#cw planned abuse

[ask-codeearasure]

I wake up to all this and I can't help but feel relieved and proud I found a group of people that are... awake? Aware.

Not completely fucking ignoring what Corrupted!Nightmare is and what he does and certainly not the actual context of what Killermare/Nightkiller is. I'm disgusted at a certain portion of this fandom that everything has become so sexualized, so drenched in the expectation that everything needs to be sexually charged, that even blatant and direct extreme manipulation, abuse, violation, and torture can't be taken for what it is.

It's not funny anymore. I don't think it was ever funny or amusing the first time. This is actually gross.

I have nothing more to add to this rant.

-- Sarco

“It’s toxic yaoi time!!” *is literally just an abusive relationship with extreme power imbalance and intentional sadistic organized and planned extreme abuse* kills you kills you kills you kills you kills you kills you kills u kills u kills u

[qoldenskies]

I wonder how much Splinter picks apart the memory of Donnie crawling to him and asking for guidance that day.

How apologetic he was for interrupting Splinter at all. The questions—are you mad at me, do you think I’m selfish—and how genuinely childish and young they were in nature. Whether Donnie would have told him what had happened if Splinter hadn’t interrupted him. How long it took before Donnie came to him for help. How when Splinter asked “Are you sure you have not upset them?” the answer was “Maybe, I think so.” “Have you done anything to make them angry with you?” and even with what his brothers had done to him, what Leo had done to him, Donnie still said “Probably.” Agreed when Splinter said they had a reason for treating him that way.

He had the same conversation with April months later, and yet the seeds of it had been here, too—had been there years before.

sometimes i am caught between feeling so bad for splinter and kind of hoping he internalizes the way he brushed him off for of the rest of his life. there's a good chance he will think of that conversation EVERY time donnie reaches out to him looking for a savior or protector, especially after april leaves and he's the only "safe person" in the house when donnie cant think straight.

in an attempt to be unlike of HIS oppressive family he went the opposite way and went for a more relaxed style of parenting, and he veered too hard in that direction and COMPLETELY turned a blind eye to such horrifying abuse happening. it kind of reminds me of like turtle dega nights where he's so shocked to realize the shit they just get up to. for like. fun. he's NOT in a position to shelter them without pushback and he understands that now, which is a big reason he leaves them to make their own decisions when it comes to kitsune.

its hard to find a line between acknowledging theyre independent in a way he cant really stop and need to be treated with that respect and acknowledging theyre children! just kids! his baby boys!!! he's so used to seeing them silly and unserious around him that he hasn't properly processed the weight of his passive neglect until all of THIS blew up in his face. and i think that's best shown through him dismissing donnie. they mostly fell out of conversation after that point, but im sure they exchanged a few words sometime in between (for the sake of realism, its something to acknowledge) and i think splinter would think of that a lot too. why didn't he notice donnie was starting to look up so beat up? getting thinner and thinner? just disappearing during leo's birthday?? staring through him whenever splinter shot im a quick hello on the way to the kitchen??? originally that conversation weighed on the back of his mind already (because i dont think donnie comes to him for comfort like THAT much, technically i think in cc that was usually leo's job. rooftop conversations and all that), but obviously he wouldnt correlate it with any red flags now. just like how april didnt WANT to assume they were doing anything wrong because the four of them were so close, malice just didnt feel like a REALISTIC thing to expect from them and they were acting normal to her!!

cannot even begin to imagine how he was feeling in cw ch1. hearing about most of what they did and seeing how tiny and roughed up donnie was is one thing, and seeing him cling to his robe and inconsolably sob and scream for his daddy is another. splinter probably cant help but wonder if this is what donnie had wanted the whole time. cant help but wonder if he would have reacted like this at ANY point before it all got this far. all he had to do is reach out, for once. to ask HIM if he's okay, for once.

and he didn't.

[blaseballbrainrot]

a short comic about memories of lost friends

[timeclipsed]

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 ― a memory involving a family member.

🐝  *  ―  𝑾𝑨𝑳𝑲 𝑫𝑶𝑾𝑵 𝑴𝑬𝑴𝑶𝑹𝒀 𝑳𝑨𝑵𝑬.  (  send in a symbol to receive a drabble or meta about one of my muses’ memory.  ) (status — closed!)

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 ― a memory involving a family member.

Sent last weekend for Sonic Sunday, so these will be from his POV!

There's a brief scene with a mild descriptor of child abuse, so you don't have to read if you don't want to!

— ;; RAUCOUS MELODIES CLIMB THROUGH VAST hallways and chambers, reaching the unwitting ears of any hired help that happens to be wandering the grounds that morning. Some simply shake their heads or chuckle, maybe even hum along, but for a choral few, the homemade music comes off as nothing but earsplitting recalcitrance.

❝Can't find my way around,when the sun comes up, I'm down!❞

❝Hey!❞ ❝Hey!❞ ❝I feel fine!❞

— ;; GLOVED, SLENDER FINGERS BELONGING TO his triplet sister caress the ivory of her keyboard, following in tandem with his own digits that strum spindly cords of his guitar, both keeping in tune with their trizygotic brother's drumming.

Cobalt quills sway alongside a bobbing head, chartreuse eyes gleaming with excitement when gazing upon their mutual harmony. In spite of their innumerable outtakes from the last few days, the song they'd written seems to finally be coming together.

❝Hey!❞ ❝Hey!❞ ❝I feel fine!❞

— ;; INTERLUDING INSTRUMENTALS DISUNITE AT SLAMMING doors, coming to an unceremonious, grating halt, followed by brisk footsteps clicking towards them. Lady Windermere, the head maid of the castle. Judging by the irascible expression plastered on her face, she's not happy.

❝Eloise Matilda! Augustus Magnus! Ogilvie Maurice! Why aren't you doing what I told you to do?! Stop doing that! Just stop it! How many times do I have to remind you how unbecoming it is to be playing with those toys?!❞ Tirade reaching a boiling point rather swiftly, Lady Windermere stomps over, making a show of confiscating their instruments. ❝The royal triplets couldn't set a worse example for our kingdom if they tried! Slovenly, contumacious brats, all of you!❞

— ;; GLANCING BETWIXT ONE ANOTHER RATHER anxiously, hot tears of ignominy bead at Eloise's eyes whilst Augustus attempts to sputter out an apology, but fails. Eldest by a good 7 minutes and 13 seconds exactly, Ogilvie is the one to speak up, stepping in front of his siblings.

❝C'mon, Lady Windermere! Can'tcha just chill out for once?! We weren't doing anything! We were just...❞ Squeezing his eyes shut tight, he shakes his head, allowing his emotional outburst to fly free. ❝Having a nice time! We never get to when you're around 'cause you're such a... such a bitch sometimes!❞

— ;; PROMPT GASPS FROM EACH PERSON in the room chorus in unison, including Ogilvie himself, who slaps his hands over his mouth. Normally, he'd never stoop to saying anything of the sort. But times have given him nothing but detestation for this life, for the people in it who frenetically control him, winding 'round his world with their puppet strings. Music with his siblings has been the only escapism from it all, and now they're losing that too?

Nothing around here is fair.

Raising an arm and launching down, knuckles collide suddenly with Ogilvie's face in a backhanded slap, sending him spiraling across the room against his sister's colossal wardrobe. The impact dizzies his senses, stars flittering amongst his peripheral and his head spinning with a lucid loss of senses that temporarily dull the rampant ache pounding against the back of his head.

❝Ogilvie!❞ Both his siblings call out, rushing to his aid immediately.

❝Well! If that's how you three wish to act, you can just stay in here until you learn how to speak properly and respectfully! Just you wait until Queen Aleena hears about this!❞ Huffing, storming out with the slam of the door, a subsequent click! from the other side is enough to tell them all they need to know. Another day, another cruel punishment.

Quick to rush after, Augustus pulls at the knob and kicks at the door, fruitlessly attempting to break the wooded barrier separating them from the world. ❝She locked us in again!❞

— ;; HELPING OGILVIE RECOVER INTO A seated position, Eloise sniffles, wrapping his arms around him. Shoulders dropping, Augustus strides back across the room, sitting down on his knees next to them.

❝Bro... you okay? Can you hear us?❞

❝Do you need a doctor?!❞

— ;; UTTERING A DEEP, PAINED GROAN through clenched teeth, he attempts to soothe his affliction, rubbing his palm against the spot between his eyes.

❝Fine... 'm fine. Did she hurt you guys?❞ Seeing both his siblings shake their heads, he relaxes somewhat. ❝Good. Guess I was askin' for it, though, heh... callin' her a bitch and stuff.❞

❝I still can't believe you did that!❞ Eloise exclaims incredulously, ❝do you think mother will believe her?!❞

❝Nahhh, no chance. Mom isn't around enough to know what happens as it is, she wouldn't believe one of us would say—❞ Pause, a dramatic gasp to enunciate, ❝—a swear word!❞

❝You sure gave her the what's for, Ogilvie,❞ Augustus comments, failing to hide his snickers, ❝I mean, did'ja see her face?!❞

❝She looked like Sleet at age 90 after sucking on a lemon,❞ Ogilvie answers, prompting his brother to burst into loud laughter.

❝Oh!❞ Eloise giggles through those tears of strenuous apprehension, cupping a hand over her mouth to hide her amusement, ❝you two, we shouldn't be...! Hehehe...!❞

— ;; PAINTING HIS FACE, THAT SMUG grin that his siblings love so much shows itself from ear-to-ear, and within seconds, all three of them are laughing uncontrollably, snuggled together to further whisper insults about their castle staff.

Although their stomachs ache and pang with hunger, and the dry-mouthed taste soon creeps in, they keep each other close. None of them had asked to be born into a life of opulence and affluence, but things might just turn out bearable so long as they knew they'd have each other like this. Now and forever.

Right?

[mythos321]

Part 5 of my Wof x Persona au!

Chapter five: Wrath of the Seas!

As the Trio began their sneaking through the castle, they exited the small room that they entered from, and began their way through the main hall, only for it momentarily shift from a castles hall to the front of the school, making both Clay and Tsunami look momentarily shocked at its momentary distortion.

“Woah, so it’s actually literal?! I thought the school being the castle was just a metaphor or something!” Tsunami said, as Turtle pinched his snout.

“Obviously not, this place is still your school!” Turtle stated

“Wait, so do people from the school see us differently? or are we still in the mind and so aren’t actually there.” Clay asked, as he began to slowly sneak forward to avoid any sounds as Tsunami and Turtle followed with

“It’s the latter, yep. While this shows how he views the school, it will momentarily distort back to its true state, though should be noted these are extremely brief, and only certain areas have the constant shift between reality and his subconscious viewing. Those could even be safe spaces for later! Anyhow, we should hurry now!” Turtle explained and stated, as the three speed sneaked across the hall and down towards the dungeon area, but before they could foolishly rush in, Clay grabbed Turtle who subsequently grabbed Tsunami, as they saw one of the puppet guards up ahead.

“Dang, I guess we’re gonna have to fight our way forward! Clay, hand me one of those weapons you got I’ll help!” Tsunami said as Clay went to grab manifest his dagger, however ended up manifesting something a bit more…booming.

“Oh hey, it’s like Obsidians head! I didn’t know I also had one of these! Oh! I know, I can give you this, and them you can bludgeon enemies with this handle part!” Clay explained, as Tsunami nodded in agreement

“Okay, first of all, that is horrifying gun safety. second of all, using that right now would just give you away! Big Blue over here should just stand back as you and me handle this thing!” Turtle explained.

“What we need to do is attack from behind, even if we could handle them head on, it’s much better for us to catch them off guard and keep a low level!” Turtle further explained

“Oh, kind of like hunting! Except instead of hunting food, we’re hunting doll knights!” Clay responded, and Turtle despite having a clear face of bewilderment decided to just go with it.

“Yeah, sure. You just need to break the mask off them, then it’ll free them of the palace rulers control and allow us to deal with them without consequence! At which point you have my permission to be as loud as you want while we beat the crap outta them!” Turtle told Clay, who then nodded along with it as he then slowly crept up behind the puppet knight, and took a long deep breath, before jumping onto the back of the shadow, revealing its true form as its old armor went away, revealing itself as a small dragonet of an indiscernible tribe, with glowing yellow eyes and a long wizards hat and coat, almost like it was a magician.

Clay found himself intrigued by the shadow. It didn’t seem harmful, actually seemed kind of adorable, like a little toy he and his sibs might have played with when they were younger, and wondered perhaps he could try to talk to the shadow after he defeats it.

Naturally, it took very little effort to knock it down, but before it could be finished off, Clay decided to walk up to the shadow, and strike a conversation with it.

“Oh, what, come to gloat at beating weak old me? Everyone always makes fun of me!”

“I don’t think you’re weak at all!” Clay responded to the shadow, as it seemed to momentarily cheer up.

“O-oh! really? you think I can have potential as a true mage?”

“Sure! I think you could even join us!” Clay responded genuinely to the shadow

“Wow! no one ever believed in me! OH! I REMEMBER MY TRUE SELF NOW!” The shadow spoke, as it suddenly floated in the air.

“I am thou! Thou art I! I am The Magician Arcana, True Name:Blue Apprentice!” The Shadow then suddenly turned into a mask like Clays own, and rammed right onto his face, making him momentarily befuddled as Turtle looked just as confused as him.

“…what just happened?” Clay asked, as he felt a sudden surge of power in him

“You have harnessed the natural ability within yourself! The Wild Card.”

“Now we are joined together! With fellow spirits sure to follow!”

Clay heard Obsidians voice speak from within himself, alongside that of The Blue Apprentice, and Clay realized he now harnessed the power of two personas at once.

“That’s no fair! Why do you get 2 personas while I only get one!” Turtle asked, visibly a little upset.

“At least you HAVE a Persona! I don’t even have one!” Tsunami said afterwards, as Clay felt a little bad for having a power neither of his friends possessed…though he had to admit, it felt amazing, almost as though he had found another part of himself.

After the two seawings finished their whining, the trio continued through the dungeon…and found no one there, no guards, no prisoners, not even some dumb note saying they got the better of them like in the sillier stories Clay would be read as a child.

“Where the hell is everyone?! Maybe they’re up front!” Tsunami stated as she rushed over.

“Hm, seems they had them transferred for some reason…ughhhh, so much running around, it feels like one of those stupid novels that purposefully drags on…” Turtle depressingly said, as Clay suddenly grabbed the small cat like dragon and tossed him onto his back.

“There ya go! now you won’t have to waste energy!” Clay said to Turtle with a smile, as Turtle smiled back in gratitude after processing it, only for Tsunami to run back to them.

“I heard footsteps, lots of them!“ Tsunami said as she regrouped with them, as Turtle hopped off of Clays back and tried to quickly think up something before seeing a distorted door.

“Over there! It’s one of the rooms I mentioned before!” The 3 then quickly rushed inside, with Tsunami giving herself a breather.

“Well, we should be safe here! Whirlpools control over this area is pretty weak!” Turtle stated, as the room switched between a random castle room ti a random classroom.

“So this place meanwhile is a classroom? It’s so weird, to turn a place into a castle from a school.” Tsunami said.

“Now you’re catching on! This is a world where distorted desires materialize, no matter the true nature of the distorted location! for example, a mobster might view a city under his control as his bank, or even further than that! I call these places of distorted desires a “Palace.” This place is a castle because Whirlpool views it as such.”

“Really now…THAT SELFISH SON OF A BITCH!” Tsunami yelled as she threw a small chair against the wall, shattering it into a bunch of wooden pieces, as Clay placed his claws on Tsunamis shoulder to try and calm her down.

“Woah, seems you really hate this Whirlpool guy.” Turtle observed

“Hate doesn’t even describe it! I despise that bastard more than anything in the world! Him and my mother are practically two peas in a pod with how she coddles him and lets him do whatever he wants just because he praises her crap writing, her crap leadership, and her crap parenting!”

“Hey hey now, calm down alright? I don’t know what happened but this clearly isn’t something to get blinded over.” Turtle tried to say

“Turtle, I know you’re trying to help, but this isn’t really one of those times.” Clay interjected, as Turtle felt a small wave of guilt now that even Clay was against his words.

“I’m sorry, just trying to keep things safe…..soooo, you’re probably curious about the outfit right?” Turtle asked Clay, trying to change the subject.

“Yeah, I’ve been curious about that too!” Tsunami interjected.

“Well, that my friend is also caused by these distorted realities.”

“Of course it is…”

“It helps acts as a sort of shield against the distortion of the world, which can only come forth from a powerful will of rebellion! Essentially, it is your mind battling against theirs.”

“Wait, but isn’t Tsunami doing fine? How come nothing happens to her without it.” Clay questioned

“Well it’s simple, you’re around to keep her from ending up on the chopping block!” Turtle answered

“Well now that that’s wrapped up…Seriously, what ARE you???” Tsunami asked

“I’m a dragon just like you two! Honest-to-moons Dragon!”

“Maybe some crude attempt of a disguise as one! Firstly, your eyes look like a cats! Secondly, you’re extremely tiny yet have the physical body of a 4 year old dragonet!” Tsunami stated, as she momentarily clenched her teeth after Clay stepped on her tail for her rude comments

“W-well, this is just because I lost whatever my original form was!…I think. But I know how to regain it! That’s why I even came here, for preliminary investigations of how!…well, until I got captured and tortured. Yeah scratch what I said a while back screw this guy we’re making him pay no matter what!” Turtle yelled out, as he suddenly tripped against a shelf and a small contraption came out of it.

After Clay checked to see if Turtle was okay, he then looked at small item and realized it was kind of like a grappling hook. Usually nothing to special outside of small construction, Clay thought about Turtles words before, and realized that maybe he could use his own cognition to use this even further than that. Or at the very least, it could be a neat gift to give to one of his sibs in a year.

“Man, that was embarrassing. I’m okay though.” Turtle said as he got back up.

“Well, we should get going. Oh! Before we so though, I just remembered I brought some juice! Maybe they can heal us up if we get to tired and all that.” Tsunami stated, as she reached into her jackets pocket and handed it to Clay, as it then turned into a fine drink they could safely drink later, manifesting it away for now as the three exited the safe room.

“Let’s eavesdrop on some of the soldiers so we can figure out where they sent those prisoners to.” Turtle suggested, as the 3 peeked behind a bunch of barrels to listen in on them, hearing one of the guards mention a training hall.

“That should be just a bit ahead!” Turtle commented, as the guards walked pass them with no notice, and the three snuck pass them down towards the halls and saw a large gate door, which they proceeded to open it and walk through a small but well lit corridor, as they went slightly further down before stopping in their tracks as they saw 2 shadows speak to one another.

“Darn! I should’ve expected we’d see some shadows even with our evasions! We need to conserve energy though, so we can’t just rush at them!”

“If only I had a persona, I could help you guys shoot right through them!” Tsunami said, as a lightbulb went off in Clays head.

“Moons bless the Nightwing who made these.” Clay said as he manifested his gun, took aim and fired, making one shadow fade away as the other soon followed as Turtle himself got the memo and used his own weapon, a slingshot.

“Y’know, while these aren’t that useful against actual dragons, they can REALLY pack a punch here.” Clay stated as he put the weapon away

“You’re a surprising marksman, I gotta say.” Turtle complimented him

“Oh, well I used to play with toys like these when I was younger, I was super competitive about it so I developed a bit of an aim for it. Just to check, are the shadows weak to these, or are these just stronger here? Because usually these just kind of leave a bruise at worst.”

“Correct! our weapons are indeed stronger here than in the real world, and will likely become only stronger with our mental fortitude and experience!” Turtle explained

“Ha! we’re really about to defeat these guys with a childrens toys!” Tsunami laughed as the 3 rushed through and made it to the room connecting to the training and study halls as a sign above it read “Whirlpools Training Hall of Care.”

“Hall…of Care? That’s the biggest bullshit I ever heard! Only thing Whirlpool cares about is himself!” Tsunami stated as the 3 walked into The Castles Hall of Care and were greeted by the pained screams of students.

“Those voices…they’re coming from over there!” Tsunami told the others as she rushed to where she heard the screams with Clay and Turtle close behind her as the pained screams only got louder until they finally found the source of the screams below.

Their they saw multiple dragonets being whipped by the palace puppets as “training” and “helping” as they were helpless to the guards attacks.

“DAMN IT, WHAT IS THIS PSYCHOTIC SHIT HES PULLING.” Tsunami yelled, as she had to be held back by Clay before she did something she’d regret.

“Look, I understand, but you need to keep your voice down!” Turtle whispered to them

“THIS IS BEYOND HORRIBLE TO THESE POOR KIDS, WE CANT JUST LEAVE THEM, DAMN IT, CLAY, HELP ME OPEN THIS!” Tsunami commanded as Clay followed, determined to help those dragonets just like her, until they heard a sudden faint voice.

“Please…just leave us alone…it’s useless…” One of the abused prisoners said to them.

“If we stay obedient, we’ll be fine…” another of the abused said, as Clay and Tsunami looked disgusted.

“Damn it, to think that bastard would have them feel so helpless!” Tsunami said as she held her head in frustration as Clay crushed the ground in his talons.

“Look you two, I know you want to help them, but it’s important to remember these are still just Whirlpools cognitions! Trying to help them here won’t have any effect. Trust me, if they were real, I’d be busting that door down with you! The truth is, all they are is just similarly looking dolls for Whirlpools mind to play with!” Turtle told the two, which slightly eased their nerves, but also made them angrier in other aspects.

“So while the school is a castle, the students are its slaves…” Clay thought out loud

“It’s a moon forsaken comedy with how much it lines up. This really is all in that frog eyed assholes head.” Tsunami added on, as she began to think to herself of how she can help still.

“…wait, these are based on real life, right? Then these people must exist in the real world to! They must be Whirlpools students!” Tsunami told the two, as she then developed a scowl on her face after she realized that Whirlpool truly does just view his students as slaves.

“Then that means if we can talk to them in real life, we might be able to get something out there! Even your mother would have no option but to be forced to put him away! Even if she got him a light sentence he wouldn’t be able to teach the same ever again, if at all!” Clay added on, as he and Tsunami gained some hope, as Clay pulled out his notebook and attempted to write inside it some descriptions of the people they saw, only for the pages to turn blank afterwards.

“Huh, so that book just has you write palace locations instead of letting you do anything on your own for it?” Tsunami asked

“Admittedly, I think it just writes it all down on its own.” Clay admitted, while Turtle simply looked confused as he had no idea what the two were talking about.

“I think I can memorize their faces and scale colors, We should probably get going soon though.” Tsunami admitted

“I believe there’s an easy exit just up ahead! So we’ll have to cut through there…Unfortunately we’ll also have to see what the other poor kids go through.” Turtle told the two, as the trio then rushed through the hall and saw the various horrible tortures they went through, from having to run forever without water with threat of being crushed by a spiked roller, to being forced to swim at depths far to deep for children to handle, and even one poor kid being pelted with stones over and over to shape their endurance, all making Clay, Tsunami, and Turtle suck to their stomach at the horrible abuse.

Just before exiting, they heard the scream of a small child beyond what they thought was an empty cavern, as Clay and Tsunami recognized the voice as none other than Anemones cognitive self.

As they looked down, they saw the cognition constantly be hit with a staff even while down, as a copy of Whirlpools voice constantly berated the poor child for being “Useless” or “Weak” and even claiming her to be selfish garbage that is a waste of space, and Clay and Tsunami both felt a burning hatred at what the poor girl was being put through by this piece of garbage “Teacher.”

“That poor kid…Maybe we can try to talk with her after all of this is over, try to help her before it’s too late I guess…” Clay tried to say, as Tsunami nodded her head in agreement. But even so, all the two could feel was sadness at what Anemone was being put through, and how her mother outright encouraged this horrific abuse while praising the man who did it. All of it just made the two saddened for the poor dragonet.

The 3 then began to rush through the exit up back to the castles main hall, expecting to escape without a hitch.

Only for Shadow Whirlpool to appear, with multiple Puppet Guards at his side, one larger and in golden armor next to him.

“To think you knaves would dare to intrude upon me again! You’re a bunch of hopeless buffoons! Intruding upon a kings castle!” King Whirlpool shouted to them.

“This school ain’t your castle lord dipshit!” Tsunami yelled back.

“We know all about the abuse you’re putting those poor kids through, we’re gonna take you down!” Clay yelled with Tsunami, as King Whirlpool lightly chuckled

“ “Barking dogs seldom bite.” as the saying goes. How far The Ugly Princess has fallen. Your dear old dad wore the face much better than all of you worthless ingrates that’s for sure! Guess there was a silver lining in Gills death though, he never had to see his idiot daughter make a fool of herself!” King Whirlpool taunted

“The hell are you getting at?!” Tsunami loudly questioned.

“Come on now, I speak of the Queens second disgrace! Who acted in violence against the greatest man to ever exist, and crushed her already weak relation to her mother. Oh I can only imagine poor Queen Corals sadness at her daughter’s selfish little actions.” King Whirlpool continued, as Tsunami gritted her teeth.

“The hell are you talking about?” Clay asked, as he had Tsunami get behind him so she couldn’t get hurt.

“My, I knew Mudwings were stupid, but I never knew they would blindly accompany others without knowing anything at all! To put it simply so your tiny brain may understand it, she attacked me in a fit of rage, betraying her mothers trust in the process and breaking away in a tantrum! Yet here she is, acting like a carefree monkey playing with its dung.” King Whirlpool mocked, as Clay got in a fighting position over his constant insults to his friend.

“Th-that’s not true!” Tsunami yelled.

“Such a tragedy! A poor dumb mudwing and small tiny freak led to their deaths by a foolish former princess! My, it almost sounds like the opening plots to one of the queens books!” King Whirlpool stated as he walked behind his guards. “Hurry up and put an end to these fools, I can’t stand their stench.” King Whirlpool ordered his guards as they suddenly surrounded Turtle and Clay without warning, with Clay bumping Tsunami out of the way before being kicked down to the ground, with Turtle kicked a few feet by one of the other guards right under Whirlpools talons as he stepped down on Turtle.

“Ow…you piece of…” Turtle tried to say solething, but couldn’t muster up any more words, as Clay tried to get up but was still surrounded by the guards without a way to fight back. Meanwhile Tsunami kept a fighting stance, though slightly terrified, she refused to show it in any capacity.

“I bet you fools came here on a whim, and now ended up like this. Is that correct?” Whirlpool questioned, as Tsunami was then knocked down by a guards shield and hurt in the process.

“That’s not it at all…” Tsunami said weakly.

“To think you would dare to raise your hand against me! After I bestowed such kindness in even teaching a stupid brat like you!”

“Teaching? All you did was abuse me just like you’re abusing these kids! You were trying to get me to attack you on purpose!” Tsunami shouted back with resistance, as she managed to get herself standing once again.

“You’re nothing but an eyesore! Of course I’d try to get rid of a loudmouth buffoon like you! I also knew your mommy would naturally side with me, though I gotta say, the dumb broad dislocating one of your wings was an extra icing on the cake of victory! Maybe I should break your other wing! Coral will just think it’s self defense anyway!” King Whirlpool began to cackle, as Tsunami looked at the ground in defeat.

“Damn it…am I gonna lose again?…Not only can I barely fly or swim anymore, hell even runnings a challenge…But I’m completely estranged from my family because of this asshole…” Tsunami explained sadly.

“So that’s why…” Turtle realized to himself, only to let out a pained yelp as Whirlpool continued to squish him under his talon.

“Once I deal with these two, I’ll make sure you’ll join them quite soon. HahahahahaAHAHAHAH!” Whirlpool laughed

“TSUNAMI! DONT LET THIS TOAD EYED ABUSIVE PIECE OF GARBAGE GET THE BETTER OF YOU! YOURE STRONGER THAN HIM! KEEP BELIEVING IN YOURSELF AND STAND UP AGAINST HIM!” Clay shouted from the ground, trying to think of a way out of his own predicament, but it was clear his words were not met on Deaf ears.

“…You’re right. I can’t let this trash get the better of me! All you do is use people like some damn puppets…you’re the real piece of garbage, Whirlpool!” Tsunami said as she walked towards him, and a fear from Whirlpool began to emit from himself

“G-guards! seize her!” Whirlpool yelled, as Tsunami continued towards him.

“QUIT LOOKING DOWN ON ME WITH THAT STUPID SMILE ON YOUR FACE.” Tsunami yelled, as guards began to surround her

It’s about time you came through.

Tsunami suddenly collapsed to the floor as she felt like her brain began to bash itself like a hammer, swinging her tail in the process and breaking one of the puppet guards into pieces by proxy.

Since your name has been disgraced by this oaf already, why not form a pact and gain power to deal with this oaf?

Tsunami shouted loudly from the constant pain, making the remaining guards back away in fear they may be destroyed by accident next.

Let us raise your weapon and wreak havoc against those who dared to disgrace you! The other you within desires the very same!

Tsunami shook across the floor grasping at her head from the agonizing pain as the contract forged itself

I am thou, thou art I. Now stand forth against your oppresors, AND FLOOD THE OCEAN WITH THE SKULLS OF THOUS ENEMIES

A metal mask appeared upon Tsunamis face as she stood tensely against the guards.

“Hmph, what do you think you can even do! Just cower in fear!” The Golden Guard yelled, only to be ignored as Tsunami ripped her mask away and let forth a scream that was like the thunder itself,

The castles hall began to shake, as the ground broke apart from rising winds mixed with powerful waves as they manifested into a mighty beast, with a blade replacing the left hand as a dagger was held in its right. Its wings were like that of silver and blue diamonds, with a ferocious yet beautiful face topped with a crown like hat. Its lower body was like that of a constant storm, it wore a long deep blue coat over its silver underbody that complimented its blue scales, held up by 2 other blades within its possession. Top it all off was a constant thundering from its body like that of a constant roar.

Dozens of guards were ripped to shreds by the Persona and the earthquake it brought forth, allowing Clay and Turtle to free themselves and stand by with Tsunami as she let forth a massive smile upon her face at her newfound power.

“Hahaha! Now that’s what I’m talking about! Now that I got this power! I think I owe these bastards some payback!” Tsunami exclaimed.

“D-Don’t mock me, you brat!” The Golden Guard yelled, as it prepared to fight

“BLOW THEM ALL AWAY, HURRICANE!” Tsunami commanded ferociously, preparing for the ensuing battle to come!

[cyberchaniclove]

The aftermath of a finale.

FINALLY GETTING TO DRAWING SOMETHING!! This idea has been stewing in my brain since shortly after II18 released. i think MePhone deserves all the comfort in the world actually

[winged-cries]

[cw child abuse in the form of corporal punishment/spanking]

Fanworks are endlessly fascinating to me. For some reason, I started watching Little House on the Prairie at breakfast — mostly as background noise as I slowly come out of my sleepy haze. Out of curiosity and habit, I looked it up on AO3 to see what kind of fanfic it has inspired. One thing I found and did not expect (though perhaps I should've) was a relatively popular series of shorts depicting some of the male characters spanking their children. Mind you, this is a T-rated series, and I don't think there's anything sexual in the text. I didn't read the fics because I think they would make me uncomfortable, but I read some of the comments and it seems people enjoy the parent/child dynamic in a situation of wrongdoing and punishment (physical, but never crossing the line into cruelty). There were mentions of "guilt release" for the child, as well as the father feeling guilty over the spanking. People talked about the care and love the fathers demonstrate after the punishment, the general mix of comfort, love and control. I think the appeal is the father's demonstration of power over the child, the restrained physical violence, and the notion that punishment is a form of love.

Of course it makes complete sense. LHOTP is the TV equivalent to sentimental literature, where this kind of dynamic isn't uncommon. It reminded me of The Masochistic Pleasures of Sentimental Literature by Marianne Nobles, specifically the section about Elsie Dinsmore, and Philip Greven's Spare the Child (Nobles includes quotes from Greven's book and a father's account of his masochistic daughters, who ask him to physically punish them as proof of his love, as taught to them in a Protestant school).

Anyway, I wanted to find out if LHOTP actually depicted any spanking, because it seemed that at least some of the fics were depicting missing scenes — situations where corporal punishment was implied but not depicted. I'm not completely sure, but I think there was never an explicit depiction, which is why the fanworks exist.

There isn't any point to this post, I just find the whole thing fascinating, especially the general reactions to the fics. Fans seemed to find them comforting and sweet, and I think they were invested in the aftercare as much as the punishment itself — not very unlike sadomasochistic sexual play.

[b4kuch1n]

crumbs in your bed

transcript

[an-animagi]

more half eepy au thoughts bc why not i dont lewarn my lesson

to me coal is a bernese mountain dog, whilst pebble is a jack russel terrier :) (you can google both of them if you dont know what they look like - theyre both working dog breeds which i thought matched them best)

astros parents werent the best to put it lightly, and theyve also been through his fair shair of unhealthy relationships.

hes also got pretty bad abandonment issues, which does not help their situationship with dandy. no one knows what they are to each other, not even the pair themselves.

oh yeah astro and dandy are childhood friends turned 'im-going-to-ignore-you-to-keep-up-a-reputation' turned friends in secret turned lovers? fwb? just really good mates??? no one is sure

fyi it drives astro absolutely insane trying to figure it out, because dandy is fine being just 'whatever' and not having a name or concrete guidelines for how they act in private or in public, one day they can kiss but the next they cant then theyre having sex then they cant see each other then its only handholding then making out, and astro cant handle the instability but they dont want to lose dandy completely, and for good this time because if dandy left him behind for other people once whose to say it wont happen again?

(...yeah astro should not be pursuing a relationship with dandy. like at all. he has told vee shelly and sprout bits of the situation but not all of it, and has yet to take their advice (stay just friends, set a clear and firm boundary, or communicate your thoughts clearly))

vee is also a streamer!! shes dating shelly - vee's chat constantly jokes that theyre honorary married and ask vee either where her wife is, or where 'mother' is (this is bc shelly occasionally features as a guest on vee's streams, think kinda like philza and kristen)

dandy, astro and vee all went to the same primary school (until vee moved house in y4), vee then went to secondary school with shelly and sprout whilst dandy and astro went to the same school (dandy ignored astro for most of it, in y10 they kinda made up), vee sees dandy again in y11 and makes him hang out with her and invite astro, they all end up going to the same sixth form, sprout then goes to med school (same one as flutter - hes studying cardiology though), shelly goes to uni for an archeology degree, vee 'takes a gap year' and never ends up going back to school, dandy went into business and astro takes a gap year to save up money before going off to study astronomy. they keep in touch (and vee n shelly move in together) as much as they can :)

dandy got pebble as a puppy when he was 17 as a 'reward' for doing well in his a-levels - pebble is 4 years old now :>

[bambiraptorx]

Remember that AU of Minor Interference where Draxum doesn't have the mystic oath hold him back? I finally figured out a way to continue it yay!

Previous parts: Part 1, Part 2

Content Warnings: child abuse, injuries, implied/referenced violence, eye trauma

Raph doesn't like the way Draxum is looking at his eye.

He doesn't like the way Draxum's gauntlet is warm against his skin as it holds his face or the way that the man's breath gusts lightly across his scales or the deep, almost concerned frown on that blue mask, and he certainly doesn't like the way Draxum mutters under his breath. Raph doesn't know if it's because he's upset or because he doesn't want to be heard, but it can't be a good sign.

He doesn't like the way his eye throbs or his vision on that side is blurred, either, but he's trying not to think too much about that.

Draxum withdraws his hand and curses. Raph feels like doing the same, but keeps his mouth shut. He doesn't like to talk around Draxum if he can help it; it just feels safer that way.

"I can't heal that."

What? But—but Draxum always heals whatever he does, he has to be able to heal it. Raph half-raises a hand, then thinks better of it, and switches to his other arm. Better not to mess with the dislocated shoulder too much.

"Um, w-why not?"

Draxum shifts his position to Raph's side, his hands already poised to adjust the hanging arm. "Eyes are too delicate and it's nothing I was trained in. Anything I'd do would run just as much of a risk as causing more damage, maybe permanent damage."

The icy fear that never quite leaves Raph's chest anymore reaches up his throat, coiling around his skull and prodding the ache in his eye. "Permanent? You—you can't fix it?"

If Draxum can't fix it... what's going to happen to him? What's gonna happen to his eye? What if his sight doesn't come back, what if he loses it—

He grunts as Draxum's magic jerks his shoulder back into place, the ligaments twitching as muscle and bone try to remember how they're supposed to sit.

Draxum sighs through his teeth as his magic reorganizes Raph's body. "There's nothing I can do, yes. But don't worry, I know... someone. They might be able to help."

---

Raph is less disoriented by Draxum's portals than Leo's, something he'll never admit out loud. But Leo would have at least told him where they were going.

It's a small building, one the Baron has to duck his head to enter, and Raph's elbow spikes scrape against the doorway as he follows. It feels old, but clean, like it's much older than Raph is but kept in good condition, and judging from the mild humming of mystic energy, it's somewhere in the Hidden City.

"Tourmaline, I require your assistance," Draxum calls. Raph looks around the room, unsure what to make of it. There's a handful of variously sized chairs, a table with unfamiliar equipment and a window to another room above it, and a poster in some language he doesn't know with a diagram of an eye. Or maybe it's multiple languages? Hard to make out, with the blurry vision and all.

"I'll have you know my hours of operation are listed on the door you opened to get in here, Baron," a dry voice calls through the window. A large snake sticks their head through it, their neck as thick around as Raph's bicep. "Or have you forgotten how to read?"

"Don't play games with me, Tourmaline," Draxum snaps. "This is a matter of importance. I have someone who needs healing."

The serpent huffs. "I'm an odd first choice for that, given that my specialty is—"

"It's an eye injury. You treat eyes. Surely the connection is obvious."

The snake swivels their head towards Raph. "Ah. That doesn't look good, how did it happen?"

Raph opens his mouth to answer, but Draxum beats him to it. "Training accident. We were sparring, a blow landed when I didn't expect it to. It was my fault, I'm afraid."

None of that explanation is exactly wrong, but it feels like it is.

"Training, hm?" Tourmaline's eyes don't narrow (they don't have eyelids, after all), but their tone splits the difference between curious and suspicious as they slither out of the window and onto the table below. "You seem to be on the younger end. What is your name?"

Raph blinks (and ignores the subsequent pain in his eye). He wasn't quite expecting to be addressed. "Uh, Raphael. I'm fifteen."

He gets the impression that if Tourmaline had eyebrows, they would be shooting up. "Fifteen? That's... that's very young to be training with the likes of the Baron. How exactly did that arrangement occur?"

"He's my apprentice," Draxum cuts in. "Unofficially, as of yet."

Tourmaline drops to the ground, or at least, the first part of them does. It looks like they've still got a lot to bring though the window. "And you chose to spar with him anyway, without that legal protection? His parents could prosecute—"

"The paperwork hasn't come through yet. And my immediate priority is treating his eye, not dealing with matters of responsibility." Draxum's tone is sharp, his words rushed together. "Now will you heal him, or will I be forced to delay treating his injury by finding someone else?"

"You're toeing a very serious line here, Baron. This could be reportable to—"

"Heal him, berate me after. His injuries are more important than anything else. Don't drag this out for him."

The serpent sighs. "Fine, fine. Just let me finish coming in." They slither their way around Draxum and Raph, the end of their tail finally coming through the window in the wall, and come to a rest in front of Raph. Even knowing they're a person, it's a little unnerving to be so close to a snake so big. Their head raises to his eye level, swaying slightly.

"The eye is clearly ruptured, judging from the distortion of the globe, conjunctival bleeding, and misshapen pupil. I'd presume that your vision has been affected?"

Raph nods.

"Time is of the essence in healing it properly. I can't guarantee your vision will go back to normal, but many emergency healers aren't trained fully in the intricacies of eyes. Credit where it's due to your mentor, I suppose. He was right to bring you here." They coil the very end of their tail around Raph's wrist, a lightness to the touch.

"You're likely too young to have much experience being healed, but don't worry. You're in good hands, so to speak."

Raph is actually very familiar with how healing works, but he doesn't get the chance to say that before energy flows into his body, up to his face.

The snake's mystics are different than Draxum's—softer, kinder. They wash up his arm in a gentle, numbing wave. He barely feels it as they nudge his eye back into shape and put the tissues back in order. It takes longer than Draxum would have spent by several minutes, but it barely hurts. It doesn't even itch by the time Tourmaline draws their tail from his hand.

"There, finished. Look around for me."

Raph does. It's better than before—his eye no longer throbs, and for the most part his vision is clear again. "It's, uh, still a bit fuzzy."

Tourmaline nods. "It may return to normal on its own, it may not. If it doesn't clear up in a few days, have Draxum bring you back. Now take a seat. Healing can have odd effects when you aren't used to it, and it's best to relax for a while afterward."

Raph obeys. He's more tired than he usually is after healing. Maybe Donnie will have some theories on why that is, if he remembers to tell him later. For now, though, he'll enjoy having a chair sturdy enough to hold him. He leans back as much as he can, eyes closed.

Something clinks, metal against metal. "Here is your payment."

"My rates haven't changed, Draxum, and I trust you have not forgotten how to count. Why the extra?"

"For the, ah, inconvenience. And because..." a swallow. "I may have been slightly more blunt and demanding than truly necessary. It was—I want the boy safe, you understand. His injuries are worrisome to me."

Which is a load of bullshit, because Draxum wouldn't cause them if it were true. But still, the serpent seems to accept it. "You and your apprentices, Baron, always getting so attached. He's in good hands."

A gap in the conversation that might leave room for a nod, or might not. Steps click in Raph's direction, pausing in front of him. "Come, Cypress. Time to go."

Raph doesn't really want to. But it's not about what he wants, when it comes to Draxum.

He opens his eyes and stands. Nods once. And follows Draxum through the portal he opens. What else is there to do?

[angorwhosebabyisthis]

[cws: drugging, SA and SA apologia, fantasy racism/ableism, forced institutionalization.]

-

i know i never shut up about it but god i am still just. So Salty about how the show handles the dynamic between mayor jones and pericles for many reasons, and one of the biggest is that there are really strong overtones here of sexual assault.

a character who already brings to mind the Slimy, Shady Cis White Guy with Buried Allegations archetype:

takes advantage of the trust of someone who's doing something with him in secret--

(which will get that person in a disproportionate amount of trouble compared to him, if they're discovered)

--to catch him off guard so he can grab him, drug him, and do violent things to his body while he's unconscious; scars him for life in a way that is disabling and should cause a lot of ongoing suffering, which, like many other things that should have a strong negative impact on him physically or psychologically, the writers ignore; and dumps him there alone to discover what's been done to him when he wakes up.

specifically, he does this to someone from a marginalized group that's highly unlikely to be believed if they tell anyone what he did--and going by the fact that mayor jones never got in any trouble until present day, he wasn't.

goes out of the way to ruin the life of the victim and discredit him as thoroughly as possible, because he's a loose end and he needs to shut him up.

flees the scene and gets away scot free with this for twenty years, has a successful privileged career and is considered a pillar of the community in the meantime.

when his dirty secret, which he's been paranoid about finally facing consequences for after the victim has recently become a risk again, is discovered, it's a huge career-ending scandal.

is redeemed by the end, while his victim goes on to be the Monstrous Irredeemable Pure Evil Main Villain and also sexually abuse someone himself, which is played as horrific and traumatizing (as it should be).

more specifically, is portrayed as showing redeeming, heroic anti-villain qualities by backhanding the victim into a wall as hard as he can in present day.

me: hm. yeah fuck this

[malkaleh]

I keep trying to write an update and then being embarrassed about it and feeling like I’m trauma dumping on people by updating and I just..I know it’s on me to manage my crap, I know. I am trying (not very well but I’m trying) and it’s just…I don’t know. I don’t even know.

[stoneqoldcrazy]

𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦, 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘭𝘺. 𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘴 𝘩𝘦'𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳'𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘳𝘮 𝘶𝘱𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘣 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘯, 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥, 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘬𝘺... 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘱! 𝘉𝘦𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯: 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘞𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘕𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘖𝘻. 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥, 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧. 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘨𝘭𝘺... 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘥.

-

𝘛𝘸𝘰-𝘍𝘢𝘤𝘦: 𝘊𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘗𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵

[skrittkicking]

oc introduction: iovitus rainbreak

TLDR: iovitus rainbreak is a 28 year old ex-blood legion soldier turned gladium following a traumatic event that left them without a warband and resulted in their expulsion from the legions. nowadays, they live with their older, also ex-blood cousin – gratta rainsunder, played by @rytlockdripstone – and are trying their best to move on from their past, but really, they’re just ignoring it and calling it an improvement

content warning: death, verbal abuse, bullying, ableism, drug use, mild torture, suicidal ideation

word count: 3049

born to two blood legion charr in a futile attempt to fix their failing relationship, iovitus was the second cub of lia windwalker (dame) and silas firekeep (sire). they had an older sister, eudocia, who died in infancy due to an unknown genetic illness. they were healthy for their early life and were sent to the fahrar when they came of age – things would quickly turn there, however, as a young iovitus soon fell into an intense illness – the same genetic one that had taken their sister, years before. it seemed to have sat dormant for a while, but the unfamiliar environment of the fahrar sprung it on. during their time spent in the hospital, iovitus would be visited by their mother whenever possible, though her visits were far and few between. she just wanted to see to it that her only remaining cub would survive – silas had been killed just a few months prior in a skirmish, so there would be no third chance. iovitus would survive this, but it left them permanently immunocompromised and threw off their hormonal balance, rendering them much smaller and scrawnier than their peers, and the young charr would never quite grow out of it. 

once strong enough to get back into the fahrar, iovitus had fallen quite behind their peers and had to work hard to catch up, all the while enduring relentless bullying for their comparatively scraggly stature and somewhat delayed social skills. to cope with this, iovitus eagerly seeks to prove themselves to their peers, taking on more and more dangerous dares and doing incredibly stupid things that a cub of their age should not be doing. in this time, though, they do make one true friend. he’s a year their senior, but the two grow very close, though doesn’t do much to protect them from the bullying at the hands of the cubs. in spite of this, however, iovitus continues to seek out validation from people who don’t have their best interest in mind, and this most certainly comes back to bite them in the ass. at one point around the age of six or seven, iovitus and a few other cubs sneak out of the fahrar’s grounds and explore the surrounding area; sometime during this, iovitus is either pushed into or falls into (they can’t really remember which) a ventilation shaft and breaks their right leg at the ankle. ouch! due to the nature of the breakage, it’s determined that the best course of action is amputation below the knee, so, goodbye leg. 

after spending some more time in the hospital to recover, iovitus is thrown back into the fahrar and continues their studies to the best of their ability, though they now have to walk with a mobility aid. no accommodations are given to them by their no-nonsense primus, tullia wildrush, which iovitus sees as some sort of punishment for their misbehavior, and begins to harbor a dislike for her authority, which will only continue to grow as time goes on. in actuality, tullia is attempting (for better or for worse) to push iovitus harder, knowing that if they do survive to adulthood, their opponents on the battlefield will actively target their newfound disability. the bullying they’d endured previously stalled briefly as the cubs had been harshly punished for their behavior by tullia, but it slowly fell back into where it was before – if not worse. before, iovitus might’ve been lightly pushed around, but now the cubs had something they could physically take from them: their walking cane. this continued till they were 10, when things shifted drastically: iovitus got into a physical fight with a girl who’d taken their cane and refused to give it back, pushing her down onto the ground and hitting her till she was still. oh. oops! after this incident, iovitus would be given a proper prosthetic limb by the primus, and the bullying died down – though it didn’t quite come to a complete halt, it was marginally less severe than it’d been previously. iovitus was never properly punished for the death of the other cub by their hands.

time passes, and iovitus continues to train hard in the fahrar, doing exceedingly well with both the longbow and throwing axes. as they shift into a teenager and are enveloped in the throes of puberty™, they go through what could be called a rebellious phase, purposefully going against what their primus says just for the fun of it – it earns them something of a respect amongst their peers, and iovitus relishes in that feeling, doubling down on their misbehavior. they also begin whatever the fuck the tyrian equivalent of hrt is, deepening their voice and earning them a neat little row of spines down the back of their neck, amongst other things. it’s only taken temporarily, as iovitus is satisfied with what they get out of it and don’t feel the need to continue. iovitus acquires a lot of piercings during this angsty bout of teenagehood. it is also during this time that they are introduced to the realm of illegal substances, doing whatever fun little hard drugs they can get their paws on. it never becomes an addiction, however, and iovitus is still keen to do well in the fahrar, despite everything. additionally, their close friend comes out to them as a trans woman, taking on the name cassia. she seems much happier afterwards, and the two blossom into a couple. win for the gays! 

soon after, the two of them graduate from the fahrar – cassia, despite being a year older than iovitus, stayed behind an extra year so the two of them could graduate together. rather than forming their own warband, however, they are invited to join the rain warband, as the both of them were amongst some of the best combatants in their year’s crop. iovitus took on the surname rainbreak, and cassia, rainsong. the rain warband was a spec-ops unit, operating as a sort of jack of all trades, doing whatever was needed of them – which usually meant killing what needed to be killed, interrogations, search and destroy/rescue missions, et cetera. all was well for a period of time, and cassia was quickly promoted to second-in-command, despite her young age. her prowess with the blade was incredible, as were her quick problem-solving capabilities and general badassery. iovitus also fell out of their drug usage during this period, though still did so recreationally whenever there wasn’t much to be done. things were good for a while, but they didn’t last long, thanks to the brewing conflict between the legions. wartime was fast approaching.

due to the nature of their warband, iovitus was spared from ever having to fight directly on the front lines, but that does not mean they are out of harms way; the rain warband is constantly moving from area to area, securing different zones, conducting quiet cullings, extracting information where they can, and doing whatever was needed of them without asking any questions. cassia was promoted to legionnaire after her predecessor was killed in a run-in with some flame legion soldiers. life went on and it kind of sucked because war sucks! iovitus gained a few cool new scars, so on and so forth. in the brief downtime that they have, iovitus and cassia talk about what kind of a life they’d like to live together when everything’s said and done. eventually, 2 members of the ‘band would be killed in an escort mission gone awry, leaving only 6 members alive. still reeling from the death of their previous legionnaire, this would hurt – but it was nothing in comparison to the event that would perspire in just a short few weeks time, so close to the end of the civil war. 

responding to a distress call from a nearby allied warband, the rain warband would find themselves locked in combat with a much larger, well-prepared set of flame legion soldiers. the warband they had been responding to were all already dead, so any attempt at rescue was out of the question. overwhelmed and underprepared, iovitus’ bandmates slowly fell till it was just them and cassia left – the flame legion warband had taken a few hits too, however, with a generous number of their bandmates dying. exhausted and grieving their fallen bandmates, iovitus and cassia are captured by the flame legion soldiers – rather than just killing them outright, however, they are tied up and beaten half to death in a futile attempt to squeeze any information out of them. being a spec-ops unit, however, they don’t really have access to anything they’d find useful, leaving the flame warband dissatisfied. there was no point in keeping the two of them alive, so they make the easy decision to just cut their throats and be done with it. cassia is first, and iovitus can do nothing but sit and watch as she bleeds out in front of them, coughing and sputtering, choking on her own blood. it’s an image that’s permanently burned into their head, and they watch the life slowly disappear from her eyes.

its their turn now, but just as the blade is put to their throat, their impending execution is interrupted by another blood legion warband – the tremble warband, who’d come to their aid, also having received the distress call from earlier. too little, too late. they are able to find and cull the remaining flame legion soldiers and rescue iovitus, but iovitus is, naturally, very upset. they’d just lost their entire warband in the span of a few hours and their partner – a staggering amount of grief overtakes them, and they’re not thinking properly. iovitus begs the tremble warband to kill them and be done with it – they reason that there’d be no witnesses to know what truly happened, and iovitus’ death could just be attributed to the fallen flame legion warband. the tremble warband refuses, obviously, no matter how much iovitus pleads for them to change their minds and reconsider. if they’re not going to kill them that easily, maybe iovitus can give them a proper reason to take them out. without any inclination as to what they’re doing, iovitus lashes out against their fellow blood legion soldiers, striking true with their axes – they manage to kill three before they’re knocked down onto the ground and hit hard enough to fall unconscious. iovitus wasn’t given what they desired – the release of death. they tried their hardest, though, having taken down the legionnaire and two bandmates.

following this, iovitus was brought to the blood legion homelands where they were put on trial for treason. iovitus didn’t care to fight the case, admitting guilt, hoping they’d be thrown into and die in some sort of gladiatorial combat. for whatever reason, however, the newfound legionnaire of the tremble warband, omiros tremblecut, decides to withdraw his case, instead allowing for iovitus to live freely as a gladium, much to the dismay of his bandmates. they are still found guilty of treason, though, and are expelled from the blood legion. at the time, iovitus did not know why the legionnaire did this. if they were in the place of the tremble warband, they knew that they’d certainly press for a painful death. iovitus knows now, though: the life of a gladium is a difficult one, ridden with grief, constantly followed by the things that they have done, knowing they can never return. there is no second chance; word of their crimes would spread, and even if iovitus was permitted back into the blood legion for whatever reason, they’d never find a warband willing to take them. it was a sentence worse than death, in a way.

leaving with nothing but the clothes on their back and a (stolen) raptor, iovitus wanders tyria for a few weeks, surviving off what little money they have on them. they don’t know what to do with themselves – it’s a brand new, unfamiliar, and quite terrifying world, and they have to navigate it all by themselves. part of them hungers for an easy death, but iovitus is too much of a coward to actually do anything. eventually, their funds run dry, and iovitus takes on a few odd jobs to get by. they purposefully pick and choose jobs that are dangerous, like mercenary work, hoping they’ll have an unlucky accident and end up dead. despite their best efforts, however, it doesn’t happen, and time slowly goes on. during this time, iovitus develops a fear towards other charr, avoiding them to the best of their ability – really, they avoid most social interaction in general, only talking to people when they absolutely have to. they’re also technically homeless, sort of just camping out in the woods when not actively enrolled in a job. life is miserable. iovitus takes out most of their piercings and begins smoking more regularly – it’s an easy distraction from their thoughts. they know it’s bad for them, but they do it anyways. maybe on purpose. since their expulsion, iovitus has actively worked to distance themselves from their charr heritage, taking on a more passive approach to life, and harboring a distaste for violence. 

at some point, iovitus picks up a job as a ranch hand, and discovers a previously unknown love for and skill with animals. iovitus takes comfort in them – sure, they have their raptor, but she wasn’t something iovitus really thought too hard about before. she was just kind of there. from here on out, iovitus begins to take on more and more work that deals with animal care and studies, slowly making a name for themselves in the community. the gladium begins to do their own simple research on genetics on the side, though they’re never confident enough to post anything they find. it’s all kept to themselves. time passes, and iovitus continues to work, pushing aside any thoughts of their past and pretending their heritage is nonexistent. they gain a few new companions along the way – first is meatball, an undead, underbaked minion of zhaitan who is too small to really do any actual harm. he’s free from the control of zhaitan, and sort of just acts like a bitchy cat most of the time. then, the aptly-named meathead, a smokescale whom iovitus rescued in maguuma after he’d broken his leg. meathead is trained in combat, and acts as iovitus’ companion. their most recently acquired little beasty is a griffon. he’s gifted to them as an egg by one of their coworkers, and though iovitus is hesitant to take him at first, they concede, raising him from a hatchling. he’s named W.P., and don’t ask what it stands for, because iovitus will never tell. 

as much as iovitus loves their animal companions, they are getting more and more lonely – it’s been a few years now. they are more social with their coworkers now than they were before, but don’t form any real meaningful relationships – most jobs are just a one-off thing, and iovitus loses contact with anyone they work with after they’re done. they crave the comfort of a warband – or, really, just anyone in general. the thought of another romantic relationship is overwhelmingly painful for iovitus to even consider. iovitus isn’t really sure where to start looking for companions. they don’t really like the limited feeling of living in a city – besides, the kind of work that they do requires them to move from place to place constantly. living in the woods also means iovitus has all the space to do whatever the hell they want and they don’t have to worry about neighbors or anything. it's fun! sort of. they do have to worry about bears and stuff, though, but that’s manageable. 

as terrifying as the prospect is, iovitus begins to look into their own family heritage, tracking down bloodlines and listing out all of their still-living relatives. charr don’t particularly care for their families, but iovitus doesn’t know where else to look – and they’re already not a very traditional charr, anyways. they have no siblings, so that’s out of the question. most of their aunts and uncles have been dead for a while, but iovitus’ mother is still around, as are a handful of cousins. well. it’s better than nothing, they suppose. it takes months of them building up the courage, but iovitus sends out a bundle of letters to any relatives they deem worth it, hoping they are unaware of their status as a gladium or don’t really care too much. most of them don’t respond, but iovitus does get two letters back – one from their mother, a harshly-worded response calling them a slew of insults and a blemish on their bloodline. ouch! thanks, ma. the other is from an older cousin – legionnaire gratta flashshot of the flash warband.  she’s unaware of the things iovitus has done, but knows of their gladium ranking. she doesn’t seem bothered by it, and the two grow close, spending more and more time with each other as time goes on. iovitus seems happier. are they? uhhh lol

gratta sort of moves in with iovitus, and eventually she leaves the legions altogether to live with them full time, all while iovitus continues to work – though at a much slower pace than they had been doing previously. they also spend more time in the human city of divinity’s reach, having made a couple of friends due to gratta’s unintentional influence. they have yet to connect with any charr outside of gratta in any meaningful way, still put off by the thought. iovitus also doesn’t really talk about their past unless prompted to, but there’s some things they haven’t told anyone – and they’d like to keep it that way. the thought of their friends – and, primarily, gratta – finding out of their crimes and wrongdoings terrifies them. so they’ll just bury it deep inside of them, and that’s that. it’s not healthy, but iovitus pretends it is. recently, iovitus has learned of their cousin’s occupation as a rift hunter, and are worried for her. it’s dangerous work, and she’s been doing it for a while. iovitus would much rather be doing it with her, to ensure she doesn’t get herself killed. they just don’t really know how to ask. oh, yeah, they also smoke a shit ton of weed, i guess

and that's where things stand currently! who knows what's in store for this kitty cat! wow i sure hope nothing bad happens to them!

[auutumn]

i think that........... yes, eris absolutely despises his father for everything he's put his mother & brothers through, specifically ( not so much for himself, because he feels like it was necessary, and the harsh lessons made him stronger. he's very passionate about his wrong opinion 😔 ), but beron is still his father, and he'd defend his honor if anyone were to say something against him publicly.