so, i just hit max approval with deacon again, and maybe it’s just because i know more about deacon and that i’ve explored the world more now, but i think i might actually believe the story less.
(spoilers below, obviously!)
the first time i did it, i only went through one tree of the conversation – i was hesitant to believe him, and ultimately told him it was a lot to process. i didn’t ultimately support him and deacon took that fine.
the other dialogue branches are interesting, especially if you insist it’s a lie throughout and ultimately condemn him. you still get the perk, the relationship still maxes out, but man, deacon shows way more emotion when you condemn him than perhaps you ever hear him otherwise. (i also strongly agree with the analysis here.)
particularly worth mentioning is this:
SS: The Railroad let you in? Even though you were in the Deathclaws?
Deacon: So many years had passed I don’t think anyone, well except for the Claws, knew that. All they knew is someone fought back.
there are a lot of things about deacon’s past that are … well, murky at best. could he have been involved with a violent gang at university point? i keep going back and forth on this, and it’s all because of the huge unmarked quest at university point.
the unmarked quest takes place entirely through terminal entries and recordings, and is dated 2285 – which, according to pam’s terminal is long after deacon was part of the railroad (at least 2273, but i believe he’s johnny d, so that’d be 2266). when you take him to UP, he mentions offhandedly that mass state used to be a big player in the commonwealth, but that that was a long time ago, and the way he says it implies personal knowledge. paranoia against synths has reached a fever pitch in 2287, when the game takes place, but how bad was it in those days? we don’t know.
(in the unmarked quest, it seems that UP has a decently sized community, enough to have a mayor and council meetings, but since it’s all after the fact we can only guess at how large the settlement actually was. there are ruins, though. side note: highly recommend the quest, it’s one of the best parts of the game.)
so– yeah, there are hints that his story is true. and yet… and yet…
i dunno. the thing about deacon is that it’s so easy to go back and forth with him. you can read his story as an allegory, a story he’s telling for a purpose. or, you can take it at face value, and accept that for the first time in what is probably a very long time, deacon is opening up and letting someone else see his past.
i suppose what i get stuck on is the why. why you? why should he finally tell this truth to the sole survivor, if he hasn’t told anyone else? (the answer tends to be “because you’re the player character,” and that’s not an answer that sits well with me. i suppose that’s part of why it keeps making me lean away from it.)
but then, that’s the problem when you establish a character as a liar. how can you tell when they’re crying wolf?
You stare at the box.
You bite your lip, fidget your weight between your feet, and blink at the box. You had put the box on the table, but you’re not sure if that’s right – if that’s where it should go. If that’s where you want to do this. The bed would make much more sense; it’d save carrying all the unboxed contents then to the bed. But, as much sense as that makes, something about it just feels way too soon. Because what if – there was a chance you wouldn’t even like what was in the box. And then, dumping all that onto the bed, into your nest, with pre-heat simmering low in your belly – well. The whole reason you even had the box was to help with your heat. The very real possibility of starting off the week with a bad nest kept the box right on the table. Unopened. Still taped up. Discreet, but addressed to you. There was no mistake. The box was yours. Which, of course it was, you’d ordered the damn thing. Clicked on some ad on some website during a moment of weakness, of morbid curiosity. And then, as a joke (you’d told yourself, anyway), gone ahead and filled out the little questionnaire. Some were multiple choice, such as designated second sex, or what your preferred mate would be (which shouldn’t have been as hard as it was to fill out, but you’ve never really given it a whole lot of thought). Were someone ever actually interested in you, like seriously so, you wouldn’t let something like their second sex get in the way of a potential relationship. As it was, you’d selected Alpha, because that was just…natural. Easiest. And then there were the fill-in-the-blanks. Questions about what scents you enjoyed, and which you despised. In the end, it asked about your own scent, which felt a bit weird, considering such a thing shouldn’t matter. You were on a website for a company that supplied care packages to help alleviate the effects of going through a heat or rut alone.
It wasn’t a dating site. You’d triple-checked. Right before saying fuck it, and jumping off the deep-end with a single, damning right-click.
“Maybe the couch…?” You mutter to yourself, one arm curled almost protectively around your middle, propping up the elbow of your other arm, so that you can run a thumb along your bottom lip. In thought, in hesitation, in…anticipation. Whether you liked it or not, you were opening that box. There was no reason not to. Either it would achieve its intended purpose and provide some much deserved relief, considering the last few heats you’ve suffered through, or it’d all just end up in the trash. No big deal. You’ve survived all your other heats with minimal help, surrounded by nothing but your own scent, and maybe a t-shirt or two from those you could consider friends. So…maybe it was just that you kind of, really, wanted it to work. Would be a waste of money, otherwise. “Okay. Okay,” you drop your arms and nod to yourself, determined and courageous. The way your toes wiggle in your socks give away the nerves, though. “Couch it is.” Before you can sike yourself back out, you pick the box up and quickly shuffle on over to the sofa in the space you’d designated as your living room. Technically, it is also the dining room. And the office. And some extra storage space.
The bedroom, at least, is only a bedroom. One of the few little luxuries you manage to afford.
You settle on the middle cushion, criss-cross applesauce, with the box a decent weight in your lap. You give the perimeter a tentative, cursory sniff, but only come back a little surprised at how well sealed the contents are. The only scent coming through thus far is the dull, familiar one of cardboard and packaging tape. And the slight tingle of neutralizer. Slowly, carefully, you start to pick and peel away at the tape. You could have, should have, grabbed a knife, or a pair of scissors, at the very least, but – if you got up to get them now, you might chicken out. So, bitten and blunt fingernails it is, until your fingertips are tacky and the top of the box is free. You don’t mean to, but you hold your breath. Your fingers curl around the lip of the lid, and while they work their way up and under, you sink the point of a fang down into your lip. A vein in your mouth pulses with the quickened beat of your heart. It’s so stupid, to get so worked up over something like this, but then – The lid is off of the box, and dropped down onto the cushion beside you. You still don’t breathe, but you do peer down into the package’s innards. You weren’t exactly sure what to expect other than fabric, so the sight of a striped sock with a kitty paw on it is…surprising, to say the least. Adorable, amusing, and – ah. It’s kind of hard to laugh without breathing, without inhaling, and the scent that smacks you right between the eyes does so with the force of a freight train. It sends a hard shiver from your head all the way down to your toes, and collects saliva on the center of your tongue. Fuck, fuck, holy fuck it’s good. It’s so good. It’s something floral and dark, with a smoothness to it; invigorating, yet all the while relaxing. Enticing in its coziness. You don’t realize you’ve closed your eyes until you’re blinking them back open. The base of your spine itches, and your thighs clench, and - and that sock is bunched up right beneath your nose. That should be gross, and it is, it is, but it could also be worse, because the sock seems clean, just heavily scented. And, it’s not like it doesn’t make sense for a sock to be in there. After all, ankle glands are a thing, and they work just as well as all the other glands. Still, it takes an embarrassing amount of effort to drop the sock, and start to sift through the rest of the contents. There’s a couple of shirts; a dark gray tank top and a low-cut black tee with long sleeves. Then there’s a pair of what could either be sweat pants or pajama pants, covered in…spiders. Itsy, bitsy, black spiders, with yellow eyes, and again, you can’t help but chuckle. Digging a little deeper, you find the other sock, a light gray scarf, and last, but definitely not least, a throw blanket. It keeps with the whole monochrome theme (excluding the socks), a soft gingham slashed through with a bright, baby blue. All in all, not bad. Not bad at all.
The exact opposite of bad, actually. You’re only regret is having not been brave enough to just upturn the entire box onto your bed, because now you have to gather each and every item up in your arms, and make a happy, hasty retreat to your bedroom, which just seems way too far away with the way your body is now thrumming, blood silently screaming to nest, nest, nest! You manage though, because of course you do, and realistically, it’s not a far or hard walk at all.
Though, it is a little bit wet. Slimy and sticky and warm, and only getting warmer, down between your legs. You’re still in pre-heat, so nothing hurts – yet. You have plenty of time to build a nest and enjoy it, before you lose your mind to it all. To the desire, the hunger, the need, the ache; the loneliness, and now…the fantasy. “Thank you, kind, smelly stranger,” you whisper with a little laugh, just as your knees meet the mattress of your bed. There’s a fleeting flicker of guilt; it almost feels wrong to be doing this, using a stranger’s scent to get off for a whole week. But then, you realize, it’s really no different than watching porn. Whatever Alpha stuffed that box full of their belongings had done so willingly. Consentingly. Caringly. So, you let that feeling go as you set about pushing and shoving, folding and tucking, wrinkling and kneading everything into place, items both old and new. In the end, you make a haphazard circle, but the shape doesn’t matter nearly as much as the feel does. The smell.
And it’s only then you realize why that website might ask for your own scent.
You’d left it blank. But, as you slowly sink down into all your hard work with a purr, you can’t deny it. You smell good together. You and this Alpha. So much so that you find yourself nosing even deeper into it, into your own pillow and a stranger’s shirt, nuzzling nose, cheek, neck. Your toes are wiggling again, stretching and flexing, curling in utter delight. When your hands start to move, it’s with minds of their own; one to smooth up under your shirt and along your chest, thumbing around a nipple, while the other slips straight down between slick thighs. Your scent is a bit of an…acquired taste. You don’t smell bad or anything, but depending on who you asked, opinions ranged from ‘household cleaner’ to ‘fancy dessert’. Personally, you always thought you drifted somewhere in the middle, like a lemon drop or something. But here and now? Together, you smell like lemon and vanilla, lavender and coffee – like tiramisu and a latte. You want to bite down on it, lap it up, ‘it’ being the stranger’s neck, an Alpha’s scent gland, your Alpha – at least, the Alpha that had anonymously decided to take care of you for the week. Alas, your pillow will have to suffice. As will your fingers, until too soaked and too frustrated, you will have to trade for a shirt and a toy. There’s no neck, and there’s no knot, but still, still. While picturing a hundred different hot, beautiful ways this Alpha could look, could sound, could touch – call you ‘mine’… It’s, admittedly, the best heat you’ve ever had.
The amount of scared tissue in Deacons face from all those face changes. Ouch
The fact that Maxson is only 20 and already a raging alcoholic
That Nick probably knew Hancock while he was growing up and that's why the two of them are so close
That Deacon is probably older than Hancock
that Pipers dad was probably apart of the minutemen
that Curie probably had ptsd and abandonment issues from being locked in vault 81 and watching everyone she ever cared about die
That Deacon might have a kid....
Prestons survivors guilt and how deeply traumatized he is
That though people like to give maccready shit for being dirty the man's canonically super allergic to dust so he's more likely to be a cluttered kind of messy than actually filthy
both Hancock and Preston canonically crush on sole but are to insecure to initiate it for their own different reasons
That Deacons been to capitol wastland and maybe even the Mojave or at least has deep knowledge on both
That the lone wanderer is technically apart of the railroad...
That Maccready met Butch Deloria at some point and has knowledge of the tunnel snakes
That the current BOS chapter looks down on the Lyons even though they were the best leaders in bos history....
If the sole survivor had died in the bombs instead of being cryogenicly frozen the railroad wouldn't exist because Shaun would have never been used to create Gen 3 synths, the bos would never have come to the commonwealth because there would be no strange energy readings, and the minutemen would have died in the raider attack at the museum of history
Caits backstory is probably one of the darkest and shes severely traumatized by her own past and uses drugs to escape it
That if he has max affinity with sole X6-88 doesn't seem to care all to much about the institute being destroyed
That though Danse may have a power armour fetish people tend to forget X6-88 also does....
That it was sole who introduced Mac to the mutfruit thing and not the other way around....
That Nick an Irma from the memory den definitely fucked at some point
that magnolia from goodneighbor and Sturges are both synths
That after defeating the institute Deacon quotes Plato and is highly educated on philosophy and literature in general
That Nick just had another detective coat lying around presumably waiting for a partner
a niche character trope i like is the person who is nice, a good person and acts well adjusted, then they do something where it’s like. oh you’re secretly a little bit insane actually
Literally one of the most designs ever in danganronpa. To me
....someone volunteering to be the first one to eat your pussy...
➼ Word Count » 0.5k ➼ Warnings » None ➼ Summary » You go swimming to find the Yangtze only for Deacon to start worrying about you getting sick from the water.
“I know I said you should go check it out but I didn’t actually mean it! God, you’re freezing!” Deacon frantically spoke, pulling you out of the ocean's cold grasp.
“Ha! That kid wasn’t lying! There’s a submarine out there!” You exclaimed, shuddering as the cold night air stung your glistening skin.
“Yeah, that’s great.” He said dismissively, “We gotta get you to Carrington before you die."
The old harbor docks creaked under your weight as you climbed out of the murky water. It clung to your clothes and you began ringing out puddles from the bottom of your shirt once you found yourself on stable ground again.
“A cold's not gonna kill me Deek.” You laughed, still excited at your discovery. It wasn't every day you found something so incredibly pre-war—especially since it still happened to work!
His hands gripped your shoulders potently, concern evident on his face, “You never know out here. And what about the radiation? Come on, we’re going back to the church.” He spoke quickly, spinning you around and pushing you onward toward the base to get you looked over.
"What's got you so worried?" You chuckled, opting to follow along with where he was guiding you to move. "I've been through worse."
"I know, It's just—I dunno, it feels like there was a lot at risk this time."
"What, were you scared I wasn't gonna resurface?" You meant it teasingly but you felt his hands subtly tense on your shoulders. Softer this time, you spoke, "Quit worrying so much about me, Deek, I know what the risks are."
"Yeah, yeah, I just—it took you a minute before you came back and—well—" He trailed off once the church was in sight, the small lantern that resided beside the doorway illuminating the space surrounding it, beckoning you toward the entrance. "Here we are." He breathed out, seemingly relieved at being able to see the familiar building.
“(Y/N) is fine, just a slightly lower temperature, but that’s to be expected,” Carrington announced, waving you off, desperately wanting the two of you to leave his corner.
You glanced up at your companion, who stood directly behind your chair, still fidgeting with his hands. "What'd I tell ya? I knew what I was doing."
“Yeah, whatever. Nothing wrong with being cautious.” He draped a tattered coat around your shoulders as he spoke.
“Are you sure it was just caution? It seemed to me like a little more.” You edged him on. Sure, Deacon was cautious, but you don't ever think you've seen him this worried about you before. It was endearing, to say the least.
He flicked the back of your head lightly, “That’s all it was. Now, tell me about that submarine you saw? Was there anyone still left inside? Wait a second, don't tell me—you saw a ghost, didn't you?"
You giggled at his sudden change, wrapping the sides of the jacket around your damp form as you told him all about what you saw. You'd dig deeper into Deacon's conscious later, for now just knowing how much he cares for you is enough.
stop making makoto tall stop making makoto tall. stop making him taller than kyoko stop fucking trying dont do this. it is a cruelty to not make him shorter than her like dear god.
Fuyuhiko only lets people he trusts stay in his blind spot, and if he trusts someone, well he likes them a whole lot! 🤗
say what you will about danganronpa, at the very least the characters are fun to try to stylize.
thought i'd give a shot at it even though i dont really plan on doing anything more with these
interested in commissioning me? check out my pinned post!
i will write everything. original work, fan fictions, fan art, advice, whatever. | 22 | Sky/Oak/Echo | he/they | 18+ Only author of And It Starts Again
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