Addiction

I checked Twitter 47 times yesterday. Not because I needed information. Not because I was expecting something important. Just… checking. Pull down to refresh. Scan. Nothing interesting. Close app. Five minutes later: Open app. Pull down to refresh. Scan. Find one mildly interesting tweet. Read. Close app. Repeat. All day. I wasn’t looking for something specific. I was looking for the possibility of something interesting. And that’s exactly how Twitter (and every other addictive app) is designed to work. ...

Shane stands on the edge of a cliff. He’s drunk. He’s suicidal. He tells you he doesn’t see a point in living anymore. This is a farming game. And somehow, Stardew Valley handles this moment with more care, respect, and emotional intelligence than most “serious” narratives manage. How do you depict trauma-depression, addiction, grief-without: Exploiting it for shock value Romanticizing suffering Using it as lazy characterization Trivializing recovery Let’s explore how to write pain respectfully. ...