#abandonedshops

oh just the “midsommar is about finding a community that makes you feel held :)” “women need women!” or other such interpretations that got really really common about how what happens to dani is a good thing and not fucked up and horrible

theres a lot of complexity to its narrative but at its core its about abuse (specifically cult abuse). the main character who just experienced extreme trauma and has no support network and is already pretty isolated and her one major relationship is a boyfriend who is neglectful and shitty. this is someone susceptible to cult indoctrination. shes systematically isolated, lovebombed, and pushed to a breaking point until shes accepted it.

like the complexities to the narrative are about how this is also catharsis and how, yeah, in a way she HAS found a community and HAS found something like healing, and thats fucking terrifying and tragic because this is a vulnerable woman who has been preyed on and broken down until theres nothing left but to accept this

so thats the narrative issue and theres also the fact that the cult are implicitly white supremacists and that is an undercurrent to the narrative. which is established explicitly via an anti immigration banner (which is in swedish so would be missed by english speaking audiences which like, could be some intentional meta thing but idk), and implicitly via how the characters of color are killed vs how the white characters are only killed off if they do something to insult the harga (bc theyre the only ones seen as breeding stock candidates to be kept around) 

We’ll start off hot with some good good armadillo-badger boys

5: Robo Bori

Ever since I saw that one draw of the robo bori being a ticket dispenser I was like ‘oh this is a lad i can REALLY GET INTO’. Look at that little smile. Like he’s got a little secret for me

4 Faerie Bori

Another Faerie on the list, I like specifically how they designed the wings, it kinda reminds me of a lady bugs for some reason, with the black part being a shell that covers up the delicate soft wing from harm. Very good.

3. Darigan Bori

They remind me of a hedgehog my cousin has that she let me hold once. It was very moist. I think it peed on me. I’m still not sure. His name was Hans Hamburg the Hedgehog.

2 Island Bori

I just really like the pattern choices here, I incorperate a lot of swirls and strange patterns myself when I do sort of simplistic folk art/ tribal designs for characters. Very nice.

And Best Bori......of 2020......

1. Halloween Bori

Hi! I think what you saw was the melted edges of the fabric around the seams. These are sometimes melted on purpose when the fur is manufactured, to keep it from fraying quite so much!

Melted fabric edges on a Santa Furby.

There’s a lot of asks, yes, but I don’t want to ignore anything, so if folks don’t mind waiting a bit or a lot, I promise we’ll get to it eventually. I mean, people are asking under the belief that we can help (or try to help) so to ignore that, I think, would be a disservice to the people who support us. Not to mention the fact that I’d be surprised if there isn’t at least one other person who is helped out by someone who asks and gets an answer, no matter how odd or unnecessary the ask might seem. Informative posts help people know something exists; asks often ask me to put together toys by category or need, or provide care/safety information, all things posts about a cute squishy or a sale Tangle don’t accomplish. So to me, anyway, they’re pretty important!

I’ve actually got quite a lot of soft textured sims, some small enough to hide in a coat pocket or handbag/satchel, some that won’t draw too much attention and some that don’t even look like stim toys:

Image description under read more cut at end of post!

Subtle/Easily Hidden Toys:

- Keychains (Fluffy, Pompom, Plush, Tassel): These are the biggest in “stimmy objects attached to a bag or satchel that nobody will consider an obvious stim” toys. If you choose more muted colours, especially if you’re female, feminine or seen as female by society, nobody will think anything of these: I’ve seen plenty of professional-appearing women with a dark pompom keychain attached to their handbags. If you’re a little quirky, punk, goth, counter-culture or unconventional, you can get away with any colour and style you like without anyone realising what they’re actually for.

Try the accessories sections of department stores (K-Mart, Target) and accessories stores (Claire’s, Lovisa) as well as markets (Queen Victoria Market) for the more unusual and funky items. There’s all sorts of things on eBay (none of them expensive) under the search plush keychain.

- Purses and Pouches: again, it helps to be a little unconventional here, since most of the really stimmy ones tend to be brightly coloured. I’ve got two very soft plush coin-style purses shaped like a frog head and a watermelon slice; I’ve also got a chenille coin purse with all the lovely fronds for running hands through.

I’ve seen the plush pouches/purses in K-Mart and Daiso, so again think the accessory sections of department stores. Or you can try eBay under the search plush coin purse, as there’s loads of awesome purses for $2 USD or less. The chenille ones are harder to find, but I’ve seen the Yoobi-branded ones here in Officeworks and they’ve been found in the US, I believe, at Target.

- Makeup Blending Sponges: soft but with a little cellulose-like texture. Available in most department stores. You might not want to be seen holding this, but they easily fit into a coat pocket or bag.

(I also glued two makeup sponges together around a slide clip to make a crackling squishy, as in this tutorial you sent in to us, and sewed the sponges into a small flannelette bag, making a tiny, fabric-textured cracking squishy - the purple star-print rectangle in the photo above.)

- Disney Mini Tsum Tsum Plush: soft, has a variety of gentle textures, readily squishable, available at Target and Disney Stores. Also easily hidden in a coat pocket or bag, and I should know, because I have one in my satchel that’s easily stimmed with just by sliding a hand inside said satchel.

(There’s a lot of similar mini plushies as well - you might prefer Puchimaru, Teeny Tys or any of the handmade plush toys made by many of the autistic crafters on this list.)

- Crocheted Stress Ball: the crocheted thread is soft and non-scratchy, and the ball easily slips into a pocket. This is a noisy toy, though, as the ball contains crinkle paper, so for this reason it’s not terribly stealth. The best place I know for purchasing these for non-Australians is Stimtastic.

- Mini Bean Bags: can be made from flannelette, fleece, minky fleece, faux fur. Anything soft and strokeable. If you’re DIYing this or ordering it (several of the sellers on our autistic crafters list make these sorts of bean bags) just have it made small enough to fit in a pocket.

(Note: you can also buy small pieces of these fabrics from a craft store like Lincraft or Spotlight, cut them up into portable swatches and keep a piece in your pocket or bag. You can hem or blanket stitch the edges for neatness, but it isn’t required, and it gives you something soft to stroke, like a minky blanket, wherever you are.)

Less Subtle/More Obvious Toys:

- Tangle Jr Fuzzy: this one really isn’t subtle, but for soft texture seekers, they’re absolutely divine. You will look like you’re stimming (although for some reason, nobody has commented when I use a Tangle on the bus, as opposed to other toys) but they’re too perfect for the soft aspect of this ask for me to ignore them. They’re still easily carried in a pocket or bag, though!

- Marble Maze and Marble Loops: made from flannelette, they’re absolutely wonderful just for stroking, and I make this even better by using a layer of minky fleece for the back. Again, you will look like you’re stimming, but even out and about there’s usually places where you can pull out a toy for private stimming/calming, and the maze can easily be folded up to fit in a pocket. The loop, being much smaller, is far more subtle and even easier to keep on your person.

I hope this gives you some ideas, @abandonedshops, and if anyone has any ideas that I’ve forgotten to include, please comment away!

- Mod K.A.