#rodent’s rant

[brunchrodent]

Hey.

Hey, look me in the eyes.

*grabs you by the collar like I’m gonna give you a 1930’s mob style shakedown*

Don’t Go Back To TikTok.

DON’T.

I get that you hunger for content. I get that it was a fun/interesting/horrifying time that brought you entertainment.

The fun times of Pre-Ban TikTok are gone.

It can, and most certainly WILL, be used as a MAGA propaganda machine.

Donny The Insufferable Prick is going to shove his piss-and-shit-covered fingies into the TikTok eggsalad. DO NOT EAT THE PISS SALAD.

TikTok is already trying to glaze him as “the savior of the app”, meaning he more than likely has them in his pocket now.

This means:

• A constant stream of propaganda.

• An erasure of pro-queer/POC/marginalized content.

• A monitoring of your content for collection by the fascist pigs in the government.

• Censoring of ANY form of Mutual Aid and praxis that isn’t sucking off the New Regime.

And many more consequences.

So please, DO NOT USE TIKTOK.

[surgeonssturgeon]

Why are articles about rodents always so misleading like “ 50 Types of Rats :) AND HOW TO FUCKING EXTERMINATE THEM “ “Mice squeak at night because they are talking to each other :) THAT MEANS THERE ARE MULTIPLE PESTS IN YOUR HOUSE PLOTTING TO KILL YOU” Like brother what if i just want to learn about rats why are you so negative

[mossy-crow0]

runt yapping abt her silly little machines :3

[oil-rigging]

I’m gonna talk some more because I really want to talk Psychonauts instead of doing meaningful work.

Why is it always when I’m not crunched for time that I can’t think of ideas? I find myself setting arbitrary time constraints for myself and instead of being productive with them I’m just panicking over whether or not I can complete a relatively simple task WELL in a time limit I set for myself.

And now, while you’re piecing together how the hell task-based anxiety relates to Psychonauts, I throw Compton Boole at you like a bowling ball.

STRIKE! Or, Spare? I don’t bowl often.

We all have a little Compton Boole in our heads, I think. Someone who lightly taps your cheek whenever you’re having a rest and reminds you that there are better things you could be doing with your time. Some people can just manage their little Compton better than others.

No shame in it, it’s not like you can control crippling anxiety. That’s your chemical imbalance and therefore your business. I was just putting myself on the spot because it’s more ✨ethically responsible✨.

Given that anxiety is primarily a fear disorder, it’s unsurprising that most studies on it are run on animal models —which is elaborated on in a 2009 research paper on neuro-circuitry of fear and stress disorders by Drs. Shin and Liberzon. Obviously, much more has been discovered since, seeing as sixteen years is a long time for developments. Regardless, this is about the rats.

The main difference between rodents (and most animals) and humans is that humans have a tendency to have fear responses to things that aren’t clear, unconditioned stimuli— as well as phenomena such as anticipatory anxiety, which is evidence (one piece of many) that animal models aren’t all that accurate in human study.

In other words: humans react anxiously to stimuli that (and I am not attempting to reduce the impact of anxiety, because it is very real) does not exist.

Here I raise you the Compton Boole-shaped bowling ball that I just threw at you.

Any of this sound familiar?

Compton is anxious, and we see that from the get-go. The way he speaks has a quavering quality to it, his voice seems to crack every other sentence. We learn what he’s anxious about, and it’s quite literally all in his head, and self-imposed on top of it.

Ram It Down is a prime example of setting oneself up to be anxious, even unwittingly. Compton has put himself in an environment that is:

1.) “Broadcasted, Timed, and Judged”, as it’s on TV. This is an environment in which judgment is not only expected, but encouraged. Tell me you haven’t watched a competitive cooking show and not judged a contestant for one thing or another. It’s not even a conscious effort, half the time. We even go so far as to face off against the entity: judgment. Not to mention the Actual Cooking Show Judges that are present and consistently heckling us. It’s clear that Compton fears judgment— he says it himself!

Also— the time limits. Nothing bad happens when you don’t complete the dish within the time limit. You can take your time, it’s fine. Again, with the arbitrary time limits he sets for himself when the task isn’t actually requiring a time crunch.

2.) The goats. In some contexts, goats mean creativity, and drawing back to Hinduism— the transformative powers of fire. Both of which seem to fit with Compton’s love of cooking.

However, there’s also the negative meanings. The obvious— relating to or of the Devil… though we don’t particularly see any religious references in the game or in Compton specifically. Another negative meaning that I feel has more prevalence is the concept of the scapegoat, in which a goat is burdened with sins and outcasted… perhaps, to a psycho-isolation chamber.

But a more likely and probable cause for the goats is that goats are rumored to eat anything, even things that are realistically inedible. While this isn’t necessarily true— I have experience with goats that prove that they’re rather picky— it’s still a way for Compton to put himself down, or perhaps give himself some hope. ‘They’ll eat anything’ in a positive connotation vs. ‘They’ll eat anything’ bemoaning his situation.

3.) It’s taking a lot of the joy out of something he finds comfort in; cooking! Cooking is —from what I researched, at least. Correct me if I’m wrong— the less precise of the culinary arts, focusing more on flavor than the chemical reactions necessary to make baking work. Cooking shows and baking shows, at least to me, seem like they bring a lot of joy to the art, where I get to see how people from different backgrounds and contexts get creative with their food.

But not everyone wants to be on television. Not everyone wants to cook outside of their home kitchen, with the tools and ingredients they’re familiar with. Not everyone wants to be put on the spot, have their methods and ideas harshly judged by people you don’t know, and to seem so small in comparison to some hot-shot public chef’s giant ego… in a literal sense, for Compton.

All in all, this guy set himself up for anxiety and stress without even thinking of it. He’s coming in expecting failure, and some meddling kid goes and proves to him that he’s significantly more competent than he thinks, and that his friends love him dearly (and all blame themselves for their group’s collective shortcoming. Except Otto. Because Otto’s well adjusted).

Which means that if you feel too anxious to function, sometimes all it takes is a little help from someone you hardly know, and trusting them to help you work through it :]!

I don’t know when this turned into life advice, because I’m not a qualified therapist. I’m just a college kid who likes to write about psychology and see all of the cool studies that people have run solely in the interest of helping their loved ones and people around them. I feel like Compton Boole is a love letter from the Psychonauts Devs that reads: ‘if he can do it, so can you.’ I feel like the whole game echoes that in almost every aspect.

That got surprisingly deep. I have no important exams this week, so I’m getting anxious over nothing until I have something substantial to worry about. But for now? We can let ourselves relax. I implore whoever is reading this, also, to go relax.

[al1ce-undead]

PLEASE TELL ME WHY IN BOTH GAMES I GET BULLIED BY RODENT LOOKING PEOPLE CHUCKING THEIR EXPLOSIVE BALLS AT ME?? Like god damn I always get blasted by these two vermin every time I want to play either game like I swear they have the same exact combo. LIKE STOP STUNNING ME AND CHUCKING YOUR BALLS IN MY FACE, I GET ITS A SKILL ISSUE BUT DAMN I DONT WANT YOUR EXPLOSIVE BALLS IN MY FACE. Squirrel girl and junkrat mains LEAVE ME ALONE PLEASE.🙏

[nutler--kleinja]

vince honestly just chose the wrong person to eat because if it were me instead of rody id have seasoned myself with salt and pepper just for him

[illustrationismyhaven]

I like how I looked at the devs saying Crash and Tawna aren't together anymore and just decided to completely ignore it

In my head they have the perfect girl boss male wife/Roger and Jessica rabbit esque relationship and they love eachother so much forever and always

[punk-squirrely-ghost]

WRITERS OF TUMBLR. I AM BEGGING YOU TO TAG YOUR FICS AND PIECES CORRECTLY!

X IS FOR ROMANTIC RELATIONS, & IS FOR PLATONIC.

I know you think the symbols mean the same, BUT THEY DO NOT

[draw-n-vent-with-imani]

Before you read, know that I love Brain to DEATH:

I'm a Brain fangirl at the end of the day, but...

Does anyone else ever just

get mad at Brain for being a dumbass?

Like, bro is so dense that he doesn't see that making an unfeeling robot to pour all his love onto will end in that robot being heartlessly cruel to him?

Bro is so dense that instead of trying to help the person he hurt, he made a pocket dimension where she is okay with their arrangement?

Bro is so dense that he thought he could lie to his only friend's birthday present and steal it for a plan without him knowing?

You gotta realize half of the pain Brain goes through is self-inflicted because he has surface level smarts. Yea, he's a genius but he has zero self-awareness.

Half of the fun of watching Pinky and the Brain is seeing how poorly Brain messes up his own plans, but when it's to the point where he should definitely know he is in his own way, THAT is when I start to get mad.

Bro actively shatters any chance of happiness he seeks by either overthinking it or underthinking it at the EXACT SAME TIME.

[t3acupz]

—

matthew has a womrat named hannibal

[brunchrodent]

Respectability politics is bullshit.

Pacifism is bullshit.

Centrism is bullshit.

Get fucking angry, and make a goddamn difference (no matter how big or small).

Defend your neighbors, and declare non acquiescence to the hand of the corrupt fascist morons and their ass kissers.

The time of large government is no more, time for local community councils to decide things.

A leash doesn’t matter when you reject your masters will. Drag them down forcefully.

Fight Back, Fight Hard.

[indagold-orchid]

I low key hate people who opine about banning exotics cause they don’t realize anything that’s not a cat, dog or farm animal is an exotic. A rabbit that’s been domesticated over a thousand years ago is one.

Some animal advocates really don’t want to bother to differentiate between a domesticated animal and someone keeping a whole ass wild lion in their backyard. A lot of laws being pushed do ban domesticated animals just cause they get lumped in apparently.

[lusitanian-luser]

one pet peeve of mine is when people refer to early mammals and mammal-like species as looking like rats or rodents.

BITCH YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT SHREWS!

Rodents didn't develop highly specialised teeth capable of eating otherwise entirely inaccessible materials just to be called basal!

Shrews, on the other hand, are so basal you can call any tiny otherwise indistinct mammal a shrew!

[thegardengrows-infrozenrain]

me: [going in to kiss my rats goodnight]

my headphones: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ByHok5HKVH0

[corrodedcoughin]

I’m absolutely not the person to do it but I feel like there could be such a good steddie Drabble or fic based on spooky by dusty Springfield

The first verse based on how Steve sees Eddie, trying to use his old tactics of playing hard to get when Eddie asks him round to watch the movie he rents from family video. Thinking that if he plays his cards right he might finally get Eddie’s attention. Unsure of how to go about it any other way but absolutely knows with certainty that nobody else is going to compare to the strange and endearing guy who’s had Steve’s attention for far longer than either of them realise.

(But the thing is Dustin told Eddie all of the flirting advice Steve tried to pass on. So when Steve changes his initial ‘no’ to an ‘alright’ with a smirk eddie thinks and hopes and prays he might be in with a chance)

The second verse is Eddie watching steve at work and day to day. Completely unsure of how to take the ex-mr popular, convinced that he’s flirting with everybody that comes into his vicinity and it’s either through mercy or for his sins that Eddie is catching the strays. In two minds about what dustin said, is this part of Steve’s game or is it real? But this time when Eddie gets lost in those spiralling thoughts, Steve grabs his hand and smiles at him. Eddie’s flurry of doubt stops and all he sees is the contradiction of Steve with his neck scar and polo shirts.

Love is kinda crazy with a spooky little boy like you 🎶

[swagging-back-to]

mouse breeders always try to act high and mighty when compared to rodent mills.... when theyre the exact same. sure, they might put more thought into genetic lines, coat traits, and personality. but at the end of the day they are still making an animal reproduce so they can profit from it.