I’ve said it before and I’ll probably continue to, but I love writing. It’s a great way to explore human character. All the ups and downs, how feelings lead to actions and how the people we write about are products of the past experiences. And one of the things, I think, that makes a believable character is inner demons.

There’s all manner of things that could create those demons. Someone close to you died, you were abused, maybe you killed someone on accident. My friend has a great post about what makes a man. I recommend reading it. Her and I have done a lot of rp’s together to really piece together the history of these characters.

Of all the characters, though, Charlie has the worst case. He’s a very happy character, but when he gets angry, think Hulk. He gets into this, well, not quite towering rage, but it’s really bad. Charlie describes it as his dark place. He goes deathly cold, stops caring about everything around him, and kills everything in his path. Invariably afterwards, he throws up and he hates himself for that.

This is a clip from an rp. Mind you, he’s babbling, but he’s never put it in words before, that feeling when he gets angry, and why he doesn’t like it.

“I know everyone talks about their inner demons, but it’s worse for me. It isn’t just a feeling. It’s like… these voices inside that tell me how horrible everyone is. And I mean everyone,” Charlie said, looking at Mac. “How everyone is against me and they don’t love me and Phillip and Josh drive them back but they aren’t gone. They’re hovering, waiting. I see them in my dreams as actual demons. I don’t know if I let them in when I was captured or if they started growing after Mom died and I started putting on happy faces for everyone. Either way, when I get angry, even just a little, I feel them pushing and prodding at me.”