Torture Mention - Tumblr Posts
Researching torture to see if Exile was actually technically torture and seeing a lot of definitions that can fit with what happened in Exile
(And I mean this in a “wow Exile feels like it gets worse every time you think about it” way not like. It Wasn’t That Bad)
YOU GUYSZ NAMES R SO PRETTTY, LAKE :33
very prettieh (or handsome names) whichever u preffeeer :33
Also r u okay w like sensitive content asks like idk me saying ways we could torture each other :33?? -🐊 anon
WHATSG thbank yoy :33c idont mmind any genderrf terms dont mmigd thetypos Health issuesflaring upsnnf ifdont hhave thbe enerjgy to ffix evrhthing and yees im ookay eith ssendsitive fontent thjngs torturing esahfother sounnds fun
realizing the stuff i said about torture and kidnapping etc was probably interpreted as sexual has. killed. me.
its so over
" i'm here. i'm real. " ( maren after she saves aggie :^)))))))))
hit 'em where it hurts. / accepting!
the mind is capable of a lot of things. some of the things it does and the why are still a mystery. in many ways, it's like a living computer, and like computers, something terrible can happen. something can break it, cause it to act strange, cause it to malfunction. things can easily cause the human brain to make someone see things that, to their dismay, aren't really there. ny herlighed has done it to her before and agatha was certain this time wasn't any different. she was imagining the commotion, she was imagining her girlfriend, here and still alive.
it has to be in agatha's imagination again... right?
she knows it is. that's all this can be: another hallucination. is she perhaps just that desperate to see maren again? even when she was convinced that she truly wanted nothing to do with the faerie, even when she was convinced she was dead? agatha's love for her never waned, never disappeared altogether. she still holds that torch, some part of her wanting desperately to believe that ny herlighed has been lying to her this whole time. why else would maren also want a child with her? what would she have really gained from tricking the faerie, making her believe she truly and wholeheartedly loved her, from having a child with her, from having a wonderful life together? why would she help to change agatha's view of herself, to raise her confidence and self esteem, why encourage agatha to get help, only for it all to to be one big ploy? and yet... the mind, even when tricked, is a powerful thing.
even as maren approaches, blood soaked clean through what was once a white suit, the faerie shies away from her. not because of the blood or her weapon, but because she knows she isn't there. she's just tired, she just wants this to be over. why can't this just be over?
she whimpers, tears pouring down her face despite how tightly her eyes are closed, feeling maren's bloodied hands cupping her face, hearing her plead with the faerie to look at her. but she can't, she won't. she won't open her eyes to another hallucination! if— if she just keeps her eyes closed, then she'll go away. right? because she's just in her head. she isn't here, she isn't real, she's gone.
no matter how hard she tried to will away what she perceived to be a hallucination, she opens her eyes to find the image still there. sometimes that happened when the hallucinogen was especially strong or when they gave her a little too much. maren would still be there sometimes, just as she is now, that same pleading look on her face as she tries to get agatha to realize this is real. she is real.
" m-maren? " she finally manages to get out, her jaw quivering, her eyes shiny with tears. where there once was nothing in her eyes, there is now a spark of life, a glimmer of hope. oh, gods, she so desperately wants to believe that she's real. please, please, let her be real. agatha wraps her arms around her, holding her tightly as she sobs against her, uncaring of any of the blood (that she knows couldn't possibly be maren's — she wouldn't willingly let any of these people touch her) getting onto her. that didn't matter, not right now.
" p-please, please take us home. p-please, maren. i-i— i j-just w-want to be home again w-with you a-and aurora. "
I think y’all underestimate how dire the situation was to c!dream like, at first he was literally just genuinely happy, there was no act up. He was /so/ happy to look across the lava and see a face different from Quackitys, and he showed it. He immediately waved, he immediately seemed just so happy. But when the axe was drawn, from a person seemingly invisible, of course he immediately switches back into panic mode, hiding in a corner, a concerned, very small “What?”. And then when he sees an opportunity to maybe be let out, to maybe make Sam let his guard down, of course he’s gonna take it. Of course he is going to. I mean, who wouldn’t? I don’t know how strong y’all think you are, but if you were being tortured for over a month, have already before been at the brink of your sanity and are now way over it, you absolutely would take anyone hostage, and threaten anyones life to get out of it. It’s just human nature. Dream reacted completely rationally really, he was terrified to have to have been kept in there, and while he was happy to have company, of course he’s immediately gonna throw on a tough act and try and do anything to seem superior again
"it was never personal," kami mutters. he's STILL keeping people at arm's length. either people want to try to win him over, or want to kick him down and scorn him for the things he's done. it's always a toss up as to what kind of encounter he'll face, and it's easier to keep everyone at bay, rather than put himself through more misery.
"if you're interested, i could continue that tradition with you." it's a joke, mostly. he's still vastly guarded against the knave, not trusting her intentions, or even KNOWING what she wants this time around. he vaguely remembers that she hails from fontaine initially. he remembers when she was given the title of harbinger for...he can't be bothered to try and remember what happened back then. something about an orphanage, that's all he cares to know.
"i've been well." there's a shift in his tone now. straightening up a little, though letting his arms fall from their crossed position. he's not sure if he's relaxing, or throwing up his mental walls anymore. he's never been good with small talk, especially with his former colleagues. he recognizes she's being GENUINE, but with her internal whims ever a mystery with him, kaminari isn't sure if she's trying to milk him for information, or if she's trying to offer an olive branch. either prospect still terrifies him.
"...i've seen better days," he continues. if arlecchino is going to be civil, then kami supposes he can play along for now. she's not yet fishing for private information, or prying too deep into what he's learned since switching allegiances. as long as this conversation stays surface level, he supposes he can return the 'kindness'. "being tortured by dottore had its downsides." he looks sideways at her.
"―and yourself?"
She lets a slow breath escape her. « Still guarded, I see. » Her voice lacks its usual sharp edge, and instead carries a tone of quiet curiosity.
One thing for certain is that even despite his departure — he was being the same level of standoffish as she remembers, but there's something different to the way he carries his words now. There is a bite to them, but a more reserved bite. She remembers a time when he’d revel in being contrarian, pushing back against everyone’s expectations just for the thrill of it. He was always the one to provoke, to stir things up just to see how far he could push the boundaries. Now, though, he seemed more… restrained.
Her head turns slightly so that her eyes may lower and meet with his own (though that hat certainly made it more difficult for eye contact). « You were always a bit of an enigma, » she says, the faintest of smiles ghosting her face. « Even when you were The Balladeer, you kept everyone at arm's length, didn’t you? » There’s no malice in her words, just a strange sense of... nostalgia. She crosses her arms, though not in a threatening display, simply more out of habit than anything else.
Her gaze returns to the fountain for a short moment, if only to carefully think of her following choice of words. Upon doing so, her eyes fall back onto him.
« Have you been well? » Her tone now shifts from that previous curiosity, now genuine — unusually warm for the person she is. « I have no reason to be offended if my harmless question comes as a surprise. I've never bothered to ask you that before, after all. »
if kami was afraid before, he's afraid now. the balladeer can ride on whatever delusional high he wants to, concerning power. he can even MOCK kaminari about taking away a strong source of kami's power. but at the end of the day, they are both well aware of the torment, the torture, of that isolation.
neither of them do well inside four walls for extended periods of time, after all.
he's not about to resort to begging. not that he can, of course, because that TOSS, has kami briefly losing consciousness. only for a few seconds, but when he comes back around, the balladeer is at least still talking, so kami isn't completely alone yet.
the gag around his mouth might be gone, but kami's hands are still bound. only this time instead of being slumped against a wall, kami's laying face down, with his arms awkwardly shifted to the side. THIS time, kaminari is too dazed and disoriented to try to free his binds. it's unlikely that scaramouche is going to come free him, either.
"you're making a mistake," kami growls. warns. he KNOWS that somehow, this is all going to come back and bite the balladeer in his stupid ass. kami knows he was pathetic back then, but to be THIS cold blooded, to inflict the very same trauma on himself? it's laughable.
not laughable; the wanderer is terrified. already, he's struggling to roll over, trying not to damage his already damaged body even further. he's not sure how much he'll heal; he needs someone to repair him. nahida would, if she knew WHERE he is. or cyno, or tighnari... or someone.
"don't you dare leave, you know what that does to us." his tongue feels too heavy in his mouth now. words are hard, and his vision is threatening to tunnel and darken again. even now, his gaze is LOCKED onto the stolen vision, and his mind is solely focused on how useless he feels without it.
he won't beg for freedom, but he can still curse the balladeer.
"you've become exactly like him," kami snarls. "i know you'll see it in time, how far fucking GONE you are. to inflict this much conflict on one of your own? might as well just call you another segment."
he's not sure if scaramouche is ignoring him at this point. and even worse, kami is CERTAIN that the balladeer is going to make good on his promise, and actually leave kaminari in nothing but complete.
ISOLATION.
the kick SLAMS mercilessly into his midsection, yet the balladeer doesn't seem to budge so much as an inch. he merely offers a blink — smile widening just the slightest amount as if to MOCK the futility of his doppelganger's struggles. did he really think such a pathetic attack would be enough to shake him? the doctor's experiments were infinitely more agonizing by comparison on even his most charitable days; kunikuzushi registers the pain no more than he would a buzzing gnat. ❝ deny it as much as you like. you're only lying to save face. ❞ his voice is eerily calm — almost conversational, as if this entire exchange is little more than a simple chat between acquaintances. the balladeer's eyes shine with just as much malice as ever, yet it grows sharper with every subsequent second. ❝ you're completely helpless here, and you know it ... you put on this defiant facade because you're desperate to take back even the ILLUSION of power. ❞ head tilts; his hat chimes, soft and melodic. ❝ but in the end, it's nothing more than that. an illusion — fleeting and insubstantial. the truth is, no one is coming to SAVE YOU ... and you're too WEAK to save yourself. ❞
for a moment, he meets kaminari's eyes. he doubts the other will agree with him so easily — and that's fine. ( the balladeer expects that, too. ) he simply wants to see what kind of expression he makes when the FUTILITY of his actions washes over him.
in any case, it was entertaining allowing him to struggle a bit — but kaminari hasn't earned the right to steal another free blow. kunikuzushi's grip tightens around his throat, tight enough that he's sure even his dull nails will leave a mark. ( for however long those last. ) in one swift action, he spins — hurling his doppelganger against the opposite wall hard enough to leave CRACKS from the impact. ❝ if you wanted me to leave you alone, all you had to do was ask. ❞ the harbinger dusts himself off, as if touching the other somehow DIRTIED him. ❝ i think some time in solitary confinement will do you good. it's not like you need to EAT ANYTHING, right? ... which means i can seal you up here for as long as i like without tending to those pesky necessities. ❞
he wonders if it feels familiar. surely even this pathetic copy is capable of recalling their FIRST of many betrayals. ( lonely. abandoned. time ceasing to lose all meaning. ) turning away, kunikuzushi moves to the door. he has every intention of making good on his THREAT; if talking is the only weapon kaminari has left, why not take even that away from him? the sixth has always wondered if it would even be possible to drive himself to MADNESS.
