Jack and Nora

Post » Sat Nov 28, 2015 7:21 am

WARNING: I am quite certain that there is at least one HUGE spoiler at the end of this post.

In a http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1523944-replay-value/?p=24156836, I suggested that the names of our respective male and female protagonists will actually be Jack and Nora. Here's what I said:

Slightly unrelated but interesting nonetheless:

We already know that if we select a male protagonist, his spouse is called "Nora". We also know that our son is called "Shaun". I'm wondering that maybe if we choose to play as a female, her husband will be called "Jack".

There are several reasons why this may be the case. Firstly, all 3 names are believed to have an Irish origin, which would fit perfectly with the historical Boston setting. Secondly, both Shaun and Jack actually have the same derived meaning, which is "God is gracious". Note that Nora actually has 2 derived meanings, which are "light" (as in lighthouse) and "honor".

Finally, if we put the two potential protagonists' names together, we get JackandNora, or Jackanory. Given the obvious British connection of the Revolutionary War, it is interesting that this word literally means story.

EDIT: re replay value. Suddenly, I want to play Fallout 4 at least twice just to find out!

As I had suggested, I believe that the default names for our male and female protagonists will be Jack and Nora (as in Jackanory). I have already explained a number of reasons why I believe this to be the case in the post shown above. But now let's consider the actual https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackanory of the word 'Jackanory'. Here is the nursery rhyme published around 1760 from which the word is derived:

I'll tell you a story
About Jack a Nory;
And now my story's begun;
I'll tell you another
Of Jack and his brother,
And now my story is done.
What's actually really interesting about this is the fact that, if Shaun was taken out of the vault before the protagonist (assuming we have selected a male character), he would likely be old enough to be mistaken as being his brother rather than his son. And so the premise of the story actually fits perfectly with the wording of the nursery rhyme.
But, if that isn't enough to convince you, let's look at a few additional facts. Firstly, as I stated above, the names Jack and Shaun are both derived from the same source, just as both of their respective characters are similarly connected in-game (as per their DNA, along with that of Shaun's mother). Secondly, the use of a nursery rhyme as the source of both of the parents names is more than fitting considering the inclusion of a baby, as well as the previous use of the "SPECIAL" book in Fallout 3. Third, the date of the original publication of this nursery rhyme is startlingly close to the beginning of the revolutionary war, which as we already know, is very closely linked to Fallout 4's story.
But the final point is the one that interests me the most. The nursery rhyme shown above actually tells of two stories, one involving 'Jack a Nory', as in Jack and Nora. And the second involving Jack and his brother, which seems very much like a reference to Jack and Shaun, as detailed above. What this suggests is that the first part of the game, as in the pre-war tutorial, is the story of our couple, who have just started a family together, but are tragically and unexpectedly caught up in a nuclear war that almost wipes us out of existence.
As for the second part of the story, it would seem that the post-war portion of gameplay will be focused around two individuals, or two opposing sides from the same source. And so it is my belief, as I have hinted at in other threads, that the culmination of the main quest will be a very personal battle between our protagonist and their son.
-
EDIT: another story that fits perfectly with what we know of Fallout 4 is Rip Van Winkle (as seen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rip_Van_Winkle). This was suggested by Dinrauko, and as such I have quoted part of their post below:
"In the story of Rip Van Winkle, Rip falls asleep before the Revolutionary War and awakens 20 years later to find his world has changed. His dog is gone, his wife is deceased, and his children have grown up. People he used to know have gone away or died in the war. The Wikipedia article describes Rip Van Winkle's son as a never-do-well, which fits with the OP's prediction that the protagonist's son is the antagonist."
User avatar
Genocidal Cry
 
Posts: 3357
Joined: Fri Jun 22, 2007 10:02 pm

Post » Fri Nov 27, 2015 7:54 pm

Wow... I am speechless. How do you discover this stuff? Because you have blown my mind

User avatar
Dan Wright
 
Posts: 3308
Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2007 8:40 am

Post » Sat Nov 28, 2015 3:59 am

Just joining the dots like everybody else.

Although I do sometimes notice dots that are really hard to see! :D

User avatar
NIloufar Emporio
 
Posts: 3366
Joined: Tue Dec 19, 2006 6:18 pm

Post » Sat Nov 28, 2015 6:30 am

I kinda want Bethesda to delay the game for two or more years with no new info released in the interim just to see what you come up with next.

User avatar
Dylan Markese
 
Posts: 3513
Joined: Sat Dec 01, 2007 11:58 am

Post » Fri Nov 27, 2015 9:32 pm

Although I have seen the idea of you battling Shawn has come up on these forums more than often, your the first to offer any leverage behind this.

If this is true it makes me super excited. In fact I will be playing as the mother on my first play through. I mean can you imagine a mother fighting against her child? What if that child is older than her? What if she has to kill him?

That impossible choice makes for a very interesting story!
User avatar
Lynne Hinton
 
Posts: 3388
Joined: Wed Nov 15, 2006 4:24 am

Post » Sat Nov 28, 2015 9:05 am

I don't know if you mean this in a good or a bad way, but yes, there are more than a few new ideas yet to be posted :deal:

User avatar
c.o.s.m.o
 
Posts: 3419
Joined: Sat Aug 12, 2006 9:21 am

Post » Fri Nov 27, 2015 7:24 pm

Interesting idea, and I had no idea that nursery rhyme existed. It does fit in with my theory that Shaun will either be fighting with us or against us and he's obviously not going to think this strange Vault 111 man is his father. Brother, I think in this term, more in 'friendship', like a 'brotherhood', as you will. So perhaps Jack and Shaun team up in a brotherhood/alliance without ever knowing the truth between the pair. Unless they go to the Memory Den.

Wait, what if Shaun were a potential companion?
User avatar
Sweet Blighty
 
Posts: 3423
Joined: Wed Jun 21, 2006 6:39 am

Post » Fri Nov 27, 2015 9:23 pm

I-n-t-e-r-e-s-t-i-n-g......... :D

Seriously though, you have shown a remarkable ability to get into the heads of Bethesda's writers.

No idea of course if its correct, since at the moment there is no way to know if choosing a female character changes the six (and name) of the baby and unless we see a demo of the start with the female protagonist were unlikely to be told the offical male name.

Still you make a good case and it does seem that Bethesda is putting quite a lot of thought into these details.

Also it does gives us a reason to go to the trouble of creating a child that combines both the fathers and mothers appearance, since if its just a baby why bother there is no great need to produce more than a generic baby.....beyond like in Fallout 3 making sure the colour of the father and son/daughter match up.

I expect that the game will not tell you 'this is your child' but rather leave clues in the dialogue and story, before giving a big reveal.

User avatar
Sammie LM
 
Posts: 3424
Joined: Thu Nov 30, 2006 1:59 pm

Post » Fri Nov 27, 2015 7:55 pm

My own personal theory is more to do with the idea of brother vs brother, similar to what we see between Lyons BoS and the Outcasts.

If Shaun was indeed taken from the vault by the Institute along with his mother/father (depending on our choice), then he would be completely unaware of even his own origins. As a six-week-old baby, his conscious mind would be nowhere near full development, and so anything that occurred up to the day of the Great War would be nothing more than a sensory imprint. And so the Institute could literally make him believe whatever they want.

Let's say that he is taken out around 27 years before our protagonist (around the same time that the Lone Wandering is born, as per the opening scene of Fallout 3). During this time, he could have been trained and even 'modified' by the Institute, and quite literally turned into a weapon. When we encounter him, amidst a full-scale dynamic war in the Commonwealth, he is leading a revolution. An android revolution.

And he believes himself to be synthetic.

And so, when we eventually discover that this formidable android warrior is actually human (perhaps he reacts in a way that seems out of place, or becomes 'injured'), we quickly realise who he actually is. And so we must find a way to incapacitate him long enough to bring him to the Memory Den. And once there, Shaun recalls the scene we saw at the start of the tutorial, but from his own perspective.

User avatar
Tasha Clifford
 
Posts: 3295
Joined: Fri Jul 21, 2006 7:08 am

Post » Sat Nov 28, 2015 8:21 am

I'm slightly non-plussed by this, actually.
I mean, if you play a woman, naturally your husband needs a name to go by.
Jack seems as good a name as any.
User avatar
Angela Woods
 
Posts: 3336
Joined: Fri Feb 09, 2007 2:15 pm

Post » Sat Nov 28, 2015 4:13 am

I'm still wondering about 'John Hancock' the ghoul redcoat character as the name seems like one he has assumed and its a strange choice for a guy modelling himself a redcoat in probable direct opposition to the Minutemen.....of course Jack is a traditional nickname for John so perhaps he has taken his fathers name in a sense. Assuming Jack is the canon name of the father if your playing the mother.

User avatar
Johnny
 
Posts: 3390
Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2007 11:32 am

Post » Fri Nov 27, 2015 11:58 pm

Jack is rather well known as a male name, similar to John, and i believe they are derived of eachother or something, not sure. Nora i am not sure of, but seeing we know it to be the standard wifes name it does fit with Jack and Shaun in terms of the name being from the same language. It is a interesting find, and i do believe it may be correct, even if only in the standard husbands name. Good find on it all.

User avatar
Lauren Graves
 
Posts: 3343
Joined: Fri Aug 04, 2006 6:03 pm

Post » Sat Nov 28, 2015 6:45 am

God I hope that's all true and that we're not just overanolyzing the whole thing.

User avatar
Laura Elizabeth
 
Posts: 3454
Joined: Wed Oct 11, 2006 7:34 pm

Post » Sat Nov 28, 2015 5:36 am

Assuming that this idea proves to be correct, our first experience of this 'synthetic super-soldier' would need to remain consistent regardless of our in-game choices. And so whatever our child's gender and skin-tone, according to the choices we made when designing our couple and choosing a protagonist, the antagonist we face must look exactly the same in any given playthrough.

And this leads me on to an important point. What if the individual we faced really was presented as being some kind of advanced synth. To truly hide their identity, they would need to be wearing custom body armor (or synthetic skin) that was flexible enough for them to be able to move, and powerful enough to protect them, and still gave the appearance of them being a synthetic. Also, they would most likely be wearing a 'faceless mask' as part of the armor, to prevent identification using facial details. All of this, I imagine, would require the creation of a very special type of unique metal-alloy, and so the Institute would need to find a suitable heat source in order to manufacture this.

In http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1526246-the-glowing-sea thread, as you know, I proposed a detailed suggestion as to the origin of the Glowing Sea, which I believe is actually Boston Harbor. At the bottom of the harbor, lodged inside a hydrothermal vent, is the giant submarine we see in the concept art. And on-board the sub are several live nuclear cores, capable of not only generating high levels of radiation, but also considerable amounts of heat. Following on from this, if the method the Institute used to extract our spouse and child from the vault was the one I suggested http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1523172-is-vault-111-built-like-a-submarine, then they will be more than capable of deep underwater exploration.

As a final point, the whole concept of shared DNA between our protagonist and their family would suggest that whatever 'synthetic troops' our child is in command of would also utilise this DNA in some way. Perhaps the pre-war and pre-FEV nature of the DNA allows for some kind of regenerative ability due to it's purity, especially when we add in the effects of long-term stasis. Whatever the reason, it was clearly enough to make the Institute break into the vault and take our family, no matter the cost.

-

And so in summary, whether we are given a son called Shaun, or a daughter called Shauna, I'm quite certain that the final face-off, when we eventually confront them on the battlefield, will be nothing short of awesome!

User avatar
teeny
 
Posts: 3423
Joined: Sun Feb 25, 2007 1:51 am

Post » Fri Nov 27, 2015 6:44 pm

man, I can't decide if this is brilliant or tinfoil hat.

Anyway, whether it's spot-on or outer space, your theories are certainly most intriguing. :thumbsup:

User avatar
Lady Shocka
 
Posts: 3452
Joined: Mon Aug 21, 2006 10:59 pm

Post » Fri Nov 27, 2015 9:48 pm

My fear is that he's unintentionally spoiling the whole game for us without even knowing it. :P
User avatar
Kaley X
 
Posts: 3372
Joined: Wed Jul 05, 2006 5:46 pm

Post » Fri Nov 27, 2015 10:36 pm

lol Gk has everyone needing a tin foil hat now :D

great post btw gk

User avatar
Sudah mati ini Keparat
 
Posts: 3605
Joined: Mon Jul 23, 2007 6:14 pm

Post » Sat Nov 28, 2015 4:50 am

Can I just call you "Prophet of Liam Neeson", OP?

User avatar
Daniel Holgate
 
Posts: 3538
Joined: Tue May 29, 2007 1:02 am

Post » Sat Nov 28, 2015 7:06 am

Damn dude, you're like a savant with this stuff.

User avatar
CHARLODDE
 
Posts: 3408
Joined: Mon Apr 23, 2007 5:33 pm

Post » Fri Nov 27, 2015 10:34 pm

That is an incredibly clever theory! I wouldn't mind at all to see that come true!

User avatar
phillip crookes
 
Posts: 3420
Joined: Wed Jun 27, 2007 1:39 pm

Post » Fri Nov 27, 2015 6:00 pm

I love reading your theories, but I really hope you're wrong cause we'd all know exactly how the game plays out, lol.

I'm gonna give Beth a little less creative credit and stick with my guess of Aron, Nora spelled backwards.

User avatar
lolly13
 
Posts: 3349
Joined: Tue Jul 25, 2006 11:36 am

Post » Fri Nov 27, 2015 8:48 pm

I hope by the end of the main quest we'll be Aggron.

User avatar
Miragel Ginza
 
Posts: 3502
Joined: Thu Dec 21, 2006 6:19 am

Post » Sat Nov 28, 2015 1:38 am

Yeah, I fear so too. One of these days he's going to ... have an unfortunate accident, Bethesda expressing deepest condolences for this tragedy.

User avatar
Nick Tyler
 
Posts: 3437
Joined: Thu Aug 30, 2007 8:57 am

Post » Fri Nov 27, 2015 5:31 pm

Wish the name of the main character's spouse and baby were randomized instead of "Nora, Jack and Shaun"
User avatar
brian adkins
 
Posts: 3452
Joined: Mon Oct 01, 2007 8:51 am

Post » Fri Nov 27, 2015 8:52 pm


Hold on guys, there's someone banging on my front door. Says his name's 'Todd'?
User avatar
Dj Matty P
 
Posts: 3398
Joined: Sat Jun 09, 2007 12:31 am

Next

Return to Fallout 4