For this Mythology Monday, we’re going to talk about Kelpies. They are a mythical water spirit found in lochs in Scotland. They are shape shifters that look like horses but can become human. Kelpies are the dangerous kind of mythological creature, so be careful.
Etymology and Origin
The origin of the word is unclear but it could be from the Gaelic word ‘calpa’ or ‘cailpeach’ which means heifer or colt – words used to describe livestock. A heifer is a young cow, usually up until after she has her first calving. A colt is a young male horse aged 2-4 years.
The first recorded use for a mythological creature appears in an ode by William Collins before 1759, where it was spelled ‘kaelpie’.
Kelpie stories are associated with the majority of significant bodies of water in Scotland, especially Loch ness. The stories are, like many folklore and myths, warning children to stay away from dangers water and warning young women to be wary of handsome strangers.
What are Kelpies Like?
The common description of a kelpie is a stunning black horse. They inhabit the deep pools of rivers and streams, preying on any humans it encounters. Their hooves are reversed compared to normal horses, similar to the nykur of Iceland.
Local variations exist. In Aberdeenshire, kelpies are portrayed as having a mane of serpents, a bit like Medusa. The resident kelpie in the River Spey is white and entices victims onto its back by singing. A bit like siren song.
A similar creature known as each-uisge – literally ‘water horse’ is believed to be the creatures that live in lochs while kelpies live in rivers. The each-uisge is far more vicious.
Tales of the Kelpies
Most of the stories around kelpies involve them taking their victims into the water, eating them and leaving the entrails at the water’s edge. As an equine, a kelpie can extend its back to carry many riders down to the depths.
A common theme in the stories involves several children climbing onto the kelpies back, with one child remaining on the shore. The child pets the horse and his hand sticks to it. Some stories involve him cutting off his hand to get free and survive while the other children are taken and drowned. Several versions of these tales exist, in Glen Keltney in Perthshire, Thurso in Caithness and Sunart in the Highlands.
Kelpies could mate with horses and the offspring were impossible to drown and had shorter than normal ears.
Kelpies can shapeshift and appear to be human. They could be identified by having water weeds in their hair. Many tales describe a kelpie appearing as an old man and potentially attacking people in that form.
Barra’s Kelpie Story
There is a tale from Barra, an island in the Outer Hebrides, where a kelpie becomes a handsome young man to woo a young woman. She recognises him as a kelpie and removes his silver necklace (acts as a bridle) while he sleeps so he reverts to his equine form. She puts him to work on her father’s farm for a year.
The tale does have a happy ending. She rides the kelpie to a wise man for advice. He tells her to return the silver necklace and decides he wants to be a mortal man while she agrees she would be his wife if he was a man. They get married, and presumably live happily ever after. Cute.
In most stories about kelpies, they are male but there are a few tales featuring female ones. When Christianity came along in the 6th century, kelpies were associated with Satan due to their hooves, similar to the Greek god Pan.
Robert Burns refers to this in ‘Address to the Devil’ from 1786:
“When thowes dissolve the snawy hoord An’ float the jinglin icy boord Then, water-kelpies haunt the foord By your direction An’ nighted trav’llers are allur’d To their destruction.”
It was believed that when a kelpie appeared as a horse with no tack, a halter stamped with the sign of a cross could capture it. The kelpie could then be put to work.
The Laird of Morphie
A story exists about the Laird(Lord) of Morhpie using a kelpie to carry stones to build his castle. He released the creature once the job was done and it cursed him in revenge.
“Sair back and sair banes/ Drivin’ the Laird o’ Morphies’s stanes,/ The Laird o’ Morphie’ll never thrive/ As lang’s the kelpy is alive”
Meaning that as punishment for the pain the kelpie endured, the Lord of Morphie wouldn’t survive. This is believed to have resulted in the extinction of his family.
Capturing and Killing a Kelpie
Kelpies might appear with full tack, a bridle and saddle, but if someone mounted them they would run off and drown the person. It was believed you could exorcise a kelpie by removing its bridle. The bridle could have magical properties and transform someone into a horse or pony.
Like many other mythological creatures, certain metals can harm them. They can be killed with a silver bullet, like a werewolf. There’s also a story of a blacksmith killing a kelpie that was scaring his family by stabbing it with two heated iron spears.
Some people believed the Loch Ness monster to be a kelpie and tales of monsters associated with Loch Ness and the River Ness have been around since the 6th century. See my previous article on the beloved Nessie for more details.
The equine aspect of this myth could have roots in horse sacrifices from ancient Scandinavia, according to Derek Gath Whitley.
Many stories of dangerous water spirits exist to keep children away from dangerous water. Many of Scotland’s lochs are dangerous to swim in with hidden currents and drop offs. Shape-shifters posing as handsome men were used to warn young women to be wary. Often these kinds of stories are used as moral lessons, so the creatures only harmed you if you did something wrong.
If you visit Falkirk, you can see the Kelpies at The Helix park. Andy Scott designed the sculptures and the project was completed in October 2013. You can see them from the M9 motorway and they form a gateway of the Forth and Clyde Canal, which meets the River Carron. The Kelpies are 30m tall and at night they are lit up, making for a stunning view.
The project represents the horses that worked in Scottish industry and economy. The Falkirk area has a long history of mining and foundries. It has quite a fascinating history in general. I used to work in Falkirk and I recently visited Callendar House with a friend and learned a lot about it. If you are in the area, I highly recommend visiting the Kelpies for yourself.
Steven Straiton, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Welcome back to Fixing Friday. This week is ‘Scene by Scene’ where I go through my notes after reading the first draft and plot out the scenes and what needs changing. At this stage, I’m focusing on the ‘big picture’ stuff. The overall story structure and if everything was in the right place. It did feel like it was missing something.
A New Outline
Before I touched the manuscript again, I worked through a revised outline. I’m what is known as a ‘plantser.’ This means I usually start a writing project with a vague idea and just plough ahead and write, discovering the story as I go. Although I don’t always complete a draft this way. I then go on to create an outline from what I have, to figure out how to get to the ending.
I use the Three Act structure for this story, which is one of the most common story structures, although there are plenty of options. So I took my notes from my first read through and used the plotting tool on Lore Forge to fit all the story events into this structure.
It’s important to have a combination of action and reaction moments. Not every scene has to be high drama and excitement, there has to be space for characters to take a breath and react to their situation. It also gives your readers a moment before moving onto the next thing.
Creating The Outline
So what do I include in this? A few things. I’m learning as I go on this, so my process has improved since this early stage. But here’s the details I included in my revised outline, scene by scene. I created an entire date system for my world and part of the outline included a timeline with dates for each scene.
What happens in the scene? This is probably an obvious one but it is essential.
When it happens in the story. I add the date.
What the scene’s purpose is. Is it character development, discovering new information, a significant event in the plot? There is one chapter where one of the characters makes an important discovery that will lead them to what they need, but it won’t pay off for a long time.
Off the back of the last point, noting if something is significant for a character. Like one of them being forced to confront something from their past, or how they feel about a decision they made.
Scenes should always do more than one thing and worldbuilding is a part of that. I do my best to avoid info-dumping too much, so I try to sprinkle world details throughout and show them through events in the story.
Sub-plots and secondary storylines and how each scene interacts with them.
It’s a lot of detail, but the first draft is only the skeleton. This is where we dig into the meat of the story and flesh it out. I know that’s a bit of a creepy metaphor but it’s accurate.
Next Steps
I examine the outline for consistency and decide if it’s in the right order. Are events following on from each other in a logical way, while escalating the tension? Are there scenes that are not pulling their weight? In which case they either need to be improved or removed.
Cutting scenes is difficult. You wrote them for a reason, but sometimes they are just not doing enough to be there. I hate deleting things permanently, even if I’m ‘killing my darlings’ so I keep old versions of the documents just in case. It needs to happen, though.
After that, I felt ready to start writing the next draft. I chose to rewrite from scratch, using the first draft as a reference. I did occasionally copy over some bits from the original draft but most of it was rewritten. It still felt like it was missing something and I realised that one of the major characters was too involved to not be a main character. That meant I needed to upgrade him and give him his own story arc. I’ll get into more details on that next week.
Outlines are great to have but it’s important to remember that they are not etched in stone. If your outline is not fitting where the draft is going, then it can easily be changed. It’s all a part of the process.
Next week, we’ll be going into how I wrote draft two, upgraded a character to a main character and fleshed out his backstory. So I hope you’ll join me for that.
What happens when characters take control of your narrative? This is a familiar situation for many writers. It can be frustrating when the characters just walk all over your carefully planned outline. Our plans and early drafts are how we really get to know our characters and that means that things can change during the process. So let’s talk about when characters take over and whether you should let it happen or not.
Plans Change All The Time
Not everyone likes to plan their stories out but even ‘pantsers’ have some idea of what’s going on and where the plot will go. For others, having a detailed outline is essential for structuring and writing the narrative. I personally work with a combination of both but I spend a lot of time getting to know my characters, both through detailed backgrounds and profiles and through writing them.
However, sometimes people get stuck on their outline because they get through two thirds of the story and realise the next plot point makes no sense. Or the character has changed and their next move is now out of character for them, which can be jarring for the reader. Trying to force them to get back on track with the plan makes the writing feel forced, which can contribute to writer’s block.
It’s okay for things to change as you write. It’s pretty normal, actually. Your plan is simply a guideline for the original idea and if a new idea or direction feels better then you can absolutely follow the new path. I wouldn’t throw out the original plan and any scenes or chapters you decide to remove, though. Keep them in a separate file, just in case you want to refer back to them or use them somewhere else.
What if the Characters Take Over?
As you write, you get to know your characters better. No matter how detailed their profile and background might be, you’ll still find yourself learning things about them. As you understand them better, you know how they’re going to respond to events. You know what kind of decisions they will make.
This means that the characters ultimately take control of the narrative and can push it in unexpected ways, even for the writer. If that’s what is happening, I think it’s okay to let it happen if that makes more sense to you. Being too rigid about your outline can stifle the flow of your writing and block your creativity. So if it feels right, let it happen.
My Example
In my current work-in-progress, one of the secondary protagonists has been upgraded to a primary protagonist. Aidan Kynaston joins the other two main characters on their journey. However I felt he was introduced quite late in the story. He also has an important plot point later on, so I realised he needed to play a bigger role in the story.
The other reason was that the first half of the book focused exclusively on the other two main characters. So introducing a few chapters focused on Aidan before he meets up with the other two made sense. Including his point of view also facilitated adding more world-building and details about the stakes.
Aidan also decided to tell me an important dark secret which I could then show to the reader to add more of his internal conflict. It makes him a lot more interesting, especially in his interactions with my morally grey assassin Alonso. They’re getting to know each other and I think it’s going to be very interesting going forward.
So really, I had no choice but to upgrade him to a full main character with his own chapters and tell more of his story. I’m excited to see where this ends up taking him, alongside my other characters. I am having a lot of fun putting it together. I’m hoping to have it ready for beta readers very soon.
My Advice to Other Writers
If your characters are taking control of your story and the original plan no longer feels right, I would let it happen. Your best work will come by letting the story tell itself so forcing yourself to stick to the original outline can weaken your story.
I think planning can be a helpful tool to structure your writing and keep your story on track. But it doesn’t have to be rigid and set in stone. Characters can take on a mind of their own, but do you know what that means? That means they’re well developed and becoming who they are supposed to be. So if your characters take control, you might be surprised how much better your story is if you let them.
Have your characters taken control? Let me know your thoughts, and subscribe below if you want to see more. Every week I’ll be sharing some insights into my writing process or talking about a related subject.
The RAAS system and thyroid hormones play an essential role in managing metabolism, blood pressure and fluid balance. These hormones regulate electrolytes, water retention and metabolic rate.
RAAS
The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system involves several organs and plays an essential role in maintaining blood pressure. A drop in blood flow to the kidneys activates the RAAS to increase blood pressure and maintain filtration in the kidneys.
The kidneys convert circulating prorenin into renin in response to reduced renal blood flow. Renin converts angiotensinogen, produced in the liver, into angiotensin I. The lungs contain ACE (angiotensin converting enzyme) which converts angiotensin I into angiotensin II.
Angiotensin II degrades into angiotensin III which stimulates aldosterone secretion from the adrenal cortex. Angiotensin III increases the blood pressure while angiotensin II narrows the blood vessels (vasoconstriction.)
Aldosterone is a mineralocorticoid hormone produced by the adrenal cortex. Aldosterone increases sodium and water retention, as well as potassium excretion. This keeps the electrolytes (salts) in balance and keeps water in the circulation to increase blood pressure.
This system has several potential drug targets for treating hypertension (high blood pressure), heart disease, kidney failure and diabetes. Examples include ACE inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers and renin inhibitors.
Activation of RAAS
Any loss in blood volume or drop in blood pressure triggers the RAAS, such as dehydration or significant haemorrhage. The system raises blood pressure and improves blood flow in the kidney’s glomeruli.
It also triggers the release of anti-diuretic hormone (ADH), also known as vasopressin which controls water reabsorption and retention in the kidneys. ADH also acts on the brain to increase appetite for salt and thirst for water.
Thyroid Hormones
The thyroid gland is located in the neck, just below the larynx. It typically has two lobes, one on each side, with a pair of parathyroid glands on each side as well. The term ‘goitre’ means an enlargement of the thyroid gland which you can feel, or even see if it is large enough. A goitre does not always mean a tumour or cancer.
The two main thyroid hormones are triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4). They are created from tyrosine and iodine, the only function iodine has in the body. The thyroid hormones increase basal metabolic rate, absorption rate in the gut and fat breakdown. They also increase heart rate, oxygen consumption and play a role in growth and brain development.
Regulation of Thyroid Hormone Release
Like others we’ve discussed, the hypothalamus controls release of thyroid hormones. It secretes thryotropin releasing hormone (TRH) which stimulates the anterior pituitary to produce thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). TSH then acts on the thyroid gland to produce T3 and T4. The thyroid hormones have a negative feedback effect on the hypothalamus and pituitary gland to stop further hormone release.
Thyroid Disorders
Thyroid disorders are fairly common in humans. Hyperthyroidism (excess thyroid hormones) is extremely common in elderly cats. Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) is common in dogs.
Hyperthyroidism means excess production of T3 and T4. Grave’s disease and thyroid adenoma are common causes. In cats, a benign thyroid adenoma produces excess thyroid hormones, ignoring the normal regulatory system the body has.
Symptoms of hyperthyroidism include unexplained weight loss, hair loss, an increased appetite, fast heart rate and stress or restlessness. It can be treated with drugs that suppress thyroid function, radioactive iodine (I-131) therapy or surgery to remove part/all of the thyroid (partial or total thyroidectomy.)
Hypothyroidism is an underactive thyroid. Remember the terminology series: hyper- means too high, hypo- means too low. An underactive thyroid is common in dogs and in humans. Iodine deficiency is a common cause, as is an autoimmune disease such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
Symptoms of hypothyroidism include weight gain that is difficult to lose, fatigue, constipation, hair loss, a slow heart rate and myxoedema. Myxoedema is abnormal swelling in limbs or the face, and is a type of non-pitting oedema. Pitting oedema means if you press it with a finger, the dent remains. Non-pitting oedema obviously means it doesn’t.
Treatment for hypothyroid conditions includes immune modulating treatments, iodine supplements and replacement thyroid hormone like levothyroxine.
Axolotls
Axolotls are odd little creatures. They exist in a state of arrested development, never moving beyond the juvenile phase of the life cycle. This happens because they lack iodine and cannot produce thyroxine. They can reproduce but they retain their gills and remain fully aquatic.
They are also capable of regenerating lost limbs. If they are treated with thyroid hormone or exposed to idone, they metamorphose into salamanders. However, they don’t survive well if this happens.
Conclusion
These complex systems are often misunderstood but they are important to maintain the body’s physiology as it should be. Next week we’ll cover the remaining systems, insulin and parathyroid hormones.
The ‘stress hormone’ cortisol is extremely important for managing and regulating the body’s response to stress. Cortisol regulates metabolism, the response to stress and the immune system. The adrenal glands release cortisol, regulated by the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland in the brain.
Adrenal Glands
The paired adrenal glands live just above each kidney and are directly connected to part of the autonomic nervous system. The adrenal medulla produces adrenaline (epinephrine) and noradrenaline (norepinephrine), both of which play a role in the ‘fight or flight’ response. Read more about that system here.
The adrenal cortex produces glucocorticoids, of which cortisol is the most important. The hypothalamus regulates cortisol secretion via the HPA axis, the hypothalamus—pituitary—adrenal cortex axis. A negative feedback loop maintains cortisol at an appropriate level.
The hypothalamus releases CRH – corticotropin releasing hormone. This stimulates the anterior pituitary to secrete ACTH – adrenocorticotropic hormone. ACTH reaches the adrenal glands and causes cortisol secretion. Cortisol levels feed back into the hypothalamus and pituitary gland to reduce secretion of CRH and ACTH, keeping cortisol levels where they need to be.
Role of the HPA Axis
This system maintains homeostasis in the body by regulating metabolism, the cardiovascular system, immune system, reproductive system and the central nervous system. That’s a lot of jobs! Serious illness results from this system going wrong.
Cortisol
A glucocorticoid or ‘steroid’ hormone, cortisol is the stress hormone. It follows a diurnal cycle, increasing after waking, slowly dropping until late afternoon. It then resurges before dropping to its lowest point in the middle of the night.
Pharmaceutical versions include hydrocortisone, prednisolone and several other ‘corticosteroids’. Applications include treating inflammation, managing autoimmune disorders, chemotherapy and treating allergies.
The Effects of Cortisol
Glucose Metabolism
Cortisol stimulates glucose synthesis and the breakdown of glycogen in the muscles. It also increases the breakdown of fats and blocks insulin. It causes insulin resistance in an effort to increase blood glucose levels, i.e. blood sugar.
Immune System
Cortisol reduces the immune response, the inflammation cascade and reduces T-cell growth. That means it is immunosuppressive. This is why pharmaceutical steroids are used to treat immune-mediated and autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, eczema and allergies.
Cortisol delays wound healing, because it suppresses inflammation. The inflammation process plays a role in healing of wounds, whether injuries or surgical. Steroid treatment is withdrawn prior to surgery whenever possible, for this reason.
Electrolytes and Water Homeostasis
Cortisol increases GFR (glomerular filtration rate), in other words, function of the kidneys. It causes excretion of phosphate and potassium, along with water and sodium retention. Too much cortisol or not enough cortisol will cause electrolyte disturbances.
Cortisol also stimulates secretion of stomach acid, which explains why chronic stress causes problems like heartburn and stomach ulcers. People who are stressed for a long time have high ciruclating cortisol levels.
Memory
Cortisol combined with adrenaline stimulates memories of short-term emotional evens in order to ensure we avoid the same thing in future. This effect is part of how trauma affects the mind and body in the long term. It is absolutely a factor in the development of PTSD.
Long term exposure to excess cortisol damages the hippocampus, the part of the brain essential for storing long term memories and learning. This means excess cortisol impairs the ability to learn.
Pregnancy
During pregnancy, cortisol plays two essential roles. At 30-32 weeks gestation, cortisol stimulates production of pulmonary surfactant. Surfactant allows the lungs to expand when the first breaths are taken after birth. Without it, the newborn cannot breathe. One of the byproducts of beef production is extracting this surfactant from the cow’s lungs. Cattle lung surfactant massively improved survival rates of premature babies.
The second role is to stimulate parturition, to initiate labour. Foetal cortisol triggers conversion of progesterone to oestrogen which in turn stimulates prostaglandin secretion and oxytocin receptor development. Oxytocin is the hormone that stimulates contractions of the uterus. Because it reduces progesterone, treatment with steroids can induce miscarriage in early pregnancies.
Stress
So why does this matter? The adrenal glands function to help the body cope with stressors. Adrenaline and sympathetic nervous system is there for acute dangers and cortisol is there for longer term stresses. If you are writing about someone who has been living a stressful life, they will have high levels of cortisol which impacts their physiology.
Cortisol increases insulin resistance and thus contributes to potential risk factors for type 2 diabetes mellitus. Research into this is ongoing and while stress or high cortisol alone isn’t enough to cause diabetes, it could be part of the complex of risk factors.
Cortisol affects the immune system and impacts immune-mediated disease. Interestingly, cortisol can both suppress the immune system and over-activate it. We know that stress impacts autoimmune diseases.
The HPA axis is regulated by dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine – neurotransmitters responsible for regulating mood and emotions. This connection shows how psychological stress impacts our physiology, and vice versa.
Oxytocin down-regulates the HPA axis, reducing stress. Oxytocin is the ‘love hormone’, aside from its role in giving birth and milk let down in animals, it is released when we are close with people we love, including hugging and even during orgasm. So it proves that spending time with those we are close to can help reduce stress. This even applies to our pets!
I talked previously about the term ‘psychosomatic’ discussed in the medical terminology series. Psychosomatic means that psychiatric changes, such as mental health disorders, have an impact on our physical bodies. It does not mean that your problems are ‘all in your head’ and not real. They are real, and mental distress has an impact on our physiology too.
Endocrinology for writers is the new Monday blog series for March. Endocrinology is the study of the system of hormones and signals the body uses to manage its functions. It’s a complex subject and many people find it confusing. I’m here to help try to make it easier to understand.
Why will this help writers? It allows you to understand important body functions such as responses during stress and fear, illnesses and conditions like diabetes and reproduction. Knowing what each of the important hormones actually do helps you understand and describe the effects and behaviours. So let’s get into it with some definitions.
Endocrinology Definitions
Hormone: signalling molecules secreted by endocrine glands to regulate physiology and behaviours. Hormones take different forms; amino acid complexes, steroids, eicosanoids, leukotrienes and prostaglandins.
Glands: glands that produce and secrete hormones into the bloodstream. Some organs have endocrine functions as well as their other functions in the body.
Neuroendocrine system: thepart of the brain that connects to the endocrine system and controls the release of hormones based on input from the nervous system.
Axis: a sequences of endocrine glands that signal each other in a specific order to control hormone secretions.
Homeostasis: the steady state of optimal physiological function. The endocrine system manages the body in order to maintain this.
Tropic hormones: these hormones target other endocrine glands and organs to stimulate them to produce other hormones. The anterior pituitary gland secretes the majority of these hormones.
Feedback loops: the endocrine system has negative feedback loops that control the production of hormones. For example, high levels of cortisol will cause the hypothalamus to stop producing hormones that stimulate cortisol production. This stops the body producing too much of a hormone.
Endocrine Glands and Organs
The endocrine system involves the entire body and many organs and glands are involved, both secreting hormones and responding to hormones. The neuroendocrine system is the part of the brain responsible for controlling hormone release.
Neuroendocrine System
Pineal gland: the pineal gland within the brain produces melatonin, a homrone derived from serotonin, which regulates the sleep cycle. The pineal gland links to a light sensing organ called the ‘parietal eye’ or ‘third eye’ in reptiles and amphibians. This is most notable in tuataras, a lizard-like reptile that is the last surviving species of its category.
Hypothalamus: this part of the brain organises inputs from all other parts of the brain and responds by releasing hormones and tropic hormones. This triggers the pituitary gland.
Pituitary Gland: there are three lobes of the pituitary gland:
Anterior: responds to tropic hormones and releases other hormones
Intermediate: only functional in the foetus
Posterior: direct nerve connection to hypothalamus and produces oxytocin and vasopressin (anti-diuretic hormone or ADH)
This system controls all aspects of reproduction; bonding, sexual behaviour, spermatogenesis (sperm production), ovarian cycle, parturition (giving birth), lactation (milk production) and maternal behaviour.
It also controls regulation of metabolism, eating and drinking, fat metabolism, mood regulation, fluid and electrolyte homeostasis and blood pressure.
Glands
Glands are organs that specifically produce hormones as their main function. You may know some of them already. So let’s get into the details.
Thyroid gland: The thyroid gland is located just below the larynx and has two lobes. It secretes the thyroid hormones thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) to control metabolism.
Parathyroid glands: Four tiny glands located behind the thyroid gland, hence the name. The parathyroid glands produce parathyroid hormone (big surprise!) an important hormone for calcium homeostasis.
Adrenal Glands: a pair of glands located above the kidneys, split into two regions with different functions. We’ll cover this in detail in a later post.
Adrenal cortex: produces glucocorticoids, mineralocorticoids and androgens
Adrenal medulla: adrenaline (epinephrine) and noradrenalin (norepinephrine)
The adrenal glands also produce dopamine and enkephalin
Gonads: the primary organs producing sex hormones and gametes. I’m including the uterus and placenta too.
Testes: the male gonads produce androgens such as testosterone, oestradiol (estradiol Am. Eng.) and inhibin.
Ovaries and Corpus Luteum: progesterones, oestrogens (estrogens Am. Eng.) and inhibin.
Placenta: progesterone, oestrogens, human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) and human placental lactogen.
Uterus: during pregnancy it produces prolactin, which stimulates milk production, and relaxin which affects blood flow and relaxes the pelvis and birth canal.
Organs With Endocrine Functions
Several organs have endocrine functions in addition to their other functions. Not only do they produce hormones, they also respond to hormones as well as other changes in the body’s physiology.
Pancreas: the pancreas has exocrine functions (digestive enzymes) and endocrine functions related to blood glucose (blood sugar) and metabolism.
Insulin – produced in the β-islet cells (beta-islet) to reduce blood glucose and stimulate glucose uptake by cells.
Glucagon – produced in the α-islet cells (alpha-islet) to increase blood glucose and glucose production in the liver.
Somatostatin – produced in the δ-islet cells (delta-islet) to inhibit release of insulin and glucagon.
Kidneys: the kidneys produce erythropoietin which stimulates production of red blood cells in the bone marrow. They also release renin, which is involved in the RAAS system and calcitrol, the active form of vitamin D3.
Liver: produces insulin-like growth factor (IGF), thrombopoietin (THPO) to stimulate platelet production, hepcidin, angiotensinogen and angiotensin. The later two are also part of the RAAS system, which we’ll cover at a later date.
Heart: ANP (atrial natruiretic peptide) and BNP (brain natruiretic peptide) released from the muscle cells of the heart control blood pressure.
This covers a basic introduction to endocrinology for writers. Over the next few weeks we will cover the important systems that will help you understand how important endocrinology is for our behaviours and emotions. Don’t forget to subscribe for more updates and find me on my social media channels.
Games have many ways to tell you their stories. Most RPGs and narrative games open with a cutscene to introduce the inciting incident and give some background.
Dragon Age Origins opens with the history of the darkspawn and the Blight. Fallout games open by telling us about the bombs and how people survived in the Vaults. Players need context, especially in the first game of a series.
Some opening cutscenes are better than others, of course. If you don’t give the player enough information, it can be hard to get them to care about the main storyline. Equally, too much exposition can get boring and tedious. As much as I love Fallout New Vegas, I think the opening cutscenes give us too much information about the NCR and the Legion.
We could learn this in the early game, to my mind. We meet NCR soldiers in Primm, and could easily get a bit of detail about the NCR from talking to them. When we reach Nipton and talk to Vulpes Inculta, we could get a brief rundown of who the Legion are. This would be more impactful, since we would just see a bunch of Roman cosplayers coming out of the town hall. But we were told about them before, so it’s less of a surprise.
It was a bold choice for Benny to shoot you in the head at the beginning of the game. It’s unexpected, because it would be a very short game indeed if this was fatal. Skyrim does something similar with a dragon saving the protagonist from execution.
Dialogue
Like novels, movies and plays, dialogue is a huge part of storytelling in games. Pretty much every RPG that has ever existed requires you to find information by talking to every NPC you can find. A lot of this dialogue is for flavour, which improves immersion, but you will find secrets and important details through this method in most RPGs.
An example from Fallout New Vegas is Rotface. He’s a ghoul you will find in Freeside, easily overlooked. However, if you pay him one bottlecap (the currency of Fallout) he will give you a random tip or some gossip. He has hints which aid the player in certain side quests. For example, the NCR send the player to assassinate a man called Pacer.
Pacer is The King’s second in command, the gang who run Freeside, and is problematic for the NCR. Rotface will tell you that Pacer uses Jet but has a heart condition. Getting this tip allows you to spike Pacer’s Jet stash with another drug, Psycho, which will kill him. No-one will know who did the deed, it’s a proper sneaky way to assassinate someone.
A lot of RPGs have the option to speak to important characters and ask questions. These dialogue trees can be very involved and you will learn a lot about the world and the characters. Dragon Age and Mass Effect are both great for this. The party camp or the Normandy is a place to regroup and you can go around and chat to your companions. You get to know them, their opinions on your choices and alter their disposition towards you. You can even initiate romance with some of them!
Games Tell Their Stories
These are the more direct ways games tell their stories. They are effective for the most part, but a balance needs to be found. If you don’t give enough information, the player will lose interest. However, it’s possible to overdo it and a massive exposition dump can turn the player off too.
Next time we’ll talk about the less direct methods, such as collecting lore and environmental storytelling. What do you think about cutscenes in games? Do you have a favourite? Or is there one you dislike? Let me know in the comments!
Welcome to my in-depth review of Episode One of Fallout. The first episode of Fallout on Prime has a lot of heavy lifting to do. Obviously a lot of the audience will be fans of the game, that’s a given. However, there’s going to be a lot of viewers who don’t play games and are unfamiliar with the universe of Fallout. This means that the first episode has to introduce the world, its history and the setting. As well as that, it must introduce our main characters, tell us a bit about them. It must set up the inciting incident of the new story it’s going to tell.
Fallout has a divergent timeline to ours, from the 1950s, where technology moved in a different direction. It focused on harnessing atomic energy. Resource wars came to a head in 2067 and the US spent a decade fighting against China, before the bombs fell on the morning of the 23rd of October, 2077. The TV show takes place in 2296, almost 220 years after the bombs fell. That’s a lot of history to cover.
Of course it would be easy to fall into the info-dump trap and spend an hour explaining everything that happened. Get Ron Perlman to read a summary of the history of Fallout. His voice is great, but this would probably turn off viewers, especially those who know the lore well and those who are just watching to see what it’s about. Instead, the show does a great job of introducing this world and gives us enough to start reaching some conclusions about what is going on. It does not overload us with information.
The Prologue: The End
We begin with “The End”. An odd place to start, perhaps, but the Fallout universe is post-apocalyptic science fiction so of course it begins with the end of the world. We open on a kids birthday party, with a man dressed as a cowboy showing off some rope skills and posing with a horse. Immediately it’s clear that this isn’t our modern world, the TV is not in colour and looks old. The fashion looks dated as well, very much 1950s style. Yet we see a domestic robot ready to serve.
War and Nuclear Attack Fears
Fallout has a very 50s “World of Tomorrow” vibe with clothing and music, which I love. We can see that the technology is more advanced than what we have in some ways, but it is also behind in other ways. We also get little hints about the war and fear of nuclear attack. Which the mother quickly hides by turning off the radio and changing the TV channel.
“…negotiations were scheduled to continue today as the White house had no comments about the President’s whereabouts.”
Radio announcement heard in the opening of Fallout on Prime
We hear this just before the radio is turned off. It’s clear that people are asking where the President is, and are not reassured by the lack of any comments from the White House.
“… between America and her adversaries crumbled this morning in Anchorage, Alaska. The spectre of nuclear war facing this nation for ten long years is finally…”
News on tv in opening of Fallout on Prime
One would assume the above quote ends in ‘over’ but the TV is turned off by the mother before we can hear the rest of it. Later, the weather anchor on TV stops his report, saying “I can’t do the weather when I don’t even know if there’s going to be a next week.” The mother mentions only thinking happy thoughts today and changes the channel for the kids to watch “Grognak the Barbarian”. Yes, that’s a Conan reference, Fallout is full of references and easter eggs to other media.
There is forced cheerfulness but there’s clearly concern about the future and the outcome of the long war with China. Everyone’s drinking and celebrating, socialising happily. Watch how quickly it changes when the first shockwave hits and the host refuses to let anyone other his own family into the fallout shelter under the house. He punches the other man, their friendship dissolving suddenly in the face of nuclear devastation.
Cooper Howard
We also learn a bit about the cowboy entertainer, Cooper Howard. His daughter Janey is helping him at the party. The dads mutter about him working birthday parties because he has alimony to pay. This indicates he is separated from his wife or going through divorce. He refuses to do the ‘thumbs up’ gesture he’s apparently famous for.
One of the men calls Cooper a ‘Pinko’, a term I had never heard of. It was used a lot during the Cold War in the 60s. It’s a derogatory term for someone that is left-leaning, socialist or light communist. Red is the colour we all know is associated with communism. We can deduce that there’s a lot of anti-communist feelings, due to the war against China, a communist country. So, a ‘Pinko’ would be like diet communist, or commie-lite.
Thumbs Up: Why Didn’t You Do It?
Janey asks her dad about the thumbs up gesture, and he reluctantly explains. The idea is, if you see a mushroom cloud from a nuclear bomb, you hold up your thumb. If the cloud is smaller than your thumb you are safe and should run in the opposite direction. If the cloud is bigger than your thumb, don’t waste your energy running. This isn’t accurate, but the advice gets around. Cooper mentions being told this in the Marines, so we also know he’s a veteran.
We see Cooper on his horse, with his daughter heading for the hills while the other guests panic and flee. It’s a great opening, in my opinion. It tells enough about the state of America at this point in time and shows the end of the world. It doesn’t get bogged down in all the details or dump a megaton of exposition.
There’s a lot of fun little easter eggs for game fans though. Such as Nuka Cola and Sunset Sarsaparilla bottles on a table. We see Grognak the Barbarian and the Ruby Ruins on TV. Of course, it’s also easy to assume that this was just an introduction to the universe. Of course all the people in the opening will be long dead when we’ve moved ahead 219 years. Keep that in mind.
Lucy: Vault 33
Lucy spends a bit of time introducing herself, essentially reading out her resume over the top of scenes of her life within the Vault. We can see everyone wearing the same blue and gold jumpsuits. There’s no long explanation of what the Vaults are, but we find Lucy is looking for a husband, but cannot marry anyone in 33 as she’s related to all eligible bachelors. There’s a Triennial trade with Vault 32 which is not really explained either.
“My reproductive organs are intact, my hygiene well maintained and yet I have been unable to find a suitable marriage partner. At least one I’m not related to. And we have rules about that for a reason.”
Lucy MacLean, Vault 33 Dweller
This highlights an issue with all of the closed off Vaults and any isolated community of people. Eventually without new blood coming in, the group will either need to engage in incest or die out. The Vaults are supposed to keep humanity alive to recolonise the surface when they deem it safe to do so, after all. They want heterosexual marriages to ensure ongoing population management, but obviously do not want to risk inbreeding. So they have this trade program where a ‘breeder’ can be traded to another vault in exchange for resources such as seeds and machine parts. Like a dowry, I suppose.
There is obviously some incestuous relationships going on, as we see from a few comments Lucy makes and a conversation with Chet, the gate manager. Chet is Lucy’s cousin, so they can’t marry, although he confesses he loves her and it seems everyone knows this. Lucy responds in an interesting way:
“Messing around with your cousin, it’s all well and good for kids, but it’s not a sustainable long-term sexual practice, you know?”
Vault 32 Meeting
They meet with the dwellers from Vault 32, which is connected to 33 by a tunnel leading from the farm area. They look a little different, if you look closely at them. A bit less clean-cut than the Vault 33 folks, and more scarred. It’s unclear if anyone notices this, but the eagle-eyed viewer might get the hint something’s amiss. Especially when they’re seated at the wedding reception and intermingled.
Lucy’s brother, Norm, has definitely got a high Intelligence stat. He says nothing, but it looks like he suspects something is up. Even as Hank talks about what might be on the surface, as he explains that Lucy’s kids will be able to recolonise the surface. This is what the dwellers know, that they keep a population going through the generations for Reclamation Day, when they will go up to the surface and recolonise it.
This is reflected in Lucy’s first conversation with her new husband. Again, it’s quite an odd one for a blind-date arranged marriage. She opens with “What’s your sperm count?” before going on to point out that “sperm is pretty important in perpetuating America.” It’s kind of laughed off and brushed aside.
Wedding Gifts and Hand-Me-Downs
Indeed when she shows Monty to their new living quarters, she talks about the hand-me-down items they’ve been gifted, such as a blender. You will also notice that she writes her name and the date on the inside of the wedding dress. The Vaults have limited space so there’s no room for large scale fabric manufacturing or fashion boutiques.
A lot of things are hand-me-downs in the Vaults. We see this in Fallout 3’s opening too, when you attend your 10th birthday party and receive a Grognak the Barbarian comic book from Amata. She proudly states it has no missing pages and that she got it from her father’s old things. Nobody in Vault 101 is writing and printing new comics, so most non-food gifts must be like this. The same would go for things like wedding dresses.
Back to Lucy, she is clearly not shy when it comes to sex and seems quite content. It’s only afterwards that she begins to suspect all is not as it seems. When Monty acts a bit odd, like wiping himself on the curtain (which is gross and weird). When he uses the blender as a glass for water, she gets up and grabs her Pip-Boy. This is a wrist mounted computer that has many functions, one of which is a Geiger counter.
Lucy Is A True Fallout Protagonist
The thing I like about Lucy is that she isn’t a damsel in distress. She’s a positive and kind person, for sure, but when Monty attacks, she doesn’t hesitate and is quite capable of fighting back. She’s smart and resourceful, making good use of the aforementioned blender to fend him off. She will kill and injure if she needs to, and that qualifies her to be a Fallout protagonist.
Wounded, she grabs a stimpak before going to help the others against the raiders. She goes straight to the armory, but she grabs the syringer and gets to work, knocking out a handful of raiders. She’s willing to fight for her family and her vault.
Gratuitous Violence Is Essential In Fallout
Viewers might find the violence graphic and over the top, if they haven’t played the games. It is. Absolutely. Which is how it should be in Fallout. The classic games had some comical death animations and a dark sense of humour with the descriptions of combat outcomes. In the modern games, you have the hilarious death cameras and the Bloody Mess perk.
I especially enjoyed the scene with Chet and the raider, who charges at him. Chet lets the door close on said raider, which obliterates him in spectacular fashion. It’s brilliant and very Fallout. This gratuitous violence juxtaposed with “Some Enchanted Evening” by the Castells.
That’s the essence of playing Fallout, over the top violence with some classic 50s music in the background! Then we get to our inciting incident for Lucy’s story. Lee Moldaver, who led the raiders into Vault 33, takes Hank MacLean with her by force. This is a typical Fallout plotline. You lose something important, a dad, a child or a platinum chip.
Maximus: The Brotherhood of Steel
We go to meet our next main character, Maximus. It’s obvious that this group are military of some kind from the uniforms and dogtags. There’s clearly some bullying going on as well. Immediately there’s some hints of indoctrination when Dane says “Flesh is weak but steel endures.” This is a phrase they clearly hear and say often.
Game fans will know quickly that this is the Brotherhood of Steel we’re dealing with, and clearly some kind of training facility. It’s unclear where this is but they’ve obviously either built or taken over a military base. The aspirants are sitting in a lecture, where the Scribe spells out what the Brotherhood are without excessive exposition. They collect, study and protect technology.
Once the Prydwen arrives and we see the Knights in their Power Armor, the usual flashy show of force the Brotherhood are so fond of, we know something’s going on. Aspirant Dane is summoned and chosen to be a squire to Knight Titus. They seem excited to be going on this mission, and we see that Maximus is angry and jealous of them. (The character is non-binary and they/them pronouns are used in the show, even the Brotherhood can respect pronouns without drama. So you can do it too.)
The next morning, Dane has been injured by razorblades stuck inside their boots. This is a real thing used as a bullying/hazing tactic. Maximus is dragged off and blamed for this. We cut away before it’s clear what is going to happen to him.
Back to Vault 33
Vault 33 efficiently clean up the mess of bodies, blood and damage from the raider attack. Lucy is treating her stab wound with a skin stapler, which is odd as the Vault should have a doctor but it does show she’s tougher than she might appear.
The surviving vault dwellers hold a meeting, but nobody wants to hear about going to the surface to look for Hank. Norm tells Lucy that the council don’t want to find him, because they like being in charge. Lucy resolves to go out and find her father, getting Norm and Chet to help her get to the Vault’s external door. Again, this is a defining moment from the games, when you leave the starting area.
It’s also a defining moment for Lucy’s character arc. She’s never been outside Vault 33 before, so she has no idea what to expect. It takes guts to venture out into an unknown world like this. As part of the heroes journey in any story, a key point is when the protagonist makes the choice to follow the thread of the story. A decision to pursue their goal. This is that moment for Lucy, and she is off to explore the wasteland. We see in the distance a Ferris wheel on a pier and can deduce that Vault 33 is located in Santa Monica.
There’s a sweet little moment when Lucy and Norm hug before she leaves the Vault. It’s clear that family matters to her. Even though Norm seems uninterested in most things, he obviously loves his sister. It’s lovely to see, because the rest of this segment shows a very clinical approach to the aftermath of such a violent incident.
Outside the Vault
Lucy steps outside, blinded by the strong sunlight. This is again a callback to the games, as a similar thing happens at the beginning of Fallout 3, Fallout New Vegas and Fallout 4. It’s almost a cliché now. The first thing she sees on the ground is bones and skeletons. Human bones. Plenty of other debris and stuff as well, but it again serves to highlight that millions of people died in the Great War.
The Vaults were only able to save about 0.1% of the population of America. Millions died on the surface. There are many fun and comical moments in the games and in the show, but there’s a lot of darkness too. A large number of skeletons are outside the Vault door at 33. You see the same in Fallout 3, outside Vault 101. Skeletons, with picket signs saying “Let us in, assholes,” and “We’re dying.”
The opening of Fallout 4 is similar. We start in the Pre-War and run to the Vault. We pass a group of people, your neighbours, who don’t get in. Not even the sales rep gets in. You get in and your spouse asks what’s going to happen to those people outside the gate. The answer? They’re going to die. Brutal, but that’s the truth. Sure enough, when you leave Vault 111 again, there’s a bunch of human skeletons lying around near the gate.
Lucy looks around, and steels herself for the journey ahead. She has no idea where to go, but her optimism is enough for now. She’s determined to find her father. She chooses to keep going.
Maximus, Again
We then cut back to Maximus, who is being interrogated and threatened with execution. We get a bit more of an idea about what the Brotherhood are like. Maximus ends up being given Dane’s position as Squire to Knight Titus. Which he’s quite happy about. An interesting quote from the Scribe (I’m assuming Head Scribe but we don’t really know who he is).
“Violence is merely a tool. We use it to bring order to the wasteland. But violence against a Brother of Steel is a sign of weakness.”
This tells us plenty about what the Brotherhood believe and how they view violence. They seem to have become even more cult-like since we last saw them. The branding ceremony and everything seems to be new. There’s incense and ceremony, which really feels like zealotry or religious fanaticism.
They are taking orders from the Commonwealth, which is the area around Boston in Massachusetts. So quite far away, and it does suggest that the East Coast chapter are now working with the West Coast chapters of the Brotherhood. They had separated in 2277 in Fallout 3, but when Arthur Maxson took over and brought the Brotherhood to the Commonwealth, things had changed. It’s interesting and I’ll talk more about this later.
The mention of the Enclave prompts one of the aspirants to ask if the Enclave is real. The Enclave came from remnants of the US Government, and have been defeated a couple of times in the games. The Oil Rig was destroyed during Fallout 2, with only a handful of the remnants living in the Mojave area by 2281. Raven Rock and Adams Air Force Base would have been destroyed by the events of Fallout 3 and Broken Steel. We’ll see a bit more of them in the next episode.
The Ghoul
A new location. It’s unclear exactly where this is, but Honcho mentions California, suggesting they are not in California. Even so, he knows of Lee Moldaver, she did say that everyone knows who she is. Except us, but we’ll learn more about her later. These three men dig up The Ghoul, and this might be a new viewers first time seeing one.
Ghouls are irradiated humans, instead of dying of radiation sickness, they have mutated. This causes some physical deformities, loss of skin, noses and hair, but they are healed by radiation and live extended lifetimes. Some ghouls end up with too much damage to their brains and become ‘feral’, mindless and aggressive to anything non-ghoul around them. It also seems that eventually all ghouls will become feral as time goes on. I’ll get into the ghoul ecology eventually in detail.
The Junk Jet – A Classic Fallout Weapon
It’s funny to see the Junk Jet being used with doll parts as ammo. This is a game reference, unsurprisingly. In Fallout 3 you could get schematics to make a weapon called the Rock-It Launcher, which used miscellaneous items like books, pre-war money and garden gnomes as ammunition. You could even fire cutlery and dishes from it. In Fallout 4 there’s a similar weapon known as the Junk Jet which let you fire junk items. Not the best weapon, but certainly highly entertaining to use garden gnomes to kill people.
I was also amused at the bit about how feral ghouls can’t abide chickens. I have no idea where this comes from. There’s not a lot of instances of chickens in the games and when there is, any feral ghouls seem to attack most things equally. I guess it’s just a funny bit, especially when The Ghoul picks up the chicken and the guys panic. I assume he just overheard their conversation before they dug him up.
We get some more gratuitious and over the top violence, which shows us that The Ghoul is really quite skilled in combat. He doesn’t give much away but seems angry that Honcho knows where he’s from, ‘originally’. This is alluding to who The Ghoul was before he became a ghoul, i.e. before the war. Most of the ghouls you meet in Fallout were alive before the war.
Who Is The Ghoul?
We still don’t quite know who The Ghoul is, unless you are astute and recognise Walton Goggins eyes and voice! Sure enough, he says a line that is a callback to the very opening of the episode.
“Us cowpokes, we take it as it comes.”
Indeed, this is Cooper Howard. Missing his hair and nose, his voice a bit more rough perhaps as well. Now we know, the opening wasn’t just a show of what happened when the bombs fell. It is important to one of our main characters. Cooper is still around, as a ghoul. We know he had a daughter, and a wife at one point. We know he was famous pre-War, and a veteran.
My Overall Review of Fallout Episode One
Overall, I love this episode. I think it really gives just enough information for newcomers to the series to grasp what’s going on, while still giving a compelling start to the new story. We get some background details and some good foreshadowing. There’s no huge exposition dump, which would run the risk of being boring and putting viewers off. But there’s also lots of little hints and references for fans of the games to notice.
I love the three main characters. They are definitely fitting into the good, neutral and evil karma archetypes, which echoes the karma system from the games. In Fallout 3 and New Vegas, you have a karma level which changes based on your actions. You lose karma for stealing and murder, and you gain karma by helping people or giving to charity. The classic games had a reputation system too so people would know if you did something horrible and wouldn’t trust you.
The Three Karma Archetypes
Lucy is optimistic and clever, but she’s not completely incapable of fighting or killing if she has to. After all, every single mainline Fallout game lets you play as a male or female character, even the first game from 1997. We’re not going to lean into the sexist ‘damsel in distress’ who is too dainty to get blood on her hands or afraid to defend herself. The wasteland is an unforgiving place, full of dangerous creatures, dangerous people and dangerous environments. Lucy may be naïve about the surface, but she’s not incapable.
Maximus is the neutral karma character, he’s clearly having a tough time with the bullying and whatnot but there’s definitely some selfishness there too. He says he did not cause Dane’s injury but asks if he was wrong for wanting it to happen to them. Considering they are the only person who acts friendly towards Maximus, it’s quite horrible to wish them ill, you know? Yet, Maximus gets what he wanted in the end. That’s the definition of the neutral karma, a very mercenary approach where you do what benefits your own goals first before thinking about others.
The Ghoul is the evil karma character. Does that mean he’s a bad guy? Kind of. He’s clearly got his reasons and his motivations, which we will learn about through the series. He has no issues with killing or injuring people to get what he wants. He’s savvy and skilled, and he’s opportunistic. Is he the kind of guy that would detonate the bomb in Megaton? Yeah, I think he is, if it would get him closer to his goals or benefit him in some way to do so.
Thank You For Reading My Review of Episode One
If you want more information on the Fallout universe, subscribe below. You can also find videos on my YouTube channel covering a lot of the worldbuilding and storylines from Fallout. You can see my playlist on the Vaults here. For more articles on writing and on Fallout, check out my latest posts here.
One method of indirect storytelling in games involves finding bits of lore in the world. Examples include notes or voice recordings. Books, journals and emails on computers as well. This lore is not essential to the story, only giving background and additional details. This makes the world seem more real and adds interest to the game.
It can be handled in different ways. For example, Dragon Age Origins has a codex where notes and books are recorded in your codex. You can read it at any time. This lore can lead you to secrets and side quests.
In Fallout, you store notes in your Pip-Boy on paper or holotape. They point to unmarked side quests. In the Elder Scrolls games there are books you can find and read, and store in your player home.
All of this expands on the history and details of the game world. It’s usually optional but for players like me who love exploring and learning everything about the lore, it’s a huge part of the appeal of these games.
Side Quests
I’ve mentioned side quests a few times. So, what are they? Side quests are extra quests that are not essential to progress the main story. They result in extra small stories, and reward the player with experience points, money or items. They can also improve your reputation in games that have some kind of reputation system, which can affect other parts of the story.
For example, in Old World Blues in Fallout New Vegas, you can do a handful of simple side quests with the brains of the Think Tank. You can use your stats and skills to befriend all of the brains other than Dr Klein. You don’t have to, but if you do, it opens up the option of a peaceful resolution at the end of the main story. If the four of them are on side, you can talk Dr Klein down and avoid fighting them.
There’s a common meta joke about video game protagonists being overly helpful. That every time you visit a new town, you go around and fix all the problems of the people in that town. A lot of RPG gamers are completionists who want to get everything that the game has to offer and will spend hours avoiding the main plot. Side quests and side stories improve immersion too, as the player is spending more time engaging with and learning about the game world.
Thanks for reading. Next time we’re going to explore environmental storytelling and other ways games use indirect storytelling methods. Don’t forget to subscribe to get an update every time a post goes live!
Today we’re going to look at Fallout’s inciting incidents, and how to motivate players and characters to follow the plot. The most important part of the beginning is the ‘inciting incident’. An event that sets your protagonist on the road to the main plotline. These can be major or minor events, but they have to trigger a change for your protagonist.
You can begin your story before, during or after this incident, but it’s important to at least tell the reader that it happened. In video games, this is usually handled via an introductory cutscene. In the early days of videogames, the backstory was often included in the game manual. Of course this is less common now, so the game has to give you the backstory.
So we’ll start at the beginning and work through the games in chronological order. Of course, we have to note that the series itself has a rather major inciting incident. The bombs. The nuclear war happened on the 23rd of October, 2077, wiping out 90% of life on the surface. A large number of people survived in underground Vaults. So bear this in mind, as it matters to every Fallout story we will be examining.
Fallout – The Water Chip
The first Fallout game came out in 1997. You begin with creating your character, known as “the Vault Dweller”, from Vault 13 located in southern California to the west of Shady Sands, a small town that would go on to be the capital of the New California Republic (NCR). The Vault is designed to support up to a thousand people, and will remain sealed for 200 years, to study the effects of prolonged isolation. It was supplied with an extra G.E.C.K. (Garden of Eden Creation Kit) instead of extra water chips, which were sent to Vault 8.
In 2161, the Vault’s water purification chip started to malfunction leading the Overseer of the Vault to send people out into the wasteland to find a replacement, to no avail. The overseer chooses your character for this job. On the 5th of December 2161, the Vault Dweller leaves their Vault for the wasteland.
At that point, the Vault has only 150 days of water reserves, which does put a time limit on success for the Vault Dweller. The game does implement this time limit as well, although you can extend the time limit through your actions in the Wasteland.
Motivation?
So what is the motivation? Vaults are generally safe and secure, if there’s no horrific experiment going on. The limited living space means that everyone needs to contribute to the community to ensure their survival. Your character has lived their whole life in this Vault, and may well have friends and family, but they want to help their Vault. Water is essential for life, after all, and in a radioactive wasteland, water purification is vital. So it makes sense to keep looking for a replacement water chip, to save their community, doesn’t it?
Fallout 2 – Finding the Garden of Eden
Fallout 2 takes place 80 years after the first game, in a village called Arroyo, in Oregon. Arroyo is suffering from a famine and a drought. The village was founded by the Vault Dweller, after they were exiled from Vault 13 due to spending too much time outside. A serious drought in 2241 leads the village elder to ask your character, the Chosen One to find a G.E.C.K. The Chosen One is a direct descendant of the Vault Dweller.
The G.E.C.K. is a terraforming device that is capable of sustaining life in the wasteland, including seed, soil supplements, a cold fusion power-generator, matter-energy replicators, atmospheric chemical stabilisers and water purifiers. Each vault has two as standard (in the West Coast, at least) and the Elder believes that only a G.E.C.K. can save the village of Arroyo from starvation.
Motivation?
Again, your character’s motivation is very similar to Fallout’s protagonist. Your people are suffering from a shortage of an essential resource and are relying on you finding the one thing that could save them. It’s all about the preservation of life, and saving your community. Pretty motivating reasons to embark on this quest.
Fallout 3 – Following in Daddy’s Footsteps
Like Fallout, you start off as a vault dweller, but we’re on the East Coast of the USA, near Washington DC. You live in Vault 101, and you have a kind of prologue in this one, building your character through experiencing various events of your childhood. The game does actually start with your birth, and your mother dies shortly after. The protagonist is referred to as the Lone Wanderer.
So, it’s just you and your dad, living in the Vault. Your father is the Vault’s doctor. One day, when you’re about 19 or so, your friend Amata wakes you up to tell you that the Vault’s security are looking for you because your father has left the vault. Vault 101 was to remain sealed forever. The experiment was to study the role of the overseer in a completely isolated community.
Despite this, the Vault has opened a few times. The Vault did not have a G.E.C.K. but it was designed to be self-sustaining indefinitely. You have no idea why your dad left the vault, but after learning security are after you, you end up escaping the vault to go and find him.
Like previous Fallouts, you are leaving the safety of your home in search of something important. In this case, your only living family. He leaves a note with his friend Jonas, who you find dead during your escape. The note tells you not to follow him, and he hopes the Overseer will blame him entirely. That isn’t what happens though.
Motivation?
So what is your motivation here? You’ve left your home, given no real choice in that, so it’s only logical you would pursue the only person you know, your father. What else would you do? Fallout 3 is the series first open-world game, so you can absolutely find plenty to do other than follow the main story, but it’s only by searching for your dad that you’ll get into the nitty gritty of the main story, and learn about Project Purity and the major players.
Fallout New Vegas: They Went That-a-way!
Back to the west, this time we’re in Nevada, the Mojave wasteland. A desert with a brightly lit and bustling city now known as New Vegas. New Vegas is still Vegas, with casinos, exotic dancers and a bunch of reformed tribals running the place, with Mr House overseeing it all. The year is 2281, four years after the events of Fallout 3.
You are the Courier, employed by the Mojave Express to deliver a Platinum Chip to the Strip. On route, a man in a snappy suit kidnaps you, aided by some Great Khans. Benny steals the chip, shoots you in the head and buries you in a shallow grave.
Certainly, an interesting way to start a video game by killing the main character in the opening cutscene! Okay, not quite, a cheerful cowboy robot finds you and takes you to the local doctor for treatment. You are under contract to retrieve your lost package and deliver it to the client. That means you need to find this man, so you begin to follow his trail, asking people you meet along the way if they’ve seen him.
In the background of all of this, seemingly unrelated to your situation, there’s obviously going to be a battle coming between the NCR and Caesar’s Legion. There’s talk of political issues in NCR’s home territory, but everyone wants control of Hoover Dam and the electricity it can provide. But first, you need to find Benny.
Motivation?
So, what’s your motivation here? Well, there’s two things. The first is your contract for the job. It’s pretty clear that if the package is stolen from you, you must get it back and ensure it gets delivered, and your employer will take no responsibility for any injuries, loss of life or costs of this. If you don’t complete the delivery, you won’t get paid, but you may also be hunted by mercenaries to recover the debt. You need money to live, after all.
The other motivation is personal revenge. Being robbed and shot in the head is pretty unpleasant, one assumes, and it’s perfectly reasonable to be angry about it. So, perhaps you want revenge on Benny for doing this to you. Or maybe you want to understand why he did it. If you’re playing as a female character, perhaps you found this whole experience a turn-on? Not judging, I promise, but sleeping with Benny is absolutely an option when you do track him down, for a female character.
Fallout 4: Out of Time
Fallout 4 is next and we’re back on the East Coast, namely the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, or just the Commonwealth. Boston is an important city in the history of the US, as well as being home of several major universities. Nearby Salem is famous too. Interestingly, this game has a prologue set on the day the bombs fell. The protagonist has a set backstory, an army veteran for the male, or a lawyer for the female.
You begin the game in a cosy family home, taking care of your infant son, Shaun, when the bombs come and force you to the Vault, Vault 111. Where you’re all cryogenically frozen. At some point, you are defrosted to witness someone in a hazmat suit and a grizzled merc take your baby and shoot your spouse. You’re then refrozen, for an unknown period of time, but likely 60 or so years, then defrosted again.
Motivation?
Everyone else in the Vault is dead, leaving you, the Sole Survivor, to get out of the Vault and go off in search of your missing child. That’s your motivation, revenge for your dead spouse, and to find your kidnapped child. Which makes sense, and the game tries really, really hard to evoke some emotions about this whole situation.
For me, it kind of falls flat, we know so little about our spouse, and it’s hard to feel a strong connection to a baby that can’t even talk, when you’ve spent basically no time living in this version of the world. The voice acting is a bit overdone, especially the male protagonist, and by the time you get to the point of finding the mercenary, even they have all but stopped talking about Shaun. The opening of Fallout 4 is probably the least effective at highlighting the inciting incident and making the player want to follow the story, but don’t let that put you off, it does get much better once you get into the meat of the story, I promise.
Who Did It Best?
So, who did it best? I think for me, Fallout 3 and New Vegas pulled it off the best. Fallout 3, you’re kind of forced to leave the Vault. I remember in my first playthrough, I really wanted to know why my dad left the Vault. So I followed along to get some answers.
My first time playing Fallout New Vegas, the opening was quite a shock. It was definitely a bold choice, having your main character be shot at point blank range like that. So again, I wanted answers. Why did Benny feel the need to kill me, when he’d already stolen what he wanted from me? What was so special about the Platinum Chip?
I haven’t played 1 and 2 as much, the games are so old now, it takes a bit of work to get them to run on newer machines, and I haven’t managed to set them up on my new PC yet. But I do feel the inciting incidents set up the games pretty well, to get you into the story.
What I didn’t like
For me, Fallout 4 is the weakest in this regard. My first playthrough, I felt the urgency when the report of the bombs falling came through and the rush to the Vault. I wasn’t surprised by the cryopods in the Vault, but it sets up the twist with Shaun. You don’t know how much time has passed. After learning that, I found it quite difficult to really care that much about him. So it doesn’t work as well to motivate me to find this baby. There’s settlements to help, farms to build, raiders to kill, settlements to help and of course settlements to help. Yeah, I know, it’s an old meme, but Preston Garvey is really pushy about his radiant quests, that never end. You get sidetracked and distracted.
What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear other people’s perspectives on it. I am going to hold off talking about the TV series on Prime for now, just to avoid spoilers since it’s so new. But I loved it, and I’m rewatching it as I write this. So once it’s been out a while, I’ll definitely talk about it.
Thanks For Reading!
Thanks for reading, congratulations for making it to the end of this long post about Fallout’s inciting incidents. I hope it was interesting. I am going through Fallout New Vegas on my Youtube channel and analysing the story in depth, so if you’d like to join me on there to hear me talk about the games, you can find it here.
