Topic: What drives a person truly insane?? (Read 5291 times)

rogue_77 · « **on:** September 16, 2006, 03:17:30 PM »

Awhile ago I wanted to start writing short stories, just for something to do. I sat and wondered about what kind of stories and have always found myself really enjoying first person narrative. So I picked horror as I feel that could best be done in that manner. Once I picked horror I started trying to think of and make a list of all the things that could drive a man truly insane or just make him lose his mind.. I talking truly.. Not just like lost my keys and I'm pretty pissed.. I'm talking truly make him wacked out of his gourd, talking to himself, possibly multi-personality disorder.

So far my list includes:

Being hunted
executed
tortured
exploring ruins(ala HP Lovecraft style)
the unknown
getting lost
"the rage"
being dissected
being trapped in the darkness, losing your mind, then being found
being forced to kill
be experimented on
insomnia
isolation
mindfu!k
guilt
jealousy
your own past

That is my current list. A couple you may not understand because they are my own terms for something, but I think you may get the jist.

Let me know if you think of any other ones. Which do you think may be the strongest factors?

Evonus · « **Reply #1 on:** September 16, 2006, 05:20:34 PM »

extreme repetition would be another one. Like running through the same room 50 times.

dcrog · « **Reply #2 on:** September 17, 2006, 08:56:56 AM »

I'm not sure about insane, but being executed would certianly make you lose your mind.

That was your second option from above.

derry · « **Reply #3 on:** September 18, 2006, 10:53:47 AM »

Being locked in a 3 ft. x 3 ft. x 3ft. steel cage located in a dark and damp basement...with no visible light and only the faint sound of dripping water.

Crystalmonkey · « **Reply #4 on:** September 18, 2006, 01:20:05 PM »

Strapped to a table with a single drop of water falling on your forehead every second or two.

pbsaurus · « **Reply #5 on:** September 18, 2006, 03:13:56 PM »

Being forced to ride the It's A Small World ride at Disneyland over and over and over again.

Agent_Tachyon · « **Reply #6 on:** September 19, 2006, 12:39:50 AM »

There's always the old standby of child abuse that worked for good old American serial killers for decades, but thanks to good old Hollywood it seems crazy people need genuine super-villain origins. I think that bad relationships with mommy turned out enough lunatics, and that's a good place to start. It's interesting to note that any number of different disorders have been caused by fucked up relationships with parents.

BizB · « **Reply #7 on:** September 19, 2006, 12:01:27 PM »

Quote from: pbsaurus on September 18, 2006, 03:13:56 PM

Being forced to ride the It's A Small World ride at Disneyland over and over and over again.

...or just once.

TheJudge · « **Reply #8 on:** September 19, 2006, 12:05:46 PM »

Walking on BizB's lawn truly make him wacked out of his gourd

xolik · « **Reply #9 on:** September 20, 2006, 09:01:56 AM »

Having to moderate HN.

scribcake · « **Reply #10 on:** September 20, 2006, 09:17:16 AM »

Immersing yourself so much into an alternate reality (i.e. RPG's or some other fantasy) that you believe that the rules of that reality apply to real life.

This may sound wierd but I have a friend, he works as a network admin down in Texas, that this actually happened to

Luckily he was able to get over it

Demosthenes · « **Reply #11 on:** September 20, 2006, 10:52:41 AM »

Quote from: xolik on September 20, 2006, 09:01:56 AM

Having to moderate HN.

That wink implies you are joking. I assert, sir, that you are in fact not.

dcrog · « **Reply #12 on:** September 20, 2006, 10:58:33 AM »

Quote from: Demosthenes on September 20, 2006, 10:52:41 AM

That wink implies you are joking. I assert, sir, that you are in fact not.

I thought he meant that's what put you over the edge.

Demosthenes · « **Reply #13 on:** September 20, 2006, 11:01:40 AM »

I went over that edge long before HN existed, my good man. That was my main qualifying factor for moderatorship there.

dcrog · « **Reply #14 on:** September 20, 2006, 11:13:56 AM »

That must be why CG wouldn't let me be one.

pbsaurus · « **Reply #15 on:** September 20, 2006, 12:20:44 PM »

There are no moderators there now. Nor much of anything else for that matter.

Demosthenes · « **Reply #16 on:** September 20, 2006, 12:26:20 PM »

I'm not feeling well today, so I just banned 15 or 20 users over there.

For some reason, that didn't make me feel any better.

TheJudge · « **Reply #17 on:** September 20, 2006, 01:26:20 PM »

Quote from: Demosthenes on September 20, 2006, 12:26:20 PM

I'm not feeling well today, so I just banned 15 or 20 users over there.

For some reason, that didn't make me feel any better.

That's because they were of no consequence. You need to ban someone important. Like me!

xolik · « **Reply #18 on:** September 20, 2006, 01:27:21 PM »

If I were a mod over there, I'd probably go on a huge banning spree before turning the banhammer on myself.

pbsaurus · « **Reply #19 on:** September 20, 2006, 03:42:04 PM »

I don't think the software lets one ban oneself. I think I tried to do that at BC back when it was a vb board.

brandon85 · « **Reply #20 on:** September 22, 2006, 02:19:58 PM »

Most of these sound pretty crazy.

Let me know when you come out with this short story. I am very interested.

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Author Topic: What drives a person truly insane?? (Read 5291 times)