Modern RDR2 Headcanons

Making a sideblog for all the Red Dead modern AU headcanons that my boyfriend and I come up with. Featuring his OC, Arthur's boyfriend Felix.

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Hiiii this is a sideblog for posting RDR2 modern headcanons while I’m currently hyperfixated. I’ve been watching my boyfriend play and can’t stop thinking abt these people. I may also do some more sexy headcanons as well bc I’m working on a fic.

See more info and links (eventually) below.

A character you might see a lot on here and have no idea who they are is Felix. He’s my boyfriend’s OC who is Arthur’s boyfriend. I’m gonna be making a post about him soon!

The basics of the AU is that it takes place basically now, 2026, in our version of the US. Specifically, east Texas, based on how much of the early game takes place west of Lemoyne, which is inspired by Louisiana. The gang know each other because they help Dutch and Hosea, who are scammers and conmen, with their schemes. Most of them don’t do that full time and have other jobs, though. I may do individual character posts about their background/history in this setting.

The main ship I’m personally invested in is Arthur and Felix but I’m pretty open to most shipping stuff otherwise. Not a fan of Micah tho lol so you will see me actively hating on him and not any shipping stuff abt him either. Mostly into gay ships bc I am gay 💯 even tho I see most of the gang as fairly straight or straight-leaning bi.

Abt me: I’m Gage, 24, he/him. My main is @chalicechipper and if you’re on the wild side of the site you might know me as @fatherenoch. I haven’t really been in fandom spaces at all for years. I was active in the Jojo fandom for a while but got sick of the arguing, lol. Also feel the need to put this now (lord) that I don’t use AI at all! Slop free zone, just straight nonsense off the dome. Funny thing also is that I haven’t played the game, just watched. Unfortunately, actually playing it gives me motion sickness :(

Eventually I will also put a sort of link organizing thing here for tags and make a proper blog theme.

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modern RDR2 headcanons: social media

It’s so funny how, if set in 2026, Dutch would be a(n older) millennial. That is absolutely bonkers to me. Anyway here’s the ideas, with Felix (OC) as always !

Arthur: Just has Instagram and hardly uses it. Last posted a blurry photo of a horse with a bad filter in 2012. @ morgan_arthur, 1 post, 22 followers, 45 following. Private account. 

Dutch: Tiktok, Instagram, Twitter, plus Truth Social for grifting purposes. He has tons of accounts for scamming but is mainly a Twitter guy and has been since its early days. Lots of photos of his guns, outfits, cars, etc. Myriads of bad faith takes for engagement. @ oldmoney1982 10823 posts, 3082 followers, 5524 following. On Tinder behind Molly’s back. 

Hosea: Uses social media exclusively for scamming. Focuses on Facebook and Twitter. No consistent username or follower/following counts. 

Grimshaw: Is using social media primarily in assisting with schemes, but does have a Facebook that she watches reels through. Watches them loud as hell with no headphones.

Micah: Mostly on Twitter, but only joined after Elon bought it. Lots of bad takes, ragebait, willful ignorance, and the like. Has been caught accidentally retweeting freaky porn. @bigbellmofo, 1933 posts, 632 followers, 902 following. 

Bill: On Instagram and Facebook. Uses Instagram more. @ williamsson.87, private account, 0 posts, 0 followers, 462 following. Also on Grindr.

Javier: Uses Tiktok to post videos of him playing guitar/singing. Also gets into a lot of discourse in comment sections. Refuses to use Meta websites. @ javi.es, 272 posts, 2079 followers, 421 following. 

John: Instagram, YouTube, was on Twitter but moved to Threads, had a Tumblr as a teen. Incredibly low effort vlogging, “the lamest photo dump of all time.” @ johneffingmarston, 3892 posts, 31 followers, 2107 following. 

Charles: Doesn’t like that he uses Instagram but is way too sucked into it. Loves to send a “this you?” screenshot or report a racist comment to someone’s job. Doesn’t post much or get into arguments himself, and has to block a lot of people for peace of mind. Also spends time writing very thorough answers to political questions on Reddit. Private account. @ char222, 10 posts, 20 followers, 138 following.

Sean: Instagram and Tiktok. Massive ragebaiter and shitposter. On his fifth Instagram account because he keeps getting banned. Chronic overuser of IShowSpeed gifs. @ cl.ass.war_5, 3238 posts, 14730 followers, 618 following. 

Lenny: Tiktok, Instagram, Snapchat. Still tries to keep streaks with people. Posts highly wordy shitposts with esoteric references. Has done a few random streams on Twitch for fun. @ zestyyyfester, 472 posts, 964 followers, 730 following.

Abigail: Incredibly curated Instagram, but will not hesitate to cuss someone out in the comments. Also on Facebook and Nextdoor and is psychologically tormented by mommy groups. @ marstonfam, 240 posts, 423 followers, 876 following. 

Mary-Beth: Follows lots of booktok people but doesn't post videos it herself. Will post pictures of her currently reading or TBR stacks on Instagram, but also social justice infographics. Has a ton of stories and saved highlights, with one for each of her friends. @ lifeaftermarybeth, 78 posts, 197 followers, 304 following.

Tilly: Is gaining inner peace by deleting Instagram and TikTok from her phone. She’s made it three months and most of the gang is very jealous of the restraint.

Karen: Has been on Instagram since she was a kid and snagged the username @ karen. Still has her old, super-filtered photos from middle school up, but now posts lots of pictures of her nights out, outfits, ect. Has never unfollowed anyone since she created her account. 2089 posts, 5094 followers, 10931 following. 

Sadie: Gets sucked into arguments too much so she deletes her social media apps for a week and then reinstalls. Has only just learned the power of the block button. @ sadler001, 80 posts, 122 followers, 161 following.

Molly: Used to be more active online before she got with Dutch, but he’s always telling her to not post because of “privacy,” despite him being a Twitter power user. She has a private Instagram for friends that he doesn’t know about.

Felix: Mostly on Instagram and only ever goes on Facebook to instantly get mad.

Kieran: Spends a lot of time on hyperniche subreddits and moderates communities with like 20 people in them. Finds people on there to be annoying and tries to keep them from being rude. Also on Instagram to talk to friends and watch videos, but doesn't post. @ kkduffie.

Swanson: Drunkenly posts on both his personal Facebook and his church’s Facebook. 28 friends on his personal account because he blocks people indiscriminately when high. 

Pearson: Posts inspirational quotes on Instagram about the hustle and the grind, and shitty memes about being in the military. Has unironically posted a minion meme before. Brags about being Gen X online even though he’s nearly a millennial. @ pearsons281948373, 291 posts, 34 followers, 112 following. 

Strauss: No social media but an email warrior. Used to send spam emails in the 90s on an industrial scale. 

Uncle: Blurry selfies at bad angles on Facebook and Instagram, complaining on Threads. Falling for AI porn bots left and right. @ uncle1303890, all his followers are bots outside of the gang.

Josiah: Posts delightful photos on Instagram of his outfits, vacations, and sons. On Grindr but is looking for love (he's having a rough go of it). @ josiahhhh, 156 posts, 502 followers, 876 following.

BONUS Jack: Abigail is successfully weaning him off the iPad and monitors his YouTube pretty close. Absolutely no Cocomelon type shit allowed in their house.

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Arthur works on his own ranch and needs a good herding dog, so he gets a blue Australian cattle dog, named Potato. Jack loves her, because she’s just like Bluey. For his fifth birthday, Abigail throws him a Bluey themed party, and Arthur brings Potato to be the real thing. Jack and all his friends absolutely love it.

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Uncle is the nosiest mf around. To him there is so such thing as TMI. He's the kind of guy who gets annoyed when an obituary doesn't say how the person died. He wants to know about why people went to the doctor. He loves to snoop on a conversation. Not to use the info against people, he just wants to know. He'll also give unsolicited and often overly detailed advice and WILL go into detail about his past disgusting medical issues.

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Getting pegged would fix John Marston. Actually it wouldn’t. But it would help.

[johnmarstonrp]

some say its how he went from this

to this

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Bf and I working on RDR sims now ... can't wait to share them bc Arthur is so cute

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Little preview

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Bf and I working on RDR sims now ... can't wait to share them bc Arthur is so cute

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Getting pegged would fix John Marston. Actually it wouldn’t. But it would help.

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This is still Bill’s ringtone in the big 26

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Arthur has always had a “smart mouth,” as his parents called it. Even when he was little, he got in trouble for saying “no” too much, for making sarcastic comments, and refusing to show deference to authority that he didn’t value. He was not going to hug his grandma if he didn’t want to, no matter how much he got punished for refusing. Nothing could ever dull his sharp tongue.

He did good in school mainly to stay on the baseball team. He had the smarts but didn’t care for all that type of stuff. It was under-stimulating, the classes they put him in, too based on reciting facts and doing things the “proper” way for him to care. The problem came when teachers told him off. He wouldn’t hesitate to tell them precisely what he thought about them.

It’s what got him kicked out of school and kicked out of home. If he couldn’t show respect, he wasn’t welcome, but in his mind, what was there to respect? When did these people in charge of him ever prove that they were worth his deference?

He found work with Dutch. And at first, Dutch didn’t demand that same respect. He praised Arthur for his wits and strength, let him make decisions. It was only after Arthur respected Dutch that Dutch started to control. He would let him talk just as smart as he wanted, but up to a line. Arthur just couldn’t question him. Ever.

But in this world, Arthur has the time to put the pieces together. He realizes eventually that he doesn’t owe Dutch that respect anymore and never really did. He’s learned to curb some of the thoughts that should stay inside, too. Unless someone talks bad about or tries to hurt his family and friends. Then they get the verbal lashing of the year.

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modern RDR2 headcanons: caffeine

As always including my bf OC Felix … planning on making a post about him soon.

Arthur: Likes black drip coffee. Doesn’t care much about things like roast, origin, etc. He just doesn’t want instant, burnt, or stale. Will take an Americano. Makes fun of fancy drinks for being over the top, but secretly enjoys a caramel frap. Gets a good amount of his caffeine from Dr. Pepper.

Dutch: Owns an expensive espresso machine and gets single origin beans. Usually makes a doppio ristretto (two short shots) but will sometimes have a traditional cappuccino. Is annoying about it. Thinks energy drinks are for children. Downs enough coffee to make himself shake.

Hosea: Likes drip coffee and espresso equally. Prefers a dark roast with milk, or a macchiato. Thinks it’s silly how much Dutch worried about coffee, and likes to say that his super fancy drinks are “just okay” to piss him off.

Grimshaw: Has been drinking Folgers with two cream two sugar since she was a teenager and sure isn’t going to stop now. Was with Dutch before he got all in to coffee and teases him for being so pretentious about it.

Bill: Plain, black coffee, the cheapest he can get his hands on. Will take instant, will drink it stale, he doesn’t care. Just needs a minimum of two cups to even be sentient. If offered an espresso drink, he gets a red eye or americano. Also drinks Red Bull.

Javier: Appreciates good coffee. He started drinking it as a kid and knows good stuff when he tastes it. Prefers black but will try just about anything. Makes his at home in a moka pot. Sometimes adds milk. Tips baristas well.

John: Has been drinking original Monster since he was a preteen. Can drink a few cans a day, but Abigail hates it. Also drinks coffee with lots of sugar. He hates when coffee is very bitter. Takes sips of Abigail’s “fancy” drinks but thinks they’re girly.

Charles: Thinks energy drinks are an affront to nature. Likes going to independent coffee shops to read and usually gets a cortado. If he makes a coffee at home, he uses a moka pot as well — Javier gave it to him. Also drinks herbal teas.

Sean: Energy drink victim. Drinks Bang or Ghost but will take a Monster too. Likes blue raspberry and cotton candy flavors. If he has coffee, it’s a frap with a bunch of syrups. Actually enjoyed the unicorn Frappuccino.

Lenny: Gets a big bottle of cold brew and adds sweet cream flavored creamer to it. Will also drink Celsius and has convinced himself it’s healthier than other energy drinks.

Abigail: Likes a plain coffee with milk and sugar or a vanilla latte, if she’s getting a drink somewhere. Hates John’s Monster habit.

Mary-Beth: Loves a fun drink. Flavored syrups, cold foam, lattes, alternative milks, everything. Also likes Alani, but always prefers a unique coffee drink. Does not care about the type of bean or roast.

Tilly: Into tea, specifically earl grey / London Fog drinks. Isn’t super into coffee, though. She mainly just uses a Keurig or something of the sort. Drinks coffee primarily for the caffeine, and tea for taste.

Karen: Gets lots of premade coffee drink bottles and cans, and gas station coffee. Also can chug a Bang like nobody’s business. Sometimes it actually makes her more sleepy than wired.

Sadie: Likes nothing more than a cup of coffee from a diner with one cream. Drinks out of a plain, heavy white mug even at home.

Molly: Makes herself an ice latte with Dutch’s fancy espresso machine. Dutch complains that the ice ruins it but she doesn’t care. If she’s out on her own, she gets a mocha ice latte. Genuinely can’t tell the difference between most of the shit Dutch makes. Can also go through a 12 pack of Diet Coke in a few days.

Felix: Mainly drinks iced coffee or occasionally a Frappuccino. Will only drink an energy drink if he really needs to.

Kieran: Doesn’t drink a ton of coffee. It gets him too jittery. He mainly drinks tea, including matcha and boba. He loves a good brown sugar boba tea and doesn’t care that the gang makes fun of him for it.

Swanson: Will take whatever he can get to help him stay awake. Can even be seen drinking Prime or swallowing gas station caffeine pills.

Pearson: Drinks a lot of coffee from his job even though it tastes like paper and burnt tires to him.

Strauss: Does not mess around about espresso. Shares this interest with Dutch and comes by to his place for coffee. Prefers a long shot.

Uncle: Surprisingly finicky about coffee. Doesn’t like too dark of a roast, needs to drink it piping hot, etc. Is deeply offended when people offer cream or sugar.

Josiah: Makes Vietnamese coffee. It makes most of the rest of them far too jittery but he can handle it perfectly fine.

[bittergorky]

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Arthur grew up playing baseball. He's got a good aim, a strong arm, and quick legs, and was well-suited for it. It was one of the few things that kept him in line as a kid. It was the main reason he kept up his grades in school, too. He just didn't want to get kicked off the team, and his coach didn't want that either. Before he left school, he was offered a baseball scholarship at a good college, but was never able to take it.

Before John starts taking good care of Jack, Arthur steps up as one of his father figures. He starts teaching Jack early how to catch and paid for his gear when he started Little Leagues. When Abigail and Jack weren't able to, he would drive Jack to practice. Plenty of the moms (and some dads) hoped he was single when he started taking Jack. It's hard for him to keep quiet when he thinks the coach does something stupid.

Uncle Arthur shows up for every game he can, and gets John to start coming too. John gets irritated at the other parents and Arthur has to hold him back sometimes. But Arthur won't hesitate to start a problem if a parent talks out of line about Jack.

Arthur hopes that even if it's just something Jack does for fun, it helps bring that same structure to his life that it did for him. That it keeps him out of trouble.

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modern RDR2 headcanons: music taste

Bonus: When John and Abigail get married, they play Honky Tonk Badonkadonk during the reception, and Arthur gets so pissed that he has to step out for a smoke break.

Arthur: Old school country like Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson. Nothing past the new millennium. He can’t stand modern country and gets super annoyed when he hears it. He will also listen to some classic soul and folk. More often than music, he’s listening to baseball on the radio. 

Dutch: Classical music and old American songbook, classic musicals from the ‘30s to ‘60s. Everyone ribs on him for loving musicals but he doesn’t care. Loves Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly.

Hosea: Also likes Great American Songbook, Jazz standards, etc. but enjoys some psychedelic rock and jam bands as well. Was a bit of a Deadhead when he was younger. 

Micah: Big country and classic rock guy. Appreciates classics of the genre but also loves Jason Aldean type stuff. Unironically enjoys Try That in a Small Town. Calls rap “crap.” 

Grimshaw: Has grown sick over the years of Dutch’s music. Listens to lots of corny 80s music but also some rock from the time. Would often listen to music with Hosea back then. 

John: Loved post-grunge and nu-metal as a teenager, especially Limp Bizkit, Creed, and Linkin Park. Got into thrash when he got older, and still loves it. Also listens to bro country. He knows that playing Luke Bryan around Arthur will piss him off and does it often. 

Abigail: Wasn’t allowed to listen to “secular” music growing up. Once she was on her own, she started listening to country. Likes “boyfriend country.” 

Sean: Into 2000s pop and rap, stuff like Usher and Pitbull. Huge Drake fan and fought with Lenny about it to the point of throwing hands in 2024. Also enjoys alternative Irish rock bands nobody else knows about, and punk. Loves The Chats.

Lenny: Conscious and underground hip-hop guy. Loves classics like A Tribe Called Quest and Nas. Also into Three Six Mafia, Tyler the Creator, and MF Doom. 

Karen: Kreayshawn’s strongest warrior. Also likes Azalea Banks and hates having to defend the fact that she likes her. 

Mary-Beth: Contemporary indie and pop-rock. Hozier, Mitski, etc. Also likes Taylor Swift, but only the more country stuff, Folklore, Evermore. 

Tilly: Chill R&B like Sade. Mostly listens to music in the background to relax. 

Javier: Plays guitar and sings. He grew up listening to traditional Mexican music, Christian music / hymns, and his mom loved Selena. He does NOT play about Selena. He still loves all that music but is into lots of types of guitar-based genres, rock, shoegaze, etc. Was excited when Regional Mexican music got popular on the charts. 

Charles: Likes peace and quiet, so he doesn’t listen to music a lot. Does occasionally listen to some more experimental jazz. 

Swanson: Didn’t listen to much secular music when he took his religion seriously, but came to enjoy stuff that was popular when he was young that he ignored at the time. 

Bill: Thinks classic rock is better than any other kind of music. Eagles, Clapton, Creedence, Guns n Roses, etc. Will fight endlessly about this. Will also listen to older country. Always arguing with Micah about which bands are better, who had better guitarists, drummers, etc. 

Pearson: Hears so much Top 40 at work that when he gets home, he just prefers silence or TV. 

Strauss: Not super into music. Likes a random assortment of Austrian rock and pop and super popular American music. 

Felix: Lots of sad alternative rock, female artists. Especially Ethel Cain.

Kieran: Indie soft rock/pop. Clairo, Beach House, Metric, Elliott Smith, etc. Likes to listen to music that will make him sad. 

Sadie: Likes a lot of 90s female country artists, but listening to older music often makes her sad. Loves Fleetwood Mac. 

Molly: Also likes similar stuff to Dutch, but doesn’t listen to as much of it anymore. Makes her think about how their relationship has soured. Does not play about Lana Del Rey, Nina Simone, and the Cranberries. 

Josiah: Used to be into electro-swing and cringes at the thought of it. When he got older he started to appreciate more classic pop divas like Cher and Diana Ross. Also a fan of the Carpenters. 

Uncle: Old ass obscure bluegrass that he has to upload onto his computer off a vinyl recorder. Thinks music went downhill in the 30s and never got better.