Pretending is more powerful than you know

[Q. G. Pennyworth]

Sometimes the thing that's got you fucked up is too insignificant to justify just how fucked up you are.

Sometimes the monsters have no nads for you to kick.

Sometimes you find yourself overdosing on adrenaline and cortisol for no good reason at all.

Sometimes there's no hope of a satisfying narrative conclusion.

And you can hide from this reality, and you can deny this reality, you can live in this reality with no hope of ever growing up or out of your petty trauma and maladaptive coping mechanisms. You can be furious with this reality, and scream into the unfairness of not having a moment to dredge up and fight and win. You can insist that no you're fine really and let everyone else carry the burden of your shit, because you won't.

But these are choices, and you have other options as well.

If a narrative conclusion is what you need, then go and fucking make one. Your head's as big as mine, as big as all our heads: whole universes fit in there. Start using that machine for something more productive than Marvel Cinematic Universe continuity errors. Build yourself a monster and fight it. Build yourself a trauma and overcome it.

You've always been a flighty kid, a dreamy kid, a kid with an overactive imagination. Stop hating that and start using it. Stop wasting it on entertainment and start using it to heal yourself. Write a better story. Run a better game. Make better art. Run that "coming to terms with the past" narrative over and over until it wears a rut in your brain as familiar as the one that says you're an idiot who can't do anything right. Make it as automatic as the path from your bed to the toilet.

Because it turns out your brain doesn't actually give a shit whether the bad thing you're getting over is real or not, it just needs practice going through the motions. It turns out healing is a habit like any other, and "cheating" means absolutely nothing in this context. Sure, there are folks with specific monsters with nads they can kick, who need to spend time doing that thing, but if you are one of the many who is broken because of a thousand papercuts instead of a sword wound, take heed.

Pretending is more powerful than you know.

[altered]

I really want this in a fancy, easily spread format. I know a ton of people who can benefit from it.

[Q. G. Pennyworth]

I really want this in a fancy, easily spread format. I know a ton of people who can benefit from it.

Not sure it's fully baked yet but it's close. I've been doing some more Holy Nonsense lately so it won't be hard to get it done up once it's ready.

[altered]

I find myself wondering if Holy Nonsense is going to end up having yearly releases of new stuff. It would be like having an extra, bonus Christmas for each normal Christmas.

Ahem.

I think you might be right about insufficient baking, but it’s definitely a strong and extremely useful message to spread far and wide.

I hope the oven timer beeps soon.

[Q. G. Pennyworth]

I'm thinking about doing a proper release again in 2020. Picked up some good content off Tumblr and Facebook already, along with a couple posts here that missed the cutoff last time. I'm taking a crack at some of the Love is Chaos stuff, too, maybe that goes out for February if I can focus for more than three minutes.

[LMNO]

Sometimes the thing that's got you fucked up is too insignificant to justify just how fucked up you are.

Jesus fucking Christ, this is so true.


I thought I was good at boiling down complex ideas, but if I had a crown to give, I'd throw it at your feet.

[hooplala]

Sometimes the thing that's got you fucked up is too insignificant to justify just how fucked up you are.

Jesus fucking Christ, this is so true.


I thought I was good at boiling down complex ideas, but if I had a crown to give, I'd throw it at your feet.

2nd.

I recently discovered this to be the case and felt like I was suddenly in an M Night Schyamalan movie.

[Q. G. Pennyworth]

I've been at this fucker for years, and I still needed help getting there.

[Ziegejunge]

This is so, so good. I am also eagerly awaiting a Big Words-style printable, but I am patient and do not wish you to rush things. It will be ready when it's ready.

[Dildo Argentino]

Sometimes the thing that's got you fucked up is too insignificant to justify just how fucked up you are.

Sometimes the monsters have no nads for you to kick.

Sometimes you find yourself overdosing on adrenaline and cortisol for no good reason at all.

Sometimes there's no hope of a satisfying narrative conclusion.

And you can hide from this reality, and you can deny this reality, you can live in this reality with no hope of ever growing up or out of your petty trauma and maladaptive coping mechanisms. You can be furious with this reality, and scream into the unfairness of not having a moment to dredge up and fight and win. You can insist that no you're fine really and let everyone else carry the burden of your shit, because you won't.

But these are choices, and you have other options as well.

If a narrative conclusion is what you need, then go and fucking make one. Your head's as big as mine, as big as all our heads: whole universes fit in there. Start using that machine for something more productive than Marvel Cinematic Universe continuity errors. Build yourself a monster and fight it. Build yourself a trauma and overcome it.

You've always been a flighty kid, a dreamy kid, a kid with an overactive imagination. Stop hating that and start using it. Stop wasting it on entertainment and start using it to heal yourself. Write a better story. Run a better game. Make better art. Run that "coming to terms with the past" narrative over and over until it wears a rut in your brain as familiar as the one that says you're an idiot who can't do anything right. Make it as automatic as the path from your bed to the toilet.

Because it turns out your brain doesn't actually give a shit whether the bad thing you're getting over is real or not, it just needs practice going through the motions. It turns out healing is a habit like any other, and "cheating" means absolutely nothing in this context. Sure, there are folks with specific monsters with nads they can kick, who need to spend time doing that thing, but if you are one of the many who is broken because of a thousand papercuts instead of a sword wound, take heed.

Pretending is more powerful than you know.

Excellent thinking there.

Seeking permission to translate into Hungarian and publish, with link to original here. Or alternative, acceptable solution.

[Q. G. Pennyworth]

Sometimes the thing that's got you fucked up is too insignificant to justify just how fucked up you are.

Sometimes the monsters have no nads for you to kick.

Sometimes you find yourself overdosing on adrenaline and cortisol for no good reason at all.

Sometimes there's no hope of a satisfying narrative conclusion.

And you can hide from this reality, and you can deny this reality, you can live in this reality with no hope of ever growing up or out of your petty trauma and maladaptive coping mechanisms. You can be furious with this reality, and scream into the unfairness of not having a moment to dredge up and fight and win. You can insist that no you're fine really and let everyone else carry the burden of your shit, because you won't.

But these are choices, and you have other options as well.

If a narrative conclusion is what you need, then go and fucking make one. Your head's as big as mine, as big as all our heads: whole universes fit in there. Start using that machine for something more productive than Marvel Cinematic Universe continuity errors. Build yourself a monster and fight it. Build yourself a trauma and overcome it.

You've always been a flighty kid, a dreamy kid, a kid with an overactive imagination. Stop hating that and start using it. Stop wasting it on entertainment and start using it to heal yourself. Write a better story. Run a better game. Make better art. Run that "coming to terms with the past" narrative over and over until it wears a rut in your brain as familiar as the one that says you're an idiot who can't do anything right. Make it as automatic as the path from your bed to the toilet.

Because it turns out your brain doesn't actually give a shit whether the bad thing you're getting over is real or not, it just needs practice going through the motions. It turns out healing is a habit like any other, and "cheating" means absolutely nothing in this context. Sure, there are folks with specific monsters with nads they can kick, who need to spend time doing that thing, but if you are one of the many who is broken because of a thousand papercuts instead of a sword wound, take heed.

Pretending is more powerful than you know.

Excellent thinking there.

Seeking permission to translate into Hungarian and publish, with link to original here. Or alternative, acceptable solution.

Go ahead and translate, but I'd like if you communicate that it's an evolving idea and not entirely ready for prime time yet. Link here is fine, name dropping Holy Nonsense is always great, I don't care much about writing credit for myself but I prefer if people don't pass off my work as their own (QGP, Q.G. Pennyworth, [REDACTED], Some Asshole on PeeDee, Anonymous, and Some Internet Dickwad are all acceptable attributions)

[P3nT4gR4m]

You had me at the title!