I find myself repeatedly drawn to amnesia as a story trope, and while this is far from a new development, I’m realizing that my reasoning has changed throughout the years. (Note: I have memory issues, but not the kind that would cause me to forget events.)
Originally, it was fascination with the topic as a matter of psychological horror; you forget things and have happened and are, thus, vulnerable and unprepared for the things you know to be wary of.
Then it became a matter of frustration in my late teens and early adulthood, because forgetting allows for plausible deniability of offenders and for the one who remembers, or at least who doesn’t decide to not know, is the one stuck dealing with the aftermath.
Currently, I have a curious relationship with the concept of forgetting— I have some siblings who have told me that they don’t remember nearly any of our shared childhoods and mostly just have vague impressions of it all. That is fascinating to me, but it is also very very strange.
Not in terms of mechanics, I get that (mostly, I’m still researching), but with how it impacts a person while engaging with their past to present?
Concept: A character forgets their past and is free to rebuild their future. Consequence: Lack of preparedness for when past events resurface; alienation of those who remember (hiiiii); potential mystery for their life before; a need to rebuild a sense of self.
Hm.. I can’t say that it’s for the best, or that accepting it and pressing on won’t be detrimental down the line, but she seems to be doing fine for now.
Anyways. I still use amnesia as a concept of disablement/disempowerment, but am also wanting to write a quick fic about its main character losing their memories, rebuilding a life, and then having to decide if the life they’ve left is worth reclaiming.