Fanfiction Fridays: Fio, Fieri, Factus by oneshycrow

So, being completely honest here, I’ve been playing Splatoon pretty obsessively all week. As such, I was considering just not doing this Fanfiction Fridays and playing more, but I’m pretty sure all the authors would kill me. Or at least give me the worst looks, and I can’t stand to be looked at with anything less than devotion and reverence. Since I wasn’t really into reading fic on the inner turmoil of being both a squid and a kid, I decided to look toward another game I’ve also been getting into: Fallout.

I must have made a wish on a lucky star to begin my Fallout journey preceding the Fallout 4 announcement in such a timely manner, but then again, not like the East Coast by way of Boston is going to do much for me when I’m getting destroyed by frying deathclaws in the Mojave. Soon after starting I knew New Vegas was going to be my installment of choice, what with its actually-gray morality, interesting story that starts off with the player getting shot in the head and killed, and brainwashing me by playing “Big Iron” by Marty Robbins five hundred times in a row. However, when faced between the two main groups—one which literally deals in slavery and the patriarchy, and the other on-the-surface only mildly corrupt and doing the best they can—it’s east to lose a sense of that gray morality. So, while I wouldn’t have guessed it going into things, today’s fic takes a very interesting look into the life of Caesar’s Legion (aforementioned slavers). It’s most interesting because it features a woman.

“Oh, he might have went on living, but he made one fatal slip: when he tried to match the stranger with the big iron on his hip. Big iron on his—” someone make it stop, please. I’m begging you.

Within the Legion, women are mostly used to procreate, do medicine, and other such “menial” tasks that the men can’t be assed to do—it’s not a great time, but it’s not like any woman is there by choice in the first place. However, the Legion is not infallible, and when a lady Courier (the player character) puts on Legion armor, turn out she can fool the Legion just as well as any spy. Unfortunately, this lady Courier (named Luca) also ends up fooling herself, changing under the weight of the Legion’s metaphorical whip. In their fic Fio, Fieri, Factus, author oneshycrow takes an extremely realistic look at what could happen when the Courier tries to kill Caesar by infiltrating his Legion and rising in the ranks, and I’ll say right now: seven chapters in and Luca has come closer to killing herself than slitting Caesar’s throat.

I hate you, but I love you, you big charming piece of shit.

As cathartic as a story about running guns blazing into Caesar’s Legion and decimating everything may be, that just wouldn’t be realistic. Especially given that the Legion is—unsurprisingly—many, and the Courier is one. So, what the reader ends up witnessing is Luca doing what she intended doing, gaining status in the Legion slowly, yet also finding that the Legion is changing her faster than she can rise. Her empathy begins to dwindle; killing becomes more of a duty than a tragedy; she regrets being born a woman at one point, even, thinking she could mentally perform better as a man. In trying to help the Mojave, the Legion ends up taking almost everything from Luca, even her name.

“No name?” Aurelius continues, his narrowed eyes – almost cat-like if it weren’t for the ignorant dullness they contained – focused on hers. “Typical for a past savage.” He spits out the word as if it were poison or bitter drink and Luca stays silent. She ponders what the word savage can possibly mean to a man like him.

“You cannot be called recruit forever…” He is silent for a moment, thinking.

“Sileo.” He says finally, a satisfied smirk on his face. Luca’s eyes can’t help but narrow behind her new helmet and visor. Again, she says nothing.

“It means mute, silent – in case you didn’t know. I don’t expect you to. You will now go by that name.” His chin is tilted up and he is looking down at her like a piece of meat; daring her to react in a negative way or in any way at all. He wants to know what her buttons are. She suspects that’s how he controls all of his troops. She is silent.

“Answer when I speak. Run when I call. Act on my command. There is no free will here. You were not trained to have opinions. This cove may be under Legion rule, but it is under my command.” His eyes bore into hers. Sileo. Silent. Mute. Unnoticed. With silence comes anonymity. She will shed her old name like snake skin. Luca. Bringer of light. Light wouldn’t help her now. Not here.

“Yes, sir.” She answers and he nods, seemingly satisfied with her easy submission.

She’s thankful for the new name. Now she has something to attach to this side of her. Luca was never in the Legion. She was merely a tribal and later on a courier who failed. She’d failed at many things and she might as well have died back in that grave in Goodsprings. Covered in ancient dust and ancient memories – Luca is no more. She had never seen the bloodshed and crucifixions and the brands on women’s chests. That is all silent. Sileo. This is Sileo.

Luca can rest.

According to the description, the fic is still in progress, and I sorely hope that oneshycrow continues on. At just over nine thousand words, it might take up a bit of time, but I barely even noticed from chapter to chapter. Though, if you go into it, please, please take into account the triggers in the tags: while not explicit thus far, oneshycrow has a way of making Luca’s thoughts very powerful. While I will fully admit that Fio, Fieri, Factus is not an easy read—my stomach felt like it was churning as many times as, if not more than the Courier’s—it’s enjoyable. And while it doesn’t necessarily debate the seemingly fandom-imposed good versus evil dichotomy between the NCR and the Legion, it does offer a softer sort of insight into the Legion while not hiding the terrible things they do and recognizing them as terrible. Check it out today!

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