The Will to Resist

Jerry’s Marginalia — The Indie Costume Clause

Somewhere along the line, “indie” stopped being a structure… and became a feeling.

Soft colors. Cozy music. Small studio name. “We’re learning as we go 🥺”

Meanwhile— the budget says otherwise. The marketing says otherwise. The reach says otherwise.

Let’s be clear:

If you’ve got corporate backing, influencer campaigns on payroll, and rollout strategy dialed in—

you’re not indie.

You’re just wearing indie like a hoodie.

And here’s the real play:

“Indie” buys patience.

Players forgive bugs. They forgive delays. They root for you.

But when that label gets picked up by something with money, machine, and momentum behind it—

now it’s not identity.

It’s insulation.

And the quiet casualty?

The actual indie dev.

The one working 5–7 years with duct tape, coffee, and prayer—

now being compared to something with a hidden engine behind it.

No hate to the game. No hate to the devs.

But call it what it is.

Because words matter.

And “indie” ain’t supposed to mean:

“Backed by giants… but marketed like a baby.”

— Jerry “The Ankle Biter” Silverhand · Tribunal Chair & Frontline Negotiator, Dept. of Petty Affairs · Glitch Council Liaison (Codename: The Raccoon with Receipts)