Norton and Orpheus performing Get in the Water from Epic the Musical with Orpheus in the role of Poseidon.

Takes place after Time of Réunion

"Saw traps for people with moral OCD" is a phrase that has embedded myself into my brain because, well, Saw traps for people with moral OCD are everywhere.

Stuff that basically amounts to...

"You have to listen to my opinions on [issue], or else you don't care about [issue]. (Constantly talks about how people like you are the absolute worst.)"

Anything that's functionally like, "you have to let me tear you down over things you can't control or you're a bad person."

Anything that's functionally like, "you have to let me vent to you whenever and however I want or else you're a bad person."

"If you enjoy X media/trope, you just hate Y people."

"Everyone knows that X thing is harmful/hateful; if you engaged in it, it's just because you were fine with perpetuating hate/harm."

"You should have just known better/should know this already!"

This thread over here talks about the inherent issues of putting this kind of stuff out there. The TL;DR is that it really only works on people who are mentally unwell and have poor boundaries, while just pissing off everyone else. It really doesn't matter if you're technically correct; you're still attacking people, and that means they're not wrong to block you.

I think that many of these Saw traps are created when people effectively write posts directed toward people who don't want to help, rather than the ones who do. Like, if you catch yourself writing an angry, shame-laden post, ask yourself: who are you writing it for and what are the odds you're going to change their minds? If your mental image is some smug fuck or angry reactionary, you're writing for the wrong person. Write for the person who's curious, who's willing to learn.

Also? Work on figuring out how to transmute negative feelings into positive, encouraging rhetoric. EG:

"Why is there no X positivity?" -> "Let's hear it for X!"

"No one cares about Y problem!" -> "Hey, we need more recognition of Y problem" or "I haven't seen many people talking about Y problem, so here's some info on what's up."

"If you don't reblog this, you don't care about [group]" -> "Please reblog this, it would mean a lot for us [group]."

And if you're really super duper frustrated and want to vent with a lot of nasty words and sentiments? Consider taking it to a private vent channel or a journal or somewhere that a stranger with moral OCD/scrupulosity isn't likely to run across it.

Remember, most people don't want to hurt anyone. More people are ignorant than malicious. People naturally want to do the right thing, so if you feel like you have to guilt them or shame them into it, there's probably a fundamental communication issue somewhere, or they simply lack the context to understand why what you're saying is so important.

this is your regular, cranky reminder that you are never going to get people to give up something that humans inherently do by guilting and shaming them.

no matter how strongly you feel that people ought to feel bad about doing something, and no matter how correct you are about whether or not they should feel bad.

shaming someone is an emotional attack. and the more vitriolic your attempt at shame is, the more vicious the attack is. most people, by the time they're adults, recognize this, and have built up various defenses against emotional attacks.

the only people that shame 'works' on the way you want it to work are not mentally well. they have moral OCD, or scrupulosity issues, or have been abused so badly that they do not feel like they have the right to have boundaries, or some combination of the three.

most people with healthy boundaries and healthy emotional responses will see your weaponized shame as an attack on them, and will react accordingly. and they are correct to do so. because part of having healthy boundaries is not letting random people emotionally attack you, regardless of how correct they are.

you can convince people that you are right and they are wrong. but the harder you try to make them feel ashamed, the less effective you're going to be. you're just gonna trigger a bunch of people who are mentally ill and make everyone else pissed at you.

Modern!Au

Norton and Alice would absolutely use toddler Johnny to go trick or treating on Halloween.

Is it me or does the Little Nightmares crossover lukewarm? I mean I guess we're getting a free skin with Axe Boy but I do have a bit of a criticism. It would've made more sense for the effect on the trees to look like the Signal Tower and the roots acting as cables because the leeches look really weird. Also why not make his little ghosts that circle the area look like Glitching Remains? I guess maybe it'd cause a drop in FPS.

There was a missed opportunity to have Joseph get to be the Thin Man.

It just feels like NetEase really didn't try or couldn't to really make this a fun crossover especially since people really wanted this crossover. Maybe they couldn't do a whole lot because Little Nightmares is owned by Konami and there was red tape everywhere.

"Now let's go get Tigger", said Pooh.

Hey :D! I’ve been a fan of yours for almost a year or two and just wanted to tell u that your art style is great :]!!! I especially love your IDV art and comics, it’s so silly/pos

By any chance, do you have IDV OCs :O? Just wondering abt it if you do !!

FGHJSAKFhjkfdhsjs thank you so much!! ;A; I'm really flattered to hear!! >/////////< 💖💖💖

I don't have any IDV OCs, but I did sketch some of my other OCs in the IDV style a long time ago.

Maybe I'll do some refined versions some day. Either imagining them as characters in the game and come up with in-game abilities, or make a crossover essence mock-up where each of them are a skin and assign them to canon characters.

@nightwonder7 I blame you for the IDV rabbit hole I've fallen down.

an unmatched feeling actually

Emilia with Luchino Diruse, family friend/mentor.

Hello all, my commissions are open! I have 3 slots available, please comment on this post or DM me if you’re interested! Due to the fact I have a lot of work for uni, commissions may take awhile, please be patient with me ;w;

A few years after AoM:

Norton looking at himself in the mirror and realizing he's gained weight. It's not a lot but it's more of a surprise than anything.

Norton: Hmmm...I'm getting fat...

Alice: *Hugs his from behind* Nah, you're just cuddlier.

I headcanon that Luchino is mixed race. He's mostly white passing but inherited afro textured hair which he keeps braided for safety reasons and because he's proud of his heritage.

FILE NO. 1 CONTENTS : TEXT ORIGIN : EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT. [ ELLIS R. DESMOND ] Local legend always seemed to focus around the bay that enclosed the small village that was called home by many. Some claimed to see one thing, but the next day they’d remember nothing at all as if the supernatural were at work. Always called that part of it all weird since I was little. Nestled by the sandbar of the bay always seemed to be a silhouette of grandiose nature that carried a voice sent from the very gods our damn village worshiped. A voice that grew the recognition of a curse we soon learned to bear.  That damn silhouette grew to take on the shape of a man or so I thought, and soon enough ended up learnin’ emotions bit by bit. As such emotions blossomed in nature, so did the weight they bore. The frustratingly loud songs that sprang from the bay soon took on a nature that was warm, yet brief and unsolicited. Any songs beyond melancholy were rare, often becoming harbingers of good faith whenever they appeared. Anything but was usually a signal to fishers’ deaths.  There was always this one lass who came to my shop down by the water, some widow’s daughter. Little one always wanted to see what I caught the day of, and for how much. Didn’t even matter if money was hard to come by for her. She always wanted to know. ‘Course, fish can’t keep a person’s attention for long-. That much I know more than anyone. After a week or so that lass ended up enamored by the water itself, kickin’ her arms and claiming to see or hear a person. Folks always pushed it off as nonsense, which wasn’t hard to see why at tha’ time. I even called the girl crazy. I mean, really. It’s not every day that some guy’s daughter claims she’s seen a damn monstrosity of the sea in freshwater. ‘Specially not somethin’ out of an urban legend or local myth.

Admittedly not super excited about Florian. I love his voice actor for the English translation though.

Even more ripley.

Johnny and his stuffed Mole, Mr. Mole.

Johnny is allergic to bee stings and the allergy was discovered by Melly when he was very small which thankfully it wasn't a severe reaction though Norton and Alice were pretty scared.

Melly, not wanting Johnny to live on fear but rather be cautious, made sure to bundle him up in plenty of protective gear as well as teaching him how to not panic when a bee lands on him.

Some find Johnny's non chalance towards his own allergy and bees to be rather disconcerting.