MPHFPC and my Cliche Rant Book

Hope they have some pretty good peculiar therapists...

So today I'm going to be addressing the issue of tragic backstories. First off, let me say they suck. Seriously. Every peculiar has their tragic little backstory where their parents chased them off with pitchforks or they ran away from home because their parents were abusive. It'd be better if people actually showed us that their parents sucked, but it's more of a 'my parents suck k bye'. They never spend much time at home or with their parents. They spend an average one chapter there and then they run away or get chased away with pitchforks.

   Another problem is that although these plots are interesting, hardly anyone can write them well. If your parents really didn't like that you were peculiar, it'd be less of an 'oh my god I hate you' and more of a 'Do I hate them? They're my kid! I loved them, I. I.'. Unless your in the olden days when people really would chase you with a pitchfork if you spoke with aquatic mammals or could fly, or your parents are super religious, you're not going to have the kind of sudden hate. It's going to be mixed feelings. And unlike homosexuality, which is something real-world that parents will stop talking to you and hate you for, it's not a prejudiced thing. People don't know about peculiars. It hasn't been a thing for your parents to pick up prejudice against. I think the whole loving your kid thing wouldn't change.

   The kids in these stories also show little-to-no mixed feelings or being upset over this sudden upheaval in their life. It'd be like a ring being pulled out from under your feet, being kicked out of your house by a pitchfork-wielding mob or running away in despair. They also seem to be sociopaths, because it doesn't  really bother them that their parents hate them. They cry, like, once, and then it never bothers them again because they're too busy chasing Millard.

   So, in conclusion, cool it down with the tragic backstories. Try to have a family that loves their kid anyway and manages to live with them despite their quirks. The loop can find them, not the other way around. And if you're going to write tragic, write good. Try to put yourself in your character's shoes. 'How would I feel if my parents disowned me and I was all alone?" Write as if they're a real person, with feelings.

   That's all for this chapter, if you'll excuse me I'm off to go buy a stock in pitchforks and torches.

-BopperTopp, the Lamppost speaking peculiar