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This is just like a lot of other topics we’ve made, except in this one, I want you, the author, to answer the questions, not your characters. I tried to find a topic that was like this already but I couldn’t so I made this.
You may also post your own character questions for other people to answer.
Here’s my first question: What are your character’s primary and secondary fear responses? Fight, flight, or freeze? (Or fawn too I guess, but in my mind that only applies to scary social situations and not if you’re being attacked by a monster or something)
Also, are there any examples of how this fear response shows up in different situations?
For example, my character Felicity’s primary response is fight, and this shows up very literally when she gets into physical fights whenever she feels threatened. I’d say her secondary response would be to freeze, but she is often too stubborn to give up fighting when it doesn’t work.
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I’m now realizing I have a different definition of fear responses than what’s usual. I think the question still works though.
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Ah, meant to answer this yesterday. For some characters I created recently enough… (haven’t told any of you about them yet, but I really love them right now.). I don’t have any direct examples of their fear response at the moment, though. ?
For Simon, his primary response would be flight. He never puts himself in a place to be attacked or threatened by anything, but he’s really a scaredy cat… (scared of literally everything, wouldn’t even trust a baby)… so flight would definitely be first. I guess second would be fight… because something in the back of his mind would be reminding him that he’s extremely powerful and doesn’t need to run. (but that would be after he already got away, so does that still count as a response…? ah, questions questions)
Yijun’s is response is fight. Scare the boy and you might be dead or injured pretty bad. After the unexpected death of his brother, the new heir Prince Yijun has become very alert of his surroundings, having a fear that someone may try to assassinate him as well. Second would be freeze.
Dandan’s is either freeze or flight. He has no power like the others, so fighting would be utterly ridiculous and useless, for him. He’d probably run… but, hmm. Start to run, but then remember his personal image and try to be cool while getting away from the attacker or whatever. Ah, seems right.
And lastly, Amihan’s is freeze. Freeze, crouch on the ground, shiver in her boots. Second would be flight.
wa wawawa waaaa
I actually have a question too, but I’ll ask it later. ? I think I might have forgot what it was anyway… oh boy.
wa wawawa waaaa
Oof I have to think about this.
I am out of signature ideas
Yijun sounds like an interesting character. What kind of setting is he from? The word prince immediately makes me think medieval, but that might not be right.
(but that would be after he already got away, so does that still count as a response…? ah, questions questions)
I think of the secondary response as what they resort to if the first response doesn’t work or isn’t possible. So he would fight if he got cornered probably? It’s whatever instinct they have before the logical part of their brain can kick in.
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Their story is inspired by Chinese fantasy… so… ancient China… mixed with elements of, like, Japan and Korea… and my own crazy fascinations. Something like that. XD
Ahh ok. Yeah, like if he were cornered.
wa wawawa waaaa
This is a great question! Now I have to think… and think…
Dalton: Primary=Fight. Secondary=freeze He’s a warrior, but also a squirrel. Some things never change. This does come in handy though, since most of the others have fight pretty low down on their instincts.
Viktor: Primary=Flight. Secondary=Fight. Pretty standard. He’s pretty protective of his siblings and will pull them out of perceived danger, but when cornered there’s no way anyone’s coming out without a black eye etc.
Reuven: Primary= Fight. Secondary= Flight. Also pretty standard, lol. He’s protective and his greatest fear is losing his family (to death, disappointment, failure to act on his part, etc.). So, freezing in fear is something of a nightmare to him. Thankfully, he has a powerful temper that usually carries him through most tense situations. (Or perhaps not thankfully…)
Alwin: Primary= Fawn. Secondary= Fight. He grew up in slavery and was pretty much a scapegoat for his extended family. In fact, in his last book, he’s beaten at least twice but doesn’t retaliate because he’s trying to protect his wife by being the target of interest. It’s not that he can’t or won’t fight – he does that too – it’s just that he tries not to make waves. So, if he can make sure that he’s the only one being injured, he’ll be less likely to fight off an attack.
And those are all guys… I’ll add a girl just because.
Winifrith: Primary= Fight (On the anger side, but usually only comes out in when she’s unsure what’s causing her to be afraid. Or if she suddenly comes face to face with an enemy she fears but also hates…). Secondary= Freeze. This is shown more mentally, I think. She gets overwhelmed and stalls.
You have listened to fears, child. Come, let me breathe on you... Are you brave again? -Aslan
Ooh interesting first question! Let’s see here… For my current WIP…
Audrey’s primary response is definitely freeze. She just needs to stop, take in the situation, and figure out what to do, although her fears and anxieties often drown out the voice of logic to begin with. And then her secondary response is flight. If she can’t control or figure out what to do with the situation, she’s outta there bro.
Clayton’s primary response is to fight, especially if it involves a threat to those he loves or cares about. I feel like he’d also be a good fighter, lol, because he’s a farmer boi. His secondary response would probably beeee… well, I could see him refusing to give up, but if he had to have a second response it’d probably be flight (pretty normal ig).
Write what should not be forgotten. — Isabel Allende
Their story is inspired by Chinese fantasy… so… ancient China… mixed with elements of, like, Japan and Korea… and my own crazy fascinations.
That sounds really cool!
I just finished reading a Brandon Sanderson book that was partially based off of Japan and ancient Korea and I really liked that style of world building.
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Reading everyone’s answers to this question is really fun. I should post answers for my own characters sometime soon.
But, in the meantime, a second question: How long would your character survive the zombie apocalypse?
(The first question is still open for answers, of course)
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I’m answering the zombie question first because it’s easier.
– Marcel can just fly up to the highest skyscraper and migrate whenever the zombies finally make it up the hundred-floor stairs. Hehe.
– Enid puts on war paint and goes out like a champ. She knows she won’t last long anyway. She probably finds a stage with speakers and makes this long speech about the human condition while she’s fighting them off – right up until she dies.
– Seb has low-key already survived a zombie apocalypse, or something very akin to it. So while I don’t think he would last forever because he’s a small guy and would exhaust himself, he’d last for 2-3 months so he can search for other survivors. He has innate abilities that are perfect for this kind of situation. Would be the person to find a broadcasting station and ramble loudly all day and night, hoping someone hears.
– Hugo would get too lonely too quickly. But it would depend on where he is. Like if he has a home base, somewhere to return to each night, he could survive for a month. Still goes crazy at the end and dies. But if he’s supposed to travel to avoid the zombies, I think he’d just give up in the first week. XD
– Barnes either dies in the first week from sacrificing herself trying to defeat them, or gets holed up in a cellar for the next decade looking for a cure. There is no in between.
I am out of signature ideas
In fact I like Enid’s instinctual response so much that it might just end up in her story anyway
I am out of signature ideas
I need to think about the fear responses.
How long would your character survive the zombie apocalypse?
I’m tempted to say they’d all be fine since they don’t seem to have much in the way of brains…XD
Ryla would try to feed them baked goods instead of brains and would die.
Ardon would probably die trying to protect Ryla, but if he didn’t, he would try to find a cure, and would die trying to test a failed first attempt.
Celarent would take advantage of everyone’s death to loot houses. He’d fake being a zombie for a while too, and would survive until they caught on to him.
Vyette’s only practical skills are fighting, which doesn’t really work if your opponent is already dead, and political negotiations, which would not work against zombies. She would die very soon.
Jorin would be trying to help refugees. He’d probably die sacrificing himself.
Iolyn’s only concern would be her little sister. The two of them would go into hiding in a library, where Iolyn would do a lot of research on zombies. They’d last for a while, but she’d probably die protecting Letty, (her sister), or Letty would be caught, and kill Iolyn when she refused to abandon her.
Ryla’s currently unnamed grandfather would rail to anyone who would listen about how the government created them expressly for the purpose of ruining Laerylia, and they had a secret lab where they performed illegal experiments on people, which is probably where missing people all end up, and how there isn’t a single human on that council that isn’t a disgusting excuse for a human being and they all ought to use the politicians as bait for the monsters while they fled, but of course they’re all hiding in secure places, not that they would have anything to worry about, since there isn’t a single one among them with a brain. He’d probably die protecting Ryla.
If it weren’t for Iolyn, Letty would try to befriend them.
Malzor would be the one controlling them.
Lotan would deploy the army, then fake his death and go into hiding with Oranya while they plot how to get rid of the zombies. They’d probably get killed together while spying on whoever’s controlling them.
That was too many characters…only the first 6 are POV characters. XD?For our Blessed Lady's sake, bring us in good ale!?
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