 | The following is based on Fallout 2 cut content. |
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The Rainbow Confederation is a New California faction that was planned to appear in Fallout 2 as a random encounter at some point, but was cut before the game's release. Their only distinguishing characteristic was that they were gay[2][3] and would attack the Chosen One unless they had been flagged as gay by the game engine, a status obtainable through the marriage choice in Modoc. Combining slurs and the cynical use of LGBT, feminist, and civil rights slogans,[4][Non-game 1] and programmed to behave in weak, flighty ways in actual combat,[5] the Rainbow Confederation would have been a homophobic portrayal of the LGBT community at a time the community was gaining social acceptance.[Non-game 2]
As all encounters were disabled, the Confederation remains only as scripts and text files in the game data, and is not generally remembered alongside the storied legacy of LGBT representation in the Fallout series. However, an apparent allusion to the faction still appears to be in the final game, when a mercenary in Broken Hills threatens violence over being compared to the "Rainbow Patrol."[6]
Overview[]
The Rainbow Confederation would be headquartered at the Love Shack,[7][8] and its members take the fight to the wastelands to protect fellow gay people[9][10] and bring down the "heteros" (which includes single people wandering by accident into the Confederation's territory).[11][12] Lesbians fighting for the Confederation are particularly outspoken, proudly proclaiming they are lesbians,[13] stand for "Girl Power,"[14] and that they don't need a man.[15]
In gameplay terms, the group was to be a random encounter on the world map, with up to seven characters, each randomly assigned a "name" by the script depending on the base proto's gender. Each of these "names" was a slur used to insult homosexual and queer people, using slurs from the time the game was developed, circa 1998. Inspecting male members of the faction would refer to them as, "Colonizers," "Colon-ists," "Queer," "Pansy" or "Queen."[16] Female members would be called either "Lesbo" or "Dyke".[17]
Their attitude would depend on whether the Chosen One was gay. This would only happen if they were male and Davin was present in the party or female and Miria was present. In this case, they would welcome them peacefully. Without their presence, they would immediately become hostile and attack.[18] The Confederation members were set up to use the AI_PEASANT packet from AI.txt, which means a 30% chance to attack and 70% chance to flee, and running away at 40% HP or when it reaches down to 12 HP, whichever comes first. It also uses the weak and flighty Wimpy Person taunts from COMBATAI.MSG (eg. "I don't want to kill again, please don't make me." when attacking). Once forced to flee, they would shout about retreating to the Love Shack, promising that the Confederation will live on,[19] and that "we shall overcome!"[20]
Script[]
| Function | Description |
|---|---|
procedure Node001 begin float_msg(self_obj, mstr(109 + Random(0, 2)), FLOAT_MSG_NORMAL); |
In a passive state, members of the group would state the following:
|
procedure NodeFleeing begin float_msg(self_obj, mstr(106 + Random(0, 2)), FLOAT_MSG_YELLOW); |
In a fleeing state, they would state the following:
|
procedure NodeFighting begin
if (self_is_male) then
float_msg(self_obj, mstr(100 + Random(0, 2)), FLOAT_MSG_RED);
else
float_msg(self_obj, mstr(103 + Random(0, 2)), FLOAT_MSG_RED);
|
If a male member of the group entered combat, they would state the following:
If a female member of the group entered combat, they would state the following:
|
if (self_is_male) then
set_local_var(LVAR_Name_Num, Random(112, 116));
else
set_local_var(LVAR_Name_Num, Random(117, 118));
|
If the player inspected a male member with the cursor, the line "This looks to be a" would display, followed by:
For female members, this is replaced with:
|
Locations[]
The Confederation members would only be encountered on the worldmap, and if the grouping in the script listing is any indication, the southern parts of the map, between the NCR and San Francisco.
Notes[]
- In context with the mention of "colonizers" as well as slogans associated with the civil rights movement, the term "colon-ists" seems to be an attempt to satirize the gay rights movement's association with anti-colonialism,[Non-game 3] by making an obtuse pun about anal sex. The line could also theoretically mean nothing.
Behind the scenes[]
- ECRAIBOW.SSL includes a note signed "rwh2," which stands for developer Robert Hertenstein II, who worked on random encounters in the game.[21]
References[]
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- Non-game
- ↑ We Shall Overcome
- ↑ History of the term
- ↑ See Francisco Valdes, Beyond Sexual Orientation in Queer Legal Theory: Majoritarianism, Multidimensionality, and Responsibility in Social Justice Scholarship, or Legal Scholars as Cultural Warriors (1998); see also Kimberle Crenshaw, Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence Against Women of Color (1991)