Question Little stuck showing the start of a mental disorder

I'm struggling a bit with writing the next few scenes for my Reflections story . What I am having trouble with is showing to start of Val's madness. For most of her life she's been pretty much just there, then her powers come in, and she does something stupid that nearly gets her killed, but she likes it.

Basically she's taking the "With the mask on I can be free-er" (to paraphrase Stick's Mask 1 ((Good read BTW)) ) to the extreme with a blend of Popeye Syndrome and Quinzel-Osborn .

Her powers are a spin on the basic shell maifestor, but her shell is unstable(?) and basically is a Venom symbiot, more or less. I know I'm gonna have her just using her powers more or less as cosmetics (trill spots and sidhe/vulcan ears), and that's about all I really have besides her being a hell of a lot more outgoing and maybe going 'nudist'. "But I am clothed sir. You just can't see them under my manifest-skin..."

So suggestions on how I can slowly break my girl?

Does she notice the changes, or are you letting the figuring out be all on the reader, until it's revealed to her... Have you read



Well... That was a pretty big spoiler... :wall: ... Well, unless you know your mental disorders, I guess you wouldn't figure it out... Or even notice?

I haven't yet, but I will now when I have a chance.

And I'm not real sure yet. I think she does notice, but doesn't really care.

Probably best to start out small like stopping a bike thief that turns on its head and suddenly he pulls out a knife. If she beats the thief then maybe he runs away, but follows her home leading to more danger and more excitement for Val.

well, for someone that has masking powers and can look different, I think a big trap is retaining their true self. It could be little things, like manifesting grease paint or war paint tends to hake them become more aggressive or more devious. Or it could be a nice full-blown case of Multiple Personality Disorder, taking on a different personality with each different guise.

What's the final stage of madness that you want? Once you have that figured out, start coming up with little habits, gestures and ideas that will arise that match the final stages.
Example:
A character is suicidal and heading towards a massive nervous breakdown because he believes he needs to be punished for something he did, but he's holding it together initially through denial.
At first he seems normal, even happier than he was before. But he starts playing with his hair and rubbing his arms unconsciously.
A bit later he starts pulling his hair out, nothing much just a few strands, but he does it every day, and the rubbing gets worse.
A little later he's pulling out more hair and is starting to get bald patches which he covers up through careful combing. He notices his skin is being rubbed raw and it hurts.
He tries to stop but can't and starts driving his nails into the raw patches of skin and ends up having to shave his head to hide the hair loss.
Finally needing to be punished for what he did, he starts picking fights with people bigger than him, hoping they'll hurt him.
When that doesn't work he goes and tries to kill someone he knows can kill him in a fit of suicidal rage.

The type of suicidal aggressiveness and self hatred is the end point I'm looking for, everything else is part of the logical steps to achieving that outcome.

Rose Bunny wrote: Or it could be a nice full-blown case of Multiple Personality Disorder, taking on a different personality with each different guise.

Exactly backwards. It's not the greasepaint that informs the alter, but the alter that chooses the paint.

With the severe sort of Dissociative Identity Disorder that you're thinking of (usually the result of trauma early in life, often sexual or other child abuse, but not guaranteed), the psyche can generate "alters" that can be triggered into taking the wheel when the "main" personality cannot cope with the trigger. The alters may take on different mannerisms, styles of dress, gender roles, mental/emotional age, etc. Or the differences can be subtle.

The "best" part? This is one of the mental illnesses that medication doesn't work for, although that doesn't mean the person might not need something to help them through the sessions.

If it really is the roleplay that came first, you might be looking at a mild kink developing into a paraphilia, as the stimulus/reward cycle reinforces the desire or need to "put on the mask".

Or, the character could be on a slow climb into mania before the first long drop on the bipolar coaster. Add in a little psychosis for a big F-you to the character.

I know I'm not having her go suicidal, though it is tempting to let her 'evil' side come out to play...

Thanks guys, this gives e something to think about, and one I read everything you've posted I'll have something more to add to the thread.