#muse : rj maccready ;; on my knees and out of luck... i look up

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@the-last-command​ sent an ask from the insert headcanon meme (accepting) // { For MacCready } - ♡ + Mutants

i guess this isn’t really headcanon, since it comes purely from canon behavior, but..............

one of the most charming things about maccready to me is that, regardless of what terrible experiences he’s had with, say, ghouls or super mutants, he doesn’t hold that against individuals

what i mean by that is this:

he watched ferals tear his wife apart. he and their son almost died there with her. but he’s still very cordial with ghouls, bonding closely with daisy and getting along swimmingly with hancock and, presumably, the other ghouls in goodneighbor, given the neighborhood watch surprisingly has only good things to say about him (... more or less)

and after having grown up next door to vault 87, super mutants terrorizing little lamplight... he handles strong surprisingly well. and, hell, strong even really likes maccready, where he doesn’t the other companions nearly as much, and maccready takes the compliment in (very surprised) stride

he doesn’t hold prejudice against them, even though most people would say he had every reason to. (now, if only we could get him to extend that courtesy elsewhere... like... y’know... to synths, maybe... no?? c’mon, RJ... please??)

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                      tony stark & robert joseph maccready

You love him despite the burden of Atlas resting on his shoulders, and he loves you despite the death still clinging to your lips, and the blood drying at its corners. What a pair you make.

                                            happy birthday, @shellheadtm !!

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// same energy

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// highlights of listening to a compilation of all of maccready’s dialogue lines:

- an instance of a completely unironic and unsarcastic  "i'm on it, cap'n" - his fucking voice when he’s pissed off at the sosu - "i think this lovely little vacation spot would give even a super mutant a sunburn" - "i think when i've been telling people to go to hell, they... must've... ended up... here" - AGAIN, his voice completely changing, this time in his cannibal reaction lines - maccready doesn’t know what a check is - “COCKED, LOCKED, AND READY TO ROCK, BOSS” - “yeah, yeah... more bright ideas from the brain trust” - “this isn’t a merc outfit... it’s like being back in the scouts” and when were you in the scouts, huh, mac? - what... is all this transmitter talk? what quest have i been missing/forgetting? - his genuine panic/fear of synths... i’ve known he hangs out with cait in that camp, but... hearing it kills me - maccready hissing under his breath at the sosu when he thinks they’re under-bargaining for pay, i am living. (including an excellent line later, they’re holding out, it’s the way he says it, i swear) - “h’yoU’ve goTTA bE kiDDINg mE!” (genuine shock about something. but the way he says it. i’m dead again) - “HOLY SH -- mphfg -- WE’RE RICH!!” (😂) - “CHA-CHING!!” - THE BABYTALK VOICE (timestamped) - he really does just. enjoy combat, tho - “time for some regicide!” vs mirelurk king. honey, you dont know what a check is, but you know the word regicide? wastelander education at its finest - did we get calling nick a “toaster” from maccready ?? - “well, guess what, chief?” unironically...... while he’s genuinely angry....... he got so good at not swearing for that to be natural for him - “what’s happening, cowboy?” maccready, why - “is... this gonna be one of those tricks where they make you moo like a brahmin?” - HIS REACTIONS TO THE CABOT QUESTS - his fucking pirate impersonations, and his GEEKY LAUGHTER about it - “alright, grandma, put up or shut up” - he says “crazytown” a lot... this isnt just a one-off line he uses now and then... mac,,

note to self, stopping at 31:04

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RJ can’t stop being a smartass : dash commentary (1) (2)

“It must be hard, being a superhero and internationally famous billionaire. You gotta consider stuff like, ‘what’s Wall Street doing,’ and ‘there’s another world-ending catastrophe happening,’ and ‘how am I gonna make this sex tape interesting when there are already so many out there?’ Can’t say I envy people like that.”

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📂📂📂📂📂 dealer's choice for who

useless headcanons ;; accepting | @shellheadtm​

>  elle days

if elle is in a space that counts as home (whether it’s hers or a good friend’s), she’s VERY likely to be barefoot. she will kick off those clunky hiking boots and those sweaty socks and pad around with no protection whatsoever

… well. assuming that the state of the place allows for it. it’d probably be a really bad idea for her to do that at, say, raul’s shack, or anyplace where there’s a real chance of getting splinters or coming in contact with exposed nails. but, you know, practicality and safety allowing, girl is barefoot

>  zetta reynolds

despite all her railing against anything traditionally feminine… zetta is a sucker for chocolate and sparkly jewelry. the only people who ever get to know this are her significant others, she will absolutely deny it to anyone else. well… i say that. but her partners post-war probably would never know, because neither are relevant to wasteland life. but she’d probably legitimately kill for some fresh chocolate

but before the war, she had one of those nice cabinet-like fold-out jewelry cases where she kept years and years of presents from riley (and a couple of pieces from her father, too). she may not have been a “flowers and chocolate” girl, but she sure af was a jewelry and chocolates girl (and dark chocolate is preferable)

>  riley reynolds

riley is KILLER at massages. like, my dude could’ve gone into it professionally. his mom was actually a masseuse, and that’s where his knowledge base comes from, but he also likes being able to treat the people he loves so he sought out more on his own

from there, he taught zetta some tricks, so she’s above average at it, too, but riley outpaces her entirely. and, yes, this means that he’s that guy who gives his partner foot massages after a hard day. everyone be jealous of zetta and ferran. or, you know, don’t, because they’d both like that way too much

>  bellamy rook

so i’ve mentioned his boltholes before, both in the last hc ask for him and wt the way he helped his band of enclave remnants survive with them

well, he knows full well that you can’t rely on caches on the wasteland; other people WILL find and take them. as a result, he has… a whole bunch of them, sometimes more than one in the same area. he doesnt just lay one egg, so to speak, so that there’s a higher chance of them surviving long enough for him to pull from them when he needs to. and he’ll also do shit like burying them, or stashing them in really high places — anything that’d lower the chances of people finding them

so basically, you know how in the commonwealth, you’ll sometimes come across duffle bags in random places? yeah, i’m gonna say there’s a high chance that might be one of bellamy’s stashes

>  maccready

so we all know how there’s a huge question mark about who’s looking after duncan back in the capital wasteland? i definitely have a headcanon about that

maccready talks big about how the sosu is the first person he could trust in who knows how long, etc. etc., but frankly? i dont think that makes much sense. the little lamplighters obviously spread out once they got old enough (assuming the lw helped take care of big town), but given that they obviously tend to lump together there in big town for a time… that’s a community, you know? lucy and maccready had their own farmstead at some point, and it’s easy to lose contact with people in the wasteland, but… i just feel like there’s a really high chance that they keep in touch with each other — and that when the shit hits the fan when they’re out on their own, that they fall back to big town when they dont know where else to go

all that to say — i’m pretty sure it’s ex-lamplighters looking after duncan. and i’m thinking specifically angela (princess), or maybe eclair, or possibly both. like, sure, what we see of her in fo3 is pure brat personality, but people grow up. maccready alone proves that. and i can just really see a more mature angela getting along with maccready, so. /bangs squeaky gavel. now i’ve said it in public, so it’s official

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📂

useless headcanons ;; accepting | @disciplc

>  maccready

maccready does, in fact, have a gunner blood type tattoo… it’s just not on his face

i doubt all gunner tats are on their faces — just seems like a weird choice for an otherwise militaristic faction, and the reason why it’s restricted to faces is based in game mechanics, anyway, since we don’t have an overlay system for bodies, just for faces — so the reason why we don’t see maccready’s is because it just… isn’t on his face or his neck

instead, i’m going to say maccready’s tattoo is on his chest, and also that his blood type is O+ (both bc it’s the most common and also bc it fits him best according to the blood type personality theory. bc i’m me and i can never resist personality typing)

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👀 / mac | 👀 / zetta | 👀 / elle | and for giggles, prelim 👀 / riley

insert CR/ship, receive 3 headcanons ;; still accepting | @shellheadtm

lord here we go

>  maccready & tony

1: for a long time, maccready insists on calling the cat “killer” even as tony’s out there never calling it anything other than “fatass.” maccready is the only reason why anybody remembers the cat had another name originally. but he can’t hold out against the curse of permanent tony nicknames. he tries, but he can’t. even he gives up and just calls the cat primarily “fatass” eventually. by then, the only time he calls it “killer” is when duncan’s in the room. … for all the good it does, but the first time duncan says the word “fatass,” maccready glares daggers at the back of tony’s head for like, two weeks straight

2: you know that hc i have about elle and maccready splitting sweets? with tony, mac does this with alcohol. he’ll split a bottle of pretty much whatever with tony during downtime, even as they’re clapping back at each other nonstop

3: you know how i said that the first time maccready kisses the faceplate is after tony’s woken up from a night terror and anxiety-called the suit? i’m pretty sure that eventually, maccready trying to do normal shit when tony has the suit on is just going to be a regular occurance. not that the suit gets a lot of air time in the wasteland, but like. “man, that was cool, HIGH FIVE” post-combat? stupid and reflexive attempts at affectionate touches? That One Time MacCready Went To Punch Tony’s Arm On Reflex Because Tony Said Something Stupid Only To Regret His Entire Life? you fuckin bet. also, the words “take that stupid thing off, i want to kiss my stupid boyfriend” come out of his mouth at some point

>  zetta & tony

1: i know this has been a regular topic lately, but honestly, i really do want zetta to punch someone square in the face on tony’s behalf at some point. it doesn’t have to be an important or named character, it can be some rando npc they’re having to deal with. or, hell, it could be myrna for all i care — zetta hauling off and decking ppl for her loved ones is one of my favorite things, and i’m appalled i’ve only been able to write it the one time. yes, zetta knows tony can mostly take care of himself, but it’s gonna happen during one of those times where he really isnt taking a proper stand for himself, and she’s gonna flip. (though in this circumstance, it probably wouldnt be myrna, huh…) listen, we know it’s a whole Thing for her when one of Her People wont or cant defend themselves, so she over-compensates when it happens right in front of her. but i feel like it’d be especially bad with tony, given how much they’re same hat about… almost goddamn everything. and the things they don’t share, tony shares with riley. i’m just saying it’ll be a HUGE problem, okay

2: zetta’s going to borrow one of your graphic tees one of these days, tony. without even asking. and yes, it’s real borrowing, she’ll give it back, and she’ll even wash it first, god. but it’s definitely happening. and she’ll deserve every “did you guys fuck again” joke that’ll happen when she does. (and probably maccready cranking up the snark factor with her as a result, oops.) but it’s gonna happen

3: speaking of, at some point during their one-night stand, when they’re still in the stages of drunkenly bantering and flirting, zetta absolutely quotes at him, dont hand me no lines and keep ur hands to urself, purely to be a little shit. i have a feeling that may be what escalated shit, because they’re both fucking stupid. that is the single stupidest reason for them to have a “their song,” but i’m pretty sure that’s exactly how that works out. rifp you morons

>  elle & tony

1: i’m bringing back the old headcanon about elle making stuffed animals for the people in her life. you know, the really unfortunate-looking ones. what one does tony get, you ask? well…

2: there is definitely some kind of codeword/inside joke phrase used when one of tony’s jokes goes over elle’s head, and elle takes it way too seriously. i have no idea what it’d be, but it’d cue elle in that she’s absolutely missed the joke. sometimes, this trick is necessary when elle starts getting legit upset about something because she’s too caught up in the “what if”s to notice tony’s just being stupid

3: you know what i hate? the fact that tony will literally never escape the random fucking footloose references, thanks to our goddamn movie theater gang idea and how that’s apparently gonna be canon any time elle and tony are in the commonwealth together. obviously, elle will have never seen the movie prior to that, but like. there’s no way she wouldnt think its the greatest thing EVER and wouldnt make jokes and references to it very regularly afterwards. tony escaped iw, but he didnt escape footloose. i’m sorry, tony. i’m genuinely sorry we’ve done this to you

>  riley & tony

1: i know i’ve said this before, but seriously: one of the earliest things riley does is figure out what foods tony likes most and how to prepare them. this is just… y’know. a thing he does with everyone he starts becoming friends with, and… everyone he wants to like him. and he’s really good at cooking, and noticing what people like, and doing things without being asked. so, uh, be prepared for riley tackling the “make sure tony eats food” problem in a very hands-on way, and then get really shy when called out on it or thanked

2: riley has an interest in old music, and music in general, but this means that a lot of tony’s “vintage” tunes are ones that riley would know, and know the lyrics to, and information about the bands… so don’t be surprised if riley gets caught singing along to tony’s playlists, and definitely don’t be surprised when riley starts offering up bits of trivia like a dog trying to bring a people toys he thinks they’ll like

3: listen, okay… riley would love moe. he would ADORE moe. he would relate to moe. he’d absolutely go out of his way to check on him and make sure he’s doing okay and asking if he needs anything, even though it should be the other way around. and he’d make sure to bring codsworth around in hopes that they’d be able to be friends, which… i’m not actually sure how that’d go. something tells me it wouldnt be as well as riley would be hoping, though… (yeah technically this hc isnt about riley and tony, but it’ll get there when we inevitably talk about this in DMs, i know us)

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@shellheadtm ; cont’d

Yeah, really, toast and tea. Look, don’t judge him; it’s what Lucy would’ve done. It’s what Lucy had done for RJ, back when they were kids and the only kitchen appliances she was allowed to use were the toaster and the electric kettle. RJ doesn’t have a clue what Tony freakin’ Stark would consider to be comfort food, so he’s doing what he’s best at: making do. Give him a break.

(As they got older, tea stayed a Lucy thing. RJ didn’t really care enough, but Lucy gradually branched out from generic brand black tea bags from Walmart towards all the different types, learning their names, what made them different — all the health benefits. RJ wishes now he’d paid more attention when she talked about it. But, well. It’s been long enough the thought doesn’t knock the wind out of him any more. Just stings. Lucy would be better at handling Tony, he thinks. Knowing what to do, the right things to say. And Tony would’ve loved her. Thoughts like this sting a hell of a lot more, probably because they’re new, fresh.)

Anyway: coffee. “Can do.” It won’t even be that instant powdered crap. While Tony groans and rambles, RJ works on setting up the pot. He could use the coffee himself, anyway.

And he has to resist the urge to roll his eyes when Tony tries to play it off like it’s nothing. He’s not stupid enough to fall for it (this time). “No, look — Don’t worry about it. I mean, okay, I can’t pretend I followed all the details, but, what I did catch... Seriously?” He plants a hand on the counter for emphasis and, because the kids are at school and this is the grown-up hour, lets himself say what he really thinks. “It’s bullshit.” 

And he lets his tone carry how much he thinks it’s true. RJ knows he’s only getting one side of things, but, frankly? Everything he’s hearing? It’s kind of pissing him off. He doesn’t think he’d be able to articulate why if asked, though. It’s little things. The way it sounds like the others are treating Tony. The fact that — No, he shouldn’t let himself dwell on it too much. What is he gonna do, walk up to a superhero and tell them they’d better lay off the guy making sure his kid’s mysterious sickness gets treated, or else? Yeah, right. There isn’t anything he can do about that. The only thing he can do... is this. Freakin’ toast and coffee.

RJ leans back again and grabs the bread bag, deftly untwisting the tie. “You know, if you told me, like, months ago the Avengers had their own brand of high school drama, I never would’ve believed it. How dark do you want your toast?”

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@shellheadtm​ thought i was playin’:

The suit’s helmet finally extends, the faceplate forming and clamping down, as much a period on that conversation as any words could be.  “I gotta go.  Just… Keep an eye on things, if something happens, you got the lab, you got JARVIS, you can get me.”

MacCready is ready to fight this. He’s ready to rail against this tooth and nail because dammit, he is so tired of getting left behind when it matters. It’s not that he’s chomping at the bit to prove himself or throw himself into danger, he doesn’t care a single whit about how it plays out in the comics, he doesn’t want to try to make that his reality, he just — It feels like he’s never there when he should be. He wants to be there watching Tony’s back. That’s his job. He doesn’t want to get relegated to this — this stay-at-home mom routine, waiting on the front porch for the conquering heroes to crawl back licking their wounds — fuck that. If he can’t protect Tony —

And that’s what this is about. That’s why he’s pissed off right now. Tony’s talking about trust, but it’s not about being trusted to do something important somewhere else, not for MacCready, he could handle it if it was. He can’t say he’s never complained before, because he has, but it’s different this time. 

But then the suit’s face plate slides down, and the fire dies on MacCready’s tongue before he can even spit it out. 

Instead, he panics.

“No — ” He doesn’t mean for it to come out the way it does, like some broken and bleeding thing being torn out of him. But then, if asked, he wouldn’t be able to say for sure if he meant for it to come out at all. In the moment, he can’t think. “No, no, no, no, no, you can’t — ”

He’s lucky Tony didn’t leave the very second he said he would, because his body is moving on its own, stumbling forward, one hand reaching up, up for the back of Tony’s neck — If it weren’t for the suit, he’d be sinking his fingers into his hair, digging against his scalp, and the reflex to pull is still there, for all the good it does him. Still, MacCready is surging forward on his toes to blindly, awkwardly, stupidly press his lips against the face plate, right where Tony’s mouth should be.

“You can’t just leave like that, you moron, what if — What if — ” The words choke him, and he can’t say it. If you don’t — 

MacCready grits his teeth as if it’ll fight back the tears pushing at his eyes, making the blue of them shine and glitter. “Come. Home.” His face is still just inches away. “You have to come home. Promise me — ” It’s stupid. He knows he is, he knows he’s an idiot, but he can’t — He knows a stupid promise won’t change anything, but he can barely breathe right now for the fear.

He can’t lose someone else he loves. He can’t. Tony has to come home.

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// maccready just fucking picked up a flamer off a dead forged and charged slag with it, chasing him all the way up the catwalk

then, when i went to take it from him, because like hell he’s keeping it...

me: gets overencumbered mac: if youre gonna carry that much you should at least let me carry some of it for you me: 

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previously (x)

“Hey, um...” Elle’s eyes are fixed on her service rifle as she cleans it. MacCready’s been eying the thing ever since he first saw it, to be honest; he’s never seen one like it. And he has no clue what’s been carved into the stock. ARRÊT isn’t a word. And what’s with that weird hat thing over the E, anyway?

“Yeah?”

“Is it... Can I...” She stops, frowning at her hands. MacCready hasn’t really known her to stumble over her words like this, so something’s obviously up. Not... that he’s known her long, but still. She takes a deep breath through her nose and tries again. “I want to ask you to... not call me ‘boss.’”

O-kay... Not the kind of thing he was expecting. His eyebrows crawl up his forehead. Part of him wants to ask why, but another part of him... There’s a line here begging to be said, and he really shouldn’t. Flirting with employers is a bad idea. He should just confirm and move on. MacCready opens his mouth.

“And here I thought you liked it.”

... that is not what he meant to say. And he definitely didn’t mean to say it like such an obvious come-on. He stares at her, eyes wide.

She’s staring at him, too, but she just looks confused. And in the, Where did you get that? kind of way, not the Is he seriously hitting on me? kind of way. Small mercies. Ish. It kinda stings a little, to be honest. That was so not subtle, and she still doesn’t get it? He’s not that interested in her,  don’t get him wrong — She may be cute, but she’s just not his usual type. He flirted for the hell of it more than anything else. But... He likes to think he’s no slouch in the looks department. Is he really not even remotely on her radar?

“It’s... not that,” Elle says slowly, like she’s still trying to figure out what to say. “It’s just...” She stops entirely now, brow furrowed thoughtfully. Yeah, that stupid slip-up hasn’t registered to her at all. Yowch. 

She seems to finally have gathered her words, because her posture straightens. “I know you’re working for me, but I don’t like to be considered ‘above’ anyone. I’d rather walk with someone...” Elle trails off, the certainty in her tone wavering, making him think that’s not really the reason why. But, uh... that’s okay. He’s pretty sure he doesn’t want to know why any more.

If it was the real reason, though, he’d be... surprised. And even though she failed to really sell the point, he has to admit, it does match up with how she’s treated him so far. “You know, it’s not every day you come across someone with that kind of attitude who’s hiring a merc,” MacCready comments, setting his own rifle on the tabletop.

Elle blinks at him, then, her eyes fall to her own gun. “I guess so. It’s just... how I operate.”

“You won’t hear me complaining.” MacCready shrugs.

That must have been the right thing to say, because she glances up at him. For a second, it feels like she’s sizing him up, but not as a threat or a target. She’s weighing whether or not she can trust him — believe him. He feels his stubbornness kicking in and meets her eyes readily, undaunted, and after a beat of silence, her shoulders relax marginally and a small smile tugs at her lips.

They work in silence after that, listening to the faint sounds of the radio in the next room over and tending to their weaponry.

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// lil elle & maccready things:

- if you watch them for any amount of time, you’ll see them pass candy or a beaten pack of cigarettes back and forth. the most common candy to see them split are gumdrops and any manner of stick gum

- they give each other boosts a lot when they’re out scavving. usually it’s maccready giving elle the boost, since she’s smaller and lighter, but sometimes they need to put mac’s long arms to good use instead. elle proves to be shockingly sturdy when it’s her turn (thanks, big mt)

- they’re both pack rats. a team of elle, maccready, and dogmeat can lug back more loot than should be physically possible, but here we are with elle having a courier’s experience running across deserts and maccready’s obsession with making as many caps as possible at any given point — they can cram a lot of shit into just one backpack, but three?

- elle really did ask maccready not to call her “boss,” so instead you hear a lot more “partner” being thrown her way. which... has associations for her, too, but they’re easier for her to deal with

- i don’t advise talking shit about ghouls within either of their earshots, but especially not within both of their earshots

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we gotta install microwave ovens custom kitchen deliveries we gotta move these igerators we gotta move these color TV's

listen here: now, that ain't workin' that's the way you do it you play the guitar on the MTV that ain't workin' — that's the way you do it money for nothin' and your chicks for free

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// found my duncan maccready face claim: félix bossuet, but like, with blue eyes

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"Let's move over there." Elle nods across the street, where they'll have view of Saugus' side, instead of the front. 

 "Sure thing, boss," MacCready confirms, lifting his rifle. He notices a degree of tension leave her shoulders at that. He hadn't pegged her as the type to be reassured at a reminder that she's in charge, but whatever. 

 ("Sure thing, boss," rings in Elle's mind, but in the dry rasp of a ghoul's voice, not MacCready's. And sitting next to someone, sniping targets to clear a safe entry point, is...

Her heart aches for sun and sand and the people who built her up.)