Post by Griffin Banks on Jan 3, 2024 4:55:45 GMT -5
WELCOME TO LOS EUROSIA,
Griffin Darville Banks
"You can call it fire and ice; but we work so well and we don't even know why"
-
Quick Note: I suggest that you read the "Personality" section first to fully understand this character. Thank you.
BASICS
NAME: Griffin Banks
AGE: 35
BIRTHDATE: January 3rd
PRONOUNS: He/Him (for the most part, depends on the alter)
SEXUALITY: Pansexual (Levi), Demiromantic/Bisexual (Griffin), The rest of the alters are Aroace
RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Levi is married which means Griffin is also technically married, but Griffin doesn't care and considers himself single. The other alters do not have love lives and don't care for them.
OCCUPATION: Librarian (Levi), Blackstorm Operative (Griffin)
NEIGHBORHOOD: Grey Pebble
MEMBER GROUP: Blackstorm
POWERS:
Aerokinesis - The body that all the alters share has the power to control and manipulate air, able to shape it and move it at will. While arm/body movement isn't needed, it helps with control and mobility. Each alter has different levels of mastery of their gift, with Griffin's much more developed and refined than Levi's, for example.
Levi is able to control the air around him to a limited extent, enough to cause a small gust of wind or to keep a book floating in the air. He can only do very simple things, if he tries hard enough he could maybe push a full-grown adult, but it would still take an incredible amount of effort on his part.
Griffin, on the other hand, is extremely in touch with his gift. Actions that would leave Levi winded, Griffin could do in a heartbeat, along with a variety of other tricks that Levi wouldn't even dream of doing. Griffin can do things like creating simple air constructs (air balls, knives, rings, etc.), lift much heavier things than books (as heavy as cars), use an affinity of air attacks, create vacuums with no air present whatsoever, and more.
Candy has never used her powers and is very inexperienced with them. She doesn't even know about it.
Petra is also very inexperienced with their gift and has never used it. They probably never will, due to the lack of mobility. Nowadays, they don't even control the body anymore, knowing that Griffin can defend it.
Lucy Fur is as experienced with her gift as Griffin, but uses it way more chaotically than he does. Actions that Griffin can do in a heartbeat she could also do with the same little effort, but it would be a lot more sporadic and with lots more intent on causing as much damage as possible. Because of her wild chaotic tendencies, though, she tends to be less accurate with her attacks, and is less dangerous than Griffin.
THE LOOKS
HEIGHT: 6'1"
WEIGHT: 185 lbs.
HAIR COLOR: Black
EYE COLOR: Brown
FACE CLAIM: Eka Darville
OVERALL APPEARANCE:
Levi's appearance that he likes to upkeep is an overall well-kept one, with a nicely groomed face and style. What he likes to wear is based on where he is or is going; when at work, he wears semi-professional clothing most of the time, a fan of button-up long sleeves and simple work pants, not baggy but overall a nice fit. At home, he usually switches into something more casual, usually something on the lines of a nicely fitting sweater and loose fitting jeans. Overall, he isn't too picky with what he wears but makes sure that he doesn't look homeless.
Griffin's appearance is very cutting-edge and sharp, he likes to wear dark clothing like leather jackets, black jeans and shirts, sunglasses, black and silver rings, and more. He likes to pile on the accessories, especially on his hands; if it can look stylish while also packing a punch, Griffin is probably wearing it. As for shoes, he likes to wear hefty black boots most of the time, but for times when he feels more sassy he likes to wear Dr. Martens.
Candy almost never is in control and therefore does not have a signature look that she likes to wear on the body. In the mind, though, she is a six-year-old girl with pigtails and a pink skirt.
Petra could care less about what they look like. In the mind, they are literally a rock.
Lucy Fur would wear very flashy clothes if she ever had control over the body. In the mind, she looks like Cruella de Vil but with a Pixie Cut.
INSIDE
Since Griffin and Levi are the main two alters, their personality traits will be here while the others will not. The other alter's descriptions will still be provided under the section "Overall Personality."
LIKES:
Levi:
- Reading
- Collecting books, postcards, and magnets
- When things are organized
- Spending time with his family
- Peace and quiet
- Nature, forests, hikes, the overall "healing power" of nature
- Civil discourse/discussion
Griffin:
- Arson/Fire
- Sunglasses
- leather jackets
- dark colors
- the rush of adrenaline
- dancing
- metal, electronic, & soul music
DISLIKES:
Levi:
- Calamity/Chaos
- Overly talkative people
- when people flirt with him
- pickles
- cliffhangers
- bright colors/colors hard to look at
Griffin:
- suck-ups
- People who won't shut the fuck up
- sore losers
- any movement/agency working against Blackstorm, including anyone associated with it (the sector, the guild, hunters)
- house cats
- bitter foods/tastes
STRENGTHS:
Levi:
- In Touch with his Emotions: Levi is very self-aware of his emotions, good at acknowledging them and controlling his behavior accordingly. There is a very low chance that Levi would be the source of a panic attack, fit of rage, or other similar states of extreme emotion. While he very much feels extreme emotion, he is good at taming it.
- Good Manners: One could say that Levi is a classy man at times, with excellent posture and form. He always makes sure to enforce proper etiquette at the dinner table, knows the right things to say at the right time, and is almost never rude to anyone he meets, even if he doesn't like them.
- An Extremely Talented Cook: Levi is skilled at making a wide variety of dishes, superb in terms of presentation and taste. He's good enough that he could run an entire restaurant if he wanted to, never ceasing to please his family whenever he whips up meals.
Griffin:
- Very quick & nimble, light-footed: The way Griffin moves could be described as a ninja; extremely quick, silent, and strong. He is very agile and good at dodging a large variety of attacks like projectiles and melee strikes, along with using his mobility for both fighting and evading others.
- Surprising Empathetic & Compassionate: While he may not openly express it, Griffin is an empath, per se; he is very good at reading and taking on emotions from facial expressions and body language. And even though he may seem distant from most people, to those he really cares about, he's willing to do something about the negative ones.
- A Good Fighter, Physically and Gift-wise: Aside from his quickness, Griffin is also very skilled in melee combat and other different fighting techniques, his most prominent ones being Krav Maga and Street Fighting. He knows how to handle a fight and is good at engaging in one, likely to win against your average joe. As stated in his power description, he is also very skilled with his gift and also uses it very often when he fights, often using a combination of wind-boosted melee attacks.
WEAKNESSES:
For all:
- Always Tired: Because Levi is up for a majority of the day and Griffin is awake for a lot of the night, their body is always sleep-deprived. Griffin knows this but is able to keep up his performance with lots of Red Bull. Levi, not knowing of any of the alters existence, has no idea why he is sleep deprived. He goes to bed at 8 o'clock every night! My oh my, why does my sleep schedule not work?
Levi:
- Socially Awkward: Levi often feels out of place in social situations with people he doesn't know. It's not that he isn't good at being social, in fact, he is very skilled at keeping people engaged in conversation, but he often doesn't know how to start a conversation and feels uncomfortable engaging in long conversation with people he doesn't know.
- Timid, even meek sometimes: Levi isn't a pushover, but isn't good at voicing his own opinions and therefore not very assertive overall. First impressions are very important to Levi, so he usually keeps quiet and to himself about things he doesn't agree with, and when people press for it, he gets flustered and retreats into his turtle shell.
- Has a Freeze response to danger (fight, flight, freeze): In times where Levi is in danger, severe danger that is most times life-threatening, Levi's response is to freeze. Stay still and let the problem happen to him. Not good, if you catch my drift!
Griffin:
- Quick to Anger: Griffin gets mad very easily and the anger escalates very quickly; even an implied joke can make him bitter in a moment's notice, and if the issue isn't resolved, that bitterness quickly turns to rage, leaving only resentment for that person. This happens a lot when others make fun of him or talk shit about him behind his back, so people who know him tend to keep their negative comments about him to themselves. There are some exceptions to this; he is a lot more patient with people he is close with, or people he needs/wants to impress.
- Impulsive: Griffin doesn't think things through very thoroughly when doing things, especially when he's angry, but it applies to all situations. He'd take a dangerous dare without much thought, he'd get caught up in beating someone up, he may not listen to someone all the way because he assumes he knows what they are going to say. This doesn't do much good for him in most cases.
- Bottles Emotions: Griffin is really good at bottling up his emotions, specifically sadness and the trauma that he remembers from his childhood. He is so good at bottling it up that he seems extremely distant from everyone, unintentionally bottling up a lot of his other emotions as well. Unfortunately, he cannot bottle up his anger as well.
OVERALL PERSONALITY:
An important note about Levi/Griffin: This application contains separate personalities because Griffin has DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder), meaning there are two or more split personalities/people/alters present in an individual, usually appearing during childhood due to severe repeated trauma. There are five alters that are currently present in Griffin; these alters consist of Griffin, Levi, Petra, Candy, and Lucy Fur (referred as Lucy). Remember this disorder comes from not being able to fully form one single personality during childhood, so these personalities are not "complete" and they are not supposed to be. They are all fragments of personality in the same person who is not able to integrate them together.
One more quick note: Not every alter is aware that the other alters present in Griffin's mind exist. Here's a little explanation to hopefully clear things up a bit:
- Levi does not know any of the other alters exist, and therefore he also does not know he has DID in the first place. He sometimes has this weird nagging feeling that someone is watching what he is seeing through his own eyes, but often shrugs it off, convincing himself that he's just paranoid.
- Griffin is fully aware of Levi's existence and often is co-conscious with him, watching what happens throughout the day just in case he needs to take over to defend the body. Has a lurking feeling that there's someone else there in the brain, but can't put a pin of if it's real or not. It makes him nervous.
- Lucy Fer is aware of all the alters except for Levi. Petra keeps her at bay in the mind, preventing her from taking control, which she is LIVID about. She stomps around in the empty and seemingly endless cell that Petra has put her in, looking for someone- anyone to be angry at.
- Honey is only aware of Petra's existence, and considers them her only friend. Similar to Petra, she is also confined in her own room in the mind created by Petra, but this one is more lively and looks like a kindergarten classroom. There is no door, although there are plenty of art supplies and toys for her to use. There is a single window where Petra sits most of the time, unless they need to be in control of the body.
- Petra is aware of every alter in the body and regulates their memories, the system's file manager per se. They know everything and manage everything in the brain according to what is best for each alter's needs, even if it means making the tough decision to enforce amnesia/memory loss on them or even locking them up in a remote corner of the mind until further notice. Arguably the most "powerful" alter of them all, but only in the mind.
~
Levi. He/Him. | Host/Main Alter - Levi is a quiet chill guy who likes to keep his nose in books. He grew up loving them, and he couldn't think of anything else better other than his family and kids. He is a very emotional person but is very good at controlling them, having an amazing sense of self-control despite his big feelings. He loves to indulge in the simple but good things in life, like reading a good book or going on a nice stroll through nature. Life's been good his whole life, and he is grateful for every second of it, despite not remembering chunks of it. Overall, he is a very well-kept man, introverted and plain but insightful and mentally strong at the same time. (I know, the irony.)
Levi can't think of a single thing better than his wife and two children, who mean the world to him. He would do anything for them, as he would do for anyone in his life that he cares about. But that's mostly it- he doesn't know how to talk to people well, and has trouble forming new relationship which makes his self confidence dip. Even though he is set emotionally, he often questions his manhood and if he is good enough for his family because he freezes up in the face of danger. He knows he isn't the most courageous, but convinces himself that his big heart can make up for it.
Griffin He/Him. | The Original & Protector - Griffin is a hot-headed man who doesn't mess around. He's there to get the job done with no dilly-dally, and anyone who says otherwise is in for a world of pain. He is strongly motivated in the simple desire to do what he thinks is right, but is so hyper fixated on it that he doesn't have an open mind to other perspectives. The world is a dark and cruel place, and that's how it is. For example, he believes his gift was given to him for the strict purpose of making things right, and that's that. There is almost no leniency in his morals and ethical code, which is... questionable, to say the least.
Under the surface, Griffin is very fragile and anything but solid. He puts on the tough guy act so that people don't ask him questions and so that he can avoid confronting his painful past. But he is a very sensitive guy and secretly has lots of empathy towards those who have gone through hardships. He is extremely understanding, even if he may not be kind about it. And even though it is very difficult for him to make relationships, platonic and romantic, but when he does end up in one, there is absolutely no doubt in knowing that he cares more than they can ever imagine. Griffin loves in his own special ways, and his friends admire him for that.
Petra. They/them. | Gatekeeper/protector - Petra's job in the system is to be the "file manager" of everything related to memories and trauma. Being a literal rock, Petra often acts like one. They are void of most emotion, speaks in a monotone voice, and are extremely limited with their body movements, if they make any at all. They are very task oriented and robotic of sorts, as if they are not alive, but the reality is that they do have a speck of humanity; they care deeply for the other alters in Griffin's system. And if needed, they will take the blows of their combined trauma because they are the other alter's protective rock that feels no pain.
Candy. She/her. | Child alter - Candy is a peppy six-year-old girl who likes to draw. She is very carefree and easygoing, and is willing to do most things with the people she calls her friends. At the same time, she doesn't mind losing friends, as she is just as content being on her own. She feels no sadness when losing friends because she knows that she's got herself, and more may come in the future. She constantly has this constant feeling that someone is out to get her, but constantly pushes the feeling away. Who would want to do that?
For now, she's content in her little room of hers, but as of late, she's been getting more curious about what she's missed in the outside world. She is slowly beginning to push past Petra's walls and influence.
Lucy Fur. All pronouns except He/Him. | Persecutor - Lucy Fur's existence can be summed up with one word: abuse. She lives to abuse and relishes it, getting that hit of dopamine every time she lays a hand on anyone, especially naughty children who won't follow the rules and listen to what she wants. And why wouldn't she hit them- its what works, and its just so easy! That's her logic anyways.
BACKGROUND
HOMETOWN: Yakima, Washington
FAMILY:
Mara Jones (In Jail) - Mother/Human/56
Arnold Banks (In Jail) - Father/Unknowingly Gifted (Enhanced Eyesight)/57
Olivia Banks - Sister/Gifted (Clairvoyance)/26
Amanda Jackson-Banks - Levi's Spouse/Human/35
Lilee Banks - Levi's Daughter/Gifted (dormant)/4
Billy Banks - Levi's Son/Gifted (dormant)/2
PETS: N/A
HISTORY:
TW: Swearing & Child abuse. (Griffin & Lucy are potty mouths.)
Levi
Griffin
Petra
Candy
Lucy Fur
~
Hi, I’m Griffin. Griffin Banks. I was born in the desert known as Yakima, Washington with shit parents that didn’t want me. Long story short, their condom broke and they couldn’t get an abortion. By some miracle they didn’t put me up for adoption, but honestly, it would have been a miracle if I HAD got put up for adoption. If I didn’t emphasize it clearly enough before, my mother and father were absolutely terrible fucking parents. I was severely neglected for the first couple years of my life; barely fed and diaper unchanged for days until they couldn’t stand the smell of week-old shit anymore. I’m sure I’ve almost died from an electrical socket a couple of times. Good ol’ mum and dad hated me; I was just a stumbling block in their pathetic lives as they continued to wreck my own.
I was around the age of four when I was beginning to be a little rebellious, as all little kids are. I didn’t want to do what my parents wanted me to do, especially since it was for drunkard shit like getting my father another beer. I mean, can you blame me? I was a fucking child, I wanted to play with my toys. Anyways, after yelling didn’t work, he turned to physical abuse. You heard that right, he fucking smacked a four year old. Multiple times, too, after he figured out that it worked. It became the easiest way to “discipline” me. My mother soon followed his example, beginning to beat me and even extensively shove my face underwater for long periods of time… she said she was making a point, trying to “teach me a lesson.” Fuck you, Mom.
There came a point in my life where something changed. Something snapped. It had been multiple months since the physical abuse had started; I was outside with my mom and a couple of her friends, trying my best to stay in a secluded corner so she wouldn’t try and attack me. Because yes, at that point, I was afraid of my own mother! I didn’t know how to deal with this shit! Much to my dismay, she noticed me and began to throw large chunks of gravel at me, shouting at me to go away. It was giving me large welts and bruises, I was even bleeding in a couple of spots where the rocks had broken open my skin. I was screaming in pain (as one does, especially from a sensitive CHILD) but my mother wasn’t having it. She’d only continue to throw the rocks at me, screaming “Shut the fuck up! Do you hear the rocks crying? Do the rocks feel anything as they hit your skin? No! You weak piece of shit, be more like the rocks! Now get lost, I am trying to have a conversation with my friends!” All the while, her friends were laughing at me as I continued to bleed.
I don’t really remember what happened next. But from then on, the beatings got less frequent, I think. It’s all a blur now, but what I do know is that I came out of my childhood scarred as fuck. And as you can imagine, that fucked me up pretty good in more ways than one.
~
Hello. I am Petra. I am a rock, quite literally. I am made of solid stone, I am as hard as stone, I am not alive and I do not feel pain. My sole purpose is to protect the mind and body, or as I like to call it, the system.
When Griffin was bombarded with the gravel, that traumatizing experience created me. At that moment, he developed a rare mental disorder called Dissociative Identity Disorder, or DID for short. His mother’s remark about the rocks that were being thrown at him caused his forming personality to become broken, interrupting the important childhood process of discovering oneself. His brain decided at that moment that he needed to be a rock in order to be protected from harm, and I was born. And that is exactly what I do.
I not only protect the system, but I also manage the memories of the other alters, including Griffin himself. That is why he cannot remember much of the trauma after his experience with the rocks. He continued to receive frequent beatings from his parents over the years, and when it would happen, I would take over the body and be the rock I needed to be. While I was being beaten, I would simply lay motionless and take it. I am a rock and cannot feel pain; I was sparing Griffin of the traumatic experience. I may be a rock, and I might not be alive, but I do have sentience and I care for the system. This is my way of showing it.
~
Eventually I’d start Elementary School. I was away from my parents more (thank goodness), but the beginning of Kindergarten just brought up a new problem for me. I was constantly being teased for the way I looked. I don’t blame them too much, but honestly, I’m a little surprised at how fucking brutal those other kids were to me. I was a skinny under-fed twerp who didn’t know how to talk to people, constantly bruised and bloody. Because of that, they’d constantly call me a girl. I’m not entirely sure how I handled it, but it probably wasn’t good. I’m pretty sure I was just a loner for the entirety of the school year.
~
Hiiiii! I’m Candy! And school is soooo fun! I get ‘ta colow and draw all I want. I want to wear my dress, but I’m always in boy’s clothes for some reason. I don’t mind too much, though! B’cus on the playground I get ‘tuh use chalk ‘an play hopscotch during recess, ‘an on another day I met some new friends who like unicorns jus’ like me! We were close for… uh… from Kindeegarten ‘tuh second grade. But then they didn’t like unicorns ‘an drawin ‘an colowing ‘an hopscotch anymore, so they stopped playing with me. But das ok! I only need myself.
I stopped going tuh school b’cus my new friend Petra helped me find a new place to play! We don’ learn stuff, but I still play a lot ‘an colow a lot. Petra sometimes comes in to say hi and play with me! Sometimes I hear big loud feet outside, ‘an it used tuh scare me, but I’m a big girl and I ain’t scared no more!
~
Candy does not grow up. She is and forever will stay a six year old, which is why I am keeping her dormant until further notice. In reality, yes, she did make friends with a couple of girls during kindergarten, but a majority of the other kids thought it was weird that a boy their age liked unicorns instead of cars. Of course, none of them knew he had DID, including us alters; I didn’t discover its existence until way later in life. Most times at school, it was not Griffin who was in control of the body, but Candy; who by second grade had not changed a bit. For the sake of her well being and Griffin’s, I made the hard decision to keep her at bay from that point forward. She is happy now in a remote corner of our mind, and Griffin began to be in charge of the body once more. That is, until a new alter stepped in.
~
Every time I would walk home from school, I’d always have this relentless feeling that I was going to be hurt again when I got home. I hated that fucking feeling, not knowing how my father and mother were going to abuse me when I got home. I resented it. I didn’t want to think about it. I just couldn’t… I needed a way to appreciate the world around me instead of despising it.
~
I’d take multiple deep breaths in as I walked home from school every day, taking in the beautiful scenery as I watched the sky dip past the treeline every evening. The walk home was pretty far, around 45 minutes or so, but it didn’t bother me too much. It gave me more time to admire the beauty around me, and I knew that Mom and Dad were too busy to come pick me up anyways. I didn’t blame them for it- even though they were barely there for me as a child, I knew they cared. My mother and father were hard workers, they constantly had to be away to be able to make enough money to sustain our little family. So even though I didn’t get to see them a lot, I appreciated what they were doing for me. Everybody loves in their own ways.
I was home alone a lot of the time, and because of that I had a lot of time on my hands. I became interested in reading, and soon that interest became a passion. My backpack was practically full of books from the school library every day, and I would fly through them by the day’s end. During this time I also taught myself how to cook and clean, seeing as Mom and Dad didn’t do the best job of tidying up the house before they left for work every day. Again, I don’t blame them, they were very busy individuals.
Eventually, Mom and Dad had another baby! It was so exciting for me. I didn’t think it was exactly the best choice for them to have another child, but I was excited to be a big brother. My parents named my new baby sister Olivia, our new little bundle of joy. Often I was left home alone with her, and I was responsible for taking care of her. Now that I look back, it wasn’t the best idea to leave a nine year old in charge of the newborn baby, but I tried my very hardest to make sure that she was taken care of. I think I did a pretty decent job despite being young, and I got some pointers from my teacher at school who also had kids at home. And I’m sure Mom and Dad were home to take care of the baby, as well!
~
When my mom got pregnant AGAIN, I couldn’t fucking believe it. Looks like they didn’t learn their lesson the first time! Olivia was born, and once again my parents would constantly neglect her. This time, they also weren’t afraid to start physically abusing her right off the bat as well. Holy fucking shit, it was bad! If she started crying while they were home, sometimes they’d literally SNUFF HER UNCONSCIOUS with a fucking PILLOW. I’m surprised she didn’t die. She was a fucking INFANT. I had hope, though, because it was also around this time when I began to become aware of Levi’s existence.
Imagine you’re watching a movie in a movie theater, but it’s what’s happening through your eyes- that’s what began to happen when Levi was in control. It was like watching a life I wish I had. He’d come home whistling, and if the parents weren’t home, he’d go over to Olivia and play with her for a bit, then make ramen noodles for the both of them and give her the broth and he slurped down the noodles. I’ll admit, I have a lot of respect for how responsible Levi is.
What he didn’t see, though, was when our parents were home. I’m really glad he didn’t- he’s too blissfully ignorant for that shit. My mom started to get jealous that he treated Olivia with care, unlike her, and- oh my God. I can’t even say it. Fucking hell. I don’t remember most of it anyway…
~
Have you ever felt what it's like to punch a misbehaving child in the face? Oh, it feels SO good! Puts the little fuckers in their place, if you know what I mean. Hi, I’m Lucy, otherwise known as Lucy Fur. And I’m a fucking monster.
Oh, but don’t worry, I’m not ashamed about it! If anything, I relish the fact that I am diabolical. It made me giddy when I got to smack my baby sister for the first time! She began to cry, further fueling my rage. Thank goodness that Mom and Dad made me do it, or I would have never been born.
Whenever my parents would make me hurt Olivia, I’d smile and get ready for the fun. I’d kick Griffin out of control and I’d relish every slap that I inflicted on her face, every forceful push that I’d make, every second her head spent under the pillow. She deserved it, too, the little brat. Children need to learn to follow authority, stop making excuses, and to shut the fuck up! And I enjoyed working on Olivia for a long while.
So when that stupid fucking rock shoved me away in a fucking cell to rot, I was LIVID. I still am! How the fuck does Petra have more control over the mind and body than I do?! I’ve been in a random corner of the brain for years, and mama needs her fix! I have hope, though, for somewhere else in the brain, I can sense someone else there; they’re young, loud, and obnoxious… like someone who needs disciplining. I swear I will get out someday. I will find that child and teach her a lesson for making my captivity annoying as fuck, and then I will find my way to take back control. Mark my words, Petra… I’m coming for you.
~
Excuse the informational interval, but this needs to be said. Lucy was and is bad for the system. She was created because being forced to physically abuse his own sister made Griffin feel like a monster, therefore resulting in an alter that is essentially a monster. Lucy mimics how Griffin saw his parents at a young age, a relentless abuser who does nothing but hurt others.
Lucy had much more influence over the system than I did for a while, and she would come out when Griffin was forced to hurt Olivia, and eventually began to be out for elongated periods of time after the beatings. This seemed to tire her a bit, and so I took this to my advantage and put her in a mental prison, similar to Candy’s situation but way less friendly.
For now, she’s been locked up since. But I can feel her influence getting stronger in the brain, and it’s affecting Griffin, especially now that he’s working for Blackstorm. I can only hope for the best moving forward, and pray she doesn’t find Candy. The child’s innocence needs to be protected.
~
My sister was scared of me as a young toddler, and I had no idea why. I didn’t do anything wrong, did I? I always made sure to be the best big brother I could be, but one day she began to avoid me during playtime. I tried to reason with her, but she wouldn’t even tell me why she was so upset at me. The pride I felt when I dropped her off on her first day of Kindergarten quickly turned to a crushing sadness as she gave me a terrified scowl before scurrying inside. I don’t know how it happened, but seemingly from then… It looked like our days of quality time were tragically over.
It was also around this time when I had begun to discover something else interesting about myself. It was a hot spring day and the air conditioner was broken, and I desperately wanted to find something to keep me refreshed. I noticed a fairly cold Coca Cola sitting on top of our musky fridge. It wasn’t open, and I wanted it really bad- but it was so high up. I stood on my tip-toes but still couldn’t reach it, and I got so frustrated that I flung my arms to the side, giving up.
To my surprise, a gust of wind blew inside the house and knocked it off the fridge and onto the ground. It burst open, spraying soda everywhere. I sighed, getting a mop and beginning to sop up all the soda. That’s when I realized that there had been no windows open. Where did that wind come from?
~
The best day of my life was when I discovered that I had fucking superpowers!
It was sometime during my middle school years- I had been play-fighting with a couple of friends when I flicked my arm to the right, and a huge gust of wind came from out of nowhere and almost knocked my friend over. At the time, I brushed it off as a coincidence, but then it happened again and again at the most random times- I knew something was up.
I did some digging when I got home that day, researching any wind related phenomena that could be related to what was happening to me. That’s when I stumbled upon an article about aerokinesis, and after reading it, a chord struck in my brain. I was a fucking airbender!
From then on, I didn’t feel so powerless anymore, and throughout the rest of Middle School and High School, I worked on perfecting my ability. I became faster and agile, my moves becoming more and more skilled until I could do them without much effort. And after years of having to put up with my parent’s crap, I finally mustered up the courage to call CPS on them. I was practically fearless at this point. As I watched them get arrested, I’ll admit I felt a little sorry for them. I’ve tried to love them all my life, but they never loved me back. They never loved Levi either. I guess I didn’t feel too bad.
I was almost 18 at the time of their arrest, so there wasn’t much of a point in putting me in foster care. My sister, on the other hand, had many more years to go before she turned 18, so she got registered by the state and off she went. There was this lingering melancholy emptiness that I felt when she left to her new home, and I knew that Levi shared that same hole. It made me sad knowing that he didn’t know why they were in jail; I had to convince myself that he’d be happier this way. But it was time to move on with our lives. I had no idea what to do, though. So I let Levi take control and watch from the sidelines.
~
The day I got accepted into S.C. University was the best day of my life! I remember practically ripping open the letter and jumping for joy when I saw the giant “Accepted” letters in golden print. For a second I thought about calling my parents, but then grimaced sadly, remembering that they were in jail. It wasn’t fair- I had no idea why they got put in jail. And because of that, I was separated from Olivia, the only other family in my life! We never got to make amends.
I told myself that I needed to push through my grief and not turn down this opportunity. Next thing I knew, I had my things stuffed in a suitcase and was on my way to the city where the college resided in- a remote city in California called Los Eurosia. Despite being lesser known, it was big and beautiful- I remember being enchanted by the sight when I first stepped outside the airport. And the campus itself was just the same, complementing the beauty of Los Eurosia. For the next four years, I worked towards my Degree plan: Majoring in Library Science (DLS) and Minoring in English.
Those four years were some of the best times of my life. I didn’t make many friends, but I did end up meeting the love of my life there: Amanda. She’s sweet, kind, an introvert like me, and best of all, the biggest bookworm I’ve ever met! We connected instantly and began dating in our second year of college.
My graduation was the second best day of my life. It was so rewarding to have worked so hard to get this degree that I love, and to celebrate it with a girlfriend that I love even more. The excitement didn’t last long, though, as now I needed to find a job. I eventually found one at the Los Eurosia Public Library as a Librarian, and all at once, I was living the dream.
Fast forward eight years, and Amanda and I were closer than ever. (Spoiler alert: I proposed!) We practically knew everything about each other, she even knew about my strange wind power that I discovered when I was a child. We got married when we were thirty, we now have two wonderful children, and I’m as happy as can be.
~
Guhhh, why didn’t I expect that Levi would turn our life into a fucking soap opera? Whatever, just because we shared a body didn’t mean we needed to share a life. I found a time that worked for me- when Levi would begin to fall asleep every night, I’d take control of the body and explore the Los Eurosia nightlife for an hour or two each night. I’ll admit, Levi picked a damn good city- the nightlife here is wild, and I love it.
I began to train in martial arts at the local dojo for a while, mixing in my aerokinesis to make my moves stronger and more precise. I’d also find other ways to kill time, like going out to clubs and hooking up with some of the lovely lads and ladies there. It was fun for a little while, but it felt like nothing that I did mattered. I was getting bored. I felt like I had no purpose.
But finally after a long time of waiting, I finally found my purpose. It was the night of Levi’s graduation, and as normal, as soon as he was beginning to nod off, I took control of the body and went out into the city. But this time as I prowled the sidewalk, there was a poster in an alleyway that caught my eye, and I went to get a closer look.
“LIBERATION FOR THE POWERFUL KEPT IN CHAINS.
BLACKSTORM NOW.”
Holy shit. There’s more people in this town that are like me? And now they’re banding together to make a difference for gifted people?
Fuck yeah.
~
To make a long story short, Griffin climbed up the ranks of Blackstorm until he was a glorified grunt. He currently leads different squads and militias into action when instructed, but doesn’t have much real power other than that. He is the leader of the henchmen, to say the least.
Meanwhile in the mind, as the years slowly ticked by, Candy continually became more and more curious of the outside world and Lucy Fur continually gained more and more influence over the mind, eventually leaking into Griffin’s behavior. His motives and personality were mostly the same, but he’d get much more angry and prone to violence.
I suspect that Griffin and Lucy might be fusing, which is good and bad at the same time. It is good in the terms that the brain is healing from DID, but bad in the terms that Griffin’s behavior is becoming more and more erratic. I fear that if or when they integrate, the new personality will not be very stable. I once again can only wish for the best as we continue with this mental battle.
~
Hello? Petra? Can I go back to m’ old school, please? Just for a widdle bit?
~
Oh yeah. You better be ready, you dumb rock. I’m coming for ya.
THE PLAYER
NAME: Ray
AGE: 17
TIMEZONE: PDT