Feb. 19

I was thinking about the allure of amnesia recently.

The way it’s often shown in fiction, where characters still retain all their adult faculties and common knowledge of the world but lack any connection to anyone or anywhere. They spend the early acts of a story repeating names and places people tell them with a sort of heroic cluelessness. It gets old fast unless the plot is woven well enough.

Sometimes the amnesiac becomes a living, breathing mystery box, or maybe a blank slate for whoever is engaging with the story. What I recognized as having appeal was actually more the idea of possessing a tabula rasa for a soul. There’s so many unique ways people hurt one another, mostly in ways they never intended to.

I feel like if I watched myself, in that factory reset state, I’d be inspired to keep the rest of my life as simple and clean as possible. But the story’s already got spoilers: I won’t ever be able to keep anything immaculate.

And besides, if anyone you loved ever got amnesia, wouldn’t you feel left behind? Or maybe relieved… hmm, the reaction to that once familiar blank slate could reveal a lot about those perceiving it, when you think about it.

Memories are best when they resemble Libra. Not so many bad ones that you’d jump at the chance for amnesia, not so many good ones that you forget to cherish what’s in front of you for now.

Do animals get amnesia? I’ll go Google it once I’m done drinking my coffee. Maybe you will too.

There are no new major announcements this month, but The Dragon’s Aria is being steadily updated over time on Royal Road, without a single amnesiac character in sight!

Also, as much as I tried to tackle thinking about this with some seriousness, all I can hear is a certain Dunkey uttering, “’cuz he’s got amnesssssiaaaaa…”

Well, my coffee is cold. Until next time!