#a FALLOUT theory

[lockheed-martin-unofficial]

I’ve been playing Fallout 4 again, and does anyone else think Cait is a reference to Charon?

Both characters are working for a ghoul in a suit under contract. They hate their guy, and are living a life they don’t enjoy. Not-technically-slaves, but they don’t have a say in who gets the contract and can’t just leave. Their main thing is being good at fighting. Cait’s a whole ass cage fighter, and Charon’s contract only encompasses combat related services.

Not to mention the red hair, that’s like the main thing. And the complaining. I’m not sure how much Cait complains, I wasn’t paying attention, but I think she does even just a little bit?

I can’t help but wonder if this was intentional, the developers’ way of elaborating on a Concept of Guy they left mostly vague in Fallout 3, or even giving a hint about what Charon’s backstory and even his future alongside the Lone Wanderer could be like.

[charlesoberonn]

Theory: The croaky hoarse voice that most Ghouls in Fallout have isn't the direct result of their ghoulification, but a side effect of them screaming in agony during the process. Their vocal cords never heal afterwards, leaving them eternally hoarse.

[jadeite-art]

I've seen it mentioned several times how during the gulper fishing scene the Ghoul would pull Lucy up from the water every minute so she wouldn't drown, or how he purposefully cut her ropes before sending her to the SDM so she'd have a chance to fight her way out.

There is however one scene that I've never seen discussed in that sort of context: the shoot out in Filly.

We all know how it goes: she gives him her pep-talk, he makes a step towards her, she shoots him with her tranq gun, he laughs her off and then pulls his gun at her, clearly intending to shoot her but get this:

HIS AIM IS OFF

If he fires that gun, the bullet is gonna fly just above her head and possibly hit the window behind her.

This is the man whom we have just seen hit targets in motion from a considerable distance and you're telling me he now can't properly aim at a girl standing still maybe 5 or 6 feet away from him?

This is even more evident later on when he aims at her again.

He's at least a head taller than Lucy but he holds the gun at his eye level (too high to hit her head let alone her chest which would have been a more logical choice since a chest is larger and as such easier to hit) and on top of that he even tips it upwads, ensuring that he'd in fact miss her.

Now what happens when he does in fact fire that gun? It hits Max' power armor's shoulder. THE TOP OF HIS SHOULDER NO LESS.

Just for reference, here's Lucy standing right next to Max in his power armor.

Do you see what I see?

Even if we adjust for the distance and Max being in a slightly bent position, the armor's shoulder is still definitely higher than her head. So once you consider that, it becomes obvious that the Ghoul was never actually aiming at Lucy. He was aiming just above her head because he never actually meant to kill her. He only meant to scare her off so she'd get out of his way.

[animusrox]

Sleep Theory - "Fallout"

[copdog1234]

War never changes. War never changes. WAR NEVER CHANGES.

That is the entire point of the series. That is especially the point of the show. War does not change.

Humanity was trying to rebuild, yes. But the entire point is literally that any one single selfish arrogant human can cause it to end it again. War can happen again. War will happen again. It is an endless cycle. And as people covet power, the whole thing will eventually topple.

That is why it is not a whole country that ended the world, it is a handful of heads from corporations.

That is why it is not a whole faction that "ended" the NCR, it is a single man from a bygone era who had a hand in ending the world the first time, that does it.

And I think that New Vegas showed us that the NCR was kinda crumbling already, too. The "fall of Shady Sands" wasn't the bomb itself, it was the beginning of the NCR's struggles. If I'm recalling New Vegas' plot correctly, the NCR was already struggling to hold the wasteland, to integrate people into it. There were resource shortages, it was getting too big, they had other factions battling them for power, and maybe your actions as a player had some pull either direction, but it's possible it wouldn't last.

If it wasn't a bomb, something else could've ended it at some point, too. Because war doesn't change.

As long as there's resource shortages, as long as there's mistrust, as long as people don't learn right from wrong, and as long as people muddy right from wrong.

That's the show, that's the games. Maybe the writing of that isn't always the best, but that's what it dwindles down to.

It is not a retcon, it is the main idea. It is not a "dumb take," it is how the world is.

Even in real life, there is sometimes hope and some things improve, but it doesn't stay improved, ever. Hope and despair comes in waves.

And war never changes.

[chillfinity]

OMG, I just realised something about the ending of the Fallout TV show!

The management of all the big bad corporations are hiding in the Tops Casino in Vegas (of course they are there, narcissistic psychopaths...)! The ending of the show literally shows us this:

They are in the basement in the casino somewhere, sitting in their cryo pods.

"You'll dig us, baby! We are the Tops!"

🤯🤯🤯

[zoebelladona]

i simply do not believe noelle was being truthful when she said she was forced to be friends with kris during the regular ch4 conversation with susie in dess' room. not when we see that she does like hanging out with kris in regular ch2. not when she was so happy for them to be talking like themself in the weird route ch4 monologue. i think, yes, their friendship started due to them being neighbours but it turned real. they're friends. they are the only two people who really know each other... but we are being denied that look inside. because kris does not want us to look. noelle is the only one who knows we've replaced kris, we can't get close to her because she knows we aren't kris

[untitledgoosegay]

so like ... Preston's family has gotta still be out there, right? he's not from Quincy, and if they were dead I feel like it would've come up

what I'm saying is, not long after Radio Freedom goes up, the rest of the Garveys turn up at the Castle to tackle Preston and yell "WE THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD"

[somethingaboutmint]

Fallout theories ranking. If you're wondering about the placement of these feel free to ask but you will not change my mind

[artbyblastweave]

"If they put more superheroes in Fallout I'll talk about it more."

🔥 The Silver Shroud?

The Silver Shroud falls somewhere on a spectrum between genuinely really conceptually interesting and borderline meanspirited to me. As I've mentioned briefly before, the paradox of superheroes in the Fallout universe is that they aren't a fundamentally weirder class of person than any of the other 1950s genre pastiche archetypes that we're expected to take seriously, but the flip side is that superheroes would match with the rest of the Fallout idiom so perfectly, and are so modular in terms of what other genre elements they can incorporate into their own genre, that they could easily become the most overbearing element of the Fallout setting if steps aren't taken to keep them siloed. Fallout 3 and Fallout 4 share a throughline in that they both silo superheroism by portraying it as the product of arrested development.

Kent Connolly is a sad, sad guy, with good reason. He's been trying to keep his hobby alive for centuries- terminals in Fallout 76 reveal that he's been adjacent to attempts to make superheroes a real thing for over 200 years, and it has never, ever worked over the long haul, and yet he keeps on trucking, trying to make everyone else see what he sees in these characters. The Shroud is a significantly different archetype of pulp hero from the ones who show up in Fallout 3- rather than a pastiche of the bloodless, stakeless four-color capes of the golden age, he's a more directly a pastiche of The Shadow- the 1930s radio-show proto-superhero who was significantly more willing to use gun violence as a conflict resolution tool than his successors would be. This dovetails with the gameplay loop- In Fallout 3, the entire point of the superheroes is that they're engaging in a significantly more limited playfight compared to what the Lone Wanderer gets up to on a typical Tuesday, but the Sole Survivor, when adopting the Silver Shroud persona, doesn't really have to change their MO at all in order to embody the (admittedly somewhat exaggerated and retroactively attributed by later writers and audiences) retributive ultraviolence of the Shadow's pulp archetype. They're doing their normal thing in a funny voice. And the extent to which you're just doing your normal thing is what really puts the screws to the idea that doing it in a costume is actually adding anything here. You are, at best, making a slight detour to slightly brighten a shut-ins day, and that adds a fundamental air of sadness to the entire outing. But at the end of the day, you do briefly embody the archetype. You do kick down the door and save the hostage from the gangsters. And as a result it does end up briefly straddling the line between deeply silly and deeply cool. The other thing about The Silver Shroud is that in a roundabout way it re-enforces my standing theory that Fallout 3 was originally meant to take place within living memory of The Great War. Of the three Fallout games that directly feature living superheroes, two of them- 4 and 76- are associated with characters who were directly enmeshed in pre-war pop culture. The Mistress of Mystery and her cohort adopted the superheroic aesthetic because it would still be legible to a plurality of survivors; Kent Conolly's rock to roll uphill forever is that he's one of the only people left to whom any of this means anything. But in Fallout 3 the two superheroes just sort of....materialize, after 200 years, with their shticks fully formed. Furthermore, in the Hubris comics office in downtown DC you can find a pre war letter to the editor extolling the relatability of the fictional AntAgonizer, and doing so prior to starting The Superhuman Gambit gives you a unique option for talking down the real one. My strong suspicion is that in an earlier draft of the story, The AntAgonizer was written as a pre-war character who sent that letter to the editor herself as a teenager or young adult, and adopted the AntAgonizer persona after living through the war as a coping mechanism.

[irradiatedpiratebooty]

fallout tv show ghoul discussion

the only thing i dislike about the show is their retcon of ghoul lore- everything else is a banger i had a great time but the lore changing the ghouls baffles me, as it retcons and changes literally every other game in the franchise. its funny, im not mad about it, im ok with the show having different lore than the games. i just hope they make it clear that its an AU kind of thing haha mainly because if someone gets introduced to the series from the show, and they go off to play the games, theyre going to be confused. so, what are the changes? well-

in fo3, theres an entire side mission involving the underworld, where the ghouls there really hammer in that the rumors like; that they regen and so can only be killed by headshots, that they eat people, that they can go feral at any point, and that they're zombies.

all of this is just propaganda spread by the brotherhood and bigots to justify murder and genocide.

none of it is true. they bleed and die like anyone else. but in the show, these things are not rumors, and they are completely true. cooper constantly has to take this drug from a vial that prevents him from going feral. theres no explanation on where this medicine came from, who makes it, whats its made out of, etc.

so, while in the game, turning feral is unknown, seemingly at random (theories range from genetics, lack of socialization, insanity, radiation exposure, and time) and ghouls dont just- randomly turn feral. but in the show its enevitable and therefore the hate towards them is justified. the only things that are special about them is that they; age much, much slower than non-ghouls, that they can heal faster using radiation. (to my knowlege, they still need to be patched up. they do not just regen. they can still get shot to death, or maimed. they just heal a little faster.) and they need more potent drugs, as it doesnt affect them as strongly (mentioned in fo3 by some ghouls in a subway) the changes made in the show heavily changes the stories of a few characters and places in the entire series.

for fo3: changes the entire underworld. these ghouls cannot leave this place. if they do, they're shot and killed immediately by the brotherhood nearby. they discuss how they're discriminated against. in the fo3 dlc, point lookout, the ghoul there presumably hasnt left the manor he lives in for well over 200 years. he wouldnt have access to these vials. tenpenny tower. their ban on ghouls would be justified then. the entire narrative involving the water purifier and putting the serum in that will kill off all mutants. with the changes the show makes, the decision whether or not you do this has no weight and eradicating mutants becomes justified. for fallout new vegas: dean domino. he hasn't left the Sierra Madre in over 200 years. he wouldnt have access to these vials either and would have probably gone feral a long time ago. for fallout 4: diamond city. diamond city's ban on ghouls wouldnt be an issue anymore. since in the show, ghouls cant die aside from headshots, the ghouls being thrown out into the wastes to the elements wouldn't really be as heavy of an issue.

(i cannot comment for fallout 1 and 2, as i am not as knowledgable about the ghouls in those two games. feel free to add on in reblogs if you know more about them than i do)

i love the show, i think its awesome. im basically consuming it now with the idea that its canon -within its own story and lore- and is separate from the game itself. cooper is a badass and the changes work for the show itself, not so much the entire series. which is fine in my eyes.

[charlesoberonn]

A team of interdimensional travelers go on an exploration mission to a universe where it's the 1950s.

Everything goes smoothly until one of the crew members accidentally gets in trouble with the law. The crew go to rescue them so they could leave but then they discover that the prison has technology far more advanced than what they thought this version of humanity was capable of.

Turns out this Earth has technology far in excess of the 1950s, but the government keeps the world in a false 1950s "utopia" because they believe it to be a golden age of civilization and they disapprove of everything that came afterwards. A sort of ideologically dogmatic nostalgia.

[swan2swan]

This is Brooklynn and Soyona, if you make a few small adjustments.

[spooookypookie]

can’t wait for the moment in s2 when Lucy is hurt and The Ghoul breaks away from whatever he is doing to shout her name

hopefully he does it in front of her dad just so Hank can see just how down bad they are for each other 😌

[stoat-party]

Fallout 4: Where is the Lone Wanderer?*

*a vague conspiracy theory which doesn’t actually answer the question at hand. We all have our own ideas of how the lore should go, and I’m sure yours is very canon-compliant and valid, but this is mine and I have support for it. Looooongpost.

First off: What do we know about the canon Wanderer?

We know they activated Project Purity (or had a companion do it) without the FEV and were inducted into the Brotherhood. We know they’ve met with MacCready (you can’t finish the game if you don’t), and he has dialogue indicating they had further contact. They also took the Brotherhood’s side at Adams Air Force Base.

We don’t know what happened with The Replicated Man, but since the canon Wanderer appears to have good karma, and info from 4 implies Zimmer’s disappearance was more recent than ten years ago, it seems likely they took the boring ending, which secures their membership in the Railroad.

Why aren’t they in Fallout 4?

The Doylist answer is that they’re highly customizable, and so they have no canon appearance, personality, gender, etc. But in-universe? Something happened.

“Accepting outsiders like yourself has proven disastrous in the past.” - Kells

“I've seen other soldiers come and go. Some were brave, some were honest... hell, some were even downright heroic.” - Danse

“Every doctor I've talked to was worthless. [] I don't need them... I need someone like you.” - MacCready

When Duncan first got sick, “someone like you” would have meant the Wanderer. This suggests (to me) that they’re not in the Capital Wasteland anymore. But they’re certainly not in the Commonwealth either.

The weird thing is that the Lone Wanderer is all over this game - they’re the namesake for a male hairstyle, a perk, a DCR song, a motorcycle brand… and the codename of Deacon’s mission to save the Railroad from certain destruction by recruiting the Sole Survivor.

Someday We’ll Find It, the Deacon Connection

Oh yeah, I’m going here. Desdemona’s terminal entries confirm it was always Deacon’s plan to get you onboard and use you to destroy the Institute. There are Railroad lookout posts near 111/Sanctuary and Red Rocket, and of course he followed you in Goodneighbor, Diamond City, and Bunker Hill (at least). His court jester vibe hides it a bit, but he’s manipulating you more than he’s manipulating Desdemona in the intro scene. And do you notice he rarely gives you a firm verbal disapproval unless you’re hurting the Railroad?

What could have caused Deacon’s interest in you, unless he’s made the connection between you and the Lone Wanderer? He’ll vouch for you if you haven’t accomplished anything yet, or even if you’re a Brotherhood member. A Pip-Boyed stranger emerges from a vault in the middle of a crisis, gaining friends, skills, items, and special abilities at a suspicious rate? Probably with the same gender and playstyle as the previous one? Heck, when he first heard the rumors, he probably thought you WERE the Lone Wanderer.

There are other indications the Railroad has been in contact with them — Desdemona mentions the Capital Wasteland as their primary destination for synths, and Deacon references Harkness’s recall code. If you refuse to pick a codename, Desdemona even assigns you “Wanderer.”

So what happened, then?

I think the answer lies with the Brotherhood, specifically in Deacon’s hatred of them. Sure, ideology is enough to hate them for, but Deacon sure seems suspiciously happy if you nuke their base of operations. (Some of) his comments on that:

“The Brotherhood... well, I met them on an op in Capital Wasteland a few years back. But now with Elder Maxson... Let's just say, not a fan.”

“That bastard Maxson really screwed them up. The Brotherhood used to be the good guys. Well, goodish.”

[Who’s Elder Maxson?] “He’s a piece of work, is what he is.”

And on his time in the Capital:

“Did I ever tell you about the time I was in Capital Wasteland? Now there's a tale.”

“Capital Wasteland. Exports: purified water, some decent tech, oh, and an insane suicidal cult that worships radiation. Thanks, guys.”

“I miss Capital Wasteland. You can actually drink the water there.”

And a few lines I’ve decided (with no evidence) directly refer to LW:

“Last partner I had wound up going... well, a little insane. I think it was all my show tune medleys.”

[After Maxson orders you to hunt Danse down] “See? This is what the Brotherhood's really about.”

And my favorite: “I’ve been looking forward to kicking the Brotherhood’s teeth in. I owe them.” This line comes before Glory is killed, so he’s not referring to that. The Brotherhood only recently arrived in force in the Commonwealth. He’s talking about something that happened in the Capital Wasteland.

So Here’s What Might Have Happened:

In early 2286, Deacon moves to the Capitol Wasteland for awhile, probably to get a face change and lay low for a bit. He contacts the Lone Wanderer, who has barely heard from the Railroad in nine years. They begin to work together.

(In context, this journal entry looks like he’s somehow gathering intel to predict when Vault 111 will open, but I can’t think of a way for him to get that information or know why it’s important, so I’m not going to believe it just yet.)

The Wanderer is still a knight, maybe a paladin. Maxson has been elder for 2-3 years and is monitoring the Institute. Meanwhile, the Lone Wanderer and Deacon are setting up infrastructure to receive escaped synths.

And then the Brotherhood finds out about one of the safehouses. With their limited understanding, they believe that the Institute is holed up there and attack. The Wanderer intentionally throws the mission — maybe disobeys orders, maybe downs a vertibird or collapses a subway tunnel, or maybe even attacks their brothers to protect the synths.

And, well-

Either they were killed, or they escaped court martial and execution by a hair’s breadth and fled the Capital, leaving Deacon to believe Maxson had them killed.

There you have it. That’s why they aren’t in Brotherhood dialogue or records. Their accomplishments couldn’t be recognized because they’re a traitor. And that’s why it’s personal for Deacon.

[forbiddenpurplesoda]

so anyway what do we think? after he and his wife seperated, do u think mr. cooper "the ghoul" howard got that ranch up in bakersfield like he wanted to?? the same bakersfield where vault 12 is located? vault 12 being the vault for which the experiment was to study the effects of radiation on it's inhabitants? the one with the door that was designed not to close??