#bad things happening to small people

[prairiedawn]

On the Fears and Children

The canon TMA characters believe that the Fears are relatively uninterested in the fear of children, and we see relatively few children appearing in Statements overall. Now, from a Doylist perspective that's because horror with children (under about fifteen--we're not talking about teenagers) as victims can be more disturbing in ways that the writers didn't want to get into most of the time, in the same way that they did not dwell on Fears related to sex, relying instead on the common science fiction/fantasy proxy of psychic assaults of various kinds to examine a lot of the same kinds of themes.

But in the Eyepocalypse, everyone is Watcher or Watched, including all of the children. And they're not all in the Dark--a quarter of the global population consists of children under fifteen, and I can't imagine the Fears would allow that kind of lopsided representation.

But in order for the Fears to feed, the people they feed on have to be afraid of them. This leads to the question: When, from a developmental standpoint, do each of the Fears become relevant to children, and what Fears dominate at particular ages?

Let's consider this at several different stages: Infants too young to crawl, mobile babies (under about 2), toddlers (2 and three), young school aged (4 to 6), elementary aged (7-10), and adolescent (11 and up).

So, to the youngest babies.  Newborns come prepackaged with basically three major fears:  Suffocation(the Buried), falling (the Vast), and abandonment (The Lonely). 

The Moro reflex, in which a newborn is abruptly lowered a couple of inches, whereupon it will fling out its arms, draw the back to the midline, and cry is found in all neurologically "normal" babies (and is used to help diagnose some kinds of nervous system issues).

Newborns also seek out and mimic faces and will cry when left alone (some of us neuroatypicals weren't like that as babies, but we're talking averages here), along with several other presocial behaviors that function to keep adults nearby and attentive.

Suffocation is a weird one. Most babies develop a fear of suffocation very early, but when we are fetuses, a lack of oxygen causes us to breathe slower to conserve energy, since we're only breathing for practice. Some babies don't lose that tendency--which is dangerous and why we put babies to sleep on their backs.

All that said, newborns are not intellectually or emotionally sophisticated souls, and the Fears, in an Eyepocalyptic scenario, probably get more mileage out of threatening their caregivers than they do terrifying the infants themselves.

Mobile babies. Babies who can crawl and toddle have a lot more to be afraid of. The fear of falling gets much more pronounced as babies learn to crawl. They also develop a sudden, pronounced fear of strangers (or Strangers) and can be terrified by changes as simple as a caregiver wearing sunglasses or shaving their beard.  There can be a bit of fear of the dark at this age, but it's really more fear of abandonment at this point.  Babies this age fear sharply and simply and likely aren't too tasty for the Fears either. The part of the Spiral that is purely sensory overload might be able to scare toddlers, especially ND toddlers. The Fears are likely to use these children to scare adult caregivers more than the children themselves as well.

Twos and threes:  Now we get into some genuine fear of the Dark. This is the age at which imagination usually starts to sprout--the first real solid raw material for the Fears to prey upon. The other fears don't go away--except sometimes the fear of falling (unfortunately). The earliest inklings of Desolation show up here as well--mostly in the form of changes in routine or losing loveys. If we define the Flesh loosely as including having to eat food that looks yucky, there's a little there to work with. Anyone who has interacted with a two or three year old knows how much they loathe being controlled (at the same time wanting boundaries, poor dears.) The Web could get some kid fear here--and we know the Web regularly targets children

Four through six: Some children are going to start fearing Corruption around this age, though for many, corruption won't really be something they care about for much longer. It's one of the things we deliberately train into them, with varying success. I would guess that this is about where we start seeing some fear of the Hunt--though I suspect that fear will be mostly found in kids who have actually been hunted by abusers, bullies, or in time of war. The Spiral could probably get some mileage out of the fear of getting lost.

This is the last age at which most kids actually like the Eye intrinsically. "Watch me!  Are you watching me?" With the onset of school (and school shooter drills in the US) the Slaughter might have a chance to feed on this age group, but I suspect that the Slaughter isn't going to be a common Fear before the teens.

Seven to ten: This is the age at which many children start to understand death as a permanent thing that happens to everyone. The End might find some hunting here. This is also the first inklings of a sense of privacy, kids under six or seven (depending on the kid) kind of figure adults know everything anyway. This is also when kids are able to conceptualize being sane (or not), for the most part, so the Spiral could get some snacks here. Abstract thinking emerges, giving the Vast more to work with.

Eleven and up:  The constant state of middle school embarrassment should provide a rich feeding ground for the Eye. Middle schoolers frequently Do Not Want To Be Perceived. The dysphoria aspect of the Flesh is strong here. Even cis kids at this age are often appalled at the rapid changes in their bodies. The Buried can take advantage of increased expectations and responsibility, and the Web is going to make a big resurgence in this age group as well. Kids this age and older are developing the full, tasty range of emotions, in some ways more intensely than adults. Why didn't Jon see the rest of them? Think about it. He was so upset by the Dark that he almost couldn't continue. I think he chose to see what he could endure. Right up to the edge of his endurance, but not beyond it.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Burning Rotten Bridges

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[lyxchen]

Okay so I've heard this said a bunch of times and I'm gonna admit I thought like that too for a while but no, Gi-hun did not win the games because he was lucky. A lot of people think that's how he won because he never killed anybody but that's really not the point. Gi-hun won the games because a) he's smart and is able to look at things from a different angle, b) because he is a good and kind person who also believes in others and c) because of the goodness and care get got back from other people.

In the first game he survived because Ali saved him and that wasn't luck, that was Ali being a good person and helping somebody not get killed. Ali could've not caught him, let him die, he didn't even know Gi-hun at all at that point and he put himself in more danger too by having to hold on to a person while standing completely still but he still saved Gi-hun because Ali is a good person.

In the Dalgona game he quite literally Was Not Lucky. He decided to go with the umbrella which is the worst shape to pick and he probably would have died if he hadn't looked at the game in a different way and decided to change his strategy. Gi-hun is smart. He is also optimistic and so he tried something new and found a different way to beat that game.

In the third game he survived because he was smart and kind enough to listen to Il-nam. The other people in their group dismissed him as just an old man speaking but Gi-hun didn't and that way they had a good strategy to beat the other team. The same goes for him listening to Sang-woo's idea of running three steps and then stopping, which ultimately was what saved them. His group also chose him as their leader (who, as Il-nam said, needs to not seem weak or loose hope because then the whole team is doomed). His team trusted in him and his optimism and they were right to do so.

In the marbles game he won because he was once again kind and decided to team up with Il-nam and also because in the end Il-nam decided to "sacrifice himself" for Gi-hun because he showed him kindness before. Yes Il-nam didn't actually die but he also knew that Gi-hun had cheated and still let him continue on to the next game, probably because Gi-hun had been good and kind and caring towards him before, even though he really didn't have to be. Gi-hun also didn't know this but by teaming up with Il-nam he inadvertently ensured that Il-nam had a lot more fun in the games than he would have had, had everybody just ignored to "old, fragile man". Gi-hun was good to Il-nam throughout all the games and it ended up saving him in the marbles game.

In the fifth game it's only some small moments as Gi-hun isn't really involved in the game because he's the last number but still it wasn't just luck. First of all he was kind enough to give the number 1 to the player that asked him for it. Yes, that number was bad but he didn't know that and had he been selfish enough to say no to that other player he wouldn't have survived. Being the last to play in any game can end up being bad for you, still he decided to give up the number he picked because the other player asked him to. Secondly he also survived that game because Sae-byeok was kind enough to remind him of which glass tile to step on after he had forgotten which one it was. It's only small but she didn't have to tell him and still she did. Sae-byeok btw is also good to him because before that he was good to her and protected her (even though he was angry at her at first) and that way he was able to gain her trust.

Lastly he won the Squid Game because Gi-hun was kind to Sang-woo and because Sang-woo deep down was still a good person. There were probably many reasons as to why Sang-woo decided to kill himself in the end but part of it, I'm sure, was also because Gi-hun was a good friend to him. I mean Gi-hun was even willing to give up all the money and go back home with nothing gained if it meant that Sang-woo didn't have to die and would be able to come home with him. Gi-hun deserved that win and that money and in the end Sang-woo knew that. He also knew that Gi-hun would make sure to take care of Sang-woo's mother and that he wouldn't just take all the money for himself because Sang-woo knew that Gi-hun is a good person. (Gi-hun technically also won the Squid Game because he was good at it which is also him being smart)

So in conclusion and I hope y'all haven't stopped reading yet: Gi-hun didn't win the games because he was lucky. He didn't just sit around doing nothing and won anyways. He won because he was smart but even more importantly he won because of the kindness and goodness that exists in humans and that is especially present in him. He won because he had empathy, because people trusted him, because he got back from them what he gave to them first. He never killed anyone and we can clearly see that he Could Never kill anyone in those games but that's not his weakness. Just because he didn't let himself get corrupted and turned into what the games wanted him to turn into doesn't mean he won because of luck. Him not playing by those subtle, hidden rules that are made to force him to be bad, to not care about others and to give up his kindness actually means he was better than the games. He won because he didn't let them turn him into a monster. They tried really hard and they failed and that's how he won!! But also on top of that he also won because he isn't the only good person in this show. He also won because other people helped him, were kind to him and gave a shit about him. Each and every person that helped Gi-hun didn't have to do that. They all could have not helped him, Ali could have not caught him, Sae-byeok could have not told him which one was the correct glass tile, hell, she could have Lied to him about it and the only difference it would have made for the other players would have been them being one more dead person closer to winning all that money. But that's really not how humans are and act which is why all these people helped Gi-hun, helped each other in small or big ways and in the end his own kindness and the kindness that exists in other people is what lead to Gi-hun winning. That's not luck. That humans being good

[moeblob]

Honestly? Good anime imo! I really enjoyed Aileen. I enjoyed Claude. I enjoyed Isaac and Keith and Rachel and Almond and Ribbon. I enjoyed Belzebuth and the flock of ducks (Walt/Kyle/Auguste) and Jasper.

[perilegs]

i know astrology is fake but i'm not too keen on how a lot of people on this website seem to be clowning on it as a hobby a bit too hard. i swear the woman who thinks it's neat how she and her friends with the same sun sign are all similar isn't trying to say that you are who you are born as and there is nothing you can do to change it. it's a hobby. an interest. what happened to finding meaning and joy in the small things. does it affect you if someone enjoys tarot reading or crystals. does it make you upset someone has interests that they enjoy.

[faunandfloraas]

Criticising korean fans when they do something actually dodgy is all fine and good, should go for anyone who does invasive or weird, shit but also the amount of times now I see (usually western) fans just being like. Blatantly xenophobic and racist. Pretty much being like Yuck korean fans.... ?????? You're obsessed with a KOREAN POP ACT? why are you saying Korea like it's a slur you weirdo

[godsfavoritescientist]

Sometimes the way people talk about missing social cues is so over the top 😭 people will really say stuff like "how can someone live such a soulless joyless existence that they don't understand my joke" and "if you don't laugh at this are you even human" and "I can't imagine being such a miserable asshole that you think this is serious" and "how stupid do you have to be to fall for this 💀" and on and on like. I promise autism isn't a moral failing

[elvenmoans]

Is anyone else noticing ableism ramp up a lot

I'm wondering if it's a general trend or I'm unlucky

[popcorndispenser]

Hershel is actually the only character I've ever projected my dpdr onto. Idk, it fits him really well imo. Des' PTSD gives him uncontrollable fits of anger, Layton's makes him dissociate.

For those uninitiated:

[loderlied]

i need you all to know that the main reason (besides a general hunger for attention) niles even accepts aldori’s call is because he got caught stealing his student’s work and passing it off as his own and his reputation as a teacher was obviously ruined. lmao

[katyspersonal]

I suppose I can't help but revel in the privilege of not having to worry about my reputation or mental health because they're already ruined, nor I am wishing to accept the absurd terms required to restore them anyway

Like, always being in contact with people who want to say something against something but are too scared of backlash or anon harassment, and knowing that I could just take the weight of (completely justified) anger off their shoulders, because for ME hatred and attempts to hurt me are just arrows shot into a fire....? It feels helpful to turn being a cringefail looser that will never go anywhere into something useful, even if just for a few people!

At the same time, maybe there are periods where I am getting too heated? Like, just because I can say something without hurtful consequences doesn't mean I should? I don't understand whether I am too negative or barely negative, at least. I am not being negative on daily basis unlike some people :p, but when I am it goes HARD.

I am also kind of a.. coward for an "angry dog", I suppose. When I bark at something bigger than me, I can step away, like not responding to response for a TERF that I barked at or something. Because these require infinitely more research to tackle than analysis of a dumb videogame. Nothing like how I am with fandomry discourses or scolding a customer for being an AI bro or talking about ableism or whatever. I both wish this trait that I have finally grew stronger and allowed me to become a wolf and not just a dog, so I could say things against progressively more and more and more serious types of unfairness. With the same vigor, same intelligence, same.. frequency. At the same time, it all looks like those who do eventually just all go insane. They all just lose sight of their targets and either start to attack innocent, go rabid at even a suspicion of a threat or eat their own or all these things at once. So maybe being just a stupid angry dog is a blessing in its own way.

[todayisafridaynight]

NO YOU’RE SO RIGHT ABOUT THE MAJIMA STUFF THOUGH. GOD. God forbid you speak poorly about the fandom silly guy etc etc. I rt’d one post about someone being annoyed abt majima getting an insane amount of merch (especially compared to other characters- even other PLAYABLE characters) and suddenly my TL is filled with ppl taking it as a personal attack….. like?? Settle down???

My one fear is that instead of Mine content we’re just gonna get Majima Saga 2 for yk3 and rgg will call it a day. WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO SAY ABOUT THE GUY !!! GENUINELY!!!

at this rate we’re going to have a complete record of Majima’s life from birth until modern day bc you knowww they’re never gonna let the cash cow die or retire. + god I lowkey need the 3jimas to break up Now so saejima and daigo can stand on their own again (w/out being overshadowed by Majima)…. Saejima especially… I miss the days when he felt like a character………

(I may have a lot to say on the topic) (he’s a fun character but at this rate I’m getting so sick of the fandom around him)

gen is kinda funny how when there's the Monthly Critique Of Majima post on twitter the rggtwt part of the tl is flooded with majima fans being upset. its like clockwork really LOL

as for saejima, i do miss him being solo... like he's funny with majima at times, but as wack as Y4 was i still really liked his coliseum scene, and his prison adventures in Y5 were a real treat too..

[thekingofchungusmoved]

so for anyone who wants an idea of how invasive AI's getting my bf clicked on a 16 pixel image of my face sent on discord and we got 5 seconds of a poorly formed homunculus of myself singing the chinese lunar new year song Gong Xi Fa Cai. and the AI was called Viggle