🧠 Mental & Emotional Reactions
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Racing thoughts
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Obsessive focus on danger
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Unable to think straight
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Imagining worst-case scenarios
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Feeling trapped or helpless
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Paranoia (“Is someone watching me?”)
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Flashbacks (if trauma-based)
🫀 Physical Responses
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Pounding heart / rapid heartbeat
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Cold sweat / clammy hands
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Trembling / shivering
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Dry mouth
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Goosebumps
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Stomach twisting / nausea
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Knees feeling weak / legs like jelly
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Holding breath / shallow breathing
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Startled jump at small noises
🧍♀️ Body Language
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Hunched shoulders
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Wide eyes / darting glances
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Frozen in place ("paralyzed with fear")
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Biting nails / lip
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Wrapping arms around oneself
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Shrinking away or backing up
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Clutching at something for safety
🗣️ Speech Patterns
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Stammering / stuttering
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Whispering or hushed tones
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Repeating the same phrase
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Incoherent or broken sentences
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Asking “What was that?” or “Did you hear that?”
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Silence (fear rendering them speechless)
🔥 Figurative Language & Metaphors
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“Her blood turned to ice.”
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“His heart thundered like war drums.”
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“The shadows closed in, tightening like a noose.”
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“She felt like prey under a predator’s gaze.”
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“Terror crept up his spine like a cold hand.”
✅ Tips for Realism:
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Combine physical, emotional, and behavioral cues.
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Tailor the fear to the character’s past and context.
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Use pacing: shorter sentences can mimic panic.
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Not all fear looks the same—some freeze, others lash out.
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