sometimes people experiencing psychosis and/or mania will come up to you on the street and talk in confusing or upsetting ways. your job is to either have a regular human-to-human conversation with that person or politely leave. your job is not to call 911. do not call 911. you might kill that person if you call 911.
I don't even have the energy to screenshot and respond to your tags- what the actual fuck is wrong with you? "the cops are scared and rightfully so" "mental health calls are the scariest for cops" OH so this isn't about the safety of psychotic & manic people this is about piggy feelings?
and no, actually, this is not USA specific and no, actually, people from other countries should not ignore this post. police violence and sanism weren't invented in the US and they are certainly not unique to here. if you (or anyone) thinks that this bullshit doesn't happen elsewhere then you are not listening.
This is legitimately useful reframing. A while ago I started replacing the word "cop" in my vocabulary with "a man with a gun." It really puts things into perspective.
This homeless person is making me uncomfortable. Should I call [a man with a gun]?
My neighbor is having a loud party. Should I get [a man with a gun] involved?
There are some teenagers skateboarding. Do you think [a man with a gun] would get rid of them for me?
It makes it very clear what you're saying. I can call a man with a gun to threaten or hurt someone mildly inconveniencing me. You're not calling the cops, you're calling A MAN WITH A GUN into a situation that does not warrant a firearm handled by a volatile lunatic who will not be held accountable for his actions.
being a kid and hearing adults say stuff like "woah 2011 was 4 years ago haha" didn't really convey the fucking horror of a youtube video crossing my recommended labelled "9 years ago" and it's from 2017. that's not true. 9 years ago is 2010 or something. don't lie.
your twenties are not "late" to start hrt. that is a normal time to start hrt. your thirties are also a normal time to start hrt. your seventies are pretty late to start hrt, but not too late. like, statistically, that's at the end of the curve. but if you are not dead, it is not too late for hrt.
I feel like if humans swallowed rocks like birds do to help grind up food we'd have so much fun with it.
Can just imagine all the girlies on tiktok going "I know this is a bit controversial but I honestly love using limestone as a gastrolith. Not only can you readily forage it but they are just so pretty when smoothed out after regurgitating them"
and then all the comments would be like " girl š š calcite dissolves in stomach acid!! Just use quartz if you want a pretty gastrolith like š"
We treasure each and every one of you, exactly the way you are. Thank you for playing our games, and we hope that you've been able to find a piece of yourself represented in them.
Here's to a comfy, lovely, and safe June! āļø
(And hold on. I spy two new Step 3 faces in this crowd š)
We recently had the pleasure of interviewing @thelonelyshore-if, creator of the top-voted IF in the bonus category,Ā The Lonely Shore. See the full list of winners in this category here.
We thoroughly enjoyed learning more about the inspiration and creative process behind the game, and hope you'll enjoy reading it. Just like the IF itself, there's a line in the interview from Theo that truly stuck with me:
There is beauty to be found in survivingāand, more than that, in living. Even when it feels impossible.
It makes perfect sense thatĀ Creatures Such as WeĀ is one of Theo's favorite games, asĀ The Lonely Shore possesses that same rare quality of lingering in your mind.
About the author
Howdy! Iām Theo. Iām a horror nerd and vampire fan by night; library employee by day. I live with my fiance and my cat. I draw as well as writeāI was an artist before I was a writerāand Iāve been known to play a video game or two, when I have the time. Oh! And I play a truly incredible amount of dnd.
About the game
The Lonely Shore is a horror game about getting trapped in a small midwestern town that does not exist.
Tell me a bit about your journey into interactive fiction and what youāre working on right now
Way back in the early days of tumblr I saw a viral post about Choice of the Dragon. I played it and was delighted by the format; I think I played PsyHigh and Creatures Such As We (still an all-time favorite!!) all in a rush, but was broke and in high school so the obsession ended there. During quarantine in 2020 I discovered Fallen Hero (also via tumblr) and fell in love. Itās been over for me ever since.
My active project is The Lonely Shore, which was born from my love for horror and my experiences growing up in a small town. I also have a secondary IF project, Neverland, about vampires that Iāve recently been dipping my toes into.
What was the inspiration for this game, and why did you want to write a story in this genre?
I grew up in a small town in Minnesota, much like the fictional town of Easthaven in my IF. Growing up queer, trans, and neurodivergent led to me always feeling like an outsider; like I didnāt quite understand the world around me. Bundle that up with the inherent smothering feeling of being trapped that comes from small townsā¦well, the whole experience lends itself well to horror.
The Lonely Shoreās MC is also an outsider who canāt escape. A lot of the emotions I remember feeling are built into the story, even if Easthaven has way more monsters than I encountered.
Are there any themes or messages you hope players take away from your work?
The Lonely Shore includes what I would describe as mundane horror. Terrible things happen, people go missing, monsters are realābut for the people of Easthaven, thatās everyday life. Those aware of the horrors still wake up in the morning in spite of it. They have friends and families; they find strength in their community; and they always manage to find joy in spite of it all.
There is beauty to be found in survivingāand, more than that, in living. Even when it feels impossible.
Whatās the one thing youāre really proud of that youāve written so far? Do you have a favorite character or scene that youāve written?Ā
I think my favorite scene Iāve written is the chapter 3 Doe sceneāit has some fun branching differences, and a lot of writing I love.
Iām probably most proud of the chapter 4 bonfire scene due to the sheer branching involved. It was an absolute beast to write, but now that Iām on the other end Iām really happy with it.
And my favorite characters are probably the teens! Iām very excited now that theyāre properly introducedālet the Scooby Doo shenanigans begin ;)
For folks who enjoyed your IF, what other book/music/movie should they check out with the same āvibe'?
Lord Huron is likeā¦THE soundtrack to The Lonely Shore for me. Sooo much of their music fits perfectly.
Watch Midnight Mass if you want more of something terrible happening in an isolated small town; watch Haunting of Hill House if you want an excellent story about grief and siblings.
Play Scarlet Hollow for some genuinely awesome small town horror. And also because it is absolutely excellent.
Whatāre you excited to tackle/implement/work on next?
Iāll be working on Neverland off and on alongside Lonely Shore, and right now Iām very excited to be digging into it. Itās a pretty big vibe shiftāmessy toxic vampires rather than slow, creeping horrorābut the writing Iāve done so far is a lot of fun!Ā
Itās already been pretty refreshing to be able to switch between two very different projects; so Iām excited to continue!
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