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mind break
post #2135226 post #2367507 post #1367131 post #1214013 post #1908261
The mental state of a character whose sanity or will has been eroded from enduring overwhelming sensation such as trauma. On E621, this is commonly depicted as a character exhibiting unresponsive or highly abnormal behavior in response to extreme stimuli, such as rape, torture, brainwashing, or overstimulation. For example, a character is raped or otherwise abused but, instead of protesting or struggling, they either "shut down" to dull all sensation (a dissociative state) or they "snap" and enthusiastically encourage their abuser. An unresponsive character almost always has a blank stare.
In more fantastical posts, a significant change in personality may accompany a transformation, which can qualify for this tag. In the most extreme cases, a mind broken character has their personality replaced or "reprogrammed" with a new one from mind control.
Do not confuse with
Ideally, a mind_break post will illustrate a character's normal behavior before or during a traumatic experience that then conflicts with the "broken" behavior resulting from their trauma. However, many potential mind_break posts lack this context and we must instead judge a single frame's contradictory nature: for example, a character seems raped yet inexplicably enjoys the experience, perhaps begging for more. The pitfall of judging single frames is, for example, confusing a character who likes abuse as a mind broken character, so this tag should not be used for such scenes with ambiguous context.
- fucked_silly, orgasm_face, ahegao, etc - mind_break is a coping mechanism to severe circumstances and very strongly implies long-term or even permanent mental harm. Although these tags describe intense expressions that do occur in mind break situations, the mind_break tag requires further evidence to substantiate its use.
- mind_control - the end result of both mind_control and mind_break is usually a submissive character. However, the parameters of mind_control are generally not explained at all or are made-up and unique, whereas mind_break is more grounded in reality and relies on context clues. Thus, mind_control posts require extra scrutiny before tagging them with mind_break. For example, mind_break applies to mind_control posts that illustrate drastic or permanent changes in personality.
Editor's Note
This tag is a slang term lacking a unified definition. It's poorly understood everywhere I've looked. I've attempted to provide detailed, usable tagging guidance with some clear but fair boundaries that accommodate how this tag has been used on this site until now. Having said that, many posts with this tag do not meet this definition because their lack of supporting evidence was ignored.
Triggers
Features
The following tags are aliased to this tag: mindbreak, mind_broken, mind_breaking (learn more).
