[The following is a breadcrumb story for an upcoming storyline, ‘Breaking Fingers,’ which I will be running soon. This is a branch of the storyline I have going for my alt @kat-lockhart. A brief introduction of the Fingers can be found here, and a history of the Black Knuckle Brothers can be found here.]
Olivia stood back and admired her hard work. Her flat in Cathedral District was starting to look more like a professional workspace rather than a home. The room with Quin’s cot was still relatively untouched, but her own bedroom had been transformed into a storage area for all of her bolts of cloth and spools of thread and ribbon. The common room was now fitted with the various tools and machines of her tailoring trade, as well as a neat sitting area for customers. The kitchen was fitted with a pair of wash stations and drying racks for the cleaned garments. While her flat would never have a proper store front, the professional feel of her space was encouraging. Besides, in the end, word of mouth was the bread and butter of her trade.
A sharp knock at the door startled Olivia from her appreciation. Instinctually, she fussed with her hair and removed her apron as she headed for the door. The knob rattled violently, and the person knocked harder, earning an irritated huff and eyeroll from the Warlock.
“I am coming,” she called out as she slowed her strides out of spite.
She took the time to smooth the wrinkles from her dress and check her reflection in a standing mirror before finally opening the door to the brute of a man waiting impatiently there.
“Oh! Jack. I wasn’t expecting you,” she greeted cheerily.
At a bit under six feet tall, but still around 200 pounds, the broad, muscular man had become a loyal customer over the last year. He required a tailored suit to fit his wide shoulders and thick thighs, despite his narrow waist.
“Where have you been, doll?” Jack smirked as he entered.
Olivia’s teeth ground slightly behind her painted lips, as she hated the pet name.
“I left a note on the door, darling. I have been away in Darnassus working for a friend’s wedding. But don’t worry your pretty head, I am working on your suit this afternoon.”
The loose agreement had been that she would produce a new suit for him every month. It was a steady income for her, so she didn’t mind the pressure it had applied these last three months.
“Yea, about that,” Jack remarked coolly, holding back to lock the door. “You’ve been late three months in a row, and this is the latest you have been. I am starting to feel like I am not as important to you as you made it seem. Feeling a little underappreciated, you know?”
“Oh, stop that,” Olivia laughed delightedly, assuming it was all a play for pity. “You will have it before the end of the month.”
Jack removed his blazer and hung it beside the door. His eyes scanned over the new layout and a smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth.
“I pick up on the twentieth, but it has been later and later,” he replied.
“Yes, but our agreement was..”
“I know damn well what our agreement is!” Jack barked, cutting her off.
Olivia spun around, an eyebrow arched and a smirk at her lips, adding a touch of amusement to the hard glare she assessed him with. The man was rolling his sleeves up and glaring right back at her. He was posturing, attempting to intimidate the woman with his body language. Unfortunately, while he was twice her weight and a head taller, his attempts were met with a tittering laugh.
“No need to get all worked up, darling. I will have the suit done in a day or two. You are welcome to return then,” she laughed.
Jack’s confidence faltered, his ego wounded by her complete lack of disregard for his tactic, and like many others, a blow to his ego ignited an anger within him.
“Look, I have been patient, bitch…”
“You can go now,” Olivia replied firmly, all amusement draining from her features as he got vulgar.
“I’m not done talking!” He barked in response.
In two long strides he cleared the distance to loom over her. Since his hands hadn’t moved from his sides, Olivia felt safe enough to hold her ground, glaring up at him.
“I said you can go. I recommend I do just that and nothing else,” she hissed.
On the streets, she hid who she was. She would allow herself to be mugged before calling upon the Shadows to save her. It was better to be a penniless victim than a rampant Warlock in the papers.
But they weren’t in public.
Void energy coalesced around her hands as she held them out at her sides. The spell was formed in her mind, the words waiting at the threshold of her lips.
“Yea. Alright. I will go,” Jack smirked, turning away from her.
The sigh of relief she breathed out was cut short as he brought the back of his hand sharply across her face and sent her toppling to the floor.
“I will go when I am done with you. You -do not- disrespect The Fingers, bitch!” He roared.
It took her several gasping breaths to register what was happening, but shock was quickly displaced by anger. She watched in enraged horror as the man picked up her loom and smashed it down upon the floor, leaving it broken and useless.
“You will learn some gods damned respect, or some very influential people are going to find out some dark things about their pretty little tailor!” He laughed, turning on her with a maniacal gleam in his eye.
“You have some balls, threatening me,” Olivia replied coolly as she pushed herself to her feet.
“Look, doll, it doesn’t have to get worse than this,” he howled as he knocked one of her sewing machines to the floor. “I can walk out of here now if you just get on your knees and promise you would fuck around anymore. Just, beg for me to stop and I won’t tell a soul about the demon you are hiding in Duskwood.”
Olivia froze, without looking up, earning a derisive bout of laughter from the man.
“Yea. We know about the Succubus, bitch. We know about her and the curse you cooked up for that cheating noble man and his mistress. We even have the items you used. So, on your knees sweetheart and ask for forgiveness.”
The laughter bubbled up eerily from her chest, leaving her lips as a peal of manic glee.
“What. The. Fuck. Are. You…”
Each of his words were punctuated with another jar of buttons crashing to the floor, until they were interrupted entirely. Olivia wrapped her slender hand around his arm and pumped pure nightmare into him. He crumpled to the floor and shriek as horrors borne of her imagination and experience played out before his clouded eyes.
“If a woman is capable of summoning demons, and driving them into submission, do you really thing a mortal man stands a chance,” she laughed, knowing he couldn’t hear her.
She kept the link going until she was sure the raw torrent of terror had fatigued his body, leveling the playing field. She released her hold and leapt back from him, ready to sling another spell the moment he charged her.
Jack swooned a moment, his eyesight coming back in a blur of tears. He turned to look at her, but the rage was wholly quenched. He still looked afraid when he looked at her. Staggering weakly to his feet, he stumbled to the door without a word, leaving his blazer on the hook and nearly falling down the stairs and into the street.
Olivia stared incredulously through her open door, shocked by his reaction. That spell had never been enough to send an opponent running before. But not one to look the too closely at a Lightsend, she grabbed her bag, his blazer, and her keys and exited the shop in a rush. She moved swiftly to the place she shared with Ranek, not stopping for anything until she was safely bolted behind that door.
Hi! Thank you so much for running this blog! I was wondering what sorts of Japanese torture techniques there are that wouldn't cause permanent damage, since the story I'm writing is based in a world very much like Japan. Thank you so much, again and, if you need more information, I can definitely clarify or provide more. Thanks!
How muchI can help really depends on whenyou’re thinking. Because my knowledge of Japanese history is very narrow. Iknow about World War 2 and the present day and….really nothing else? Torturerelated or otherwise. I understand there were swords and that’s literally aboutit.
I amgetting a fair few questions about Japan and Japanese history though, so it’sgoing on the list of things I should read up on. (I do wonder why Japan is sopopular though. I haven’t had a single question on India or China and yetprobably half a dozen or more on Japan-)
I’m goingto start with what I know here and if your story is in an earlier timeperiod….then I’m truly sorry but I can’t help.
Generallyspeaking Japanese torture during WorldWar 2 was scarring and Japanese torture afterWorld War became ‘clean’, ie non-scarring. Most modern Japanese torture takesplace in the context of policing. Most of the accounts I’ve seen of Japanesetorture during World War 2 were inthe context of war, occupation and forced labour camps.
If youwant something that isn’t going to cause permanent physical damage then we’regoing to have to avoid everything from World War 2. Because much of it wasmaiming and/or lethal.
Keep inmind that torture is going to causeemotional and psychological problems for your character, whether it leavesscars and maims or not. I have a Masterposton the most common long term psychological effects here, I’d suggestpicking things that you think suit the character and situation and showing themconsistently.
ModernJapanese torture is mostly clean beating, often with objects or furniture.Japanese suspects are shoved into walls, have their heads bashed against tables,are punched in the stomach, slapped in the face and have their hair pulled.
Use ofwalls and tables is unusual. A particularly ‘Japanese’ practice is pressing rulerson the back of the hands (not hitting, pressing as if to crush).
Japanesetorture during and just before World War 2 was…….more damaging and varieddepending on whether it was within or outside Japan.
Somethingthat comes up again and again is ‘ankle spreading’, the victim kneels and theirankles are stamped on or a flat timber in placed on them and pressed down. Thisdislocates the ankle joints and I suspect it could cause permanent injury.
It doesn’tfit your purposes but I mention it because it’s a distinctive part of theJapanese ‘style’ at that time. If your character is tortured it might nothappen to them, but they’ll probably be aware of it happening to others.
WithinJapan burning with hot irons was common, as was use of hot tongs. ‘Poking’ withsharp splinters, in areas like the thighs, leaving holes that look like theywere made by nails.
Breakingfingers was also common, sometimes it was combined with a stress position. Thevictims were tied up by their fingers with their toes just touching the ground.This is a variant on standing cuffs that……tends to dislocate the fingers. (I have a lot of posts on standing cuffs and the effects elsewhere on the blog.) Theyalso used the strappado, suspending a victim by their arms when the arms aretied behind the back, dislocating the shoulders.
Burningwith cigarettes was also common.
Outsideof Japan electrical torture and pumping were used. Pumping involves forcing thevictim to swallow a fluid in large enough quantity that it makes their internalorgans swell painfully. They swallow fluid until it leaks out of every orifice.It’s messy and painful and leaves no permanent marks.
Dependingon medical treatment available a character might recover from broken ordislocated fingers and dislocated shoulders.
Burnsfrom hot irons depend on the placement of the burns. If joints and areas likethe eyes, mouth, genital and anus should be avoided. If they are the characterwill be scarred but could easily recover.
Pumpingleaves no marks and the character should make a full physical recovery, so longas the fluid is relatively sanitary. People have been pumped with dangeroussubstances, if clean water is used they should recover though.
Japaneseelectrical torture left marks. Burns are possible, as are broken bones. Theseare caused by the muscles contracting so powerfully the bones snap. Neither areguaranteed, but they are possible outcomes. The burns tended to be reasonably small.
So longas the character’s bones aren’t broken he has a reasonably good chance of fullphysical recovery from electrical torture.
I hopethat’s given you a range of techniques to consider. Most of the time torturersuse several techniques on each victim. I suggest picking the ones that you feelwork best in your setting, but remember that in the modern day scarring torture is rare.
The young engineer always wondered what was down in the docking bay. Of course, even if he wasn't allowed down there, he'd at least try to get a good look at what the heck was going on down there all the time. He never realized how big the ship was until he started taking a tour around it on his off hours. Then again, he hardly had any off hours since he's started working. Engineering was his life and he planned on doing it for the majority of it.
The massive doors of the elevator opened up, and nothing but a large platform with a few terminals to greet him. He walked out from the elevator, eyes wide at how large the room was compared to the engineering room. So this was the shuttle bay... he looked over towards his right, a shuttle rested dormant, panels open as if someone were recently working on it. Slowly, he almost hopped over, hoping to get a good look at the wiring inside the shuttle to see what was being worked on.
Cornel knelt down, peeking inside the panel, it looked as if whomever was working on it was being rushed. Wires were messed up and there were plenty of errors regarding the mathematics of the entire schematics plate inside the thing. He took his pointer finger knuckle to his teeth, biting down lightly on his skin as he leaned in to try and get a better look at the thing. He was interested in touching it, but it wasn't his place to be.
