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For other uses of the term Zip, see Zip. |
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Ricky "Zip"[Non-game 1] is a nine-year-old boy in Little Lamplight in Fallout 3.
Background[]
Hyperactive and quickly-spoken, Zip's energy is put to use as one of Little Lamplight's scouts and scavengers, a role he utilizes to further fuel his Nuka-Cola addiction by claiming any Nuka-Cola he finds for himself.[Non-game 1] His speediness assists with scavenging efforts, but it also worries him as one time he ran so fast he thought his legs would fly off, before calming down as he remembered "legs don't have wings."[1] Apart from searching for Nuka-Cola, he uses scavenging as an opportunity to trade the items he has found in exchange for the beverage, an offer he can present to the Lone Wanderer from first approach.[2][3] He is more than willing to trade anything he finds strictly for Nuka-Cola—though not for any other beverage (including Nuka-Cola Quantum which he drank once, causing him to burp extremely loudly, and subsequently proceed to blackout and lose all memory of the following week).[4][5] He is happy to propose anything from a "measly old 10 mil" that he labels a "lucky bullet" on the basis it was the only round he found not fired off, to mutfruit that he disparages for being less sweet than Nuka-Cola, to mentats that Lucy has warned him against consuming on the basis that they taste "yucky."[6][7][8] Less enthusiastically, he is willing to part with a stimpak that Lucy has explicitly told him to always carry on his person, or even his "most, most prized possession": a microfusion cell that Squirrel identified for him.[9][10] If his deal is rejected, he will beg that the Lone Wanderer save the Nuka-Cola for him, or if he runs out of items to offer, asks they return the following day so they can "have more Nuka for me to have more Nuka."[11][12] Upon a successful deal, however, he can happily exclaim that he has won the Nuka-Cola game, a game where the prize is Nuka-Cola; likewise, the mere possibility of being offered the beverage can have him chanting "Nuka 4 Zip," proclaiming it is always better to have more Nuka-Cola than less.[13][14]
He asserts his offer is always available unless, according to him, he dies from drinking too much Nuka-Cola, but he brushes this concern off almost immediately as he reassures that everybody knows this outcome is impossible.[15] Similarly, if the Lone Wanderer rescinds a trade with Zip on the basis that he has consumed too much sugar for the day, he will resort to whining that the beverage is labeled as "fortified with vitaminerals and health tonics" in an attempt to persuade them of its health benefits for him.[16] Alternatively, a successful trade can have him singing to himself "Nuka-Cola, Nuka-Cola, makes a stomach bubbly and the world so jumbly."[17] Much like his one-off experience with Nuka-Cola Quantum, he had an incident on one occasion whereby he placed gunpowder in Nuka-Cola, consumed it (noting it tasted "kinda funny"), and again lost part of his memory save for recalling that everything went "swirly" at one point and that he "flew around."[18] His Nuka-Cola addiction is to a point where he "honestly" volunteers to be the Lone Wanderer's best friend on the condition they provide him with even a bit of Nuka-Cola, or greets them asking if they have any good stories before quickly broaching the subject of if they have any of the beverage for him.[19][20] Lucy, as Little Lamplight's resident doctor, is aware of the addiction and refers to Zip as being full of his own "little chemical problems," with his Nuka-Cola addiction being a "soda problem" that she finds relatively bad.[21][22]
As his addiction makes him jumpy, Mayor Maccready has prohibited Zip from carrying a gun around town, stemming from a past incident that now means he must forfeit his gun into lockdown each time he returns from scavenging.[3][23][Non-game 1] Although Zip dismisses the event as an accident, he is aware that the other Little Lamplight residents do not like him having a gun in town anymore after this.[2] Regardless, he sees the ban on him as an excuse to drink more Nuka-Cola instead, reasoning that if he is not allowed his gun, then this must mean he can drink more of the beverage.[3] Due to this track record, the one time Zip scavenged a laser gun it was confiscated from him by MacCready, worried that Zip would accidentally take out someone's eye and consequently anger Eclair.[24] However, Zip is allowed back his gun if it is needed to deal with "mungos" who should not be in Little Lamplight; on first encounter, he questions the Lone Wanderer's presence as he debates whether they need to be shot or not, asking that they stay put while he goes to fetch his weapon.[23][25] He can go so far as to query the Lone Wanderer themself for confirmation as to whether he needs to shoot them, though would rather avoid this outcome.[25] However, if the Lone Wanderer harms any of the Little Lamplight inhabitants, Zip changes his tune to wanting to cure the Lone Wanderer of this habit by shooting them.[26]
Zip's propensity for getting distracted during scavenging missions has led to Eclair mildly reprimanding him, as he has forgotten to bring him items like meat or kindling needed for cooking.[27][28] Zip can be heard initially panicking as he guesses the issue Eclair will bring up with him, including whether the food he scavenged tasted funny or if they had suddenly run out of food, before quickly defending himself by assuring Eclair he has not been sneaking any snacks.[27] When not out scavenging, Zip spends his time running around badgering the other children, or even asking to follow the Lone Wanderer around, causing Knick Knack to lament having to put up with Zip's shenanigans.[29][30][Non-game 1] In an effort to keep Zip distracted from constantly asking him about any hidden Nuka-Cola, Knick Knack has managed to convince Zip that he has a six pack of the beverage concealed near a "magic rock," hoping this ruse will keep Zip occupied for weeks at the minimum searching for it.[31] Zip has a fascination with rocks, and can be heard recounting to a dismissive Princess that he is happy because he is alive, has food and shelter, and because he found an "awesome rock."[32] Similarly, Knick Knack has heard him complaining over one of the younger children having a rock that looked dirty, though Knick Knack comments that Zip barely knows whether something is clean or not anyway.[33] Akin to Knick Knack's magic rock scheme, Knock Knock has also previously managed to persuade Zip that one of the rocks in the area grants wishes.[34] Despite annoying the other children during his habit of running around Little Lamplight in his time off, he is subsequently capable of providing directions to the Lone Wanderer if asked.[35] Apart from his interest with rocks, Zip has been easily distracted during a scavenging trip in the past by finding out what some rats were doing.[28]
Zip has theories over where his nickname originated from, including that it may be tied to zippers because he wears pants (though dismisses this as others wear pants), or that it stems from how fast he is due to what the other children have told him (which he also dismisses on the basis everyone else is just too slow).[36][37] He can introduce himself to the Lone Wanderer as Zip, "like a zipper," before correcting himself because he is "not made of metal" but does go up and down.[2] If questioned about the origin of his nickname, he poses his own suggestions for names he could be called, including "Yancy" and "Eustace P. Vanderbanger the Third."[37] He may ponder aloud to the Lone Wanderer about what his nickname could be short for, proposing "Zippy," "Zipperick" and "Ziptholomew" as options—despite his real name being Ricky.[2] Regardless, he sees his nickname as mysterious to him as how people "made the bubbles in Nuka-Cola."[37]
His theories extend to the "big, scary monsters" inhabiting Vault 87, which he can bet the Lone Wanderer is going to kill, but not before interjecting that they might eat the Lone Wanderer's face off first.[38] Zip indulges in rumors, including one that the "Brotherhood of Steelies" are, under their suits, giant cockroaches that have learned to build machines, speak, and fire guns.[39] Per his super mutant rumor, on the other hand, he speculates that mutants were once ghouls who suffered an allergic reaction after being bitten by ants.[40]
Interactions with the player character[]
Interactions overview[]
| Interactions | ||
|---|---|---|
  |
This character is essential. Essential characters cannot be killed. | |
  |
This character starts quests. | |
Quests[]
- Zip's Nuka Fix: He will trade the player character random items for Nuka-Cola.
Inventory[]
| Apparel | Weapon | Other items |
|---|---|---|
| Kid's cave rat outfit Kid's Murray the Mole hat |
Chinese pistol | Nuka-Cola |
Notes[]
- Zip speaks at normal speed when the Lone Wanderer ends a conversation with him by telling him to "stay away."
- Sometimes, he will follow the Lone Wanderer around Little Lamplight and will continually talk about Nuka-Cola.
- Though dialogue options specify giving Zip ice cold Nuka-Cola, regular Nuka-Cola will suffice.
- Although the Fallout 3 Game Guide states Zip has never heard of Nuka-Cola Quantum before, this is contradicted by an incident he recounts in-game whereby he lost his memory for a week after drinking it on one occasion.[5][Non-game 2]
Notable quotes[]
- "My name's Zip. I don't think that's short for anything, because I don't know what it'd be short for. Zippy? Zipperick? Ziptholomew?"
- "Yay! Nuka-Cola, Nuka-Cola, makes a stomach bubbly and the world so jumbly, yay!"
- "I guess it's just one of those mysteries that'll never really get answered, sort of like how people made the bubbles in Nuka-Cola. Say, got any Cola?"
Appearances[]
Zip appears only in Fallout 3.
References[]
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Non-game
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition p. 93:
"Ricky "Zip":
Zip is nine and acts as one of the occasional scouts and scavengers for Little Lamplight, which perfectly suits his speedy and hyperactive nature. As a bonus, it allows him to have first dibs on any Nuka-Cola he can find, a drink he's quite addicted to. When he's not out finding resources for the town, he runs around town, pestering people and generally being feisty. MacCready insists that Zip doesn't get to keep his gun when he's back in town...not since that accident a while ago." - ↑ Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition p. 340:
"Freeform Quest: Zip's Nuka fix:
Zip, the kid wearing the mole outfit and who's on the scavenging team, is too jumpy for a gun, but he’s still on the lookout for items— specifically Nuka-Cola. If you have any regular Nuka-Cola Bottles that haven't been drunk (not Quantum; Zip might explode if he knew about that little concoction!), he’ll trade you one of the items he’s scavenged (once per 24 hours)."
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