#mod discussion

[yourbookcouldbegayer]

What are your thoughts on straight people playing queer roles when queer people don't get the same opportunity

Mixed! (Though I feel like the ask is fishing.)

This is from the general discussion we had:

On one hand, it may be a disrespectful portrayal, and an authentic queer experience should be given priority. Queer actors need these opportunities and a chance at them. It likely would also help with actual queer rep and diversity, rather than the palatable gay kid plotline that’s common an easily digestible for straight audiences without being loudly queer. These are so often made fun of and alienated in portrayals that I doubt a straight person could handle that nuance. More queer people in roles, in directing, in wiring, in all aspects-- is so important in actually having positive representation (That’s why, I think, largely you guys are fine in your rep).

On the other hand, requiring queer actors play queer roles places a requirement on actors to be out and gatekeeps. People can have widely different opionions on what is respectful or offensive.

Overall, though, what needs to happen is larger acceptence and understanding. If the world were less heteronormative already, this would likely not be an issue, or at least less of one. More mainstream acceptence and more queer people in the conversation is much more important than one specific role going to a queer or straight person.

-Mod Emma

[amityparkhalfa]

speaking of Walker, lol what would you have done to integrate him more into the dp universe? Or what dynamics do you think he would have with the other ghost?

There’s so many ways they could have done more with him.

 -More episodes of him hunting Wulf.

 -An episode showing how Wulf came to be Walker’s prisoner in the first place. We know nothing about Wulf, basically. An episode even showcases that Wulf has the third highest bounty in the Ghost Zone behind Undergrowth and Vortex. Why? What did he do? He doesn’t posses extreme powers like the other two, the most amazing thing he has is the portal-making claws. So what was the deal? 

-Ghost court 

-Personally I’m very on the fence about him being a member or the founder of the Men In White. Walker was definitely made before they were a thing, and they’re just a parody of the Men In Black. Still, that could be an option. 

-episodes where he could have agreed to cut someone’s sentence if they brought him Danny. Maybe he even hired multiple to basically ensure a successful arrest.

  Not what you asked, but I do wanna point out how strange it is that Walker is one of the few recurring antagonists of the show who does not appear in Dan’s dark timeline. To me, this always insinuated he was destroyed by Dan. You know darn well he would have tried to stop Dan. 

 As far as dynamics with other ghosts go:

 Lunch Lady- Trusts her enough to let her routinely work in the prison serving food to the other prisoners. 

Box Ghost- Pities but can’t really admit it outloud. 

 Skulker- Despises, but could possibly hire to get Danny or Wulf. (Speaking of, why the hell WASN’T there an episode where Skulker hunted Wulf, either hired by Walker or not?)

 Desiree- indifferent. 

 Johnny 13- Punk. Loud bike that he hates. Shadow makes it hard to keep him incarcerated 

Kitty- Feels bad for her, if she wasn’t with Johnny maybe she wouldn’t be so bad 

Ember- another loud punk that really needs to be taught some manners and rules. 

 Youngblood- Understand he’s a bratty child, and when he causes trouble he’s just doing what children do. Still, wishes someone would give him a spanking 

Technus- Is mostly fine with, though he routinely needs to be searched and have his things confiscated. Walker enjoys the things he usually gets from Technus, they could be used to try and capture other prisoners, or Danny.

if there’s others I missed (and I did miss some, I know) just ask.

[hexagonal-bipyramid]

I know you don't do requests, but I had a suggestion regarding the loner trait if you or somebody else wants to poke at it maybe: I think it would be cool if instead of not showing up at all on community lots or as walkbys they can still show up, but just much less frequently than sims without the trait. So basically they show up, but only rarely, so it still gives you a chance to meet them. Don't know if that's even possible to mod, just thought it would be cool.

That’s a great suggestion. Thank you for that! I should have done it this way to be honest. Plus it can be customizable by adding a custom BCON so we can set how often Loners can show up as walkbys.

[amityparkhalfa]

Anything’s okay, I guess. I feel like a gigantic dum-dum for not thinking about specifics.

I’ll just post random shit then, friend. No worries, though. Just wanted to satisfy you if you had a special direction you wanted me to go in.

Walker is very routine. He has a set time for waking up, meals, going to bed, etc. This includes when he starts and when he stops work. He’s very good on sticking to his schedule. 

Walker’s entire closet is well kept and nice clothes. The closest thing to casual attire he has are button up shirts and fancy jeans. 

Walker has a bookcase full of books on law, criminals, psychology, criminal behavior, and court case filings.

Walker has some kind of military background.

Walker does believe that criminals can be rehabilitated. He may seem like he has a very black and white view on everything, but he knows that people can get better if they’re taught the errors of their ways. That’s what his prison is for.

[amityparkhalfa]

Headcanon that the only things keeping Walker running at this point are black coffee, whiskey, and justice needing to be dispensed. He drinks to forget but he always remembers.

Hoooooyou’re probably onto something there. I can definitely see him having seen alot of crap in his time, and some of it I’m sure haunts him. Particularly lives he could have saved but didn’t.The only thing that gets him out of bed sometimes is the fact that without him the Ghost Zone would be chaos, and he has to keep the troublemakers in line.

[amityparkhalfa]

Which actually leads a very important question I don’t think was ever answered in the series or in any Q&A: if a ghost dies, what happens to it? Do they just straight up stop existing?

That’s tough to say. If we go by Butch’s views of the ghosts being simply interdimensional beings, then by that logic they should be able to die. However the show clearly implies that several ghosts in the show like Poindexter and the Lunch Lady lived human lives, and thus died and became ghosts. If we go by paranormal knowledge from anthropology, we know there are ways to get rid of spirits by cleansing them. Depending on which culture these methods come from, this either forces the spirit to pass on to the next world, reincarnate, or simply stop existing.

[amityparkhalfa]

Honestly I find the idea of the Ghost Zone being interpreted as Hell really interesting and am surprised that more people haven’t tried making theories about it. Lots of the ghosts don’t seem to be very good people, with even the nicest ones can be destructive and/or assholes at times, and it seems to be a pretty dangerous place. An AU based off this idea would actually be really cool to see!

pretty sure @lonleyghostposts has a demon au they’ve written about. It makes for a sort of interesting idea, but I don’t see why half the ghosts would be there, though. Especially people like Ember, whose most likely method of death was suicide by fire. The only religion I can think of that openly condemns suicide and states it guarantees hell is Catholicism. Anyway, another character I can’t see having earned a spot in hell is Youngblood. He’s a little shit, but that’s because he’s like...10, tops. He’s just being a kid. Eh, to each his own. The idea is definitely interesting, though peersonally I believe the ghost zone is both a different dimension like Butch wants us to believe, and also one option of the next life for people in our world who pass. I think ghosts like Undergrowth, Wulf, Skulker, and Nocturne are otherwordly beings likely born ghosts, while the more human ghosts like Johnny, Walker, Lunch lady, etc were people that lived and died to become ghosts