i said as much in an end note for a chapter in "tell me what you see," but i once admitted myself to a psychiatric hospital after a major depressive episode and stayed there for several days (this was years ago and i'm fine now). there was a separate children's wing at the hospital for inpatient and outpatient kids. we never saw the kids, but one day, in the little courtyard where we'd get to take breaks and do outdoor activities, a saw the words "i don't trust anybody" written in chalk on the sidewalk in a child's scrawl. that has always stayed with me and probably always will. it haunts me; it broke my heart.
and then after watching "marble hornets" and hearing about tim's time in the hospital and reading the forms more carefully and figuring out just how young he was when admitted, that "i don't trust anybody" in chalk came back to me. and i'm just like, "tim 100% would write that on the sidewalk at his hospital."
God honestly reading that part in your fic broke me, then reading that is was based on real events broke me all over again. I've thankfully never had an experience in a psych hospital (came close in 8th grade a couple times, but, yknow, 8th grade) but ive got some friends who have, and honestly I can't even begin to imagine the kinds of things those kids must face. I mean, hearing the stories about it is heart wrenching enough, but then you get things like that chalk message and it's like. Fuck. These are real kids. There are real kids out here that feel like they have no one and it fucking breaks me.
This is obviously a bit off topic from mh, but shit man. Just from an outsiders' perspective, and as someone who's dealt with severe mental illness and episodes and similar shit to an admittedly lesser degree, the fact that Troy, Joseph, and Tim were able to so accurately portray those types of issues without even necessarily meaning to when so many other storytellers fall short when thats what they set out to do is just. It's phenomenal to me. I mean obviously I can't speak for everyone and I definitely cant speak on some of the specific issues shown (or implied) in mh, but it seriously impresses me, and I think it says a lot that so many people with things like schizophrenia, DID, and the like are drawn to the series and specifically Tim's character. Like, I know Tim Sutton didn't sit down and say "I'm portraying a character with Dissociative Identity Disorder" but fuck if he doesn't show it. Like, theyre all just such talented actors and storytellers and the subtleties in the characters and their sheer relatability show that.
Just. This fucking show, man
(on a related note, please please please please please go read kit's fic Tell me what you see because it owns me. like a little purse dog does it own me.)