So if you were wondering why River took her friends (family) and left The Capital Wasteland and headed west well it's very simple
She got tired of being treated like a savior she was tired of random wastelanders treating her like a god and worshipping the ground she walked on
She got tired of being The Brotherhood's poster child
She got fed up with The Brotherhood essentially stealing her father's life's work
She got tired of Three Dog talking about her and treating her like the second coming of Christ
What really set her over the edge was The Church of Saint Monica making her parents saints and asking her if they can make her a saint as well
This is when River got fed up
She took her friends (family) and packed up her shit and left The Capital Wasteland but not before telling Rivet City, The Brotherhood, Three Dog and anyone else who treats her like a god among men to go fuck themselves and headed west to get as far away from DC as she could
That’s Where The Bloods Supposed To Be {Whumptober o21}
Quick warning for pregnancy complications. Grief is one hell of a drug, folks.
Prompts: Bleeding Thru The Bandages | Pressure | Blood-Matted Hair
It wasn’t fair.
Though, most things weren’t in the wasteland.
He’d lost everything, in such a short span of time. Project Purity, the respect of his peers, Catherine. It felt like his heart was stuck in a vice. Everything he’d ever loved in this God forsaken wasteland, snuffed out just like that.
The infant in his arms wailed, it hadn’t even cried once during the birth. He feared something was wrong with child rather than mother. Even now, the wails sounded distant, he couldn’t focus on it. He might do something he regrets.
A woman becomes a mother once she finds out she’s pregnant, however the man becomes a father when he sees his baby.
The bundle of cloth continues to whine, chubby arms fumbling from the tight swaddle. He doesn’t even remember who wrapped the infant, let alone who placed it in his arms.
He felt nothing.
When Catherine went into cardiac arrest, he was able to stabilize her, albeit briefly. Something was wrong with the birth itself; she had been bleeding profusely, her body refusing to clot.
He’d read about it once, postpartum hemorrhaging. Her body didn’t contract enough after the delivery. The cardiac arrest was her body descending into shock. She was losing so much blood.
Even in her weakened state, she kept an iron grip on his wrist as he struggled to stop the bleeding. No amount of pressure seemed to help, the rich copper leaking through their sterile bandages. He turned to using sheets.
Her complexion paled rapidly, an ashy grey where she was once rich brown. There was nothing he could do for her with their meager supplies. She knew the risk when she decided to continue the pregnancy, the strain it would cause her as they stressed over their scientific endeavors.
She was a dreamer, through and through. She wanted that picturesque life with her loving husband and adorable apple cheeked child.
It wasn’t fair.
The used bandages and sheets haloed her lower body like wine. Deep, dark red it was very nearly burgundy. Her lips parted, whispering something he couldn’t quite make out.
“Yes? Catherine?” He strained against her, trying desperately to hear his lover’s final words.
The blood on his hands matting down her sweat slick hair, trying to provide at least a little comfort. There was nothing more he could do.
“Where is she?” She strained, face ashy as sweat built up above her swollen lips, “James? Where is our daughter?”
“I…” Truthfully, he didn’t know where Li had taken the infant, “I’m not sure, love.”
“What?” She seemed lucid for a moment, frantic and alert. She lifted herself slightly, knuckles going white against his arm as she pulled for leverage. The heart rate monitors a cacophony as her heart rate fluctuated wildly.
He didn’t have long.
“Catherine, I love you.”
“Where is she, James?”
She passed in his embrace; blood matted hair being gently stroked as he sobbed. The heart rate monitors a stagnant tone in the otherwise silent room. She was his everything, and now she was nothing.
It wasn’t fair.
The infant wailed again in his embrace, replaced the mother in his memory. Placenta matted tuffs of baby hair sticking this way and that. Ruddy cheeked and howling.
He couldn’t remember what Catherine had named her.
Numbly, he searched for the clipboard Li had during the birth. Perhaps she had written it down? At least he felt ashamed enough not to ask directly, that he had forgotten the baby’s name.
His baby.
He found the yellowed parchment snug against the repurposed wood. He shushed the baby as well as he could, displays of affection not his forte. Especially at a time like this.
The baby babbled at the sounds, the added motion calming her slightly. She looked too much like her.
Tired eyes scanned the clipboard, dancing over scribbles where the pen had run dry and turned to smudged pencil writing. His breathing hitched at the name.
What a cruel joke.
Beatriz Vida.
She who brings joy to others. Life.
He threw the clipboard to the floor. The infant that killed his wife in childbirth cried out at the sound.
Rated M and warning for Major Character Death (not within the chapters)
Summary: A series of vignettes, mainly a Natalia Dubrovhsky family tree tying FO3 and FNV a little more strongly to the first two games. Also a more credible Arroyo and an exploration of the power of stories. (This is not a particularly powerful story itself - this is just a tribute.)
It’s got everything you felt was missing from the first four main Fallout games, including: old lady Natalia Dubrovhsky; partially Russian Arroyo with a less inexplicable giant temple - and houses, too; spiritualist Arroyo villagers who are plausibly recently descended from vault dwellers, including an actual character and name for the Elder; the Chosen One’s mostly-triumphant descent into bureaucracy; backstories for Catherine and Boone, as trusty Vault 13 canteen-carrying descendants of the Vault Dweller; and more! (The “more” is a heady mix of bereavement, Enclave trauma, and miscellaneous angst.)
Character tags: Natalia Dubrovhsky, Arroyo Elder, Female Chosen One, Catherine, James, Craig Boone, Arcade Gannon, Female Courier, Original Characters
Relationship tags (this isn’t really a shipfic though): Natalia Dubrovhsky/Ian, Natalia Dubrovhsky/Pat, Female Chosen One & Catherine, Female Chosen One/Miria, Craig Boone/Female Courier, Craig Boone & Arcade Gannon, Arcade Gannon & Female Courier. (There’s other stuff too, including some implied Arroyo Elder/Cassidy that I wasn’t brave enough to crack open a new tag for.)
Tagged by @mininuked
Tagging anyone who wants to do this thing
April 17, 2258
Symbol: The Ram
Element: Fire
Quality: Cardinal
Ruling Planet: Mars, the planet of war and energy
Body Part: Head, face
Good Day: Energetic, encouraging, unstoppable, bold, devoted, heroic, caring
Bad Day: Proud, self-centered, impulsive, bossy, stubborn, reckless, jealous
Favorite Things: Competitive games, new clothes, road trips (in fast red cars), debating, expressing themselves through stunning verbal and physical feats
What They Hate: Sharing their toys, being ignored, cramped spaces, losing, the word “no”
Secret Wish: To be number one
How to Spot Them: High foreheads, focused or manic energy, aggressive stance
Keywords: Willpower, Initiative, Determination, Passion, Beginnings, Self-Belief, Innocence
Aries: The Ram
Ruled by the headstrong and determined Ram, Aries energy can be stubborn and wilful. It causes us to dig in our heels, stand our ground and refuse to be pushed around. Under the influence of an Aries planetary transit, we may butt our own metaphorical Ram’s horns against the same obstacle until we break it down—often with the sheer force of will. Confident Aries energy helps us believe in ourselves and champion others. The essence of Aries energy shows up as encouraging, unstoppable, bold, devoted, heroic and caring. In its shadow form, Aries energy can make us prideful, self-centered, impulsive, bossy, stubborn, reckless and competitive. This sign likes a challenge, but be careful not to become selfish or domineering under Aries’ influence.
Something cool about Fallout: 3, you're almost always playing a mix-raced character. Your mom, Cathrine, for those who don't know, was a black woman. If you choose to be any ethicity besides black, your character is mixed by default. No matter how white-passing they appear, they are mixed.
And your Dad is Liam Neeson, meaning you're mixed race (optional) & Irish-American.
I love the angst of a one sided pining a character who is in love with another but knows that the person they are in love with will never share their affections and having to accept it
I headcanon that Star Paladin Cross is one of these characters
She was in love with Catherine but knew she could never be with her because Catherine was with James
While she did consider James a friend and escorted him and The LW to Megaton and was saddened by his death there was a small part of Cross that resented James for marrying Catherine
She took Catherine's death incredibly hard
The reason why I think Cross cares so much for The LW and even willing to betray The Brotherhood for them which is what she does in River's story is not because they are James' kid but because they are Catherine's kid
Unlike James Cross has no problem with telling The LW about Catherine and The LW can tell with the way Cross talks about her that there are obviously feelings she has for Catherine and she still has them
In my headcanon she talks about Catherine being proud of The LW instead of James and while I do think that James would be proud I think Cross would want The LW to know that Catherine is proud of them too
Cover for my Fallout story “Latticework Vagabonds.”
Summary: In the early days of Project Purity, Madison Li finds herself on the outside looking in as the relationship between James and Catherine blossoms. But despite her place in the background, intricate emotions persist between her and another, woven in a lattice that binds them together. Perpetual changes abound, as the world never stands still for those with the hearts of vagabonds.
In the early days of Project Purity, Madison Li finds herself on the outside looking in as the relationship between James and Catherine blossoms. But despite her place in the background, intricate emotions persist between her and another, woven in a lattice that binds them together. Perpetual changes abound, as the world never stands still for those with the hearts of vagabonds.
