Can someone still be called a Muse if technically they don't exist?

Paused my paintings of Frank Frazetta today to get this out, even though I'm very unsatisfied with the results, as per usual. It's an idea for an upcoming art piece ... and I'm always unsatisfied with those.

Though he's only in my head Kasri has become my most personal, important character for me. His concept changed a few times before he became what he is today, although there's the side of him I write about where he interacts with other fictional characters ... and this side, when it's me and him as though he existed as the older brother he is to me.

He's the one who can embrace me tightly without it being more than a comfort thing, and I can sit for hours with him when I'm miserable. If he was here I could slide my hand into his and it would be nothing more than a gesture of two close siblings. He knows what to do when I feel a certain way, how depressed I am, what he can do to make me laugh or if it's just one of those moments where all I need is someone to put my arms around and cry into their shirt.

Sometimes I really wish he was real.


--Sak