Fallout 4: Angel's Pip-Boy Diary #2 · 10:23am Nov 13th, 2015
art by JetWave
The only downside to Fallout 4 is that everyone is taking a break from everything else to play it. Myself included, of course. 
An extra-special upside is that it is inspiring a whole new wave of Fallout: Equestria art and stories. 
And Bethesda has shown bronies a bit of love. There are a few fun pony references in Fallout 4. Check out the article on it over at Equestria Daily.
As before, the next installment of Angel's Pip-Boy Diary is below the break. I will be writing them after the break because the Pip-Boy Diary will inevitably contain spoilers. Again, please let me know in the comments what you, and if this is something you want to continue to read.
But first, something fun that I was linked last blog. You should check out!
Angel's Pip-Boy Diary
Days 1 - 2
Day 1
October 24, 2287I thought facing home would be hard. It was worse. Not just picking through the rubble, barely recognizing the place that had been home to Nate and I for the best year of our lives. That hit hard. But the worst part was Codsworth. Codsworth was still there, still functional.
I tried to tell Codsworth what had happened to Nate and Shaun. It simply couldn’t process that information. It acted like it was in extreme denial. If Codsworth was a human, I would say it had gone crazy. Can robots go insane?
Instead, we ran around killing bugs in the other houses until Codsworth was finally convinced that Shaun wasn’t in any of them. It suggested that I try Concord. Apparently, it tried to go there once, and was beaten away. So were people in Concord at some point since the bombs fell. I have no way of knowing how long ago Codsworth’s encounter was, but there could still be people there.
I wonder if they attacked Codsworth because they thought it was crazy? It’s certainly far more dangerous than I had considered before. Seeing that robot tear through the giant roaches in Sanctuary Hills, I cringed to think I had once let it change Shaun’s diapers. I am reassessing an earlier thought; I had considered sleeping in one of the houses with Codsworth keeping guard over me. It certainly seems to be loyal and would make one heck of a guard dog. But is it stable?
For now, I’m sleeping in Baker’s cellar. Pietro called him tinfoil hat crazy. Even before seeing his house, I would agree. Climbed up a tree that had fallen against it and found a stash on the roof. Could have been from somebody else, but I’m finding it all to easy to picture Baker hunched on his roof on the lookout for men in black. His cellar is a tribute to the kind of paranoia that makes conservatives look bad. The guy was even keeping bars of gold in his basement! (Nobody anticipated the Nuka~Cola standard.) Still, if this place has gold bars laying around, it’s clear nobody has been down here in over two hundred years. I’m calling it safe to sleep in.
I’ve learned a few things going through the ruins of my home suburb. First, our house was the best house. Second, our neighbors all used crappy locks. My investigative skills are rusty, having suffered years of neglect, yet I was able to get into everything I wanted to.
I’m debating whether or not to go to Concord. Right now, I’ve got food and shelter. Not to mention all the clean water I could want. I can’t believe I was worried about purifying radioactive water when I’m a short trot from Vault 111 and its clean water supply. I’ve been using the Smith’s workshop to try to make minor improvements in my weapons and protective gear. You wouldn’t know it in the courtroom, but I was a bit of a tomboy growing up. I used to build my own toys in my father’s workshop. My parents swore I’d grow up to be the next Rosy the Riveter.
God. I just remembered looking at Shaun’s toy blocks and thinking he’d either be a great speller or great at knocking blocks over. I wonder who and what he has actually become. Assuming he even survived in the care of his kidnappers. Or, if he was taken long ago, and is long passed away, what kind of man did he become. I can’t help but imagine going into Concord and finding a statue to him, weathered and beaten.
Codsworth had a holotape for me. It was from Nate and Shaun. At sunset, I went out to the fishing pier to listen to it. It was dark before I stopped crying.
New Perk: Locksmith Rank 1
Day 2
October 25, 2287Holy hell in a handbasket!
I’m in a shack just across from the ruins of Wicked Shipping Fleet Lockup, bandaging my wounds and counting my remaining ammo. This has been one heck of a day.
After hearing Nate’s message, I had to take a walk. The woods north of Sanctuary used to be one of my favorite places to take a stroll and get away from it all. The place isn’t so safe and peaceful anymore.
First, I was driven off by a scavenger who was paranoid that I was after her meager possessions. Shortly after, I saw her torn apart by another pack of wild dogs. I fired on the dogs from the cover of a nearby hill of rocks. I picked off the ones in the rear, hoping to let her focus on the couple that had actually got her. I could have tried shooting them as well, but I didn't trust myself not to accidentally hit her instead. In retrospect, I know that I should have tried anyway. It would have been kinder for her to die of a stray bullet than those dogs.
It was ugly.
Less than an hour later, I was attacked by a raider living in a nearby shack. It was a short fight. After, I found she had been sharing the shack with the corpse of another girl... and that's something I really don’t want to think about.
I made it back to Baker’s cellar and slept though most of the morning. I probably should have slept even longer, considering everything my mind and body have been through.
When I woke up, it was raining. Not that bizarre storm with its irradiated lightning, but real rain. It did my soul good to just stand under it and let it wash me clean.
Having scavenged a fair bit last night, and given the town another once-over for this afternoon, I took the walk back to the trader. Bought an upgrade to the protective leather on my left arm. (Pockets are amazing.) The trader has a pet cat. I’m more of a dog-person, but I still had to spend at least half an hour playing with and petting the pussy cat. I think she is the single most comforting thing I’ve encountered in the last two days.
I tried going back to Sanctuary Hills by a more direct route and ended up fighting for my life against a swarm of giant, evil bugs. Not the giant roaches. Or even the mosquitoes. These were much, much more awful. They threw horrid living barbs at me, and were nearly impossible to hit. I need a lot more practice at aiming, and a much better gun. I would have died if I hadn’t discovered my Pip-Boy’s targeting assistance program. I can almost forgive Vault-Tec.
The fight started near the old Ranger Station and I was at the edge of Wicked Shipping by the time it was over. After having gone back and looted what little was left at the station, I returned to Wicked Shipping, intent on doing the same.
To reiterate: holy hell in a handbasket!
There were monsters there. Not mutated animals. Mutated people! Savage, monstrous, animalistic creatures that once were human. Again, I fought for my life. It was like fighting something out of a zombie horror matinee. I… there are just no words to describe it.
A few notes:
There is a radio station coming out of a place called Diamond City. All the songs are familiar, as if radio is trapped in the last day before the bombs fell.
The DJ is… really not cut out for his job. His name is Travis. I imagine that he is brand new to the job and utterly lacking in confidence, or he is the only person they could find for the job regardless of how absolutely awful he is at it.
Wicked Shipping Fleet Lockup had a ton of goods to scavenge once the monsters were dealt with. Activating the company’s robot really helped clear them out. The terminal listed deliveries en-route to the General Atomics Factory (uranium pellets!), the Corvega Assembly Plant (fuel cells) and Mass Fusion Containment (barrels of waste). Some day, it may be worthwhile to look into those first two.
Oh, and Wicked Shipping was corrupt. Of course it was. Why wouldn’t it be? Remember my thoughts on humanity before the apocalypse? Still thinking them.
Even worse was the holotape from a girl who died at the Ranger Station, having been driven from her home by her parents. She told them the truth about herself, and they couldn’t handle it, turning on her. The holotape wasn’t explicit, but I can only think of two revelations that would have engendered that kind of response. Either she had just told her parents that she was a lesbian or that she was a communist. My heart aches for her, even though she is centuries dead. (Somewhat less, of course, if she was a communist.)
If Shaun is still out there, what if he had become something that I can’t tolerate? Will I have the strength to embrace him anyway?
art by Ruiont
Lesbian? I thought the girl was pregnant.
3539432 That's another good theory.
I just burst out laughing at the terminals. Nice subtle references.
Alas, I could not name myself Angel. Every time I tried, all I could think about was the bunny.
But as for more diary stuff, yush! Lumie loves that sort of thing. And I adore the little details and commentary added.
So I'd certainly read it.
The worries about the girl, musings on the psychology of robots, random cat therapy. Those are the things that really make it shine.
3539432
Pregnant? I thought she was one of them America-hatin' Democrats. Probably protesting bringing freedom to those backwards Canadians in the Annexation. Tch. The nerve! Not in my house!
3539442 And honestly, much more grim and heartbreaking...
Loving wverything you've been putting out lately, KKat! Please keep it up!
It's really intresting to compare my reactions and thoughts on things I encounter in fallout 4 to the ones in this diary thingy.
Also i'm fairly shure that in the girls log she was saying something about "Him" not knowing yet and that "He" might never know so thats pointing a bit more towards pregnancy theory.
Looks like you're having a lot of fun with Fallout 4, Kkat. When you're higher level, I'd suggest going to Dunwich Borers. It was a fun little romp with some nice loot at the end.
Rush and Pony on!
T4E
Go to the Giddy up buttercup factory. Just do it.
I love that picture of Little Pip and the dog!
Sadly, my Fallout story still isn't ready yet.
On the bright side I have most of it planned out. Mostly the important stuff. 
Agreed.
Shouldn't this be:
There's just something about the way you write that brings these diaries to life. It's emotional but not unrealistic. Descriptive but not distracting. Understated but nevertheless powerful. You are a very talented writer. I'd love to continue reading these diaries. Heck, I'm even going back to read Fallout Equestria again! I hope you keep writing and hope you have fun with the game.
Wait... there's a cellar in Sanctuary?? I clearly did not look around enough.
These have been excellent so far. I can't wait to read the next one.
Dan Bull. Best game rap scince Machinima.
3539755
S'tucked in behind one of the houses on the.... east(?) edge of town?
I only found it when walking the perimeter, patching holes in the hedge walls with impenetrable jaunty white picket fencing.
That law degree is really coming in handy now!
It seems I wasn't notified of your reply to the last blog comment, unfortunately, but I wasn't kidding. Including fanart isn't enough to justify the tag. Tags only exist for news specific to the story.
Please don't be difficult. Just stop tagging these blogs. I wouldn't be here unless people were complaining about it. And since you are actually abusing the sequel tagging system, I need to make sure that stops.
3539862
Thanks!
Is it important to patch the fences? Will attacks come through them???
3539907
I'm unsure. I haven't had an attack myself, and reports differ.
It might be relatively safe to say that most attacks will come in via the bridge, for the first settlement.
But you can be attacked by stuff that will appear elsewhere, like ghouls popping out of everywhere, or mole rats or scorpions burrowing out of the ground.
Certainly make sure to not put all of your defensive eggs in one basket, is all I can say. Plop a few turrets on random rooftops or whatever.
3539917
Thanks again. Stuff to keep in mind. I only have 1 building and 2 sniper towers with a bunch of turrets haphazardly placed around. I have one near the house, 4 on the road and 1 next to the food.
3539862 I'm going to have to do that. Jaunty white picket fences to the rescue!
3539899
Couldn't people just unfollow or unfavorite if they didn't want the updates ?
3541432 I don't like the idea of telling people to just stop subscribing to stories they enjoy because the author is engaging in spammy behavior. We haven't allowed blogs not directly related to the story to be tagged since... well, since the system was reintroduced on the condition that blogs like this wouldn't happen.
3539618 Thank you! Fixed.
You can say that again! I really need to get back to work...
3541445
Yea I mean that makes sense, I just figured since it was people's blogs and stories, if they wanted people to be notified of it it was their prerogative. I agree with where you're coming from though; if a story I wanted to follow was having a ton of blogs attached to it that were unrelated I might be a bit peeved, but I guess I felt it was different since this ones been complete for years or something. Thanks for the answer.
Was not aware that there was an accessible basement area in Sanctuary. I'll have to look for that.
It also occurs to me that I never thought to explore further north either. I just assumed that Vault 111 was near enough the northenmost marked location on the map, and all my exploring took me southwards.
I still can't play this game D:
Codsworth does say his sense of family helped him keep it together all these years, but really, what's so different about him that he stayed sane while every other Mr. Handy in the wasteland went crazy? I think the real difference is that after 200 years, he's the only one to see his original owner return. It brings a little tear to my eye thinking about that.
Then I went to a mall populated entirely by insane Mr. Handys, and fixed up the place without losing a single limb!
Now that's progress. (Hint: If they offer you something, say no. To everything. Everything is a bad idea. More coffee? :3)
3539442
Wow I'm late to this party, but I was also thinking pregnant. Especially as the holotape specifically mentions a "John" who might not have to know about something specific related directly to the primary unspoken reason, which led me to "girl was preggers, after having sex with her boyfriend John, and was planning on an abortion."
All the more reason for the drama implied as Fallout's pre-war cultural mores are brought out from those of '50s-'60s America. Unwed mother contemplating abortion would be a major issue.
And loving this series! Have read all 16 posts (learning a few things about the game myself on the way, and laughing at the F:E injokes... "Calamity" as a possible name for the dog... heh).
Now if only FimFic had some sort of blog-following setup...