I didn’t start writing Bombyx Biographies because I wanted to—I started because my mom made me. But somewhere between sulking and scribbling, I found a world worth building. In this post, I share how a reluctant writing assignment turned into the fantasy novel of my dreams, how Alaena Bombyx was born out of my thirteen-year-old rage and undiagnosed bipolar disorder, and why this story still means everything to me. Spoiler: it almost broke me—in the best way.