Emote This: Laughter

Of all the emotions we've contemplated at Come In Character, it's hard to believe that we've never before considered laughter.

No matter how serious our lives might get at times – what with all the demon slayings, band management troubles, romantic conundrums, and other dilemmas – it's important to make some room for a good chuckle, snort, or guffaw every now and again.

So, what makes you laugh out loud or snicker deep within? A favorite joke? A funny memory? An amusing observation about the human condition? Come on, authors and characters, let it all out! I'm sure we could all use a good laugh or two...

Emote This: Bad Day

We've all had bad days, haven't we? What do you do when life seems to be giving you lemons instead of lemonade? Do you seek distractions, solace, peace of mind? Or do you rant and plot revenge? Perhaps you call up a friend and pour out your feelings, or do you put on a brave face and pretend like everything is just fine?

Tell us, Characters, how do you handle a bad day?

Emote This: Paranoia

Many people think that paranoia is merely an excessive suspicion of other folks' motives. Other people believe something completely different. The author William S. Burroughs, for instance, once said, “sometimes paranoia's just having all the facts.”

However you define it, the truth is that all of us – men, women, demons, and other creatures – have probably experienced a touch of paranoia at one time or another.

Some of us are paranoid about gaining weight, no matter how delicious that key lime pie might taste.





Some of us are paranoid about leaving a drink unattended, for fear that a nefarious entity might try to poison us.




Some of us are paranoid about venturing into open water, where shark attacks and unexpected drownings are daily possibilities.




Some of us might even be paranoid about the strange and lethal beasts that dwell in the oddest of places...

So, what are you paranoid about? Or does nothing scare you at all?

Authors and characters are all welcome to share their deepest feelings of paranoia. After all, we're here to help... or are we?

Emote This: Nostalgia

Ah, nostalgia! That sense that time is passing and what is gone was somehow better than the here and now!

When you get nostalgic, what do you think of? Better food, like Grandma used to make? Lovelier fashions and higher quality? Gentler manners? Do you sometimes find yourself reminiscing about days gone by, or is the best still yet to come?

Today, let's get nostalgic!

Emote This: Disappointment

We all face disappointments in life. Sometimes love, work, friendships or family matters go awry and we're left with feelings of sadness and frustration.










How does disappointment make you feel? Does it make you want to flee to a dark room and hide, or does it inspire you to charge back into the fray and make things come out right? Do you have a strategy for dealing with disappointment?

Discuss!

Emote This: Passion

Since Valentine's Day is just around the corner, it seems appropriate to consider an emotion we've never before discussed: passion.

Some of us probably think of passion as an ardent devotion to someone or something – a spouse, perhaps, or an interest that continually enchants us. Others equate passion with seemingly uncontrollable emotions like anger and frenzy. Still others believe passion is akin to religious rapture, fervor, or zeal. But, of course, when most of us feel passion, it's of the romantic variety – ecstasy, desire, infatuation, perhaps even obsession.

No doubt, we've all felt passion at one time or another – passion for a sworn duty, a forbidden love, maybe even a bizarre hobby. So, now's the time to let it all out!

Authors and characters alike are welcome to share their passions – whether attainable or otherwise.

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P.S. Remember, we're having a Valentine exchange this weekend, so be sure to stop by and pass along a Valentine or two. And who knows? You might just find one waiting for you!

Emote This: Charity

Last week, in light of the frenzied Christmas shopping season, I challenged us to confess our greatest desires – the things we wanted most and hoped Santa would bring us. What I assumed would be a day filled with greed, however, soon turned into something else. There was talk of world peace, saving the environment, even the hope of making a new friend... and suddenly, I realized that the authors and characters that gather here can be a pretty selfless lot.

Like the Grinch Who Stole Christmas, I felt as though my heart grew three sizes in one fell swoop.

So, this week, I thought we could emote a much more positive aspect of the holiday season – not greed, but charity – not taking, but giving.

Tell me, everyone – what would you like to give this season, and to whom? Even if it’s just a handful of wild berries to a friend, it’s still the thought that matters, right?

It is the season of charity, after all.

Emote This: Greed

On Monday, we discussed some of our favorite childhood toys and games. Well, given that the Christmas shopping season is in full swing, I thought we might share our greatest desires – the things that we want most in this world... the things that Santa Claus might even bring us if we wish hard enough.

So, what do you want most?

A bushel of peaches?



A vineyard of your very own?



Perhaps a golf course?



Or a mansion surrounded by trees?



Or a seaworthy vessel to take you on a journey around the world?



Or maybe something else entirely?

Authors and characters, don’t be shy. Tell us what you most desire. It is the season of greed, after all.

Emote This: Celebration

After all our recent talk of Halloween, haunted houses, zombies, and death, I thought it might be nice to focus on Life for a change – and perhaps even celebrate our favorite things about it.

What – or whom – do you celebrate most in your own life?

Pretty flowers?











Yummy food?











Loved ones?











Something else entirely?











As always, authors and characters are welcome to share. So, let’s celebrate together!

Emote This: Mischief

Our recent trick-or-treat discussion has made me wonder about our collective capacity for mischief. Although most of us are fond of treats, quite a few of us have several tricks up our sleeves as well.

So, let’s fess up. What are some of the naughtiest things you’ve ever done?

For instance, have you ever teased an animal?



Have you ever swiped fruit from someone else’s property?



Have you ever been somewhere you shouldn’t have? (I’m talking to you, Buddy.)



Have you ever misbehaved in a church – or an equally sacred place?



Come on, everyone! It’s time to share your high jinks and shenanigans with the rest of the class.

Emote This: Silliness

This morning, I was looking over the emotions we’ve explored in recent months, and I made a curious observation. It seems that some of the negative feelings – like frustration, alarm, sadness, and fear – inspired more discussion than the pleasant ones – like happiness and joy.

I’m not certain what that says about us as a community. Maybe we just find it easier to talk about things that scare us, anger us, torment us, and make us crazy. Maybe we find it comforting to know that we're not alone in feeling out of sorts on occasion.

Well, today, I’m feeling particularly silly. I’m not sure why exactly. Perhaps it’s because I’ve been working on a book proposal for two weeks straight, and my mind is frazzled. Whatever the reason, I’ve got silliness on the brain – and a giggle fit isn’t far away. Guess we all deserve to let loose sometimes – dance a jig, laugh uncontrollably, do something we wouldn’t normally do.

So, what’s the silliest thing you’ve ever done? What makes you feel giddy? Goofy? Ludicrous? Foolish? Absurd? Maybe even a little juvenile?

Messy babies?



Wacky dancers?



Crazy Halloween costumes?



What?

Authors, characters, and lurkers, too – feel free to share your silliest moments with the rest of us! Don't be shy - we're all friends here (well, at least most of us are).

Emote This: Wonder

Recently, we discussed our earliest memories, and though some of them were rather sad, the discussion made me recall what it felt like to be a child, filled with wonder for the world around me. When I was a little girl, everything fascinated me: the varied faces, overheard conversations, movies and music and books... and so much more.


The beauty and serenity of the natural world amazed me.



Skyscrapers seemed to go on forever.



Even animals intrigued me – especially the big ones.



So, what filled you with awe and curiosity as a child, and what continues to captivate you in this or other worlds?

Authors and characters, feel free to share your most wondrous moments!

Emote This: Frustration

Hello, everyone!

Welcome to my first post on CIC. I’m tickled to be here – which might seem strange, considering that I’ve decided to focus on a rather nasty emotion today: frustration.

(As in, I'm frustrated that I'm so late posting today – sigh.)

Of course, it wouldn’t be the first time we've contemplated such a negative feeling at CIC. At other times, we’ve talked about jealousy, anger, sadness, fear, stress, and confusion – all of which can lead to frustration – for authors and characters alike. If we’re not careful, jealousy can urge us to resent our own place in life, anger can make us feel as powerless as a crawfish to change other creatures' behavior, and crippling emotions like sadness, fear, and confusion can turn into disappointment with ourselves.

Even our recent “training and education” discussion revealed a few frustrations in our little community, so I know I’m not alone in feeling frustrated at times.

So, what’s caused you frustration in the past – or at this very moment? An inability to do or have something you want? Someone else’s actions or words?

Litterbugs at a public beach?



Parking meters?



People who dress up their pets?



Well, what have you done to deal with such frustration? Or are you still a work-in-progress (so to speak)?

Authors and characters are all welcome to participate. I’m sure at least a few of us have a frustration or two. So, let’s hear it! Just remember, this is a community of acceptance – so let's try not to unleash our frustrations on one another.

Maybe if we air our troubles – and try to deal with them – we'll be able to sleep more easily in the future.

Emote This: Happiness

Let's have some feelings today! Not only that, but let's have some happy feelings! Usually when we talk about emotion in our stories, it's sadness, fear, anger; all the juicy difficult ones.


But there are also things that make us happy. Maybe you had something nice happen to you. Maybe you have people in your life that you love and who love you back. Maybe you noticed how beautiful the day is, and that made you feel happy, even for a moment.


Or maybe, (this being CIC after all), you're happy because you finally reached your quota of innocent souls to consume. That's okay (in fact, congratulations). Here at CIC we're open to happiness of all sorts. We're just happy that you're happy.


So, let us know. What makes YOU happy?

Emote This: Alarm!

Panic! Emergency! Fight of Flight!

This isn't ordinary fear. Perhaps it's an irrational, phobic reaction to something you know isn't really so terrible. Or maybe it's a conditioned response to a call to arms.

What kinds of things or situations make you feel alarmed?

Characters only, please.

Emote This: Sadness

Sadness. What makes you feel sad? How do you feel when you feel sad? Is it a yearning? An ache? A burning? Do you let yourself feel sadness, or do you cover it with other feelings?

Let us into your world. Tell us about when you feel sad.










Just in case.....

Emote This: Confusion

Yesterday's truly amazing masterpiece of drama reminded me, for some reason, of the emotion: confusion.

Let's talk about what makes you feel confused. What don't you understand? What's missing? What's not missing that should be? What does that mean - what's not missing that should be? Does that mean there is something that was there? or something that will be there? or something that could be there? or something that won't be there? What does that mean??????

Arrgghhh. I'm so confused!

So, tell us - what do you find confusing?

Oh, never mind all that - just tell us - what doesn't make sense to you? Isn't it all just sooo confusing????

Emote This: Embarrassment

What emotion would be appropriate after wild concerts, illegal actions and a masterpiece of degenerate corruption (our children's story......I'm so proud of us. Really.)

Let's talk about the morning after!

Embarrassment. What embarrass you? What memory have you resigned to the smallest corner of your mind never to be brought out in the light of day? Well - bring it on out! Let's hear it. We promise to be tactful and never use it against you. (except in public.)

So, come on - let's hear some emotion! Embarrassment!

Emote This: Joy/Playfulness

After yesterday's masterpiece of romance, I thought we could continue the good feelings.

What makes you feel joyful? Playful? Silly?

Tell us all about it! We'd like to hear some happy emotions today!

Emote This: Jealousy

Wednesday is tenatively Emotion Day. Now, we've done some basic emotions in the past - anger and fear.

Bo just made me think of a more complicated emotion - jealousy.

What makes you feel jealous? What colors you green with envy? Or are you more bothered by the fact that other people are terribly, horribly jealous of you?

So, come on - let's hear it. Let out that emotion!