Fragments of Arcadia: You Are Strong

Preface

Living with anxiety is rough. That's all there is to it. It's something that I live with and a lot of my friends live with.

It always feels like people don't truly understand what it's like to live with anxiety so I created this series of stories to try and convey those feelings. Describing anxiety is hard. I've even given myself a couple anxiety attacks just trying to write this.

These are not stories with an overarching plot. There will not be a deus ex machina at the end where the character is suddenly freed from anxiety. That is not this.This is about a person who is managing their anxiety. Anxiety is not a character flaw that is corrected through character development or a character arch. It's real and it stays. Learning to overcome it is important, but learning to overcome does not mean it goes away like I've seen so many times.

I just want people to know what anxiety is like, and I want those suffering to know that they are strong. They will have bad days, they will have good days but they will survive. They are strong. There are others going through the same thing and they're not alone.

The stories will also dip into depression as well. Anxiety and depression are different but are often found accompanying each other. The effects are easy to confuse and some overlap.

These stories are meant to be windows for those who don't suffer to understand those that do, and for those that suffer to find solace that someone knows and understands their plight.

A huge thank you goes out to Matte Bat though. Evangeline is actually Matte Bat's original character for an urban shadows campaign called Bad Moon Rising. This takes place in an AU of the campaign and Theo is also a creation of the campaign and Matte Bat. Check out the campaign on the TalesFromTheGrim Youtube channel. So huge thanks and shoutouts there.

Well, that's long enough. I hope that these stories serve to help those who don't suffer from anxiety understand what those of that do go through. And for those of you who read these that do have anxiety, I hope it shows you that there is always tomorrow. You'll get through this, you're strong.

Fylaaris Quiloss

June 27, 2019