Madness is Hereditary

I’m a big believer in letting characters bleed quietly. You know, the kind of emotional tension that simmers just under the surface—not the dramatic “I am torn!” speeches. Here’s how I like to sneak internal conflict into my writing without making my characters feel like they belong in a bad soap opera... Have Fun! (｡♥‿♥｡)

╰ Saying the opposite of what they feel. Like insisting they’re fine while gripping a coffee mug like it personally insulted their ancestors.

╰ Pausing before responding to something simple. Because sometimes the silence says “I’m thinking too hard about this” louder than a whole paragraph ever could.

╰ Changing the subject when things get too close to their emotional soft spot. Classic evasion. Bonus points if they pretend it's for someone else’s sake.

╰ Making choices that contradict their stated goals. "I swear I’m over them"—cut to them rerouting an entire road trip to pass by their ex’s hometown.

╰ Being too nice. Yep. People-pleasing? Avoidance in a trench coat.

╰ Fixating on a tiny, irrelevant detail while avoiding the bigger thing. They can’t deal with their grief, but they can definitely spend 12 minutes lining up pens perfectly.

╰ Snapping at someone they trust—then immediately regretting it. Because pain has to leak out somewhere, and it’s usually not in a convenient monologue.

╰ Doing something “just in case,” but obviously hoping for the opposite. Packing a goodbye gift they never plan to give. Writing a message they never send.

╰ Rewriting memories in their head. “It wasn’t that bad. They didn’t mean it. I probably deserved it.” A spiral in slow motion.

Senator Booker was NOT allowed to sit down, eat, or use the bathroom during his speech. Sitting or leaving the room to use the bathroom would be considered yielding the floor. Eating would have interfered with his speaking and the person who has the senate floor must continue to speak, except when listening to questions that they will then answer.

He only took occasional sips of water.

The person who previously held the record for longest speech on the Senate floor did have bathroom breaks and also did things like read from the encyclopedia.

Senator Booker did not do that. His speech was to point out the damage that this administration is doing and he stayed on that subject.

Senator Booker's speech did reach many people. It wasn't a silly stunt that was done so that he could take the record for longest speech. He wanted to show the country that democrats will do something to bring attention to the problems we are facing. That democrats are listening to them.

It's called dyspraxia and I was diagnosed when I was like 35. It's very common but sadly people don't know about it. I can imagine that Snape didn't, because awareness of ADHD and dyslexia was only starting to emerge.

I have some difficult feelings around this. I struggle with feeling incompetent and like a burden and like a lazy moron etc etc etc. It's exhausting to be around me sometimes, I know this. Always having to run back because I forgot something, having to accept that I will break your things... And I know also that for people who don't know me, it even looks like I'm doing this on purpose, or just not trying.

What Snape saw was the son of two aurors, who excels at herbology, who isn't and doesn't look stupid, failing to do basic things. Crabbe and Boyle are genuinely stupid, and even they don't blow up 6 cauldrons in a year or whatever it was. How did Neville feel? Awful. And his feelings made his performance worse, and so he felt worse, and Snape got nastier and nastier, etc., and we have the infamous boggart. But there is a disconnect here. The result might look like the outcome of abuse, but even Neville knows his fear of Snape qua Snape is silly.

It sucks that Snape didn't understand Neville. It sucks that my teachers and other authority figures and peers didn't understand me. It sucks because having a developmental issue sucks. But these people weren't abusive.

My complex feelings about all this are real and important regardless. I don't need people to be deliberately hurtful for fun or whatever for this to be true.

People talk about Snape being bad off of that boggart a lot but they seem to ignore the fact that that boggart is actually two figures in Neville's life, only one of which is connected to actual abuse in Neville's life: his grandmother and his family.

How did Neville's magic get discovered? We know this, it's told to us in the first book remember: his magic awakened when his great-uncle dropped him after hanging him out of a window. An act that we are led to believe was a not uncommon type of event by the context clues in the dialogue (the fact they thought he might not have magic at all, the disappointment that instilled in them towards him, the relief that he did have magic) yet it is never spoken about again, it is never brought up the implications, and anti-Snape fans often seem to ignore when they bring up the boggart scene. Neville's lack of self-esteem and timidness is noted to be abnormal for a Gryfindor and that can't be traced back to Snape; he's only known Neville for a maximum of sixish years when he dies. The cause is his family but again people seem to ignore this.

Cheshy’s grin grew and so did the volume of his purr as she spoke, the very idea of making her happy always having that affect. His tail swished again and he nodded as well, “Of course. I know how much you like them after all~”

He couldn’t resist a chuckle and he nuzzled her. “Its up to you now; anything or anywhere, you’re free to do whatever your heart desires. And of course if you let me I’ll be more than happy to help you. We could even go have pastries together without me needing to steal it~”

His tail swished and he grinned that Cheshire grin of his.

Uma loved it every time he nuzzled her. She knew that she would never get sick of it. “Of course I want you to help me.” Uma said without hesitation. The mention of getting pastries that he wouldn’t have to steal with him made her heart soar and she nodded without even needing to think about it. “That sounds amazing. Can we get the usual ones?”

Cheshy certainly meant the sentiment; he’d grown up circumventing the barrier and seeing the conditions on the Isle, knowing how bad things really were. This was something his father and he had hoped for as long as Cheshy had been alive and to see it finally happen, to know those on the Isle who never deserved imprisonment were free, it made the Wonderlandian quite pleased. He purred and nestled her hair, happy to be able to hold her and know this was a dream come true for her.