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I can hear you breathing. That means you and I haven't met. The Family thought they could set up this string bean to take the fall in my audit. It's far from a fair fight. I'd like to pick on someone more my size, like you. Tell you what, if you can beat me, I'll leave. Unlike these suit-wearing numbskulls, I ain't a thug. You have my word.

Buttercup is the head of the Atlantic City Internal Revenue Service, appearing in Fallout 76, introduced in the Expeditions: Atlantic City update part one, Boardwalk Paradise.

Background[]

Buttercup is one of the most terrifying inhabitants of Atlantic City. His strength and brutality are legendary,[1] and his name is spoken in hushed tones. Although it is derived from Giddyup Buttercup, Buttercup wears it with pride, as it dates back to the pre-Lane times, when he was running with an Acee gang: In a shouting match with a rival gang from the Casino Quarter, the future Buttercup decided to answer insults with violence. The two gangs were bickering outside a pre-War toy store, and the closest thing at hand was a fully-assembled Giddyup, which he used to bludgeon the other ganger to death. His gang decided to nickname him Buttercup, which was answered with more violence using the Buttercup. He adopted the nickname as his own name, and kept the toy as a memento.[2]

While he is proud of the name, he holds no illusions about the time before Timothy Lane's rule as mayor. The city floundered under Carly Day, with starvation, disease, and crime rampant. While he was a part of the problem, when Lane marched onto city hall to replace Day, Buttercup threw his lot in with him. The two have become fast friends,[3] and Buttercup holds immense respect for Lane due to the way he turned Acee around and turned it into a functioning city. While it is far from perfect, it has food, water, electricity, and safety - which is more than most wasteland settlements can offer.[4] As a former ganger who's no stranger to violence, Buttercup was appointed as the head of the IRS, responsible for extracting dues from the Showmen and Lombardi Family. Buttercup loves his job and he's a crucial asset in keeping the balance of power between the factions intact.[5] His auditors are as violent as he is,[6] and utterly loyal to Buttercup, to the point of dying with his name on their lips.[7] Among the rest of the Munis, he's treated with a mixture of respect and fear, and rumors about his violence keep circulating, like him using someone's jawbone as a nail file.[8] Some would also prefer he got rid of his trophy horse.[9]

In recent times, with the passing of Don Quentino Lombardi, the situation started to destabilize. While Concerta Lombardi is good at maintaining the illusion that her brother is still alive, Lane realized the truth based on the email exchanges. Sensing weakness, he decided to set Buttercup loose on the Lombardis and collect outstanding dues,[10] which were suspiciously low ever since a new COO took over accounting.[11] The fact that several auditors went missing while investigating the shortfall has added a personal edge to the situation: Buttercup is not going to take deaths among his gang lying down.[12]

Relationships[]

Buttercup has little time for relationships due to his passion for tax collection (and the associated violence), which is a problem for Anna Barone, the Muni dispatcher: She is rather taken with him, but Buttercup repeatedly turned her overtures down,[13] believing that his first duty is to Atlantic City and dating might distract him from tracking down tax dodgers. However, since he finds her presence tolerable, he still asks her out for drinks from time to time,[14] and brings her small tokens of his appreciation, like the severed heads of Overgrown he collects, to inspire Anna and remind her that she is a warrior.[15] He's been spending increasing amounts of time with her, which has led to concerns among auditors that he's going soft,[16] although Anna doesn't consider it dating and is still bitter over the initial rejection.[17]

Buttercup's closest relationship is with Mayor Timothy Lane. Lane is very fond of Buttercup[18] and just about the only person who can engage in playful ribbing with Buttercup and walk away with his limbs intact, and openly describes Buttercup as a big, tough, pre-War action movie character who's harmless as long as nobody crosses him.[19] Buttercup is a loyal and trusted friend in turn, even generous, though his preferred gift is the severed heads of enemies or bloodied implements.[20] Crucially, Buttercup is privy to the secret of Carly Day's fate, and makes sure the truth stays buried, even if a few aspiring journalists wind up six feet under.[21]

He is on looser terms with Timothy's wife, Frieda Lane, who constantly wonders how Buttercup stays in shape and is so buff with so little protein in his diet.[22]

Interactions with the player character[]

Interactions overview[]

Interactions
FO76 ui icon quest
This character is involved in quests.

Tax Evasion

Quests[]

  • Tax Evasion: Buttercup heads the IRS audit at The Neapolitan Casino and is the final challenge in the expedition. He's well aware that Billy is a fall guy and offers the Vault 76 dwellers a deal: If they manage to best him in battle, then Billy may live and the auditors walk away (only to return again). Buttercup hates picking on small fry and prefers a proper challenge.[23] However, he is ready to kill Billy otherwise.[24][25]
    • Buttercup is a strong combatant, with about three times as much health as a mythic deathclaw, further enhanced by a full suit of Civic Duty power armor and a creature perk reducing incoming damage by 25%. He uses an assault rifle in combat and while its damage output is reduced by 50%, Buttercup is always assisted by several auditors providing covering fire.

Inventory[]

Apparel Weapon Other items
Civic Duty power armor (Tax Evasion)
Greaser jacket and jeans/Enforcer's outfit
Patrolman sunglasses
Assault rifle (-50% damage)

Appearances[]

Buttercup appears only in Fallout 76, introduced in the Expeditions: Atlantic City update part one, Boardwalk Paradise.

Behind the scenes[]

Buttercup's appearance and implacability mirror that of the Terminator, as portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger. In fact, one of the tooltips for Lane's dialogue note "Amused, speaking fondly of Buttercup, the tough Terminator-esque head of the IRS."

Bugs[]

Playstation 4Playstation 4 During the boss fight with Buttercup at the end of Tax Evasion, Buttercup may be restored to full health seemingly at random in the middle of combat.[verification overdue]

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. Billy Beltbuckles: "There's been word on the street about the most brutal taxman of all. They call him Buttercup."
    (Billy Beltbuckles' dialogue)
  2. Vault 76 dweller: "No, it's super tough. Like, really awesome name."
    Buttercup: "Heh. Now you, I like. There's a story behind that name. Some years back, when I was still running with my old gang, we had a rivalry going on with some guys in the Casino Quarter. One day, we got into a shouting match outside of a pre-war toy store. One of 'em said some not so nice things to me. So, I grabbed the closest thing I could find. A fully-assembled Giddyup Buttercup. I took that toy horse and bludgeoned him in the head. Beat him to death with it, until there was nothing left but pulp. My own gang started calling me "Buttercup" to tease me or something, after the fact. So I killed them with that damn horse, too. If you want to see it, I keep it on display over the fireplace in my office."
    (Buttercup's dialogue)
  3. Vault 76 dweller: "What were things like before Tim became mayor?"
    Buttercup: "Bad. Pretty damn bad. Previous mayor was a hack named Carly Day. She was the mayor before the bombs, and after, she just...stayed. But she didn't do anything. Crime was rampant. People were dropping off like flies. Since Tim took over, it's been like a whole new city. Sure, we may gripe and moan. But for the most part, we're well taken care of, and safe."
    (Buttercup's dialogue)
  4. Vault 76 dweller: "What's the point of the Mayor's Office?"
    Buttercup: "The...point? The point is to keep people alive, numbskull. Most people can't even tie their shoes. You really think they'll be able to survive out there on their own? We keep everyone fed, hydrated...alive. Without us, there'd be no running water or electricity in AC. Consider yourself lucky that you came here after Tim took over, and not before."
    (Buttercup's dialogue)
  5. Vault 76 dweller: "How does the Mayor's Office deal with the mafia and the Showmen?"
    Mayor Timothy Lane: "With an immense amount of patience. They're both more concerned with making money above all else. They're meant to keep the peace on the streets if any... emergencies come up. Heh. Usually they're the ones causing trouble. That, and they love to weasel their way out of paying their taxes. Buttercup takes care of that."
    (Timothy Lane's dialogue)
  6. Vault 76 dweller: "What are the different departments?"
    Frieda Lane: "Let's see now. There's my department, the Power Production and Management Division. We produce electricity and distribute it. I also handle the Water Purification and Distribution Division. Same thing, just with clean water instead of power. There's the Internal Revenue Service. Buttercup heads that. They're in charge of...uh, collecting taxes to keep everything running. They're the auditors you've probably seen around town. Then there's the Agricultural and Caravanning Services. Tim oversees that himself. He manages the output of the farms on the outskirts and ensures the farmers and their farmhands are all properly compensated. Additionally, they distribute food in the city so no one goes hungry. They also trade with the caravans 'round here for essentials. There's the Emergency Services Division. Anna runs that. They're the paramedics and firefighters. Dispatchers. She makes sure every emergency is addressed and that the right people are sent to handle it. Finally, there's the Pine Barrens Forestry Division, led by Sloane. They're basically our park rangers. They handle the Overgrown threat. You won't see them around City Hall much as they spend the day usually scouting the perimeter of the city."
    (Frieda Lane's dialogue)
  7. Municipal Auditor: "Buttercup...Avenge me..."
  8. Generic Municipal Worker: "Buttercup is a different breed, trust me. I once saw him use someone's jawbone as a nail file!"
  9. Generic Municipal Worker: "I wish Buttercup would get rid of that stupid toy horse."
  10. Q
  11. The Neapolitan Casino terminal entries; Billy's terminal, Outgoing Costs
  12. The Neapolitan Casino terminal entries; Concerta's terminal, UNKNOWN USER: Missing Auditors
  13. Anna Barone: "I tried asking Buttercup out on a date. You know what he said? He's married to his job. I've never seen someone so passionate about tax collection."
    (Anna Barone's dialogue)
  14. Respectfully, no
  15. City hall terminal entries; Anna Barone's terminal, Null, Buttercup: Gift
  16. Municipal Auditor: "Buttercup's been spending a lot of time with Anna lately...hope he's not going soft."
  17. Vault 76 dweller: "Buttercup is...interesting."
    Anna Barone: "You're telling me. Maybe I'm just bitter because I tried asking him out. It didn't go well. Supposedly he used to be in a gang, if you can believe that. The rumor is that he got his name after he beat a man to death with a Giddyup Buttercup. Totally badass."
    (Anna Barone's dialogue)
  18. Mayor Timothy Lane: "Don't let Buttercup get to you. He likes to act tough, but at heart, he's softer than that toy horse of his."
    (Timothy Lane's dialogue)
  19. Vault 76 dweller: "Where can I find Buttercup?"
    Mayor Timothy Lane: "Ah, that rascal. He should be upstairs in the Internal Revenue Services office. Pacing around, as he does. He's the big, tough one who looks like he belongs in a pre-war action movie. But he's harmless. S'long as you don't cross him, that is."
    (Timothy Lane's dialogue)
  20. Vault 76 dweller: "Buttercup seems a tad violent."
    Mayor Timothy Lane: "*laughs* Oh, pay him no mind. He's a whole lot of bark, that one. But also bite. He won't try anything on you, so long as you pay your taxes. Truthfully, he's a loyal and generous friend. Says his "love language" is gift giving. Unfortunately, his idea of a "gift" is the severed head of your enemy, or a bloody cleaver."
    (Timothy Lane's dialogue)
  21. Unnecessary questions
  22. Frieda Lane: "How the hell does Buttercup maintain his muscles with such little protein in his diet?"
    (Frieda Lane's dialogue)
  23. Buttercup: "I can hear you breathing. That means you and I haven't met. The Family thought they could set up this string bean to take the fall in my audit. It's far from a fair fight. I'd like to pick on someone more my size, like you. Tell you what, if you can beat me, I'll leave. Unlike these suit-wearing numbskulls, I ain't a thug. You have my word."
    (Buttercup's dialogue)
  24. Buttercup: "Well, look who the Family got tangled in their mess this time. Didn't think we'd be seeing each other again like this. Tell you what, peanut. I've got ol' Billy here by the neck. If you can take me down, I let him go free. The odds aren't in your favor."
    (Buttercup's dialogue)
  25. Buttercup: "You again? You here because you like gambling, or getting your ass kicked? Doesn't matter. Deal's the same as last time. Better hurry. Billy isn't getting any younger. And soon, he won't be getting any older, either."
    (Buttercup's dialogue)
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