#not tagging characters since this is more vague than usual. i'm just coping really

[beargregor]

honestly the thought that the detriments of gregor's nicotine addiction and (debatably present in the main mirror world) alcoholism being significantly diminished because of his healing factor is extremely funny to me. lcb regular check up please give us stupid useless medical facts about the sinners like donqui hong lu and geg like gregor's health being pretty damn good despite Everything and his (current) lack of stamina or donqui's check ups mostly being surface level because These Doctors Are Not Well Versed In Bloodfiend Biology so they just do the most basic overview as possible before being done with her

[spacehorrors]

tma review aka oh we're really in it now aren't we!

other reviews and in my tma review tag!

top five episodes (note that I'm going to base these off plots not the supplementals at the end because otherwise this would take ages)

E86 Tucked In - Originally this episode was not even in my top five as I didn't note it down whilst listening. However when I went to bed that night, and the night after all I could think of was "the blanket did nothing" line. So an immediate first because I have to admit it was good at scaring me.

E93 Contaniment - Good old mould! Loved this and the idea that it's in the drains, in the walls.... It was just fun to listen to and then the supplemental to top it all off!

E85 Upon The Stair - just a bit spooky!! do I know for certain what was going on? no. was it scary and fun? yes! the sensation something is taking over your life and your body..... they sure are good at it!

E89 Twice As Bright - YES dare I say I kind of love her? She was super fun to listen to and the idea Jon is going out and seeking people who want to kill him is just. hilarious wow! also confirmed my theories about the lightless flame cult.

E97 We All Ignore The Pit - another changed my mind last minute episode but it's very unsettling when horror becomes part of someone's ordinary life. like the first coffin episode, some things become normal. Very enjoyable love it when things lurk.

these top five episodes were really hard.... especially since everything is so interwoven at the moment.

special mention to Georgie's episode though I loved it so much and I love her and also to Jon's tragic backstory episode which provided me with my long awaited vindication. (v happy to make a separate. long long post on my thoughts on that)

plot threads I'm enjoying

the idea that jon now has powers? and is becoming less human with each statement because he's experiencing and reading such about such darkness over and over. INCREDIBLY fun. and dead inducing but I'm loving it

georgie omg <3 ik she doesn't count as a plot thread but I love her so much I need to bring her up like. I'm just full of love ok. also speaking of characters very interested in seeing how basira and daisy cope with being sucked into the magnus archives black hole.

the sentient tape recorder <3 oh you're so haunted aren't you. kisses.

ok so the unknowing. obvs idk what it is and could come up with so many ideas on what it is but the facts it's the UNKNOWING when jon's and the archive's whole thing is knowledge

literally obsessed with these little pockets of the world that are home to these beings. like the house that mr spider inhabited and the town with the sink hole

OH. ofc I remember now the wax and plastic people. very interesting.... will be watching intently

THE MICHAEL BACKSTORY? I'M LITERALLY about to get onto His Statement but him being one of Gertrude's assistants.... my scary little man

recurring imagery

spiders - so you guys are caught in a web huh? and the defining moment of your childhood was about a spider? I see I see.... congrats on being caught guys! the knowledge you're going to be eaten soon no matter how far away the spider is chills me.

wax - building a human body instead of using a host is very interesting!

claimed by darkness - so people have these patrons now right? so jon has the eye etc but I am enjoying the idea that they're picked out and doomed for it! very fun

earth - literally just the simple things like there being something in the ground deep below or being buried alive or the claustrophobia or the tunnels is so compelling

ok so theory wise. since the plot has been moving faster than usual you guys will have to take my word for it when I say I wrote out theories that came true two episodes later and I was like well ok then. so if they're vague that's why.

my predictions

WE BETTER SEE THAT CALLIOPE SOON. I can feel it coming soon.

So more information on what it means to become an avatar (think that's the word) of whatever force has laid it's mark on you. More things about Jon becoming less human I think are around the corner.

I'm a bit worried about Tim. and Martin actually I feel like they're getting too comfortable and are going to have to face unimaginable horrors soon and Jon is going to have to deal with the fact his loneliness did not save them.

Elias is a backstabbing bitch I don't trust him I know there's a tentative acceptance at this point but he has GOT to die. who it takes with him is questionable. I think it might be Tim

also I can feel it that every single one of them has had something dark and supernatural happen to them and it's just going to be slowly revealed that oh. this was always going to happen wasn't it. we were doomed to end up here.

I also have a few things I want to happen like more information on Melanie, Georgie and Basira. I would also like to see Jon uh actually TALK to Martin and Tim. Elias stick your head in a toilet ig Melanie had the right idea with the poisoned tea

I feel like I'm forgetting some things but oh well!! feel free to send me non spoilery asks! tell me your fav episodes! ask me about my opinions on the characters!

EDIT: I was in fact forgetting things I forgot Jon was kidnapped LMFAO um. so he's in trouble. I think it'll show him what he's capable of though and make him question his place in all this. I also hope it's an opportunity for more terrifying scenes.

[scriptautistic]

(1/?) Hiya. For my story I'm still plotting out the characters, one who'all be autistic. Idea is that a bunch of people are kidnapped/experimented on/get superpowers. Story revolves around them dealing with that trauma while trying to help people. Inspired by Lilo and Stitch and Deep Blue Sea, I was imagining a young autistic girl who gains some shark-traits, but mainly telekinesis. However I don't want to dehumanize her. Should I cut the shark parts entirely? Create more autistic characters?

(2/?) I’m planning for the main character (who will have ptsd) to adopt the autistic girl and they are able to talk about the different workings of their brains. Another character whose powers involve hyper-senses works with her to find ways to cope. All the other kidnapees care for her and want to help since most of them are adults, and slowly realize she might be the most powerful of them all, and she ends up being the one who saves the day in the end. I’ve planned stims and special interests.

(3/3) I don’t want to make her a stereotype, so what can I do better? Are there representations of autistic characters as heroes you would prefer to see or haven’t seen before? Do you think it’d be better to show her going to school or being homeschooled? Are there specific autistic-child stereotypes I should avoid? What things should the adults do so both she and the reader know they love her? Are there common ways autistic people cope with emotional trauma? Thank you so much for your time!            

  Hi! There’s a lot of questions here, so I’ll get to them in order.

Is giving some shark traits to an autistic character too dehumanizing?

I’d say in your case, given that

1- your character wasn’t born with these inhuman traits and

2- other characters in your story who are not autistic were given powers/inhuman traits,

you should be alright. To avoid the readers drawing the parallel autism=non-human, I’d say there are two main ways: making autistic characters who are human, or making non-autistic characters who are not human in the same way. Your story seems to fit in the second category.

What can I do better to avoid stereotypes in this situation?

I’d say the “the autistic child is magic and extremely powerful” thing is kind of a trope (well i mean the kid is not necessarily canonly autistic, but *weird* in ways that generaly make them autistic-coded, such as being nonverbal). This trope is usually used to show how scary that kid is (*gasps* what if they have a meltdown and destroy us all???). So I’d say that making your autistic character have powers is A-ok, especially if she’s not the only one, making her powerful is alright if it’s not too over the top, and what you should really avoid is making her scary because of her powers. She’s not a time bomb, she’s a small human. Really that’s the thing to keep in mind. Now that’s not to say controlling her powers has to be easy, but maybe don’t have her blowing up a city because people don’t need more voices telling them that autistic people are dangerous.

Otherwise, I really like the idea of a group of people with unique peculiarities finding a way to use them to help each other and support each other, it’s really nice :)

Are there representations of autistic characters as heroes you would prefer to see or haven’t seen before?

I’d say autistic people are rarely portrayed as heroes, at least in what representation I’m aware of. So basically you can do just about anything and it’ll feel novel :) That’s my opinion at least.

Do you think it’d be better to show her going to school or being homeschooled?

That’s one of the matters where it’s really up to you. Maybe try to think in terms of what would best fit your character rather than what would be better to represent, because I wouldn’t say it’s a very important issue. Some questions you can ask yourself : How would she deal with the sensory stimulations that come from a classroom setting? Would she have an easy time making friends or would she be bullied? Would she feel too isolated if she was homeschooled?

Are there specific autistic-child stereotypes I should avoid?

The first that comes to mind (and it unfortunately doesn’t come from bad media representation, but from real-life experiences) is “this child is such a burden and they’re making their caregivers’ life impossible and their caregivers are just so brave and really it’s such a tragedy that this kid is like that”. Of course, a young child has less coping skills and such than an adult, and they might have more trouble managing some of their traits, have a lot of meltdowns… Which is difficult for everyone to deal with, but please don’t portray her as a burden on her caregivers because of this, but rather as a child that they genuinely love and try to care for as best as they can :) (Or, if they don’t, which is absolutely possible, show that their attitude is toxic and that the reader shouldn’t approve of it and sympathize with them).

What things should the adults do so both she and the reader know they love her?

I’d say “the same things that with a neurotypical child” (I have a very vague idea of what this could entail because ??what do with small human ? The other day a friend gave me his baby to hold and I just spend that time focusing on not dropping it) plus showing acceptance for her autistic traits and trying to work with them rather than erase them, because they’re an integrant part of who she is. This can translate as not making her the food she has sensory issues with, letting her stim or even stimming with her, cutting the tags off her clothes if she has a problem with them, trying to make sure her living environment is sensory-friendly, giving her toys she can stim with, letting her follow her routines, telling her beforehand in case of disruption…

Are there common ways autistic people cope with emotional trauma?

I have no experience with this. One thing I think you can consider is that alexythymia (difficulty understanding and identifying one’s emotions) is common in autistic people, probably even more in children, and that the first part of coping with emotional trauma for your character will probably be “taking the time to realize that there is an emotional trauma”.

Then, some coping methods that neurotypicals usually don’t have could be stimming to deal with negative feelings, or immersing oneself in a special interest to focus on something else than the trauma.

If our autistic readers want to chime in and add ideas or alternative opinions to any of these questions, they’re as always very welcome.

-Mod Cat