krystal-callahan

[krystal-callahan]

You’re a good man, Arthur Morgan.

Writing reads: “My whole code that I lived and killed by. Was it true? Or was there a bigger truth I was too dumb to ever see?”

Quote and hand-writing style taken directly from Arthur’s in-game journal.

[krystal-callahan]

[krystal-callahan]

saw a pic on pinterest and couldnt help myself (again)

[krystal-callahan]

drawing (almost) every rdr2 mission #4: Old Friends

This thing has literally been the bane of my existence for the past couple weeks and is still very much a wip. The background is incomplete but I can’t be bothered to finish it lol

[krystal-callahan]

RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2

‘Yes, at shopping…’

[krystal-callahan]

Happy Holidays! Here's your finished Kieran Duffy and Branwen, their so cute together :))

@verdemoun @rdrevents

[krystal-callahan]

"the honor of a man"

[krystal-callahan]

RDR Winter Gift Exchange 2025

A/N: So excited to once again participate in this fun event put together by @rdrevents and to post this gift for @krystal-callahan.

I haven't had much of a chance to write for Dutch before, so I this was a great opportunity to do so - so thank you for that chance!

I hope you enjoy it! 🤗

This should have been a simple robbery. A small heist with a small reward, but a reward nonetheless.

Dutch knew deep down in his bones that it should have been a quick in and out, no alarms raised, nobody hurt and none the wiser. Which is exactly why he couldn't understand why he was now sprawled on the ground with a pistol aimed at his face and Hosea shooting daggers from his own spot in the dirt. He didn't need to look at his face to know it was shrouded in a deep scowl. 

He didn't understand what had gone wrong - where he had miscalculated. 

The previous night at the bar he had spent a few hours (and consumed a few drinks) watching and waiting for the right target, and eventually he had appeared. Drunk, mouthy, and all too willing to share information, the poor sap had apun him a tale - and what a tale it had been. His wife had left, he worked a unfulfilling job and his children had all grown and moved on better prospects; leaving him behind to wither away in Valentine. All in all, the perfect target.

Dutch had downed the last of his whiskey (the beef in the local saloon never sat quite right with him) leaving the empty glass on the table and took the stool next to him, patting him on the back before subtly drilling him. Where abouts in Valentine did he live? Where did he work? What sort of things occupied his day?  Anything that could help him determine the best time to sneak into his supposed empty home and make off with a few valuables. 

When he returned to camp later that evening, leaving the man in semi-better spirits, and shared his plan with Hosea, he had seemed intrigued. A simple homestead robbery? Why not? After some discussion and a night's sleep underneath their belt, they hitched up their horses and returned to the small livestock town, lying in wait until the perfect moment to strike. 

Hosea, the patron of the arts that he was, concocted a scheme. He would distract with his own colorful tale of sorrow - a missing horse and desperate need of assistance, while Dutch would slip in the back and collect what he could. 

None of that seemed to matter now. Not when he was mere seconds away from a swift and immediate death. Hosea;s outcome not much brighter. 

Dutch felt a bead of sweat trickle down his temple and he fought the urge to swipe it away. Swallowing hard, he found himself at a loss for words - something highly foreign to him. He stole a glance at Hosea and nearly withered at his gaze. Somehow he understood that his problem had become his to fix. And why not? It was his fault they were in this mess, so it only made sense that he should get them out of it. 

Mustering up a boost of courage, he intended to do just that.

"Listen, good sir," He stammered, holding up one hand cautiously as he propped himself up with the other. Anything to keep the man's temper at manageable levels. "We were only trying to -" "I know what you were 'trying' to do." The man spat, furrowing his brows even more. "You were trying to rob me blind." 

"Now that is a grievous overstatement. We merely -" 

"I don't care what kind of statement you think it is. I ain't about to let some uppity traveler steal from me. I should just shoot you right now and be done with it." 

"You wouldn't want to do that, my friend." He said quickly so as not to be interrupted a third time. 

"And why not?" 

A few more beads of sweat began to gather just above his eyebrows. "Well, you wouldn't want the law involved." 

He hesitated for just a fraction of a second, and that was all that Dutch needed. The man's hand lowered ever so slightly; the gun no longer pointed right between his eyes.  "Why the hell not?" 

"It would be a hassle," Dutch started, slowly moving to crouch. Balancing his weight on his feet instead of remaining in the dirt. He kept his hands raised out in front of him. "And an unwelcome presence in your otherwise quiet, peaceful home. No one wants that." 

"I-I suppose not." The man stammered, his anger slowly, but surely, evaporating and replaced with something akin to uncertainty. 

"Exactly." Dutch cooed, putting his silver tongue to work. "We can resolve this...little misunderstanding ourselves, right?" He didn't even wait for the man to respond. "Now, my partner and I will just take our leave and you won't ever have to worry about us trespassing again. Does that seem fair?"

A moment passed before he finally responded. "Alright," He lowered his weapon to his side. "Just make yourself scarce. I don't wanna see you again." 

"Wouldn't dream of it." And Dutch meant it.

---

It was moments later that the two outlaws found themselves (and their horses) ambling along at a slow pace back to camp, their proverbial tails tucked between their legs and their spirits well, and truly dampened. Dutch shifted uncomfortably in his saddle, feeling Hosea's frustration looming like a dark rain cloud. He searched for something to say. Anything to break through the barrier that had risen between them. But nothing came to mind. 

"Well," the silver-haired outlaw said after what felt like decades. "That certainly wasn't our finest moment. I can't even consider it a good moment. What on earth went wrong, Dutch?" 

Dutch flinched inwardly at the sharp bite as Hosea said his name. The scathing rebuke was well-earned, he knew, but it still made him feel like a little kid again. A feeling he truly despised.  

"Hosea, I do not quite know what to say." He started, fighting the shame that began to bubble up inside him. Something almost foreign to him in this stage of his life.

"A first for you." He shot back, his gaze focused on the trail before them and his posture rigid. 

"I made a mistake, Hosea." Dutch said, bristling. "It happens." 

"Yes, mistakes happen. But not for something as simple as this. Not to you." Hosea, sighed and finally turned to look at him. There were still traces of anger in his old eyes, but it was partnered with concern. A concern for someone that had been with him from what seemed like the beginning of time itself. Dutch recognized that look well. He carried that same feeling within him too. 

"What happened back there Dutch?" Hosea asked quietly. "I'm just trying to understand." 

"I don't know," Dutch said after a moment, and it felt like the truth. One moment he had been rifling through a chest of belongings, elated at the prospects, and then in the next he was flung out the front door with a force he hadn't been expecting; landing sprawled on the ground and heavily surprised. 

He looked down at the reins squeezed tightly in his hands and let out a sigh of his own. "I suppose I just got caught up in the excitement of it all. It's been some time since we pulled a heist together and I guess I let it get the better of me." 

They rode on in silence for a bit, the dull trod of their horse hooves and their occasion snorts the only sound. Hosea looked ahead once more while Dutch ruminated on his admission. Somehow Hosea managed to drag out even his deepest kept secrets. A talent he cursed on many occasions. 

"Still trying to impress me after all these years, huh?" Hosea said finally, when the silence seemed to stretch on. There was a hint of humor in his tone, and Dutch knew they had crossed the path to forgiveness. 

"I suppose so," He chuckled, shooting Hosea a wry smile. "I am nothing if not a showman. Though I can't say where I picked up the habit."

A knowing look passed between them and even Hosea couldn't help but smile. 

"Oh, I'm sure you've learned a few things here and there." 

"And I'm sure I will learn a great deal more in time." 

"Perhaps," Hosea said simply. "But, for now, maybe leave the petty dealing to our younger, less boisterous proteges? At least for the time being?" 

At this, Dutch couldn't help but laugh out loud, tossing his head back. "I think I can manage that." 

"I'm impressed, Dutch. I was afraid I would have to resort to shallow tricks to keep you in camp." 

"Not this time, old timer. Not this time." 

"Good." Hosea said, nodding his head approvingly. "Now, I don't know about you, but I'm parched. Care for a drink back at camp?"  "Certainly, old friend." 

Hosea tapped his heels against his horse, urging Silver Dollar into a lazy trot. Dutch did the same with The Count, keeping in stride with him as they made their way back to camp. He breathed in a breath of fresh air and exhaled the temporary bad blood between them, glad that things had returned to normal. 

[krystal-callahan]

For the Charthur doodle/one-shot requests: Based off some of your headcanons, it'd be really cute to see a scene where someone else stumbles on Charles and Arthur sleeping together and watching Arthur try to very carefully get up without waking Charles.

meanwhile in shady belle...

[krystal-callahan]

𝓐 𝓠𝓾𝓲𝓮𝓽 𝓜𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓷𝓽

Merry Christmas @catthecowboy Secret Winter Exchange 2024 @rdrevents ❄️

[krystal-callahan]

This outfit was giving domestic husband

[krystal-callahan]

thinking abt modern au for Arthur……….. I like this guy

[krystal-callahan]

Save a horse

[krystal-callahan]

[krystal-callahan]

Sometimes you just gotta lay in the grass 💖

[krystal-callahan]

On their way to cause trouble

[krystal-callahan]