4, 12, 25, 30, 56, 75, 79, 86, 93 for Darling?
(+9 from Kas’ earlier ask)
4. How many languages do they know?
I think she’s fluent in English and French. I’m not sure why she knows French at this point, but for some reason I just think it fits. And if she were going to study a language in school, I don’t think the pre-war fallout setting would be particularly keen to teach Chinese or Slavic languages (commie languages!!!!) in school. And Spanish is for The Help. So French it is.
Despite having no formal language, she does have a good knowledge of both Spanish and Luisiana Creole because she spent a lot of time with the maids and cooks her parents employed. She never had anyone else to talk to, and Darling loved learning new things so learning bit of a new language to to have some sort of communication was the natural choice.
9. Why is their name, their name?
In a meta sense, Sofia comes from browsing the list of names Codsworth would recognize and choosing one I liked. I came up with Darling a bit later, and honestly I don’t remember how I got there all that well. I think I wanted something that felt complimentary to Valentine. At some point my brain remembered Wendy Darling from Peter Pan. It was weird at first, using an endearment for her last name–particularly since she goes by Darling almost exclusively. But now it just sounds like a name in my head.
In universe, she goes by Darling, which is actually her maiden name because in the Wasteland no one has to know the horror of her married name. No one deserves the last name “Seaman.” Especially not when it alliterates with your first name.
12. How do they cope with struggles?
Oh you wanted something more? Darling has suffered pretty severe emotional neglect her whole life. As a result, she never had anyone to confide in or ask for support. So she tends to internalize and hide any negative feelings. Her typical response is to throw herself into her work, what ever that may be at the time. A lifetime of neglect and hiding has formed a profound feeling of worthlessness in her. She under the (wrong) impression that she is both unable to love and unlovable herself. And since she doesn’t matter, she can give everything she has to her work, because if she’s doing something worthwhile then maybe she can continue to justify her existence.
She does get a lot better over time. The Wasteland is so good for her. Once she starts to find her place with her new friends and loves, she starts to cope in healthier ways. She’ll always be a bit of a workaholic, but she’s not alone anymore. She has a number of lovely friends and two men who adore every bit of her.
25. If they were given the task to prank someone, who would it be, what would they do, and would the prank work?
God she’d prank everyone tbh. She and Hancock are always low key at war with each other in terms of pranks and messing with each other. I don’t have anything specific from Fallout, but this is something she did to Hancock in our DnD game: Darling got a Key of Locking, which is a key that will magically shift to fit any lock, but can /only/ lock it. So she sneaks into Hancock’s chambers and locks every single thing she can. It works in that she drives Hancock totally up the wall.
Perhaps the only thing her friends hate more than her childish prank war with Hancock is when the two team up. Both of them are too smart by half and they tend to wind each other up when they’re together so things can get…out of hand. But neither of them are interested in hurting people or causing genuine distress. Think a lot of Jim’s pranks on Dwight from the Office. That’s to sort of stupidly elaborate things they come up with.
30. What music do they enjoy?
She’s a reasonably talented pianist and singer, so she likes things she can play and things she can sing. Beyond that, she has a pretty eclectic taste. The unifying thing about the music she likes is a sense of authenticity. She doesn’t like things that sound like the instruments and/or vocals have had a lot of mixing or editing.
Aside from that, she’s got favorite music in pretty much all genres except specifically electronic ones. She’s got a love for songs with interesting lyrics or meter or rhyming.
56. Would they die for anyone/anything?
Yes, and she’s come close to proving it on a number of occasions. Part of it plays into the sense of worthlessness she feels, that she’s more than willing to die for her causes. But once she finds love with Valentine and Hancock, her devotion to them can be downright scary. She’d tear apart the world to protect them. In pretty much every case that’s come up, her love stays a source of resolve and strength that allows her to do incredible things. But like Helen and I had to rework how we were exporting Valentine to our DnD campaign because where it was going seemed like he’d have to be sacrificed in order to save the world, and Darling…wouldn’t. Fuck the world, no one is taking her partner from her. She’ll find another way, or watch the world burn before letting him go.
Thankfully that’s a pretty exceptional circumstance, and her love remains a force for good in everything I’ve done with her. The ferocity of her feeling for Valentine and Hancock is the biggest source of power she’s got (my lovely little knight of heart).
75. What is their biggest fear?
I’ll separate these into sort of existential fear and everyday fear.
In the Wasteland, she’s scared that she was the wrong person to survive. That someone else deserved it more, and that every second she isn’t actively doing something worthwhile is a second she is betraying that hypothetical person. Someone as worthless as her can’t deserve a place here. And sort of continuing from that, no one will ever love someone as worthless as her.
Her biggest everyday fear is terrible claustrophobia. Being trapped, especially underground, will induce panic attacks. She often manages it pretty well, and can do missions in Vaults and underground places if she’s got Valentine or Hancock there to keep her steady. But she’s had enough traumatic experiences underground for it to always be very difficult. Even a place as big as the Institute sends her into near total meltdown.
79. Is there someone in their life that they care about more than themselves?
I’m not exactly sure how to answer this one, because while she considers most people’s wellbeing above her own, she is also very aware that she is of best use to people alive and healthy. She’s a planner and a strategist. She looks at the big picture even if she tends to be a bit impulsive in the moment. The only one she has thrown all her strategy and subtlety and knowingly made stupid decisions for is Valentine. Though the only reason she hasn’t done the same for Hancock is because he probably initiated the stupid idea before she could.
86. How do they cope with anger?
Anger is fuel. It can keep her going when pretty much nothing else can. There’s a reason wrath is not her sin. Despite having a lot of anger she uses it exceptionally well. She works as a spy through much of her early Wasteland life, and being able to channel her rage into batteries to run on later. Not let it interfere with the task at hands. Which is how she can be so affable and convincing in her role as a spy in the Brotherhood and then the Institute.
93. How do they deal with stress?
This is basically the same as the one above, so I’ll answer a different one that I want to answer bc i don’t care, I’m a bear.
81. Do they have any tattoos? If so, are they significant?
Darling has two tattoos. One is sweet. The other is fucking stupid. The stupid one came first. She and Hancock were high as fuck (prelude to a number of their misadventures, bless) and somehow she got talked into getting a tattoo. Now what is the historical John Hancock most famous for? Having the biggest goddamn signature on the Declaration of Independence. So she got that signature tattooed. On her ass. Because Valentine wasn’t around and he is about 90% of her impulse control and Hancock just makes her worse. Despite it being the dumbest thing, Darling is actually rather fond of it, and declined to get it removed. It sort of seems to sum up who she and Hancock are as a couple. They’re best friends, and basically the same soul in two bodies. They’re relationship is all about joy and fun and intuitive understanding and yeah, that includes doing stupid things on a concerningly regular basis. But they always make it through and get one hell of a story out of it.
Her second tattoo is for Valentine. She liked what her ass tattoo said about her and Hancock, and eventually decided she wanted something to make her connection to Valentine physical. Even though she thinks of Valentine as her spouse, her marriage to Nate was such a nightmare that she doesn’t want anything traditional to mark it, like a ring. So she gets another tattoo for him. It’s a pretty simple design, just black lines, but on her chest, above her heart she gets a heart with an arrow through it. It’s simple and sweet because that’s what they are. In pretty stark contrast to her relationship to Hancock, her relationship with Valentine is all about warmth and steadiness and balance. Valentine brings Darling back to earth, and she pushes him to live a little more. So a small symbol of the life they’ve made together right over her heart is just perfect for them.
