would be a popular ship, you know, "happily married couple deeply in love" is a popular trope for a reason! We love that shit! And it would be popular because they are obsessed with each other and love each other so much and again, we love that shit! But we live in the real world and the mcu so there would still be some shipping drama. Inevitably there would be people shipping Hestia and Loki. I hate to think about it but it would happen. They're very close and have a special relationship, but it's JUST as siblings/friends. They work as friends and siblings but romantically, nah.

Unfortunately I have to bring up the obvious: because people ship thor and loki, I can see fans pushing Hestia out of the way of that. Either by simply having her and Thor being friends in an arranged marriage rather than coming to love each other, or just cutting her out completely somehow. She'd end up the supportive shipper on deck for them and probably show up in the background in a relationship with like, Sif or Jane or some other female character to make it seem progressive that they're sidelining a leading queer woman of colour for their incest ship. Something similar would happen for any other thor ship I guarantee it.

OC meta ask list!

[purplesurveys]

1782

What are some of your favorite cities you’ve been to?  Bangkok was so much fun that I'm already itching to go back. I was there for 4 days with the most jam-packed, NONSTOP itinerary you can imagine someone having; and yet it still felt like barely scratching the surface of what could have been explored there.

Shanghai was fun too, but you also have to be filthy rich to fully enjoy their offers – for me though it was fun enough to people-watch and try the local McDonald's haha, so I'm still counting it as a favorite.

Would you allow your children to date prior to 16? I did, so it would be hypocritical of me not to allow them. The only thing I'd change is to foster an open, warm environment at home so my kids can share with me what they're up to and ask questions if there's any concerns, because I had to hide my relationship for the entirety of it.

Did you ever go through a phase where you thought guys in bands were ‘hot?’ I guess, but I wasn't super deep into the phase. There was just a brief point where I wanted to date like a drummer, and I didn't even attend small shows in an attempt to catch a band member's eye.

What’s something about adult life you were never warned of or prepared for? How lost everyone is. I thought you'd kind of just figure everything out once you turned a certain age.

Did your parents teach you proper table manners when you were growing up? More my mom than my dad, but yeah. My mom had this brief phase where she kept telling us she'd enroll us in this series of etiquette classes – she never did lmao, but she tried to teach whatever she could when she had the time.

What was the last thing you baked? I've only ever baked chocolate chip cookies and I haven't done that since I was like 14. I don't have the natural skill for it and would much rather support a small business since there are like 593875954 local cookie shops who could do the job so much better anyway.

Do you live more than 5 hours away from the nearest international border? Well if you swam the distance it'd definitely take weeks haha, but as far as I know Taiwan is only a 1.5 hour plane ride away.

Does your town have a farmer’s market? We have markets literally everywhere, it's a focal point of every city. I don't know if a farmer's market holds a different meaning.

What’s the westernmost point you’ve been to? Thailand.

What was the last restaurant you made a reservation at? Blackbird. I haven't stopped thinking about their cheesecake either.

When did you last feel lonely? It's been a while tbh! I like my own company and seldom feel lonely.

Can you easily tell when others are masking their true emotions?  Sure, sometimes. I know a few people who are great at being on autopilot that I can't help but think about what they're really feeling or how they're holding up with everything going on around them.

How often do you wash your car? Every couple of weeks.

When did you last lend money to a friend? I don't do that. That's enough of a problem in Filipino society that I simply don't want to be a part of that cycle, whether it's me lending the money or me asking to borrow money.

Which app on your phone do you tend to get the most notifications from?  Viber as it's my main line for work.

Do you own a Dutch oven? If so, what was the last thing you cooked in it? I don't think we do.

What is currently on your kitchen table?  Just a towel.

What is your favorite time period in history to learn about? Any era pre-World Wars.

How old were you when you met your current best friend? 7.

Have you ever kissed a smoker? Sure.

What is the minimum age to obtain a driver’s license in your state/country? Do you think this is an appropriate age? 18, and yeah that's fair enough to me. Personally I needed it to be 18 because I needed a way to bring myself to and from university and I wasn't willing to commute, so being able to drive immediately after graduating high school was a relief.

If you won the lottery, do you think any of your family members would ask you to give them some of your money? Hypothetically, I think they would be very indirect about it; but in the first place I wouldn't even be saying a word to anyone so that I don't have to worry about people messaging me out of the blue with an agenda in tow.

What is the craziest thing you’ve seen happen at your workplace? Nothing too crazy tbh because we've had a WFH setup ever since I started. It's probably just the office looking like a hoarder's paradise as we often have boxes upon boxes of PR packages populating the area, and it often feels like a warehouse more so than an office.

Do you own any home automation gadgets like wifi thermostats or wifi bulbs? Nothing too high-tech. Our aircon downstairs can be controlled via its phone app but that's it.

What is something you gave up on after many failed attempts? Learning Photoshop.

How old were you when you started to seriously think about what career path you wanted to pursue? Towards the end of college. I had a brief, last-minute crisis where I suddenly wanted to be in law school, but it was happening when things were more or less wrapping up for me in college so I had had to sit myself down and start thinking about what it is I wanted to do.

Eventually I came to the reflection that law school will spit me back out nearly immediately, especially if I'm only thinking about the money; so between that and already hating journalism enough, I decided to take up PR and comms.

Have you ever disliked a book so much that you didn’t finish it? Yes. Maybe not dislike, but I was just so bored of the book that I didn't bother reading through the rest anymore.

Would you rather read a book, or listen to the audiobook? I'd rather read the book. I did download an audiobook recently – and it's my first audiobook too! – but I only did it because it would be impossible to find a physical copy of the book where I'm from.

Do you think tomorrow will be a better day than today? Not in the slightest.

[mwagneto]

Okay, I'm facing a bit of trouble with my Reverse Sherlock OCs. The ones who are middle aged women instead of men and also rivals to my pre-existing murder mystery investigator duo, although I have since decided they also work together sometimes. I hope that's enough info to remember which ones I mean. Anyway.

Because I just put them into a universe I already had, they are not in the late 1800s, it's actually modern day urban fantasy (but with public knowledge of magic and such (tho the fae are thought to be extinct but later turn out to just be in hiding cuz humans suck and waged a war on them for being "too powerful" despite them being peaceful) but magic is less convenient than technology so it's used less and less) and like. I know they're technically my OCs but I also wanna stay somewhat true to your vision. So here's my options:

1) set it in late 1800s urban fantasy instead. This is still a possibility since the plot isn't reliant on the modern setting and the most modern technology I will definitely include is a telephone and in fact some points might even make more sense if they can't just google shit or text each other. I'm also planning to have the MC's washing machine be broken so he always uses the laundromat but that's just one of the points to make him more skrunkly so I can just cut it. There's also some other more modern ideas/terms in there, eg the MC is vegan and his assistant/best friend is a she/they, but I could probably handwave that. Trouble is: I really don't like doing historical research and I know so little I'd have to do a LOT of research. So while this would probably make the most sense, it's also the least pleasant for me.

2) make modern day more 1800s. Eg I could include a lot more homophobia and possibly take away some technology (which I could easily explain with "since they had access to magic, developing technology was less of a priority") and it would possibly make sense to include more racism in that scenario as well but since I'm white I don't feel comfortable doing that and also I already made the reverse Sherlock ladies interracial so that would create an additional aspect of the dynamic that wasn't there before. Downsides would be I'd have to write in stuff that's pretty uncomfortable and also what's the point of a modern setting if it doesn't even feel like a modern setting?

3) have them be time travellers. Then the two of them would be from the late 1800s but everything else would stay the same. Could make their story too big for their narrative role tho and also then I'd have to invent new time travel logic since the one from another universe of mine (my only one that currently has time travel) only works for going to the past one-way (and trips that far wouldn't be possible anyway, long story) so it can't possibly be applied here. And then ofc there's the possible plot complications that come with having time travel exist at all. Plus, magic isn't supposed to be super powerful in this universe, not even fae magic should be that powerful. And I'm not making it sci-fi, too, that's Too Much I think.

I'm also open to other suggestions from both you and the audience, or I could just. Not do any of them. Like, they're still gonna be obsessed with each other and the investigative journalist (whom I chose to faceclaim as Yvette Nicole Brown bc I loved her in Community and I think she'd do a very good job at it) is charming, confident, brilliant at detective work, writes riveting articles full of wit and clever insight (without being condescending) etc while her assistant (whom I actually faceclaimed from a middle aged mutual of mine but don't tell her, in my defense I did it cuz she's pretty) is an incompetent herbo (I haven't figured out her drug(s) of choice yet but I will) whom she keeps around at first out of charity and then out of gay.

(Also, I'd like to note that herbo assistant (I haven't named the two of them yet, sorry) isn't obsessed with competent journalist because of her work (she's actually pretty disinterested in it when they first meet, she just "has to" (at first temporarily) work for her, I'll figure out the details of why) or even her more "conventionally attractive" qualities like being smart, funny, charismatic etc but rather because she is one of very few people to see her for the deranged, risk-taking adrenaline junkie that she is which is also why Yvette's character is so obsessed with her in return.)

So I do think I kept the spirit of them, but it's still your idea originally and I wanna pay homage to that so here I am, asking for your thoughts. Sorry for the long read! Love you <3

AHHH all of these sound really good but i think i'd go with 2), I'm always a huge fan of stories that try to explore how the supernatural elements in the world would change the way technology and society develops, i think that's the coolest shit ever... also idk i understand being uncomfortable with including/amping up racism, and like... i don't think you need to if u don't want to yknow? like idk the history of bigotry irl is very complicated and this is your world you can easily say some shit likem supernatural creatures existing meant ppl were less hateful towards each other and more hateful towards them or something, a lot of fantasy settings do that, Carnival Row comes to mind rn. or you can just not address it at all and make it a racism free au or have it be about as bad as it is rn.... i think you should write what you're comfortable with n like, i think it's fine when the social dynamics of a fantasy settings arent explained yknow like i dont think it's inherently a bad thing or a plothole

also another thing is i think nr 2) is the one that allows you the most freedom in that like. having a very different world with different technology means you can just make shit up instead of having to research the 1800s/time travel/even modern technology honestly, plus yea time travel would definitely fuck with a lot of things...bbut i dont KNOWW i think all 3 options are good im just very drawn to the second one

but also they're your little guys i'm just sitting next to your sandbox you don't need my permission dont worry jfjeifjdifjd<33

[fandomfluffandfuck]

Bucky Remembering Pre-War Times At Unexpected Moments-

When Steve and Bucky were little kids Bucky's little sister Becca always asked them to play house with her. At which point Becca would always declare Bucky the father (unless she was mad at them but still needed someone to play with, if she was sore at him, she'd tell him he could go ahead and play the dog and stick her tongue out at him). And Dteve would then end up being the mom while Becca and her friends (if Becca had anyone else over) were the kids. Becca's favorite game while playing house was having Steve, Mom, teach her to bake cookies while Bucky, Dad, read the newspaper to them from the kitchen table. Occasionally Becca would beg for Mom and Dad to dance while she sang for them, though they only knew that that particular part of the game could be played when Steve and Bucky were home alone with Becca, babysitting her while Winnifred and Sarah were out shopping together. Their Ma's would never do anything to make them stop from dancing together but... they would look at them, real concerned, their eyes turning big and sad and Steve couldn't ever stand to see it. They both make sure that Becca never asks to play house when Bucky's dad is home though. For her own good and theirs too.

Anyway, once Steve and Bucky re-meet in the 21st century and they begin to take on the mass amount of back-breaking work that is digesting their respective traumas, Nat teases them by asking "who's the girl" because someone in the future will ask so they better have an answer now. Whether it's a quip or a deadpan troll or a lecture. It's a 21st century thing, yes, Nat sighs, a homophobic thing, but also it probably means they don't really know any better too, so even if it's hurtful so they better decide now.

And after she says it, Bucky automatically jerks his thumb in Steve's direction, then, when Natasha reacts to how quickly he does it, smirking, Buckys face goes blank. Confused by himself. Then... Bucky goes stock still, the barest hint of a flush creeps up onto his cheeks as a strange memory plays in his mind, faded and watery.

An apartment. Background noise. Dust bunnies in the air. Steve's face. Steve's face when it was still soft and round with youth. His hands. His hands on Steve's waist. Bucky muttering steps under his breath so Steve will understand. More background noise in the dim room. Laughter. Cheering. A little girl's voice. Becca? His Ma's apartment? Dancing with Steve? Directing Steve to dance with him like he would with a dame?

Steve gently asks him what's up from his side, his hands cradling his bicep gently. Touching. Reaching out.

Bucky just shakes his head. He doesn't know. He just..... recalling the memory, still unable to recall at what point he told Steve he loved him Bucky simply knows that whenever he told him- he should've known sooner. The warm, fluttering feeling in his chest, dancing with Steve as a kid... that's not unlike what he feels today. Just. Softer. Less defined. Less defined by understanding what it is and embracing it rather than shoving it down. Compressing it until he can convince himself it doesn't exist.

Why did the memory come up? What connection does it have to Steve being "the girl" in their relationship?

Oh.

Oh!

Bucky grabs onto understanding tightly before it can disappear like spiders silk through his fingers on a windy day. Blurting out, "do you remember when we'd play house? With Becca? You would be Mom and I would be Dad? Becca our kid?" even though Nat and Steve have continued on with the conversation. Knowing that Bucky will continue to try to unwind his memory on his own. He prefers it this way. As opposed to being pointed out obviously or babied.

And-

Steve bursts out laughing, his amusement radiant and warm, allconsuming as he gets ahold of himself enough to say, "I haven't thought of that in... God, who knows how long-! Yes! Yeah, yeah, I remember, Buck," if before he was radiant, know looking at Steve feels like looking at the sun after a lifetime of pouring rain. It makes his chest hurt. "Becca would make me put on an apron and pretend to cook or clean and you got to sit and tell her stories... I was so jealous! I had to be on my feet while you got to sit! Except, of course, whenever she'd convince you to get up and dance with me. That's why I can slow dance," he laughs shaking his head, "it's a good thing I learned during pretend too, huh? Otherwise I would've heard nothing but ouch, ouch, ouch, stepping on your toes. As is you had to stay in character."

Bucky's chest feels warm. Like in that memory.

Just like it was in that cozy, dim and dust-bunny filled apartment a lifetime and a half ago... love. He's just as in love as he's been for- forever. And he feels it strongly. He's so in love with Steve.

[satans-left-asscheeky]

Companions react to Sole getting randomly stabbed in the thigh by a toddler?

"Let me see what you have? A KNIFE! NOOO!"

Maccready

"It's kids like those that make me realize just how lucky I got with Duncan.... Sorry not trying to get all sappy while fixing you up, but just wow... some peoples kids make me realize how fu- frickin lucky i am ya know?"

Mac knows kids just copy their parents (Hell that's what made him clean his act up for his own little one) but Jesus he's glad he had the kid he did. He knows he won the lottery with Duncan.

Hancock

"Well that's one way to say hello.... Sorry brother/sister these goodneighbor children aren't all there if you catch my drift..."

He'd feel responsible in a way, sure it wasn't his kid, but it happened in his town, on his watch. He'd make sure to help sole clean and bandage the wound and then have a talk with his town about what is and isn't appropriate for their kids to be doing. Which sound something like...

"Look I never wanna tell people how to parent because what does a son of a bitch like me know about having kids, but when your little ones are goin around stabing people that's not cool!"

Ah the hypocrisy

Cait

"WHO GAVE THE LITTLE SNOT NOSED BASTARD A FUCKIN' KNIFE!?"

First she's looking for a doctor to patch sole up, but next she's looking for the parents to tell em what their little demon spawn did.

Danse

"What the hell! Soldier are you alright? I can't believe they stabbed you! It's worse than I thought even the children have been corrupt by the wastland..."

He'd continue his rant about how the commonwealth seeks to snuff out all innocent and how only the brotherhood can cure the sickness that is corruption of the vile evil wastland while patching sole up. Hopefully sole doesn't mind Danses rants....

Curie

"Oh my goodness! Is this how children act now! Do you have no respect for your elders? You! You're going to help me!"

She doesn't dare let the little hooligan touch sole but she does force them to hand her bandages out of her med kit, and boy is it in the kids best interest to listen because Curie doesn't get angry often but oh boy when she does.... it's scary.

Deacon

"Oh my god! You just got stabbed by a literal baby boss!!!"

he'd absolutely piss himself laughing. He'd like to help sole clean the wound, but he's to busy laughing his ass off. They're never living this down. Never.

Piper

"I'm guessing that happened a lot less pre-war huh? Can't say I haven't been stabbed by a child, hell Nat probably has wanted to several times... sorry let's get you patched up."

She'd tend to her friend carefully. She'd ask about what the craziest experience with a kid they'd had pre-war was and if it compared. She'd get sole laughing and before long the whole stabbed thigh thing was a lot less shitty of a situation

Nick

"Guess the delinquents just keep getting younger and younger.... here let me help ya out pal"

Hes very dissapointed...once soles been tended to he'd have half a mind to find that kids parents and have a nice long chat.

Preston

"If it's okay with you I'm gonna try and find the kid once where done here.... I know they stabed you and all, but I can only imagine what they've been through to make them react so violently just from someone else's presence."

And he would he'd find them and take them in... even get the kid into a school. First lesson was why stabbing is not okay, but hey apparently it's an important lesson

X6-88

"Are you alright Sir/Ma'am? This just confirms what I already suspected, the institute is the only hope left for humanity.... even the children..... Christ."

He'd teloport them both back to the institute for sole to be treated. He wasnt looking forward to filing the report saying children now were to be added to the surfaces many dangers....

[sometipsygnostalgic]

Have any fun headcanons on how Entrapta runs her Kimgdom pre and post war?

Like does trying to be more social make her try to interact with her subjects

I did a story once of post war series of Dryl hosting a science fair and Entrapta is the judge

Having her be a normal responsible ruler is the most boring thing to think about in the world actually. It's just... absolutely not in her nature, nor should it be ever. The idea of Glimmer settling down is already dull enough.

For your question - Pre-war, i have a longstanding oneshot idea for that. At least the early years. But imo Entrapta was not ready, and the position her kingdom was in when it was handed over was absolute hot trash. So she just buried her head in the sand and let it fall apart, building robots for herself and to replace lost staff.

"Your Highness, sorry about your family, we really need you to leave the workshop though, your dad lost his trade deals with Brightmoon when the Horde attacked so there is a shortage of food and wood, we haven't sold any steel in months so the miners have no work, castle staff are leaving in droves especially now, and your coronation ceremony is supposed to be in six minutes. Surely you want to finally take control of the situation and not repeat the mistakes of the late Prince-- Wait, Princess, where are you going--"

So that's why Dryl is a deadzone at the start of the show and Entrapta only has 3 castle staff who don't like her very much, as well as absolutely NOBODY responding to her distress beacon. The cooks were probably recent hires too because they seem so young, two of them could be younger than Entrapta herself. And she had NO qualms handing over her kingdom to the Horde. Catra said "Dryl's forces have fled". I think this is funnier if the only people who lived there were the 3 castle cooks, some daring squatters like the goblin dude, a postman, and a random elderly couple who keep complaining about the large noisy Horde vehicles. Otherwise she let a kingdom full of people get taken over by the Horde, which is a little fucked up even for Entrapta, but not out of her range.

Post-show I think this is where the question really comes in, who is she now? Entrapta has spent the series on a ridiculous and dangerous adventure moving from place to place, things being chaotic for her moreso than anyone else. She hasn't even BEEN to Dryl since she was left in the Fright Zone!! And she clearly didn't miss it much. The last time Entrapta was in Dryl was in the Portal episode and I thought that scene was quite sad, sure there are her robot friends, but it came across as a safe kind of prison (though ofc it's not safe with what she gets up to) where there are no exciting social interactions to get hurt by or enjoy.

When you've moved to the Fright Zone, survived Beast Island, ran from place to place surviving Prime's attack, spent months on a dangerous space mission, and then come back to find your camp has to move again because all your buddies got chipped, the idea of STOPPING that adventure and "settling down" back into that shitty castle labyrinth you locked yourself in years ago, taking on the responsibilities you long abandoned, it must be terrifying!!!

Personally what I see happening is Entrapta just assuming she can instantly get settled in back home since, duh, it's HOME, and when she gets there and the place is completely falling apart because the Horde struggled to survive against the Prime invasion, the outer areas of the castle are overrun with growth, but the inside is as dark and confusing and empty as she left it, there are no people, there's no sound, how can that possibly feel like home??? Where do you even begin to make this town feel like a home to anyone?

But she does have more support now from all her friends, and there are a lot of new people that NEED a stable place to live, and while I think Entrapta's instinct would be to stay wherever her friends are (most of them may be in Brightmoon), she'd probably decide to head home, demolish the castle walls to let some light in, and set up a sanctuary in Dryl for some of the clones. There's lots of room, and if Hordak and Wrong Hordak are there, together everyone can build a pretty cool town. Maybe even a school, and a spaceport!!! Wouldn't that be awesome! What a bunch of nerds.

Doing princessy things like Glimmer and leading dull ceremonies and stuff like that? Never. Entrapta would sooner abdicate. Maybe she does. Or maybe she delegates all the most boring responsibilities to other people and finds a way to do the bare minimum princess work to keep everyone together with the most efficiency. Does anyone see it as princess work or just healthy leadership? I bet Entrapta disappears a lot on science adventures. There is always going to be an edge of chaos in Dryl. People don't like authority in that town, especially not the ruler.

[erikageiger]

I'm curious, what are your thoughts on how the companions in the game would react to the events of Sim Settlements 2 if they could. (I mean, it's mighty impressive what the team already managed to do with them, but I am asking the queen of this niche fandom to feed our endless hunger.)

Yes, Sirick did an amazing job with the companion comments! I was quite surprised when both Nick and Piper had brief interactions with The Ron! And Preston recognizing Aiden, an ex-minuteman, was a really nice touch!

I wish I knew all the comments he used so I wouldn't have anything contradicting something they actually say, but what the heck. Here's how the "queen of this niche fandom" would fill the gaps. :D

Damn, this took a while! Pardon if anything feels out of character, it's been a while since I traveled with most of them.

Oh, and SPOILER WARNING for chapter 2, obviously.

F4 companions react to SS2

Cait: the biggest change of opinion

Being one of the two who dislike helping settlements, she would scoff and taunt at first. She doesn't trust Jake, thinks he's hiding something since he's "too nice". But since the player won't let that stop them, she backs off to observe and to mostly just help out in the fights. She won't show interest until the new plot types are found, since those plots give a much clearer improvement to the settlements, like a bar and a proper place to work out.

When the trouble with the Gunners starts, she absolutely hates the idea of the Gunners getting the sensors and now doesn't mind spending so much time in the settlements (heck, she's probably made a few new friends by now! ...like Sneake!). However, deep down, she is rather scared of their odds, knowing just how many Gunners are out there and what they're capable of.

I don't think she'd like Aiden much, especially when he tells the player to leave their "cheer squad" behind. Like "you afraid I'll steal your kills or something?". No matter how it gets done, she's quite relieved about Algernon, since this meant an upper hand and fewer Gunners to deal with. No matter how much she hated Gunners, she could respect a reasonable one. When Old Paul dies, she leaves the room to not be seen shedding a tear. And after all that, she's 110% done with the Gunners and ready to take the fight to them, voting for Aiden's plan. And don't you dare spare Berman or she'll kill him herself.

(Oh, and I think she'd like Raphael... maybe...)

Codsworth: the second visionary

Being very familiar with RobCo, Codsworth never doubted what Jake said about the sensors. He gets excited about the project and offers to help the settlers in whatever way he can. He's happy about the idea of bringing back civilization, cheerfully talking about the future and making jokes like they'd one day have bottles of milk delivered to front porches again.

He gets quite focused on improving the settlements' defenses when the Gunner threat starts, even urging the player to join the Minutemen if they haven't already. He tries to keep morale up and will probably even lift Jake's spirits, assuring him he's not to blame. And when Jake gets kidnapped, he'll be about as worried - if not more - as the player. He's pleasantly surprised about Algernon, him being a promising ally and an interesting man. And when meeting Lupe, he's back to his cheerful self, eager to get back to work on keeping the good folks safe.

With the CPD and Nightingales, he's again reminiscing about the comforts of the pre-war life. He's supportive of both causes and likes to work with them.

When Old Paul is killed, he's ready to comfort the player - and he might be in need of comfort himself, poor guy. If the player dismisses him at some point after taking care of Paul's body and fetching Cola, he will look after the little pup to the best of his abilities. And then, if taken with to the battle at the Plaza, he'll vote for Jake's plan. And with HQ, well, he's quite excited to help with anything, probably clean the place like no other could. And after all this, he'll think about his master/mistress' work and think about how proud the spouse would've been.

Curie: the Nightingale fan

Much like Codsworth, she's excited about seeing the comforts of the pre-war life return. She's quite fascinated about the sensors and likes to help map things out, keep things organized and with the settlers' health in mind. As for Jake, she loves how well-mannered and good-hearted he is. This project of his is admirable and she looks forward to what the future holds. With trial and error, she is certain the Commonwealth will one day be thriving thanks to Jake and the player.

When people start to get sick, she manages to help the ones with the less serious diseases, then keeps an eye out for medicine. When learning about the Nightingales from one of their traveling doctors, she's eager to meet and work with them.

With the Gunner problem, she's much like Codsworth and believes in team work, to stand their ground and fight for a better life. When Jake is kidnapped, Curie is quite worried for his safety and quickly checks his wounds when the player comes back with him. She's relieved to know the outcome and is happy about the new allies.

And much like Codsworth, she checks on the player after Old Paul's death and happily takes care of Cola if dismissed, even carries the pup back to the settlement if she's in her synth body. And when it's time for the battle, she'd be very sad if you'd choose Aiden's plan. Inviting the Nightingales would be a nice idea, as she plans to heal any and all survivors too.

If left to work at HQ, she'd have Cedric call the player a bit earlier, having already determined the cause but still thinks they need help from the Nightingales. Also, while she doesn't like visiting her old vault, she likes working with Cedric and hang out with him.

Paladin Danse: the friendly bigot

As soon as he understands the true potential of the sensors, he really believes in the vision of the future but also thinks they should involve the Brotherhood more. To get their help with the Comm Hub and minimize the risk of it being stolen, but it never happens (either because the Brotherhood is too busy or because he can't convince Jake to let them even touch it, maybe both). He can respect that and waits patiently for the next opportunity. In the meantime, he likes seeing the people of the Commonwealth thrive. (And, of course, if the player has done his personal quest, he won't press on it, instead focus on experiencing this adventure like a common citizen)

Depending on the situation with the Institute, he will like the adventure and working on settlements, but will occasionally remind the player of how important it is to stop the Institute before they get their hands on the sensors. But he will stop when the Gunner threat starts, even do what he can to get the Brotherhood to help (if he's still a part of it). He will look at the tragedy objectively but ends with some encouraging words for Jake, being rather annoyed with Aiden too. So, just like Cait, he's also not thrilled when Jake gets kidnapped and Aiden tells the player to leave their companions behind. He doesn't trust Aiden but will listen to the player.

With the Gunners, he tries to be impartial. He hates them for being such ruthless mercenaries, but he can accept Algernon and see him as a valuable ally. He'll trust the player's judgement and won't mind Aiden's plan (if the player doesn't ally with Algernon), even if he dislikes the vigilante.

With HQ, he's quite impressed, looking back at the player's journey. He'll consider them and their friends a brand new faction and valuable allies to the Brotherhood. Or if his personal quest is done, he'll feel much better about life and be more than happy to serve in security... even if it means Aiden is his new CO. ...maybe he'll ask to join engineering instead so he can work in the weapon and armor labs.

Deacon: the informed one

He knew about the sensors, but never got to see them in action, never finding a working one and Tinker Tom being too busy to learn the new tech. Other things had higher priority, so he was quite happy when Jake showed a working one.

Being rather good at seeing people's talents, I'd imagine him hanging out with settlers and kind of work like the Vit-O-Matic, being able to judge their character and suggest workplaces and such. And having kept his eyes open for ASAM stuff in the past out of curiosity, he'd probably know a few things even Jake didn't know. In fact, it'd be quite funny if Deacon had learned about the ASAM stuff at Vault-Tec's HQ but didn't have time to investigate, and so he sold the info to The Ron, which would've been a fun moment when they go and investigate it.

Being rather used to things being too good to be true, he wasn't very surprised when the Gunners attacked but it wasn't time to give up yet. He could see the potential and the cause was good. It's worth fighting for. And hey, he'd REALLY like to see the Gunners try against the Laser Artillery Cannons parked in a few settlements.

As much as he'd love to infiltrate the Gunner vault... again, he lets Aiden have his way and stays behind. However, he knows about Algernon and pulls the player aside to advise them to go in peacefully. He thinks it's best to keep the good Gunners on their side. With the HQ built, he loves what they've done with the place and won't mind helping out, but he must continue his work. ...he would like a box of sensors, though. You know, to upgrade the Railroad's HQ. And hey, he'll keep Jake's secret and keep an eye out for Katelyn and Laura.

Dogmeat: the good boy

Like most things the player does, he's more than happy to tag along. This is no exception. He likes Jake, he likes how the places improve so quickly with unique buildings and so many new people. He's especially excited when you rescue Cola and he takes every chance he gets to check on her. Especially after they lost Paul.

Hancock: Just like the motto

It's not a bad idea, rebuilding the Commonwealth, and he'd bet some good stuff on your success. It's of the people, for the people. You give them the tools to make a better life for themselves. How could he not like that? He also likes the idea of maybe improving things in Goodneighbor, seeing how the sensors are definitely easy enough for chem-heads to build something for themselves. It might strip the place of some charm but he's sure most folks wouldn't mind if it meant a better home.

He loves the adventure and to help out so many settlements. Eventually, he'll make jokes about alliance agreements and Diamond City possibly losing their crown soon. He believes in the cause and wasn't too surprised it caught the Gunners' attention. The empire has been built, time for the war to keep it. He's quite skeptic about Algernon but trusts the player's judgement and eventually grows to like the old captain. Some Gunner boys can play nice after all. But that Berman guy. When you get to him, could ya give Hancock a chance to give him a good punch in the face? ...call it some history from when that prick was a Diamond City guard.

The reason he traveled with the player was to make sure he hasn't lost sight of what matters, so it wasn't meant to be permanent. So, like Deacon, he still has a job to do elsewhere. Not that he thinks he'd be of much use to your new headquarters. No, keep up the good work, fellow leader. You gave him one hell of an adventure and he looks forward to the new Commonwealth.

MacCready: the amazed dreamer

Being a fan of sci-fi comic books, he gets really amazed by the sensors and thinks they're super cool, probably cooler than the tech used to colonize Mars in the Captain Cosmos stories. He's eager to try it out himself and build a house. He had heard about the incredible power of a G.E.C.K, and compares it to this project.

He's quick to pick up how Jake rarely asks for something in return to all the help he gets and has his suspicions. But it's hard to imagine the guy being any kind of threat, so he doesn't let it get in the way. And when the truth gets out, after the Gunners attacked, there's no reason for him to be suspicious of the guy. He's empathetic, and might even mention his own situation to Jake (if his quest is completed). Knowing the Gunners, he'd urge Jake to get some defenses or something to better protect himself. But Jake still ends up kidnapped, which doesn't surprise him.

He doesn't like Aiden, quick to suggest ditching the guy. But even he can't stop Aiden from tagging along. And maybe, like Deacon, he knows Algernon and asks the player to sneak in without killing anyone, since they might be able to reason with the old captain.

Seeing the advancements in medicine, he'd probably be quicker to ask the player to help him with the cure to Duncan's disease, if they haven't done so already.

With the war, he probably prefers killing as many Gunners as possible, but if the player allies with Algernon, there's no debate. Jake's plan, please. And he too would like to see Berman dead for reasons of the past, and he'd check if you got shot in the head if you spare him. And after all that, setting up the HQ and making this grand empire, he's more than happy to serve as a guard. And, one day, he'd like to go and get Duncan, since he can't think of a better place for them to live.

Nick: the supportive voice of reason

He's seen the advertisements and have been a bit curious about them. To see them in action was quite fun and he likes the idea of trying to better the Commonwealth. He knows a little bit about Jake's story from the time he came to the agency, asking for help. The lead went cold, so he couldn't help the lad. He keeps it a secret until Jake tells it to the player, then adds how he's glad he didn't give up hope. He seems like a good man, so it'd been a shame if he let the cold trail get to him.

As for the Gunner threat, Nick tries his best to help the player and Jake stay calm and come up with a plan. If they tell all the settlements about it, warn them of the threat, the settlers could choose whether or not to stay and fight. It's the responsible thing to do, and they might be surprised just how many are willing to fight for what they have, even if it's against a Gunner army. People can be quite stubborn when they got something worth fighting for.

When Jake is kidnapped and Nick sees the order from Algernon, he gets worried about The Ron. Sure, he wouldn't be too surprised if the guy's a weasel - but if he's not, he might need help. And could that Aiden guy quit the tough guy act, a life's at stake here! True, Nick is old enough to remember the old Gunners and the good captain Algernon, but it's the brute he's more concerned about. He too suggests the player go in peacefully, for Jake's sake and the chance of Algernon being reasonable.

He will check with the player after Paul is killed, see if they're okay and give them some comforting words, before suggesting they get to work and get that bastard Berman. And even if the player doesn't side with Algernon, he'd pick Jake's plan. No reason to kill people just for having a tattoo on their forehead. And when it's time to set up the new HQ, he's quite excited and checks with Jake, happy to hear he's more hopeful now. Keep that up, friend. Laura will get to hear one hell of a story and be so proud of her dad.

Piper: the excited lore hunter

She always wanted people to have freedom and the chance to make their lives better. While she might have her doubts at first, the player's and Jake's dedication to the project has her hopeful. She can already tell it'll be an epic tale to share with her readers, so she makes sure to write down the key moments and interview some interesting characters.

When investigating the Vault-Tec HQ, she keeps an eye out for terminals and, when the player is about to leave, she asks if she can go through all the terminals to see if she can find anything useful. She wants to know everything she can about that Magnusson guy, what the whole deal was with the Comm Hub and all that. Who knows, it might be useful in the future.

I think... she'd probably like Jake. Like, have a little crush on him. So she's ready to comfort him after the Gunner incident and when he shares his story, happy to learn he really is a good man. And when he gets kidnapped, she'd be more difficult to convince to stay behind. She doesn't like Aiden and doesn't want to be left out. I bet she'd be stubborn enough to convince him.

And like most others, she - especially if she gets to join the infiltration of the vault - likes having Algernon as an ally after hearing him out. While she doesn't like Gunners one bit, she had heard stories about the old Gunners and was willing to keep an open mind. And, of course, she'll vote on Jake's plan. Not just to play favorites, but the fact that there might be people like Lupe in there! And, well... it's worth the risk.

With HQ up and running, she feels like it's time to sit down and get some articles out. She's gathered enough for a whole book, and knows someone in one of the settlements that can make that book. If the player has dealt with the Institute, she feels a great sense of relief, seeing the Commonwealth recover. If not, at least it's one hell of a boost to morale.

Preston: he didn't expect that

He figured life would remain the same. He hoped the player could restore the Minutemen and do what he believed could be done to help the common folk. But he never dreamed they'd actually rebuild the Commonwealth and make life so much easier! Even if the player never gets the Minutemen back on their feet, he's happy to serve in one of the settlements. (of course, in order to get him as a companion, you'll have to get the Minutemen somewhat back on their feet)

He believes in the cause and feels more certain that the Minutemen will be back and better than ever thanks to the project. When the player eventually get access to Communications, it could even delay his request to retake the Castle, since they could now keep contact via standard radio.

As for the adventure, it's quite inspiring. So when the Gunners got wind of the project, he's more than ready to fight - to avenge Quincy and its people. He recognizes Aiden, but doesn't pry. He can respect his reasons to avoid the recognition. And he's more likely to side with Aiden, since he's unaware of Algernon's intentions. He trusts the player but won't be very happy about having a Gunner ally, until he meets Lupe. (I know what he says about Jake's plan in the battle, but I'm sure even he can't deny the sad truth of there possibly being people like Lupe still in the Plaza). But Berman is dead, okay? He won't go against the player's decision but he'll hate to see him go free.

There's no reason for the player to have neglected the Minutemen up to this point (even if they did, it would be quite disheartening to Preston, and he'd likely leave the so called "general"). So after the battle and hearing Jake's plan to make the Plaza their HQ, he's quite excited, imagining the bright future. And if they haven't already, he looks forward to hopefully take back Quincy as soon as possible, while the Gunners are weakened.

Overall, he probably couldn't have asked for a better outcome and a better general. Let the Gunner army come. It may be a challenge, but he believes the Minutemen and the Commonwealth are on the right path and will be strong enough to stand their ground. For the Commonwealth!

Strong: parked outside

He doesn't understand what's going on and he doesn't want to. Just don't talk for too long or he'll find something better to do than sit outside and wait. The only thing that interests him is when you explore new places and fight something. Don't expect him to leave much targets for you, though.

Jake seems weak, but ASAM blinkies make good huts. Maybe worth time after all. And this New Bugle building, Strong write papers, people like to read. ...Strong don't know what's so funny but... maybe write more papers. (Assign him to a "New Bugle" industry plot and he'll write articles)

Yeah, this guy is rather simple. He doesn't have many cents to give, he's a simple man... er, mutant. Give him something to fight, and he'll be happy. He's usually not impressed by settlements but even he can admit the buildings are good and the big gun plot was worth the hours of boredom.

X6-88: The Institute is still better, change my mind

You would think he'd maybe get a little faith in the surface-dwellers once you get some settlements up and running. Maybe when you defeat the Gunners and set up your own HQ. But no, he still thinks more about how much better the Institute would use the sensors. But maybe, just maybe, if you've taken over the Institute and earned his respect, he'll admit this might work.

Other than that, he mostly keeps his commentary to himself, only giving strategy suggestions and such. E.g. he'd suggest a direct assault on the Plaza early on, knowing that's where the leader is and probably the info they need to find the hub. He's more of a "let's get this over with" kind of guy, since he doesn't want to spend too much time with humans that are doomed to die out either way. On that note, he'll prefer Aiden's plan, but will follow the player's command without question.

DLC companions:

Ada: likes the odds

Short one. She mostly keeps her commentary to herself. Always ready to be of service, e.g. help Jake transport the Comm Hub from Olivia, and the stuff from the Vault-Tec HQ. I mean, unless the player needs her, why waste time? She likes helping settlers make their homes better and the tech is fascinating. With this development, she's certain the Commonwealth will be much safer within just a few years.

Old Longfellow: ...can he get one?

Of all the strange devices he's seen, the ASAMs ought to be one of the strangest. But hey, let him try one out and he just might like to try building a new outhouse with it or something. He has some loyalty to the classic techniques, but he can admit these devices help an old man like him make something proper even when... a little drunk, heh.

As for the story, he's not very familiar with the Gunners but he knows when to stand his ground and fight. These hooligans better get ready to try running with a barbed harpoon up their asses! And hearing Jake's story, well, it hits his soft spot and he tries cheering him up afterwards. That Algernon fella seems alright, but the choice is yours, captain. And tell that one-eyed redhead to tone down with the murder and show some respect to the little miss Lupe, or he'll join them decoys out in the minefield!

Damn, to think about Old Longfellow, I start to miss him. I think he'd find several moments to be sarcastic and such, be that fun old grandpa guy that we love. But in the end, I think he'd get a little homesick. It's a fine place you got with the HQ, but put him on the next boat to Far Harbor and he'd love to hear your stories next time you visit. Oh, and... could he get one of them sensors? In case some beast took down his ol' shack while he was gone.

Porter Gage: Jackpot!

You kidding, boss? Keep this up, give them some time to build up and all those settlements will be gold mines! He'll go along with whatever you're doing, you're the boss, but you better not forget your gangs are hungry for action. He doesn't like Jake and likes it when the player chooses the quick/rude options, like skipping Jake's demonstration of the new plot types, tell him to deal with the Gunners himself, get the short version of his story, etc.

He also likes either fighting or convincing Stodge to leave. That guy would've caused trouble down the line, better make one of the weaker ones the leader. Then again, there's certainly a thrill to the idea of the place being better fortified, only to be betrayed.

With the Gunners, he doesn't like allying with Algernon. True, the guy would be a powerful ally, but a pain in the butt later on. It's your call, boss, take him down while you can or let him become a future pest to deal with. Either way, he'll suggest good points where they can at least invite some pals from the gangs, but he can't deny Jake's usefulness. Let the nerd tinker a bit longer, wait until the HQ doesn't need him anymore... then, Raider Paradise.