#The NCR still exists and is operating

[sherdnerd]

Seeing New Vegas fans go absolutely apeshit over lore contradictions

[artbyblastweave]

I’ve been rereading some of your Fallout posts lately and something in particular caught my eye. In a post from October 2023 you said that Fallout 1 and 2’s timeframe didn’t really work for the vibe they were going for, especially with regards to Arroyo. Is there any chance you could elaborate a bit on that? I’m interested to know where in the timeline you think the games might fit better.

My thinking at the time that I wrote that post-and, to some extent, my thinking to this day- is that Arroyo and The Brotherhood of Steel are depicting a level of cultural change and mutation that doesn't necessarily align with the time frame on which they're claiming it happened. What's depicted isn't strictly impossible, but the specific aesthetics they're using are usually used to indicate way more time has passed.

With the Brotherhood, the primary referent for their regression to neomedieval monasticism is A Canticle For Leibowitz, a novel from the 50s about a post nuclear monastery that's dedicated, half-successfully, to preserving technical and cultural knowledge in the new dark age; the book opens when they've been at this for about 600 years, with the attendant levels of ritualization, information decay, and historical misinformation about the old world that would imply. Fallout frames the Brotherhood as having ended up in a similar spot, structurally and culturally, after only 80 years, and under the leadership of the grandson of the guy who started the thing. It's not impossible, you can make it work, but ultimately they're using aesthetics that gesture at it having been a longer time.

Arroyo is the other big example of this; 80 years after fallout 1, they've developed a "tribal culture," complete with ancient traditions and mythologization of historical events, despite the fact that the whole settlement was founded within living memory by a person who isn't even confirmed to be dead when the game starts. It's only been three generations! Tandi is still alive and running the NCR! This one's even more egregious than the brotherhood, given the existence of that gigantic fuck-off stonework temple complex ripped out of Indiana Jones. Where did that come from?

Some of this might be is that the nature of 90s graphics prevents you from seeing what Arroyo culture looks like "on the ground" in higher fidelity , which would make the cultural continuity between "exiled vault 13 dwellers" and "sustenance farmers" more obvious. Part of it is that my understanding is that Fallout 2 had a much more disjointed production than Fallout 1, so it's possible different teams were operating under different ideas about the chronology at play. And some of it is that Fallout 2 is a game that, to it's frequent detriment, leaned way harder into 90s pop culture wackiness and, to be blunt, outright racial caricature, than Fallout 1 did. It's possible that having the descendants of Vault dwellers re-organized as a stereotypical "tribe" as envisioned in 50s pulp sci fi is just an extension of the same unfortunate impulse that resulted in the game's depiction of San Francisco as Kung Fu Movie Town-The franchise's use of "Tribal" as a category is already pretty fraught in ways I'm not the best equipped to tackle, but Arroyo's depiction might be wrapped up in that.

Either way, thematically Arroyo functions fine- it creates a fish-out-of-water from an isolated agrarian community who goes on a hero's journey that ultimately brings them into conflict with their aesthetic opposites- a mob of deranged, Americana-draped technofascists. Holds together perfectly well on that level- just don't look at the numbers too closely...

[undeadcourier]

@lynettethemadscientist replied to your post “me: narratively, it's much more interesting to...”:

I’m willing to hear a humanized view of Raiders. Though I doubt it will convince me

Sure, I'll expand on this. Point of note, this is pretty West Coast/FNV-centric since that's my primary area of interest.

Let's start with defining terms since this is the piss-on-the-poor website. A raider is a bandit, someone who survives by plunder, often roaming in search of things to steal or people to attack. Many raider gangs in the Wasteland are relatively loose allegiances of a few like-minded individuals, but some are established social groups with distinct cultures. The 80s, the Vipers, and the Khans are examples of raider groups that expanded to fit the definition of a tribe—that is, a social division consisting of families or communities linked by social, economic, religious, or blood ties, with a common culture and dialect.

The 80s, first outlined in Joshua Sawyer's rpg, are a gang of bandits that operate along the Northern California 80 Freeway and have long contested territory with the White Legs; The Vipers are organized around their shared religion, which is only vaguely described as ancient, but there are what appear to be ritualistic elements to their organization and raiding practices.

The Khans, inspired by Genghis Khan and the Mongols Motorcycle Club, value strength and martial prowess. Founded around 2141, the Khans raided and traded around Shady Sands and Junktown before they were wiped out by the Vault Dweller. Darion, the lone survivor of the original gang, rebuilt it into the New Khans, who in turn were largely destroyed by the Chosen One. Finally, Papa Khan united the fragmented bands and led them to the Mojave in 2267, where they settled. The massacre at Bitter Springs establishes that at this point, the Khans include non-combatants in their group such as children and elders, and until the NCR occupation, Bitter Springs was their home.

I'm going to proceed on the assumption that we all agree that genocide is wrong and set aside the Khans for now, especially because they are a faction that is not immediately hostile to the player, in contrast to the Vipers, Jackals, and Fiends.

Despite their lore, the Vipers don't get anywhere near the development the Khans have and end up in the category of fodder for the player to indiscriminately kill, an act for which you can even gain karma. And this is what brings me to the point of the original post, which is... hey, what the fuck?

I understand from a game mechanics perspective that it's useful to have an unlimited supply of enemies that the player can slaughter for experience points. But, that necessarily dehumanizes the members of that group, which is extra fucked up when you consider that some of them, like the Vipers, are a distinct tribal group.

And even in the case of, say, the Fiends, who we are told are fueled only by bloodlust/dependence on chems and presumably lack any sort of identifiable cultural allegiance, I don't like that it's considered morally good to just kill them all. They're still people.

I would like, especially from a role-playing game, to have more options to talk them down, to get them help for their addictions, and attempt to reintegrate them into society. Maybe that doesn't work on every character, maybe some of them really do just revel in violence and bloodshed and don't want a way out, but I'd like more recognition that raiders aren't a monolith and don't exist in a vacuum, that these are individuals who were driven to where they are by myriad circumstances and an underlying need to survive. It's more realistic and more interesting.

The way the Khans are developed has plenty of problems, certainly, but I appreciate that there was at least some development of who these people are and how they got to be where they are, and I think that's something that's lacking with a lot of the others.

[mllemaenad]

Hi- I might've sent this already, sorry, I don't remember, but do you think there's an in-universe explanation for the difference in slavery between the Capital Wasteland and Commonwealth? In the Commonwealth, the only major slaving operation is the Institute - the Gunners try to buy Billy in Kid in a Fridge, but that's the only non-Institute example I can really think of in the present day. In the Capital Wasteland, slaving is rife, with a number of different factions involved in the trade.

Hm. Well, for a start, it is unfortunately true that the Commonwealth is the exception to the rule here, rather than the Capital Wasteland. Slavery is rife in the post-war world. It's true that the NCR outlawed it ... but the point is that they kind of had to outlaw it. There's so much slavery in California, particularly in Fallout 2. And it's not just dickhead raiders in shanty towns. Vault City, a technologically advanced settlement built around an opened control-group Vault with access to a GECK, relies quite heavily on slavery.

The Capital Wasteland is a bit of an oddity, if you only look at the base game. The area is very depopulated, due to a combination of very bad water (and the minimal agriculture as a flow on effect from that) and the rampant super mutant attacks (which in turn have led to destabilised populations turning to raiding, further reducing the population). It's a fucking mess out there.

Ridegefield, Rockopolis and Grayditch are just gone. Big Town is hanging on by its fingernails. Arefu is bleeding people, even before the "vampire" attacks. And yet, there sits Paradise Falls – definitely one of the largest and most prosperous settlements in the region – and its income relies almost entirely on the slave trade.

We do meet a small number of slaves, or former slaves, in the game, but not really enough to justify the success of Paradise Falls. And it does not seem to be hugely popular in the area – it's more that no one has the people or resources to stop it. Flak had to "sell out" the slavers for residency in Rivet City:

Flak used to be one of us. Thinks he can make a new life in Rivet City. He's sold us out on more than one occasion. It's time for retribution. – Grouse dialogue, Fallout 3

So Rivet City is hostile to the slavers ... but we also know that Sister has infiltrated Rivet City on behalf of the slavers, and so far, they haven't discovered him or kicked him out, even though he is a giant pain in the arse in every way possible.

Moriarty and Ahzrukhal both engage in debt slavery and will engage in a bunch of verbal gymnastics to deny that they have enslaved anyone at all. They get away with it because no one will stand up and deal with them ... but their attitudes are not considered acceptable by the general populace. Moriarty believes that revealing Doc Church's past with the slavers would get him run out of town and could therefore be good blackmail material.

Church thinks he such a freakin' badass. Everybody runs to him if they get a damn wood splinter and he just laps up their caps like a drunk downing alcohol. If people only knew he used to be a medic for the slavers at Paradise Falls, they'd run his sorry ass right out of town. But I think I'll keep that little nugget tucked away for later use. – Moriarty's Terminal, Fallout 3

There really doesn't seem to be much appetite in the Capital Wasteland for slavery, and while the slavers have always existed their prosperity is new.

The most dangerous dump in the Capital Wasteland. The Slavers there would have bought and sold anything with a pulse. They still will, from what I hear. Back in my day, they were more disorganized, though. Their leader was a guy named Harmon Jurley, a psychotic son of a bitch who was rumored to eat the slaves he couldn't sell. – Herbert (Daring) Dashwood's Terminal, Fallout 3

Now: there's an answer to that question. And the reason I'm dancing around it is because I don't think you've taken Maris out to the Pitt, yet? There are answers there, but I'd be spoiling the plot for you. So ... light, context free response: the slavers in Paradise Falls have been doing so well over the last couple of decades because there's a buyer outside the Capital Wasteland. Most enslaved people are exported out.

Over in the Commonwealth, they have similar problems – though for very different reasons. The water situation appears to be better. Obviously it still needs purifying, but it's more usable than anything in the Capital Wasteland. They are capable of farming and you can set up farms as you play. But the chaos in the region means those never really prosper. And, like the Capital Wasteland, they are subject to super mutant attacks. They also don't really have the population to support a major slave trading operation.

So one simple reason there's little slavery in the Commonwealth might be that there aren't enough people, or enough farms or factories, to support it and unlike the Capital Wasteland there's no one on the outside supporting the trade.

But I do think there are a couple more elements. The first would be The Institute itself. While the situation in the Capital Wasteland is bad, it isn't until the arrival of the Enclave that they're being actively oppressed – clearly neither branch of the Brotherhood has the resources to hold more than a few blocks of territory at a time so they're not doing it. Their problems are largely environmental in nature.

We do know that the Institute has been destabilising the Commonwealth for many years. The Commonwealth Provisional Government lasted about ten seconds before they wiped it out. They are largely agnostic on the question of good and evil here: they oppose the Brotherhood, they oppose the Minutemen, they oppose the Railroad. They oppose anyone who might be able to organise against them enough to interfere with their bullshit experiments.

And while appalling, a large scale slave trade would require ... organisation. You'd need the manpower to capture people; the means to feed and house them (however minimally) before they were sold; the means to prevent people from escaping or from being rescued or "stolen"; you'd need to be able to transport people across long distances; you'd need all of the logistics that come with running any other business. And in the context of the Commonwealth, their interests would be in conflict with the Institute's: both would want to kidnap and use people. They'd be encroaching.

In the context of Fallout 3, Paradise Falls is that organised. They've got big, strong walls. They have exploding collars and the "mesmetron". They've got traders and doctors inside the compound. You can encounter slaver patrols as random encounters, so you can see them on the hunt. It's quite gross to write this but ... okay, yes, the slavers do seem to more or less have their shit together here.

It's hard to imagine the Institute even allowing something like that to get off the ground. To them, a functional, organised slaver organisation would likely be as threatening as the Minutemen. So there isn't one.

The other thing is ... well, the attitude to strangers in the Commonwealth. Everyone is afraid of secret synths. They're afraid of their friends and family members being replaced, but there at least they might be able to recognise the change. Any stranger might be a synth, and there would be no way to know. I'm sure there are terrible people in the Commonwealth who would buy slaves. But there's an element of risk, here, that such a person might be an Institute spy. And while it has nothing to do with slavery we know that's not unfounded: you can occasionally get hostile synths in your own settlement system. So "Hey, do you want to bring a bunch of strangers back to your house?" is probably a more unnerving question in the Commonwealth.

That said, I think there is probably a bit more going on than just Billy and the gunners. It's not uncommon to get a kidnapping and ransom mission from your settlements. Obviously they threaten to kill the victim if not paid ... but I mean it's clear here their objective is money. Kidnapping people from families who obviously cannot pay and then killing the victim is going to be a resource drain with no upside. So I tend to think some of those victims might ... not have been killed. Because the raiders want someone to pay and anyone will do.

So, yeah: it doesn't really make a lot of sense for either the Commonwealth or the Capital Wasteland to have a prosperous slave trade, but the Capital Wasteland is very much supported by an outside market. And in the Commonwealth there is no such group. Moreover, the Institute is not keen on organisation regardless of the form it takes, and the fear of synth infiltration probably keeps demand low.

So – there likely is some slavery going on in the Commonwealth, but it's small scale and disorganised. Just raiders kidnapping and selling when they get the chance. In the Capital Wasteland ... the presence of their buyer gives them the resources to grow.

[m-i-c-drop-doodles]

One Piece AU idea - Fallout 4 Crossover Part 1

general premise is as follows (subject to change)

Factions

Railroad -> Revolutionary Army

Railroad splinter group -> Heart pirates

Enclave -> Celestial Dragons -> Gorosei are influencing the NCR

NCR -> World Government

Institute -> Germa 66 -> has a alliance with the Enclave

SRB -> CP9 etc.

Nukaworld Raider/bosses -> Pack (Beast pirates), Disciples (Big Mom pirates), Operators (Donquixote pirates). -> Blackbeard is trying to be the Overboss.

Nukaworld splinter group -> Kid pirates (was a small time gang that got absorbed)

Gunners -> Cross guild/warlords

Previous Minute Men -> was led by General Gol D Roger

Post-Minute Men splinter groups/allies -> Red Hair pirates, Whitebeard pirates

Strawhats -> New Minute Men (kinda)

Mayors -> Goodneighbor (Buggy), Dimond City (Cobra), Bunker Hill (Iceberg)

Plot? -> the NCR is invading the Commonwealth (under orders of the Enclave) to "bring order" to Boston. The Minute Men tried to fight them off but failed (Rodger was executed, the one piece is exists).

Devil Fruit are replaced with mutations (can still be caused by fruit) known as Genos ,and are considered the 4th generation of super mutants but no one is entirely sure how it works.

Characters (in development)

Sanji (Synth - Gen 4 Prototype) - Was previously at the Institute as a prototype of a new generation of synths, with initial plans for him to be a new type of Courser. However was 'Born' with emotions/sentience. Fled with the help of the Railroad and Reiju. Had a mind wipe and now lives in Dimond City with Zeff (ex-raider) and works at Power Noodle (he can understand Takahashi like how Nick Valentine can). Friends with Usopp (runs Dimond City Radio and is the Railroad agent who helped Sanji escape and relocate after his mind wipe), Takahashi (is secretly relived someone else can understand them), and Nick Valentine (helped Zeff after he left the raiders, knows Sanji is a synth and acts like a weird uncle at times).

Robin (Synth - Gen 3 - Ex Courser) - Prior to gaining her sentience, was previously at the Institute operating in the Synth Retention Bureau. However slowly gained emotions through interacting and later saving Chopper and Jinbe who were both imprisoned experiments of the Institute. Now on the run from the Institute and currently hiding with Chopper and Jinbe, where they meet Franky who takes them in to live at GoodNeighbor. is now working at The Third Rail as a bar tender/back up singer for Magnolia. Is still haunted by her actions as a Courser.

Chopper (Intelligent mutant reindeer) - Was born in the Institute as a experiment to test the mental capabilities of a herbivorous mammals when exposed to a modified form of FEV . Was kept in captivity and raised by Dr Hiriluk and Dr Kureha in secret, as he was more emotionally intelligent then what the experiment allowed along side Jinbe. Was then discovered and befriended Robin who found the secret lab by a teleportation glitch. After the lab was raided by SRB looking for Robin, was assisted by Dr Hirluk in escaping who sacrificed himself to let the others escape the facility. He is now on the run from the Insitute with Robin and Jinbe, currently living with Franky at Goodneighbor working at the Memory Den. (Dr Kureha is alive and assisting the Railroad at the Memory den with Chopper).

Jinbe (Intelligent Deathclaw (quantum deathclaw)) - was captured and experimented on by the Institute. Was kept hidden in the secret lab with the help of Dr Kureha and Fisher Tiger (who was also an experiment). Helped the doctors to raise Chopper (he is pretty much Chopper's uncle/dad) and Robin with her new emotions. Tried to help the other Intelligent experiments escape but was unable to save Fisher Tiger, lost track of the others during the SRB Raid. Is now on the run with Robin and Chopper from the Institute, currently living with Franky at Goodneighbor. Works part-time at Daisy's Discounts (buys Chopper and Robin books with Daisy's help finding them)

Feed back is appreciated as I have no idea what I'm doing but this idea is consuming me

it was either a Fallout au or a Pokémon au (with original characters) as I'm bouncing hypefixations at the moment with One Piece taking over my life.

send help, this was cooked up in just one afternoon

[aadishworldblogs]

COVID Cases in India: Trends, Safety Precautions, and What’s in Store

Although COVID-19 is no longer a global health emergency, its presence still lingers. India, with over 1.4 billion people, has shifted from crisis mode to long-term public health management. Since the deadly second wave of 2021, the country has made significant progress, though occasional outbreaks continue, driven by seasonal factors, travel, and emerging variants.

As of May 2025, daily COVID-19 cases in India remain low and mostly mild due to high vaccination rates and hybrid immunity. A new Omicron sub-variant (EG.5) has been detected in Maharashtra and Delhi, but hospitalizations are primarily among the unvaccinated elderly or those with existing health conditions. The national positivity rate remains under 2%.

States like Maharashtra, Delhi NCR, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka are seeing a slight rise in cases. Local governments have issued advisories for masking, hygiene, and avoiding crowds. Testing — via RT-PCR and rapid antigen methods — continues alongside real-time surveillance by the ICMR and Health Ministry.

India’s vaccination program has delivered over 2.5 billion doses, with 85% of adults fully vaccinated. Booster doses are recommended yearly, especially before flu and monsoon seasons, and are available at government and private centers via the CoWIN portal.

Common symptoms remain, but newer variants have added less typical signs like conjunctivitis and stomach issues. Telemedicine and digital healthcare have expanded, improving access, especially in rural areas.

The country is also recovering socially and economically, with improvements in employment, tourism, hygiene, and mental health awareness. Long COVID remains a concern, with specialized clinics now operational.

In conclusion, while COVID-19 is no longer dominating headlines, it’s still a part of life. Continued vigilance, timely vaccination, and community responsibility are crucial to keeping the virus under control in 2025.

Explore more:- https://aadishworld.com/covid-cases-in-india-trends-safety-precautions-and-whats-in-store/

[defencepackersgurgaon]

Shifting to another home or an office can be both thrilling and daunting at the same time. Moving within the city of Gurgaon/Gurugram or Delhi NCR, finding the right packers and movers is of utmost importance to make the shifting smooth and hassle free. With numerous packing and moving service providers in Gurugram, selecting a budget friendly and dependable service can be difficult. This blog will assist you with selecting the most suitable packers and movers in Gurgaon while you do not go over your budget.

Guidelines for Finding Affordable Packers and Movers in Gurgaon

Make a Thorough Search Using Various Sites with Reviews of Movers and Packers

To begin, conduct an online search for packers and movers in Gurgaon. Companies with a good image, outstanding review ratings, and a history of positive service delivery should be considered. Measure the level of customer satisfaction based on the services they paid for and their responses to surveys to identify the best packers and movers within Gurugram that are both cost effective and reputable.

Verify Their Certifications

Make it a priority to select packers and movers in Gurgaon who operate with a valid business license and an active insurance cover. Professionalism and dependability is guaranteed from a registered company, while insurance will compensate for any loss or damage to your property while in transit.

Assess Their Industry Knowledge and Skills

In the domain of packing and relocation services, experience is key. Target firms that have been in existence for a reasonable period, preferably over five years, and specialize in local, inter-city, and international movements. More experienced packers and movers in Gurgaon are better placed to deal with the difficulties that come up during shifting and ensure it is done smoothly.

Seek A Quote With Clear Terms and Costs Included

Make sure you ask your packers and movers in Gurugram for quotes that show all prices that will be charged. Such quotes are cost effective as they include all prices such as help with materials needed for packing, transporting the goods, loading and offloading the goods, as well as other unforeseen expenses. This ensures affordability and saves you from the trap of hidden charges.

Check The Services Offered

Settle for a company which provides most, if not all, services such as packing, loading, transport, unloading, and unpacking. A few packers and movers in Gurgaon car services or bike services, and even office relocation services. Choosing these types of service providers will reduce your work and save you a lot of time.

Look Up Customer Reviews and Testimonials

The testimonials and reviews of the customers give a good impression about the reputation of a packers and movers company in Gurgaon. Searching their website, social media pages, and other review sites can help confirm that the business keeps its promises.

Ask for Their Vehicles and Tools

An honest packers and movers company in Gurugram will make sure that the tools and vehicles that are used are in good working condition. Check if they have the necessary packing materials to keep your valuables safe while they are being moved.

Custom Solutions Searches

Packers and movers in Gurgaon prefer devising strategies which allow them to work efficiently, while still customizing for each consumer as every relocation job is different. If you are moving out of a 1BHK apartment or a large villa, the company should be able to assist you.

Look for Other Services Provided

A few packers and movers in Gurugram provide supplementary services such as storage, animal relocation, and automobile shipping. These services can further facilitate and enhance your moving experience.

Make Sure the Delivery Is Made On Time

These services can further assist with your relocation or enhance it. Regardless of the type of move, DRS guarantees a smooth shifting experience. Select a packers and movers company in Gurgaon that respects the delivery schedule while relocating your goods.

Why DRS Packers and Movers in Gurgaon?

DRS - Defense Relocation Services has remained a trusted name among the most competitively priced and dependable packers and movers in Gurgaon for years now. Having served in the industry for several building’s development and possessing a customer-first centric business model, DRS offers comprehensive packing and relocation service...

For more information or to book their services, visit DRS Packers and Movers in Gurgaon.

Conclusion

In order to relocate affordably and without any hassle, picking the right packers and movers in Gurgaon is crucial. By adhering to the earlier discussed guidelines, you can locate a reliable and cheap service provider. No matter if you are shifting within the state or another city, DRS Packers and Movers is the most reliable firm for your relocation needs. Their knowledge, industry ethics, and focus on the client ensure that you will experience hassle-free moving at a reasonable price.

For more details or to get a free quote, visit DRS Packers and Movers in Gurgaon today!

[shekharsrivastav]

Knee Arthroscopy Surgery Recovery Time and Success Rate

Knee arthroscopy is a minimally invasive surgical procedure that allows orthopedic surgeons to diagnose and treat a range of knee problems. It is commonly used to repair torn meniscus, reconstruct ligaments, remove loose cartilage, and treat conditions like arthritis. If you are considering arthroscopic knee surgery in Delhi, it is essential to understand the recovery process and success rate for a smooth and effective healing journey.

Recovery Time After Knee Arthroscopy

The recovery time after knee arthroscopy varies depending on the severity of the knee condition, the type of procedure performed, and the patient's overall health. However, most patients experience a relatively quick recovery compared to open knee surgery.

Immediate Post-Surgery Period (First Few Days)

Patients can typically go home on the same day as the procedure, as it is performed on an outpatient basis.

Mild swelling, pain, and discomfort are common in the first few days, which can be managed with prescribed painkillers and ice packs.

The doctor may advise limited weight-bearing on the affected leg, depending on the type of surgery performed.

First Two Weeks

Rest and elevation of the leg help reduce swelling and promote healing.

Patients are encouraged to start gentle exercises and physical therapy as per the surgeon’s guidance.

Stitches are usually removed within 7-10 days, and many patients can resume light daily activities.

Three to Six Weeks

Mobility improves significantly, and most patients can walk without assistance.

Physical therapy continues to strengthen the knee and restore range of motion.

Depending on the type of work, some patients can return to their jobs, especially if it is a desk job.

Six Weeks to Three Months

Most individuals regain full function and can resume moderate activities, including cycling and swimming.

High-impact activities such as running and jumping should still be avoided unless cleared by the surgeon.

Three to Six Months

Athletes or individuals involved in physically demanding jobs can gradually return to their usual activities.

The knee regains near-normal strength, and swelling is minimal.

Success Rate of Knee Arthroscopy

Knee arthroscopy has a high success rate, particularly when performed by an experienced orthopedic surgeon like Dr. Shekhar Srivastav, one of the leading specialists in Delhi NCR. The success of the surgery depends on various factors, including the nature of the knee problem, adherence to post-operative care, and rehabilitation efforts.

General Success Rate

Studies indicate that knee arthroscopy has an 85-90% success rate in relieving pain and improving knee function.

Procedures such as meniscus repair or ligament reconstruction tend to have higher long-term success rates with proper rehabilitation.

Patient Satisfaction

Most patients report significant pain relief and better mobility after surgery.

The minimally invasive nature of the procedure leads to less scarring, faster healing, and fewer complications.

Factors Affecting Success

Following post-operative care and physiotherapy guidelines plays a crucial role in achieving optimal recovery.

Patients with pre-existing arthritis or severe knee degeneration may experience variable outcomes.

In conclusion, knee arthroscopy is a highly effective procedure for treating various knee conditions, offering a quick recovery and excellent success rate. If you are experiencing knee pain and considering arthroscopic knee surgery in Delhi, consulting Dr. Shekhar Srivastav can help you achieve the best results and a pain-free life.

[mr-democracy-manifest]

I'm still salty about Amazon's Fallout. So I'm making a list of burning questions I have.

!. Where is the rest of The NCR?!? According to Todd (praise be) The NCR still exists, and the republic hasn't fallen entirely. But they must be pretty weak if The BoS can operate openly. Are the surviving bunkers in NCR territory fighting the republic again? So many questions...

2. Where are The BoS and Enclave operating from? There's plenty of space between the NCR and east coast, but it seems like The BoS and Enclave have established bases for themselves relatively close to California. It's a little weird to me that The BoS and Enclave are kinda just dicking around in the middle of nowhere, but it's not really a big deal. I just hope they actually do something with The Enclave.

3. When did the BoS rule the wasteland? The BoS has some sort of control over the capital wasteland, but The BoS ruling the wasteland was mentioned in past tense. And they never ruled anything in the core region where the show takes place.

4. What the hell is an elder cleric? Is that what we're calling BoS Elders now? Seems weird to just drop that in the show like that.

All in all I still really really really really hate that they've decided to confirm Vault-Tec as having started the great war. Even if it is on behalf of The Enclave, that's just really uninteresting to me. But knowing The NCR survived and can make a comeback has softened my opinion of the show. I'll give season two a chance. Hopefully that's not a mistake.

[alleecatblues]

In Fallouts 1 & 2, there's like, three groups of raiders in the entirety of California, and you really only encounter one of them. Everyone else is producing something or at least offering some kind of service. The problem is that the writers seem to be operating under this weird notion that after the bombs fall everyone regresses back to bronze age technology for some reason and there are a bunch of "tribals" who are weird amalgamations of wildly disparate cultures.

Fallout 3 has "raiders" that Bethesda seems to use like "bandits" in TES, but the majority of the Capitol Wasteland still seems to be permanent settlements that are either self-sufficient or cooperating with each other.

New Vegas finally gets it right for the most part. They retconned the tribes to make it so they weren't actually technologically regressed, and formed tribal societies for ideological reasons. The raider tribes are small and clearly struggling, aside from the Psychos, who are only flourishing because they operate in NCR territory, and the NCR is stretched thin and can't defend its settlements. Caesar's Legion, a faction made up of former raiders, is even farming, although they're using slave labor to do so. Even the Khans, a so-called "raider" faction, is growing their own crops and making drugs.

Then Fallout 4 comes around, and something like 70% of the population of New England is raiders. They don't produce anything, they don't provide any services, they just kill people and take their stuff. But who are they taking it from? Other raiders? Before the Sole Survivor shows up and starts building settlements, most of the existing settlements are completely isolated and barely producing enough to remain self-sufficient. There are multiple raider bases with populations rivalling that of Diamond City, the largest settlement in the Commonwealth.

It doesn't make sense. Not just from an ideological standpoint, but from a logistical one. When there's no automation and over half the population isn't producing anything, you're going to run into a massive resource shortage. Food and water in the Boston area should be extremely valuable and hard to come by at that point, but you can buy it from basically any trader for the equivalent of a couple dollars. People should be starving to death and dying of diseases from having to drink out of the highly contaminated and irradiated bodies of water.

But no, everyone is doing fine. Even if the player doesn't intervene, everyone continues to live with relatively few problems, and they regard raiders as an annoyance at best. The raiders infesting the wasteland might as well be mole rats for how dangerous they seem to be considered. It's absolutely wild. Complete fantasy.

🔥 post-apocalytic fiction

there is something deeply deeply misanthropic and reactionary in the way that a lot of post-apocalyptic fiction assumes that after the apocalypse a significant chunk of the population would just becoem Murder Sickos who Love Murder and go around Murdering for funsies

[mensajeroseis]

basically the ncr were a bunch of classist hypocrites. there's a police officer on every corner, their constitution says they outlaw slavery, but there's a slaving operation a few feet away from their entrance that they refuse to deal with, they hire actual mafia to continue their violent, imperialistic expansion to the north in order to secure Vault City's medical tech (a city that heavily relies on slavery!!!). THEY HAVE A FUCKING FOREVER PRESIDENT. Its a pure mess. Also their court system is entirely biased. I haven't explored a lot of it, but it's a lot.

I've played the first third of Fallout 2, so I am familiar with Vault City's ordeal and the general intention of NCR aggrandizement. Which is why I refer to both battles of hoover dam and their expansion into the Mojave in fnv "Manifest Destiny 2" lol My view of how the NCR operates is this : their lack of care outside of the state isn't surprising. An imperialistic government always seeks to have advantages, so if they consider it worthy or it doesn't interfere with their goal than really it's not on their radar to manage or have responsibility for, unless citizens protest them into feigning concern. Since they're replicating their idea of pre-war democracy. Which is more so meant to critique general bureaucracy of our day and age, rather than fallout's pre-war government. They implement tactics that have been used in both in domestic and foreign policy before by the FBI and CIA, for the purposes of manipulating situations to benefit etc. It's a dog eat dog situation.

And in regards to Vault City, they clearly wanted to be their own imperialistic state. They're of course more blatantly sinister and xenophobic and selfish. They're a true mixed creation of an autocratic oligarchy. They're unpalatable, which is good for storytelling. And it's shown as weakness, because of Tandi's "peaceful expansions" already on the way during fo2, and her communications + connections as a leader, the NCR had the upper hand on them the entire time. Tandi is actually a really interesting situation and anomaly within the government. She's complex because they show her contradictions as a politician against her ideals for the NCR. She's not an awful person inherently, but like with the case of Vault City she's not above shady (sands lol) deals so she can get the outcome she believes is best for the wasteland. Despite that contradiction, her legacy is largely positive and she's the most popular president among the NCR's citizens even after her death. and imo, she promulgated a lot of egalitarian laws and restrictions (irt lobbying.) Her presidency isn't fueled by an oligarchy and more so genuine civilian support, at least it seems so to me (unlike Kimball LMFAOOO), and the familial presidency line stops after her. A forever president makes democracy moot of course though, so it's hard to describe what the NCR is during 2169-2248. But it's certainly not totalitarian. Maybe like a mock monarchy (like caesar says LOL). But again since it's still an imperialistic state, there's always inherently going to be issues of classism, unlawful enforcement, and internal power struggles no matter how beloved a leader is. admittedly even though i know how awful it is, scientology existing in a post apocalypse world is so ridiculous to a point of it being funny to me. I'm unfamiliar of it being involved in fallout, and the only thing that comes to mind is hubologists in Nuka World so I am interested in where that comes from

[florbelles]

all of G & Y for the queen of new vegas, baby 😈🔥

thank you legend!!

— G. GORGEOUS.

i. what is their most attractive external feature?

it’s not something joss has given a lot of thought; she always understood that she was considered beautiful, and that usually meant she was bait for unsuspecting travelers who would stay at her father’s shack of an inn. the appeal is all in the facial composition, though — she didn’t have clean hair or skin or pre-war clothes, then.

ii. what is the most attractive part of their personality?

she learned early on how to manipulate people by saying the right thing, asking the right questions. dispensing the appropriate amount of approval at the opportune moment, withholding it just long enough to make it feel earned. to someone intimately familiar with how she operates, it’s not necessarily a charming attribute, but it’s what gets her what she needs and what draws people in to begin with

she’s also funny as hell, if your tastes run to the morbid or at the expense of others.

iii. what benefits come with being their friend?

she will not put out a hit on you!

full benefits of all her connections. an act if you want it. resources if you need them. the run of the strip and goodwill in freeside. exemption from getting kicked out of the tops if you’re winning too much ( swank hates this one ).

iv. what parts of them do they like and dislike?

well, she thinks she’s hilarious, thanks. she likes that she’s ruthless and cutthroat; it doesn’t really occur to her that she shouldn’t have to be, she just appreciates that it serves her, that it’s how she survived this long. she likes the way she looks; she’s not vain, but she likes the advantage it gives her. she’s proud of the fact that almost everything she knows is self-taught.

she dislikes that she’s so embittered, that she can’t let anything go. she didn’t really think about it when it was driving her — she’s going to get away from her father, she’s going to find her sisters, she’s going to ( from her perspective ) free new vegas — but when she’s left as a rebel without a cause she just has to sit with it, and she hates that. not enough to talk about it or do anything with it, even with her closest confidants she’ll never feel free to show what she perceives as weakness or vulnerability that way, but still. she wishes it were different, sometimes ( which, perhaps ironically, leaves her even more embittered and usually drives her out of vegas to go wander the wastes before she misdirects it more than she already has; she already slaughtered the strip once, she can’t do it again, it didn’t rid her of her anger last time ).

v. what parts of others do they envy?

relatedly, she envies anyone who is ( comparatively ) without baggage, insofar as that exists in the wastes, less in the sense of what’s happened to them but how they’ve coped with it and processed it. people who can be satisfied with what they have, who don’t have an anger or restlessness that consumes them. she thinks sometimes she would have been happier roaming the wastes all her life, and she envies those who do, to an extent, but that’s a thought she has the luxury to have when she actually has security & companionship for the first time in her life ( which she does not, in fact, walk away from despite technically having the option, so the insincerity of that envy is apparent even to her, if she’s being honest with herself ). is the appeal of the idea partly that benny absolutely abhors it to the point of bumping off others for harboring these potentially dangerous sentiments? yes. almost entirely.

— Y. YOU.

i. how old were you when you created them?

twenty-one. she was older than i was at the time. i now understand she is a fetus.

ii. what inspired you to create them?

unlike some of my other characters, joss was originally purely the result of in-game choices and mechanics. i just wanted a real bitch of a courier, not initially from the perspective of a fleshed out character but in the sense that she would take every chaotic asshole option available. lose to ringo at caravan? shoot him. end up shooting the whole entire bar and being the butcher of goodsprings. get villified by the ncr before even reaching primm. boone won’t speak to her because of this. break into his hotel room. shoot him. kill jeannie anyway because she found the receipts. shoot that guy who won the legion lottery because she thinks it’s an actual lottery and he’s gonna have cash. nope. just open fire on vulpes & company.

i started to develop a loose moral code for her by the time i reached freeside and adjusted my gameplay accordingly, but that is, in fact, her tragic origin story.

iii. were they different when they were first created?

honestly, given the above writeup, not as much as you’d think. obviously she’s different in the sense that character/developmental/background reasons now exist for her behaviors and choices, and a few things have been tweaked accordingly, but those were more additions than revisions to the extremely vague concept that already existed. she’s the same old very evil karma bitch she ever was.

iv. do you enjoy writing them more than other characters?

i don’t know if i would say more, but she’s one of my favorites ( there are obviously other characters i write more frequently now, especially in terms of what actually gets posted to tumblr dot com, but i originally wrote for her a good deal ). in terms of gameplay and early-stage development, yes, by an absolute landslide. her first playthrough is probably to this day the most fun i’ve had in my first runthrough of a game.

v. what’s your favorite thing about them?

exactly her aforementioned origins, actually! she’s a loose canon in every sense, just a real liability, but she is, horrifyingly, running this shit now. she also lets me play with a lot of my favorite tropes ( the femme fatale, the dark messiah, god save us from the queen ).

[its-sixxers]

4 & 15, also what are her most important perks?

4 answered here!

15. what do the people in freeside think of them? the followers, the kings, the garrets, the van graffs?

Carmen’s shiniest reputation definitely has to be with the Followers. She’s aware that they’ve helped her out in the clouded past, and has done her very best to repay them for their efforts. They’re also the only genuinely good faction in the Mojave, in her opinion - so they’ve got her at their disposal. Handing over Vegas to the NCR damaged her relationship with the organization as they were pushed out of Freeside as a result - by the time she leaves the Mojave, there’s a healthy dose of resentment toward her.

She’s run errands for both The Kings and The Garretts. Carmen sees purpose in the existence of both, and there’s a cautious respect present. Regarding the Kings, that respect evaporates once the Bear takes the Dam and the Kings are driven out of Freeside. The Garretts are still able to ply their trade, so there’s no hard feelings.

The Van Graffs might have gotten away with their operations if it wasn’t for Carmen taking such a liking to Cass. Fortunately for them Carmen went the peaceful route (out of practicality - uncertain she could take out the Van Graffs in a shootout) - so while they didn’t pay with their lives, the blackmail courtesy of the NCR is an indignity. Definitely not on warm terms with her.

In general, Freeside is the part of Vegas Carmen likes the most, and also the part most damaged by her decisions when it comes to the Dam. It cuts her up pretty bad.

Perks!

Black Widow/Cherchez la Femme - Bisexual double threat, obviously.

Stonewall - Hard to kill is her whole vibe, man.

Sniper, Nerves of Steel - Relatively self explanatory. Her aim’s something to be scared of.

Roughin’ It, Divide Survivor - The wild and inhospitable wastes are home to Carmen.

Courier Asks

[guardianofmemes]

Mojave Morality; or Why Some Factions are Mixed but Legion Bad and Can We Stop Denying it

When it comes to asking which faction is Good and Evil, you may first think the NCR are the clear good guys, or that Mr. House will lead to greater standard of living. But friends, we should take into account the futures of these factions and the potential social changes that would take place within them, Vegas or not!

The Republic is an imperialist, expansionist nation with economic disparity and a government controlled by the rich few. Still, it is possible for a social and political revolution to take place, as the people still can directly vote and there are few senate seats, and they are EXTREMELY sick of the right-wing policies that have occurred over the last two decades, which are a recent departure from the rest of the nation’s history, under Tandi and Aradesh. And it is still entirely possible the people could overthrow the government with some measure of ease. The nationalistic nature of the United States has not yet had chance to fully take root in the Republic, most people consider themselves citizens of the Boneyard or Hub before being citizens of the Republic, members of the military included. The draft isn’t popular. And while their war crimes are less than America’s, they exist.

Independent Vegas, well this one isn’t really detached from the big factions, its entirely dependent on you choosing that path for that specific territory. But from cut content we can see that the Strip was barely being held together under Mr. House as it is, and it all goes straight to chaos as soon as you come to power. Still, the actual villages and towns of the Mojave are rather well-off and prosper under their own rule, as independent settlements under no central authority. With this comes a lack of centralized ability to project force and protect the lone  communities, so they are left to their own defense as well. Tiny micro-nations.

Mr. House has always been more machine than man, even before he got hooked up on life support gone wrong. He lacks empathy, does not consider other people to actually be people, just pieces to move around on the game board, a game he is playing against reality. He wants to spit in the eye of the mystic, the divine, in the belief of human kindness and capacity for peaceful co-existence. This is just how the man is, a true Ayn Rand protagonist, the Great Man wrought to existence. And how would the Great Man rule exactly? Through force of arms, but not even with a slight veneer of self determination or free will. A board of directors to rule his new galactic megacorporation empire made manifest, yet it would be a board he could overturn at any moment on a whim. He alone, playing the entire human race like a video game, Civilization IV or Stellaris, just looking at the spreadsheet of numbers as little pixels move around, making decisions that simplify the equation, like wiping out the Brotherhood because they are a stray variable he cannot account for in his grand plans. He has the ability and intellect to rebuild the industrial sector, maybe even take us to space, but that’s the problem with the Rich isn’t it? They’d rather abandon this planet and just find an easier solution than get their hands dirty fixing this world. 

And we come upon him at last, the tyrant of tyrants, he who wishes to defy his fate even more desperately than Robert House himself. The plagiarist with a real severe case of hypocrisy and Brain Disease, its time for Caesar. Why do I say Caesar instead of Caesar’s Legion? Because he is the faction, he is the glue that binds the whole operation together. Its not at all a hot take, even in the game itself they acknowledge as soon as Caesar dies, the Legion will split among its squabbling generals and the territory will fall to chaos, because his men follow the man himself, not his ideals. As a fascist, he has no true ideals, the man shifts with whatever works best. Guns are normally forbidden to them, but a Centurion conquered an entire tribe of strong warriors with his minigun? Well now give him a suit of special commemorative armor and let him keep using it. No modern medicine yes, men must be stronger than such luxuries? But he will very openly tell you about the auto-doc he bestows upon those he favors, and has no problem with you removing his tumor. The man is weak of spirit and will, he seeks to make himself known in history, to last beyond his death. And so we come to his mid-life crisis, life under Caesar’s Empire. One could say yes, its safe to live in his territory, the regular patrols excise the tumor that are raider gangs and hostile wildlife. But is that a reason to excuse the tithes one must pay to his Legion? The young men taken to serve, the women taken for slave labor and much more horrible things? The public executions and mass torture over minor trespasses, such as possessing recreational drugs? A total lack of political freedom, zero social mobility; a world that even if you somehow view going back thousands of years in terms of social, technological, and political progress to the age of the tyrant as GOOD, will collapse as soon as he dies of his brain tumor, old age, tripping over a landmine, or assassination? If that is really what you see as the ideal world, or somehow a neutral society in terms of morality, I really don’t know what to tell you. I wish I knew what to say.

[ipec30]

The Evolution of Engineering

As Elon Musk quoted “engineering is the closest thing to magic that exists in the world”, no doubt engineers are the ones who are truly responsible for the creation of every notable advancement in tools and technology since ancient times be it the building of roads and bridges, commercial airplanes, microwaves or electrical and electronic devices, machinery, and systems. But over the years this industry has seen a complete transformation. It is no longer limited just to bridge building and steam engines it has expanded to everything from cloud experts to robotics.

Let’s dive into how engineering has evolved over the centuries.

Ancient Times

Let’s start with the most common branch of engineering that is civil engineering when Imhotep, the Egyptian chancellor and a legend designed and supervised the construction of the first pyramid in Egypt. 

 During this time only analog computers were invented and the “Antikythera mechanism” was used to predict the astronomical positions that show a solid foundation of mechanical engineering back in the days.

Middle Era

This era is considered as the age of inventions. Students who treat engineering as their passion must have heard of the name Al-Jazari. He is one of the greatest engineers of his times who came up with the first-ever water supply system, suction pumps, crankshafts, and a variety of clocks. He also wrote a book filled with more than fifty inventions that are still used in modern-day engineering.

The renaissance of engineering

Around the 1600s, electrical engineering came into the picture when William Gilbert who is known as the father of electricity and magnetism coined the word “electricity” in his publication De Magnete. During this time only Thomas Savery built the first-ever steam engine that led to the way for the industrial revolution.

The Modern Era

Industrial Revolution

Around the 1800s, engineering jobs took off and led to the exploration of different branches of engineering. Chemical and electrical engineering developed, marine engineering came into the picture when people started taming the dangers of oceans, aeronautical engineers started creating fights for masses and industrial engineers started mass production.

The information age

After the Second World War, the world saw an eruption of engineering jobs due to the invention of new technologies. Turbojets and rockets led to the propelling of aeronautical engineering whereas nuclear powers lead to the hurling of nuclear engineering. But the driving forces were computers and forces that drove forward engineering during that period.

Present Times

In present times, engineering has evolved manifold. Tech continues to expand with the use of super specialist computers. Javascript programmers, cloud specialist, operating systems, testers, developers, have become increasingly advanced. Be it big empires or small businesses everyone relies on proprietary code to run their businesses. Everyday engineers are trying to transform dreams into reality with more and more use of artificial intelligence, internet of things, etc.

So, as long as engineers’ desire to build new things doesn’t come to a halt, engineering will keep evolving and the importance of Engineering will keep soaring high. To make a successful career in engineering visit ipec.org.in, the best private engineering college of Delhi NCR.

[blockwarden]

Civil Defense in the Fallout Series

For better or worse, nuclear warfare has dominated both the American psyche and American media since the dawn of the Cold War. From duck and cover drills to War Games, to fallout shelters and The Day After, we have long looked at the what-ifs of nuclear warfare with an almost violent curiosity—like a train wreck or a plane crash, we simply cannot look away. Although the threat of nuclear war and mutually-assured destruction no longer looms like the spectre of death over our shoulders, we still find ourselves fascinated by it, and our media reflects this. An almost infinite number of books, television shows, movies, and video games have been dedicated, in some part, to the prospect or aftermath of nuclear warfare. Video games especially being a relatively new, mostly immersive medium, have taken the theme of nuclear warfare and ran with it, including Metro 2033, S.T.A.L.K.E.R., DEFCON, Civilization V, Call of Duty, Metal Gear Solid, and Ace Combat Zero, to name just a very small number of them. But no game series is more synonymous with nuclear warfare as the Fallout series.

Although I could personally talk about the Fallout universe, the history, the sociopolitical setting, and the Great War itself for hours on end, the gist of the series is that in a retro-futuristic, alternate timeline world, on October 23, 2077, “Red China,” the Soviet Union, and the United States finally pulled the trigger and engaged in a full-on nuclear war, with bombs falling on most U.S. cities, including Las Vegas, Boston, New York City, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C. The war itself lasted only two hours, but more energy was released in the first moments of the Great War than all the previous human conflicts combined. Entire mountain ranges were created by the sheer tectonic stress caused by the bombs, and the oceans and rivers of the world were contaminated irreversibly by the “relatively low-yield” warheads. In short, the Fallout series is a (somewhat exaggerated) look at the realities of mutually-assured destruction, and a clear representation of all our nuclear fears.

But how realistic is this? How likely is it that if something like the Great War were to happen today would our land and water still be unusable 200 years in the future? In discussing this, we need to first look at the preventative measures taken in the Fallout universe. And this starts with civil defense.

Not much Fallout canon is dedicated to civil defense. Although there are posters from the “Civil Defense Administration” found in-game, most preventative measures in the Fallout series come from Vault-Tec and their vaults. But these vaults were sociological experiments disguised as fallout shelters, and ultimately, Vault-Tec was not actually concerned with the preservation and continuation of the United States post-war. Some vaults were rigged with poisonous gases, some had purposefully faulty blast doors, and some were simply absurd (such as Vault 77, which was populated by 999 puppets and one man.) Since we can’t consider Vault-Tec an agent of emergency preparedness or disaster response, we must turn back towards the aforementioned Civil Defense Administration.

We know from in-game dialogue, terminals, notes, holotapes, and even character backstories that most people in 2077 were expecting a war any day. We can find personal basement shelters in bombed-out neighborhoods, Pulowski personal preservation shelters dotting street corners, and in the beginning of Fallout 4, as the bombs approach Boston, we can hear air raid sirens. We can find government bunkers like the South Boston military checkpoint and the Greenbrier Resort, and although not morally aligned to the concepts of American civil defense, some vaults did manage to provide safety for generations of dwellers. So, we know that some effort was made, and we can assume that these efforts were spear-headed by the Civil Defense Administration. But this is where the similarities between historical American civil defense and Fallout civil defense stop.

Walking around in a Fallout game, you encounter decimated homes and buildings, upturned roads, and irradiated water and soil. Skeletons litter the landscape. The few remaining buildings for the most part lack running water or electricity. There is no trash collection, there are no vehicles, there aren’t even any authorities outside of rag-tag militias capable of curbing the rampant crime across the wasteland. Doctors are few and far-between and mostly self-taught, and pockets of radioactive waste remain in open-air pits. If the Fallout series truly had a Civil Defense Administration, this dangerous, dirty, destroyed world would simply not exist.

Historically, civil defense has focused on both emergency preparedness and disaster response. The civil defense agencies of the United States were comprised of rescue squads, decontamination squads, demolition and clearance crew, auxiliary police officers, auxiliary firefighters, nurses, doctors, road repair crews, utility repair crews, drivers, messengers, radio operators, food and housing corps, chaplains, refuse collection crews, and even gravediggers—all who focused on disaster response and, more importantly, rebuilding. Civil defense was almost singularly-focused on the idea of rebuilding, of piecing the country back together after an emergency, of reestablishing normalcy as quickly as possible.

In Fallout, however, this doesn’t seem to be the case, except for a few exceptions. After the bombs fell, those remaining U.S. Armed Forces members tried their best to maintain order and control, but they quickly succumbed to the radiation and mobs. Then there were the Responders, seen in Fallout 76, who were an organization of police, firefighters, medics, and general volunteers that emerged in 2082 to provide medical assistance, supplies, and survival training to survivors. They were followed by Project Purity in Fallout 3, which was dedicated to decontaminating the water of the Washington D.C. area and providing potable water for survivors, although the project began in 2277, 200 years after the bombs fell. The last exception would be the Mojave Express, a courier service seen in Fallout: New Vegas in 2281. There is also the NCR Sharecropper Farm in Fallout: New Vegas, as well as a pastor in Diamond City in Fallout 4. But this is…it. There is no large-scale, nation-wide effort to rebuild. There are corpses and skeletons left where they fell, there are burnt-out cars left in the middle of the road, there are collapsed bridges and spewing pipelines and ponds so irradiated they’ve birthed new monstrosities like Swan in Fallout 4. There is no governing body, no faction that truly takes the reins, not even a surviving member of congress (technically, there was with the Enclave, but their motivations were selfish and generally fascist.) And this is anathema to the spirit of civil defense.

From a civil defense perspective, the Fallout series is almost insulting. It shows a total lack of law and order, a lack of neighborliness, a lack of effort to hold the world together. It shows tribe mentality, it shows the collapse of society, it shows the end of the world as we know it. This is not what civil defense, fictional or historical, would have strived for. It could be that, as we see in the case of Appalachia in Fallout 76, those who tried to rebuild were wiped out. It could be that, much like historic civil defense, it faced opposition in the form of apathy. Or it could simply be that a partially-recovered world is not nearly as compelling as a game as one where every water purification plant is overrun with Mirelurks and feral ghouls leap at you from the public library.

This is a sentiment echoed by many players of the two latest titles, Fallout 4 and Fallout 76. I’ll spare y’all the student game developer rants as much as possible here, but there’s a lot to be said, so hold on. Most players absolutely hated the settlement system in Fallout 4. They despised the Minutemen, Preston Garvey, and protecting innocent farmers from Raiders. They hated having to sacrifice rare parts like gears and screws to build defenses. They hated the radiant quests. In short, they hated rebuilding and recovering. This could be because Bethesda did a pretty ham-fisted job at motivating the player to recruit and rebuild settlements, or it could be because Bethesda kind of forgot that the Fallout series, since its infancy with Interplay, was meant to be post-post­-apocalyptic. It was meant to be a game about a half-restored world. One only needs to look at places like Vault City or Shady Sands or even the New Vegas strip to know this. These were settlements that had rebuilt and moved on from the Great War. Bethesda has effectively abandoned this since acquiring the series, choosing instead to feature wastelands over burgeoning towns. So, while Diamond City and Bunker Hill might have running water, they’re still using oil lamps and sleeping in drafty, scrap wood houses as if the bombs fell just a few weeks ago.

A game where survival is not nearly as hard, where you aren’t grilling rabid dog meat and sleeping on a flea-infested mattress, is just not fun to most players. So, if the Fallout Civil Defense Administration had done a realistic job and cleaned all the literal skeletons out of the closet, Bethesda would have ultimately lost the one thing driving players in Fallout 4: the desire to survive.

This isn’t a condemnation of Bethesda at all—in fact, modeling at Bethesda Austin is kind of my dream job—but it is perhaps a critical look at their failure to use civil defense properly in order to bolster a certain environment, atmosphere, and play style. We simply don’t know, however, how much research and effort Bethesda (or even Interplay or Obsidian) put into civil defense. For all we know, one of their artists was simply inspired by the infamous “Serving you in time of emergency!” poster and didn’t think anything of it. But for a game that essentially trailblazes our pop culture understanding and opinion of nuclear warfare, it’s kind of a shame that civil defense is so overlooked. The Fallout series is almost obligated to get things right, especially when there are people who legitimately think the Vault Boy/Thumbs Up technique is a true way to measure fallout.

(It isn’t. This will get you killed.)