Lacuna Rambles/Thoughts/Gif Reacts #2: Why Did You Call It That? (Patreon)

[Alternate Text: An image of a definition that may be found in a dictionary. It reads: Fernweh: an ache for distant places; the craving for travel.]

I have so many thoughts on why I named the series the way I did! 🌲 I wanted to share a bit about it with you all, though like with most everything in this town, there is much more to it than what meets the eye. My hope is that each installment in the series causes you to reassess things.

‘Fernweh’ means: an ache for distant places; the craving for travel. 

It can mean farsickness, which is the opposite of homesickness. This now takes on a new, possibly darker, meaning after you have finished Book One, although there are other implications that fit with lore you will learn more about over time. The MC’s attempt to leave failed. While there will be many choices to express how your MC feels about this, uhm, ‘extended stay’ or ‘indefinite imprisonment’, it’s a fact that they will be in Fernweh for now.

One other aspect I like about this word is that on the surface it could seem to be referencing how some people feel about small towns or when they feel stagnant in a life situation. People wanting to get free of their small town roots is a common trope. It can have a more innocent meaning, but not when applied to TFS where it takes on more nuance. Wanting to leave, or at least having the choice to leave, could be just the start of the MC wanting more agency/freedom.

Hopefully, during your visit—stay—you can puzzle out the emblems/symbols of the series.