#Put On Your Psychiatry Goggles Because This is a Long One

[yandere-toons]

Something that makes me curious. How do you analyze the character's personalities when writting about them?

Many characters have a twisted sense of responsibility for the object of their obsession. For the outcasts, it's often a misplaced idea of camaraderie (e.g., Abraham Sapien). For the powerful, it's usually either a belief that this individual is too weak or naive to be safe in the world without their protection or a desire to exploit their authority and show the person why it's wise to do what they say (2015 Danger Mouse vs. Mephisto Pheles).

Examine their preexisting traits and ask yourself how each one would translate to a relationship. Are they paranoid about the intentions of others and tend to assume the worst? Someone who has difficulty with trusting people is more inclined to stalk and be invasive, as they want to be aware of any possible threats and take preemptive measures to resolve the issue before it hurts them and/or gets out of control.

In this line of writing (i.e., yandere), you must also consider a character's attack style. I don't just mean whether they prefer sharp objects, blunt instruments, or magic.

Are they the type of character who doesn't give second chances and goes for the kill on the first try (e.g., Invader Zim)?

Perhaps if they have the resources or intellect, are they the type who hires or manipulates someone else into doing the dirty work for them (e.g., Petyr Baelish/Littlefinger)?

Maybe they don't like physical methods at all and prefer to verbally or socially destroy their enemies (e.g., the Flim Flam Brothers).

If you're struggling to imagine the key differences, think about it as a spectrum. One end holds the most ferocious stalkers and killers in the fandom list, the other end holds the good-natured peace seekers, and the middle holds everyone in between.

For an example of an extreme case, let's take a look at Vaas Montenegro from Far Cry 3. He's violently impulsive, exceedingly short-tempered, and has years of repressed anger that resurface in the form of unchecked aggression and a cruel sense of humour derived from inflicting pain on others to elicit the same feelings of helplessness in them that he experiences. Should Vaas ever manage to have a positive connection with someone (however one-sided it may be), he would react with vicious hostility towards any perceived threats to the relationship because it is all he has in terms of intimacy.

For an example of the opposite extreme, let's take a look at Fluttershy from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. She's the alleged embodiment of kindness, a pacifist, and doesn't want to hurt or upset anyone unless there is no better option. Fluttershy was, in the beginning, content to pass through life unnoticed by all except the woodland creatures in and around her house. Her methods of confrontation are subtle and only happen after multiple offences and hours of giving herself pep talks in the mirror.

Most characters fall somewhere in the middle, with their readiness to choose violence and capacity for mercy determining their status. Tom Lucitor, Smaug, and 2017 Doofus Drake are all examples of a character who leans to the aggressive end, while Wander from Wander Over Yonder leans far to the peaceful end. If you have additional questions, feel free to ask them.

Additionally, the kind of analysis depends on whether I'm writing headcanons or a scenario. Headcanons function as a clean and honest summary of the character's personality and nothing else. Its main points need to be direct and explicitly stated, so I focus on describing and expanding the central traits of the character.

A scenario receives the opposite treatment, for its increased length and addition of a moving world means that the character's personality is expressed in a wider variety of ways. Now, even the tiniest pieces of characterization are important. Do they have a slouch when they stand? Do they emphasize certain words or use specific hand gestures when they talk?

Rewatching and/or rereading the source material is helpful to freshen your memory and catch more of their less obvious mannerisms.

[thurisazsalail]

God that's awful. My aunts house was like that. Even as kids, we could barely move from room to room. Looking back, we always had bins or bags of "stuff" to treasure hunt through... because she kept Everything. She CAN'T throw out an egg carton! She can sew it into a mini garbage can! She has like five but why throw them out?! Syrup bottles everywhere. Sometimes with houseplants in them. @salted-cushions I feel for you. Throw it the fuck out. I hate how painful and distressed the hoarder feels but you also deserve to have your space, too. I love goggles and thick masks for this at all times. Also long sleeved shirts and dish gloves. I've had lung infections from de-hoarding people's stuff.

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If anyone needs some help on the beginning steps on de-hoarding, there are lots of free licensed psychs who talk about thenpsychology of different kinds of hoarders on Instagram and what you can do to make it better and not worse.

I have managed the "hoarding syndrome" so prevalent in my adhd-dominant, poverty-line-for-generations family by having due dates for different rooms or types of clutter on task managers. I use TickTick. There's a free version that allows photos.

Some things I've learned in managing hoarding impulses and cleaning actual hoarder houses like you see on TV:

if it's stuff i dont use but feel bad about landfilling, is it actually clean and useful? I have a short list of local orgs and charities, like art groups, decor for relocated domestic violence survivors, and animal shelters, that want all kinds of things. Old newspapers, old towels and washcloths (as long as they're not oily), sheets, frames, cookware, and for art... Everything. The charity list has the name, number, address, and a short list of things each wants. I have a NEARBY date to get as MUCH AS I CAN into some boxes (free, from walmart or something) and then OUT IT GOES. not full? No exceptions! I can get another box! Some places do pickup! I don't feel as bad if it goes to my community, as opposed to goodwill or a landfill. More likely to give freely, in fact. Community is often important to hoarders, and they lack it and suffer isolation.

Everything else? If it's super important, and paper, scan and burn. Email it to myself if needed for backup, like 10yr old medical records. Re-eval. Do you REALLY need it? Can you get another easily? You might have to prove it to yourself, same as body dysmorphia gets destroyed slowly by recording facts and photos. Google search the replacement cost of that item or similar. Save the screenshot.

Is it dirty, mouldy, damaged, or insect-infested? Bin or burn! We have friends with a firepit outside, so there's "free fire" whereas a lot of houses, you can't have trees in the yard and have storm insurance here. So no wood unless you buy it. We burn if we can. Good opportunity for fire baked potatoes. But really just bin it. Do NOT save for "one day in the future in two months" when you can do that. You will get more in two months.

Some of hoarding is not being able to decide. Like, you decided you like this thing or could use this thing. But now I'm paralyzed at the thought of actually using it. Put it aside. Get distracted by New thing. This won't be like last time! .... haha, ok, now I have three drawers of fabric dating back 20 years. I donated over 5 storage bins of craft supplies to charity. They move from bins to drawers to shelves to boxes... but never Become Anything.

This year, I have new meds for a different thing but they are also used for ADD. And finally... it's like the paralysis is gone. I'm not dopamine-fueled into buying more. I have a weekly goal of ONE project finished to post on IG. Sometimes therapy, psychiatry, and actual meds at low doses really do help. They don't even have to be permanent. I have a child's size dose of stimulants which helps my heart and CNS from dysautonomia, but it also fixed the brain fog and compulsive "ooooh beautiful...." followed by Stuff stacking up under benches, the couch, falling out of my closet if I opened it...

Now I'm going through everything we own and thinking "My husband wouldn't buy this. .... did I buy this? ... did I? When?!" Repeat process above. After talking with my psych and therapist, a LOT of people with "hoarding tendencies" who aren't at hoarder status YET have physical and mental issues. Ones that WOULD be somewhat fixable IF someone took care of them earlier and gave proper ongoing support. Most are deeply lonely and traumatized. Some have dopamine or other issues, compulsory issues. Some are physically prevented from getting around independently, so their world is their stuff.

Reclaim your space. Be firm. You deserve your life and space, regardless of whether you're the one doing the hoarding or the one living with one. Be kind and patient but also be firm.

I believe in your worth.

I and a friend are Convinced we've seen this post from you, but we can't find it anywhere. Did Tumblr eat it or is it someone else's? It taught me some shit about myself lol. It went something like "In every neurodivergent couple, one person hoards everything because What If Disaster Strikes And I Need It, while the other throws everything away because What If Disaster Strikes And I Need To Fit All My Belongings In A Single Duffle To Flee"

I do not recall making that post (that's just two of several million ways neurodiverse people cope with the PTSD you get growing up crazy) but I might have commented on it about how to pack a small bag with everything you might need on a given day?