A little imagined version of that robbery when Micah was 17 and a speculation that Amos also took part in it (but he didn't get wanted because he and Micah are twins and look the same).
sorry about poor English and i use translater so plz correct me if there's any mistake🥺
In a modern AU, I could see Sean dressing up as the easter bunny at a mall or something. Mostly for shits and giggles. However... I think he would quickly regret it because of how hot the mascot costume gets.
FURTHERMORE I could also see one of the girls (specifcally Tilly or Mary-Beth) dressing up as the easter bunny for an event as well. Not for the same reason as Sean, though- they just genuinely enjoy being around kids
summary: Ever since Micah joined the gang, you had always been infatuated by his horse, despite your fear for the man himself. One day while bored around camp, you decide to be helpful by doing some chores. While working you pass by Micah and decide to ask if you can pet Baylock.
author's note: hi guys.. this is the first fic i've written in a while. I've also never written for Micah before, sorry if this is ooc lol.
Word Count: 1,751 Ao3 Link!!
--
Street Rat. That's all you would have ever considered yourself up until just over two years ago. Running away from home is a bold move for any child, nonetheless one who was only nine years old. But to you, there was no other choice. Pa' was mean. Did you need any other reason?
It's ironic, really. Running away from a mean man and being picked up by a bunch of wanted criminals. Or- outlaws, as Dutch insists there's a difference. He said things like that a lot. But you didn't mind. If anything, the strongest emotion you felt towards both Dutch and Hosea was gratitude. A second chance at being a kid was more than you could ever ask for.
Though, that all feels like a lifetime ago. You were eleven now! Mature, a big kid, if you've ever seen one.
Something that doesn't feel like a lifetime ago? The day that blonde guy joined the gang. Micah Bell. Everything was so much more peaceful without him. There's been a lot more arguments since he joined camp, you've noticed.
Despite all of your grievances towards ole' Micah Bell, one thing about him always caught your eye. Technically, it wasn't even about him as a person- but instead, his horse. Baylock. You didn't know his steed's name until you heard it in passing. But even before then, you could never keep your eyes off the thing.
He had a sleek black coat, for the most part. There was a splotch of white on a large portion of his head and muzzle, plus white at the bottom of his legs. If the contrast throughout his body wasn't enough, his eyes would certainly make an imprint on anybody. Light blue, icy, cold. Kind of like his owner…
You'd always wanted to get up close to Baylock. Pet him, braid his hair. There was one problem with that, though. You were too scared to get close. From what you've seen, Baylock could be a bit skittish in certain situations. What if a stranger petting him was one of them? And asides from Baylock's reaction, what if Micah got mad? That'd be scary.
Today was a normal day in camp. Bill was drinking, Ms. Grimshaw was nagging at Karen to do more chores, people were going about their day, and Dutch was observing it all while puffing on a cigar. You, however, sat on the ground besides your bedroll, poking at the ground with a stick. Bored didn't even cover half of how you felt. You didn't feel like playing with Jack, you didn't feel like practicing your writing, and you'd already exhausted the option of skipping rocks on the water nearby.
Grumbling, you tossed the stick to the side and let your eyes flicker around camp. Maybe there was some chore you could do? You needed to pull your weight around camp, after all, like all the people you looked up to did.
That's when you saw it. Some hay bales sitting besides Pearson's wagon, just waiting for someone to give them to the horses. Usually Arthur would take care of it, but he was out right now. They were small, and you had picked up bales of that size before. Thinking about the pats on the back that you would recieve at doing something you weren't asked to do was enough to get your feet steering in that direction.
Approaching the bale, you rubbed your hands together, biting the inside of your cheek as you picked it up with a huff. Not being the tallest kid, walking was a little restricted, but you managed fine. Most of your attention was on not letting the weight slip from your arms.
You tentatively made your way through camp, being sure to avoid any rocks or dips in the ground. The last thing you wanted to do was tumble forward and bust your lip- again. It used to be a common occurrence. A rough-and-tumble kid, they would call you.
As your attention bounced between watching the ground and not dropping the bale, a gruff voice took you out of your trance.
"Make sure Baylock gets some of that, hm?"
Your eyes flicked to the source of the voice, and you didn't have to guess who it belonged to. Micah was sat on a large rock oiling one of his guns. A common activity for the blonde. You mumbled an incomprehensible response and slowed to a stop. Could this be taken as an invitation to go dote on Baylock? Or was the request sarcastic? You could never tell, especially considering Micah always had the same tone in his voice and-
"Kid. Watchu starin' at?"
Flinching at the sudden and somewhat hostile tone, you snapped out of your thoughts only to realize you'd been staring at Micah while mulling over if you should go interact with Baylock. You nearly dropped the bale.
"Oh- I…"
You trailed off, voice small. You and Micah had only really interacted a few times, and most of those interactions were only in passing. It was nerveracking to speak to him, like staring evil in the face. Despite that, you swallowed your jitters. Perhaps now would be a good chance to ask? The worst he would do is yell, or make some mocking comment like you had seen him do so many other times. You were prepared for the worst as you spoke.
"Can I pet Baylock?"
"'Scuse me?"
"Baylock. Y'know… your horse?"
"I know who yer talkin' about, kid. I ain't stupid. Why are you wanting to go n' mess with Baylock?"
Micah seemed more puzzled that anything. The kid avoided him like wildfire. Not that he minded, kids weren't who he usually enjoyed the company of.
"W-Well… I think he's real pretty… I'd really like to pet him, o-or braid his hair…"
Micah let out a snort. He seemed amused, perhaps more so at your fear than anything else.
"That so? I reckon I don't have a problem with him gettin' some love. But you sure as hell ain't braiding his hair. Don't need my horse lookin' like he belongs to some woman, or a weak man."
You were getting ready to respond when Micah suddenly stood, towering over you. You took a step back. Micah spoke up, he seemed somewhat annoyed, as if someone were forcing him into this. Nobody was, and the source of his annoyance likely came from the fact that he agreed.
"Don't think I'm lettin' you around him alone. I don't need some snot-nosed kid hurtin' my horse. Besides… I oughtta keep watch n' make sure Baylock don't get spooked n' kick your teeth in. No… Dutch wouldn't be too happy with me 'bout that.'
At the hesitance and subtle fear on your face, Micah let out a snicker. He seemed to find it all too amusing.
"Cmon, Kid." He smacked you roughly on the back in the direction of the horses. "Don't wanna spend all day babysittin'. Hurry it up."
You nod quickly, readjusting your grip on the bale as you walk alongside Micah to where the horses were settled. It wasn't as bad of a reaction as you initially thought, but you were still on edge.
A somewhat awkward silence fell over the both of you, but the tension eased as Micah steered off to go wait besides Baylock, and you went to put the hay in the feeding area. Trotting over to where Baylock and Micah stood, you saw Micah digging in his saddle for something.
"Is he nice?"
Micah ignored your question and instead tossed an apple at you.
"So long as he likes ya. Give him that."
He nudged you forward towards Baylock, who eyed the apple with a stomp of his hoof. Hesitantly, you held out the apple, and Baylock took it from you quickly, chewing it with a slight throw of his head.
"There ya go, kid. Careful when you pet him. I won't feel bad for ya if you end up gettin' knocked on yer ass."
Micah snickered, and you laughed nervously. You were starting to think he only agreed to this so that he could scare you, and it didn't seem to far-fetched. Clenching and unclenching your fist, you reached out and placed a hand on the top of Baylock's muzzle. You ran your hand down gently, perhaps too gently, as Baylock huffed at the contact.
"For god's sake, kid, he ain't gonna crumble. He's a horse, not a doll. Yer ticklin' him. He don't like it."
Smiling shyly, you corrected your mistake, and Baylock seemed to enjoy himself a bit more. You shifted to pet down his neck, turning back to Micah with a smile.
"Where did you find him?"
"Just… around." His vague answered caused you to tilt your head. You didn't have much time to think on it before Micah continued. "I've had him fer a while. Finest horse on this side of New-Hanover. Hell- this side of the country."
You couldn't help but giggle at his insistence, and perhaps overconfidence. But you didn't argue. You didn't imagine it would end well.
A few more minutes passed, spent by doting on Baylock while Micah kept an eye on you. The gruff sound of a voice clearing caught your attention, and you looked towards Micah once more.
"You done yet? I ain't to fond of standin' here, twiddling my thumbs."
"Hehe… Sorry. I'll wrap it up."
You stepped away from Baylock, but not before giving Baylock a final pat on the neck.
"Thanks for letting me pet him!! It was real kind of you, Micah!"
You smiled up at Micah, a little too close for comfort. Micah stiffened somewhat, not too sure of himself when it came to handling over excited children.
"Don't go getting attached now, kid. Don't need ya over here constantly, you hear? Baylock don't like bein' crowded."
He nudged you away, but you hardly noticed. After all, you finally got to pet Baylock! And your teeth didn't get knocked in, like Micah said they might. But you had a hunch he only said that to you to get you nervous.
"Oh- sure- I understand! When I finally get my own horse, I wouldn't want anyone making them upset, either."
"Good. Go on now. And don't come botherin' me again, I'm busy."
Micah's voice came out in a grumble, and the two of you went on your way. Micah to go finish up his gun maintenance, and you to go sit with your satisfaction.
--
thank you so much for reading! kudos on ao3 appreciated :,)
yikes. It's been a while since i've posted (I lost the login to this acc) but im back!!
this isnt my usual rdr related post. I mainly just wanted to show off my new brokeback vinyl I got today. My obbsesion with westerns is never ending, it seems. If anyone wants to see photos of the inside/photo book lmk or send an ask!!
Do you have any Mary-Beth and/or Abigail headcanons? :D
HI!!! I cooked up some Mary-Beth and Abigail headcannons JUST for you 😎 I don't have the BEST grasp on their characters but I tried my best :,)
Mary-Beth!
♥︎ ; She likes to draw in her spare time. She isn't a master at it or anything, but she still enjoys doodling.. I see her drawing flowers and birds in particular!
♥︎ ; When he was still alive, Mary-Beth would give Kieren advice about talking and interacting with the other members.
♥︎ ; Going off of that, whenever she noticed Kieren seemed lonely, she'd make sure to interact with him in some way to get his spirits up. The interactions range from simple greetings and compliments to conversations. Whatever worked, really.
♥︎ ; ^^^ Reffering to this one, I think she'd do this for the other members as well :3
♥︎ ; When she becomes a romance author in the epiloge, I see her getting inspiration for the story lines from couples she sees out in public.. this includes animals
♥︎ ; On particuarly cold nights, she'll go around camp and make sure everyone has enough blankets, or at least something to keep them warm
Abigail Marston!
◆ ; When she, Jack, and John move into the ranch, she makes sure the house stays clean. Like, she'll barely allow John to come inside if he's too dirty.
◆ ; She's very observative. If she notices someone seems upset- esspeicaly Jack- she'll sit with them until they're able to tell her what's wrong.
◆ ; Suprisingly strong. If she hits or slaps you after you piss her off, the spot will ache for hours. (I got this one based off an interaction in the epilouge where Uncle refers to a time she nearly 'twisted the balls' off of someone who didnt pay her lol)
◆ ; Scarily good at five finger fillet. No one can beat her and no one knows how she got so good.
◆ ; She has a loud, bellyaching laugh whenever she finds something super funny that makes everyone around crack a smile.
◆ ; ^^^ Relating to this, she finds it VERY funny whenever the men in the gang try to act tough and isn't afraid to laugh in their faces.
Those are all my headcannons for those two that I have. Hope you like them!! ^_^
In reference to the "arthur or john" question... I feel like if more ppl in the red dead redemption fandom played the second AND first game, john would be more people's favorites
Molly is one of the most over hated characters, depending on the side of the fandom you look at. I've seen a few people talk about this before, but I'm still going to rant about it regardless.
I see people hate on Molly for many reasons, so i'm going to adress some I see the most + my opinions 👍
"she's lazy! she doesn't do anything around camp!"
I'm not denying that she doesnt do work, since it IS true. Molly is never seen doing any chores, and even gets offended when someone asks if she wants to help. HOWEVER, I don't think she's lazy because she isn't expected to do chores in the first place. It's not a standard held to her, and I feel that because of this, it isn't a valid reason to hate on her.
Reasons work isnt expected of her:
Molly came from a high class family before running with the Van Der Linde game. What high class girl wants to go from being pampared to doing labor all day? Nobody. Therefore, it's safe to assume that Dutch had to rid her from any serious responsibilites so she'd agree to join.
That being said, she also has a seperate set of expectations compared to the other girls because she's Dutch's lover. She naturally gets certain privleges (?) others wouldnt. She's there for Dutch, not to be an outlaw.
Another point on this topic- the other members are clearly aware of the expectation. For example, Grimshaw, who is always yelling at people to work. In an interaction between Dutch and Grimshaw concerning Molly, she doesnt mention work and even expresses concern for Molly.
"She's betrayed the gang!"
I've seen some people say this on reddit and it's like... what? did you play the game with your eyes closed? The only exception to someone saying this is if they havent finished the game. That being said, she litteraly didnt??
Milton says that they TRIED to get her to speak, but she wouldn't budge. Her outburst in the camp was for attention. Molly gets ignored and pushed aside constantly by Dutch and the rest of the gang.
This is shown in any of her missions, if you could call them that. Arthur speaks to her but ultimately ends up doing something for someone else.
She has to watch her lover flirt with other members constantly. She's constantly alone/isolated. Her outburst came from a place of bitter lonlieness, a desperate cry for attention. She DIDNT betray anyone.
"She's sooo mean!"
I wouldnt call her mean, but she's shown to be snappy. As I previously said, she's incredibly lonely and I feel this behavior is warranted.
In fact, she's actually really nice to arthur whenever they interact. She's not snobby or rude. She actually trusts him enough to have a heart to heart convo.
Conclusion:
She also calls Tilly 'sweetie,' even though Tilly isn't fond of her.
"She's selfish for wanting attention from Dutch!"
I've seen one person say this. I'm talking about it regardless.
As said earlier, she joined the gang FOR DUTCH. They're dating. In what world is it selfish to want to be loved by your partner?
Yes, the gang was in a tight spot. Dutch had things to worry about. However, it's not like Molly was expecting 24/7 attention. she just wanted to ACKNOWLEDGED.
In short, Molly is just a lonely woman trapped in a situation she wants out of. It's fine to not like a character, but it annoys me SOO much when people don't even make an effort to understand her.
micah isnt my favorite character BUT he's been on my mind recently ^_^ keep in mind these are just my opinions !
◆ If he had an s/o, his love language would be physical touch and acts of service. With physical touch, it'd mostly be things in passing.
exi: Squeezing your waist while walking by, lingering super close, stuff like that
With acts of service, it'd mostly be subtle things. Complaining about running low on ammo? Guess what you find by your tent the next day!!!
◆ This man has almost no ticklish bone in his body. If someone tried to tickle him (which, lets be honest, would never happen), he'd just let out a gruff chuckle and roll his eyes
Elaborating on that, the spot he IS ticklish in is the most random area. (Ahem. I don't have a specific example in mind but whatever)
◆ He babies baylock SOOO much. In front of the other gang members, its not as extreme, but in private? Baylock is getting pats and treats GALORE.
◆ insomniac. whenever I play rdr2, i never stay up late in the camp, so I dont know how accurate this one is. nonetheless, I imagine he stays up late most nights, either drinking or cleaning his weapons.
It's always been this way, so he's more than used to it. When he does sleep, its deep- he's still and he snores
◆ Allergies. He sniffles a lot during spring. Despite this, he hates whenever someone else sniffles too much. He doesnt like the sound, its a MAJOR pet peeve.
◆ He broke his knee in his 30's. Considering medicine in the 1800's, it never healed properly. Because of this, he's prone to being sore.
◆ Modern HC!! He has both a motercycle and a nice, older car model from the 60's or 70's. He doesnt mind people eating in his car, but you won't hear the end of it if you make a mess. He also does the dad hand thing. (Holding out his hand and expecting food)
◆ i'm not an expert on his backstory, so please correct me if this is WAYYY off, but I have a head canon for how he and Amos (his brother) grew apart :3
Micah has always lived for thrill. Amos WAS the same way. During the time where this was a shared trait, they rode and plundered together.
However, after a particuarlly gory heist, Amos realized he needed to straighten up. This was only later renforced when he met his future wife. Going back to 'wanting more,' this is when he decided he wanted to move to California.
When Amos talked about it with Micah, Micah was NOTTT happy, obviously. He thought Amos was getting soft and saw him as weak. He saw it as a betrayal to their bond. Moving with some woman to California of all places? Micah thought it was ridiculous.
From there, they fought and parted ways. They havent seen eachother since- the only contact being through a few letters (as seen in game). Micah hates Amos. Amos, being a religious man, doesnt HATE Micah, but would kill him if he got too close (again, as stated in game)
Is this the content people want to see? Im assuming so.
Arthur Morgan: he'd keep it basic but not boring. a cabin made with spruce planks and darker wood for accents. he'd probs have paintings up too :3
John Marston: similar to arthur, but with darker wood. It'd also probably be a little messy and or ugly but its okay because he tried
Dutch Van Der Linde: yknow those modern style minecraft houses? something like that. he'd use dark wood or dark clay and put in red accents
Sean Macguire: he'd go into creative mode, get a bunch of diamond blocks, then build a house out of that (its more of a hut than a house but its the thought that counts). If anyone asks, he says he mined all the diamonds. Its obvious he's lying.
Micah Bell: one of those cobblestone houses with the wooden roof and accents. he probably didn't build it himself but no one knows. bonus: he'd be the type to destroy villages and kill all the animals
Javier Escuella: i dont know why, but i feel like he'd have one of those houses that come out of the moutain. he'd also have music discs and jukeboxes inside of it.
Bill Williamson: dirt hut. the others make fun of it. once he gets tired of it, he builds something similar to micahs house. he'd also have a pet dog
Kieran Duffy: he'd have one of those farm-esque houses with lots of horses
Lenny Summers: again, i dont know why, but i feel like he'd have a hobbit house
Charles Smith: he'd build his house in the savanna biome. as for what it looks like, i think he'd have a smaller house and put more effort into building areas for whatever animals he has.
Mary-Beth Gaskill: she'd follow one of those tutorials to make a "cottage core" house + put up lots of bookshelves inside
Sadie Adler: two story cabin, and she'd have LOTS of storage space. I dont think it'd be super flashy or anything
Karen Jones: cabin made with dark oak. I think she'd include glazed terracotta, specifically the purple one
Tilly Jackson: similar to mary-beth, she'd also follow a tutorial and make a pretty cabin. LOTS of flowers/bushes for decoration
Abigal Roberts: the outside would be a bit basic, most of the effort went into decorating. again with the tutorials, but instead for how to make nice furniture
I had a few thought for each of them but i narrowed it down 😎😎 anyways sorry if the houses are kinda repetitive
this is more of a javier hc but it involves sean... anyways sometimes sean will play his jaw harp while javier is playing his guitar. javier HATES IT. partially due to the fact he can't stand the sound and partially due to the fact it drowns out his own playing
sean has holes in 90% of his socks. he refuses to get new ones. If anyone mentions it he'll just say he doesn't have the money, but in reality he's just lazy
CHRONICCCC nail biter. In modern day, someone would buy him that nail biting prevention polish. It doesnt work. It would come off due to his spit cuz he keeps forgetting its on there until he tastes it. (ahem... speaking from experience)
If its his birthday, its EVERYONES problem. If he doesnt get a happy birthday from everyone he'll bitch about it.
based off the camp interaction where sean tells jack that white rabbits are good luck, i think that he'd tell him other irish folk tales/superstitons as well :3
after getting back to camp from the bounty hunters in chapter 2 with missing teeth, he was kinda insecure about it. he would NEVER admit it to anyone, though. he'd deal with it by making jokes before anyone else could and by spitting water at people through the gaps for fun. both tactics ended up helping!
ticklish. sometimes people will tickle him on accident because of how sensitive he is. adding onto that, i think he'd also try to tickle other people in camp when he's bored. though, it always ends with him being shoved off while laughing his ass off.