Abuse Tw - Tumblr Posts

ANY KIND OF ABUSE IS NEVER LIMITED TO ANY ONE GENDER/AGE/RACE/CASTE SEXUALITY!!!!

IT CAN HAPPEN TO ANY ONE!!

Just an experiment. Reblog if you actually give a fuck about male victims of domestic violence and rape.

Of fucking course

What sick bastard doesn’t

mentalhealthceo

@daniel-aldridge​

The irony in the situation wasn’t lost on Olivia: she left Maywood bloodied and bruised, and now she was returning in the same state over ten years later. It wasn’t that she was coming home to be around her family or childhood friends for support -- it was the fact that Clarke wouldn’t ever believe she’d swallow her pride and return. It'd be the last place he'd think to look. Olivia spent so long telling him that it didn’t matter who asked her to move back, who missed her, that her life in Maywood was never meant to be permanent again. As it stood, she wasn’t sure if she was going back on her word just yet. Right now, she needed to put distance between her and, what he should have been for awhile now, ex. She also needed to hide out for a week, heal, and act like it was just an impromptu visit. 

However, Maywood was a humble place with very few lodging options. She crossed into the city limits, eyes catching onto a familiar sign. There was at least one place that would do. She stepped up to the desk at The Primrose Hotel, slumped into her coat, and feeling numb. Her eyes shifted around the lobby before landing on a familiar face. She tilted her chin back a little at her high-school-boyfriend-turned-friend. She was too tired from driving nonstop to feel embarassed -- it wasn't like he hadn't seen her in a similar state. “Please tell me you have an empty room,” she forced a smile despite the split on her lip, “I’m not trying to sleep in my car for the next week.”

daniel-aldridge‌:

Ever since he arrived back from the university, it was his goal to keep their family business thriving or more than it was at the moment. And he didn’t disappoint them; due to the changes in their branding and customer service which became more personalized, their income increased from the previous years. However, it wasn’t all his, their personnel shared some inputs too that built a better management and staff relationship. His parents couldn’t be more proud with his accomplishment in just a short period of being the new manager, what more for the years to come? Well, he’s next vision for the hotel is to expand. Hopefully it will happen.

Today had been pretty hectic around the hotel, guests came in and out, availing different services and this was the only time it died down. Ready to proceed home, Daniel made his last round when he spotted the familiar female he hasn’t seen for quite sometimes now. He sighed as he tucked his hands in his pocket. “If I would have known you’re coming, I would have saved you a room.” But the entire hotel rooms were occupied and he didn’t really want to turn her away with that kind of state. “We’re full tonight but because you’re my ex and I still love you, I’ll let you use my room here instead.” He teased, remained their good relationship after the break up. His hand signaled the other staff to send the first aid kit to his room. “So, shall we?”

“Wasn’t exactly planning on coming back,” Olivia pointed out. Her expression was flat. She was too exhausted from driving non-stop to manage more than a weak smile at the joke. Dan was always a nice reprieve when things began to boil over in her life -- most of the times, he didn’t even realize it. She was always good at pretending like everything was fine, he still always managed to keep things light. There were times that she showed up to school sore, or with her hair shorn off like a sheep, and he knew exactly what to say. She appreciated that about him, even long after they broke things off, he was a balm for the unseen. 

“Thanks, Dan. It’ll only be for tonight,” she said, shoulders slouching with relieve as she fell into step with him. Despite needing a room for the next week, she’d be damned if she showed her face to friends and family looking like this, she wasn’t intending on using his room for that entire time. For now, what mattered was there was a warm and safe place to stay for tonight. The rest were worries for the morning. “You changed it up,” she said as they walked together, “It looks really nice.”

Updated: October 13, 2024

Reworked Character #3: Eri Kasamoto

POTENTIAL TRIGGER WARNING: Viewer discretion is advised due to references to abandonment, abuse, underage drinking, crime, an unhealthy romance, death, and SA.

Real name: Chizuko Kawaguchi

Alias: Memphis Bomb Princess

Occupation: Staff Sergeant of the S.P.A.R.R.O.W.S., Ptolemaios’ second-in-command (formerly), and the leader of a street gang (formerly)

Retirement plans: Open up an inclusive orphanage in Hiroshima

Special skills: Orchestrating stealth missions and suppression operations, proficiency in explosives, survival techniques, lock picking, and seduction

Hobbies: Swimming, kickboxing, building explosive gadgets, thinking about her past mistakes and what she could’ve done better during her solitary nature walks, and playing card games with her friends that include some sort of money-related bet

Likes: Fio, pyrotechnics, aimless walks, vintage religious memorabilia, and a keychain that was gifted to her by Emily

Dislikes: Blissful ignorance, overly mischievous, lazy, and hot-headed people, riding in vehicles she isn’t able to drive, being touched without permission, and cults

Favourite drink: Vodka (preferably Spirytus)

Sexuality: Homoflexible sapiosexual

Gender: Female

Age: 16 (in 2022), 22 (in 2028), 24 (in 2030), 26 (in 2032), 28 (in 2034), 35 (in 2041), 37 (in 2043), 38 (in 2044), and 41 (in 2047)

Blood type: B-

Weight: 126 lbs. (57 kg)

Design: She’s a 5’ 6” (167.64 cm) Japanese ectomorph with an athletic, sylph-like build, broad shoulders, sand-hued skin, a black mole under her right eye, and top scars. She has dark brown eyes with visible bags beneath them and fingernails that are painted a metallic green. She has jet black hair with choppy bangs that has been bleached dirty blonde and is styled in a mid-back shaggy wolf cut, often worn up in a ponytail. Eri has a jarring diagonal scar that runs from the left side of her temple, across the bridge of her nose, to her right levator scapulae muscle. She also has stab scars on the palm of her right hand, cut marks on her right forearm, the skin on her arms and shoulders have been picked at, and her legs are riddled with scrapes. She lost her left forearm in a traumatic incident, later receiving a metallic silver prosthetic replacement from Ptolemaios during her training. She dons green gold snake bite and silver jestrum piercings, and her makeup features a glittery artichoke green smoky eyeliner, light brown mascara, and coral pink lips.

Eri’s military gear consists of an olive green bandana on her head, a metal dog tag necklace with her name, and a black headset for communication with her snipers. She wears a black bra, myrtle-hued sleeveless button midriff, and a satin crimson sash. She wears a purplish-grey unbuttoned coat with ripped sleeves, four pockets, and a hidden strap compartment that holds her electrical baton. On the back of her jacket is the logo of the S.P.A.R.R.O.W.S., which Fio kindly embroidered for her. Her purplish-grey army cargo pants were tucked into black combat boots and held up by a silver-buckled dark teal belt around her waist. She has a sheath for her combat knife and a drop leg holster for her handgun with a silencer.

She wears a black gas mask with red-tinted lenses, olive green gloves, black knee and elbow pads, and sage-streaked silver tassel earrings. She wears a keychain necklace, a gift from her late girlfriend Emily, featuring a fiery comet encircling a reddish-purple amethyst stone carved into the shape of a human heart. Eri is adorned with two black steel armlets, one on each arm: the right armlet has a circular green crystal at its centre, while the left armlet has a red one. The green crystal grants her the power to unleash grey lightning, while the red crystal, forged from a fragment of Sol Dae Rokker, can summon deadly, wolf-shaped spirits that dive-bomb enemies.

Over her midriff, she dons a Soldier Plate Carrier System (SPCS) with a MultiCam pattern, which carries around her walkie-talkie and ammo for other firearms. She carries around a sage green load-bearing backpack that contains camping equipment, grenades, fire bombs, mines, hand-crafted explosive gadgets, portable ammo boxes, a canteen full of water, three canisters of gasoline, a rocket launcher, and a bottle of vodka. Her olive green waist pack, secured at the back of her belt, holds a silvery flask of vodka, a matchbox, and a compact makeup kit containing her eyeliner, mascara, and lip gloss. The pockets of her coat contain a pack of fruity bubblegum, a navy blue lighter, a rainbow-coloured bouncy ball, a deck of playing cards, and her lucky gold Kaiki Shoho coin. Meanwhile, her cargo pants hold lockpicking tools and three boxes of cigarettes. She has worn gauze wrapped around her right forearm, a gun holster for her handgun, and a sheath for her machete. She's still in possession of a Ptolemaic Army-commissioned scoped bolt-action rifle, which is often draped over her left shoulder.

Character summary: She's a vengeful, sarcastic, cynical, and tomboyish leader who will stop at nothing to brutally hurt anyone she perceives as a threat to her comrades and friends or have caused them genuine harm. She has a sadistic streak, evident in her peculiar habit of smearing her enemies' blood on herself to intimidate others. When focused on her military duties and protecting those she respects and cares about, she tends to neglect her own needs. Eri's outspoken and crass demeanour shows no fear in speaking her mind, telling others off, and using profanities. As a self-reliant and lonesome individual, she’s bitter and aloof towards those she dislikes and strangers. She has a tendency to engage in dishonest behaviour and manipulate situations to her advantage. When confronted about these actions, she often responds with aggressive language and contradictory arguments. She holds immense respect for the deities, particularly Sol Dae Rokker, and will go to great lengths to worship and make sacrifices to them, often ritually sacrificing the remains of her enemies and indulging in orgies with her team of Ptolemaic rebels.

She fearlessly rebels against anything she deems morally wrong or a life-threatening risk. She shows no mercy towards her enemies, and her military missions showcase her exceptional resourcefulness, cunning, and tactical prowess. She's capable of sympathy and offering wise advice, but her willingness to do so greatly depends on the situation and her personal connection with the individual. She has immense compassion for those who endured a difficult childhood and does her best to offer comfort and support.

Eri regards her team of Ptolemaic deserters, Fio of the S.P.A.R.R.O.W.S., Marco and Trevor of the P.F. Squad, Ralf and Clark, the top dogs of the Ikari Warriors, Tequila, Red Eye, and Hyakutaro, Tyra, and Walter of Division 6 as family. She’s overprotective of Fio, whom she regards with sisterly affection, and Marco, whom she views as a courageous leader who deserves comfort and sympathy. She harbours significant animosity towards Tarma, seeing him as a hot-headed idiot who only causes trouble and can't take things seriously. Despite her best efforts to tolerate him, she can't help but snap at him when his silly antics go too far, he inadvertently ruins a plan or he gets too flirtatious and physically close to Fio.

She deeply appreciates the unwavering loyalty and obedience of her team of Ptolemaic Army rebels, who show remarkable kindness and respect towards her friends and comrades. Their well-being is paramount to her, and she'll stop at nothing to ensure their safety, driven by a profound fear of losing or failing them. Although she hesitates to acknowledge it, lest she hurt their feelings and/or diminish their sense of worth, she does harbour a special affinity for certain members, with some holding a closer place in her heart than others. Her top favourites are Mikuláš, Dezső, Zanokuhle, Amilcare, Efterpi, and Radovan. She holds them in high regard due to their unwavering support, exceptional expertise in guerrilla warfare and stealth, and efficient completion of tasks. On the other hand, her least favourite team members are Harvie, Souma, and Jaroslavas. She finds them less impressive due to their tendency to slack off, often distracted by gossiping, playing card games, taking frequent smoke breaks, admiring nature, and playfully teasing their comrades.

She lives with claustrophobia, mild social anxiety, insomnia, atypical depression, and borderline personality disorder. To cope with her mental health struggles, she often presents herself as highly intelligent, serious-minded, and seductive. However, when anger takes hold, her emotions can be difficult to contain, although she strives to maintain some self-control. Notably, Eri prefers not to be called by her old name as it evokes memories of her past trauma, which she’s trying to desperately forget. She's a hardened pessimist, often appearing mentally exhausted and emotionally unfazed, yet she consistently demonstrates resilience and stubborn determination. She can't help but feel jealous towards those who have loving parents and weren't abandoned by them. When she's had too much to drink, she becomes prone to argumentativeness, physical aggression, and melancholy, and often sleepwalks.

She has a deep-seated distrust of Christianity, believing that many people hypocritically exploit God and Jesus' teachings to conceal their true intentions. She also thinks that certain Christian teachings clash with the harsh realities of life. Furthermore, she believes that God seems apathetic to humanity's well-being, watching them suffer endlessly, letting evil to continuously flourish, and restricting the potential for salvation. She holds that morality is culturally relative, and therefore, there are no universal moral laws, making it challenging to distinguish right from wrong.

In her view, human societies construct their values based on their distinct beliefs, customs, and practices, which are also influenced by social and emotional pressures. She believes that individuals have a moral obligation to protect innocent lives and uphold the goodness inherent in justice. Regarding war, she thinks it can be justified if it meets certain criteria: it’s openly declared by a governing authority, has a just cause, and aims to establish a lasting peace. She acknowledges the coexistence of life and death but does not see a clear connection between the two.

Backstory: Chizuko Kawaguchi was born on June 6, 2006 in Hiroshima, Japan. She was abandoned as an infant at the entrance of a Christian church by her parents, who had wanted a son instead of a baby girl. Her name was discovered on a piece of paper tucked inside her baby carriage. She was raised by the Christian church where she was sent to live, an institution with a strict religious environment. There, children who misbehaved were subjected to psychological reprimands. During Chizuko’s younger years, she acted out as an attention-seeking troublemaker, but was frequently punished through humiliation and isolation in a dark closet.

She would be frequently bullied by children who were considered to be well-behaved and good in the eyes of the church staff. They targeted her for her perceived sinfulness by spreading false rumours about her, belittling her, and vandalising her toys. She endured occasional physical abuse and emotional manipulation by the church orphanage staff who used the threat of eternal damnation to control her behaviour. This treatment had a profound effect on her, making her quiet, nervous, and obedient. As a result, she grew to resent the church, finding its teachings to be at odds with the harsh realities of her own life. She eventually lost faith in God, feeling that He seemed indifferent to human suffering, allowing it to persist without genuine intervention or care.

At the age of 6, Chizuko met Tarma and quickly befriended him after building a sandcastle and searching for worms under a heavy rock. This chance encounter taught her that there were kind people outside of her church community, and she had opportunities to form new connections and discover herself. She met up with Tarma a few more times until he stopped visiting Hiroshima, leaving her feeling alone and sorrowful.

Once she figured out the ways of the world, she escaped from the sanctuary of the church at the age of 12, alongside a small group of friends, eager to taste the forbidden fruit of the world. Seeking vengeance, she and her friends burned down the church orphanage in retaliation for the abuse they had endured. Most of her early life remains private. However, her invigorating and tomboyish nature lended her as a capable leader, founding a gang of street kids. They engaged in criminal activities, primarily petty theft, drug sales, weapon trafficking, and murder.

Details about this period are scarce, but it's known that Chizuko developed a fondness for vodka during this time. She narrowly escaped being taken into custody by the police through financial bribes, avoiding a potential juvenile detention. She would also go through a couple of romantic relationships with girls. Her first relationship was short-lived after she quickly discovered that her girlfriend was using her for financial gain. Her second relationship seemed to be going well, but it ended when her girlfriend's parents found out about her being a delinquent and forbade their daughter from seeing her again.

At 15, she reunited with Tarma after he ran away from home, inviting him to hang out and drink beer and vodka. As they caught up on each other's lives, she began to flirt and get physically close, seeing him as someone she could trust. However, Chizuko’s desire to escape the past and run away from her problems clouded her judgement. They spent many nights together, engaging in erotic activities, and she even convinced him to participate in a few crimes. But everything changed when Tarma abruptly ended things and returned home to Hokkaido. Devastated, she felt betrayed, despite having used him to fulfill her own desires and advance her gang interests. This experience explains her lingering animosity towards Tarma.

Her leadership skills and her gang had continued to grow successfully, but that success was short-lived. Two months before she turned 18, Hiroshima was suddenly attacked by multiple bombings from a mysterious group, resulting in the loss of thousands of lives, including her entire gang—her first true friends. This incident sent the Japanese populace into a deep state of panic and uncertainty. In the chaos, she also suffered a devastating injury, losing her left forearm. With quick thinking, she managed to improvise a tourniquet by tearing the sleeves of her medium-sleeved shirt and stemming the bleeding.

While treating her injury, she was approached by a brown-haired, grey-eyed woman wearing the attire of a Ptolemaic guerilla. This guerrilla fighter didn't want to leave Chizuko behind, knowing she would feel terrible if left alone. So, she convinced Chizuko to come with her to meet up with Ptolemaios. Chizuko was hesitant at first, but with no other options, she took the opportunity. The guerrilla introduced herself as Emily Kuznetsova, and Chizuko decided to adopt a new name: Eri Kasamoto.

Unbeknownst to her, Ptolemaios had been observing Eri for some time, recognizing her potential as a valuable asset for his army. She was first showered with excessive attention and affection by Ptolemaios' most devoted followers. Afterwards, they subjected her to an initiation ritual where she was forced to consume the heart of a deceased baby goat in the name of the Dark Lord and drink Ptolemaios' blood. He took steps to provide her with specialised training to enhance her skills in espionage and further develop her militant abilities. Once she received a sufficient amount of training, he wasn't hesitant to make her his second-in-command, which stirred some jealousy amongst the commanding officers of the Ptolemaic Army. On his behalf, she was responsible for multiple stealth missions to further the technological advancement and tactical plans of the Ptolemaic Army. She would also carry out targeted assassinations of traitors on Ptolemaios' behalf, which would often result in him rewarding her with bottles of premium vodka and, notably, her two prized black steel armlets.

During this time, Emily's compassionate and courageous nature won Eri over, and she developed a strong romantic attraction towards her, which would eventually blossom into a full-blown relationship. Ptolemaios viewed Emily as a potential obstacle to his objectives and sought to eliminate her, motivated in part by his suppressed and secret sexual attraction to Eri. Emily's death was staged to appear as a suicide, with her disemboweled body found in a dumpster, however, the circumstances surrounding her death remain unclear. Four commanding officers, including Elijah, a red-haired, brown-eyed man, and Kenzo, who had black hair and brown eyes, noticed that Eri was struggling to cope with Emily's death and pretended to comfort her. However, in a shocking and disturbing turn of events, Eri was suddenly and violently assaulted by the commanding officers, motivated by jealousy over her close relationship with Ptolemaios and the attention he showed her.

However, these two events had a profound impact on Eri, leading to feelings of grief and anger, and prompting her to re-evaluate her involvement with the Ptolemaic Army. The memories of Elijah and Kenzo would evoke intense anger and a desire for revenge against the Ptolemaic Army, particularly its leadership and commanding officers. Conversely, thoughts of Emily would intensify her longing for vengeance while also filling her with profound sorrow and existential despair. She formed an alliance with like-minded individuals who shared her vision of opposing Ptolemaios' regime, recognizing that his ambitions posed a significant threat to global stability and universal security. They also sought to prevent Ptolemaios from summoning the Avatar of Evil, fearing its awakening could trigger a catastrophic apocalypse. The group consisted of six guerrilla troops: Mikuláš (Czech), Hye-Jin (Korean), Konrad (German), Dezső (Hungarian), Zanokuhle (Xhosa), and Harvie (British); four snipers: Amilcare (Italian), Efterpi (Greek), Souma (Japanese), and Gerasim (Bulgarian); and eight special forces operatives: Kemalettin (Finnish), Jaroslavas (Lithuanian), Dermot (Irish), Anuradha (Bengali), Shelomit (Jewish), Franjo (Croatian), Yohanes (Indonesian), and Radovan (Macedonian).

During their fight against the Ptolemaic Army, they caused major setbacks and killed off many soldiers and cultists. As Eri fought against Ptolemaios, she learned that he was responsible for conducting the terrorist bombings in Hiroshima. As she attempted to take Ptolemaios' life, a seemingly malevolent presence intervened, halting her progress. Ominous whispers echoed in her mind, cautioning her that it wasn't yet time to end his reign of terror. Uncertain and intimidated, she and her rebel Ptolemaic soldiers retreated from Ptolemaios' Osaka compound, fearing the consequences of defying the mysterious presence. This decision would become a deeply regretted moment. Shortly after this time, she ripped off the sleeves of her purplish-grey coat to use as tourniquets for a couple of her men. She also chose to acquire her top scars, her way of trying to forget the past, reject social norms placed on women and girls, and embrace her true self.

At the age of 20, she and her team decided to apply for military service, working under the Intelligence Agency as a formidable group of agents. Eri made a name for herself in numerous missions, earning a reputation as a vengeful leader amongst the Regular Army. She was known for eliminating numerous individuals, including treacherous soldiers and corrupt politicians with some of her most notable assignments involving strategic seduction that lured her targets into vulnerable positions. However, she began to feel increasingly disillusioned by the constant assassinations and conspiracies that weighed on her conscience, reminding her of her time with the Ptolemaic Army. She applied for a transfer to S.P.A.R.R.O.W.S., which was specially approved due to her exceptional record, indispensable skills, and intimate knowledge of the Ptolemaic Army's inner workings.

As the demolition and stealth expert of S.P.A.R.R.O.W.S., Eri led her rebel Ptolemaic soldiers with immense success. She befriended Fio and felt an instant, deep connection after a few interactions, viewing Fio as the younger sister she never had and vowing to protect her at all costs. She briefly hooked up with Gimlet, hoping it would end his flirtatious advances, but swiftly ended things after a make out session revealed his true nature: an attention-seeking narcissist. She played a crucial role in the Great Morden War by providing Marco's team with explosives, emergency rations, and valuable intel on Rebel Army positions through stealthy infiltration. Eri showcased her advanced combat and leadership skills by helping to thwart Morden's second coup, which was aided by her team, Fio, Tarma, and Marco.

Updated: October 15, 2024

Reworked Character #9: Tequila

POTENTIAL TRIGGER WARNING: Viewer discretion is advised due to references to death, torture, suicide, child abuse, cannibalism, crime, alcoholism, and divorce.

Real name: Sermeg Bracquemond-Kagamihara (he legally changed his name to Sosuke N. Kanikoja)

Alias: Maestro of a Thousand Skirmishes

Nickname: Tequila

Occupation: Lieutenant General of the S.P.A.R.R.O.W.S., Brigadier General of the Regular Army, Army Chief of Staff for the Rebel Army (formerly), and mercenary for the Theophylaktos Union (formerly)

Retirement plans: Open a florist shop, become a philanthropist dedicated to supporting child welfare and war veterans, and establish a company that designs and manufactures affordable, electric vehicles

Special skills: Coordinating covert missions, and training programs for new recruits, proficiency in tactical planning and the operation of heavy machinery, mastery of disguise, and rescuing hostages

Esper abilities: His body possesses a unique adaptive ability, granting him resistance to extreme temperatures, toxins, and other hazards. In response to environmental stressors, his organs automatically secrete a protective, opalescent slime that coats them. This slime serves as a barrier, preventing harmful microorganisms from entering his body and shielding him from infections and diseases. It also repels toxic substances and deadly gases, safeguarding his organs from damage. Furthermore, the slime produces purplish-black cells that play a crucial role in his thermal resistance, helping to regulate his body temperature and enabling him to withstand extreme heat or cold temperatures

Moreover, he's able to intentionally shed his skin, peeling it off like a removable garment. Following its removal, his skin rapidly regenerates through a self-materialising process, restoring his epidermal layer. This process allows him to remove harmful organisms that may have attached to or burrowed into his skin. Shedding contaminated skin also enables him to regenerate healthy tissue and develop enhanced immunity and resistance to biological hazards, including toxins, bacteria, and other harmful substances.

By leveraging his photographic memory and manipulating his genetic code and organic mass, he can shapeshift into any form he has visually memorised. He can also teleport short distances, allowing him to suddenly disappear and reappear in locations with which he has partial or full familiarity. He boasts flexibility rivalling that of an octopus due to his extreme hypermobility, and agility nearly identical to that of a cheetah. Furthermore, his senses are incredibly acute, featuring eyesight as keen as an eagle's, hearing as sensitive as a bat's, a sense of smell as discerning as an elephant's, and touch sensitivity as refined as a star-nosed mole's. When sensing the presence of danger or untrustworthy individuals within his range of sight and hearing, his mind instantly kicks into fight or flight mode, impairing his impulsivity and heightening his hypervigilance. This triggers a sudden surge of adrenaline, preparing his body to either confront the threat or flee to safety.

He can clearly read emotions and thoughts by proximity to an individual's aura within a 6 ft (182.88 cm) boundary. Additionally, he possesses psychometry, granting him access to accurate knowledge of an object's or person's history through physical contact, which triggers brief yet remarkably vivid visions. He can sense celestial events, planetary alignments, and cosmic anomalies, allowing him to vaguely predict global changes. Furthermore, he can passively sense environmental changes to predict weather, earthquakes, and other meteorological and geological events.

He has two black half-spheres, one in the centre of each palm, which possess a red-violet lustre and serve three distinct purposes. Firstly, they enable him to manipulate the organic fabric of sentient life forms and the four elemental forces that comprise the cosmos: earth, air, water, and fire. Secondly, they allow him to absorb memories and knowledge from the freshly deceased and bodies in various stages of decay. Lastly, by touching a sentient being or placing his hand in close proximity to one, they grant him the ability to communicate with them telepathically.

Hobbies: Gardening (especially cultivating deadly plants and sweet-smelling flowers), playing underground poker games, watching demolition derby events, tinkering with and customising his own vehicles, and engaging in friendly fire incidents during covert missions with military organisations

Likes: Gourmet grilling, the innocent curiosity of children, enjoying a drink after a long battle, the symbolism and cultural significance of flowers, and exploring exotic destinations and natural wonders

Dislikes: Captivity, troublemakers, being stuck in tight spaces (especially during an escape), bureaucratic red tape, and witnessing his comrades and children being exploited and oppressed or caught in situations of gratuitous violence

Favourite food: Tequila (tequila sunrise is his most favourite) and his own gourmet grilled food

Sexuality: Panromantic graysexual

Gender: Male

Age: 50 (in 2022), 56 (in 2028), 58 (in 2030), 60 (in 2032), 62 (in 2034), 69 (in 2041), 71 (in 2043), 72 (in 2044), and 75 (in 2047)

Blood type: A-

Weight: 109 lbs. (49 kg)

Design: He’s a 5 ft (152.4 cm) Canadian-Guatemalan ectomorph of French and Japanese descent with a lean, semi-lanky build, subtle softness around the midsection, and a weak yet surprisingly stocky musculature. He has sloping shoulders, beige skin (it was pale ivory during his younger years), and a small black mole on the right side of his chin. His face shows noticeable signs of aging with forehead lines, frown lines, tear troughs, and nasolabial folds. He has a missing second premolar on his lower jaw and heterochromia eyes: his right eye is a medium sky blue and his left eye is a deep cyan. Tequila sports a brownish-black spiky crew cut dyed a light auburn, which is paired with sideburns, semi-bushy eyebrows, and a slightly dishevelled five o'clock shadow. On his right outer thigh, he has a tattoo depicting a seven-horned Lamb of God, its legs bound, holding an olive branch in its mouth. The lamb is set against a backdrop of a gilded Chi Rho symbol (☧), which is encircled by a radiant, flaming aureola.

He bears numerous battle scars from past encounters, including: half of his upper back being heavily burned; a series of jagged cuts on his left arm caused by shrapnel; a deep, curved scar on his temple; a thin, horizontal knife scar on his chin; a slight cut on his left cheek from a bullet that flew past him; and a bullet wound below the right side of his diaphragm. Tequila also has a series of deep stab wounds on his right shoulder and right lumbar region, a severed tendon (flexor carpi ulnaris) in his left forearm, and a partially cut left thumb. After being experimented on, his body underwent significant transformations: his muscles now have a coppery hue with bronze streaks, his neck is adorned with bearded vulture feathers, his bones are gilded and steel-hard, and his legs are covered in shaggy, greenish-black fur.

His military gear consists of brass-plated goggles with yellow-orange lenses, a navy blue bandana mask, a bone white tank top with a slight rip just above the left hip, and greenish-black gloves. He wears army cargo pants in a camouflage pattern featuring cerulean, lavender grey, and Cambridge blue, which are tucked into spike-soled liver brown combat boots. His pants have two crudely stitched patches: a triangular brownish-red one on the right knee and a rectangular steel blue one on the middle of his left outer thigh. Tequila wears a metal dog tag necklace with his name, navy blue elbow and knee pads, a bronze-buckled leather belt, a sheath for his combat knife, and a drop leg holster for a handgun with a silencer. A Prussian blue waist pack is secured to the back of his belt, containing a bronze-finished flask filled with his tequila cocktail of choice for the day.

He wears a linden green flight jacket, often left unzipped, featuring a brown wolf-fur lining, a metallic silver zipper, and gilded epaulets. The jacket has four pockets and boasts the S.P.A.R.R.O.W.S. logo emblazoned on the back. It has two hidden compartments designed for firearms, but typically stores a sheathed machete and a scoped bolt-action rifle instead. Additionally, he wears a reseda chartreuse armband on his left sleeve, adorned with the Regular Army insignia. He typically wears a blue-green Lightweight Helmet (LWH), but occasionally opts for a gold-edged wedge cap of linden green seal fur instead.

Over his tank top, he dons a Soldier Plate Carrier System (SPCS) with a cerulean, lavender grey, and Cambridge blue camouflage pattern, which carries around his walkie-talkie and ammo for other firearms. He wears three dark grey bandoliers: one draped over his right shoulder holds flashbang grenades, another over his left shoulder holds smoke bombs, and a third wraps around his waist above his belt, holding ammunition for his handgun. Tequila carries around a steel blue load-bearing backpack that contains camping equipment, tactical explosives, portable ammo boxes, a canteen full of water, a grappling hook, and a disguise kit that adapts to the specific requirements of each mission. It also contains a rocket launcher, grenade launcher, bazooka, fire gun, missile pod, practical tools like mechanic and lockpicking sets, and a photo album filled with Polaroid pictures.

The pockets of his flight jacket carry around a metallic blue-green lighter, the key to his motorcycle, noise-cancelling earplugs, and a hundred-eyed cowrie shell, a gift from Gimlet. Tequila also carries a collection of cherished photographs: one showing him with his ex-wife, Margaret, and their late son, Thomas; another with his former team, including a young Gimlet; a third featuring a Swiss brassy ringlet on a yellow mountain flower; a fourth capturing Red Eye playfully placing an orange cat on a sleeping Donald Morden; a fifth depicting him and Clark on a mountain hike; and a sixth showing him, Marco, Tarma, Gimlet, and Red Eye, taken one year prior to the Great Morden War.

He has a stash of cigars and a half-empty pack of cigarettes tucked away in the right pocket of his army cargo pants, while his left pocket is occupied by a burgundy instant camera, a digital recorder, a silver engagement ring featuring a princess cut diamond, and a golden wedding band. Ever since he encountered a Swiss brassy ringlet during a hike through the rocky meadows of the European Alps, he fell in love with them and proudly displays a pin depicting one on the left side of his flight jacket. He wears two distinctive necklaces: a black cord with a teardrop-shaped nazar charm and a gold chain holding a pendant of the Immaculate Heart of Mary impaled by a longsword.

His custom-made motorcycle is a glaucous BMW R75, adorned with forest green cheetah spots outlined in sandy beige. The motorcycle comes with a sidecar, which serves as storage for extra supplies and his load-bearing backpack. The sidecar features an intriguing design element: a Swiss brassy ringlet on the antler of an elk skull, proudly displayed on its side. The sidecar is outfitted with a greenish-black rocket turret, while two rotating miniguns are mounted on either side of the front wheel of his motorcycle.

Character summary: He's a cunning, wise, rebellious polyglot with a strong aversion to being bossed around unjustly. As a thrill-seeker, he has a tendency to bluff and revels in the raw power and adrenaline rush that comes with high-intensity situations, which makes him feel alive. He has a strong sense of camaraderie with those he considers comrades and close friends, going to great lengths to ensure their happiness and safety. Tequila is especially devoted to Marco, Tarma, Red Eye, Gimlet, Clark, Eri, and Fio, holding their well-being in the highest regard due to the deep affection he feels for them. Depending on the situation, he can be very blunt, believing that people need to quickly learn that the truth is often a hard pill to swallow. Whenever his patience is running thin or he deems it necessary, he isn't afraid to speak his mind, though his words can be abrasive and unsettling.

Despite his perpetual weary expression, he’s a fundamentally kind-hearted and morally upright leader. Tequila is a tough-as-nails and hypervigilant individual that has a tendency to engage in occasional reckless behaviour. He has a cynical, pessimistic outlook on life, which he occasionally masks through social drinking, reading the newspaper or immersing himself in his hobbies. As an introvert with an exceptionally high intellect, he finds it challenging to connect with others. He has a deep-seated compassion and strong protective instincts towards children who are vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. Tequila views it as a moral obligation to safeguard them from harm and foster a secure environment that allows them to thrive. When drunk, he exhibits clumsiness, boisterousness, sorrowfulness, physical aggression, and increased insulting behaviour (far more than usual). Additionally, he's even more likely to make awkward attempts to flirt with anyone who catches his eye.

He's particularly self-conscious about his height and extremely hates being teased about it. When someone teases him about his height, he tends to retaliate by rudely insulting them, often targeting their appearance-related insecurities. When he's feeling scared or furious towards someone who has visibly angered him, he has a habit of jumping on their back, which may follow up with an attack. Tequila has zero tolerance for cowardice and incompetence, viewing them as lame excuses for people to avoid putting in effort and failing to contribute meaningfully to their roles in society. He dislikes people who are overly pesky or slimy, individuals with a bratty and entitled attitude, unnecessary trouble, political corruption, and duplicity.

As a devout Catholic who also believes in the evil eye, he abhors war and can't help but feel a pang of sympathy for new military recruits, knowing their innocent worldview is likely to be shattered. Nevertheless, he recognizes that everyone has their own reasons for enlisting and refrains from criticising their choices. He becomes vengeful when he encounters people who have been unreasonably hurt or when he feels betrayed and devastated after losing something he deeply cares about. He’ll only betray someone or a cause if he senses that they’re crossing into morally reprehensible territory. He lives with sleep paralysis, atypical depression, and mild borderline personality disorder and PTSD. When he needs time for solitude and contemplation, he withdraws to a cozy sanctuary, wrapping himself in a fluffy blanket and using earplugs to shut out the world.

He harbours a deep-seated hatred towards his former friend, General Morden, stemming from his subsequent betrayal when Morden's megalomaniacal desire for world domination consumed him. He perceives Margaret as promiscuous and attention-seeking, disapproving of her flirtatious behaviour as a means to cope with loneliness. Despite their divorce, he still cares about her well-being and has been gradually rebuilding their relationship, attempting to alleviate her loneliness. He has a strong affinity for Vasser, whom he sees as a surrogate son, striving to educate and guide him on the right path.

However, he often finds himself disappointed by Vasser's ill-tempered bully attitude, his excessive thirst for blood and action, and his tendencies to slack off, cause mischief, and make unwanted advances towards women. He also feels deeply disappointed when Vasser disregards his advice and falls short of the standards he envisioned, which were modelled after his deceased son Thomas—an exceptionally well-behaved child with a keen mind and an eagerness to learn. He's consumed by guilt, feeling that despite his best efforts, he's failed as a father and wonders if he could have done more to prevent Vasser's bad behaviour.

Backstory: Sermeg Bracquemond-Kagamihara was born on December 23, 1972 in Chichicastenango, Guatemala. His biological parents were Kafkasi Bracquemond, a French-Canadian construction worker from Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada, and Tsukiko Kagamihara, a Japanese-Canadian entrepreneur who owned an open-air market selling homemade Japanese craft goods. He had an adoptive sister who was six years older than him named Ximena, who had been abandoned by her father, struggling with alcoholism. As expected, he had inherited Tuatha Dé Danann DNA from his parents, which became noticeable when he frequently mentioned seeing a pair of glowing red eyes watching him. Sermeg's parents had also noticed that his intelligence grew at rapid speeds, which they greatly encouraged. Between the ages of 1 and 4, he read numerous books on various subjects, including mathematics, engineering, sociology, psychology, architecture, ancient history, geography, political science, and world religions. By the age of 5, he had taught himself to speak Japanese, Korean, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, and German, and learned about their respective cultures.

Before Sermeg's 7th birthday, his father was assassinated by a hitman in retaliation for killing the right-hand man of a prominent Québécois organised crime family near Montreal. Prior to his death, Kafkasi had fled with his wife, Tsukiko, to Guatemala. The crime family, seeking revenge and viewing Tsukiko and her children as potential assets, had planned to force them into hard labour and prostitution. Out of fear, Tsukiko made the tough decision to put Sermeg and Ximena up for adoption, hoping they would be safe. Shortly after, Tsukiko vanished mysteriously, leaving behind only speculation that she had fallen prey to the Québécois crime family's sinister activities.

They were adopted by an organ harvester named Tecuani, who took pity on them after learning about the fate of their parents. Despite his illicit profession, Tecuani went out of his way to ensure that Sermeg and Ximena were well-fed and properly educated. He even taught them essential survival skills for navigating the dangers of the streets, giving them a better chance at thriving in a challenging world. However, their time together was short-lived, as Tecuani was promptly arrested after one of his employees reported him to the police for operating an illegal organ harvesting business.

As a result, Sermeg and Ximena were placed into the foster care system, where they experienced a tumultuous journey through four different foster families. The first family was neglectful and struggled with addiction, the second was intimidated by Sermeg's abnormal intelligence, and the third, although kind and lenient, harboured an uncle who posed a sexual threat to Ximena.

Tragically, their last foster family was a source of immense pain and suffering. The foster father, a business executive named Clifford, was controlling and abusive, lashing out physically and emotionally, especially when Sermeg dared to stand up for himself. The foster mother, a psychiatrist named Magdalena, failed to provide a safe and nurturing environment, neglecting their needs and belittling them with hurtful words that preyed on their insecurities. Ximena, who had always been dear to Magdalena, struggled with depression, PTSD, and body dysmorphia, which ultimately led to her eventual suicide when Sermeg was just 12 years old.

At age 15, Sermeg joined a newly formed cartel that promised him refuge and financial assistance in exchange for killing and cannibalising his foster parents. Initially hesitant due to his disgust at the idea of consuming his abusers, he was motivated by the prospect of exacting revenge. He followed through on the cartel's demands, completing his initiation and rapidly rising through the ranks thanks to his street smarts. He played a key role in gathering valuable intelligence for the cartel's boss and devising strategic plans for financial management and tactical attacks.

To cope with his emotional pain and seek excitement, he turned to drinking various tequila cocktails, eventually leading to an addiction and a particular fondness for tequila sunrise. His struggles with addiction led to him being dubbed "Tequila" by those around him, a nickname he unexpectedly embraced as part of his identity and later adopted as his codename for military operations.

The circumstances of his departure from the cartel are unclear, but rumours suggest that the cartel was either absorbed into or annihilated by a relatively obscure cult-like guerrilla group from Venezuela known as the Theophylaktos Union. However, it's confirmed that he did join the Theophylaktos Union at age 19, becoming a skilled mercenary and spy for the organisation. He admits that he had a boyfriend during his time in the Theophylaktos Union, but their relationship was cut short when his partner was killed in friendly fire. This was also when he began exploring mechanics and constructed his first custom-made motorcycle.

At the age of 21, during a raid on a Brazilian town, he encountered a frightened child clinging to her dead mother and her severely injured younger brother. Initially, he callously shot her, believing her to be an obstacle to fulfilling the Dark Lord's supposedly twisted desires. Yet, upon reflection, he questioned his actions and his allegiance to the Theophylaktos Union, ultimately realising that this path was not for him. He subsequently retired from the group, assumed the alias Sosuke N. Kanikoja for his protection, relocated to Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada, and sought rehabilitation to address his escalating alcohol addiction. He also turned to Catholicism as a way to find new meaning in life and began working as a bartender and cashier at a flower shop.

While working as a bartender, he met Hyakutaro, who had just completed a challenging mission for the Regular Army. They quickly formed a strong bond after sharing their personal struggles and aspirations. Hyakutaro encouraged him to join the Regular Army, hoping it would give him a sense of direction and purpose. Inspired by their conversation, he enlisted in the Regular Army at the age of 25 and went on to specialise in hostage rescue missions. He also developed expertise in camouflage, secret identities, and intelligence gathering, earning recognition as the Regular Army's top covert agent. His exceptional leadership skills, tactical planning, and recruitment abilities further propelled him to the rank of Brigadier General. However, his experiences soon exposed him to the harsh realities of war and corruption, witnessing the brutal deaths of many friends and comrades. These traumatic events would haunt him, fueling recurring nightmares and night terrors.

Four years after joining the Regular Army and Intelligence Agency, he was among the first to be transferred to the newly established S.P.A.R.R.O.W.S. special forces unit, becoming one of its founding members, alongside Red Eye. He met Margaret Southwood shortly after the S.P.A.R.R.O.W.S. was established, encountering her at the Combat Academy section of the Intelligence Division. He immediately fell in love with her and decided to ask her out on a few dates, which blossomed into a romance. As their relationship grew, they eventually got married and had a single child together, naming him Thomas. Tragically, their marriage was short-lived after their five-year-old son was killed by a drunk driver. As they both struggled to cope with their grief, Margaret turned to promiscuity and Tequila turned to drinking as a means of distraction. Unfortunately, these coping mechanisms created an insurmountable rift, leading to their divorce.

At age 39, after exiting a pub and heading back to a nearby Regular Army base on his motorcycle, he noticed a malnourished teenage boy lying in an alleyway with a bruised and bloodied face. He took great pity on the boy and promptly aided him, noticing the boy's eerie silence and uncanny resemblance to Thomas. He decided to head back to the base later and instead brought the boy to a restaurant, buying him lunch. After a couple of minutes of trying to encourage the boy to speak, he finally introduced himself as Vasser Gutenschiff-Wolstenholme and shared his story of taking to the streets to escape his abusive father, Kanan. Moved by Vasser's situation and seeing it as a duty to protect children from harm, he vowed to enact vengeance. With the assistance of Vasser, he ambushed Kanan by breaking into his house, then adopted Vasser through the Regular Army's orphan program.

A couple of years after Vasser's adoption, he met Morden unexpectedly while serving with the North American Garrison, which was assisting the European Garrison and Middle Eastern Garrison in thwarting an Oceania military organisation's attempt to spark a full-scale nuclear war. Following the successful completion of this mission, they forged a bond over drinks and shared stories of their challenging childhoods. Morden also expressed his admiration for Tequila's courage in his espionage work and leadership abilities within the North American Garrison.

He would eventually become a revered mentor and friend to many, including Clark, Red Eye, Tarma, and Marco. Notably, he encouraged Vasser to join the Peregrine Falcons Squad, but this guidance had an unexpected consequence: Vasser began to reveal a more attention-seeking and bloodthirsty side, indulging in troublesome, slothful, and lecherous tendencies that led to several issues. In addition to rescuing hostages, he consistently went above and beyond to save children who were in imminent danger or at risk of harm, making their safety a top priority regardless of the mission. One mission that remains etched in his memory is when he rescued a group of children being trafficked and sold on the black market, while his team simultaneously took down the criminals responsible for this heinous crime.

He played a key role in the Arms Deal Barrage and defeating the remnants of the Serapion Fellowship. He's the primary reason the event bears the name “Barrage”. He orchestrated an artillery bombardment on the fortress housing a critical power facility and a massive space rocket, significantly weakening the Serapion Fellowship's defences. However, the mission would uncover a shocking truth: the Regular Army was secretly involved in an illegal arms deal with the Serapion Fellowship, a revelation he shared with Gimlet, Sagan, Logan, Hyakutaro, Red Eye, Morden, and Allen O'Neil. This moment opened his eyes to the Regular Army's secret corruption, but he remained silent, fearing that speaking out would make him a target for swift assassination as a whistleblower.

Three years after the Central Park bombing, Morden secretly approached him at a bar and convinced him to defect. Believing it was a good opportunity, he quietly resigned from the Regular Army and S.P.A.R.R.O.W.S. to join the Rebel Army. He excelled as a top-notch spy, often disguising himself as a Rebel in a woodland military uniform for land troops. He rose to become Morden's right-hand man, serving as the Army's Chief of Staff. However, after nearing one year of service, he discovered General Morden's true intentions and how he had fully succumbed to his megalomaniacal desires. Horrified, he promptly left the Rebel Army and defected back to the Regular Army, warning them about the impending rise of the Rebel Army. However, despite his inside knowledge, they were unable to prepare in time as General Morden successfully launched a surprise attack, overpowering them and rapidly consolidating his global dictatorship.

During the Great Morden War, he aided Marco in leading the governmental resistance against the Rebel Army. Although he held a higher military rank than Marco, he allowed Marco to take the initiative, recognizing his great potential to become a truly charismatic leader. After being ambushed by Morden and his forces, he was brutally tortured and forcibly killed in front of Marco and Tarma. However, Morden promised to bring him back in a greater form, sending his deceased body to Doctor Amadeus. Doctor Amadeus successfully revived Tequila, but as a semi-clone of Hyakutaro, significantly altering his existence.

Updated: October 11, 2024

Reworked Character #10: Gimlet

POTENTIAL TRIGGER WARNING: Viewer discretion is advised due to references to death, torture, neglect, SA, child abuse, substance abuse, necrophilia, cannibalism, and crime.

Real name: Vasser Gutenschiff-Wolstenholme

Esper title: Avatar of Theriomorphic Anima, Parasitism, and Aggression

Alias: Libertine of Animus

Nickname: Gimlet

Occupation: Chief Warrant Officer 3 of the P.F. Squad

Retirement plans: Doesn’t know what kind of purpose he’ll have after resigning from his military duties

Special skills: Foraging for food and edible plants in the wilderness, proficiency in dagger throwing and operating radio communication technology, orchestrating surprise attacks, mastery of escape, and quick drawing

Esper abilities: By focusing on the internal dynamics of his muscles and the rhythmic pulse of his blood, he can tap into the depths of his unbridled strength. When he does so, his veins bulge from his skin and his muscles spasm uncontrollably. However, this transformation enables him to deliver blows that cause the earth to tremble, crush his opponents' bones with a single grip, and lift and throw objects with ease, including those that weigh as much as a small mountain. By tapping into the irrational part of his soul, he can access a feral state of mind for 1 to 3 hours, amplifying his killing instincts and physical strength to nearly earth-shattering levels. However, the longer he remains in this primal state, the more his hostility levels intensify. Surrendering to this feral state of mind allows his id to gradually dominate his psyche, a process worsened by his cocaine addiction. Additionally, he can inherit the distinctive animalistic qualities and abilities of any animal he consumes, but this adaptation only lasts for 30 minutes.

He can unleash a loud, painful scream or cry of anger, generating paralysing vibrations that temporarily stun his enemies for three minutes. Additionally, he can teleport to targets within his line of sight, focusing intently on them. By superheating the water-rich waste materials in his intestines and blood, he can boil them to extreme temperatures and project the scalding, watery vomit at his opponents through regurgitation. He can create steel-hard weapons by drawing his own blood through minor skin incisions. Occasionally, he must consume the blood of others to replenish the nutrients used up by his powers. His body hosts a multitude of tiny parasites and viruses, which coexist harmlessly with his organs, blood circulation, and cellular structures. However, he can harness these microorganisms as a defence mechanism, releasing them to infect his enemies through physical contact and airborne respiratory droplets.

Gimlet has the ability to create worm-like creatures that are grotesque, breathing, and multi-eyed with additional mutations such as wings, serrated teeth, and elongated snouts. This can be achieved through impregnation or by introducing his bodily fluids into another person's body (e.g. through spitting in their mouth). As these two methods are a slow process, he turns to an expulsion mechanism involving a specialised, jade-coloured testicular sac situated centrally in the groin. Connected to the penis and digestive system by red-violet vascular appendages, he can expel a tar-like, seminal substance that rapidly transforms into a worm-like creature. When a host is impregnated, they experience rapid growth, severe stomach pains, and bodily soreness. However, this method often results in stillbirth. If a host is not impregnated but still has Gimlet's bodily fluids enter their body, they will eventually experience a debilitating stomach flu. This leads to vomiting, and the contents transform into a worm-like creature that inherits the host's eye colour and hair colour.

These creatures mature into bipedal worms, distinguished by sparse, wispy hair growth on their chests, armpits, scalps, and jawlines. They are also adorned with spiky, cartilaginous armour plating in dull silver or glossy black, which covers their faces, backs, and limbs. They serve as obedient soldiers and suicide bombers, possessing the same abilities as Gimlet. They can instantaneously self-destruct, releasing either a poisonous gas or a burning, gooey, glowing purple acid that engulfs their surroundings.

Hobbies: Treasure hunting, frequenting underground nightclubs, going to the beach, watching action-packed, splatterpunk, and pornographic films, and building scale models of military vehicles and historical war events

Likes: Intelligent women (such as Sagan, Eri, Fio, and Red Eye), trial and research weapons, abandoned radio towers, collecting rare pornography magazines and seashells, and the satisfaction he feels when killing a highly dangerous individual

Dislikes: Bees, necrophilia, becoming like his father, being underestimated and lectured, and opponents who aren’t willing to engage in a fair fight

Favourite food: Full English breakfast and grilled pineapple

Favourite drink: French gimlet (preferably if it has two parts sweetened lime juice)

Sexuality: Sex-favourable, grayromantic gynesexual

Gender: Male

Age: 27 (in 2022), 33 (in 2028), 35 (in 2030), 37 (in 2032), 39 (in 2034), 46 (in 2041), 48 (in 2043), 49 (in 2044), and 52 (in 2047)

Blood type: O-

Weight: 217 lbs. (98 kg)

Design: He’s a 6 ft (182.88 cm) British-German mesomorph with a perfectly chiselled musculature, a subtly rounded abdomen, semi-broad shoulders, and prominent thighs. He has rose beige skin, a black mole on the right side of his chin, and reddish-brown freckles scattered across his face, chest, and hands. He has sparkling rusty orange eyes and middle-parted maroon hair with subtle waves and neatly trimmed sideburns. His eyes were originally a light brown, and his hair was once a golden bronze colour with mutton chops and straight locks. His muscle fibres and intestines with a yellowish-green tint, and he possesses two forked tongues coated in a translucent, gelatinous slime mixed with his blood.

His forearms and shoulders are covered in healed minor incisions, and a massive scar extends from his left deltoid to his right hypochondriac region, organically zigzagging across his torso. His left hand and right leg have been augmented with cutting-edge prosthetics, featuring sleek, aerodynamic plates and agile, fibre-optic wires that blur the lines between human and machine. The prosthetics are infused with AI-driven neurosync technology, allowing for seamless integration and real-time synchronisation with his neural signals. His left-hand prosthetic features retractable blade claws made of razor-sharp adamantium, and they can extend and retract with a mere thought, thanks to the advanced neural interface.

Gimlet’s military gear consists of a mahogany headband, a metal dog tag necklace with his name, and a grimy meat brown sleeveless shirt with vertical Carolina blue stripes. He has a dark bluish-green belt with a bronze buckle, a sheath for his combat knife, and a gun holster for his Mauser C96 Broomhandle. He wears a dark goldenrod vest with four pockets, boasting the logo of the P.F. Squad on the back. Additionally, he wears persimmon-hued wristbands and dark green moss army cargo pants tucked into rose ebony combat boots. The pockets of his vest carry around iron knuckles given to him by Hyakutaro, a pornography magazine from his personal collection, a pontifical mitre shell, a flask of vodka gimlet, a bottle of Ritalin, a small plastic bag of crushed cocaine, a rolled-up piece of paper the size of a straw, and his motorcycle key.

Over sleeveless shirt, he dons a Soldier Plate Carrier System (SPCS) with a MultiCam pattern, which carries around his walkie-talkie and ammo for other firearms. His are wrapped worn and dirty gauze, and he wears a rust-coloured bandolier draped over his right shoulder, holding throwing daggers. Gimlet carries around a dark bluish-green load-bearing backpack that contains camping equipment, tactical explosives, portable ammo boxes, a canteen full of water, two bottles of French gimlet, an APX P25 radio, a rocket launcher, a grenade gun, and a shotgun.

His backpack also holds four plushies from his childhood, which serve as trusty companions and help maintain his grip on sanity. This menagerie consists of four distinct plushies: Emmerich, a polar bear with a light coral bow tie; Theobald, an orange-eyed black tiger with Hunyadi yellow stripes; Philomena, an opalescent white dragon with lavender eyes and azure spines; and Linnaea, a bronze-horned husky with a white fur coat featuring blue-grey, citron, and fallow brown splotches. He wears golden huggie earrings, a silver ring featuring a square-cut fire opal on his left middle finger, and bronze-plated goggles with orange-tinted lenses.

He owns a state-of-the-art drop pack with a metallic blue finish, compact and aerodynamic, approximately half the size of his torso. This advanced pack features high-thrust mini-jet engines, each adorned with a light blue stripe at their entrance, and retractable, razor-sharp airplane wings that provide enhanced stability and maneuverability. Additionally, its integrated artificial intelligence ensures real-time weather analysis and automatic adjustments for a smoother, more stable flight and parachuting experience. Furthermore, it boasts rapid-deployment technology for quick and seamless wing extension, enabling swift response times in high-pressure situations. It has been built to withstand extreme weather conditions, including intense turbulence, heavy rainfall, and scorching temperatures.

Tequila built him a modified Ariel W/NG 350 with a bulkier, steadier design, boasting a camouflage pattern in fern green, golden brown, and taupe grey, and completed with a rusty orange leather seat.

Super Devil form: He's a 20' 11" (637.54 cm) reptilian kangaroo with bulging, viciously torn, infected muscular tissue that pulses with every heartbeat. His scaly taupe grey skin, which hosts a multitude of tiny parasites and viruses, is coated in a thin layer of translucent, gelatinous slime. Gimlet has a head shaped like a bear's, featuring three forked tongues smeared with bloody slime and four rows of dark goldenrod teeth that resemble those of a humpback anglerfish. His eight rusty orange eyes have flecks of moss that are dark green and metallic blue pupils that dilate in response to sunlight. His coarse, unruly middle-parted hair is strikingly two-toned with the left side silver-grey and the right side mahogany. The hair falls slightly over his broad shoulders, which are ridiculously wide and covered in jagged, cartilaginous spikes that stand straight up. He has persimmon-hued ram horns, twitching Apantesis phalerata antennae, and retractable, razor-sharp bronze claws and talons.

He has two pairs of arms: the first pair is elongated yet uncomfortably muscular, covered in shaggy coyote fur ravaged by mange; and the second pair resembles long puma-furred forelegs, but with uncannily slender toes. From his hip joints, he has notably large hind legs of a yellowish-green locust, complete with a deep red tibia and brownish-grey tiger-like stripes on the femurs. He has an exceptionally long, thin rose ebony rodent tail, twice the size of his torso, that splits halfway along its length. Additionally, Gimlet possesses wings similar to those of a migratory locust, but with a leathery texture and a subtle mahogany sheen.

His back is covered in writhing, sinuous tendrils that resemble dark bluish-green smooth-skinned serpents, each tipped with hook-like bronze claws. His neck features sixteen delicate, petal-shaped skin flaps that can open to reveal thirty-two small openings, which he can use to release his blood to create deadly weapons. Additionally, he possesses a pouch containing intestinal appendages with a yellowish-green tint, which he uses to spray scalding, watery vomit.

Character summary: He identifies as an agnostic Protestant Anglican that takes responsibility for his actions when it's convenient for him. He shows a willingness to take risks and face danger head-on, never backing down from a fight. He's resolute and unshakeable in his convictions to get the job done and to eliminate the weak and corrupt, even when advised against certain actions. He values his autonomy and privacy, preferring to work independently rather than as part of a team and keep his personal life and feelings closely guarded. While he thrives on constant action, excitement, and a desire for immediate gratification, he occasionally appreciates the quiet comfort of mundane routines and stillness. When he doesn't understand something, he exclusively seeks clarification from Tequila or Red Eye as he fears that asking anyone else might lead to ridicule or insults for his perceived lack of sophistication.

He's a mischievous, troublesome, highly opinionated, and forgetful prankster who enjoys poking fun at the cadets and has a passion for the thrill of combat and uncovering new horizons. He's a skilled conversationalist, but also a pathological liar who manipulates others through guilt-tripping and gaslighting. Occasionally, his grandiose sense of self-worth becomes apparent, particularly in situations that either threaten his ego or feed his overconfidence. When a military mission or chore lacks excitement, he becomes slothful and goes to great lengths to avoid it, much to Tequila's annoyance. When he’s drunk, he objectifies and harasses women, displays violent outbursts, engages in verbal altercations, and causes trouble with his rowdy behaviour.

He has a quick temper, which makes him prone to argumentative outbursts, physical and verbal aggression, and hostile behaviour. When extremely angry, he frequently resorts to shouting death and rape threats as well as making racially and sexually charged comments that are deeply hurtful and damaging. He becomes instantly offended and irritated when people compare him to his abusive, psychopathic father as he harbours a deep-seated fear of emulating him. He struggles to show remorse, particularly towards his enemies, people who get on his nerves, and those he's not emotionally invested in. He’s a street-smart, resourceful, attention-seeking thief with a yearning for physical and emotional intimacy and an aversion to being ignored. Notably, he quickly becomes emotionally attached to individuals who show him genuine kindness and tenderness.

He enjoys playfully teasing those he's familiar with as it's his way of alleviating tension. He isn't afraid to speak his mind and call out people when they do something that defies common sense, even if it means he sometimes comes across as a hypocrite. He has a dark, provocative, and irreverent sense of humour, which often leaves those around him feeling uneasy and uncomfortable. When he's deadly serious, he assumes a stoic and expressionless demeanour, exuding a menacing aura that commands attention. He's a bloodthirsty adrenaline junkie who derives sadistic pleasure from killing and torturing his enemies, taking his brutality to extremes by devouring their entrails and bathing in their blood. He strongly appreciates his friends and comrades and will go to great lengths to protect them from harm, but his anger issues and self-absorbed nature hinder his ability to fully care for them.

He's haunted by his emotionally scarred past, which he attempts to numb through substance abuse, alcohol, and sex. His ongoing search for purpose and moral direction contributes to his introspective and brooding demeanour. He's capable of being polite, tender, and compassionate, but his display of these qualities depend on his relationship with the person and his current emotional state. He's surprisingly gentle and nice with children, and, like Ralf, he enjoys playing with them whenever he has the time. He possesses a surprisingly adept talent for con artistry, which is most evident when he skillfully evades precarious situations or deceives his enemies with clever misdirection. He has a history of making unwanted flirtatious advances towards women, and his licentious behaviour in sexual relationships is often selfish and irresponsible. He’s known to rely on his glib and superficial charm to try to seduce women with the sole intention of gratifying his own sexual desires.

Despite viewing Red Eye as an older sister, he developed a troubling romantic and sexual obsession with her, which he attempts to conceal due to the immense shame it brings him. After undergoing human experimentation, he often mistakenly confuses her with Fio due to their similar appearance. He was once incredibly close to Sagan and Logan, considering them as his first true best friends. However, their friendship soured when he discovered they were secretly working as double agents for the Rebel Army. The betrayal was compounded when they fully defected to General Morden's side during the Great Morden War. Despite their falling out, he still finds himself sexually attracted to Sagan and hopes to rekindle a romantic connection with her. He admires her beauty, comparable to Red Eye, and is deeply impressed by her extraordinary intelligence, reminiscent of Tequila.

He deeply cares for Tequila, his adoptive father, and strongly fears losing him unexpectedly as Tequila was the only person willing to raise him as a son. However, he struggles with feelings of unworthiness to be considered the closest thing to a living son due to his frequent disappointments. He holds Hyakutaro and Margaret in high esteem, respecting them as his former drill instructors who played a significant role in shaping him into one of the Peregrine Falcons Squad's most exceptional soldiers. He frequently clashes with Marco because of his perceived intellectual superiority and willingness to confront Gimlet when he bullies their friends and comrades.

Backstory: Vasser Gutenschiff-Wolstenholme was born on October 8, 1995 in Birmingham, England, United Kingdom. The Gutenschiff family of Germany originated as a mix of archaeological explorers and con artists in the field of historical documentation. However, they later made a name for themselves as formidable soldiers during various conflicts of the German Empire and Weimar Republic eras. Their reputation grew as a feared and ferocious family, revelling in the defeat of their enemies and thriving on the adrenaline rush of battle. In contrast, the British Wolstenholme family was known for their relatively peaceful pursuits, dedicating themselves to advancing the significance of radio communication and entertainment. Additionally, the Wolstenholmes were esteemed for their long lineage of historians, who uniquely shared their expertise by crafting intricate models of ancient civilizations and pivotal events that shaped the course of history.

Unlike the Wolstenholmes, the Gutenschiffs descended into darkness with rumours swirling that they embraced cult-like practices. It became a dark and sinister tradition among the descending families to have only one child, preferably male, to carry on their legacy. In cases where twins or multiple births occurred, the eldest child was forced into a horrific coming-of-age act: they were coerced into killing their sibling and then consuming their flesh.

Vasser's father, Kanan Gutenschiff, was a notorious commander in the European Garrison of the Regular Army. He treated all of his enemies mercilessly, taking sadistic glee in the carnage that surrounded him. After a few years of military service, Kanan was discharged by his superiors in the Regular Army. This decision was made after numerous complaints of workplace harassment were filed against him, and following an incident in which he fatally shot a comrade with a rifle during a heated argument. The discharge was likely intended to prevent damage to the organisation's reputation as a peacekeeping force.

Following his discharge, Kanan took up work at a pub in Birmingham, where he led a double life as a professional con artist. One quiet evening, he met Cerys Wolstenholme, a skilled radio and television service technician, and was immediately smitten. He shamelessly flirted with her, offering drinks and engaging her in conversation about their daily lives. As they spent more time together on several dates, Kanan's charm eventually won her over, and they became intimate, resulting in a surprise pregnancy with triplets: Vasser, Teresa, and Rugal.

Kanan was a controlling and strict father, who prioritised his own desires, using Cerys for his own sexual gratification while feigning concern for his children. However, he showed a marked preference for Vasser, who, as the firstborn of the triplets, received a disproportionate share of his attention. According to the Gutenschiff tradition, Vasser was designated as the chosen heir, prompting Kanan to mould him into a fearless and apathetic individual, adept in both combat and deception. Kanan occasionally resorted to physical discipline and emotional insults when Vasser misbehaved. Meanwhile, Teresa experienced sexual abuse at his hands every two weeks, being treated as an object rather than a person with only superficial displays of kindness. As for the autistic Rugal, Kanan neglected his emotional well-being, viewing him as a disappointment and an unwanted responsibility.

Cerys devoted herself to nurturing Vasser, Teresa, and Rugal, imparting valuable life lessons, homeschooling them, and sharing joyful moments with them. Vasser's most treasured memory of his mother is the gift of Philomena on his 6th birthday, a cherished keepsake he holds dear to this day. She introduced Protestant Anglicanism into the lives of Vasser and his siblings, a faith he still holds onto to this day. However, due to Kanan's abuse and her worsening depression and agoraphobia, she relocated to the basement, where she became increasingly emotionally withdrawn and absent. Kanan would seize this opportunity to fatally asphyxiate Cerys, and then repeatedly commit a horrific act of necrophilia with her lifeless body.

When Vasser turned 14, Kanan attempted to manipulate him into killing his siblings to solidify his position as the Gutenschiff heir. However, Vasser was horrified by the suggestion of slaughtering his family members in cold blood, which infuriated Kanan. Kanan taunted Vasser, branding him a coward and an embarrassment to the Gutenschiffs. In a twisted display of power, Kanan brutally murdered Teresa and Rugal in front of Vasser, forcing him to witness the atrocity while subjecting him to verbal abuse. Later, Kanan used the bodies of Teresa and Rugal to prepare a meal, coercing Vasser into consuming it and leaving no remains.

Kanan would continue to try to mould Vasser into a successful Gutenschiff heir through coercive behaviour and emotional mistreatment, but eventually gave up when Vasser became more defiant, anxious, and aggressive. As Vasser was labelled a failure in his eyes, he began to neglect and abandon Vasser's emotional and physical needs, focusing instead on his own desires, hedonistic lifestyle, and exploitative relationships with sex workers. After discovering his mother's lifeless body in the basement, Vasser packed his belongings and took his deceased sister's most treasured plushies (Emmerich, Theobald, and Linnaea). He fled his toxic household and took to the streets, where he honed his resourcefulness through cunning and stealth, mastering the arts of deception and thievery to survive against the odds.

He found refuge in an abandoned radio tower, using it as his shelter and an excuse to tinker with radio communication technology. Despite being practically homeless and living on the streets, he was faring well in this new lifestyle. However, everything changed when he inadvertently caught the attention of a group of bullies in his neighbourhood. They relentlessly harassed him, and the abandoned radio tower became an increasingly vital safe haven, while his plushies served as a source of emotional comfort. At 16, the bullies torched the radio tower, leaving Vasser feeling defenceless and vulnerable. Seeking vengeance, he attempted to fight back but was vastly outnumbered. They brutally beat him and quickly fled the scene, leaving him in an alleyway with a bruised and bloodied face.

It was then that Tequila found him and, in a surprising gesture of kindness, treated him to lunch at a local restaurant. This act of kindness led Vasser to form an instant emotional bond with Tequila, and he found himself opening up about his current situation, driven by a desire to further fuel his quest for vengeance. To his surprise, Tequila was deeply moved by Vasser's story and vowed to ensure Kanan would pay for the pain he had inflicted. After lunch, Vasser led Tequila to his father's house, deliberately drawing attention to himself as a distraction. Inside, a drunken Kanan violently dragged Vasser into the house, intent on using him to satisfy his twisted desires. Just in time, Tequila slipped inside unnoticed and silently ambushed Kanan, saving Vasser from harm.

With the deed done, Tequila took Vasser under his wing, providing him with a stable and nurturing environment, complete with nutritious food, proper education, and a sense of belonging. He was once a shy and curious child, but after forming a close bond with Margaret, who showed him motherly care and affection, he began to grow more confident and outgoing. After coming to regard Margaret as a mother figure, he thoroughly enjoyed her company from that point on. With Tequila's support and encouragement, he explored new interests and discovered a passion for treasure hunting, seashell collecting, and building scale models of military vehicles and historic battle scenes. He still remembers a trip to the beach where he found a rare hundred-eyed cowrie shell, which he gave to Tequila as a token of heartfelt gratitude.

Little is known about his life after being adopted by Tequila, but it is known that he went on to work as a radio technician apprentice after completing his education. He started visiting establishments with adult entertainment and underground social clubs as a way to unwind and have fun, but soon found himself developing a dependence on well drinks like margarita and gimlet, and substances including cocaine and amphetamines as a coping mechanism for his traumatic experiences. His friends began calling him “Gimlet” due to his fondness for the cocktail, a nickname he embraced because it sounded cool and served as a distraction from his past.

After completing his apprenticeship, he felt a sudden sense of purposelessness wash over him. He wondered if he was headed in the right direction and if emulating his mother's career was genuinely his own aspiration. Tequila noticed his struggle and persuaded him to join the Peregrine Falcons Squad, hoping it would give him direction. Initially, Gimlet was hesitant, opposing the idea of engaging in warfare and using violence against criminals and terrorists. However, after a night of contemplation over drinks, he decided to join the P.F. Squad, shortly after completing a stint in rehab, which Tequila had helped him seek out after discovering his struggles with substance abuse.

Once he joined the P.F. Squad, his true nature began to surface, leading to several issues, including making inappropriate advances towards women, taking a disturbing delight in the demise of his enemies, and taunting the cadets. He quickly formed strong bonds with Sagan and Logan during a treasure hunt in the Bahamas, which, although unsuccessful, allowed them to share their life stories, aspirations, and interests. He remembers having a one-night stand with Sagan, which subtly shifted the dynamics of their friendship and introduced a hint of sexual tension. A year before the Arms Deal Barrage, he met Red Eye and quickly came to regard her as an older sister, but soon found himself developing romantic and sexual feelings for her, which filled him with shame.

He played a crucial role in the Arms Deal Barrage as a fighter, during which he exposed the Regular Army's secret corruption. He would develop a deep-seated aversion to bees after accidentally disturbing a beehive with a stray bullet while navigating the jungle during the Arms Deal Barrage. Initially, he playfully taunted Tarma, Marco, Fio, and Eri when they joined the P.F. Squad and S.P.A.R.R.O.W.S. special forces units. However, after Marco stood up to him for his excessive teasing of Tarma and crude behaviour towards Eri, and Tequila reprimanded him for bullying the cadets, he ceased his teasing and gradually formed friendships with them.

During a mission in Indonesia, where he was combating a rogue military organisation involved in illicit activities such as bioterrorism, murder, and weapon trafficking, he sustained severe injuries in battle, losing his left hand and right leg. These injuries were subsequently replaced with advanced cybernetic prosthetics, designed by Tarma, for which he remains deeply grateful.

Tragically, during the Great Morden War, he was brutally tortured and executed in front of Marco and Tarma. Unbeknownst to him, Morden had secretly promised Tequila to revive him in a new form, and his body was sent to Doctor Amadeus. Through Doctor Amadeus' expertise, Gimlet was successfully revived, but as a semi-clone of Tarma, drastically altering his existence.

Updated: October 15, 2024

Torquil, Guilherme, and Ferdinand

POTENTIAL TRIGGER WARNING: Viewer discretion is advised due to references to death, suicide, verbal abuse, and neglect.

Torquil Aitken

Nickname: Torrie

Occupation: Private First Class and a vehicle driver of the Rebel Army and a volunteer for transportation services (formerly)

Hobbies: Performing his accordion and singing traditional Scottish songs at social gatherings, upgrading and fine-tuning cars and tanks, and fostering kittens and puppies

Likes: Guilherme (especially his calm and compassionate nature), his mom’s cooking, and archaeology

Dislikes: Being told to stop joking around, seeing his friends bummed out, and animal torture

Favourite food: Kedgeree and gummies (preferably gummy worms and sharks)

Sexuality: Heteroflexible asexual

Gender: Male

Age: 28 (in 2022), 34 (in 2028), 36 (in 2030), 38 (in 2032), 40 (in 2034), 47 (in 2041), 49 (in 2043), 50 (in 2044), and 53 (in 2047)

Design: He's a 5’ 3” (160.02 cm) Scottish-American mesomorph with robust musculature, a subtle roundness of his belly, and semi-broad shoulders. He sports medium-length coppery red hair with gentle curls, styled in a shaggy crop with sideburns, and often wears it tied back into a bun. He has tanned pale ivory skin, brown freckles, dull jade green eyes, a cleft chin, and a metallic gold prosthetic left arm. He sports a prominent scar that stretches from the right side of his forehead, organically zigzagging down to the middle of his left cheek. He dons a metal dog tag necklace with his name and the standard Rebel land troop uniform, which varies depending on his deployment location. Above his right breast pocket, is an embroidered badge featuring a scarlet horizontal stripe with a thin white stripe centred within it and a black X emblazoned across the middle.

He carries a maroon duffle bag containing his accordion (a family heirloom), a versatile toolkit for mechanics, and a rocket launcher equipped with homing missiles. Torquil wears a pink lavender waist pack on the left side of his rosy brown belt, containing a flare gun, 12 Gauge rounds, and two bags of gummy worms and sharks. He often shares these treats with his friend Guilherme, particularly when he's starting to feel anxious or overwhelmed. He would share some with Ferdinand, but he isn't a fan due to their chewy texture, which bothers his jaw.

Character summary: He's a cheerful, happy-go-lucky extrovert whose charisma stems from his fun-loving attitude and ability to make others laugh with jokes tailored to their sense of humour. His carefree and enthusiastic demeanour gives way to a more serious and concerned attitude only when he senses that something is deeply wrong. As a confident individual, he exudes swagger in his step and rarely shows fear in the face of adversity, but it can sometimes tip into recklessness and overconfidence. He'll stop at nothing to protect his comrades, but can't resist charming the ladies and indulging in the occasional bout of mischief. He’s naturally curious and gets excited by things he finds to be cool.

On the battlefield, Torquil's preferred war machine is the Type-4 Girida-O, his absolute favourite, but he occasionally switches to the T-2B Melty Honey when he's feeling particularly confident. The only vehicle he refuses to drive is the Type-5 Iron Iso, due to its rarity on the battlefield and the fear of destroying it too quickly. To alleviate his boredom on the battlefield, he periodically bursts into traditional Scottish songs, eliciting either amusement or annoyance from his comrades. He honestly fears Ferdinand due to his overly serious and ill-tempered nature, yet he admires his exceptional skills on the battlefield and values his wise mentorship. Guilherme is his reluctant partner-in-crime for whom he holds deep affection and secretly harbours romantic feelings.

Backstory: Torquil Aitken was born on November 15th, 1994 in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. His father, Vernon Aitken, was a renowned archaeologist driven by a passion for adventure and a desire to share his discoveries with the world. His mother, Elspeth, is a veterinarian who also works part-time as a convenience store clerk. His parents loved him dearly and did everything to ensure he would lead a successful, resilient, and optimistic life, instilling in him the fearlessness to tackle any challenges that came his way.

Vernon would share with him his archaeological endeavours and contributions to the advancement of ethical archaeology. In contrast, Elspeth taught him the value of treating animals with kindness, while emphasising the importance of companionship, love, and living a healthy lifestyle. Additionally, he often assisted his mother with meal preparation, with dinner being his favourite meal to prep. Torquil was a mildly quiet and worrisome kid who was anxious around strangers, but once they had earned his trust, he would become a talkative jokester when he felt comfortable around them.

Sadly, just four months after he turned 13, Torquil's father met a tragic end. Vernon and his team of fellow archaeologists were attempting to escape a sudden mummy uprising in an ancient tomb within a previously unexplored pyramid in Ajirabia, as their careful probing inadvertently awakened the curse of Nephthys. In their frantic bid to contain the mummies, debris dislodged by dynamite fell and crushed him. This was devastating news for Torquil and his mother, plunging her into a state of melancholy. However, Elspeth knew she couldn't give up easily, so she did everything in her power to raise Torquil on her own.

After losing Vernon, Torquil adopted a more extroverted, carefree, and fun-loving demeanour reminiscent of his father. As he now lives with his mother, Elspeth, who is struggling financially, he took it upon himself to find a way to support both of them. Leveraging his interest in fine-tuning cars and tanks, he came up with a brilliant idea: volunteering for businesses that required transportation services. By making deliveries and carrying materials, he earned a steady income, allowing both him and Elspeth to stay afloat financially for a while.

At 33, Torquil's life took a dramatic turn when a friend informed him that the Rebel Army was recruiting new members. With minimal persuasion, Torquil saw this as a thrilling opportunity to witness tanks up close and eagerly volunteered. However, his mother was hesitant to let him go, fearing the dangers of warfare and the possibility of losing her son. She worried about his safety and whether he would return home alive. Torquil reassured her, confident that he would be fine.

Guilherme Carvalho

Nickname: Guil

Occupation: Private and a sniper of the Rebel Army and a fortune-teller (formerly)

Hobbies: Writing and sketching around in his journal, honing his cardistry skills, and crocheting

Likes: Lupine creatures, nu metal and post grunge music, and the unique meanings that each tarot card has

Dislikes: Panic attacks, incurable diseases, and people exploiting his kindness for their own selfish gain

Favourite food: Coxinha

Favourite drink: Limonada suíça with condensed milk

Sexuality: Homoromantic graysexual

Gender: Male

Age: 31 (in 2022), 37 (in 2028), 39 (in 2030), 41 (in 2032), 43 (in 2034), 50 (in 2041), 52 (in 2043), 53 (in 2044), and 56 (in 2047)

Design: He’s a 5’ 1” (154.94 cm) Brazilian ectomorph with a lean figure, a mediocre musculature, sloping shoulders, and left hand that has six fingers. He has wavy chocolate brown hair styled as a textured quiff, umber skin, and sunburst green-hazel eyes. His neck bears heavy scarring on the right side, and he has two distinctive facial moles: one located above his eyebrow and another near the centre of his chin. Like Torquil, he dons a metal dog tag necklace with his name and the standard Rebel land troop uniform, which varies depending on his deployment location. Above his left breast pocket, a circular silver badge trimmed in scarlet features a pair of outstretched black dragon wings extending from either side.

He carries a chestnut-hued satchel bag containing his crocheting tools, four yarn balls in different colours, a pencil, an eraser, a red ink pen, and a treasured family heirloom: a worn, handmade Spanish blue leather journal passed down from his great-grandmother. He uses it to record his thoughts, observations, and insights, often accompanied by sketches of the people and environments he encounters. Guilherme wears a navy blue waist pack at the back of his dark teal belt, holding a deck of tarot cards that he often shuffles through to calm his nerves when feeling anxious. A faded greyish-green bandolier is slung over his right shoulder, which securely holds his rifle's ammunition.

Character summary: Due to his compassionate and nurturing nature, he has a habit of prioritising the needs of others over his own, which can sometimes lead to self-neglect. He’s a shy, resourceful, melancholic individual that listens actively and shows genuine interest in others' concerns, but his patience wears thin when his paranoia takes hold. He strives to remain calm in high-pressure situations, but when overwhelmed, his composure can give way to ruthless and reckless behaviour. Guilherme is often taciturn, but will become a skittish loudmouth when impatient and extremely paranoid. He's an incredibly observant person who often notices details that others miss, and has a habit of fleeing from situations he deems particularly grim.

Despite being a down-to-earth sharpshooter, he's surprisingly prone to anger when his rifle jams, particularly in high-stakes situations. When feeling anxious or awkward, he exhibits one of two behaviours: rubbing his hands together or picking at his skin. He deeply admires Torquil's confidence and courage in battle, which inspires him to be more fearless and push through daunting situations. He regards Ferdinand as a wise mentor and strives to prevent him from lashing out at Torquil when he inadvertently provokes Ferdinand's frustration.

Backstory: Guilherme Carvalho was born on April 3rd, 1991 in Salvador, Brazil. Guilherme was deeply scarred at a young age when his father took his own life with a hunting rifle in front of him. Compounding this trauma, his mother was largely absent from his life, leaving behind a legacy of secrets and mysteries surrounding his family. His anxiety stems from his childhood experiences growing up in a violent and cruel environment, where he had to find ways to survive. Fortunately, his aunt and great-grandmother provided a safe haven for him to stay in until he was mature enough to venture out into the world on his own. He remembers his aunt as strict and grumpy at times, but deeply loving, while his great-grandmother was incredibly compassionate and would often regale him with stories of Spanish mythology and her own life experiences.

He was formerly a devout Catholic, often praying to God for hope in a better future and the strength to persevere. Additionally, he would pray to Menina Izildinha for good health, protection from harm, and deliverance from diseases for himself, his aunt, and his great-grandmother. To earn a living, he turned to fortune-telling, using tarot readings to predict the future, and also created handmade crochet items like scarves, ponchos, sweaters, and hats to sell on the side.

However, he lost his faith in Catholicism when his great-grandmother died from a hemorrhage after a devastating fall. Shortly after, his aunt passed away from a debilitating disease with no available cure. These losses left him consumed by sadness and loneliness. But then, he inherited his great-grandmother's journal and began using it to record his insights and observations, and sketch the people and environment around him. He would also adopt a lop-eared rabbit with a harlequin fur coat named Janaina. Journaling and the companionship of his newly adopted bunny brought him some solace, alleviating some of his sorrow and isolation.

As an adult, he continues to explore his surroundings, still haunted by questions about his family: What happened to his mother? Does he have any brothers and/or sisters? Driven by a desire for answers, he embarks on an odyssey to find more members of his family. After a long and arduous search, he finally finds his lost sister, Geovana. As they spend time together, he learns that she's a successful surgeon.

However, his life takes a dramatic turn when he stumbles upon a propaganda flyer promoting recruitment for the Rebel Army. Feeling unfulfilled and without direction, he makes the difficult decision to leave Janaina in his sister's care and joins the Rebel Army two months before the Great Morden War. Once he joined, he was frequently picked on by the others for being timid and a person of colour, which caught the attention of Torquil. Torquil offered to be Guilherme's friend, which he hesitantly accepted, and they have been on relatively good terms since then.

Ferdinand Hofbauer

Nickname: Ferdan

Occupation: Specialist and a Gatling soldier of the Rebel Army and a landscape architect (formerly)

Hobbies: Attending classical opera performances, rock balancing, and collecting taxidermy

Likes: His beloved house pets, fine art enthusiasts, and baroque architecture

Dislikes: Winter, being reminded of his wife’s death, and needlessly wasting functional technology and edible food

Favourite food: Homemade apple strudels and bosna

Favourite drink: Wiener Melange and grape soda

Sexuality: Heterosexual

Gender: Male

Age: 38 (in 2022), 44 (in 2028), 46 (in 2030), 48 (in 2032), 50 (in 2034), 57 (in 2041), 59 (in 2043), 60 (in 2044), and 63 (in 2047)

Design: He’s a 5’ 7” (170.18 cm) Austrian endomorph with a partial beer belly, decent muscles, and broad shoulders. He has straight jet black hair styled as a crew cut, warm beige skin, blue-grey eyes, and a finely chopped goatee. A cut scar crosses his left cheek, and he has a prosthetic right leg that almost seamlessly blends with his skin. He has a shimmering silver-grey glass eye in place of his right eye, marked by a scar from a severe stab wound. Like Torquil and Guilherme, he dons a metal dog tag necklace with his name and the standard Rebel land troop uniform, which varies depending on his deployment location. On his right breast pocket, a metallic black skull with a missing jaw and scarlet eyes hangs from a silver-white ribbon, secured by a golden clip.

Ferdinand always carries around two photographs: one with his deceased wife from before the Great Morden War and one with his two best friends from the Rebel Army. He wears a harvest gold waist pack on the right side of his brownish-black belt, equipped with his silver-plated night vision binoculars, a pack of cigarettes, an almond-hued lighter, and five cans of grape soda. He often shares a couple of these cans with his closest friends, Torquil and Guilherme. He's always armed to the teeth, carrying a heavy minigun with a back-mounted ammo supply and a machete sheathed at his left hip.

Character summary: He's quite serious and overprotective of his two best friends, Torquil and Guilherme, due to a deep-seated fear of losing them, stemming from the tragic loss of his pregnant wife. He’s a by-the-book individual who carefully follows protocols and expects the same from others, maintaining a stern expression while trying to avoid distractions. He’s a strategic thinker that rarely complains, preferring to keep his true emotions hidden behind a stoic mask. He has a fearsome temper, triggered only when people neglect their duties or stir up unnecessary trouble. He asserts himself confidently, especially when defending those he cares about, and doesn't back down easily, refusing to accept "no" as a final answer.

He harbours a deep contempt for the fanatic land troops, whose unstable behaviour and penchant for sabotaging vehicles he finds utterly reprehensible. Ferdinand is a wise and hard-boiled individual with a penchant for surveilling his surroundings due to his hypervigilance. He lives with chronic depression, but he prefers to keep it private due to concerns about the stigma surrounding mental health. He sometimes finds Torquil's overconfidence and playful nature grating, particularly when it leads to slacking off and distractions. In contrast, he’s deeply concerned about Guilherme's fragile mental state and makes a conscious effort to offer comfort and support him during his darkest moments.

Backstory: Ferdinand Hofbauer was born on August 26th, 1984 in Kufstein, Austria. His father, Herschel Hofbauer, was a distinguished police officer who had once aspired to be a therapist. However, he changed careers after noticing the alarming rise in crime rates. Tragedy struck when his wife died during childbirth, leaving him a widower. Recognizing the importance of both parents in a child's life, he remarried, hoping to provide a mother figure for his son. His stepmother, a public opinion analyst, presented herself as a charming and affectionate person, but beneath this façade, she was a hedonist who was verbally abusive and neglectful towards Ferdinand, viewing him as an obstacle to her husband's affection. In contrast, his father was a simple man who cherished the lives of the innocent and his family above his own, finding joy in the small things in life during his quiet moments.

At the age of 7, Ferdinand began exhibiting signs of child verbal abuse and neglect, which deeply concerned his father. When Ferdinand revealed that his stepmother was responsible for the mistreatment, Herschel was consumed by strong displeasure and even regretted remarrying. He made the difficult decision to divorce Ferdinand's stepmother and severed all ties with her, prioritising his son's safety and well-being above all else.

While attending university to study architecture, he met the love of his life, Franziska. They went on numerous dates and grew closer, and after completing their college education, Ferdinand proposed to Franziska. After getting engaged, they married a year later and spent their honeymoon in the Caribbean, where they began thinking about starting a family. Four years after landing their dream jobs–Ferdinand as a landscape architect and Franziska as a law clerk–they decided it was time to start a family. Franziska became pregnant, but tragically, her life was cut short. At just five months pregnant, she was brutally mugged and killed by an unknown assailant on a snowy day while out getting lunch. Ferdinand, who was at work, learned of his wife's passing via a phone call from his mother-in-law, leaving him utterly devastated and heartbroken.

After his wife's passing, he quit his job, feeling lost and aimless, as Franziska had been the source of his happiness. Struggling to move on, he became withdrawn and distant, and developed self-destructive habits: chain-smoking, frequenting bars, and getting into trouble with the law for public indecency and starting fights. Seeking comfort, he adopted two pets: a Russian Blue cat named Franziska, after his late wife, and a Styrian Coarse-haired Hound named Benedikt. This decision brought some solace to his sorrow.

Amidst the turmoil of the Great Modern War, Ferdinand stumbled upon an advertisement for the Rebel Army, recruiting new soldiers. Seeing an opportunity to find purpose, he decided to join the army and become a soldier, hoping to do something meaningful for once. Once he joined, he met Torquil fixing up his Type-4 Girida-O and Guilherme sketching in his journal at the campsite where he was staying. Not wanting to be potentially bullied for being a loner, he decided to approach them, and they quickly became best friends, remaining close ever since.

Updated: October 15, 2024

Reworked Character #11: Red Eye

POTENTIAL TRIGGER WARNING: Viewer discretion is advised due to references to death, torture, neglect, SA, child abuse, crime, and alcoholism.

Real name: Ruoxi Adrichem (as her real self), Shufen Wei Du (prefers to go by Red Eye), and Lydia Muyskens (prefers to go by Liddy)

Esper title: Avatar of Creeping Shadows, Human Identity, Quietude, and Morality

Alias: Noiseless Spy

Nickname: Red Eye

Occupation: Major General of the S.P.A.R.R.O.W.S.

Retirement plans: 

Has no idea what to do after her military service ends (As Ruoxi)

Become a neuropsychologist (As Shufen)

Foster many birds, buy a superyacht, get a girlfriend, and become an ornithologist (As Liddy)

Special skills: 

Acrobatics, prestidigitation, managing paperwork, interrogation techniques, and detecting enemy traps (As Ruoxi)

Proficiency in infiltration, escaping captivity, and evading surveillance systems, codebreaking, sabotage, neuropsychology, and astrobiology (As Shufen)

Proficiency in tracking down enemies and bribery, document forgery, safecracking, and ornithology (As Liddy)

Esper abilities: She can swiftly teleport up to 450 ft (137.16 metres) in front of her by manipulating the vibrations around her. Her palms and the soles of her feet are covered in microscopic, hardened hooks and a thin layer of opaque mucus, granting her the ability to scale both rough and smooth walls and ceilings with ease. When tapping into light speed, she gains hyper maneuverability and agile swiftness, enabling her to effortlessly dodge projectiles and perform complex tasks, actions, and attacks in even the most challenging situations and areas. She has complete control over shadows, allowing her to blend into darkness and move unseen, hijack a person's shadow to stealthily eliminate them, create shadowy illusions of herself, and generate tendrils to restrain her foes.

When absorbing both weak and strong light sources, she can accelerate her reflexes, enhance her spatial awareness, and propel herself at incredible velocities. This energy infusion also increases her feline flexibility and grants her perfect balance when navigating treacherous terrain and maintaining stability in intense situations. Furthermore, it amplifies her physical power, allowing her to effortlessly tear apart enemies and smash through medium-sized war machines. As her muscles become infused with the energy of various light sources, her endurance and stamina are boosted, making her highly resistant to fatigue.

She possesses a 17 ft (518.16 cm) aura that can shift between calm and soothing to anxiety-inducing and sinister, allowing her to either comfort or intimidate others at will. She can create a dome of silence, capable of accommodating up to 20 people, which muffles external sounds and distractions. She moves with complete silence and can see through any disguise by tasting a person's saliva or blood. By peering into someone's eyes, she can psychically rummage through their brain's hippocampus, amygdala, and limbic system, catching glimpses of their deepest desires and fears.

After physical contact, she can sense fluctuations in a person's moral character, emotional state, and hostility levels, regardless of the distance between them. She possesses the ability to analyse a person's moral compass and true intentions in a matter of nanoseconds by gazing into their soul. With this insight, she can redistribute karma, punishing the wicked and rewarding the virtuous. By cupping a person's face, she can summon a manifestation of their conscience, forcing them to confront the consequences of their moral choices. She can also manipulate emotions and thoughts to vividly recreate memories from a person's past, bringing their inner demons to life.

Additionally, she has the ability to shatter a person's sense of self and alter her own identity for up to 20 minutes. She possesses the ability to alter her identity by changing her physical features and shifting into one of the faces gruesome­ly etched onto the muscle fibres of her back and front torso. These eerie imprints represent the souls of the victims she has absorbed, both physically and mentally. Furthermore, this power allows her to cheat unnatural death as her body can rapidly reconstruct itself when fatally wounded, reforming into her chosen identity. However, if she extends this identity shift beyond 20 minutes, there's a risk of causing dissociation, which could potentially trap her in an alien identity.

Hobbies: 

Making origami swans, jumping frogs, and lotus flowers, practicing mentalism, scrapbooking, and parkour (As Ruoxi)

Reading books on neuropsychology and Chinese history, visiting local parks at night, completing escape rooms, playing the banhu, and tea-making (As Shufen)

Birdwatching, stealing luxury items, going on expensive cruises with friends, and collecting adult animal onesies and souvenirs from the Netherlands (As Liddy)

Likes: 

Wind chimes, mixing soda drinks, the physical intensity of parkour, and recording dreams in her scrap-booked journal (As Ruoxi)

Deciphering secret messages and codes, watching psychological horror and political thriller movies, the E-Armour that Rumi gave her, extraterrestrial life forms, and isolation tanks (As Shufen)

Books on bird anatomy and psychology, frolicking through tulip fields, peering out of windows, and extravagant things (As Liddy)

Dislikes: 

Engaging in small talk and trivial conversations, her stomach being touched, rape culture, and disorganisation (As Ruoxi)

Being underestimated due to her gender, submerged artificial objects, detrimental mistakes, mindless obedience, and bright lights (As Shufen)

The idea of getting a debilitating illness, obnoxiously loud sounds, empty threats, and homophobia (As Liddy)

Favourite food: Mooncake and dragonfruit (as Ruoxi), jiaozi and herbal tea (as Shufen), and patatje oorlog (as Liddy)

Sexuality: Questioning (as Ruoxi), demiromantic asexual (as Shufen), and sex-indifferent lesbian (as Liddy)

Gender: Female (as Ruoxi and Liddy) and demigirl (as Shufen)

Age: 35 (in 2022), 41 (in 2028), 43 (in 2030), 45 (in 2032), 47 (in 2034), 54 (in 2041), 56 (in 2043), 57 (in 2044), and 60 (in 2047)

Blood type: B+

Weight: 167 lbs. (75 kg)

Design: She’s a 5’ 5” (165.1 cm) American endomorph of Dutch and Chinese descent with a pear-shaped figure, semi-sloping shoulders, and a left eye that has a dark red sheen. She has a smaller bust, a partially rounded midsection, and some of her weight carried in her upper arms and thighs. She has sand-hued skin, dull silver-grey eyes, straight dark brown copper hair, which is occasionally tied into a messy bun, and black freckles scattered across her face and neck. After undergoing experimentation, she now has olive skin, blue-grey eyes, orangish-brown hair with blunt bangs, and reddish freckles. She bears several scars: whip marks on her back; a long cut mark that curves slightly, running down her upper arm; a small slice mark on the right side of her neck, just above the collarbone; and a jagged scar that extends from the left corner of her lip to the centre of her cheek, revealing a hint of her back teeth.

As Shufen, she’s a Chinese mesomorph with a semi-curvaceous body, a sturdy musculature, a subtle roundness of her midsection, and sloping shoulders. She has warm ivory skin, big umber eyes, and curly jet black hair with choppy bangs, which is usually styled in a low ponytail. She has four reddish-brown moles: one below her left eye; one above the right side of her upper lip; and two clustered near the centre of her collarbone. As Liddy, she’s a Dutch ectomorph with a rectangular build, a lean figure, a flat chest, subtle muscles, broad shoulders, and prominent thighs. She has beige skin, sunburst pink-lavender eyes, and shaggy emerald green hair with long, eye-covering bangs, which is sometimes tied into a braid. Shufen and Liddy share the same height, dark red sheen in their left eye, and scars that Ruoxi has.

Her military gear consists of a metal dog tag necklace with Ruoxi’s name, a jet black tank top, and a tomato red cap featuring an emblem of a windmill behind a roaring white tiger's head with an amber eye. She wears a tomato red Harrington jacket, adorned with the embroidered S.P.A.R.R.O.W.S. logo on the back. She dons bittersweet shimmer driving gloves, a leather bandolier slung over her right shoulder, holding 9×19mm Parabellum cartridges for her dual pistols, and black combat boots. A bronze-buckled leather belt secures her knee-length blue-green cargo pants, complete with two triangular hip vents overlaid with a lapis lazuli fishnet panel, revealing a glimpse of her black underwear. Her additional gear consists of a hatchet sheath, a combat knife sheath, and a redwood waist pack, attached to the back of her belt, holding twelve sticks of dynamite. Two drop leg holsters are strapped to her thighs: a left-side holster for her Luger P08 pistol and a right-side holster for her Walther P38 pistol.

Over her tank top, she wears a lapis lazuli ceramic-plated bulletproof vest called E-Armour, which is designed to absorb and dissipate the intense kinetic energy of tank blasts. The vest's advanced, nano-tech infused Kevlar-inspired material provides flexibility and protection. Tactical pouches integrated into the vest's lower hem securely store ammunition for her other firearms. Strategically positioned, reinforced trauma plates—sculpted to mimic toned, muscular contours—fortify the chest and midsection, ensuring critical vital organs remain safeguarded. The Regular Army insignia is emblazoned on the centre of the vest in a non-reflective, matte finish. Complementing the E-Armour vest are articulated lapis lazuli knee, elbow, and shoulder pads. Each features four strategically angled, tungsten-carbide spikes, which are designed to deflect shrapnel and incoming projectiles.

She carries around a redwood load-bearing backpack that contains camping equipment, tactical explosives, portable ammo boxes, a canteen full of water, a thermos full of her herbal tea of choice, a red-violet laptop for codebreaking purposes, a disguise kit, a bazooka, a missile pod, a fire gun, and a banhu. The pockets of her vest carry around her walkie-talkie, a pack of mint gum, and an obsidian lighter. They also hold a keychain that Nadia bought for her during a vacation in Guangzhou, depicting an azure dragon reminiscent of the one on the national flag of China during the Qing dynasty. The dragon encircles the traditional Chinese character for “good fortune”, 福 (fú), in gold.

As Liddy, she swaps out a few pieces of clothing, donning a mauve bomber jacket with red fox fur lining and the S.P.A.R.R.O.W.S. logo on the back, gunmetal grey wristbands, and a steel blue T-shirt. She dons a mauve cap featuring an embroidered design of a male European green woodpecker on the side of a beech tree. Her outfit is completed with a Tyrian purple belt that secures her sky magenta cargo pants, which are tucked into gunmetal grey combat boots. She likes to wear a gold chain necklace with a common kingfisher’s head pendant, a left-handed bracelet with canine teeth-shaped jade beads, and a fuchsia lace choker with pink pearls lining the top edge. Additionally, she always carries a small, jaggedly carved piece of amethyst, a pair of dark purple binoculars, and an assortment of safecracking tools, including a thermal lance and a relocker. Furthermore, she owns two vapes: one with a baby blue exterior, featuring diagonal soft pink stripes and offering a cotton candy flavour; and a second one with a Kelly green exterior, adorned with two paradise pink circles and teardrop-shaped black accents, providing a watermelon kiwi flavour.

Super Devil form: She's an 18 ft (548.64 cm) arachnid entity with a sylph-like, twisting torso, bittersweet shimmer skin, cow-shaped ears, and sixteen arms that range from malnourished to disturbingly muscular. Her entire head is enveloped by forty emerald green serpents, each with glowing mauve eyes. A pair of 3 ft (91.44 cm) wings with jet-black feathers flank the sides of her head, occasionally spasming and flapping. Beneath the serpents lies a blank face, featuring a large mouth with prominent, crooked teeth suited for an omnivorous diet. Her elongated neck resembles a spinal cord, granting her extreme flexibility. Surrounding the base of her neck are two sets of twenty arm-length tendrils, each translucent and blue-green in colour. These tendrils are capable of moving independently and aid in absorbing light.

Her torso is a grotesque, distended abdomen-like structure, featuring a massive ribcage that opens to reveal an organic mass. The organic mass contains numerous faces, each with soulless black eyes, contorted in agonising fear. At its centre lies the flayed head and torso of her original form with pus-filled eyes and the furless forelegs of a tiger placed between her head. The torso transforms to embody her current personality, while her large mouth-eye, which has a dark red sheen, changes colour to match. The colour shifts between silver-grey, umber, and sunburst pink-lavender.

Her back is covered in a black tortoise shell rimmed with actual amber tulip heads. Eight limbs sprout from the costal scutes, each ending in three-fingered bony hands that constantly twitch and flex. She has reptilian legs equipped with blue-grey claws resembling those of a hawk and lapis lazuli footpads similar to a tiger's. A winding, serpentine tail, twice her height, extends from her body, covered in azure carp scales, similar to those on her muscular legs. Two 10 ft (304.8 cm) wings, one a sky magenta on the left and the other a redwood hue on the right, flank the base of her tail, fluttering occasionally. From the base of her tail, a wild tangle of spiky, silky smooth tomato red hair runs along its length, culminating in a tuft shaped like a raging flame.

Personality: Following a traumatic childhood, Ruoxi developed dissociative identity disorder as a coping mechanism, resulting in the creation of two distinct alter egos. Shufen is the primary and most dominant identity, while Liddy emerges at random intervals as the secondary identity. Due to Shufen’s dominance and Liddy's intermittent control, Ruoxi's core personality is considered largely dormant. Due to this, little is known about Ruoxi's personality since people rarely have the chance to interact with her.

However, she’s a polite, gentle, taciturn person who savours the tranquil moments in life and struggles with extreme trust issues. She becomes increasingly anxious around new people and has a tendency to lash out violently when she perceives someone as a threat. Initially, she treats unfamiliar people with a mix of ruthlessness and aloofness, but as they earn her trust, she gradually reveals a more empathetic and tender side. Ruoxi is a self-doubting individual who views small talk and trivial conversations as a waste of time. She has a strong aversion to disorganisation, which frustrates her and impairs her ability to think and function effectively. In addition to her disdain for predators, she also has a strong dislike for individuals who heavily rely on luck, viewing it as unpredictable and untrustworthy.

She experiences a range of symptoms including depersonalization, derealization, the inability to recall personal information, mild depressive episodes, suicidal ideation, and night terrors. She feels powerless over her life, plagued by self-criticism and self-sabotaging tendencies. As a result, Ruoxi frequently withdraws herself from others and turns to alcohol to numb her emotional pain. She has maladaptive daydreaming and struggles with feelings of frustration when others see her as pathetic as she knows she's capable of more than they perceive. Despite her deep longing for love, she paradoxically fears intimacy and avoids close relationships, instead seeking attention and validation through safer, more distant means. She’s oblivious to the fact that Shufen and Liddy are the same person as her and is often perplexed as to why people refer to her as Shufen.

Shufen is a surprisingly intimidating Buddhist, despite her innocent appearance, which makes approaching her challenging. However, she finds it amusing that both friends and foes who are unfamiliar with her are afraid of her. She often smiles as a way to unsettle her foes, creating a false sense of security, while also appearing friendly and welcoming to potential friends. She's intelligent, wisecracking, and quick-thinking, using her intellect to outmaneuver enemies, multitask with ease, and trade witty banter and humorous jokes. With unshakeable confidence, she’s supremely self-assured in her intellect, bravery, and skills as a covert agent, never once doubting her own capabilities. She possesses a strong sense of loyalty and camaraderie towards her comrades and loved ones, and she doesn’t tolerate betrayal lightly, seeking fierce retribution when it occurs.

She's a respectful, compassionate, and watchful listener who only speaks when necessary, unless she's in a talkative mood or directly addressed. She values her friendships and excels at offering emotional support and physical comfort, although she sometimes struggles to provide wise advice and deeply empathetic understanding. She takes sadistic glee in tormenting those who disgust her, and shows no mercy towards enemies and traitors, acting with cold-hearted ruthlessness. Shufen has no qualms about employing any psychological tactic to manipulate others and bend them to her will, even if she intends to discard them once they've outlived their usefulness. Despite this, she’s generally a laid-back person who appreciates the simple things in life, and it takes a lot to test her patience and put her in a bad mood.

She has a strong dislike of superficial people, bigots, detrimental mistakes, mindless obedience, and bright lights, the latter causing discomfort in her left eye. Although she tends to be a lone wolf by nature, she’s surprisingly more receptive to teamwork than Gimlet. Whenever she's bored, she has a habit of blurting out random trivia, disturbing questions, and off-colour jokes. Shufen frequently displays unimaginable fearsomeness, yet ironically has submechanophobia, specifically in relation to shipwrecks and destroyed submarines. To her, these remnants represent a disruption of the ocean's natural beauty. The thought of countless lives lost, with their watercraft destroyed either by enemies or the ocean's own power, is deeply disturbing, depressing, and anxiety-inducing.

She views Gimlet as a younger brother and strives to prevent him from making irrational decisions, while offering emotional support and physical comfort. Aware of his unhealthy romantic and sexual fascination with her, she occasionally playfully and seductively teases him about it. Despite lacking parenting skills, she surprisingly excels as a mother figure to Celaphios, fiercely protecting and nurturing her. She's a close friend of Tequila and values their time together, both during missions and off-duty. She sees him as a wise hero and enjoys listening to his stories.

Rumi is another close friend, and she enjoys discussing everything from their daily experiences to their post-mission plans. However, she deeply worries about Rumi's safety, especially when she’s inadvertently sent into battle. She admires Marco's leadership skills, finds his affection for cats endearing, and is inspired by his stoicism. However, she occasionally finds his emotional reserve concerning and is deeply disturbed by his expressions of suicidal ideation. She knows Liddy, but finds her to be annoyingly persistent and self-absorbed with a focus on maintaining a good reputation.

Liddy is a self-described germaphobe and hypochondriac who has a compulsive habit of washing and sanitising her hands frequently, especially after coming into contact with people and surfaces that may be contaminated with germs. She's a hedonist who admires the luxuries of life and indulges in things she deems extravagant and worthy of her time, but only reveals this side of herself when she's not on the battlefield. She's incredibly skilled at getting what she wants through strategic persuasion, using bribery and subtle manipulation to exploit the emotional vulnerabilities of those around her. She’s proudly lesbian and unapologetically open about her identity, but she has zero tolerance for homophobia and isn't afraid to speak out against it.

She possesses a high self-regard that she doesn't outwardly show, but her bold and assertive nature can sometimes come across as overconfident. She’s sensitive to belittling comments from others, which make her feel insignificant. She’s concerned about maintaining a good reputation among her comrades and friends, fearing that she’ll be viewed unfavourably and potentially abandoned. She tends to act impulsively in high-stakes situations and can be impatient when things move too slowly. Nevertheless, Liddy is a kind and compassionate person who delights in socialising and seeking thrilling experiences. She has a childish and affectionate side, but can quickly shift into serious and ruthless mode when the situation demands it.

She's incredibly stubborn, refusing to concede even when retreat would be the wiser option, driven by a hatred of admitting defeat. She despises boasting, hypocrisy, and empty threats, seeing them as signs of weakness. She enthusiastically shares bird facts, light-hearted jokes, and tales from her adventures. Liddy dislikes being confused with Shufen, preferring to stand on her own merits rather than being compared to a skilled tactical spy based on appearance and behaviour. She finds it amusing that Celaphios confuses her with her mother figure, Shufen, but she embraces it because she finds the young Invader Drone to be adorable and innocent.

She shares a fun-loving connection with Nadia, enjoying missions, shopping sprees, and playful antics together, appreciating her silliness and surprising intellect. She views Fio as a scaredy-cat and frequently teases her, often pranking her with insects and creepy crawlies, much to Fio's dismay. This often results in Eri giving her an earful, Marco intimidating her or Tarma politely but firmly telling her off.

Backstory: Ruoxi Adrichem was born on September 18, 1987 in Beira, Mozambique. She grew up in a tough neighborhood where physical assault, rape, break-ins, robbery, poverty, unemployment, and gang activity were commonplace. Her parents are immigrants from the United States who moved to Mozambique for unknown reasons. father, a Dutch-American, was a member of a local street gang, and her mother, a Chinese-American, financially supported his associates. Ruoxi was frequently molested and guilt-tripped by her father, while her mother physically abused her for any sign of defiance or attempts to escape. She was neglected and emotionally abused, leading to a disorganised attachment to her parents. When occasionally allowed outside, she was restricted to the local park, where other children tormented her for being vulnerable and isolated.

After a drunk stranger assaulted her near the park at just 5 years of age, Ruoxi turned to her imagination as a desperate escape from the unrelenting trauma, finding refuge in fantasy and creativity. This event would also awaken her dormant esper abilities, to which she slowly adjusted and practiced in secret, hiding her progress from her parents. She spent most of her days indoors, where she pursued her hobbies, crafting origami animals and flowers, creating personalised scrapbooks, and honing her skills in magic tricks. Origami, scrapbooking, magic tricks, and daydreaming became her forms of escapism, offering a way to find happiness and momentarily block out the trauma that had become her reality.

After turning 6, she experienced a revelation dream that revealed her esper title, sparking a newfound sense of self-assurance and a desire to enact revenge on her parents. A few months later, once she was confident enough to use her abilities, she forced her parents to confront a manifestation of their conscience before brutally murdering them via shadow manipulation. Following her actions, she grappled with intense feelings of remorse and self-reproach, leading her to hesitate using her abilities against others unless absolutely necessary.

She had finally found freedom, but it was short-lived. Her father's gang soon got involved and kidnapped her. Despite their actions, they refrained from harming her, fearing her esper abilities and status. This fear stemmed from a previous incident where she had forced one member to confront their inner demons and shattered another member's sense of self. They decided to put her up for sale on the black market, desperate to pay off their debts to drug suppliers and weapon traffickers. Ruoxi’s fate was to be sold into human trafficking, transported to a notorious red-light district in Hong Kong. She was exploited by those who would take advantage of her, and her pimp would exert power over her through coercive and abusive means on a regular basis. She would spiral into alcoholism and escape into daydreams as reality became overwhelming.

To cope with the trauma, she dissociated and developed two distinct alter egos. Shufen Wei Du embodied her confident and assertive side, allowing her to confront those who had hurt her and others, while also embracing a more carefree and open approach to life, leveraging her street smarts and academic intellect. In contrast, Lydia Muyskens, also known as Liddy, represented a childlike innocence lost too soon, but now tinged with a deep-seated fear of contamination, manifesting as germophobia and compulsive hand-washing.

When experiencing a dissociative episode as Shufen, she utilised stealth and extreme measures to break free from her captors. For the next couple of years, she survived on the streets, relying on her cunning wit, stealth skills, and intimidating presence to get what she needed and command fear from others. During this time, Ruoxi’s core personality became largely dormant, while Shufen emerged as the dominant alter ego with Liddy occasionally surfacing to assert her intermittent control.

As Shufen's influence expanded, she embraced Buddhist teachings, cultivated an appreciation for life's simple joys, and explored new intellectual pursuits in neuropsychology and cryptography. Shufen would teach herself to speak Afrikaans, Portuguese, Swahili, Cantonese, Mandarin Chinese, and Dutch. In contrast, Liddy revelled in a life of hedonism, stealing luxury goods, cultivating a thrill-seeking attitude, and prowling through high-end shops that caught her eye. Liddy would also develop a deep fascination with birds and begin exploring her sexual identity.

People fearfully referred to her as "Red Eye”, a nickname that Shufen herself adopted because of its ominous tone, which she liked. The Regular Army had heard rumours of a young esper roaming Hong Kong and were determined to find her. After saving a group of urban troops battling a terrorist group in her Super Devil form, the Regular Army discovered her identity as the elusive Hong Kong esper. Recognizing her potential, they welcomed her into their orphan program at the age of 12. They provided her with comprehensive support, including therapy, nutrition, clothing, and secure accommodations in Mauritius, while fostering personal growth by encouraging each personality to explore diverse interests, such as parkour and ornithology. The Regular Army aided in fostering new skills in each personality, such as interrogation techniques for Ruoxi and safecracking for Liddy, as they aimed to mould her into a formidable tactical spy.

By age 19, she was accepted into the Intelligence Agency, where her covert agent skills flourished, distinguishing her from her peers and culminating in her promotion to warrant officer. She has successfully completed numerous missions, earning a reputation that inspires awe and strikes fear into the hearts of her comrades and adversaries.

She had heard numerous stories about Tequila and aspired to emulate his excellence as a covert agent. At 21, she crossed paths with him while supporting his mission against a corrupt French regime that sought to commit genocide against people of colour. Following a trip to Mount Kilimanjaro, where she taught him to play the banhu, they formed a strong bond. However, Tequila found it challenging to connect with Ruoxi due to her anxiety around unfamiliar individuals. Initially, he was hesitant to befriend Liddy, perceiving her as immature and materialistic. Nevertheless, after a birdwatching excursion in Sri Lanka, he warmed up to her and they became friends. Following the dismantling of a rogue military organisation that had collaborated with the Pipovulaj Army for nefarious purposes, the Intelligence Agency established the S.P.A.R.R.O.W.S. unit, appointing her and Tequila as its founding members.

Sometime after Tequila befriended Donald Morden, Red Eye met Morden when he visited the Intelligence Division to personally meet her, whom Tequila had fondly told him about. At the time, they were decent friends, and she accompanied him on a couple of missions, impressed by his charisma and firm respect towards his soldiers.

Three years prior to the Arms Deal Barrage, Red Eye encountered Rumi stranded on the battlefield in Arizona, carrying a bag full of supplies for her team. She rescued Rumi from a sinking submarine, but at the cost of watching the others drown and burn to death, which would later develop into submechanophobia. Out of gratitude, Rumi repaid Red Eye by gifting her the E-Armour, a newly produced bulletproof vest designed to withstand the kinetic energy of tank blasts. Over a cup of herbal tea at a pleasant cafe in Gerhardt City, Red Eye and Rumi bonded and became surprisingly good friends.

Red Eye would occasionally observe Gimlet from afar, and Tequila would often fill her in on his latest antics. Due to her demanding schedule of covert operations, she hadn't had the chance to meet Gimlet until just a year before the Arms Deal Barrage. When they finally met, they spent hours discussing their hopes for the future, sharing stories of past missions, and enjoying laughs together over drinks. This encounter sparked a strong bond, and Red Eye came to regard Gimlet as a younger brother. Ruoxi would frequently avoid Gimlet due to the bad vibes she got from him. In contrast, Liddy would often coax him into joining her on thrill-seeking adventures, and they would get into mischief together.

She met Marco, Eri, Tarma, and Fio a couple of years after the Arms Deal Barrage and befriended them, drawn to their intriguing dynamic as a team of eccentric soldiers. Red Eye became Marco's second best friend after he stepped out of his comfort zone to connect with others in the Regular Army, bonding with her over shared laughs, despite his signature awkwardness. Liddy discovered Fio's limitations as a fighter and her intense fear of bugs, often teasing her until Eri intervened with verbal aggression. Initially, Ruoxi took time to warm up to the group, but Tarma's calm demeanour, Marco's gentle nature, Eri's empathy, and Fio's kind-hearted politeness helped her open up faster than usual.

Two years after the Central Park bombing, Red Eye began dating Colonel Tender, having developed a strong emotional connection with him after he helped her in a previous mission. They had rescued hostages from an unethical laboratory involved in illegal weaponry and human experiments. Initially, they were on good terms, but their relationship took a dark turn. While Ruoxi was practicing her mentalism, Colonel Tender revealed his true nature and attempted to murder her out of jealousy, driven by his longstanding desire to surpass her exceptional covert skills and eliminate the obstacle standing in the way of his own success. This traumatic event triggered her dissociation, and she switched to Red Eye. Red Eye was appalled by his actions and fought back against him, successfully defending herself. However, he fled the next day, stealing sensitive Regular Army documents on special operations and weapons, and defected to the Rebel Army.

During the Great Morden War, Red Eye captured Colonel Tender on a moving freight train after he attempted to push her off and escape. Cornered, he begged for forgiveness, kneeling before her and apologising for his betrayal of the Regular Army and the pain he caused her. However, Red Eye, unforgiving, snapped his neck and then shot him in the heart to ensure his demise. Later, when captured by Rebel Army forces and subjected to brutal torture, General Morden promised her that she would serve a greater purpose in an enhanced form, just like Tequila and Gimlet. Following her execution in front of Marco and Tarma, her body was sent to Doctor Amadeus, who revived her as a semi-clone of Fio, drastically altering her existence.

Reblogging in response to Andy's most recent post on ig

Juliet Simms!

If you follow my twitter you know I already spoke about her. For newer fans and fans who are unaware, we have proof Juliet is abusive towards Andy. About 2-3 years ago about there was a incident on a plane were Juliet was hitting Andy and saying he was hurting her. He obviously didn’t lay a hand on her and she was lying. If that isn’t enough she is saying she was drunk. If she was or wasn’t that doesn’t matter. You are responsible for your actions when you are drunk. You choose to drink. Obviously she should know how much it takes for her to get drunk if she is going to drink. We live in a world where men go to jail for abusing women drunk or not. When you first think of abuse you think of a man hitting a women not the other way around. Women cab hurt men. Surprising I know nobody remembers that… Juliet Simms doesn’t deserve Andy! She is an abusive bitch! ANDY NEEDS TO LEAVE HER!!

Fake screenshots and character designs for aforementioned school project.

I'm still thinking about the title, but the plot is basically "Monster gets pissed at rude man who also happens to be a terrible father and adopts his abused kid by force".

What is the worst thing you think John Winchester ever did to his sons? Canonly speaking.

Woo boy. Buckle up, kids.

Off the top of my head, whatever it was that John did to put this look on Dean’s face.

But if you want to talk canon specifics, let’s take a spin through my fuck john winchester tag. 

Okay, John was a child abuser. He was legally a child abuser for leaving his children alone the way the he did, when Dean was only 9 if not younger. He left his children alone in hotel rooms to fend for themselves for days at a time, sometimes without enough money for food.  This is child abuse. You cannot leave a 9 year old in charge of a 5 year old and expect him to take care of the boy like he was an adult.  Putting this kind of responsibility on a child is going to incur lifelong psychological damage.

I personally believe that John was physically abusive, especially to Dean, but I can’t prove that canonically beyond Sam calling John a mean drunk and the fact that violence is completely normalized between the brothers.  John was patently verbally and emotionally abusive to both Sam and Dean and I’m not even going to go find gifs of that because it’s in literally all their interactions.  Strong, brave Dean becomes passive and terrified in his father’s presence, and sweet, loving Sam becomes seething and full of rage.

Bottom line, the worst thing John ever did was putting the responsibility for Sam on Dean’s shoulders when he was too young to even take care of himself.  This is neglect, this is abuse, this is shirking all of his own duty to his children and then laying blame on Dean when he cannot live up to impossible standards.  But let’s go through some specifics.

How about when Dean was 16 and he lost their food money gambling (probably trying to get more food money), and so he ended up stealing peanut butter and bread - to survive and feed his little brother - and he got arrested?

Can we just talk about how the only real chance at happiness and a normal life that Dean actually got was at a home for juvenile delinquents? I mean can we just talk about how fucked up that is?

How about what John was out doing while he was leaving the boys alone in motel rooms?

How about when Dean was dying and John literally wouldn’t pick up the phone much less show up?

Or the other time Dean was dying and he didn’t care?

I could also throw in the fact that one of the biggest demons in hell actually made a better father than John.

This is all absolutely canon, indisputable. But what I find incredibly revealing is the episode It’s a Terrible Life.  Here, Dean was raised by Bobby and Ellen, with Jo for a sister.  Dean Smith is basically a photo negative of Dean Winchester.

He eats salads, he does the Master Cleanse, he has an espresso machine, he drives a fucking Prius.  He’s a business man with fashionable clothes and an upscale apartment.  I mean, can you say metrosexual?

This Dean doesn’t overcompensate, he’s not macho or butch, he’s not one step away from alcoholism, he’s not a broke high school dropout.  He went to Stanford, and considering that Bobby and Ellen probably would not have had the money for that, we can hypothesize that he got in on scholarship.  He doesn’t drive his dad’s old car because it’s not the only home and security he’s known since he was four.  He also doesn’t appear to be a “ladies man”, as we never actually see him talking to a woman.  The only person he seems to be flirting with appears to be his assistant, whom he talks to about Project Runway.

This Dean could easily be openly bisexual, because he grew up in a loving and safe family.  This Dean embraced his education as well as his love of fashion, this Dean is successful and stylish.  We don’t know what’s going on in his personal life or if he’s happy, but he is plainly a normal, functional, stable human being.  This is who Dean would be if John wasn’t his father.

This is who Dean would be if John wasn’t his father. This is who Dean could have been if John had not turned him into Sam’s parent while depriving Dean of a parent himself, dragging him from place to place, isolating him, while turning him into a child soldier and a tool to further his quest for vengeance - and using him as an emotional if not physical punching bag.

He didn’t “try his best”.  Trying his best would be not chasing down the demon, would be giving his sons a home and a childhood.  Would have been at fucking least putting them in foster care instead of dragging them across the country with him.  He didn’t love them.  What he did is not love, it just fucking isn’t.  Whatever ‘love’ he had, it was twisted and selfish and damaging.  John did not love his sons, not the way I define love.

I literally, honestly don’t care that John traded his life for Dean’s in the end.  I mean, to say “too little too late” is a vivid understatement.  I don’t care what he said, I seriously, seriously don’t care what he said in that hospital scene.  I’ve never been physically abused, but my father did fuck up my head and my life pretty well, and he says all kinds of nice things trying to get me back on his side, and I don’t care about any of it.  All the “I’m proud of you”s in the world can’t change what you’ve done.  And really all John did then was heap more responsibility and guilt on Dean’s shoulders.

So basically - everything.  Everything John did to his sons was the worst.

𝖲𝗈𝗆𝖾𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗂𝗇 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗈𝖿 𝗂𝗍 𝗁𝖾 𝗐𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝖿𝗋𝗈𝗆 𝖻𝗂𝗀 𝖻𝗋𝗈𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋 to the monster that his sister was scared of. And even though he saw it all happening he couldn't stop it. Even if he heard himself screaming to stop. His own voice seemed muffled, distant, an echo where the words couldn't be made clear no matter how he tried to zone in and listen.

Even as she speaks, there is a voice he tries to ignore telling him not to listen but he knows that she's right - she never asked for what their father had in store for them. He worked his life from the ground up and never wanted his children to want for anything. But for that to happen they had to walk his path and not a path of their choice. Sarah was brave to break herself out of the fish bowl all the while Rafe was swimming in circles hoping to catch Ward's attention for an ounce of praise for the smallest of things. Even if he got that praise it was a short lived moment of victory that would be later ripped away from being chastised for something else he had done wrong.

Rafe soon slumps down on the ground, his knees to his chest, his hands in his hair as he finds himself rocking back and forth like a small child. Never has he allowed his sister to see any kind of weakness until this moment. The dam is busted and there is no stopping it. She's seen him at his worst and she's fought his demons.

But now he sits before her broken. No, broken was too simple. Shattered more like and none of the pieces were fitting anymore as he scrambled to put them back together.

❝ I never wanted to hurt you ... And when I told him I didn't care I did I lied. I cared. I hated myself for it. I just wanted you to see me. I wanted you to see me like you used to. I know it was wrong and I tried to stop but all I could hear, all I could see... ❞ he can't explain it, not the way he wants too. The words spill out of his mouth in whimpers and muffled held in sobs that he couldn't bring himself to release.

❝ I thought if I showed him that I felt nothing he'd not think I was stupid, that I was weak, that he'd stop throwing me around like I was a stupid, broken toy meant for the garbage...❞

maybe she hadn't even noticed. maybe she was so wrapped up in her own escape that she hadn't realized she had started to become just like them in ways she didn't want to be. sarah never meant it if she had looked at him like that. at least not before he's almost taken her life twice. now is a different story. there is too much that's happened for her to not have a jaded outlook on things. the trust she once held within rafe had disappeared the first time he laid hands on her. he was her big brother. he was suppose to be her protector and yet he had become something she feared.

"that's not my fault! you're blaming me for something that dad did. i didn't ask him to compare us. i didn't want him to. i wanted to be my own person. not some example. not to have expectations just hoisted on my shoulders without a say." now she's sure ward would probably tell her she was a disgrace. no matter how much she pretended that rafe's anger and jealousy towards her didn't effect her, it does. it eats at her. hold some fault, even though she's not the one who put the pressure on him.

a flinch is given in response. once at the finger in her face and the second to the sound of his own hand against his head. "rafe..." it's said softly, concerned that he might hurt himself or her in this moment. rafe had become unpredictable to her.

concerned eyes follow him, trying to steel herself for whatever may come her way from him. from his anger to his fists, who knew. but she hadn't expected that outburst. and the look of fear turns into one of sympathy. rafe had just been crying out for help and everyone just tossed him away, sarah included. unintentionally but still done and she can visibly see it. it makes her heart break, tears forming in her own eyes.

"you're none of those things, you know." she means it, even if she's sure he won't take it as such. "look, dad sucks." that was and understatement. "he wanted me to be this perfect daughter who never fought for her own life and that's not me. he wanted you to be something you weren't because it didn't meet HIS expectations. he doesn't define us anymore, rafe."

I will never agree with the things Rafe has done, but I get it. Naw, I never attacked anyone though, just had really violent dreams about people. I'm a crier. My "secret" shame.

I grew up in a house where when I asked for help, I was told I didn't need it. Same with my brother. It took him snapping to get help, and did he get it for more than a weekend? No. He didn't. And I'm just now getting help that I need as an adult without the help of my family. And I even heard the disappointment in my mother's voice when I mentioned I'm in therapy now.

I mean y'all, my grandma told me I had no reason to be depressed and that was literally after viewing my dad's dead body. So, you can imagine how much I relate.

Being told to suck it up. Being told "I'll give you something to cry about." Being hit for showing emotions that are considered over the top or considered back-talk.

Yeah, I fucking get it. I'm getting too deep on this blog, I'm not sorry for it either.

A person with an abusive nature will always register you standing up for yourself as an act of betrayal. Betray them.

tw // abuse

darkling defenders act is if powerful men don’t abuse their positions and take advantage of people all the time when there’s constantly allegations of politicians and high ranking businessmen and high ranking hollywood directors/producers/actors assaulting people and using their power and status to prey on people. people in power abuse their power all the time, often towards those who have less power, status, and/or influence, and that’s exactly what the darkling did

i hope everyone who wrote a letter supporting brian peck is wracked with guilt for the rest of their lives

Help us get out of an abusive home

Hey, we're currently in the process of saving up money for a deposit on a flat, paying off credit card debt and having some money in savings for getting settled in a new place.

We're living with our m/m rn, and she's heavily emotionally, psychologically and economically abusive, she takes any money we do earn so its next to impossible to save up anything for getting out of here.

If you can't help please reblog, we desperately need to get out of here for our own mental health

gofundme.com

Help us escape an abusive home, organized by Ciaran Cox

Hi, we're a did system stuck in an abusive house. Due to the pandemic and mental health iss… Ciaran Cox needs your support for Help us esca

i got into a fight with my dad because he hit the dog :)

im gonna kms one day :)

This is a great analysis!

I would like to add that the first two or three books really are children of their time. They belong to a very specific kind of children's literature that was still popular when they got published. In this type of literature, violence and abuse get exaggerated. The goal is to make them absurd and hilarious instead of serious and disturbing.

So the violence the Dursleys commit against Harry is basically supposed to cross the line twice. The Dursleys cross the line the first time, because they abuse him. But then their methods are so exaggerated, that the whole thing loops back around and crosses the line again. The scene with the frying pan and the cat flap aren't supposed to be taken literally. They are on the books to take off the edge of abuse.

I think a big factor in this, that the early books were written in the 1990s, when corporal punishment of children by their parents/guardians was legal and normalized. No, FUCK THAT, it's still legal and normalized in England to this day. And it is also legal in way to many other countries, too. (My country started to prohibit it in the 1980s, but they had to rework the law to include all forms of corporal punishment. And then they had to rework it again, to drive home the point that No, it's not legal for you to hit your kids. No, not even if you only hit them a little bit. What part of No do you not understand?!)

So, a lot of readers grew up in an environment, where they themselves were hit by their caregivers and where this form of punishment was considered to be normal. Including Rowling herself. So she needed a way to show that the abuse Harry suffered, exceeded the abuse that was considered normal and socially acceptable, back then. That's where stuff like the frying pan and the barred window come in. It shows that the abuse exceeds the societal limits, without scaring the target audience and without being "too close to home".

I think that's the mistake some fanfic writers do, when they try to portray the abuse Harry suffered as realistic. If one wanted to portray this in a more realistic manner, the abuse would need to be toned down, not dialed up even more. (Because the abuse is already horrible in an absurd kind of way. Making it even worse doesn't make it more realistic. Often, it makes it even more absurd instead.)

That said, I'm personally not very happy about how the books handled abuse. The absurd punishments the Dursleys dish out in the first books may fit the genre, but they really clash with the more serious, less whimsical tone of the later books.

What irks me more, is the parentification (if you can call it that, in Harry's case, because they didn't treat him like an additional parent, but more like a servant), so him being forced to cook and clean for them.* Because that shit isn't dealt up to eleven, but portrayed pretty realistic instead. I have the feeling that this is caused by Rowling not really understanding non-physical forms of abuse. Because, let's face it, the Weasleys were parentifying their kids, too, but it isn't portrayed as bad in their case.

(* I do agree that this is a rather recent development, especially the cooking. You just can't expect a young child to cook meals, without them burning the food, burning themselves and/or burning the house down. The daughter of a colleague of mine almost managed to do the latter with a couple of ready-made hotdogs and a microwave. And she was eight at the time.)

how bad do you think Harry's abuse was? like, okay we all know he was neglected his entire childhood. Do you think he really didn't know his name until he went to school? That he was forced to help around the house the moment he could walk? He prob also didn't know his birthday at some point :(( I love him so much, i want to throttle the dursleys

I mean, just from his behavior I feel like it was pretty bad. I talked about it a bit before and he's very aware he is being mistreated. Harry literally makes a joke about Vernon beating him:

“You don’t seem to need many qualifications to liaise with Muggles. . . . All they want is an O.W.L. in Muggle Studies. . . . ‘Much more important is your enthusiasm, patience, and a good sense of fun!’ ” “You’d need more than a good sense of fun to liaise with my uncle,” said Harry darkly. “Good sense of when to duck, more like . . .”

(OOTP, 657)

As for the abuse itself:

Dudley and his friends beat him often. As mentioned repeatedly.

He slept in a cupboard under the stairs until the Dursleys thought someone else might notice. Only when they got the Hogwarts letter that mentioned the cupboard did they move Harry to Dudley's second bedroom. (The title of the room itself and where Harry was sleeping show how much of an afterthought he was).

The house had no pictures of him, no belongings, no sign Harry lived there, he only got Dudley's cast-offs.

So, yeah, it's definitely neglectful to an insane degree.

As for the more fanon portrayals of the Dursleys' abuse.

They did starve him as a form of punishment:

Uncle Vernon waited until Piers was safely out of the house before starting on Harry. He was so angry he could hardly speak. He managed to say, “Go — cupboard — stay — no meals,” before he collapsed into a chair, and Aunt Petunia had to run and get him a large brandy.

(PS, 23)

And Harry didn't get much food at the Dursleys in general:

This was their encounter with the fact that a full stomach meant good spirits; an empty one, bickering and gloom. Harry was least surprised by this, because he had suffered periods of near starvation at the Dursleys.

(DH, 250)

But he did get to eat with them at the table when he wasn't being punished, seen with Aunt Marge, and when the Dursleys didn't have guests:

Harry, who could see a huge Dudley tantrum coming on, began wolfing down his bacon as fast as possible in case Dudley turned the table over.

(PS, 19)

That being said, Harry seems to be punished at the Dursleys pretty often. (Although, Harry considers sitting with them at the table punishment enough)

So the fanon portrayal of getting locked in the cupboard/his room with no food for who knows how long (or just, not enough food, like in CoS when he shared a canned meal with Hedwig) is actually canon.

He gets physically abused by Dudley, but also by Vernon and Petunia. We saw Petunia try to hit him with a frying pan.

Aunt Petunia knew he hadn’t really done magic, but he still had to duck as she aimed a heavy blow at his head with the soapy frying pan. Then she gave him work to do, with the promise he wouldn’t eat again until he’d finished.

(CoS, 17)

The above qoute mentions how he was forced to do chores with the threat of no food until he's done with his chores. So, yes, he was forced to work at the Dursleys. Another quote indicating he had plenty of practice cleaning over at the Dursleys:

“Filch’ll have me there all night,” said Ron heavily. “No magic! There must be about a hundred cups in that room. I’m no good at Muggle cleaning.” “I’d swap anytime,” said Harry hollowly. “I’ve had loads of practice with the Dursleys. Answering Lockhart’s fan mail . . . he’ll be a nightmare. . . .”

(CoS, 114)

That being said, we see Petunia cooking more often than Harry, and she's also mentioned cleaning on occasion:

At last, at long last, the final evening of Marge’s stay arrived. Aunt Petunia cooked a fancy dinner and Uncle Vernon uncorked several bottles of wine.

(PoA, 26)

“Right — I’m off into town to pick up the dinner jackets for Dudley and me. And you,” he snarled at Harry. “You stay out of your aunt’s way while she’s cleaning.”

(CoS, 14)

I think he wasn't constantly worked like a house elf the way the fandom sometimes portrays it. He was made to clean often enough but he didn't cook that often. The breakfast in PS is likely more of an exception than the norm as whenever any fancy dinner, like with Marge or the Masons, it's always Petunia cooking it, not Harry. So, I don't think Harry cooked or cleaned for them since he could walk, I mean Petunia is a perfectionist about how her house looks, so she wouldn't let a small child who'd do a subpar work do it.

But he was definitely put to work as either punishment or when the Dursleys wanted him occupied. And considering he mentions "plenty of practice" when he's 12 and he spent the last two years at Hogwarts, he likely started doing chores earlier than that, but old enough to use a mop properly. So, I'd guess he started helping to clean the house around the time he was 6 or 7 years old, and started cooking on occasion only very recently before the books start in all likelihood.

The really shitty thing about all his chores is that Dudley isn't doing anything and it's just Harry. This difference is one Harry was always aware of and considers unfair, because it is incredibly unfair. The fact he is forced to do work and gets punished when the other child in the house doesn't adds to the sense of worthlessness the Dursleys already make Harry feel.

Uncle Vernon in general is pretty violent towards Harry, shown in the first quote in this post and in others:

Harry ran down the stairs two at a time, coming to an abrupt halt several steps from the bottom, as long experience had taught him to remain out of arm’s reach of his uncle whenever possible.

(HBP, 45)

I wanted to add the imprisonment in CoS, because the treatment is truly subhuman:

The following morning, he paid a man to fit bars on Harry’s window. He himself fitted a cat-flap in the bedroom door, so that small amounts of food could be pushed inside three times a day. They let Harry out to use the bathroom morning and evening. Otherwise, he was locked in his room around the clock.

(CoS, 28)

They treat him like an actual prisoner. They let him out to the bathroom twice a day! Like WTF! This is so not okay I don't have words.

As for not calling him by his name...

“We could phone Marge,” Uncle Vernon suggested. “Don’t be silly, Vernon, she hates the boy.” The Dursleys often spoke about Harry like this, as though he wasn’t there — or rather, as though he was something very nasty that couldn’t understand them, like a slug.

(PS, 19)

They usually refer to Harry simply as "boy" or "the boy", they also use "you" when talking to him or "him" about him, but not his name, except one time in PS when Vernon is faking being nice:

“Er — yes, Harry — about this cupboard. Your aunt and I have been thinking…you’re really getting a bit big for it…we think it might be nice if you moved into Dudley’s second bedroom.

(PS, 30)

Considering how Harry mentions they often don't speak to him, but at him or about him, definitely suggests they don't use his name often. Vernon seems very odd about using Harry's name, and we see it isn't something common, but it does happen. I think Harry did always know his name though, I'm sure he asked, and regardless of how awful the Dursleys are, Petunia likely told him his name in the same breath she talked about how his father was a drunkard that got both him and Lily killed.

We also know they don't do anything for Harry's birthday, and Harry doesn't think they remember it:

The lighted dial of Dudley’s watch, which was dangling over the edge of the sofa on his fat wrist, told Harry he’d be eleven in ten minutes’ time. He lay and watched his birthday tick nearer, wondering if the Dursleys would remember at all, wondering where the letter writer was now.

(PS, 35)

So, it's very plausible the Dursleys never told Harry when his birthday is and that he had to discover it himself somehow.

TL;DR

Harry's abuse at the Dursleys was awful. It included physical abuse from all three Durslesy and periods of starvation.

He was put to chores like cleaning the house, but it wasn't a constant thing where he worked like a house elf. It actually seems Petunia did most of the cooking.

He probably only started cleaning when he was 6 or 7 at the youngest. And cooking is likely a later development.

Harry was allowed to sit at the table and even watch TV on rare occasions but usually didn't get to choose what to watch. It means Harry should be somewhat aware of muggle pop culture at the time.

Harry, in general, wasn't really treated as human. Not having his name used, only talked at, not having his birthday celebrated, not getting pocket money or anything of his own. Not to mention being forced to sleep in the cupboard or on the floor (in the shack on the sea in PS) and getting his food through a cat flap on his bedroom door like an actual prisoner in CoS.

So, while fanon portrayals make the Dursleys worse than they actually are, they are plenty awful on their own. Believe me, if I could throttle them, I would.