#trauma trigger warning

[demonica-31]

Team Fortress 2 Trauma Candy Salad Challenge! (Plus OC)

Miss Pauling: *doesn't really participate, but brings the bowl*

Scout: "He-ey, I'm da Scout! I have unresolved abandonment issues because of my dad leaving- I MEAN dying, when I was a kid! And to this day, I have no idea how he died. And I brought Hubba Bubba bubblegum!"

Soldier: "I am the Soldier, and I actually have Latino blood in me, and my dad shamed and abused me for it for all my childhood, which was what led me to being so obsessed with the military so I can show him that I'm as American as he was! Also, I never met my mother, but I've been told her name was Martha. And I brought American colored rock candy!"

Pyro: *writes their answer on a piece of paper* "I'm Pyro, and I accidentally set my entire house on fire when I was a kid, resulting in the death of my parents and my body being horribly disfigured. But I'm able to turn my trauma into my power as a pyrotechnician on the battlefield! And I brought Sparkly Wild Berry Bunny Peeps!"

Demoman: *slurs a little bit* "I'm the Demoman, and me mum gave me up to an orphanage until I learned how to make bombs, and I may or may not have accidentally blown up me adoptive parents in an attempt to slay the Loch Ness monster. And I brought Haribou Gummy Bears!"

Heavy: "I am Heavy Weapons Guy, and I witnessed my father being killed by the Soviets. Then me and rest of family were sent to concentration camp before we killed everyone and escaped. And I have brought strawberry candies."

Engineer: "I'm the Engineer, and I sometimes feel like the entire Mann Co foundation has been pressed down too hard on my shoulders. This whole operation would crumble apart if it ain't for me keeping things up and runnin'. And I brought Bit o' Honeys!"

Medic: "I am zhe Medic, and I spent the majority of my childhood being bullied for my mass intellect and my fascination vizh the human body. In secondary school, I killed zhree of my bullies by beating them with a metal pipe. Und I brought Cherry Hearts!"

Sniper: "Oi'm the Sniper, and Oi recently not only lost my adoptive parents, but Oi learned that my bio parents are nothing but stupid blokes who drowned all of New Zealand for no reason. And Oi brought Violet Crumbles."

Spy: "I am zhe Spy... I refuse to speak any further. And I brought Godiva chocolates."

___________________________________________

BONUS:

DJ: "I'm DJ, and after my mother was murdered when I was 5 years old, I was sent to a child trafficking ring that was disguised as an orphanage for 2 years before I was sent to a real orphanage. And when I was 21 years old, I committed my first murder by killing the woman who was in charge of the trafficking ring, which is how I got this job at Mann Co. And I brought Cadbury Caramellow Minis."

[somelazyassartist]

Growing Pains has finally convinced me that I need to see a doctor for my mental health, but I will not be able to get into any facility because I am not physically sick yet. But at the very least- thank you, Steven Universe. My friends have been telling me for years that I need to go to a hospital. Thank you for showing me how necessary it is. I related to Steven in every event he's been through- being the voice of reason for childish adults, always on the verge of death, incredibly traumatic childhoods, being forced to fix everyone else's problems to the point that's all you know how to do, and even more than that- I don't know if I was too stubborn or too stupid to try to go to a hospital before this. I need serious help. And if that means that I have to face my worst fears and be locked in a mental hospital for a while, then so be it. I'm not going to let myself do this anymore. The minute I can convince my parents to let me go to a hospital, I'm going. Whether that takes weeks, months, or even years. I'm going to get better. That is a promise.

[somelazyassartist]

Hey quick question does anyone know how to get rid of deep childhood trauma in like a day or so cuz I don't trust therapists and I'm unequipped to handle six years of my childhood (as well as my sanity, my virginity, my sense of self worth, and many other things) having been taken from me with such little time left to be an actual kid who doesn't have to worry about whether or not they are considered by the public to be worthy of living and only has to worry about whether I should wear a tux or a dress to prom because both look nice

[somelazyassartist]

Oh

[frost-skyder]

An Analogy for Trauma

Sometimes when I try to explain how trauma affects a person, it’s hard to describe in just a few words how it can impact someone daily, so I tried to create a sort of analogy that may help others who have not gone through deeply traumatizing events why some things feel bigger than perceived by a third party, why some things feel more difficult, and why some things hit harder than they do to other people

Imagine you are swimming across a body of water, trying to reach the other side. It already can be difficult swimming, but you’re trying your best to reach that other shore. When you’ve had a traumatic event, it feels like a heavy stone has been placed in one of your pockets, weighing you down, making it harder to keep afloat and reach that other side. That stone never goes away, and sometimes, more are added, even if they aren’t the same size. The weight adds up.

Some people swim past you saying “it’s really not that bad, you just have to try harder” or “you have to get over it and keep pushing,” but they only have a few grains of sand weighing them down, and can’t understand why you are struggling, why your breathing is labored, why you feel so tired.

People think because you’re still swimming, because you haven’t sunk, that you’re fine; they think that those stones have somehow magically fallen out of your pockets, that you’re “better.” They don’t realize you’ve just had to adapt and get stronger to keep your head above water. They don’t understand that you’re working that much harder to give the appearance that you don’t have a growing weight towing you down.

Some people don’t ever reach that shore. The weight becomes too much, they become exhausted, and the turbulent waters take them. People don’t understand, said they showed no signs of something being wrong when they just didn’t know what to look for. No one looks below the water surface to see how much is being carried with them, and many try to hide how much weight they are really carrying, so no one knows to even look.

Now imagine that despite all your best efforts, shore never seems to get closer. That shore of being “normal” or “better” after your experiences never comes. We work desperately to reach it, but it’s a constant journey that doesn’t end.

You never really “get over” trauma. You don’t miraculously heal from it. You learn to cope with it and keep trying to reach that shore. You learn to hide it, you adjust your actions, your words, and your behaviors to mask how much weight you carry so people don’t treat you like you’re broken.

[somelazyassartist]

Haha oh boy sometimes it's like I can maybe forget my trauma and then other times it's the only think I can think about :')

[roseeinthesnow]

wow I'm very lucky to be alive