~The Scarlet Plus-Fours Fallout: New Vegas Picture Diary~

Starring Gracie Cutesman-Pieworthy

Fallout: New Vegas is one of the Fallout games, set in and around a city called New Vegas, which developed from Las Vegas after much of the surrounding America was destroyed in a nuclear war. It's a special game to a lot of Fallout fans, with characters and stories that feel human, different paths you can take through the main storyline, and a powerful, melancholy, yet beautiful atmosphere.

Since taking screenshots is such fun, I've started a new SSLP, which should eventually cover a whole game of Fallout: New Vegas and some of the expansion packs. I'm playing as a certified Charming Young Lady, complete with silver tongue, plasma weaponry, spiked knuckledusters and many bottles of Sunset Sarsaparilla. I hope you like it.

Chapter 1: A Lovely Day Out with Sunny Smiles

The game had, apparently, been rigged from the start. After a comfortable year or so delivering parcels, Gracie had been ambushed by mercenaries and a man in a black-and-white suit, who shot her twice in the head. Video game characters can take being shot in the head better than you'd think, though, and thanks to the efforts of one Doc Mitchell, Gracie was fine.

"Gosh, being shot in the head was a MOST unfortunate occurence!" Gracie sighed as she stepped out of the doctor's house. "But at least I seem to have landed on my medium-sized feet again, in this charming town."

There was a note on Gracie's Pip-Boy about her most recent delivery job, a platinum poker chip for someone in New Vegas. Her map showed the fastest way to the city, through a valley full of ferocious Deathclaws, and the sensible way to the city, south a bit and then up the motorway. Well, she wasn't in any hurry since the chip had been stolen, was she?

Gracie got to know the local markswoman, Sunny Smiles, who offered her a Varmint Rifle(TM) and some practice shooting Sunset Sarsaparilla(TM) bottles. Gracie was more used to energy weapons, but, as Sunny pointed out, there weren't a lot of free plasma rifles lying around in Goodsprings.

Gracie did have a laser pistol, though; it had been with her when she was murdered, still in working condition. She made good use of it helping Sunny and her partner Cheyenne chase some geckoes away from the wells nearby.

A gecko, wishing they'd gone somewhere else for a drink

"I must say, Miss Smiles," Gracie remarked as they wandered back into town, "you truly are delightful company. And with such a cute name as well!"

"You think so? I do try and be a good neighbour." Sunny's cheeks were just a touch pink. "I always thought my name was kinda weird. Well, at least until Gracie freaking Cutie-Pieworthy came along!"

Gracie laughed. "That's Cutesman-Pieworthy, thank you."

"Wha-? Where are you going?! Come on, stay in the picture!" --Sunny Smiles

Sunny introduced Gracie to Trudy, the barkeeper and "town mom" - similar to the pub landlady and "town mum", Gracie assumed. Trudy introduced Gracie to a problem they'd been having, namely Ringo from the Crimson Caravan company, holed up in the old gas station. (Sequestered in the old petrol station? Perhaps?) Ringo was hiding from Powder Gangers, which meant Goodsprings was in the Powder Gangers' way, and anyone could see where that was going.

Gracie's memory from before being shot was a bit fuzzy, but she knew about the Powder Gangers: originally chain gangs forced to build railways, now a company of barbarians using dynamite (which they'd been given in order to build railways) as a weapon of terror. Yes, the New California Republic's big expansion into Nevada was going swimmingly.

Gracie picked a basket of Xander Root.

Then she, Sunny, and the somewhat reluctant Trudy rallied the townsfolk against the Powder Gangers, who'd come for Ringo, only to find a serious attitude adjustment waiting for them.

"Gosh, for hardened criminals, these gentlemen feel rather soft compared to my knuckles!" Gracie cried, with such an innocent look on her lovely round face, as she battered three or so Powder Gangers. "Really shouldn't have tried to throw your weight around in front of these upstanding villagers, should you?"

"Screw you, lady! We've got a legitimate grievance against the hypocritical NCR, which calls itself a land of freedom, then goes and uses slave labour - us guys and our dynamite - to build its new railroad," Joe Cobb retorted. "Can't you see we're victims, here? All we want is our freedom!"

"You've got a point," Sunny conceded, "but didn't you raid a caravan, murder everyone there except Ringo, steal all their stuff, then try and shoot your way into Goodsprings just to finish the job? You could've built new lives for yourselves the honest way, with teamwork and farming and, er, rebuilding and... things like that, but instead you made yourselves raiders!"

Joe bit his lip. "Well, er, the thing is... Screw you as well, and screw your dog for good measure!"

With a heavy sign, Sunny shot Joe through the heart, and Cheyenne bit his leg.

The battle for Goodsprings had been a triumph, which I didn't get many good pictures of, but Gracie found her thoughts turning to that poker chip. She asked some of the villagers about the three strangers responsible for her death, and by and by, they gave her an idea of where she needed to go. First and foremost, south, to a beautiful, historical town called Primm.

Gracie spent the night with Victor - who, being a robot, wasn't using his bed anyway. She bought some travelling clothes from the Goodsprings general store, bid farewell to Sunny, and set off towards the south.

"I can't wait to try Primm's famous roller coaster!" --Gracie