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holorifle · 5 years

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ok here’s that idea....

tents my fingers

okay

so like... vault boy, right?

stands to reason vault-tec as a company would want some bright-eyed, fresh-faced young boy to represent their entire brand and stand in the place where a cardboard cut out just wouldn’t be enough

someone to haul off to conventions where he can showcase their inventions and vault technology in the flesh, smiling and giving a thumbs up to uproarious applause once the seminar/showing is complete

and he’s just like. one of the scientists sons! he’s perfect, he’s young and impressionable and can easily be convinced to come live in the vault-tec HQ and not question a life of luxury with some teeny tiny restrictions... but as a kid having all his wants and desires fulfilled is a pretty sweet gig! those that will eventually leave instructions for the overseers can give him school lessons, no need to go to public school! those compiling recipes to serve in the vault cafeteria can cook for him! he can have all the giddyup buttercups he could ever want, all the toys and everything he could ever need

but there’s a problem with children... they’re pesky and they grow up, huh? so routine medical checkups (to make sure he is a happy, healthy boy!) turn into some small DNA samplings... which is okay, because mommy and daddy signed waivers when they agreed to work for vault-tec, it’s their fault for not reading the fine print :) and so cloning begins!

there’s a liddol problem tho, they can’t exactly have replicas of vault boy (who has been called that for so long, a few of the scientists have begun calling him “johnny sunshine” for a bit more of a humanizing moniker) running around the place... so they build another vault, a vault so seekrit that it’s not even on official records. they have people volunteer to go raise these fledgling young vault boys there, grooming them to take the place of johnny sunshine when he inevitably grows too old to be the face of the future. and since this is vault-tec we’re talking about, it definitely stands to reason there’s a lot of vt propaganda being shown to them as well as not a lot of social conditioning aside from... you know like pageant-esque training. smile! wave! vannah white the FUCK out of vault-tec products like your life depends on it! (because it DOES!)

this is called, at the behest of the people working in it, project sunshine.

project sunshine continues through the years, nurturing young johnnys and raising them properly - each has their own caretaker, and grows up in solitude, knowing nothing of the outside or anything apart from life in a vault. with no outside influences the young boys want for nothing, and have no questions as to anything going on above ground. from a scientific standpoint, they are healthy and happy, and vault-tec has an unlimited supply of mascots at their disposal.

in 2054, johnny sunshine is starting to get a little too old for his work at the ripe age of 17, and as per his contract is subjected to a number of “final” happenings. a less-than-lethal amount of blood is drawn and he is sent off to vault 111 to be cryogenically frozen. “it’s for liability’s sake,” they tell him, “so we can get your payment in order and set up you and your parents for your promised life of luxury!” but vault-tec, being vault-tec, has their fingers crossed behind their backs, and the original vault boy, johnny sunshine, at 17 years of age, is sent off to be frozen and never to be seen again. (his parents are dealt with too, as is the vault-tec way.)

another problem arises: the oldest clone is only 4 years old. and while cute as a button, he is ultimately useless for the job of being the face of vault-tec. so another idea comes to mind of the great scientists working there, and with the help of general atomics, a robobrain is sent to host the 4 year old’s great mind to be subjected to a year of experiments on memory recycling and rapid growth.

the robobrain is sustained by a flow of a portion of the blood og johnny had given, exposed to growth hormones and small amounts of radiation as well as an expedited curriculum of teachings intended for the young johnnys. the results surpassed expectations, and in that year the robobrain johnny had advanced as many as 7 years in just 365 days. had this brain still been inside the human it came from, he’d have been 11 years old. another victory for vault-tec!

with this process, the robobrain was no longer needed, and instead the baby johnnys were treated with this technique instead. not all of them turned out as well as they had hoped - a few did not stop aging regularly as the treatments waned off, and a few experienced irregular growths. these failures were moved to other cryogenic chambers installed in project sunshine’s vault itself to be kept for later experimentation.

by the year 2110, they had nearly perfected this process, but the cost of this project becomes an issue: going through caretakers and johnnys wasn’t cheap. what was a way that they could find a permanent solution to this frustrating problem?

the institute seems a promising lead, and with the DNA samples given(as well as an errant 15 year old johnny) the diligent, former CIT workers begin the process of forming the perfect johnny, an immortal vault boy. their efforts are admirable, and vault-tec is sent many iterations of various gen 1 synths dolled up as best as the institute can manage to keep the corporation happy. they program them to the best of their abilities, matching the mannerisms, personality, and even the voice of the boy they now were in possession of. johnny sunshine, vault boy, lives again, even though he’s a little stiff, a little mechanical, and not perfect... he’ll do for now.

years pass, human johnnys come and go, stuffed into storage and forgotten about. synth johnny gets makeovers and upgrades, and as updated versions of the synths roll out, vault-tec gets newer and improved versions of him.

in 2254, the institute annexes project sunshine’s vault to itself as part of the contract with vault-tec who as agreed, as part of the payment, to allow the institute to experiment on the johnnys and advance synth technology further.

in 2231, the final vault boy synth is produced. he is immaculate in every way, shape, and form, perpetually appearing 16. by this time, vault-tec has agreed with the institute to allow further advancements on his mental growth, but remains firm in the clause that he will be the face of the future. the institute agrees... but it’s at this point vault-tec can no longer afford the production or oversight of this last iteration, and he becomes the property of the institute in body alone. the sole rights to vault boy still belong to vault-tec, but the synth itself remains in possession of its creator.

no longer able to back their project, vault-tec returns to the cardboard cutouts and the lively, smiling face of vault-tec returns to paper signage alone. project sunshine is sealed indefinitely.

what ever happened to vault boy? the question on everyone’s lips gets hushed by the corporation, and soon enough, dies away.

until 2287, when a short power failure kicks on a generator. the process reboots many of the vault’s computers, including one keeping johnny sunshine, vault boy, in a stasis. he awakens in a small room with an open door, and a blinking terminal. his own likeness, in cartoon form, stares back at him, encouraging him to open the lone memo.

> Good morning, Sunshine! Today is the day that you will revitalize the face of Vault-Tec and show the world who you are, and all the wonderfulksdjlasdkjlwkle;sdfskgjkerjoifndnkns -

ERROR.

he thinks he’s human. he knows he’s vault boy. what he doesn’t know... is anything else.

> Reboot. ....Reboot complete.

> Hello, Vault Boy. Or should I say... Johnny Sunshine. Not everything is as it seems. Vault-Tec has a lot to answer for, but I can’t tell you everything here. Ask questions. Find the truth. Find me. - MB

somewhere in the commonwealth, armed with nothing more than the vault suit on his back, a bright-eyed boy searches for answers.

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ashwritesstuffies · 5 years

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Soul Meets Body Joshua Graham x Arcade Gannon

Got this idea at the ripe hour of 5:50am while talking to my artistically brilliant friend Angel @gangnome. This is loosely based on the ending of New Vegas where Arcade went exploring. I like to think he found himself fascinated with finding new reading materials. Naturally he finds himself following this bandaged hunk who at Happy reading you precious bastards!)

I want to live where soul meets body and let the sun wrap its arms around me,

And bathe my skin in waters cool and cleansing and feel, and feel what it’s like to be new.

The reddening ex-follower had been walking for hours on end. He’d left town when his Enclave identity was revealed, only seldom did he look back. Usually he cursed the sun and the sky and the highly irradiated desertscape he found himself trapped in. His idea was simple, when put on paper. Explore and study, find a place where he can thrive on his naturally high intellect. He’d told only Six where exactly his first trip would be, definitely not because he wanted backup.

He was headed to what was left of New Canaan. As he said to Six, his trip was to sift through the wreckage for what might even resemble a book he hadn’t yet read. Through the mountain spotted areas leading into Utah he went, until an ambush of White Legs remnants proved nearly life-threatening. At the near sound of someone attacking, he was caught off guard. Losing his footing found him sliding down the hillside into a body of cold, clean water.

The sounds of a .45 pistol firing kept his attention away from the horrendous fall. Against all better judgement he sat up in the water to watch what must’ve been fourteen men get blown to pieces by one man.

“Weird flex, but okay,” sarcasm flowed naturally from the blonde man’s mouth.

“They would’ve killed you, but okay,” the burned man’s wit was just as sharp it seemed.

He helped the man up and got him to the camp. He even stayed by his side while the smock-clad man self-administered first aid. After his wounds had been cared for, the leader asked him to stay a while. They spent many hours in deep conversation. From that he learned why his ex-companion had been wary to come back. It was, honestly, unsurprising to find out his old pal Six had helped overthrow nearly the entirety of their rival gang. That was always up their alley. He adjusted his glasses before making his own proposal to the ex-legionnaire. He couldn’t talk, he’d been in the enclave since he was a child. He helped the sick in his own way, mostly by teaching others how to fix their most common issues for themselves. All-the-while affections grew between he and his newfound friend.

At first it was a common admiration. then like a miracle Arcade had found a certain, less irradiated plant that had some numbing properties. Man might think it insane but the scientist found himself the first test subject. In an era without sunblock, sunburns were seldom helped out and certain cancers enjoyed taking lives to those without some form of protection. Applying the bark along with some ash seemed to cool off those pesky burns though. Proud he found himself looking to his heavily burned friend.

“So, um,” he had no idea how to say what he needed to say. “You’re in…. Constant pain, Joshua?”

“I can handle it, why,” he didn’t even look up from his holy book.

“I discovered something that might possibly help,” how in the hell did he get nervous offering this hunk help? The world may never know.

“Absolutely not,” he shut his book, stood from his perch and walked away.

This baffled the would-be medic. “Wait, what the actual hell?”

The New Canaanite stopped, “I said no, this is my cross to bear.”

Naturally the blonde haired gent had to go follow his friend. There was no way in hell, or on Earth he would let another person suffer if he could help it. There was an old saying, you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.

Cause in my head there’s a greyhound station where I send my thoughts to far off destinations where they may find a chance of finding a place where they’re far more suited than here.

The crusade went on for two weeks until the older man caved. He couldn’t help cracking a smile at the idea that anyone would gladly want to help the likes of him. On a particularly painful day he sought out the medic he’d somewhat employed. The binding bandages on his wrists towards his fingertips were the first to go as Arcade prepared his solution. If it could stop the places where rope burned into skin from stinging like death maybe he’d ask for more help.

“You ready to be subject number two in my notes,” a strange, unretractable statement the man lightly tanning man regretted instantly. “ That was… Um, Here.”

He gently took the hand of his acquainted and applied a small, rectangular-ish splotch of the sticky mixture. After it’d been painted on the reaction was nearly instantaneous. A hushed oh followed by a genuine smile inevitably met the top list. Breaking the silence himself, the bandaged man admitted.

“I expected nothing,” it was a small, pseudo-complement. “It actually stopped some of the pain.”

“You’re kidding, right,” he half expected everything he worked for to end in vain.

“For once, no, you actually helped,” yet again with the wit. It was accompanied by a grin that was nearly visible between bandages.

“Wow, finally, I can die happy tomorrow,” they shared a laugh as he realized he’d not yet let go of the charred hand he held.

That night the two sat a bit closer to eat dinner. Joshua told stories and things were oddly calming. No attacks neither animal nor tribal. The stars spotted the sky like bright freckles the moon was but a silver thumbnail up above. In the flickering firelight beneath the blanket of the endless sky the two’s conversations lasted well past the morning’s sunrise. On bedrolls, adjacent practically, they theorized everything. Each of the two men drifted off to slumber courtesy of the other’s voice.

The next day woke the acting leader after a few good hours of rest. He glanced over to the person who’d kept him company. It was unfamiliar, to feel this way about someone else after all he’d done. He had to, in his thoughts, find a way to figure out what exactly the feeling was. Like some sort of trial. He’d not the foggiest of ideas about the possibilities. When the blonde awoke there was cooked food and silent bible reading. Obviously he thanked the blue eyed food-bringer who’d been wearing onto his heart. In response the man’d been quick to pass the love onto someone else, claiming one of the Dead Horses had cooked. Protest threatened to fall from his lips at the blatant deflection of affection.

I cannot guess what we’ll discover when we turn the dirt with our palms cupped like shovels,

But I know our filthy hands can wash one another and not one speck will remain.

An unexpected guest came and went. Turned out several of the friends he’d left back in the Mojave were a bit worried about him. An expedition lead by Six to see if the Arcade Gannon they knew was still alive and well. Luckily for him, things were more than swimmingly. Six months had come and left bringing to his feet the very man of his dreams. He, of course, hadn’t said anything about it to the person of his affection. Six pulled their friend aside, seemingly knowing everything.

“It’s Joshua isn’t it,” their years of wingmanning had given them natural insight. “You’ve got the hots for him.”

“Who the hell do you--” he began to argue then stopped himself. “Yeah, honestly I’m taken.”

“By Josh,” they’d played only to get chastised lovingly by their friend.

When they’d left taking with them the rest of their gang, he had ample time to confess his affections. Six had pretty well insisted that if he thought this was it to jump. The last part was, in the semi-professional opinion of the ex-follower, was inconceivably hard to actually do. Little did he know, the one he had fallen for, too, was in deep in the emotional department. The blue eyed, swat-vested male sat beside his childhood friend. Intensely conversing over heaven, hell, and choices the men made.

“Daniel, have you ever thought of taking a lover,” it sounded hundreds of times better in his head.

“I have, why do you ask,” it was unlike the friend he knew to talk openly of feelings. However, that’s exactly what they did.

An hour or so brought forth the kind of confidence in the ex-legate he had long since forgotten. His loving friend hand fed him a pep-talk and together they assembled a bouquet of flowers. They were to be brought by the burned man to his crush. His gifts were met with gifts of sweets from the rosy cheeked blonde. Chocolate Frosted Fancy Lads, the kind of confirmation he so clearly sought. Words couldn’t capture the beauty of the entire moment. A well needed hug, however, was an offer neither could refuse.

“You got me flowers,” first to break the silence was the handsome scientist with lacking social skills. “I don’t know what’s worse, my chocolate offerings or-” Their lips met once, then twice, breaking the sentence before it could be complete.

I do believe it’s true that there are roads left in both of our shoes,

But if the silence gets you then I hope it takes me, too.

A month found the two happy in love. Given the upcoming holiday Arcade longed to see his friends. Every year he’d spent with the courier and their friends Raul would play his guitar and sing once popular christmas songs. Lily loved to decorate the home, it was all lovely. He couldn’t wait to share these traditions with his man. The one he once dreamed would swoop him up. They’d be proud and it made him so soggy with sentiment.

He talked about them a lot to his man, as did the fiery leader about his friends and the tribals. First they’d spent three days searching nearby cities for gifts. Useful or not the forest eyed man only ever became sappy during the holidays. It was like, a hidden feature of himself only few could see. Once he’d spent well over a few thousand caps on a crapload of repairs needed in the Old Mormon Fort. The look on Julie’s face when she saw actual huts being built to replace some of the tents. From then it kind of snowballed.

“So, you’re sarcastically devoted to your friends,” asked the one he’d been info-dumping history to well into their walk home.

“Pretty much, I hate them, but they’re the greatest,” he didn’t mind clarifying as his lightly calloused hand brushed the bandaged fingers of his boyfriend’s hand.

They’d commandeered a shopping cart from the side of the cracked road to carry back supplies and gifts. Among a bit of the salvage were a few sweaters untouched for the most part save some fallout and dirt. When they arrived back to camp, the green eyed man jokingly suggested Joshua try on the sweater proclaiming ‘Merry Christmas Ya Filthy Animal!’ To humor his love, he actually slid it over his shoulders and head. When he turned to ask how he looked, he was met with laughter and cheers. After such a display it was only natural that the blonde man bore his sweater with a one headed radstag.

“I look ridiculous,” he couldn’t help but laugh at himself and his decisions.

“We both look ridiculous,” who was the natural leader to not laugh with his love. “It’s an everyday thing, the sweater just emboldens it.”

“You ready to head to the Mojave,” there was excitement and adventure-lust deeply lacing his tone. “Your friends are going to love this, dear.”

The road back to the strip was actually rather lax, the only things daring to step up were Viper gang members who just wanted everyone to ‘stay as far as possible the fuck away from our post’. The burned man himself saw to it that no one occupied the post anymore, all it took was one shot whizzing past Arcade’s head. The shock on that blonde man’s face when the bullet grazed by was enough rage-fuel to set the building aflame but that he did not do. For miles afterwards the usual chatter was replaced with a calm, collected silence between would be married men.

Across the state line a ways into Nevada the green eyed blonde actually spoke up, “so you know you didn’t have to kill them, right?”

“I didn’t,” he admitted in response. “Until they shot at you, then all bets, my love, were so far off.”

“Okay, but next time we could always tactically evade getting attacked,” he knew in his heart that some people just could not be reasoned with.

That being a cold hard fact never stopped the small twinge of regret he would seldom get for the fallen. There wasn’t another word until they reached New Vegas proper. It was a bit of a surprise to find that the ex-legate had never seen the strip. The best friend of Mr. couldn’t make medicines from desert plants met them near the entrance to Crimson Caravan. Upon first sight of their old doctor companion returning was like seeing the first snow of a nuclear winter, except less death and more excitement.

Hugs were passed around like a peace pipe, then they were off again to the strip. It never occured to Six that they were the sole reason some of their friends actually made it onto the strip. Next stop was the Lucky 38’s presidential suite. Inside the old casino, many decorations were being strewn about with purpose. Ed-E had the wasteland equivalent of mistletoe and was flying around with great purpose. Stopping once in a while to get his friends to smooch. For a piece of AI tech, he sure had a way of putting people together.

The day for gift exchanging was upon them, Christmas some called it. Six just called it ‘give me what you wanna and I have some stuff for you’ day. After Joshua gave his first holiday sermon to his newfound friends, the building seemed live. In the cafeteria the salvaged securitrons had a line up of actual decent food. There was enough booze to tranquilize a young deathclaw. Then, after eating well over everyone’s weight in festive goodies they finally traded presents.

From Arcade to Six was an ample amount of stimpaks and some festive combat armor. In return he received an old textbook that talked about native plantlife in the areas. Joshua had given them all bibles, jokingly. His boyfriend’s hand in his he delivered the “you’re all sinners let’s party” speech.

“Hemhem,” spoke up an old brotherhood scribe. “Where’s mine?”

The smile that spread the width of green eye’s face was gorgeous. A true treasure for those who saw it, “hold on junk junkie I’ve got what you need.” He tossed a blue and white dress her way. “Did you think I’d let my gays go without?”

“You’re a dork, Gannon,” Veronica hugged her wouldbe wingman. “How did you know I liked the color blue?”

“Trust me, you wouldn’t want to walk around in gourd colors,” they shared more than their fair share of laughter. “Unless you’re like, into that sort of thing.”

Their sentimental shitchat was cut off halfway when the Courier brought in a runt gecko. They introduced the seemingly harmless pet, Squishy. That night was spent with great happiness. When it was time to hit the sack, it wasn’t surprising to find Joshua and Arcade comfortably snuggled up in one of the few rooms. They’d be sure to make this tradition a yearly thing. Finding the crappiest gifts possible and getting the same in return was more than anyone could ask for in the company of both boyfriend and best friends.

So brown eyes I’ll hold you near ‘cause you’re the only song I want to hear,

A melody softly soaring through my atmosphere.

A melody softly soaring through my atmosphere..

#joshcade #joshua graham #arcade gannon #joshua graham x arcade gannon #gangnome #falllout new vegas #fallout new vegas #fnv

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