So I've been feeling pretty miserable recently, and naturally I cure my miserableness by thinking about sad or poignant moments in songs, films, games etc. Coping mechanisms are weird right?

But anyway, I've had some pretty tearful moments with Fallout. I wouldn't be hanging around Fallout fansites making occasional snide and dumb comments without them. Thoughts I'd share a few and see if anyone wants to share their own little moments.

A big one for me was my experience with Veronica in Fallout New Vegas. Now I'd been having my ass handed to me by raiders, mutants, ghouls, you name it, by the time I finally got to the 188 Trading Post I was in pretty bad shape wandering on my own. But then I run into this weird girl in a brown hood thing standing out looking towards New Vegas. We start talking and I immediately gel well with her sarcastic humour and playful nature. She's so at odds with what we'd seen in Fallout before. The "California girl with stars in her eyes". So imagine my shock when I realise she can actually join me in my adventures? It was a good feeling. Anyway, so ages pass, Legionnaires are slaughtered, deals are made, other companions are encountered, but Veronica's always my favourite (if anything, I approve of her punching animation). Then we get to her personal quest, where we get the techy gizmo for the Elder McNamara. I'm super-invested. I've always liked the Brotherhood and agree with Veronica that they should become more charitable in their ways, less reactionary. But we hit a block. McNamara refuses to accept Veronica's arguments. Then this moment happens:

"Give it a chance. For me. I can't stay here and watch us waste away. We'll die out."

To which McNamara replied, "I know."

That moment got to me. It's a feeling I've encountered a lot. You try to change something for the better, and no matter what you do, it won't change. There's so much frustration and sadness in this scene. The fact that McNamara himself knows that the Brotherhood has no future is endemic in a lot of people who'd like to see change, but know that there are systems and bureaucracies and other people who will stand in the way. Veronica is an optimist, McNamara the sad realist. Maybe they're both right, maybe one of them's right, the other's wrong. The point is both learn something about the other and both are changed by that moment (though of course we only see this change in Veronica)

Anyway, like I said, I connected with Veronica's character and story, but there are plenty of other moments I can think to talk about throughout the series. It'd be cool to hear other people's thoughts.

You described the brotherhood's questline in the mojave beautifully. Keep it up.

I'm not sure on what I could say was the most poignant moment, but two significant moments that got too me was when you fix Christine's voice by basically implanting Vera's voice, and merging Dog and God together into one personality. It felt so good to help these troubled people who you've been through hell with and after those moments I felt happy that even after all this they could enjoy their lives.

Fuck Dean though.

@LordGeneralCheese I chose my Veronica story because it was one of the first poignant moments I experienced with New Vegas, but if there's one place that hit me right in the feels constantly, that would be Dead Money.

It's all just...sad. Like, Elijah's obviously the villain, as is Dean to a lesser extent, but everyone comes out of the experience broken in some way (or dead, but that's a separate thing). That refrain at the end, "Finding it though, that's not the hard part. It's letting go" gives me chills.

And I know you say, "Fuck Dean", which is completely fair considering how horrible he is, but I can't help remembering that moment when he realises that Vera was dying, and that Sinclair had died for her. A twinge of empathy does hit him. Reminds me of the documentary, The Act of Killing (check it out, it's fascinating), about mass murderers in Indonesia. They're interviewing a man responsible for the deaths of thousands, and there's a moment when the penny drops, when he realises the horrors and pain he'd caused. You know you shouldn't feel sorry for him but I guess your own empathy kicks in the moment his empathy kicks in, leaving you both feeling miserable, heh.

Which reminds me of another poignant moment with a monster. This time an actual full-blown monster-man. And if you dunno who I'm talkin' about kids, well then lemme tell you about my experience with my good ol' frien' the Master.

SPOILERS for FALLOUT btw (as if people here don't know the Master's story)

Okay, so I'm a stickler for endings, and boy oh boy was I surprised at how much Fallout's ending got to me. So there you are. You've made it. The Lieutenant is dead. You've blown up the Mariposa Military Base. The vats are gone. Now there's just the Master himself to find and destroy. You infiltrate the Cathedral. You get through his horrifying mutant-infested domain (where the centaurs and floaters freak you out far more than the terrifying Super Mutants ever could). You encounter some weird, unnerving psychic people, who all explode horribly. The walls are covered in blood and gore that always creepily looks like it's moving. Then you go through a corridor, where the game's descriptor is telling you that you can hear the voices of the dead in the gooey body parts surrounding you. Damn, this game's tone was always bleak but we're entering Lovecraftian horror here (not to mention gothic. You've gone down into Dracula's crypt beneath a Cathedral to impale Dracula)

Then you meet him. The Master. This really disturbing blobby mass of flesh and veins covering some kind of voice-modulator. Three voices come out of him. Two male, one female. Now you've done your research. You found the files in the Military Base. You spoke to Harold. You know who, and what the Master is. He literally is a Lovecraftian abomination. A monster God with psychic abilities that absorbed people and animals into himself (I wouldn't be surprised if the centaurs were actually just parts of him that broke away from his main body mass) so those three voices you're hearing, or at least two of them, are victims, victims that were absorbed into his own, twisted "Unity".

Now I should mention. I'd done all this shebang before. I'd played the game before, and kicked the Master's ass by blowing him sky-high. But that was years ago. I'd come back to Fallout knowing I could play it through diplomatically (my favourite kind of playing style) so I was determined to see if I could talk through to him. And boy was I not expecting what I got.

So you talk to this stuff of nightmares, and his reasoning, in a lot of ways, is actually fairly sound. Yes, he's done horrible things to create his Unity, but it's still that, a unity. The Master's goals are ultimately altruistic. He wants to save humanity by recreating them. Rebuilding them for a harsher world. It's a vision that Mutants like Marcus would still kind of adhere to even decades later. But you know the problem with his plan. The Mutants are sterile. They're a full-stop to humanity. That Brotherhood lady's autopsy report made this clear (thanks for the power armour btw Brotherhood). So you tell him. At first he thinks you're trying to trick him. He confirms with his scientist. But then you tell him to check with his female Super Mutants (which of course, don't exactly look like females anymore)

Now you could say, what the hell?! How could the Master not know his beloved Master Race were sterile? Well, you ever see that episode of The Simpsons where Mr Burns realises he's bankrupt? He had a crack team of lawyers and Mr Smithers all telling him that everything he was doing was a-okay. This is a pet theory of mine I guess, but I figure the scientists working for the Master were too terrified, or too in thrall to the Master's vision that they refused to tell him that his vision would inevitably spell the end of the human race.

So when the Master realises this. Realises what it is he's done. I really wasn't expecting it to be as, well, poignant, as it was. Top points go to the voice actors by the way, they do a stellar job of selling how tragic this moment is for them.

http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/File:Fo1_Master_ItCannotBe.ogg

Seriously, listen to these voices. "To have done the things I have done in the name of progress and healing." Boy oh boy are there are a lot of people out there who can relate to that moment. Then he looks at you sadly and says, "Leave now, leave while you still have hope." The female voice says "hope" by the way.

Then you run out, you get out of dodge. And that whole Cathedral goes up in smoke. Pat on the back, you saved the world. Still feel kind of horrible though. The tone of everything has gone from badass action movie to just...sadness. Then you get back to your Vault. And there's the Overseer, who tells you that you can't return. That the Vault will fall apart with you inside. You've seen too much of the outside world and you'll inspire others to leave. You're as much a danger to their community as the Master was. So you have to go. You turn around, head down, and return to the wasteland, whatever hope the Master wished you looking pretty far away now. And then the water works kick in. End scene!

Sorry for the long post. Finding these descriptions of my experiences surprisingly cathartic. Maybe I should get back to that dumb Fallout fanfiction I never got round to finishing.

@Visible Earth I agree with @Tntimothy you know how to choose words to describe things beautifully.

I don't remember things very well, but in Oblivion, ( forgive me if it's not Fallout series but I consider this  game to be a part of the saga ) so in Oblivion, when after so much efforts protecting Martin, he understands he is the chosen one to be sacrified to stop Dagon. This moment makes me very sad lol, because I think he could have been a good emperor and didn't deserve what's happening to him. He accept his fate by duty...also with much dignity.

@darkstyler Plus it's Sean Bean! Tragic. Can't that guy catch a break?

@Visible Earth Holy essay Batman that was enjoyable to read, I should really get round to finishing FO1 but I keep dying after the Glow. Maybe I'll finally finish it soon now. About feeling empathy for Dean, I can understand why but personally I could never feel empathetic for him, he was an arrogant manipulator who indirectly has helped with the suffering caused in the casino. Plus he always attacked me and I always fucked his shit up. Just couldn't like the guy. Also your profile picture is that guy from The Godfather right? One of Michael's bodyguards in Sicily?

@darkstyler I don't really feel any nostalgia for Oblivion now, since I don't really enjoy playing it nowadays but Martin was probably my favourite character and his sacrifice is the best moment in the game for me. Helps the game had some of the best quests in an RPG I've played.

@LordGeneralCheese

The trick with the Glow is to stock up on Rad-X and RadAway. There's a merchant in the Hub you can find who'll sell you 'em. (man, I won't say the Glow's a poignant experience, but it's certainly a harrowing one)

Yup, "In Sicily, the women are as dangerous as the shotguns." I actually use it more because I'm a big fan of Franco Citti, the actor than The Godfather itself (I still love it through of course). But Citti was a fairly big Italian actor back in the '70s. I recommend his movies if you ever have the time.

EDIT: After having just watched the Hollywood classic: All About Eve, a film about actors and critics all blackmailing and hating each other within showbusiness (that I am convinced at least partially inspired the writing of Dead Money) I'm afraid my liking Dean Domino's only gotten worse There's a character in the movie called Addison DeWitt who sounds and acts so much like Domino it's uncanny. This clip is literally Vera and Dean:

One of the moments that hits me the hardest is right after you finish Dead Money and wake up in the bunker again, only to hear Vera's voice over the radio saying goodbye. I'm not even sure why but the fact that while I've been going through six different kinds of hell in the Sierra Madre, Vera's voice has been echoing through this bunker over and over, just waiting for someone to walk in, really kinda makes me stop and think for a bit.

I don't know if I can recall the the most poignant moment from Fallout, but I can think of a few that really stuck out to me.

In Fallout 4 I have two specific moments that I remember. The first was when you finally make your way into the Institute and your "child" is deactivated in front of you, and Father walks out. I didn't have any spoilers at all going into Fallout 4, for the first week of release I didn't access facebook or anything just to avoid the spoilers. Hell, I didn't even know the Institute was in Fallout 4 till I played the game because I avoided the launch trailer and everything. Anyways back to the topic, the very first time you talk to Shaun is a very complicated moment for you both, and personally I love how it was written. For you, Shaun is the only thing from your past life that exists, your wife is dead, your world was literally destroyed, and your child was stolen from you. You enter the room to see what you think is your kid in a glass room and you can desperately try to convince him you're his dad, as he calls for Father. Then he's just shut down and your character has to come to the realization that the kid is a synth. Father doesn't talk to you as a son when you first meet, more as a curiosity. He even explains that he lets you out of Vault 111 as an experiment. It wasn't altruistic, and it wasn't malevolent. It was simply an experiment to Shaun.

To the Sole Survivor he is your son. To Shaun, you aren't anything specific, just a story to him. He is sixty years old and has absolutely no memory of the Sole Survivor and It's kind of a crazy dynamic to watch. This in particular stands out to me because my dad has recently found out he has a thirty year old daughter he never knew about. We actually met her for the first time about three weeks ago and from my experience there is no real right way to handle that kind of situation lol.

The second is MacCready talking about his family and child. How he avoides cursing just to keep a promise to his kid, a promise the kid will never ever know whether MacCready broke or not.

MacCready >>>> all other companions

From New Vegas, one of the most poignant moments comes from the Honest Hearts Dlc. It is when Joshua Graham explains to you how he became The Malpais Legate; the legend of the Legion. He explains how it started with simple translations, which turned into demonstrations, to training, to giving commands and handing out punishments. It's really interesting to watch how Joshua reflects on his mistakes and even sees the errors he made. I also love how the courier is able to have such an impact on Joshua. You can push him into once again becoming a merciless warmonger, convince him into being a merciful defender, and I believe you can also side with Daniel and Joshua eventually just becomes irrelevant anymore.

Joining Elijah and wiping out the Mojave in the noncanon Dead Money ending.  That fucker got shit DONE!

He actually wanted to use the tech the BoS acquired, and put it to good use and not have it grow dusty in some archive.  He also had a solid plan on how he was going to do it all.  he didn't rely on anyone else, cucked the think tank and took off with the knowledge he needed to conquer the Mojave.  Unlike elder Mcnamara who is in denial and thinks sticking to the codex will save the Mojave BoS chapter.  

He actually saw the value in the tech that the Sierra Madre had, and wasn't even thinking about gold bars or treasure.  I just hate that the noncanon ending doesn't lead anywhere, but I suppose that would be a shitton of work for the dev team to implement.  

Neat mod idea ehh? ehhhh?(and yes I know its been done but that mod got abandoned and is incomplete)

@Redmaus

I get chills from that line, "Wipe the slate clean." I get chills hearing Veronica saying, I get chills hearing Elijah himself.

I always saw the mod Dust as being a result of Elijah's Sierra Madre adventures. The Cloud hovers over Vegas, the ghost people walk around, all that.

@yarknot

SHAUN!!!! But yeah, there's something sad about a parent wandering endlessly to find their child only to discover that their child couldn't care less about them. Shaun became his own man with his own life. Who his parents are is irrelevant to him. And yes, everything involving Joshua Graham is perfect. I love all of the Legion characters actually. They have a perfect mix of mystery and poignancy to their backstories. It's interesting to note that Josh Sawyer (or at least I think it was Josh, might've been Chris Avellone) talking about how they wrote Graham's character from the perspective of a soldier suffering from post-traumatic-stress-disorder. Everyone always goes on about Graham being a Mormon and a Christian and stuff, but ti's interesting to consider how he feels guilt for his past crimes, and struggles to make amends for them.

@howellmp2008

That and Elijah's broadcast trapped in the Bunker are incredibly haunting.

STORY TIME:

Okay, so this one is a little out of left-field. Not sure why it made me react the way I did. But in Lonesome Road you can pick up holotapes left around by Ulysses, where he talks about his experiences in New Canaan, in BIG MT and in the Divide.

From these you start to pick up on Ulysses's feelings about things, but also his own set of neuroses that he otherwise doesn't relate to you openly.

The one that got to me was when he explains how, "The White Legs...meant to show me respect...They tried to honour me, not the Legion." To do this they twisted and braided their hair to match his. In these braids he saw his old tribe, the Twisted Hairs, but they had been repurposed by a people who did not understand their meaning. For them, the hair represented him, a man who was becoming increasingly disgusted by his servitude to Caesar, realising that in destroying New Canaan he was no different to Vulpes, who had destroyed the Twisted Hairs.

By trying to show him respect, the White Legs insult him with their ignorance. For the Twisted Hairs, the braids had meaning, a history, representing different achievements and stories. Ulysses mentions how he tried to read the White Legs' braids, but realised that there was no meaning behind them. The White Legs had no understanding of the braids' importance, and had no history to celebrate.

It was a powerful little moment. One I thought I'd quickly share. For me this demonstrates better than anything else Ulysses's attachment to history. He is from a tribe that put great stock in its significance, but he is press-ganged into a more powerful civilisation that purposefully destroys history.

Here's a hard-hitter: You'll never have the sense of wonder and amazement you did the first time you played :^ (

As for in-game moments, Lily's predicament still makes me think. I always go with half-doses, but I'm sad that there isn't a better option for her.

Let's start with a Fallout 2 enclave I died I let out a tear.

Fallout 3 enclave again died I began to sob.

Fallout 4 enclave in general no, I'm dead.

Here are the saddest moments for me.

@DanglesMcButternut

On the one hand yeah, there is a sadness to not getting to have those same moments of wonder, but then again I'm always discovering little things now and then, which is fun. There's so much goddamn detail in these games.

Lily's story is very underrated I think. It touches on a lot of stuff we deal with today. Medication and the adverse effects it can have. They might be healthier for it but when doses can outright change a person's personality...it's sad. Also kinda reminds me of the play Equus. The central conflict of the play is a doctor feeling horrible institutionalising a violent, schizophrenic young boy. He knows that it would be better for everyone, including the boy, if he's institutionalised and treated. But he also knows that this boy, with his incredible, vibrant and imaginative personality, will cease to exist, and will be replaced by someone who will probably be a lot less interesting.

Maybe it'd be better to treat Lily with full doses. But then she loses the ones she loved. Surprisingly powerful for a character most players kinda just forget about.

@Enclave11

Hey, you went out with a bang in Fallout: New Vegas though right?

Speaking of which...

I really like the Enclave. Like, no offence, they are the worst, but I love the whole premise of the American government surviving nuclear war and it turns out that they're incredibly fascistic and hawkish types who would be stupid and immoral enough to conduct a nuclear war. I love the look, their motivations, Sergeant Frikkin' Dornan! and all those fun things we see of them in Fallout 2, but I was always a little frustrated by the lack of characters. Fallout 3 didn't do it for me to be honest, giving us only two new characters, one of whom you don't exactly get to say much to, and the other's a robot so ehhhh?

I really appreciated what they did with the Enclave in Fallout: New Vegas. Finally we had actual characters. A second generation Enclave in Arcade Gannon, who then introduces us to the group of older veterans, who all give you some idea of what it was like to be part of such an organisation. Some regret it being part of it, some remember those years fondly, some don't really care one way or another. But my favourite character was Orion Moreno.

Cranky old Moreno, pissed off decades later that the Enclave fell apart, resenting everything and everyone for the death of an organisation that quite simply, needed to be destroyed. At first he just seems like an asshole, and he is, but after a while, I began to understand him. He lost everything with the Enclave's defeat, and to add insult to injury, he was branded a war criminal and had to leave the only home he ever knew. Not only that, but the NCR eventually followed him, forcing him even further east and out of yet another home, this time one he had claimed for himself. With all that said, there was something sad in hearing how he said, "Kiss America goodbye boys" when Navarro fell to the NCR. For Moreno, the Enclave was America, so when the Enclave died, everything about America died.

Moreno's a nationalistic jerk who'll try to murder you the moment you don't plan to assault the NCR at Hoover Dam, but I understand him, or I can at least empathise with him.

@"Visible Earth" The enclave as an organization is not to blame for the fact that it is evil, the leadership of the nachaja from the reedchardson priests is to blame, to that the colonel of the otem wanted to give water to all the inhabitants of the wasteland, but the brotherhood of the Sum spoiled everything.

At the expense of Moreno, he is a fine fellow, he is a true patriot and he thought that his government is doing everything right and he will always know what it is, personally I respect such people who are devoted to their cause, if this matter is not entirely good.

You mean like touching moments or emotionally triggering ones?

Kasumi being reunited with her family at the end of Far Harbor. That brought me to tears the first time I played it.

I think that moment would be the quest in Fallout 4 involving Arlen Glass. Until now, I can't get over that moment. It was so heartbreaking to witness the aftermath of the war. It wasn't just cities and buildings that were destroyed, but also families.

At the end of New Vegas I realized I was the reason the BOS had to be killed. If I wasn't greedy and had the elder removed they could have survived. I replayed it immediatley so I could fix my mistake.