#Massachusetts Minutemen

[puckingoff]

Pioneers Outlast Minutemen in Double OT

Springfield, MA—It took two overtimes, but the Denver Pioneers defeated the Massachusetts Minutemen 2-1 in double overtime on Tristan Broz‘s shot from the slot, which beat goalie Michael Hrabal. This kept the Pioneers in western Massachusetts for a few more days. Broz caught a pass from defenseman Boston Buckberger at the right hash mark and skated along the top of the right circle before firing…

[snowshinobi]

is there. a reason they gave the minuteman statue substantial cake

[aboutoriginality]

[imageryphoto]

All Gave Some, Some gave All

I realize that wars are necessary sometimes. However it now seems that we are engaged in forever wars and the military industrial complex prefers to have conditions of permanent warfare, something I do not support. However the people that do battle for our country deserve nothing less that our full support and respect. Memorial Day is a day when we pay tribute to all that went to battle on our…

[mjordan-nba-nhl]

JULIUS ERVING UMass Minutemen basketball

[doomandgloomfromthetomb]

The Minutemen - The Channel, Boston, Massachusetts, July 22, 1984

The Minutemen's Double Nickels on the Dime hit the 40 year mark recently. By everything that is holy, there should be a commemorative box set that celebrates and expands upon this classic double LP. But no! As ever, curse you, Greg Ginn! In the meanwhile, the Quietus just published a great appreciation by Stewart Smith:

A glorious affirmation of working-class creativity, The Minutemen’s Double Nickels on the Dime is a left-modernist epic that draws inspiration from James Joyce’s Ulysses, post punk, free jazz, country and folk. Tearing through 47 tracks in just under 80 minutes, the trio of guitarist D. Boon, bassist Mike Watt and drummer George Hurley present a vision of punk that is stylistically plural, politically committed, humane, earthy and absurd, all underpinned by an econo philosophy that remains an inspiration to DIY artists forty years later. Like Ulysses, Double Nickels is a cosmopolitan work of art that draws great strength from the community its authors came from. But while Joyce had to leave Dublin in order to write his masterpiece, The Minutemen made a point of staying in San Pedro, a working-class port at the southern edge of Los Angeles. 

For a soundtrack, dig a killer tape of The Minutemen econo-jamming their way through a powerful set in Boston just a few weeks after Double Nickels hit the racks. This ain't no picnic!

[weirdestbooks]

The Shot Heard Around the World Chapter 20

Independence: It's Common Sense (Wattpad | Ao3)

Table of Contents | Prev | Next

January 11, 1776

United Colonies had gotten his hands on the pamphlet soon after it was published. It was already making quite a stir in Philadelphia, and United Colonies could imagine it spreading quickly to the other colonies.

After all, a pamphlet arguing for total independence from his father was bound to attract the attention of his people.

It had caught his attention and, therefore, the attention of his colonies.

“I mean, the idea that the monarchy itself is rooted in sin is a mad idea,” Virginia declared.

“I don’t know. You know all those kings take mistresses and such. Isn’t that a sin? It’s not too far of a stretch, I don’t think,” New York said, sounding contemplative.

“You could argue that the point originated with his current problems against King George III. After all, many of the points he makes there are issues he had with our current king,” Georgia pointed out.

“I know that you will argue circles around each other with this new pamphlet, but do you think you’re arguing about the wrong things? Who cares if the monarchy is sinful or not? He argues for independence.” United Colonies cut it, running his finger along the pages that made that very argument.

“No. The author argues that our independence is an assured thing. That no matter what we do, it will happen someday, and that perhaps it would be easier just to get it done with now and make our little rebellion about rights about something more,” Massachusetts said.

“But…why can’t we just wait? If…if independence is inevitable, then let’s just wait for Grandfather to give it to us. Should we…can we really fight him for it?” South Carolina questioned.

“I don’t know. Father is powerful, and we are but a colony. None of the minutemen have formal training. Very few men in the army do. Even if we turned this rebellion into war, even if it is inevitable that I will find myself playing the role of a country, I don’t…” United Colonies trailed off, shaking his head.

“Foreign allies are a thing. Like it or not, the author is right when he says these problems are doomed to repeat themselves, especially since Grandfather does not want to listen. Even when he repealed the taxes before, he always put new ones down. He always found a way to make that tiny little victory a defeat,” New Hampshire argued.

“With that act saying he could do whatever to use because we’re his colony…he won’t back down or stop violating our rights. The author argues that the system is corrupt and unjust, and I believe it. We can’t just twiddle our thumbs and wait for Grandfather to choose to listen. He believes he’s entitled to do whatever he wants. He thinks he’s entitled to ignore our voices and impose whatever he wants on us. I can’...Father, I don’t want to sit by and take it. I know that has worked before, but this isn’t about us being punished. It’s about our people being punished for wanting rights. Can we really claim that Grandfather truly cares when he does these things?” Massachusetts explained, his voice gentle and concerned. It wasn’t angry. It wasn’t an impassioned speech.’

It was Massachusetts explaining the reality of their present relationship with Britain. If it was more impassioned, maybe United Colonies could have ignored it, brushed it off as things said angrily in the heat of the moment. 

But he couldn’t. Massachusetts was right. The author of this pamphlet was right. Father was not going to change for United Colonies. He wanted United Colonies to change for him, change to fit his whims.

“Well, even if he is right about that, how in God’s name are we meant to fight off the British Empire?” South Carolina questioned.

“Massachusetts said foreign allies. He’s right about that. France hates my father, and she’s probably still bitter about losing Quebec and the others to Father. She might be willing to help,” United Colonies pointed out. While France was not a trustworthy person, her help would be invaluable.

“I mean, the author does say that there is a lot we can benefit from if we are independent and able to form ties with other nations,” New Hampshire said.

“If they want to help us. There’s no guarantee they will,” South Carolina said. New Hampshire laughed.

“Always a skeptic, huh, Southie?”

United Colonies began doing his best to tune them out, looking back down at the pamphlet and the line that had stuck with him the most.

Why is it that we hesitate? From Britain we can expect nothing but ruin. If she is admitted to the government of America again, this continent will not be worth living in.

Many of the arguments were based on facts that United Colonies had turned over in his head time and time again. They were rousing words and solid arguments that only served to make United Colonies feel worse.

All of these ideas made sense, especially the idea that he could expect ruin from his father. United Colonies knew his father was not happy with anything United Colonies had done in the past decade.

If United Colonies were to go home, there would be no talking to his father or tempering his rage. That was only further proven by the Proclamation of Rebellion. His father did not want to negotiate or hear him out, only force United Colonies back under his thumb.

But United Colonies had his own name. His own flag. His own currency. 

He had his Congress and his army.

It was not the organs of a functioning country, but it was a baseline—more importantly, a working baseline. The author of this pamphlet had argued that his independence was inevitable, and United Colonies could see why.

Maybe the idea of independence wasn’t as radical as he thought.

• ───────────────── •

February 27, 1776

Scotland had to give it to Thirteen Colonies. He certainly knew how to shake things up. Maybe it was because Britain thought he had Thirteen Colonies on a tight lease, or perhaps it was because he hated the idea that any more of his colonies (outside of Scotland’s darling brother Ireland) were rebelling against him, getting the idea that maybe Britain isn’t as nice as they thought.

Scotland knew that Britain was better at being a country than a parent. He had noticed it from the get-go, back when England and Britain were arguing over who the real country was, back when Britain was still just an anomaly.

Scotland had tried to avoid that drama. He lived in his country with his daughters and son and did his best to ignore the drama from his southern border.

Then, he became a part of the United Kingdom. He and England united and gave Britain his own name, his own flag, and a purpose.

Scotland was happy at first, glad that the child he had taken to calling his own (as England certainly wasn’t going to do that, and Wales seemed to have a strange avoidance of Britain) was no longer at the threat of death.

However, Scotland felt that with the creation of the United Kingdom, the child he knew was gone.

While he could not comment on the parenting practices of Britain and England before he moved into their house, he knew that their present ones were terrible. Spare the rod was one thing, but they took it too far.

Britain beat his children till they were unconscious, denied all the colonies food if only one of them made a mistake, punished even the slightest hint of disobedience, and did his best to stamp out any ways of thinking he didn’t like.

Britain used the most extreme methods to make his children just like him.

Scotland couldn’t help if the way England raised Britain had something to do with it.

But there was no use in wondering about that. Whatever the cause, Britain suffocated the life out of his colonies. Was it any wonder Thirteen Colonies snapped? The pressure was enough to drive any man mad.

Scotland was lucky that his children were not subjected to the same treatment. No affection for Britain would have stopped Scotland from ending the empire the second he began to do that.

However, as much as Scotland could understand why Thirteen Colonies had been driven to this breaking point, he also knew the rebellion had to end. 

It was not supported by the people of Thirteen Colonies; Scotland could see that in the colonists who had come to him since his arrival in North Carolina, swearing their loyalty to Britain and their king. It was over issues that would not be solved with violence. No one could force Britain’s hand like that, especially not rebels from a colony.

More importantly, Scotland could see that Britain loved Thirteen Colonies and that Thirteen Colonies loved his father. The more they fought, the worse things would get. The sooner the bloodshed ended, the sooner Britain would listen. He was already mad enough at Thirteen Colonies for England’s injury (although Scotland couldn’t bring himself to be that worried about it. It was nice seeing Sasainn being knocked down a peg or two), and the sooner Thirteen Colonies came home, the quicker that anger would burn out.

This led Scotland back to his previous point that he was in North Carolina to solidify Britain’s control over the region and remind Thirteen Colonies of his father’s never-ending anger. 

He was now with Brigadier General Donald MacDonald and a force of loyalists who were making their way to the coast to meet up with Major General Henry Clinton and begin operations to reassert British control over North Carolina.

“Rebels!” a cry then went up as they approached a bridge, seeing what must be rebel troops standing there. Scotland couldn’t help the slight grin that appeared on his face. While he did not support the rebellion, he could admire the audacity of a group of people to attack a countryhuman that might not be their nation but was close enough for anyone to find it treasonous.

“Well, it seems they want a fight, General. Surely we will give them one?” Scotland asked.

“Of course we will. That’s why we are here,” Brigadier General MacDonald said, preparing the men for an assault on the rebel’s earthworks. Say what you will about them, but they came prepared. 

“King George and Broadswords!” Scotland heard a particularly enthusiastic loyalist yell before crossing the creek and heading towards the rebel pickets. However, as they approached, the rebels opened with rifles and cannon fire—cannon fire and quickly began to devastate their ranks. Scotland’s joking attitude faded as he became more serious. 

He knew, after Bunker Hill, that it would be more like facing an army than a mob, but it was one thing to hear it from the two more dramatic people you know and another to see it for yourself.

That didn’t mean Scotland was happy to retreat from the battle, nor did it make him any happier to see the rebels pursuing them.

Why did Thirteen Colonies have to be as stubborn as his father?

[taraross-1787]

This Day in History: Shot Heard Round the World

On this day in 1775, the “shot heard round the world” occurs at Lexington Green!

It had been mere hours since Paul Revere ended his famous ride from Boston to Lexington (see yesterday’s post). Seven hundred British soldiers were en route to Concord. Their goal? They wanted to seize the weapons and supplies that Americans had stored at Concord, Massachusetts.

In the early morning hours of April 19, the British troops ran into about 70 American minutemen on Lexington Green. These men were led by Captain John Parker, a veteran of the French and Indian War. As the British approached, the Americans stood firm. But then someone heard a British officer shout: “Lay down your arms, you damned rebels!” Others heard similar variations of the same comment: “Throw down your arms, ye villains, ye rebels” or “Ye villains, ye rebels, disperse, damn you, disperse!”

The story continues here: https://www.taraross.com/post/tdih-lexington-green

[fallout-fallen-knight]

Fallout 4: Redesigned

In the year 2077, the world was bathed in atomic hellfire, and nearly all of humanity was wiped out in an instant. In the intervening years, the survivors slowly began to put their lives back together. As their ancestors of old had, they formed encampments, which became villages, which became towns. In the Commonwealth, the region encompassing much of old world Massachusetts, survivors began to discover that there was more than just their meager towns, and forged alliances with one another for food and clean water, mutual defense, and other goods. These alliances eventually united under one flag: that of the Minutemen, headquartered in the town of Quincy.

Eventually peoples’ attention turned to the skeletal remains of old Boston, and some forged a path inwards to find if there was anything left in the city. There they found the great green jewel of the Commonwealth: a baseball stadium that would become the mighty walls of Diamond City. Diamond City flourished, but disputes in its ruling family led a group to leave and establish Goodneighbor, a town “of the people, for the people”. For years, these twin towns were major hubs in the Commonwealth, with people, goods, information, and most importantly, money flowing through them. In an attempt to further unite the region, the Minutemen approached both cities to form the Commonwealth Provisional Government, creating an era of cooperation and mutual prosperity.

Fifteen years ago, the Institute emerged from underneath the ruins of the Commonwealth Institute of Technology, and everything changed. The Institute offered great advances in agriculture, medicine, and cybernetics, with one simple cost: complete and total fealty. With them they also brought synths: biological robots who’s body and mind can be molded to the Institute’s purposes, which made up the bulk of the Institute’s military and labor forces. Within a month of their appearance, the Commonwealth Provisional Government collapsed as Diamond City suddenly welcomed the Institute with open arms. As the Minutemen were beaten back, other towns within the ruins of Boston were faced with the choice of acquiescing to the Institute or being cut off from all trade and communication, and found they would gladly lend their flagpoles to the Institute.

For years, the Minutemen and the Railroad operated on the fringes of the Commonwealth: the Minutemen protecting those who have fled the city of Boston in the wake of the Institute, and the Railroad ferrying escaped synths out of Boston and, if possible, the Commonwealth. However, each organization has recently suffered a devastating loss as the Institute seeks to solidify the power they hold over the Commonwealth outside Boston. Moreover, armored scouts from the Brotherhood of Steel, a technocratic cult from the Capital Wasteland, have been seen around the southern reaches of the Commonwealth.

You are from Quincy, a town which until recently was the center of Minuteman activity in the Commonwealth. Late last night, you heard gunfire and screams, smelled blood and fire. This morning you are the Sole Survivor of the massacre that destroyed the town and the Minutemen alike.

Fallout 4: Redesigned is a personal project of mine, as I have grown increasingly dissatisfied with the lore and worldbuilding surrounding Fallout 4. It seeks to rebuild the setting and story from the ground up, reworking most aspects of the game itself from the Sole Survivor to the factions, the companions, the main quest, and more. This series can be found at #fallout 4 redesigned, as I write it.

[renuked]

Plans - July 2024

And here we are, another week of ReNuking the Commonwealth begins. This time, however, there'll be a bit more meat for people to sink their teeth into. Because, for the month of July, the focus will be entirely on Factions!

Fallout, at its core, is all about the society of the post-apocalypse and how people act, react, and rebuild within it. It's more post post-apocalypse, really. And what's more natural to humans than to form groups? We're an inherently tribalist and semi-communal species, so (when the world has been set back so hard) we'll fall back on that in order to survive.

In the Fallout universe, this is represented by Factions.

Brotherhood of Steel Followers of the Apocalypse Unity Enclave New California Republic Boomers Caesar's Legion Great Khans Powder Gangers New Vegas

All of these depict various people gathering under a common banner. Why? For a variety of reasons. Each member has their own. For some, they believe it's the best chance at survival. For others, it's a diehard loyalty to the faction's tenets. As a whole, however, these factions represent a greater push in a region. A central ideology of how best to pick mankind out of the Apocalypse and strive onward into a new tomorrow.

Renuked will follow these footsteps as it reworks the existing factions and even add new ones!

Fixin' Vanilla

First of all, we need to discuss what needs to change. While it is true that Fallout 4 has factions, they are... not as fleshed out as they could be. They are all quite surface level, focusing on one or two tropes and making that their entirety.

The Brotherhood of Steel is an authoritarian military. The Minutemen are altruists who want to help everyone. The Institute are isolationist 'because science' scientists. The Railroad are secretive idealists who put Synths on a pedestal.

So, how do we go about fixing this? Well, let's follow ERA.

Evaluate the existing tropes of the factions.

Revision of the tropes to create a more solid foundation.

Addition of more details on top of the foundation.

Couple this with a few rules of what factions should fulfill;

should represent/fulfill a need of Wastelanders

be viable in the world, re:survival & thriving

have distinctly separate, yet adjacent ideologies

And the result will be sufficiently deeper factions.

The Factions

Now we move on to the factions themselves. I'll be giving a brief rundown on them here, as I'll be going into more depth on them during the Friday updates.

The Institute

Established within the ruins of the CIT (Commonwealth Institute of Technology), this faction is made up of some of the brightest minds in the Commonwealth, if not all of Post-War America. With such talents, they have turned their alma mater into a stronghold. Surrounded by high walls and defended by a legion of deadly robots, they are safe enough to continue work on their ultimate goal; finding a way to adapt mankind to this new world and ensure the survival of the species.

Counter to the vanilla Institute, this reworking leans harder into scientific pursuits while creating a two-faced approach. From the outside, The Institute appears to be a closed-off society that doesn't care about the common wastelander. Inside, however, are people genuinely trying to find solutions to the problems of Post-War Massachusetts. At any cost.

The Minutemen

Founded as an independent militia to defend a few settlements, the Minutemen soon became beacons of strength in the more chaotic years of reconstrution. As more people flocked to them for aid or purpose, they soon became a force for peace across the Commonwealth. From the Castle, they operate a network of volunteers who act on a call to defend independent settlements from danger.

In Fallout 4, having the Minutemen be largely destroyed was a huge missed opportunity for what could have been an interesting faction. Built upon community and co-operation, they facilitate the existence of independent settlements that aren't beholden to a greater faction.

Raiders

The raiders of the Commonwealth are a faction of chaos. At one point, the three distinct groups were united as one. But, a civil war broke out and divided them into three; - The Forged, who occupy and reignite Pre-War factories to fuel their conquests. - The Rust Devils, who salvage robotics to ease their burdens and bolster their numbers. - The Tunnel Runners, who make the sewer systems beneath Boston their home, shadows acting as their shield and their sword.

While in the standard Fallout 4, there were minor implications that raiders had formed individual gangs/groups, this amounted to little more than some notes or terminal entries. So, instead of all raiders being a homogenous group of shooting targets, they are now three distinct groups within a larger (possibly reconstructable) faction. With the simple mantra of; dog-eat-dog.

The Commonwealth Provincial Government

One of the new factions reated specifically for ReNuked, the Commonwealth Provincial Government (CPG) aims to bring back the old world, in an attempt to organize and stabilize the wasteland. With numerous settlements under CPG protection and a functioning governmental system, their reach is far and wide. But, time has corroded the once-solid bedrock and the termites of corruption are gnawing at the ivory tower.

A large problem with Fallout 4's worldbuilding is that... no one has begun to rebuild. After 200 years, there should be renewal. Society should be reforming. People should be rebuilding. The NCR, for example, was founded by five states in 2189 (98 years before Fallout 4!) and maintained up to 2281 (at least). So, the CPG is ReNuked's answer to that issue. A government of settlements that (like the NCR) is repeating the problems of the old world, while still providing some benefit for the wasteland.

The Railroad

Now comes another vanilla faction, but one that has been hugely reworked due to some story changes surrounding the Institute and Synths (primarily that Synths are no longer a major part of the narrative).

The Railroad, in Fallout 4, are the attempted liberators of Synths from the Institute. In ReNuked, this had to change due to... well, Synths not being sentient anymore. Instead, the Railroad has been taken from Anti-Institute to Anti... Faction. Founded in opposition to CPG overreach, the Railroad firmly holds it's belief in independence. To the point of anarchy. They fight to dismantle the major factions and ensures that every settlement is independent, self-sufficient, and "freed from their oppressors." To The Railroad, goverment = oppression, no matter the form it takes.

Blacksteel

Finally, we have our last faction, and the second one created specifically for ReNuked. Through this list you may have wondered; Where's the Brotherhood? Well. Here they are. Sort of.

The idea of the Brotherhood of Steel being across all of the US has been... contentious among Fallout fans. To say the least. And, while I do like the Brotherhood, I'm one of those people who don't believe they need to be in every game.

As such, we now have a replacement. Blacksteel.

Founded in Fort Strong by remnants of the US Army, they follow a strict regimen of obedience, loyalty, and service to the greater good. Every man, woman, and child is considered a single gear in a machine of survival. Each one required to be dedicated to their cause; survival.

Similar in ways to Fallout 4's militarized Brotherhood, but also distinct enough to be it's own thing.

Conclusion

The above factions are just the... cliffsnotes, let's say, of what I hope to create. They will undoubtedly change from what I've written here, though still keep the essence of it.

Throughout this month, I'll be making each friday update focus around one or two of these factions (depending on what I manage to get done.) As well as sprinkle some little things on the blog, in between.

This week, look forward to some more information on Blacksteel. I've already got some progress done on them, so it makes sense to spearhead them.

As always, thanks for reading all this (if you did) and I hope you enjoyed it. I can't wait to show you guys more. Feel free to send in suggestions, questions, or whatever else you'd like.

See y'all next time~

[vide0-nasties]

random thot but you’re the expert here, which fallout game would suit the camelthots most?

WAS A MISTAKE ASKING ME THIS BITCH DFGJF 💖💖

Short Answer: Fallout 4, but I'm barfing up under the cut lmao.

Long Answer:

The Knights 12 is already built to hardcore fuck as the Brotherhood of Steel bc they're literally based off feudal knights in their ranks—Squire, Scribe (seperate semi-non-combat research/tech/clerical role), Knight, Paladin, Sentinel with sub ranks and titles.

Arthur would be the Elder of the Brotherhood of Steel, which funnily enough the canon Elder is named Arthur (Maxson). He's been urged into a burgeoning occupation of the Commonwealth (Massachusetts) by the Proctors of his various Orders (Sword, Shield, and uhh Quill I think??), but he's reluctant to committ so many forces in such volatile and unmapped territory that's not only wilderness but also occupied urban. Don't know if Synths are gonna be the Devils of this game but I'll come back to mess with that later.

——— There IS a super mutant subplot that's pivotal in the Bethesda East Coast Fallout lore that's heavily focused on their eradication and has a massive influence on their plot.

Since this is a military op, Lancelot is probably one of Arthur's most trusted Sentinels, alongside Lucan. Guen I can see being a Head Scribe or Proctor, as well as Ysele.

I could see Morgana being an ousted Head Scribe who was meant for the Elder title, but muscled out. Weligan I could see being a traveling merc that's built a rep for himself up and down the east coast as a mutant killer, becoming smth like a living legend or smth in that neighborhood. Also, could be a Railroad operative, which would be the perfect thing for his rep to hide. Lead em to what the right hand is doing and away from the left hand.

Elowen I feel like is a hmm. See, so much is tired up in the Brotherhood it's hard to get away from it. But she was a waster in the Capital Wasteland, where the Brotherhood's home base is, and (after the events of Fallout 3, where basically they abuse the Lone Wanderer into facilitating their ascension to being the ruling force in the Wastes [hi Lone Wanderer!Perrin and RW crew 😭😭] by leveraging their good name, they go on a colonizing campaign and make it a Steel territory, then they recruit recruit recruit) was inducted to the BoS as a kid. We got child soldiers baby!! Guyeruenna (sp) and their bunch are former wasters turned Steelers from the same territory.

Mordred I could see being yeah a waster turned Steeler, but not by choice. Could've even been a raider or raider captive. Not sure!

I think the main outliers are the other pagans, who were in the Commonwealth already. This is where the rest of it gets fucky.

Deorwine I could see as being the mayor and last inhabitant of Goodneighbor, which is basically a walled anarchist community, that was wiped out by raiders. The timeline is fucked but it exists, and the other pagans are actually settlements across the region. Nimue is the leader of an independent settlement, and Gawain is kind of next in line to become the General (leader) of the Minutemen, which had become incredibly corrupt at the end before its reformation.

I have to fiddle around and figure out who is the player character role this time—Perrin's the Wanderer and Z's the Courier for instance, so we're looking for the Sole Survivor here—and I think that might be Elowen actually? The basic plot needs redone but that's a given bc Bethesda plots are hot garbage.

I WILL CONTINUE TO CHEW TY FOR ASKING LOVE DFHJD

[puckingoff]

Minutemen Outlast Warriors

North Andover, MA – The Massachusetts Minutemen rode 26 saves from freshman goalie Michael Hrabal and two-point nights from juniors Lucas Mercuri and Scott Morrow to a 3-2 win over the Merrimack Warriors in front of 2,314 at J. Thom Lawler Arena on the Merrimack campus.  Cole O’Hara gave the visiting Minutemen the early 1-0 lead when he deposited a Jack Musa cross-crease pass past Zachary…

[snowshinobi]

you think the minutemen and their wives got a lotta mileage outta that one

[thornfield13713]

So, this is really neat, because it's the first real look Georgia has got at the world beyond the Commonwealth. She's been so focused on Shaun and the Minutemen and the Railroad that she hasn't really had much of a chance to look at the bigger picture, and she hasn't met many people who've lived anywhere else. So, she's definitely going to want to buy Macready a drink and ask him a few probing questions about what life is like down south and what things were like on the journey up, because my U.S. geography is a bit shaky but I'm pretty sure there's a few states between DC and Massachusetts, even if one of them is New Jersey.

Particularly, this is the first she's heard of the Brotherhood of Steel running things in DC, which...does not sound like a nice time for anyone, and I daresay if/when I get around to playing Fallout 3 I'll get attached to all manner of ghouls and other people the Brotherhood don't like that much whose fates I will then have to worry about.

[grievedifferent]

STEPHEN “GEVANNI” LOUD  — THE SOLE SURVIVOR // * A MAN OUT OF TIME

NAME: stephen loud

ALIAS: gevanni

AGE: 27, almost 28 when frozen in vault 11

BORN: toronto, canada - immigrated when he was going into his freshman year of high school, had dual citizenship

LOCATION PRE-WAR: boston, massachusetts, usa - living in the neighborhood that would be become known as the settlement called “sanctuary.”

CAREER: “ [ ... ] is a former soldier and decorated war hero who served in the 2nd battalion, 108th infantry regiment of the united states army during the sino-american war.” was seen favorably in his ranks, as well as amongst his peers and superiors, and was honorably discharged [ reasons unknown ] .

VAULT: the only surviving member of vault 111

ON NORA: gevanni is actively taking the place of “nate” from the baseline male sole survivor, which leaves the female player character option “nora” as the wife to nate. this is so that players can choose between them, leaving the other to fill the role of spouse at the beginning of the game to establish the sosu’s life pre-war, what they lose, who they care about, and what they were doing before the war (living in a suburb of boston). canonically speaking, nate is a soldier that is recently returned to civilian life, while nora is a recent mother that is looking to “shake the dust off” her law degree, inferring she is a lawyer of some kind. i will be keeping gevanni as a soldier, leaving the default identity of his wife to be “nora,” and their son to be “shaun.” 

after emerging from the vault and stabilizing himself, gevanni went back for nora to give her body a proper burial. she is buried away from vault 111, but near sanctuary in a secluded, woodsy area. something about her body being eternally frozen seemed wrong to him, allowing her to properly be laid to rest. 

he keeps nora’s wedding ring on him, and still wears his ring throughout the series, even if he becomes romantically involved with someone else. this can be a point of contention. 

he visits her grave sometimes when he is at the red rocket truck stop near their old home. while the red rocket is close to sanctuary, it is far enough away (with fond enough memories) to be occupied as a settlement, as well as being near concord, a city that gevanni hopes will become reoccupied via extension of the red rocket. 

by extension, about codsworth ... he and gevanni still get along post-war, gevanni finding codsworth first before anyone else. while codsworth is a companion, i don’t consider him one here. he primarily takes care of the first settlement that gevanni establishes at the red rocket, helping him seal up sanctuary after moving out preston, sturges, and the others. eventually, codsworth is allowed to choose where he wants to live, be it graygarden with the other robots, the castle with the minutemen, choose another settlement, or leave entirely. his relationship with gevanni remains amicable, as many of gevanni’s decisions fall into codsworth approval.

HEY GEVANNI, YOU’RE S.P.E.C.I.A.L. !!

* fallout 4 starts with 28 base distributive points. immediately after leaving the vault, you gain an additional point via a ‘you’re special’ book that is beneath shaun’s crib in sanctuary. total starting points = 29 to distribute at the beginning of “fallout 4.”

these base stats serve to reflect as closely as possible gevanni’s main canon while still remaining within the constraints of fallout 4. i based these SPECIAL stats off of gevanni’s canonical death note stats, compromising and equaling out my totals based on 

these base stats will also determine what branches of perks he pursues, and he does eventually boost these core 7 stats throughout time, ending pretty “stacked” by the time he “deals with” the institute. most threads take place during early-to-mid fallout 4, meaning his stats more closely align to what i have below.

(S)TRENGTH - 3

(P)ERCEPTION - 4

(E)NDURANCE - 5

(C)HARISMA - 6

(I)NTELLIGENCE - 7

(A)GILITY - 3

(L)UCK - 1

gevanni associated his YOU’RE SPECIAL point allocation to intelligence.

* i always start my sole survivor’s at 1 for luck as a reflection of their situation at the beginning of the game, but that skill is prone to change ... for good or bad.

ON PERKS: i decided to go starting, middle, and end for perks; from what he would start with to what he would end the game with. beginning perks, aside from locksmith, are based in his core SPECIAL stats at the start of fo4. if he has the core stat for it, he could potentially have that perk unlocked at the beginning. as the verse progresses, the starting perks would be built on as he gains new perks throughout. by the end, gevanni will have a lot of the perks unlocked, but that does not mean he filled out the entire tree. some i have left out due to not being in the realm of his character. this also includes beginning perks. i did not give gevanni every perk that was technically unlockable to him at the beginning, and some that should have been at the beginning are instead gained in the middle, as i feel they are perks that are related more to the environment, so realistically would make sense to adapt into over having at the beginning (such as aquaboy, cap collector, or lifegiver, for example, both perks he could have had unlocked at the start, but instead show better in the middle, as they are wasteland associated perks, not pre-war perks). 

STARTING PERKS: armorer, iron fist, pickpocket, rifleman, awareness, locksmith (master locks)*, toughness, lady killer, lone wanderer, attack dog, vans, medic, gun nut, hacker (expert), gunslinger, commando, sneak, fortune finder.

* this is one of the few starting perks i have already “maxed” out for gevanni based on his canon. all other perks will follow the traditional “leveling” systems as gevanni gains skills throughout. to have the locksmith perk, you have to already have a perception of 4 to go further than basic locks. 

GAINED PERKS (MID): strong back, heavy gunner, blacksmith, demolition expert, night person, aqua boy, lifegiver, cap collector, local leader, hacker (master), scrapper, mister sandman, action boy, moving target, mysterious stranger.

GAINED PERKS (END): steady aim, sniper, penetrator, concentrated fire, rad resistant, intimidation, ninja, quick hands, gun fu, scounger, bloody mess, better criticals, critical banker.

CARRYING CAPACITY: 230lbs (base of 200, 30lbs additional due to strength stat)

WEAPONS: primarily relies on a 10mm pistol for close range and a .50 sniper rifle for long range, as well as the use of tactical assault rifles, though is known to swap out guns as needed (mostly based on ammo) without issue. you can expect that he uses pipe pistols, submachine guns, and other weapons found in the wasteland.

with limited supplies, the luxury of a preferred weapon is not the same as pre-war. he is skilled in most combat weapons, including knives, as well as in hand-to-hand combat. throughout his time in the commonwealth, he has probably touched one of at least every gun or weapon out there. he also carries a combat knife and a switchblade. 

on average, he typically carries a rotation of two close range weapons, one long range, and two combat weapons that are non-ammo reliant (such as the ripper or a knife). 

as guns breakdown, become worn out, or damaged beyond repair, gevanni will scrap them for parts to upgrade new weapons. while he has his preferences, he has forced himself to become more skilled with weapons he did not favor pre-war, but had experience with. 

TO BE NOTED: i typically play this verse in the mid-beginning around the middle of the game to give a lot of leniency for the plot to progress, as well as to allow gevanni that natural growth versus being met as a fully op bethesda mc, if that makes sense. i would say right around after concord but before getting into kellogg’s memories. this still allows for a lot of the content in fallout 4 to be accessible. i will play throughout this entire timeline, however, and will not only be playing mid-game content, but that’s where i’ll focus. given that this is meant to follow the bulk of fallout 4′s core story and lore, it does not mean that the verse has to entirely follow the game play-by-play. this verse has a lot of leniency, deriving instead from the game for a lot of its mechanics, restrictions, inspirations, and motives, but also allowing for a more open experience versus something more neat and streamlined. 

ACTIVE COMPANIONS: dogmeat, currently a lone wanderer. occasionally travels with preston when needed, or nick when required (eventually choosing to journey with nick and dogmeat in tandem). has been known to travel with deacon for railroad business. he also traveled with danse for a short period of time.

currently has met - the mayor hancock of goodneighbor, piper of diamond city, the detective nick valentine, and preston garvey of the minutemen (now located in sanctuary*). 

nick valentine being so interwoven with finding kellogg is a big reason why gevanni’s favoritism towards nick is so apparent.

he is on good terms with piper, finding her feisty, extroverted, and opinionated. their relationship is generally positive. 

while jarring at first, gevanni adjusts to the ghouls of the commonwealth, much the same as he does synths. in fact, it is the acceptance of ghouls that allows gevanni to make the leap towards independent synth recognition of the third gen series. because of this, we can assume gevanni’s relationship with hancock is also rather positive, encouraging him to go more straightedge, but not entirely dissuading hancock to be himself. after all, hancock actively survived for years without gevanni’s interference. as gevanni is not a chem user, he does not push hancock to experiment, at least not with him.

he is always meeting the active companions of the commonwealth throughout this verse, so depending on thread, sometimes he might know / know of a companion, sometimes he might not (yet).

gevanni does do most of the required companion missions throughout his time in the commonwealth, all while pursuing his primary goal to find his son. you can expect that he got curie her body, for instance. i believe there could be potential romance with curie, but that is neither here nor there. 

gevanni does not pursue much with companions like cate, allowing her to go off on her own after enabling her companion status.

he is obviously on good terms with deacon, seeing as they both work for the railroad. other companions like maccready, ada, etc are all generally left to their own devices after being “helped” by the sole survivor. gevanni does not keep close enough tabs to force them to do much of anything.

in most instances, at least for big picture stuff, he does generally have their support if needed, particularly in battle. 

he is closest to dogmeat, nick, codsworth, deacon, preston, curie, and piper. 

he does not side with porter gage in nuka world, seeing as gevanni actively liberates nuka world, hoping to get it back to its former glory as a settlement for the citizens of the commonwealth. 

SANCTUARY: gevanni has no desire to return to sanctuary, walling off his house entirely, basically encapsulating it further to be “sealed in time.” from there, he suggests the minutemen move fully to the castle, eventually walling off sanctuary forever. while it is an inhabitable place, gevanni seeks to have that entire upper left-hand corner of the map. while he has isolated sanctuary, he did move all “scrappable” items from other houses, as well as the scrap from around the neighborhood, to the work station at the local red rocket that was once near his home. 

LOCAL LEADER / SETTLEMENTS: the settlements that gevanni uses most prevalently, thus sending eventual supply lines to run between, are the red rocket (main), the outpost zimonja, the tafington boathouse, a brief supply line that only runs supplies from abernathy farm (the only inhabitants that live there are the abernathy family), the coastal cottage (a private settlement), the house in diamond city (eventually bought in hopes to have a home in the city for his son, no active supply line as it is in front of the market), and the starlight drive in.

the castle, while considered a settlement, becomes run solely by the minutemen, who gevanni helped “re-establish,” but encouraged preston himself to run as the eventual “general.” gevanni only held the general title until preston was willing to (forced to) take it on himself, having earned it rightfully. 

he eventually creates a supply line with the nakano home for the far harbor section of his story, but does not actively turn the nakano home into a settlement, similar to abernathy farm. the nakano house becomes a tradeline. 

for the most part, gevanni tends to occupy the more previously uninhabited (or inhabited by raiders) settlements for his reconstruction projects, leaving settlements that function on their own alone, instead just establishing trade routes and supply lines with them. bunker hill is another good example of this practice.

ALIGNMENTS: the minutemen (originally, see local leader for more, formerly “the general”), the railroad. nick is a major reason, along with my viewing the railroad as a supplement for the SPK, that gevanni chooses to side with synths and synth-sympathizers. 

in the end, gevanni would choose to live his life with the synth version of his son, shaun. he would destroy the institute, allowing synths that has been already made and introduced to the world, or freed from the institute before its destruction, to live, while ceasing new synth production entirely. 

notably: gevanni did a lot of work for the brotherhood of steel at first, finding a sort of soldier’s bond, commonality, and a nostalgia factor that made the idea of becoming an initiate enticing. eventually, however, he breaks ties with them, which leaves it open to whether or not they would have to be “chased out” of the commonwealth, would actively start a war with gevanni and his alignments, or would continue on their own business silently without his involvement ... or until their involvement becomes too great to ignore. 

either way, there is likely a clash with the brotherhood, though i would imagine they would have definite interest in dismantling the institute, potentially creating a point of compromise between gevanni’s interests, the railroad, the minutemen, and the brotherhood all in order to favor a common goal of getting rid of the institute. 

things would likely settle for a while, but eventually, the brotherhood would go back to trying to fulfill their original goals, but also still targeting synths post-destruction of the institute. 

his involvement with danse became a strong friendship. by default, i believe we still could get the synth!danse reveal, with gevanni encouraging danse to follow the route (through some charisma) of being able to leave the brotherhood without being pursued for execution via elder maxson’s promise, find his own life in the commonwealth, and potentially have ties with the railroad (given his identity). he and gevanni do not pursue a romantic relationship, but have a “soldier’s bond.”

FAR HARBOR: TBA

NUKA WORLD: gevanni fully clears out nuka world, giving it back to the people of the commonwealth. he does not work with raiders, so this is pretty open / shut.