hello :) first of all you really don't have to answer or acknowledge this since it'll maybe stir this whole thing up even more, but i guess i just wanted to talk about this with someone who feels as passionate about it as i do. there's this very famous writer in the TLOU fandom and the way they portray ellie's character and especially her trauma just IRKS me so bad. it's so obvious they have no idea how PSTD works. at first i was like, ok, don't like don't read, i truly get it and agree, but when you write about such a sensitive topic i feel like you have to take responsability? the don't like it don't read it rule doesn't apply here since A LOT of people are reading your works and there's a possibility that their knowledge of PSTD will be flawed bc of the way YOU wrote it. and ellie's character... like, how much can you change a character's personality before it's another whole person? i just don't understand the point. again, no need to reply! just wanted to talk about this w/ someone (a writer, no less) who gets it
Hi anon!
I'm glad you felt safe enough to send this ask, and I 100% understand where you are coming from. I won't go into the drama because Ellis made his post and I was only watching it from the sidelines because he is my friend; this is done for him so it's done for me.
I do wanna say something on the matter of "don't like don't read" and author responsibility because as everyone who follows me probably knows at this point, I care about accurately writing PTSD and trauma (and any other conditions for that matter), and I have made several posts about it before. This is not about one person, this is about a trend I have see both in this fandom and in other ones, so once again, as always, if you start feeling defensive ask yourself why and have a good look at that.
I want to make something very very clear: people critizing a person's portrayal of a character's trauma and PTSD is NOT about headcanons. It is not about creative freedom. It is not about character interpretation. It never has been and it never will be. It is about accurately portraying actual medical conditions in a way that is both respectful and does not contribute to ableism and stigma.
If your portrayal misses the mark, people critizicing it are not criticzing your headcanons. They are telling you that something you wrote is legitimately offensive and harms actual, real people with that condition. There is exactly one correct response to that and it's apologizing, correcting your mistakes and/or taking the work down if you cannot do so for some reason (too deeply enmeshed with the story, you cannot write it properly, etc.). Saying "don't like don't read" and ignoring it doesn't suddenly make your work not offensive, it just makes YOU a bigot who does not care that they are hurting people.
"Don't like don't read" is about fics that do not meet your personal taste or deal with topics you cannot handle. It does not apply to offensive, harmful content. Would you say the same if someone published an outright transphobic or racist fanfic? Would you say "don't like don't read" and allow them to continue to post outright bigotry without repercussions? And if your answer to this is no, as I hope it is, why is it different when it comes to ableism? Why do you think mental disorders and conditions are somehow less worthy of being portrayed correctly? Why is ableism "less bad" to you?
And anon, you bring up a great point, as an author you not only have a responsibility to make sure that your portrayal isn't hurting people who have it but that it also doesn't contribute to negative stereotypes and furthers the stigma. If a person who does not have PTSD reads it and comes out the other side with an even more flawed view of it, you failed. You failed as an author and as an ally to disabled people.
Write Ellie however you want, but once you get to a certain point at least tag it as "out of character" so people can avoid it. It's not a bad thing to write ooc characters, if you are having fun - go for it! Just tag it as such so people can avoid it. Wrongly portrayed PTSD does not fall under headcanons though, it's a problem and you need to fix it. You need to do more research than one google search. Having a friend with PTSD is also not enough, you need the full picture, you need to understand how PTSD works and why people's symptoms are the way they are.
I have CPTSD, I have enough trauma for several lifetimes, I have several other diagnosed conditions and I'm on heavy psych medications and I still do my research. I draw from my own experienced a lot but I also have years of research under my belt and I still do more. Because I care. I care about my writing and my stories, I care about the characters and the people who see themselves in them, I care about my readers and everyone else who will be (hopefully positively) affected by the education I can provide via my writing. I care and that means putting in the work isn't a chore, I do it willingly and with enthusiasm.
If someone tells me I fucked something up - thank you, I will change it, apologize, and learn from it. That is the only correct response and I hope people will start doing so instead of twisting words and hiding behind "don't like don't read" because it has never been about interpretation and never will be.
This got quite long, but once again anon, thank you for sending in the ask, I'm glad you felt comfortable sending it. Have a great day <3
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[ 🐺 ] does your muse like solitude? do they prefer it to being around others? how easily does your muse get lonely?
prompts i'd like to receive
oh i see we are getting into it today huh
tl;dr lyn is so fucking lonely but she tries to hide it from literally everyone
There is a specific moment in Lyn's supports with Lianna in Fire Emblem Warriors that drives me absolutely up the wall. Just makes me (cat bite gif).
Lianna: Lyn, is it true that you came to this world all by yourself? You must've been very lonely before you met up with us.
Lyn: Oh, you don't have to worry about me! I'm used to being alone. That's how I lived back on the plains.
Because this is just patently untrue? Hello? Girl stop lying.
To get into why this is just completely untrue, let's talk about fe7. Before they were massacred, Lyn was raised in the Lorca tribe for all 16/18 years (depending on the translation) years of her life. Though she only ever talks about her parents in regards to her early life, we have to remember that she was raised in a community. Yes, the Lorca were nomadic, but more importantly, they traveled together. Lyn was only alone for a total of six months before meeting Mark and she responds like this when asking Mark to travel with her:
Lyn: ...But I’m so young, and our people were old-fashioned. They wouldn’t follow a woman. No one would follow me. Sniff… I’m sorry. I’ve been alone for so long… No. No more. I will shed no more tears. …………
After losing not only her parents, but to have the other survivors refuse to follow her...For the first time in her life, Lyn was completely and utterly alone. At this point in time, Florina (we'll come back to her.) is still training in Illia (though she seeks out Lyn when she hears that she has left Sacae), so Lyn latches onto Mark like they're a life preserver and she's been treading water in the middle of the ocean. She's been so unbearably lonely.
In the Smash Brethren dlc in Awakening, if the player answers that Lyn's story sounds familiar, she is absolutely ecstatic that ""Mark"" still remembers her.
Lyn: Really? Then you remember! It's really you! Oh...I'm so happy! I thought... I thought we'd never met again. ...I'm sorry. I don't mean to cry. I'm just...overwhelmed. Give me a moment... ...Thank you. I feel better. Listen. Come back to Sacae with me! Can you just picture the others' face's?
I could write a whole other post about her relationship with chronic ghoster Mark but I'll keep it brief for now because there's a lot I need to touch on here.
Very quickly after meeting Mark, Lyn then meets Kent (we'll come back to him.) and Sain and learns that she isn't completely alone in the world-- she has a grandfather. She still has family. (THERE'S ALSO LUNGREN BUT HE ACTIVELY TRIED TO KILL HER AND THAT'S A WHOLE OTHER CAN OF WORMS LMFAO) Her goal shifts from avenging her parents to meeting and protecting her grandfather.
Sain:
“Lady Lyndis! Do you honestly plan on remaining here? Tell me truly!”
Lyn:
“Yes, until my grandfather is well. I can’t leave him now. I won’t.”
Kent:
“The physician says that Lord Hausen looks like a new man. It’s like he was never ill. And it’s all thanks to you, milady.”
Lyn:
“He’s the only family I have left. I want him to have a long life.”
Lyn struggles in Caelin with her newfound noble status and the way it isolates her in a different way. Her best friend treats her differently. She feels that she cannot relate to any of the other noble ladies. Even if they don't say it out loud, the other nobles look down on her for her Sacaen heritage. Her heart aches to return to the plains, but her grandfather is her last living family member. Even if she struggles, it's a struggle she's willing to put up with for the sake of family.
Even after Lord Hausen passes, Lyn brings whoever she has a paired ending with (with the exception of Eliwood and Hector, for obvious FE6 related reasons. I have Thoughts about what these endings in particular mean for Lyn re:fe6 but those are thoughts for another day) back to Sacae with her. Lyn only remained in Caelin for Lord Hausen, so she feels no reason to stay if he's gone. But even when she returns to the plains, she doesn't want to be alone again.
So let's talk about Lyn's paired ending supports, shall we?
Florina
Lyn's supports with Florina are probably the most direct about how lonely she is, which makes sense! Florina is her best friend! Florina has known her long enough to tell that the perceived distance between the two now that Lyn is nobility is hurting her.
Florina: Please, don't hide it even from me! You want to return to the plains, don't you, Lyn? I know how you used to leave the castle and gaze out from the hill at Caelin.
Lyn: It's just... It doesn't seem fair. I know... With my grandfather in his condition, I'm the only one to watch over the castle...
Florina: You shouldn't force yourself, though. I'm sure that Lord Hausen would understand... Living on the plains just seems right for you, Lyn.
Lyn: Florina... Hmm, guess what? You stopped calling me "Lyndis"... And you're speaking much more frankly now.
Florina: Ah! I-I apologize! I'm such a scatterbrain, I...
Lyn: Please, Florina-- Don't... I, too, thought it was the way we had to be with each other. But I was wrong-- I can't take it anymore. I've been so lonely all this time. Leaving the plains... And you, my best friend treating me like a noble stranger. What does rank and birth have to do with anything? I'm still myself, and you're still you! Please, talk to me normally, like you always used to.
This is the most direct Lyn ever gets about her feelings and it's all downhill from here, folks.
Rath
Now, Rath is in a unique spot as far as Lyn's supports go. Not only is Rath a fellow plainsdweller (in his own words), but if there's anyone who understands having their entire community ripped away from them like Lyn does, it's Rath. Lyn had her tribe massacred and the survivors refused to follow her, while Rath was forced to leave his tribe due to a bad omen. Being the chieftain's child wasn't enough for either of them to receive their tribe's support.
Rath: At the time I was less than four, without even the means to survive. I wandered, not knowing right from left, ...The people of other tribes laughed and ridiculed me.
Lyn: ... ...
Rath: I do not feel the loneliness now as I did then... but sometimes, I remember. I have never felt so alone.
Lyn: I see... That makes sense. When I first met you, I felt like we had something in common... Maybe it was because we shared the experience of being alone.
And earlier in their supports, Lyn confesses to being afraid of losing the last family member she has left, though she quickly tries to change the topic.
Lyn: I was thinking of my grandfather... He was still...asleep... when I left Caelin. Just when it seemed he was getting better... Why... Why must these things happen to me? ...I don't want to lose him. Not...another one.
Rath: ... ...
Lyn: Well. Enough of dark thoughts! Why...Why don't you tell me a bit about yourself, Rath?
You are not convincing anyone that you're okay with the situation, but nice try! You are extremely lucky that Rath just moves on with the conversation here, Lyn.
Kent
Oh, Kent. Where to even begin. Their entire support line is based around one singular question:
Lyn: Why do you stay with me, by my side? Is it because I am granddaughter to the lord of Caelin Castle?
When Lyn asks Kent why he stays at her side, it's a question of "will you only follow me if i am Lady Lyndis?". The Lorca survivors didn't follow her because she's a girl, but will Kent only follow her because she's a noble lady? Is his support conditional? When she inevitably returns to Sacae, will that connection be gone? What happens when her grandfather dies?
Kent feels the need to emphasize Lyn's status as a means to create emotional distance. He intentionally tries to draw a line for himself to not seek a personal connection with Lyn, who wants a personal connection as Lyn, not Lady Lyndis. We already know from Lyn's supports with Florina that Lyn finds her rank incredibly isolating. Lyn doesn't know how to act like the noble lady that she thinks Kent wants her to be and she doesn't know how long he will remain at her side, knowing that she does not intend to remain in Caelin forever. Remember, she only intended to stay in Caelin until Lord Hausen recovered and the plan was always to return to Sacae eventually.
What Lyn wants is for Kent to stay at her side because she's Lyn (which is ultimately what Kent also wants), but both of them are fucking clowns who refuse to communicate.
Kent: Yes... I apologize for my imprudence. Still... How could I stand before Lord Hausen should anything befall Lady Lyndis?
Lyn: Kent... Just because my grandfather is who he is, doesn't mean you should worry about me overmuch. I can do just fine on my own. Like I did on the plains...
girl you are lying!!!!!!!! but florina is literally the only one who will call you out on it so you get away with it!!!! jesucristo!!!!!!!
Eliwood/Hector
Sorry kings I'm making you share a section because this is already getting kind of horrifyingly long.
Anyway, this section is less about their actual supports (although I do think her support with Eliwood provides insight into just how much her status/being in Caelin stresses her out) and more about their general relationship. I don't need to bring out the sources for you to know that the RGB lords are friends. That much is obvious.
But it's...different.
Lyn will never have the relationship with Eliwood and Hector that they have with each other and that frustrates her. It's not just that she hasn't known them as long as they've known each other-- their relationship will always be colored by the fact that she's a woman.
......Which is also a post for another day and this is already way too long!
i am very normal about lady lyndis of caelin
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