Since I'm terrible at introductions, here are some "fun facts" about me. They aren't particulary fun but they are informative!
If you wanted to sum my childhood up in one word, it would be 'lonely'. I was an incredibly friendly child who wanted to fit in but never seemed to. Up until the age of ten - when I made a few close friends - I was rarely invited out or to parties by peers. I was bullied relentlessly and became virtually mute. However, when I was fifteen and at rock bottom, I decided I wanted to change that and transformed myself so much I became pretty popular! So, strangely, I've lived life at both extremes.
I was raised in a strict Christian household. We went to an old Church of England church every sunday - a rare thing in my area - and I was the only child my age that attended which was a joy. Media with any magical element - including *gasp* Harry Potter and Pokemon - was banned for me. My family also religiously stuck to age guidance on films and books, meaning I was an incredibly innocent kid and teen. I am also sad to say I had a few discriminatory/intolerant beliefs growing up, which I spent most of my university years unlearning.
I have lots of special interests. Always have. Back when I was being bullied, I used to escape mentally escape fictional worlds I could theorize about or worldbuild. I tended to like pieces of media which were a little bit… mediocre in my opinion. Stories I could fill in the gaps for or add nuance to were my favourites. That and animals. Lots and lots of animals. Some of my obsessions through the ages (earliest to latest)
- Crystal Maze (Yes, the gameshow)
- Animals (Yes, all animals, especially dolphins, dogs and big cats)
- Robots (Robot Wars ♥️)
- Lion King
- Animals of Farthing Wood & Duncton Wood series
- Red Dwarf
- Tokyo Mew Mew
- Warrior Cats
- Phantom of the Opera
- Rocky Horror
- Five Nights at Freddy's
- The Mole gameshow (in all sorts of languages)
Speaking of, I believe that one of the best ways to connect and inform people is through fiction. I've always been fascinated by words and narratives and I adore analyzing other people's stories. I started writing when I was seven and never stopped. This is also what naturally drew me to fiction analysis at the age of thirteen! The encouragement I got from my mum and all my English teachers built my confidence in this respect and I will be forever grateful to them.
Back when I was a teen, I was a little… overeager in my critiques of other people's works. In time though, I learnt it better to build up creators rather than ripping them down and I've made it my goal to support others instead.
I used to be an avid drawer. I particularly liked realistic pencil sketches or pastels. In my teenage years, I tended to draw lots of tigers, manga and Disney at school as a way to self-soothe. My dad was not always very encouraging of my art, which contributed to my giving it up to focus on writing. However, I found out a year back that my Dad had framed one of my black and white tiger drawings so he saw the value eventually! This is a skill I'm hoping to cultivate again if my arms will permit me!
I grew up very afraid of animatronics, clowns, spiders and heights. Animatronics terrified me so much, my family once had to strongarm me through a kids Easter exhibition after I was scared to tears! Kind of hilarious for a kid that loved robots. I'm proud to say that - with the exception of spiders which still get me sometimes - I've beaten all of these.
I've always had an aversion to the colour pink. As a young kid, I was upset that all of the female 'gendered' items were pink and I wanted nothing to do with them! My favourite colours are purple and blue.
I've felt out of place from a gender point of view since I was very young, despite my mum intently encouraging me to be a 'lady'. I've in recent years settled on the label non-binary.
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