thank you so much!!! mentioned this on bsky too but im a massive fan of your storytelling so to receive this is an honor for me.
"Annie. Hang up. We need to work on Blueberry's route." is now a permanent addition to my lexicon.
it's "lock in" for all of the worst reasons!!!
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i see a lot of my younger self in sunny, especially the way she talks about cartoons, so focused on whether or not something is "good rep", needing to make sure everyone in the room knows her morals and that she is a GOOD PERSON! it feels so completely shameful to admit that. it was almost a relief to see how terrible she became, that i could no longer see my reflection in her.
yeah, i've noticed quite a few people have related to sunny, esp earlier on in the story. so you're not alone. i was also very similar when i was younger... it's an anxious, unsustainable and exhausting existence, trying to prove to the world over and over that you're good, you're safe, etc.
i loved how much anita's inner dialogue differed from how she actually expresses herself (up until the end). i could feel her fear of articulating any kind of dissent. i felt the panic and dread of someone not liking you, being mad at you, saying things about you where you can't see them.
yeah i'm glad you picked that out! very often i go through similar thought processes to her... the whole "how can i choose my words carefully so that i can get my point across in the least incendiary way possible?" and even then, that doesn't always work. you can't win."you're so gay" and "looking respectfully" were other specific turns of phrase that felt just so. fucking perfect in how they're deployed. my skin was crawling. it was like being in the 2010s again in the absolute most nightmare hell way possible. for most of the game it feels like anita is still stuck there, unable to escape.
absolutely. would you believe that this behavior bleeds into the 2020s too... its still like this, just with slightly different coats of paint. when i hear someone speak like this it makes every hair on my neck raise bc of the specific memories it brings for me."it was too easy for someone like me to become one."
god. we are all too afraid of ourselves. phenomenal work.
we really are. i was terrified, writing this work, but the response towards it has been so, incredibly kind. i hope it can, at the very least, encourage people to be a little more thoughtful with the way they treat others. the world is tough enough as-is.
the rest of your commentary was lovely too. thank you again for playing, i really appreciate it...