Feral Heart

I agree with this post. I don't even speak freely about my run-ins with mental health, and yet I feel like some of these people who create these insane, evil characters discuss it way too much, whether in RP or out of character. At this point, I consider it a warning sign of someone who has stereotyped mental illnesses. I believe it to be a harmful thing, because at some point impressionable people are exposed to characters like this, and they end up with this mindset that mentally ill people are violent and/or aggressive. Now, in FH, it seems like an epidemic. Having a mental illness doesn't even make a character evil, as I suspect these kinds of people believe. They just want an evil character. It's possible to have an evil character who isn't mentally ill.

However, I don't want to discourage anyone from having genuinely thought-out characters with accurate portrayal of mental health issues. In fact, I'd support that. Anyone who asks me about my problems in a decent way, because they're curious or for research purposes, will get an answer. My idea is to guide someone who is stereotyping towards a better solution - understanding why the character is the way they are, what contributed to their illness (genetic or environmental), and the more accurate reactions to stimuli.

This is a very interesting post, one which I agree with quite a bit. Thank you for sharing it.

I keep it brief. Five sections. Name at the top, explanation of name if it's a warrior cat. First section is basics (age, gender, allegiance, that deal). Family and friends come next. Then romance. Likes, dislikes. Finally, extras, like theme songs and trivia, which usually stays short.

That's about it for bios with me. It works pretty well.