#fallout 4 preferences

[libertybri]

Fo4 companions + Maxson react to accidentally falling into worm hole and getting sent to the past for a week and end up meeting their younger self. (Danse meeting himself as M7-97)

So this was one super interesting, lol! I had to get a bit creative for some because I didn’t want to leave anyone out + I added Strong and Dogmeat!!

Cait

The moment her former self was in currently, was what Cait then believed was the peak of her life. She felt the strongest she ever was due to her own raw strength and the unmentionable addictions keeping her going at a hundred-percent all of the time. Being loved was a foreign concept and there were no thoughts of ever inheriting a real friend or someone who cared enough to save her. Even if she were to speak to that version of herself, Cait knew she wouldn’t be able to get through to her then. There was really no point of exercising the thought to her that there was good in the world willing to take her in. That was left up to Sole, for she believed only they could ever be the one to get through to her no matter her state.

Synth!Codsworth

“Oh dear, was I always floating about this rusty in the beginning?” The new synthetic-bodied Codsworth stands ashamed of his former self. The robot floated before him with his rusty exterior and only motive to try and rid the world of its new radiated filth.

“Um, did you say I? I do believe you are confused, sir. Perhaps all of this radiation is altering your thought process. My Sir and Mum should be back any minute now and they would love to help you!” The robot version of himself gleamed at the opportunity to help someone in need, not realizing the person before him was actually himself in another time and body. He was also mistaken about the timing of which only part of his family would return to him. The synth decided it wasn’t in his best interest to tell the robot all of this information, as he always remained hopeful.

Curie

The synth looked upon her former robotic self with two strong feelings; one of relief and one of sorrow. She was of course relived to be able to roam free among the world and view it as a human, for which she loved humans very much. However, part of her was longing for the former connections she had while in this state. The scientists she was built up with and the experiments she held while as the robot were dear parts of her past that she held closely to her synthetic-heart. Though with all of the reminiscing, she is able to remind herself of why the change happened and how she can move forward with her new connections and experiments that she also appreciates.

Danse

Danse doesn’t quite understand why he sees the synth with a blank personality, meant to take his own. He doesn’t remember his life before it was stolen, but meeting him, who took his own life. The version of himself now was standing before that same version. “You know you aren’t me.” He is still astonished with the entire thing, hoping this thing doesn’t yet have his personality.

“I am supposed to be Paladin—“

“M7-97.” Danse cuts him off sternly. “That’s who we are… We become Danse with time.” Though still struggling to understand himself after learning of his true identity, he doesn’t allow this to be a setback and instead finds satisfaction in seeing himself as a synth in an earlier stage of creation. It gives him peace knowing that he has the freedom to write his own story now.

Deacon

Deacon absolutely loathed seeing his past self. The younger leaving destruction in his path. He had no desire to speak to him or allow him to know of his future’s presence. Instead he only watched from the shadows intently, forcing himself to endure what he thought he deserved. Watching himself completing ravaging tasks was torture to his new role. He swallowed back all of the hate and anguish for that version of himself until this wormhole was done tormenting him with it.

Dogmeat

Dogmeat is overjoyed seeing himself as a puppy and immediately wants to play! He can’t even remember what it was like being that small, but that doesn’t matter now. He is content with just playing chase with his younger self until they’re both too tired to run any longer.

Gage

Seeing himself before the corruption of being a raider was like a punch to the gut for Gage. He saw optimism and light in his younger eyes, bliss from what he believed was protection then. What was soon to come for him was an awful awakening and the Gage now knew that, so he felt more sad than anything. He assumed anger would have been his first emotion, but he couldn’t bring himself to be angry with the past any longer.

“Things turn out alright for us… eventually, at least. You’ll meet so many shitty people ‘long the way, but one’s gonna come around and change all that.” Gage makes sure to tell his former self about his admiration for the Overboss, no matter their current relationship. He owed his newfound happiness to them.

“Thing’s get serious with this ‘one’?” His former preteen self giggled at the ‘old-man’, teasing at any hints of a relationship of some kind.

Gage chuckles and shakes his head, “They’re alright by us an’ that’s all that matters.”

Hancock

“Yeah, I figured the day’d come.” The smooth-skin John chuckled a his later state. His eyes scanned over the ghoulified version of himself dressed in historical attire, but wearing it with definite swagger. “Say, that brother of ours ever come around? This fight worth it?”

“McDonough’s a lost cause, but the fight’s always worth it. Lot’s a people come around for you because you never lose sight of what’s right.” Hancock smiles as he reminisces on the upbringing of his people. A lot was sacrificed along the way; his skin being part of that recklessness within the upbringing. In his mind everything happened in its place for a reason. He had to be the mortar for his people and for that, he absolutely held no regrets.

MacCready

There’s so many things MacCready thinks to tell his former self, but when it actually comes down to meeting him, he can’t bring himself to relieve the munchkin of knowing the future. Those unchangeable experiences couldn’t be passed through stories, so instead he interacted in the only way his 12-year old self knew.

“Hey butt-muncher, you got cave fungus all over your upper lip.” He chuckles, getting on his own nerves very easily.

“Can it, mungo! This is a mustache!” MacCready can’t help but to laugh at himself. Though he made plenty of bad decisions in his childhood, growing that ‘mustache’ was quite possibly his worst small mistake he ever made.

Maxson

Squire Maxson was quite the sight to the older; having only aged 8 years since then, however appearing to have fought many battles that physically aged him tremendously. The young boy was still in training by his predecessor Sarah, yet untouched by the cruel world. Two years to come for this boy before his entire world changed and he would become the war-machine that he now knows so comfortably. Elder Maxson was struggling to find the words to convey to him former self, knowing nothing would change. He cannot label feelings neither, for that was a difficult task. The younger fears the man before him but not because of appearance but instead his demeanor. There was a darkness that loomed over him and despite only being 12 years old, the younger knew things were not well for himself later in life. “I become Elder…” His voice trembles slightly only then realizing what that means for Sarah. “Oh.”

“I do what’s best for the Brotherhood. I know what’s best.” Maxson says to himself, though it comes out more as if he has to convince himself of that. There were a lot of battles in his life but none bigger than the self-battle he is always going through. He wish things could be different for the young boy, but with the greatest responsibility among his shoulders, nothing could ever change for him.

Nick

Nick’s former self is a prototype synth, factory fresh and one of the first of his kind. As a prototype, his personality still wasn’t fully there as the Institute were attempting to develop prewar people into their synths. Nick realizes he never knew himself as a separate personality then, he has no memories before Nick Valentine. The image before him didn’t feel like him, so he merely watched as the Institute performed more experiments on him. Experiencing this wormhole creates more doubt in his mind as he tries to understand himself as his own Nick of his time.

Piper

The urge to approach her younger self and warn her of upcoming events was very hard to fight for Piper. She knew no matter what there was no changing the past but part of her hoped if she could just spiel enough knowledge to her younger self in this worm-hole, she would be able to break through the wall and change the order of events. Solemnly, she decides to instead nurture the young Piper as she needs.

“How different are things in the future? Is the grass greener? Do we find love? What is Nat like?” Her younger self, full of ambition and curiosity bombards her with several questions.

Piper cringes at the truth and does her best to mask the truth; “Uh, well, things are actually a lot different, but it turns out alright. There’s people there for us and we take care of them too… We’ll be okay.”

Content with this answer, the younger Piper goes back to drawing a portrait of her little family with the newest addition of baby Nat. Piper was only happy the innocence still had a few years before it would be lost.

Preston

In a nightmare-like tone, Preston was sent to himself at his lowest point. Though it wasn’t too far into the past for himself to see noticeable changes in his appearance, he was able to instantly notice the change in demeanor. His past self held no hope for the future or himself, he was lost in all ways and ready to give up. “The good fight is worth all of this sacrifice.” He tells himself. Seeing the future and what it holds definitely brings a twinkle of light to his former self, however he was still at a loss in his current state. “Good people give their all so the Commonwealth can stand for the future generations. You give your all.”

“What other choice do I have? These people are counting are counting on me.” The past Preston chokes back on his words. They come out a lot more confident than he felt in himself at that moment. He knew in his heart it was the right answer, as his fight will always be for the good of the people. Finding the courage was becoming onerous, but he was finally willing to accept the help of those around him to guide him.

Strong

“So this is what I become…” Strong��s former self wasn’t as shocked at the sight of his future as he was now knowing what would eventually happen to the world. “They actually did it, damned us all.”

Strong studies this human timidly, still not fully convinced at one point this was him. He decided to instead lecture himself for being sad about his current state, “HUMAN SHOULD BE HAPPY. HUMAN STRONG AFTER BOMB.”

Human Strong crosses his arms, “Human was strong before. I, er, you worked out a lot before… this. At least you still take pride in your athleticism.” Though the human version of himself was glad that teeny bit of self-sense was still there, he was still deeply distraught at his outcome with life.

X6-88

Depending on the path Sole takes, X6 meeting himself in his early stages of creation could be broken down in two ways;

A) Sole “rescues” X6 from the confinement of the Institute and he lives at a settlement after the Institute is blown up.

—X6 is faced with a version of himself that is no courser to the institute, but merely just a test subject of a synth. This version has plenty of training to endure before he could ever be a courser. While X6 thought he would be disgusted, or even envy the given fresh start, he felt nothing but pity for his former self. “One day you will be freed of the Institute’s reign. Your savior is powerful and compassionate enough to forgive a synth like you for all of the trouble you have caused them.” He tells his younger self, stating fact of what he knows now. However, this version would hear none of it and he knew that.

B) Sole becomes director of the Institute.

—X6 feels nothing when meeting himself in the early stages of creation. He knows from that point to where he is now, things would never change for him. This was his destiny after all; A machine made to serve and kill.

[thewastelandlosers]

Ghoul in Knight Armor!

Friend and I discussing about fallout armor and how much leather and metal they use, which devolves into how they like knight armor and how cool would fallout characters be in knight-like armor and then BAM Ghoul in knight armor So, this is Sir Aldric Manford, a pre-war Ghoul who was a Museum curator with a love for history and medieval times.

[degin00]

I missed drawing these two hehe

[amazinglyegg]

"It's what I was taught... I don't know if it was right..."

Remake of this

[never-gonna-danse-again]

favourite DCR songs

Because here, we think about the important stuff.

(fyi these are for the base game permanent companions, but if you want to hear about any others let me know :)

Cait: Whole Lotta Shaking Goin' On

I can't actually think of a reason she'd like this it just speaks to me. You can't deny that Big Maybelle would start playing and you'd suddenly look over to see her having a tiny dance and humming along. At higher affinity she's ask you to sing with her; a true honour

Codsworth : Way Back Home

Let's be real, Codsworth is a robot made to serve who has been stuck in the same house for two hundred years, all alone. When Sole starts bringing people back to Sanctuary and renovating the whole town, it was the best thing that had happened to him since pre-war life. He can help people, he can fulfil his duty as a Mr. Handy, and this song lets him reflect on how far he's come

Curie: Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall

She loves Ella Fitzgerald's voice, deeming her an angel (in a french accent, this will sound cute idk) and always asks questions to Sole about how they played the instruments, an art that has since become almost extinct after the war. Sole promises one day they'll try and find a guitar and learn the song for her

Danse: One More Tomorrow

This was him and Cutler's song. Back in Rivet City, they shared a flat somewhere in the complex, and they found a record left behind from the previous owner (one of the tiny ones with like two songs on). Other than the Muddy Rudder, there wasn't too much to do, so One More Tomorrow was often played on repeat. Cutler taught him how to dance to this song, and it remains as his favourite because it helps him remember how he used to laugh and smile back when they were younger

Deacon: Sixty Minute Man

100% hears this song come on the radio and proceeds to give Sole the most childish side eye known to man. He knows full well what the songs is about, but always manages to put some stupid spin on the lyrics and has danced his way away from a super mutant suicider to it.

Hancock: I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire

One of the few memories he still recalls from his childhood is him and his mother playing while this songs plays somewhere in the background; it makes him feel happy, though after so much chem abuse, he can't really understand why. He doesn't remember her face, but always imagines her voice singing along with him to every line.

MacCready: The Wanderer

Absolutely vibes with it, and though he hasn't been around with as many women as the song details, he's been roaming the wastes all his life. He's not quite ready to settle down because he's still trying to recover from Lucy's loss, and The Wanderer speaks to him and his nomadic spirit, letting him know it's okay that things turned out this way.

Valentine: The End of the World

one of his pre-war favourites inherited from his namesake, who attended ballroom dances with Jennifer every Tuesday evening; they loved the slow sway of this song, and even now Nick can't seem to shake the urge to turn it right up from Sole's Pip-Boy whenever it comes on. Can be heard humming it if you listen closely enough in Sanctuary

Piper: Personality

She's always been a great judge of character, even since she was a girl, so understandably, personality's pretty important to her. Her and Deacon duet it while travelling/ in a bar and have gotten surprisingly good at harmonies; Shaun's been trying to fix up an old karaoke machine for them so they can grace the whole of Sanctuary with a personal concert.

Preston: Good Rockin' Tonight

his old Minutemen buddies made a whole routine to this song after he told them he liked it; there's a lot of sentimentality attached to it for him, and doesn't hesitate to make new drunken mistakes to the song, if not just for them.

Strong: Butcher Pete

Strong likes Butcher Pete because he eats people. Butcher Pete is one of his number one idols because of this fact

X6: he claims to hate the station and insists that he much prefers the Classical Station, but really, he secretly loves Pistol Packin' Mama. How does Sole figure this out? They walk in to see him bobbing his head along with the music and singing the odd chorus while he mods his rifle. Most embarrassing moment of his life, but hilarious for the rest of Sanctuary.

[media-illiterate]

Fallout 4 Alternate Timeline

Because @datura-tea asked about my tags on this post, and I already have it sitting in my wips folder, I thought I'd post my alternate timeline of events for Fallout 4! It always bothered me that the Commonwealth is still so underdeveloped while the West Coast has trains and a working electical grid. So I tried to come up with a coherent narrative of how it could have backslid into its current state.

Timeline under the readmore because it is, not short.

2077: The Great War occurs. The surviving students and faculty of CIT take refuge in the institute’s underground particle-physics labs, locking the rest of the wasteland out. They live in fear of being discovered by other survivors and raided for their tech, making them paranoid and isolationist.

2097: Building on prewar research, CIT survivors complete development of their Mass Relay teleportation device. Dubbing themselves simply as The Institute, they fully wall themselves off from the surface world and embark on an ambitious plan of underground expansion, scavenging what they need from the surface.

2131: The Institute develops gen-1 synths to act as surface operatives, mostly removing the need for Institute personnel to go to the surface. Now mostly insulated from violence, the Institute much more callous and combative towards surface dwellers.

2163: The Institute isolates samples of FEV from the air, and begins a program of carefully controlled mutation. The resulting supermutants are found lacking, and the program is put on hold.

2176: The Commonwealth People's Government is formed from several prominent settlements. The new nation takes steps to protect its people from the Institute’s aggressive scavenging methods, earning its ire. Though the institute takes steps to try and destabilize the CPG, their new gen-2 synths prove insufficient for the task.

2177: Reactivating their FEV program, the Institute begin producing supermutants from kidnapped wastelanders and releasing them into the commonwealth with the intent to destabilize the CPG. Through careful false-flag attacks using disguised synths, they manage to spark a state of war between the mutants and surface humans that will last for more than a century.

2180: The newly formed Commonwealth Minutemen, a volunteer citizen’s militia created by the CPG, help drive off the initial wave of supermutants from central Boston.

2180-2224: Tensions between the Institute and CPG continue to escalate. Though the efforts of the Institute’s FEV project hampers the young nation’s expansion, the supermutants are too disorganized and scattered to topple the government. Faced with an increasingly cohesive and rapidly developing CPG, the Institute begins work on its Gen-3 synth infiltrator project.

2225: The Institute discovers information on Vault 111. Preparations are made for an expedition to recover a pristine pre-war genetic code from one of the pre-war vault dwellers in cryostasis.

2227: The part where they murder your spouse and steal your kid happens.

2229: An early model synth infiltrator "malfunctions" in downtown Diamond city, exposing the existence of Gen-3 synths to the world. The cause of the malfunction is never found, though escaped synths often claim that it was an intentional suicide-by-cop.

2230: Realizing the security threat posed by the new Gen-3 synths, mid-ranking members of the CPG's nascent spy corps founds the town of Covenant over top of an abandoned tunnel network. Posing as a new settlement, almost no one outside the project know its true purpose: the town is actually a front for researching a method to discern humans from Gen-3 synths.

2233: The Institute begins its infiltration of the CPG using upgraded Gen-3 synths, killing & replacing key individuals at all levels of power. Though paranoia about synths continues to build, most fail to anticipate just how far the tech has advanced.

2235: The Institute finalizes development of an advanced model of Gen-4 synth, dubbed Coursers. Incorporating FEV and cybernetic enhancements, Coursers form an elite corps of assassins that eliminate anyone who learns about the Institute’s plans.

(Side note: I think coursers should have been so much weirder)

2237: Having completed their infiltration of the CPG, the Institute kicks off their plan to topple the CPG.

August 4: The Executive Chair of the CPG council, Robert Gray, is assassinated by his secretary in broad daylight. During the assassination and subsequent arrest, the secretary loudly declares that the Chair has been replaced by an Institute Synth.

August 12: Scandal breaks out as evidence of massive financial corruption is leaked to the public. Protests occur across the commonwealth as the full scope becomes clear.

August 26: A special election is held, and voters elect minister of transportation Patricia Weiss as Chair. She delivers a hawkish election speech warning the Institute to back down.

September 10: A portion of the CPG stages a coup, using claims of mass election fraud as justification amid mass public unrest. They capture most of the CPG council members, and declare them traitors to the people of the commonwealth. Weiss escapes and sets up a government-in-exile out of Quincy with the remaining CPG military. She issues a two week ultimatum to the coup’s leaders, demanding that they release the counselors and surrender.

September 20: Before the date of the ultimatum passes, the CPG council is executed via mass firing squad in the CPG council chambers. Public dissent boils over into active civil war. The Minutemen quickly declare neutrality, but their attempts to protect outlying settlements are hampered by the widespread violence and lack of volunteers.

October 30: Under the guise of a ceasefire negotiation, the coup regime arrests Weiss. She is put through a kangaroo court and hanged as a synth infiltrator, to the shock of the public.

November: Multiple settlements withdraw from the CPG as the violence escalates, Bunker Hill and Goodneighbor first among them. The CPG civil war begins to peter out as both sides lose support, and numerous CPG military units defect to become raiders in search of pay.

December: Loyalist forces gain the upper hand, begin a reign of terror style purge of the remaining CPG officials, and declare the coup defeated. Weakened by the withdrawal of numerous settlements in reaction to the violence of the purge, the Loyalist government promptly collapses. Remnants of the rebel CPG forces attempt to declare a new government out of University Point, but fail to attract any major settlements.

2238: The CPG totally collapses. The remnants of its military forces, both loyalist and rebel, defect to the gunners en masse; many, disillusioned with military life, become raiders. Only the Minutemen command staff, operating out of Fort Independence, remain cohesive.

The collapse of the CPG ushers in an era of violence lasting decades as raider warlords exploit the chaos to carve the Commonwealth up into bandit fiefdoms.

Rumors begin to circulate that several of the key players of the CPG’s collapse were secretly synths. In truth, the entire chain of events was planned to a T, and leaders on all sides had been replaced. Only the Minutemen were overlooked, being seen by the Institute as just ragtag volunteers.

Several synth infiltrators defect from the Institute, seeking a way to free themselves and their peers. The organization they found will eventually grow into the Railroad.

Covenant, its secrecy miraculously intact, becomes radicalized by the fall of the CPG. Their methods become more desperate and more barbaric as time goes on.

2240's: The Minutemen begin rebuilding support for the CPG among the populace, striking back against the raider warlords and defending settlements from their depredations.

2250: Supermutant attacks increase sharply as the Institute releases more and more mutants onto the surface in an attempt to stop the Minutemen from reforming the CPG.

2274: After weathering two decades of freaquent supermutant attacks, Fort Independence finally falls at the hand of a mirelurk queen; unknown to anyone on the surface, this was the work of the Institute, who used their advanced signals technology to drive the creature into a frenzy.

2282: General Becker dies, leaving the Minutemen leaderless. The militia quickly declines, becoming disorganized and factional; raiders quickly exploit the chaos.

2285: Disgusted by his role in the Institute’s FEV program, Doctor Brian Virgil sabotages the program, mutates himself, and escapes into the glowing sea with the accumulated research. Distraught by the sudden lack of new reinforcements, the commonwealth mutants face an extinction crisis. Many begin to question their way of life, among them a mutant named Strong.

2288: The Sole Survivor wakes up.

[fallout4reacts]

Paladin danse‘s personal quarters are so big in game… I know they become your personal quarters after x events but like… feels so lonely and empty and weird.

I like when fic write Danse’s quarters more as link a personal “bunk” and make it small enough to basically just fit a bed with storage box, a desk and chair, and a mirror and locker.

What do you prefer? Big open quarters or tiny personal bunk?

[dykedvonte]

Vault-Boy synth that is absolutely hated by all wastelanders and vault experiment survivors for representing Vault-Tec and praised in such an alienating and dehumanizing way by still surviving vault dwellers.

All this while having to actively figure out how to be alive for the first time ever AND in a world plastered with warped abominations of the past physically and ideologically along with his face.

[daincrediblegg]

... am I going to have to watch the fallout show. am I required to do that now...

[3-inch-sam]

i got some fallout games bc they're on massive sale and started playing fallout 3. why is Liam Neeson so chill about his one year old son jumping on the furniture? i feel like he should be more concerned that im on the dining room table

[kasperbunny]

Sometimes my thoughts are violent Sometimes they bring me to the light

my lovely Arty but its based on the painting "the fallen angel" because we love religious imagery <3

[dooplissss]

nothing worse than when a character finally goes thru the character development they deserve, faces their trauma and regrets and everything that broke them down and finally rebuild themselves and arrives on the other side as a new person. and that person is annoying and unlikable.

[rad-roche]

you know i'm actually pretty curious

[surpriserose]

Sorry to report ive turned around on the fallout show i still think episode 1 was really rough especially for lucy and im sure once i finish it ill have more criticisms but its really solid and Lucy has grown on me im not immune to women and her character works way better when shes away from the rest of her vault and maximus is carrying the show

[themojaveexpress]

I was thinking about how New Vegas firmly grounds your character in the world, the courier is part of F:NV's narrative and you can't separate them from it. They are not a visitor to the world like the player is, they belong there, in that moment. No matter how outlandish the player character is, they're never truly out of step with the rest of the cast.

Which got me thinking about that connection being missing from Fallout 4. Which is ironic to say the least, given that bethesda did all that build up and back story for the intro - only for it to kinda mean nothing. I mean, it's almost the perfect set up - that extended, unskippable intro sequence that screams THIS IS HOME WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT. Why start in that place only to never circle back to it?

The whole schtick with the sole survivor is that they're "a person out of time", but it's not explored or discussed beyond initial "Whoa that's weird! Sucks to be you... aaaanywayyy..." conversations. It's kind of touched on in Far Harbor, when Dima suggests you could be a synth. But I'm really not sure if that was intentional or not. It's not a key theme, unless you imagine it to be of course. I guess I was hoping they'd use the "fish out of water" scenario to build upon themes of being displaced, being keenly aware of the fact that You Do Not Belong Here.

In particular I remember looking forward to them twisting the knife, so to speak, with your only real pre-war connection being your son, who is now further away from you, physically at first, he's literally out of reach. And then you find him, and he's not only aged beyond what your character could ever have possibly imagined, but now he's also emotionally and mentally distant.

For what it's worth, I like to think they tried to compensate for this with the companions and the settlement building, literally letting the player build a community around them. And if this worked for you, then I'm glad! Because I wish that had been enough for me. But outside of headcanon, and whatever I imagined was happening, it felt empty. And the frustrating thing is that bethesda could have capitalised on that! They had it right there, in their hands.

It's like if I stop adventuring and having fun for a few minutes the isolation creeps in and I realise the companion I'm with hasn't said anything for a while now, and I turn around to find that they're gone. Dogmeat is there though and he stares at me, head tilted to the side. He pulls a teddy bear out of thin air and starts shaking it. A pre-war car behind us explodes for no reason. I look down at shaking hands and wonder how I got here, and what was it I was supposed to be doing again? The ground starts shaking and I look up, Paladin Danse is racing towards me in power armour like his life depends on it. He stops in front of me and immediately relaxes, like he's the one who has been waiting for me. No one ever asks how I'm feeling.