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So, you want to roleplay an insane character, but you want to do it right. None of this "I'm the Joker if his parents were Dennis Rodman and Dexter". You're not an edgy. If you're called edgy, you might as well be a digital leper, because ain't nobody gonna roleplay with your mask-wearing axe-murderer. Well, if you'll accept my help, I've made a guide to help your purposes! Joy and rapture! Nevermore will you be called an edgy! Okay, sorry. That's a lie. Rule #1: Embrace the Edge You could make your mental roleplay entirely respectful, accurate, and subtle, but someone is still going to call you and edgelord, and if you came into this thread to learn how to not be called an edgy, you might as well go to a reddit subforum and ask how you can wear a beard and not be called a hipster. You're at a disadvantage coming out of the gate, and approaching by that angle will not help you or your fellow roleplayers. So, if you're committed to roleplaying a mental dysfunction, you're going to have to accept the "edge". You're a special snowflake by definition, and letting yourself be held back by trying to balance your roleplay on a standard that doesn't universally exist is just going to cause you pain. This isn't to say "Go ahead! Make Willy Wonka's serial killer clone!", but you'll be much happier accepting the title and going on with your life and not bashing your head on the conception. Rule #2: These are Real Problems that happen to Real People A "crazy person" isn't a monster or the butt of a joke. Approach the role with some respect and empathy: there are actual people that have or have had these issues your character is going through, and some of them play on this server are or are their loved ones. I'm not telling you to not "trigger" them, but there are a lot of misconceptions about mental illness, and crude archetype caricatures predicate these misconceptions. They have a brain, a history, a personality. They have interests, likes, and dislikes. They aren't defined by their disorders, and so would be the case with your character. Even if the disorder is debilitating, they are individuals. The disorder impacts them and the people around them, but they will often try to not let it rule them, even if they may fail. Rule #3: Know the Disorder This isn't to say that you have to have the disorder in real life, be a well-read expert with a degree in Abnormal Psychology, or have a fully-mapped artist's rendering of what your character's brain would look like under an MRI. But, for goodness sake, read up a little on the thing you're roleplaying! So often I see people roleplay something that they absolutely don't understand. They mess up the observable behaviors, or they mix up the names, or they magically get the disorder for no reason, or become completely cured because friendship is magic or therapeutic FTB or something else dumb. Do some light research at least. Google the name of the thing you want to do. Read the Wikipedia articles concerning it. Maybe read a few case studies. A really great resource I'd suggest to you more scholarly types: Watch Crash Course Psychology. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8dPuuaLjXtOPRKzVLY0jJY-uHOH9KVU6 It's well-written and produced, covers a great deal of psychology, learning, treatments, history, and even goes into detail on specific disorders, what causes them, and how they work. Consulting the production team is Dr. Ranjit Bhagwat, Ph.D., who is an actual licensed clinical psychologist in New York. So, not only could you improve your roleplay by watching these, but it could help you study for an upcoming Psych quiz. Rule #4: Your Character has Coping Mechanisms When confronted with their issue, your character isn't going to necessarily go ballistic or completely shut down from the situation. If they are a fully-adult elf that gets really bad cabin fever, they aren't going to run up and down the halls like a toddler on a tantrum. They've learned better. But they're going to sweat, they're going to *****, and they might snap with more stress and scream at someone for the heinous crime of turning the fork the wrong way. If you're afraid of groups, you'll remove yourself from them, but you'll start with the most innocuous method of doing so before you just hyperventilate yourself into a faint or scream bloody murder. If you tend to jump in real life when you jump in your dreams, you might sleep in a sleeping bag instead of a bed. If you have face blindness, you will try to learn people by their clothes, hair, or voice. And sometimes the coping is what's disrupting their lives and not the initial problem. If they are paranoid, they may attempt to hermit themselves from their loved ones or their duties. Not as dramatic as screaming "treason", but a court would notice a paranoid king's disappearance quite quickly. Rule #5: It Isn't Always Bad, and It Can Get Better As your character progresses, they might be thrown further down the rabbit hole, or they may stabilize themselves in ways you didn't predict. The problems they once had may even be entirely conquered (or perhaps just thought to be conquered and have not arisen for decades). And they aren't always on "Crazy Mode". Sometimes they're fine. Sometimes they're in a balanced or reasonable mood. Even in this crazy medieval world of war and dark magic, there are therapists, mental abilities, medications, and people your character can reach to for support. You might find a defining mental problem to your character in remission or even turned entirely around. Sometimes it's a long, slow process. Sometimes all it took was a revelation. Sometimes it's a combination of things. Let your character grow as the roleplay wills. You might be pleasantly surprised, even if you lose a trait you enjoyed playing before. Rule #6: This Roleplay is Difficult If I haven't rammed that into your head already by talking about motivations, coping, and research, roleplaying insanity is not a walk in a park. There's a reason we're impressed by actors who can get inside the head of someone with a debilitating mental issue. And it’s the same reason that, in tabletop games, some storytellers for Vampire: The Masquerade don’t allow Malkavian players, and some Dungeon Masters don’t allow anyone aligned Chaotic Neutral. It takes a lot of thinking and turning things off, and you have to come to realize that your character's mental processes might be entirely different than anything you've ever experienced. So many people seem to think "acting crazy" is "throwing a temper tantrum in the middle of Wal-Mart when I was six", because we call it the same thing colloquially, but it's not the same thing. A psychotic episode, epileptic seizure, or anxiety attack isn't a temper tantrum. There's more nuance, more fear, and control is fluid or volatile. It can be difficult--and even scary--getting that far disconnected from a normal thought process. But, despite all that, the experience can still make for a very rewarding gameplay. If you feel this guide helped you, awesome and I'm glad I could be of service. If not, soz, but at least you have a link to a good, quick, online psych course for future reference if you ever need it.

Character Name: Athena Aladar Nicknames: "A" Age: 24 Gender: Female Race: Elf Status: Alive but mentally unstable. Description: Height: 5'4 Weight: 116 pounds Body Type: She is very lean with a small frame. Eyes: Brown Hair: Purple Skin: White Markings/Tattoos: Deep scratches covering her arms. Health: Mentally unstable but overall physical health is fine. Personality: She has Multiple Personalities Disorder, Schizophrenia, and Bipolar Disorder. Athena switches on and off between a sociopath and a psychopath, the aliases 'Andrea' and 'Thomas'. Her Schizophrenia causes her to see things that are not really there, this in turn causes her to do irrational actions. Also, the imaginary voices in her mind influence her to hurt herself and others. She is paranoid easily and is convinced everyone is out to get her. She refuses to eat or drink anything that is given to her because of the off chance that it could be poison. She is very anti-social and prefers to be alone and in silence. Inventory: Athena carries two small daggers, a needle and dark red thread, rotten human flesh, and a diary. Lifestyle Alignment: Chaotic Evil Religion: Atheism Deity: N/A Alliance/Nation/Home: Athena owns a small tent near a lake. She belongs to no nation nor holds any alliances. Job/Class: N/A Title(s): N/A Profession(s): N/A Special Skill(s): She is very good at throwing daggers and shooting a bow. Also eating people. Flaw(s): Athena's mental disorders and her anti-social tendencies. Magic Current Status: N/A Arch-type: N/A Sub-Type: N/A Rank: N/A Weakness(es): N/A Strength(s): N/A Current Spell(s): N/A Weaponry Fighting Style: Throwing knives, eating people. Trained Weapon: Dagger and a bow Favored Weapon: Dagger Biography Parents: Dead Siblings: One brother who is now dead Children: None Extended Family: None Pet(s): None