Subj:    [theBardicCircle] GREY MATTER EXERCISE FOR THIS WEEK

Date:    8/2/01 10:56:27 AM Eastern Daylight Time

 

Fellow Circlers,

 

Your assignment for this week is to interview one of your own characters. If you write original fiction, this will be easier for you than for those of you that may only write fan fiction. If this is the case with you, take a lesser-used minor character from whatever fandom you write in and interview them. No matter the case, be sure and tell us if your character is one of your own making or if they "live" in a fandom (and which one). Interview them as if we had never met them, we want to know who they are, what motivates them, why they do what they do (whatever that is), what makes them sad, happy or ecstatic. Imagine yourself as Murphy Brown or Barbara Walters if it helps.

 

If it's easier for you, you can do what Murphy has been doing, interview a writer of your choice; just be sure and let us know this is what you are doing in your post.

 

No matter which way you attack this, remember you have until Thursday August the 9th to complete and post this assignment.

 

Tale

 

* * *

Hero Worship, Gone To Far

 

Disclaimer:  Okay, I couldn’t stop myself, and so this is what you get.  First I want to say that I ain’t stealing from those guys who made Xena (note the past tense usage).  Second, any similarities to real or not so real people was strictly intentional.  And lastly, if you really want to understand this bit I’ve got below, you really should go read my very short story called ‘Hero Worship’< http://blindzonelyzon.faithweb.com/HeroWorship.html>.  This whole mess might make more sense if you do.  Otherwise, just have at it. 

 

 

 

Publication:  Psychology Yesterday, June 453 BC. 

 

August, 454 BC, the time of year when most warlords are returning home from the many months of pillaging and plundering, and begin to settle into their winter homes to recuperate.  Xena, Warrior Princess, had returned to her fortress for some much deserved rest and relaxation, only to have her peaceful existence disturbed by a fan gone fanatic. 

 

The quickly escalating trend of stalkers has risen significantly over the past decade.  The mentality that changes an ordinary fan into a deranged stalker is yet still unknown.  What is that fine line?  How do these people abandon a normal way of life only to embrace the unreal and then call it their own?  These are just some of the questions that Healer De Mencia are hoping to answer as he continues his groundbreaking work and delves into the mind of a stalker. 

 

 

Psychology Yesterday: Healer De Mencia, I want to thank you first for taking time to meet with me and share with our readers what you have learned about the fanatical mind of Gabrielle of Potedia, the obsessed fan of Xena, Warrior Princess who gained entry and assaulted this fine warlord after a long and most strenuous battle campaign. 

 

Healer De Mencia: No, zank you.  I find zis most faszinating ung zis gives me da chance to share mit others vat I have learned from a most interestink zubject. 

 

PY:      By the way Healer, you have quite an unusual…accent.  May I ask what part of Greece you are from? 

 

HM:    (laughing) My dear girl, I vas jist at ze healer for mine teef und he azzured me dis zide effect from da herbs he gave me, should be veering off in no time.  Zee, itz getting better already. 

 

PY:      Oh, pardon me Healer. 

 

HM:    (still laughing)  No prrroblem. 

 

PY:      I want to begin by asking, how is Gabrielle doing today?  The last thing we heard about her was of her arrest for the oscalative assault upon Xena, Warrior Princess.  That was some 9 months ago, is she doing any better? 

 

HM:    It has been a very slow process, but we are beginning to see some improvement with Ms. Gabrielle.  When she first came to us at Athena Asylum (AA), we were forced to restrain and sedate Ms. Gabrielle due to her compulsive kissing behaviors bestowed upon  our taller nurses.  Ms. Gabrielle was in such a deluded state, a fixed fantasy as it were, that she saw the image of her misplaced affections in anyone over 5’9” and having breasts. 

            (Laughing) Which became a steady  joke with poor ole Malachi.  The man really needs to work out more and define his pecs.  You’re not going to print that are you?  

            Anyway, Ms. Gabrielle spent approximately the first two months at AA in either physical or medical restraints.  The latter was more effective, we determined, after observing Ms. Gabrielle’s acting out behavior had increased so that the leather straps used for the safest restraint, were being applied more and more frequently.  That girl definitely has a thing for leather.  (chuckling) 

 

PY:      Um, okay?  So Healer Mencia, you are now saying Gabrielle is no longer in restraints of any type, can you tell us a bit more about her fanatical behaviors and what role, if any, did the internet play in this young woman’s fixation? 

 

HM:    Are you kidding me?  The internet!  That blasted form of communication will be the downfall of civilization!  Bringing people closer together, HA!  All it will do is bring out the crazies and give them a forum to express themselves.  Had it not been for the internet and Ms. Gabrielle’s seeking Ms. Warrior Princess out, and successfully being able to communicate with her via email, well Ms. Gabrielle would most likely have remained at the plateau of obsession rather than crossing that line into…NUTBALL! 

 

PY:      So you are saying Healer, that the internet is to blame here?  Not Gabrielle herself? 

 

HM:    (sighing deeply)  What I am saying is, Ms. Gabrielle can be viewed not only as the assailant of Ms. Warrior Princess, but she is also a victim as well.  Her obsession with this most charismatic warlord would have lasted on average about 4 to 9 months.  This information is based upon Healer Poppazitius’ research with adolescents and their idolizing of public figures.  Ms. Gabrielle has a history of idolization as is evidenced in her earlier obsessions with Buffius the Bachae Slayer, that chick with a funny accent…what’s her name?  Lefemminus Nikitalov.  And we can even look back into Ms. Gabrielle’s youth and find the obsessive traits with  Tuba Telius those frigging weird things, what the hell was that all about anyway? 

            Anyway, my point is, Ms. Gabrielle’s obsession would have petered out as they had done so on previous occasions, however the internet allowed her to have contact with that person she admired, fantasized about, and well, finally went after.  Ms. Gabrielle has the diagnosable disorder of Obssessional Fixation Lingering with Objective Vicarious Emotive, also known as O.F.L.O.V.E.  We have only recently been able to recognize and diagnose such a disorder, it is fairly new but is becoming more wide-spread with the growing popularity of the internet and its use by public personalities to gain more intimate acces with adoring fans.  What we have now seen is a result of impressionable, albeit somewhat deluded, minds no longer distinguishing between reality and fantasy…thus we have fanatics. 

 

PY:      As this disorder becomes more prevalent in our society, it would be obvious to say that more people will be effected by this, not just public personas.  In your opinion, what is the recommended treatment for O.F.L.O.V.E.? 

 

HM:    We at AA have learned a great deal by treating Ms. Gabrielle, and although we feel our findings are in its infancy, we do believe there is a fundamental 12 step program to wellness.  However, we have only figured out the first two steps thus far. 

 

PY:      Healer, would you care to share these first two steps with our readers? 

 

HM:    Sure, why not.  Let’s see…let me just check my notes…oh, here we go, Step 1: You put your right hand in, you put your right hand out, and then something about shaking it all about.  Oops, my bad, that would be the directions for some new fangled dance  one of my colleagues has come up with…that Hokius Pokius is such a hoofer, I think he missed his true calling, but our patients at AA do put on the best pageants, you really should come see them sometime…I think the next one is…

 

PY:      Healer Mencia?  You were saying about Step 1? 

 

HM:    Ahh, right, Step 1.  This would involve the removal of the obsessional stimulus from the effected deluded mind by whatever means necessary.  We at AA have tried a variety of methods and the most effective has been the use of fermented fruits with persistent imbibement to the point of saturation and intoxication.  We find the mind is far more pliable to suggestion at this point, and therefore, the altering of thought much more plausible. 

As in the case of ms. Gabrielle, her obsessional thought process was very fixed and I don’t mean like unbroken…sheesh, talk about a loony tune…anyway, when she first came to us, we feared for Malachi’s safety, due to Ms. Gabrielle’s transference of obsessional thought onto him.  You see, Malachi is quite a fetching fellow with that long, dark hair and all, it is obvious why he became the focal point for Ms. Gabrielle’s fixation. 

We noted the results of said fermentation of fruit in Healer Alcoholium’s usage and thought, ‘what the heck, it can’t screw up this whacko anymore than she already is,’ so we gave her a shot.  We noted after several applications a sedating effect upon Ms. Gabrielle and a calming state replaced the previously persistent puckering.  Ms. Gabrielle thoughts seemed to become more lucid over a period of time with regular dosing of the fermented fruits.  As in Healer Alcoholium, we noted Ms. Gabrielle take on an air of indifference to that which previously occupied all her waking thoughts. 

By end of month 5, Ms. Gabrielle neither made any attempts to kiss Ms. Warrior Princess’ image that we showed her, nor did she attempt to go after Malachi anymore.  Much to his, and his partner’s,  relief. 

It was at this time we decided to lessen the dosing, just to see what would happen, and we noted an increase in agitation in Ms. Gabrielle’s behavior as well as her self-report of pink pacaderm parades and insect infestations.  None of which was verified by any other patient or staff and would seem highly unlikely since we are not in the pink pacaderms migratory path, and bugs, that’s just silly. 

 

PY:      It would seem that resuming the previously effective dosing of the fermenting fruit would then be most beneficial to Gabrielle in her ongoing treatment? 

 

HM:    Yeah, you tell that to Healer Alcoholium and then you try to get at his stash!  It was a real bitch, but we finally got at it when he was passed out.  One of the positive side effects to this product. 

 

PY:      I see, then after Step 1, what course of treatment did you persue with Gabrielle? 

 

HM:    When we no longer needed the physical or medical restraints, we attempted to use a variety of cognitive therapies with Ms. Gabrielle.  All attempts failed, she was unwilling to ‘talk out’ her problems.  It wasn’t until we came across a research study by Healer Pavlovius, first conducted upon his village idiot and later validated with his pet dog, that a series of rewards for modeled behaviors would be most effective with Ms. Gabrielle. 

 

PY:      This would then be Step 2? 

 

HM:    Atta girl, good deductive reasoning there.  Have you ever thought of becoming a researcher?  We have this theory, about apes one day ruling mankind, and we need to test…

 

PY:      Healer, you were saying about Step 2 and Pavlovius’ finding? 

 

HM:    Yes, right, Step 2.  We needed to find a reward system for Ms. Gabrielle that would most effectively cause change in her already inherent behaviors and replace it with a newly  learned one.  In other words, we found out what her carrot was and then dangled it in front of her.  I love my job!  (giggling) 

 

PY:      Step 2 then would be…? 

 

HM:    A series of rewards for appropriate and acceptable behaviors demonstrated by Ms. Gabrielle resulting in the termination of her obsessive actions towards Ms. Warrior Princes.  And, holy Hermes, did we find what works for her…she’s a very kinky girl, the kind you don’t bring home to mother. 

 

PY:      Oh really? 

 

HM:    Let’s just say, we caught onto it in those first few weeks she was being restrained.  I’d have thought she would have been more the lace type, but nooo, not her, definitely leather.  Does kinda explain the whole warlord fixation though. 

 

PY:      Well, um, thank you Healer De Mencia for that…insightful look into the mind of a fanatic.  I think we have gained new knowledge here today and hopefully, as we learn more of this disturbing disorder, we will be able to identify the triggers and warning signs of the obsessive onset. 

 

HM:    The pleasure was all mine, and if you want to keep abreast of my work with Ms. Gabrielle, please check out my website:  http//obsessionbycalvinkleinius.org  

Research is funded by the generous donations of that marvelous designer Calvin Kleinius.  If it weren’t for him, perfume by any other name would be called…something else I guess.  Oh, and just  let your readers know, I always answer my emails myself. 

 

 

Article Submitted by:  Lara Mitchellena, a free lance writer and member of the Greecian Psychiatric Association (GPA).