spillybun: greater-than-the-sword: rabbits-of-negative-euphoria: the chief reason orphans are so prevalent in children’s fiction is because children have a morbid fascination with being orphaned, and children’s fiction is written to entertain children #the thought of being an orphan presents exciting possibilities for freedom#while the concept of having no parent to protect you maintains a sense of fear if not conflict #as a kid? I didn’t really care about tragic backstories. that was not the function of orphans in stories to me. I was obsessed with orphans and orphanages as a kid, I should write a story about them