#vdl gang hcs

[mango-harvest]

Hosea and Dutch paint each others nails, but very differently. Hosea gets his nails done with bright colours like pink, yellow blue and all that But we know Dutch is a goth enjoyer deep down, so he gets his nails done purely black sometimes golden just to match his rings.

[lovebytheoutlaw]

id like to request an imagine where it’s arthur with a younger sister- not like super young but maybe like 2 years younger than john (like 24 or 25) she does something dumb in camp and dutch yells at her like a father would. arthur’s like “you can’t yell at her she’s literally an adult” and then arthur just comforting her after the interaction. 🥸

I feel like this isn’t very great, but it was fun to write!! Thank you for the ask! I hope you like it, I apologize if it falls short. Also I don’t hc Dutch as being sexist for the record. He just lives in a time where it was common to separate  the two sexes and their responsibilities.

POV: you're Arthur's younger sister and get caught doing the men's chores instead of the ones Mrs. Grimshaw gave you. Dutch finds our, big bro Arthur comes to the rescue.

CW: sexism

Tired of the monotonous jobs the women always got stuck doing, you decided to bribe the men into letting you do their jobs

You'd much rather split firewood than prick your finger one more time doing a shitty sew job

It was easy at first. You mostly traded doing chores with Arthur so he could go out scouting more, Lenny so he could finally finish his books, Javier every now and then with guard duty since he got restless a lot, and could do more robberies

But then Molly noticed you chopping wood the one day and told Grimshaw. She in turn noticed you hadn't done any of your regularly assigned chores, leaving more to do for your fellow ladies

Molly of course spouted it off to Dutch as well. You knew by the sound of his tone when it rumbled across camp, you were about to get lectured

“Yes, Dutch?" You said in a sweet, innocent manner as you walked to his tent  "Is it true you've been neglecting your chores around camp?" No! Well, yes. But I have been. I just like the men's chores better." You explained, Molly and Mrs. Grimshaw glaring at you from either side of Dutch. "Well, you aren't a man, and you can't just leave slack for others to pick up for you." He roared

He went on, saying how he's not angry, he's disappointed. But his words were harsh, berating you for trying to do a job meant for a man. This caught Arthur's passing ears as he walked by

"And what's going on, here?" He intervened, looking between Dutch and you

You internally rejoiced knowing Arthur would save you, as much as he could anyway

Dutch explained the situation, but instead of the anger displayed moments before, he softened his tone, trying to make his side sound more favorable

"So what I'm hearin' is that (y/n) here was doing chores she actually enjoys doing, and in turn, letting the guys pull in more leads, and money, and you're angry about that? How about letting her do them, and having Uncle pick up her weight." He laughed. "And you can't exactly yell at her, Dutch. She's literally an adult."

Dutch blinked at Arthur, and then looked at either side of him to see Molly and Susan had both dropped their glare in exchange for an awkward stare "Well, I-" He choked out, flustered by the reasoning. He huffed, excusing himself and walked away.

Susan gave a defeated shrug, and Molly put her hands on her hips, "so we're just gonna let her do whatever she wants?"

Arthur and you took the opportunity to make a break for it away from Dutch's tent. Arthur laughed, and patted you on the back. "Don't take anythin' Dutch said to heart. You can do whatever chores you like. There shouldn't be a restriction on a chore jus' 'cause yer a fella or a lady. Don't let people tell you what you can't do because of that, okay?"

You nodded, and smiled fondly at your understanding elder brother. You were grateful for him, and looked up to him. Even though he's told you many times not to. You knew he was a great man, even if he wasn't a good one.

"Come on," he said leading you towards the horses. "Let's go to Valentine an' have some drinks. You deserve to relax after that."

*Cue the scene in A Quiet Time where they're all line dancing*

[cowboyfromh3ll]

Henlo! If it's alright, could I request some headcanons for Arthur, Dutch, Hosea, Micah, and Kieran being told that their S/O has been killed by the O'Driscolls? But nobody can find their body because it turns out they survived and took care of the worst of their injuries before making it back a week or so later. I am a sucker for hurt/comfort content. Thank you for your time and hope you're doing well.

HC For VDL Boys Being Told Their S/O Was Killed By O'Driscolls Ft. Arthur Morgan, Dutch Van Der Linde, Hosea Matthews, Micah Bell, Kieran Duffy

Ohhh nice and angsty

Warnings: Mentions of death, mentions of violence, angst

Arthur Morgan

He would be absolutely broken

I don't think he'd go as far as to go out and kill O'Driscolls for revenge

But a new cavity in his heart would open up, and his hatred of the O'Driscolls would intensify

He wouldn't be able to get out of bed, would be incapable of taking care of himself, needs people to remind him to eat

Constantly scribbling in his journal about you

Probably the first time anyone in camp has seen him cry in a long long time

Only thing he'd get up for was to go in searches for your body

Is incredibly anxious the entire time they're looking for you and tries to mentally prepare himself for the sight of your body in who knows what state of decomposition

Once you return he'd think you're an apparition

He would be absolutely over the moon and crying tears of joy and relief

Interrogates you about your time gone but doesn't push it if the memories are too painful, you can visit that later

Helps mend any of your remaining injuries

Incredibly protective of you now and refused to let you go off on your own for a while

Holds you so so closely in bed the following nights, absolutely blots out the rest of the world with his body because he's scared if he lets go you'll disappear again

Dutch Van Der Linde

Like Arthur, he'd be destroyed as well

His mourning would cause him to jump to the anger stage immediately

Colm has already taken one lover from him, and now he's done it again? Tensions between the two gangs would be higher than ever before

He'd use the presumed death as an excuse to target Colm and the O'Driscolls for the week

Used the search for your body as an opportunity to interrogate and torture O'Driscolls. For once, he tells Arthur to back off so he can get blood on his hands

Despite everyone else's warnings, he just keeps on going and killing more O'Driscolls

When you finally return, he feels like he's hallucinating you because of his grief, and anger

Allows everyone else a moment to check over you before ushering you over to the privacy of his tent

Allows Ms. Grimshaw to follow so she can clean you up while he talks to you

Holds your hand the entire time and looks into your eyes while reassuring you that he'll never allow that to happen again

Insists you don't lift a finger for weeks afterward

Does NOT tell you about what he did while you were gone and simply speaks of his grief and his now relief that you're back

Hosea Matthews

He'd be grieving, but silently

He wouldn't be MIA like Arthur, and he definitely wouldn't be blinded by rage like Dutch

But he'd be a lot quieter, understandably, and you'd be able to see the deep sadness in his eyes

He didn't expect to lose a second lover, and his heart is heavy with feelings of loss

Would spend a lot of time talking about you to anyone who'll listen, mostly good memories

Turns down any of Dutch's suggestions to go out and take revenge, sees right through his attempts to use your presumed death as an excuse to kill a bunch of O'Driscolls

When you return he is all over you and is overjoyed by your presence

Takes care of all your injuries on his own and holds you sooo close the entire time

Reminds you how much he loves you because he feels like he didn't do it enough before he thought he lost you

Spends so much more time around you. If he wasn't attached to you by the hip before, he definitely is now

I don't think he'd doubt your ability to handle yourself; in fact, it'd probably be enforced by the fact you kept yourself alive for a week. But there'd be a lingering anxiety every time you go out

Micah Bell

Similar to Dutch, he'd go out and kill a shit ton of O'Driscolls

His grief translates to anger, and because I can't see him as a very sentimental person besides in terms of anger, that's the only way he'd express it

Probably wouldn't cry or show moments of vulnerability, but he'd be a lot more brutal in his killings

He'd spend a lot of time away from camp with Dutch probably looking for your body

Wouldn't return to camp for days

So you'd probably return to camp while he's gone, so everyone else tends to you before Micah can

When he returns he insists everyone else get away from you so he can take his own look at you

I wanna say you wouldn't receive a big welcome back gesture from Micah besides a rare shred of vulnerability where he tells you how happy he is to see you back

Don't get too mushy over it or else he'll backtrack

Kieran Duffy

He'd be HYSTERICAL

On his knees crying and wailing in the middle of camp while people try to comfort him

Would be the same level as MIA as Arthur and wouldn't talk to ANYONE

Spends all his time around the horses and doesn't talk to anyone

If anyone does try to talk to him he just stares off silently in the opposite direction

The gang could probably hear him sobbing silently at night while trying to sleep

Drinks himself half dead because he doesn't know how else to cope

Drinks so often that when you come back he doesn't think you're real for a few minutes

It's a huge moment of vulnerability between the two of you where you see each other at your lowest

But it would definitely bring the two of you closer! After the two of you have cleaned yourselves up and taken care of yourselves, you'd have long, deep conversations about what you went through and how happy you are to be back

Lots of reaffirming his love for you, never leaves your side

Insists he comes with you every time you go out. Thinks he wouldn't be able to do much in terms of protecting you, but the sentiment is so so sweet

Becomes more of a way of comforting himself and quelling his own anxiety

[miguel-owhora]

on another note,

I think RDR men are decently chunky. Like a general body HC, everyone has some fat on them. Actually, idk if it is a headcanon, could be canon idk. Anyways, general body headcanons abt some of the VDL gang down below.

I think it's canon (?) but within the VDL gang, Arthur, Bill, and Charles are definitely the biggest fellas. Not essentially in weight, though I think they're definitely on the bigger side in that category as well, but in height. Bill and Charles are around the same height, and Bill weighs just a tad more. Arthur's a inch or so shorter than them, but people call him the 'biggest' because of his reputation and of his rank within the gang.

None of the men are particularly muscular, not in the way some people portray them. They're muscular in the way their muscles blend into their fat, making them look like bears of sorts. I do think the trio has a bit more muscle definition because of their manual labor, but they're only bulky, again, like a bear. Strong shoulders, bulky arms straining against their shirts, large hands. And like I said, they have weight on them, in the way I think cats have it. A soft flabby pouch to protect their stomachs, one that softens out and stays even during harsher times, maintaining their soft bellied looks hiding the strong muscles underneath.

On the other hand, I think Kieran is quite the opposite. I think he's tall and lanky, slouched over to make himself unnoticeable, but it's hard to do so when everyone around you is nosy. When he arrives he's pretty skinny and bony, not starving but underweight. He's hesitant in the beginning when he arrives, not particularly trusting whatever spare food they give him, but eats when they force him to. After he becomes a member, however, he starts to gain meat. Bony limbs begin to fill out and turn broad, yet his belly grows soft, a pouch, and so do his thighs, especially the inner parts. Assuming he doesn't die in this fucking version, he begins to look like a proper VDL member: fat in the way a bear is.

On the other side of the spectrum, however, Micah's belly is partly beer and partly from whatever snacks he manages to find (and hoard.) Stretchmarks and scars blend together, hidden underneath darker gold curls. Despite his overgrown belly and thighs that he forces into his pants, Micah's far from insecure, and the other members aren't shy to look a little longer. After all, something something about fat being a sign of fertility; surely that applies to men as well?

[meeks-just-wants-to-scroll]

thank you

kieran is a decent shot but is terrifying with a knife (people are not that different to fish). 110% he would win a 1v1 knife fight every time and thanks to army training he's pretty decent at disarming people in hand on hand combat. would take a knife to a gun fight and have a chance of winning

probably taller than 90% of the gang if he actually corrected his posture

his parents died when he was a proper baby only 8 or 9 and he pick-pocketed to survive along with a bunch of other urchins like the saint denis gang. he's still pretty good at it and is really good at being stealthy/light on his feet despite his stature (helpful for not getting noticed by the crueler VDLs)

he also became a pretty good liar and con artist as part of living on the street and getting out of trouble when caught (this is heavily inspired by how differently he treats gang members, happily tells karen he is a baby to get sympathy, people-pleasing 'whatever you say miss with mary-beth, needles arthur back a bit when they go fishing)

probably has a touch of the old imposter syndrome because he never really had the chance to figure out who he was he's just been focused on survival since since day 1. he loves horses because he doesn't have to worry about what mask he has to wear with them

he's frankly not sure how old he is on account of how young he was when his parents died. he enlisted for the army when he looked old enough, in reality he was probs only 17 and barely got in based on his facial hair, which he had never shaved a day in his life since it started growing (hc late 20s/early 30s in game)

he was in the infantry division. consistent food and routine after a decade of fighting for scraps and being spit on? he loved it. very upstanding, attentive, kept his uniform clean and sharp. was there years before he saw active combat. then he fucking hated it. refused to follow orders. was not dying over land. was not shooting at unarmed people. dishonorably discharged. would have deserted if they didn't.

looks like an absolute fucking baby without facial hair and would sooner bite someone than be clean shaven because he hates it

gets very irritable when he hasn't had a cigarette for a while. has picked cigarette butts of the ground for a quick hit. would have broken faster about six point cabin if they offered him a cigarette.

lying through his teeth about his time with the o'driscolls. he was probably with them closer to a year, and a little higher than bottom-rung. got to pick and choose what missions he went on, talk to colm directly, most knew his name ect. i cannot see him having the balls to argue with colm o'driscoll himself unless he had some level of protection/seniority within the gang esp given the circumstances of how he joined. he was trusted enough to ride off on his own without running off?

in saying that. he was definitely considering running off in colter. at no point does he try to fight arthur. no way he wasn't armed. just oh no i am being abducted this is v bad. don't give me food for weeks? still like you more than colm can i stay with you pls

AHHH!!! I READ THIS THE DAY YOU SENT IT BUT I DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO RESPOND BECAUSE I WASN’T REALLY EXPECTING PEOPLE TO ACTUALLY SEND IN THEIR HEADCANONS, THANK YOU THESE ARE WONDERFUL!

:D You explained these all beautifully and I feel like I couldn’t say much more, but I’ll try to “yes and…” everything you said because I feel it is worth exploring these ideas you proposed. Long HC ramble under the divider.

1) I don’t know much about 1800’s military training but I can see Kieran being a knife guy like you said. He has a custom knife in game (at the very least he has a custom pistol). Him being good with a knife makes me think of how he comes off as unarmed from a distance but harbors a wicked knife up close. I am sure he mainly uses his knife for cutting fishing line or whittling sticks in his free time. He used it for cutting up animals he hunted while with his past gang. That knife has gotten him through a lot, it’s practically an heirloom at this point; it kept him alive and is one of the few things he fully owns and kept from his youth.

2+3+4) lanky scary guy is stealthy!! Yes!! I would like to mention how no one in the VDL gang noticed Kieran wandering off and getting a gun belt from a corpse during the firefight in A Social Call Mission. He did all of that AND was swift enough to save Arthur. I agree that he was very young when his parents died. I more so think 11-13 in my HC but that’s just because I feel like the stables would rather kick out a tween/teen than a little kid. This blends into your 4th point about being a con artist. Kieran knows his strengths and weaknesses. He knows that people see a scrawny little boy before they see him as a thief. Squirming and squabbling can be enough of a distraction to get away with things.

I don’t have a good explanation for how Kieran did this since he can’t leave camp, but while I was playing, I saw Kieran donated a jewel necklace to the camp funds (and not to brag on his behalf, but he donated WAY MORE $$ than the other members 🤭). Kieran still can pull his weight in pickpocketing, even in game. I imagine he does it without straying too far from camp by pretending he is sick or hungry and thirsty on the side of well traveled paths and getting close enough to strangers to swipe something. It’s subtle enough to not draw attention to camp, yet effective enough to be worth it in the long run.

5+6) I agree on imposter syndrome! One hc I have is that Kieran was raised an only child while traveling westward to California with his parents meaning he had no consistent kids his age to be with. Even in the military (where he SHOULD be surrounded by his peers) he never really connected in a genuine way. Being roughened up by being an outlaw after that just made it harder to emotionally connect since so much required not breaking down if a group member dies. It’s odd; Kieran is unwilling to be vulnerable, but he isn’t this stoic wall. Instead he has this decoy vulnerability?… he’d rather people see him as a weak guy if it gets him out of a physical hurt yet he won’t be vulnerable if it means running the risk of being emotionally hurt.

7) I know very little about 1800’s military (and my cursory research has been shallow thus far) but I imagine it was better than being homeless and orphaned! Food, shelter and routine, like you said. I imagine Kieran was an obedient and hard working kid; helped his family with horses, fishing and hunting. Pre-outlaw Kieran felt conflicted about killing people. I mean… he joined the army so he isn’t clueless that he had to kill, but killing on paper vs actually killing is very different, plus he was a puny teen without a fully developed brain when he enlisted.

Once Kieran became an outlaw, he had to make some sort of peace / find some silver lining to killing. You have to have morally dubious ways of coping with being an outlaw or else you go mad. One way was him (guiltily or not) finding some thrill in gunfights or knife fights. Made him feel good for once about being an easy to underestimate guy. He got to taunt, shout, and watch his enemies faces contort in pain and horror.

8) the facial hair stuff!! I agree that Kieran likely looks like an exhausted young adult under all the scruff. I imagine Kieran has put value into his unkempt looks. He does care for hygiene (source: he says it in cut audio) but he can’t bring himself to trim his facial or head hair because he feels it is the only thing making him a man. Like you said, imposter syndrome, he doesn’t feel like he’s an actual adult who has his life together. I’m sure Kieran has some out-dated ideas of what makes a man (out-dated by modern day standards). Stuff like being strong, a provider, hairy, deep voiced, etc. Kieran isn’t many of those things. Having a snaggly beard is his tiny grasp on meeting what he wishes he could be. I also think he hasn’t cut his hair that much because of a lack of salons while being an outlaw.

9) I honestly forget most of the characters in RDR2 smoke… but I agree! Growing up with a smoker as a parent who tried to quite cold turkey a few times, I know how hellish withdrawal is on a person. While in Colter, tied up, Kieran was the most bellicose because of withdrawals peaking (upon other things). I feel like some point between his parent’s dying and him joining the outlaws was when he took up smoking.

10+11) Kieran was DEFINITELY lying about how involved he was with the O’Drisc, agreed. I see him as being with them for likely 6 months to a year. Maaayyybe more but I feel like Kieran ran with his prior gang for most of his adult life. To me, Kieran is fibbing a half truth when he says he wasn’t close with Colm and he was merely a stable boy. He WAS that, but with being an obedient, hardworking chore boy, he was kept around long enough to make it up little by little till he was on missions out of camp collecting supplies or defending territory/camp. Kieran was always a pawn, never someone Colm actually cared for. Kieran was just the least-annoying gang goon Colm could bring into the mountains to watch the horses in the cold stables. The fact Kieran was even spotted by the VDL gang was bad luck.

I don’t know why he is riding out of the camp solo before Arthur catches him ;-; my best guess would be Kieran was going to meet up with other members but when a fight with the O’Drisc vs VDL broke out in camp, Kieran took it as his chance to get the fuck out of there.

On the topic of getting the fuck out, Kieran didn’t fight as much as he could when Arthur got him, I agree. When his life depends on it, he will fight like a cornered animal, all knife slashing and wild-eyed. Whether Kieran fights or goes limp and pleads pathetically depends on the situation. When Kieran fled from the O’Drisc camp firefight, he knew he wouldn’t last out there unless he got off the mountain. Being snatched and dragged to an enemy camp was better than dying of exposure. I mean… everything in his life sucks. Kieran gets no easy options. Sometimes he just has to go limp and be tied up and see where life brings him.

His relationship with Colm is interesting. I don’t think Colm cares very much about Kieran (keep in mind I don’t actually know Colm’s character well since I haven’t finished the game). From what Kieran describes of him, I feel it was all things Kieran observed or eavesdropped on while doing chores or sitting around the camp. Who knows tho! I am open to the idea that Kieran was of higher rank and indeed had more reasons to talk with Colm directly. I don’t know much about the O’Driscoll gang inner workings.

Ah!! Once again, thank you so much :) I love all your headcanons and it was a blast brainstorming about your ideas.

[verdemoun]

I wonder, how's Kieran doing, from the side of his neurodivergency? Was it diagnosed? Does he get support? An AAC perhaps, seeing as the poor guy's semi-verbal? How'd the rest of the gang accept it? I'M JUST SO CURIOUS ABOUT HIM I AM HOLDING HIM I AM SHAKING HIM LIKE A TOY HOW IS HE HANDLING HIS NEURODIVERGENCY

I am so normal about Kieran

You come into my house, the certified kieran duffy hyperfixation page, ask about my blorbo, my boy, the sole reason why RDR2 has infected my brain and completely changed my ability to engage with any other form of media, while also addressing my special interest of neurodivergence as a fellow brain wonk and career disability support worker all while finishing with the line 'I am so normal about Kieran'? Like shit I mean can I take you out for dinner?? Marry me maybe??

I am also so normal about Kieran

kieran duffy is autistic thank you goodnight!

no i will write a 2k word essay. kieran is pretty mid-spectrum (brief pause to acknowledge spectrum language lowkey outdated and problematic but no universally accepted alternative) he has chronic anxiety and mild aversion to eye contact, misses a lot of social cues, is hyper fixation central, but executive function-wise if he had spent his whole life in any one time period he would have been a-okay at being independent with some adaptive strategies

side tangent literally the first conversation he has with mary beth is so autistic he completely misses a rhetorical question, happily answers it, and then jumps straight into 'you're very pretty'. he apologizes for being forward he can and does acknowledge social conventions but just autistic brain does not understand why. is aware his brain is not wonking in the same direction as other people's brains.

but so. many. common sensory issues are a direct result of advances in technology. sure in 1899 wanting to cover your ears during a gunfight is a minor disadvantage but you know what isn't?? having every instinct in your body tell you to run away from the overwhelming loud noises. it took more effort to go into a city than to avoid them. going from horses, campfires and comfortably worn in clothing to the constant noise of cars, searing of artificial lights and synthetic fabric with clothes tags? bad time. Bad Time.

the real big issue for kieran in timewarp au is the c-ptsd autism combo meal. in general, buddy's got trauma. very clearly articulates how bad being an o'driscoll was physically and mentally. his intro is literally colm grabbing his collar and slapping him. gets starved and threatened with genital mutilation and still begs to stay with the VDLs because he hates colm. talks about the absolute power and control colm has. anxious whimpers telling arthur he saw o'driscolls riding around. it ain't just hate he is terrified of colm. you ever have a hypothetical anxiety situation become real and feel that knot of dread as your skin turns cold? knowing your literal worst nightmare was unfolding. and in this case, worse than he imagined. yeah. that's what it would've been like when kieran got taken at shady belle. immediately knowing he wasn't going to survive. only thing he could do is make sure he protected the VDLs and he instead he talked. it's canon kieran talked, whether tortured or manipulated into talking he did. first people to treat him decent, people he considered friends, and he died feeling like he betrayed them.

timewarp means dying. memories of dying. personally hc eye gauging was first but even - being beheaded. intentional deliberate time taken to make a show of it and inflict maximum psychological torment knowing what's going to happen opposed to the immediate bang and bullet of being shot. already autistic chronic anxiety man helpless to stop what's about to happen. i wonder if he thought the VDLs would care enough to try to rescue him and tried to hold onto that faint belief or if he immediately knew he meant so little they wouldn't? he died as he lived - alone.

only to immediately be thrown into modern era. fending for himself for approx a month before the gang stumble across him. with those memories being recent. with the overstimulation of suddenly being thrown into modern era saint denis. he is a homeless autistic man with no idea where he is what's happening what is a car why are they so loud why are street lights so bright and he just went through literally dying. having all his anxieties and the memories of the pain of whatever he went through with the o'driscolls. and the guilt? he is so terrified of the consequences of talking and betraying the gang that he literally runs from lenny and hosea when they first find him in timewarp. a month of starving, surviving on loose change and corner store coffee and occasional apple he may have picked out of a bin and still chooses to run because he's so completely traumatized by being taken/betraying the gang.

it's a lot more ptsd and that anxiety around 'i talked' that lead to semi-verbalism with autism reinforcing it opposed to the other way around. it only takes a few days of gentle encouragement + food + safe warm place to sleep (first time since long before even riding with the o'driscolls) for kieran to get comfortable with nods or the occasional one word response and most of the gang are happy to leave it there because they get he's been through a Lot. lenny and hosea saw what happened to him. hosea carried his decapitated head to his grave. they're all struggling and learning to adapt to modern era. kieran locking himself in a room for a week, flinching at any noise or touch like he's been scalded just seems reasonable after what he's gone through.

except despite being stray dog starved he's still picking at meals obviously only eating the meat and veggies which he has always done so they don't really think to mention it. and he doesn't really start settling in. he just. sits in room. might tremble into the kitchen like a wee lamb at 2am when he thinks everyone's asleep, grab an apple and vanish back to his room. gang increasingly confused because kieran is completely avoiding eye contact but clearly listening, answering questions as he stares in horror at the dishwasher no matter how many times they've explained it and let him like try to figure it out realise it isn't some sort of torture device. but maybe he was always like that how many actually talked to him??

resident tech lad lenny tries showing him a basic AAC app but having to remember to 1. charge phone 2. use phone 3. open app 4. scroll until finding image that probably means what he wants because he can't read 5. click button until gang charades out whole sentence is a lot of steps compared to just fidgeting/staring until someone asks the right question. it gets frustrating because he knows the complete sentence is 'hi sean what's the deal with you always bringing home pizzas also is there any way you could please bring home the one that's plain cheese again??' but he can't read so it's just guessing based on images 'sean why pizza? please pizza cheese' when he uses the AAC. instead he can eat his cheesy pizza, make a point of getting sean's attention, point at pizza, nod and get the point of 'i really like cheesy pizza please can you get more' across all while still chewing.

bessie, who is a history professor and absolutely talks to autistic people on a daily basis is embarrassed how long it takes her to realize hey wait kieran is a) only leaving his room at times where sensory load is reduced b) stimming to soothe when confronted with something new or higher anxiety than usual and c) only has multiple syllable conversations about horses and fishing. he went from terrified rabbit to genuinely excited to be talking about those things only to shut down immediately again when the conversation shifted or something happened that spooked him. she introduces him to noise cancelling headphones, slowly, gently explaining what they are, giving him multiple options to say no because still a new weird sensation but the relief is instant. kieran looked around, realized he couldn't hear damned buzzing and cars and just beamed leg bouncing in sheer excited relieved joy.

it's a lot more figuring out what works for kieran through trial and error because the gang have not heard of autism and don't really get it despite bessie's best efforts to explain. sean absolutely hit her with the 'wouldn't that make everyone autistic??' and she snapped back 'wOuLDn'T tHaT mAKe EveRYoNe iRiSH'. but they're all going through adapting to modern era and can empathize pretty well with how overwhelming a lot of the modern era is. electricity does have a noise most people get used to but every single one of the timewarpers went through a phase of looking over their shoulder in mild irritation because it's constant until their brains learned to filter the sound. kieran won't and wears headphones to cope with it? sure thing that makes sense!

trauma brain is desperate for assurances of safety by avoiding triggers (loud or new noises, green clothing, strangers, anything unfamiliar=dangerous) while autism brain is screaming safety is found in routine so that becomes a very important thing. with no horses to look after his routine is very much watch tv, do gardening, help out around house because feeling helpful is a dopamine hit for him. it's a lot of letting him do things at his own pace because he is a people pleaser and will do anything if he thinks he is being useful even at his own expense. but 'being helpful' goal setting a really easy way to gently expand his comfort zone. grocery shopping was withdrawn meltdown inducing but the second he has a job like being asked to push the trolley he will merrily shop for hours because he's just focusing on one task. brain suddenly content ignoring things that would otherwise be overwhelming, and once all the neurodivergency in his brain decides grocery shopping is not a potentially fatal experience he's suddenly wandering aisles picking up things they forgot or content going to the grocery store alone because he wanted a specific thing.

after catching kieran self-medicating anxiety with alcohol they do go through the process of at least getting him on SSRIs which is a lot easier than going through the process of a full diagnosis of adult autism but it's already a footnote in his medical file because it's pretty clear to anyone with an ounce of neurodivergent awareness that he is textbook autistic. and honestly modern era for kieran: it's not better or worse than canon for his particular brand of autism but definitely different. he's actually more comfortable around people in general because the odds of running into someone who has committed murder is a lot lower than it was in outlaw circles. because of supports like noise-cancelling and sensory toys he's more curious about things that would have made him want to tear his flesh off his bones in the past. genuinely enjoys when the gang decide to catch the train somewhere vs the heart attack the idea would've been in 1899. instead of needing to retreat and stim and be alone he will catch himself getting distressed over something (it's sean putting away dishes with reckless abandon) and pull on a weighted blanket and be at peace again. still would rather be in 1899 taking care of horses because there was less things to get used to but he can get comfortable with new things and actually find new things he enjoys

plus the gang do genuinely care about him. it started as crippling guilt of not realizing he was taken by the o'driscolls until horsemen apocalypses but they almost all come around to him being a really pleasant guy and are more than glad to support whenever he needs it. like hosea will merrily encourage an infodump because he also really enjoys fishing. in a sad but wholesome way the gang don't really notice how neurodivergent he is because they just didn't pay enough attention to him in canon era to see how the manifestations of autism have changed. just yeah there's duffy he don't talk a whole lot but do not ask him about seasonal fishing unless you have 3 hours to spare. do not go into his room that is his space he has hosea's permission to react violently to people messing with his things and the whole posse will rain hellfire upon anyone who takes his snacks without replacing them.

with it being clear kieran is not the biggest fan of the AAC lenny learns and helps teach kieran basic ASL so on less verbal days he can still ask for things and join in instead of getting frustrated with himself. most of the people he regularly hangs out with know enough words for it to be insanely helpful. his most used 'sign' is flipping people off. the gang's whiplash actually getting to know more of his personality as he feels safer around them than he ever did in 1899?? he might be a gentle buffoon but he is also a sass gremlin. arthur complains once about it being the 17th time kieran has watched spirit stallion of the cimarron and kieran sweetly threatens to reverse saving his life if arthur tries to reach for the remote again. he'll join in making fun of lenny and sean for how obviously they are simping for each other.

[tossball-stick]

personal kieran headcanons 😋

tagging: @aintan0driscollnomore

hiii im here to ramble about my kieran hcs. these r all my personal ones. i hope u enjoy :3

i am not gonna he/him this guy for the whole post so first things first to get it out of the way: i think shes trans!! yeah i think shes a trans woman who just hasnt realized yet. a long life of hardship has left her in a perpetual state of "im probably actually a woman but im going through life ruining trauma so i cant deal with that rn"

therefore....... i think her spending more time with the women is to be one of the girls. its the closest shes gotten, im sure, im sure its probably the first time shes even properly been around women, socially, in years, even.

i like to think her and bill eventually start warming up to each other. a shared history in the army makes her sympathetic towards him, to a degree. i can imagine her listening to him pour his heart and soul out about dutch and feel a little bad for him. especially the closer she gets to the ladies, the more of a safe space she has away from bill, should she desire. it works out.

before the vdl gang very rudely starved her, she was actually a little thick around the middle. in aus where shes allowed to eat reguluarly for a good while, i think she needs to fill back out

i think shes flat out lying about how significant her role with the o'driscolls was. i think she was actually pretty notable in the gang, maybe even being close to colm. other posts have explained this much better than i could dream to.

i also think she doesnt exactly hate outlaw life!! people often forget thst her time in the army "didnt end well," and that after the army she joined another gang that later abandoned her. she seems to lean towards gang life, as well as horse management. interesting!

while she actively pursues mary-beth for the most part, i think she has crushes on most of the other ladies. i think she'd even admit grimshaw is mighty pretty for her age, and that she'd be fooled to find out grimshaw was as old as she was.

very inexperienced with dating. just has never really been around women much, as i ssid before.

i think she has a bitter crush on arthur. gets all huffy about finding him handsome. maybe has asked him for a dance while drunk once. i like to think he obliged her but realistically i doubt it

i think "fishing" is moreso just an excuse to look out at nature and enjoy it, as well as an excuse to ride around on branwen, though dont get me wrong, i still think its one of the few connections she has left with her father.

i think in an ideal world sean would be her outlet to have the childhood she never quite got. based on their campfire interactions, despite the violence, they seem to think not poorly of each other. irish immigrants 🤝

i think shes a bit more cruel and tricksy than people give her credit for, but i dont think shes a horrible person or anything. shes done bad bad things. she doesnt feel good about much of it i imagine. i think her phrasing of "the o'driscolls gave me a choice: ride with them or die" as more along the lines of how the vdl gang members view dutch as having saved their life yknow. kiersn only went to the o'driscolls for food and safety to survive, otherwise she might not have had any.

i think she would tbh respect pearson!! she isnt sick of his navy stories like the rest of the vdl gang is, and the navy is highly respected amongst the rest of the military. i think she would humor him a little. plus, he feeds her. a+ in kierans book.

[08melancholie]

—Directory—

—mostly made for myself but oh well—

POPULAR—FICS—THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS'—BOTS—REQS/HCS/ASKS—SHITPOSTS/OTHER

(What's bold and crossed out like this is a WIP.)

"You're my brother."

"Javier."

"Kieran Duffy."

"Guarma Micah."

"Trelawny."

"Micah's own taste." [Micah Bell/Reader]

"Coated." [Micah Bell/Reader]

"Untouched." [Micah Bell/Reader]

"Light Banter." [Micah Bell/Reader]

"Lessen your Stress." [Dutch Van der Linde/Micah Bell/Reader]

"Patch up, Cowboy." [Micah Bell/Arthur Morgan] CH 1

"Giddy up, Cowboy." [Micah Bell/Arthur Morgan] CH 2

"Honeysuckle and Whiskey." [Micah Bell/OC — MASTERLIST]

Short Micah Imagine. [Micah Bell/Reader]

"Healing Hands." [Micah Bell/Reader]

"Green Neckerchief; Red Blood." [Micah Bell/Reader.]

"Spurs and Leather." [Micah Bell/Reader]

"Leader, Follower." [Dutch Van Der Linde/Reader]

""On this night..."" [Micah Bell/M!Reader]

"Sentimentality and Vulnerability." [Micah Bell]

"No Privacy for the Wicked." [Micah Bell/Reader]

"Loverboy." [Micah Bell/Reader]

"Dance with me." [Micah Bell/Reader]

"Night Shift." [Micah Bell/Reader]

"Sinless; almost." [Micah Bell/M!Reader]

"The other woman." [John Marston/Reader]

"Why do I like Micah?"

"Upbringing."

"Clean-Shaven Micah."

"Micah and Dutch."

"John Marston."

"Vengeance."

Ghost Micah + Nasty Dog Micah

Ghost Micah

Breathplay Micah

Casual; MLM Micah

Bounty Hunting Sadie + Roadtrip Modern Molly

I don't smoke Micah

Post-Guarma Micah

Colter Micah

College AU Micah

Cannibal Dutch

Caretaker Micah

Pinkerton!User/Micah + Bed Chem Micah

Colter Colm

Rat!User x Micah

helping Abigail

saving Colm

caring for Colm + 1x party Colm

undead Colm

Say no to this Colm + yapping user Colm

caught Colm + Blessed are the peacemakers Colm

freaky!user Micah

vamp Colm

past relationship, exes reuniting Micah

magic josiah

colm x both gangs member!reader

undead micah + undead arthur

strange man bot

micah x medic!user

micah x pregnant!user

micah interrogation

colm x rival gang leader!user

colm break up

Date night with Kieran + Micah bonus

"Obsessive Micah."

"Micah playing UNO."

"NSFW Alphabet — Micah."

"Lose Some; Gain Some." [Micah Bell/Reader]

"Innocent Intimacy." — Micah/Reader HCs

"Micah Bell (ASK)"

"Colm as an animal? (ASK)"

"Which modern shows would the VDL gang like? (ASK)"

"Micah teaching you to shoot (ASK)"

"Coat HCs [Kieran, Bill, Arthur, Charles, Dutch.]

"POV."

"My Old Micah Hate Arc On Twitter."

"Micah Scented Candle." + "Candle Unboxing."

"Missing Jovier."

"Art Collab."

'"Who did this?"'

"VanDerBells in DTI Roblox"

[fvkvrodani]

tilly jackson hcs bc she deserves to be talked abt too.

due to her csa trauma, she was very skittish after dutch had saved her & let her stay in the vdl gang. she wouldnt let her guard down & if she sensed any danger towards her from any of the members, she was ready to bolt.

grimshaw was never kind to her. not ever—she just put that girl straight to work & has never said a single kind word to her.

the only reason tilly turned out to be the sweetest out of all the vdl gang is bc she saw how they were & wanted to be nothing like them + her mother's last words to her were wishing her to live happy.

it took the combined (& frankly awkward) efforts of kohn & arthur to get tilly to trust not just them, but also hosea & dutch. they couldnt get her to trust or even like grimshaw, but she learned how to tune that woman's incessant insults & beratings out by the time she was 16.

arthur & john were (& still are!! idc what canon says!!!) very protective of her; if she went anywhere, even a little ways away from camp, trust & believe that one of the brothers was with her.

they also taught her to how fend for herself. hosea & dutch, for once, didnt want a child to learn how to fight... never mind the fact that tilly learned how to do kill someone at 12yo. or possibly younger than.

she absolutely loved bessie. she learned how to be feminine from her (because, again, tilly hated grimshaw growing up). she got her love for stories (especially the romance genre) from watching hosea & bessie act all lovey-dovey whenever bessie was around camp. & the only reason im mentioning this is bc dutch's books are. Not romance—that man probably had her read moby dick when it first came out or smth.

she would bicker & banter w john a whole lot more than she did with arthur; shes much closer to john's age. they lovingly & playfully bullied each other.

courtesy of being raised by dutch & hosea: hers, arthur's, & john's senses of humor are dry as the desert.

arthur gave her piggyback rides a lot.

tilly wouldnt let Anyone touch her hair, not even to wash it.

she has some memoirs of her mother that she grabbed from their home before running away again.

[og-doeiika]

For the ask game: Micah: 7, 21

Arthur: 8, 12

Dutch: 4, 25

Yea!!! Thanks for asking!

Micah

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

Body appreciation. Micah is like unconventionally attractive.

I also like how despite the fandom thinking Micah-likers are all racist and nasty everyone I've talked to on tumblr has reached a similar conclusions for how they enjoy him:

He's hot

He's so evil and bad that the justice that comes for him is the hottest part of dealing with his shitty personality. There's nothing hotter than justice

He's so fun to watch going insane-o

21. If you're a fic writer and have written for this character, what's your favorite thing to do when you're writing for this character? What's something you don't like?

I love humiliating him: making him lose battles, get hurt, ask for help when he doesn't want it- Humiliation that is well deserved. He is very proud so for him to be humiliated is crushing! There's nothing hotter than justice

I don't like navigating his emotions. He is so very keen on keeping a strong front that it feels out of character to write him emoting to others.... He's sooooo lame for that

Arthur

8. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

I don't like how the fandom uwu baby done no wrong-ifies him. My man has killed so many people. That is no to say his redemption doesn't hold any water, but I feel like people sand down his meaner qualities and perceive him in a way I find less interesting/appealing/canon compliant

I also don't like how set in stone the fandom is about their own personal HCS- that is to say I don't like how others agree on a certain HC and treat it as canon. This is more of a complaint about fandoms in general, but since Arthur's story starts with the downfall of the VDL gang there is a lot that is not revealed to the audience. There's many ways to interpret/extract THE ESSENCE from him.

It's more of a complaint for those who like or see X character and don't realize one's view and enjoyment of the character is different than theirs. Said person will judge the other and not understand the multitudes of ways one can interact with the character/media/whatever. It loops back to Micah lolol

This point sort of contradicts my first point lol-- (NO I don't like this interpretation vs. no you all should be more loose and not judge other's interpretations)

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

I think he did some really unspeakable things in his past. Arthur's more... I wouldn't say chill, maybe his more realistic view of the world comes from fucking up, seeing fucked up things, getting fucked, doing fucked up things.... Arthur probably tortured several people, maybe watched over people as they starved, bled out- fun things

Another HC is that Arthur was a sexist, snotty little boy + young adult and then through living life he developed empathy later on. It's just a thing I see in men sometimes. I think Arthur thinks about those bad things he did. Sometimes there's guilt and sometimes there's nothing, like when he talks about killing animals for no reason.

I also think Arthur's love of animals is not universal- It's more of an observation, but like a lot of people: if the animal isn't aesthetic or useful there is no emphathy. -Like wolves, cougars, fleas, ticks, parasites- he wouldn't feel bad about killing them for no reason. Charle's bison mission probably sunk in his mind, to care for the bison, but it would take convincing for him to have empathy about killing a wolf or to consider what it means to have a healthy population of parasites in an ecosystem.

What I am saying is Arthur would be one of those people who say we should intact mosquito and wasp extinction (we should not.)

Arthur finally sees the gaps in the extent of his empathy when he's dying from TB

Dutch

4. If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in?

I would LOVE to see Dutch in my little pony, all the rdr2 characters in fact. ALL OF THEM. Can you imagine the drama???

25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?

I learned about RDR2's story through fanfiction at first so... "Omg Arthur's dad..?!" and now that I'm playing the game.... "UGH SHUT UP DUTCH. I KNOW YOUR SINS." I am more.... neutral to him; he's okay...

I am stuck in chapter 4 and I can't help but roll my eyes at everything he says,,, 😅

[shebeafancyflapjack]

my personal hc about who taught who how to read in the vdl gang is that dutch taught arthur and maybe tilly, and arthur taught john. i don’t really have any story background that supports it i just don’t see a lot of people agreeing with me so i wanted a soapbox for my hc sorry

Ooh Arthur teaching John, I wonder how that went....

Fanartists and writers, tell us how it went! 😅

[meeks-just-wants-to-scroll]

YESS!!! THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT WITH MY PREVIOUS MINI ANALYSIS OF KIERAN.

My post is by no means as detailed (mine was focused on body language), but this is what I mean!!

I myself find it too easy to imagine Kieran as a stammering shy guy but he is not that, he’s more nuisances and I love him for that.

This makes me think of how being raised by outlaws during his formative years shaped him. Not saying he wouldn’t be a snide, indignant guy without being raised this way, but perhaps it forced him to tailor his nature to better survive that life style. My previous post speaks on my hc about his battle shouting, but perhaps being stuck in a gang of misc men forced him to get better at starting conversations. Build familiarity with members is a good way to prevent yourself from getting abandoned too easily. His cut dialogue lines suggest Kieran values his solitude too so he can both be a lonesome stable boy AND an awkward but overly talkative gang member.

Basically, what I’m saying is that I WANT TO SEE MORE Kieran media that leans into him being an outlaw! He has killed many people! He’s robbed people (judging by how Kieran can donate to the VDL camp funds), he knows his value and will assert it (he LITERALLY tells Arthur he’ll teach him how to fish). GRRR GRRR BARK BARK I WANNA SEE A FIC WHERE KIERAN GOES TO TOWN GUNNING PEOPLE DEFENDING CAMP OR SOMETHING. I WANNA SEE HIM BE JUST AS TRIGGER HAPPY AND SILLY AS THE OTHER MEN IN THE GANG! This bitch has balls and people don’t realize it.

(Idk where to add this but Kieran did say he was in the army. Said it “didn’t work out” but that doesn’t mean he didn’t kickass while in the army).

Kieran Duffy isn’t your stammering, shy baby masterpost:

↣ very confident in his abilities: knows he’s capable with horses, knows he is a good fisherman. Thinks of himself as ‘a valuable asset’ worthy of a ransom. I’d lump his cockiness/how jovial he is at Six Point Cabin in with this, tbh: open body language, laughing, and ‘see, Arthur, I ain’t so bad’ (boy, they’re 👌 THIS 👌 CLOSE 👌 to killing you)

↣ to the point where he belligerently insists on running his mouth when it absolutely would be better if he would just shut the fuck up – comparing the VDL gang to the O’Driscolls the SECOND he got let off the tree, the smell of charred pubic hairs off the tongs still hanging in the air, was perhaps the stupidest thing Kieran did in-game… he criticises the gang a few times, such as this example: ‘y’all just killing innocent folks now? You’re just like Colm O’Driscoll’.

↣ potentially quite confrontational! He tries to threaten Arthur when held in Colter, and does stand up for himself a fair bit when antagonised - or at least as much as he can given the complete lack of social and physical leverage he has in the VDL gang. With that in mind, though, it’s worth remembering that Kieran has recorded dialogue in the game files. He’ll even get involved in trying to tell Arthur to leave others alone: ‘I won’t be bullied by you!’, ‘you ain’t got no manners, leave her be!’ 

↣ plus has full combat dialogue, so like.. the man clearly is capable in a fight.

↣ has a sense of humour. He is quite happy making jokes, even if they’re slightly dorky or awkward, even if they’re not appreciated. He can make fun of Arthur’s hygiene levels - he’ll say ‘dang, Arthur, you been courtin’ a pig?’ if (I presume at least) Arthur comes to camp dirty, and he’ll mock Arthur’s hair ‘your hair is as long as a girls’ if he’s due a haircut (which, as an aside, implies that Kieran does value personal hygiene more than his bio suggests… which is… a weird inconsistency). If Arthur gets punched, Kieran will laugh at him about it. Nothing about any of this suggests that Kieran is timid.

↣ is also quite happy inviting Arthur out with him to go fishing, in spite of the fact that he’s not received much kindness from Arthur at this point. 

↣ actually, is relatively comfortable approaching people, in general. He’s happy to approach Karen and initiate a conversation with her, even after she threw a cigarette in his face. And when they talk about how he’s worried about the boys killing him, he does so with a fair degree of indignation, as opposed to being scared - he rolls his eyes and huffs and gets all indignant when Arthur tells him to watch himself. He sounds more annoyed with his lot than actively terrified.

↣ one word: plucky. He’s very socially confident, and the minute he’s not at risk of being maimed or murdered, he’s pretty perky for the most part. Notably, he’s mostly twitchy and nervous around Arthur - who regularly threatens to kill him for the slightest thing - or Bill - who held hot gelding tongs to his genitals twice, and is, y’know, Bill.

↣ he whines. Incessantly. Literally incapable of shutting the fuck up. He recognises that he’s not happy with the way he’s treated, and is vocal about it.

↣ I don’t care what Kieran says: approaching a young, unmarried woman, and telling her that she’s ‘very pretty’ IS incredibly forward. It’s hugely inappropriate. And I’m sure ganglife leads to a lot of those gendered dynamics and gendered social etiquette being functionally redundant, but still. It would be forward, now; you would still recognise it as a flirtation. It would be EXTREMELY forward in 1899, especially considering the fact that Kieran and Mary-Beth were not courting at this point. It’s pretty much the first real interaction they have had, barring the few lines spoken to each other when she gave him water. I read the fact that he tried to back off by saying that he wasn’t “being forward, or nothing” as suggesting that he was aware of the impropriety and tried to retroactively be a bit more respectful by backing down to try and clarify that he had no intentions upon her. But he was still being forward.  So… potentially he’s quite openly flirty? It’s hard to call because he has few opportunities to be, but you could totally read him that way.

Kieran can be cocky and snide and sarcastic and rude and it gives him a lot more an interesting edge, much more than the constantly stammering (which, btw, as someone with a speech impediment… some people overdo that SO much, sometimes. I know nobody means anything harmful by it, but just letting you guys know) and nervous ~softboi~ personality that is assigned to him. Kieran’s not a cute horseboy, he’s a bit of a cockroach, actually.

[cowboyfromh3ll]

Ik you said resquests are close but my oh my, I'd love to see your relationship/sex hcs for the GIRLS

Mary-Beth, Karen, Tilly, Abigail, Molly, MAYBE EVEN MRS.GRIMSHAW IF UR FEELING QUIRKY

Relationship/Sex HC For VDL Gang Girls

Thank you anon for requesting something with the girls. Also I didn't include Sadie bc I wrote for her already previously in another post

Warnings: smut

Mary-Beth Gaskill

Very affectionate and loves showing you off

Lowkey writes short romance stories about the two of you but uses different names

Loves asking for your opinion on her outfits

Very shy with her writing but allows you to read em

Tries to recreate scenes the romance novels she reads with you

Plays with your hair and tries to style it for you

I can imagine her making flower crowns

Is so lovestruck, she definitely believes y'all are together FOR LIFE

NSFW

I just know she reads smut in her books

She'd probably ask to try out a few of the things she reads about

Comes off as docile or vanilla but would be surprisingly kinky, huge expiramentalist

Bottoms for sure

Would unintentionally grind into your face or shove you in while eating her out

High pitched moans or gentle mewls

Squirms and moves around a lot, just cannot sit still for the life of her

Karen Jones

She'll put on a tougher front but she needs a lot of reassurance

Very sweet in private

Gets flustered with PDA but still does it with you

Loves it when you hold one another closely especially around the camp fire

She'd become very vulnerable with you

Especially when she's drunk

She'd feel as though you're the only person who can see the real her, and that just makes her feel even more in love

When she's unable to take care of herself you do her hair for her

Asks to dance with you randomly

NSFW

As we saw in-game, cries during sex

Feels extremely vulnerable during the act, but instead of sadness it's more of an overwhelming feeling of love that brings her to tears

Super clingy, holds you close during

Wants to stimulate every sense, bascially smothering you

Loves kissing all up and down eachother's bodies while fondling and just holding

Also enjoys hand holding during sex

Likes to start off gentle but things get progressively wilder

Tilly Jackson

She's a playful, yet altruistic lover

Puts you before herself all the time

She could be bleeding out while you have a papercut and she'll insist they tend to you first

Constantly fixes things for you or just generally takes care of things just so you don't have to do them yourself

I hc that whenever she falls asleep on you she drools A LOT

Because she gets really relaxed

Likes sitting along rivers and lakes with you and feeding ducks or skipping rocks

Super short so she's gotta go on her tiptoes to kiss you; constantly cranes her neck to look at you, even gets taller boots

NSFW

Like in other aspects of your relationship, a giver

She knows just what you want, and is more than happy to provide

I feel like she'd be real skilled with her tongue and hands as a result, skill born out of practice

Kinda likes riskier sex so she'll opt for more scandalous locations or situations

Y'all could be doing chores together and the next thing y'know y'all are sneaking off behind a nearby tree

I feel like she'd top, but she's down to switch

Abigail Roberts

She's a good, honest woman

And she's got standards for her lover

Constantly has your back, and is very patient with you as you two grow with eachother

Constantly encourages said growth and improvement in oneself

Loves seeing you put effort into improvement or work!

She just wants a calm, stable life, so if you're able to provide that for her, even if little by little, she'll be happy

Very affectionate with you, one of her favorite things to do is to sit down and have deep, intimate conversations with one another while chilling

Doesn't care how many or mundane dates are, as long as the effort is there

NSFW

She's got demands, and they will be heard

Loves recieving head, or being the main focus of sex as you provide for her. Will hold your head in place

Likes telling you what to do, definitely a dom hehe

Into kinkier stuff so maybe tying you up or even spanking

LIVES to see you cry or to embarass you

She'd probably make you bark for her

Will top or bottom, doesn't matter to her as long as she's taking the lead

Likes passionate sex so she takes her time with every detail, especially foreplay, rather than speeding things up

Molly O'Shea

She falls HARD

The most lovestruck, romantic girlfriend ever

Writes love poems for you

Likes it when you show eachother off

Her favorite types of dates are when the two of you go out together and try new things

Like a new restaurant, a new spot, a new show, etc

Cue that meme of one girl sitting on another's lap while she does her makeup

Yeah that's her

Loves asking for your opinion on her makeup, greatly values your opinion in general

Constantly tells you she loves you, gets sad if you dont say it back

NSFW

Will ask you to be gentle but like rough passionate sex

Moans loudly and shamelessly

Definitely a pillow princess, this is cannon

She'd communicate lots with you about what she likes and what she wants you to do

In a modern setting I feel like she'd wear lingerie or sexy outfits for you

Probably likes roleplaying

Also a huge expiramentalist! Likes trying next and exciting things, including in the bedroom

Susan Grimshaw

This woman keeps you on your toes constantly

Probably a little high strung but it's easy to tear her walls down!

Good at setting and respecting boundaries, while also reminding you of her own

Knows the time and place for affection, so when y'all are working, wants to keep it to a minimum.

But during down time, loves to dance, talk, kiss, and play games together

She's super hardworking and she loves real hard

Good at grounding you and keeping you in check

Like many things in her life, puts so much effort into the relationship and will never let you down or make you feel neglected.

NSFW

Like Abigail, has demands that will be known

Though she'll make sure to pay special attention to you as well and not just focus on herself

I feel like she'd like to be called mommy LMAO

Loves taking care of you and the name during sex would definitely do things for her

She has lots of experience so you'll always recieve the most mindblowing orgasms

SHE KNOWS WHAT SHE'S DOING AND SHE KNOWS WHAT WOMEN WANT

Has like a mental map of your entire body imprinted into her mind at this point

Also hands, I feel like she'd be into anything hands

[verdemoun]

What do you think Arthur's and Isaac's relationship is like? Technically, Isaac is around Jack's age, which by 1899 standards is a Fully Functioning Adult. But then again, that's Arthur's boy. The one who was killed so brutally by bandits. And he can see his boy again and raise him. How do they function together? Imo it's The One Very Overlooked Thing in this au how come none of us wanted it in depth yet ;-; them

YES FINALLY MY BOYS timewarp is really just a super convoluted Isaac lives au I love him so much.

Did you know because I am evil and vile my hc is Isaac + Eliza died 1896. Arthur hadn't seen them in an unusually long time because he was trying to help Abigail with Jack in John's absence. He asked Abigail's permission before going to see his son for his 6th birthday only to find their graves. :)

1896 was a very dark year for the VDLs between John deserting and then Arthur very much rendered useless by mourning. Esp because not all of the gang knew why Arthur was so broken it was really only the OGs + Abigail he told about Isaac. If not for the fact they happened to pick up the Callander boys in 1896 after Isaac's death it very much could have been the end of the VDLs.

Hosea in timewarp was the first to think oh shit I should check if Eliza and Isaac also got timewarped. I have a feeling I have written notes about this somewhere but I can't find them so I will re-iterate. Eliza is again working as a waitress and with much help from single mothers groups and community services got Isaac enrolled in school. She is overjoyed to see Hosea, pulls him into a hug, is so excited to see him and relieved realizing there are actually others who know about timewarp. She's been barely getting by learning how to not sound crazy so services wouldn't try to take her boy away and having to deal with modern era all alone.

Naturally Eliza very tentatively asks if Arthur is there (because of course that would mean he's died which is still upsetting) but it is before Arthur timewarps.

Isaac is 9 and fairly well adjusted to modern era but still 'knowing you got murdered and might not ever see your dad again' he's got some adolescent angst going on and is a certified shit. Very stiff and awkward meeting members of the gang he should already know, like he has no memories of 'Uncle Hosea'. Hosea and Bessie immediately start helping Eliza out as much as they can but she's a very stubborn strong-willed Abigail Roberts style mother she has been taking care of things all on her own and doing pretty well for herself.

Eliza and Hosea discussing how to actually tell Arthur and Isaac that they're going to be reunited. Like let's say Arthur died a few months after Hosea ignoring canon dates. Eliza agreed that letting Arthur try to settle into modern era first would be best - because it's been years like they're not entirely sure how either one will react??

Not immediately bringing them up with Arthur the same way they handled what happened to Dutch post-1899 - It is the one time, the one time in Arthur's entire life, he punched Hosea. Finding out his boy was alive and Hosea didn't immediately tell him. Would have sprinted out of the house to find them himself if he knew the address.

Eliza was thrilled to see Arthur again because her best friend is back. They were never really romantically involved Isaac was conceived during a one-time very drunk 'let's have sex to break the tension' because they were such good friends. Yes problematic age gap it was a different era and Arthur still very much regretted it I should probably make a canon era post about my Isaac hcs later. But she knows as happy as Arthur is to see her alive and okay he really just wants to see his son.

Isaac, all grown up, 9 years old, sitting at the table very crankily doing his homework only to look up and see his dad? Instant. Instant joy. He is no longer too old to be hugged he is running jumping into his dad's arms and Arthur is very much trying not to cry because he's so big now.

From the time he was old enough to have sentient thoughts Isaac idolized his dad. All of his happy childhood memories are Arthur's visits. The fact Arthur was gone sometimes was as normal as having a parent who travelled for work he really didn't know any different. And Isaac is a smart kid as upsetting as it was growing up in modern era for a solid 3-4 years without his dad he understood it wasn't Arthur's fault.

He also never blamed Arthur for not being there to prevent their murders even though it is really obviously something Arthur will never forgive himself for (and to an extent, John, who's stubborn abandoning of his own family is part of the reason Arthur wasn't around as often as he had been, even though that in no way means he would have been there or able to prevent their murders).

It is entirely possible if Arthur was there he could have been killed too. Hosea actually said as much at the time Arthur was mourning, which lead to the very distressing revelation Arthur was suicidal with grief and his weapons being confiscated.

Back to the point Arthur is very determined to be a consistent presence in Isaac's life in timewarp and they are constantly doing father-son activities. This is heavily based on Arthur's 1899 ideas of parenthood which Isaac is fine with. Yes Arthur is teaching him how to camp and hunt and they're going fishing together and how to clean and use a gun despite most of their households being 'no guns'. Trying to get him into horse riding but Isaac not really getting it which breaks Arthur's heart a teenie tiny bit.

Arthur is also very willing to learn about modern era parenting and thinks one of the best things about modern era is how much childhood as a concept has changed. Yes he will go to all the dumb school events and learn about Isaac's modern hobbies so he can do them with him too. They build cars together. Encourages Isaac's interest in music, pushing him to actually play guitar in front of people instead of just in his room. No he does not understand going to concerts and paying hundreds for tickets but it is worth it to see how mind-blowingly excited Isaac gets over watching some random group of men sing in a packed arena.

Arthur also timewarped in time to deal with all Isaac's teenage bullshit which is. Actually the hardest thing he has ever done in his life. Isaac's teenage phase makes young John Marston era seem tame.

He is very strict on 'you are smart you are going to school you are not becoming a gunslinger or outlaw' despite the latter sentiment being very outdated. However Isaac is still consistently skipping school as he gets older to go to protests because he has that VDL sense of social justice.

Poor Arthur is in denial about how much of a shit his son is for so long. He adores him so much and wants to believe he can do no wrong but there's only so many times you can get called into school for fistfights or your teenage son gets picked up by cops before admitting Isaac is as unruly as Arthur was at that age.

But still absolutely mutually unconditional love. Isaac being a child when he timewarped is the most adjusted and will help his dad with tech and modern era things, meanwhile Arthur might still tell him he's grounded for getting arrested defacing statues of colonizers but also buys him McDonalds on the way home. Sorry John and Jack are both bitterly jealous over what a good relationship Arthur and Isaac have.

[amorgansgal]

Van Der Linde Gang - Starbucks Order

Did this yonks ago, but never posted it. Soooooooo fuck it, why not? :D

Arthur - He would like to try something new, but finds the whole process a bit overwhelming and always panics when he’s in the queue. So his go to is a plain black coffee and if he’s feeling fancy he’ll add some milk! If he’s peckish then he’ll get a breakfast sandwich. Arthur has ordered the same two things for over ten years.

Hosea - Flat white. It’s a recent choice, for many years he was a plain coffee man like Arthur, but now he appreciates the smoothness of a flat white. He tries not to have too much sugar, so would opt for a plain croissant or a banana. Dutch thinks it’s stupid to buy a banana from a coffee shop.

Dutch - He’d like to be the type to make you believe he’s into Nitro cold brews or black coffee, but truth be told Dutch dislikes the bitter taste. If someone else is ordering for him, then he’ll ask for a black coffee, but always dump in a tonne of milk and sugar. If he’s alone and free to order as he pleases, it’s a mocha and a sea salt caramel and pecan swirl. Only Hosea and Arthur know the truth about Dutch’s sweet tooth.

John - Has been banned from Starbucks by Abigail, because he’ll always get something stupidly sweet and caffeinated and she’s honestly concerned about the well being of his heart. John is a fan of the white chocolate mocha Frappuccino. Surprisingly though he’s not big on getting a sweet snack, maybe he’ll get a sandwich. Sees absolutely nothing wrong with letting Jack have a little sip of the coffee.

Abigail - Cappuccino. That’s it. Nothing fancy. Doesn’t like it iced, even in hot weather. No syrups, no special coffee. The staff don’t even have to ask her anymore what she wants, the coffee will be in her hand by the time she reaches the end of the counter! Is either getting coffee at 8am during the school run or at 3pm on a Saturday to get through Jack’s soccer practice.

Mary-Beth - Iced Hibiscus Tea, no Iced Matcha Green Tea Latte, no… um… actually a Caramel Macchiato. Mary-Beth is the worst person to go to a coffee shop, even by the time she reaches the till she hasn’t made up her mind. Usually, if she’s with Karen and Tilly, she’ll make them go first. She loves spending time in coffee shops reading or writing. Once she’s finally made up her mind as to what she wants to drink, she’ll settle down on a comfy chair with her drink and a slice of carrot cake.

Tilly - Either a Chai Tea Latte or an Iced Black Tea. She’ll drink coffee if she’s offered one, but just prefers the taste of tea and Chai Tea especially. Ideally, she would rather not go to Starbucks to get her drink, she prefers to support small, local businesses who actually make a decent Chai Tea latte! But she does have a real thing for Blueberry muffins. Does quite like the atmosphere of a coffee shop when working on her college assignments, she doesn’t like complete silence, but equally doesn’t want too much noise.

Karen - Iced Cappuccino. Even during the dead of winter Karen will still order an iced drink. Neither Tilly or Mary-Beth get it. It makes no sense. She even says, when they suggest she get a regular Cappuccino, that it tastes different. They gave up long ago trying to convince her otherwise! Opts for a cake pop and prefers chocolate.

[marybeth-was-lesbian]

Could I ask for cuddling with John headcannons? Thank youuuuuuuu

Cuddling with John Marston headcanons

hi anon! of course you can ask!! i’m not that good at writing for john, but i’ll try my hardest :)

warnings: none. just fluff :)

also, my asks are always open!!

john is a very touch starved man.

sometimes he can be very withdrawn, he truly doesn’t mean it, but he feels like he can be too clingy at times and he’ll feel like he’s getting on your nerves.

so, taking the time to cuddle with him is a very reassuring act. it reassures him you really do love him, and you aren’t just with him because you feel forced to.

after a long day of being outside of camp doing god knows what, he likes to creep into your shared tent and lie down next to you.

he’ll snake an arm around your waist to pull you closer to him.

or he’ll just rest his head on your chest and listen to your heartbeat whilst you play with his hair.

usually he ends up falling asleep like this, but not always.

sometimes he can just sit like that for hours

sometimes you don’t even need to talk.

any intimate moment with you he’ll always cherish, because he knows it might not last forever.

bonus points if you gently kiss his scars. he’s very insecure about them.

but in conclusion, he’s just a very cuddly koala who appreciates a long hug!