Lacuna Rambles/Thoughts/Gif Reacts #1: TFS MC Insight π²
Added 2023-07-04 12:30:01 +0000 UTCHi Everyone!
I wanted to share more about the Returning Visitor in this mini-ramble; it was sparked by someone sending me this on Tumblr:
"you know, sometimes it's easy to forget how much MC has gone through, having lost both of their parents and their last remaining family member...I can't even imagine going through all of if I'm being honest. breaks my heart every time I think about it"
I actually haven't published/addressed this ask since it got me thinking. I then realized those ~thoughts~ would be best shared with you all, my TFS patrons, to provide extra insight into the MC's backstory. Specifically, what shaped one aspect of it: their age.
The TFS MC has gone through so much. I was purposeful when I selected the MC's age around of the time of the 'departure', which is when their parents died; it was just before their 15th birthday, so a seasoned 14 year old. There is a reason why! π
(The Returning Visitor's canon leaving-town-age is also a question on the TFS Quiz for Book One: here.)
I'm bringing this up since it puts a finer point on their trauma because the MC should have clear memories about their parents as compared to losing their parents when they were a baby or a child. It's an in-between age that aches more, a budding teen. They weren't an adult yet with enough independence or a sense of self that could help (to a degree) with the coping. There isn't an idealized image of what could have been, which we often see in media with deceased parentsβthat longing and those what-ifsβwhen compared to other whole families. I picked this age for the MC to have a point of reference that haunts them into their adult life: what is missing and what should have been there. I didn't want any idealizing or daydreaming, nor a slightly more autonomous young adult trying to figure things out, but a loss. This adds another dimension to Fernweh and their old life within it.
Beyond that, the selected age is also a very important, formative age for teens! This feeds into the Fernweh Gang's dynamics and how the MC leaving at that time had ripple effects for each and every one of them.
I promise I'm not intentionally being mean to the Returning Visitor. XD I just have reasons for pretty much everything. Hopefully, this sheds even more light on them!
It's my hope to make The Fernweh Saga dynamic; there will be eeriness, thrills, a feeling of found family, humor, passion, conflict, and so much more, but also loss. It is a theme that the series will explore! How people handle it in very different ways is one aspect. Why hasn't your MC visited their parents' graves yet? Think on that, and I can say this will be brought up in Book Two. I won't tease anything else though. π
Comments
I adore how dedicated you are to crafting your MC, especially the use of screenshots along with replaying certain chapters to get a better feel for their character. π² I always find that so incredible! I'm glad that this post provided deeper insight into them--I agree it can make you think even more about all they have been put through. (Dw, there will be chances for hugs in TFS from beloveds and friends. π)
Aelsa Trevelyan
2023-07-21 16:30:43 +0000 UTCThank you for giving us so much more insight into the MC!! I've been working on building my fernweh saga MC, but it's been a slow process (that involves scouring through demo screenshots and replaying certain chapters) since I didn't want to deviate from the backstory given to them by the story. This is big brainrot material!! π₯°π₯°π
snowthornes
2023-07-21 05:37:52 +0000 UTCNo worries about the timing! π₯° You put it so well with your use of 'anomaly'; there is this innate divide between the Returning Visitor and the town of Fernweh that /feels/ different than how the townsfolk treat B. In some instances, I think it can ache more with MC! The 'othering' is more subtle yet it can seem acute to someone who was once at home within Fernweh, while with B it's kind of on sight with the distrust/wariness, but this is just a creepy small town to them. I'm very: π about what you said in regards to the ???. We see that they firmly believe the MC belongs in Fernweh; I wonder if the ??? dislikes how the town treats the MC, hmm. Also, same! π₯° The potential for angst/drama in addition to hurt/comfort and found family is top notch. Fernweh has so many layers of past memories--both good and bad--to sift through. π²
Aelsa Trevelyan
2023-07-08 15:49:45 +0000 UTCBit of a late comment but I love how the MC is this anomaly in town, they're meant to be part of this close community but are now constantly treated like an outsider and even referred to as such. It's fascinating how paradoxical it is between ??? incessant reminder of MC belonging here and the towns somewhat active role in making them feel anything but belonging. Not to mention them having no family left and being tossed into an environment that is familiar yet so foreign, I really do feel like it opens up a lot of difficulties for some MC's, combined with their frequent nightmares, neglect, aversion to fire etc. So much potential for drama and angst, I love it ππ
Noah
2023-07-08 13:40:39 +0000 UTCIt is such a tender, in-between age! You're right, and I had hoped for readers to understand why that is, although your empathy is far deeper. I'm sorry for your loss. I do hope that the Returning Visitor's own trauma/struggle/coping with this can resonate with you. πΈπ·πΌππ»πΉ Also, how the TFS found family and beloveds do address this could be cathartic as well. π
Aelsa Trevelyan
2023-07-06 19:03:30 +0000 UTCAh yes, the perfect age to proper traumatize someone! I lost my own mother about a month before turning 16 π€, so I understand losing someone around those ages, especially a parent.
KiraaBear
2023-07-06 12:46:03 +0000 UTCIt's awesome to hear that you love the mature aspect of TFS. I never wanted to shy away from these poignant themes while still mixing in romance, mystery, horror, and more. π I'm sorry for your loss. You must have a lot of empathy for your MC, and I'm glad my portrayal resonates with you. (I was experiencing some personal loss while writing the first book; it sounds like those emotions came through. π₯°)
Aelsa Trevelyan
2023-07-05 23:29:27 +0000 UTCI'm very glad that the Returning Visitor's trauma is something you can see coming through in both the narrative and how you relate to them as you move through the story. That was my hope! π₯° The angst and hardship act as more than a simple backstory or a one off line, instead shaping the MC throughout the series from their coping methods to the narration itself. I can't wait for Phoebe to experience more of Fernweh! π²
Aelsa Trevelyan
2023-07-05 23:23:33 +0000 UTCagreed I love the maturity of TFS. And I was 14 when i lost my dad, what you said really resonates (I'm in my 40s now so a long time ago.)
A Ba
2023-07-05 22:02:12 +0000 UTCI do very much like the more mature kind of theme TFS has going for it. The returning visitor being a teen when they lost their parents, then watching as their remaining family grew more and more distant until they're basically estranged when they pass away, you can really tell how fresh all that trauma still feels for them (hence why my little fic had the MC literally state how hard it was for them to make and keep friends and connections)
Bumblebee
2023-07-04 13:01:11 +0000 UTC
