#whump prompt

[whump-in-the-closet]

a defiant whumpee dragged in front of whumper by henchmen. They're bleeding from their mouth and they lick the blood away before cursing whumper out.

And whumper only smiles. With a wave of their hand, one of the henchmen slaps whumpee across the face, and the other shoves them to their knees.

The message is clear.

Stay down.

They don't get the message

Whumpee tries to stand again, spitting vicious threats. Their knees are watery, threatening to give out on them.

Whumper shakes their head and whispers something to their henchmen.

Whumpee, shaking on their feet, can only watch as Caretaker is dragged-- literally dragged by their shirt collar-- and dropped beside them. Caretaker doesn't move, their breathing a ragged rise and fall. It's some semblance of life, without consciousness.

"Kneel," says Whumper.

Whumpee crashes to the ground, unable to look away from Caretaker. At their damaged hands and closed eyes, dirtied clothes, and matted hair.

Kneeling now?

Good.

"Don't cross me," murmurs Whumper and strokes the top of Whumpee's head, like one pets a stray dog just found.

Whumpee snarls but says nothing.

[lawrencespen1777]

“What just happened?”

“I was gonna ask you. Do you feel okay?

“I…don’t know? I feel weird. Tingly.”

“Yeah I bet. Hey, no, don’t try to move. Not yet. Give it a second.”

“What?”

“Someone’s coming to check you out.”

“Like an ambulance? Why?”

“Because when someone goes from fine to unconscious in .3 seconds it makes people feel a bit uncomfortable.”

“Am I unconscious?”

“Well not now. But yeah, a few seconds ago.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t understand what’s…gah. My head is banging.”

“You and the wall had a quick love connection on your way down. You made an impression…literally.”

“I don’t feel so good.”

“I figured that one out on my own.”

“No I mean I’m gonna puke.”

“HOLY sh-.”

“I’m sorry…oh my God I’m sorry I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine. Take it easy. You’re gonna be alright.”

“Please don’t leave.”

“I’m not leaving. I’m here.”

[whumpster-dumpster]

Caretaker who's had multiple whumpees come and go through their life for help, never forgetting any of them, wondering what's become of them now -- and maybe they're the only one who cares enough to wonder so even if they're not directly involved anymore, they're the one to find out about Whumpee A's unexpected death, or that Whumpee B went back to the whumper, or that Whumpee C is opening up to the idea of therapy, or that Whumpee D has met and married someone who treats them with the same kindness Caretaker did, etc. Just thinking about that outsider-who-used-to-be-insider POV

[allthingswhumpyandangsty]

Do you have any extra prompts/perspective for shutdown trauma responses? So far I have a few related to freeze but I know they’re different in their own ways (I have some unrelated to freeze too, I just rather ask a professional in case there’s more)

disclaimer that while I have written about the topic in my own fics before, I only consider myself a fanfic writer who’s done some research, not a professional, and these are supposed to be prompts for writers to use and tweak however they see fits for their fanfics / original works for entertainment purposes. please don’t treat these following prompts as a 100% accurate psychological information that can be applied in real life situations without doing your own research and consulting with a licensed professional.

trigger warnings: PTSD, depression, implied suicide, eating disorder

whumpee not being able to feel the pain that should have been haunting them, be it physical or mental. and that is not a good thing, because they’re not processing what happened, and they can’t heal as long as they cannot process or acknowledge what happened to them.

numb, however, is all whumpee can feel. and the numbness is so much worse and more dangerous than pain.

depression, prolonged stress, anxiety and procrastination are also possibilities. if whumpee only feels numb all the time, there’re chances of them developing other mental disorders that may cause them to believe that their entire life is now without any purpose.

whumpee feeling hopeless and wanting to give up all the time. any personal interest they had prior to the traumatic incident is now gone.

loss of appetite. an eating disorder where food tastes like ashes, and panic sends them into having an episode whenever caretaker tries making them eat — because it feels like someone was forcing ashes down their throat and they could not breathe. their body would not accept the food, and their gag reflex made them feel like throwing up. it is as much physical as it is psychological.

confusion and/or hallucinations may occur — whumpee struggling to distinguish between what’s real and what’s in their head. denial may trick their mind into believing that the tragedy that’s happened to them didn’t actually happen, and denying is certainly not the read toward recovery.

whumpee stopped talking altogether. doesn’t matter if they’re safe with caretaker now. they would not talk to anybody about anything at all, not just what happened. (they physically could, but they’re so traumatized that speaking is too much for them.)

the needs to hide from everything and everyone all the time are there. doesn’t matter if it’s caretaker, whumpee simply does not wish to be seen.

they keep mostly silent and mostly to themself, in the sense that they avoid everybody and spend most of their time locked in their room where no one can see them.

they may be too afraid to make any decisions for themself, no matter how small the decision is.

appearing disengaged in any social interaction and limiting the way they express any emotion at all; in other cases where they’re not numb, they may be scared or upset in some situations, but their brain tells them to keep their guard up by not letting others see how they actually feel. whumpee believe they’re shielding and protecting themself this way, and they will always need to “play safe”, since it’s best not to let anyone know how they feel, even if it’s caretaker.

[whomeidontknowthem]

Imagine the moment of breaking.

When everything is so much -- too much -- and something snaps. All the masks and appearances, shoulds and shouldn'ts cracking apart under the pressure, until there's nothing left but the pure overflowing emotion.

It's so hard to fully understand someone. We all are complex machines, driven by thoughts and feelings and needs and fears and pasts and dreams, so much, all interconnected, all hidden just beneath the surface. We can try to understand, talk and listen, watch and guess, share our stories and lives and explanations, but it is always just a touch not enough. No language can perfectly capture what it's like to be us. Even the longest essay can't be anything but a shadow of the intricate universe of thoughts and ideas inside someone's brain. No matter how hard you reach for true understanding, it is impossible, because nobody, ever, can know exactly what it's like to be you -- nor can you know what it's like to be them.

Until it all breaks.

Everyone who ever burnt their hand while cooking or broke something in an unfortunate fall can understand the agony of pain. Everyone who had a friend leave or an old toy break knows the emptiness of loss. Everyone who felt depressed and hopeless, helpless against the world, overwhelmed and tired and hurt, can see the tears and hear the sobs and remember themselves.

When we see a character break, watch their masks and words burn away in the fire of hurt and confusion, we don't need to think to know what it's like. We've all been there. We all know pain. We all had to go through something that felt like it could crush us.

What is the breaking point, if not the purest opportunity for connection?

[the-three-whumpeteers]

The whumpee had so many dreams of rescue and escape, but they would always be brought back to the real would when they woke up. It only made sense that the whumpee wouldn’t even believe that their friends were actually there, trying to break them out of the whumper’s cell.

[whumperer-86]

Collapsed, carried out, couldn't breath

Connection Kdrama ep6

[whump-obsessed-less-stressed]

Oh no! Whumpee's nose is bleeding!

Did whumper punch them? Push them to the floor? Kick them in the face? Send them flying face to face with a wall?

Or could be something else. Maybe they're about to pass out after getting rescued? Or they just fell-

Could be anything tbh but love me some nosebleeding whumpee

[justbreakonme]

The hotel was a little chilly and had that odd old-carpet smell, but it was safe, for now. Caretaker helped get Whumpee washed up and into bed, and they were just about to climb into bed as well when the phone rang.

Both of them froze.

Caretaker picked it up, knuckles white.

“Hello?”

Whumpers voice crackled through the phone.

“You can’t prove I did anything to him.”

Caretaker’s grip on the phone tightened and they glanced at the triple latched hotel door.

“What?”

“You can’t prove anything, there’s no fingerprints or photos, just my word against his, and alibis are cheap.”

“Oh… you think that I care about putting you in jail?” the laughter in Caretaker’s voice was almost genuine, “No no, I’m going to hunt you down. I’m going to beat you to death with my bare hands. Then, I’m going to smile in my mugshot, knowing that no amount of money or powerful connections can buy your way out of hell where you belong.”

Silence.

Caretaker hung up the phone with a snap, and looked back at Whumpee.

“I’m sorry-“

“Thank you.”

[the-bar-sinister]

Whumpee using their whole bodily force, over and over again to try to break through an immovable barrier. Bashing themselves against it again, and again, wrecking themselves with every attempt. Screaming and panting and crying until they physically can't stand any more, and slide down to their knees, bloody and defeated.

[bleedingintogold]

The medic leaned over his captain, wiping away the sweat on his forehead with a damp cloth. The man himself was out cold, as he had been for the past day. Tan skin had become a pale shade and a strong body had been reduced to a limp shell of itself. Heavy breathing became the only thing that showed he was still alive and struggling to be.

He wasn't getting better.

The wound had festered and the infection must have gotten into his bloodstream. Medic had been too late to notice and the captain had been too occupied trying to keep as many of his men alive as he could whilst completing their mission. The platoon stopped advancing yesterday when their captain collapsed right in front of them.

But the general had had enough. One man wasn't enough reason to abandon their assignment.

"He can't even sit up by himself, sir! He won't survive if we-" "We aren't bringing him. He will stay here," "With all due respect sir, this platoon needs their medic with them-" "I said that your captain is staying here. Not you," The medic's heart dropped when the general's words started to register. He was being ordered to leave behind his captain. His brother by everything but blood. "Look at him, medic. I doubt he will still be alive by tommorow. You're wasting your supplies," "General! He isn't dead yet! He just needs time-" "Time that we do not have, soldier. We will move by sunrise tommorow. We are advancing without him,"

A small whine answered the general before the medic could, making both men turn to the weak body on the cot. The general sighs as he walks to the young man's side, placing a gentle hand on a too warm forehead. The captain's eyes were hardly open, but he was conscious and had heard the whole conversation. "I'm sorry, son. You were a good soldier and one of my best men. But this mission is of higher importance," "My men...take care of 'em, sir," "I will. For your own good, you need to let go. You don't need to hold on anymore, son. You've done your part," The medic's hand trembled as he watched the two high ranks.

"m' sorry, sir...dying...is not as easy as I thought," "I know. Which is why I will help you. You don't have to suffer like this anymore, son," The general said as he passed the medic a small packet of white powder. "Sir?" "It's cyanide. Mix some into water and feed it to him tonight," "You're...you're asking me to kill him, sir?" "He's in pain, soldier. You're going to do him a favour,"

The captain was partially conscious now but he had seen the powder. Medic made the mistake of meeting the captain's eyes, seeing the fear in them under the haze of sickness. "I will allow you to bury him properly before we depart. Make sure it is done by sunrise," the general said before leaving the tent.

-----

Medic cradled his captain's upper torso, the mixed concoction of poison ready in a canteen. The captain's head laid limp against Medic's shoulder. Medic noticed that his captain was trembling.

No, wait. It was him.

He was trembling.

A weak voice pulled the medic out of his haze. "Medic...I...I don't want to die," a voice he didn't recognize said, soft but shaky. "But...you're in...pain. You won't survive anyway-" "I don't wanna die...please...I'm scared..."

Medic put the canteen down, instead wrapping his arms tightly around his captain. The captain was built bigger than medic, but he seemed incredibly small in his brother's arms. "Okay. Okay. You're not going to die, alright? I'm not...I won't do it," "But...the orders..." "Fuck the orders. I am a medic. Your medic. My task is to keep the men alive, not kill them,"

The captain didn't answer, savouring the warmth of his brother holding him.

[hurt-and-comfort-me-please]

Whumpees who Deserve It

Not all whumpees are innocent, and not all whumpers are necessarily in the wrong.

-Villainous whumpee being tortured by their victims, abused in all the same ways they harmed their innocent victims.

-A hitman who has to feel as the names of their victims is carved into their flesh.

-A villain falling victim to the hands of an angry mob, beaten and dragged through the town they ravaged.

-A convict slowly losing their mind in solitary confinement because they are too violent to be kept around others.

-A tyrant being publicly flogged and thrown into jail.

-A murderer struggling against their handcuffs in the back of a wagon as the gallows looms closer.

-A villain haunted by what they have done, drowning in the guilt.

-A villain left with nowhere to go because they are no longer welcome anywhere, and their fears as winter approaches.

[whumpyourdamnpears]

the whumpee that no one believed meets whumper’s final victim. do they feel relieved that there’s finally someone who relates to them? do they feel guilty for not doing enough to get whumper apprehended, which led to them getting another victim?

[allthingswhumpyandangsty]

why does it comfort some people or bring them joy/excitement to imagine their favorite characters in terrible situations and being hurt physically or mentally? wouldn’t you want your favorite characters to be happy and safe?

I’m sure I’ve seen this exact ask being sent to another writing blog before, so seeing one in my own inbox was a little surprising. but anyway, I’ve said this before, but I don’t mind saying it again because lots of people seem to still be confused about this; the enjoyment of imagining or seeing fictional characters in terrible situations in which they are hurt and/or scared is called whump. people who enjoy whump tend to express their interest through art, such as drawings, writings, etc. whump has a community on several online platforms, as well as here on Tumblr. we are simply known as “whump community”.

moving on to your question, “why does it comfort us to imagine our favorite characters in agony?” — there is no definitive answer to the question, because different people enjoy whump for various, different reasons, and all of these reasons are valid. however, what I can give you is some examples of the reasons why people enjoy whump

reasons why people like whump:

some people use whump as a reflection of what they’ve been through, and they let their trauma out by channeling the trauma through fictional characters. to make it as simple as I can, some people use whump as a coping mechanism to help them heal from any traumatic events in their lives.

while whump is indeed about pain, it can also be about the comfort (the healing process) that comes after the pain. I personally known several people who heal by writing whump stories in which their favorite characters went through and survived terrible things that happened to them. the comfort part of the whump was used as a symbol of hope for these people, in the sense that they hold on to the idea that if these fictional characters can survive horrible things that happened to them, they (the writers) can survive and heal too.

some people use whump as a way to let out their frustration, trauma or pain. an abuse victim may fantasize about hurting their abuser back by creating a fantasy world in which their favorite character was hurt, but later healed and/or get their revenge.

it’s also worth mentioning that one doesn’t have go through their own trauma in order to be able to enjoy whump. 

some people like whump where their favorite character is hurt because they just Want to Hurt These Little Guys. 

some people like whump where their favorite character is hurt because they like the part where their favorite character gets comforted and is nursed back to health after they are rescued.

whump that’s followed by comfort (whump with a happy ending) is valid.

whump that has no comfort (whump without a happy ending) is also valid.

because whump is a genre, just like how lots of people like horror movies just for the sake of liking them. 

the term whumperflies is used to describe the euphoric feeling a person experiences while watching, drawing, writing or reading a whump scenario that hits right in the feels. for lack of better comparison, some people experience whumperflies that come close to an orgasm, whether or not whump is a sexual thing to them (some may enjoy whump as a form of kink, while some may enjoy whump for reasons that aren’t sexual at all). for some, whumperflies are these tingling sensation in the chest and/or the stomach, for someone else, whumperflies is like when you ride a rollercoaster and the ride is going down from its highest stop. there's no wrong way to experience whumperflies, as different people describe and experience them differently.

so, yes, some people may enjoy whump just for the euphoria whumperflies bring. and some people — myself included — can’t get whumperflies unless the character that’s going through pain is their most favorite character; it’s like… because you love this character so much, you’re so connected to them, you're so emotionally invested in them that you can only get whumperflies if it’s them going through the torture, meanwhile other characters just don’t make you feel half as strongly.

and that’s explain why people in the whump community prefer their favorite characters to be the ones going through hell.

and again, just like how movies have different genres, whump is a genre — people who like whump aren’t “freaks” or “red flags” in real life, even if they like whump for reasons that aren’t about coping mechanism. whump is a genre and a form of art, and most importantly, whump is fiction. it’s not real.

I do understand why people who aren’t into whump tend to be confused by the concept of whump, and I do understand why these people think being a fan of a fictional character only means wanting said fictional character to be safe and happy, which is why whump is not for everybody, and that’s okay too.

the thing is there is no wrong way to be a fan of something that’s fictional, you can like this fictional character so much you want to see them cry and covered in blood for whatever reasons, and that’s okay. as long as you’re not hurting anybody in real life.

there’s nothing wrong or abnormal about people who enjoy whump, just like how there’s nothing wrong or abnormal about people who like horror movies. it’s fiction and it’s a form of art. and I believe everybody is allowed to express and enjoy their interests through art in whichever way they want, as long as they’re not harming anybody in real life.

[whumppromptoftheday]

diabetic whumpee begging to get enough insulin for a full meal-only for whumper to give them half of what they took insulin for

[the-three-whumpeteers]

The whumpee had grown up under the whumper, and had never experienced anything other than the harsh training and punishments. It was only when the heroes- the people the whumpee had been trained to hate, treat them kindly during the time the whumpee is captured. It feels new and warm- and the whumpee doesn’t want to leave.