#pop off mama Murphy

[gilbertalexandersbiggestfan]

Sorry for the horrid quality this was screen-recorded through a discord call.

[atonalginger]

Sunday Snippet

several lovely writers, @fangbangerghoul, @bearlytolerant, and @therealgchu, reminded me it is Sunday and I do have a snippet to share, of the non-starfield variety. Today we're taking a peek at Dawn and seeing what she's up to out in the Commonwealth.

Like the lovelies above, I'm going to more generally tag THe Coemancer Crew and anyone else who has a wip they might want to share a peek of. No pressure and it doesn't have to be writing either! Fang shared progress of a portrait that was top notch!

I'm going to throw a chunk of the snippet under a read more because its a little longer today.

--

“Alright, alright,” Ripshank popped the door open, the quick movement overpowering the squeak, “I take it the old man is struggling to get the wires to stay?”

“I heard that!” Walt shouted down from above, “get your ass up here and bring the needle nose pliers while your at it.”

“What have you been doing up there?” Ripshank asked incredulously with his head turned toward the sky. He was shaking his head while stepped outside, his nose wrinkled up like he smelled something rotten.

“Shut it and move,” Walt commanded.

Preston reached for the door but Dawn raised her hand for him to stop, “leave it. Fresh air could do me some good and it’ll make it easier to holler if I need something.”

He bowed his head and retreated from the door. If Dawn knew him well enough, Preston would be patrolling the parameter, laser musket at the ready for any hostile movements. Chloe had mentioned he’d been wearing a path in the tall grass around the old listening post, taking longer shifts than the others and worrying the team. Dawn thought about calling after him but she knew it wouldn’t do any good. He didn’t listen to her back in the Hills, he wouldn't listen to her here.

Dawn went back to sipping her water and resting her eyes. It didn’t take too long for her mind to wander to Diamond City, to the Dugout Inn tucked away in the wall. Yefim posted up near the open archway to the rooms and Vadim at his spot behind the bar with his big, welcoming smile plastered on his face. To the first night she wandered into the crowded bar.

Vadim had been regaling a customer with a tale of his adventures before coming to Diamond City. Something about facing off with one of the most dangerous creatures in the wastes, the punchline, at least to the patron, being that the creature was a mirelurk. The man scoffed at the notion, pointing out that many deal with mirelurks all the time, but Dawn was intrigued. Sure, average mirelurks and their softshell cousins were pushovers with the right equipment but even in her short time in the wastes she’d come to find very dangerous variants. The sorts of creatures many would not walk away from. His customer walked away with their beer, leaving his story unfinished.

“See this bar? I killed a man for it. Ha ha! No, no…I kid…I kid…” he had said from behind the bar as she made her approach. His smile had dropped for a moment as he cleared his throat, “He is dead, though… Now, let me know when you’re ready to order.”

From the unfinished tale to the dark humored joke, it was one of the more memorable first impressions Dawn had experienced in her life, which was saying something considering how many eccentric people she’d met since waking up in the vault. Mama Murphy and her drug fueled ‘sight’ swearing she knew where Shaun was if only she had another hit of jet. Moe Cronin and his outlandish stories of how baseball was played and how the bats, or swatters as he called them, were used to attack runners. Or the hypocrite Myrna with her paranoia over synthetics while using Percy, a well maintained Mr. Handy, for overnight sales, who started conversations with new customers with a question over whether they were human or not. And so many more traveling merchants on the roads between the Hills and Diamond City. None of them had a laugh or smile that lit up her soul quite like Vadim Bobrov. None of them had joy as infectious.

“I’d love a glass of the house special, served however the proprietor enjoys it,” Dawn had said as she sat down on the closest stool, her eyes locked with Vadim, a coy smile on her face.

“A woman after my heart,” he had said quietly before laughing and more loudly announcing, “one Bobrov’s Best coming up.”

Neither of them had realized then how true that little off hand remark would become. At the time Dawn was simply being playful, trying to distract from her anger toward her second after the blowout fight behind ArcJet. She just wanted to drink, laugh, and lay her head down under a solid roof that wasn’t formerly a gas station. To get peace and quiet without the constant rattling of turrets. Without inconveniencing a new friend like a stay at Arturo’s would have been. And she got all she wanted that night as well as much she hadn’t bargained for.

Vadim was a charmer, with his warm smile and honeyed words. Loud and boisterous with his regulars and yet his hushed comments as he served her or passed by her stool were charged with more energy that warmed her cold heart. Then came the dancing, annoying his regulars while they swayed around the floor to Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Marty Robbins, and Kay Kyser. It was like he’d transported her back to her favorite dive bar out west, a feeling that batted all her worries away.

His strong hand on her hip leading her around was almost magical. The way his lips clumsily brushed against her ears when he leaned in to whisper his sweet nothings stole her breath every time. He made her feel like they were they only people in the bar, all his attention focused on her. All the while his regular patrons complained about the slower service and bitched at their barkeep to focus. Their complaints told Dawn this wasn’t a regular occurrence; the regulars were all accustomed to Vadim being at the bar, rarely wandering away for anything more than to restock. It made Dawn feel special, she’d stolen the dutiful bartender from his perch behind the bar, accepting their dirty looks with a smile.

Yefim, Vadim’s twin brother, appeared surprised by the evenings antics. She thought at one point that he might be mad as he reminded Vadim that it was late and they had customers who were trying to sleep but by the time Dawn retired to room 2 with Vadim in toe Yefim stood behind the bar with a smile, shaking his head. Perhaps the happiness was born out of his loud mouth brother not shouting behind the bar, perhaps he was simply happy for his brother.

[jedifarmerr]

Wasteland Series (Fallout AU)

Pairing: Frankie Morales x F!Reader/OFC (No y/n & no physical descriptions)

Rating: E (18+)

Word Count: 4k

Chapter Warnings: Language, angst?, pretty tame honestly but let me know if I missed anything.

Chapter 7

Series Masterlist

“You’re late…again.” 

Frankie smacked his lips, and checked his watch. 8:15. Almost twenty minutes, he’d been waiting, propped against the fence outside of Piper’s house. He knew he shouldn’t have let her stay the night here. 

She waved her hand, tossing away his annoyance like a bothersome gnat. “And good morning to you too.” 

Frankie’s jaw ticked at her petulance. 

This was their second day of training and already he was tempted to throw in the towel - say fuck it and crawl back into bed where the sheets were probably still warm and waiting for him. 

What would the guys say? We pulled sticks? Big deal. That wasn’t binding. 

Frankie heavily debated leaving, but he took a deep breath instead. He turned in the direction of Arturo’s then stormed off without another word. She chased after him, lagging in his dust until she caught up with him. 

In the middle of town, there was a crowd of pop-up vendors. It must’ve been Saturday. Of course, she had to peek inside every tent. Most of the stuff for sale was junk. Things people deemed unnecessary when picking around nearby apartment buildings. The only ones he found interesting and worthwhile were the ones with art - original pieces done in charcoal, watercolors, or clay. 

Frankie had to drag her away from the lady who carved figurines out of deadwood. He opened the door to Arturo’s and ushered her inside. 

“Such a gentleman,” she teased, and she certainly didn’t make it easy for him. 

The weaponry smelled of metal and gunpowder, and also cheap cologne. It was painfully masculine. Arturo had probably bought the wannabe alpha scent from Mama Murphy’s tent: the woman always claimed it was a smell that no woman could resist. 

Frankie figured Arturo wore it solely to impress her. After all, the man had flirted with her non-stop yesterday. It was nauseating. 

Arturo’s face lit up when he saw her, his grin framed with a fuzzy, black goatee. “Blue,” he purred at her. 

When Frankie had introduced her by the nickname, she shockingly didn’t correct him. She seemed to understand it was for her protection. Maybe he was being too cautious, but he’d rather be safe than sorry. 

“Hope you two aren’t back with any complaints. Remember: No Refunds. Only Store Credit.” He jabbed his thumb towards the sloppy, handmade sign on the wall.

“Trust me, I know.” Frankie sighed. Arturo appeared to still be gloating about cleaning out his pockets. 

Frankie had made the mistake of allowing her to pick out her gun. He really should’ve known better. She was pre-war, after all. People then would pay a premium for aesthetic. 

He’d realized he was fucked when Arturo brought out a gold-plated piece. Everything else in the lineup disappeared. 

“One-of-a-kind, a hidden gem for the gem of the Commonwealth.” 

Frankie wouldn’t go that far, but the gun did suit her. He’d just never say that out loud.

“No complaints here,” she beamed at Frankie. He purchased another box of ammo before heading downstairs. 

In the basement, there was a shooting range. Hardly anyone used it, aside from on Thursday’s when anyone 16 and younger could practice for free. 

Her dad had taught her the basics: stance, grip, and weight distribution. So, the main focus was on her speed and accuracy. 

Frankie leaned against the wall as she loaded her gun. From here, he had a perfect view of both her and the course. 

They started with a warm up. He turned the dial to level two and hit the start button. A dulled school bell rang out, and the roof sounded as if it would cave in when  the web of gears grinded above him as targets unfolded from the ceiling. Arturo had this thing rigged up like an old carnival skill game. The targets even mimicked the movement and patterns of different wasteland creatures. Even she had been impressed. 

By the fifth round, the room reeked of overheated metal and stale summer heat. 

She wiped the sweat off her forehead. There was a bead dripping down the center of her chest, his eyes followed. 

“Is that really all you got, Francisco?” She drew out his full name. Piper would pay for that. 

If she wanted a challenge, fine. “Not even close.” He cranked the dial to the far right and punched it.

This time, the targets zipped around the arena like a pack of pissy stingwings. She frantically shot at each one. She didn’t even hit one. Instead, her bullets pelted the back wall before rolling into a heap around the rusty drain.

She whirled around. “What the hell was that?” 

“You wanted to see what I got?” He shrugged - innocent. “Well, there ya go.” 

“That’s not fair! I wasn’t ready!” 

“Well, there’s your lesson for the day. Be ready for the unexpected.” He smirked and she wrinkled her nose. She didn’t even try to hide the annoyance on her face. “Now, you gonna keep whining or can we get back to it?” 

That seemed to irk her. She spun around in a huff, then popped her neck and rolled her shoulders back as if preparing to fight. 

“Are we gonna get to it or what?” She snapped, staring down the barrel of her gun. 

He had to hand it to her – she had tenacity. 

—

The training sessions continued. Everyday, two hours a day, just the two of them. He could tell it was paying off, her shot had vastly improved along with her speed. 

Frankie found she didn’t take directions very well. At least, not from him, which wasn’t really surprising. 

Anytime he critiqued her, she’d act like she already knew that. Or she was already doing that. Or that’s not how she was taught. Sometimes, he swore she fought back just to get a rise out of him. Once in a while, he’d catch her smirking after learning a new button of his to push. She’d slowly figured him out, and now, had him down to a science like some conditioned pigeon. 

She’d peck and peck and peck at him until he would snap and call her a brat. It didn’t faze her. She was exhausting. She could be so goddamn annoying, but he kinda liked it. He weirdly enjoyed it, this game - the push and pull. 

He was completely aware that it didn’t make any sense. And was pretty sure something was wrong with him. 

Maybe he was spending too much time with her. 

It had been over a week since they arrived in Diamond City. 

—-

One night, Piper’s curiosity finally won. She’d been burning with questions and honestly, Frankie was impressed she held out this long. Ten days. 

It was late. There were three empty growlers on the kitchen counter. Piper had one too many cups of strawberry wheat. Alcohol had always made her lips a little loose.

“You don’t have to answer me,” she prefaced before going in for the kill. “But what was it like on that day, when the bombs fell?” 

“Piper.” Frankie chastised her, jolting upright on the couch. 

He knew he was maybe being too protective of her, or more so of that. Especially since Piper knew about her nightmares. She’d brought it up with him just the other night, while alone in the kitchen. 

“Do they know about them?” Piper had asked. 

Frankie shrugged because he wasn’t sure. If they did, they never said anything. 

“Who’s Nora? She kept mumbling her name last night. I wondered-”

“I don’t know.” The name had lingered in the very back of his mind since that night. Where did she fit into all of this?

Surprisingly, Blue softly smiled at him and said, “It’s alright. Maybe it’s time I talk about it.” 

Frankie felt uneasy, but backed off anyway. She was a big girl, she could make her own choices. 

She seemed unable to look at them as she spoke. Instead, she stared at a stain on the rug and told them about the normalcy, about how it happened so fast. He could remember the few details she spared on that first day in her living room. He didn’t know about how she almost didn’t make it. 

He could not bear to think about what it was like to witness that. The trauma. 

“I knew them, and I could hear them.” Her hands trembled in her lap. Her voice sounded wet with swallowed tears. “Then - there was nothing. Nothing at all. All of it was gone. Just like that.” 

None of them knew what to say. In the long pause, Piper’s expression morphed into regret. “I’m sorry Blue. I shouldn’t have-”

“It’s okay.” She squeezed Piper’s hand. “Like I said, it was probably time anyway.” 

—-

It was your fifteenth and final, full day in Diamond City. Or at least, that was the plan. At 3:30, you would visit Doctor Sun one last time to get up to date on vaccinations. As long as there were no side effects, you’d be heading to Sanctuary first thing tomorrow morning. 

You were going to miss it here. You were going to miss Piper and Power Noodles Pad Thai , and the halfway normalcy in your everyday life. While this might’ve been a city inside a baseball stadium after an apocalypse, it was still the closest you’d felt to normal in weeks. 

Initially, you’d been dreading training with Frankie. But in the hours spent together in the basement, you’d formed an incipient friendship. Or at least, something akin to it. A part of you was going to miss your sessions with him. Even though today was not going well. 

The targets whirled around the arena. Ping. Ping. Ping. Every shot missed their mark. Ping. Ping. Ping. The bullets pelted the back wall and it was really starting to piss you off.

Once the bell rang out and the targets retreated back into the ceiling, you slammed your gun onto the counter and your palms curled into the cold, steel edges. Your chest heaved with frustration. The sweat dripping down your back felt like hot coals digging into your skin.

Frankie had kept pushing and pushing - go quicker. Faster. 

God - you wanted to sock him in the face: Quick enough for you?

You needed to get a hold of yourself. But the deep breath you took to calm down felt like barbed wire in your chest. 

Frankie started to walk towards you, the sound of his feet against the concrete pounded against the walls. Your finger shot up, and wiggled back and forth. Don’t. 

Immediately, he came to a stop. He must’ve sensed one wrong move and you’d go berserk. 

Closing your eyes, you tried to regain some mental control. It didn’t work. You felt so stupid and small and like a big fucking failure. These stupid targets couldn’t even shoot back. It shouldn’t be this hard. You were so frustrated that you might cry. 

You thought about Alice, if she saw you on the verge of tears at a shooting range - what would she say? 

Pathetic. 

She’d call you a pathetic cry baby, just like she did when your pet fish died. Bubbles. She didn’t shed a tear for the five-year-old beta. 

In fact, you never saw her cry, at all. 

She was always tougher than you - always smarter and stronger and better at everything that actually mattered in this world. 

Alice was made - trained for hard and dangerous situations. Growing up, she’d decided to learn how to defend herself with taekwondo while you took dance lessons instead. Pointe shoes and pirouettes hardly seemed like an accomplishment compared to a roundhouse or a scissor kick or her 8th degree black belt. 

She had actually killed before - animals, but it was bigger than a beetle. She’d gone hunting with your dad. Now, you really wished that you would’ve too. 

You often wondered why it couldn’t be Alice that got out instead. Why, out of everyone in the vault, why did it have to be you? 

If it was Alice, she would’ve probably known what the fuck was going on. If not, she would’ve figured it out. She sure as hell wouldn’t be in Fenway Park with four men who she barely knew. About to fuck off to their settlement in less than 24 hours. 

The back of your eyes started to burn and sting like epsom salt. You hated to think about how ashamed your family would be of you. 

You’d always felt like a disappointment, the lead balloon in their bed of roses. Not so much your dad, you supposed. At least, he loved you. He’d probably blame himself for not being there to protect you from this big bad world. 

I told you, peanut. This world would crush you.

But your mom - oh, you could only imagine her face. Her indignation, her distaste, though not surprised. Never surprised. That same sour expression she gave when you denied the job at Vault-Tec. 

I knew you weren’t built for it. 

“Blue.” 

Frankie’s voice was low and almost soft and startled you from that bleak line of thinking. You tensed and could not bear to glance at him, or anywhere near his vicinity. You didn’t want him to see you like this - a weak, weepy mess. 

“Hey,” he whispered, walking towards you. His pace was slow, careful and he didn’t stop until he was right behind you. “Hey.” 

“Look, I already know, okay,” you spat - defensive. “I’m not fast enough. My GTL is a quarter inch off. You really don’t have to tell me, alright?” 

“That’s-” Frankie paused, exhaled. “That’s not what I was gonna say.” 

Your grip uncurled from the counter. “No?”

Slowly, you turned around, lifting your head to peer up at him. He didn’t appear annoyed or pissed or even judgmental. 

Instead, his umber eyes were soft as velvet.

He sighed. “You’re thinking too much.” 

Bastard. “No shit! I think that’s pretty obvious.” 

His tongue peeked out from his pink lips, telling you he wasn’t finished, yet. Reluctantly, you shut up.

He scratched at the bald patch in his beard before crossing his arms, his t-shirt stretched across the broad expanse of his chest. “Remember when you shot that bloatfly.” 

You clicked your tongue, then responded, “Yes.”

“How many shots did it take?” 

Hands on hips, you asked, “What’re you trying to get at here?” His brow hitched up, and you huffed. Fine. “Two.” 

He hummed, his head dipping into a single, firm nod. 

“I know people who’ve trained for years and take double - hell triple that. But it took two - on your first try. And you know why?” 

You shook your head. 

“Cause you didn’t have time to think.” He reached behind you to grab the gun, his knuckles brushing the denim on your hip. You watched him unclip the empty magazine and it looked so small in his palm. His fingers were thick – his hands so strong and rough and large. You licked your lips as he said, “You’re not a bad shot. You just don’t trust yourself.” 

It took a moment for his words to register. Frankie never complimented you, at least not outright. And he never said anything he didn’t actually mean. You’re not a bad shot. It sat fuzzy and warm and sweet in the pit of your belly. 

You met his gaze – realization. “Did you just-” 

“Don’t push it,” he warned you with a teensy, little smirk. 

You decided to listen and leave it.

“Try again.” He reloaded the gun before handing it to you. “And this time, don’t think so much.” 

“Whatever.” You rolled your eyes. “Just go back to your corner.” 

He didn’t go back to his corner, though. After hitting the start button, he came just a few feet behind you. You assumed he wanted to watch from a different angle. 

The targets moved around the arena. You started off strong, like always, but started to slip once it kicked up speed. Your shoulders inched closer to your ears with each missed shot. 

Suddenly, you could hear Frankie moving closer – you could smell his soap. Fresh cut pine. Sage. Something masculine and very much him. 

“Relax.” His warm breath tickled the back of your neck. It was hard to straight think with him so close. 

His large hands engulfed your shoulders. He pressed down to release the tension and you sucked in a breath. 

Oh God – you hoped he didn’t hear that. 

Two targets zipped by that you didn’t even try to shoot. You tried to shake out of this weird daze, and aimed at the third. 

Miss. 

“Don’t think.” His voice was low and thick and rumbling over the shell of your ear. It was overwhelming. It was embarrassing. Get a grip. Your body was reacting like some touch starved virgin. 

When you took another shot, somehow it hit the target. Dumb luck. 

“That’s it.” His fingertips ghosted across the straps of your tank top, lightly brushing your shoulder blade. 

He ripped away his hand and practically scrambled backwards. He quickly wiped his hands on his jeans as if you were made entirely from mud. Asshole. So maybe you were a little sweaty. Big deal. 

You swallowed a scoff and shoved the memory of his soft touch into the back of your mind. You blamed the lapse on the stuffy room, the asbestos and dust motes in the air. 

The two of you barely spoke more than a few words during the last two rounds. After leaving Arturo’s, you found Benny outside – waiting. 

“The mayor asked to see us.” Benny didn’t explain further, but Frankie seemed to understand what that meant. Will and Santi were out today with a patrol unit, helping to make sure that sinkhole you encountered on the way into the city was clear. 

“We’ll drop you off at Piper’s on the way,” Frankie said – dismissively. His gaze remained firmly glued above your head. 

“No, I think I’ll join you, but thanks.”  

He unclipped the aviators from his t-shirt and slid them on before looking at you. The muscle in his jaw tightened, flexing at your obstinance. Benny uncomfortably glanced between you. There were too many people around for him to put his foot down completely. 

This time, you weren’t being difficult for the sake of irking him. Genuinely, you wanted to see the old Vault-Tec luxury box with so many happy memories from your childhood. You didn’t want to be pissy, so you reasoned with him. 

“Listen, I just wanna see the view from up there. I promise, I’ll stay out of the way.” 

He scowled, but didn’t say no. Instead, he notched his head in the direction of the mayor’s office and you followed. 

—-

Benny watched Blue lean over the upper deck balcony as she scanned the landscape. This box easily had the best view. Benny could see all of Diamond City, the skyline was just far enough away to blur some of the destruction. Before joining her by the railing, Benny checked that the glass door was soundly shut. 

Inside, Frankie was talking with the mayor, who likely wanted an update on the vaults. He glanced behind his shoulder and caught Frankie staring at her. His shoulders were stiff, his jaw tense. He appeared conflicted. 

Benny wondered what the fuck was going on inside Frankie’s head. It had become abundantly clear to all of them that Frankie gave a shit about her. He’d gone all ape-shit, burn this place to the ground when she almost died. He had snapped at Piper for butting into her business. Even though they fought and bickered and still jabbed at each other like an old married couple, Benny wanted to call them friends. He could tell they enjoyed it – they liked it – they seemed to find it stimulating to push each other’s buttons. 

There was always this tension between them. It used to be tar-black, heavy and thick with animosity as it pulsed in the air, but recently it had morphed – it had shifted into something lighter, soft as sun-warm bronze. 

Benny looked over at her. She’d been quiet since coming out here, but not the kind of silence that worried him. She seemed almost serene, peaceful, strands of her hair swept across her face in the soft breeze. 

She caught him staring, a mischievous grin lit up her lips. “Wanna know something crazy?” 

Eagerly, he nodded. She crooked her finger – he slid closer. 

“This is where I used to sit when I came to games.” 

Benny’s stomach sank to his feet. This was Vault-Tec’s box. Despite Vault-Tec’s efforts to erase their existence, they could only do so much. During remodeling, the crew had found underneath the rubble of broken stadium seats – a small hatch. Down a ladder, through a dark, narrow hallway was a single, impermeable door, which bore an insignia: VT. 

Benny forced a smile on his face – a facade. “No shit. Really. This exact one?” 

“Well, this wasn’t like my assigned seat,” she said. “My parents worked for the same company, and this was their box.” 

The last flicker of his hope died. He could practically feel the air leave his lungs. Parents? 

She was a fucking Vault-Tec prodigy. 

A month ago, he would’ve rejoiced at the news. Now, he just felt stupid. He’d actually let himself think that she could be just some nobody. Just some rich kid with parents in tech or security or some other shit. It might’ve been wishful thinking, but goddamnit – it would’ve made things easier. 

For everybody. 

He was dreading telling her. But first, he’d have to tell the guys. He felt sick, thinking about the look on Frankie’s face when he found out the truth. 

It was not gonna be good. 

[imichelle-l-rigby]

Reflections: Cillian Murphy’s Limited Edition

Season 3, episode 4

✨almost 2 weeks late✨

———————————————————————

*I am a music prof (predominantly classical vocalist), and I LOVE listening to Cillian’s music choices! That being said, sometimes I won’t like a song simply because of a vocalist (it’s a professional hazard - sorry!) 👩‍🏫

** The following are my own observations/opinions. We may not agree, and that’s ok! That’s what makes music fun! 😊

*** I wouldn’t say I’m well-versed in Cillian’s music preferences, but I do enjoy them (for the most part). I always wind up adding to my own playlists after listening to Cillian’s recommendations.

———————————————————————

Hi everyone, thanks for your patience! Here are my thoughts on episode 4:

🎵Set 1 (Makondi - Theme from Failure)

Makondi: percussion makes me so happy! 😊 no specific thoughts other than there needs to be more percussion songs heard in the mainstream.

Hey Dostla!: ok but the background rhythm reminds me of the “Lip Gloss” song by Lil Mama and that’s all I hear now 😂

Theme from Failure: I like the gradual building of rhythmic layers. Again, definitely inspired by minimalist/tape looping technology from the ‘60s. More importantly, this song had me rolling! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

🎤Talking Break:

Of course he prefers Autumn (or as I say, Fall, because I’m American and “leaf fall down”😂)

Of course he watches an old movie by the fire during a rain shower.

“Inane anecdote”

An exclusive!!!!

Oooohhh… playing with Ornette Coleman!

Awwww, sweet that he’s using music that his kids recommended!!

Fun - more Nina! 😊😊😊 and yes, now I wanna know why she hated this song/album.

🎵Set 2 (The Family - Time Is On My Side)

The Family: this is sooooo “trendy” for Nina! I need to listen to more of her discography rather than singles. I’m not sure how often she went more “pop” than jazz, and now I wanna know.

Please Don’t Go: Stevie!!!!! 😍😍 his voice is sooooo smooth! I could just listen to him all the time. And I like the chord qualities in this piece - it’s not an out-of-the-box chord progression, but it’s also not cookie cutter. There’s depth to what he gives without it going overboard.

Irma Talks: yes!! 😂

Time Is On My Side: I looooove this song! I think this is a very singable range (I know that sounds weird, but a lot of songs today are in difficult ranges for most of the population. This is pretty accessible).

🎤Talking Break:

I love how he takes these big long inhales before he talks, like he’s been through a taxing day or something 😂

I haven’t heard “iteration” more than usual… 🤔

🎵Set 3 (Come Down Easy - Kim’s Sunsets)

Come Down Easy: patterned off early rock, for sure! It’s even got that whiny/tinny vocal tracking. The weird drone is cool! Idk how to describe it other than the sound of the wind when you’re driving with your car windows rolled down 😅😂

Kim’s Sunsets: interesting harmonies, but I hate the vocal qualities here! 😖😖😖 I like it instrumentally, but vocally, this is an ick!

🎤Talking Break:

Nice! Instrumental music!

My Russian is no better, no worries!

I do love old film music, and it’s interesting to hear what was being used in Soviet film music, especially! I could go on, but y’all would prob find that boring 😅

🎵Set 4 (Boys and the Sea - Muscle de sable)

Boys and the Sea: I LOVE THIS SO MUCH! The piano sounds almost like French Classical music (a lot of artistic sharing between the French and Russians at one point), and the seagull call recording is so haunting! I kinda wanna watch this film just from listening to this!

Muscle de sable: also a piece featuring random recorded sound clips! Much more modern sounding.

🎤Talking Break:

You can definitely tell his mama taught him French - he’s VERY good at it!

🎵 Set 5 (One Word - Secret Teardrops)

One Word: this is pretty fun!!! 😎 no thoughts, just synth vibes!

Secret Teardrops: I find it interesting that the vocal line is less prominent than the instruments. 🤔 granted, this is not a super skillful vocal line…

🎤Talking Break:

I’m glad you liked Secret Teardrops, Cill, but it’s not my favorite. Sorry 🤷‍♀️

Recent music!

Grief and music is such a complicated relationship.

🎵Set 6 (The Greater Wings - Mole in the Ground)

The Greater Wings: wow. This is so beautiful and touching. I’m in my feelings now.

Mole in the Ground: this transitioned so well from one song to the next! Instrumentally, it’s gorgeous. Sadly, I hate the mumble lyrics. 😖

🎤Talking Break

Ok but so many albums are dropping in my birthday this year!!!

🎵Set 7 (Your Silent Face)

Your Silent Face: very synth. And I did not expect a harmonica in the mix… 😅

🎤Talking Break

Ask a reasonable question!!!

Dude. Why jalapeños on popcorn???? Like… I passionately support all things spicy, but this is a weird one for me

HE IS SHAMING HOT DOGS. I know they’re gross mystery meat, BUT. hot dogs are part of my heritage! 😂 besides, kosher hot dogs are kinda amazing and less gross.

🎵Set 8 (The Heights)

The Heights: this reminds me of something but I can’t figure out what. Either way, this is so atmospheric. I feel like I’m back in HS/early college and life was so much simpler (until you get to the end). That has no objective value; however, that’s what I’ve got!

🎤Talking Break: (sorta)

I don’t guitar, but this is such a great story!!!

Beginning musicians are such a vibe. We all suck but are so brave at the same time. 😂 I kinda miss being a beginner.

Blue Monk: I am LOVING this! Blues picking is fab. 😎

Casbah: ooohhhh. I like this as well! The pedal point is interesting (which is hard to do) and I like how the melody dances all over the place.

🎵Set 9 (Can I Call You)

Can I Call You: why is this spooky??? 😰 in other news, the way the expected chord progression is constantly diverted is cool! And even the structure of the song keeps going in unexpected places. Well-done, but somehow reminds me of Halloween spooky times. 👍

🎤Talking Break:

I love how ppl from across the pond (is that a reasonable way to say from the UK or Ireland?) “Graham” - Americans make it 1 syllable

Yorkshire Man: “the OG Kate Bush, herself”

“Jaunty baroque number”

🎵Set 10 (Bertie - Mirror in the Bathroom)

Bertie: I’m trying to decide if this deserves the term “baroque.” 🤔 Maybe? Most baroque music is polyphonic, and this is still distinctly homophonic. However, it might could qualify for “early baroque inspired” (circa 1600) with the choice of instruments and emphasis on text. I do like this! Definitely agree with the term “jaunty”

Kettle factory! ☕️

Mirror in the Bathroom: this is such a weird song but I like it 😂 I’m also starting to wonder if Cillian just likes stuff with sax solos. He’s chosen a lot this season!

🎤Talking Break:

I am shocked it took this long for him to play Zappa

“Obsessed with Frank Zappa” don’t try to downplay it, dude.

🎵Set 11 (Love)

Love: YES this has a major Zappa influence, even with the George Duke component. I haven’t listened to a lot of Zappa (he’s got so much and I honestly don’t even know where to start), but from what I’ve heard, this has his fingerprints all over it.

🎤Talking Break:

I love how concerned he is with lowering our collective heart rates/bpm 😂

🎵Set 12(Heart to Know - The Veil I)

Heart to Know: reminds me of Philip Glass (minimalist composer) a little bit (specifically lulls in his opera Einstein on the Beach).

My heart rate is lowered. 💗

The Veil I: the transition from Heart to this is weird, but I like this song, too! I feel like I’m in a video game with all the electronic sounds.

🎤Talking Break

“Gentle music”

I also wanna see this movie!

🎵Set 13 (Theme de l’eau - Prayer and Procession)

Theme de l’eau: I do often associate flute music with Japanese styles (and some of the non-Western scales), but this also has a Mediterranean feel to it (guitar), and somehow French as well (accordion). Again, there’s a lot of cultural ties between France and Japan, so that’s not super surprising. Yeah. I wanna see what this film is about! I’m curious!

Prayer and Procession: has some Chopin funeral March vibes to it, as well as Protestant chorale/hymn elements.

🎤Talking Break:

Noooo don’t go!

Yay! More song recs from the boys!

“Mind yourselves”

🎵Set 14 (Sleep - Crescent of Sun)

Sleep: … this song does NOT make me wanna sleep! 😳 Cillian Murphy! It is not Halloween yet! Quit with the spooky songs!

I thought he was supposed to be “lowering my heart rate” - psh! I call BS!

20190127: my slightly number dyslexic self hated writing out that title. 🤦‍♀️ anyway, this is MUCH more relaxing of a piece! Another great example of using recorded elements in music. I like how the tones fade in and out like the tide (heard at the beginning I think).

Crescent of Sun: it’s almost like chamber music at the beginning. I’m wondering if the sun is going down or up. The instrument voicing gets higher (indicating upward motion), but the melodic motif goes down. Huh. Interesting!

———————————————————————

Phew! I finally got episode 4 done! Now let’s see if I can crank out episode 5 within the next couple of days before getting to the final episode! (😭😭😭😭😭 this isn’t his real job and it’s a limited series and it has to end soon)

Anyway, thanks for reading!

Tag list:

@iammrsrogers @deliciousnutcomputer @mariamoonie @brownskinsugarplum76 @look-at-the-soul @kj-davis @neverroad @teapothollow @thepurplearmyposts @possessedmarshmallow

[jwscrobbles]

Top 50 Songs Scrobbled for the Week Ending 11/19/2023

     

TW       LW                   ARTIST/SONG

1          1                      Keiynan Lonsdale – COME PAPI (2 weeks @ # 1)

2          4                      Chicano Batman – COLOR MY LIFE

3          5                      NewJeans – OMG

4          2                      Tamar Braxton – CHANGED

5          3                      Doja Cat – PAINT THE TOWN RED (2 weeks @ #1)

6          10                    Kylie Minogue – TENSION

7          9                      Duckwrth – BIG BEWTS

8          8                      Beck and Phoenix - ODYSSEY

9          13                    Usher/Summer Walker/21 Savage – GOOD GOOD

10        7                      Troye Sivan – RUSH

11        6                     Victoria Monet/Buju Banton – PARTY GIRLS (2 weeks @ #1)

12        18                    Masego – YOU NEVER VISIT ME

13        11                    Disclosure – HIGHER THAN EVER BEFORE

14        22                    Q – INCAPABLE HEART

15        16                    P!NK – NEVER GONNA NOT DANCE AGAIN

16        12                    Gregory Zamir – FAMILIAR (TRAIN C)

17        21                    Kaytranad/Amine – 4EVA

18        23                    Victoria Monet – ON MY MAMA

19        14                    Dua Lipa – DANCE THE NIGHT (1 week @ #1)

20        15                    Ciara/Chris Brown – HOW WE ROLL

21        27                    Janelle Monae – WATER SLIDE

22        20                    R+R=Now/Robert Glasper/Terrance Martin – AWAKE TO YOU (1 week @ #1)

23        19                    Little Dragon – FRISCO 

24        24                    Samphaa – SPIRIT 2.0

25        17                    Q – STEREO DRIVER

26        29                    Ari Lennox – WASTE MY TIME

27        31                    Jessie Ware/Roisin Murphy – FREAK ME NOW

28        25                    Tinashe – TALK TO ME NICE

29        32                    SG Lewis/Lucky Daye – VIBE LIKE THIS

30        33                    Dinner Party/Terrence Martin/Robert Glasper/Snoop Dogg – LUV U

31        26                    Janelle Monae – LIPSTICK LOVER (3 weeks @ #1)

32        28                    Beyonce – CUFF IT

33        30                    Kylie Minogue – PADAM PADAM

34        37                    Pink Pantheress/Destory Lonely – TURN YOUR PHONE OFF

35        38                    Nicki Minaj – LAST TIME I SAW YOU

36        34                    Chris Brown – SUMMER TOO HOT

37        35                    Sza – SNOOZE

38        40                    The Knocks – I PROMISE

39        36                    Laura Mvula – GREEN GARDEN

40        45                    Daniel Caesar/Summer Walker - ALWAYS

41        46                    October London – BACK TO YOUR PLACE

42        48                    Troye Sivan – GOT ME STARTED

43        ---                     Majid Jordan – HANDS TIED

44        50                    Sampha - ONLY

45        44                    Doja Cat – ATTENTION 

46        39                    Wizkid/Drake – COME CLOSER 

47        43                    Tyga/Jhene Aiko/Pop Smoke - SUNSHINE

48        ---                     Doja Cat – AGORA HILLS

49        49                    Russ – 3 AM

50        47                    Sza - SHIRT

[surveyhoursss]

127.

Bold the ones that you know of!

2000

1.Who Let The Dogs Out? -Baha Men

2. All The Small Things -Blink 182

3. Amazed -Lonestar

4. Oops, I Did It Again -Britney Spears

5. Graduation -Vitamin C

6. Bye, Bye, Bye -N*Sync

7. Independent Woman -Destiny’s Child

8. Let’s Make Love – Tim McGraw and Faith Hill

9. Zombie Nation – Kernkraft 4000

10. I Turn To You – Christina Aguilera

11. I Knew I Loved You – Savage Garden

12. It’s My Life – Bon Jovi

13. Breathe – Faith Hill

14. Shake Your Bon-Bon – Ricky Martin

15. Blue (Da Ba Dee) – Eiffel 65

16. Goobye Earl – Dixie Chicks

17. Let’s Get Married – Jagged Edge

18. The Bad Touch – Bloodhound Gang

19. The Real Slim Shady – Eminem

20. Say My Name – Destiny’s Child

21. It’s Gonna Be Me – N*Sync

22. Party Up – DMX

23. Sexual (Li Da Di) – Amber

24. Country Grammar – Nelly

25. Aaron’s Party (Come Get It) – Aaron Carter

2001

1. Hanging By A Moment -Lifehouse

2. Allin’ -Alicia Keys

3. All For You -Janet

4. If You’re Gone -Matchbox Twenty

5. I’M Real -Jennifer Lopez ft. Ja Rule

6. Drops Of Jupiter (Tell Me) -Train

7. Let Me Blow Ya Mind -Eve ft. Gwen Stefani

8. Thank You -Dido

9. Hit ‘Em Up Style (Oops!) -Blu Cantrell

10. Independent Women Part I -Destiny’s Child

11. Again -Lenny Kravitz

12. It’S Been Awhile -Staind

13. Stutter -Joe ft. Mystikal

14. It Wasn’T Me’ -Shaggy ft. Ricardo “RikRok” Ducent

15. U Remind Me -Usher

16. Where The Party At -Jagged Edge With Nelly

17. Angel -Shaggy Featuring Rayvon

18. Ride Wit Me -Nelly Featuring City Spud

19. Peaches & Cream -112

20. Follow Me -Uncle Kracker

21. Drive -Incubus

22. What Would You Do? -Alicia Keys

23. Survivor -Destiny’s Child

24. Lady Marmalade -Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mya & Pink

25. Ms. Jackson -OutKast

2002

1. A Moment Like This – Kelly Clarkson

2. Hot In Herre – Nelly

3. Complicated – Avril Lavigne

4. Girlfriend – N Sync & Nelly

5. Sk8er Boi – Avril Lavigne

6. Can’t Fight The Moonlight – LeAnn Rimes

7. Dirrty – Christina Aguilera

8. A Thousand Miles – Vanessa Carlton

9. Heaven – DJ Sammy

10. Gimme The Light – Sean Paul

11. The World’s Greatest – R Kelly

12. Jenny From The Block – Jennifer Lopez Featuring Jadakiss & Styles

13. Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American) – Toby Keith

14. Goodbye To You – Michelle Branch

15. Can’t Get You Out Of My Head – Kylie Minogue

16. The Game Of Love – Santana Featuring Michelle Branch

17. Young’n (Holla Back) – Fabolous

18. She Hates Me – Puddle Of Mudd

19. Starry Eyed Surprise – Oakenfold Featuring Shifty Shellshock

20. The Middle – Jimmy Eat World

21. Say I Yi Yi – Ying Yang Twins

22. Just A Friend 2002 – Mario

23. Hey Baby – No Doubt and Bounty Killer

24. Work It – Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott

25. U Don’t Have To Call – Usher

2003

1. In Da Club -50 Cent

2. Crazy in Love -Beyonce w. Jay-Z

3. Get Busy -Sean Paul

4. When I’m Gone -Three Doors Down

5. Ignition -R Kelly

6. Baby Boy -Beyonce w. Sean Paul

7. This is the Night -Clay Aiken

8. Bring Me To Life -Evanescence

9. Right Thurr -Chingy

10. Unwell -Matchbox Twenty

11. Picture -Kid Rock w. Sheryl Crow

12. Drift Away -Uncle Kracker & Dobie Gray

13. Get Low -Lil’ John & The East Side Boyz

14. Beautiful -Christina Aguilera

15. I’m With You -Avril Lavigne

16. Miss You -Aalyiah

17. 21 Questions -50 Cent & Nate Dogg

18. Shake Ya Tailfeather Nelly -P. Diddy and Murphy Lee

19. All I Have -Jennifer Lopez & LL Cool J

20. I Know What You Want -Busta Rhymes & Mariah Carey

21. Magic Stick -Lil’ Kim w. 50 Cent

22. Bump Bump Bump -B2K and P. Diddy

23. Flying Without Wings -Ruben Studdard

24. Here Without You -3 Doors Down

25. Work It -Missy Elliot

2004 (my birth year !! )

1. Yeah! -Usher

2. Burn -Usher

3. This Love -Maroon 5

4. The Way You Move -Outkast

5. If I Ain’t Got You -Alecia Keys

6. Hey Ya! -Outkast

7. I Don’t Wanna Know -Mario Winans

8. The Reason -Hoobastank

9. Confessions Part II -Usher

10. My Immortal -Evanescence

11. Naughty Girl -Beyonce

12. Let’s Get It Started -Black Eyed Peas

13. My Boo -Usher and Alecia Keys

14. She Will Be Loved -Maroon 5

15. The First Cut Is the Deepest -Sheryl Crow

16. Toxic -Britney Spears

17. Someday -Nickelback

18. I Believe -Fantasia

19. Breakaway -Kelly Clarkson

20. Slow Jamz -Twista

21. Dirt Off Your Shoulder -Jay-Z

22. Freak-A-Leek -Petey Pablo

23. The Way -Clay Aiken

24. Numb -Linkin’ Park

25. Dip It Low -Christina Milian

2005

1. We Belong Together -Mariah Carey

2. Let Me Love You -Mario

3. Since U Been Gone -Kelly Clarkson

4. Hollaback Girl -Gwen Stefani

5. Boulevard of Broken Dreams -Greenday

6. Don’t Cha -The Pussycat Dolls and Busta Rhymes

7. Candy Shop -50 Cent

8. 1, 2, Step -Ciara and Missy Elliot

9. Gold Digger -Kanye West

10. Don’t Phunk With My Heart -The Black Eyed Peas

11. Drop It Like It’s Hot -Snoop Dogg

12. Shake It Off -Mariah Carey

13. Disco Inferno -50 Cent

14. Behind These Hazel Eyes -Kelly Clarkson

15. Beverly Hills -Weezer

16. Just a Lil Bit -50 Cent

17. Lose Control -Missy Elliot

18. How We Do -The Game & 50 Cent

19. You & Me -Lifehouse

20. Soldier -Destiny’s Child

21. Rich Girl -Gwen Stefani

22. Mr. Brightside -The Killers

23. Oh -Ciara and Ludacris

24. Pon De Replay -Rihanna

25. Hate It Or Love It -The Game and 50 Cent

2006

1. Sexyback – Justin Timberlake

2. Hips Don’t Lie – Shakira featuring Wyclef Jean

3. Promiscuous – Nelly Furtado featuring Timbaland

4. Everytime We Touch – Cascada

5. Temperature – Sean Paul

6. S.O.S. – Rihanna

7. Beep – Pussy Cat Dolls

8. Waiting On The World To Change – John Mayer

9. Pump It – Black Eyed Peas

10. You’re Beautiful – James Blunt

11. Maneater – Nelly Furtado

12. Single – Natasha Bedingfield

13. What Hurts the Most – Rascall Flatts

14. Lean Wit It, Rock Wit It – Dem Franchise Boys

15. Walk Away – Kelly Clarkson

16. It’s Goin’ Down – Young Joc

17. Dance, Dance -Fall Out Boy

18. Smack That – Akon & Eminem

19. I Write Songs, Not Tragedies – Panic! At the Disco

20. We’re All In This Together – High School Musical Cast

21. Ms. New Booty – Bubba Sparx

22. How To Save A Life – The Fray

23. Rompe – Daddy Yankee

24. Check On It – Beyonce Featuring Slim Thugg

25. Chasing Cars – Snow Patrol

2007

1. The Sweet Escape -Gwen Stefani & Akon

2. Girlfriend -Avril Lavigne

3. Irreplaceable -Beyonce

4. Before He Cheats -Carrie Underwood

5. Crank Dat -Soulja Boy

6. Rehab -Amy Winehouse

7. Umbrella -Rhianna

8. Hey There Delilah -Plain White T’s

9. Glamorous -Fergie

10. I Wanna Luv U -Akon

11. Bubbly -Colbie Caillat

12. Walk It Out -Unk

13. Don’t Matter -Akon

14. Fergalicious -Fergie

15. Lip Gloss -Lil Mama

16. Candyman -Christina Aguilera

17. Break It Off -Rhianna

18. S.O.S. -Jonas Brothers

19. Stronger -Kanye West

20. Thks Fr Th Mmrs -Fall Out Boy

21. Pop, Lock and Drop It -Huey

22. Shut Up and Drive -Rhianna

23. Because of You -Ne-Yo

24. Home -Daughtry

25. Tattoo -Jordan Sparks

2008

1. So What – Pink

2. Just Dance – Lady Gaga

3. Leavin’ – Jesse McCartney

4. I’m Yours – Jason Mraz

5. Gives You Hell – All-American Rejects

6. Damaged – Danity Kane

7. Shake It – Metro Station

8. Love Story – Taylor Swift

9. When I Grow Up – Pussycat Dolls

10. I Kissed A Girl – Katy Perry

11. Don’t Stop The Music – Rihanna

12. Burnin’ Up – Jonas Brothers

13. Low – Flo Rida featuring T-Pain

14. Calabria – Enur featuring Natasja

15. Love Like This – Natasha Bedingfield and Sean Kingston

16. 7 Things – Miley Cyrus

17. Lollipop – Lil Wayne

18. Pocketful of Sunshine – Natasha Bedingfield

19. Circus – Britney Spears

20. Summertime – New Kids On The Block

21. Our Song- Taylor Swift

22. All Summer Long – Kid Rock

23. Closer – Ne-Yo

24. Viva La Vida – Coldplay

25. See You Again – Miley Cyrus

2009

1. Boom Boom Pow – Black Eyed Peas

2. I Gotta Feeling – Black Eyed Peas

3. I Know You Want Me (Calle Oche) – Pitbull

4. You Belong With Me – Taylor Swift

5. Lovegame – Lady Gaga

6. Don’t Trust Me – 3OH3!

7. Please Don’t Leave Me – Pink

8. Right Round – Flo-Rida

9. Poker Face – Lady Gaga

10. Goodbye – Kristinia Debarge

11. Say Hey – Evan Taubenfeld Michael Franti & Spearhead

12. New Divide – Linkin Park

13. The Climb – Miley Cyrus

14. Best I Ever had – Drake

15. Good Girls Go Bad – Cobra Starship Featuring Leighton Meester

16. Lucky – Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillet

17. Waking Up In Vegas – Katy Perry

18. Paranoid – Jonas Brothers

19. Wanted – Jessie James

20. Fire Burning – Sean Kingston

21. Not Meant To Be – Theory of a Deadman

22. Love, Sex and Magic – Ciara & Justin Timberlake

23. Use Somebody – Kings of Leon

24. Day N Nite – Kid Cuti

25. Hoedown Throwdown – Miley Cyrus (they let us learn the dance at res)

[returnn-of-the-mac]

How would the companions react if sole got mama murphy to lay off the chems

I feel bad for pumping these out so few and far between, but here’s anotha one!

For this one, I decided to take the route of the game’s version of a “cured” Mama Murphy (I even used lines straight from the game). I always thought it was odd how the characters just blindly accepted that she was cured, when it’s really not that easy to overcome an addiction (see: Cait). She could just be saying that to get Sole off her back, yanno. I can definitely do one with an actually cured Mama Murphy in the future if you want! 🙂

Please enjoy!

FO4 Companions React: “Curing” Mama Murphy’s Chem Addiction

Sole and their companion returned to Sanctuary to check up on their friends, when they noticed a crowd.

“Is she still alive?”

“She’s clearly still breathing.”

“Oh god! What’s happening!?”

Sole shoved through the group to find Mama Murphy sprawled out on the ground, breathing heavily.

“Mama Murphy!?” Sole asked, gently shaking the old woman.

“I need...Buffjet....the Sight...it’s fading..!”

“She’s getting worse,” Sturges explained, “A month ago she upgraded Med X. Then to psycho. And now this...”

“You need to stop, Mama Murphy! You can’t live like this!” Sole pled.

“And why the hell not, kid?”

“The Sight isn’t worth killing yourself Mama Murphy. It doesn’t have define what you are...what you can give.”

“I...need these chems.”

“You’re losing yourself to this addiction, and we’re all losing you, a friend and loved one.”

The old woman sighed.

“Fine. Ya got me, kid. Mama Murphy’s as good as her word. No more chems, and no more sight, either.”

The small crowd cheered.

...

Ada: Congratulations on such a brave endeavor. [hands Mama Murphy a used oil can] A gift to honor your journey to sobriety, ma’am.

Hancock: [chucking] Murphy the Madwoman going clean? Never thought I’d see the day. [nods to Mama Murphy] Well, kudos to you, my friend.

X6-88: Please refrain from interfering with natural selection, [sir/ma’am].

Nick: [dubious] Our friend here is right. For your own health’s sake, I truly hope you keep to your word.

Piper: You saved her life, Blue! You’re a hero!

MacCready: That’s not how—[deciding not to start anything] er...never mind. Good luck, Mama Murphy.

Deacon: There ya go, Murph! [kicking the air] Kick that addiction to the curb!

Cait: [enraged] What are all of you bloody twats cheerin about? [viscously, at Mama Murphy] Oh, yeh, just let me just turn my psycho addiction on and off at will! If only it were that fucking easy. You’re fulla shite, Murphy. Go pound sand.

Strong: Who need chem when can eat meat? [tosses a bloody chunk of Yao Guai flesh at Mama Murphy] Eat meat. Make human strong!!

Curie: Zis ees ‘ondervul, ‘owever we can’t just leave ‘er alone. Ees zere a resident doctor ‘ere? She will undoubtly will go zrough withdraws. [to Sole] Eef not, I’m afraid I will ‘ave to stay behind to monitor ‘er ‘ealth, [Madam/Monsieur].

Gage: [raising an eyebrow] I reckon she might be playin ya, boss. Addiction ain’t somethin you can just turn off.

Preston: You saved her life! Man, I feel so lucky to have crossed paths with someone like you. Thank you for all you do for us here, General. Truly.

Codsworth: Oh, how commendable! This is such a monumental moment for you, Mama Murphy! I wish you the best of luck on your journey to sobriety!

Danse: [cynical] I don’t buy it. She’s been a lifelong addict. Do you honestly believe she’s going to stop because you asked her nicely? She needs rehabilitation at minumum.

Longfellow: [sarcastically] Now talk to me and cure my alcohol addiction. Heh. [pops cork to whiskey] Commonwealth folks are real gullible, aren’t they?

[solesurvivorpaigeargot]

Okay but let’s talk about the opening of Fallout 4

And I’m not talking about the part where you gotta pantomime your way through a half-hour of BS at least before you’re actually allowed to step out into the world and get shite started [seriously Bethesda, if you’re gonna keep making openings like this, please include a ‘get to the point’ option and stop making modders do it for you. First time it’s interesting, second time it’s mind-numbing.] I’m talking about when you roll up on the museum and have to help out Preston and the gang-- and I’m just gonna rant for a few paragraphs here so here’s a read-more cut so I don’t clog up dashes too badly. 

Fallout 4 never gives you the chance to value human life. 

Fallout 3 had this issue as well, but it’s even more glaring in 4 because in 3 an order came down for your death. When you aren’t given a choice, what you’re doing can at least be penciled in as self-defense. 4 expects you to devalue raiders and treat them as unreasonable threats, to see them as a shooting gallery and nothing else... but there’s a serious problem with the framing.

You made me pantomime being a normal person for the first 30 min to hour of your experience, and now you’re telling me a normal person can just pick up a gun and start popping people with no moral issues. 

This is required to even get close enough to talk to Preston. He might take out all the raiders if you’re willing to wait 20 minutes, but when you put yourself into the role play head space of a character, what kind of person ducks behind the sandbags and waits for the dude with the laser to pick everyone off? And there is no force preventing you from simply running away, this is true-- but doing so simply removes your ability to interact with what is a core mechanic of the game a-la the minutemen and establishing settlements. So if you wanna keep the game experience intact, and follow along with the mission? Murder is required, without any time taken out to consider the value of human life or if that murder is justified, or if your character is capable of that kind of violence. 

To say I dislike this headspace in shooters, that whomever the denoted ‘bad’ group is are just okay to treat as squishy playthings, more so in shooters that try to integrate choice and morality, is a massive understatement. There are plenty of other things in the commonwealth that could threaten a group of settlers that aren’t people, and framing us as a normal person [PARTICULARLY IF YOU PLAY AS ‘NORA’ WHO WAS NOT A MILITARY MEMBER] who is just immediately ready for this is ASSUMPTIVE BULLSHIT. More so when you remember that if you played as ‘Nate’ this dissonance would be less-- it assumes a male audience who would choose the male protagonist, and his military service makes this opening a lot smoother. But when you don’t? It becomes batshit insane. Your average lawyer is not ready to just pick up a gun and wreck people, even when there are innocents on the line. 

So, if ya like, I’m gonna propose an ‘alternate’ idea for what this mission could have been that would have kept all the same elements. The raiders, the power armor, the deathclaw-- but not forced the player character directly into murder. 

Step 1: Finding Dogmeat. 

When we find Dogmeat, he appears to be just... wandering the gas station? And yeah, he’s in our path, but Mama Murphy appears to think that Dogmeat went and found you, so let’s take that a step further. Let’s say Dogmeat actually ran and found you-- that he spawns into the world when you get past the footbridge, and no matter where you go from there Dogmeat will find and bark at you. That no matter how you treat him, Dogmeat will try to lead you to Concord and ruin your stealth by running in circles around you and barking if you try to go the wrong way. That this pupper is trying to find someone to help his group, he found you. 

Step 2: The approach.

So say we follow Dogmeat, who leads us to where the raiders and Preston’s group are in standoff. And yeah, sure, we pass the main road where they’re all sandbagged up, but Dogmeat leads us around back to a rear entrance the raiders have not yet realized exists. Possibly a fire escape that has a ladder that could be released from above that was pulled up when Preston and co hunkered down. While, yes, the player could choose to engage the raiders at this point, deciding they’ve seen enough and take on the museum from the front? Going around, Dogmeat barking, and Mama appearing to let the ladder down because she probably knew you were coming gives you a non-violent in. Why haven’t the group left? There’s too many of them to just sneak out, Mama is old and slow, and Jun is nearly catatonic. No changes have to be made to the group to make that path out non-viable, it’s simply a way for you to get in, speak to Preston, and understand what the fuck we’re dealing with here without the one and only solution being kill everyone-- though the power armor is posited as something that might be helpful in a show of force to get the raiders to fuck the fuck off. 

Step 3: The Raiders.

Banditry is not something ‘bad people’ do. It is an act of desperation. The idea that all the raiders are just the most repugnant people on the planet, and there appears to be no fuckin’ end to them is the same flavor of bullshit that’s used in all that war on drugs propaganda 50′s politicians were so high on. The idea of ‘Oh, the raiders are just bad people, so it’s okay to shoot at them’ ignores that they are people. People with lives. People with motivations. People who had their own path that led to where they are and what they’re doing. And what motivates a person to this kind of violence?

Starvation, usually. And I’ll be the first to say I don’t make great decisions when I’m hungry, either, but let’s dig a little deeper on this. Let’s step into the role of the leader of a raider group for a few seconds, get into this head space, and think about what’s going down with Preston’s group. 

Imagine that I am a leader of a raider band. Let’s imagine that it started as me and a friend getting forced out of Diamond city, possibly given exile, because we couldn’t find work and decided to steal some food. The lack of work was no fault of our own; me and my friend may not have known the right people, or had the right skill sets, or been willing to take work that risked our lives as if we were worth nothing. Maybe we survived on good will for a while, but after so many hungry days got desperate, held up the Dugout for all the caps they had, or stole food from the general store, and tried to run with the take before we got caught. Whether we were caught, stripped of our gains, and then thrown out, or we got away-- we now have a place we can’t go anymore, and are at the mercy of the outside world. Are we bad? Are we bad because we were starving to death and desperate? Am I bad for coming up with a not great plan but at least trying to take action rather than just quietly dying in a gutter? I just wanted to eat. So now me and my friend are drifters, and we stick together because we’re all we got. And maybe we meet another drifter here, and another one there, and on some hungry night someone gets the idea that hey, if we all jump out from the side of the road and threaten a trader, maybe they’ll drop some of their stock without a fight?

We don’t want caps. We want food. We can’t spend the caps, and we don’t wanna get into a fight because none of us can get treatment-- we’re exiles and criminals. We don’t want blood, we want to eat.

So we threaten a trader, and that goes well-- we got supplies! But those supplies don’t erase our records. We still need to live, and this food is only gonna last so long. The traders know about us now, they talk-- even if we got money, who the hell would trust us? No one, that’s who. Even better, sounds like our little hold-up horned in on some other group’s territory that we didn’t even know about, and they ain’t happy with us. We all have guns, but none of us have ever killed anyone. None of us want to. We just wanted to eat.

So did the other group. They just wanted to eat, too, but they saw us horning in on their territory. Their take. Those supplies belonged to them. They have mouths to feed. More than us, probably. We stole from them, and all we wanted was to eat. 

Whatever happens next is desperate, and it’s a baptism in blood. It’s a process of alienation. While there may be a select few who are actually out of their gourd and enjoy the violence, the majority of people who engage in banditry are desperate and hungry. 

So what the hell does this have to do with the group holding up Preston’s group?

By all rights, Preston’s group does not have anything a gang of raiders wants. Even if they’re far enough along that caps have value to them again, able to do trade with their own network, injuries are expensive and often lead to permanent disability because these groups lack consistent access to medical supplies and knowledge, and fatalities means your crew is down an important and useful member. SO WHAT THE FUCK DO THEY WANT? 

In the canon encounter, what they want is nothing. They want to wipe out Preston’s group because the game said so [I think there’s a terminal entry about it later, like they’re getting paid or something, but no payment is worth getting wiped out the way they did, and you don’t run a group that big on blind arrogance alone. Gristle woulda been displaced by then. All the caps in the world aren’t worth your life; you can’t feed dead crew members, and greed is useless when you’re blacklisted from all the settlements with any sense of luxury] They exist to shoot at. But when we ascribe motivation to them, what the fuck do they want? 

The power armor. 

It’s a tool; something that would change the balance of power in the area, make other groups think twice and lower the chance of losses when trying to gain supplies. Screw wiping these morons out, there’s only five of them left-- hold them at stand-off for a day or so until someone breaks and asks to negotiate, make them drop everything they’ve got as the toll for getting out, and then the group steps in to take the prize. There’s no need for anyone to get shot, just gotta starve ‘em out a little and then let them run with their lives. 

Step 4: The Death Claw

So we have a stand-off situation that could... probably be pretty easily negotiated through without major loss of life. Your player character is a third party, after all. Opens up some non-lethal ways of doing things if you wanna convince Preston and co to give up all their stuff if it means getting out with their lives. Likewise, a high speech character could possibly go to Gristle and convince him that you’ve seen the power armor and it’s wrecked, no worth the effort he’s spending on bottling this crew up, and the men he’s probably already lost in the process. Or maybe a character with high intelligence could work with Sturges to sabotage the power armor, handing it over to the raiders knowing that in a day or two it’ll fall apart. All of these make for some interesting shades-of-gray choices...

Then the deathclaw shows up. In the middle of negotiation. Everyone gets forced up to the upper floor; no time to kill each other, there’s a giant murder machine prowling around the lobby and it is only a matter of time before it climbs up to the second floor and starts ripping out walls and doors to get at people.

This could have served to make the situation even more interesting-- if you’d gone aggro in the beginning and started killing raiders in the streets, you have less people to deal with a massive threat that could kill the fuck out of you. If you’d been in the middle of convincing the raiders to take a sabotaged set of power armor, you’d have to explain to them why the power armor isn’t gonna help you... or let Gristle take it and get murdered when it freezes up and leaves him stranded to get ripped out of the can and munched. Is that murder? How’s the player feel about that? Meanwhile, if you hadn’t killed anyone and were in the middle of negotiating a bloodless solution, you might have a chance of unifying everyone to take down the deathclaw-- possibly with a future bonus that Gristle and his crew wanna go straight and giving you the choice to set them up within your settlement system, or becoming yet another ‘civilized’ system that won’t work with them because they’re too far gone. 

...................... I may have to write another fic just to explore these ideas in a modified canon. 

[minuteminx]

Revolutionary

Pairing: Preston Garvey/ Female Sole Survivor

Summary: In the aftermath of personal tragedies, Preston and Charlie both seek to make a difference in the Commonwealth and those around them. They could never anticipate the impact that they will have on eachother in the process.

Chapter Four: Sole Survivor

Chapter Summary:   Charlie tells Preston a long story. 

[First Chapter]

[Previous Chapter]

[AO3 Link]

“A bridge of silver wings stretches from the dead ashes of an unforgiving nightmare to the jeweled vision of a life started anew.”

― Aberjhani, Journey through the Power of the Rainbow: Quotations from a Life Made Out of Poetry

Sanctuary  Hills, October 2287

The trek out of Concord, and up the road to a place called Sanctuary Hills was largely silent and uneventful. Preston took point, and Charlie offered to hang back in case there were any straggling raiders who decided to follow. He wasn’t so sure that she was in any condition to watch the rear, but he wasn’t about to argue with the woman who’d just turned a deathclaw inside out. It was more than alarming to see the bloody massacre Charlie’s tangle with the deathclaw had caused up close and personal as they passed by. He was just glad she’d survived, and that he didn’t have to fight the damn thing.

On the way to their hopeful home, Sturges spotted a largely intact Red Rocket on the side of the road, stacked with old tires and filled with useless junk that Sturges would scrape up a use for. Jun and Marcy walked together in somber silence and Mama Murphy hobbled along in the back, arm looped through Charlie’s, whose open hand gripped a 10mm so tightly her knuckles turned white. She had a hell of a poker face, he’d give her that much.

Nearing the old neighborhood, a statue of a lone guardian stood tall, musket in hand, holding his centuries-old post at the bridge where the American Revolution began. It was almost like some weird omen, Preston thought, observing the Minuteman and then the bridge. Maybe Mama’s visions had some truth to them after all. He did not realize he’d mused out loud until Sturges’ hand clapped him on the back.

“I don’t know what the heck you’re talkin’ about boss, but I’m glad you’re happy.”

Preston laughed. “Thanks, man.”

Crossing Old North Bridge into their hopeful home seemed monumental, the group propelled forward by the potential of a place to finally rest. There were more than a handful of homes that still had enough structural integrity to be tidied and boarded up for use as shelters. It was bittersweet to see the remnants of picket fences, lawn furniture, and pink, plastic birds that dotted the landscape. Skeletons of old cars littered spots where garages might have been. Preston imagined what the area might have been like back before the war, pictured neighbors talking to one another from their yards, children playing together in the streets. It was a way of life he knew he’d never get to have.

Before long, Preston had done a sweep of the entire cul de sac, making sure there wasn’t anything dangerous lurking inside any buildings. All he found were several dead rad roaches and bloatflies, as well as a high-strung Mr. Handy robot that called itself Codsworth.  It kept attempting to scrub the rust off the paneling outside one of the homes, muttering something about making sure it was in “tip-top” shape for when its family returned. He wasn’t exactly sure what to do with the thing, so he just left it to clean aimlessly in hopes that it’d be someone else’s problem later.

“Hey boss,” Sturges called out to him, waving him overs to where the others had congregated near the mechanic’s makeshift workstation, lamplight flickering on their exhausted faces, “Check out what we found in one of the fridges.”

Preston walked over, catching a glimpse of the round face of Button Gwinnett on a cardboard case of Southie Stouts. “Damn, and here I thought we’d used up all our luck for the day.”

“I’d prefer Beantown,” Marcy said as she brought her bottle to her lips, and Preston caught the briefest flash of a grin wrinkling at the corners of her mouth.

“C’mon Marcy,” Jun interjected, nudging her shoulder, “You know that’s not true.”

“I’m a Gwinnett guy, but I’d probably drink anything wet with a kick right about now,” Preston said, grabbing one of the dark brown bottles and examining it more closely. It had been forever since he’d actually gotten to enjoy a drink, long before Qunicy, that was for sure. Just as he placed his hand on the cap to pop it off, there was a bump at the back of his legs. He startled and turned around to see Dogmeat peering up at him expectantly, whining and wagging his tail. Preston knelt down and gave him a scratch behind the ears. “You a Gwinnett guy, too, boy?”

The dog let out a stern bark that sounded like a correction, and then turned toward the house across the street before looking back at him. Following Dogmeat’s instruction, Preston glanced over at the house, where Charlie stood alone, frozen and staring vacantly inside as if she wanted to enter but couldn’t.  Without hesitation, he grabbed another bottle and headed toward her

He cleared his throat as he approached to make sure he didn’t startle her.  It was neither polite nor smart to spook a lady who was already pretty shaken up.  She darted her head toward him, scrubbing at her face as if he wouldn’t notice her tear-stained cheeks and swollen nose. He pretended not to, anyway, instead holding up the bottles in his hands and smiling. “Thought you could use a drink.”

She perked up at the sight of the drinks, tilting her head and squinting at the label. “Are those--? Oh wow.”

“Yeah,” Preston said, popping the cap off of one of the bottles and handing it to her, “Stouts are harder to come by than the other stuff.”

Charlie shook her head and examined the bottle, running her thumb up and down across the label. “No… it’s just.  I’m surprised there are still any left after you know--” she swallowed hard-- “the bombs.”

She sounded harrowed, as if the bombs had just fallen yesterday or something. Maybe she was just harrowed in general.  God knew she had every right to be.

“Me too,” Preston said, opening his own drink and taking a swig, lukewarm and bitter.  It hit the spot. “It’s kinda crazy, you know, what survived.

She took a sip, sad smile at the corners of her mouth. “Like the lawn flamingos? Such a testament to pre-war vanity.”

“Those damn birds,” Preston replied, nodding and laughing.  He’d never thought much about the lawn ornaments before, other than thinking they were ridiculous.

The air between them fell silent as Charlie stared down at her bottle, picking at the label with a polished thumbnail. She opened her mouth, as if to speak, but then closed it and sighed before glancing over at him. “Can I tell you something?  It’s going to sound really weird, but I’m going to lose my shit if I don’t talk to someone.”

“Is this that ‘long story’ you mentioned before?”

“Yeah.” Charlie walked toward the bright red door to the house in front of them, slightly ajar, knob and hinges specked with rust. She ran her hand along the wooden surface and took a deep breath.  “I used to live here.  In Sanctuary Hills.  In this house.”

“But,” Preston’s brows drew together, “That’s not possible.  This place hasn’t been settled since--”

“Before the bombs fell.” She spun back around to look at him, leaning back against the door frame. “I know.  That’s when I lived here.”

“Two-hundred and ten years ago?”

She nodded her head slowly. “2077.  I had the perfect life: a good career, the best husband, a beautiful baby boy, and a shiny new Mr. Handy unit that was much less neurotic than the one over there trying to clean the dirt off the ground.”

He blinked, attempting to figure out where he’d misheard the woman, because if he hadn’t then that would make her over two-hundred years old.  That couldn’t be possible, at least not without being a ghoul, although he wouldn’t mind if she could take Codsworth off his hands.  

Charlie frowned. “I knew you wouldn’t believe me.”

“No, no,” Preston stammered out quickly,  “I believe you, but… how?”

“That might be a better question for Vault-Tec,” she remarked, looking down at her suit, “My husband and I signed up for a  spot, just as a precaution.  Nobody thought the Chinese military would actually drop those nukes. Not sure if it was arrogance or complacency, but either way, it happened.  My family and I were rushed to Vault 111 to shelter.  That’s all it was supposed to be: A shelter .”

“I’m guessing it wasn’t just a shelter?”

“No.” She laughed bitterly.  “They herded us, like lab rats, into these cryogenic chambers, and locked us in there.  Last thing I remembered before waking up was my limbs going numb and my vision going dark.”

“Damn.” Preston was stuck somewhere between horror and amazement.  “Did anyone else make it out with you?”

“No.”  Her answer was abrupt, eyes welling up visibly and he immediately felt bad for asking. “When I woke up, there were these people in weird lab coats and a man with this scar--” She traced a line with her little finger, vertically from her eyebrow down to her cheek-- “He opened up my husband’s chamber and took my baby.  Nate fought, but… they shot him.  After that, I think everyone else’s life support failed.  A whole damn town, and I’m the only one who survived.”

“I’m… so sorry.”  He didn’t know what else to say.  He knew how it felt, to be a sole survivor of a terrible tragedy, but he couldn’t bring up Quincy, even if it was just to show her he understood.  “If there’s anything I can do, or that the Minutemen can do…”

“I think the Minutemen have their own problems at the moment, hmm?”  She smirked, eyes twinkling with humor despite the tears.

Preston looked around and chuckled in exasperation. “Well, considering that I’m the only one left, I’d say yes. We have so many problems.  That doesn’t change the fact that I owe you.”

Charlie tilted her head back and finished off the rest of her stout, then looked decisively at Preston.  “You’re not the only one.”

“Pardon?”

“I never thought I’d get to say this in my lifetime, outside the context of some weird historical play, but... I’m joining the Minutemen.” She tossed her bottle to the ground. “I don’t have any survival skills, I couldn’t shoot dead fish in a barrell, and I’m a bit traumatized, but I figure it’s still better than nothing.”

“Are you serious?”  Preston could barely contain his excitement.  He didn’t care if he had to spend months teaching her how to shoot or get by in the Commonwealth.  He’d been without help for so long now, he would be glad to not be alone.

“I know it’s hard to believe that anyone could be that bad of a shot, but--”

“No, Charlie,” he interrupted, “Are you serious about joining up?”

Charlie grinned, playfully. “Hell yeah.”

“That’s... well.  Let’s just say that’s the best news I’ve heard in a long time.”

If Preston were a hugger, and if he’d known her longer than a few hours, he would have embraced the woman.  Maybe it wasn’t just the jet.  Maybe Mama Murphy was right all along.

[corvega-assembly]

Can’t See the Future

Summary:   Nora switches pods at the last minute, not that anyone was informed. Rosalie isn’t sure what the hell she’s meant to do, but finding Shaun seems like a noble goal. Right up until the weight of the end of the world comes crashing down on her. She’ll need a little more to keep her going than avenging her sister's family and running head first into a half assed goal with no plan. At least Hancock’s got her back. Rating:  Mature Pairings:   Hancock X sosu (FOC) Warnings (for this chapter): canon typical violence, character death, death in family

Chapter 1: One step closer to knowing...

It's June, it is swelteringly hot, it’s a bad day. The operator calls the wrong line to Boston twice before connecting on the third try. “She said she wants to go back home to die, if you don’t come see her now you won’t get a chance.” Shaun isn’t old enough to travel with yet, so Nora comes alone, leaving him with in-laws. It is quiet in the house.

It’s July, the obituary runs and the funeral comes and goes. The headstone reads “Mother, Grandmother” and not much else. All that is left. “Come with me to Boston for a few weeks, visit Nate and I.” The depression creeps in, the house is silent. Sunshine and birds are forgotten. Focusing on normal tasks gets harder. Where once hands handled bundles of pills and viles, all the daily chores done with care they’re barely able to flip the page. Eyes rereading text over and over.

It’s August, Nate gets his discharge papers. Another invite to come East to Boston, “Sleep on the couch or go stay in a hotel, what else are you going to do now?” It’s all over but the crying, truly. A promise of ‘soon’. The first day of class, a class full of younger students, nearly 30 is old to start it would seem, brings frustration and anxiety rather than joy.

It’s September, the mowers at the little cemetery, hit the grave, scuffing the stone a bit. The argument with the church staff is exhausting. Leaves a void in the heart that lasts weeks. Taking notes in class isn’t bad, but in the raw silence of a much too empty house, the sterile smell gone, the smell of coffee gone too, school work begins feeling daunting.

It’s October, Nate makes his case over the phone, insisting a month ‘Helping your sister get out some!’ is a reasonable idea. Knowing that helping has been the only goal for years. The hell does Nora need help with? Between the robot butler, in-laws, a robust church life, neighbors, plenty of friends, and a job with excellent maternity leave there isn’t much need to help.

It’s October and the couch isn’t too bad but next week is the last week in a house that feels a little too much like home used to smell. Sterile. Vault-Tec comes calling, but insists there is enough room for a sister. Younger by a year and 3 days, almost identical looking regardless. Nora thinks it is precious when church members mix them up. Rosalie just wants to go home , to a person who sits 6 feet below a simple scuffed stone. Mother, Grandmother.

It’s October and stripping down to her underwear with her sister and her husband isn’t how Rosalie thought the end of the world would go. There is a smell here, the smell of the air conditioner back home going full tilt, or how the freezer at the little shop down the street from home smelled on a hot day. Freon, it isn’t unpleasant but they’re so deep underground that it doesn't fully make sense for it to be so strong. Pod C7 is for Nora, C9 for Rosalie but by the time Shaun calms, Nora just grabs the pod next to the rep for Vault-Tec so Rosalie can keep making faces at her son.

The smell of Freon makes sense. But then, nothing does. Nora’s screams’ echo in her pod, a man says something about a backup.

It’s October. It is fucking cold and wet and Rosalie is coughing just like her mother did before she died. Which makes breathing even fucking harder when the tears and panic and overwhelming sense of despair threaten to choke her entirely. Pod C9 suffered system failure. Mom is dead, Nora is dead. Nate is dead too, but honestly Rosalie had been so focused on her mother’s care she’d only spoken to him a handful of times before she couch surfed for a few weeks. And then he’d been so absorbed in being a good soldier husband he’d barely said anything to her.

There is a hole in Nate’s head that reminds Rosalie of shooting watermelons with her mother in summer when she was little. Except it is brain matter and not melon all over his pod. The frost makes it pale, Rosalie almost reaches out to touch a bit of brain but manages to stop herself. Her mother would have laughed, her sister would have screamed. Shaun is gone.

Her clothing is still in a locker, it’s a snap to pile it onto the vault suit, it is so damn cold down here. She checks every single pod, every terminal, and a creeping feeling of ‘this is about to get so much worse’ rolls on in and stays firmly planted. Giant roaches are gross but make a popping noise when struck that cuts through the haze of terror and numbness just enough to get her to a Pip-Boy. Which gets her outside.

“October 23rd 2287” the heavy thing reads. Which is fucking… nonsense. It smells wrong outside. A smell like her grandma’s attic, and dad’s old RV. It’s nonsense outside too, some things are rusted to hell, others look like they’ve been here a month. Rotted skeletons and stable cardboard boxes. Rosalie’s thoughts are starting to get kinda foggy like they felt at school, focusing on walking down the path is hard, way harder than it was going up. The sound of gunshots goes off in the distance. Rosalie pauses just long enough to grab a knife and some ammo before running off down the hill.

The houses look like the shit you’d find in a rural town not far from home, “still standing for tax purposes.” she quotes her mother in her head while looking out on Sanctuary Hills.

“It’s really you!” It isn’t, not really. Codsworth sounds almost terrified when she explains that she is Rosalie and not Nora . He insists on giving her a private recording made by Nate, which is uncomfortable to be forced to receive. He then proceeds to insist she needs to go to Concord and won't hear otherwise. As she heads off he also insists on calling her Miss Nora. By the time Rosalie has been bitten by giant… rodents, and met a friendly enough dog, the heavy ass Pip-Boy declares the time four.

Rosalie feels on edge, too alert and almost hyper. Like she’d drank too much coffee and then had a sleeping pill after a rough day. The sound of gunshots are much louder, but fuck it. Today has been a bad day, why not add getting shot at to the mix?

The smell of blood and unwashed bodies is overwhelming. The taste of vomit is in her mouth and she doesn’t even get to reply to the man yelling at her to help ‘settlers’. Settlers, Raiders. It’s all nonsense. She’s been shot in the leg, barely, but the stimpack seems to have knitted the flesh mostly back together which is as much of a shock as it is gross . And getting shot doesn’t feel like she always thought it would to be honest. It’s a lot sharper but not as all consuming.

It’s October 24th 2287 when the big fuck off monster is dead, the old lady knew something was coming, what this something is she still doesn’t know, even as it lies dead at her feet. The man, Preston, gives her bottlecaps saying something about friends, and then he asks her to join them . It’s the first real choice she's had. Back to the shadow of the hill where her sister and brother-in-law are, dead, and back to a robot that insists she is her sister. Or forward towards Shaun and what or rather where the old lady, Mama Murphy, says will point her to him, Diamond City . The choice is easy enough, especially since the old woman knows that she is Rosalie and not Nora .

[ceilingcow]

The distribution of SPECIAL stats for NPCs in Fallout 4 is absolutely buck wild. Mama Murphy inexplicably has STR 19. Both Strong and Porter “Arguably the Smartest Person in Nuka-World” Gage have INT 6. Hancock has INT 14. Knight Rhys has a 1 in both CHR and INT.

There have clearly been choices made behind the scenes which I can’t comprehend, but none of that prepared me for learning that both Travis Miles and Conrad Kellogg have 4s in every SPECIAL stat.

Maybe this means that Father never thought that Kellogg could kill the Sole Survivor because Kellogg is the human equivalent of a "you must be this tall to ride" sign that's set to 48 inches. Kellogg mocks the Sole Survivor and tries to scare them off because he’s a 108-year-old has-been. As cool and level-headed as he seems about the confrontation it’s more like

while he’s thinking “shit, how well did I lock that conveniently placed armory with the fatman and hoard of ammo in it?” Dude pops a stealthboy the second combat starts so his gen 2 synth friends can lead the fight. He’s absolutely bluffing. As much as the game tries to prop him up as a tough opponent, the numbers don’t lie, Kellogg, you’re the narrative equivalent of a gaudy fishing lure and you know it. Thanks for the cool gun, you over-hyped, sentient speed bump!

[jwscrobbles]

Top 50 Songs Scrobbled for the Week Ending 11/12/2023

TW       LW                   ARTIST/SONG

1          2                      Keiynan Lonsdale – COME PAPI (1 week @ # 1)

2          3                      Tamar Braxton – CHANGED

3          1                      Doja Cat – PAINT THE TOWN RED (2 weeks @ #1)

4          7                      Chicano Batman – COLOR MY LIFE

5          9                      NewJeans - OMG

6          4                      Victoria Monet/Buju Banton – PARTY GIRLS (2 weeks @ #1)

7          5                      Troye Sivan – RUSH

8          11                    Beck and Phoenix - ODYSSEY

9          12                    Duckwrth – BIG BEWTS

10        13                    Kylie Minogue – TENSION

11        6                      Disclosure – HIGHER THAN EVER BEFORE

12        8                      Gregory Zamir – FAMILIAR (TRAIN C)

13        16                    Usher/Summer Walker/21 Savage – GOOD GOOD

14        10                    Dua Lipa – DANCE THE NIGHT (1 week @ #1)

15        14                    Ciara/Chris Brown – HOW WE ROLL

16        21                    P!NK – NEVER GONNA NOT DANCE AGAIN

17        15                    Q – STEREO DRIVER

18        23                    Masego – YOU NEVER VISIT ME

19        18                    Little Dragon – FRISCO 

20        17                    R+R=Now/Robert Glasper/Terrance Martin – AWAKE TO YOU (1 week @ #1)

21        25                    Kaytranad/Amine – 4EVA

22        22                    Q – INCAPABLE HEART

23        28                    Victoria Monet – ON MY MAMA

24        19                    Samphaa – SPIRIT 2.0

25        20                    Tinashe – TALK TO ME NICE

26        22                    Janelle Monae – LIPSTICK LOVER (3 weeks @ #1)

27        33                    Janelle Monae – WATER SLIDE

28        24                    Beyonce – CUFF IT

29        29                    Ari Lennox – WASTE MY TIME

30        27                    Kylie Minogue – PADAM PADAM

31        37                    Jessie Ware/Roisin Murphy – FREAK ME NOW

32        32                    SG Lewis/Lucky Daye – VIBE LIKE THIS

33        36                    Dinner Party/Terrence Martin/Robert Glasper/Snoop Dogg – LUV U

34        30                    Chris Brown – SUMMER TOO HOT

35        35                    Sza – SNOOZE

36        31                    Laura Mvula – GREEN GARDEN

37        43                    Pink Pantheress/Destory Lonely – TURN YOUR PHONE OFF

38        44                    Nicki Minaj – LAST TIME I SAW YOU

39        38                    Wizkid/Drake – COME CLOSER 

40        41                    The Knocks – I PROMISE

41        34                    Pink Pantheress/Ice Spice – BOY’S A LIAR, PART II (former #1)

42        39                    Jessie Ware – THAT! FEELS! GOOD!

43        40                    Tyga/Jhene Aiko/Pop Smoke - SUNSHINE

44        42                    Doja Cat – ATTENTION 

45        47                    Daniel Caesar/Summer Walker - ALWAYS

46        ---                     October London – BACK TO YOUR PLACE

47        46                    Sza - SHIRT

48        ---                     Troye Sivan – GOT ME STARTED

49        49                    Russ – 3 AM

50        ---                     Sampha - ONLY

[australiancarisi]

Secrets, Sonny Carisi~ Part 4

You are the newest detective at SVU, things are great until things from your past come back to haunt you. Look at me starting a new story when I have a million stories to be written… oh well. Also, I know my stories are very dialogue-heavy, I’m working on it Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Also posted on ao3 Words: 682

“Nick!” Amanda exclaimed running through the squad room and wrapping her arms around him. She was so excited to see him “What are you doing here?”

“Had some business to attend to” Nick said hugging her back while looking at you. His eyes never left. You stood away from the group. Everyone was so happy to see him.

Any other time you would be too.

He must know something was up. He wouldn’t fly across the country if he didn’t know. The way he looked at you, it was anger mixed with disappointment, you’d see it many times. “It’s good to see you man” Fin smiled “About time you showed your face around here” “Quite a bit has changed, Liv’s captain, Sonny’s moved to the DA office” Amanda said

“Squad room even got a makeover, where was this when I was here” Nick joke and everyone laughed along with him.

“You shouldn’t be here Nick” You stated, cutting off everyone’s laughing. If you wanted to cause some tension, it wasn’t hard.

“Doll?” Sonny frowned; Nick stood straighter. He faced you full-on, ignoring the rest of the squad. Sonny slowly moved closer to you; he was trying to figure out what the hell was going on as was everyone else.

“Shouldn’t I? You’ve been dodging my calls for a month” Nick said “Wait, he was on the one calling you all day?” Amanda frowned

“I don’t need you looking after me anymore” you said ignoring Amanda’s question. Everything was going to come out and you knew that it was going to hit the fan. “Just go back to LA”

“Okay, can someone explain what’s going on. How do you two know each other?” Fin asked, before either you could answer him, Liv’s office door opened, and she walked out with another person.

“Are you kidding me right now?” you were furious

“Murphy?” Sonny looked confused as did Fin, Kat and Amanda “What is going on?”

“You want to explain y/n?” Liv asked mama bear side was coming out. She wasn’t happy with you; it was written all over her face.

“You told her?” you glared at Murphy before looking to Nick “Or was it you?! You had no right! Neither of you should be here!” Sonny put his hand on your shoulder to try and calm you down, but you shrugged him off. No one said anything, “This is Declan Murphy my former captain back in LA and this is Nick Amaro he was my partner straight out of the academy and then became my sergeant when I made detective”

“You guys were partners?” Sonny asked gently, he was clearly trying to calm you down. This was the squad’s, especially Liv’s go-to move. When you were getting worked up over a case, Liv sends you over to the DA office to fill Sonny in or get files and warrants. Liv forewarns Sonny about your mood and after a few minutes, he’s calmed you down.

“Yep” you popped the ‘p’ “He basically taught me everything I know about being a police officer. When I became a detective, he became a sergeant and Murphy he was brought in to be captain… was only supposed to be for a couple of months… He’s the reason I’m here”

“Murphy sent you to New York? I thought you wanted to move” Amanda asked

“… I did, I wanted the change of pace, he put in a good word for me”

“Don’t lie” Nick said, he was getting aggravated “tell them the truth, the whole truth, Murphy sent you here”

“Hey,” Sonny warned Nick, standing in front of you “calm down” you put your hand of Sonny’s arm pulling him back next to you.

“It’s fine Sonny” you whispered

“No, it’s not fine, we went you here to keep you safe”

“Safe from what?” Fin asked

“Well guess what Nick” you completely ignored Fin “It’s not your job to keep me safe! It’s not yours and it’s not Murphy’s!”

“No but it is mine” a voice said walking to the precinct. Everyone turned to the familiar voice.

“Rafael…”

the gang is back together again feedback is welcomed would love to hear your guys thoughts :) I know this chapter is a bit shorter but the next one things really get started This story is also inspired by Playing House on ao3, highly recommend it!

@neverbacksdown7476​

[cat-with-a-keyboard]

It Is Not The Day

Fandoms: Transformers (essentially any, lol), Fallout 4

Warnings: none

Characters: Nora, Dogmeat, HAUNTED TRUCK

Excuse my bullshitted knowledge of semis and the extreme self-indulgence here, xD

P.S. SOMEONE TALK TO ME ABOUT THIS CROSSOVER I HAVE SO MANY IDEAS AAAAAAA

The swampside scrapyard was cool and damp, a change from the dry heat of the Commonwealth. Nora privately thought that the ghost stories surrounding this place must have been very good to keep so many scavvers away from a place this rich in resources.

Dogmeat woofed softly, his eyes bright and alert as the pair ventured deeper into the pre-war parking scrapyard. Old cars stood like in the skeletons under the sunlight, rust-stains like blood-stains in the bright glare.

There was nothing. No raiders, no feral ghouls, no super mutants. Nothing. It was completely empty. Eerily empty. Nora periodically checked her VATS, nerves strung tight as fiddle-strings and saw nothing.

Nora had never believed in ghosts, or at least, not really, but this was very nearly enough to make her a believer. The only thing that stopped her from turning tail and running like a hound out of hell was the fact that she needed parts and she needed it badly. She had scoured what felt like the whole Commonwealth before inadvertently stumbling across this scrapyard in one of Mama Murphy's old stories. When she had pressed the old woman for information, Mama Murphy had told her all the ghost stories and what Nora had then dismissed as 'rubbish', warning her away.

Might as well start here as anywhere, she thought, stopping in front of an enormous shipping-truck. In the distant past, someone had stenciled curling red tongues of flame along the body of the navy-blue cabin. Above that, far more recent, was the scrawling graffiti of ALIVE someone had dashed down the driver's-side door in browned paint. Someone has been here then. I swear, if they took the engine, I'll probably--

Dogmeat suddenly stiffened and woofed. Nora jumped, hand flying to the weapon at her waist.

Nothing. The silence was absolute, save for the lonely wind whistling through the sticklike trees.

Nora felt a chill prickle down her spine. The wasteland mutt was staring at the truck, his ears pricked and gaze steady. On an impulse, she checked the VATS, and squinted at the reading. For a moment, she stared, and then blinked and shrugged. For a moment, a life signal had seemed to flit across the glowing-green readout.

Sensor ghost, she dismissed and went back to work.

She popped the latches on the hood with little trouble, but quickly realized she was not tall enough to see into the engine-well. She swore, quietly, for she was loth to break the silence in the strange tomb of cars.

Maybe there's one of those stool-things in the cab? Worth a try anyway. She tried one of the doors and found it unlocked.

There were no bones in the cab, no scraps of cloth from whatever unfortunate might have been caught in his truck. On a whim, Nora decided to rifle through the usual hiding places for keys that she could think of and found nothing.

Ah, well.

She glanced around the cab, on the off-chance there was something usable. Nothing. It was completely bare of anything that even hinted it had ever been used. There weren't even any coffee stains. The small, narrow bunk was neatly made, and the cloth had faded remarkably little in two centuries. There was no sign of any clothes, any food, anything at all.

Weird

So, no stool. Damn. She clambered back out and surveyed the dented-- dented? So it had seen use, and hard use too-- truck.

Fine. Be that way. She clambered up, jamming her feet into the metal grill and hoisting herself up over the engine-well. Her position was a little bit precarious, but tenable.

Now, le me get one thing straight, she thought, approximately an hour later. Taking out an engine this big is going to be a lot of work. Even down here in the cool dampness she was flushed and sweating, and was no more than one hundredth of the way out, if that.

In frustration she struck one of the intake pipes hard with the butt of her screwdriver. Hard enough to leave a dent.

The engine roared to life. Nora leapt off, scared out of her wits for a brief moment. What the hell did I do? she screamed inwardly.

The hood snapped shut of its own accord with a dull thud, and a deep, grinding voice seemed to issue from deep within the vehicle.

"Is it the day?" it rumbled.

Oh you've got to be kidding me.

"It is not the day!" Nora yelled, praying it would work on haunted trucks as well as the sleeping knights in the old fairytales. "It is not the day! Go back to sleep!"

It seemed to work. Nora stared hard at the now-inoffensive truck, too scared to move, too scared to breathe, until her nerves finally broke and she ran.

[returnn-of-the-mac]

Sole proposing to the companions with their thoughts and reactions??? If you haven’t already of course, Love your writings! Keep up the great work dude!

Thank you!! This one was super sweet! I did the romanced companions + Nick & Deacon at the end! Hope you like it!😊

FO4 Companions React: Sole Proposing Marriage

After taking down the Institute a week prior, the people of the Commonwealth experienced a period of peace for the first time in seemingly forever.

On this warm evening in particular, Sole and their lover were taking a relaxing stroll along the beaches of Salem.

Sole had been meaning to propose to their companion for a while now, but there had never been a good time for it. Now was a seemingly perfect opportunity.

Fiddling with the wedding ring in their pocket, Sole took a deep breath and got down on one knee.

...

Preston:

Preston held his breath as he watched Sole get down on one knee. When they offered him the ring, he smiled widely.

“Y-yes!” Preston immediately pulled Sole into a tight hug, resting his head on their shoulder.

“Babe,” he whispered, “I...I can’t even express in words how truly grateful I am to have you in my life— and nonetheless ask me to marry you. This...this is such an honor.”

Sole smiled as Preston pecked their cheek before continuing.

“You mean so much to me, and you’re honestly the reason I’m still here today. You...you saved me, [name]. I couldn’t imagine my life without you, and I can’t wait to start our life together.”

The pair stood in a still embrace for a few moments before Preston chuckled. Sole pulled back and raised an eyebrow.

“Sorry,” Preston apologized, “I’m just picturing Sturges as the Best Man. I love the guy but he’s such a goof.”

The pair laughed at the thought, and they began their trek back to Sanctuary, hand-in-hand, to plan their big day.

MacCready:

“Are you—“ MacCready babbled, “You’re not...”

Sole presented the ring to MacCready and asked him to marry them.

MacCready hesitated for a moment.

“I...I don’t know. I’m still in love with Lucy,” MacCready stuttered.

An understanding Sole nodded solemnly, slipping the ring back in their pocket.

MacCready bit his lip, “B-but wait.”

A heartbroken Sole looked up, trying to fight back tears.

“I think Lucy would want me to move on and be happy. I can’t put my life on hold because of...what happened,” MacCready swallowed, “And I think you—more than anyone— understands what I went through. It...it would be stupid of me to pass up this opportunity. Especially since I do care about you...so much.”

Sole mustered a small smiled and their companion held out his hand. Sole accepted it, and MacCready pulled them into a tight hug, giving them gentle pecks on the cheek.

“So before you go crying,” MacCready teased, ruffling Sole’s hair, “Yes. I would love to marry you.”

Sole excitedly removed the ring from their pocket and MacCready held out his hand, allowing Sole to slip the ring onto his finger. He pulled them into another hug.

“I can’t wait to start my life with you, beautiful.”

Curie:

“What are you doing, my love?” Curie asked, concerned, “Are you hurt?”

Sole pulled out the ring and presented it to their companion.

“Oh my, that’s a beautiful ring,” Curie mused, “Keep it safe.”

Sole took Curie's hand and gently slid the ring onto her finger. The synth blushed wildly.

“It’s...it’s for me?”

It was then that Sole popped the question.

“Oui...” Curie managed to breathe, promptly collapsing into Sole’s arms, a stream of happy tears streaming down her face. She wrapped her arms around Sole and cried into [his/her] chest. “I love you so much.”

After a few minutes, Curie composed herself. She looked up at Sole with sparkling eyes and tiny smile.

“I love you with all my heart, [name],” Curie whispered, “You alone made me realize what this love feeling is. I am so happy that you want to spend the rest of your life with me, because I want the same, mon amie.”

Gage:

“What’re ya doin, boo?” Gage asked. “You straight?”

Sole pulled out the ring and held it out to an oblivious Gage.

“Shit, nice find! We could probably pawn that sucker for 1500 caps at least!”

Sole ignored their companion— after all, Gage was just being...Gage— and asked the question.

“Marry...you?” Gage asked, frazzled. “I...I...really?”

Sole nodded.

“But why?”

As Sole explained their reasoning, a goofy grin spread across the raider’s face.

“Ah..shut up! Stop goin soft on me!” He laughed, as he picked up Sole and spun them around. “But I mean if ya really wanna...then yeah. Yeah. I’m down for gettin married. Just as long as I don’t have to wear that stupid white dress.”

Piper:

Piper turned bright red and took a sharp breath in as she watched Sole get down on one knee.

“Blue...Blue...are you...!?”

Sole pulled the ring out of their pocket, and Piper squealed. She eagerly held out her hand and Sole slipped the ring on her finger.

“I can’t believe this is really happening!” She gushed, “Oh my god! I have to tell Nat!”

Sole laughed as Piper jumped into [his/her] arms.

“Are we going to have a wedding?! Mama Murphy has a beautiful flower garden in Sanctuary that she’s been working on while getting clean...oh! And Ellie Perkins can make a mean Tarberry cake...oh! And Nat can be the flower girl!” the reporter mused, “And I think I still have that cream laundered dress you gave me...somewhere! I’m so excited!”

Danse:

“Careful, you need to get a good grip on this sand, it’s easy to fall over,” Danse remarked, roughly pulling Sole onto their feet from their kneeling position, “There you go, soldier.”

Sole, slightly taken aback, got back down on one knee and Danse dryly chuckled.

“Funny. You can help yourself up this time.” He said as he began to walk away.

Sole called for the Paladin.

“Yes?”

They then held out the ring.

Danse raised an eyebrow. “What’ve you got there? Some kind of Pre-War artifact?”

Sole sighed, before asking the Paladin directly if he would like to marry them.

Danse blushed madly.

“W-Why me? There are so many other people out there. Better people...human beings. I’m just a machine. I—“

Before he could say anything else, Sole interrupted him with a passionate kiss. When Sole pulled away, they gently smiled and looked at Danse, awaiting his answer.

The Paladin smiled warmly.

“Yes; of course,” he answered as he pulled Sole into his arms, initiating another kiss.

He then rested his chin on Sole’s head.

“You saved my life, [name]. And for that, I am truly grateful,” he stated, “I love you so much; I couldn’t imagine being with anyone else. I’m so happy you feel the same way.”

Cait:

“Shut the fuck up,” Cait angerly barked, as Sole presented the ring, “Yer fuckin with me!”

Sole shook their head and asked Cait again. The redhead nervously chuckled as involuntary tears rolled down her face.

“Fuck you,” Cait cursed, as she playfully shoved Sole into the sand, “I hate you.”

Cait threw herself down next to Sole and planted a kiss on their dusty lips. She couldn’t wait to start a life with Sole.

Hancock:

Hancock smiled widely, as he knew what was happening. “No fucking way.”

Sole held out the ring, and Hancock chuckled joyously. “Is this actually happening, doll? Or am I trippin?”

Sole popped the question, and Hancock immediately embraced them. “Hell yeah,” He laughed, “Hell fucking yeah.”

The ghoul continued, “I’m not usually one who’s into commitment. Too much responsibility; too much of a hold-down, yanno?”

Sole froze.

“But,” he continued, holding Sole closer, “When I met you, and we really began to hit it off...well, you were the first person I’d ever even considered sticking around with for the long run.”

He bent back to kiss Sole’s forehead.

“And then when we started hittin it off romantically, the idea of marriage crossed my mind for the first time ever. That’s how I knew you were the one.”

Sole smiled.

“Honestly, I don’t know if I ever would have proposed if you hadn’t,” Hancock admitted, “But I knew in the back of my mind that if the opportunity were to ever arise, I’d jump the fuck on it.”

Deacon:

“Hey pal! Walk much?” Deacon laughed.

He then noticed Sole reaching into their pocket and pulling out a wedding ring. He turned bright red as Sole popped the question.

“Are you...is this...am I being punk’d right now?” Deacon asked, looking around frantically, “Where you at, Tom?”

Sole chuckled and asked again. This time, Deacon knew Sole meant it.

His softened for a moment before a wide grin spread across his face.

“Only if you agree to the Terms and Conditions of Being Married to The Deacs.”

Sole rolled their eyes and smirked.

“I still get to be a pain in the ass,” Deacon declared, “Capeesh?”

Sole nodded and Deacon pulled them into a bear hug.

“Goddamn this is so exciting!” Deacon exclaimed, “MacCready’s gonna be best man, right?”

Nick:

Nick’s jaw dropped as his companion got down on one knee. Sole promptly offered the ring and asked the detective to marry them.

Nick stood frozen in place, unable to react for a few seconds. When he finally came around, he chuckled.

“I think you managed to blow a gasket, darling,” he joked, holding his hand out and accepting the ring, “Yes, of course, I’ll marry you.”

Sole beamed and the detective helped them to their feet, pulling them into a loving embrace.

“I’ve had such a blast traveling across the Commonwealth with you, my dear,” Nick stated, planting a gentle kiss on Sole’s forehead, “It would be an absolute honor to spend the rest of my days with you by my side.”