#roswell discourse

[spacehomos]

Is anyone gonna match my freak (being somewhat of a conspiracy theorist about the govt lying about aliens)

[dr-lizortecho]

finally cracked the code! Liz is hot. And as the captain of the Liz is hot ship I should have seen it sooner, truly. But it’s not that Kyliz is written by a lot of people who dislike Max, or that Guertecho is written so far removed from the narrative or that Lizobel is written for earlier sapphic content.

It’s Liz is hot and therefore slotted into an empty space, her character made to complement whomever she’s being paired with instead of them naturally coming together. She’s written as broken enough to be fixed and in need of someone steady and caring like Kyle, she’s written as someone clever enough to keep up with Michael but never outshining him- someone capable of understanding his pain but not to the grand scale of never having a safe space, she’s written as someone unsure of herself and her desires who either mistook something with Max as real or is confused by their sexuality- which NONE OF THESE IS INCORRECT (except being not as smart as Michael- I mean bitch come on) it’s just she’s watered down to the bone to accommodate her in fic love interest

[manesalex]

I can't believe I'm going to reblog rnm discourse in 20fucking23, but here we are.

First, I want to cosign what @ladymajavader said.

Additionally, I think most of the viewers understood why Maria was upset and that her feelings were valid. They were upset about the way she handled it and the way the show continued to the end to excuse every single thing she did, no matter how much she hurt everyone around her.

I don't want to go through all of it specifically because it's a lot. But I do want to discuss the scene where she brought this specific issue up with Alex.

Maria goes to Alex and says, essentially, that she can't be as mad at him because they're even. Now, I'm not even going to go into the way she specifically hurt him and the way he didn't share something that wasn't his to share isn't at all equivalent. What I do want to address is how she never once apologizes for what she did to him. Instead, it's a child's response. "You hurt me and I hurt you so we're even." The way the show both did this and never allowed Alex to be angry or hurt about what she did to him is my villain origin story.

And then we find out she only went there because she needed something from him (for him to help her with Mimi's laptop). Which, really, is a perfect encapsulation of their entire friendship from s2 onward (I loved s1 Maria, so I may be extra salty at the show for getting rid of this complex, flawed character and replacing her with a character who uses pretty much everyone and yet is narratively treated like a saint).

Look, Maria was not entitled to the aliens secret, and Alex and Liz were in no position to be the ones to let her in on that secret, however Maria’s feelings of anger and betrayal are completely jusitified. Humans and aliens alike are complex, and while knowing the secret may not have had any difference in what happened to Maria at Noah’s hands, there is also a possibility that it could have.  I don’t understand why more fans can’t understand her reaction to the whole thing. I don’t blame Michael or the pod squad for keeping their secret, they do that to protect themselves and unfortunately it is needed in their world. I also don’t blame Alex or Liz for not telling Maria either, because it was not their secret to divulge. I don’t think any of them were in the wrong in this (aside from Noah), but I do understand all their perspectives, and I understand why Maria would feel the way she feels, and she is not wrong or stupid for it! 

[joeyclaire]

Roswell I’m engaging in homestuck discourse in 2025 and it’s draining on my soul. I wanted you to know that seeing your hockey rpf posting on my dash was like a beautiful breath of fresh air in this dark time. I owe you everything

love you forever and ever willow!!!

[mundanesalad]

21, 24 for media of choice. grins.

Hihihi roswell my friend roswell!!! :) ty :)

[choose violence ask game]

21. part of canon you think is overhyped

Neopets: Perfect customs are stupid! My weird pets will wear weird shit if I want it!

Disco Elysium: I largely don't care about the other RCM officers outside of Kim and Harry.

I was gonna make a joke about how i think tier lists are largely overrated but i got distracted by one.

24. topic that brings up the most rancid discourse

[pantomimes pouring another glass of whiskey and gestures to this post]

[nerdy-frog98]

Master List of Fandoms

Hey, welcome to my page! I have been a longtime lurker on Tumblr, but have never really participated in fandom discourse/discussions here until late-2022. This blog is multi-fandom, where I post generally about the things I am obsessed over (movies and shows mostly, occasionally beautiful people & music). This post is my list of fandoms (for my own personal organization, but this probably helps you understand who I am a little bit too!)

ACTIVE (media I actively watch & fangirl about. currently obsessed in a way that is probably unhealthy. ships i love will be posted in parentheses.)

9-1-1 (BUDDIE, Bathena, Henren, and Madney)

Doctor Who (Tenrose, Doctor + River)

Stranger Things (BYLER, Jancy, Jopper)

The Last of Us (Dellie)

Bridgerton (POLIN, Kanthony)

Gen V (MarieJordan)

Good Omens (Aziracrow)

Shadow and Bone (Malina, KANEJ, Wesper, Helnik, Zoyalai)

Heartstopper (all of the canon couples, but especially TaraDarcy 💗)

Red, White, and Royal Blue (Firstprince)

Percy Jackson (Percabeth)

INACTIVE (media I was once obsessed with and still think about on occasion. Will sometimes rewatch one and end up bumping it up to the active section...lol.)

Captain America (Stucky)

Loki (LOKIUS)

Young Royals (Wilmon)

Anne With An E (Shirbert ❤️)

Sherlock (Johnlock)

Warrior Nun (Avatrice)

The Umbrella Academy (DiegoLila)

Roswell: New Mexico (MALEX, I added their song below)

Merlin

Prodigal Son

Gotham

Killing Eve

His Dark Materials

Half-Bad - The Bastard Son and the Devil Himself

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Prodigal Son

TURN: Washington's Spies

Bones

Criminal Minds

White Collar

This will be added to and updated constantly. Thank you for visiting my page, and happy scrolling!

[sinceileftyoublog]

Riot Fest 2023 Preview: 4 Reasons to Come Early, 1 to Stay Late

Just Mustard; Photo by Olof Grind

BY JORDAN MAINZER

Is it me, or is this the biggest Riot Fest yet? The independently run festival has managed to book bands that can fill arenas (Foo Fighters, The Cure), in-demand anniversary full album plays (Transatlanticism, Give Up, Last Splash), and previous headliners as sub-headliners (Queens of the Stone Age). As always, though, there are just as many highlights in the fine print as on the first row. Here are our top 5 picks: 4 reasons to show up before sunset, 1 to stay till the very end.

FRIDAY

Quasi; Photo by John Clark

Quasi, 1:25 PM, Roots Stage

A couple years ago, if you had asked me what band I thought would have a post-pandemic reunion, Quasi would have been at the bottom of my list. The duo of Sam Coomes and ex-Sleater-Kinney drummer Janet Weiss hadn't released a full-length since 2013, and in 2019, a car crashed into Weiss's car, which broke both of her legs and collarbone. As it turns out, during her recovery and COVID lockdown, Weiss, along with Coomes, used free time to bang out new songs in Quasi's practice space. The result is their Sub Pop debut and first album in 10 years, the awesomely titled Breaking the Balls of History, released earlier this year. The album is certainly of a time and place, riddled with references to pandemic-era isolation and the anti-science Neanderthals that have dominated discourse on the political right. But what stands out more is how revitalized these two sound to play music together, and Weiss in general. If her departure from Sleater-Kinney came after an album that minimized her role as a drummer, her meaty fills absolutely dominate "Last Long Laugh", "Queen of Ears", "Riots & Jokes", and "Nowheresville". In tandem with Coomes' fuzzed-out guitar and warped keyboards, Weiss' timekeeping creates an almost retrofuturist aesthetic, 60's pop harmonies rubbing elbows with distorted keys and drums on tracks like "Shitty Is Pretty". And The one I can't wait to hear most at the festival is "Doomscrollers", a surefire anthem for those crumbling under the weight of the world--or their phones--and even "everyone else just tryna get by / To stay alive or at least not die."

Screaming Females

Screaming Females, 4:50 PM, Rebel Stage

Desire Pathway (Don Giovanni), the first album in 5 years from the New Jersey punk greats, is a an album inspired by and about breakup and heartbreak. Thankfully, it doesn't sound down in the dumps. In fact, it's quite the contrary, the hardest rocking Screaming Females album yet, less snot-nosed punk and more mammoth metal. As much as Marissa Paternoster likens herself to "a freight train in the desert dragging chains," her theatrical vocal performances and limber axe wielding show a musician at the top of her class. The album starts unexpectedly, with feedback-heavy synths on "Brass Bell", but not before Paternoster and drummer Jarrett Dougherty enter with power riffs and snares akin to your favorite sludge band. Even a summertime sadness rave-up like "Ornament" yields the same sneering, anthemic quality as the best Screaming Females songs, Paternoster menacingly chanting, "An ornament / Your head hangs heavy on it." So as much as she offers a sense of humility on "Let Me Into Your Heart" and "Titan", don't get in her way on Friday.

Foo Fighters, 8:00 PM, Riot Stage

You know the story by now. In a short amount of time, Dave Grohl experienced two devastating losses: the passing of his mother Virginia and the tragic, sudden death of Foo Fighters' longtime drummer, Taylor Hawkins. Such periods of shock often cause massive shifts in life perspective, and perhaps, as a silver lining, it caused him to rethink things musically. Songs on recent Foo Fighters albums seemingly followed the tired formula of starting out quiet and melodic and building into an instrumental avalanche and full-throated screams. But Here We Are (Roswell/RCA), on which Grohl plays all the drums, instead recalls earlier Foo Fighters albums with confident and consistent paces and even explores new territory for the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers. It starts immediately raw and in shock on "Rescued", Grohl describing learning about Hawkins' death in clear terms: "It came in a flash / It came out of nowhere." Elsewhere, the wah wah guitars of an umptempo jam like "Under You" recall the talk box thrills of an older tune like "Generator", and the strutting drum and guitar interplay of "Nothing At All" ascends with a clatter like the band's early Aughts records.

As But Here We Are goes on, the band opts for the unexpected. On the self-reflexive "Show Me How", Grohl and his daughter Violet duet over shoegaze electric guitars and dream pop strumming, singing about his mom's passing, realizing the same thing will one day happen for Violet. The penultimate "The Teacher" is like a ten-minute question, Grohl wondering how to deal with grief and anxious about life and death, wincing, "Who's at the door now?" over scraped guitars and strings. The song slows down and rebuilds gradually with a chugging drum beat and chiming, dreamy guitars, ending with static. That sets up "Rest", on which Grohl repeats, "You can rest now." Such a statement seems like it's as much a mantra for himself as it is a directive to Hawkins and his mother. "Life is just a game of luck," he declares, "All this time escaping us, until our time is through." After the biggest explosion of guitar distortion on a major label radio rock record since "Hurt", Grohl ends the song, "In the warm Virginia sun, there I will meet you." That it's the name of the state in which he grew up and of his mother is not a coincidence, as he's using the memory of his mom, Hawkins--heck, even Kurt Cobain--for comfort.

With new drummer Josh Freese in tow, stay late and catch Foo Fighters performing songs from their best album since The Colour and the Shape.

SATURDAY

100 Gecs

100 Gecs, 7:00 PM, Radical Stage

When 100 Gecs released "mememe", the first single from what would be their long-awaited second album 10,000 Gecs (Dog Show/Atlantic), the first thing you noticed was that Laura Les' vocals were notably less pitch-shifted. A trans woman who had experienced voice dysphoria, Les was now taking voice lessons and deciding to reveal her voice unaffected. That, and her experience with gender transition surgeries and HRT treatments, informs some lines on songs on 10,000 Gecs. "I did science on my face," she sings on "Dumbest Girl Alive". "Everybody shuts the fuck up when I'm passing / You can see me on the fuckin' news, and I'm laughing," she sings presciently on "The Most Wanted Person in the United States", as a few days later, the notoriously anti-LGBTQ+ Fox News would go on to play 100 gecs on air due to anchor Greg Gutfield's fandom. This is the world in which 100 gecs thrive, appealing to all by feeling free to be themselves, refreshingly sans irony no matter how bonkers their juxtapositions. Ribbits nestle between guitar strums and harmonies on the ska-infused "Frog On The Floor". "One Million Dollars" creates a dance jam out of TikTok TTS voice, samples from anti-weed government propaganda, and Primus-level wiry breakdowns. "Hollywood Baby" and "Billy Knows Jamie" are respective tributes to pop punk and nu metal. And Les sings about everything from snack foods to her removed tooth like long lost loves. Even if they sound anything but, 100 gecs might just be the most earnest band around.

SUNDAY

Just Mustard, 1:15 PM, Riot Stage

You don't normally associate minimalism and ambiguity with bands playing Riot Fest, those with riffs and messages that hit you over the head and hooks and feelings sky-high. I bet Irish post-punk quintet Just Mustard wins over some festivalgoers looking for respite, whether from the sun or the distant cry of pop punk. Last year, they released their second album Heart Under (Partisan), and the first on which Katie Ball took full-time lead vocals. Their deliberate tempos and masterful control of dynamics should serve as hypnotic as it is beguiling.

[mariailoveyou-guerin]

people asking why I know miluca is endgame maybe because Micheal only ever made food for Maria while he picked up food for Alex from Liz dads dinner see the difference y’all it’s always gonna be Maria he said I love you to her first even tho him and Alex was supposedly cosmic, he was watching her like a hawk in s1 when the whole alien body snatcher thing was happening didn’t even bath an eye for Alex and so so many more hints!

I’ll watch all their seasons again and make full thread but the fact that he didn’t even go after Alex after 2x06 but looked after Maria also proved she’s always first to him , will always be 1st and that’s why they’re endgame

[michaeldeluca]

People really out here losing their minds over a poster...

[prouvaireafterdark]

Can I just say that if C*rina really did have one foot out the door the whole time they wrote and filmed season 2... it actually makes the clusterfuck that was season 2 make a little more sense

Like, it was bad because the showrunner literally didn’t give a single fuck about it 

Also, all those times we said she didn’t understand or care about Alex her characters.... we were right

[planetsam]

My thoughts on Carina leaving basically boil down to LGBTQIA+ representation should not come at the expense of POC and black characters. I say ‘and’ because while Carina has treated the POC characters inexcusably poorly, she has and continues to single out her black female leads for special torture. Her representation for LGBTQIA+ has not been great either but even if it was, that doesn’t mean what she’s done is okay. 

I wrote that we should be smarter than to fall into her racist traps, that we should be making the fandom welcoming for everyone. My hope is that the next show runner does that for the show itself. 

[lizziebennet92]

Here is Part 4

This is the 4th and final part of my threesome thoughts. Previous parts are here Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Here I deal with some character analysis and my thoughts on Malex moving forward after the threesome and in response to it.

This is all on character level when it comes to how this relates to Michael and Alex and specifically Malex

I’m so confused by some of the responses to it specifically when it comes to Malex.

Now, there are some people who fit into the “spreading the idea that it was assault” that I discussed in part 2. And because of that it seems they’re also spreading some “Michael is evil” And “Alex deserves better.” I think I’ve made my feeling on people calling it assault pretty clear. Those people are also obviously preaching that it ruins the entire concept of them as couple forever and I just don’t see that.

I’ve never really understood the whole “Alex deserves better than Michael” or “Michael deserves better than Alex” thing. I always find that annoying when I like a ship. They love each other, they deserve to work through their issues and be happy and healthy together.

But also, Michael asks what they’re doing before the threesome really starts, and he checks in with Alex the next day. He asked if a line was crossed. I do not think it’s a fair assessment of the situation to imply Michael forced Alex into something, or that he didn’t care about Alex’s feelings about it.

Also, I don’t see this as something that is ruining Malex. Michael’s perspective hasn’t really changed this season.  

Michael loves Alex, he’s attracted to him, he doesn’t want to be in a relationship with him right now, he’s interested in pursuing a romantic relationship with someone else.

He has a right to feel that way, just like Alex did in season 1 when he ended things. This threesome wasn’t really about Michael having to pick between the two of them, it was about getting Alex into a position where he wants to pursue real relationships with others. (which we learned he’s never really had)

Part of that has been this constant thing this season of letting each other go, but somehow ending up closer together than ever. We’ve seen it all season, with trying to be friends, the investigation, and the console piece.

To me the “I used to really think you and I were going to end up together” and the “I used to too” was another part of it. And I think it’s actually an important part, letting go of the idea of each other as this sort of back up in your mind.

First of all, those lines just reaffirmed how important to each other they are, how in love they’ve felt if they thought they’d “end up together” and secondly…

How are you supposed to have a real relationship with anyone else if you still have the idea that you’re going to end up with you first love in the back of your mind?

How could the two of them pursue a real healthy relationship together if they both keep walking away and it not mattering as much because they still just believe they’ll end up together.

They needed to let go of the idea that they’re just waiting to get back together and end up together in order for them to grow on their own and then be even stronger when they eventually do get back together. (I don’t agree that a threesome was how they should have gotten there, but that’s what happened)

Working on their issues separately is big part of the two of them right now. And a common thing in a romance drama before eventually getting back together.

I don’t buy into this whole “They broke up again! the whole ship is over, they’ll never get back together” thing that seems to happen in the fandom every week. Honestly I find that sort of exhausting. Like those two line this week were sad, but it wasn’t end of the ship sad.

They haven’t been a super fluffy couple ever. They’re obviously a traditional angst fest. I think expecting them to quickly resolve things and start being a fluffy couple just ignores the genre of the show. It’s not a fair expectation to put on them. So they’ll obviously disappoint.

Also, I do want to see them be happy and together for a long time. I don’t want to be rushed in at the end, but at the same time I’m not going to go “Michael chose Maria, so Malex is over forever!” when we know we still have at least a season and a half to go.

Even if Season 3 were to be the last (which I hope it’s not) we’d still only be halfway through the entire show now. There’s a lot of story to go.

There’s no sign that either Michael or Alex are going to be permanently killed off, or are otherwise leaving the show soon. To me that means I have no reason to freak out about them not being together. Not on a show like this. Which again is a romance drama.

And until the couple I want gets back together, I’ll just do my best to enjoy their individual storylines and their scenes with other people. They can be cute. It seems like a waste of energy to act otherwise.

Also, this is sort of a separate issue but something I’ve seen a lot in direct response to the threesome. If you call Malex “queerbait” you are being biphobic.

There should definitely be a conversation about differences in how the show treats same-gender vs. different-gender ships. (I’ve written a bit about this before) but queer characters do not just exist for the sake of shipping, and acting like the show “tricked you” with queer stuff ignores that two of the main characters are openly queer. And Isobel just made out with a girl.

So if you’re giving up on them as a couple that’s fine. But I haven’t seen anything that makes me think I should no longer root for them. And I personally do my best to ignore the weekly “Oh no they’re ruined forever!!!” (though I guess we skipped that last week.)

Anyway those are most of my threesome thoughts. If you’re confused by anything I said or would like me to expand on something or clarify feel free to let me know.

Part 1. Part 2. Part 3.

[mazzystar24]

Fandom rant:

I blocked another person from the stupid rnm class but I wanna point out for the one millionth time that I’m not white and I’m a woman and if one more blog that I would honestly bet money is run by a white person disregards my words and opinions toward a character’s ACTIONS not her race her ACTIONS as being misogynoir I will genuinely go insane because I have experienced racism and walking around labelling anybody who doesn’t like a POC character as racist (especially when they are a POC themselves) takes away from real fucking experiences with racism

[salmonthestoryteller]

Huh. I didn't realize people felt like Echo had a "bad ending" in the series finale. I know I'm not much of an Echo fan, but I didn't see anything sad about what happened? I guess it just made sense to me because it seemed to match their arc perfectly.

From the start Liz's story was about her learning not to run away. To trust that the people she loved wouldn't disappoint her and would return to her. To move past the fear her mother's abandonment and Rosa's death left her with.

From the start Max's story was to learn to stop hiding from who and what he was. To accept his alienness, to stop being afraid of his powers and the responsibility that came with them. To stop trying to be "just a guy from Roswell."

Max going to Oasis is him accepting who he is - it's him saying I'm no longer afraid of this. This is a part of who I am, and this is my responsibility and I accept that. Liz letting him go is proof that she is no longer haunted by the past. She is not afraid to let Max go to Oasis because she knows he will return to her. She's not running anymore.

They're literally engaged. He promises to marry her when he returns and we know that's going to happen. I know we didn't see it happen - but we know it will.

(Ironically, this was Isobel's ending in the source material. Trevor returns to their homeplanet to help there with the promise to return.)

Maybe I'd feel differently if I was more attached to them as a ship, but I'm not sure I would.

[neeterloveschenford]

I gotta put this out there. If folks hate me for it, then they hate me for it. Having just gotten into The Rookie and Chenford fandom and spending the last few years in the Roswell New Mexico fandom, I can honestly say the continuity issues that everyone gets upset about in s3 and s4 of The Rookie are downright laughable! You want continuity issues? Go watch RNM. Nobody behind the scenes has a clue about what happens from episode to episode, let alone season to season. Don't get me wrong. I still love that dumb show with all my heart and soul. I will be a sobbing mess on Monday night when the final episode airs. (I can't wait to see Malex get married!) But I can't help but chuckle every time I see someone post about how bad The Rookie is. Y'all just have no idea how good it really is. Rant over.

[manesalex]

Okay, now all I want is for Alex to join Rosa in New York. Find some people who actually give a shit about him. He continues to deserve so much better than any of these people.