#cw medical abuse

[absolutechaosss]

Something I've been thinking about a lot lately is how elves are shown to handle grief and trauma and how that relates to Mithruns character.

The Canaries care for Mithrun is mostly well intentioned. They legitimately like him! But it is also kind of terrible at times? Most of their care is focused on the Bare Minimum that keeps him alive and his care and comfort isn't really considered because well...to them, he's not capable of understanding it anymore.

We know this because Kabru is assigned as his care taker and Lycion comments that his hair is shinier. This means even in the stressful survival situation of the dungeon with Kabrus terrible cooking and scavenged meals, he is physically healthier than he was with the canaries.

I think it's relevant Kabru was the one to care for Mithrun this way and the one eventually realize he can be capable of new desire because Kabru is intimately familiar with how elves treat trauma. Not only was he a traumatized child but I think the most important parallel here is actually Rin.

If you haven't read her section in the Adventurers Bible, Rin is also a sole survivor of a tragic event and was taken into elven custody. She is catatonic and deeply deeply traumatized. And the elves handle it *terribly*. She's treated as goods or as an animal and she's shown to be unresponsive and not able to speak. Her recovery is directly linked to her meeting Kabru when he's brought in to help her.

Rin and Mithrun are opposites in elven society. Rin is barely a person, Mithrun isn't only an elf, but a prestigious and wealthy one. But both are survivors of horrific circumstances that hurt their ability to care for themselves and perform daily activities. And for both, it's pretty clear that it was assumed that this would become their fixed state, one where care and gentleness was pointless, because they had lost the faculties to process it.

Anyway I guess I wonder if years later when Kabru hears Mithruns story and how his condition is incurable and thus denies him personhood he thought of his. I wonder how much more quickly Mithrun may have been able to adapt to his circumstances if he wasn't told he was "broken". To me at least, Mithrun was always able to react to new things and adapt, but if everyone in the world is acting like you're basically dead and unable to ever do anything than be a weapon again yeah why wouldn't you assume that. No, I don't think Mithrun will ever be back to his former self and have all his desires back but he is able to carve out space for himself so quickly with Kabru, compared to his extensive and leas effective initial recovery with the elves. Perhaps this too is an area where their lifespans hinder them as they assume 20 years is a totally normal recovery period so why would they need to try more.

[rottenpumpkin13]

I feel like being angsty. And since you mentioned crate training earlier, how do you think that went with Sephiroth when he was growing up before Rhadore? I'd imagine that Hojo did a number on him back when he was still young and vulnerable. But would Hojo risk the health and safety of what is essentially the most endangered species on Gaia just to be THAT much of an abusive asshole? There's only so much abject misery a small child can physically take. Was Hojo capable of showing mercy?

Hojo once said "Better to scar the mind than mar the flesh" when talking about Aerith, and that perfectly encapsulates how he treats the specimens he finds physically valuable, but wants to bend into submission. There's no way he didn't test Sephiroth's physical limits when he was still very young, learning exactly how far he could push him and to what extent.

This is what involved the significant experimentation and pain, which is where the medical abuse came in (if square makes this canon I'll combust).

I think Hojo tested Sephiroth's endurance and inflicted pain to conduct further tests, but never aimed for physical abuse that would "scar the flesh" because he viewed Sephiroth as something precious that he couldn't risk harming too much. But it's in the way a scientist views his most prized, successful experiment—one he owns, not in a fatherly way. What makes it tragic is how closely these two povs intertwine 🫠 ANYWAY.

I think he used of a form of psychological conditioning (abuse, in this case) similar to crate training, keeping everything within the boundaries of what Sephiroth could endure. He controlled aspects of Sephiroth's life, like how long he could go without food or water to test his limits. By confining Sephiroth and regulating every aspect of his existence—food, water, bathroom breaks, sleep, etc—Hojo could've easily bent Sephiroth into submission.

Food Control: Restricting access to food would lead to hunger, making him more compliant out of desperation. The tragic part is that Sephiroth's Jenova cells give him an incredible capacity to go without food, water, and sleep (see: Nibelheim). Just imagine how long that poor child must've gone without food/ water at a time.

Sleep Deprivation: Limiting sleep would cause fatigue, confusion, weaken his will and ability to resist, which would effectively make him easier to influence.

Isolation: Confining him to a small room deprived him of human interaction and likely exacerbated feelings of loneliness that were already there. This would cause him to become more helpless and eventually dependant on Hojo. DEPENDANT ON HOJO.

Bathroom Restrictions: I don't even want to touch this one, you get the picture. Think losing further control of his own body.

Positive reinforcement: I think I mentioned this in the other post, but in crate training, they give dogs a reward, something to encourage the behavior the trainer wants and to make compliance easy. This would work well on Sephiroth given how it's clear he deprived him of comfort, but I think what Hojo "rewarded" Sephiroth was the locket with Lucrecia's photo. Although now that I think about it, if this is the case, it's really unlikely he gave it to him out of nowhere. Sephiroth would have had to work for it.

I'm now even more depressed, thanks Alto 😂

Honestly even if Hojo was able of showing mercy to other people, children, his own child, he didn't see Sephiroth like that. He wasn't a son. He wasn't a person. He ingrained it into Sephiroth's head that he was nothing more than a weapon for Shinra, a lap dog as Genesis would later put it. And where do you put dogs? Right here:

[velvetvexations]

I’m not saying that perisex trans people get anything but assigned but holy shit I’m sorry we were not SURGICALLY OPERATED ON AS NEWBORNS. Hey at the risk of sounding absurd fucking apparently yeah I do think there should be a separate term for that kind of shit. How the fuck does that commenter (that woman, so I’m not degendering) not think so

I continue to believe that transradfems have zero knowledge of what being intersex even is

[doomspaniels]

Folks

Gwyn's at the specialist

Tristan's Fetch and Tug Buddy carted her out of town so we could get her in sooner, try to figure this intermittent pain out, try to see why her bloodwork is Not Quite Right

and the specialist

thinks it's BEHAVIORAL.

🎉Behavioral🎉

Behavioral fake pain. Because it "shouldn't come and go."

She's a DOG.

This is her pain (the video I took as I was trying to determine where exactly it hurts, the pain is at her right side, last few ribs). Sound on.

[buccellato]

We can't really go into exactly how and why this is so cruel yet, but I still want to talk about it because it's insane how little perspective Knives has here:

We're shown a page of Vash being medically examined and experimented on in July (at Knives' behest, while he just cooly watches on), entirely against his control, where hes treated as an object and not a person

And after what would be a frankly horrifying and humiliating ordeal to go through, after having his body changed against his will to check his aptitude as a tool of violence and force it to activate for Knives' will, Knives has the gall to just...say this:

Yet he's doing the exact same thing! He's torturing his brother in cruel and humiliating ways while looking him in the eyes!!

[drac-kool-aid]

Seward going "oops, I've committed medical malpractice by taking my personal feelings out on my patients" is somehow more aware than some modern doctors. That isn't a glowing recommendation for either party tbh.

[blood-n-candy]

Fragments of the one who trails smoke

Fandom: Pressure

Summary: You died to Chainsmoker, of all monsters of the Hadal Blacksite. You were ready to walk up to the box like usual, but something's wrong...

Warnings: Medical Trauma (I guess?), it's kinda angsty too

Yep. Somehow, you managed to die to Chainsmoker, the old man that “runs” around spreading those sulfur-smelling green smoke from his mouth. 

Maybe you were too impatient, or maybe you misheard the chains for Pandemonium’s scraping metal, but that’s not the point. All that matters now is that the cleithrophobia kicked in at the wrong time and Mx. Chains got you.

You already know the drill: you’ll wake up on the island, you’ll walk up to the box, and once it opens your soul will be ready for Mr. Lopee to pick you up.

As you open your eyes… Something’s not right.

Sure, it is dark with neon green waters around… But that doesn’t look like the island you saw last time. No, this time the land looks bigger, it’s more of a coastline with lots of vegetation and a few houses nearby. A dark fog obscures the sight after 60 ft.

Suddenly, you see a girl no younger than 16 run through your body like a ghost.

You stumble a little, scared: how did she do that?

Immediately, somebody phases through you again: it’s now a very tall boy, of the same age as the girl. He has a green fish tail, dark green finned ears, and aqua green hair… 

Huh. You already know a guy with the same characteristics, don’t you?

You see the two hug each other and kiss, ignoring you completely. Their voices are weird too: you see them whispering to each other, but you can still hear them echoing in your head. 

“Chibuzor, if my parents see me with you they’re gonna kill me!” you hear the girl concerned.

“Your father knows me well, Folorunso,” replied the boy, “He wouldn’t be contrary to our love now, right?”

Folorunso steps back from her lover’s embrace, her eyes carrying such heavy sadness. The boy feels like she is bearing horrible news: “Folorunso, is something wrong?”

“Actually, yes… We cannot get married, Chibuzor. My father wants me to marry a man from Bakana…” The girl starts tearing up: “I’m so sorry my love…”

You see Chibuzor trying to confort Folorunso, but his words immediately get foggier and foggier as the dark smoke from afar envelops them and you. You instinctively raise up your arms to cover your face, but the only thing that happens to you is a sheet of paper flying into your forearm.

As the fog around you starts to slowly dissipate, you inspect the object: it’s a missing poster in English and Igbo, the person on the poster has again aqua green hair and dark green finned ears. He now looks like a mix between that Chibuzor guy and… Chainsmoker? Is this what tide looked like back in the day?

You thought you couldn’t imagine what kind of life kelp could’ve had before Urbanshade. Not that you could’ve asked kelp that much, you’re not as close to kelp as your fellow expendable Reby is. And now there you are, finding out that Mx. Chains once loved a girl but could not marry her, and that one day fin vanished…

Or so you thought.

In front of you, there’s now a small crowd, surrounding a blocked off crime scene with the police analyzing the case.

With your recently acquired knowledge that all of this is the recreation of a memory, you walk towards the police tape, ignoring the people speculating on what happened there. Once you reach the tape, you now can see what’s going on… And goodness gracious! The person on the poster is there, laying dead on the sand.

You do recall that from Chainsmoker’s section of the Z-283 document that fin was found dead in 2004, just to come back to life hours later in the morgue. If you connected the dots correctly, then this must be the moment his body was found by authorities… But how could he remember that if he wasn’t conscious at that precise moment?

You see the fog surrounding you again. You take a deep breath, close your eyes, and once you open them you find yourself somewhere very familiar: dark gray floor, blue walls, and black doors with led displays on the side… Yes, you were at the Hadal Blacksite again.

You see to your left a calendar, and you deduce from the page it displays that this particular fragment is set in September 2007.

Somebody is yelling in pain a couple of rooms away from you. The noise is quite muffled, but you manage to follow the source of the noise and arrive at a testing room with a giant cylindrical tank and a group of scientists with gas masks covering their faces.

In the tank there’s the same Chainsmoker from the last memory fragment, just a bit more chubbier, curled up on the bottom. A green gas comes out of kelps mouth as kelp screams: “LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT OF HERE PLEASE! I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE!”

The scientists don’t reply, they just keep taking notes.

The whole scene is deeply disturbing: how do those guys act like nothing in front of the pain Mx. Chains were going through? Why was he in the tank in the first place?

You feel compelled to find out more about what’s happening. Swallowing your apprehension, you get closer to peek at what are the scientists are writing: “Z-283 Medicine test n.12-”

Not even the time to finish the first phrase that the fog envelops you once more. This time, it leaves you in the darkness.

A familiar voice calls you: “Ah! There you are!”

You turn around to see Mr. Lopee is here. You run up to him, suspicious he has anything to do with what you just witnessed: “No, there YOU are! I just witnessed a fish man’s memories and I don’t even know why! You surely know how it happened, right?”

The black and green ghost grins at you: “Unfortunately not, young one, but it doesn’t matter. I now have to deliver you back to life, so that you can go back on your mission.”

Confused, you ask him again: “You don’t understand, I was-”

“Yes, you were supposed to end up on the island.” Mr. Lopee interrupts you, “Then again, I cannot explain to you properly why you ended up witnessing Chibuzor’s past memories, or why exactly those memories. Come on now, follow me.”

You follow Mr. Lopee in silence, but you can’t stop thinking about Chainsmoker: since you see him trailing the smoke around, that means that he’s in pain. Probably always has been ever since tide came back to life.

What could’ve he done to deserve this torture? Nobody will probably never figure it out.

[just-an-enby-lemon]

I'm a firm defender of Arkham being terrible. The worst place on Earth. This place is clearly making everyone worse.

Give me Jonathan Crane loving how cruel and lax one could get with the "patients" at Arkham as he tested his toxin only for him to realize that the same "treatment" would be gave to him as he is finally caught by Batman. Jonathan who was one of the doctors who signed authorizing eletroshock "therapy" because he didn't care either way only for years later see himself being dragged to the eletroconvoulsive room.

Give me Harvey Dent trying to use his lawyer knowledge to protect himself and his friends by mentioning how solitary confinament against mentally ill people is not allowed on the state of New Jersey only for the guards/doctors to smile cruely and say "oh but this isn't solitary confinament it is *insert buzzword for solitary confinament that makes it legal*"(and yes prisons do that irl).

Harley painfully trying to explain both as doctor and as patient that inhumane treatment of inmates was scietifically proven to only make them more violent only to be ignored because "don't the guards deserve revenge" or some similar bullshit.

Ivvy who just wants her plants. Who gets physically sick when she can't get close to the green. But she can't have even sunshine because they specially discriminate against metahumans. And what if she uses her powers? Same for Music Maister except is worse because it is his voice! They even take Freezes suit away the first times but when they realize he will just die he just gets an special room that is basically temperature zero solitary but don't worry is for his own good.

All while doing human experimentation with Clayface because he is a meta anyway and honestly does he even count as human? And of course let's not forget Killer Croc that gets to be arrested in a cell on the fucking sewers. Yes it does not have basic sanitation whatsoever and yes Waylon deserves better.

Jervis who gets punished for daring saying they have no respect for the human mind. And King Tut who is mocked for his delusions instead of helped in any way.

Joker who spends more time in solitary than with actual people to the point is very likely that he was actually sane before Arkham and just an evil clown.

Riddler who spends most of his stay just drugged out of his mind because he talks to much and both the nurses and the guards find him annoying and isn't the silence best for everyone? And if him (or anyone who is reciving too much medication or the wrong meds) gets an addiction, well is not their problem.

And of course the more important part: Bruce who has no clue what is happening until Joan Leland enters the picture and contacts him for help because it doesn't matter if they are all criminals they are people and she is going to do her job (and Bruce Wayne is the only donor that cares). Cue to an horrifyied Bruce questioning his former stance on crime and getting ready to help make Gotham a place were rehabilitation is truly possible.

[thus-spoke-lo]

Law would make such a cute big brother. 🥺 He'd be so protective, keeping you either stuck in his quarters or by his side 24/7. You complain, but you know he's a notorious pirate right? People want your head by association. If a bounty hunter were to capture you they'd basically have Law caught too. Your safest right next to him.

It's even better if you're sickly- maybe a chronic illness? He has even more reason to keep you near. He's stoic and mean, but when you're hurting he takes good care of you. He would tsk when you ask if you can skip this injection, toussling your hair and murmuring that it'll just be a little pinch and afterwards you can lie down and he'll bring you a treat. If you're a good girl that is.

You're so pretty, he has to share a bed with you. If you were left on your own who knows who could sneak into your bed? Would you be able to fight back? Of course not. It doesn't stop you from asking though. Why can't you go out of an errand alone? It's frustrating don't you know, Law? 😔

On days you seem more restless than usual he quietly drugs your food, faux worry gracing his features as you stumble around. He's a doctor, let him take you to the infirmary to get checked out. You're so dizzy, the sub feels like it's spinning. Maybe you throw up.

He holds your hair back as you vomit, not saying a word but mentally scrolling through his plan again. Once he has your face wiped clean he's laying you in the recovery position. You're about to fall unconscious soon. Even though it hurts his heart, you're so cute when you're sick. You're so reliant on your big brother. You need him to survive.

As you fall under he sets up the monitors and machines suspiciously already prepped for a situation like this. Sticky elctrotrodes on your chest, a clip on your finger, an oxygen mask strapped to your face. Imagine if you'd become this sick while outside without him. 😔 His fingers trail through your hair, admiring your chest as it rises and falls as you sleep.

He hasn't decided how long he'll keep you under yet, your questions about going out alone had upset him. Maybe when his heart heals from the pain of hearing you ask for a moment away from him he'll let you curl up into his arms again on your own free will.

Oh boy, anon. I don't know how you managed to crawl inside my head and find my love for these types of scenarios but like... be careful on your way out so you don't trip over some weirder things.

Law needs you to be reliant on him, needs you clinging to him, vulnerable and desperate for his attention and his care. Don't you understand how dangerous it is for you, especially in your weakened condition? He's the only one who knows how to treat your sicknesses, both real and fabricated--how could you ever want to be without him? He'll claw and gnash his teeth at your last shreds of independence until you learn, until you learn that you need him more than anything, your devoted big brother who only wants what's best for you--and what's best for you is to be in his loving arms.

[immediatebreakfast]

The relationship between Dracula the novel, and its telling of ableism around the characters is a rather complex issue that stems from both the narrative itself, and the framing of said ableism when applied to a character.

The book has gone on lenght to describe, and establish the power dynamic, the tension, and the interactions between Seward and Renfield in way that is clearly uncomfortable.

The illusions of Seward clinging to Renfield's status as a patient to defend a treatment that clearly puts the old man in the category of test subject. Renfield's performative words and actions towards Seward (that he knows will work) are painted as unsettling not only thanks to the internal ableism of the novel, but also to put Seward in a spot of morality in his profession at the cost of Renfield's treatment as a human being.

Remember that regarding Renfield's motives for his actions, Seward is at best drawing the wrong conclusions from them, and at worst turning into an unrealiable narrator to fit the version of Renfield that he has in his head. This gets worse when you add Seward's problems with sleeping, and depression.

The difference is that Renfield, despite his plans and his manipulations, at the end of the day is a mentality ill old man who is vulnerable. Even if Seward's unethical treatment si something that Renfield has known from the beginning, and sadly knows the exact consequences of it. He is human, and there is a point where we can't take it anymore.

"Happy thought! We shall to-night play sane wits against mad ones. He escaped before without our help; to-night he shall escape with it."

Narrative wise, it seems that Seward has dropped the pretense of convincing himself about how Renfield is a patient that he must treat, and instead Renfield is a test subject that he needs to observe.

Even if Jack said before how he wouldn't cross the line of feeding into Renfield's dellusions to study him, it was more to convince himself to not do it. That was also a time when Renfield was actively performing, and keeping afloat the power dynamic between to get a few pieces of freedom. So maybe Seward felt more comfortable in keeping that "line" when he perceived Renfield as a more (ugh) illogical madman that at least knew his "place" in their dynamic.

If Renfield now "sees" him as an equal, as a mere person entrusted with his care, then Seward has to admit to himself that his diagnosis, and theory about Renfield is wrong. That he observed, but did not process anything.

But now that Renfield has been "acting out" of the established dynamic, along with Seward's own depression taking a hold on his biases within the system of doctor-patient? If the constant use of restraining jackets, and a padded room says something, it's something that is not pretty.

[spider-xan]

(Mem., under what circumstances would I not avoid the pit of hell?) Omnia Romæ venalia sunt. Hell has its price! verb. sap.

The Latin and abbreviations Seward uses in the May 25 update may be difficult to understand, so I'm going to try and explain them:

Mem. - Memorandum, a note of a record for future reference.

Omnia Romæ venalia sunt - This would literally translate as 'All things of Rome are venal' or a little less literally as 'Everything in Rome is for sale', in the sense of everyone having a price they are willing to pay for corruption (ie. bribery), and the phrase comes from the Roman historian Sallust writing on the decline of the Roman Republic in the 1st century BCE; what Seward is asking here is what price would he be willing to pay to keep a patient to the point of madness, which he knows is cruel and not something he should or would usually do.

verb. sap. - Verbum sapienti (sat est), literally 'A word to the wise (is sufficient)', a notation meaning that an intelligent person would grasp the meaning of the previous words without further explanation.

[velvetvexations]

Honestly, that does seem like a lot of fun.

I mean if we can call non-binary people slurs to test their allyship surely trans women should have to prove they can handle being called baeddels without going all TIRF about it

If that's what you wish anon, but I love you and I'm here for you if doubt or insecurity is ever sneaking up your back again. <3

It's truly remarkable how little is expected of them, and how they fail to even clear that bar.

I'm sorry anon, what you went through is just as valid as any other pain and the damage cis women can do deserves to be recognized.

Lashing out is how some people cope with a world that hates and fears them. Unfortunately, like school bullies, the anger they take from how they're treated is often misdirected at anyone they're capable of harming rather than the actual source of their problems, which are often beyond their power to confront in a cathartic way.

It can happen IRL, but much less, thankfully.

Transradfems who claim to be more empathetic after transitioning have chugged more Kool-Aid than I ever thought possible.

[deconstructed-paradise]

Why are you back here. Aren’t you an anesthesiologist?

I get paid double to deal with you, and there’s a skirt I’ve had my eye on for a while.

A skirt? Seriously?

It has pockets. Look, I’m not trained for… whatever you have going on, but they decided that I’m good for your mental health.

Tch. I don’t know why anyone would want to deal with me.

Is that why you’re not allowing visitors?

…I had a fight with my daughter. It’s probably best if it’s the last fight.

You’ve had fights with her before, though?

She brought her girlfriend this time.

Not a fan of that?

No! I— stop giving me that look, I’m not homophobic, her taste in girls is awful. I’ve told her not to let that girl in, and she just— ignored me.

So, that was a deal breaker for you?

…I know. I don’t deserve to set rules, my kids are growing up, whatever. I just don’t have much left to me. I thought, if I set rules and everyone could follow them, we’d be okay. She can come visit me on my good days, and if I get… snippy, with her, she can leave. But now everything’s out of balance. And I know, I know I should be better at this, I should stop being so controlling, but I can’t do it. I tried to make her leave, so that— she’s dating the bitch who gave me a black eye. That girl said to my face that she thinks I’m hopeless. Why should I feel safe around her?

You can’t just say, hey, please don’t allow this weirdly threatening child into my hospital room while I’m vulnerable? Between you and me, ma’am, that’s half of your face that’s bruised. And weirdly threatening kids aren't a joke.

I tried! She— they managed to get through the barricade anyways.

Ma’am, I’m going to have to ask you not to make a barricade again. That’s a fire hazard, and a safety hazard.

I don’t have a lock on my door. I don’t have any control over who comes, and who goes. If I have to crawl on my hands and knees to shove furniture around—

Okay, okay, so this is a security hazard that makes you feel unsafe. And if you had control over who entered, if you could turn away visitors at the door, you wouldn’t do this kind of risky behavior?

Wh— I mean, no, I wouldn’t. But why would I ask for that, I’ve caused everyone enough trouble already.

You are the patient. Your job is to cause trouble. My job is to sit here and take it, until I can go home and be a hedonist.

Sounds like a shitty job.

Someone’s gotta do it. I take pride in my work, and that pays for a damn good life off the clock.

Well, I’m sure you’d rather be doing your actual job than talking to me.

My actual job entails being fingers deep in someone’s intestines because there’s a clamp shortage, actually. And there’s a chair in your room, with back support. So I’m okay with this, actually. I’m probably not good at it— there’s a reason I’m not in psych—

What do you. Think of me? Be honest.

Your ankles are consistent with someone who’s worn heels far more than is healthy, and your bone density is something you should be working on. I don’t care about anti-aging skincare, you need better bones to prepare you for the future. Two kids did a number on you.

I meant my personality.

Well, I think you’re insecure if you’re asking me. 

Tch.

Hey, I told you I wasn’t good at this.

I get it. You don’t want to be near me because I’m a hateful little cunt.

Are you kidding— you’re not kidding. That's even worse. Gods, do you know the horrid things I’ve had patients try to fling at me? Do you know the unspeakable fluids I have had to wash off my scrubs? You’re mildly bitchy at worst. I was reluctant to come here because like I said, I take pride in my work. When you were in your coma, I was the one who monitored your vitals, your brainwaves, your oxygen intake. I was good at that. Right now… I’m floundering. 

You don’t seem like it.

I’m very good at pretending when I’m on the clock. I’m serious about the bone density, though. Aging gracefully isn’t about looking young forever, it’s about preparing your body for the future.

What if I don’t think I have a future?

Then maybe you need to stop lying on your psych evals.

Oh, fuck off.

Is that it? You’re lying and pushing people away because you don’t have a lot of power right here and now, so you have to defend yourself any way you can.

You said you were no good at psychology!

I’m not. I had a shitty ex who did that, actually.

Great. I get to be the substitute for someone’s toxic ex.

You know. We’ve been getting some data for your brain scans, and it’s pretty damn close to bipolar depression. We need a little more time, but if you can get some progress, eat consistently, we’re going to see if we can’t get a psychiatrist in to put you on something for it. Mood stabilizers, maybe antidepressants. But we can’t do that if you’re so inconsistent about recovery. 

I know a bribe when I see one. Look. If it gets me back to normal, if I can… think clearly. Then fine.

We’re thinking of treating it in the same way as we would fibromyalgia. Since it’s a neurological issue that’s causing joint pain, after all. There are a couple antidepressants that are used for this, we just need to get you cleared for treatment while we wait for genetic testing to come back and tell us what the safest drugs are to try. 

And if they're not safe, if I don't cooperate, I expect I won't have a choice in the matter. I'd probably just get drugged and tied to the bed so I can't hurt myself.

We wouldn’t do that. It makes us look terrible and gets us in trouble with human rights organizations.

Seriously? That's your reasoning?

Would you believe me if I said I found it morally reprehensible?

No, no, carry on.

You're still a person. With human rights. Look, if there is a single thing I can do for you to make you more comfortable, what would it be?

I don't deserve that.

Ma'am, we are trying to work with you so that you don't do things like crawl around shoving furniture against the door. What happened to you was shitty. You were physically weak, and someone violated a boundary you'd set despite your best efforts to maintain it. And that sucks. So, I put in an application to have someone guarding your door. So please, just work with us.

...I was hoping to watch a show that isn't on the hospital network. You don't have streaming, do you? Or a DVD?

[bricky-brikson]

I’ve decided to do a Bad Things Happen Bingo!

My goal is to get at least one (1) bingo, but honestly I just want to write some suffering

How this is going to work:

Send me an ask with one (1) prompt + the character(s)/media.

I’ll mark that prompt as “claimed” on this post by editing (so check the original post before you ask).

When the writing is done (and published), I’ll shade the prompt in completely.

Prompts that are shaded in or claimed cannot be asked for! So if there’s something here you like, grab it quick!

Things I’m willing to write:

My original characters. See my #dear cassedy tag, but I also have some OCs who have yet to be formally introduced on this account (a vampire nurse with a werewolf bf and plural chemist who makes LSD - they're not from the same universe).

Drabbles of characters created solely for the situation/prompt. In this case, the asker has to propose the characters themselves. Please don't use this as a roundabout way to get writings of your OCs.

Psychonauts

Sky: Children Of The Light (Elders and Spirits, I’m not big on writing skykids)

(Maybe) Hazbin Hotel

Hollow Knight

[I can't think of much else right now, but if it comes to me I'll add it.]

Things might get a little homoerotic (especially with the cannibalism prompt), but I won't do straight-up NSFW. Gore though? That's fine.

As always, I retain the right to refuse a prompt if it squicks me or it's just not something I'm interested in writing, in which case I'll respond to the ask privately stating as much.

Prompts are listed in the alt text for those with screen-readers. Below divider by @/cafekitsune. I don't remember where I got the snake dividers, sorry :(

[chasm-side]

I'm reading an academic article about autism and neurodivergence, and this stopped me dead. What the fuck, what the fuck

"Furthermore, at the time of writing, there is still one facility in the United States (the Judge Rotenberg Center in Massachusetts) that employs electric shock on Autistic people as punishment to enforce neuronormative behaviour, despite an initial ban in 2020 (Young and McMahon, 2021). Given that these residents are among the most vulnerable members of the Autistic population, those who are non-speaking or with high support needs (overlapping but not identical groups), the lack of public will to end this abuse is a significant political and human rights issue."

-- Eleanor Thomas, "Why critical psychology and the neurodiversity movement need each other." Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 15, Jan. 2024.

[sixty-silver-wishes]

okay so you know what's REALLY fucked up about caligari lol

so I was looking up some quick info on sleepwalking for a fic, and according to an article I read, even today, it's a relatively under-researched disorder. so comparatively, whenever "caligari" takes place (likely anywhere between the 1890s-1920s), what's already something modern researchers don't know as much as they'd like to about would be even more of an unknown back then (as would be any scientific phenomenon lol). so you have caligari, who is not only a psychologist, but specializes in somnambulism, and how many other doctors around in that universe would have had that knowledge? meaning if cesare was admitted to the asylum to treat his somnambulism, he wouldn't really have had any other choice than caligari. I assumed he was originally from holstenwall because he's brought into the asylum during the flashback sequence, but that might not even be the case. the holstenwall asylum may have very well been the only place around for miles with someone with the qualifications to treat his condition. and it's fucking caligari.

another thing is like. it's so so fucked how they initially started out with the relationship of a doctor and patient. so not only is that power imbalance there that would obviously deepen, but the longer you think about it, the worse it gets. so from cesare's perspective, he has a sleep disorder that's apparently severe enough to lead to him being institutionalized, but good news; there's a doctor who not only specializes in his condition (which likely wouldn't have had a lot of specialists in the day), but is also really eager to treat him. but once he's left behind in this institution, this doctor clearly isn't interested in actually treating him; in fact, he wants the opposite. but he's an expert, so it makes sense to trust him, right? who else would have this kind of knowledge? if cesare was ever conscious at any point in the asylum, he wouldn't have had any contact with anyone from outside. but he's in good hands, with a specialist, so there's no reason to worry; the doctor knows what he's doing. hell, for all his loved ones know- if he has any- he's receiving the best treatment he could hope for, so why should they be concerned, even when he doesn't come back for days? weeks? months? perhaps the demands get more and more severe- after all, it's likely his real name isn't even "cesare," meaning he was once someone completely different that we never get to see- but why question caligari? and what's the point? even if he ever got suspicious, it's not like he can escape anyway.