#though writing-wise there's a couple moments that felt like her character was ping ponging a bit (a certain head and then jerky)

[optiwashere]

That new Fallout TV show reminded me why I avoid a lot of video game fandoms lol.

Dick jokes in my Fallout? Please ignore the porn star quest line in FO2 or the variety of crude sex jokes in every single game.

Anti-war, anti-fascist, anti-nationalist, and anti-capitalist rhetoric? Well, there's surely no thinly veiled satire in the first... all of the games (other than 3, probably) that deals with the inherent absurdity of capitalism in the face of nuclear war, touching on such topics as genocide, human experimentation, isolationism, and tribalism.

[hextrals]

rant post.

This episode was a mess for lots of reasons, and I absolutely need to rant about the reasons why, so here it is fellas.

1. This just fucking sucks.

Not only was this episode’s “reveal” painfully obvious from basically the very beginning, it’s also just disgusting. So we have this forth alien, this big bad, right? We don’t know who it is, we’re in anticipation. And who does it turn out to be? The brown muslim man of the group. Like, seriously? That creepy terrible person is a muslim person of color. Fan-fucking-tastic. Not only that, but the entire plot now is basically: the brown muslim man pretends to be someone he’s not, kills a bunch of people, acts incredibly creepy and makes the white people look bad for something he’s done. This is blatantly ignorant, outrageous and plays into absolutely terrible stereotypes. Unexcusable. Absolutely yikes.

P.S. For those who put Noah being muslim under question – please stop questioning tiny details, they just divert the conversation into a wrong direction. Because: a) even if Noah isn’t muslim, he is still a brown man, so that’s still plenty of racism for you, and b) even if Noah isn’t muslim, Karan is, so this still ends up playing into awful islamophobic stereotypes no matter how you look at it.

2. The only reasonable explanation is Maria has a clone.

So, what happened in this episode with Maria/Candy doesn’t make any goddamn sense. The whole “I don’t want you to leave” is just SO out of nowhere.

Let’s just recap what happened before. Maria and Michael have had a certain amount of banter. They obviously know each other, but they’re not close. Some people can argue that they’re friends – and honestly what you think about that simply depends on your definition of friendship, which is different for everyone – but surely we can all agree that they’re not close friends and don’t know much about each other. They had perhaps one moment of closeness, which was Michael comforting Maria that one time, but even then he’s done it mostly because he “gets it” and they clearly haven’t spoken about it. It was a “I understand feeling shitty and needing a shoulder to cry on, so here you go” rather than a “hey, tell me what happened, let me help, let’s get closer” type of thing.

Then, they hook up once, both clearly feeling nothing more than physical attraction towards each other. And let me remind you physical attraction and romantic attraction are two rather separate things, which not only often don’t align regarding a specific person (e.g. you’re physically attracted to a bunch of people – the ones you meat on the street, celebrities, etc., but you have romantic feelings only towards one person, in rarer cases a small amount of people), but also sometimes don’t align in general. What I mean by that is every person has a romantic orientation and a sexual orientation. For many people, they are the same (for example bisexual and biromantic), but for some people they aren’t (for example, pansexual and aromantic, or asexual and homoromantic). What I’m trying to get at here is: Michael and Maria obviously chose each other not because of some sort of connection they had (because – evidently – there was no time and/or reason for them to connect), but because they both know the other one is hot and attractive (some might even argue that Michael chose Maria because she’s Alex’s friend specifically, which is debatable, but possible, and disproves any sort of connection between the two even further). But just because they deemed each other attractive enough to fuck, doesn’t mean that they’re anywhere near developing romantic feelings towards each other. In fact it didn’t seem so at all – both vibe-wise and considering what Maria said multiple times both to Michael and Alex.

Speaking of what Maria said. First of all, the “it will never happen again” right after the hook up? There was zero amount of pressure on her to say something like that. She didn’t know about Malex, she obviously wanted it to happen the night before - it was all fine. And even though she didn’t have any feelings for Michael, they seemed to have a nice time together and casually repeating it wouldn’t be such a big deal. Still, Maria felt it necessary to make sure Michael knows something like that won’t happen again. And I don’t see any reason for Maria to lie about that – she clearly meant it.

Later on, when she’s talking with Alex and finds out that not only is Michael Alex’s current infatuation, he is also “the museum guy” and someone Alex feels hopeful about, which clearly means that Alex is in love with Michael (has been for a long time) and is still holding out hope for it to work out. Maria sees all that and assures Alex that it will never happen again, which is - of course - said by her to comfort Alex and assure him that she won’t hurt him like that again (which she realizes she did, even though unintentionally). But, also note how she’s repeating her previous words she said to Michael, and – as I’ve explained before – there was zero pressure for her to say them back then. So, this reads as not only her saying something to comfort Alex, but also simply stating what she’s already decided long ago.

While she’s trying to comfort Alex, there’s obviously a certain amount of pressure on her, since it’s an entirely new and a rather stressful situation. But, Alex isn’t asking any questions. And, Maria assuring him that it will never happen again would be quite enough. In fact, that’d leave some room for thought – some could then argue Maria has some sort of feelings for Michael, but is simply stepping away for Alex’s sake, which is why she didn’t mention anything about how she feels and simply said what she’d do. I don’t see it like that, but some might. However, with the first sentence, Maria also adds something incredibly important – she says it didn’t mean anything. Which to me seemed like clear cut truth at the time, especially because Maria had no reason to lie, since it wouldn’t be a very nice thing to do and she wasn’t really backed into a corner where she had to confess what she feels about Michael. She also doesn’t feel like the kind of person that would lie about something like that, because this is obviously important to Alex and the truth does hunt you down, so her lying about that really seemed out of question. Until this episode.

Not only did Maria say she doesn’t want Michael to leave completely out of nowhere, it was clearly so serious and dramatic that it’s much closer to “love” than “crush”. And, I don’t see Maria having a crush on Michael, but even if you think that all the scenes they had were full of romance and feelings, they’re most definitely not enough for her to develop anything more than a crush. So where the absolute hell did this whole thing come from? Hell, probably hell.

P.S. I would also like to point out that Maria repeatedly said no and never again to Michael/about the situation with Michael. The fact that they’re now showing that she wanted something with him and has had feelings for him this entire time plays into the terrible trope of women not really meaning “no” when they say “no” and encourages people to just push further (which is also kind of what Michael did) until the woman finally “breaks” and “finally tells the truth about how much she’s in love with you”, which… Fucking YIKES.

3. Michael, and whatever he is these days?

Honestly, Michael’s entire character was yeeted out of the window a couple of episodes ago, so I won’t talk much about this, but I just want to say that this episode was just him yeeting out further and further from what he originally was. All I’m gonna say is: Alex clearly left after he found out about Michael’s plans to leave, Michael clearly saw that, Michael also clearly still wants something with Alex, sooo…. Watcha doing, son? Make a fucking decision instead of tossing yourself around between two people like you’re a fucking ping pong ball. Also, what kind of decision is it again? Between this one person you’ve hooked up with once and whom you’re barely friends with, and this person you’ve been in love with for ten years, with whom you want to reconnect and who clearly wants to reconnect with you, even if it’s taking a while, which you understand entirely, because you know that it’s taking so long due to that person’s trauma that – and I can’t stress this enough – isn’t his fault? Yes, such a hard decision, no clear answers there, sir – absolutely not.

4. What is bisexuality, again?

So, I don’t know how many genders Michael is attracted to, but there are dozens of genders under the non-binary umbrella, so we gotta see him having a relationship with all those too, or otherwise he’s not a real bisexual!

Jokes aside, I mean come on! We were promised no tropes, and yet what are we going into? Slutty bisexual that can’t decide between two people of different genders. That’s what everyone knows to avoid, when writing bisexual characters, and you went right there. Moreover, instead of normalizing his relationship with men, because he clearly thinks he’s a part of “gay for you” story with the whole glitch thing and all, you put him in a millionth relationship with a woman. You’re just fucking up all ‘round, aren’t ya?

In conclusion, this episode was a MESS this was LONG and I’m ANGERY. Thanks for nothing and bye.

[feadae]

For the Fairytale Asks: Muse, Spark, Roses, Castle, Swan Lake, candlelight, princess, sweet daisies, and dwarf.

Ooh wow you flatter me!

Muse: How do you like to relax?As long as I’m sitting by myself somewhere without anyone trying to get my attention, I’m fairly relaxed, but ideally I’d be in the little Hobbit-hole I’ve constructed for myself under my dorm bed, reading, writing, or watching something, in pajamas, with my blanket with classic book quotes on it. The basement of the university library is really nice, too, because you’re required to be stone silent down there, and it’s got a bunch of different kinds of seating for different studying needs, and that seating includes small couches with three walls, so you can pull a small desk in front of yourself and only have distractions in front of you, or you can pull two of the pods together and have a lovely nap (which is not actually that uncommon).

Spark: Favorite film?I’m really bad at picking favorites, so if I’m not careful, I’m just going to list my entire movie library… I usually default to The Princess Bride or Dead Poets Society though, and DPS is a particular favorite at the moment.

Roses: What fictional universe would you like to live in?D e c i s i o n sIf we’re talking living during the events of the book/movie/what have you and being involved in them, then probably Lord of the Rings, just because I’d trust the Fellowship with my dang life and I’m already basically a Hobbit anyway. Or maybe Stardust, because I just really love that movie and being a sky pirate would be fun as hell and also Charlie CoxIf we’re talking living day-to-day, not interacting with any of the characters, but living in the universe, then probably Harry Potter, post-Second-Wizarding-War, just because magic.If we’re talking in between, interacting with the characters and going on adventures of your own, rather than the plot of the book/movie/what have you, then probably CotIG, because it’s got an enormous cast of interesting characters, and I love them all, and good Lord, what I wouldn’t give to live in Tamerlane House for even a day.I’ve thought about this too much

Castle: Favorite fictional character?D E C I S I O N SThere are a whole ton of characters whom I adore, and there’s no way I’m choosing a most favorite from all of them, but a good default answer would be Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, and Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter. Say what you will about HP and JKR, and chances are I’ll agree, but I’ll never be able to ditch Harry Potter, because it was a hugely formative part of my childhood (seriously, one of my favorite memories is a few months after Deathly Hallows was published–a family tradition from the time I discovered HP in second grade was for my mom to read the books out loud to the whole family a chapter or two at a time–we had just reached the Battle of Hogwarts, it was a Friday night, and my brother and I were about to go to bed, but we wanted to know what happened next, so Mom made us a deal: we would get ready for bed and she would sit out in the hall with Dad and read while we got ready (our rooms and the bathroom we used were all within 20 feet of each other and it was a narrow hallway). So that was what we did, and when we were both ready for bed, we sat down next to Mom and Dad while Mom finished the chapter, and then she kept going, and we didn’t complain because hey we got to find out what happened next and we got to stay up late, and that was how we finished the series–sitting on the floor of the hallway, all four of us, in our pajamas, and Mom said, “The scar hadn’t pained him in 19 years. All was well.” and closed the book and we just sat there with the best Post-Book Bittersweetness I’ve ever experienced). And I’m pretty Hermione-ish now, but when I was a little kid, I was basically a carbon copy of Young Hermione (personality-wise), and I dressed as Hermione for Halloween for four years in a row, and she’s been my favorite character for a long time. As I grew up and got used to the fact that you don’t have to have just one favorite anything, my Favorite Character roster expanded exponentially, and I grew to love Ginny and Luna as much as I love Hermione, because they’re all badasses in their own ways and they each have valuable lessons that they taught little Elementary-School Me, that I carry with me to this day, and I swear I will listen to any critiques you may have about JKR’s writing, but these characters are way too near and dear to my heart for me to eschew HP altogether.(And yes I realize I could have answered this question with “prolly Hermione lol” and done the trick but that’s not how I function)

Swan Lake: Do you like poems? If so, what’s one of your favorites?Fun fact: I didn’t care about poetry that much until the first time I watched Dead Poets Society, and then I went on a spree with a poetry anthology my mom had, basically taking it as my own and dog-earing the pages of poems I liked (this very anthology is on my desk in my dorm room as we speak, lo these many years later). I still don’t know very much about poetry, nor do I usually care to learn, but I’ll always have a soft spot for Shakespeare and Poe, and in the weeks of obsession after I rewatch Dead Poets Society, I pull that anthology back out and reread my dog-eared poems. So here are a couple of those.“Engraved on the Collar of a Dog, Which I Gave to His Royal Highness” by Alexander PopeI am his Highness’ dog at Kew;Pray tell me, sir, whose dog are you?“The Laboratory” by Robert Browning Now that I, tying thy glass mask tightly,My gaze through these faint smokes curling whitely, As thou plyest thy trade in this devil’s smithy–Which is the poison to poison her prithee?

He is with her; and they know that I knowWhere they are, what they do: they believe my tears flowWhile they laugh, laugh at me, at me fled to the drearEmpty church to pray God in, for them!–I am here. 

Grind away, moisten and mash up thy paste,Pound at thy powder–I am not in haste!Better sit thus, and observe thy strange things,Than go where men wait me and dance at the King’s.

That, in the mortar–you call it a gum?Ah, the brave tree whence such gold oozings come!And yonder soft phial, the exquisite blue,Sure to taste sweetly–is that poison too?

Had I but all of them, the and thy treasures,What a wild crowd of invisible pleasures!To carry pure death in an earring, a casket,A signet, a fan-mount, a filigree basket!

Soon, at the King’s a mere lozenge to giveAnd Pauline should have just thirty minutes to live!But to light a pastille, and Elise, with her headAnd her breast and her arms and her hands, should drop dead!

Quick–is it finished? The color’s too grim!Why not soft like the phial’s, enticing and dim?Let it brighten her drink, let her turn it and stir,And try it and taste, ere she fix and prefer!

What a drop! She’s not little, no minion like me–That’s why she ensnared him: this never will freeThe soul from those masculine eyes–say “no!”To that pulse’s magnificent come-and-go.

For only last night, as they whispered, I broughtMy own eyes to beat on her so, that I thoughtCould I keep them one half minute fixed, she would fall,Shriveled; she fell not; yet this does it all!

Not that I bid you spare her the pain!Let death be felt and the proof remain;Brand, burn up, bite into its grace–He is sure to remember her dying face!

Is it done? Take my mask off! Nay, be not morose;It kills her, and this prevents seeing it close:The delicate droplet, my whole fortune’s fee–If it hurts her, beside, can it ever hurt me?

Now, take all my jewels, gorge gold to your fill,You may kiss me, old man, on my mouth if you will!But brush this dust off me, lest horror it bringsEre I know it–next moment I dance at the King’s!

My choir in high school also sang a song with the text from “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost, and the song was freaking gorgeous, so that poem’s close to my heart too.

Candlelight: Coffee or tea?Honestly, probably neither. I’d love to like both of them, but no matter how much cream and sugar I put in them, I can’t get past the bitterness. I do like the occasional chai latte, though (they’re like liquefied snickerdoodles!), so both and neither at the same time, I guess.

Princess: Favorite TV show at the moment?I don’t watch TV that much; I don’t have the time to commit to whole seasons of things… I’m not even remotely caught up, but I enjoyed the few episodes I watched of A Series of Unfortunate Events. I also binged the first 10-11 episodes of Switched at Birth the other day, but I’m really only watching it for the ASL. I don’t really like any of the characters, except Daphne and Melody and probably Regina. I want to like Emmett, I really do, but boy needs to get his romantic feelings under control; he can’t keep ping-ponging between Daphne and Bay. That’s gonna end really poorly.EDIT: Can’t believe I forgot these–The West Wing and NCIS are staples in my life. NCIS is just loads of fun, and I love the characters, and I could rant for days about how damn GOOD The West Wing is. It was written by Aaron Sorkin, who’s one of my favorite playwrights (he wrote A Few Good Men, the play the movie’s based on), and it’s just written so damn well. I don’t typically give a shit about the inner workings of the government, but The West Wing makes me give many shits. Many of them. All the characters are intellectual badasses, and I love them all so much.

Sweet Daisies: Do you believe in love at first sight?That’s called infatuation, kiddos, and it’s not healthy for anyone.

Dwarf: Do you enjoy horror films?I’ve never seen any, because I’m only a few years out of spending 95% of my time with my family, and my mom hates horror films with a passion, so we never watched any. I don’t have an interest in that many of them, either, ‘cause I’m a bit of a scaredy-cat (barely made it through Chapter One of Bendy and the Ink Machine; quit five minutes into FNAF 1), but I really wanna watch A Quiet Place, primarily because ASL and partially because my horror-movie-aficionado friends say the atmosphere was like nothing they’ve ever experienced.

Thanks, Al! Sorry about the wall of text, but I’m really glad I got the opportunity to type it all!