Cultural reference

Numerous **easter eggs** and **references** to various books, movies, and other games are one of the staples of the *Fallout* series. These are instances where something or someone from pop culture or the real world is referenced in the game itself, e.g. *Fallout 2* has an encounter with King Arthur. *Old World Blues* is of no exception, having many cultural references in almost every facet of the mod.

## *AC/DC*

* "Highway to Hell" may be a reference to the 1979 song by hard rock band AC/DC or the album released later that year under the same name.

## Bible, the

* The Desert Rangers focus "Operation Jericho" refers to the Biblical Battle of Jericho, likening the Western Brotherhood of Steel bunkers to that of the fortress of Jericho, with both being brought down by an immense force.
* Several Heaven's Gate events reference Biblical passages, listed below:
	+ The *Legacy of Scripture* event references Ephesians 6:11, which reads: "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." As well as Isaiah 1:19, which reads: "If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land."
	+ The *Pilgrims Cometh* event references Genesis 13:15, which reads: "All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever." As well as Psalm 23:4, which reads: "Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."
	+ The *Pagans Cometh* event references Corinthians 12:2, which reads: "You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols." As well as Luke 12:30, which reads: "For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them."

## Book of Common Prayer

The achievement name "Till Love do us Part" is a parody of "Till Death do us Part", a phrase from the marriage liturgy in the Book of Common Prayer.

## "Born to Feel"

The Last Patrol focus and event, both titled "Born to Feel", may be a reference to the memetic image of the popular "Wojak" image, depicted wearing Vietnam War-era gear.

## *Casino Royale*

The Last Patrol focus "Casino Royale" may be a reference to the various iterations of the *James Bond* titles of the same name.

## Charles Erwin Wilson

A decision in the Tlalocan event "Powering On" reads: "What's good for Petro Chico was good for America!", which is based on a misquote from Wilson, former head of General Motors turned Secretary of Defense, following a 1953 Senate hearing, which had reporters given the impression that Wilson had stated "What's good for General Motors is good for the country."

## *Creedence Clearwater Revival*

* The Last Patrol focus and event, both titled "Fortunate Son", may be a reference to the 1969 song "Fortunate Son", by the American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival.
* The Last Patrol focus and description of "It Ain't Me" may be a reference to the chorus lyrics of "Fortunate Son".
* The Last Patrol focus "Star Spangled Eyes" may be a reference to the same lyric included in "Fortunate Son".

## Declaration of Independence

* The achievement name "We hold these truths to be self evident..." may be a reference to a sentence from the preamble to the United States Declaration of Independence.

## *Europa Universalis IV*

The *Synthetic Dawn* game rule is a reference to the egg event of the same name present in the game.

## *Fallout* series

As an unofficial total overhaul mod in the *Fallout* series, *Old World Blues* makes various references and lore tie-ins to official series entries. Note that due to the timescale of the mod's development, certain references or elements may ignore, contradict, or otherwise incorporate lore from more recent series entries such as *Fallout 76*.

* The achievement name "Better Living Underground" is the slogan the Vault-Tec Corporation used to promote Vault living.

### *Fallout: New Vegas*

* The achievement name "Crossing the Rubicon" refers to both Gaius Julius Caesar's conquest of Gaul by crossing the Rubicon river, and Caesar (Edward Sallow)'s attempted conquest of the Mojave, by way of crossing the Colorado River.

#### *Fallout: New Vegas* mods

* The P94 Plasma Rifle utilized in the File:Event enc plasma rifle.png event image is from the 2010 *Fallout: New Vegas* mod, Classic Fallout Weapons - New Vegas by Linerunner.

### *Fallout 4*

#### *Fallout 4* mods

* The P94 Plasma Caster seen in the File:Canada fallout purge.png event image is from the 2018 *Fallout 4* mod, Winchester P94 by 3nikhey and Senki01.

## *Heartland Flyer*

The Heartland Flyer mentioned in The Last Patrol focus of the same name, may be a reference to the titular Amtrak passenger train, which was inaugurated in 1999, travelling between Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and Fort Worth, Texas.

## Henry Chapin

The descriptions used throughout "The Prodigal Son" branch of Tlalocan's focus tree are adaptations of lyrics from the 1974 folk rock song *Cat's in the Cradle* by American singer-songwriter Harry Chapin.

## "Houston, we have a problem"

The  Alamo Chapter's event "Broadcast From Central Houston" utilizes a variant of this line, stating "Houston, do we have a problem?" The phrase itself originates from astronaut Jim Lovell's misquoted statement in the 1970 Apollo 13 mission: "Houston, we've had a problem."

## Internet Memes

Old World Blues mod contains a broad selection of various Memes.

### Ave, Boomer

The Legion focus "Ave, Boomer" is a reference to the catchphrase "Boomer" which became popular after it saw widespread use on TikTok in 2019.

## Marty Robbins

The achievement "Big Iron" may be a reference to the 1959 Marty Robbins song *Big Iron*.

## My Little Pony

* The Equine technologies, as well as the April Fools nation of  Equestria, make multiple references to the My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic animated cartoon, which aired from 2010 to 2019. Specific references include:
	+ The "Long live Friendship" technology description references the cartoon's theme song, replacing "Pony" with "Horse".
	+ The "Advanced Loyalty" technology description references the "20% Cooler" catchphrase uttered by Rainbow Dash.
	+ The "Laughter" technology description references the events of the Season 2 opening episodes "The Return of Harmony".
	+ The "Advanced Laughter" technology description references the same phrase uttered by Pinkie Pie.
	+ The "Kindness" technology description references the same phrase uttered by Fluttershy in the Season 1 episode "Over a Barrel"
	+ The "Advanced Kindness" technology description references the same phrase uttered by Fluttershy.
	+ The "Advanced Generosity" technology description references a common phrase uttered by Rarity in various episodes.
	+ The "Love Letters" technology description references Twilight Sparkle writing to Princess Celestia about the moral she learned each episode in the early seasons of the show.
	+ The "Elements of Harmony" technology description references the same words uttered by Twilight Sparkle to Nightmare Moon in the series premiere of the show, "Friendship Is Magic".
* The inclusion of this Nation, as a part of the 2020 April Fools event, is a direct crossover with the Equestria at War Hearts of Iron IV mod.

## Nanih Waiya

The Last Patrol focus and description of "Stories of the Mother Mound" refers to the Choctaw peoples legend of the "Nanih Waiya" or "Mother Mound", the location where the Choctaw people were created and sheltered.

## Robert Frost

* The line "Nothing gold can stay", used in the Tlalocan event "Tlaloc's Demise", is a reference to the name and phrase of Frost's 1923 poem "Nothing Gold Can Stay.

## *Space Invaders*

The image used in the Tlalocan focus "Awake and Angry" displays a television screen displaying an enemy from the Taito Corporation's 1978 game *Space Invaders*, specifically the "Crab" invader.

## *Star Wars*

* The achievement "I love Democracy" may be a reference to the same line uttered by Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine in *Star Wars: Episode III*, in an act of taking emergency power to become the Galactic Emperor.
* The achievement "Unlimited Power!" may also be a reference attributed to Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine from *Star Wars: Episode III*, this time during his heroic resistance against his would-be assassin Jedi Master Mace Windu.

## *Stranger Things*

Experiment #0011, one of the traits that The Chained Choir's leader: First Chorister, has is a reference to the 2016 Netflix television series, *Stranger Things*, which had the plot of its first season center around government experiments designed to induce psionic capabilities in young children, one of which becoming the principal characters of the show, known as Eleven.

## *The Offspring*

The achievement "Pretty Fly" may be a reference to The Offspring's 1998 song *Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)".*

## *The Rolling Stones*

The Last Patrol focus and event, both titled "Paint It Black", may be a reference to the 1966 song "Paint It Black", by the English rock band The Rolling Stones.

## *Walker, Texas Ranger*

* The potential Military High Command officer Ledroc Walker, the Ghoul Ranger, is a reference to Cordell Walker, a fictional Texas Ranger played by Chuck Norris from 1993 to 2001.

## *Wasteland* series

### *Wasteland*

* The character Hell Razor appeared in the Desert Rangers focus tree, serving as the NCR-affiliation party, being one of the few survivors of a Legion-attacked Arizona expedition, in contrast to *Wasteland 2*, where he was murdered in order to cover up a conspiracy.

### *Wasteland 2*

* Wasteland 2 portraits of characters are utilized throughout the mod, serving as unique or generic images to distinguish characters and leaders.
* The surviving *Wasteland 2* characters of Snake Vargas and Thrasher Sagarra also appeared in the Desert Rangers focus tree, with Vargas serving as the initial Desert Rangers leader, who either steps down, or continues leading the Rangers. In contrast, Thrasher seeks to partner with the Western Brotherhood, due to his friendship with Knight Commander Reed Redding.

### *Wasteland 3*

* The Maxson Chapter's national spirit "The Bizarre" is a homage to the *Wasteland 3* location and faction: *The Bizarre*, both locations being an area serving as the headquarters for a group of raiders within the former state of Colorado, situated in a pre-apocalypse shopping mall.
* The Robot City national spirit "Machine Commune" may be a homage to the *Wasteland 3* faction of the same name.
* The File:Event montana winter truckers.png event image depicts the Kodiak, the Desert Rangers' main vehicle, modified with a Railgun, entering the in-game location of Colorado Springs.

## William Shakespeare

The achievement name "Et tu, Brute?" refers to Julius Caesar's famous last words from the Shakespearian play *Julius Caesar*, which translates to "And you, Brutus?," showing Caesar's dismay in seeing Brutus taking part in his assassination and betrayal.

## *Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic*

Doki Doki, the leader of Robot City, had their name inspired by the shorthand title of this 1987 video game.