Man, do I have feelings about this. Mostly fuck Justin McElroy. Why am I not surprised some straight white guy made these comments.
I made a post talking about Night in the Woods yesterday (not sure if you saw it, but in case you're interested, here you go!) and I went over a lot of this and why it resonated so damn hard with me. Mae does a lot of not nice things throughout the game. Like half the time you're hanging out with Bea, you say things that just further upset her, regardless if the option is solid and reasonable. But she still sticks around. I said plenty of shit like that when I was 20 to try and fit in, to try and be cool, to overcome anxiety and introvertedness because college just kinda forces parties and shit down your throat, and so forth. When I was on Facebook, I'd get those memory things pop up from my college days and I just facepalm. I don't know how anyone was friends with me then; I sure as hell wouldn't want to be friends with 20 year old me. But like so many other kids probably, I was struggling with mental health and trying to do all this adulty shit on my own. And then by the time I figured things out, I graduated and proceeded to implode within six months. I loved college, but wow, it's also fucking bullshit. It never was and never will be (at this rate) conducive to anyone struggling to cope with a mental illness. And the fact that went over a grown ass adult's head who also has kids is actually disgusting.
I was so happy to see Mae have a healthy family. I was thrilled to know they didn't guilt trip her every day for dropping out and being a failure. Literally every other person in town reminds her of her horrible past and how "she's never changed" when they realize college didn't work out for her. Aside from the confrontation with her mom, which is 100% player choice how you handle that, her parents are nothing but compassionate and welcoming. That's amazing. I love that. We need more of that in stories instead of Yet Another Dysfunctional Family Sob Story.
But no, Mae should have her life fucking figured out by the time she goes to college. Because college is smooth sailing for everyone mmhmm. 100% Mae's fault for not handling things like an adult. How dare she. What an unlikable character. So bold.
It's legit two steps away from saying "I hate queer women" but it's well beyond "everyone who has ever experienced this is forgotten trash."
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2019-08-20 01:53 pm (UTC)I made a post talking about Night in the Woods yesterday (not sure if you saw it, but in case you're interested, here you go!) and I went over a lot of this and why it resonated so damn hard with me. Mae does a lot of not nice things throughout the game. Like half the time you're hanging out with Bea, you say things that just further upset her, regardless if the option is solid and reasonable. But she still sticks around. I said plenty of shit like that when I was 20 to try and fit in, to try and be cool, to overcome anxiety and introvertedness because college just kinda forces parties and shit down your throat, and so forth. When I was on Facebook, I'd get those memory things pop up from my college days and I just facepalm. I don't know how anyone was friends with me then; I sure as hell wouldn't want to be friends with 20 year old me. But like so many other kids probably, I was struggling with mental health and trying to do all this adulty shit on my own. And then by the time I figured things out, I graduated and proceeded to implode within six months. I loved college, but wow, it's also fucking bullshit. It never was and never will be (at this rate) conducive to anyone struggling to cope with a mental illness. And the fact that went over a grown ass adult's head who also has kids is actually disgusting.
I was so happy to see Mae have a healthy family. I was thrilled to know they didn't guilt trip her every day for dropping out and being a failure. Literally every other person in town reminds her of her horrible past and how "she's never changed" when they realize college didn't work out for her. Aside from the confrontation with her mom, which is 100% player choice how you handle that, her parents are nothing but compassionate and welcoming. That's amazing. I love that. We need more of that in stories instead of Yet Another Dysfunctional Family Sob Story.
But no, Mae should have her life fucking figured out by the time she goes to college. Because college is smooth sailing for everyone mmhmm. 100% Mae's fault for not handling things like an adult. How dare she. What an unlikable character. So bold.
It's legit two steps away from saying "I hate queer women" but it's well beyond "everyone who has ever experienced this is forgotten trash."