#c-indie

[sxyx]

Lowspirit - The World Is Real Except Yourself (2004) one of the rarest

[zachbradleyphotography]

From time to time

Arizona, California, Nevada

[psykopaths]

Diary, (2003)

[deadleafpard]

the atmosphere I keep it clear in my mother fuckin' prius

MFPR1US - sophie truax

[thirteen-31]

Grateful.

[honeybeeffdrawshere]

together together together

[deseos-de-la-via-lactea]

by Lucia Haristoy

[cirrose]

⠀⠀⠀𝅦 ⠀᜔⠀𝄖⠀LEAVE IT UP TO YOU, BABY⠀♥︎ ྀི⠀𝄃 𝄁 𝄀 𝄂⠀

[blackgryph0n]

BillieBustUp: A Boycott?

Hazbin Hotel is implicated, too.

cw: child grooming

Short version: BillieBustUp hired a known child groomer Blackgryph0n/Gabriel C. Brown, and the lead dev Katie Nelson is digging in their heels defending him, claiming that the groomer says he's innocent, and the "haters" are all sockpuppets for his wife/victim's abusive father. The evidence against him is piling up, and it seems like BillieBustUp, a game founded on LGBTQIA and disability representation, will instead be the face of uplifting pedophilia and child grooming. Gabriel is also the voice actor for Hazbin Hotel's Alastor, but only his singing role in the pilot, the song "Insane" which has risen to some popularity.

On June 14, 2024, Twitter user dagobbiEST posted a Twitter thread that implicated the creator of BillieBustUp, an upcoming indie game helmed by Katie Nelson/KatieBlueprint, in defending the actions of the voice actor Blackgryph0n, aka Gabriel C. Brown, who voices the character Barnaby. For those who were present in the My Little Pony fandom during 2014, you will know BlackGryph0n best either for his videos or perhaps for his most infamous accomplishment, which was creeping out many fans with his overly-familiar relationship with voice actress Michelle Creber, who was 14 to his 24.

Blackgryph0n went on to groom and subsequently marry Claire Corlett, Michelle's coworker and friend (and fellow 14 year old) when she turned 20, who was then isolated from her entire family, citing abuse. (The author does not deny that she may have been abused; it is typical for a groomer to pursue a minor who has a strained/difficult family situation.)

The facts are simple: Gabriel met Claire when she was a child, only 14/15, in a position of authority over her as a sound engineer at her voice acting job. The fact that they then later pursued a relationship, even if "she initiated it", implies that there was grooming taking place over the years in between. The groundwork of a relationship was built with a minor, even if it was not overtly romantic until later. For more information on grooming, please see here.

Scads of screencaps were rapidly produced on Twitter after the initial screencaps of the BillieBustUp Discord were posted, including many tweets with proof of Blackgryph0n's inappropriate flirting with the child actresses back to when they were 15 and 16. Gabe's claims that they "became friends only four years ago" (conveniently when she was 20) were quickly debunked as lies, due to all of the overwhelming Tweet and video evidence.

A list of links with more information:

A gathering of some of the most damning tweeted evidence to dispute the "only befriended her when she was 20" claim by Gabe.

A Reddit thread from r/YouTubeDrama concerning the recent allegations and firsthand witnesses to creepy behavior at conventions. Key quote:

"To provide some context, Gabriel knew them from that age because of his work. He is the only notable brony who concurrently worked on the show, though only peripherally as a backup voice/sound engineer for the sound and music team. However, he was around early on, and thus had access to FiM's voice actors, including the then-child VAs of the Cutie Mark Crusaders (Sweetie Belle (Creber), Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo). That's why he knew her from that young age, because his job provided him the opportunity to engage with those teenagers—to a professional limit, but he took it further than that with at least 2 of them." (d_shadowspectre3, who misidentified Creber - Creber voiced Apple Bloom, and Corlett voiced Sweetie Belle)

An informational Twitter thread from 2023 by BronyFandont discussing the grooming with more screencapped evidence.

A google doc of various screenshots, including a first-person witness to Gabriel's inappropriate behavior at a Brony con.

A Twitter thread with eight screencaps debunking the timeline Blackgryph0n tries to lie about, claiming he only met Corlett for extended periods when she was 20.

A Twitter thread by user Wootmaster discussing the allegations back in 2022, in which he adds that several big fandom names - including Saberspark, ACRacebeast and PaleoSteno - closed ranks and defended Blackgryph0n at the time, including leveling harassment at Corlett's father. Saberspark coined the deeply unsettling "It's creepy, but legal" in regards to the situation.

Some of Gabriel Brown's previous brushes with racism also came into discussion, including

A full blown minstrel skit with Michelle Creber (a minor at the time) with giant afro wigs, blaccents, and the fake names "Nikisha Abagale Safron" and "Latoya Aloofa Williamson", posted by ACRacebeast under the title "Bronies React: MLP Generation 3."

Another Twitter thread with screencaps of Gabriel Brown's racism by Helluvareceipts.

Screencaps of the BillieBustUp discord, with clumsy defenses by Katie Nelson in lieu of any official statement.

More of Gabriel's racist and C*vid-denial tweet "likes" have been dug up.

A deleted racist tweet from Blackgryph0n.

A Twitter screencap of Blackgryph0n getting banned from Babscon due to racism in 2021.

During the uproar, BillieBustUp and lead dev Katie Nelson remained notably silent, which resulted in a Tweet about the game's LGBTQIA representation devolving into repeated demands for answers, which were also ignored.

There was an unofficial statement made only on the BillieBustUp Discord group on June 15th, but it wouldn't be until June 17 that an official "rebuttal" was posted on Google Docs by "Katie and Ash". The entirety of the rebuttal can be summed up with 'Blackgryph0n says he's being targeted by sockpuppet accounts and promises he's innocent, and I believe him.'

June 17 also saw a very strange, inappropriate, and immature response from Michelle Creber, peppered with "Y'all"s, emojis, and inappropriately casual slang like "take the L," considering the seriousness of the allegations. She not only stated that Gabriel Brown (a member of the US Navy) is an "incredibly brilliant but brilliant autistic bean" and thus so harmless he wouldn't hurt a spider, which errs so far on the side of infantilization it seems insulting at best, and ableist at worst. Any Twitter accounts that requested clarification or answers were blocked by both Creber and Brown.

What does this mean for you?

What this means is that the BillieBustUp and Hazbin Hotel fandoms now have to contend with the fact that their creators have knowingly and purposefully invited a child groomer into their fandoms, and given them social cachet that they might use to take advantage of minors, as he did during his job as a sound engineer on My Little Pony. The BBU dev team is also ignoring any concerns about a potential threat. This may also mean that, if there are inevitable fandom events like panels, the child groomer Gabriel C. Brown may be present where there are also children and teens, who may not be aware of his history.

The decision of whether to boycott or not is your decision; I cannot in good conscience spend money on a game that will put money into a groomer's pockets and add to his resume. The decision is yours. This post is to shine light onto what the BillieBustUp team and Blackgryph0n/Gabriel Brown desperately want to keep in the dark, and to spread awareness to other social media platforms. And, most importantly, to protect any minors who might be in these fandoms, who may not realize that their idols are not someone they should look up to, defend, or even be in private contact with.

Stay safe, and thank you for reading.

[anim-ttrpgs]

Something I haven't seen discussed here yet, but maybe I just didn't see it:

Triggers

Now this is obviously a thing every group needs to figure out for themselves, but a few of the monsters in the game ofc can be quite triggering to some people, how do you advice one deal with that?

Or how would you handle it in the book club server if this issue came up, that one of the players is triggered by a monster/ the subject matter that comes up?

Ofc the game is quite intertwined with horror elements, so I suppose it's to be expected that some stuff might hit some people badly, but is that something you've thought about before?

To be entirely clear I don't think it's your responsibility to make sure people don't get triggered when playing, that's the responsibility of any group of narrator and players themselves, I just wanted to hear your opinion on the matter.

yeah we don’t think it’s our responsibility to make sure nobody gets triggered, as much as we know that sucks (truth me, I know it sucks) Eureka is kinda offensive and harsh on purpose with its themes in some places, in a lot of cases it may force players to confront some nasty biases they didn't even know they had, but we do do what we can to make sure players know that going in so they can make their of decisions on how to proceed without infantalizing or talking down to them.

You should be able to get a sense of most of the standard upsetting subjects that might come up in a Eureka adventure, and for the more irregular triggers, and you should be able to sus those out from the table of contents, if you're looking for them. Otherwise, talk to your group. I can't stress this enough talk to your group! That goes for any group activity.

I myself actually have some very severe PTSD that can get set off by some things that are very likely to come up in almost any TTRPG session, but that's something I gotta deal with and make sure others are informed about if I want them to avoid those things consistently, but I hate when a piece of art treats me like I can't take care of myself and make my own decisions. (I know somebody is going to suggest "safety tools," but most of those that I have been exposed to have backfired horribly, and none of them can come close to the tried and true "talk to your group, and only play with people who are your friends and you can talk to", and that really isn't a conversation I want to have)

we trust groups playing Eureka to be able to communicate clearly with each other and handle this like adults. We try to be very up front that the book handles heavy subject matter, and we respect our audience enough to think they can take that into account and resolve those issues among their own groups.

[sxyx]

Lonely Leary's 2016

[zachbradleyphotography]

It's just me and the ghost of you

Eureka, Nevada

[crownedinkcomix]

Johnny the Homicidal Maniac attempts to walk a fine line between satirizing revenge fantasies and indulging in them, but this duality often leaves the book feeling muddled. Vasquez introduces us to Johnny, the titular homicidal maniac, as a socially alienated, self-pitying character whose violent outbursts are triggered by trivial slights or perceived offenses. His victims are exaggeratedly vile, unrepentant individuals, seemingly crafted to evoke a sense of dark catharsis. Yet this makes it difficult to discern if Vasquez is critiquing Johnny’s outlook or, rather, inviting us to revel in the violence he enacts. The satire is further muddied by the fact that Johnny’s perspective and violent tirades aren’t challenged or balanced by the narrative; instead, they risk validating his nihilism.

Although Johnny briefly expresses disgust at a rapist’s crime and hints at awareness of his own monstrous nature, his moments of reflection come across as self-pity rather than genuine remorse. These half-hearted attempts at self-awareness fall short, making it difficult to sympathize with him. In other stories about morally flawed or self-deluded protagonists—like Taxi Driver’s Travis Bickle or American Psycho’s Patrick Bateman—there are layers to the characters’ actions and motivations, often tied to social or psychological commentary. For instance, Bickle’s flawed quest to "save" Iris is revealed as self-serving, and Bateman’s violent fantasies serve as outlets for his existential torment. In contrast, Johnny’s killing spree feels more like a visceral but empty reaction to everyday irritations, lacking depth or nuance.

Vasquez seems at least somewhat aware of the protagonist’s lack of appeal and attempts to inject self-parody through liner notes that poke fun at Johnny's self-aggrandizing tendencies. However, the satire is undermined when even supposedly sympathetic characters, like Devi (Johnny's ex-girlfriend) or Tess (a victim Johnny encounters), display the same arrogant contempt for others that Johnny does. Lines like Devi's, “I think it’s so sad when monkeys don’t know that they are the simple ones,” reveal a similar smug superiority. Tess, who is rescued from certain death by a stereotypical “jock” character, Krik, offers nothing but disdain for him, even as he risks his life to save her. Rather than fostering complexity, these characters’ shallow hostility only reinforces the comic’s bleak view of humanity, failing to provide any contrasting perspectives or empathy that might deepen the satire.

Visually, the art style leans on exaggerated grotesque imagery reminiscent of Ren and Stimpy with a dash of H.R. Giger, but lacks the craft of either. Characters are often drawn as claw-handed semi-stick figures, and the over-the-top grotesqueness feels like a cover for weak composition and inconsistent line work. This style occasionally suits the manic tone of the book but detracts from the visual storytelling, making it hard to take the violence or characters seriously.

Despite these issues, there are moments in Johnny the Homicidal Maniac that hint at an intriguing horror premise: Johnny, as a former artist whose creativity has been drained by a supernatural force, killing in a desperate attempt to regain inspiration. This concept, if further explored, might have lent more depth to Johnny’s motivations, creating a compelling horror story about the consequences of lost artistry and self-destruction.

Additionally, Vasquez shines in the one-page newspaper-style strips, where the comic’s dark humor and over-the-top violence are distilled into short, self-contained gags. These segments play to Vasquez’s strengths in absurdist humor and quick punchlines, making it clear that Johnny’s rants are overreactions to trivialities, rather than statements on society.

Ultimately, Johnny the Homicidal Maniac struggles to reconcile its satire of revenge fantasies with its indulgence in them. The comic has moments of humor and originality, especially in its shorter gag strips, but as a whole, it lacks the coherence and character complexity necessary to deliver a satisfying satire. Vasquez may have created a more engaging experience if he had leaned fully into a twisted comic strip format, focusing on humor over inconsistent attempts at social commentary.

[thirteen-31]

@thirteen-31 // film, astrology, inner healing ✨

[qvotable]

Close your eyes and imagine the best version of you possible. That’s who you really are, let go of any part of you that doesn’t believe it.

C. Assaad

[lonelyheartedheathens]

Open to Tops

Coming home to find one of Benji’s friends settled in their living room had not been what Joseph had been expecting. Especially because his son had failed to warn him they’d be having company, and especially especially because he knew his son would be late coming home from his internship that night. 

“Benji didn’t tell me you would be here,” he said in lieu of greeting as he hung up his jacket. “He’s not going to be home until late either. But you’re welcome to continue making yourself at home.” He never minded when Benji’s friends were at their house. He just…usually preferred his son give him a little forewarning.

“Are you staying the night, or just waiting for Benji to get home?”