zarkishere

[zarkishere]

May I request a breakdown of John’s face? Maybe Abigail, too?

HOPE THIS HELPS pt7

again changing things...i thought maybe the colored text was useless? so i didnt include it this time around

as always, one character at a time, so Abigail will be next!

John is also impossible to draw imo LOL so this was a nice exercise...

IMPORTANT; IF YOU WANT ME TO DRAW A CHARACTER, REQUEST IT IN THE ASK BOX!!!

PT1 - Javier PT2 - Bill PT3 - Kieran PT4 - Arthur PT5 - Dutch Interlude - Shapes And Tips! PT 6 - Charles PT 7 - John (you're here!!)

[zarkishere]

my favorite saga <3

[zarkishere]

What would Javier play in DnD, I feel like his class would be a bard-rogue? Sawyer would always ask to be the DM as he likes the story telling part of it. He and Mary-Beth will spend hours planning sessions with extremely unique lore. What other characters do you think would play?

-🦌

i think Javier would like to DM just cause he likes being in control sahjghj PLUS i think he'd like writing them out,,,buutt if he's playing a character i do agree he'd probably like bard-rogue. tiefling bard-rogue comes to mind i think he'd like em i think he's the type of player to commission an artist to draw his guy (he asked Arthur, but Arthur got shy), writes everything down, has complex lore, dresses as his character, does roleplay, has read all the manuals and gets frustrated if people dont do their part are all his characters very similar to one another? yes but that's how he likes it,,,

i think he'd be talking to Sawyer and planning shit w him and he's just having so much fun...he invites people over and is SO excited about it, and gets so genuinely upset and frustrated when people delay sessions or just say they cant/dont wanna

cough. anyway. i think Mary got both Tilly and Karen into it, and while they both do enjoy it they're far more casual about it than Mary-Beth who gets told to tone it down often because this is supposed to be a 2-month-long thing MAX not the whole year. they have their own short campaigns every once in a while (Javier is invited to join because of course he is)

i think Charles might like it?? also maybe Kieran but thats just a hunch

imo Arthur thinks he might be too old for it, and hes not confident in himself or his ability to roleplay. joins casually but he's very awkward about it (does get into it but catches himself and stops himself from getting too attached) (ends up getting attached anyway and wonders when the next session will be, but doesnt wanna make it obvious he does care about his little guy he created and his little friends)

i think Lenny might get into it too, but much like Javier gets frustrated if people are too casual. likes playing w Sean but Sean gets SO rowdy and out of line he just starts spitting shit and Lenny has to smack him and be like OK BEFORE ALL THAT. ROLL THE DAMN DICE TO SEE IF YOU CAN.

Mac is like Arthur, except he actually allows himself to get knee-deep into the lore and finds he does enjoy it...maybe a bit too much. gets TOO into it. WILL hold grudges irl over shit that happened in game. i dont CARE that your characters lore makes it so you were doomed to betray me, I DONT WANT TO SEE YOU RIGHT NOW!!!

Davey is a casual player at best, does not find it as enjoying, much to Mac's dismay who wanted them to be a pair of orcs or somth like that. Davey did 1 session and at the end was like PHEW thank GOD thats over and Mac was like :(

i think John would like to play if its w like Javier or Arthur, and he's very casual about it imo...does care, but not that serious to him. the type of person to make basic things for his character and kinda let the character expand itself as the campaign goes

older Jack LOVES DnD imo. adores it. found out about it cause he saw Javier doing a campaign w the girls and was like HOLY SHIT THATS SO COOL!!! so Mary-Beth and Javier taught him everything. as a teen he brings his friends over, Abigail makes them snacks to eat while they play

also i think Bessie actually knows about DnD and likes it but its like her secret. sometimes she goes out and plays w her mates and nobody in the gang knows,,,later when she passes and Hosea is looking through her stuff he finds one of the books, is very confused and asks John/Arthur if its theirs. it is not. it becomes a whole thing. wdym Bessie Matthews played DnD and nobody knew?? AND SHE DIDNT PLAY W ANYONE??? chaos. javier and john are looking to see if she has character sheets. arthur is so confused but also amused. sean is laughing so hard he's crying. Dutch and Hosea have no idea wtf is happening

[zarkishere]

I feel so bad for modern Ruben because modern Sawyer is a lot more adventurous than normal Sawyer. Modern Sawyer desperately wants to prove the supernatural is real due to science "mostly disproving" it. He would happily drag Ruben, Bill, and Davey to a haunted, abandoned insane asylum to try and find ghosts or a mountain trail that is said to be cursed.

The thing is Sawyer has the luck of someone who is always just five seconds away from having what they want. So the whole time Ruben would be panicking because he swears that he has been hearing and feeling something following them, but due to Sawyer's luck, they never have an encounter with what it is. It does not help that Sawyer wears clothes which are of the colour of what my family calls "Mary blue", which is supposed to wear off evil spirits (I know people in the South have a similar colour to ward off evil) as he wears a rosary he received off his grandmother and smells of sage and incense, so everything evil is avoiding him.

Hopefully, Ruben feels a bit more secure going with the knowledge that Sawyer is a priest with exorcism training. Although I can imagine half way through Davey riles him up with the whole "I bet I could beat up and monster, but you can't" which causes them to do the whole one uping each other act. Bill has to use the Mac method to stop them as one time Davey nearly got killed because he started running after a monster that was trying to lure him away to eat him. Mac chews all their ears off for it when they get back with Bill, Sawyer, and Davey being put in time out for their stupidity.

On a different note, would modern Ruben like DnD or table top games like it as Sawyer would ask him to play his Homebrew sessions if he did?

-🦌

omfg Davey would KNOW that Ruben is very nervous and unsure of this so he'd rile him up on purpose in an attempt to get him to relax like he used to when Ruben was younger...but Ruben would go the complete opposite way and get TOO excited. so he like. sees a shadow and is like IMMA GET YOU!!! and starts chasing down this poor ghost thats probably so confused and scared that this tiny man is chasing it now

maybe he even pulls Sawyer along 'for safety' (aka he picks up sawyer and runs at wtv danger. poor sawyer.)

and YEAH probably cause fantasy and cool things yay but. i dont think he has the brain to get it. he likes it cause he gets to hang out and chat, but he does not take it seriously and often gets lost. R: wdym i gotta roll my dice i did that like 10 seconds ago DM: yes, you did a perception check, and you said you wanted to attack even though you got a 3 so you dont actually know what you're attacking. so now you gotta roll again R: hm. nvm then i dont wanna attack. DM: ?? you already set up for it though??? R: oh. i did? oh okay yeah then i attack with...what did i have again? DM: SIGH.

unfortunate for Javier (who i HC would actually like DnD a lot). he's come to accept the fact that Ruben can only do short campaigns and that he's gonna have to keep track of things for Ruben

[zarkishere]

I was shown one of those Bigfoot hunting shows, and the idea of Davey and Ruben liking conspiracy theories has given me an idea for the modern AU.

Sawyer in the modern AU loves to go cryptid hunting and loves conspiracy theories, especially if they involve cryptids, which causes him to create a conspiracy theory club for the gang to take part in if they want. The most common members who are there for nearly every session includes: Sawyer (the leader and organiser), Ruben, Davey, Bill (this is because on TikTok I keep seeing headcanons of him being into conspiracy theories in modern times), Sean, and Lenny (he was dragged to join in by Sean and he loves hearing the idiocy the others come up with). Sawyer will find conspiracy theories online or will get suggestions and sets up a whole board with the evidence and pieces that disprove it, so they can debate on it. He even gets them all drinks and snacks, most of the snacks are baked goods provided by Molly as Sawyer got her into baking to help deal with her emotions and feelings of being "useless" and something people can throw away.

Sawyer did try to get Hosea to join in because he found out that Hosea was born in the Appalachian mountains. Sometimes Hosea does when it is related to the region he was born in or the theories he believes due to what he has seen when growing up.

It is one of the few times Bill and Davey are completely sober, as no one brings alcohol since no one wants to deal with a drunk Sawyer.

Sometimes, all of them will take a vacation together to go cryptid hunting. John, Sadie, Arthur, Mac, and Charles are dragged along as "supervision" and because they are good at hunting. Jack is brought along too because he loves monsters and just wants to see one in real life. Charles and Sawyer tend to be ahead of everyone, with Hosea sometimes, to talk about different creatures from folklore and how they can be related to cryptids. John is there because he has seen Bigfoot before, and so he can help Bill build the traps (the two bond over making the most elaborate traps that makes everyone question their sanity). Sadie just wants to hunt, and hunting a monster gives her even more credit (I like to think the gang has a hunting game with each thing you hunt giving you a different score), which is similar to Davey and Ruben, who want to capture and kill a monster since they keep having dumb pets over who could fight one better. Mac and Arthur are the only ones truly acting as supervisors, with Arthur being John, Hosea, and Sawyer's supervisor while Mac supervises Bill, Ruben, and Davey.

They have never found a monster. But, everyone does enjoy the trips since they are, honestly, extremely fun for everyone. At the end of each night, they do share ghost stories around the fire as they share s'mores with Charles, Bill, or Hosea, having the creepiest of the stories.

I do have many more ideas about this, and I may share them once I have fully thought them through. Sorry if this is really confusing, I just had so many ideas I wanted to say.

-🦌

i think Ruben joins the club cause he likes the people not because he's truly into conspiracy theories,,,Davey and Sean were one day like HEY SAWYER IS MAKING THIS COOL CLUB ABOUT SOME WEIRD SHIT? and Ruben was like omg my friends are making a club i gotta join

he's also latino so yeah he believes in cryptids and ghost and allat cause thats just our culture, but that also means he will NOT fuck w going to haunted places and whatnot. 'hey lets go cryptid haunting!!' 'NO!! COUNT ME OUT!!!' (he goes anyway cause he trusts his friends and does think it could be fun, but if he hears a SINGLE weird noise he's praying. he doesnt even believe in god per se, but being around christians all the time does shit. also maybe modern Ruben might be a bit christian cause Brazilians are very christian but thats a whole nother rant)

Javier also probably hates it when he goes. gives him holy water his great grandpa got in italy and a cross. his poor latino heart aches at the thought his boyfriend may actually see some creature, cause he also knows his dumb boyfriend may panic and try to fight it

anyway i love this, nothing more to add

[zarkishere]

hi rdr2tumblr i need help

so like. Kieran fans. what superpower do you think he'd have? just like imagine an au where everyone has superpowers. what do you think fits Kieran

[zarkishere]

In my mind, Ruben and Davey are the type of friends that when they are together they suddenly lose all their brain cells. Smart apart but stupid together. Sawyer really wants to ask Mac if he can run tests on the two as he is astonished that alongside Lenny, he is the smartest in the gang. Sawyer thought that the gang would be filled with incredible people who are extremely smart and capable as the Pinkertons have not caught them yet and the gang's reputation. Since he has not been in the gang in years, he is surprised by how many of the members are just outcasts that need help. He can see that quite a few are alcoholics or/and have untreated mental illnesses and disabilities.

This is how he becomes the gang's kind of therapist. He listens to their problems and tries to give them advice or is just acts as someone they can confide in. He is just trying to help them as best as he can even if he is struggling as he genuinely feels bad for a lot of the gang.

If this was the modern AU, Sawyer would be doing IQ, situational, emotional, survival, and common sense tests on people to find out their strengths and weaknesses for fun. He happily goes up to Dutch and Hosea with his results and points out how to use each gang member to the best of their abilities. It may seem really cold but Sawyer thinks he is being helpful.

Dutch's method to getting gang members does genuinely give Babay a headache. In the modern AU, he has a very successful company and mob, but he can not understand how Dutch beats him so much. His requirements for people to join are extremely high as he wants the best of the best, but yet he has been bested by a bunch of mentally ill cowboys. Black Jack sits back with his snakes and popcorn as he is impressed while Babay is pulling out his hair.

-🦌

THEY REALLY ARE its just that they're constantly trying to one-up each other so they end up doing REALLY DUMB SHIT.

R : i bet i can wrestle a bear D : no thats dangerous you'll die...BUT I SURELY COULD!!!

Mac has grown a sixth sense to tell when the pair of idiots are about to. be idiots. if he sees Ruben and Davey chatting he walks over, and if they ask 'so should i?' (not giving context cause they know he'll say no) EVERY SINGLE TIME Mac is like 'no, dont, if you try ill fucking beat you up'

he's strong enough to lift Ruben, and gets protective brother power to lift Davey too, so if they're being idiots Mac can just. pick up whichever is being worse. air jail if you will.

Ruben doesnt fight it anymore, just kinda stays there like >:( with his arms crossed

Davey will never accept it and it often ends in them brawling it out

anyway. i can imagine Sawyer having to give Ruben play-doh or other shit like that so he can talk and answer things without getting too distracted...Sawyer with his little fidget toys box for them neurodivergents in the gang

Ruben would get genuinely upset at some questions i imagine...like dont ask what he'd do if he was trapped, cause he'll look so genuinely sad, and ask if he's made Sawyer upset to wanna do something to him like that

[zarkishere]

im a shitass writer BUT RUBENS WIKI IS DONE!!! kinda i still gotta do a few things but its 5am so. yeah. enjoy my zarklings

[zarkishere]

‘Spooky Month’ creator David Pelo will voice Javier Escuella in the upcoming ‘Red Dead Redemption: Redder than ever’ animated pilot by Vivziepop’s animation studio Spindleroo.

(Source: https://youtu.be/R1tgBxuRqZ8?si=TtzaoIHzOhB0AJEA……)

[zarkishere]

holii wey!! i just wanted to ask what you stream on your twitch? you don’t have to reply to this question if you don’t want to dw. I love your art btw! its so peak and and your writing is so good rubier is angst inducing 💔 (in a good way)

i stream VERY RARELY!! and its variety lol, i usually give options or play what i want

the ongoing gameplay is rdr1

ive also been streaming art a bunch, if that helps

[zarkishere]

Here is a little sequel to the last ask.

Ruben: OK, SO if Lucifer was the sister that burnt the old place down then how come he's a guy? Mac: What? Ruben: Well he's got a wife and they have kids together. Mac: The lassie was a lad. Davey: How do ya' know? Mac: Considerin' the fact she dwarves the bampot and has a deeper voice, it was easy to tell. Ruben: Wait, she does??? Davey: I just thought them Germans were tall and had 'em deep voices??? Mac: 🫩 Mac: ... Mac: I'm surrounded by fuckin' daft gommies.

Some extra reactions: Sawyer: 😐 Arthur: 😐 Babay: 😰 Black Jack: 🤨

Mac is so done with the two idiots he has as brothers. Sawyer is just standing nearby questioning how dumb Davey and Ruben are as Arthur is whispering and asking if those two had not heard the gangs quips about Alexandra being masculine and Micah's "jokes" about how the wife is the man and the husband is the woman. Babay is wondering what requirements Dutch has for his gang members to all be this dumb and how he has not bested that man yet. While this is how Black Jack finds out his favourite sibling is alive and that he has nieces and nephews.

Seriously, Dutch must have the lowest qualifications for people to become part of the gang, that sometimes I wonder how the gang functioned with how idiotic some characters can be sometimes. You can fall for my manipulations, are desperate, are an outcast, and can shoot/pull off heists? Well, you are in! Welcome to being a Van Der Linde. I thought Colm's strategy was bad, but Dutch's needs to be studied. I think Hosea should step up and start deciding on the new recruits instead.

-🦌

the requirements are; are you a little rock headed? and; are you easily manipulated?

okay but on a more serious note, while i do joke about Ruben and Daveys brains, i do exaggerate a lot 😭😭 they're not THAT dumb but it makes me giggle when they act so so so stupid. because they CAN be, but they're not just that, they're great in other areas

Ruben is a great hunter, and can take a lot of punches

Davey is an AMAZING fighter and is quite the escape artist

they're never really the brains of the action, moreso the action lol

i mean let's remember Dutch doesn't really have 'requirements' as Colm does (can you shoot? are you sort of irish? you're in! - probably Colm) since most of the gang members were rescued and/or in tight spots when Dutch/Hosea found them

it's why he's ended up w so many people who can't/aren't willing to rob or do jobs for him, people who are kinda just there along for the ride, such as Reverend

in a way i understand why Micah gets so mad that they're 'wasting spots' w 'useless' folk, because he has this idea of a scary bunch of people he can use to work for him (that they still can be) and not these broken and sometimes unable to work people

his actions toward these people isnt justified of course, Dutch helped them because he wanted to, and i like to think up to a point he did have somewhat good intentions when helping people in need

do I also think he gathered people in desperate need of some help to make himself a savior, to boost his ego, and because they're easier to manipulate due to their now 'owed help' to him? yes, of course, but he still helped them

specially when it comes to Arthur and John (who i do think Dutch and Hosea kinda wanted to make into their own little soldiers tbh) it's clear he has some level of true fatherly affection toward them

he DOES use the word 'father' and 'family' to further his grooming, of course, but again i like to think he does/did care

anyway this got so serious so urm. Mac sometimes gets frustrated w Ruben and sort of picks him up and throws him in the river because Ruben finds it fun. like he'll RUN back at Mac laughing and ask to go again and it helps Mac to physically throw this little annoying shite away

either that or Mac fights Ruben and Davey at the same time...see on their own they put up a fight, but together they get even dumber than usual, cause now they're trying to one-up another and 'make Mac proud' by winning so now they're throwing punches at Mac AND each other and asking if they're doing better than the other....which gives Mac time to knock them out

they'll blame the other too like UGHH YOU RUINED THIS FOR MEEE and Mac is just staring at them wondering how he raised nearly the same person twice. aren't they supposed to be a little different. /silly

[zarkishere]

I feel so bad for Mac. For the AU Sawyer is in, Mac is just about clinging to life after Sawyer saved him so he is just standing there, completely tired and ready to curl up and die as he feels a bit useless now his arm is fucked while Ruben is just babbling on about his conspiracy theories. I am imagining that Ruben forced Javier, Davey, and Mac to sit at the side of one of the wagons which is covered in different bounty posters and newspapers Ruben found as all the parts are connected in red thread. Javier is spaced out, Davey is adding on all his own crazy theories, and Mac instantly out the parts together and wonders how these two have not figured it out yet.

It goes down like this…

Ruben: OK, SO I think Sawyer killed someone’s sister? OR his own?? Or his wife. Maybe, she’s his fiancée I’m not sure. I just know they look like. Davey: Maybe the big guy was the girl’s lover on the side? That’s why the doc killed her! Mac: raises his hand Ruben: Yes? Mac: Maybe, doc is Alice. He looks like her and refuses to change or bathe around us. Ruben and Davey: Oooooooooooh. Ruben: BUT how does that relate to Black Jack? Mac: Maybe Black Jack was one of the missin’ LeBlanc children. He seems to know a lot about the family. Davey: Then who started the fire? Mac: I don’t know, maybe that creepy fuckin’ bampot in the bayou who asked us to bring them lot in! Black Jack said one of the daughters had done it and that fella is pretty feminine. Ruben: So that would make Lucifer the fire starter, Lucifer and Black Jack are brothers, and those two are cousins with Sawyer? Mac: Aye. Ruben and Davey: Oooooooooooh. Ruben: That makes a lot more sense.

Black Jack and Babay are sitting nearby and realising that none of the gang had figured it out apart from Mac, Lenny, Mary-Beth, and Hosea and are just wondering how this gang had bested them so many times. Even Sawyer is bewildered that it took the gang this long to put everything together.

Poor Ruben just needs things to be a bit more straightforward.

-🦌

im actually in tears this is so real and canon.

Davey and Ruben unable to form a single thought, Javier has heard Ruben ramble about this even before they go to sleep so he's just completely spaced out, and Mac is the only one who's actually putting shit together

tis so peak, ty for sharing.

i think Ruben would make a mental effort to not look at Sawyers chest anymore, just in case. he tends to do that cause he's been told he 'stares too hard' at peoples eyes, so he started staring at peoples chest/chin instead

so now Ruben is staring at Sawyers eyes like

👁️👁️

[zarkishere]

I feel like Sawyer is constantly dragging Ruben away from the two who are tied to a tree, like Kieran was back before he got the gang's trust. Sawyer is worried in case Black Jack blabs or Ruben asks about the burn scars and gets a genuine answer. It was already bad enough when Ruben and Sean found the posters and Sawyer does not need Black Jack revealing he was in the LeBlanc plantation fire.

If they were in game there would be the option to stalk their campsite, this is where you are able to steal Black Jack's rosary to unlock a good chunk of Lucifer's mission and some of Sawyer's missions. Lucifer's mission that I either want to call "From Flames We Reunite" or "The Revival of Abel" is the one which gets you to kidnap Black Jack. But, if you were to just sit there and listen you would have dialogue that reveals a bit more of each of their pasts, especially if you had interacted with them before stalking their camp (with these pieces of dialogue they complain about what Arthur did and compare it to their past).

The two make a lot of jokes about back when they were in the circus, but if they are tending to each other's scars (such as applying creams/lotions) they will grumble some jokes about what caused it or just talk about how traumatising it was and how they make sure it never happens to each other again. For the time period, the two are quite open about their feelings with each other to spite their fathers and due to their co-dependence they see no issue with it as to know what each other need, they need to say what they need (even if they just know what each other needs due to knowing and being around each other for over ten years).

If Ruben was taken to stalk their camp and had overheard what Black Jack was saying about being in the fire and saying he does not regret most of the family dying in the fire when he is being interrogated, I can just see him getting really interested in the mystery. He goes around trying to ask about the LeBlancs and so finds out how the entire LeBlanc estate was burnt down years ago, but Lucifer showed proof he was one of the surviving heirs (which Lucifer would have talked about in his first few missions). And if he dug around long enough he would have found out that the Williams and the LeBlancs were related.

I can just imagine Ruben going up to Sawyer and asking, "Are you scared he will recognise you and will say that you started the fire to kill your sister or fiancée or whatever she was?" and Sawyer is just staring at him and wondering how Ruben pulled that out when there is so many more easier answers.

-🦌

i love thinking about OC's if they were actually in the game, its super fun

and YEAH IM CRYING Ruben would come up w the dumbest ideas. hes like 'ohh so you started a fire and killed HIS sister?? why are you so scared then im confused'

he's the king of ALMOST understanding things but not quite. like yeah he's been stalking them for weeks and wondering wtf is up, but he's never gonna get it himself

Mac is so patient w him cause the gang members are always being sarcastic or hinting at things and Ruben often isnt quite understanding wtf they're talking about

he's used to taking Ruben and Davey aside and explaining things to them

if Mac's alive by the time Black Jack and whatnot are there, Ruben is 100% yapping to him about what he's found out and being like 'OK SO I THINK SAWYER KILLED SOMEONES SISTER? OR HIS OWN?? or wife. maybe fiance im not sure' and Mac is staring at him like 😐

[zarkishere]

The finger signing Babay uses is similar to the finger spelling that Anne Sullivan used. Black Jack is quite blind and deaf due to a few reasons with the main reasons being abuse from his parents and grandfather and being caught in a horrific fire. So when he was still an act and getting close to Bay the two created a way to communicate more easily, especially when Black Jack tunes out the world which mostly happens when they are in public.

It uses a mixture of the Cyrillic alphabet and the English alphabet, with more common words they use having quick signs the two made up to give Babay more time to spell out the harder words. To do it Babay presses his fingers against either Black Jack's palm or his arm and just draws it out. It is very much adapted for both of them as it had to be made to be done by only one hand (Babay only has one arm) and be easy for Black Jack to understand.

In the modern AU Black Jack might teach it to Ruben as he sees it as something special for just between him and Babay. He most likely teaches Ruben the warning ones for danger or the basic questions such as "Are you okay?" or "Are you hungry?". Although, Sawyer could help convince Black Jack to teach Ruben more, that is if someone in the gang put the dots together about those two. In the missions that involve the duo Ruben would get to see the two use it a lot, especially when the two get caught and held hostage by the Van Der Linde gang.

He gets to see how Black Jack is the brute strength and attacker of the two while Babay is the planner, eyes, and ears.

-🦌

im just giggling at Ruben staring at them, but he's 'mission mode' so he's either looking so neutral its unnerving or glaring at everyone (Mac taught him his 'scary looks' cause Ruben was so tiny when he arrived he couldnt scare a mouse if he tried to)

they might think he's thinking of how to fucking murder them, or planning something else, but in his head Ruben is actually like 'omg whats that thing theyre doing with their hands its so cool i wish i could ask but Dutch would be upset if i talked to them and hes so TALL and wow i wonder how he lost his arm ugh i hope dutch leaves soon so i can talk with them but oh wait what if micah hears and says im a traitor and--' YK?? HASHJGAJSH his brain always goes a mile an hour

he's so genuinely curious, but the gang comes first, and he was probably told to stay his ground and be ready to blast both their heads off if they do anything suspicious

[zarkishere]

I love how blunt Ruben is and that he does not care about social norms. He is either going to hate or relate to Black Jack. If it was modern times they could probably be friends as my boy is a lot chiller in the modern AU.

If he asked Black Jack what his parents fed him he would most likely get no response as Black Jack is quite deaf and tends to ignore absolutely everyone as he sees no point in talking or listening to others if they are not Babay. He is not sweet to anyone but Babay who he guards with his life, he is like a guard dog in human form. Luckily, if Babay is around when Ruben asks the other man will grab Black Jack's hand and finger sign what Ruben asks so Black Jack knows what to respond with.

The only issue is if Ruben could understand his response. Black Jack is incredibly sarcastic and blunt with a heavy accent that is a mixture of the Cajun/Creole/Irish accents and he has a tendency to speak in Latin. Babay is probably acting as a translator for the two, but gets progressively more frustrated as he is struggling so hard to think of the right words since neither of the two are making his life easier. Black Jack is getting progressively more sarcastic as Ruben talks at a rate of two thousand words a minute.

His answers would probably be short or something on the lines "Normal food, like everybody else." as he hates it when people can only focus on his height and gawk at it. He has lots of trauma from being in a freakshow and circus for so long.

I honestly love talking about Black Jack and Babay due to how funny and codependent they are. They give Mac and Davey a run for their money in that department. They are very sweet with each other, try to make Dutch's life as miserable as possible, but have absolutely horrid backstories.

-🦌

Ruben my rock headed son,,he woudnt even notice Black Jack is being sarcastic (and uncomfortable w the questions about his height and past) he's just taking everything he says at face value and nodding along happily, finds the pair super endearing and cool (reminds him of Mac and Davey as you said)

he's probably staring at the signs and asking MORE questions and asking if he can learn some CAUSE HES SO CURIOUS AND HES THINKING THIS GUY IS SO COOL HE WANTS TO TALK TO HIM WITHOUT NEEDING SOMEONE ELSE AS A TRANSLATOR!!

modern times Ruben knows LSM and ASL, and will get genuinely frustrated at people who dont wanna learn. in his head it makes no sense; why wouldnt you wanna understand and talk to other people?? he's a VERY social butterfly who just talks to people on the street for funsies, so yk, he wants to be able to talk to everyone all the time

sometimes his curious and a little annoying nature can be overwhelming tbh. I find him overwhelming and im his father

[zarkishere]

guys join me. cmon. cmon join zark. https://magma.com/d/Aqm9n3Ri2B

[zarkishere]

On a lighter note, to get away from all the angst, I just realised how short Ruben is compared to most of my OCs. I can imagine when Ruben complains about Sawyer being tall, Sawyer just laughs and notes how he was one of the shortest out of his siblings and cousins since he was from the medium side of the family. This in turn makes Ruben's mind go to mush as Sawyer describes a lot of his family being taller than Arthur. Sawyer even jokes how one of his younger cousin's got the nickname tall tree due to how tall he was.

The first time Ruben probably met the Black Death Duo (Babay and Black Jack) did not go well for this reason. Babay is as tall as Javier and Sawyer, being 5'9" but Black Jack is nearing 8' tall even if he is not there yet. I am just imagining Dutch riding away on the Count with Hosea as they tell the others to run as this giant of a man is chasing them down, because the Van Der Lindes stole yet another set of bonds those two worked hard to steal. It is pretty comical to hear about but must have been terrifying to experience. You see a giant charging at you screaming "MATTHEWS, VAN DER LINDE!!!" as you try your best to get away before he catches you.

-🦌

Ruben would be SO fascinated. hes like 'wow i didnt know they made people your size!!'

actually his uncle is a p tall and skinny dude, tallest in the family, but even he wouldnt even reach Sawyer,,,he comes from a family of short people HJAJGJHASG and given when he was young he only talked to his family, then spent years isolated at a farm, and then just. completely alone. it was very fascinating to him that people can be even taller

if he gets the chance he'll just. stare at Black Jack for a bit. head slightly tilted, using all his braincells...will walk up to him and be like 'so what did your parents feed you' (Ruben vs social norms, you cant just say that my son) while looking completely genuine

size doesnt bring him fear anymore (courtesy of Mac) so he's just genuinely curious and trying to talk to him, boy is like pacing around circling the man and asking questions etc