Board Thread:Off Topic/@comment-24993958-20160721222431/@comment-14138255-20160824204647

Phantomlink959 wrote: WC-83 wrote: Indeed, she'd have been more comfortable as an engineer for Atlas' military, but was sent to Beacon instead. SHE IS EFFECTIVELYAN ADULT WITH SEVER ANXIETY, WHY WOULD SHE NOT CHOOSE TO STAY WITHIN HER COMFORT ZONE?!?!

Speaking as someone with severe anxiety, it doesn't work like that. You don't just get sent somewhere outside your comfort zone against your will and remain functional enough to complete something as brutal as initiation at Beacon, especially in a world where the monsters you're fighting are drawn to negative feelings such as fear, anxiety, anger, and sadness. My apologies if the character offends, however I will say now my lack of experience with anxiety of an extreme case should not be used as an excuse to be banned from writing characters of that type (just a preemptive diclaimer, in case this got ugly for whatever reason).

In the character's defense:

1. She did not choose to attend Beacon, her parents had her go, believing it would be more prestigious than Atlas. She was sent to combat school by them too, but she merely assumed she would enlist in the military, again, as a combat engineer.

2. Sapphire's anxiety is more social in nature. She does fairly well (or at least, below average, but decent enough) when fighting the Grimm.