Tiny Dinosaur wanted to help out with awareness so he made a tiny presentation.
Suggestions for improvements are very welcome, he has never made a presentation about asexuality before and he wants to make sure he gets it right.
The experience is usually accompanied by a strong sense of familiarity and a sense of eeriness, strangeness, or weirdness. The âpreviousâ experience is usually attributed to a dream, but sometimes there is a firm sense that it has truly occurred in the past.
Chris Moulin, of Leeds University, asked 92 volunteers to write out âdoorâ 30 times in 60 seconds. He reported that 68% of the precipitants showed symptoms of jamais vu, such as beginning to doubt that âdoorâ was a real word. This has lead him to believe that jamais vu may be a symptom of brain fatigue.
Presque Vu
Presque vu is very similar to the âtip of the tongueâ sensation â it is the strong feeling that you are about to experience an epiphany â though the epiphany seldom comes.Â
Lâesprit de lâEscalier
Lâesprit de lâescalier (stairway wit) is the sense of thinking of a clever comeback when it is too late.Â
Capgras Delusion
Capgras delusion is the phenomenon in which a person believes that a close friend or family member has been replaced by an identical looking impostor. This could be tied in to the old belief that babies were stolen and replaced by changelings in medieval folklore, as well as the modern idea of aliens taking over the bodies of people on earth to live amongst us for reasons unknown. This delusion is most common in people with schizophrenia but it can occur in other disorders.
Fregoli Delusion
Fregoli delusion is a rare brain phenomenon in which a person holds the belief that different people are, in fact, the same person in a variety of disguises. It is often associated with paranoia and the belief that the person in disguise is trying to persecute them.
It was first reported in 1927 in the case study of a 27-year-old woman who believed she was being persecuted by two actors whom she often went to see at the theatre. She believed that these people âpursued her closely, taking the form of people she knows or meetsâ.
Prosopagnosia
Prosopagnosia is a phenomenon in which a person is unable to recognize faces of people or objects that they should know. People experiencing this disorder are usually able to use their other senses to recognize people â such as a personâs perfume, the shape or style of their hair, the sound of their voice, or even their gait. A classic case of this disorder was presented in the 1998 book (and later Opera by Michael Nyman) called âThe man who mistook his wife for a hatâ.
Have you ever read a book or seen a movie that had such great characters that even now, months or years later, you still think about them?
Thatâs the real magic of storytelling. Being able to write a character that sticks in someoneâs heart and mind all their life is incredibly exciting. Of course, what exactly sticks in a character for one person may be different for someone else.
But there are a few trends. If you study memorable characters that have endured over time, youâll find that certain traits show up again and again. This article contains 7 traits in particular that can help your characters carve a spot in the minds of readers (although there may be more than these 7!).
Before we get into the good stuff, let me start this off with two caveats.
First: donât make all of your characters all seven of these traits. In MOST cases, thatâs just bad writing (but there are always exceptions). Pick one, maybe two. Or none. Or bits and pieces of several! None of the things listed are set-in-stone the only way to have an enduring character. Theyâre just guidelines.
Second: donât assume that giving your characters one or two of these traits will instantly make them a great, well-rounded character. Itâs not that easy. Strong characters have a lot of complexity and need a lot more depth than what I can explain in just one list.
And with those warnings, I give you 7 Traits of Enduring Characters. I got this information at a writing conference and Iâm excited to pass on what Iâve learned.
1. An air of mystery.
Thereâs something about this character that we donât fully know. If your character has a dark past, itâs usually best to keep most of it in the darkâat least for the first half of the book. Donât tell us everything upfront. Make us wonder.
Example: Think of Strider (Aragorn) from The Lord of the Rings, the first time we meet him. Heâs dark and mysterious and up to something. We donât even know if heâs good or bad yet. Aragorn ends up fitting some of these other traits too, but right off the bat, this is the first one we see.
2. Worthy of redemption.
This can apply to anti-heroes, villains, or anyone else applicable in your story. Theyâre a big jerk, but a tiny spark of humanity can sometimes help bring them to life. Maybe theyâve got a soft spot for someone or something, or maybe they truly believe theyâre doing what theyâre doing for the greater good. It can even make your villains scarier, because it makes them harder to pin as nothing but an evil monsterâitâs not black and white like that. The real villains arenât always so obvious.
Example: This can become a really gray area of morality, since some characters do things so awful that some readers will NEVER forgive them, regardless of their redemption arc. But a character like Loki in Marvelâs Thor movies is a good example. His bitterness causes him to lash out and do awful things, but Thor still believes his brother is capable of redemption. He still sees the good in a family member who he loves so much.
3. Highly loyal, or highly treacherous.
Either you know you can trust them, or you know you canât. Obviously you canât give this trait to all of your characters. And actually, itâs not as predictable as you might think. Just because we canât trust someone doesnât mean we know what theyâre up to. Weâll be anticipating their move but completely unaware of what theyâre planningâwhich is actually a great place to build tension. As far as highly loyal, sometimes itâs nice to have that one character that is a âsafe spotâ for your character. You need to take breaks from the tension every now and then!
Example: Back to Lord of the Rings, we have Sam, who is infinitely loyal to Frodo. When Frodo is trying to leave the Fellowship and go on his own, Sam follows Frodoâs boat into the water even though he canât swim and almost drowns as a result. When the end is near and both are completely spent, Sam finds the strength to carry Frodo partway up the mountain. This incredible, selfless loyalty and friendship endears Sam to viewers.
Example: Queen Levana from the Lunar Chronicles fits the opposite side of the spectrum as someone highly treacherous. She is loyal to absolutely no one and will lie, manipulate, and mislead to get what she wants. She claims loyalty and faithfulness to her kingdom, but knowingly imposes harsh living conditions on the vast majority of her kingdom. She claims loyalty to the man sheâs in love with, but manipulates him just as much as everyone else and twists the promises she made him to her own benefit.
4. Consistent, but capable of surprises.
People are usually pretty consistent based on their personality traits. They tend to make choices based on their core values, which can vary a little, but for the most part they stay on the same route. At the same time, theyâre not flatâtheyâre capable of making an unexpected choice
Example: Since weâre talking about Lord of the Rings so much⊠how about Merry and Pippin? Theyâre consistent in their role of comic relief, and in the earlier movies, theyâre not capable of much (they donât have special skills or combat training). Despite this, they show themselves to be quick-witted and brave when the time calls for it and they pull of incredible, unexpected feats.
5. Highly self-sacrificing.
These characters accept the challenge. When no one else will volunteer, they step up. When it comes to the life of someone they care about, theyâre willing to risk their own welfare. This can make for an interesting read when we know theyâll give 100% when things get roughâeven die if they have to.
Example: One of the most obvious examples here is Katniss from The Hunger Games. She speaks up and volunteers for almost certain death to save her sisterâs life. This sort of knee-jerk reaction that she had to speak up is one of the first impressions we get of her, as readers.
6. Part of a love story.
This doesnât have to be a romantic love storyâjust any powerful relationship. The lengths your character will go through for their friend/lover/family member/etc can make them more enduring as a character, because of the worth in their relationship.
Examples: Romeo and Juliet; Katniss and Prim; or even Harry, Hermione, and Ron. Really, itâs more about the relationship and the lengths one will go to save/protect the other.
7. Succeed at the impossible.
They are an expert of their taskâthey can do things most couldnât dream of accomplishing. Sometimes thereâs a little bit of wish-fulfillment in a character meeting this trait, which is why you canât have it in every member of your cast. Occasionally, however, itâs nice to have someone whoâs really good at what they do.
Example: This describes a TON of main characters, especially in the fantasy and sci-fi genres. Think about Luke Skywalker, Katniss Everdeen, Frodo Baggins, Furiosa, Celaena Sardothian⊠the list goes on. Anyone whoâs overthrown an empire/government, anyone who saved the world from certain doom. Youâll also notice that many of these characters are an expert at a certain task or skill. When theyâre in their element, we have someone we can root for because weâre confident in their ability to come out on top.
A lot of iconic characters possess 2-5 of these traits, so rememberâyouâre not limited to one, and you donât have to squeeze in all 7.
Do you think there are any other traits that you see in memorable characters that should be included in a list like this? Which traits do you see in your own main characters?
Handwriting analysis, or graphology, produces a personality profile by studying a personâs handwriting. Hereâs how it pieces together a picture of the person âbehind the pen.â
1. Begin by looking at the handwriting in general. What are the outstanding features? How much emotional energy does the writer appear to have? This is determined by assessing how much pressure is applied by the pen to the paper. Is the writing light or dark? Heavy pressure and dark writing are associated with vitality and confidence
2. Check out the slant of the writing. This tells you something about the way the writer responds to external pressures. A right slant (////) indicates a person whose heart rules their head. Â They are caring, warm and friendly. A vertical slant (llll) indicates a person whose head rules their heart. This is someone whose emotions are controlled. A left slant (\) indicates an individual who hides their emotions, and is generally aloof, cold and detached.
(Image caption: Without the prion proteins, the so-called Schwann cells around the sensitive nerve fibers no longer form an insulating layer to protect the nerves. Credit: NatureReview / Neuroscience)
Impact of prion proteins on the nerves revealed for the first time
When prion proteins mutate, they trigger mad cow and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Although they are found in virtually every organism, the function of these proteins remained unclear. Researchers from the University of Zurich and the University Hospital Zurich now demonstrate that prion proteins, coupled with a particular receptor, are responsible for nerve health. The discovery could yield novel treatments for chronic nerve diseases.
Ever since the prion gene was discovered in 1985, its role and biological impact on the neurons has remained a mystery. âFinally, we can ascribe a clear-cut function to prion proteins and reveal that, combined with particular receptor, they are responsible for the long-term integrity of the nerves,â says Professor Adriano Aguzzi from the Neuropathological Institute at the University of Zurich and University Hospital Zurich. The present study therefore clears up a question that researchers have been puzzling over for 30 years, but ultimately went unanswered.
Prions are dangerous pathogens that trigger fatal brain degeneration in humans and animals. In the 1990s, they were responsible for the BSE epidemic more commonly known as mad cow disease. In humans, they cause Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and other neurological disorders that are fatal and untreatable. Meanwhile, we know that infectious prions consist of a defectively folded form of a normal prion protein called PrPC located in the neuron membrane. The infectious prions multiply by kidnapping PrPC and converting it into other infectious prions.
Absent prion proteins cause nerve diseases
For a long time, it remained unclear why we humans â like most other organisms â have a protein in our neurons that does not perform any obvious function, yet can be extremely dangerous. Aguzzi has spent decades researching this issue and examining the theory that animals without the PrPC gene are resistant to prion diseases. But what are the repercussions for the organism if the prion protein is deactivated?
A few years ago, Aguzzi and his team discovered that mice without the PrPC gene suffer from a chronic disease of the peripheral nervous system. The reason: The so-called Schwann cells around the sensitive nerve fibers no longer form an insulating layer to protect the nerves. Due to this insulating myelin deficit, the peripheral nerves become diseased, potentially resulting in motoric disorders in the motion tract and paralysis.
The researchers have now gone one step further in the lab: In a new study, Alexander KĂŒffer and Asvin Lakkaraju clarify exactly why the peripheral nerves become damaged in the absence of the prion protein PrPC. They discovered how the PrPC produced by the neurons docks onto the Schwann cells: namely via a receptor called Gpr126. If the prion protein and the receptor work together, a particular messenger substance (cAMP) which regulates the chemical interaction in the cells and is essential for the integrity of the nerveâs protective sheath increases. Gpr126 belongs to the large family of âG-protein-coupled receptorsâ, which are involved in many physiological processes and diseases.
30-year-old research question finally answered
This discovery solves a key question that has long puzzled neuroscientists and points towards future applications in hospitals. âIf you want to deactivate the prion protein PrPC fully for potential Creutzfeld-Jakob disease treatments, you need to know the potential side effects on the nerves in the future,â explains Aguzzi. Moreover, the present results on the effect of PrPC at molecular level could yield a new approach for peripheral neuropathy. Currently, there are only extremely limited therapeutic options for these chronic debilitating diseases of the nervous system.
I compiled most of the writing websites Iâve mentioned on my blog into one post. I find a lot of these sites useful, so hopefully they can help you out!
Imagination Prompt Generator: This give you a one-sentence writing prompt that will help you come up with ideas. I think it also allows you to set a ten minute timer for each prompt.
Wridea: I really like this site because you can write down simple ideas that you can organize later and put into a bigger project. You can share these ideas or the site will help you randomly match ideas. Itâs great for brainstorming and building a fully formed outline.
List of Unusual Words â Hereâs a site you can browse through that gives you a list of unusual words for every letting in the alphabet. If youâre looking to switch up your vocab, or looking to develop a way a character speaks, this is a good reference.
Picometer â Hereâs a writing progress meter that can be embedded on your site or blog. Thereâs also the Writertopia meter that shows word count/current mood.Â
Cut Up Machine: This website takes whatever words you typed or pasted into the box and rearranges your sentences. Itâs not practical for writing a novel, but it might help with poetry OR coming up with ideas. Experiment with it and see what you can come up with.
Orionâs Arm: This is a great website to use if you want to research worldbuilding or if you have science questions. There are tons of resources you can use.
Word Frequency Counter: If youâre finding that youâre using the same words over and over again, this website should help. Youâll be able to count the frequency usage of each word in your text. This should help you switch up the words youâre using and understand where the problem might be.
Phrase Frequency Counter: This is same site explained above, but it counts the phrases youâre using.
My Writing Nook: This allows you to write or jot down ideas wherever you are. You donât need to have your laptop in order to access it, so it might help you during this time. You can write as long as you have your phone.
Writer: The Internet Typewriter - This site lets you write, save, share, and/or convert your writing online. I tried it out and itâs pretty cool. It saves for you and is a great way to brainstorm or plan out some ideas.
The Forge - The Forge is a fantasy, creature, spell, and location name generator. Itâs awesome.
One Word: This site gives you one word to write about for 60 seconds. This should help you get started with your own writing and will work as a writing prompt to get you warmed up. Itâs a great way to get yourself motivated.
Confusing Words: Â On this site you can search through confusing words that often stump many writers. Itâs not a huge reference, but it should help you with some writing/grammar issues.
Hand Written Fonts: If youâre looking for great hand written fonts, this is a great reference. All of them are pretty awesome.
Tip of My Tongue â you know when youâre trying to think of a specific word, but you just canât remember what it is? This site will help you narrow down your thoughts and find that word youâve been looking for. It can be extremely frustrating when you have to stop writing because you get a stuck on a word, so this should help cut that down.Â
Answer all these questions and you should have a fully-developed character for your audience to connect with.
A strong character can carry a weak plot; but a strong plot canât carry weak characters
I donât know if this can be useful to anyone. Itâs not perfect by any means but perspective is a lot based on the artist own sensibility, I merely offer a starting point.
Where is the house? In the center of town? Lost in the woods? Set atop a hill overlooking the city?
What does the house look like? A Victorian mansion? A Hundred year old farm house? A condo built just a year ago?Â
What state is the house in? Is it maintained or left abandoned? Is it still furnished? Does someone still live in the house?Â
How do the locals perceive the house? Do they stay away or use it as a tourist attraction?
What local legends are spread about the house? Are they exaggerated by the locals or kept hush and only a few know the truth? What is said to happen in the house during the night? What happens to those you stay in the house? How old is the legend? Is it strongly believed or widely disregarded as falsehood?
Use the tag #Octoberspookywritingchallenge2016 to share your work!
The October Spooky Writing Challenge is a creative writing challenge. Each dayâs challenge will post at 10. A.M. EST. Participate in all the days, or just a fewâ the choice is yours. The challenges cover a wide variety of subjects including writing prompts, world building prompts, character prompts, writing with your OCs, and more!
You can find all the past daysâ challenges HERE.
Psychological manipulation is exploiting someoneâs mental or emotional state to influence them into doing things they otherwise wouldnât do, and then using that influence to gain benefits at the victimâs expense. And it is everywhere. Stores use it to get you to buy more expensive versions of the same item, restaurants use it to get you to spend more money, and your evil potions teacher uses it to make you fail his class. Abusers though, will use to it make you feel ashamed of yourself, make you blame yourself for their actions, and make it impossible for you to recognize the abuse and leave it.
Okay, I want a superhero story in which the superhero is one of those ânormal kid gets superpowers through freak accidentâ and goes out and fights crime, and of course runs into the supervillain at some point and tries to take them down. And the villain, a couple minutes into the fight, realizes theyâre fighting a literal child and just has an internal freak-out about this new development. Because, fine, Iâve got plans to steal all of the worldâs largest gems and Iâm generally not a nice person, but holy fuck thereâs a kid coming at me. This is a kid. I canât with this.
So the supervillain instead of trying to kill/hurt their nemesis goes through all these complicated plans to trap them or put them to sleep or stick them in a large tank or something so they can go ahead with it. Sometimes it works and the supervillain spends a harried half hour lecturing the superhero about maybe going to school and being safe instead of doing this, that would be nice.Â
The supervillain staying up at night occasionally wondering if the tiny superhero is out there trying to get themselves killed right this moment. The supervillain sending supervillain henchmen ninjas out to tail the superhero and help out if it ever looks like the superhero is going to get killed. The supervillain takes to pacing around and muttering to themselves occasionally about PARENTING and RESPONSIBILITY and how they never signed up for this shit. Actually petitioning their version of the Justice League to have someone step in and do something about this, that kid has to be like twelve and what is everyone thinking???? Bonus points if the kid has no parents and the villain finds this out and spends a night internally screaming about it.
Basically I want a supervillain unwittingly becomes the super worried parent of the kid who is actively trying to foil their every plan and topple their evil regime.
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