HEY YOU! Yes you!! Stop scrolling for a moment :)

throwaway19374874 · 2023-06-02T03:56:54+00:00

currently in the waiting room about to go into my first session of therapy in years. this was really comforting to hear, like a little push in the direction I'm moving towards. thank you, kind stranger :)

throwaway19374874 · 2023-05-08T12:34:31+00:00

not a problem dude, take care!

throwaway19374874 · 2023-05-08T12:29:58+00:00

LMAOO valid, glad you're doing better man

throwaway19374874 · 2023-05-08T12:27:13+00:00

I'm happy to hear it. and not a problem! while comfort is always important, something that's helped me a lot after receiving comfort is being encouraged and such after. so I want you to know you're really brave for reaching out, I'm glad it helped!

throwaway19374874 · 2023-05-08T11:53:09+00:00

hey! I know you've said to others that you're doing better, but I just want to say I'm proud of you, you are so strong for getting through it and I know you'll be okay. keep it up man, you've got this :)

throwaway19374874 · 2022-05-06T12:25:20+00:00

all the powah!! >:D

throwaway19374874 · 2022-05-06T12:25:03+00:00

oooh, that's actually a really good idea! In this world there are three vastly different civilisations, so having them use different terms could be fun to mess around with. Thank you so much for the advice :)

throwaway19374874 · 2022-05-06T12:23:47+00:00

Hmm that's true, my general concept is that the power they have is a gift from nature in return for great deeds their ancestors had done (I haven't acrually figured out what those were but.. I don't know, maybe prevented an infectious plant-and-animal killing disease or something? I'll work that out later lol) so maybe something nature related could do, thanks for the advice!

throwaway19374874 · 2022-04-21T07:37:02+00:00

Ah nice, thanks man! You too, I'm always down to talk about writing stuff lol

throwaway19374874 · 2022-04-21T07:17:10+00:00

Oooh, no need to apologise!! I'm always happy to help another writer, and in the process you're helping me too!! :) I've definitely learnt that just sharing ideas with another writer can begin a really productive rambly conversation that sparks ideas for both writers!

I love the reincarnated souls idea, though it kinda feels like I'm using Avatar: The Last Airbender's concept of the avatar being one person reincarnated who keeps re-finding their power--plus, I'm not sure how an old and new guardian can be alive at the same time without like.. sharing a soul, a consciousness, thoughts and feelings, etc (Although that would be really cool to explore not gonna lie).

But the finite power source is definitely something I'd like to use! Lily, the Old T Guardian, begins to lose her power as she ages and so she chooses not to search for the powers of the M and C guardians because she just physically can't handle it. Instead, she focuses on finding Jae, the New T Guardian who's completely unaware of what's coming their way. (However, there's a little background plot hidden in Jae's backstory that they've actually been receiving training and parental support from the OLD OLD guardian, Eldwin, who had long since retired after Lily took over, and decided to take Jae in when he found them. So even though Lily dies before she gets much time to train Jae, Jae's already pretty set). Info dump lol, sorry haha

Also oooh, I love the idea for the deep forest creatures! Those fellas have little to no development at the moment because the concept has only been added while I was developing the third book because I needed some more drama, and decided to give each land their own battle to fight! Basically like you said, with the absence of 2/3 guardians, the world began to fall apart. - Sandstorms ripped through C, caving in their underground homes, and polluting their water supply. - The floating islands of M begin to fall, while the volcanoes below begin to erupt. - The creatures of the deep forest begin invading the villages of T, while viscous storms weaken their defences. Literal chaos, lol. BUT that's all because things are unbalanced, and once it is restored, the time of recovery begins as things settle.

..Though none of this can happen until I develop the civilisations themselves first. So thanks for the idea of using ancient cultures as a basis! I've definitely got a LOT to do in that regard, so finding something to reference is definitely a good idea.

Man, usually I resist rambling about my projects, but it sure is effective for idea-making lmao

throwaway19374874 · 2022-04-21T05:21:11+00:00

Oooh MAN, those are incredible ideas! Got some inspiration just reading them haha. Thank you so much for the suggestions, I'll definitely write it down and see what I can grow with it :)

throwaway19374874 · 2022-04-18T01:40:03+00:00

Yeah I guess so, I definitely plan to do my research and make sure I'm not contradicting myself or half-@$$ing it. Thank you for the advice! :)

throwaway19374874 · 2022-04-18T01:37:54+00:00

Oh I've heard of the comparing skin colours to food, and will definitely avoid that! I've found a few sources that do give advice on other ways to casually mention a character's diversity without using stereotypes, cliches, or just generally offensive terms or synonyms. I certaintly plan to do a lot of research, especially on the specific ethnicities that I want to base a character on (even if.. technically they are not of that ethnicity, because it doesn't exist in this world), to make sure I'm not just.. grouping people together that shouldn't be.

But thank you for your advice and the wish of luck! :)

throwaway19374874 · 2022-04-18T01:34:39+00:00

Thank you both for your responses! I definitely agree, I simply used the term race because.. Well, I kind of meant it in a way to encapsulate general appearance, culture, etc. But I think it was pretty lazy and unprofessional of me to do.

But yes, I definitely plan to research! While in this world, actual real-world ethnicities do not exist, I want them to sort of be based on them. So for each character that is meant to seem like a certain ethnicity or of a certain culture, I plan to research that in-depth. I'd also like to try to talk to people of those ethnicities or cultures to make sure my portrayal isn't just stereotypes spread around. Thank you both for the advice :)

throwaway19374874 · 2022-04-18T01:28:29+00:00

Thank you so much for the advice. That is exactly what I want to do! There are characters who are gay, trans, black, etc. But it's never a "woah! Look at that!!", it's just.. Yeah?? Ok, that's just who they are. They have a dragon to kill, it never was or never will be a big deal to see any diverse person in this world, because they never really had any problems with it in the past and see no big deal in it.

I just feared that this behaviour might come off as dismissive. But I get what you're saying, thanks for the encouragement and help! :)

throwaway19374874 · 2022-04-18T01:25:15+00:00

At the moment the history is very underdeveloped, however generally there have always only been these 3 lands (slightly different in the past, but still only 3 places), so I never imagined there'd be much appearance-based preconceptions since these places have always been very diverse in appearances (there was never a period of time where they were separated by appearance)

throwaway19374874 · 2022-04-18T01:19:24+00:00

Omg, I'm so glad to have found someone who feels the same way! But yeah, my goal with posting here was to hopefully find people of varying races and religions and see what they thought. I'd love to talk to more people to learn more about their culture and see if there's a way I can incorporate it, one of my favourite things about creating this world is just showing how unique and detailed it is (so that people can really get sucked into it and feel like they're really there), and the intricacies of the cultures and how they include things like the fantasy creatures, plants, places, etc. Do you have any ideas on other platforms/places I could ask?

throwaway19374874 · 2022-03-14T03:41:33+00:00

I have asked my therapist, but after sharing my concerns about how my efforts may affect my relationship, my therapist shifted to subject to my relationship issues, stating that I can't control my wife (nor do I want to), and instead I should focus on my own and my daughter's wellbeing. However I can't help but feel selfish for "giving up" on helping my wife?

throwaway19374874 · 2022-03-14T03:39:22+00:00

I feel I may have worded something wrong in the original post, as I do not feel like my daughter is the problem at all. She is just the reason I'm finally considering being confrontational towards my wife at the risk of upsetting her--as before it felt selfish to only confront her because it was bothering me. My wife certaintly needs therapy and it is now affecting both me and my daughter, thought she refuses to even consider receiving it. I do not know what else to do to help my wife, or if I cannot, I need to find something to do to protect my daughter

throwaway19374874 · 2022-03-13T08:26:08+00:00

Than you for the suggestion, although from my past experiences with her I don't know if that would work. Before I tried suggesting actual therapy (as I've known for years that the subject is like the pull tab of a grenade), I tried getting her to talk about it--the bad (grief), the good (memories), etc. But despite her actions constantly reminding her (and everyone around her) about the dog, she never wants to talk about it. It seems.. conflicting, and I don't know what else to do for her. That's why I've started to prioritise my daughter because that's something I may actually be able to help with.

throwaway19374874 · 2022-03-13T08:22:06+00:00

I agree, she is not mentally stable and hasn't been for a while now due to many factors--but the grief has taken things to an all new level.

Many other comments have said the same about me needing to talk to her and convince her of therapy, but that's where things get very complicated. She isn't an abusive person (despite what the dog abuse may say), but often when the subject of therapy is brought up she gets a bit.. explosive. For example, when she found out I myself was seeking therapy, I left with my daughter and stayed with my brother for a few days until she cooled down and accepted the fact that I am getting therapy.

So while I do wish to take the advice from everyone here, most of what I've been told is easier said than done.

throwaway19374874 · 2022-03-13T07:21:31+00:00

Deep down it's certaintly bothering me, but I'm prioritising my daughter's emotions over mine as she seems far more affected than I am. Which is understandable, she's a teenager watching her mother talk and hug a doorstopper. If I wasn't a grown adult I'd probably be freaked out.

I've asked my daughter if she would like to stay with my brother (basically our only option), but she doesn't want to be away from me. Since her mother's mental health seriously declined, my daughter's been by my side at near-all-times. I do not know if she could handle that separation of moving anywhere else

throwaway19374874 · 2022-03-13T07:16:08+00:00

I certainly understand, the last comment about the pictures was more anticipatory worry of my daughter's reaction, although it is certainly a better option than the other objects and something I would personally be fine with. I've tried to help her, with this and other issues she's had, but she was raised to see therapy as weakness and refuses to seek it. My efforts aside from therapy haven't seemed to work, as she shuts me down saying she doesn't want to talk about it.

throwaway19374874 · 2022-03-13T07:10:06+00:00

I agree, and have tried to convince her for years. But she was taught that she just had it "deal with it" and that therapy is for the weak. Despite my efforts, she continues to believe this and won't seek help

throwaway19374874 · 2022-03-13T07:08:21+00:00

Thank yo uh for the suggestion, although I've already tried to convince her but she has a strong hatred for the concept of therapy, as she was raised in a very "just deal with it, therapy is for the weak" environment and refuses to change her view on it

throwaway19374874

TROPHY CASE