Ireth
Myth Weaver
I have a RP character, Chim, who is currently trapped in another world. He wound up there by accident when travelling alongside the villainess' disguised henchman, in complete ignorance that the villainess or her henchman even existed at all. Said henchman had been sent out looking for an escaped captive, and found Chim on the search, then decided one was as good as the other to bring back to his superior.
Chim was freed by a friendly denizen of the other world, and took up refuge in a forest where he met more friends. The villainess, meanwhile, is spreading her evil into Chim's home world, seeking to conquer it alongside her own, something Chim knows nothing about and can do nothing about. The villainess will eventually be defeated in Chim's home world, and the gateway between the two will close. Unfortunately for Chim, that means he's still trapped in the other world, with no way to get home. Needless to say, he is none too pleased.
Fast forward three years' time in the world Chim is trapped in (which is only a matter of weeks in his home world, during which far more interesting things happen to other characters), and he is now very depressed. My trouble is, I'm not at all sure how to portray it. I know the common symptoms -- lethargy, lack of will to do simple things like eating and taking care of himself, no enjoyment in what he used to find fun -- but it's getting into that mindset that's going to be hard. The timeskip is also part of the problem, which unfortunately can't be solved easily.
I do not intend to RP three years of a spiral into depression where nothing happens that's at all relevant to the plot in Chim's home world; it's only after the three years have passed that another gateway opens, and people from Chim's home world stumble into the other one and meet Chim. Then they all go adventuring to defeat the henchman-turned-new-villain, who has risen up in place of his defeated mistress, before returning to their home world together. I intend for Chim to work his way slowly up out of depression during that time, helped along by his new friends and the hope of being able to go home again. The process may not be complete by the time he's home, but at least there'll be progress. Hopefully.
tl;dr -- How the crap do I handle showing a character with depression, and getting him out of it in the midst of adventure?
Chim was freed by a friendly denizen of the other world, and took up refuge in a forest where he met more friends. The villainess, meanwhile, is spreading her evil into Chim's home world, seeking to conquer it alongside her own, something Chim knows nothing about and can do nothing about. The villainess will eventually be defeated in Chim's home world, and the gateway between the two will close. Unfortunately for Chim, that means he's still trapped in the other world, with no way to get home. Needless to say, he is none too pleased.
Fast forward three years' time in the world Chim is trapped in (which is only a matter of weeks in his home world, during which far more interesting things happen to other characters), and he is now very depressed. My trouble is, I'm not at all sure how to portray it. I know the common symptoms -- lethargy, lack of will to do simple things like eating and taking care of himself, no enjoyment in what he used to find fun -- but it's getting into that mindset that's going to be hard. The timeskip is also part of the problem, which unfortunately can't be solved easily.
I do not intend to RP three years of a spiral into depression where nothing happens that's at all relevant to the plot in Chim's home world; it's only after the three years have passed that another gateway opens, and people from Chim's home world stumble into the other one and meet Chim. Then they all go adventuring to defeat the henchman-turned-new-villain, who has risen up in place of his defeated mistress, before returning to their home world together. I intend for Chim to work his way slowly up out of depression during that time, helped along by his new friends and the hope of being able to go home again. The process may not be complete by the time he's home, but at least there'll be progress. Hopefully.
tl;dr -- How the crap do I handle showing a character with depression, and getting him out of it in the midst of adventure?
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