And saga continues XD
How all of this started
Initially, the creation of the Apocalyptic Aristocracy group was somewhat of a joke — VectorZarak didn't even have a subscription himself at the time. But, as he started inviting players to the clan, word started getting out, and memes about the Fallout 1st high life started exploding.
"Within a day or two we reached 100 members," VectorZarak recalls. (As of this writing, the Aristocracy is staffed by nearly 300 players.) "There was a real change in the dynamic as people flooded in. The anti-subscription players had become very toxic, so much so that players could not even discuss the private servers or the bonuses that came with them without being insulted or yelled at. What started as a joke quickly turned into a safe haven, where players who had subscribed could openly discuss Fallout 1st topics without being attacked."
As VectorZarak tells it, the group doesn't truly look down on people who don't have a subscription. In part, the whole idea is meant to satirize elitists, and the people who insist that Fallout 76 has a class tension. But if you speak to the members themselves, the role-play starts blurring the lines a little thanks to folks and memes who refer to non-paying 76ers as "peasants."
When I asked players why they're a part of the group, the first response I got back was from Terry Mollinet, who says, "We joined because we're better than everyone else." Mollinet later clarified that it was a joke, but other fans seem to like holding up the veneer, because things are more fun that way.
"I really enjoy getting under someone's skin and then at the end hitting them with the good old, 'learn to laugh, it's just a joke and only a game' to later double down on my trolling," said Jeremy Songer, one of the Aristocrat's leading meme-developing troublemakers.
"I joined to whip ass and chew on peasants, and I'm all outta peasants," Shibby Hocker said on Facebook.
Donald Meeks, another member of the clan, stated, "We are simply classier and wealthier than the common rabble! Why sully yourself on a public server when you can hoard legendaries for yourself and sell them for a massive profit to the less fortunate!"
Kenny Tull, another Fallout 76 fan, gave me a thoughtful response about how he felt the outrage against Fallout 1st was "manufactured" by YouTubers, given that there's actually plenty of utility in the subscription.
"I get two days off a week, sometimes less," Tull said. "I don't have time to grind challenges for atoms, or fight to farm for workshops," he continued, noting that the subscription helps him with those issues. But all the same, he ended his rationale with something very tongue-in-cheek. "We're also definitely superior to the peasant class and we needed to band together to keep them off our slightly scorched front lawns."
How all of this started
