You’ve probably had the experience where you see some fanart, and your brain goes, ‘Hmm, why isn’t that already in the game?’ The fanbase just felt that giant punch. An artist, GARRISON (@DecomposedTaco), has shot up the cult star ranks in Fallout fandoms, rallying the ire of the community with one tweet: a sort of ridiculous yet almost-fairly-cool depiction of T-51 power armor on a Mojave-style motorcycle, with the caption, “I will never draw power armor or motorcycles again (Im a liar).”
That image is legendary. It breathes life into the gritty, dusty New Vegas setting and even manages to make the bike seem real. The power armor is just perfect too. And it just screams, ‘It should have been in the game from day one.’ True to gamer nature, people agreed. The explosion of the reply section was almost faster than any mini-nuke.
The first of their comments in the reply set a precedent, where @D353RT_J3D1 had almost to say for the masses: ‘This needs to be a thing. Motorcycles belong in the Fallout verse.’ And they’re not wrong?? I mean, we’ve had cars in the classics, and highwaymen are part of the lore. Drivable vehicles, on the other hand, have not really been featured in the 3D games. It’s a big missed opportunity, and this art makes it pretty much undeniable.”
Praise just flowed endlessly. ‘@DecomposedTaco Pretty fucking cool,’ said @BastianVooper. Simple. To the point. True. Then @TheXtronin literally stated, ‘one of the hardest images I have ever laid eyes upon GOSH DAMN,’ which is basically what everyone thought upon seeing it. Then, @Lulouchiyt said, “Then you just gained a follower,” meaning that the artist just gained a new follower, and it was probably an acknowledgment of many more that must have jumped at the chance to follow the artist).
“But the conversation wasn’t just about the awesomeness of the art (and it is seriously awesome). It soon turned to the real focus of everyone’s attention: begging Bethesda to put it in the actual games. @Cool12jack encapsulated what we were all thinking: ‘They should add drivable vehicles in fallout.’ It seems like such a no-brainer, right? Exploring the massive map of Fallout 4 on a bike? Sign me up yesterday.
The hype even birthed cool role-play opportunities. @BeretanUnited gave a legendary caption: ‘”Hop in samurai, we’re reuniting america!!.”‘ That will now be the only acceptable dialogue to be used for this scenario. Then again, @FishmanfromGerm provided one of the best chaotic ideas: ‘I can imagine them using Power Lances and jousting each other.’ Bethesda, please. I need this. We all need this.”
The pandemic also triggered that timeless ‘which Fallout is the best?’ debate that inevitably comes up every time. Some people started to contrast the TV show with the games, which flew with some highly furiously opinionated ones. But amidst all that, the love for the art continues undiminished. @SimplyHoodie, after calling the image ‘so fucking badass,’ sprints back into a thread regarding hopes for Fallout 5: ‘I’m still holding out hope for Fallout 5 to have vehicles. Let me pimp both my ride and my powered armor.’ Later, he adds, ‘Even if the story is worse than 4’s, I’ll still call it peak, just put in the vehicles Todd.’ So much Awww., So much real Awww.
More praise for the artist’s choice of T-51b armor came from @EdwardMires747, who called it an “Excellent choice.” It’s been the classic, the OG power armor from the first game’s box art. Just riding a motorcycle feels right.
Naysayers did counter that this is nowhere close to the freshest vibe in the Fallout universe. With a couple of users embracing the feeling of “Heavy fallout sonora vibes,” @Cesta80682442 and @Lorddervish2121 joined in. For those in the dark, Fallout Sonora is a massive fan-made mod/project set in Arizona and famously features working vehicles; so there’s the concept, and players have already shown it can work in the engine.
Such immeasurable acclaim also seemed to have caught the artist off guard. With all this appreciation coming their way, the artist might not keep to their promise of never drawing this combination again. Honestly, we hope they’re a liar. The community wants more. This one-shot brought to the surface a very deeply felt but unraptured desire in the Fallout fandom: the wish to run down the open wasteland on two wheels, clad in tons of steel. It’s a simple dream. It’s a beautiful dream. And now that we see it, we can’t unsee it. The question is: will Bethesda ever listen? Here’s hoping they’ve been scrolling through their mentions today.
