#maxreactions

[ Image: Black and white drawing of the bathroom onboard Unreliable.  Vicar Max is standing in the shower corner.  He’s only wearing a towel and he’s looking off to one side as if someone might be yelling through the door for taking too much time in there.  It’s very steamy -- I mean, there’s a lot of steam in there -- I mean, for heaven’s sake -- (dies of embarrassment) ]

40 Minutes

Brain: You know that Unreliable entrance bark that has Nyoka yelling at Max for taking too much time in the bathroom?

Me: Yeah?

Brain: Ever thought about what he’s doing in there?

Me: I’ve opened the door.  He’s just primping at the sink.

Brain: Yeah, but, that might not be all that’s going on in there, I mean, he has to bathe sometimes, and -- 

Me: No.  NO.  

Brain: He’s been carrying around a heavy machine gun lately and it’s an opportunity to practice drawing muscles.  You should do it for the research.  

Me: I AM NOT DRAWING A PINUP OF MAX IN THE SHOWER--

<several hours later>

Max Excelsior

@damejudyhench: <talking about Halloween costumes in Halcyon> Imagine Max in an Archibald Excelsior costume.

Me: Hm.

Me: <tries to think of anything else>

Me: <anything else.  Anything else at all.  Anything.>

Brain: You know, it’s Halloween...

Me: No.

Brain: C’mon.  It’s your most favorite holiday in the whole wide world.

Me: NO.

Brain: And he’s your most favorite character in the whole wild world.  And you adored Stan Lee.

Me: I’M NOT DRAWING A PICTURE OF MAX WEARING AN ARCHIBALD EXCELSIOR COSTU--

<several hours later>

Among my favorite Outer Worlds companion combinations.  

The Better Half; “Who are you taking out with you?”  

Me: May I ask how you know this, Max?

Max: You may not.

#mermay

Brain: It's Mermay.

Me: Yeah?  So what?

Brain: You know what you could do: a mash-up.

Me: ...no.  NO.

Brain: Oh, come on, it'll be fun. You love The Outer Worlds.

Me: I'M NOT DRAWING A MER-MAX.

< much, much later >

[ Image: the inside of the Hermit’s meditation room in “The Outer Worlds”.  There are sconces on the pale-colored walls holding plants, and lengths of cloth rigged to hang from the ceiling over spherical lamps whose surfaces have been pierced to let out the light in smears and spots.  There is a candle and a gently smoking incense burner on a table in the foreground left.  A couch in the background on on the right side of the image are draped in soft cloth.  On the right, Vicar Max, in profile, appears to be levitating.  In truth, he’s standing on the couch and the game’s collision-avoidance software has placed him slightly above and in front of it to avoid him intersecting with the curved cloth, but it appears that he’s floating. ]