What do you do when you feel hate against you for no reason at all? When someone just feels wrathful, red evil anger, vicious intentions towards you and you can't gauge why that would be or any way around it, or any solution to it aside from a full on confrontation but you know that would cause more trouble than it's worth… So what do you do? - run, hide, avoid?
This happens in real life of course but it's also a great way to visualise how a vulnerable character feels when pursued and hounded. Put yourself in their place and write from their perspective. Excellent for horror writing or something involving a wild animal, vengeful spirit, a monster, or a serial killer.
Then there's the other side of the coin: feeling that red cloud of hatred yourself. When I was much, much younger and stupider, when I got REALLY angry my vision would go red and I would become a Tasmanian devil of viciousness with no control… Except like the real Tasmanian devil I was pretty small so only a danger to other people my size. Eventually I decided to grow out of that and practice cold restraint instead because I reasoned it can only escalate and lead to disaster.
It's interesting to put yourself in the place of someone who feels that level of wrathfulness, whether it's justified wrath or not, so you can write your antagonist better, or even visualise the vengeful hate of your protagonist towards their adversary!
The short story “First Hate” by Algernon Blackwood addresses this subject nicely. Two strangers go on a hunting trip together and for no reason at all they just feel an unreasoning, unspoken hatred for one another. It's basically “hate at first sight”, so they they know one of them is not going to return from the hunting trip.
Useful? Let us know about your own experiences with the red cloud, fictional or real.
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UNREASONING HATE
Ozoneocean at 12:00AM, May 24, 2024
6 likes!
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PaulEberhardt at 12:19PM, May 26, 2024
I know this red veil all too well from my own childhood. When it takes control, it takes full control, and even someone stronger mopping the floor with you won't change that, it just makes it worse. Once I realised at a tender age how embarrassingly ridiculous I must have looked like to everyone else, I kicked that habit, and today, as an adult, I even got a reputation for being a bastion of calm that can't be phased by anything. Of course, that's not strictly true. Everyone has a hidden trigger somewhere, count on it! The thing is, I've managed to jam most of my triggers and hide them well. It's a matter of practice, really, which some people might call meditation techniques or whatever you like. I think exploring either, the red veil or gaining inner peace by purposefully letting off steam, is a great thing to do in comics. No other medium can show what's going on emotionally as well as comics can.
PaulEberhardt at 6:26AM, May 25, 2024
I love drawing characters who completely snap, perchance to go berserk, by the way, and I think it works best in cartoons, because cartoon characters are always a bit child-like in some ways. It just fits. With my main character I also like giving this trope a twist, by showing her giving the red veil free reign for a second in order to vent, and afterwards proceeding to serve the dish of revenge the way it should be served: ice cold. The old Klingons knew what they were talking about.
Ozoneocean at 3:51AM, May 25, 2024
@tantz- that reminds me of when I was a little kid, a boy said something mean about my sister and the red veil came down over my vision and I went for him. Lept on his back and started hitting him 😅 there were other incidents over the years but protection of family members is a very strong driver! I think of it in terms of inbuilt instincts taking over, like a cat that diddly starts attacking for no reason or a bear defending her cubs- it's hard to control instinctual drives like that, especially when you're young.
Tantz_Aerine at 10:25PM, May 24, 2024
Once when I was around 20-ish, a person I won't name right now attacked my mother out of the blue. I remember watching myself from outside my own body running down some stairs shrieking, and attacking him. If a paramedic wasn't already there to get between us I would have gouged out his eyes or he'd have snapped my neck. I say that because I attacked with that intention, swiping at his face, and because he also attacked me back with that intention and bent my hoop earring I was wearing at the time (he had longer reach and the paramedic stopped my attack first). That's the only time I remember seeing literal red.
plymayer at 8:22PM, May 24, 2024
The sad fact is some people are going to like you and other people going to hate you. Sometimes for no reason. Often people I have just met hate or love me for no real reason. Hopefully most hold off until they get to know me. My room mate of almost a decade often threatens to kill me (gut me like a fish). She is recovering from drugs and alcohol. Although she's getting better (we hope) I believe her threats might come true. If something should happen to me you'll all have to decide who gets my comix, comic books and massive porn collection across many mediums.
Banes at 3:12PM, May 24, 2024
On a couple occasions I've gotten mad enough to confront someone. I've regretted it each time. Glad I never attacked anyone physically. It was always when someone was keeping me stuck in a situation I couldn't get out of. Otherwise I would just walk away. One time in particular I could feel the muscles on my face BUBBLING I was so angry, haha. Probably been mad a few times when I COULD walk away, or when nobody knew. Then I'd just go seethe sitting in the car, or yell (again, sitting in the car haha).Thank heavens for the car...
Banes at 3:09PM, May 24, 2024
I haven't had that happen often, especially as an adult. I remember a stranger in a video store started confronting me and getting in my face for reasons I never did understand. Happily, I stayed quite calm, at least on the outside. Inwardly, it was high alert. Presumably he just didn't like my face!
KAM at 2:39PM, May 24, 2024
Hate against you for ne reason at all? That's called High School. They're breeding grounds for that kind of thing.
bravo1102 at 7:31AM, May 24, 2024
In a basic training platoon there has to be that one annoying guy. They know someone will go off on him eventually. I was the last guy the drill sergeants expected to go off on the annoying guy. I did and gave him a good stomping. Only fight where I didn't get my ass kicked. He kept his mouth shut around me, as did a few other would-be bullies.
bravo1102 at 7:26AM, May 24, 2024
Someone once told me that in order to fully get over any "seeing red" intention one really needs to get their ass totally kicked once. Maybe not to the point where you don't know what direction down is but close. Then anger management and conflict resolution will sink in because blood everywhere, serious concussions and detached retinas are not fun.
Ozoneocean at 6:53AM, May 24, 2024
@mks_monsters - What about a time when you couldn't subvert your rage?
mks_monsters at 6:08AM, May 24, 2024
I try not to cave into hate because it leads to nothing, but trouble. I take out my rage on exercise, meditating or my hobbies, and that usually helps. If not, I talk to my husband or mom.