#i forgot how cool nuka world was

[somethingaboutmint]

sorry to dump lore on you but i thought it was cool! and you are also cool!

idk if you've played much of nuka world but theres an insane bit of lore that very few people actually find: if you complete the extremely suck-ass quest Cappy in a Haystack you get to meet the disembodied head of the guy who made nuka cola. he begs you to kill him but his biggest fan begs you to keep him alive so she can hang with him. if you actually keep him alive and go back a few days later he thanks you and says he forgot how nice talking to people actually is. i think this is maybe one of the most actually nuanced endings to a quest in fo4 because it seems like killing him is the most merciful option after 200 years as a head and he actively begs you for it but changes his mind once shown companionship and kindness. and NO ONE talks about it bc NO ONE does the shitty quest!!!

THAT IS ACTUALLS REALLY INTERESTING. I was planning on doing the quest (last. I agree it sucks ass ) but thr choices remind me a lot of like harold from fo3 i think he also changes his mind if you keep him alive when he realizes how much good hes bringing to the wasteland by repopulating it with plants its cool i like characters finding purpose in their misery

[lesbx]

my objective rankings of (most of) the fallout 4 companions based on my opinions of them, mostly on how much i like them and how well written I think they are (or aren’t. in a lot of cases.) going from best to worst.

1: preston garvey. easily the best written companion, one of the like top ten best characters in the franchise, if not the best presented though. if he had not been designated as the lackey for the most generic and repetitive radiant quests in the game, he would probably have gotten to shine more as just a very good character

2: ADA. i just really like ADA i’m sorry she’s barely a character but i’m hugely biased bc i just like her

3: piper wright. Although not a companion I often travel with after getting to others, she’s still a really cool character. I like how she has unique dialogue animations and facial expressions to make her stand out as a very exuberant and loud person. her story is also pretty good, if pretty general. she mostly ranks so high bc it’s difficult to find faults with her

4: nick valentine. One of my favorite companions in the franchise, he just has such a rich personality and striking visual design, paired with a really strong narrative, good all around. Ranks below piper bc you can’t put him in any other outfits. peel that thang off of him

HANCOCK i forgot him. he goes here. i like him

5: codsworth. what codsworth lacks in plot, he makes up for in personality. i think him being connected to you from before the war makes for some interesting potential dynamics based on your chosen roleplay

6: curie: curie is really cute and good, i love her story and her comments on things. Only bad things about her are the weird tropes she falls into as a woman you essentially “make” and then can romance if you choose to. nothing too egregious, but weird writing

7: old longfellow. i think i just like this old fart.

8: danse. boring but nothing i dislike about him. his quest is good and an interesting twist

9: maccready. i like him, but his story is boring. i think the thing where they wrote him to be like really conscious about swearing based on his fallout 3 iteration is really really funny though

10: strong. i also like strong but he’s easily the weakest out of the companions story wise, effectively having nothing in the way of it. even his reasoning for following you is nothing you can act on bc his goal doesn’t actually exist and has no resolution. i usually like to make a settlement just for him and let him live quietly and peacefully.

11: cait. the only companion whose writing actively irritates and annoys me to the point of ALMOST disliking the character herself, although i do still try to like her despite it. one of the worst character plot lines bethesda has come up in the entirety of their work across all the franchises. just a miserable excuse for a character and story when it could’ve been so much better so easily, if they had had even one person with a brain in their skull in the building when they wrote cait, maybe she would’ve turned out better but here we are

companions who have been OMITTED from the rankings are dogmeat, porter gage, deacon, and x6-88. dogmeat bc he is immune to criticism by virtue of being a dog, and the others bc i simply have never interacted with them enough as companions to form an opinion. especially gage and x6, as i have still never like actually fully played nuka world, nor have i played an institute aligned character. if i had to just throw together a ranking for them though based on what i do know of them, it would probably be x6 > deacon > gage

[steelcirclecosplay]

No, I don’t know how to get into the Ghoulcrest Hunting Club. There’s some secret quest to get into the Ghoulcrest Hunting Club, but I don’t even know how to find the secret quest. I just think it’s a cool place to pose in front of. Also: Vault 77 was apparently really important in Wasteland lore a few years back?

After the world ended, this was the uniform that the Navy gave to electronics technicians.

Photography credit to John Fawkes.

Photography credit to John Fawkes.

So much Nuka-Cola! 

And then the Petro Pirates hired us for what they said was a rescue. @slyjinks​ forgot to bring a weapon with her, so I handed her my knife, and I told the Petro Pirates that Slyjinks is deadly with her parasol. We burst into the Wasteland Communications Corporation (WCC), and Captain Finn demanded the release of Jerry.

Jerry is a jerry can of oil.

The WCC did have an employee serial number on file for Jerry. “It’s an old code, sir, but it checks out.”

Nonetheless, the Petro Pirates insisted on liberating Jerry. They delivered him to the Juggers at the Army of Los Angeles, who were very, very confused.

[sleepysailorjunko]

home or something like it

The rad-rain was pouring over Diamond City. People hurried from the market, desperate to get inside and out of the storm. Takahashi and Percy were still attempting to vend their wares, seemingly unaware of every human customer's collective desire to be inside.

Only the Diamond City security guards remained, grumbling about how they were gonna have to have their power noodles with a side of Radaway.

"Knight," Danse said, and then paused. Not a knight anymore, and he was no longer their superior. "Pal-"

He cut himself off there. The fat drops of rain plinked heavily on the metal awning of the shop. It felt wrong for him to refer to the wastelander he had sponsored as a Paladin.

"We really should get inside." He finished lamely.

Tracey nodded. They hadn't been prepared for a rad-storm, and it was foolish of them to continue hunting through the market when nearly all the shops had been closed. Rain was already begining to make its way into Danse's power armor.

"I have a place. It's nearby."

When Tracey said nearby, it could mean anything. Sometimes it meant miles away, sometimes it was a few minute's walk. Luckily, this time it was the latter.

He followed her lead-she was much more familiar with this city than he was.

There was an empty power armor by the door. As far as he knew, this wasn't a Brotherhood safehouse. It wouldn't make sense for them to take shelter in one, not when he had been exiled. His brothers and sisters shot on sight now.

Tracey just happened to be a faster shot. She said that it was likely due to the diagnostic functions of her Pip-Boy, or maybe due to her enhanced abilities with her cybernetic eye.

He remembered how she had stumbled exiting the teleportation array. She was clutching at her eye. He had caught her in his arms before she hit the ground. Maxson had yelled for a medic. After that, it was many hours before he saw Tracey again. Hours that had been filled with Cade and Quinlan poking around her eye and into her head. She didn't like to talk about that.

Her hand fumbles a bit with a key, one with a Nuka-Cola keychain latched onto it. She steadies her arm, trying to halt a tremor that had crept into her movements.

"Come on in." She pushes the door open and steps in. "There's a bay for your armor in the house. I don't want it sitting out in the rain."

"That would make two of us." He says smoothly, following her. He frowns when they step inside. This isn't a safe house or even a warehouse of some sort. This is someone's home. There's a mat at the door, the type sometimes found in old world houses. A sign for Nuka-Floats, lights strung up to illuminate the dwelling.

"Paladin," He says, even if he doesn't feel right using that title, but needing to be serious with her for a second. "Who owns this house?"

Tracey's eyes narrow a bit, maybe in confusion.

"I do. I had the key, didn't I?" She respondes, although he knows that she doesn't need keys to get in. He's seen her crack open dozens of locks. She points him to the power armor bay.

He obliges. Wet power armor is a nightmare. He's going to be unsticking the joints for weeks.

"This wasn't really how I had planned bringing you here." Tracey says quietly. "Not that I had planned on bringing you here. That isn't how I meant that."

Danse sees Tracey differently in that moment. It's a moment where she's shed the cool exterior she puts on for the world. It's tender, and in that moment, Danse feels like he's very close to Tracey.

He thinks back to the Bunker, and her actions there. He still can't understand why she would react like that.

His clothes are wet and sticking to his skin. He had forgotten that in favor of observing Tracey. She hadn't been talking to herself persay, but her voice was muffled by her bandana.

She seems to notice their state of dress about the same time he does. He rummages through his supplies, but they are soaked through. Looks like he'll have to stick with what's on his back. He reminds himself that he's done it before and it hadn't killed him then. It's no different now, and he resigns himself to the thought.

Tracey, however, hasn't.

"Here." She hands him a set of dry clothes. What she hands him is men's clothing and he wonders for a second if she has a man in her life. Then he thinks that if she had, he'd have ran into him already. The mercenary she travels with sometimes comes to mind, and he wonders if that's Tracey's man. "You change behind that curtain."

With that, she books it back to the other room. He changes into the dry clothing she had provided and is shocked by the comfort it provides. They're very soft.

When he returns, Tracey is toweling her hair into a dryer state.

"Thank you for the clothing. I didn't know you had procured a house in Diamond City."

"You're welcome, Danse. Everything fits?"

"Yes, thank you." The mercenary's clothes wouldn't be able to fit Danse, would they? "Do you mind if I look around a bit?"

"No, that's fine." She's still trying to wring the rain from her blonde hair.

He does look around, although his observations are more field scouting than any other. He is curious to see if he can find any clues about Tracey's mystery man husband, and keeps an eye out for any possible clues.

There are three possible point of entry: two doors and a ladder to the roof. A stove and a worbench are propped up one wall and a hallway leads into a bedroom.

Tracey's bedroom, he thinks distantly. There are two beds pushed together along one wall. Above the beds, an orange and white Brotherhood of Steel banner is hung. Under the bed, he can see a suitcase.

It is improper to be standing in the initiate he sponsored's bedroom. His friend's bedroom, he corrects, but turns around and heads up the wooden stairs to the partial second floor.

There's a desk upstairs and another bed. A comfortable chair and a toolbox. Quite a lot in a small space. Then he sees the shelf full of toys and he grimmaces a little.

This is a child's bedroom. A bedroom for Tracey's child, a child who would never be able to sleep in the room his mother had prepared for him.

How many times had he commented about her stopping to pick up junk when she was picking up toys for her child?

He heads back down to where Tracey was.

"The location is secure." He says awkwardly.

"I suppose?" She says with a raised eyebrow.

"You should put on dry clothes." From experience, he knew that Tracey struggled to feel warm, and wet clothes weren't going to help. If he looked closely, weren't her lips starting to go blue?

She followed his request, walking over to the bedroom and retrieving a set of dry clothes. After she had changed, she started to work a comb through her tangled and damp hair.

"I don't think the storm will let up anytime soon. I think we should stay the night here."

"Fine by me." he agreed, and watched Tracey struggle to comb her hair. "Do you need assistance with that?"

"No, I can manage it on my own."

It wasn't often that Tracey accepted help from anyone, although she always seemed willing to offer it. Danse often thought that she was too stubborn for her own good.

"It might be easier if I did it?" He said, and she conceded.

And then they were sitting on Tracey's bed, and he was gently combing tangles from her hair.

It felt good being touched by someone who wasn't trying to kill you. Tracey had almost forgotten that. How many days had she lived without any sort of touch?

He carded his fingers through her hair. She didn't know why he had wanted to comb her hair. Maybe he didn't even know. It was such a soft, gentle touch that it left her wanting it to never end. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she blinked them away.

She hoped Danse hadn't seen. How would she explain that? "Sorry, I'm just crying because I forgot what it felt like to be touched?".

"Sorry," Danse murmured. "Did I hurt you?"

It took Tracey a moment to find her voice.

"No." With that affirmation, he took up Tracey's comb and used it, gently turning her head to better reach.

How bizarre. He was sitting on Tracey's bed combing through her hair. Decorum didn't outline this particular scenario, but he knew he was acting a little too familiar for a sponsor. A twinge in his chest reminded him he wasn't required to adhere to the rules of the Brotherhood anymore.

He pulls the comb through her hair a little too sharply and she hisses a little.

"I didn't mean to do that." His voice is soft, barely audible, in that moment because it feels wrong to be anything else. "Sorry."

It's nice to comb through Tracey's hair, even if it was bizarre. In another life, she had been his knight. Eventually, her hair is combed through, and he feels reluctant to stop. As if he would lose something if this were to end.

When that thought occurs to him, he forces his hands to stop.

"I think I'm done." He says, and Tracey quickly smooths her hands over her hair, mussing it in several places.

"Thank you." She moves to stand, his knee grazing the back of her thigh. Both of them avoid eye contact. "I'll go fix dinner. I have supplies here that should be good."

He decided to check his power armor while she did that. It gave him something to do at the very least, and he wanted to make sure he had catalogued any repairs that needed to be made to his X-01.

He could see Tracey cooking in her little kitchen. She had a stove rigged up rather than one of the cooking spits found in the wastelands. It was was nothing pre-war, sure, but it was functional. She was bustling about and humming to herself, no bandana to muffle the noise.

He found that he liked it as he disassembled his power armor. In fact, Danse sort of lost himself in the process of repair and listening to Tracey hum absent-mindedly as she cooked. If it wasn't for the fact that they had spent plenty of evenings repairing their weapons or armor together, he would say that this evening was domestic.

A hand on his shoulder breaks him out of his reverie.

"It's time to eat." She offers him a hand up from where he was crouched on the ground, and he accepts it. She takes their chipped pre-war bowls off the stove and then, as if she's just realized it, says "I don't have a table."

She seems so flustered at this. Like she's somehow spurned him by not being a good host when they are taking shelter from the rain. It's sort of fascinating to watch her come to some solution.

"We can eat at the couch? Or in the bedroom, if you'd prefer that."

If it was coming from anyone else, Danse might have thought they were flirting. He wouldn't have known what to do if they were-not that he would know what to do if Tracey flirted with him either.

He doesn't entertain that thought any further.

"The couch will be fine." he says, coughing a little to clear his throat. "This looks delicious, thank you."

"No, of course." They sit on the couch and enjoy their simple meal.

"So you decorated your house and you forgot to get a table?"

"I'm not here that much. I basically bought and decorated the house one night. Before today, I hadn't been back here since I visited the Institute."

He blew on his next bite before he ate it.

"I sort of wish I hadn't bought the house. Seeing Kellogg's memories really gave me hope that I'd see Shaun again."

"You bought this house to live in with your son?" He feels a pang of sympathy for her. He had hoped she would be able to reunite with her son, but it ended up just deepening his hatred for the Institute.

"Yeah. I thought it would be the best place for him to live. There's a school here, and he'd grow up with other kids. It would be better than travelling with me all the time." She rested her fork on the bowl. "But it doesn't matter. I just haven't decided what to do with his things yet."

"I'm sure you'll come up with something." He patted her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. "What does the mercenary say?"

"Oh, MacCready?" She poked around her bowl with the fork. "I haven't asked him. Piper might have an idea though. I'll ask next time I see her. I don't want it all to go to waste."

How like Tracey, to think that. He knew that if a random wastelander asked for help creating something like this, she'd be ready to help in an instant.

"So he doesn't live with you?" He was prying, he knew.

"Only when we're travelling together. Don't tell him, but he's practically a brother to me. Why do you ask?"

"Security reasons." It was a logical enough explanation, he thought.

Tracey didn't question him any further. They finished their meal in companionable silence.

"I'm tired out. You can take the bed, I'll take the floor."

"There are two beds." He said plainly. "You don't need to sleep on the floor."

"I can't sleep in the bed. I'll get it dirty."

He narrowed his eyes at her.

"And it won't get dirty if I sleep in it?"

"You don't have the same blood on your hands as I do."

He wanted to fire back that he did, in fact, have the same blood on his hands. He looked Tracey in the eyes. There was sincerity there, and he understood what it meant. She didn't think she was worthy of that comfort, as meager as it may be.

Taking one of her hands in his, he examined it.

"Your hands are clean. You can sleep in one bed and I'll sleep in the other."

She still looked reluctant. More drastic measures were needed then. Releasing her hand, he grabbed at her waste pulling her up into his arms. It was a little awkward, sure, but he settled her into a princess carry.

What a show of trust in him that she didn't fight him when he picked her up. Had it been anyone else, she'd have fought the whole way, broke their grip and then shot them.

Danse was plenty strong, but Tracey weighed less than he thought. Needed to eat more, he notes, pressing Tracey closer to his chest.

"You're on the bed now and it isn't dirty. You can rest now, soldier."

Later, he hears a response in the night. So quiet he might have missed it.

"Thank you, Danse."

Tracey's house wasn't home to either or them. But maybe one day, it could be

[dinopant]

Yknow i shit on fo3 a LOT (rightfully so to be fair is a fucking mess) but its still my favirote fallout game

So a shout out to the thing in the game that I DO like

Lone wanderers dad is a good man i like him a lot

The lone wanderers story is very cool i genuinely like it a lot, its not as intertwined with all of the world like the couriers is but its simple connection tk your dad who was is very neat. This story of legacy and sacrifice

The lyon pride, while I still have complaints about how this group was like executed in the game i think it has a lot of potential! I think something very interesting could have come from it if fo3 didn't feel so half done. AND i think fo4 with is BoS leg humpy behavior they rEALLY could have pulled from fo3 story but they don't and it feels so week I have so much to say in how they could have done the BoS in fo4 but that's a long rant for another day

Elder lyons and Sarah Lyons while still have the same general issues I have this the pride I still like them and think their cool

Star paladin!! My fuckin God mother who none of the fandom even tries to remember exist??? The only time I see people remembering she exist is to fuckin whitewash her and make her young and sexy for mods >:(

Sierra petrovita! What a fucking gem, a crazy queen I love her and her nuka cola aesthetic she knows what she likes!

Buttercup the first bi girl to ever exist i love her

Red from big town also i love her that is my friend

The family, they were dumb and coulsa been way cooler buT the fact there sure were a cult of people who clearly gained health from drinking blood living in the sewers is very very funny. Just some fucking vampires in the sewers

The metro, I know the trains suck to navigate but you KNOW while your down their its just kinda cozy and fun to be down there

Charon, yes another thing of fo3 that feels like it just isn't finished and could be more but I do know we all love Charon

In general all of the underworld was very neat and characters in there like charon, snowflake and gobs moms! Love it

Gob!! Once again its a place in the game that feels like it could flesh out more but :/ guess ill die!

The republic of Dave, fuck Dave im the king of his fyckin funny civilization

That one randomly spawning group of hockey players who basically had diamond city's idea of baseball being a blood sport but for hockey which, very funny orginal kings

Butch deloria, he is very funny and I love him very much. Absolutly all I love, goofy grease who's gang consist of like 2-3 people and their all cowards. Also butch is the only companion in the game it feels like you sorta actually have companion quest with.

Point lookout, I think that dlc is VERY fun. I like the feel of it and it has neat stuff. Plus the cult shit which let's you do stuff in the dlc area AND in the main game area.

Mother ship zeta dlc was boring as shit BUT very specifically the abominations scream pointing at me very funny. Very funny alien abduction. But beside that kinda not a good dlc

The pitts, while again ough problems. Playing as a good person and getting to absolutly kill the shit outta the slavers and take their baby and baby is yours now is very fun. Ans those funny horrible creatures running around while you collect iron

I personally find it funny that the timeline decided that the lone wanderer did all of their shit in a years time. Just seems funny compared to the other main characters who like the sole, spends years looking for their son. And the lone wanderer restore project purity and the distribution of clean water to the wasteland

The antagonist and mechanist started in f3 and are so funny like? Their just?? Fuckin weirdos ruining everyone's day and have?? Super powers (ar least one of them?) Like?? Their just making today bad for local citizens as they fucking best the shit out of each other with robots and ants?

The Harkness quest was so neat and was literally this bridge into the fo4 story yet the institution is literally nothing AND they don't bring up hid nor hair of Harkness??? WhY isn't he mentioned in any way??? Anyways I love harkness thats my friend

All of little lamplight and big town. Little lamplight are my children I care about them their all terrible and have cute names dogs. And big town fuckin makes me so sad those are my friends

Your cute lil house in Megatron that you get to customize (barely and i wish their was better options but still)

Deputy slimm is a friend

MORIA BROWN my friend and crazy aunt moria brown? I love her very much

AHHHA I ALMOST FORGOT THREE DOG. Literally one of the best parts of the games, hes the best radio host! And yall sleep on him! I honestly love him more that mr. New Vegas tbh,,, he's just so good and im always sad thinkin about how his voice actor was wanting to return to the role for fo4 but they diiidnt like cowards

Theres other things im sure but these are like top of my head favirote fo3 shit

[rockshortage]

* savage bucket of numbers: 1, 3, 9 :D , 31, 36, 47, 58, 59, 67, 69, 72, 91, 102, 112, 124, 128 , 140, 151, 161 for Hector. ^^

aw yeah thank you

1. Does your character have good aim?

As long as he can stay calm and gets some time to line up his shots, his aim is very good. It starts to suffer the more stressed he is – he’s still okay in dire situations, but not as good as he could be. Keeping a cool head is part of the learning process.

3. Does your character prefer to work in silence or with noise and of what kind?

Generally likes to have some music in the background unless it’s something that demands all of his focus.

9. Could your character win an arm wrestling competition? How well would they do?

He could maybe win against the few weakest ones before being tuckered out and straight up overpowered.

31. How much does your character care about their appearance?

Not a huge amount, but I suppose generally more than the average post-war person. Hygiene should be decent, clothes in order and he’s good. He can get a little self-conscious when he doesn’t have the mask on, but that has more to do with how he’s less used to people seeing his face.

36. Would your character prefer to sit around and chill or be up and moving and doing something?

Sit around and chill, as long as that can involve some tinkering and stuff like that.

47. Has your character ever stolen anything?

Yeah, mainly from work environments but not really from stores or people directly. Lots of pens and notepads and maybe a few folders of stuff from various places he’s worked at. Those weren’t really on purpose though, he just absentmindedly put stuff in his bag and then forgot or didn’t care enough to return it. Two of the bigger things that were absolutely on purpose: some samples of the Cabots’ serum, and a lobster to keep as a pet.

58. Does your character prefer the ocean or the mountains?

As neat as the ocean and its inhabitants are, he prefers the mountains because they carry such a homey feeling with them.

59. What kinds of things does your character use as paperweights?

Anything within reach that does the job. A book, one of his many trinkets, a handful of caps, a screwdriver, a dagger

67. Would your character be willing to do something they consider morally wrong in order to achieve their goals?

Within reason, and as long as the benefits of it outweigh the risks and disadvantages and his conscience doesn’t suffer too much.

69. Has your character ever found themselves in with the wrong crowd and had to attempt to break from it?

I guess Nuka World would qualify? After all, he was but a meek science man among a crowd of bloodthirsty psychopaths just waiting for an excuse to string him up. I’m undecided whether he would’ve tried to escape or if the threat of getting eviscerated was enough to keep him there without Gage having to like... physically trap him.

72. Would your character care for someone who needed it if it meant being ostracized from their society?

Joke’s on you, he’s already been ostracized for most of his life so yeah who gives a shit

On a more serious note – assuming he has people in that society who he cares for already that would ostracize him – probably not. Unless he cares even more about that someone.

91. Does your character engage in gossip?

He’s not against the more harmless stuff, it can be interesting to hear. He’s unlikely to join in though, and as soon as it goes into like… bitchy gossip territory, mostly stuff that has to do with appearance, he’s out. Or still listening but just very annoyed now.

102. Are any of your characters d/Deaf or HoH?

Nah, his hearing is fine all things considered. Maybe not the absolute best in the world, but perfectly normal.

112. Does your character believe in wishing fountains and shooting stars?

No and he will make fun of you if you do. Or at least look at you condescendingly.

124. Does your character workout?

Clearing out parks and going on raids and stuff like that are workouts in and of themselves, but he doesn’t really do activities that are only there for the sake of working out. Unless certain people were to force strongly encourage him

128. Has your character’s home ever been destroyed?

Well, definitely when the bombs fell. I’m undecided about other instances pre-war, since he did live through two other world wars, but Switzerland was largely unscathed. Leaning towards no, but anything can happen ✨

I may or may not have played around with the idea of slightly older and angry bitter hector returning to his parents’ house for the sole purpose of burning it down

140. Can your character play an instruments?

Good question. I could see him having some basic skill in a variety of different instruments, but nothing really worth mentioning. Maybe with piano being the most advanced.

151. Would your character ever go cliff diving?

Sure, why not! Adrenaline fun

161: Your character’s opinion of pineapple?

tasty snack that bites back

[fallout4holmes]

Nuka-World 6

We had a visitor the next morning. Mags Black left her two cronies at the base of the artificial mountain as she took the lift up herself. I don't know what she said to Gage to get him to stay put on the ground, but he wasn't happy about it.

Holmes had just finished his morning cigarette and a minimal breakfast. He stood as she stepped off the lift, "Ah. Ms. Black."

The raider boss raised an eyebrow, "Miz? It's like you're trying to stand out. You're the Overboss now, Mister Holmes, you get to be on a first name basis with everyone."

Holmes lit another cigarette and said with exaggerated politeness, "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

Mags smirked, "You can blame it on giving the Disciples The Galactic Zone. I don't know what you're planning, but I want my people to come out on top at the end."

"At the moment, avoiding the animosity of an amusement park full of raiders is my primary concern."

"Bullshit," she said pleasantly. "You're the General of the Minutemen, the frozen vault-dweller that destroyed the Institute. I heard about your almost-war with the Brotherhood too, how you kicked them out of the Commonwealth after destroying their toys." She gestured to me, “Most of the raiders in Nuka-World are from west of here, where the Institute never had a presence. They think your friend is just a nifty robot bodyguard. Creepy, but nothing more. Those of us from the Commonwealth though?” She smiled, sinister, “We know exactly what he is. William and I know better than most. You never did find that janitor that went missing, did you Nick? What was her name, Amelia?”

“Annette,” I corrected, tried not to rise to the bait. “Not usually a fan of kicking folks out beyond the Wall, but in the case of you and your brother I’m glad Diamond City did.”

“Funnily enough, so are we. This suits us much better.” She said it smoothly, nothing but charm, but you don’t last long in my line of work if you can’t tell a bluff when you see one. She turned her attention back to Holmes, “Either your rumored nobility is all an act to get you into a place of power, or you’re going to throw a wrench into the fragile gears of this place. If it turns out to be the first one, you may want to consider showing my people a bit of favor before ugly rumors of synths and interfering Minutemen start circulating the park. If it’s the second one, well. Just know that every Operator in this park is watching.”

Holmes glowered, “I don’t respond well to threats.”

“As long as you respond,” Mags said, and took the lift back down.

As soon as she was down, Gage came up. "Mags pissed?"

"A touch upset," Holmes offered me a cigarette, which I took. "I was a little surprised she remembered you, Valentine."

"Guess it's hard to forget a face like this," I said dryly.

"What the hell are you two goin' on about?" Gage sighed.

"Nothing important," Holmes said, "just the Operators being unhappy with me. They can have the next park, it doesn't matter."

"Giving 'em the next park might look like you were intimidated," Gage said.

"What is the next park?" Holmes asked.

"Figured we'd hit Dry Rock Gulch."

"Hm, the American 'Old West' theme. A fake gold mining operation should suit the Operators, don't you think, Valentine?"

I chuckled, "I think the implication is gonna go over their heads, but we might as well check it out and get it over with."

Holmes agreed and we headed off. We made it to the park’s gate when I heard something moving through the earth, sort of like the sound a mole rat makes just before it leaps out and bites you. Only these weren’t mole rats.

A handful of big red worms with mouths that took up the whole head attacked, surprising the hell out of me and Holmes and earning an annoyed growl from Gage. They weren’t much of a fight, but, “Well that was unpleasant,” I said.

“You never seen bloodworms before?” Gage asked, skeptical.

I shook my head, “We don't get these things back east.”

“Better get used to ‘em, they’re a fucking menace around here.”

Hopefully we wouldn’t be staying long enough for me to get used to them, but I kept that to myself. I glanced around as we entered the park, the Old West frontier outpost aesthetic turned kitsch.

“How’s it go,” Gage sarcastically drawled, “This town ain’t big enough for you and me… ah, never mind.”

Holmes chuckled. “Let’s ask the local law enforcement for information,” he pointed to a protectron wearing a sheriff’s hat.

“Hope y'all are having a good day here at Nuka-World. Ready to saddle up and ride into the old wild west?” the protectron said.

“Great,” Gage grumbled, “More dumb robots.”

The protectron was unperturbed, “I'm the sheriff of these parts, and I need your help getting rid of those no good outlaws holed up in Mad Mulligan's Mine!”

“This is why I hate robots,” Gage huffed. “They don’t even know the world ended, this playtime shit is annoying.”

The protectron’s park personality programming stopped, “Processing: Hostile visitor. Ignore and continue explanation for the sake of the other guests.”

I laughed.

The sheriff continued his job, “The door to Mad Mulligan's Mine is locked up. I got a spare key in a safe by the theater, but wouldn't you know, I plum forgot what the combination to the safe was! You'll need to talk to my three amigos: Doc Phosphate, One-Eyed Ike, and the Giddyup Kid. Prove to them you're tough enough to take on the outlaws, and they'll give you their part of the combination. Good luck, little doggie! And don't forget your complimentary deputy uniform, courtesy of Nuka-Cola!”

The sheriff handed Holmes a costume, who promptly handed it to Gage, who scowled before realizing, “You got a weird ass sense of humor, boss,” and tossed it away. As we walked he asked, “We really gotta do all that, talk to three other robots just to get a key?”

“I suppose we could simply hang a banner and be done with the place,” Holmes said.

Gage shook his head, “Not with the bloodworms. Gotta torch the nest first, otherwise whoever moves in is gonna be pissed to hell you gave ‘em an infested base.”

Holmes made casual eye contact with me. He’d been hoping for a raider-bloodworm showdown.

“I mean,” Gage was still talking, “why do we need this fucking key in the first place? Can’t we just blast the door open?”

“I try not to do anything rash if I can avoid it,” Holmes said, “and surely you don’t think we’ll be bested by a few challenges designed for children?”

“I’m starting to second-guess making you Overboss,” Gage grumbled.

“Perhaps you should have considered that possibility before enthroning a stranger you know precious little about, against his will,” Holmes steely replied.

“I can deal with an ass of a boss,” Gage played it cool, “as long as he gets done what needs to get done.”

We did the tasks for the park protectrons, fighting bloodworms, overgrown crickets, and giant ants along the way. Once we had the key, we headed for Mad Mulligan's Mine… a roller-coaster.

Gage had kept pretty quiet til then, "People actually stood in line and waited for this crap?" He scoffed, "Bunch of suckers."

"Roller-coasters were a popular attraction,” I commented flatly, “though I can’t say I ever saw the appeal.”

Holmes gestured for quiet as we headed into the ride. The lobby held a souvenir shop and the entrance to the tunnels that would lead folks to the boarding area, decorated to look like you’re walking through a mine out of a Saturday morning western. Back then it probably lacked the dead bodies, of course. Holmes and I had heard rumors of traders who hid from Colter’s raiders in Dry Rock Gulch. We found ‘em. Bloodworms saw to it they didn’t have long to enjoy their freedom.

The boarding area was a massive pit littered with brahmin corpses, bulging with bloodworm larvae. In the middle of the pit was the massive queen herself.

“I believe we’ve found the nest,” Holmes said.

“No shit, boss,” Gage scoffed.

“Valentine and I will take care of the queen, you exterminate everything hiding in those brahmin.”

Gage nodded, “Sounds like a plan.”

I might be getting too old for fighting overgrown monsters in caves… but every time I think that, I know it’s not really true. Or it is, and I’m too stubborn to admit it. Anyway, we got the job done but the queen did a number on my leg. At least we know that Nuka-Town’s got a competent mechanic. I could walk, which is saying something, just going to have a limp until whatever got whacked out of place could get realigned. Gage was going to make a remark, but wisely shut up when Holmes glared at him.

We let the Sheriff know the job was done, got paid, which was a nice surprise, and Holmes climbed up to the top of the theater to hoist a flag with a black heart in a bullseye, bleeding gold.

“Gave in to the Operators after all, huh?” Gage said once Holmes was back on the ground. He didn’t sound accusatory, which was kind of weird, just like he was making conversation. Which was also kind of weird.

“If I have to secure Mags Black’s silence with a token gesture,” Holmes said, “then so be it.”

Gage shrugged, “Just let ‘em know you’re the Overboss, not some do-good General.”

“Gage, you conned me into this mess for the purpose of bringing the gangs together, yes? How does strutting around threatening violence serve that purpose?”

“Because we’re raiders?? That’s the language these idiots speak. You gotta treat ‘em right, but make sure they know you can end them at any time.”

Holmes made a considering sound and headed out of the park, “I often thought that if raiders could ever organize, they would be a force to be reckoned with. It seems I was right.”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you!” Gage exclaimed, relieved as if Holmes had finally come around. He didn’t know that every time the topic came up, it was followed with a list of possible ways the Minutemen would eliminate that threat.

Unfortunately, none of the hypothetical scenarios ever involved the General and his partner effectively being held hostage, with no way to call for help.

[corvidexoskeleton]

We know a little bit of how Gage feels about Lily, but what about the other way round? How does she feel about Gage and his relationship with Butch? First impressions and how that perception changes over time? (and perhaps Hector too if you want to)

Ah yes, absolutely

The first time she meets Gage, Lily is rightfully put off by him. She doesn't know who he is, he looks mean and kinda scary, and she's just been through a whole bunch of shit. She's not sure what to think of him, but Butch seems to trust him a lot, and that helps her get over some of that initial uneasiness a bit quicker

I think I said that Butch and Gage would already be together to some degree by this point, but Butch wouldn't actually tell Lily that at first, partly because they just kinda forgot to, but also because they wanna give her some time to adjust to the surface and get to know Gage some. The closest thing I can equate this to is like, when you were in school as a teenager and you got a new teacher who seemed like a major hardass but turns out to be super chill and cool as long as you did your work and didn't press his buttons too much. Or like, when your parents have that one friend that shows up sometimes and you have no idea who they are, but your parents seem to be good friends with them

She'd be kinda weirded out a bit to find out that he and Butch are, like, a thing, because she only remembers having the one parent in her life, nor has she ever seen them in any kind of romantic relationship before. And both Gage and Butch would keep things on the down low in front of others, but it's still something the three of them have to get used to. She eventually warms up to him, once he drops the shitlord act and actually makes an effort, though it takes a long time for her to get used to having a second parental figure, and for Gage to get used to being a parental figure

It would be similar with Hector as well, but I can't imagine she'd see him nearly as much as Gage, what with him running nuka world and Butch not wanting her to be around the other nuka raiders. The fact that he's always covered and has a voice modulator would be off putting and creep her out, to say the least, but I'm not sure if he would be easier to warm up to than Gage or not. Depends on how he feels about kids/teens and how he chooses to interact with her. From what I understand of him, he probably wouldn't be that bad, but he is kind of a nervous wreck, so who knows

I hope he has the patience and is prepared to answer some questions (like explaining that he's Swiss, ok, not German, please, Lily, there is a difference, please stop saying I'm german, he says) because once she gets past the initial skepticism, she's gonna have a lot. It would probably be a good idea to take his mask off at least once around her so she knows he's, like, an actual person and not some weird robot man or an alien or some rogue institute creation

She can tell enough that Hector does a lot of the same stuff as Butch, which would help, but she'd have explicit orders to not get too close to MAAK until they can make him a little safer to be around. And Hector might get a few not-so-subtle death glares from Butch whenever Danger MAAK is in the same room as Lily

[monochromemedic]

Stupid Sexy Sturges

I stared at Sturges, swirling the rest of my nuka cola  in the bottle as I watched him work. He had been hammering a wall for a while, swear to god he’s been  hammering the same while for  a week... maybe it was just... different walls. They kinda looked all the same to be honest. God he looked...  I stared at his greased up hair, the thick sideburns that framed his cheeks, the oil that covered his body and overalls and the bits of tattoo that I could see through his clothes. He was  something to say the least, something really special. He filled out those overalls to say the least with how he looked. “You are... absolutely the most obvious person I have EVER seen.” MacCready muttered as he bumped my head with the bottom of his cold beer. “You’re just lucky that he’s too busy uh...” He paused and stared at Sturges hammering a sheet of metal before getting his blowtorch out, dropping his goggles and beginning to torch the sheet. “...that. Whatever uh... that is. Building? I don’t really know what he does half the time.”  My cheeks tinged pink as I elbowed him in the side, causing him to cough and bend over, sitting down beside me and playing it off. “He’s probably maintaining the place. You know, making sure that the structure doesn’t fall on your big dumb head while you sleep.” “Oh shut up... if anything they’d fall on your slow butt.”  “I’ll fucking kill you.” “Not if I shoot you first.” We stopped our childish conversation and continued to stare at Sturges, who put the blowtorch down and wiped his forehead from sweat before turning to me and gesturing for me to come over. “Don’t trip and fall into his arms, ‘ooh Sturges, sweep me away~’” He softly called out, earning a glare as I walked over to the mechanic. “Hey Sturges... you need something bud?”  “I sure do, and you’re just the lady to help me.” He chimed, a bright smile forming on his face. I could feel my face burn bright the way he addressed me. Not alot of people called me lady, or was quite as nice. “Listen you’re good at finding stuff out  there in the Commonwealth, stuff that I can’t even find. You got a good pair of eyes on you and what I need is some more adhesive. Patching together equipment and houses needs something and as much as I’d love for spit to do the trick we can’t rely on that. Besides it’d be pretty gross. So if you could go out and find some glue or duct tape, really anything sticky I can work with, i’d love ya dearly.” I stared up at Sturges, my heart stopping for a moment as I realized what he ment by ‘love’. God he nearly made me pass out. I was pretty sure that if he actually did say anything actually nice or affectionate i’d implode. “H...haha yeah of course Sturges, anything to help out, specially you. Cause you work really hard.” “Well I certainly try to work hard. But thank you, I don’t want to push you too hard. I know I can take it, I basically live knowing that there’s some list of things to fix up. I know not everyone’s like that, specially not you. Not... that that’s an insult er... You already got alot on your plate. Anyway, try to find as much as you can, I wanna make last.” “Certainly, sir. Uh oh...” I paused and stumbled back a bit, giving a little laugh and rubbing the back of my head. “SIR... Sir...Sir-geon.... Surgeon. Surgeon Sturges fixing up the Commonwealth. Forgot the rest of my joke.. for a second. Nailed it.” He stared blankly at me, eyebrow raised as he gave a genuine soft laugh. “Nice one. Not that I mind being called sir either, I think it’s nice. I’ll see you later ma’am.” I stumbled over my own feet but quickly  caught myself, giving him a wide smile as my heart basically stopped before pounding harder and making me want to run around in circles. I basically fumbled over to Mac, quickly trying to play off everything he obviously said as cool and nothing big. “Big man wants some adhesive, let’s tango out.” I snapped my finger at some random direction out of Sanctuary. “Oh yeah super smooth, like rocks in a blender. Jenna you are so... in your own little world where everythings full of butterflies and like...fancy lad cakes and cheesy romance novels. Not to mention you have a type and it’s SO OBVIOUS it’s painful.” “And what is that type?” “Let’s see... Danse, Deacon, Sturges. A tin can, a guy that saves tin cans, and a man that works on tin cans.” “Don’t forget you, your the one that eats tin cans.” “Hey!... wait what? Wait do you like me too? Jenna no wait hey-” He muttered and raced after me, starting to sweat nervously.

[nukaworldnerd]

OC INTERVIEW - Mike

I forgot that my read mores aren’t working anymore and i liked my interviews too much to lose them so here again.

What is your name?

“I’m the most badass dude you will ever meet - the legendary big Mike! But you can call me however ya want, hon’”

How old are you?

* Mike tries to start counting his fingers under the table but stops after he run out of fingers* “… eeeerm age is just a shitty number. I’m in the best years of my life. I always be.”

What do you look like?

“ What do you mean? Can’t see it? I’m fucking handsome, man. Open you shittey eyes before you gonna lose them. I look so good, people start crying when they look at me man. Yeah, I would cry too if I would ever cry. But i never cry because i’m not such a loser. Better believe it before i make you believe.”

Where are you from? Where do you live now?

“Shit on the past. I live in Nuka World now and damn, the Raiders there should be happy about it. They would be totally lost without me.”  

What was your childhood like?

“Wanna unlock my dramatic past? Time for some caps, dude.”

What groups are you friendly with? Are you allied with any factions?

“Hah! Everyone loves me!”

Tell me about your best friend.

“Fritsch is a loser, but he is the best loser that i ever met. He is really okay, when he isn’t busy with it to complain about everything I do. Being jealous at me must be a horrible feel.”

Do you have a family? Tell me about them!

*for a moment he bites on his lip - he has a hurt look, but waves off quickly* “Fuck off with your fucking family talk okay? Nobody gives a shit about it.”

What about a partner or partners?

“Right now? I’m with the best damn woman i have ever met. She is smart, dangerous and has the best ass in the whole commonweath. Ilya is.. ….. .okay. Okay? OKay– — what do ya mean? My cheeks are red? Say such bullshit again, and your nose bleeds red. Mike Williams never blush, asshole.”

Who are your enemies, and why?

“I call them hater. Of course people are jealous of me. But after time you learn to deal with it.”

Have you ever heard of The Brotherhood of Steel? What do you think about them?

“They think they look badass with their shiny power armors but they will never look as badass as i do, so they spent their freetime with crying and playing army.”

What about The Enclave?

“….what’s that? something to eat? I’m hungry.”

How do you feel about Super Mutants?

“I heard RedEyes mom is one but i never saw a female Super Mutant. Do you think their tiddies are….?” *Mike forms big breats with his hands and looks thoughtful to the side* “.. i should ask him later.”

What’s the craziest fight you’ve ever been in?

“Okay, imagine this - all my friends are on the ground, I’m the only Raider who is still on his feet and hundreds of Gunners surrounded us. Some of them were riding Deathclaws and Mirelurksqueens The Overboss was like “oh no, Mike you are our only hope.” but i stayed cool, even after i noticed that i was out of ammo. So i fought them all with my bare fists. Like BAM and BOOM–” *Mike starts to wave around wildy with his fists and gets lost for the next ten minutes into his totally true story - the only sound he makes are pretty bad fighting sound effects*

Have you ever fought a Deathclaw?

*he starts to laugh - first horrible played but it turns quickly into a panic hysterical laugher* “D-Deathclaws… fear me, o-okay?”

Do you like fighting?

“Nobody has a chance against me! Reminding these losers is the best part.”

What’s your weapon of choice?

“My Junk-Jet. Or my Minigun. Big weapons are fun and scare the losers. Sometimes my enemies shit theirself before the fight had even started.

How do you survive? Your wits, your charm, your skills, brute force, some combination? (a.k.a. what’s your S.P.E.C.I.A.L?)

“Nothing can kill me. Not even the death himself, man.”

Have you ever been in a vault? What do you think about them?

“Hiding under the ground is for cowards.”

How do you beat all the radiation around here? Has it affected you?

“Don’t tell me Fritsch sent you to tell me I shouldn’t go out shirtless when a radstorm started. I do what ever i want, he should give it up.”

What’s your favorite wasteland critter?

“My Rat. His name is Cu—Trash.”

What’s your least favorite wasteland critter?

“Deathclaws. Not… that i don’t like Cupcake or something. Just don’t tell Roy from it, ‘kay?”

How do you feel about robots?

“Are great for Spare parts.”

How many caps do you have on you right now?

“Depends how much you have in your pockets — what? Don’t look so suprised i thought it’s clear that i gonna steal them.”

Nuka Cola or Sunset Sarsaparilla?

“I drink pretty much everything, duh.”

Do you do chems?

“Mostly Jet, sometimes what ever i got into my hands..”

Do you ever think about the Pre-War world?

“I heard they had a zoo with beasts, bigger than Deathclaws. Is that true?”

What’s your deepest regret? What would you do differently?

“F-Fuck off!”

What’s your biggest achievement? Or what do you hope to achieve?

“Everything I do is great. One day i gonna be rich and i have my own harem or something. Not that i couldn’t have it now, i just wanna take everything slow.”

What do you want for the future? For yourself? Your friends? The world?

“Right now i wanna have something to eat and i want that my friends give me something. That counts right?”

[nukaworld]

Nuka world would be fun if they were capable of writing grey morality but also if it was a bit like a settlement where leading a gang and shit actually gave you any sense of power or agency other then if you killed everyone or were evil for no reason but like Bethesda made it so instead from a cool storytelling standpoint we get funny glasses. I haven't played it I'm just going by what ive seen you say and what ive seen/read to base this off

I mean I don’t want to be called out for hating on Nuka World so I have to put a disclaimer here that I replayed Nuka World like three times and all of what I say comes from the place of sadness over what it could have been rather than me just shitting on Bethesda. With that out of the way:

Yeah basically ugh that whole settlement thing was very weird because it leads you to believe that you will become some raider boss asshole and run with gangs, when in fact you sort of become a feudal lord. I mean no wonder I call Tracie, “raider princess” jokingly, that whole “raider queen” thing isn’t far fetched. You basically aren’t a raider anymore, you attack few settlements, you ask the people to leave or kill them, and you set up shop there with the gangs. See them as your Lords and Ladies. Then you set up supply lines and the other settlements sent a portion of their supplies - caps, food, armor, weapons - to the raiders group in that settlement. So this is more or less how medieval societies worked. You are the main ruler, you have your tax collectors and you kinda run the Commonwealth like a monarchy. WHICH ISN’T A BAD THING IF THE GAME ACTUALLY THOUGHT ABOUT IT. There was like a huge opening to make some social commentary on this one, especially how you can draw a lot of fun parallels with regressive societies and such. 

So at this rate your raider gangs, aren’t raider gangs. You can be a raider without really killing a single person. And the funny thing is, Gage and Shank are totally in on this, they are less of raiders, more of glorified businessmen if anything (Shank being that CEO and Gage being his sort of insider into the life, muscle kinda guy) and you come in as being the public figure - king, queen, whatever monarch title of your choice you want. And see if this was intentionally established it does make for a more interesting plot.

Before you establish your gangs in the Commonwealth, the Commonwealth doesn’t really have any kind of leadership. It’s really every man for himself, build your own little shack and farm your 5 tatos sort of system. There is one city thats a trader outpost, there are few towns with their own leadership and the rest is no mans land. The Minutemen are good, but they are essentially a militia, so they don’t exactly lead shit, they work I guess on donations? Or maybe Preston is just too nice and his superiors used to milk the settlements we won’t know, but point being they just protect the people and keep the Commonwealth free and not united - which is in a way good and bad.

And with Nuka World, Shank and Gage are the only two assholes with some idea how to form a primitive form of society. And also they are at this point not raiders, they are assholes but they realize killing people at random won’t get you a steady supply of resources and you will have to keep travelling - which is what Gage criticizes but he is also trigger happy himself that doesn’t make sense but I digress. They don’t go one step ahead where the gangs of Nuka World will guard the settlements that will produce for them and give them a % of the things they produce as well as the income. Also that collar slavery thing is weird, I am pretty sure that could’ve been handled a lot better.

“But Maria that doesn’t make you evil, people wanted evil!” well um I don’t think being a feudal lord makes you good, like you exploit your own people and threaten them with death and violence if they don’t listen to you also I am pretty sure you enslave them too on top of it. You are a bad guy, you just have a system to back you up. 

Edit to add since I forgot to say what I’d do to fix this: Basically I think that what we have is raiders being sort of like slavers, what would be fun to have is either have them be slavers, kill/persuade the leaders (Mason, Mags and William, Nisha, Gage and Shank) to leave or side with us, become sort of like a feudal lord over our settlements with whoever remains with us (so people can have the cool king/queen aesthetics) or kill everyone and establish Nuka World as a Minutemen and Trader outpost.