#sorta ranty

[fazbott]

Alright fellas, make no mistake, I obviously love the ghouls in Fallout. I've always been a fan of their designs, from 1 to NV, and even their more muted decay in 4, and the overall role they play in the story of Fallout as a whole.

But, I feel like their thematic element is something Fallout as a whole avoids, (though I'm not 100% sure on how they're handled in 1 and 2 due to my limited playtime of those games), with them getting the most attention in 3 and barely any in NV. The games do establish the discrimination of ghouls, but that's really it. There's no one really on their side in any of the games. In FO3, humans in Megaton go out of their way to abuse Gob, and the B.O.S shoot them on sight. In FO:NV, in the NCR, they're allowed to hold positions but they still face heavy discrimination from their human peers, the Legion as a whole disregards them, and overall, people still dislike them despite their far and few appearances. And in FO4, ghouls were straight up left to die after being forced from Diamond City, with the guards having the audacity to call Hancock a "thing" if you have him as a companion when visiting there.

It's one of the things that boggles me most in Fallout, why does it seem that everyone is against ghouls? It's rare to hear someone speak positively of them, and even upon meeting Preston, it was a surprise (and relief) to hear his pleasant stance on them- They're irradiated people, but... They're still people. But my question is, where are the humans who're willing to help them? Why is it that the only thing willing to help ghouls are, well, other ghouls? Sure, it's nice to see them living in their own communities, Underworld, the Slog, and Goodneighbor especially considering both ghouls and humans reside together there. But... all those settlements and communities were established by ghouls in the first place, because they literally had nowhere else to go.

You can't tell me there aren't sympathetic humans in Fallout, because there are. There's got to be some humans out there that are like, "This is bullshit! They're people too!". I love the allegory with the Railroad, I really do, helping synths is great and I do like their involvement in 4, but... You didn't have to make it about synths. You could've totally had a group of people that tried to help ghouls and the message would've been the same. Ghouls have lives and loved ones, they're the hardest motherfuckers in the wasteland, surviving against all odds in a world that made them and then casted them out. And yet, they're ignored by even the people who made the game. Instead of a fleshed out metaphor for what could've an excellent commentary on American racial relations and prejudice, they were undermined and put off to the side, experienced only if you were willing to go out of your way to meet them.

basically, fuck off, i love ghouls, they deserve a more prominent role in the fallout series and some actual goddamn recognition.

send tweet.

[youngjusticeslut]

What do you think about Halo?

So sorry for the delay! I was waiting until I saw all the episodes and made a final judgement before I answered this. This will still be a no-spoilers answer, though. Also, it gets long, so I’m putting it under a cut.  

Halo. Very interesting concept of a character. I like the idea of Halo. It was very interesting to see her story unfold throughout the course of the season. Ultimately though, her character falls just a tad flat for me. She’s still enjoyable. I still like her. But I feel that there could have been other things done to make her even more interesting, as a character. 

Let’s talk a bit about Halo’s story. On the whole (barring episode 19 because I have blocked that scene out of my mind), her story is fine. Just fine. I feel like she could have been given more, other than just ‘hiding secrets’ and given a ‘you’re dying’ storyline. I would have liked to see her grapple with deeper issues. I would have liked to see her wrestle with herself, and her identity, outside of being Brion’s girlfriend. 

There’s also the question of representation. If you knew absolutely nothing about her story, and only looked at her, you would probably think “oh, cool! a Muslim superhero!”. Except... she isn’t. Halo does not identify as Muslim, like Gabrielle once did. However, she still wears a hijab. Which is a little confusing. I’ve talked to many people about this, heard different opinions. To my understanding, via Greg, he explained that while Halo does not identify as a Muslim, she is still finding her way. When speaking with others, they explained that perhaps the hijab serves as a comfort item for Violet, something she has grown used to and does not want to part with. So.. okay. I can understand that. However, for this to truly hold meaning in the sense of story and character development, I would like to see Violet actually take this journey. I would like to see her either discovering that she is her own person and no longer needing the hijab, or the opposite, in which she accepts her identity as a Muslim. Personally, to me, wearing a Hijab in the long-term without identifying as a Muslim feels a little like false representation. If I am incorrect, please feel free to point it out to me!

Then we have the non-binary aspect of her character. People far more knowledgeable on this subject have already tackled the issues behind this, so I’m not going to get into it too deeply. However, I would have liked to see more done with it. I know that having Halo be non-binary was something that Grandon intended from the start, but I think some more research could have been done to truly legitimize her portrayal. 

I have a lot of qualms and questions about the writing this season. There are many, many things I would have liked to change. If I could tackle Halo’s storyline, here is what I would have done: 

First, I would have her memories be blank. She would not initially have any memories of Gabrielle. These will start to unfold as the season progresses. However, instead of shunning Gabrielle’s memories, Violet is inspired by them and wants to learn more and discover about who her host was. She studies Islam in an effort to be closer to her. She actively seeks out Gabrielle’s family. This will all change once she recovers the memory of accepting the bribe in Markovia. Then, she immediately shuns Gabrielle and has an identity crisis, starting to make some questionable decisions. She tells the truth to Brion and Tara. She talks with other people. Once she comes to full terms with who Gabrielle was, the good and the bad, only then does she go on a journey to find out who ‘Violet’ really is. Respecting Gabrielle’s past, but becoming her own person. 

Second, I would avoid putting her with Brion; at least, in the beginning. Putting Brion with Violet so quickly made me a little uncomfortable. Violet is brand new to the world, is young, naive, and re-learning everything. This is not the time to put her with a boyfriend. Instead, I would have liked to see the two of them bond as friends, and become strong teammates to each other. I might put them together towards the end of the season, once the relationship feels developed and earned. 

Third, I would have kept her living in Star City, with Will, Artemis and Lian. Her and Tara. Call me biased, sure. But I feel that there was a wealth of development and interactions to be had in that unique family dynamic. I really would have liked to see some deeper moments with Will this season, especially his opinion on his two housemates. Violet and Tara were far more interesting while living there, especially under Artemis’ tutelage. To me, it felt like a lot of that was stilted once they moved to the Premiere building. 

One thing I would absolutely not change: Zehra’s voice acting. She was phenomenal as Violet. 

So, at the end of the day, I don’t dislike Violet. I understand her character, and I don’t hate what they’ve done with her. However, I feel like there could have been more done with her, especially given how important she was this season. 

[cosmic-cloudd9]

Learning that other ppl do not shift their personality around to suit the vibes of whichever friend/friend group they're interacting with is wild to me-

[j-femmescoli]

maybe an unpopular opinion and one coming from someone who loves kids, but...

i don’t really care what ur kids do in public. like at work i once overheard a kid throwing a tantrum and his mother was yelling at him saying “you’re embarrassing me!” like sorry maam but no, you’re embarrassig yourself and everyone who can’t handle the facts that kids exist. like i work at a pool, i expect there to be children and i dont expect them to be perfectly behaved angels all the time. i know that kids are angry sometimes, upset, that they yell and cry, and i deal with it. you shouldn’t get mad at ur toddler for being upset because you’re in public, your toddler crying isn’t embarrassing, it’s ur kid being a kid. talk to them, dont just yell at them to shut up.

[zerogender-onlyswag]

Man I hate “happiness is a choice” bullshit. Some of us have depression, Karen.

[rakkzi]

Honestly I don't really care if undertale wins the contest, I've been voting for it to see how far it would get. I think the publicity is good for the game too, but trying to shove it down people's throats is the wrong way to go about it, just let it's position in the contest speak for itself. If it's your favorite game, vote for it, if it's not, don't. Some people take it too seriously and forget that it is really just for fun.

[scottish-lesbian]

Tomorrow is my last exam and I was really looking forward to them being over. But its just hit me that after this exam I will never have class with my modern studies friends who ive spent an entire year with getting close to. And I'm actually really fucking sad because one of them is leaving for college and I'm going to really fucking miss her and i actually think i might cry. And I don't cry.

[minyooongii1]

i dont know whats happenin to me??? ive cleaned my room like 8 times and im on the fuckin honor roll?? i was a straight c- student a few weeks ago??? i had the messiest room??? my mom still yells at me for not cleanin my room she say she wants it perfect but i dont know what that means also my internal monologe wont stop sounding like its from northern england