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Fallout 4 - Blog Posts
Hancock [staring at Sole]: They could fix me.
Nick Valentine: Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around?
Hancock: No. They’re perfect. I, on the other hand am a mess and they could fix me
Things in fo4 cannon I can't stop thinking about
The amount of scared tissue in Deacons face from all those face changes. Ouch
The fact that Maxson is only 20 and already a raging alcoholic
That Nick probably knew Hancock while he was growing up and that's why the two of them are so close
That Deacon is probably older than Hancock
that Pipers dad was probably apart of the minutemen
that Curie probably had ptsd and abandonment issues from being locked in vault 81 and watching everyone she ever cared about die
That Deacon might have a kid....
Prestons survivors guilt and how deeply traumatized he is
That though people like to give maccready shit for being dirty the man's canonically super allergic to dust so he's more likely to be a cluttered kind of messy than actually filthy
both Hancock and Preston canonically crush on sole but are to insecure to initiate it for their own different reasons
That Deacons been to capitol wastland and maybe even the Mojave or at least has deep knowledge on both
That the lone wanderer is technically apart of the railroad...
That Maccready met Butch Deloria at some point and has knowledge of the tunnel snakes
That the current BOS chapter looks down on the Lyons even though they were the best leaders in bos history....
If the sole survivor had died in the bombs instead of being cryogenicly frozen the railroad wouldn't exist because Shaun would have never been used to create Gen 3 synths, the bos would never have come to the commonwealth because there would be no strange energy readings, and the minutemen would have died in the raider attack at the museum of history
Caits backstory is probably one of the darkest and shes severely traumatized by her own past and uses drugs to escape it
That if he has max affinity with sole X6-88 doesn't seem to care all to much about the institute being destroyed
That though Danse may have a power armour fetish people tend to forget X6-88 also does....
That it was sole who introduced Mac to the mutfruit thing and not the other way around....
That Nick an Irma from the memory den definitely fucked at some point
that magnolia from goodneighbor and Sturges are both synths
That after defeating the institute Deacon quotes Plato and is highly educated on philosophy and literature in general
That Nick just had another detective coat lying around presumably waiting for a partner
i will never not be mad that x6-88 consistently gets so blatantly mischaracterized. if you’ve ever fallen from high up inside the institute on accident, you know he’s one sarcastic bitch when it suits him, and i love him for that. he’s genuinely so funny at times, he just has such a flat tone and expression that it goes right over people’s heads. but he delivers such scathing roasts in such a calm manner that i end up wheezing laughing any time i have him as a companion. but there’s a lot more to him than just being another “patrolling the mojave almost makes you wish for a nuclear winter”-NCR-trooper-level-repetitive no-name courser.
he’s afraid of heights, and certainly doesn’t like flying, which given how extremely he exercises caution, is perfectly in character. he gets jumpy and worries almost constantly, even if he’s outwardly very calm and collected. he’s ignorant with regards to the old world, but he does express his imagination at times, even if it’s 99.9% practically-focused and only really extends to his own experience and the knowledge of the institute. but he has so many traits that aren’t in line with the stiff representation the fandom gives him. he actually has a lot of traits that would get most synths wiped if they were caught displaying them in the institute. i do still think they did him extremely, viciously, disrespectfully dirty in his writing (which is a whole rant of its own), but he still has more characterization than a lot of the fandom gives him credit for.
he’s smooth-talking, calm, and collected upon initial impression, but he’s also awkward and sheepish and embarrassed to admit anything personal to you (even just that he admires you) most of the time once you start getting close to him. he’s also a worry wart, anxious about your approval, ashamed and almost mortified if you choose to scold him for doubting you, and it’s clear that he’s seeking validation specifically from you even if he seems so self assured all the rest of the time, to the point of claiming boredom during combat. he’s this blade-lookalike, terminator type who kicks ass and takes names, but who’s afraid of heights and is prissy about the surface world. he seems to enjoy when you’re a mean vindictive bastard, but not within the institute even when scientists have literally just undermined father and threatened the proper functioning of the institute. he’s so reserved in his praise in front of you during/after libertalia, but as you walk around the institute on your own, you find out from other coursers that he’s been talking about you to them, telling them about you and praising your fighting abilities. and given how many of these coursers say it, it almost seems like he’s been gushing about working with you (at least, in his own way) while you’ve been apart. he’s talked about as the best of the best basically, and since he’s bragging about you, the other coursers think you’re cool. which, obviously you can infer a few things about him from this whole thing: he’s a little bit of a gossip (just a little, plus it’s positive); he’s not only respected, but provides his own opinions to the others and that matters to them, his opinion of you matters to the other resident badasses; once you impress him, he likes you, enough to tell the others about you and your performance in the field.
the bigger shock is that he openly praised you when reporting to justin ayo of all people, which ayo will tell you while also claiming that x6-88 “does not give praise lightly. well done.”
all of these things build a character. he deserved better characterization, better development, better treatment of his character, all of that and more, but the bare bones are there if you’re willing to look.
it just makes me irritable when he gets so poorly characterized by people who claim to like him. i don’t even know x6-88 that well compared to some other characters but i know that much.
Fallout companions react to sole telling that they don't want to even lose them and then breakingdown. I need all the angst!
God, me too. As much as I say I hate angst, I'm definitely a sucker for it! This idea, especially, is super exciting for me since I feel like the Fallout 4 companions have a lot of opportunity for angst (I play through Nick's personal quest just to cry at the ending) Anyways, I hope you enjoy this one and it was worth the wait!
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Companions React to Sole Breaking Down - TW: Mentions of Addiction and Suicide
(Includes: Cait, Codsworth, Curie, Danse, Deacon, Hancock, MacCready, Nick, Piper, Preston and X6-88)
Cait She isn't really sure what brought this on. Cait knows she isn't great at keeping herself safe or even having much concern for her own wellbeing, but she hadn't realised that upset Sole so much. Was it the chems? Maybe how she often charges head first into battle. Whatever it is, she admittedly feels guilty, not realising Sole cared so much about her. She isn't the best at comforting people, but she tries her best to make Sole feel better and reassure them that she isn't going anywhere. It may result in some awkward shoulder pats, but it's the thought that counts, right?
Codsworth It's probably not the first time that Codsworth has seen Sole break down. After all, he was the first living being they ran into after escaping the horrors of Vault 111. Still, this particular breakdown takes him by surprise, he didn't know he mattered that much to Sole. He's probably the best at comforting Sole, considering he knows them so well. Later on, he'll likely bring up how touched he is to know that he's important to Sole and promises he'll stand by them.
Curie She's extremely apologetic when she realises Sole's breaking down, at first thinking she'd done something wrong, before they explain that they can't stand to lose her. She understands where Sole is coming from, they're the most important person in her life and she doesn't want to begin to think what things would be like without them. She apologises if she ever scared them and reassures them that she's much more formidable than she seems
Paladin Danse He immediately panics when Sole starts to break down. Being in the Brotherhood, he's never known how to deal with his own emotions, let alone the emotions of someone else. He'll try his best to comfort Sole, but he definitely won't succeed. If he's still in the Brotherhood and him and Sole aren't extremely close - or romantically involved - he'll only insist that, due to his training, he's confident nothing bad will happen to him. However, if they're closer, Danse will go out of his way to make sure Sole knows they won't ever lose them, he loves Sole and he'd keep surviving so long as it made them happy.
Deacon He has no idea how to react at first. Sure, he'd been travelling with Sole for a while now, but he figured it was just out of convenience, since he was showing them the ropes in the Railroad. He'd figured his lying would've annoyed them by now and yeah, they were close, but he didn't know he mattered this much to them. He wants to crack a joke, but even he knows it's bad timing. Instead - because he understands how devastating loss can be, and he knows what Sole's been through - he actually does his best to comfort them, which he's actually good at, much to both his and Sole's surprise.
Hancock Like Cait, he initially thinks it's down to his reckless behaviour when it comes to chems and almost immediately promises you that he knows not to overdo it and if chems were going to kill them, they would've by now. He assures Sole that so long as he has them by his side, there's no way he plans on dying early, even though life hasn't exactly been kind to him in the past. Sole gives him a reason to keep going and he'd rather not ruin that.
MacCready Similarly to Deacon, he understands - maybe better than anyone - just how hard losing the person you love can be. The death of Lucy still haunts him, in spite of how much he cares for Sole, so he feels terrible that they share concerns he once had to suffer the aftermath of. He promises them over and over that they'll never lose him, no matter what happens. He even goes the extra mile and makes sure to be careful when they're outside the walls of a settlement, just to give Sole some peace of mind.
Nick Valentine He's better at comforting Sole than most, he knows a lot about their past and how they ended up in the Commonwealth, widowed and searching for their child. Besides, he's used to dealing with people breaking down in front of him - albeit, it's a little different since Sole means a lot to him. He knows he and Sole have grown close, so he understands completely why they'd be worried about losing another loved one. Nick will jokingly point out that if he's survived this long with only a few - a lot of - bumps and scratches, they have nothing to worry about. If Sole brings up their concerns again, he'll be more than happy to reassure them further.
Piper Wright She understands that with her line of work, she's a lot more likely to meet an untimely demise, but who doesn't die young these days? She's surprised she's made it this far with the amount of attempts on her life. She can stand seeing Sole cry though and instantly wraps them in a hug, telling them that as long as she's got them by her side, she'll be fine. Piper trusts Sole completely to protect her, just as she'd protect them. It breaks her heart to see them so torn up though and she almost feels guilty, deciding she'll find a way to make it up to them soon, even if she hasn't necessarily done anything wrong.
Preston Garvey As someone who often struggles with seeing the meaning in his own life, Preston is completely taken aback by Sole's worry towards his wellbeing. He instantly feels terrible for having any thoughts about taking his own life and apologises profusely to Sole, insisting that nothing bad will ever happen to them. He hasn't had an easy time recently, but having Sole by his side has helped more than he could've ever imagined and if they care about him enough to want him to keep fighting, then he will, without question.
X6-88 To nobody's surprise, X6 doesn't really know what to say or do. He simply clarifies that coursers were designed to be near enough formidable, so the likelihood of anything happening to him is extremely low. He does show some genuine concern, by asking if Sole would benefit from speaking to someone professionally, it's not enough to comfort Sole, but he's trying his best.
Fo4 Companions and their Love Languages
Words of Affirmation
- Curie was locked in her cage for god knows how long, and really just wants to impress you. So when you say nice things to her, she gets all giddy.
- Deacon doesn’t like getting close to people, but he really enjoys your company. So when you tell him how you appreciate him, it really hits home.
- Hancock is like, lonely. Bless him, he doesn’t really have a lot of people around him, other than his citizens. It’s just nice to hear appreciation from someone who truly cares.
Acts of Service
- Cait doesn’t feel that she deserves good people in her life. So doing things to help her, no matter how small, she appreciates so deeply.
- Codsworth was literally built to please.
- Preston A SETTLEMENT NEEDS YOUR HELP-
Gift-Giving
- Maccredy grew up really poor, so any time he receives gifts, he’s a very happy bunny rabbit. Literally healing his inner child.
- Strong like shinny thing.
- Gage, much like Maccready, grew up with nothing, so he likes to receive gifts. It’s also how he shows his appreciation and love.
Quality Time
- Nick feels comfortable when he is with you. You stop the random memory flashes, the fear of people judging him, and you make him happy. That’s all he needs.
- X6 isn’t really sure how to express his emotions. He has never been allowed to. So just being in your presence has helped him get a good start.
- Ada feels lonely a lot, so when you guys just sit and talk, she loves it. And she has A L O T to talk about.
Physical Touch
- Danse is literally just a big teddy bear. He loves cuddling with you and just basking in your presence. He’s a big ol baby.
- Piper hates it, but she’s severely touch-starved. She just loves being held so much, it’s not even funny. But if you tell anyone she’s a softie, she’s killing you.
- Dogmeat is literally a dog lol. Just a baby :)
The really frustrating thing about the Eddie Winter quest is that fixing it to create both a better commentary on Nick Valentine whilst also tying it effectively into the larger world of Fallout 4 would be super easy, barely an inconvenience. The fix itself is right there, in the game, in the dialogue, and nobody at Bethesda seemed to notice.
Nick tells Sole that Eddie didn’t want to be placed on ice, instead opting for a severe radiation treatment which ghoulified him before the bombs fell. This is stupid for two reasons: the first is that nobody knew ghoulification was a thing prior to the war so it comes across as completely random; and the second is that it just seems like a bloody weird risk for a gangster who liked everything in his life to be controlled to take. Eddie’s a no-nonsense guy when you run into him; there was no way he’d be like “sure mad science person, hit me with the good green stuff” without assurances it would 100000% work. In comparison cryosleep is a far safer alternative and was even on the cultural mind in the 2070′s with Silver Shroud having a character who was themselves cryofrozen appear in the show, and what happened to Bradberton.
So keep the quest as it is, but substitute ghoulification for cryosleep. And then throw a spanner in the works: you find the bunker, Eddie is in there, but the timer on his cryopod didn’t work and he’s still asleep. Utterly defenseless. All Nick has to do is turn the pod off and hey presto, no more Eddie Winter! And maybe Nick’s even all hell-bent on doing it, talking about how Eddie deserves it and how it will help him finally separate Real Boy Nick from Metal Puppet Nick and avenge Jenny until he suddenly comes to his senses and realises who he is monologuing to:
The Sole Survivor of Vault 111. His friend. A person he cares about, who had to sit and watch helplessly from a cryopod as their spouse was murdered and their kid stolen. By asking Sole for help he is forcing them to relive a very recent, very raw trauma. Not only that, in this particular replay he is Kellogg. The dead mercenary he recently had plugged into his own brain. Uh oh: new identity crisis. If he does this, is it him doing this or Kellogg doing it or even original Nick wanting it done? He can’t fully trust himself so he puts the decision into Sole’s hands.
Asshole Sole: encourage Nick to do it. He does so, and ultimately finds it not only unsatisfying but also starts to harbour guilt over the whole thing and never fully heals from it. You don’t get his Close to Metal perk because you haven’t actually helped him; he’s worse off than he was before, and he has nobody to blame but himself.
Paragon Sole: yeah no you’re not letting him do this - either because of your own trauma, because you believe it’s wrong to kill an unarmed person, or because you know it won’t help Nick. You encourage him to leave Eddie to his eternal slumber and instead go to the spot where Jenny was murdered to place a Hubflower where she fell in tribute (there’s a bush growing right next to it in-game). You do get the perk, and Nick is healed. Well. On the path to it, at any rate.
This is how I headcanon it all, anyway. That story had so much potential and the gangster out of time angle landed for me (did Eddie really think he could just go back upstairs and take over the world lmao Hancock would have stabbed him two seconds after he waltzed into Goodneighbour), but then we just got. Bang bang I am no longer mentally ill (lie).
i. what do you mean i like robots who told you that haha...
(four guys at the bottom belong to @hydrxnessa @my-ceiling-is-tilted and @skyistheground ! a very "sorry for interacting with you only through silly doodles" to all of you)
