Basement Corner: Thoughts on Vault 101′s Funeral Expenses and Restitution (F.E.A.R.) Program
Welcome to the Basement Corner! Basically a little sector of this blog where, as Faerie, I talk about writing! It’ll mainly have to do with my fanfictions or fanfiction-related content in writing, since this is a fanfiction-driven blog after all, but once in a while I’ll make posts about writing in general.
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Interested in reading my work? You can find my main fanfiction with my Lone Wanderer, an inventor by the name of Winona Parker, and everyone’s favorite Vault 101 hoodlum, Butch DeLoria, here; AO3: http://archiveofourown.org/works/12490448/chapters/28433148 FF.net: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12694845/1/Inventor-s-Absolution
============================================================ The Funeral Expenses and Restitution (F.E.A.R.) Program is not written into the above mentioned fanfiction, but it is something I consider to be ‘head canon’ that hasn’t been properly addressed in the story. This is completely fan-made as Fallout lore of my own creation because I have too much time on my hands, apparently (LOL). I’ve had some nagging thoughts about how Vault 101 goes about funerals and wanted to get such thoughts down on paper; figured while I’m at it I’d share it here so readers can get insight into more of my work behind the scenes!
What is it: As the title may suggest, it’s a program initiated by Vault 101 that prepares the proper arrangements for vault residents who have passed for their remaining family. This includes handling of the deceased, funeral preparations, and arrangements for dividing the deceased one's belongings.
Concerning dividing such personal possessions, dwellers can—of course—write a will for how they wish for their belongings to be passed around to their family members, but a good portion of such 'belongings' are seen as owned by Vault 101 itself and not the actual dweller. Things like clothes (jumpsuits) and furniture can't be distributed because of this, and no one owns property in the vault; residents are supplied with apartments expense free, so there's no leaving your living quarters to your remaining family as an extra living space when you pass. Having a living space is considered to be a basic right that extends to any/all residents, and to ensure that every single person is properly sheltered is one of the many duties the Overseer has. The only thing that can be passed on to loved ones through a will are more sentimental items that can be traced back through the family tree from when a household first entered the vault; things like family photos (of course), childhood toys, family heirlooms, etc.. Belongings can also be claimed by the vault and the Overseer if it's considered an absolutely necessary resource (like sports equipment or books as meager examples), and these items are considered as donations to the welfare of the vault.
The 'welfare of the vault' is terminology you'll be hearing a lot in the F.E.A.R. Program.
In funeral preparations, which also somewhat ties into handling the body, are taken care of by the appropriate workers in the maintenance track. A standard Vault 101 funeral has the entirety of the vault in attendance, even residents not considered close to the family, and it's not a casket service. Various dwellers are welcomed to speak about the deceased person in the service, and afterward the surviving family (if there's any to speak of) are given an urn that's more decorative than functional, depending on how they requested for the body to be taken care of. The funeral service is also set up by maintenance workers.
Now onto handling of the body; if a deceased resident has surviving family they have a choice between cremating the body in the incinerator or to donate them for the welfare of the vault. The deceased can outline in their will how they wish to be handled in death, of course, but in a situation where such an outline isn't identified, or there isn't remaining family to speak on their behalf, the body will only have the option of being donated. 'Donate' is a loosely used term by residents as the matter can be considered unsettling to some while an honor to others. To donate one's body means that it will be turned into fertilizer for the crops in Vault 101's greenhouses (which is another head canon of mine) to ensure the soil used doesn't go stagnant. If a body is incinerated it's collected into the aforementioned urn and given to the family after the funeral is over. If the body was donated, an empty 'decorative' urn is given to the family to symbolize the loved one's body.
Funeral urns are a responsibility given to the surviving family, and so they're expected to treat the urn with utmost care of they decide to keep it—so to this day, 200 years later, many families might still possess the funeral urns of their ancestors who entered Vault 101 so long ago. Unclaimed or unwanted urns (in the event of no remaining household, or family members don't wish to take it) are taken in by the vault and inducted into their 'graveyard'. It's simply a room with restricted access only to funeral maintenance workers, and the Overseer; this room has cubby holes and shelves for the urns that are sectioned off to depict individual family trees.
In the case of James and Winona (my Lone Wanderer), she was told that Catherine's body was incinerated and the urn was relinquished to the 'graveyard' because James was too distraught to keep it with them. Despite no urn for Catherine existing, a section for the 'Parker' household was created when they were allowed into the vault but it currently stands empty (obviously).
Whew, that was one hell of a post! I hope it wasn't boring for anyone who bothered to read it, and if you did, I thank you kindly for humoring the machinations of my too active imagination~ I think I wrote down all of my thoughts on the F.E.A.R. Program as well as the various processes of it, but if you have a question about anything I discussed (or didn't) feel free to mention it so it may be addressed!
Side note: Coming up with the title came to me pretty easily. I wanted something that sounded foreboding because it deals with death and funerals, but I can't say it'd be a name that Vault-Tec would've approved of ;)
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Concerning the future of Basement Corner
There will now be a link under the profile header where you can see topics I want to talk about in the future! You can also make suggestions for future topics, and if I like them or think they could make for an interesting discussion, they'll be added to the list! That way everyone can see what's in the future and tell me which one they'd much rather prefer me to write about in the future.
(lastly, photo created by me through Google stock images)
~Faerie
