Hello random human who decided to read this! This is the first post on my blog.
Nameโs Nelaxy! But you can call me Nee if youโd like! ...Sooo... What else is there to me...?
Iโm usually on discord talking with friends, drawing or just vibing. although im pretty socially awkward nonetheless, I like to make new friends and I hope, to the humans reading this, we can be good friends, too! (as cliche as that is lmao)
If anyone wants to message me, go ahead, I donโt bite~!
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Honestly considering Candle is a major comfort character for me I am... Nervous? To say the least
I'm fully confident that the crew will handle her arc well, but given that ppl are already calling her "taco 2.0" has me worried that the community is ONCE AGAIN going to look past good character writing and just HATE HER and ughhhhhh
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Police may also feign kettles in order to cause a protest to disperse.
Protests that move quickly are harder to kettle (but are easier to split up as people get left behind).
Something important to note is that kettles are used by police to gather intelligence. Police may tell you that you will be allowed to leave if you provide your name and your address, if you give information about other protestors etc. Police can and will lie to you, do not trust them. Never talk to cops.
Being trapped in a kettle is stressful. Police may decide to arrest a few of you or all of you. Their goal is to gather information and to demoralize you. They might threaten or harass you. Your goal should be to remain calm and to help the people around you remain calm. Remember if nobody talks, everyone walks.
My whole issue with throwing words like gaslighting around is NOT because I care about the dilution of its meaning, itโs about how they construct enemies out of conflict. Like you accuse someone of gaslighting, it implies abuse, which constructs a victim-perpetrator dichotomy out of a conflict which may not have one. Even if someone is wrong and is hurting your feelings, even if they are being shitty and lying, it doesnโt make them an abuser. Hurt feelings and frustration at not being listened to is not the same as abuse. You can be hurt, you can be wronged, without the other person being some type of perpetrator. I think itโs really important to deconstruct these dynamics if we donโt want to use carceral logic to respond to conflict.
Drop the essay about how td was wronged. Drop itttttt
Anon you are giving me too much power/pos
As you probably know, teardrop is a contestant in Battle For Dream Island. You probably also know that she doesnโt talk, either by choice or disability. For the longest time, teardropโs potential has been ignored by the writers as well as how they themselves have often been ignored and mistreated by the cast of BFDI. Today Iโm going to be talking about why I believe Teardrop deserves better, both in terms of how they have been written and how the other contestants treat her. (Also, please feel free to add on to this! Iโd love to hear pplโs takes :D)ย
[more under the cut]
It would be appropriate to start looking at Teardrop in season one, being BFDI. Before the competition ever started, no one engaged with her. When she joined the squashy grapes they found company in Needle and Leafy, but other than that no one really talked to them.ย A majority of the contestants were also rude to TD due to her being non-speaking. An example below:
[bfdi 1b]ย
Switching to looking at teardrop from a writing standpoint, Michael and Cary (who at the time were 12-13, just need to point that out) didnโt really know what to do with her. She didnโt get much time for characterization due to their early elimination and the Huang twins focusing on other characters. Teardrop didnโt get much screentime, and they didnโt get to have much of an effect on things within the game.ย
Now letโs look at BFDIA. Here, we have people taking advantage of TDโs lack of speech, Like Coiny and Pin, for example.
Coiny:โFine. If no one wants to switch, then weโll MAKE THEM SWITCH!โ Pin:โLetโs take Teardrop!โ Coiny:โWhy her?โ Pin:โBecause sheโs my best friend!โ Coiny:โHow do you know?โ Pin:โSheโs the only one who hasnโt said she hates me!โ
Coiny:โWell, letโs take her and get out of here.โ Book, offscreen:โWAIT!!!โ Book:โTeardrop will only switch if she WANTS to switch!โ Coiny:โFine.โ
Coiny:โTeardrop, if you refuse, weโll let you go back. Otherwise, YOUโRE MINE!โ *Teardrop is visibly in distress and doesnโt want to switch but doesnโt say anything cuz, yโknow, she CANโT* *Coiny and Pin walk away, dragging Teardrop with them*
[scene and images from bfdia 2]
โฆyeah. Also in Bfdia 4, where Teardrop is yet again eliminated, and even earlier than before:
Coiny:โAny first words, Teardrop?โ
*Teardrop stays silent since itโs been shown time and time again she canโt be otherwise, and is flung into the LOL*
Coiny:โYeah, thatโs what I thought.โ
[scene and image from Bfdia 4]
AGAIN, people (most notably Coiny right now) being assholes to TD because of her disability (or choice not to speak, itโs never confirmed but itโs somewhat implied to be the former in Bfb 1, more on THAT episode later). This just feels so wrong. Teardrop didnโt do anything to deserve this, but gets this treatment just for being โweirdโ in the otherโs eyes. The same thing happens to Woody for his phobias and Spongy for just, well, existing.
From a writing standpoint, teardrop did nothing notable here either, nor got any actual attention as a character. Td was voted out traditionally tho, so jnj didnโt have a part in her getting the boot this time. But this even earlier elimination does TD even MORE of a disservice.
We donโt get to see teardrop again till bfb 1, but as soon as we do, one of the opening scenes has liy wanting to get Teardrop to finally talk. The way she goes about this?
ย [bfb 1]
Violence!!! The Perfect solution to try to get someone to speak that obviously canโt!/s
But yeah, I fucking hate this scene man. The harassment of TD is completely unprompted on her part, and what does everyone else in the area do?ย
ย [bfb 1]
UGH. the only one trying to help her was clock, and then he gets caught up in whatโs going on with the others who ARENโT EVEN TRYING TO HELP?! TD. IS RIGHT. THERE. this goes on until a fork stabs Teardrop in the head and she gets sick of everyoneโs crap.ย
(Not putting an image here cuz the limit is 10)
Teardrop is interested in eggyโs stories (and previously lollipopโs fork repellent), but is seen as uncaring because she doesnโt say anything. Then their arm flapping is seen as her not caring either, despite her clear attempt at communicating. And right after they were the victim of a low key assault?!? Damn.ย
Barf bag:โUhh, guys? Maybe Teardrop did care but just didnโt say anything, cuz, yโknow, she CANโT?โ
[bfb 1]
THANK YOU, BARF BAG. THANK YOU.
ok, I got carried away there, but you probably get my point. Almost everyone in the show mistreated, ignored, or mocked Teardrop in some way or another, all for her lack of voice. Pretty messed up, right? yeah, i thought so. Itโs common place everywhere up to this point and the rest of pre-split bfb. The thing is, youโd think that after growing up and changing over time, the contestants, both old and new, would realize their treatment of teardrop is wrong in all of these ways. But they donโt. they have had twelve years to think about their behavior.
Just think about that for a minute. TWELVE YEARS. and Teardrop hasnโt gotten a single apology. not one. ever. They have been putting up with everyoneโs crap for twelve years and no one has ever given her a simple sorry. Not that just a โsorryโ would fix everything, but it would at least be nice, wouldnโt it?
Despite this, things start to look brighter for Teardrop after bfb splits. Enter post-split bfb.
Now, the writers in pre-split bfb did better in giving Teardrop time and significance, but not by a lot. A big part of it being that there is now 64 contestants, but another part being that no one had a definite direction for Teardrop. The writers had little idea on what to do with her.
However, TD gets more significance after the split, as there is more opportunities for their development and growth. what are these opportunities, exactly?
Well first off, thereโs less contestants. before The season was split into 2 seasons by Two, there were a whopping 64 contestants sharing an episode only 14-17 minutes in length, sometimes shorter. Naturally, not everyone got their time to shine, Teardrop included. not that thereโs only 14 contestants and longer episode lengths, everyone can get some form of spotlight, especially past bfb 22. Speaking of bfb 22, something really important happens to Teardrop and their development.
Now, before i go any further, i feel the need to clarify that Teardrop is not a saint that has done nothing wrong ever. Sheโs shown to be impulsive, which leads to her being prone to violence. Why i feel she has been unfairly wronged by the contestants is because they never exclude or mistreat them because of these negative traits, but rather because she doesnโt speak, either by choice or disability (it doesnโt matter tho, cuz its wrong either way). Its never a social consequence for her actions, but rather an act of discrimination.
in bfb 22, we get this scene:
Gelatin:โOh! you got radioactive powers! thats cool!โ *turns pages* Gelatin:โOh. you killed me with them. less cool.โ
[scene and image from bfb 22]
Here, the Teardrop and Gelatin arc really starts to kick off. TDโs negative behavior has an effect on someone where it previously never had much significance, as most of her interactions with others came from them not speaking instead of something she did or was. not only that, but it shows to have a negative consequence, as once again, the exclusion and mocking of Teardrop never was a result of them as a person but from her being non-speaking.
In bfb 24, Gelatin confronts Teardrop for her violent behavior towards him, and desires to distance himself from her. This is extremely important for Teardropโs development as a character for both the reasons listed above, but also giving her the chance to finally have a solid friendship with someone, that being Gelatin and later Lollipop, after TD and Gelatin make up and form a strong bond.
from this episode onward, Teardrop, for the first time, has stable friendships. The whole leafy thing was a mess cuz everyoneโs relationship with leafy was a mess after bfdia, and needle and TD hadnโt really talked for a good while. but Gelatin and Lollipop are barely as turbulent and messy as everyone from the original bfdi, and are much more accepting of Teardrop for who they are. Friendships are important kids, and a good one can change you life in a positive light forever. And voice or not, people finally treat Teardrop like a person.
SPOILERS FOR TPOT 2 AHEAD, SCROLL PAST IF YOU DONโT WANT TO SEE THEM PLEASE
While bfb has teardrop growing as a person and healing from her past, TPOT has them showing off more of herself and breaking out of their shell to her true potential.
In tpot 2, Teardrop joins tpot on her own team, and we actually get to see a lot of her! we see her personality in action, like how she uses the laser gun to be such a chaotic force, and how sheโs just having fun while also being competitive. and i think thatโs really important, how Teardrop is finally having fun. I think something she learned from gelatin is that being in a competition doesnโt mean they canโt have fun and enjoy themselves.
It also feels like the writers trying to make up for TDโs lack of screen time in the first 2 seasons. Instead of not having an effect on anything, Teardrop has a major effect on Tpot 2! This feels really refreshing, and i canโt wait to see Teardrop in the future.
SPOILERS END HERE
Now, this does not mean everything is fixed between Teardrop and the others. Mainly because she hasnโt gotten an apology from anyone yet, which really sucks. But Post-spilt bfb was the start of Teardropโs healing and growth, and iโm exited to see what, if anything, will be done with her in the future.
Teardrop has been ignored, discriminated against, and even assaulted for her lack of voice for twelve years, and hasnโt gotten a single apology. But being seen for her and not their lack of voice, as well as developing stable relationships, was the catalyst for Teardrop being able to change for the better. Though her life is still far from perfect, TD is finally learning to enjoy the competition. Teardrop, in the eyes of her peers, is finally more than a voice, or lack thereof.
TLDR: Teardrop has been treated like shit for over a decade for being non-speaking, but in the latest seasons her life is finally taking a turn for the better.
WOW! that was long, but if you got this far, thank you so much for reading this! Teardrop has been one if my favorite characters ever since i first saw bfdi, and finally getting to write about them feels amazing lol
Also anon if youโre reading this ty for letting me spill my teardrop analysis onto paper instead of studying lmao, srry it took a bit long lol
once again, if you wanna add onto this or discuss please do! I love talking abt my faves, and i wanna see what other ppl think about this topic :3
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Okay, but check out this video from mid-May 2022 of a Kestrel Dad who just kept piling up voles and mice beside his babies when the mom was injured/killed/miaโd by owlsโฆbut then watched one of his babies just swallow a lizard and wentย โOH. I can feed them small food!โ and learned to tear it apart!
EDIT: Thereโs a not-zero percent chance that this could be the same dad???????? The source is the sameโRobert E Fullerโbut they could be different birds.ย
UPDATE: Not only has Mister Kes learned to feed his chicks all on his ownโฆ
โฆ.the three chicks who were taken out of the nest for intensive care after the mom disappeared were put back in, and he just started feeding them, too.
Heโs a single father of six who does not possess the instincts to feed even one of his offspring, but he learned and adopted that behavior without difficulty and is now hunting and providing for six kids all on his own.ย
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