saniya-thatranbirfan

[the-real-list-of-ominous-threats]

if anyone has no idea what I've been talking about recently, I suggest you go to @fanonical or @nyancrimew , who explain this better than I ever could, but from what I can tell, basically staff has been ignoring reports of harassment against trans women, one member of staff was actively banning trans users, and the CEO started a smear campaign against a trans woman because she jokingly said she wished he would get exploded with hammers (you know, the kind of thing I say regularly--because he wasn't doing anything to protect trans users and hired the aforementioned transphobic staff member), claiming that it was 'a death threat' and that she was 'being violent'....nevermind that she was getting much worse anon harassment with actual death threats on the regular. And then when he banned her and she went to a different site, he followed her there to continue the smear campaign instead of being normal and dropping the subject.

[propheticclown]

Just a little ramble post but people grossly oversimplify Eridan's character so much to the point where it's not even Eridan.

FIrstly, Eridan's "I'm a violetblood and we need to cull lowbloods glub glub glub" stuff isn't actually how he feels, and that should be clear considering his best friend is a mutantblood and the only lowblood he actually hates is Sollux, which is lowkey understandable because Sollux is just as cocky and arrogant as Eridan, if not more.

Secondly, he's not misogynistic. Don't get me wrong, he's absolutely a weirdo, but not in a Cronus way. He's legitimately just socially awkward. He doesn't know how to properly express his emotions because of his emotionally neglectful lusus and it screws him over in the long run.

Thirdly, He's not actually prideful. If anything, he's envious. He envies Sollux, he envies Kanaya, he envies Karkat, heck he even envies Rose. All of this envy manifests in self-hatred. He utterly despises himself. He doesn't think he's deserving of love at all, he asks almost everyone besides Feferi for some kind of Black Quadrant romance. Which also transitions nicely into my next point.

Fourthly, ERIDAN WANTS TO BE HATED!!! Eridan does NOT care for himself at ALL! He WANTS to be miserable because he thinks that's all he deserves! That's why he supports all these horrible ideologies, that's why he doesn't indulge himself in anything he personally likes (Ex. Wizards and Magic), that's why he constantly asks to have kismestitudes, because he hates himself and is self-destructive! Eridan TRULY believes that the ONLY thing he has going for him is his blood color, which is why he emphasizes it so much! He's a massive emotional wreck who gets completely disregarded by his friends. Is he an asshole? YES! ABSOLUTELY! But it's because he WANTS TO BE ONE SO NO ONE LIKES HIM! But due to this, he feels more emotionally volatile because he has no one to comfort him. He doesn't want to be loved but he DESPERATELY NEEDS IT! His character is contradictory in nature, which it's supposed to be, because he's a 13 year-old boy who's destined to be completely devoid of any and all hope!

Also before someone accuses me of being weird or something for "defending" Eridan's character, I utterly hate Eridan. Eridan is my least favorite Homestuck character. But the DISGUSTLY gross oversimplification of his character drives me completely and utterly coo-coo crazy banana pants! Get it glubbin together!

[eggonthemoon]

How Mizisua and Ivantill is often mischaracterized.

(this is entirely my own opinions and interpretations of Alien Stage, you are entirely in the right to disagree with any of my points here)

I feel like a lot of the time, people often water down mizisua and ivantill into something shallower than they are:

Mizisua is sweet and healthy because their love is mutual.

Ivantill is toxic and unhealthy because of it's one-sidedness.

That's probably just me oversimplifying it and I could word it a little better, but that's my point here. There's more to the dynamics than what is on the surface.

And I want to talk about it.

First things first though!

None of the characters are raised in normal, healthy upbringings. And thus don't have a normal or natural foundation to base their relationships on

I feel that's super important to recognise here. How can we expect them to understand things like boundaries and healthy communication when no one has bothered teaching them this. They are left to figure that all out on their own.

Which leaves me to my first point:

Mizisua is not healthy!

Not in the slightest even. I feel like a lot of the time, at least in fandom, people will claim that as long as there's no abuse and both parties feelings are mutual then it's healthy. That's not the case here.

Mizi and Sua has a dangerous level of toxic co-dependency with each other. To cope with their hopeless reality, they pour their everything into their love for each other. They become the other's salvation. And in turn when one of them dies, the other is ruined.

Both of them are selfish in their love for each other. Mizi loved and cherished the soft side of Sua that only she got to see, it made her feel special, blessed even. And Sua purposely left Mizi in the dark about the truth behind Alien Stage, so that she could indulge in her and Mizi's blissful days of youth.

Neither of them are in the wrong for that. They only ever wanted to see the other happy but because of that, they didn't get to be truly vulnerable with each other. They were the other's utopia, their escape.

To me Mizisua is not just doomed because Sua died.

To me Mizisua is doomed because they were never afforded the chance to truly grow their relationship into healthy relationship I know they could be. One where they don't have to always be together and where even the rocky patches are allowed to coexist.

But the segyein never afforded them that chance.

Onto my point on Ivantill...

Till doesn't hate Ivan, he in fact cares for him a lot

Lots of people write off how Till feels about Ivan as "he doesn't give a fuck about him" simply because Till doesn't have any romantic feelings for him. That couldn't be further from the truth. In the artbook Ivan's affection rating on Till's page is 70% which is a lot for someone who supposedly doesn't care about him. Personally I think Till is mostly just confused by Ivan's behaviour.

He likes him but does things to make him mad.

He likes him but he steals things from him and then return them to him later.

When Till punched him after Ivan ruined his flower crown, Ivan laughed, enjoying their fight.

Till is smart, a genius even according to his peers. But when it comes to love he barely knows anything. I'm not sure where this was said but apparently his initial reason for liking Mizi is as simple as:

She's pretty.

Maybe those feelings were eventually accompanied by feelings of admiration for her genuine love of singing but it doesn't change the facts here.

Till's love for Mizi was rather shallow.

But much like Mizi and Sua made each other their escape from reality, Till did the same. Mizi became his everything because he had nothing. No happiness, no comfort, just his talent and a "father figure" with big ambitions for him. "Love" was just yet another means of survival. For someone who has endured violence for so long...would he ever begin to even consider the guy who provokes him, steals from him and "supposedly" enjoys violence, to have feelings for him?

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I think Till feels responsible for Ivan abandoning his chance of escape. Till didn't want to leave behind the person he made his entire reason for living but he didn't even once consider that he himself was that to Ivan.

Only when Ivan returned did he understand why.

And that's why I think Till can't stand looking at Ivan. The guilt is too painful. He and the guy might have fought a lot but they were friends. And he took away his one opportunity to escape this hell that is Anakt Garden and Alien Stage.

Till cares deeply about Ivan but doesn't realize that pushing Ivan away only hurt and wounded him more deeply. I think he only truly understood that fact once it was too late.

Till and Ivan both care for each other.

Just not in the same way.

[andiftheycare]

hello, do you have any fav stsg fics?

Hi anon!

I do indeed - even if I don't read as much ff as I'd like (my "to read" on AO3 gets bigger by the day) since I do tons of reading for work.

So I'm twisting this a bit and leaving below some fics I recently read and loved, and some of my highly-anticipated to read. Hope it works!

Current Favourites

Caesura by @cielelyse - Mature, 85.5k, multichapter, Complete This comes highly recommended in the fandom, and for a reasons. Rarely I read something so stunningly written and IC -- their teen Gojo is my favourite Gojo in the fandom, and the way she manages to mix character development & interactions with plot and romantic tension is chef's kiss. The narrative structure and use of language are stellar, too, often using interesting and unexpected turn of phrases. I think I devoured this in two sittings, and had to force myself to stop reading it. Fic is marked Mature for canon-typical violence rather than sex.

a spin around the rumor mill by ilovegetosuguru - General Audiences, 5K, Oneshot, Complete. The fist fic I read in this fandom, even before getting to ship stsg. This contains an unhealthy amount of fluff, great multi-characters characterisation, and speaks too well to anyone who went to uni and had to battle a shitty teacher. Nobara, in particular, is the gem that made me bookmark this. It's a one shot so it reads super quickly. Also sense of humor 10+++

Coanda Effect by @bunnieshoneys - Mature, 200k+, Multichapters, ongoing (22/24) Coanda Effect is a well loved ff and for a reason. I started it because I saw some great fanarts on Tiktok, despite the fact that was 100k+ at the time and I usually run away from fics that are already long. But the premise was great, and I thought why not. I proceeded to binge this in two weeks whilist losing my tube stop multiple times. What Coanda Effect really does -- that is addicting, really -- is beautifully lying down a spokon. You really care about the races. You start to understand how F1 works. And you find yourself having your favourite teams, too. It's also a compelling character study of Gojo and Geto, and I love that the author doesn't shy away in displaying their most unhealthy & complex traits, without oversimplifying their complexities. I read up to chapter 16, so I have a lots to catch up to, but I'd still highly recommend a read.

5 Times Gojo Satoru Tries to Rizz Up Geto Suguru and 1 Time He (Kind Of) Succeeds by seonghwaffles - Teen+, 16k, Multichapter, Complete Such a fun ride! This is perfect if you want anything with a very stupid, wipped Satoru, where everything he does goes wrong in the most improbable ways. Quick to read too!

Highly-Anticipated

Over the Threshold by @fushiglow -- Mature, 80k+, Multichapter, ongoing Idol AU featuring kpop idol Gojo and producer Geto. I know zero about this, but I quite like kpop and I find the industry fascinating (although brutal). I think the setting is up for some intresting dynamics, so I can't wait to dig into this one.

Cannibalization of the Apex by CharmPoint - Mature, 55k, multichapter, complete Fic where Gojo dies during the hidden inventory arc, comes back as a curse and is absorbed by Geto. The premise is just right up my street, I'm just waiting to be in the right state of mind to give this a read.

Hope this answers it anon!

[ixiot-ghostrebel]

Some Stuff I Should Probably Address.

Alright, For most of you lot who knows what fandoms I write for, this shouldn't come off as surprising to you:

But yes, this is about the Demand to Recasting Certain Voice Actors, Natlan's Characters Being Whitewashed, and my personal thoughts about these matters. They will be under the "Keep Reading" cut if you wish.

TL;DR If You Want to Avoid This, But Want Updates About My Blog: I am closing requests for Genshin and HSR for the time being. I will still be open to discuss HSR and Genshin, but not controversy. I'm sorry.

People Waiting For "Barren Lands, Final Wishes" Letters:

They're on their way, I promise! Unfortunately I haven't been able to make time for them as much as I wanted to, but they Will be out soon!

Now back to more Serious Matters.

⌨︎ Warnings: The Follow Will Contain Mentions of Sexual Abuse, Abuse, and Whitewashing. If I Missed a Warning, or Wrote the Wrong Warning, Please Notify Me Immediately!

Alright, first off: The Voice Actors of Sunday and Moze.

I frankly am not the kind of person who indulges in drama, nor do I like reading/watching them in my free time, but it can't be overlooked at this point. Griffin Puatu and Chris Niosi are quite the controversy recently.

For those who don't know, here's a (probably oversimplified—apologies, on that part) basic idea of what's happening:

Chris Niosi has been accused with sexual and emotional abuse by his ex-partners, as well as friends.

Now, the real big problem, however, is that Hoyoverse, the company who owns the HSR character by the name of "Moze" has decided to hire Niosi to become his EN Voice Actor, which is sparking a lot of disapproval, for Hoyoverse is being blamed for not checking his background/history well enough.

(For More Information About Him: Click This For an Article About the Matter.)

Now, I don't have much to say about Griffin Puatu, who is the current EN Voice Actor of Sunday, but judging from screenshots and tumblr posts I have seen by the Reddit post he wrote, many people are not liking him as well because Puatu is standing up for Niosi.

Now, my Personal Thoughts on the matter, and, as much as I hate getting into drama (apologies, these personal thoughts will be a rant):

Just why? I'm unsure who was at TRUE fault of hiring Niosi, and I don't have full context of WHY Puatu is backing up Niosi when people say he hasn't changed, but seriously, why?

As much as I really hate to say this, but honestly, with this amount of controversy around a game people download to have fun and enjoy, all of it is pretty much ruined for me at the moment. I'm fed up with this—Again, I'm not sure whose fault it was, but they seriously need to be CAREFUL.

I also don't believe that Niosi should have gotten the role of Moze (HSR), but at the same time, who the hell decided it was a good idea to get/give him the role? As I live under a rock, I didn't know who Niosi was. At the time of Moze's drip-marketing, I really thought it'd be cool—for the first time in a while, I actually felt excited for a character rather than the plot of a game. After hearing all this, and taking time thinking about it, I really just don't want to touch HSR content anymore at the moment. It's annoying, because HSR has really good content—it has the potential to be great.

I seriously just can't wrap my head around who hired this guy. I'm not going into Puatu specifically because I don't know much about what he wrote, and (again) I don't like getting into drama. My apologies on that part, but honestly? I'm just done.

Alright, Second off: Natlan Characters—Skin.

I'm pretty sure most people are aware of THIS controversy, but to simplify: Natlan Characters are too pale and it's inaccurate.

Geographically, it makes no sense. They're in warmer temperatures, they should be more tanned. On top of that, their skin tone DOES NOT MATCH their cultures, or where they're taken inspiration from. Hoyoverse are being boycotted (from what I heard) for whitewashing and neglecting to represent the people of said-cultures/said-traditions.

My Personal Thoughts?

COME ON, HOYOVERSE. Do better! It was one thing to drop Natlan Teasers about the characters, but seriously? Please, try a little harder! Genshin Impact has GOOD POTENTIAL—EVERYONE SEES THAT! But you can't make them tanned? Why?

This was the first thing that has been bugging me BEFORE the entire Moze EN VA bullcrap. Come on, Hoyoverse, do better. You are losing respect out here. I am so disappointed, and even that is an understatement! You are losing your respect and recognition as a worthy company brand! What is going on in their building???? Hello???

Someone better fix this skin tone problem soon. I am so fed up with this. As much as I love the characters they just drip-marketed, it's also quite unfair: Take Liyue, for example. Their culture and their people are represented accurately, as far as anime can go.

Natlan? Yikes, suddenly they aren't able to create that same amount of accuracy potential. Why though? What's stopping them? Why are they not doing what is ethically right?

Everyone's waiting for a proper answer, myself included.

Alright, With that all being said—the final Part: What's Happening to the Ghost Rebel's Blog?

Well, for starters: I need a break. I am not only disappointed, but mentally drained. I am so done with all of this, and I need an utter breather. I usually go on Tumblr to cool down or read some nice, wholesome writing posts I find on some fandoms I like. Now, however, I am in dire need of staying away from Tumblr.

I'll be on a little bit of hiatus from writing so much—but not for now, as I currently have an event going on.

However: I am no longer taking any HSR and/or Genshin requests until these issues are either resolved or fixed. That is my stance, and I hope you can respect it.

Yes, this will mean my blog will decrease in activity. However, I am still open to Genshin/HSR discussions—so long as they are not about drama/controversy. I think I'm drained from all of this.

To everyone who read to the very end of this post: Thank you for reading to the end, and I apologize if you were also trying to avoid witnessing these kinds of controversies. However, some things can't be overlooked.

Hope y'all are doing safe/good. Have a good day/night.

[leconcombrerit]

A warm hug to Non, or when are we going to stop demanding perfection from victims

It's been forever since I thought about making this post but I've finally decided to write the goddamn thing.

Three disclaimers : one, I haven't yet managed to get past the first third of episode 9, so this whole thing is based on episodes 1-8 at best. Two, I'll block on sight again if I see victim blaming on this post. Finally, I'm by no means an expert on the subject. It's complex, I might get things wrong and I'll have to oversimplify at times for clarity and brevity's sake, please don't kill me for it. It's probably gonna be long enough as it is. I've tried my best to organize my thoughts in a way that would make sense, but. Well. I hope it does.

Trigger warning for mention of suicide, bullying, grooming, sexual assault, rape

Non started as the poor little baby everyone wanted to protect -both the audience and Jin ; for all the shit he got after filming Non and Keng, there are a lot of parallels to draw between him and the audience. Then the dreaded episode 7 happened and all hell broke loose. I won't include screenshots of the disgusting things I read from some viewers about Non, but Jin's reaction is pretty telling already.

The easy explanation would be that he's mad Non isn't returning his feelings, but I think it has more to do with Non not fitting his 'good victim' role anymore. There's sadness on his face, but the dominants are anger and betrayal. Non tries to regain agency and gets crucified for it.

So what's a good victim ?

Non, basically

If you want an examplary blueprint of what society defines as a good victim and survivor, someone worth justice, defending and loving, just take a look at Non. I broke it down in four marks that need to be checked :

-Innocence : none of the person's action prompted the abuse -Moral high ground : the person has values and displays kindness -Helplessness : the person cannot do anything about the situation they're stuck in -Accepting to be saved : self-explanatory. The person has to accept the help that's offered to them, traditionally by a love interest

Non is abused for being poor, something he's not responsible for. He's hardworking, honest, passionate about the things he loves and commits to his engagements. He's kind when talking with Jin. He's resilient in the face of the gang's bullying. None of what he could do or say would make it stop, neither can he help owing Por for a camera he hasn't broken nor get out of Tee's pyramid scheme. His mental illness only increases this impression of vulnerability. Jin doesn't have all these elements, but he's got more than enough to paint a very similar picture of Non as the audience.

As for accepting help, Jin repeatedly offers some -and Non finally lets him in during their conversation on the rooftop. What Jin offers may be little but it's still help ; Non smiles and even gives Jin a shove -what I think is the only time he initiates contact with Jin at all.

"Thank you so much, Jin, for helping me all along." "It's alright, I'm glad to. I just want to see you smile again, Non."

The audience gets even more of Non being happy and grateful to be saved : he calls his "♥" contact for help multiple times, smiles at the reminder to take his meds and, later on, clings to Phee for dear life after trying to kill himself. He doesn't fight him, he doesn't reach for the scattered pills. Hell, even accepting Tee's offer to make money could count as Non agreeing to be saved by everyone around him.

Non checks all the marks. Everyone in the audience is rooting for him, the other boys can all go get impaled on a branch, and Jin looks at him like he hung and lit all the stars in the sky.

Speaking of the other boys...

Tee and Por victims as well but don't get the same amount of sympathy, if any. Tee isn't responsible for being stuck in a criminal environment and can't get out of it ; no one has offered help, so he gets a pass. But he's been shown to be selfish, opportunist, often cowardly and sometimes gratuitously cruel.

As for Por, it's even worse : every actions he takes seems to confirm his dad's opinion of him. The only mark he ticks is accepting to be saved by his mother, which looks very bad taken on its own. I made a post about Por not too long ago if you want more.

The only way for them to redeem themselves and go from 'horrible people who should die' to 'maybe they don't suck they're my poor little meow meows' is penitence. Take Por ; he's the archetype of the rich son who gets abused by his dad and suffers from having so much money. Just like Kang in Dangerous Romance, or Tanthai in Laws of Attraction. Tee ? I don't have names from the top of my head, but he's that hardened jaded guy stuck in a mafiosi network who has to learn to love and be loved again (enters White). Yet the audience learnt to root for these characters.

Basically, nothing is set in stone. Your status as a good or bad victim can shift depending on your actions and the way they're framed. The usual narrative is to get those characters to grow into the acceptable victim pattern. DFF however is going for reverse development (Non, Jin) or stagnation (Por, Tee, Fluke). It makes for gritty yet very realistic storylines ; and while I'm the first to yell that the masked figures should get their ass stat, I also recognize that there's much more complexity to them than this. Except Top. I have yet to come up with a good explanation for what they're doing with Top, but I will at some point.

How did Non fall from grace if he's such a good example ?

Three points : Phee, the paradox of the demand for Non to seek agency but not too much, and his inacceptable betrayal.

Phee as a magnifying factor

I love this kid to bits but Phee's appearance in the flashbacks concurs with Non's flawless image being torn to shreds for a reason. He's a good, strong and caring person who loves and tries to protect Non -something the audience has wanted to do for weeks ; so we all gathered behind Phee and made him our emissary, carrying out the impossible task outsiders to the series' world couldn't : saving Non.

Since Phee voices the questions and concerns of the audience, we are Phee to an extent. Betraying Phee means betraying the hope and love and care the audience has for Non. Phee is the series' moral compass by that point. I'm sure you see where I'm going with this. If not, consider it's a surprise tool that will help us later. When Phee gets hurt by Non or decides he'd be better off lost and dead.

For the record, in this poll Phee gets even fewer votes than White

Seek agency, but not too much

Discontent starts to rise with the helplessness point first as viewers start to question why Non doesn't ditch the group. Why he's putting himself through such trouble. Non changes from being subjected to others' action to being the subject in a grammatical sense. Yet Non has hiw own reasons to stay (how much does the movie mean to him ? How many hours and sleepless nights on the script ? How long would it take for him to find another chance to get enough funding ? How big of a dream is it for him ?). It's the first occurence of the audience claiming to know best what's good for Non.

Complaints quiet down when Non does try to leave for good only to be stopped by Jin. We saw him try, we saw him fail, he really couldn't leave so he's off the hook.

Jin also makes sure Non remains a perfect victim by bringing him back into the group. I'm not accusing Jin of trying to make Non suffer on purpose ; he's a good guy at heart, come fight me to death on this hill. But the only way for him to exist in Non's life is to remain a savior of sorts. If Non leaves, there's nothing to save him from. Which brings us to my next point.

Non must try to solve things by himself, sure. But not too much. Because when you thrash to regain control of your life, you might break a few things in the process. Especially if you have to wrest it away from well-intentioned but firm hands.

He rejected Jin's offers to help numerous times. He looked anything but thrilled when Phee put himself in danger to clear his name. He refused to change schools at first, only to begrudgingly agree when Phee insisted. This insistence is the heart of the matter : Phee is sure he knows best, so he bulldozes through Non's objections and hesitation : he doesn't consult him before asking his dad for help, he speaks in his place when Non doesn't answer his proposal, he puts the bracelet on his wrist. He asks him if he's taken his meds, just in case.

Phee has the audience's benediction in doing so. Part of it stems from our knowledge of future events : we know it's going to end bad for Non. We know he has to get the fuck out. We know whatever decision he makes will be a bad one. Kids and teenagers as a whole are often deemed unable, or not mature enough to make informed decisions anyway. Just look at Non's mother telling him to prioritize his studies so he can go abroad like his brother. Multiply it tenfold for people with mental illnesses ; they get babied on a daily basis. So Non cannot, I can't emphasize it enough, cannot do anything.

All of the above end with Phee getting his way. Non can't win against him, so he chooses to lie instead.

Aside from willing to be in charge of his own life, Non's refusal to let Phee help is also rooted in love and fear. While Phee would offer him an easy way out as he did for the bank accounts, it would most likely only be easy for Non and put Phee in danger. Both their survivals are held in that curt 'no'.

He's already straight up refused help, and now he loses the moral highground by lying (to his perfect holy savior Phee of all people). From here on out, any action he takes will be his -which is what Non wanted ; it's his life, and he won't be a bystander in it. But it also means that he jumped off the pedestal he'd been put on to land on thin ice.

And guess what, Non is a multi-dimentional character in a difficult situation who weighs more than a poor little damsel in distress. Of course said ice cracks. And the Non hate train gets started.

The betrayal

Lying and refusing help to go get it from the worst place he could have had was bad enough. But sleeping with his teacher while he had a boyfriend (Phee, for heaven's sake) ? Unforgivable. Cheating is the BL equivalent of every cardinal sin, the worst of the worst, and no matter the circumstances you'll get roasted for it.

And yet there are circumstances. One, especially, and it's called motherfucking grooming. I won't elaborate on this point cause I've done it over and over already, but Non was groomed by an adult. Does he see things that way ? Probably not. In his mind he's in control of the situation. He can lie to Phee about it because there's no reason for it to backfire. He does what he has to if he wants to save himself, using he one weapon he has : his body. It's cheating, but cheating in a game rigged for you to lose.

Society has two opinions about sex. It's either holy or gross. Take Jin, for instance.

See the look on his face. He's heartbroken, he's sad, he'll live through it. Witnessing Non having sex with his teacher when he has a boyfriend ? Now that's another story. That's a betrayal.

A betrayal of what, exactly ?

Of this goddamn image Jin had painted of Non. The same the audience was given to see prior to these events : Non was perfect and loveable and worth defending, an innocent, pure, helpless baby in need of saving. So when the illusion shatters in what society and especially BL culture hold as the worst action possible, people feel fooled. Stupid, if you will. And they turn their hatred to Non. Non lied to us ! He pretended to be good, dear god, to think I loved such filth ! My heart is so dirty now, ew.

But Non didn't lie. He lied to Phee, but that's it. Everything else was expectations and assumptions. Fail to meet them and suddenly everything is your fault. It's Non's fault for refusing to be dragged along in his own life anymore, Non's fault for lying in order to get some control, Non's fault for lying again not to lose Phee when caught by surprise, Non's fault for listening to Jin, Non's fault for resorting to use his only weapon to get out of a situation he was cornered in, Non's fault for being tricked into thinking any of the decisions he made regarding Keng were his own, Non's fault for everything.

He wanted to claim his life back and made a mistake, yes. He doubled-down on it when he realized it was too much for him to handle. He clung to it and did his best to keep it together. He dared not to be the perfect victim he was supposed to be ; to try when everyone knew he was bound to fail. And you know what, sometimes there's stuff that's someone's fault, consequences they didn't foresee, things they said, slips and falls, and they're still victims, just as much as they were before.

I believe that dealing with his debt himself is as important to Non as finishing the movie is. He's ready to be used and abused (by Keng in the former, the group for the latter) and to break his own heart, values, pride and sanity. He's the most resilient and dedicated character in the show to me.

But the world doesn't necessarily see it that way. So when Non realizes the mess he's made of everything, he fights Keng (who represents his desperate and violent search for complete independence) to reach for the bracelet he got from Phee. He wants help. He needs it. But he's not a victim anymore and any help is denied.

Both Phee and Jin later manage to reconcile their broken image of Non with the man he actually is. Too late to save him, but they still did. I have a hunch that things would have been different if Phee had beat up Keng and taken a crying Non in his arms, holding him tight while whispering none of it was his fault. But our moral compass fucked up, like the hurt kid he is.

What some people did by blaming and hating on Non is closer to the hateful comments he got on the video than Phee or Jin's reactions. They're far worse.

That's the big takeout. What if we stopped stigmatizing or idealizing sex ? What if we stopped demanding perfection and so-called purity for someone's trauma and status as a human being not to be negated ?

Anyway, here's a hug to Non and every victim who live in the paralyzing fear of a single slip. You can make mistakes just like the rest of us. You don't owe anyone perfection.

I'll end this rant on a bright, happy smile. I don't see a good ending for Non, but god knows he'd deserve it.

[autie-hobbit]

Autistic people need to change the way they talk about tantrums

I get it, seeing people that don't understand Autism or meltdowns seeing a child having a meltdown and deciding that they're just a misbehaving child and deserve to be punished is frustrating. But demonising tantrums should not be the way to battle that. Children having tantrums deserve just as much patience and kindness as those having a meltdown.

While, yes, meltdowns and tantrums do have differences, they often aren’t the ones pointed out by most Autistic people talking about this. What is usually explained as what a tantrum is is usually either oversimplified, or just straight up incorrect. And the differences between them really aren’t as black and white as people seem to think.

Meltdowns are involuntary reactions to an overwhelming emotion or stimuli, and a complete loss of control of their emotions and body.

Tantrums can be voluntary or involuntary, and are reactions to the overwhelming feeling of frustration or otherwise upset, and are a complete loss of control of their emotions.

Also, it’s important to note that meltdowns and tantrums can look the same while they are happening. You sometimes cannot tell which one is occurring until it’s over.

Now here’s the part that I really need people to understand. The problem is not that people don’t understand the differences between tantrums and meltdowns, and that’s why demonising kids having meltdowns is wrong. It’s that tantrums shouldn’t be demonised either.

We are talking about children. 

Children have tantrums for the same reason Autistic people have meltdowns. They have a poor emotional regulatory system, so when they feel a big emotion, that emotion takes over and they lose control. 

A child having a tantrum because they want candy is not having a tantrum because they think it’ll get them the candy. They’re having a tantrum because they’re upset over not getting candy, and they have little to no emotional regulatory system, and therefore cannot regulate that upset yet. It’s why tantrums usually stop at a certain age, once their emotional regulatory system improves, tantrums (for the most part) stop. 

This is also why tantrums (and meltdowns) will continue past the typical age in Autistic children, often continuing into adulthood. Because Autistic people have a poor emotional regulatory system that likely won’t improve as they get older.

[kateeorg]

Please tell me I'm not the only one who thinks "Magneto was right" is bullshit? And really dangerous rhetoric to be spreading? I'm not really an X-Men fan, so maybe my opinion is invalid, but... (a venting rant, please ignore unless you are curious, not judgmental)

Look.

It's one thing for Magneto to be right within the universe of X-Men -- any X-Men iteration -- which gives a lot of evidence that the humans of that universe WON'T change and WILL see mutants dead before they are accepted.

Fine. Whatever.

But considering how so many see X-Men as a reflection of real world issues... we're really going this route? We're really saying violence and war is the only option?

Because people WILL map this onto real-world issues that they really shouldn't be. But the real world isn't a comic book. The conflicts are not oversimplified, and the "oppressed" and "oppressors" aren't always as clear as people think. More often, there is real hurt on both sides, and multiple facets the news can't capture.

Sometimes, both sides are violent assholes. And they will hold on to their rightness, to their feelings of being the only "oppressed" ones, to justify horrible things.

And who gets caught in the crossfire? We do. Ordinary people just trying to get by.

And the other thing is, violence and extremism makes for a better story, doesn't it? Better comics, better photos, better news readership. Peace... real peace is hard. It doesn't photograph well, like protest does. It needs to constantly be maintained, constant compromises. It doesn't make for a good movie, does it? Not a superhero movie, anyway. Or TV show.

It requires a maturity that most people? Will never reach.

Including the writers.

So screw your "Magneto was right". Maybe I'm wrong. I probably am! I'm probably letting my emotions about real world events get in the way. I don't like conflict or picking sides by nature, even when it's justified, and some will see that as a weakness of my character. Fine.

But I'm sorry, I just ... I refuse to accept that. Because I worry who is going to use that phrase as a rallying cry in the real world. And who will get hurt as a result because someone decided they "deserved" that.

This is also why I'm frankly not excited to bring the X-Men into the MCU. Because where there are X-Men, irrational hatred must follow, and I just... I don't want to see the MCU devolve into that. It will, of course, the die has been cast, but... I'm sad it came to that, because I'm not sure I trust the MCU writers as things stand to get this right.

In a world of superheroes and flying ships, the thing that takes real imagination is to see a world where peace is possible.

I'm not sure I'll ever have the writing chops to do it myself. But I endeavor to try harder than the X-Men writers clearly ever have.

Actually, I think Wonder Woman said it best: "It's not about deserve. It's about what you believe. And I believe in love."

[juniperhillpatient]

I know I'm terminally coffin-brained lately but hear me out it really bothers me that the perception of the Coffin of Andy & Leyley is ONLY "hehe incest cannibalism game" which is....not EXACTLY inaccurate but it certainly simplifies it ya know??? like I call it the incest cannibalism game too as a joke but I'm realizing there are a lot of people who think of it as like...a porn game? & btw I'm not AGAINST porny games or whatever I just think it's reductive & inaccurate to call Andy & Leyley that when in reality there is not even (so far) any textual sexual content beyond a demonic vision of a possible future. yes very obviously their relationship does have a sexual & romantic undertone, but it's compelling specifically because it's a complex story about siblings who have been genuinely fucked over by their parents & the world & they have developed a topically obsessive codependent relationship as a result.

like the initial conversation that the game's title is based on is Andrew casually half-jokingly talking about killing himself & it's just so..... narratively delicious. Ashley is not some horny one-dimensional slut who just wants to fuck her brother? Her reaction to Andrew talking about suicide is to joke that she'll race him to the balcony & he says back - semi sarcastically but we KNOW there's truth in his words, that he's clearly thought about this - that it would be too romantic, that they would be smashed together on the pavement, buried in the same coffin & like...the game proceeds from there with these two living in this intertwined fate, tangled together in ways neither of them can ever escape. it's romantic but it's also tragic & awful.

Andrew's love for Ashley will always be bitter & tinted with resentment because he was thrust with the responsibility of raising his little sister when he was only a child himself. he was made responsible for caring for Ashley with absolutely NO example of what caring for someone looked like & he was barely old enough to care for himself. Ashley never had anyone care for her in her entire life except Andrew & so she absolutely adores him to a dangerous & unhealthy degree.

like I hate it when people think Ashley is oh so abusive & manipulative or Andrew is so awful & selfish (she is manipulative & he is occasionally selfish) but like - as if there are not layers upon layers of WHY she treats Andrew the way she does & WHY he's so resentful. (as a side note I think debating who abuses who (aside from obviously the fact that they were both abused in different ways by their mother) or who's "worse" just...misses the whole ass point.)

and the cannibalism is initially about survival & the stakes are very apparent & built super well given the opening of the game spends a lot of time just demonstrating that they are literally starving to death to the point where Ashley is fainting & they're sharing a can of tomatoes out of the garbage joking that it's the best meal they've ever had. it is highly worth noting the way their actions escalate & get worse & worse with time as the game proceeds & you can see the way they're both getting more & more comfortable with violence & taboo. this game just would not compel me if it were just randomly "lol let's eat people!" get real

idk I just feel like people who don't know the game get the wrong idea about it when it's actually SO narratively rich okay bye

(this is not an anti Gravecest post either just to be clear, I fucking love the ship I just feel like it gets oversimplified often & also that Ashley especially is highly mischaracterized a lot, even in the game's marketing sometimes. at the core of the game are two deeply broken people who were fucked over bad & who are tied together in a way that neither of them can ever escape. it's love as horror & I loooove that about it)

[erinelliotc]

Some people (including myself) are Eddy apologists for this exact reason too- they can understand why he acts as he acts, where do come from his anger and insatisfaction with his life, and how he often gets a pretty unfair treatmente in some episodes (To Sir with Ed, Sorry Wrong Ed, X Marks the Ed, Who let The Ed In, The Good, The Bad and The Ed). On other side other characters (the kids) act just as bad as him and (almost) always come go unpunished. There several years ago Eddy got lots of hate, he was demonished and treated like a real monster and a sociopath by the fandom, devoid of any redeeming qualities. People who feel sympathy for him for his background and some of these episodes began to come to his defende and shows how he is a great character with a lot of good moments and a heart deep down.

Edd, on other side, always had the ''elite treament'', he was a angel, a perfect princess, who can do anything wrong in certain fans's eyes. Not to mention he pretty much overshadowed every other character on fanfics and fan arts, was everything about him. Another fans (usually Eddy fans) naturally got sick of this and started to push his flaws, the moments were he acted like a jerk, and how he's not above anyone on the show. And how not all his actions are (indeed) justifyable. Summing up, people were just sick of seeing Eddy being treated like a psychotic monster and Edd as the Jesus Christ figure.

Politely, just clarifying this to you. Good afternoon.

First of all, thanks for politely telling me all this! I wasn't really aware of all this because I only joined the fandom 5 months ago. And I totally get this, that's why I made the post. I saw some posts of people talking about those people who think Double D is an innocent little angel and I started to wonder if people think that about me, if I ever sounded like that, and I started to worry that someday I would sound like that in one of my future texts and videos talking about him. I hadn't thought about it when I made the post, but I hope it didn't come off as rude or an "attack" (???), I was just afraid that people would mistake me for one of those annoying people and just wanted to clarify that I'm not, because I really like this fandom and I don't want people to think that I'm annoying or that I make superficial analyses of the characters (because I personally think that oversimplifying Double D as good and Eddy as bad is something people do when they watch the show very superficially). I tend to be that type of person who feels the need to always clarify and justify myself for fear of others hating me, and also, I'm a little traumatized by Twitter where people tend to be very aggressive and mean to you for everything and assume things about you and not explain things to you etc etc... so I was a little anxious after making my post, afraid something like this might happen, but from everything I'm seeing, people on Tumblr seem so nice and kind in general. So I want to thank you again for being so kind and actually explaining the whole thing to me :)

Eddy is a character who's very easy to be wronged and misunderstood because he has great depth, several layers, insecurities and traumas that he covers with his false confidence and "jerky" attitude that he tries to copy from his brother. Obviously not justifying people treating him like a monster, just explaining that unfortunately we live in a world full of superficial people who aren't concerned with paying attention to details and stopping to really interpret and analyze things carefully and attentively, and understand that people are complex, characters are complex, and Eddy is a highly complex character. To these people, it ends up being more comfortable and convenient to just be content and cling to the character who, if seen superficially, is the "perfect little angel" who "suffers at the hands" of the "evil Eddy". I love analyzing and reflecting on things deeply, and it really irritates and frustrates me that people don't make the effort to do the same, and that happens in real life too. People quickly judge and have difficulty understanding that people are not simple and have different reasons for acting the way they do. I know it's hard to deal with people who act like jerks, I have a hard time myself, but I just wish there was a little more empathy in the world. That's one of the things Big Picture Show teaches us, right? Don't judge people because sometimes the jerk person is actually a very broken, insecure and frustrated person who just wants and needs to feel loved and accepted and doesn't really understand that. I think it's so important to learn this because it's true, sometimes people act mean not because they're actually mean, but because of so many other reasons that they themselves don't comprehend or don't want to show, and the "mean" disguise is just the way they found to defend themselves and survive.

I think (at least I hope?) it's noticeable in some of my posts that I also love Eddy (as a Double D kinnie I think it makes sense to be in love with him xD just an EddEddy joke to lighten up, but honestly I think people like Eddy are my type), I love analyzing and reading other people's analyses of his character and story, but my sympathy for him just grew in the last 5 months in fact, when I became hyperfixated on EEnE much more intensely than before and finally started to get to know about the whole story and characters. I even made a post once talking about thinking that he was my least favorite Ed, because before he actually was, but after rewatching the entire show now as an adult (the last time I watched I was a kid who didn't even understand a lot of the things that happened) and starting to analyze and read about it, now I'm very obsessed with him, I think his character is so interesting and deep, that he has the most interesting backstory and the best character development, and I even make more edits with him than with Double D (I think I tend to be obsessed with controversial and complex characters who are full of content to analyze from a psychological point of view like Eddy. A good example is Jinx from Arcane, I just love her character so much). I also recently realized that he's a lot like my brother, no wonder our mother often misunderstands him. But I get it, they (Eddy and my brother) are just people who are very hard to deal with because they carry several issues that you need to have good maturity and emotional structure to deal with, but it's so good when you can get to know a little more about them and help them get through these things when they open up and allow themselves to be discovered and helped.

Today I came across a post (which was honestly the trigger that made me make my post) from @eddfumo saying that they think Double D wants to be like Eddy in some way, and you know what? This is so true! I'll use my own experience to relate to him and explain him again, but anyway, I'm so envious of people/characters like Eddy. Even though they tend to irritate me and I even disapprove of many of their actions and decisions, they also have this determination, confidence (even if it's false, they're still able to act like confident people), attitude, audacity, strong personality, rebelliousness, extroversion and "not giving a shit" energy that I so wish I had too. I really admire these traits and I think Double D deep down does too (I like to headcanon him doing the same as I do and secretly fantasizing imaginary and hypothetical situations and discussions in which he acts more like Eddy, and he feels so good about himself afterwards, but feels frustrated that he doesn't have the nerve to do this outside of his imagination in real-life situations). Even though they have questionable morals, this type of person is so inspiring and you can still learn so much from them. It's no wonder Double D grows so much and becomes a more confident and less people-pleasing person because of Eddy's influence.

So yeah, it sucks when people simplify characters and see them as black and white, good and bad. The EEnE fandom is unfortunately not very big, but luckily here on Tumblr, at least currently, it's full of people who do in-depth analyses and that makes me very happy!

EDIT (I'm editing to add one more thing because I forgot to mention another topic that complements what you said about the other kids acting badly too and not receiving any punishment): One of the many things I plan to do after rewatching the show a few more times to properly absorb everything (I need to rewatch things at least twice to really take it all. Plus, I rewatched it the first time with the Brazilian dub because nostalgia and now I want to rewatch it with the original lines) is count how many times the Eds do real scams. Because honestly, there are a lot of episodes where we can't really call what they're doing "scams" because they're not actually scamming anyone, they're just selling something honestly and without harming anyone, but things always go wrong even when they're not doing anything wrong (often because of the Kankers, for example) and this is frustrating as hell to Eddy.

Since I haven't rewatched everything twice yet (because I'm still in the process of subtitling the entire remastered version of the show to rewatch it properly because English isn't my first language), I don't remember all the episodes accurately and clearly. But the last one I subtitled was "In Like Ed" (season 2, episode 9), so it's the example I have freshest in mind, even if it's not the best one. I know, the Eds were inconvenient in this episode crashing Jimmy's party (even though I think it's so lame that they rarely get invited to anything because the kids exclude them), opening his presents and everything, but one thing that stuck in my mind was the fact that when Eddy opened the present in front of them and revealed the sewing machine, Jimmy just said: "I'm so misunderstood. I wanted a pony!". He didn't say anything about them ruining the surprise or anything, he just started crying and ran away because he didn't get a goddamn pony. He just complained about someone's present, despised the present right in front of the person, and all Kevin said was "There goes the birthday boy. You dorks wrecked another party!". Like?? Jimmy cried because he didn't get the present he wanted, and not because of the Eds. I could even consider the possibility of them giving him "preferential treatment" and ignoring him because he's younger, but there are times when Kevin doesn't give a shit about Jimmy being younger, like in "Know it All Ed" (season 2, episode 1) when he uses the squirt gun on him, mock him and call him "twerp". Anyway, regardless of being younger, he was so rude and no one gave a shit, and not only that but they even acted as if it was the Eds' fault that Jimmy cried and ran away.

So yeah! The kids (especially Kevin) always blame the Eds (especially Eddy) for everything that goes wrong, even when it's not really their fault. And as you said, they also act badly, but nothing happens to them.

[inkabelledesigns]

Clearly I must be in the mood to talk about indie horror games, because I have another one for you. Disclaimer: I do not care for Poppy Playtime. Which, probably surprises people. I love indie mascot horror, I love dolls and toys, it sounds like this would be a perfect fit for me on paper right? Yeah no, it is not my vibe. Poppy Playtime feels extremely corporate compared to other indie games, and that combined with the way it exploits children, a story that doesn't feel rewarding, and an art style/toy designs that just don't do it for me, it's not my cup of tea. I only remain aware of it because I have friends that are into it, and I check in to understand what they're talking about/in hopes that it'll get better. So far I have yet to be convinced of that, but I'm open to the possibility of that changing.

https://x.com/mobgamesstudios/status/1841161203701121122

But we're not here to talk about any of that (at least, not for a few paragraphs). We're here to talk about the Nightmare Critters. So teasers for Chapter 4 have just recently been released, and we have some newly revealed toys called the Nightmare Critters: an edgy, dark counterpart to the Smiling Critters we met in Chapter 3. I'm not opposed to their concept. It makes a lot of sense for a toy company to have a variant toy meant to appeal to an audience of middle schoolers and teens who think they're too old and "cool" for toys but still like toys. Like, what do you think Monster High was in the 2010s? XD Okay, that's oversimplifying MH, it wasn't made solely for that purpose, but you get what I'm saying right? It makes perfect sense to me for Playtime Co to be covering their bases in that way, they are a fictional company seeking fictional profit after all. That would be profitable in all likelihood! I'll even say I like the idea of having a poison dart frog as a plushie with Icky Licky (though the small tongue confuses me). I don't love the design, but I do love the idea of taking a less common animal for a plushie and trying it out, we need more good frogs to cuddle.

No, my criticism of the Nightmare Critters is that they do not feel like a natural progression of anything in this world with the story we've gotten so far. And there's many reasons I say that. Last chapter, there was a LOT of emphasis put on our Bigger Bodies Dogday being the last of the Smiling Critters. And that sequence was incredibly heart wrenching where he straight up gets eaten from the inside and his corpse is possessed. It feels like having a new group of critters diminishes that. Like, yes, they're a different brand, but they're still in the Smiling Critters style, and you expected them to be done with that after how much time they got in Chapter 3.

It leaves me wondering if the devs got the wrong message from Chapter 3. Because let me tell you, the Smiling Critters were not the thing that brought you success my dudes. They are a Care Bears parody that were designed for horror monsters first, cute toys second, and they fall into an uncanny place that makes me wonder why any kid would want this as a toy. Like, when you're twisting it into horror, it should be uncanny, but you gotta start out at least a little cuter to fake the audience out. The mouth design is very not to my taste, I might go as far as to call it ugly, but ugly is incredibly subjective.

But no, the things that made Chapter 3 stand out were in the shock value. Which, I still don't get why they literally spoiled one of their better scares in the marketing. Huggy coming out of the TV should have been a surprise, that was one of the most unnerving things they've done in its presentation. The speaking directly to the protagonist, the change in his demeanor, the way he's animated, it was SOLID, and they had to spoil it in the trailer AND on their Twitter. It annoys me so much, don't ruin the surprise of one of the scariest things you've done in this game. X'''D Who is responsible for that marketing, Mob? But that rant aside, Chapter 3 was shocking because it was NOTABLY darker and more complicated than what came before it. Getting into the orphanage, the gruesome death of Dogday on screen for us to watch, the TV scare, those were some of its best moments. This is when the game said 'we're not baby's first indie horror game'. Which, a lot of people are praising, but I took issue with it.

I have no problem with Poppy getting darker, that's perfectly fine, but I DO have a problem with them not having a clear age rating or content warnings on their game to accompany that, and then selling merchandise directly to children. Like, no, you do not exploit the children, Poppy merch should not be in the same aisle next to Mario and Pokemon, it should be in the collectibles aisle with the stuff for older toy enthusiasts. Toys are for everyone, but these are toys from a story about murdering children where murder is shown on screen. We should not be selling that to kids specifically. There should not be a "back to school" sale, there should not be things meant to be brought into an elementary school for these kids for a horror game that, in my opinion, you probably shouldn't play if you're under the age of 16. Steam as a service may be geared towards teenagers and older, but there are still plenty of neglectful parents that let their kids play anything on there. And while it isn't Mob's responsibility to parent these kids, it would be nice if they made an effort to give parents a clear warning that hey, this is probably not something little Johnny and Susie are ready for until they're a little older. There is no excuse for why Poppy Playtime doesn't have a T rating, ESPECIALLY after Chapter 3. Like, kids can handle horror, there is absolutely horror out there that isn't dumbed down that kids can partake in and be perfectly fine, but Poppy Playtime is not one of them. But that's not gonna happen, because the children are the audience members that keep this game profitable. It was likely built on appealing to them and getting their parents' money, and I don't like that. Maybe it's that I have a kid in my life and have seen the inappropriate things kids his age bring to school, because their parents aren't researching anything their kids are into, but it just bugs me something fierce.

The Nightmare Critters, to me, feel like a marketing move first and a plot move...not second, no, this is like a solid fifth priority. The Nightmare Critters are there to sell a toy. They do not feel like a natural progression of antagonists or toys to focus on in this world, and it's frustrating to see Mob neglect all the other toys they've established. Like, okay, where is Catbee? Where is Boogie Bot? I would kill to interact with Boogie Bot for a chapter. Where is Candy Cat trying to eat us alive or holding victims captive in its body? Where is a living Bron in something other than those videos outside of the game? Why do we have the little wuggies but not a variant of smaller Mommy Longlegs and her two family members? Why is Boxyboo in your spinoff game with no trace of him in the main game? Where did the flower you replaced with Bunzo go? As much as I don't love it, where is the Freddy Fazbear on the toilet toy? You littered the shelves with background toys, and most of them have never been expanded upon. Like, you have made SO MANY toys in this world before this point, why are we making even more of them instead of utilizing what you already have? I love getting new characters, but it sucks that we don't get development on the old ones. And also, it's more expensive! Like I knew these Nightmare Critters were coming early because the trademarks for their names leaked. Trademarks get expensive, and when you're introducing so many new characters that are also being merchandised as real world toys, that stacks up in a hurry! That's real money.

We know over the course of the last year that several of the key people who worked on Poppy have left Mob to pursue other things. And the marketing for Chapter 4 makes that very obvious. The fact that there have been tweets showing someone from Mob saying on Discord that the teaser trailer was made using an early build of Chapter 4 and it'll look different in the future doesn't inspire confidence. Why are you releasing a trailer using outdated materials that doesn't reflect the current quality of your game? That sounds like you aren't really ready to be releasing a trailer. Why release a trailer or teasers now anyway? Because it's October? Because the holiday season is coming up and you want to sell toys? Because other major indie horror releases are doing a lot right now and you want a piece of the pie? (BATIM Chapter 3's seven year anniversary, Zoochosis releasing, I'm pretty sure FNAF has been doing a lot too following its own 10 year anniversary). Like, does this make sense to be doing right at this moment? Is there something else coming that made it so there was pressure to do teasers right now? The next chapter comes out in January of 2025, but it begs the question, how far ahead do you have to be to effectively market that? I don't know, I don't do marketing statistics, but I'm sure they have someone on board to who does that thinks this is a good move.

I'm just...disappointed. I want Poppy Playtime to be better than it is, but it continues to miss the mark. Once the shock value of Chapter 3 being darker wears off, you're going to have fans complaining again that it didn't go far enough, or even that it regressed. There will always be people who love it and hail it as the best indie mascot horror ever, good for them, I'm glad they're having fun. But this thing isn't as good as it could be by any stretch of the imagination. And I don't get why. The chapter based release thing also plays a part in it all. Now, I'm not hating on chapter based releases, I actually like them. They offer a very natural space for theorizing and combing through the details to predict what will come next, and it gives people more time with your characters to get attached to them. By all means, it's not a bad strategy. That said, the devs have talked about having a clear vision for the story all the way through, but the game throws so much disjointed stuff at us each chapter that it leads to some doubts on that. Like, I get it when Bendy had that happen. BATIM was very much an accident, they didn't intend to make a full game after the first chapter's demo was up on Gamejolt. They did it to capture the lightning in a bottle and made it up as they went, and I'm more lenient because I understand the circumstances (though Dark Revival I'm not so lenient on). But Poppy has no excuse. Their moves are very calculated and corporate, and it feels like it's here to sell merchandise first and tell a good story/be a compelling game fourth. And that's probably going to continue. It's a shame.

There is one upside though. The fandom has a way of making this world compelling and fun. Seriously, the fan content is great, mad props to all of you fan artists of all mediums for putting your heart and soul into it. I think this is why Mob thought making more critters was a good move, there are so many fun pieces of critter fan content. But like, that's because the Smiling Critters are super easy to make a fan character or AU out of. Like that is a template. There's just enough characterization and vagueness around them that you can make a lot of things work with them for a story and have it sound sensical to most of the fanbase. And there's a lot of fun interpretations to play with. Is it my cup of tea? Most of the time, not really, but I admire the effort and passion that goes into it. That's valuable!

In conclusion, I don't think the Nightmare Critters are bad or even a bad idea, but I don't think their execution was handled well. Had they been foreshadowed in the previous chapters or featured alongside their smiling counterparts, maybe I would be singing a different tune. But as it currently stands, they feel out of place/out of nowhere, they have a real associated cost with trademarks, they take away time that we could be using to explore other established toys, and it feels like they exist for marketing and merchandise rather than a natural progression of the world. Maybe I'll be wrong and they'll actually be a fun and creative addition to Chapter 4, I'm open to that possibility. But as it currently stands, they don't inspire confidence for me personally.

That said, I am mildly curious for what Simon Smokes is gonna be. Like, we know we're getting a mako shark and an alligator, but Simon Smokes could be many animals. So far I've heard either a skunk or a dragon, y'know to be a counterpart to Craftycorn. I'd actually like to see their take on a dragon, could be interesting.

Don't expect me to talk about Poppy Playtime often. I tend to keep my more negative thoughts to myself because I find that to be kinder, especially with indie games and productions. Like, who am I to yuck someone else's yum? My belief is that indie games come from a place of passion, a desire for freedom to create in ways you can't at a triple A company. It's about the art and making something that is meaningful on an individual level. Making an indie game is a real risk, it's vulnerable, it's scary, and I applaud anyone brave enough to put themselves out there and try. That's NOT easy! But Poppy Playtime, at this point in time, is handled by Mob, which, for all intents and purposes, operates as a company. They may be classified as an indie, but they don't appear to have the same heart as other indies. And that's part of what turns me off from them. You can make amazing art and be conscious of the bottom line/make profit, by all means, that's important and doable, you need that to survive. Just, sometimes it feels like this leans more in the direction of the profit than it does the art. And there's something about that that I don't vibe with. But maybe I'm wrong. Maybe they do have that heart and I'm just not seeing it, maybe I have it all wrong. I think, framing it as "this is how it appears to me" rather than "this is definitively what it is" is valuable.

I was chatting with my mom recently about leaving reviews on things, and her insight was really interesting. My mom reads a lot of books from independent authors, and she tends not to leave reviews, but she definitely doesn't leave negative reviews, even on the worst books with horrible grammar and no cohesive plot. She said she'd feel awful doing that, because that's messing with someone's livelihood, and you just don't do that. I see where she's coming from. I also don't want to mess with something that puts a roof over someone's head and keeps food on their table. It's tough to know where to draw the line between being constructively critical for the sake of being informative/educational about creating better art and doing something that will negatively affect someone else's life in ways beyond that critique. Like, I have the hardest time talking about Bendy critically because I don't want to hurt anyone, be that other fans or the people I know who have worked on it and put their all into that. I don't know if I'm doing the right thing by talking about all of this in a Tumblr post. I want to be thoughtful, I want to analyze media, really think about the "why" of it all. But there's got to be a way that does it that makes sense and respects all parties involved. Because regardless of how respectful those around me are, I want to be respectful. That's my standard for myself. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter. How do we go about being critical while also being thoughtful?

[wondercourse]

I think it's time to bring out the Venn diagram I never shut up about officially on a post that isn't a reblog, because I think I want to take this opportunity to discuss it. Have a good faith sysconversation about it, if you will. Discourse by its dictionary definition, not its online one.

Disclaimer: This isn't meant to be scientific. This is my view of CDDs, plurality, and the overlap. If there IS science to go into, please feel free to contribute! Consider this more of an Informed Opinion Piece™, though.

Prepare for her debut; she's plain but she's gorgeous.

[ID: A Venn diagram. The left circle is labeled "CDDs", the right circle is labeled "Plurality", and the area of overlap is labeled "CDD + Plurality". \End ID.]

So this is kind of grossly oversimplified as a concept, due to impossibly minute levels of nuance that I can't really even begin to get into right now that make it less of a Venn diagram and more like an infinitely complex matrix, but I think this gets across the basic idea. Basically, while CDDs can be a plural experience and having a CDD and being plural can have very heavy overlap, they are not ALWAYS one and the same.

The first thing that got me thinking about this was when I was taking my first steps out of the throes of being a hardcore anti-endo and realizing that not everyone with a CDD experiences themselves as plural. Even people with DID might not qualify their experiences as "plural"!

This led to the realization that plurality is a very subjective experience. If people with a CDD can experience non-plurality, and people with CDDs can experience plurality, AND people without CDDs can experience non-plurality…then what about people without CDDs who experience plurality?

Initially, this felt like a really weird leap in logic to me, having just come out of a space where plurality was in two halves (plural + CDD vs. non-plural + no CDD) rather than four quadrants or a Venn diagram. But with how subjective plurality is, it led me to wonder the same thing as some people who have been studying dissociation for longer than I've been alive probably (I'm a mid-20-something):

Why can't it be in quadrants? Why would this incredibly subjective experience of the self/selves be limited to this one specific circumstance? Why are we trying to tell people "If you don't have this thing, then THIS is how your self is defined"? Because that's what the view of plurality is, really: A way to define the experience of the self/selves.

So I guess when people push for reducing it to a duality rather than a complex matrix (see also: "The Venn diagram is an incredibly oversimplified visualization of this concept, as would a four quadrants model and I am INCREDIBLY aware of that), it just confuses me. I understand the fundamental fact that it IS a duality to many people—it was to me!—but I guess I just don't get it. You're trying to define two different things in my mind: Whether you have this dissociative disorder or not, and whether you have this subjective experience of self/selves. And the latter, like…really isn't something you can define for someone? How are you going to tell someone how to define themselves, y'know?

I'm getting The Fog pretty bad right now so I'm gonna leave it as like. Open discussion, I guess. I put this in the syscourse tag as well but please be civil because I'm not going to entertain bad faith with this. If you disagree, please actually say why instead of just hitting me with "You're wrong and you sound silly". This is genuinely something we're really interested in.

Sorry if this post is a mess; these always end up taking a lot out of us because they require a lot of thought. 😅 Thank you for humoring us if you decide to discuss!

[jewish-vents]

As an Israeli jew who is trying to call for a ceasefire over here, I honestly hate how Jews on this website, in an effort to defend their identities as Zionists against people who turn that pretty broad label that encapsulates a wide variety of ideas into an oversimplified generalization, then turn around and attack other Jewish people who personally don't feel comfortable associating themselves with that label, with how in the US, identification with Zionism is seen as supporting a continuation of the war. You don't get to shame marginalized people for not having their empathy prioritized first and only on their ingroup. And I'm even more upset at how they lash out at Jews for talking about feeling shame for their holidays, languages, practices or any other aspect of their culture, with the things that are now being done in this culture's name. Like, don't get me wrong, it sucks that people end up feeling like shit for things they have nothing to do with, but unnecessary existential guilt is a pretty human response to the group you belong to being linked in the public eye to the actions of a few of its members that you want nothing to do with. And the people experiencing it are always the first to suffer from it, so I really do think that they deserve more grace than what some of us are willing to extend to them. Which, honestly, applies to a lot of other marginalized groups as well- we should stop attacking marginalized people for internalizing the bigotry directed towards them. All the discourse around "normalizing self-hatred" is toxic and frankly ridiculous. We should still have the backs of those of us who feel like they're not allowed to stand with us.

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[eleilinnrallin]

I wish in general discussion of ADHD that executive dysfunction wasn't used to just mean difficulty with task switching and task initiation.

Like, there's so much more that is a part of executive functioning! Executive functioning includes impulse control, emotional regulation, working memory, attention, awareness of time, goal formation, planning, and that's not even all of it. It's a broad catogory of cognitive processes, not just a single symptom.

ADHD symptoms do mostly fall under executive dysfunction because ADHD is an executive functioning disorder.

In general terms, it's not wrong to include difficulties in task switching and initiation in executive dysfunction! They are certainly a part of that! But oversimplifying executive dysfunction to only be task switching and initiation difficulties isn't accurate and gives an inaccurate picture of ADHD as a whole (or at least, from what I've seen, it impacts the discussion surrounding ADHD negatively).

It might just be me. idk. But discussing precise problems while calling them by a blanket term can make it hard to identify what exactly the block is. For example, if I'm having trouble getting started on a task and I just say "oh I'm struggling with executive dysfunction right now" that doesn't tell me anything about what's wrong. But if I say "I'm struggling with task initiation; I keep meaning to do it but don't know where to start" then I can think through the steps to start. Or if it's motivation, "I'm struggling with motivation" means I can think of how to overcome that. "This is overwhelming" means I can plan. "I don't want to stop what I'm doing/this is a task switching problem" means I can decide if I need to finish the task at hand or trick my brain into swapping.

(This is a separate problem but then you also have people saying execytive dysfunction is laziness or results in laziness when they are meaning that difficulty with task initiation. Even if it was true that difficulty with task initiation was laziness (it's not), saying that executive dysfunction = laziness is so incorrect. That would mean poor short term memory = laziness. That would mean hyperactivity = laziness. That would mean emotional dysregulation = laziness. And none of these are even CLOSE to true. That's another issue though.)

[celesteskingdom]

Character Rambles

As somebody who's taken a class or two about creative writing and has analyzed characters for projects, I just want it known how much I love them. On a surface level, there are cliches but not in the way where it's a cliche cliche. No, they go so much deeper than that! It makes my blood pump. First of all, you have the main protagonist. Nowadays, it's a bit hard finding a good female protagonist but here we are. Ashlyn does ballet and dance and yet--just as ballerinas actually are-- she's resilient and tough. Delicate? Soft? No. She'll kick your ass, so don't try her. An introvert that isn't shy, but she is socially inept. Aiden! Extrovert meets introvert! Will they be fast friends? Hell no! She ran away from him. Literally tried to stay away from him. I know people like to call him a psycho but he really isn't. He's a complex character; he's unhinged, yes. But calling him a psycho isn't right. Despite being an extrovert, he is socially inept. It's an interesting combo! Chaotic, easy-go-lucky, but one wrong move..and wow. Ben! Ah, my bias is strong for this one. Violent guy with anger issues. Oversimplified, honestly! Oh nooo, he's gonna be dangerous and hurt his friends! Just kidding; he's going to listen to music to calm down, or he'll literally simply walk away. While there are times he'll act on his impulses and his temper gets the best of him, he's never hurt any of his friends. It's only in extreme cases that he'll act on his impulses. God. His passion--his love--was taken away from him. He was quite literally failed by the system for not stopping the bullying before it became irreversible. He doesn't talk. Not even in the extreme and intense moments, he doesn't utter a single word. I love seeing selective mutism being represented in media. And yet, despite not talking, he's still able to communicate effectively. He's so, so caring and sweet too. You can tell in the backgrounds of many panels of how caring and sweet he is. And while he is still rather lost in the direction of his life, opting to simply follow Aiden around, you can see him enjoying his time with the rest of the team. It's like. Gradually allowing him to find himself again.

It's about to be 2 am as I'm writing this, so stay tuned for part two! (P.S. I do write scenarios!)

[max1461]

One of the most frustrating things is making a post that you think is right, and also important, but which unintentionally conveys something that you think is subtly wrong. Especially when the post gets popular. You want to keep it circulating, you want your point to keep spreading. But you worry that you're spreading something bad along with it, a misconception that your readers might not even know they're absorbing.

That post I made about the Meiji restoration a while ago was one of these. I ended up making in unrebloggable, mostly because I was just getting tired of that discourse. I think it was a good post and I stand by it. I criticized the Meiji government for an ideology that saw "Westernizing" and "industrializing/modernizing/becoming competitive with the Great Powers" as necessarily part-and-parcel, and I criticized contemporary political leaders who think the same thing. And I think that's a fair criticism in both cases.

But I did have a major concern about that post, which is that it I think it played into this idea that the Meiji restoration was some absolute break in Japanese history, where Japan stopped being... idk, "authentically Japanese" and started being "a Westernized country". Which is almost exactly the type of narrative I'm trying to critique! Like, no! Disregarding even the general dubiousness of those categories: there was serious continuity between pre-Meiji and post-Meiji Japan, this wasn't an early-Soviet-Union-level reshaping of society.

Maybe I shouldn't say that, I don't know enough about the early Soviet Union. But you get my point. I worry that my post made it sound as if the Meiji government were ripping up shrine gates and shit left and right, shredding kimonos and foisting Western suits upon people, and banishing nay-sayers to the gulag. No! That would not really be an accurate description of what happened.

So I worried about giving the wrong impression. I think I've posted about this already.

But my whole point, really, the point I was trying to make with that post and the point I am perennially trying to make, is that the modern world is not inherently "Western". Not in principle or in actual fact. Modernity was made across the whole globe. That sounds like a sort of trite statement, a meaningless inversion of the typical Western chauvinist narrative, but it isn't! The more you learn about early modern history the more clear this really becomes.

Japan was an early industrializer. Not among the very first wave, but ultimately still early. This means it was not only "on par", in terms of access to material wealth and technology, with many nations in Europe, but that its industrialization also meaningfully predated that of much of Europe, especially Eastern Europe. The core element of industrial society—the industrial factory—is a technology. A technology invented in Britain, which just like any technology spread first to nearby regions and later to far off regions. Of course in the increasingly interconnected modern world, sometimes technologies make big geographical jumps, as industrialism made to Japan in the nineteenth century.

And of course I'm oversimplifying the history here, but my point is that this is all ordinary. There's a narrative which sees the whole process of the spread of industrialism as almost mystically exceptional. A divine enlightenment was given to the West, which from then on separated the West and the Westernized in their very essence from the rest, the unenlightened masses, the savages. The White Man's Burden. But, aside from being a perennial justification for colonialism, this view is intellectually immature. It's a just-so story.

Like all inventions, the industrial factory and the technologies which emerged around it have a geographical place of origin. But like all inventions, they spread—both inside and outside the West—and people in the places to which they spread immediately started iterating on them and adapting them to local conditions and contributing to the larger sum-of-effects we call the modern world. Modernity was made all over the globe. Japanese modernity is not a mere Western importation, layered on top of indigenous pre-modernity. It was made right there in Japan, by Japanese people, in Japanese institutions, and so on and so forth. It drew from ideas developed elsewhere (as cultures always have! As Japan did with China just centuries before!), developed in France and Germany and Britain, and it contributed ideas which were then taken up in France and Germany and Britain.

And these kind of effects are easy to see with Japan, because it was an early industrializer, but once you pay attention you see them everywhere. The making of the modern world not as a unilateral imposition of the West upon the rest, but as a mutual engagement of many societies across the globe making something new together—sometimes cooperatively, usually competitively, and very often at the expense of the most marginal. But, still, together, as an aggregate process.

Our world was made everywhere. I do think it sounds completely trite, especially because I'm rather tired and don't have the wherewithal to source more specific examples. But I really do think this because meaningfully clear when you engage with the history.