Diary of an NPC - Entry Three

In every game you play the main character - the plot revolves around your every moment in the game like as unto a god. Of course, this means you ignore what's going on with the people around who you're controlling. The people who drive around, go in and out of stores and generally live their lives. But did you realise there are a limited number of so-called NPCs? To do their jobs in all of these games, especially the heavily-populated ones, they need to be able to come and go as they please. These people don’t think it’s odd to go from deep space to a land of dinosaurs in the space of a week - it’s their way of life. In this series, we follow one of these people - Nigel Philip Charles. He’s been unlucky in love in Los Santos and Skyrim, so he’s trying his luck in a less populated game...

Day of Arrival

Decided it’s unhealthy to talk to a book, no matter how thick and luscious the paper stock. Going to start putting DoA, which stands for Day of Arrival - then plus one or… Whatever. Just roll with it Diary.

I arrived in the Capital Wasteland and really should have brought my sword… Have to remember that. Was attacked by people in American football and hockey kits - with guns. Managed to hide in an abandoned house. I say hide - they’re still out there because they saw me come in. Weird they’re not opening the door…

DoA+1

Well, they wandered off… Seriously, the door handle’s right there. I didn’t even think about removing it…

DoA+3

After days of wandering around and hiding from horrific giant insects, insane robots, raiders and living only off whatever packaged goods I’ve found, I came across Megaton. It’s a quaint little town defended by a robot and a tramp. The sheriff, Lucas, seems a good man and told me where the inn was. Told me to avoid Moriarty - I think Sherlock Holmes already taught me that!

DoA+5

So I’ve been in town a few days and just noticed there’s A BOMB IN THE MIDDLE OF TOWN! I screamed, the kids playing near the bomb screamed, the sheriff punched me… But there’s still a NUKE in the middle of town! If I hadn’t needed to get something fixed - and thus met Moira - I’d be out of here faster than a deathclaw kills someone… And they don’t call them Living Nightmare Murder Things for nothing. And by ‘they’ I mean me…

DoA+6

Oh yeah - Moira Brown… She’s sunny, a little bit nutty and gorgeous. She’s so busy around her repair shop that I’ve been doing some little bits and pieces around town for her. She gave me a gun for all I’ve done which is cool. I’m going to ask her out. I was going to do it today but she was talking to someone who grew up in one of these underground Vaults, looking for her dad or something… I later saw the same girl nosing around the nuke - luckily we’re still here…

DoA+9

Well, I’ve been here a week now. I’m still not working, but so long as I keep doing things for Moira (no, sadly not that…) she is keeping me in caps. Is it weird they use bottle caps as cash?. She told me to go out to the Super Duper Mart to check for food and stuff for this book she’s working on. While I was running away (insane nutjobs are currently there), I saw that Vault girl again, entering as I was leaving. I walked in a straight line back to Megaton and when I got back - the Vault girl was there! She beat me back! Cars don’t work here, so it’s not like she drove - so how did she do that?

DoA+11

It’s Moira’s birthday coming up. She mentioned that she likes Nuka Cola (which is lovely BTW), so I’m going to go to the Nuka Cola bottling plant to the south and get her a whole case of it! Just wish I had a car, or a horse - maybe a teleporter or something… That’s a long way away…

DoA+13

Well, I got here and got a case. Actually, I made a case up of the odd one and two bottles I managed to find… Hundreds of years since the nuclear whatever and this place hasn’t been cleaned out. Now - WHAT THE HELL! As I write this, a mushroom cloud is appearing over the horizon! I must be the first person to live-write a nuclear explosion! It’s terrif *squiggle*

DoA+13/14

Just woke up and managed to find you, Diary. Dunno how long I was out.... The blast from the nuke took a while to travel this far didn’t it…? I wonder where the blast came from. It was pretty far away… But it hit me against the building and broke most of my Nuka Cola bottles...

DoA+16 (I think)

I thought my reunion with Moira would be much sweeter… Turns out she’s now a horrible looking ghoul! Oh, and the nuke happened to be the one in the middle of Megaton! What are the odds? But now Moira looks… Like that… I’m starting to think I can’t be with her. Looks aren’t everything but damn…

DoA+17 (Probably)

Well, I couldn’t look past the looks… Turns out they’re pretty damn important - plus functioning bodily fluids - plus not looking like a damned zombie - when you find someone sexually appealing… Total boner killer. So Moira’s left to head into the capital and I’m alone. Again...

DoA+19

I’ve decided I’m going to Kanto. I’ve had enough of people not loving me, or turning into zombies, so I’m heading to a place that doesn’t even have them. Maybe a pet will cheer me up...

 

If you like these, take a look at Life as an NPC on reddit!