America

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0.95

“Sometimes I wonder if we would've been born if the bombs never fell? For us at least, the nuking was a good thing. It's a messed up paradox.”— America having deep thoughts
**America** is a former Sopher of the Crusaders and a possible companion found at the RobCo Tower. She is a major character in *Fallout: The Frontier*.

An adventurous and brave woman in her early twenties, America attacks enemies using a laser gun and a baseball bat known as the Freedom Ringer.

Although allied with the Crusaders and serving towards Tasha Weaver, America does not have an official rank within the religious organization and is not really a proponent of their religious ideology either, merely living with the group due to her close relationship with Mollie Callaghan.

## Background

America was born with a rare condition called congenital analgesia (inability to feel physical pain). Her parents tried to keep her condition a secret. She raised in the Midwestern Brotherhood of Steel, living in Bunker Zeta with her parents until her early teens. She knew an elderly lady named Lylee who'd give her sweet rolls.

When she was 15, she was doing scribe work when she accidentally dropped an engine block on her hand and didn't yelp. Other people around her were disturbed. America was considered a mutant by the Brotherhood for her condition. She was kicked out of the Midwestern Brotherhood of Steel and abandoned by her parents on a task to retrieve a satellite; although she cried for her mother, she wouldn't turn around to look at her. America did not realize that her abandonment was actually a form of them trying to protect her, in order to prevent the whole family from communal punishment due to her parents lying to the Elder about her condition.

After being abandoned, America made her way across the Dustbowl before being found by Mollie Callaghan and subsequently joined the Crusaders of Steel. America felt it was almost like a sign, finding another Asian girl with red hair.

During her time with the Crusaders, America became a Sopher but later quit the role.

## Personality

“I always feel alone, always a breath from crying. Though I have to say, traveling with you and getting out of that smelly old tower is helping. Thanks for taking me around. Even with the scary stuff, it has been a kick ass time so far.”— America to the Courier
America is a unique and sensitive young woman who has lived a tough life and has been through much emotional pain, and she suffers from abandonment issues and trauma, particularly regarding her parents who dumped her out of their lives. However, she has made the painful resolve that she does not want to see them again. America has dangerously low self-esteem and seems to struggle with the idea of self-love.

Unlike many of the other wastelanders who are valiant and confident in their roles in their factions, America is trying to carve a place not only within the Crusaders, but her entire life and existence. This makes her somewhat similar to Veronica Santangelo who was questioning her role to the Brotherhood of Steel; though unlike Veronica, America was actually rejected and banned by the group.

America's ability to have a valuable role as an asset to the Crusaders is one of her sore spots. She does not display an interest in their religion, with the exception of a "And God said: Kick their asses" battle quote which suggests she may be becoming influenced by their indoctrination. She finds daily life being cooped up inside the tower rather boring, and finds fun in throwing snowballs at a nearby building for amusement. There are implications she is only really with the Crusaders because she has nowhere else to go, and the organization has welcomed her into their care.

America can be considered to be quite "pure of heart" which is rather ironic when contrasted with Tasha Weaver, and America could be viewed as exhibiting more Christian values than Weaver herself. She displays a level of innocence compared to other wastelanders. America deeply wishes to protect her new "family": Tasha Weaver, Mollie Callaghan, Charlene Yong and Hector Clements. She compares Weaver to a mother, Clements to a father, and Mollie and Charlene as sisters. America is compassionate and kind, and she shows a deep respect and loyalty for anyone who tries to help her.

America is shown to have a quirky and goofy sense of humor and may be interpreted as being socially awkward, possibly on the autistic spectrum or having stunted emotional development. An example of this is her attachment to her doll Lylee which acts as her comfort object. Despite her awkward tendencies and apparent mental health issues, America is not unintelligent by any means. In fact, it could be considered that it is impressive that she is as well-adjusted as she is considering her past experiences, even managing to survive the Dustbowl. She is shown to be quite level-headed and not judgemental compared to all the chaos, violence and mayhem in the Frontier, and she is one of the few Crusaders who can actually see the shortcomings and flaws in its current leadership, while nearly everyone else is radicalized in its ideology and by Weaver.

She is also a brave fighter and a valuable asset to the Courier, not letting her fears overwhelm her. Some of her battle quotes show she carries a lot of pent-up internal anger as well, suggesting she finds the wasteland a thrill and adventure, as opposed to being cooped up at the Robco Tower.

It is suggested America may have a passion for fashion, as she shows excitement trying on different outfits in an abandoned clothing store.

## Interactions with the player

### Quests

* There's a Power Greater than Atomic!: Upon completion, America will approach the player and break down crying, initiating the quest God Bless America. After talking to Mollie Callaghan and following her to see what is wrong with America, America will become the players companion and the quest Forging the Sword of Laban will be initiated.
* God Bless America: This is America's personal quest. Visiting The Green Fairy, Parkers Resturant, Junkflea, Goose Hollow School, Goose Hollow Grocery Store, The Wasted Angel, The White Rabbit Hole, Elm's Tailors, Federal Survival Shelter, and The Menagerie will help complete this quest.
* Forging the Sword of Laban: Mollie tasks the player with finding a means to print the blueprints with America, who provides hints for completing the quest.
* Forging the Sword of Laban II: America will suggest the location to test the Jericho Fusion Cannon.
* I Don't Want to set the World on Fire: During this quest the player has the opportunity to save America from the fire.
* Breaking the Cycle: America will comment on the NCR when convincing Tasha Weaver to make peace with the NCR.

### Effects of player's actions

* If the player is rude and belittles her upon meeting her, the Crusaders can, rather humorously, turn hostile and begin trying to slaughter the Courier for their rudeness.
* If the player encounters Wrench after recruiting America, America will take an immediate distrust to the woman due to her Enclave uniform, and will try to convince the Courier that Wrench deserves punishment.
* If the player recruits Skitters with America as a companion, she says, "My brain is totally confused. I don't know whether to scream or coo. She's terrifying, yet so cute with her little backpack." She then likens it to a time Mollie once made a cake for her, but it tasted like a nightmare.
* The player is advised not to give America "inappropriate" clothing, such as prostitute outfits. Doing so will give her a bad reaction and she will refuse to wear it, calling it "gross". A popup will say, "Be mindful of what armors you give to America. Best to stick to protective, fully covering armors. Trying to give her anything inappropriate will not earn you her good graces."
* If America ends up dying in the fire at the Corvega factory, the Courier can tell Mollie and she will be especially shocked and saddened. One possible thing Mollie may say is, "A kid died, you sick fuck!" Other Crusaders such as Clements and Weaver apparently can not be informed of America's death, however.

### Other interactions

* America will make comments on many of the locations across the Frontier.
* Despite being a member of the Crusaders, she will not leave the Courier during the Legion campaign, even after witnessing the Courier blackmail Clements during A Matter of Faith. She will not leave during progression of the NCR campaign either.
* Hector Clements may pass by her and be displeased that she has modified the appearance of her gun; she asks him why he can mod his lightsword but she can't "coolify" her gun. He claims unsanctioned weapon modifications may end up killing her. She replies Mollie gave her gun a pass. Clements says any malfunctions with her gun are her responsibility, to which she replies, "Totally, Grandpa Clements."
* If the Courier jumps on a table, America will comment, viewing them as daring and says the Dominia would never approve of such a thing. This also contributes to progressing the God Bless America quest as it counts as one point.
* She comments Crusaders never have to worry about leg day upon entering the RobCo stairwell.

## Notable quotes

* *"Oh, I'm America. You could say I started being a Sopher, but it was boring science crap, so now I'm just kinda here... trying to find my path, heh."*
* *"So, should I aim for the head or the nuts?"* (ask to use ranged)
* *"Dude! Like I'm gonna win a fistfight with a deathclaw, or anybody for that matter."* (ask to use melee)
* *"Oh, gross! I think I just stepped in-- wait, nope, false alarm."* (inside The White Rabbit Hole)
* *"Holy shit, that is so gross! I'm gonna be sick."* (seeing the hanged, bound and stabbed corpse of a female ghoul)
* *"Let's stay away from that old hospital. Places like that give me the creeps."*
* *"Oh, great... now we're in the creepy ass hospital. Thanks for the full tank of nightmare fuel."*
* *"No... I-I don't want to ever see them again. They left me to die! Their love of the stupid Codex was greater than their love for me..."* (regarding her parents)
* *"I wonder why they call it the Frontier. I think New Iceland is a much better name."*
* *"Great, another shithole covered in dust and mold. Why can't we ever stumble across a room full of chocolate bars?"*
* *"Let me tell you my worst nightmare: Diarrhea and power armor. I saw it once back in the Midwest bunker and never forgot."*
* *"Supposedly, my mom's ancestors came from somewhere in Asia called Korea. I wonder what it's like there; if they're still living in wastes like us."*
* *"Someone actually did it with Charlene. Mind blown..."*
* *"Great, freezing cold water up to my butt crack! Because I so wanted hypothermia today. God damn it!"*

## Reception and cut controversial content

America has been the subject of controversy, so much so that people are reluctant to play the mod due to false misconceptions and lies surrounding her character, combined with assuming the worst of the intents of the developers. This has led to people falsely thinking that *The Frontier* allows players can have sex with (or sexually harass) a minor and that America was designed to be a sex slave. According to rework developer LurkingPhilosopher: *"Well, just to clarify (once again, because this will haunt us forever) America was NOT underaged and was NOT a sex slave, just a regular slave. That stuff is pure assumption."* Tgspy talked about how America was misconstrued in a video interview.[1]

A major false claim is that she is a minor (under 18). However, she has been older than 18 throughout all stages of development. Originally, she was said to be 18 in an inventory memo from Mollie titled "Happy birthday". Odinsword said the reason 18 was chosen was because it is considered one of the milestone birthdays, and to show the passage of time to depict it has been a while since she left the Midwestern Brotherhood, rather than some malicious intent to keep her as young as possible while being "legal". He also hinted America was originally intended to be 19, mentioning, "The note was to show how much time passed and how she is still dealing with the issues even after 4 years passed." America keeps the possibly one-year old birthday memo with her for sentimental reasons similar to how Clements keeps his sister's Abby's dog tags. Her age in the memo was later changed to 21 in an attempt to move away from being misconstrued in a negative manner, with Odinsword commenting, "I raised her age to 21 because someone suggested it gave the wrong impression. I do listen to feedback." Despite this, there were some oversights: "I met this teen" still appears while talking to Mollie; America still says, "badass teenage mode activated" in battle; and the mission UI still says "recruit the teenager" and "restore the teenager's confidence".

America could originally be enslaved to the Courier with a collar, called a "little slave girl" and she called the Courier "master". Many took to assuming America's position as a sex slave because an ending slide said "she did anything asked of her" despite it not mentioning anything sexual. The "little slave girl" comment was an attempt to humiliate and condescend her, not sexualize her, evidenced by the Courier previously calling her "brat/selfish/stupid" instead of "sexy/cutie/etc". The enslavement was meant to be part of an evil Courier playthrough; it required a -250 "evil" karma and the Legion questline. It had consequences, turning all Crusaders hostile and resulting in karma loss.[2] The developers expected players to realize they messed up and reload their save, which is why there is no in-depth roleplaying and dialogue beyond the initial enslavement, no further opportunities to relish in having power over her, and why America would run away and disappear from the mod if she was ever dismissed as a companion (and thus effectively steal the Courier's inventory and rare items if she was used as inventory storage).

The developers listened to feedback and removed the enslavement shortly after release, admitting the topic was not handled well but also denied there was any malicious intent behind it, posting this Discord announcement: *"We have removed the slavery lines, and the lines from Mae that were inappropriate. We recognize that these topics were not handled tactfully, however, there was never any malicious intent behind the writing of the lines."* There are other reasons for the inclusion of enslaving her:

* Slavery is a common theme in the *Fallout* series that has essentially appeared in every game in some fashion, especially The Pitt DLC in *Fallout 3*. The *Fallout* series explores how slavery negatively affects people and hurts their mental and physical health, and the developers of *The Frontier* wanted to explore this which is why America looks miserable as a slave.
* The developers wanted to offer players a variety of immoral opportunities through gameplay, a lack of which is a common criticism of *Fallout 4* and *76*, and hoped players would recognize enslaving America is evil and not indicative of what the writers wished to do to real-life women.
* The developers hoped to show America's unhealthy and desperate need for affection through this optional roleplaying choice, a real-life symptom of people who suffer from abandonment issues. America dislikes being enslaved, but agrees to it because she doesn't want to be alone anymore.
* To deconstruct the idea that Speech checks always lead to good outcomes, and hopefully mess with players used to auto-piloting Speech checks to solve conflicts by making them think "Wait, what have I done?!" Thus, they are intended to be presented with the uncomfortable dilemma of the Speech check requirements getting higher (going from 70 to 100), with the comments directed at America getting increasingly uncomfortable. *New Vegas* has been criticized and joked for being "Use Speech checks to win the game", with its final boss being able to be defeated using 100 Speech.
* Developer Phobos claimed it was primarily there for Legion roleplayers because they only have one Legion companion (Scrapz): *"You're never supposed to pick that option cause it instantly makes every Crusader in Portland hostile. It's there for Legion characters because they have the fewest companion options."*
* Developer Odinsword (Crusader lead) commented that it was supposed to be part of a route if the player wished to defeat the Crusaders through manipulation, which why the player can exploit the other characters' weaknesses as well (Mollie's temper, Clements' addiction, Charlene's uncontrollable empathic powers and Weaver's guilt). Odinsword stated: *"You were severely punished for taking this option and she is also coded with a banned items list so that you cannot put any skimpy outfits on her. They basically took the worst of the lines (which was designed to make you feel horrible and reload) as "Neckbeard Asian Fetish" and created this whole thing about her being fetish material and underage and made up a narrative about her being a sex slave. It's all lies designed to stir up shit. People still took everything out of context because my guess is they didn't actually play the mod. She has a Birthday card telling you she is at least 18 and if you should decide to be a slime ball and enslave her:*
	+ *1) You lose her personal quest*
	+ *2) You lose the entire Crusader MQ*
	+ *3) You need to pass 3 hard speech checks and ignore 4 opt out dialogue option*
	+ *4) If you ever dismiss her she runs away and you lose her as a companion."'*

The third controversy is a more minor one. Before a patch, America could originally say, "I'm dreading taking off my boots tonight after the running around we've been doing. Whew, my feet will probably put rotting fish to shame." This became a meme of sorts, with accusations of it being a call out to foot fetishists. Phobos denied this, saying the line's intent was hugely blown out of proportion, that it was only meant to be a goofy humorous line, and joked that people who actually seriously thought it was a call out are probably foot fetishists themselves. Odinsword commented it was simply meant to be a throwback to America's inability to feel pain (and thus feel sore feet), relying on her sense of smell instead: *"America is basically busting your stones about walking all over the Frontier with her. She wouldn't understand what sore feet feel like because she can't feel pain. Therefore she is using the senses she has to inform you of the same kinda situation from her perspective."* *"She talks about smells and sights because she is essentially missing a sense and her experience of the world is through her other senses."*

## Behind the scenes

“America - youngest member of the Crusaders, a former member of the Midwestern BOS, and a companion that the courier can enlist if he/she is in good terms with the Crusaders. In particular, she regards the Crusaders as her family, with Mollie being whom she has a very close, sisterly bond with. While she can be high spirited, saucy, expressive, and curious, she is also a bit emotionally fragile and unsure of her place in the world, especially about whether there are people that truly accept her as one of their own.”— *Fallout: The Frontier* Casting Call Club description
* According to developer Odinsword, America's persona is based partially from Jubilee of the X-Men.
* America's patched-out slavery was similar to other *Fallout* companions:
	+ Clover is an enslaved companion from *Fallout 3*. Clover is said to be "crazy in love with whoever's holding her leash" while America is never said to love the Courier if she is enslaved, only wanting affection. Clover did not consent to be a slave and must be purchased using caps, while America was a consensual slave. Clover had a history of being abused and tortured by Eulogy Jones, while America enjoys most of the Crusaders, feeling they are her family.
	+ Cait in *Fallout 4* used to be a slave, having been sold into slavery by her physically abusive parents. Without her consent, her parents put a slave collar on her when she turned 18.
	+ Arcade Gannon in *New Vegas* can be sold into slavery by the Courier to the Legion. After years of being a slave, he disembowels himself with a scalpel in order to be free of them, preferring suicide over slavery.
* Tgspy mentioned in an interview that the "Happy birthday" memo saying she was 18 was an attempt to alleviate concerns America was underage, but it clearly backfired because it raised concerns she was made to be a "legal, but as young as possible" character.
* America is coded with a banned items list so that the player cannot put any skimpy outfits on her. Giving her an item of such list will make her drop it to the ground, and negatively comment about what the Courier is trying to do. This list includes mod items such as Green Fairy Performer Outfit and most items from Elim's Fine Tailoring, and vanilla items such as sleepwear and chained prostitute outfit. However, America can still equip some vanilla outfits such as prostitute outfit and exposed prostitute outfit. The event in Elim's Fine Tailoring will successfully equip her with outfit banned in such list. However, if she unequips the outfit after the event, it is not possible to equip it again.
* Nazenthedark insisted with America's initial concept, name, lack of pain, and ethnicity, while Odinsword did everything else, including her original enslavement.
	+ In Nazenthedark's original versions, America would be raised by a fanatical Brotherhood of Steel splinter cult, being desperate to feel anything, to the point of engaging in self-harm. However, these versions were dissuaded by Tgspy on account of being "too edgy."
* According to ACTIONFIGHTER11, in the now cancelled rework, America would no longer suddenly explain her tragic backstory immediately after meeting the Courier. Her writing would be adjusted so she's more so representing the viewpoint that the Crusaders need to actually be helping the wasteland rather than crusading, and she is conflicted with still being part of the Crusaders.
* According to Odinsword, the now cancelled rework would have gone more into America's backstory: *"America will talk about the effects the Brotherhood-Calculator war had on the current Elder, who was a small child then and how it made him very strict. The reason she was kicked out was not because of her mutation. It was her parents protecting her from the punishment the family would receive for lying to the Elder and hiding America's condition from him. Given the harsh punishments we see in tactics with the families of the Quincy traitors, it's likely her parents were sent to the Brotherhood camps for their crimes. To spare her that fate, they abandoned her in the dustbowl. As most 15 year olds would do, she doesn't understand and assumes it was all her fault.*
* In December 2023, Tgspy announced *The Frontier* would have a new rework, and America would still be in the mod due to being an important character in the Crusaders storyline. Details on her character in this new rework are unknown at the moment.

## Notes

* According to herself, America may be of Korean descent on her mother's side, however, she is not completely sure of this.
* America's weapons are modified by herself to have a hot-pink colour scheme.

## Bugs

* America may become bald near the end of the quest Into the Depths!, though this seems to fix itself after returning upstairs.
* On one occasion, America may suddenly stare at Wrench, she will rotate to face the ex-Enclave woman with an angry expression. It is unknown if this a bug or an intentional easter egg.

## Gallery

America indoor clothingAmerica crying while remembering her parents abandoning herAmerica feeling joy for Charlene Yong and ElyanAmerica fighting in the medical centerAmerica behind Jolene TateAmerica does not like WrenchAmerica reflecting on her futureAmerica admiring the viewAmerica feeling a little baldAmerica trying to escape the Corvega factory on fireAmerica complaining about the coldAmerica wearing prostitute outfitAmerica wearing exposed prostitute outfit
## References

1. ↑ Although America's G.E.C.K. race is Asian, she notably has reddish hair which she may have inherited from one of her parents. Her friend Mollie is also half Indian and half Irish.
2. ↑ Birthday card
3. ↑ Posted on the Discord on January 21, 2021
4. ↑ Posted on the Discord on January 28, 2021
5. ↑ Nazenthedark: *"I helped a small bit with America's backstory and character."*
Sole Survivor: *"Which bit?"*
Nazenthedark: *"I came up with the initial concept, name, lack of pain and ethnicity, Odin did everything else."*
- Obtained from Discord, 10/10/2021
6. ↑ Nazenthedark: *"To be clear I didn't have anything to do with America's slave stuff. That was Odin."*
- Obtained from Discord, 10/11/2021
7. ↑ Sole Survivor: *"Yeah, although I guess it seemed to me that the America/USA comparison could have gone a bit farther."*
Nazenthedark: *"It was supposed to in early versions. She would’ve been raised by a fanatical Brotherhood splinter cult. The biggest difference between my America and Orin’s was that my America would be so desperate to feel anything that she engaged in self harm. But TG said it was too edgy."*
- Obtained from Discord, 10/10/2021
8. ↑ Once posted by ACTION on the Discord, although now inaccessible