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Ableism: The prejudice, discrimination, or social bias against people with disabilities. It is rooted in the belief that disabled people are “less than” non-disabled people and often under the assumption that disabilities need to be “fixed.” It manifests in various ways, often subtly.

Now, you may see this brief summary of ableism and understandably wonder what this could possibly have to do with Firey from Battle for Dream Island, a children’s show about sentient objects competing against each other on a reality show for often comically abysmal prizes that is usually hosted by an unusual alien or machine. In fact, the “Object Show Community” where BFDI resides is often one of the least ableist fanbases possible with how many physically disabled characters there are in these shows. Various characters are missing arms or legs and are typically respectfully depicted in art. There are some exceptions to this that often go overlooked, (Ex. Black Hole being canonically hard of hearing, which was weirdly used to demonize him in TPOT 1.) but for the most part, the OSC is one of the most accepting places for disabled people. It certainly explains the neurodivergent audience that repeatedly tunes in for episodes of the show even in repeated cinema screenings across the United States.

..However, when we have conditions that are classified as disabilities but are invisible, the OSC’s treatment of these characters becomes extremely peculiar. There are our infamous troublesome examples of “mental” disabilities such as “Evil Paper” with DID in II1 or the peculiar writing with Cabby’s memory issues in II3. These can perpetuate harmful information and influence young viewers. However, I would say that the real trouble in the OSC is that no matter how “accepting” and “welcoming” a community claims to be regarding disability, they will always have their ingrained prejudice from the real world and the social influences that shape them. How can I prove this? I want to show this by talking about Firey, a famous BFDI character who has received some of the oddest fandom treatment I have ever witnessed in this community. More specifically, I want to claim that a good chunk of fandom Firey is unintentionally ableist.

To do this, I will split this into three parts. First, I want to go over how Firey can be interpreted as a neurodivergent and disabled character despite having no physical disabilities. Secondly, I want to discuss various examples I have witnessed of odd treatment towards Firey in the fandom and why I think these are in some way ableist. Lastly, I want to conclude this detailed writing of mine by thinking of potential ways for the fandom to amend and address this because I want the fandom to earnestly work to correct this behavior of theirs. As such, although I will list examples, I will not directly add images of anyone’s art or mention these users by username. This is no excuse to harass various members of the OSC, some of which are minors who are influenced by older members. Besides, I think one will find this treatment of Firey is not miniscule and is constantly present in discussion of his character throughout the past and present, so explicitly singling out one person will not solve the potential problems.

I sincerely do not want to specify this, but in order to avoid misinterpretation of my points, I must quickly establish that this is not some extremist essay where I defend every single one of Firey’s actions throughout the show and act as if the possibility of him being neurodivergent and/or disabled in some way would abruptly excuse him of all moral accountability. That is not the point of what I’m trying to say whatsoever. Neurodivergent people are capable of making incorrect choices without being babied or infantilized for them, and you are allowed to dislike Firey from Battle For Dream Island due to his bad actions or simply not vibing with his character as a whole. This is not a “defense” of his character, but rather an analysis of how you could interpret this character and why troublesome depictions of him in fan content are often distasteful and end up being a representation of the negative fan reception a potentially neurodivergent character could face, especially in the OSC where these characters often face odd treatment.

Lastly, I want to clarify before the rest of this essay that I am a neurodivergent adult. I have autism and have grown up with visual impairments so troubling that I cannot safely drive without posing a danger to myself or others. Therefore, I find it much easier to read a character through the lens of being neurodivergent and disabled. You may be inclined to say that Firey isn’t in any way disabled or that if he is, the treatment he receives from the fandom is “deserved.” Although everyone is technically allowed to have their own opinion, I want to write this in order to provide and suggest evidence for the contrary. If you disagree after hearing my arguments out, that is fine, but I am merely trying to correct a foul fandom portrayal of a character I resonate with. I acknowledge that various other members of the OSC are also neurodivergent or disabled, but this nevertheless does not halt or deny the possibility of unintentional ableism due to internalization from the same outside sources that I have previously discussed. With all of this out of the way, please enjoy reading my misinterpretation on the OSC’s ableism towards Firey.

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Now, here is what is arguably the most important part of this inscription. Can Firey from Battle for Dream Island possibly be classified as neurodivergent and/or disabled? Note that I use these as separate terms because although various neurodivergent conditions can and are legally classified as disabilities, it is not guaranteed that you will receive disability support for it. In fact, various “high functioning” individuals can go their entire life without recognizing that they are neurodivergent because they are not “disabled enough.” In this case, I am working under the assumption that Firey’s situation classifies as both, but you are welcome to interpret otherwise.

In my honest opinion, I believe that there are numerous ways that you can identify Firey which certainly do not fall under being neurotypical. As someone with autism who is working towards a Forensic Psychology major in college and has done research on mental conditions in the past, I think there are a few interpretations in particular that fit Firey most accurately. In short, I want to go through the possibilities of Firey having ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and PTSD. I am also inclined to believe he suffers from dissociative problems- Which I have already covered in a previous analysis of mine- but for the most part, it is not “impairing” him enough to be considered a disability. Still, I’m acknowledging it here as another facet of Firey’s character worth discussing. (https://www.tumblr.com/ghostlyglooms/798665191581696000/firey-character-analysis)

First, I want to cover the possibility of Firey having ADHD. As far as I can tell, this is actually the most common read on his character from fans who want to perceive him through a neurodivergent lens. Again, I do not have ADHD, but I have friends and family members who have it. I will also consult the DSM-5’s criteria and apply examples of Firey’s behavior in the show to the criteria. This same logic will be followed in the other two trains of thought. Before I start, I must quickly acknowledge that a character does not have to be intentionally written to be neurodivergent or disabled in order to portray that image. Fan from Inanimate Insanity, for example, is inherently coded to have autism in his mannerisms and behavior, but as Brian Koch has confirmed, this was never the intentional intention. Despite this, he does not deny the possibility of it. (https://x.com/Thisisntflying/status/1838015771114450982) Furthermore, Cary Huang has said before that he personally thinks of Four and Golf Ball as having autism. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJRlxe7nudo&t=86s) Therefore, none of my research and interpretations of Firey being neurodivergent and/or disabled are “outlandish” or “a stretch” in the sense that major OSC creators are fully aware of disability as well as neurodivergent and do not deny interpretations of the characters in this view.

Could Firey have ADHD?

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder- aka ADHD- is one of the most common mental disorders diagnosed in people around the world. It is often identified in childhood and then it carries on with the individual in adulthood even if a diagnosis and “treatment” are provided for the condition. Typically, this causes interference in school, work, and social relationships. Firey is a fictional character with no specific point of origin that consequently does not experience global problems such as “the education system,” so some points of ADHD and other conditions will be disregarded as irrelevant. Still, ADHD is typically characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. More specifically, these three key aspects are shown through various symptoms that are attached to these sections under the DSM-5 diagnosis for ADHD.

First, there is inattention. Firey is repeatedly shown to have difficulty paying attention to tasks or activities that are happening around him. While this can partially be due to his dissociative tendencies, it’s important to note that this happens even in BFDI, where he is at a point in his life where he is youthful and has not experienced any major traumas. This is established as early as BFDI 1b, where Firey accidentally injures himself because he isn’t paying attention. Consequently, he is scolded by Pin for this. Additional examples include BFDI 6 where he somehow falls off a balance beam despite having no way to trip, BFDI 8 where he doesn’t pay attention to Ice Cube’s wellbeing, and BFDI 13, where Firey has trouble focusing on the challenge because he is distracted by his rival Coiny being eliminated. However, this is not exclusive to BFDI. Arguably, the strongest example of this is in BFB 21. In this episode, Firey is repeatedly shown to not really pay attention to the challenge, instead focusing on and discussing completely unrelated things, which is shown to visibly confuse Blocky and Taco.

Furthermore, inattentiveness in ADHD is characterized by not appearing to listen to others even when being spoken to directly. In some cases, I am once again suggesting that this could be due to dissociation or deliberate avoidance, but in other cases, it’s clear that the intention is that his mind is simply wandering off. Arguably, the most infamous example of this is in BFDI 24, where Firey is somehow genuinely oblivious to Leafy’s distress and protests about being trapped in a “death machine” that could easily slaughter her. Additional examples include BFDIA 13 where Firey repeatedly seems to not fully acknowledge Gelatin’s sentences and BFB 18, in which he somehow does not recognize or pay attention to the real Flower when Gelatin is infiltrating the Have Nots and pretending to be her. While part of this could be because Firey is often written to be comic relief, it’s nevertheless important to note how much this repeats as an integral part of his identity.

Lastly, some additional inattentive symptoms will be listed here. Firey is shown to have reluctant behavior towards performing tasks that he has no passion for. (Ex. BFB 20 where he says talking to the Have Cots is “almost too much work for one day” and BFB 29 in which Firey says he “just wants to go home” rather than dealing with BFB’s severe financial problems.) He is shown to be repeatedly distracted by outside stimuli. (In BFB 22 and 29, Firey is shown to disregard everything around him in order to try and obtain a “prize.”) When he does complete tasks, it is often in an unorganized or “sloppy” way. (Such as BFDI 16, where Firey wins immunity by doing the unusual act of “knocking” bowling pins over by burning them. Or BFDIA 7, where Firey succeeds in sabotaging Freesmart but in the process puts himself in danger.) He is also shown to be forgetful in daily activities despite the fact that some of his “memory loss” is clearly a lie he fabricated. (BFB 6, where he forgets that Black Hole can’t logically get the twinkle.) All of this comes together and indicates Firey’s potential inattentive behavior in his daily Goiky life.

Hyperactivity is a lot harder to show in Firey, especially when almost every character in BFDI is prone to suddenly energetic and “inappropriate” behavior because of how it is a kid’s show where the characters are constantly moving about. Still, Firey is shown to be a character who is almost always excessively talking or screaming when others think it is ridiculous. (His elimination in BFDIA 8, his constant screeching throughout BFDI, and IDFB 1 where Freesmart is shown to be bored and almost annoyed by Firey’s yelling.) It is shown to be hard for him to disagree with someone without instinctively yelling or acting with unusual energy. (Such as BFB 1, where he immediately shouts at Pin and chucks her just because she doesn’t purely idolize Loser in the same way he does.) I am inclined to say that he is restless as well based on the way he is constantly on the move to the point of clear distraction. (Such as BFDIA 13 where he wanders off from the rest of the WTFers while blindfolded or how he has absolutely no issue with wasting hours of his life jumping on a trampoline throughout the events of BFB 23.) He is almost never shown seated as well, though that may be due to how the show is structured.

However, the third aspect of ADHD which I would argue fits Firey the most is impulsiveness. Firey is notoriously known for making decisions without thinking, which has shaped the BFDI universe so much that the removal or alteration of this causes the world to literally collapse. One instance of impulsiveness is blurting things out. Again, BFB 21 is an incredible strong example of Firey blurting things out without thinking, but he is also shown to do it in other seasons, such as in BFDIA 2, where he offends Puffball by instinctively blurting out to Golf Ball that nobody on the show can fly. Another additional case is his season-long rivalry in BFDI, where he “starts it” by rudely insulting Coiny “out of nowhere.” (Note: This rivalry actually started in the recently confirmed to be canon Total Firey Island, but since most viewers don’t actually have any idea what it is outside of its brief appearance in TPOT 15, this is irrelevant.) In general, despite his avoidant and distant tendencies, he is prone to leaping into action without considering the consequences. In some instances, it is actually helpful rather than harmful, such as when he rushes to save Leafy with the hangglider in BFDI 25 or when he helps 8-Ball in TPOT 15. Still, his impulsiveness also hurts his relationships, most notably with Leafy and Coiny.

In conclusion, the chances of Firey being “coded” to have the neurodivergent disorder of ADHD are rather high even if it is completely unintentional on the end of the creators. Throughout the show, he repeatedly shows various symptoms of inattentiveness, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness. These shape his character and reveal his reckless, spontaneous, and often distracted behavior in several seasons of the show. Usually, this is also what people perceive him as in the fandom. However, this is not the only potential diagnosis that is applicable to Firey’s patterns of behavior.

Could Firey have autism?

Autism, or more specifically autism spectrum disorder, is a condition that affects social and behavioral development. People with this think differently, which can cause them to struggle in work, school, and other additional social environments. Once again, I will refer to both my personal experiences as well as the criteria for a diagnosis in order to assess Firey. This is an occasional angle that people may view Firey in, but it is certainly not as common. However, I want to note that it is entirely possible for Firey to have both of these conditions. Various sources indicate that ADHD and autism frequently co-exist in someone, known as “AuDHD.” I personally view his character in this way. However, this section will be specifically sorting through his appearances in the show in order to assess just the possibility of autism alone.

Autism is, of course, a spectrum, which means that not every person with it will behave and act the same. More specifically, I am inclined to believe that Firey is more “high functioning.” The reason for this is that “low functioning autism” often involves limited verbal communication and noticeable delayed development in motor skills such as brushing teeth or getting dressed. Again, Firey does not live in a normal world where these can be more easily assessed, but based on his behavior, he does not experience severe developmental impairments and is perfectly capable of doing something such as talking. Either way, the labels are not the most accurate and can easily overshadow the strengths and challenges that someone on the autism spectrum may face. I am simply clarifying that Firey’s potential symptoms may present themselves differently compared to another potentially coded character like Fan who also displays behavioral and motor signs of autism.

Still, there are common symptoms present in autism which will be used to assess Firey. First, we have our more social symptoms. Throughout the series, Firey is repeatedly shown to have noticeable deficits when it comes to social interaction with others. Oftentimes, Firey will wait for someone to start a conversation with him rather than the other way around. (In a good chunk of his scenes with Leafy, such as in BFB 15 and BFB 22, Firey chooses not to talk to Leafy until she corners him into social situations where he has to in order to end the conversation.) When he does initiate the exchanges, his behavior is often deemed inappropriate for the conversation. (Such as BFB 24, where Leafy gets upset because Firey starts his chat with her by teasing her for spending time with Flower rather than taking accountability for his actions.) Alternatively, he will steer the conversation towards someone else so that he does not have to participate any longer. (Like in BFB 1, in which he grabs his friends to make a team but then makes Loser the team captain rather than himself because he does not want to be held accountable.) Most of Firey’s struggles with socialization are completely earnest and genuine. However, even when he is being malicious, there is sincere confusion behind it. (Such as in BFB 15, where he ends up destroying Leafy’s friendship with Eggy because he is genuinely baffled by Leafy being able to maintain and create new friendships despite facing open dislike and scorn in the past.)

Often, Firey will fail to articulate his emotions to the point where he has a complete lack of facial expressions. Although this is not particularly rare in the BFDI universe due to it being convenient to animate less emotional expressions, the difference is that the narrative constantly addresses this and has other characters point it out. (Like in BFB 12 when Coiny confronts Firey and waves a hand in front of his face.) Again, this is more likely to be due to repression and dissociation rather than a flat or blunted effect that is typically found in people with autism, but it’s worth noting, especially when he is shown to struggle with crying. Again, this is probably due to the fact that he is fire, but his emotions clearly don’t express themselves as strongly as you think they would be in such an energetic, fiery character. In fact, his most strong emotion appears to be shock rather than happiness or sadness because it rapidly causes his expression and tone to change. (In BFDIA 13, Firey being mystified by the tree’s leaves reminding him of Leafy ends up being a far cry from how dejected and uninterested he sounds earlier on.)

Another common symptom in autism is repetition. Again, this is a bit of an odd one for BFDI because of how so many of the characters are prone to repeatedly making certain sounds or doing certain gestures either for a running gag or to represent their personality. However, Firey nevertheless has been shown to do rapid arm fluttering when he is excited. (Ex. BFB 1 and BFB 21.) He will also repeatedly say something if it seems to catch his interest. (Such as in BFB 29 where he repeatedly pleads for a prize or how in BFDIA 18 he repeatedly uses the sound “Eenie” over and over again, which clearly confuses Gelatin.) It’s certainly not as rapid or common as a character like Match whom I would argue practically vocal stims in nearly every sentence she speaks in, but that’s a whole tangent of its own unrelated to the discussion. Still, I believe that it is reasonable to say that Firey occasionally repeats certain motions even when it is inconvenient or irrelevant. (Like the “Keep those leg muscles extended!” bit in BFDIA 6.)

Firey’s motor skills are also worth looking at because they are commented on as if they are inferior to other people’s own abilities. For example, he is repeatedly shown to be terrible at throwing things throughout the series, such as in BFB 9 during the basketball challenge. In BFB 10 when he tries to eject Four from the syringe he’s holding, Needle stops him because she thinks The Losers need someone “more dexterous” for the job. Note that the person they end up choosing for this is Pin, who canonically has had her arms removed and then replaced. If this canon amputee character has better dexterity, I’m once again under the assumption that Firey’s handwork isn’t the sharpest. Additional examples of this include him injuring himself when using a hammer in BFDI 1b or how he struggles to get inside of a spaceship in BFDI 20. Sure, he’s fast and can do something like slapping Coiny a bunch, but when it comes to focusing on the more fine motor skills, it’s clear that Firey often struggles with handling more precise actions.

Lastly, a common trait of autism is having a “special interest.” These are subjects or activities that a person can engage in very deeply on a short term, long term, or lifelong level. Neurotypical people certainly have their own hobbies and interests that they love, but the difference for someone with autism is that this interest of theirs can be an obsession that consumes them and separates them from all other aspects of their life. As someone who has had a nearly 5 year long hyperfixation on BFDI, I can safely confirm that it has caused me to lose sleep, avoid socialization, and get into constant online arguments. Despite this, people often misunderstand and glamorize the whole ordeal. In Firey’s case, I want to suggest that his special interest is building things. Throughout the show, he is repeatedly shown to be building things, such as in BFDI 22 where he reveals that he built Firey Speaker Box or in episodes like BFDI 1b and BFDIA 2 where he is tasked with helping to build something. Most importantly, however, his interest shines the most through his ferris wheel creation. When he’s focused on it, he seems to have tunnel vision towards it that causes him to not really address anything else, not even the screams or protests of his best friend Leafy. Of course, we later learn that he was paying attention after all, but that he didn’t care because the ferris wheel was a sign of his friendship with Leafy. In his eyes, the rejection of the ferris wheel was a rejection of himself. Considering how passionate he seems to be about building stuff, it must’ve struck a nerve.

It’s also worth noting that people with autism have trouble processing sensory signals. This may cause them to either overreact or underreact to sensory input that they receive. There are technically scenes that could potentially be interpreted as severe sensory reactions from Firey. (Like covering his ears at the loud sound during BFDIA 4’s Cake at Stake ceremony or his obvious negative reaction to touching water.) However, I instead want to consider that he could be an allegory for representing a lack of sensory perception instead. Compared to the other characters, Firey does not experience the sense of touch in the same way due to being fire. Sure, he has his arms and legs that can feel things, but most of his body ends up incapable of performing physical activities such as hugging someone. Similarly, he is not able to experience temperature or light in the way that others can, which is an experience that resonates with people with autism. For example, I often find myself either not reacting to cold weather at all or being extremely sensitive to it. There is rarely an “inbetween” for that. While there’s nothing to suggest that Firey would experience severe sensory reactions to touch if he were suddenly no longer a fire, his eagerness to consume a yellow tomato in BFDIA 13 is a point to observe.

Overall, there are various signs that potentially point to Firey having autism. He repeatedly shows poor social skills, inadequate preciseness when it comes to motor ability, repetitive behavior, and an intense interest that causes him to end friendships over rejection of it. There are some symptoms of autism that coincide with ADHD, but for the most part, the evidence appears to suggest that there is at least a decent probability of Firey having it. We will now move onto more speculative conditions he could have which are definitely harder to assert.

Could Firey have dyslexia?

This one might’ve caught people off guard, especially because there is technically nothing in the actual “canon” of the show that indicates this. To summarize, dyslexia is a learning disability that causes people to have trouble with reading and writing. This is because it disrupts how the brain processes words. Again, Firey is never shown to be in a school environment, so there isn’t really any indication of him performing badly in that department, but there is enough non-canon evidence that I would argue suggests at the very least the possibility of it. While it is true that non-canon does not confirm anything in the canon of the show, it is worth noting that non-canon has repeatedly been shown to either become canon or be carried over to the canon. Most of the Algebraliens, for example, were not depicted in the canon of the show until TPOT 20. Despite this, there was little need to establish them because they had the same personalities and relationships that were depicted between them in the non-canon subscriber specials, such as the peculiar relationship between Zero and Fifteen. Most of the comics are technically not confirmed to be canon, but they nevertheless shaped early characterization and BFDI challenges. So, with this all in mind, what evidence indicates Firey potentially having dyslexia?

In the Who’s The Real Firey? short, the whole premise of the short revolves around Leafy wanting to identify the Firey that isn’t a clone so that she can take him to the library. However, as the end of the plush short reveals, Firey doesn’t really enjoy being at the library because of his claim that he doesn’t know how to read. Is this an exaggerated claim? In the BFDI Is Snack short, we see Firey’s handwriting when he holds up notes about the slug. Although his spelling is correct, he lacks punctuation and his handwriting is uncoordinated. Furthermore, we see more of the way he types during the Golf Ball takeover that happened on the official Jacknjellify Twitter account. While Golf Ball is formal and types with perfect punctuation, Firey noticeably has much less informal typing and even makes typos, such as when he spells Golf Ball as “golf all” in a tweet of his. (https://x.com/jacknjellify/status/1826682736318546247?s=46) This could potentially just be due to him being lazy or not valuing writing, but keep it in mind.

As I said before, there is absolutely nothing that indicates this in canon. In fact, one might argue that it could be “debunked” due to him being able to read without noticeable struggle in BFDIA 1 when he reads off a rule. However, there is an argument to be made at the very least about how Firey may be in some way “behind” when it comes to learning. In BFDIA 6, he sees the upside down “EVIL HERE” and interprets it as “LIVE HERE,” causing confusion for his team. Furthermore, in the early comics, Firey is shown to struggle with sudoku in comparison to Match, who effortlessly takes the puzzle book from him and completes it in seconds. Naturally, numbers aren’t related to dyslexia, but I am simply bringing up the possibility of Firey simply struggling with education as a whole. Either way, although there’s not a lot of canon basis going on for this possibility, he certainly displays it more than almost any other character has.

Could Firey have PTSD?

This one is going to be controversial because it is a headcanon that I have seen nobody have except for me as far as I can tell. I do not have PTSD, nor do I know anybody who does. However, after reading through various stories of brave individuals as well as looking through the symptoms of it, I have been working under the perspective for years that Firey having PTSD would make sense for his character. What is it? Basically, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder- Otherwise known as PTSD- is a mental health condition that is caused when someone either witnesses an extremely stressful and terrifying event or is part of it. Note that this is different from C-PTSD because while C-PTSD often develops from prolonged or repeated trauma found in situations such as abusive households, PTSD typically results from one singular event. This does not downplay the event, it just means that it was severe enough that it only took one instance of it for it to cause extreme distress to the individual suffering with the condition.

Unlike other mental conditions, PTSD is a condition that I would argue is actually portrayed in BFDI already in a more explicit matter. The first case people argue for this is Golf Ball in IDFB 1, where she repeatedly is shown to panic and show distress over going to the Science Museum in Yoyle City because of an unspecified memory from her past where she was chased down and attacked by a mysterious individual. While this is not an interpretation I’m shutting down, we simply cannot elaborate more on this until further information from IDFB is revealed. However, the much stronger case shown in TPOT is through Pencil, who is explicitly shown to be suffering from trauma due to being trapped in EXIT for several years. Neither of these depictions are perfect, but the point is that severe trauma leaving mental effects is something that has been addressed within the canon of the show. Other traumas that characters have faced have also been acknowledged, but the key difference is that it is not shown to affect them the same way. (Ex. Book’s paranoia and skepticism in pre-split BFB over the manipulation that she and Ice Cube used to have to endure during their time on Freesmart is a lot different from the explicit distress and fear Pencil and Golf Ball experience.) Therefore, it is not out of left field to consider that this could also apply to other characters. In this case, I am referring to Firey in BFB.

But what is Firey’s potential trauma? Indeed, there are various causes of PTSD which fall out of the typical depiction of war that is usually portrayed in the media. Some examples include car accidents, natural disasters, and assault. However, in Firey’s case, we’re falling a bit outside of the realm of realism because of how his trauma is shown to be being imprisoned in the Yoyle Needy during IDFB by Freesmart. Yeah, it’s a little “silly” because of how cartoonish it is, but from Firey’s perspective, it’s an incredibly distressing event. As I previously discussed in my essay about his dissociation and repression which I linked above earlier, I believe that this caused severe damage to his psyche because of how it involved two of his worst fears. Throughout the show, Firey is shown to have a fear of heights so severe that he literally cannot even cross a bridge without being blindfolded. In addition to this, he shows repeated worry and concern throughout BFDIA and BFB about how he is perceived by people. In his “punishment” from Freesmart, he is trapped in a cage hundreds of feet above the air and being hated and disregarded by people that he once had a more friendly and teasing bond with. In real life, this kind of explicit torture would most likely be baffling on what could be considered a global scale.

While it is not taken that seriously in IDFB due to the low stakes of the series, it is nevertheless implied that it still deeply affects him throughout the events of BFB, particularly in the pre-split half of the season. While the Firey in BFDI and BFDIA was previously much more chaotic and reckless, he is now noticeably subdued and immediately falls back when told to. For example, in BFB 6 when Coiny slaps Firey, he flinches and takes the attack instead of fighting back like he usually would. Indeed, his mood as a whole seems to be negatively altered, which is one of the main symptoms of PTSD. While he seems to take on a cheerful and relaxed appearance, he can very quickly switch into anger. (Like in BFB 1 when he chucks Pin or in BFB 12 when he gets upset with Coiny for showing concern towards him.) However, the biggest reaction he shows is when he comes into contact with Leafy. Although she certainly did not do anything to traumatize him, it is implied that she is the “cause” of his “punishment.” Most notably, this is shown in BFB 15. When Leafy brings up how Firey still cares about her deep down because of how he recovered her in BFDIA 13, his expression goes from indifferent to terrified. He tries to be detached, but his mood rapidly shifts especially when faced with reminders of the event.

Although I have already covered a lot of this in my analysis on Firey’s dissociation, I also covered his trauma reactions in my essay about how he parallels Pin in many thematic ways. (https://www.tumblr.com/ghostlyglooms/800126832386129920/gifter-vs-receiver-an-analysis-on-the) The main takeaway from that section is that much like Pin, Firey develops very narrow and negative beliefs after this trauma, specifically in relation to trust. He seems to have a hard time letting himself open up to others, given how it takes until BFB 22 for Firey to finally talk with Leafy about some of what happened between the both of them. Even though Leafy is “in the right” in their shared situation, asserting this “validity” goes nowhere because Firey is too afraid of connection to see reason. As a result, Leafy has to first show that she can be someone he trusts again. While we see that this works out, the unintended consequence is that Firey is shown to be emotionally dependent on her afterwards because of how he hardly lets anybody in, as repeatedly shown in TPOT with his singleminded focus on finding Leafy when the two of them are separated during a storm. This fits how PTSD affects an individual’s connections with others due to trust issues, communication difficulties, and attempts at emotional detachment.

Technically speaking, there is absolutely nothing that explicitly states that Firey has trauma because of IDFB. In fact, it is entirely possible that future episodes may choose to contradict this information. However, for the time being, I am working under the assumption that Firey has PTSD or at the very least trauma from this incident that is shown to affect his mood, personality, and connections with others. It would also explain his behavior to Ruby and Bubble after the events of BFDIA is certainly neutral at best. (Such as in BFB 21, where when Firey speaks to the Have Cots and Have Nots at Purple Face’s Warehouse, he says “Bubble and friends,” implying that he does not see her as a friend whatsoever. Pretty easy to guess why.) Lastly, I feel inclined to propose that him seeing the BRB in BFB 22- Which is a near identical recreation of the Yoyle Needy- is part of what contributes to his blatant panic and unease in this episode that is clearly clouding his judgement. All of this comes together and gives the impression that Firey is in some way having a hard time after what happened to him in IDFB that just so happens to in some ways parallel Pin, who is also shown to be traumatized by her own Freesmart related trauma. If anyone disagrees with the idea of Firey having PTSD because it is in some way distasteful, then please feel free to correct me, but as someone who has done my best to have a careful and delicate understanding of the diagnosis, I personally am operating under the perception that there is no reason to deny the possibility of Firey suffering from PTSD.

In conclusion, there are various views of Firey’s character that could heavily be interpreted as being neurodivergent. In general, he is treated in the show both by himself and the other characters as being “different” in some way. His fellow contestants often treat him weirdly when he makes statements that he believes to be perfectly normal. (As seen through BFB 6 with his comment about Black Hole getting the twinkle or in BFDI 12 when the others are stunned into silence by his comment about tasting peanut butter.) They are often under the impression that he is easy to manipulate or control. (Especially Tennis Ball, who does this in BFDIA 7 and BFDIA 19.) In general, he seems to face much social isolation from the rest of the cast, especially in BFDI, where he constantly struggles to hold onto even a single connection. Still, it’s worth noting how the other characters hardly ever single out Firey for this or target him. Outside of the occasional teasing comment of him being a “dum-dum,” he’s not facing discrimination or harsh negative treatment from the others for standing out in a non-neurotypical way. However, I would finally like to say that the fandom doesn’t quite feel the same way about him.

Chapter Text

At last, we are finally back to our main point. If you’ve read this far into this paper, then you have seen what must feel like endless evidence pointing to the possibility of Firey unintentionally being written in a way that could be perceived as him being neurodivergent. He consistently struggles in social situations because of his empathy issues and previous issues with trauma. He constantly gets distracted and causes problems in challenges. He also seems to struggle with or at least not care about performing precise motor activities such as writing unless it is related to an interest that he is intensely obsessed with. While it is entirely and most likely fully possible that all of this is merely a coincidence that was not intended by the writers, one can easily draw the conclusion that Firey gives off the impression of being neurodivergent and/or disabled in both canon and non-canon material. Other comic relief characters are often perceived in this light as well in the media even if it is also unintentional there. For example, Mabel Pines from Gravity Falls is not confirmed to have ADHD or autism as far as any research of mine can indicate, but several people headcanon her as one of the two because of many scenes, some of which fall under the tone and structure of being “comic relief” scenes. Still, denying it would take a lot of arguing and has a very questionable undertone attached to it.

One might also argue that this entire document is a complete waste of time because they believe that fiction or a specific perception of fiction does not affect reality. You’re probably not in the right spot if you’re saying that now during this section of my analysis, but as much as people like to deny it, there are many real-life examples of fiction affecting reality. One commonly cited example is how the movie Jaws (1975) consequently caused people to develop an intense fear of sharks that may have affected perception and conservation of them for several years. (https://saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast/50-years-on-was-jaws-really-bad-for-sharks) Another example is the real life story of how two twelve-year-olds lured their friend and attempted to kill her so that they could sacrifice her to the fictional character Slender Man. In fact, this case has become relevant again because of the escape of assailant Morgan Geyser. (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/23/us/morgan-geyser-missing-slenderman-stabbing.html) This is not even getting into cases regarding colorism or child pornography affecting the real life mindsets of people and encouraging them to display racist or pedophilic behaviors. Plenty of evidence has and will always show that reality can be shaped by publicized fictional media.

Indeed, the Object Show Community has also had its effects on the real world. As I mentioned in the introduction, Battle for Dream Island in particular has become so popular that it has had various theatrical screenings in 2025 as well as a screening of an episode at VidCon. Various object shows sell merchandise that is physically real and exists in the homes of at least thousands of people. In fact, BFDI has been known to cause controversy for the informational source of Wikipedia because of the editors refusing to establish an article for it over the course of several years until it was finally added in 2025. On a cultural level, the “BFDI Mouth” symbol that the characters frequently use is also used by various images and videos online, further perpetuating its influence. Hundreds of people have their livelihoods determined by working on and being a part of object shows. If someone is fired, it’s not just them being ejected from a cute little indie show, it is them having their actual monetary job being stripped from them in several cases. One example from this year regarding this specific topic revolves around the Youtuber ColeTheGeek, who lost respect from others for various reasons including the poor treatment of the voice actors and animators who were his “employees” through harsh deadlines and questionable behavior. (https://x.com/MistyBreeze_/status/1881157339094581666) For better or for worse, the OSC has seriously affected the lives of the many members that are a part of it.

Consequently, there is the issue of “fanon” interpretations of media influencing real life perception and discussion of topics and characters found within these. What exactly is “fanon,” though? A combination of “fan” and “canon,” it is when the fans of a certain media create widely accepted headcanons and characterizations of elements that are so popular that they are treated as “canon.” In some cases, this is relatively harmless and can in fact generate productive conversation. For example, Red vs. Blue is a web series where most of the characters are deliberately written and animated to never show their faces to the audience. However, fans have worked together to come up with mostly similar interpretations of the characters for streamlined discussion and fanart. In some cases, it even allows for representation, as characters who are people of color are allowed to display that in fanon drawings of their faces rather than it never being shown outside of brief dialogue skits. Fanon has also positively influenced the OSC through accepted and even creator acknowledged ideas shared between fans, such as the idea of Lightbulb from Inanimate Insanity being transgender.

Other times, however, fanon can cause severe mischaracterization and misinterpretation of the source media that the fanon is being drawn from. For example, the character Link from Legend of Zelda is not an explicitly mute character in most of the games and is just usually silent because he is meant to be an insert for the player. In fact, the most common misinterpretation comes from Breath of the Wild, where people depict him as completely mute or selectively mute. Despite this, he does talk to various NPCs throughout the game and Zelda’s diary shows that he chooses not to talk in some cases because he is expected to silently bear burdens. Although some people would argue that there’s nothing wrong with turning this into positive representation of mute people, others believe that it is harmful because they are taking a character who is usually not actually mute and claiming that they are mute instead of trying to create or promote actual representation of mute characters in a media. There are whole videos of people citing examples of fans assigning a trait to a character and causing misinformation. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9QP1EMhWU0) As one can see through the various experiences shared here, fanon can cause confusion, distrust, and harassment of others.

The Battle for Dream Island fandom usually displays fanon groupthink in character discussions. Still, there are miscellaneous elements that do have misinterpretations shared about them. For example, a common trope I see in fanart and fanfics is that if a character consumes a yoyleberry, the effects of it will eventually wear off and the user will have to eat a new one to regain the effects. Not only is this absolutely never established in the canon of the show, but all of the instances of yoyleberries being used by the characters in fact portrays the exact opposite message. Firey is a relevant example of this twice. In both BFDI 22 and BFDIA 8, Firey ends up consuming yoyleberries in some way and turning into metal. In both of these instances, it does not wear off and lasts several weeks. The only solutions for the effects of yoyleberries are either death or consuming a yellow tomato. While this fanon interpretation may have cleared up in recent years, it has nevertheless impacted fandom discussion in fanfics and fanart depicting the berry being used as a quirky, temporary “power-up” rather than a permanent debuff unless cured. In general, though, there are some odd fanon elements that many OSC members go around and treat as canon. For example, it is common for the characters Tennis Ball and Golf Ball to be depicted as scientists by fans to the point where they are frequently called and drawn that way. Although both of them seem to have an interest in science, their main specialty is actually inventing. In fact, Golf Ball’s “secret lab” is actually called a factory instead in the show.

Now that we’ve established more than once that the BFDI fandom has an intense issue with treating fanon as “better” than canon, we can at last begin to discuss Firey’s fandom treatment and why that’s so troublesome. There are a lot of issues with Firey’s characterization by fans, and some of it has absolutely nothing to do with the potential neurodivergent coding he has. Instead, people simply spread misinformation about his character that makes no sense. For example, a common fanon interpretation of Firey is that he is “bland” and has “no personality.” If you have read through both this as well as my previous Firey essay and still agree with this, I am genuinely confused by why you’re getting this idea from, because contrary to what the BFDI wiki likes to imply, Firey certainly has a personality that isn’t just being “the everyman” or “the mascot of the show.” He can be impulsive, humorous, and people pleasing to a fault. He often makes mistakes to the point that he even criticizes himself for it. (Such as in BFDIA 19, where he is openly self-deprecating.) He struggles with trusting others and forming connections. There are numerous episodes and even an arc dedicated to his characterization. It’s one thing to dislike him because you don’t find that interesting, but to suggest that he is “objectively” bland in discussion is seriously incorrect and has hurt ability to constructively analyze him for years.

This is irrelevant, however, to the fandom’s treatment of Firey which I have claimed at the beginning of this document to be “ableist” in the sense that he is receiving prejudice or negative treatment due to being potentially coded as neurodivergent and/or disabled in his writing. I have put all of the disclaimers for this at the start of this essay, but I will repeat them here for the sake of convenience and to affirm my claims. I am not singling out any specific, individual people for this. You will not be seeing screenshots here or scroll through text of me namedropping specific artists and writers in the community. This is not productive and would arguably be hateful, which would contradict my entire argument about how we need to reduce hate in the community, even if it is unintentional. I am not using the possibility of Firey being this way to deny any moral complexity he has. I am simply viewing this from the perspective I have of a neurodivergent adult who has been in the BFDI fandom and has contributed to it for many years, particularly through my own personal art and writing of Firey and his relationships with other characters. As such, I have had a lot of time to pay attention to how he is perceived by other people. With all of these factors established and now affirmed, we can get to work on looking at various examples.

First off, there is what I personally believe to be a weird obsession with making Firey a dog. There are numerous pieces of art and edited images surrounding this. In fact, “Dog Firey” is even a recommended character in BFDIA. Some people in the OSC may have even seen the same “humorous” images as me where he is patronized like a dog, being called a “good boy” or being told “Down!” as if he is a dog who is following instructions. There is nothing inherently wrong with associating a character with an animal on paper. In fact, various pieces of media choose to deliberately associate an animal with a character, such as in Harry Potter through the assigned Patronus animals or in the fan-made Danganronpa game Project: Eden’s Garden where the characters each have a specific animal that is tied to their behavior and attire. There is technically nothing wrong with drawing Firey or any other BFDI character as an animal. However, the issue with a lot of this animal Firey art is that it is used to dehumanize him. In fact, there was even a popular Instagram AU a few years back where, basically, he mutated into being a dog hybrid following an incident in Yoyle City. This completely causes his ability to think and behave to degrade to the point where he speaks in broken English and runs around on all fours. The other characters treat him as “subhuman” due to this and Leafy even implies that she is happier with him being a dog now rather than “human” (This is not a humanized AU, but you get the point.) because he is obedient to Leafy and suddenly affectionate when he wasn’t before. This could cause compelling discussion if it was deliberate, but it is not. In fact, Firey and Leafy are portrayed as a lovey-dovey couple in the AU. Do you see the problem here?

Next, I want to talk about how people treat Firey as if he is “heartless” or “emotionless.” Various posts, art pieces, fanfics, and memes portray Firey as a one-note jerk who is completely incapable of empathy for others, particularly in his relationship with Leafy. They often also think that he is bland and use images of his blank expressions throughout the show to support this. I cannot believe this has to be said, but Firey does in fact show empathy for others. He is fully capable of showing concern for others and stepping in to help them, such as when he saved 8-Ball in TPOT 15 or when he tries to respect Needle’s nickname boundaries when others do not. (As shown through the BFDI is Back short and BFDI 21.) Most importantly for this discussion, he clearly cares about Leafy and actively takes steps to both save her life (BFDI 25 and BFB 15) and look for her. (Various episodes of TPOT, such as TPOT 13 and TPOT 19.) Even when he is mad at her, he wants to help her, like when he recovered her in BFDIA 13. Obviously, there are times where he misses the mark like in BFB 24, but when others help him work through this, he is able to amend this and better display empathy. Needless to say, this makes portrayals of him where he is a completely terrible friend or a literal deadbeat, neglectful father to the character of Firey Junior to be incredibly confusing, disheartening, and not true.

Building off of this weird idea that Firey is dehumanized and is often shown in fanon to have emotions that are “incomplete” or “boring,” there is this odd idea I’ve seen endless times that Firey does not “deserve love.” First of all, love is a topic that is hardly ever explored in BFDI because of how it does not suit the vision the creators had. Very few examples of crushes or romance exist in the show, and only one of them is a modern one through Fifteen and Zero. Other discussed ones such as Woody’s crush on Teardrop or Needle’s crush on Coiny are clearly outdated and should not be used as evidence at all due to how these were both brought up one time 15 years ago and then were consequently shunned by the creators of the show. Secondly, though, people will put Firey and the possibility of him being in a hypothetical relationship down so that other characters can be boosted. This is especially shown in various pieces of fan content I have seen surrounding Leafy. I cannot stress enough that I have seen at least dozens of fanart and fanfics over the course of 5 years and beyond where Firey is depicted as “unworthy” of Leafy’s love because he does not “treat her right” or “value her until she is gone.” They then say that others will “be the one,” particularly Coiny. However, I have seen other characters get this treatment, such as Pin, Loser, Gelatin, and One.

I have several issues with this extremely odd take that has persisted for so long in the fandom, but to avoid making this essay any longer than it already is, my main issue with this is that it feels like people are singling out Firey because he displays neurodivergent traits that they take issue with. Even when they depict him in a relationship, they often make it so that he is the punching bag who is expected to bear all the emotional and mental burdens of the relationship, especially in “Polybranches” (Firey x Leafy x Coiny x Pin.) content where there is various art, posts, and fanfics that surround the dynamic between the four involving the other three being able to target Firey or leave him out of situations because it is funny. Again, there is technically nothing wrong with this on paper. You can make jokes about a character not deserving love just fine, but the difference is that it is usually because the character is blatantly evil or has had multiple scenes where they show complete disregard for another character without ever owning up to it. The character of Shadow Milk Cookie in Cookie Run Kingdom gets this treatment by his own fandom because of his dynamic with the character Pure Vanilla Cookie as well as how he sabotages Eternal Sugar Cookie, who is basically explicitly in love with Hollyberry Cookie. None of this is rooted in him being potentially neurodivergent or disabled as far as I can tell. He is simply just a morally evil character who has no problems with lying to get what he wants. Of course, he has his complexity and backstory, but this does not change these fandom jokes.

Firey, however, is hardly worthy of deserving such extreme, consistent, and widespread treatment. Sure, a lot of it is openly a “joke,” but it’s so constant that I honestly find it completely hard to believe that, especially since most of these people basically think of Firey as a manchild who is not “whole enough” to love others. Various examples of what I just listed previously do include Firey earnestly trying to love Leafy, but then another character possessively claims Leafy for themself and the narrative rewards them for it because they are “more capable” of loving her. Although I am not denying the possibility of any other potential romance partners for Leafy being neurodivergent and/or disabled, (especially Pin, who was canonically disabled for a few years..) the pattern I’ve noticed is that these romance options are typically characters who visibly display these traits a lot less. Coiny, for example, has some mental disorders and conditions that people could make an argument for him having, such as ADHD or him having a sort of codependent reliance on Pin to feel good about himself. However, the difference is that there are what I personally feel are far less examples of this compared to the thousands of words of evidence I had to say about Firey’s own neurodivergent potential. This is absolutely not me dismissing Coiny being neurodivergent or disabled- In fact, I have my own headcanons there!- But my point is that he shows these traits less and is more “higher functioning,” allowing him to live a more “fulfilling” life. Whereas Firey struggles with friendships and finding ways to cope with his occasional inabilities, Coiny is constantly surrounded by resources and can find ways to correct his own weaknesses, such as using charisma to counter his lack of an athletic ability. Coiny can mask more and “function” more, which makes him be subconsciously and unintentionally viewed by fans as “more worthy of love” in the controversial topic of romance, while Firey frequently deals with comments about how he “shouldn’t have Leafy” or that he should be “kicked out of the polycule” when the other characters around him have also constantly displayed morally grey behavior but are never punished by the fans for it like this.

Next, I want to talk about the peculiar amount of infantilization that Firey receives in the fandom. There is one drawing with text I saw a few months ago that I want to bring up for this because the choices of words used to describe Firey in this are incredibly weird. Basically, in the art Leafy is doing “serious work” of filing paperwork while Firey is sitting next to her and playing with coins. That’s already a little odd and unfitting of his character, but some of the words that stand out to me as I consult this to write it down feel.. odd. “Innocent.” “Child-like oblivion.” “Forgetful.” Of course, though, this singular artist is not responsible for this. There are various pieces of content where Firey is depicted as completely oblivious to what is going on around him. Not in the sense that he is dissociating, however. Rather, it is as if he is a child who is being sent off to bed while the “grown-ups” have “real conversations.” Various fanfics will also show him as being completely terrible at schoolwork or being incapable of drawing conclusions himself without having another character spell it out for him to progress the plot. I have seen it get to the point where people straight up disregard any ability he has that could suggest talent because it contradicts their image. For example, there is this incredibly popular fanfic that had a scene where Leafy is portrayed as being faster than Firey. Nothing in the canon suggests this. Show scenes, deleted material (The original BFB 3 storyboard.) and non-canon material show that Firey is incredibly fast and can even race with Needle, who is shown to have ridiculous levels of agility and strength. Since I knew the author, I asked them about this. However, when I did, they got incredibly defensive and said that they would not change it. While it’s fine to not accept criticism so long as a work isn’t inherently destructive, the problem is that this author asserted that their fanfic was “superior” compared to the canon narrative that JNJ had played out. What benefit is there to altering canon so that Leafy is suddenly more talented at something than Firey? To me, it comes across as completely weird and unsettling, especially since various other BFDI fans will also deny any possibility of Firey having interests or special abilities, such as how people oddly think little about and never discuss his fire abilities or building skills compared to say the Algebraliens who have had extensive conversations about their special powers.

In fact, they also deny various elements of Firey’s relationships with others, acting as if Leafy is a “babysitter” to Firey who needs to drag him around on a leash rather than an equal who is her traveling partner. People ignore pretty much all of his relationships that don’t allow for him to be in a position where he can be infantilized or treated as abusive to the other party. For example, Firey and Pencil have a dynamic where it is pretty obvious- At least, to me!- that Firey is the “victim” in the dynamic. There are constant scenes of Pencil targeting Firey like in BFDI 16 and BFDI 19. She even forcefeeds him a yoyleberry in BFDIA 8 and is presumably the leader who headed the whole operation of Firey being caged in IDFB. Despite this, the fandom has absolutely no interest in discussing this because it doesn’t suit their narrative that Firey can suffer, which ends up tying into my last main point. People will either deny any possibility of Firey suffering due to BFDI or will mock any trauma that he has received over the course of the show. Trauma is not meant to be a competition. I do not and will not ever deny how Leafy is shown to face traumatic events during the events of the Battle For Dream Island series. However, people use this as some sort of “trump card” to deny that Firey has ever suffered any emotional or mental damage from his mutual relationship with Leafy. In fact, they disregard it.

This is especially true for the IDFB Yoyle Needy incident which I have brought up earlier in this document. As I have suggested, I believe that this was an incredibly traumatic event because of how his own worst fears were exploited and how his behavior and mannerisms were altered because of it, affecting his relationships and ability to concentrate in the competition. Despite this, people constantly joke about it and say that he “deserved it.” Of course, the show doesn’t exactly treat this in the most serious light, so I can’t entirely fault a viewer for thinking this way, but the issue is that there is just so much and it often is completely dishonest. For example, I have seen people literally disregard canon and bend the narrative so that Match can suddenly be there with the rest of Freesmart in order to jeer and laugh at Firey. This is completely nonsensical, especially since Firey and Match have almost always been shown as friends throughout the series. In fact, people will headcanon them as siblings and still do this. Can you imagine if someone who headcanoned Tree and Leafy as siblings had Tree laughing at Leafy’s traumatic BFDIA exile and claim that she deserved it? If it were Leafy, I’m sure there’d be at least a few people speaking up about how odd it is, but it’s crickets for Firey. It doesn’t help that I have also had various conversations with people over several years where I brought up that IDFB could be a potential explanation for Firey’s behavior in BFB just to get hit with the usual “He deserved it!” and “So what? It was funny!” statements that shut down all productive conversation about the topic, which I am sure will only be amplified with the release of IDFB 2.

To be honest, this isn’t even all of the claims and evidence that I could bring up. For example, I could easily bring up how Firey’s intelligence is frequently targeted and insulted by fans with constant insults about him being “stupid,” “a dumbass,” “naive,” and “oblivious.” Indeed, I do personally feel as if he receives an unusual amount of this compared to other characters who also perform intellectually questionable behavior yet almost never receive this same treatment. Lollipop, for example, is also shown to be overconfident and incorrect in some of these choices, but you never see this amount of criticism towards her intelligence. In fact, you see basically none of the extensive analysis I’ve described above can be truly used to describe her or any other BFDI character’s fanbase, especially in such an intense and consistent way. Some characters do face infantilization and that could easily be a whole other essay of its own, but my point is that despite many characters in some way making a decision or acting a way that Firey possibly could, they never receive the same slack on all possible angles. Firey’s the one getting constant treatment where he is dehumanized, infantilized, treated as abusive or emotionless, and has his trauma and suffering erased by the fanbase for a quick laugh. I have even seen fanfics where he is diagnosed with something like BPD, but then it is either never brought up in the story at all or is instead exploited by other characters without being treated as a bad thing. If it weren’t so common, I may just dismiss it as a joke, but it’s not. I see it literally everywhere in the fandom, sometimes on a near daily basis as I’m just trying to look at content of him online.

At the beginning of this documentation, I listed a definition for ableism. If you do not see any of this as ableist, then you have a different subjective opinion which I am obligated to respect, but I personally cannot agree with anyone who thinks this because of how blatant the ableism in the Battle for Dream Island fandom is towards Firey. Repeatedly, Firey receives negative social bias because he is a character who can easily be read as neurodivergent and/or disabled. The show is not the entity that is punishing him for this. In fact, he is allowed to be a complex character in the show who struggles with being seen as someone worthy and often does questionable things to avoid being hated or treated differently by others. The characters are not the ones who are treating him like a dog or denying him love and social connection. It’s the fans who are. The fans who have been doing this for what has now been years. As I have brought up before, I fully acknowledge that ableism is a problem in the OSC that has affected other characters like Black Hole and Pin. However, there is just so much that happens in relation to Firey but is downplayed or treated as a joke because it’s more convenient and comfortable for people to acknowledge. I personally don’t really view it as funny. I think it’s in bad faith and is often gross and mean-spirited. More importantly, though, I think it reflects on people’s real life ableism as well.

When it comes to something like ableism, people are often not going to say it in a “loud and proud” way, especially if they are in a real life situation rather than an anonymous one online. Sometimes, people believe that they don’t have prejudice within them due to the fact that they know somebody who is in the group that they are discrimination, such as a White person who is friends with Black people and feels as if they are “permitted” to say racial slurs due to this. In the case of ableism, various people believe they are constantly “helping” disabled people. They are friends with these people, have family members with a disability or mental condition, and may even have one themselves that they don’t fully recognize, such as if they are visually impaired or are so “high functioning” that their symptoms aren’t treated seriously. Despite this, they can still be ableist because of how they unintentionally alter their behavior to discriminate against or show prejudice towards people who are neurodivergent and/or disabled. In the case of the Object Show Community, I feel as if a lot of this is internalized ableism that people genuinely don’t recognize because they are so used to seeing this online, in real life, and in media. Nobody is running around and going “I sure love being ableist to the fictional character Firey!”

Despite this, it is harmful because of how it displays how people treat those in real life as well. Historically, disabled and neurodivergent people have faced all sorts of negative treatment from neurotypical and non-disabled people who don’t have their struggles. In the worst case scenarios, they have been segregated into isolation in social environments, slaughtered, and face disgusting hate crimes. However, none of this is applicable to here, so we must turn towards the more “subtle” methods. Often, people subconsciously believe that disabled people are less than human, especially if they do not have the facial or verbal ability to show emotion. Often, people act as if they are incapable of comprehending anything at all and that they could never make any worthwhile contributions to society. Sometimes, they will act as if a disabled person cannot make decisions for themselves, such as when a non-disabled person moves another person in a wheelchair around without their consent. They will also sometimes think that disabled people cannot control their finances, own a home, develop deep relationships, or have a sense of autonomy. Unsurprisingly, this has led to eugenic beliefs, forced sterilization, and various cases of people struggling with laws and systems designed to fully eliminate them. To deny that ableism exists in a modern, subtle way is borderline criminal and morally foul.

I believe I should have said enough by now to convince you of this, but even though online fandoms are likely to attract neurodivergent and/or disabled people, they still tend to act ableist without even realizing. If a character has a confirmed mental disorder or disability, they often face extreme criticism for it, such as with Luz Noceda’s ADHD in The Owl House show or Steven Universe’s PTSD in the Steven Universe Future epilogue series. Even if a character’s disability is physical and outright visible, it is still often erased, such as how Pure Vanilla Cookie’s blindness is usually erased in fanart and fanfics for convenience. Or how people seem to constantly forget that Hyuna from Alien Stage canonically has a prosthetic leg. Most people probably don’t even realize they’re doing this, but that’s exactly the problem. They see nothing wrong with their actions and double down on it. As I have said before, the fictional character of Firey is obviously not facing systematic isolation or genocide, but his and various other characters’ fandom treatment is important because it affects real people and perpetuates harmful behaviors and stereotypes about living people who struggle in everyday life to live. This should never have been going on for as long as it has. Something needs to be done.. but what?

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To summarize this entire document, Firey is a character who is unintentionally but nevertheless coded to in some way be neurodivergent or disabled. He experiences relationships and moments in ways that do not line up with other characters. It also doesn’t help that various neurodivergent people have been shown to resonate with his storyline, including myself. Nevertheless, he receives constantly negative or infantilizing treatment from the fandom that strips him of all agency and acts as if he is a punching bag for the needs of fanon entertainment and misinformation. While most of this is unintentional and is clearly meant to be a quick joke between fans of a show, it reveals very real and gross behavior that has globally dominated this world for thousands of years and for several familial generations. You can try and argue that Firey isn’t neurodivergent or that his fandom treatment isn’t ableist, but this does nothing to eliminate the dozens and hundreds of other characters in different fandoms that do the same. This reflects the subconscious bias and negative treatment people enact in real life situations.

Obviously, I am not saying the source of all ableism in the entire world comes from Firey BFDI. I am not claiming that the fandom treating him better would suddenly “fix” the issue of ableism. Every fandom in the entire world could decide at once to stop being ableist and it would still not solve a serious and traumatic issue that has affected millions of people. I cannot and will not ever deny this. However, I think people in this world should be a little kinder towards each other. The world is already filled with so much hatred and prejudice already, and if more people could take the steps to actually try and do something about it rather than accepting their fate, then I think that at the very least, life could be more tolerable and beautiful to live in. As such, I have a few ways that I think could improve this situation. First, I think people should simply scale back on this ridiculous behavior I keep seeing towards a literal cartoon flame. I will always find it weird and it may take me many years or months before I find myself no longer having to resist the urge to try and academically correct these behaviors with analysis and backlash. Nobody has to kneel on the floor and go “I’m sorry to Firey BFDI,” but reducing the amount of hatred and negativity towards a character’s neurodivergent traits in the OSC sounds productive to me.

Another step that I think is worth tackling is the idea of simply working to be less ableist in the Object Show Community as a whole. Less weird treatment of physically disabled characters or infantilization and demonization of characters who may struggle with ADHD and autism. There is already enough discourse and negativity in this fandom already with constant hatred that people tend to pretend is constructive and heartwarming criticism or discussion. We do not need to have any more fanarts where Pin being canonically disabled in BFDIA is erased. Obviously, the fanbase is full of children who do not necessarily know any better, but this is exactly why people should change. Younger people will always try to impress the older people in a fanbase by mimicking various elements of their own fanon, such as through their designs of characters or their specific interpretations. I know this myself through my own experiences of having an audience younger than me even when I was a 14 year old starting out in the OSC. Claiming that it is “too late” to change a fandom behavior will only be the main cause of it being so prolonged.

Lastly, I just want people to take away from this that this is not some sort of demand to halt all production of art and writing in the Battle for Dream Island fandom because it needs to be “inspected” for “problematic elements.” This is a straw man’s argument that has absolutely nothing to do with what I am saying. There is no secret police that is going to break down your doorstep for drawing art where Firey is told he doesn’t deserve love because he has autism, no matter how odd and questionable that may sound. People are allowed to have fun in fandoms. The entire point of them is that people are fully allowed to enjoy sharing content with each other, discussing interpretations of the media, and getting into constructive arguments about the media. Do not let me stop you from drawing Firey with cat ears or making a fanfic where canon is ignored so heavily that he spontaneously combusts and is removed from BFB. I truly cannot stop you and I do not think that every person who reads this will agree with what I have to say. You are allowed to have fun in a fandom and I think that this is a crucial lesson to gather. My “instruction” for this though is to be mindful of other’s perspectives not just in a fandom environment, but in real life as well. You can cultivate your experience as much as you want when it’s a social media like Twitter or Instagram, but if you’re learning from this that it’s okay to treat disabled people this way all the time, then you need to reevaluate your idea of “fun.”