Me when I see a subject that hits a nerve for me cast in a comedic light in art or literature: "This isn't fucking funny! Get that shit outta my face!!"
Thank fuck this site has a blacklist function for tags and words so I don't have to see or read that shit!
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A devastating and confusing thing about the Fallout setting, when you explore the pre-war aspects, is what the creators think about pre-war America. In the first games we only get hints of the pre-war world, but they seem to be some sort of wild fascist nation invading Canada. In Fallout 1, the first thing we're introduced to of the pre-war society is seeing a soldier shoot civilians and laughing.
Now, for the first 2 games and New Vegas we don't really know much. What we know is that there's a fascist military group known as the enclave who were a sort of US deep state even before the war, and that the government teamed up with corporate interests to preform vaguely MKULTRA-ish experiments with the Vaults. Basically, the government was an extreme version of the 50s American jingoism and McCarthyism.
This is well and dandy, I guess issues come up more when we get to the later games, especially 4, where it seems like none of this extreme plotting and societal civil unrest which would exist is seen. The society as presented in 4 also seems quite progressive, gay people are featured in the opening, and none of the baggage of say, civil rights not existing are included. Now on a baseline, I don't want settings to be more conservative, homophobic and sexist etc., but it becomes a very confusing setting when it's displayed both as this jingoist extreme thing with fascist tendencies aswell as a progressive place where everyone is seemingly equal. If you're focusing on the 50s as your setting, and American nationalism in the 50s, then you can't have McCarthyism spoofs and anti-communism as a societal paranoia norm while also general equality is the norm without misunderstanding why McCarthyism and nationalist jingoism is bad. A massive harm done in anti-communist paranoia is how it degrades and vilifies any progressive movements (women's rights, civil rights, homosexuality) as being morally un-American and therefore connected to communism. To ignore this just makes any critique of MacCarthyism and jingoism weird!
Basically, pre-war America in Fallout 4 becomes this both sides thing where America is both pure and equal and white fences in every instance that we see as the player (the intro), while also supposedly being this dystopic MacCarthyist hellscape that's broadcasting gladly about their war crimes in Canada, and wants to root out communism. I guess the only fix for this issue without getting into the fine print like they had to do is just not to focus too much on the pre-war world.
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To the next adventure...
Image description and details under cut
I.D.
[A drawing of Nicky, Joe, Quynh, and Andy from The Old Guard. They are all in profile, walking in a straight line facing the sun. They are dressed in medieval clothing and armour, and each carry their own weapons and bags. Nicky has his sword, a crossbow, a quiver of bolts, a dagger at his belt and another strapped to his ankle. Joe is holding his sword, a bag, and a coin purse. Quynh's bow is over her back, and her quiver is at her hip. Two daggers are strapped to her belt, one of them matching Nicky's. Andy is holding her axe, two bags, and a dagger. They each have serene expressions and closed eyes, as if they're not in a hurry. In the background, the seasons change from winter to spring, summer, fall. There is an old tree behind them, and its branches change with the seasons.]
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whelp, there's a part two now
Part 1
~~~
Eddie always loved Halloween. He liked dressing up and putting on a persona, pretending to be someone else for a while.
He wasn’t expecting to have fun this year, but there was that twinge of hope again. Henderson and his friends decided they were too old to trick-or-treat, so them and some of the older teens were meeting up at Steve’s house for a party.
Honestly anything to get him out of the house had to be better than nothing, right?
Steve told Eddie he’d pick him up at 6:30, which he did. He explained in the car that the kids might get there early, and that Robin was guarding the snacks so they wouldn’t all get devoured before half the guests arrived.
Eddie watched Steve as he drove. Tried to get a read on him. Tapped his knuckles against the window, a habit he’d been told by multiple people was irritating over the years. No response. Bounced his leg a bit so his boot would tap against the floor.
Steve glanced over at a stop sign.
“You okay?”
Eddie stopped moving his leg and told him he was fine.
Eddie wondered whether he heard or saw him moving. Noted the way Steve looked directly at him while he spoke.
He wasn’t sure why Steve didn’t say anything about it. He didn’t have a lot of time to inspect Steve’s appointment summary the other day. Didn’t spot a date. It had to be pretty recent, though. He supposed it’s not like they were super close.
Parked outside his house, Steve got out and brought Eddie his chair, leading the way down a sidewalk to his back patio. The sliding back door was nearly level with the ground, though Eddie still had to move his chair over the bump backwards.
Once inside it was clear the party had already started. Loud music blasted and all the kids talked over each other. Dustin called out for him from across the room and soon Eddie was surrounded by the kids, telling him they were glad he made it to the party. If he was alone he might have cried.
It took a minute for the kids to realize he was trying to move further into the house, but eventually they moved over, and he found the table with food on it.
On the way back he lingered in the doorway as Steve stood off to the side, eyebrows furrowed. He asked a couple questions about the conversation that were lost to the teens talking over each other, if someone could repeat that or if he heard a word correctly. His hand clenched around his drink.
Maybe Eddie wasn’t the only one who felt alone in a room full of people.
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