Mind guessing games are a type of Inside Out fanfic and, later on, parody with set rules. As the name states, they are guessing games involving fictional characters, in which one is supposed to guess the character purely based on their mind à la Inside Out, with little external clues.
Originally created by Steveles, the series has spread to other authors with little fundamental changes. There are five series known so far:
- Whose Mind is it, Anyway? by Steveles
- Name That Mind! by ErinMilne
- Guess Whose Mind by LonelyStar and GoldenDragon
- Whose Mind is This? by CreativityTheEmotion (answers listed separately)
- Inside Out: Mindhunters by UPMan
Structure[]
Each chapter/video opens up with a single line, stating which medium the fictional character comes from (e.g. "a book", "a movie", "a video game" and so on). Then, the character's mind is described in the first portion of the chapter/video. The description is in form of a vignette about a short event (not enough to constitute a full story chapter), and much is left ambiguous. The character's Headquarters, Islands of Personality and even emotions may be described, but proper nouns will invariably be left out, and other details might get left out as well.
Then, the second portion of the chapter/video opens with keywords such as "Meanwhile, on the outside/in the real world". It is at this point when one is expected to stop reading/watching and place their guess as to which character is being described. Regardless, the true circumstances of the event, as experienced in the work of fiction in question, are described, and a final author's note then lists all the clues in the first portion that are supposed to lead onto the correct guess. Though, this clue listing has a secondary purpose: to let the author/parodist and the readers/viewers communicate as to whether the clues were adequate. Notably, however, for YouTube videos, the clue listing is separate from the video itself, a move necessary so that YouTube's related video algorithm does not interfere with the spirit of the guessing game.
Use of the genders of the emotions as a clue differs from author to author. For example, in Steveles's and LonelyStar and GoldenDragon's takes on the premise, the genders of the emotions are in no way indicative of the gender of the character, contrary to Inside Out's established rules. However, ErinMilne instead has the following rule of thumb, based on an Inside Out theory: male adults have all male emotions, female adults have all female emotions and children have emotions similar to Riley's. Parodies, on the other hand, provide a limitation on what scenes can be used, and therefore, Riley's emotions are almost invariably used as stand-ins, making using emotion genders as a clue a non-possibility for parodists.
Episodes[]
Spoiler-free listing[]
This listing merely reveals the initial clue of each installment, namely the source medium.
| # | Title | Source medium |
|---|---|---|
| Steveles (Whose Mind is it, Anyway?) | ||
| 1 | A Timid Morning | a book/movie |
| 2 | Blowing a Gasket or Two Hundred | a musical |
| 3 | A Bittersweet Evening | a movie (adapted from a book) |
| 4 | Removing the Problem | a movie based off of a comic book |
| 5 | Stage Fright | a cartoon show |
| 6 | On High Alert | a Video Game |
| 7 | Dream Job | a movie |
| 8 | Business as Usual | a poem |
| 9 | Cue the Evil Laugh | a cartoon show |
| 10 | The Tidiest of Minds | a series of books and short stories |
| 11 | Red Red Red Alert! | a movie, based on a comic |
| 12 | A Sudden Attack of Conscience | a traditional animated movie |
| 13 | A Tender Moment | a movie |
| 14 | Fight, Run, Grab a Gun | an animated movie |
| 15 | The Waiting Game | a video game |
| 16 | Just Think Happy Thoughts | an animated movie |
| 17 | Let's Have Some Fun | a movie based off a comic book |
| 18 | And so the Heart Breaks | a Disney film |
| 19 | Going on a Break | real life |
| 20 | A Common Occurrence | an animated movie |
| 21 | Loneliness is Such a Fitting Word | a movie |
| 22 | Premonition | a webcomic |
| 23 | A Serpent Stung Me | a movie inspired by a play |
| 24 | Lucky and Unlucky All At Once | a movie based on a book |
| 25 | Bravery is a Special Type of Terror | a book |
| 26 | All Too Easy | folklore |
| 27 | Exposed | a movie's backstory |
| 28 | Keep a Level Head | a movie |
| 29 | Down in the Dumps | a movie |
| 30 | Of Darkness and Light | a recent computer game |
| 31 | Time to Panic | a movie |
| 32 | Altogether Wretched | a book |
| 33 | Blind Agony | a book |
| ErinMilne (Name That Mind!) | ||
| 1 | A Seed of A War | a book |
| 2 | The Thawing Heart | a movie |
| 3 | Good News, Bad News | a book |
| 4 | Boys Are From Mars | a comic strip |
| 5 | A Walk In The Park | a movie |
| 6 | Evil For Good | a musical |
| 7 | I've Got Other Plans | a movie |
| 8 | Time To Take Control | a TV show |
| 9 | This Is Not A Drill | a movie |
| 10 | Magic and Mayhem | a play |
| 11 | Fun On The Mind | appears all over, but is most well-known from a book |
| 12 | Awake With a Flash | technically book, possibly film |
| 13 | To Mend A Heart | musical... sort of |
| LonelyStar and GoldenDragon (Guess Whose Mind) | ||
| 1 | Tough Love | a movie |
| 2 | A Morning Chill | a comic |
| 3 | When All You Have is Fear | a manga |
| 4 | Don't Worry, Be Happy | a movie |
| 5 | Take a Second Chance | a movie |
| 6 | Another Perfect Day | a webcomic |
| 7 | A Time to be Special | a movie |
| 8 | Conscience Makes You Go Back | a movie |
| CreativityTheEmotion (Whose Mind is This?) | ||
| 1 | Just us. | a visual novel |
| UPMan (Inside Out: Mindhunters) | ||
| 1 | untitled | the cartoon world of Adult Swim |
Full listing[]
This listing reveals what characters are to be guessed; proceed at your own risk.