Vengeance in Bloom: Science and Technology Development, eh…no, not really

This week, I’ve been working on ViB and though I was supposed to be working on the sciences and technology featured in the story I didn’t do that at all. The reason for this is because I don’t really have any special technology in the story and any unique sciences I have, like the Card and Aura Magic of one of my characters, are already detailed within that characters particular file.

After visiting a couple of the LB&LI workshops this week, I’ve been going over my character files tweaking things and making sure everything still feels solid. While going over my protagonist’s file I realized certain things about her psyche. Well, I always knew they were there but just hadn’t gotten around to researching them, so that’s what I did.

My protagonist has a couple of psychological issues she has to deal with and overcome Battered Woman Syndrome and a Dissociative Disorder. With the help of my wife’s critical eye and researching these issues, I hope to present them well in the story. Both appear to be very challenging, especially sense I’m a Male, but I am up for the challenge of course. It’s the only way to get better right?

Both of these psychological issues are very interesting but what stuck with me the most, from a writing standpoint is the Dissociative Disorder. After characters like Smegal in the Lord of the Rings, Tyler Durden in Fight Club, hell, even Sally Fields Sybil, I didn’t want to use a “Split Personality” element just yet. Thankfully, after digging a bit more into Dissociative Disorders, I found there are different types and I came across a version that fit my character perfectly.

It is called Depersonalization Disorder and it is defined as: Feelings of detachment or estrangement from one’s self are signs of depersonalization. Although these feelings are difficult to describe, individuals with this disorder will report feeling as if they are living in a dream or watching themselves on a movie screen. They feel separated from themselves or outside their own bodies. People with this disorder feel like they are "going crazy" and they frequently become anxious and depressed.