What do you think the companions' opinions would be on Halloween?
We know that it was coming up when the bombs dropped, and you see plastic pumpkins and candies here and there around the Commonwealth in spite of how much time has passed. There is almost definitely remnants of parties and the like if you know where to look, even if it's near unrecognizable at this point.
Another interesting aspect is how each of them would handle the horror/scary side of Halloween, especially since you can see some darn frightening stuff already! [ferals, death claws, super mutants, etc.]
Ivy! I'm so happy to get an ask from you. This one admittedly became a bit of a ramble but I hope I've done good by you.
The Companions React To: Halloween
Cait
She only really humours it pre Benign intervention. Prior to Sole, when Cait was in the fighting ring, there would occasionally be some raiders dressed as death claws or something. But it's so foggy.
Her childhood was little better if not worse for festivity. Bad family can make monsters of holidays and Caitlin remembers that even if she can't remember exactly what happened. Probably for the best she doesn't.
Post Benign intervention? She may well be benched still for her first sober Halloween. Sat in bed and listening to the companions chatter, or hearing Paladin Danse leave early to attend Halloween on the Prydwen. She's glad she's not included. It gives her time to watch in peace and work through... emotions. The first happy holiday is always difficult.
Fortunately she isn't truly alone. MacCready and Deacon keep popping in to check on her, as does Curie in spite of how many pillows Cait weakly lobs at her. Cait spent her first free Halloween in her bed with her friends eating some god awful sweeties. It was a nicer way to end the night then watching silently. Not that she'd admit.
The years following? She's taking it seriously. Even if she plays nonchalant. For some reason she and Deacon seem to have Halloween slightly confused with Easter and keep hiding sweets for eachother to find. It's getting ridiculous. Deacon has tried to use Preston as a hiding spot for sweets no less than three times. Nowhere is sacred. There are packets of gum drops in Hancock's bed.
She still calls it fairly early into the night though. She needs to keep her sleep schedule these days or it's aches ahoy. Hancock subs in for her on ensuring she gets her share of sweets in the morning.
Cait dresses warmly for Halloween. She gets chilly easily. Rarely will she wear a costume but every now and again Deacon eggs her into it.
Cait falls asleep during horror movies. She will not wake. AAAAAUUUGH.
Codsworth
He has another set of plating that is shaped like a pumpkin. He becomes a floating pumpkin. Codskin. PumpsW- no.
There is very little that can immediately scare Codsworth. He can experience distress and worry for Sole but he is never scared. Halloween is effectively the closest he will get to expressing something akin to fear.
Curie
Curie wants in. Curie wants in so bad. Even before she was released from 81 she would watch the vault participants over the security cameras celebrate each year. She has opinions on how many sweets the young are eating but she wants to be included more than she wants to chide.
When is released? She will count the days down as she hovers after Sole. Occasionally she floats off to collect sweets she spots and equally occasionally she gets stuck and has to sheepishly call for help.
Once she gets her synth body she is unstoppable. She wants in. She will ask Sole about every sweet they find and wants to share the ones she finds with Sole each time she's trying a sweet for the first time. Curie has to sit down for this as it is very serious.
As much as she loves sweets she is still the one to hand out toothbrushes and dental kits on Halloween. She does NOT want to god knows how many cavities next month and will goose chase anyone who refuses.
When Cait starts to come around to Curie: Curie will be mildly tempted to get into confectionery. Granted its nothing like her chemistry but it is precise. She reckons she could be decent at it! Plus it is quite helpful to get the other shut ins out of their rooms and helping.
Hancock is surprisingly good at cooking on the fly. He never uses the sugar thermometer and still gets it right. It makes Curie and Danse want to pull their hair out.
Curie wants to go as a Not Mad Scientist. A Sane Scientist. With her ethical human experiment called checking people haven't had too many sweets. She's a dentist.
Danse
The Brotherhood does celebrate Halloween. Although only officially for the squires and other children it is warden to. Squires are free to roam and explore different stations and offices in the Prydwen, for the most part at least, and they get to ask the standing officer about their duty AND get a sweet.
The scary part, you ask? Imagine being a nine year old and having to ask Kells about the bobblehead on his desk. Imagine being eight and being elected by your friend group to ask Elder Arthur Maxson about his coat. Imagine being like ten and being the one to draw the short straw to talk to Proctor Teagan because no one else wants to as they all think he's locked in there because he Bites.
Danse loves it. Although the squires are slightly intimidated by him most of the year; Halloween is the one night he's out of his armour in the armour bay. He will happily talk to the squires and explain to them what it means to be a Paladin (Although occasionally it is a bit grim as Danse does not lie that it is a bit responsibility and lives are in his hands), what the specifications on his power armour are, and how he takes care of it.
He doesn't give sweets. He gives out fancy lad cakes which are slightly better. So his station is swarmed every year. And the morning after he usually gets a few thank you cards. There are a few squires who got really attached to him and would bring their gear to him when it broke, as opposed to their warden, as he is really good at repairs and doesn't scold children nearly as harshly. That and a lot of them have lost their parents to combat so would come to him on occasion for advice on shaving, how to tie laces, the works.
It brought him a lot of pride knowing he could inspire them. He can't bear the fact he was a lie to them.
Danse never dresses up for Halloween.
Deacon
This man would be insufferable if he ever got to watch a Tim Burton movie. He would know every song from Nightmare before Christmas and hums it occasionally around Halloween and Christmas.
The railroad doesn't often get to celebrate much. Any funding for "fun" is almost always redirected to an emergency. That doesn't stop Deacon from trying though. He will scavenge and retrieve odd Halloween decorations and bring them back to HQ. Back in the Switchboard days he would love decorating the tunnels and setting out the occasional sweet in different agent's hiding spots. Once he got locked in the safe trying to do so for Tommy Whispers. Carrington threatened to leave him in there.
These days? Deacon can't get away with it as much. So many agents were lost and the Old North Church is tiny. But he still has something sweet to leave on people's desks. Glory helps him too.
He goes as someone in HQ every year. Last year he was Carrington and it drove Carrington up the WALL. The year before? Tinker Tom. He had a whole alien thing staged with Glory too. This year? He's thinking of going as Sole.
That or he's dressing as one of The Kings.
Deacon also tends to bounce around. Between the main settlement for the companions, diamond city, the HQ, he's a busy man that moves fast. He does so less once X6-88 is gone.
He is always watching.
Dogmeat
Dogmeat is not allowed any sweeties. But he IS allowed yao guai meat.
Dogmeat tends to spend Halloween around different settlements. He acts as a warden for any children hoping to try trick or treating and is very good at guiding them back to the path if they stray.
He will tolerate outfits but booties are a firm maybe. He needs to be bribed to keep them on. That being said: Cait does take to trying to train Dogmeat to wear them. She is fairly disciplined with giving Dogmeat treats (unlike Preston who folds like a chair when Dogmeat pulls puppy eyes) and she wants Dogmeat to wear the booties more often for his own safety. The entire commonwealth is a sharps box and Caitlin knows that well enough.
Hancock
When he was younger he had the bitter idea of dressing up as McDonough to mock him. It was when Hancock was still grieving what his brother had become and the idea tormented it far more than it made him laugh. His skin crawls in hindsight at the idea. His brother's image has already been stolen enough.
In short: he didn't celebrate that year. The years following were rocky until he came to power in Goodneighbour. Goodneighbour isn't exactly outwardly festive. But the Third Rail? Charlie doesn't pass up any opportunity to sort the patrons out. And Hancock always will do what he can to support a good time.
There are few kids in good neighbour. Normally any that are in good neighbour are the most unfortunate. Wards of the neighbourhood, they are often taken in by differing gangs and raised in relative safety. On Halloween? A few of the gangs bound together to cordon off a chunk of Goodneighbour for the kids to play. Hancock usually drops by to make sure everyone is alright and brings sweets for the kids. It's bittersweet to see them happy knowing the world is still so uncertain to them.
Hancock will occasionally join Sole's crew for Halloween. It's normally on years where he's coming down from one chem high or another. He will confess he's fallen asleep on people a non-zero amount of times. Mainly Nick. There is no cool and firm pillow better than Nick.
He also will crash in on Curie's sweets lab. He's rather good at it most of the time even if he's sometimes making it up.
Hancock dresses as Hancock for Halloween. Which means nothing changes but he's now also speaking old timey style until he gets bored of the bit or Nick's eyes roll back out of his head.
MacCready
In Little Lamplight there were rarely sweets. But when there were? MacCready would divvy them up and keep half back in the hopes of a Halloween celebration. Something to cheer the pipsqueaks up and get the kids all back together. He would ask The Lone Wanderer for help in gathering them on occasion. That or he'd get Éclair to ask because he was a busy mayor.
But since Little Lamplight? He hasnt been able to celebrate it even once. Between Lucy, Duncan, Lucy's death, the farmstead, Duncan falling ill... yeah. There just hasnt been any time for him to engage n the merriment. Even less time for him to reminisce on what he misses. But boy does he miss it.
He wants a community again. He resents how wittled down his immediate circle has become and he doesn't want Duncan to grow up alone. He wants Duncan to have a fun Halloween. Maybe even get to dress up.
So when he sees Sole and the others celebrate? He wants in. Although not without Duncan. And not without a costume for Duncan. And he reckons he knows who can help.
MacCready more or less hunted Danse for sport until Danse quit wallowing to hear him out. MacCready doesn't care much that Danse is a synth, makes no difference to him at this point, what he does care for is he knows Danse is talented. He's heard of Danse's scrapworking and eye for detail and he has a blueprint in his hand.
The run up to Halloween for MacCready and Danse post Blind Betrayal is always marked by a few days in the garage. All sorts of noises come out of that garage and frankly Nick is mildly concerned. But every year the two of them emerge with a new costume for Duncan. This year? Deathclaw Cowboy.
MacCready enjoys Halloween. He enjoys tracking people down, putting the community back together, and watching it thrive. He also has never laughed harder than over beers with Danse on the garage as Danse tries to interpret Duncan's drawing. Is... is that Sole?
MacCready would go as Grognak but Hancock accidentally laughed at him when he wore the costume for the first time. Most years he chooses to wear something complimenting Duncan's costume if he does wear a costume.
Nick Valentine
Whilst diamond city DOES celebrate Halloween, some of the residents take it upon themselves to treat Nick as the local scare. He normally gets out of town during the holiday as a result. That OR it's game night with Ellie and the Wrights.
Every year each person brings one game. Nick is notably banned from bringing Cluedo. He contests the ban every year and Ellie winds up sneaking it in anyway. The tax for entry to game night is a box of sweets for Nat. No sweets? No entry.
Nat is scary at monopoly.
If Nick isn't going to game night? He's probably working a case. Something about nights of revelry tend to make pots boil over and people go missing. It's booming business even is Nick's rates are still dirt cheap. He does it for the love of the sport.
He will also join Sole if Piper, Nat, and Ellie do. He will watch the other companions and thrum through idle conversation with Deacon or Hancock. Hancock tends to nod off some years and Nick is no longer a stranger to being made a pillow. Although he really can't fathom why its always him.
If Nick had to pick a Halloween costume he would go as the Silver Shroud. He's not a massive fan but it's close enough to his normal outfit and he wanted something with pockets.
Piper
When she was younger: Halloween was something special to her family. Every year her father would clear a route for Piper and Nat to totter and play along as they go trick or treating without a care. He kept watch and let them play. Piper remembers bits and bobs of it and every time she does she can't help but miss him more. Nat doesn't remember it at all.
These days the usual is game night with Nick and Ellie. She enjoys their company and its safe. Nat gets to go all out on testing new game strategies and Nick gets to humble her in Cluedo every year. Every year Cluedo is banned and every year it comes back anyway.
Occasion Deacon pops by. He never joins, claiming to never have time, but he always throws a wrench in to help the underdog.
Piper doesn't tend to dress up, she never did and doesn't care to much.
Preston Garvey
Before the fall of the minutemen, in the old glory days, the minutemen would coordinate holidays between the settlements. The pragmatic claim it was just for the sake of connecting settlements, but Preston? Preston believed it was for the smiles.
In the new era of the minutemen Preston believes he can make it set. He does what he can to work with each settlement, setting up trade routes and a courier system so treats can be shared. He also wants to set up something inspired by a story Piper told him. Safe routes for the kids to play.
Preston can't cook too well himself but he does have a sweet tooth. Not for chewy sweets though. He likes hardboiled sweets and is very happy when he sees Curie corralling people to join her sweets lab. He has to be restrained from immediately trying to plan for the same thing to be set up in other settlements. Preston, relax.
He never takes part in the trick or treating directly but he does act as a stop. He keeps sweets in one of his pockets and hands them to any children who come trick or treating to his watch post. He also has been made a hiding spot by Deacon and Cait for their yearly sweet hunts. It terrifies him every time when Cait starts sprinting towards him.
He never dresses up for Halloween. He rathers to always be ready. Although he will wear an orange scarf instead of his normal teal one. Happy?
Strong
Finally! He can put up these eco friendly, biodegradable- what? No entrails?
The holiday is lost on Strong. He isn't all that fussed for it and more or less ignores it. That or he watches to observe for any clue to the milk of human kindness. He's already checked the ingredients Curie uses for three sweets and there was no milk apparently.
He is mostly avoided by any children, which is likely for the best as I don't think he would do well cornered by them, but every now and again one will come to investigate and share some sweets with him because he looks lonely. He accepts the sweets but never is really sure how to respond. Good tiny human. Go away.
If he were to wear a Halloween costume he would go as himself because there is nothing scarier than man's own vaulting ambitions. Or something like that. Strong can't remember the exact quote.
X6-88
No.
No.
No.
Fine. He will wear the grinch outfit ONCE.
Roundly the synths that follow the institute are not allowed to or interested in observing festivities. X6-88 was never exactly given an education on any of them and will never choose to engage. He rathers to observe if he must be present, but he can feel eyes on him.
