neurotonic

[neurotonic]

generally when looking at the way people turn prism into a mother figure on this site, the general (and admittedly, purely on a surface level, logical) thought process is something like:

prism is a mother figure towards her robots ➡️ prism invented phoenix's implant in the same way that she invented her robots ➡️ prism calls phoenix the best thing she's ever made, implying that she cares about them equally as much as her robots

when it comes to prism being a mother figure for her robots, the subject is... strange. the trope of black mothers is very nuanced and touchy, and it can be hard for a lot of people to understand why a portrayal is bad when it doesn't 'tick all the boxes' of a traditionally racist caricature.

for those who don't know, the robots initially weren't supposed to be in ieytd3 at all. the story was already completed by the time they were building puzzles and room layouts in unity, and the devs fell in love with the (at the time, way flatter) robutler prototypes, deciding after the fact to make them a larger part of the story.

this means that, originally, prism was never supposed to be a mother figure in any capacity. this, personally, is a green flag for me in regards to schell's interpretation. this means that instead of simply saying "let's have a black woman and turn her into a mother figure", schell instead said "we have this antagonist who we already have an established character arc for; we are introducing child-like robots into her life. how does that affect who she is as an established character?"

for those who don't know, one of the things that people like the least about black women being a mother figure is the fact that it's not just that they're turned into a mother, but that their entire life and personification suddenly becomes subservient. they're serving the 'child' figure, they're serving the 'father' figure, and they are suddenly incapable of wanting anything for themself, of having their own problems, of disagreeing, or of being a person in any capacity. they simply become a 'supporting role' to a character others perceive as more important.

this doesn't happen with prism and her robots. if anything, i feel as though prism's unique situation with her robots only accentuates her motifs as a character.

the robots aren't just important little creatures to her. they're hers. she made them. they are the culmination of years of dedication and effort put into her career. they're a manifestation of her intelligence, of her spite, of her determination in the face of adversity.

her robots are a little piece of her. and she treats that piece of herself the way she was never treated back at the agency- and probably even before then. her robots (in a literary context) are an extension of herself, which makes her parenting over them (again, in a literary context) more akin to her parenting over a younger/more fragile version of herself.

essentially, to boil it down, everything prism invests into her robots directly factors back into an investment in herself. just because she is a mother figure to the robots does not mean she is putting her life on pause in some pursuit of motherhood.

all i'm saying is that the same can not be said for a lot of interpretations i see of her being a 'mother figure' for phoenix.

ultimately, i'm not saying you have to stop, because even if i was saying that, nobody would care anyway. do what you want. it's your life. but what i am saying is maybe think about the reasons behind why you're making prism a mother figure to phoenix (occasionally interpreted as white, but it's not great even if they aren't), and a wife figure to reginald (who just is canonically white)

think about what this means for prism's characterization. are you using her as a stepping stool to prop up other characters? a support role with the depth of a shallow puddle?? because if so, maybe fucking stop it??

[neurotonic]

yall ever just. fall in love with someone else's character design

'cause uh. oops

@neurotonic i hope u dont mind a complete stranger is simping for ur agent phoenix

also i am sorry they ended up a little more masculinized than i intended them to be

[neurotonic]

So, I have a little surprise!

The people have spoken. :D

Here's my Phoenix, Agent 13-12 (But also tempted to call them Firelight for reasons), interacting with several Phoenixes! (Under cut)

Here we go!

@neurotonic, I hope it's fine to do this...

To be honest, I wanted to draw my Phoenix accidentally stumbling and knocking into your Phoenix in the jeepney ride. (Kaskasero yung driver. XD) But I know my current limits so sitting beside each other in the jeepney ride it is.

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@bowehbowah, please welcome this.

I don't know much about your Phoenix but I can see the pair chatting about some experiences during merienda. (Mine and yours seem to have a complicated relationship with fast food mascots of all things. Mine loves the food in Jollibee but can't ever forget what the mascot did back then.)

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@agent-nor (Choosing this one to tag because it's focused on IEYTD stuff), then I'll take that permission! :D

When you mentioned "rarely been in contact with his family", my mind immediately raced to "mine also is in low contact with their family", and thus, this exchange. I was thinking this was in some kind of park where mine is curling up on some steps above him while he remained standing.

"Nangungulila" is a bit of a hard to translate term (for me) as it can mean "miss" but it feels more like "longing" is closer in meaning for me. It has the root word "ulila" which is translated to "orphan" but can also mean "lonely" or "alone". "Kuya" is the common term used to refer to an older brother.

TL:DR They're asking him if he missed them or if he feels lonely due to the fact they're not talking to their respective families. (Mine had a decent relationship with their immediate family but went low contact because of how dangerous espionage is.)

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I had a lot of fun drawing these. :D I hope I get more energy and time to draw other people's Phoenixes soon enough since there are so many cool interpretations of our favorite chaotic agent.

(Please tell me if it's okay to draw your Phoenixes. I might draw them but there is no guarantee.)

[neurotonic]

Hello! :D

I was hoping to take you up on the offer and as some questions about the Phillipines for my Phoenix! (but no pressure ofc)

I've found it sort of difficult to find resources that aren't big-picture historical facts or tourism info lol

• What holidays do you celebrate, besides the standard Catholic ones?

• And I guess on that note, are religious celebrations a big thing? Baptism, patron saint's day, etc

• Culturally, is there a strong focus on family ties? (Curious bc it's very different on two sides of my own family)

• Do you have any recommendations for figuring out a name for my Phoenix? Are there common trends in naming, resources you know, or anything like that?

• I read that English, Spanish, and Tagalog were all the national language at one point - is it common for people to speak all three?

• Also, any sort of miscellaneous cultural things that you can think of would be really helpful!

• And I guess, if there's anything you think someone writing a Filipino character should know! Stereotypes that should be avoided, anything like that

Thank you so much in advance!! ^-^

Hiya hello !! I'll definitely try my best to help, because I agree - shit's hard to look up ;-; !!

Lots of these are based on my own experiences LOL but also I hadd to double check many historical details. Also this got way too long AKSJDHF

What holidays do you celebrate, besides the standard Catholic ones?

Aside for the Catholic ones, a lot of our local holidays are either birthdays (and deathdays) of famous Filipinos, major historical events, like Independence Day on June 12, the EDSA Revolution on February 25 (though this occurred in the 80s IIRC), and the Day of Valor on April 9, OR more localized holidays about when a province/city got established and such. Honestly these don't have a loooot of special stuff you have to do during that day, unlike Christmas for example. They're not days that you have to Celebrate(tm), but if you're aiming to put your character in a period close to these events, then you could technically give meaning to them :3c Though that'll require a bit more research heh

And I guess on that note, are religious celebrations a big thing? Baptism, patron saint's day, etc

Religious celebrations are def a big deal...Depending on your religion of choice, of course LMAO In the Philippines, Roman Catholic is the biggest religious domination, but there's also a very big Islamic population here especially in Mindanao. There's also INC (Iglesia ni Cristo) that I can't say much on because I'm personally not part of this group, but I think it's a variant on Christianity ?? Anyways, talking as someone who was born in a Roman Catholic household: people spend a lot of time and money into these celebrations. there are festivals for saints, church weddings are a pretty big deal too but I think that's common across a lot of cultures.

Culturally, is there a strong focus on family ties? (Curious bc it's very different on two sides of my own family)

Oh, absolutely! Like it's a thing where people say Asia in general has a lottt of collectivist cultures, and the Philippines is no exception. It's veryyy common for one household to house multiple generations of families, and I've even heard stories from friends where their extended families literally live next to each other in a street/subdivision LMAO There's a lott of focus on listening to your parents and looking out for your family, doing what's best for your family vs what's best for you is an interesting contrast to give to your Phoenix if you choose to go that route. Of course, it differs between families, but I've noticed family-first is a very big thing here.

Do you have any recommendations for figuring out a name for my Phoenix? Are there common trends in naming, resources you know, or anything like that?

Honestly, even I have trouble looking up new Filipino name ideas LOL there's not a lot of resources out there, but I'll still share stuff that I found useful :] BUT FIRST ! The naming trend in general is kind of loose and flexible! I've noticed that English/Spanish first names are very common, then they're either paired with a surname of Filipino/Spanish origin. You don't have to look too far for an example: IEYTD 2 has Chancellor Chelsa (English origin. I think?) Magpantay (Filipino origin) . Filipino first names are harder to come by these days and it's a shame </3 This is also entirely optional but Filipino full names include middle names (your mother's maiden surname) as well! For example, names are usually written like: Jose P. Rizal, with P(rotacio) being Rizal's middle name.*

*little aside, but Rizal's full name is actually much longer... but it's because he lived during the Spanish occupation. You can give your character multiple first names honestly that's also a thing I noticed SDKJFH but Firstname Lastname is usually satisfactory

For traditional Filipino name resources, Behind the Name has a few examples for first names, but you may notice some of them are just literally what they mean - "Ligaya" is happiness, much like how Joy is a name people have LMAO so stuff like that you can use as inspiration :] For my own Phoenix, Adarna is a legendary bird from a traditional epic, so mythological inspos are cool too - unfortunately that stuff is also. SO hard to find for. Fuck colonization lol

FOR traditional surnames, I actually found this webpage really interesting !! The info isn't complete but these are some legit surnames, considering I've seen a lot of them used by people I've met/known. Some of them have regional origins too which is very handy!

I read that English, Spanish, and Tagalog were all the national language at one point - is it common for people to speak all three?

Okay, so this bit HEAVILY relies on the era you want your Phoenix to live through. Spanish was the national language during the Spanish Occupation (from 1565-1898, that's more than 300 years!), but after the PH gaining "independence", spanish was pretty much dropped instantly as a national language...... Mostly because spain actually sold the PH to the US. OOPS !!! LOLLL as an attempt to fully make the PH their "own" thing, the US just kinda swept any Spanish rules and declarations away once they got ahold of the country, including making the Spanish language mandatory. So from 1898 onwards, English and Filipino are the national languages of the PH. Despite Filipino having a lot of Spanish loanwords, Spanish hasn't been declared a national language since then, and thus has never been a required study. Your Phoenix can read the time in Spanish if their parents/grandparents refer to time like that (like my own parents do), but unless they voluntarily study Spanish, they probably wouldn't consider themselves a Spanish speaker from that alone.

So um tl;dr due to politics, it's uncommon for Filipinos to speak all three, unless under special circumstances. If you're going for the common fanon of 1960's, Filipino and English are your best bet.

Also, any sort of miscellaneous cultural things that you can think of would be really helpful! And I guess, if there's anything you think someone writing a Filipino character should know! Stereotypes that should be avoided, anything like that

HOKIE !! as a general rule, you can write a Filipino character the same way you write any other character: give them a well-rounded personality and a solid motive, their own interests and all that jazz B) I'm actually not familiar with Filipino stereotypes specifically, ngl?? There's a lot of overlap with Asian stereotypes and discriminatory opinions against immigrant workers, Especially those coming from "third-world" countries. I'd also suggest avoiding making them too "mystical" or "exotic". I don't know how helpful this part is, specifically. Just make sure to make them their own person with flaws, strengths, and personal motivations, and you should be good. sniles.

[neurotonic]

hi i just wanted to say i love your agent phoenix design so much :]

THANK YOUUUU !!! I had a lot of fun designing them, I still remember it so fondly SDFDSKJH I'm super glad to hear bc they cater to My tastes first and foremost... still such a surprise to hear people enjoy my silly agent design KJSDHF

[neurotonic]

HI THERE im an agent phoenix fictkin and i just wanna say . your stuff is awesome, genuinely, i actually adore your art its so like??? if i had to describe it it'd taste like jelly, in the best way possible ?? please never stop drawing ieytd stuff i eat it up (esp juniper i ADOOOREEE how you draw him

AHEEM omg omg thank you so much !!! It really means a lot :'] really sorry about the state of my activity lately I've been. Thinking of other thangs </3 but at the very least I'm glad to hear you're enjoying the art I've already made :'3 <33

[neurotonic]

if i take inspo from ur art do you want me to tag you?

just asking cuz i don’t wanna tag ppl who wouldn’t want the tag hehe

AH.. sorry for the late reply on this, that'd be alright with me!! Would love to see what you made :'3c it's quite an honor! I don't mind the tag at all :D

[neurotonic]

Same anon from last time. Because they've been vibrating in my head.

Does your Phoenix have any memorable sabaw / lutang moments?

And where do they sit in the tricycle if they existed at the time? What about the jeep?

Sorry if I'm too forward about this. Please have some lumpia. /silly

Sa susunod muli!

Hehe hi !!! sorry for the late reply, HOO it's been a while.. I've been busy as I've said and I keep forgetting to answer these. cracks knuckles time to answer em all in one fell swoop >:]

Mostly she feels lutang/sabaw/brain fog when her TK gets the fritz. I think it's a lot more frequent post-IEYTD 3

They're incredibly flexible and they don't have a particular spot they prefer in public transportation! Though I think my Phoenix enjoys riding the backseat of the tricycle more than they enjoy sitting in the sidecar. I know Philippine jeepneys became popular after WWII since filipinos literally reused the military jeeps left behind from the war, and modern designs still use the general framework of the jeep interior. Was never sure about the history of tricycles though, apparently they popped up around the same time as jeepneys too, so Phoenix would've definitely ridden that at least once before they immigrated to the US.

It's no worries at all!! Kinda have to apologize for such a late answer hah. Thanks for da lumpia have some suman if you want ^_^

[neurotonic]

Hey, all! I know I haven't been too active in the fandom lately, but I've been noticing an uptick in interest towards Filipino culture and mixing it with the IEYTD setting. To which I say: awesome!! I'm glad people are getting into different cultures, especially my own culture that I don't really see all that often.

With that said though, my inbox is always open for any questions you may have if you doooo want to explore this avenue further. Credentials? I'm Filipino, born and raised! I could be helpful when it comes to culture and history (though, admittedly, the immigrant experience is not something I've personally experienced so I don't have authority on that front). But I could be of help especially with using Filipino language. I noticed this is the part where many people struggle with the most (I have a few fil-am friends who have admitted this), as Filipino (or at least Tagalog, as there are soo many language variants in the Philippines) isn't an accessible language to learn especially online. As much as I enjoy the interest, I have also seen usage of Filipino words in IEYTD posts that don't exactly line up with what I know about it. If you'd like any clarifications, please let me know!! <3

Also once again I neeeed to give a spotlight to Chelsa Magpantay, a canonically Filipino character in the series. Schell Games even hired a half-Filipino actress for her like I think there's something you can get out of that at least. Need more Chelsa content in my life aside for the drawing i did like a whole bit ago...

[neurotonic]

YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYAAYYY philiphoenixes eating GOOD TONITE!!! LETS FUCKIN GO GANG

Someone whose Agent Phoenix is practically inspired by Filipino history and expectations of the time period at this point here.

I'm just practically vibrating at the rich history of the Philippines in the lens of espionage and expectations given by the society at the time. And I feel a kind of pride? fuzzies? whenever I see a Filipino Phoenix. It's just...

The subtext and the implications of the worldbuilding of that is so good. Sorry for rambling in your asks but I just wanna say that seeing a Filipino Phoenix scratches an itch I didn't know I wanted to be scratched in the first place.

I just wanna thank you for that.

aww my gosh, thank you so much for the kind words!! ;u; I'm so glad you think so, especially when I'm just really being self-indulgent with my phoenix interp ADSFKJHSDF AND YESSS pinoy phoenix for the win!!!!!!!! 🔥🔥🔥

I'LL be perfectly clear though. I haven't been doing much research as I should be when it comes to 1960's Philippines and its relation to international espionage.. !! or whatever the Agency's up to. I mean I also have to look into fil immigrant experiences more since my Phoenix is one but I'm not LOL I think the nature of IEYTD's worldbuilding opens up a lot of questions that are waiting to be answered , politics wise especially. I'd be interested in exploring them myself but I've just been a little busy with other stuff these days. sad !!! But yes it has been super neat otherwise. Always such a fun time to see the Philippines get mentioned even just in passing...when I saw Chancellor Magpantay's surname the first time I almost leapt out of my seat SDKJFHDS

Well I ended up rambling about other things but. bottom line is, thank you so so much!! this means a whole lot to me even though I Personally feel like I haven't done enough to properly represent the historical accuracy that I could fully give to my Phoenix ;u; but we're frolicking in the fields together. ok. Maraming salamat <33

[neurotonic]

if you stand for director morales you'll fall for anything

[neurotonic]

Someone whose Agent Phoenix is practically inspired by Filipino history and expectations of the time period at this point here.

I'm just practically vibrating at the rich history of the Philippines in the lens of espionage and expectations given by the society at the time. And I feel a kind of pride? fuzzies? whenever I see a Filipino Phoenix. It's just...

The subtext and the implications of the worldbuilding of that is so good. Sorry for rambling in your asks but I just wanna say that seeing a Filipino Phoenix scratches an itch I didn't know I wanted to be scratched in the first place.

I just wanna thank you for that.

aww my gosh, thank you so much for the kind words!! ;u; I'm so glad you think so, especially when I'm just really being self-indulgent with my phoenix interp ADSFKJHSDF AND YESSS pinoy phoenix for the win!!!!!!!! 🔥🔥🔥

I'LL be perfectly clear though. I haven't been doing much research as I should be when it comes to 1960's Philippines and its relation to international espionage.. !! or whatever the Agency's up to. I mean I also have to look into fil immigrant experiences more since my Phoenix is one but I'm not LOL I think the nature of IEYTD's worldbuilding opens up a lot of questions that are waiting to be answered , politics wise especially. I'd be interested in exploring them myself but I've just been a little busy with other stuff these days. sad !!! But yes it has been super neat otherwise. Always such a fun time to see the Philippines get mentioned even just in passing...when I saw Chancellor Magpantay's surname the first time I almost leapt out of my seat SDKJFHDS

Well I ended up rambling about other things but. bottom line is, thank you so so much!! this means a whole lot to me even though I Personally feel like I haven't done enough to properly represent the historical accuracy that I could fully give to my Phoenix ;u; but we're frolicking in the fields together. ok. Maraming salamat <33

[neurotonic]

Boyfriend tells me I’m banned from fixing things around the house now >:(

[neurotonic]

question for ieytd fans. I'm putting this in a poll for fun but PLEASE reblog or comment to elaborate on whatever your answer is I'm curious. I will do the same on this post

For me: I very much do. This does not mean I have a "they wouldn't be be [x] because it's not Period Accurate" or anything. Rather, it means I like a degree of "So. Realistically. What would life have Been Like for them in this time period?"

Seeing as the IEYTD games are set in the late 1960's, this mostly means I like to do research on things like terminology, public opinion, and transgender healthcare of the time. And I find it incredibly cathartic to say that yes, things are nowhere near perfect. They could very much be better. But it's possible to carve out the life you want from the world regardless, even if it's a fight.

It also means sometimes I have to go "Okay well they're from the 1960s they would not say it like that" re: more recent terminology

and it ALSO means I like researching period typical technology as a basis for like. what they're doing in there. because obviously they have a far more technologically advanced world but it's still really fun to me to base it off of real-world 1960's technology. same with fashion I love looking at period accurate fashion.

[neurotonic]

hello ieytd community. happy fabricator transgender lesbianism february

[neurotonic]

ok so, apparently I never posted THIS cutie patootie publicly. I kept telling myself I should post it but, well!! I forgor.

Anyways this is Crabicator, aka Crabby! Born from an idea where Fabricator realized Prism left some of her spare parts in her workshop. If Fabby was an outstanding Zoraxis employee (and she is. Or she's supposed to be.), she should've definitely thrown away those parts by now. Pointless scrap from an equally pointless engineer.

And somehow Fabby ends up with a mishmash of a robot in her workshop. More info about it below the cut because I rambled a bit HEH + some concept sketches on its design!

Crabby's functionality is a Bit limited when compared to Prism's dearest robots. It can't float properly and upgrades are a bit sparse. But Fabby did make some modifications to the kinesium core so that it doesn't have to overheat when it does a blasty blast. Also it Knows a little bit of bartending, but the only recipe it knows to make, like, properly is Water on the Rock. where the water is poured in a glass with one singular ice cube. And Fabby is very proud of it, thank you very much.

It also has jank memories of Prism's programming inside its head. It's barely comprehensible to it now, and it doesn't remember anything concrete. It makes Crabby wonder, sometimes, what Dr. Prism was really like. If she'd like to meet Crabby. Fabby doesn't seem to want to answer its questions about her.

Fabricator also claims it's a weapon of mass destruction but if we're being honest, she's just saying that so nobody in Zoraxis has a reason to throw it away. In reality crabby's like this:

also, some old concept sketches for different robot scrap combos, but the tripod crab won the baby vote.

also shout out to @the-valiant-valkyrie and @mothbeasts for giving me a hand in building this robuddy, no pun intended B)

[neurotonic]

bro if i catch you eating poison one more time