#terminal notes

[reanimatedcourier]

What would you like to see in the next Fallout game, not just location, but world building?

Canada. #PutOgopogoInFallout2023.

In all seriousness, I want to know how the annexation affected Canada and how that would have changed the environment once the bombs fell. Also, god willing, we learn that the bombs killed the Irving family.

[reanimatedcourier]

Hey the post's a few years old but I like "How to Write Indigenous Characters Without Looking like a Jackass"! Related question: could I write a vampire who happens to be Haida and Tsimshian while avoiding racist cannibalism stereotypes? Context: 1) This vampiric lineage has members of all races and doesn't come from the Americas, and the character's family are mortal. 2) She's inspired by a few non-Native characters, I made her Native because Why Not, so I can make her something else if needed.

This is going to be unhelpful, but I really don't know much about those nations. You would have to do research about what kinds of spirits are present in their cultures.

That, and I have concerns that trying to integrate a Christian monster (the vampire, as we're aware of it in popular culture, though it is not the only bloodsucker in the world) into a Native character with ties to their culture. Some of the folklore states the vampire can come from the unbaptized, and that rubs me the wrong way in the context of a Native vampire. I don't think it's impossible, per se, but it would be a delicate balancing act.

I will note that the taboo in Anishinaabe culture centers around flesh eating. I've never seen anything put focus on the blood. There's that, I suppose?

Goodness, this answer is all over the place. Since you mention the character's family was mortal, I'm assuming she is turned by someone else at some point. Turned by whom? How does that alter the dynamic?

I've thought about this for a few days and this is what really jumps to mind.

[reanimatedcourier]

the Tribes in Fallout are not the same thing as the actual bands in real life, they aren't even supposed to be Native American tribes, although yes, some of them do draw inspiration and possibly have anscestory from indeginous folk. Comparing "descendants of Americans nuked to the stone age" to Indigenous people of America is in of itself racist as hell.

I'm not answering your other asks. I know the groups in Fallout: New Vegas are not like the Indigenous bands of today. I played the game.

they aren't even supposed to be Native American tribes, although yes, some of them do draw inspiration and possibly have ancestry from Indigenous folk.

I would appreciate it a lot if people actually read what I said as opposed to glean the aura of it and respond to what they think I've said. There is nothing you've proposed in this statement that is contradictory to what I have said. Also, this is dancing around the concept of coding. If they draw inspiration from Indigenous groups and have Indigenous ancestry, why is it such a stretch to call them Indigenous? Yes, it is possible to have distant (150+ years back for example) Indigenous ancestry and not be considered such.

One of the groups in Honest Hearts quite literally has words from the Shosone language in their dialogue. What else is this supposed to be read as?

For fuck's sake, this is what Caesar's sentiment of "taking the tribe out of the tribal" parallels to. This is what the Legion practices and intends through assimilation. You know, like how things happen in real life. Very strange, but fiction is influenced by reality.

I'm not going to wax poetic about intent versus impact here, since I've given the speech enough my followers are probably tired of it by now. So, we'll do the bullet points version.

No, I don't think they were initially intended to be read this way.

Yes, I think the writers drew on their preconceived notions of "primitive" and that consisted of imagery associated with Indigenous people of the US.

Yes, I do know that J.E. Sawyer did not intend for either groups to be strictly uniform in visuals.

No, I don't think it matters in the grand scheme of things.

No, I am not being racist by being an Indigenous player and connecting these dots in the way I did. Try again.

P.S: there are many Indigenous people in the southwestern US.

The Great Khans work with the NCR at Hoover Dam in one ending. NCR decides to expand later on after the battle, kicks the Great Khans off their land, and relocates them to an isolated patch of land north of trade routes. How the fuck else is this supposed to be read?

[reanimatedcourier]

Personally I feel even a non violent courier can have killing Joshua “I’m a huge cunt but I’ve changed :)” Graham and Daniel the Dipshit be clean on their conscience considering those two aren’t people, they’re mouthpieces for cultural genocide and forcible assimilation

Also because I fucking hate Daniel’s stupid face so much you don’t understand I just want to beat it in with my bare hands I hate his goddamn Kubrick Stare more than I hate Cazadors and Blind Deathclaws

I'm enamored with your second paragraph. I lose it every time I see it.

I do agree; it's a public service taking them out.

[reanimatedcourier]

Is self sufficiency ever going to be a thing in Fallout? Like, yeah people scavenge but there sees to be attempts to create actual economies, like the NCR. That doesn’t full on rely on scavenging supplies but actuall make stuff.

Short answer: I would campaign for the answer to be yes, but I'm not sure how well it can come across in a video game. We're also not going to get anything remotely leftist out of the Fallout series as is.

Long answer: under what system are we looking to see self-sufficiency? The modern late-stage capitalist system? Or outside it, with ideas of decolonization, or even Marxism?

Logically, I think there must be some attempts at creating a self-sustaining nation. Suspension of disbelief comes into play, of course, but scavenging can't possibly be that sustainable two centuries later. Raiding, maybe, but not scavenging.

I think we see this best in smaller settlements, with their own ranches, farms, and access to water. They have more reliable food sources. If we really want to get into it, Megaton has the means to clean its own water. Which is important.

Caps is a solid example of an emerging economy. They were (still are?) a real currency in the Hub, backed up against water. Everywhere else, however, caps seem to be a fiat currency (not backed up against anything). They have usage all through the wasteland and exchange rates with other currencies (paper money from NCR, Legion denarii).

Every time I've thought about this sort of thing, I come into the idea of resource allocation. NCR probably does manufacture some items in state. As a nation-state, they have the power to allocate resources to particular ventures. They have factories with people to staff and manage them. We already know from the Powder Gangers they have no issues with prison labor.

The Legion certainly has manpower. They may even have more than NCR, given their massive territory. I have my doubts about proper allocation of resources. Do these resources exist? They must, since keeping people fed is an excellent way of making sure you as the leader stay alive. Armies need food, water, and housing.

But both of these nations are very close to collapsing under their own weight. In different ways. NCR has, by the start of New Vegas, strained water sources. The Legion's not doing much else outside of conquering and appropriating. They've got the land, but can they use it?

They may be self-sufficient in a sense, yet unsustainable. Which I think should be the next question to "is there any possibility for self-sufficiency?"

That would be another matter entirely.

[reanimatedcourier]

your anons be like “just because je sawyer said he didn’t intend for the game to be racist doesn’t mean the game is racist”

It really feels that way! I'm not interested in holding something he did 10 years ago that he apologized for over his head, but he still did these things. We have to interact with the game from that perspective. They had 18 months to make it, not really a lot of time to research how to do meaningful portrayals or create strong writing in these respects. I have taken this into account. It is racist. End of. How can we interact with it moving forward, if we choose to interact with it?

There is no shame in admitting writers whose stories we otherwise enjoy put racist elements into their work.

[reanimatedcourier]

I just realized something, you know how the Fiends are described as like, drug addicted raiders who do the most horrible stuff? Is that, like a Addict stereotype?

Yes. Thinking of people who use drugs as inherently/unusually violent is a common stereotype. To borrow a quotation from here: "There exists a false assumption that people with addictions are inherently violent. While many violent people are addicted, the truth is most of us are no more violent than anyone else. Even if there is a link between violence and addiction, it is important to know that addiction does not create violence, it simply contributes to situations where violence may occur." The bolded parts are mine.

The Fiends play into this pretty strongly. Corporal Betsy, for example, makes comments about how a Fiend woman is "so fucked up she doesn't realize she's the bad guy". Her talk of them is quite dehumanizing, but it tracks to the dominant viewpoint of the culture that FNV was made it. I remember back in 2010/2011, while it wasn't straight up "drugs are the devil", they certainly discussed them as a source of bad things. You may be noticing now how dehumanization and language plays into discussions surrounding drug use.

(My classes now take an entirely different viewpoint, changing to terms like "substance use disorder" and "substance users" when discussing them. My acquaintances use that sort of language and have humanizing views.)

This is an article from the Guardian, discussing drug decriminalization in Portugal. The policies themselves aren't perfect and have faced a lot of backlash. I personally found this to be a good starting point when learning about how decriminalization looks and challenging cultural notions.

[reanimatedcourier]

What’s your favorite weapon in all of Fallout?

All time, I would have to say anti material rifle.

As for ones I regularly use in game, the laser rifle. Makes cazadores easier to deal with and I can worry about accuracy a little less.