who-needs-a-life-anyways - Tumblr blog

[who-needs-a-life-anyways]

This is so cute I missed Isaac and Gavin’s relationship so much seeing this chapter notif just made my day 🥺 also I’m loving Brandon he’s a snarky little fucker

Honor Bound 6 - 27

This is a series. Start here, continued from here.

This is a sequel to Honor Bound, Honor Bound 2, Honor Bound 3, Honor Bound 4, Honor Bound 5, and the prequel Vera.

AO3

Masterlist

Contents: themes of self-harm, harm reduction, imperfect recovery, PTSD, tattooing, piercings, themes on nonconsensual tattoos and branding, angst

~

“Come into town with me,” Sam said, looking right at Isaac over the breakfast table.

Isaac’s hand tightened in a fist around his cereal spoon. “Um…” He glanced at Gavin, who sat next to him. Gray had already eaten breakfast hours ago and was out on a walk.

Isaac’s scars stung. He was going to… not use his knife, he wasn’t going to do that after breakfast, he told himself he wasn’t. But his skin itched and he needed to do something. He had been planning on holding an ice cube after breakfast until it disappeared into water, dripping off his fingers.

He cleared his throat and tried again. “What’s in town?”

A faint flush warmed Sam’s cheeks, and a smile tugged at their lips. “Zachariah did some asking around, and it turns out one of the guys who lives in town used to be a tattoo artist, back down south. Zachariah is going in today to, uh… get his tattoo covered up.”

“Oh,” Isaac said softly. He chewed his lip and kept his gaze from flicking to Gavin with sheer will alone. “His…” He motioned at his own shoulder with the spoon in his hand.

Sam nodded solemnly. “His Stormbeck crest, yeah.”

Isaac’s brow furrowed. “How would they cover that up? It’s… huge. And dark black.”

“I don’t know,” Sam said with a shrug. “But apparently the guy said he could do it. And I wanted to go, to support Zachariah. I figured you might come with me.” Their gaze shifted to Gavin’s. “Both of you?”

“That sounds nice, Isaac,” Gavin said gently, sliding his hand into Isaac’s free one. “But if you, um… need a break after last night—”

“No,” Isaac snapped. The embarrassment of Vera’s gaze and words hadn’t faded, but he was fucking sick of being the one having to be babied. Not after what Gavin had been through. Not after what Gavin had survived – after what he nearly hadn’t survived. Isaac wasn’t going to be the reason Gavin stayed inside, away from the sun and air and grass, because he was fucking embarrassed.

He shuddered and carefully put his spoon down. When he looked up at Gavin and Sam in turn, they were looking up at him in concern – or perhaps something deeper than concern. He wasn’t sure what it was, but he ground his teeth against the shame that prickled where their gazes touched him. His throat worked and he made his shoulders relax.

“Sorry,” he said quietly. “I hate being this on edge.”

“We know,” Sam responded without hesitation – but without judgement, too.

Isaac offered them a tentative smile. He squeezed Gavin’s fingers and glanced between him and Sam. “I appreciate you being concerned. Both of you. But… I’ll be okay. I think it would be better, actually, if… if you both believe I’ll be okay. And…” He returned his gaze to Gavin’s, and his smile grew warmer. “And we should get you outside as much as possible. Get some color in those cheeks before winter comes.”

Gavin laughed and drew his hand through his short-cropped hair. “Vera did say I look so white now I may as well be a ghost.”

“Damn, Vera,” Isaac muttered.

“She meant it as a joke,” Gavin said, still smiling. “I wasn’t hurt by it.”

“I know,” Isaac replied. But maybe she could wait until I stop seeing you dead in my nightmares before she starts joking about it? He pulled Gavin’s thin hand to his lips and kissed the bony knuckles.

“So… yes?” Sam said, giving them both a thumbs up. “Tattoo guy? Zachariah? Sound good?”

“Sounds good,” Isaac said with a nod. “Gavin?”

“You know I’m always interested in going into town,” Gavin said with a grin, and in that moment, Isaac’s heart swelled to bursting. There was Gavin, his old self – perhaps not his old self, but his true self, the way Isaac had seen him in the few months they had had together before Gavin had been taken – radiant and mischievous and sweet. In that wide, contented grin, the pain and fear had fallen away from Gavin’s face, the circles under his eyes faded, and the scars stretched until they were pale again. Isaac’s throat tightened and he drank in the sight of the thing he hadn’t truly believed he would ever see again: Gavin safe, home, and happy.

The intensity of Isaac’s attention made Gavin blush. “What?” he said, his smile growing wider.

“Just… looking at you,” Isaac murmured. His own face flushed and he looked away. “Sorry.” He glanced at Sam. They stared at him, grinning too. “What?”

“Nothing,” Sam said with a chuckle. “It’s really nice to see you two back together, is all.”

Isaac flushed deeper and snatched his spoon up off the table. “Yeah,” he said, and scooped up a bite of cereal. “Let’s finish up breakfast so we can head into town.”

“Sounds good to me,” Sam said. “I can’t wait to see what Zachariah is gonna get.”

∴

Isaac didn’t know what he found more intriguing: the man’s tattoos, or his piercings. Isaac had seen all kinds of piercings before on the team’s missions – rings all over the ears, in nostrils, in lips, in eyebrows, in nipples – but he had never seen, or at least noticed, anyone who had pieces of metal seemingly embedded in their skin like the tattoo artist did. And he had them all over his face – on his dimples, cheekbones, and above his eyebrows. Isaac couldn’t stop staring.

The man seemed to notice. He gave Isaac a long glance, which had him shifting his gaze down sheepishly. When the man turned his attention to Zachariah, Isaac used the distraction to look at his tattoos.

They covered his skin – or at least, his left forearm and hand, with some stretching up his neck to wind across his jaws as well. His right forearm was almost completely bare, and the half-rolled sleeves of his shirt and pants obscured the rest of him from view. But across his left arm twisted the impossibly complicated shapes of skulls, birds, and geometric shapes, all in a gritty swirl of black and gray and red. The designs shifted with his muscles as slid his hands into his pockets. He stood only a little taller than Sam, and was even more slight in stature.

The shop itself was actually just a glorified shed attached to the feed store, but it looked like it had been completely made over to accommodate an array of tattoo supplies – plus a chair in the center of the large shed that looked like it could be unfolded to be like a bed. A few stools lined the walls as well.

“So,” the man said with a thin shrug. His dark, baggy clothes seemed to hang off him. “You said shoulder, right?”

“Um… that’s, that’s right,” Zachariah said softly. He rolled up his short sleeve and stared at the floor as he revealed his Stormbeck tattoo. Sam reached out and put a hand on his arm.

Isaac’s throat tightened. It’s bigger than I remember.

Still, the man nodded, seemingly unbothered, his eyes moving over the tattoo. He tilted his head. “Any ideas for what you wanted instead?”

“Oh… no,” Zachariah mumbled. “Just whatever works. I know it’s… it’s bad.”

The man snorted. “Definitely not the worst I’ve seen. You ever try to cover one of these up on the face?”

Gavin gasped. “Who the fuck tattoos on the face?” he breathed.

“The Torrs,” the man said with a dry chuckle. “When they’re feeling particularly shitty. A bull in the most god-awful blocky style, right here on the cheek.” He motioned to his own cheek, bare except for a dot of metal. “Or on the neck. Still, I think I’d prefer that over the Stormbecks.”

Gavin went rigid beside Isaac. Isaac could hear his throat click as he swallowed, watched his lips tremble as he opened his mouth and asked, “Why… would you prefer a face tattoo over the Stormbecks?”

With an easy shrug, the tattoo artist pulled up the sleeve on his right arm and exposed the brand over his bicep: the head of a raven, surrounded by vines. By the look of the scar, it was a decade old at least.

“R-right,” Gavin whispered. “Stormbecks brand.”

“Hurts like a bitch, too,” the man said with a chuckle.

“So you were owned by my— by Benjamin Stormbeck?” Gavin croaked. His eyes swam with tears.

“Yup,” the man said. When he didn’t continue, Isaac’s gaze shifted from Gavin and pinned the artist where he stood.

“You know who he is.” Isaac’s mouth was dry. His hand inched toward his gun.

“I suspected,” the man said gently. He shrugged again. “No hard feelings, though. I mean. I heard some of the story, so I know that’s not even your real name anymore. And I heard you were in town. So it wasn’t hard to guess. But like I said. No hard feelings. You think I haven’t done shit? I wasn’t branded for no fuckin’ reason. It was because I got caught selling Stormbeck playthings to a higher bidder. So.”

Gavin went pale. “You sold—”

Isaac fell back a step, pulling Gavin and Sam with him. “Let’s—”

The man raised his hands. “Holy shit, here’s a good first impression. I did it so I could feed my little sister and her kid. And I didn’t exactly enjoy it. And once I escaped, I didn’t start again. Fuck, I…” He pinched the bridge of his nose and turned to Zachariah. “Well, I might have entirely fucked this up. Sorry. But I would like to help you out, still.”

Zachariah stood frozen, his eyes darting between the man and Sam. “I… um…”

“Start over, maybe? My name’s Brandon.” Brandon held out a hand and shook Zachariah’s. “Good to meet you, man.”

Zachariah’s hand swallowed Brandon’s, but his was shaking. He squeezed Brandon’s hand in a quick handshake. “You too, Brandon,” he said, shuffling his feet.

“And you guys, too,” Brandon said, his relaxed demeanor slightly giving way. He held out his hand for Gavin to shake.

“Gavin Uriah,” Gavin said, his eyes still downcast.

“Yup,” Brandon said with a nod. He held out his hand to Sam.

“Sam,” they said, their mouth turning down at the corners. They kept their arms folded awkwardly across their chest.

“Sweet.” Brandon didn’t skip a beat. He reached out to shake Isaac’s hand.

“Isaac Moore,” Isaac said flatly. He only barely held himself back from grinding Brandon’s knuckles together in his grip. Instead, he released his hand quickly, so he would be able to reach for his gun if it turned out he needed it.

“Okay, cool,” Brandon said, rubbing his hands together and glancing at the four of them. “It really is my bad for bringing up the plaything… thing. Not exactly something I’m proud of and it’s honestly not something I bring up a lot. If you don’t feel good about moving forward, totally cool. But…” He peered at Zachariah’s tattoo again, taking a step to the side as if to look at it from a different angle. “I think this is totally doable, depending on what you go with.”

Anger and distrust churned in Isaac’s gut. The door called to him, but more than that; this entire town felt absolutely crawling with people he couldn’t – or shouldn’t – trust. Just being in the same room with someone who had sold stolen playthings made him sick to his stomach, and to know that this same man had also brought up the Stormbecks knowing who it was that stood in front of him…

After everything Gavin has been through, after having that history carved into his fucking arm…

“What do you think, Zachariah? It’s up to you,” came Sam’s voice, winding through his distrust – and below the distrust, as there always was, was fear.

Zachariah wrung his hands and looked to each of them in turn. “Um… I would… really like to have it covered,” he said weakly.

“Then let’s stay and have it covered,” Sam said with a nod. They glanced at Isaac, and he felt their gaze like an admonishment.

He forced himself to nod back, forced his shoulders to relax.

“Okay,” Brandon said with a gusty exhale. “Sounds good. Um. I do a lot of my designs freehand as long as they’re simple, but I have the stuff to do a stencil too. So. If you don’t have any ideas, um…” He pulled up a stool and sat down. Everyone else remained standing. Brandon didn’t seem to notice. “What kind of things do you do? What do you enjoy?”

“Um…” Zachariah spread his hands. “I don’t… really know. I uh… I played soccer with my siblings, but that was more for them.”

“Hm. Okay. What else?”

Zachariah glanced at Sam and blushed a furious red. “I like… Sam,” he said, almost too quietly to be heard.

“No go. I don’t do couple’s tattoos.” Brandon waved the idea away. “Used to be bad luck in case you broke up. Now I don’t do it in case one of you dies.”

Isaac let out a sound like he’d been punched.

“Way less likely up here, but a superstition is a superstition,” Brandon said with a shrug. “Let’s think of something else.”

“Um…” Zachariah twisted his hands together. “Finn and Ellis have… a cat that’s really friendly, and I like him…?”

“Mm, could be promising,” Brandon said. “What are the main colors?”

“Oh, he’s all black,” Sam said with a grin.

Brandon leapt up from the stool. “Bingo,” he said, and went to his table of supplies. He paused and glanced back at Zachariah and lifted his eyebrows. “Does that work? Black cat tattoo?”

“You… can really make this work?” Zachariah murmured, glancing to the others hopefully and back to Brandon.

“Sure thing,” Brandon said. He pulled on some gloves and began preparing the tattoo gun. “Only thing to settle is payment.”

Isaac’s stomach dropped. “We don’t have any—”

“Yeah, I know, nobody does,” Brandon said with a good-natured wave of his hand. “But I have a small tree that’s been about to fall over in my yard for a few months. I don’t have a car to pull it over and I don’t have the strength or… frankly, the fuckin’ time to chop it into firewood when it does go. Help me pull it over, then give me like four hours of chopping? Whatever amount of wood that makes?”

“Th-that’s it?” Zachariah said softly. “That’s… all you want?”

“Yeah, dude,” Brandon said with a snort. “Believe me, it’s worth it to me.”

“I can start tomorrow,” Zachariah breathed.

“You’ll start once this is healed,” Brandon laughed. “You don’t want a tattoo this big getting infected. Especially not up here where I don’t have a lot of the stuff I would need to treat it.”

“Thank…” Zachariah swallowed hard and sank into the tattoo chair. “Thank you.”

Brandon turned around and rolled his tray of supplies closer to the tray. “Oh yup, just make yourself comfortable. I already wiped the chair down before you got here.” He gestured to the stools along the wall. “The rest of you want to have a seat?”

“Thanks,” Sam said, and gave Zachariah a reassuring squeeze on his arm. They and Gavin each went to a stool and sat down.

“I’ll stand,” Isaac said coldly.

Brandon shrugged. “Suit yourself. Sit down if you feel woozy.” He poured disinfectant over a cloth and smoothed it over Zachariah’s exposed shoulder. “Did the old tattoo heal okay?”

“Um, yeah,” Zachariah mumbled. “Just a little itching. The Storm— um. They gave me a good tattoo cream for the healing process.”

“At least there’s that,” Brandon said with a one-shoulder shrug, peering at the tattoo again. “Let me just…” He uncapped a black marker and drew a few swooping lines across Zachariah’s shoulder. “There. That’ll be the general idea. Like I said, I can add more detail if you want, but…” He stripped off his gloves and passed Zachariah a mirror. “Take a look. Do you—”

“How did you do that?” Zachariah whispered, eyes wide, staring in awe at the mirror in his hand.

Sam jumped up off their stool. “They me see,” they said, grinning. They stared at the drawing on Zachariah’s shoulder. “I… wow. I didn’t… so you’ll fill in that part and that part?” They held out their left hand to point.

“Okay, now I have to see,” Gavin said as he slid off his stool, too. His eyes widened as he looked at Zachariah’s shoulder. “It’ll be…” He wet his lips. “It’ll be like it was never there.”

Isaac ground his teeth and stepped around Zachariah, unable to contain his curiosity. The drawing was simple, but the lines were clear; once they were filled in, the image of Nata curled on Zachariah’s shoulder would fully cover the black Stormbeck crest that marred it now. Peeks of Zachariah’s skin would even show through to show the cat’s eyes, nose, and whiskers, and his tail curled around Zachariah’s bicep.

“I love it,” Zachariah rasped. “Seriously, I… I love it. Let’s do it.”

Brandon clapped his hands together. “Awesome. Let’s do it.” He pulled on a fresh pair of gloves and switched on the tattoo gun, dipping the tip of it into the small pot of jet-black ink beside him. “We’ll take this at your pace, okay? Shouldn’t take too too long, but if you need me to slow down or if you need to just tap out, no problem. We can always go again another time.”

Isaac’s eyebrows pulled together. Tap out?

Zachariah nodded vigorously and pushed out a slow breath. Sam pulled their stool forward and reached out, taking his other hand. Isaac watched in confusion. They’re acting like he’s about to give birth, what—

The needle touched Zachariah’s skin and he let out a hiss.

Isaac fell a step forward, his eyes fixed on the needle in Brandon’s hand. “Does that hurt?” he said, before he could stop himself.

“It’s…” Zachariah’s eyes went wide and he stared up at Isaac. “N-no,” he stammered. “No. It doesn’t. I… it’s not that bad, I promise it’s—”

“But it hurts,” Isaac said weakly. “Right? Like, does it always hurt?” He could feel Sam’s gaze on his face, but he ignored it.

Brandon wiped his mouth on his shoulder. “Depends on the person, and on the body part getting tattooed. And on what’s being done. But yeah, tattooing hurts, man. It’s needles going into your skin at like 10,000 times a second.” He chuckled and glanced up at Isaac. He immediately sobered when he saw the expression on Isaac’s face.

“Do you…” Isaac swallowed dryly. “Do you tattoo over scars?”

“Hell yeah, man,” Brandon said, and turned back to his work. “I work in the North. If I didn’t work with scars, I wouldn’t have a job.”

“I mean… do you…” Isaac’s hand shook as he fumbled for his sleeve. He wordlessly pulled his sleeve up to reveal the scars at his wrist and forearm.

Brandon paused his tattooing and looked at Isaac’s arm. He looked for a long time, so long that Isaac flushed with embarrassment and yanked his sleeve back down. Then, Brandon drew in a deep breath and said, “Of course I do work over those kinds of scars, man. But I can’t tattoo over broken skin. You’re gonna have to stop doing that if you want any work done by me.” Without another word, he turned back to Zachariah. He switched on the machine again and deftly moved it over Zachariah’s skin, wiping, tattooing, wiping, tattooing.

Isaac fell a step back and sank onto the stool next to Gavin. His scars prickled where the air had touched them. Still, as he watched Brandon work, he imagined how it might feel to have a needle slide into his skin 10,000 times per minute leaving ink in its wake, making designs instead of scars. He shivered as Gavin slid his fingertips against his palm and laced their fingers together.

“You doing okay?” Sam said gently.

“Yeah,” Zachariah said with a tight smile. “Really, it’s not bad at all.”

“Damn,” Brandon murmured, as if to himself. “This is gonna be a really cool piece.”

@womping-grounds ​, @free-2bmee ​, @quirkykayleetam ​, @walkingchemicalfire ​, @inpainandsuffering ​, @redwingedwhump ​, @burtlederp ​, @castielamigos-whump-side-blog ​ , @whatwhumpcomments ​, @whumpywhumper ​, @stxck-fxck ​, @whumps-the-word ​, @justplainwhump ​, @finder-of-rings ​, @inky-whump ​, @orchidscript ​, @inkyinsanity ​, @this-mightaswell-happen ​, @newandfiguringitout ​, @whumpkitty ​, @pretty-face-breaker ​, @pebbledriscoll ​, @im-just-here-for-the-whump ​, @endless-whump ​, @grizzlie70 ​, @oops-its-whump ​, @kixngiggles​, @1phoenixfeather ​ , @butwhatifyouwrite ​, @carnagecardinal , @whumpifi , @squishablesunbeam

[who-needs-a-life-anyways]

It would be 100% angsty hb content and I’m not ashamed ☺️❤️

there needs to be a whumpcon

name tags with your name, pronouns, and url (if you want)

panels from whump experts; talented whump writers or psychologists/philosophers analyzing the genre

booths selling autographs from famous/popular whump writers like @whumpzone and @newbornwhumperfly, and actors who do a lot of whump like evan peters and aaron tveit

mini film studios, soundproofed & with different sets, where aspiring actors/directors can craft and film a short diy whump scene (it gets edited and sent to you afterwards as a keepsake)

sfx makeup artists and props, for people who are filming and for people who just want some cool effects for the fun of it

cosplays of whump-related characters Allowed and Highly Encouraged

the usual con stuff: food court, merch booths, socialize & make whumper friends, themed decor

bonus (as sugested by the whump discord server):

bull pit (as opposed to the dreaded ball pit). a pit full of cows/yaks to throw gate-chrashers and troublemakers into, for “some real-life whump”.

[who-needs-a-life-anyways]

Idk which is worse... knowing what love feels like and losing it, or never even learning from the start. Ugh I feel for both of them 😭 and. AGE 5. Never getting over that 😭😭

i was wondering, obviously Gavin and Isaac both had really shitty childhoods, from really young ages from what I remember, but at what ages did it start? Like the abuse in Isaac's case and conditioning (?) in Gavin's? Or was it just kinda from birth for Gavin?

Content warning: child abuse

Isaac began to be abused by his mother at the age of 12 after his father died. His mother quickly fell into alcoholism and would fly into rages where she would tell Isaac that it was his fault his father died, etc, while isolating him and providing no support for him as he grieved, alone

Gavin began being conditioned from birth. He was a sweet, empathetic, loving boy, and wanted so much to be close to his parents. He learned at the age of about 5 that he either needed to learn to hurt people, or face the annihilation of being completely cut off from his parents' love

[who-needs-a-life-anyways]

THIS IS THE HIGHEST COMPLIMENT IVE EVER GOTTEN. NOTHING WILL EVER SURPASS THIS ATHENA. THIS MAKES ME SO HAPPY IM GONNA CRY.

I may also do a redraw or another portrait of him! This was when I was just figuring out procreate and I’ve been experimenting with style a bit recently. I just. Have 0 time 😭 but I really wanna get back into art. And I love him. Obviously 🥰

Also I will physically fight people who steal art. It’s waaaay too common and I’m sick of it

Well, I’m really sad to discover that this art of Isaac

wasn’t the art of @amaezingmuse as she had told me (deactivated now.) It’s actually the work of this blog here, with some scars drawn on. It has been removed from my masterlist. I don’t know what Muse’s new blog handle is, all I can say is that I’m really disappointed and I wish people weren’t so shitty sometimes. If you like, please visit OP’s blog and support them.

[who-needs-a-life-anyways]

Freeze! You're under arrest for being so lovely.💜 Copy this message to 10 other blogs that you think are beautiful and deserve it 💞 Keep the game going and make others feel beautiful appreciated and important!! 🥺

Awwww thank you 😊

[who-needs-a-life-anyways]

Whump tropes:

crowded areas

Safety in numbers? Not anymore! Fear the crowd because the enemy is in it!

Cw: kidnapping

The more people there are, the more of Whumper’s followers can hide without being noticed

No one would notice Whumpee being dragged away

Imagine a gun concealed under clothing, discreetly pointed at Whumpee—a silent order to be taken without a fight

Whumpee screaming to an oblivious crowd as they’re being taken away

IMAGINE WHUMPEE’S TEAM!! The team is trying to get to Whumpee, but so is Whumper. Who will find them first?

Imagine the terror Whumpee must be feeling. Every shoulder that brushes past them, every gaze they accidentally meet, could belong to the face of the enemy

Restraints slipping around Whumpee’s wrists while they aren’t paying attention

Whumpee realizing they’re trapped with no one to help them or even notice they’ve been taken

Just. The oncoming sense of dread. Someone’s going to grab you. But who will it be? When? Where should you look? You’re completely surrounded and it’s not a matter of if they find you, it’s when.

[who-needs-a-life-anyways]

“How does it feel, Whumpee,” Whumper gasps around the knife in their stomach. “To find that you were just like me all along?”

Whumpee watches silently as blood pools around Whumper’s fingers, down their pants and to the floor. The same dull concrete where so much more of Whumpee’s blood was spilled. Whumpee reaches out to grasp Whumper’s shoulders as they sway on their feet.

Their eyes meet, and Whumper’s triumphant smile fades as they finally see the crazed light in Whumpee’s eyes. How their pupils dialate. How their mouth twists in a lifeless smile. Whumpee leans forward and their breath burns in Whumper’s ear.

“I’m not just like you,” they whisper. “I’m worse.”

Whumper slides from their grip.

[who-needs-a-life-anyways]

god-tier whump tropes to write cause I don’t see ‘em enough

Failed escape attempts. The possibilities are endless. Drugging, manhandling, gagging, you name it

Whumpee turning the tables and snapping back at whumper, whether physically or verbally. Results may vary ;)

Whumpee thinking caretaker is whumper, possibly begging them for mercy or screaming threats at them

Caretaker hiding injuries/lack of sleep/sickness from Whumpee so they don’t worry

Caretaker losing it a little and doing anything, and I mean anything to get Whumpee back

Whumper doing the same once Caretaker succeeds

Whumpee accidentally revealing some terrible thing Whumper did to them, Caretaker is then horrified but tries to hide it (specific but I’m a slut for it)

Snarky whumpers. Just. 🤌

Snarky whumpees. I think u get the gist

Grouchy, reluctant caretakers that become soft when they realize what happened to Whumpee

[who-needs-a-life-anyways]

DUDEEEE omg that last line. Just. Stunning 😭😭

feeling particularly feral about caretakers watching over absolutely exhausted, sleeping whumpees

[who-needs-a-life-anyways]

If only my head could be a ball of floating rock 😔 wouldn’t that be cool

@amethystpath-writes @evilwriter37

This is really cute and I love it.

Make yourself into a planet!

@thedeductionmistress, @mercury-morganite, @maison-simon, @clichenuance, @quirkykayleetam and anyone else who wants to give it a go, go for it!!

[who-needs-a-life-anyways]

“Guilty”? I’ve only ever wanted what’s best for your children 😇

Whumpmas in July - Day 17

Day 17: What do you do when you need some fresh inspiration for whumpy creation?

We all burn out sometimes when we're busy creating. Maybe we're consuming too much whump (impossible!) and need to take a step back, or maybe we need to turn back to the classics that got us into whump in the first place. What's your go-to strategy for reviving your creative energy and reinvigorating the whumperflies?

[who-needs-a-life-anyways]

Thank you 😭😭 I teared up a little at this response. I adore him and you and the entirety of honor bound, and thank you for creating these amazing characters! I never would have thought a series would affect me but it really has helped me through so much.

Gavin!!!

I’ve been waiting MONTHS to draw this man but I had to wait until I could get my mits on an iPad. And best believe when I got it, this is immediately what I did 😤 This is Gavin. He’s @whump-tr0pes OC from their wonderful series Honor Bound and he’s quite possibly my favorite character of all time. I adore him. It’s a problem.

I’m not very good at procreate, or painting, but I was going for a kind of “then vs now” on his drawing. The red lighting and blood splatters behind him, and the warm sun lighting up his face in front to show the person he’s become. He can’t escape his past, but he can look towards a better future.

(Yes the scar is on the wrong side of his face. But I wanted the light to be on the right and I didn’t want to put the scar by his eye like on his other side because cheek scars are more aesthetically pleasing. I’m crazy, I know)

If you haven’t read Honor Bound, please do!! It’s my lifeline at this point

Here’s the sketch, and honestly I like it better than the colored version.

[who-needs-a-life-anyways]

Gavin!!!

I’ve been waiting MONTHS to draw this man but I had to wait until I could get my mits on an iPad. And best believe when I got it, this is immediately what I did 😤 This is Gavin. He’s @whump-tr0pes OC from their wonderful series Honor Bound and he’s quite possibly my favorite character of all time. I adore him. It’s a problem.

I’m not very good at procreate, or painting, but I was going for a kind of “then vs now” on his drawing. The red lighting and blood splatters behind him, and the warm sun lighting up his face in front to show the person he’s become. He can’t escape his past, but he can look towards a better future.

(Yes the scar is on the wrong side of his face. But I wanted the light to be on the right and I didn’t want to put the scar by his eye like on his other side because cheek scars are more aesthetically pleasing. I’m crazy, I know)

If you haven’t read Honor Bound, please do!! It’s my lifeline at this point

Here’s the sketch, and honestly I like it better than the colored version.

[who-needs-a-life-anyways]

Ooooh I’m interested 👀👀 I haven’t read a good escape attempt in so long. Can you tag me when/if you write it?

Whumpmas in July - Day 5

Day 5: What trope do you wish there was more content for?

What's that one trope you can't get enough of, but is so hard to find? Something you're so desperate for you'll watch the trashiest movie just for that one scene? Gush about your favorite underrated tropes, and maybe share some recs if you have any. Who knows, maybe someone else will have more suggestions for you, and you'll find a new whump favorite!

[who-needs-a-life-anyways]

Failed escape attempts. I never see them being written 😭 just. Whumpee finally having the courage to escape, running with all they’ve got left, just to be caught and dragged back to where they were. And then all the whumperflies that follow it. I just can’t get enough

Whumpmas in July - Day 5

Day 5: What trope do you wish there was more content for?

What's that one trope you can't get enough of, but is so hard to find? Something you're so desperate for you'll watch the trashiest movie just for that one scene? Gush about your favorite underrated tropes, and maybe share some recs if you have any. Who knows, maybe someone else will have more suggestions for you, and you'll find a new whump favorite!

[who-needs-a-life-anyways]

I’m a day late and I have no clue what I’m doing but I feel like participating lmao! I’ve been on here for about three years, but I’ve never really done an introduction 😅 I’m Ray and I love whump. Obviously. I post mostly prompts on my blog and my favorite tropes are:

Defiant whumpees

Intimate whumpers

Capture prompts

Classic torture

Found family

Self sacrifice

mANhanDLING

More but I can’t think

I love reading whump, but I don’t write very consistently (as my followers have probably noticed, sorry guys 😅). I’m hoping Whumpmas in July will kinda kick my rusty writing hobby back into motion again. What I have written, though, is some batshit crazy whumpees, capture prompts, hero/villain prompts, and torture (to some extent). And I guess something interesting to add about myself is that I’m pretty decent at playing the viola!

Whumpmas in July - Day 1

Day 1: (Re-)Introduce yourself and/or your creations

Blog introductions are a staple of the whump community! Browsing tags such as "#whump intro" and "#whump community" you can see new whumpers introducing themselves every day. If you haven't formally introduced yourself yet, take today as an opportunity to do so! Tell us as much or as little about yourself as you want--who you are, what sorts of whump you love, what content we can expect to see on your blog, favorite color, etc.!

If you've been around a while and have already introduced yourself, feel free to re-introduce yourself for any new followers, or take a moment to give an overview of any whumpy projects you may be working on at the moment!

You can reblog this post with your introduction, or make your own post. And don't forget to browse the reblogs here and the relevant tags to see other people's intros! You might just find your new favorite story or a wonderful new friend!

[who-needs-a-life-anyways]

@whump-it-like-its-hot your tags literally killed me omg. I’m just sitting here smiling like an idiot. And the cloudy day escape?? I would CRY. Totally not thinking about writing that now

Tw: manhandling, escape attempt

Sorry I haven’t posted my own writing in literal months lmao

Leaves crinkled softly under Whumpee’s feet as they limped through the forest. They were weak with exhaustion, but they moved quickly, fast enough to put distance between themself and Whumper. Branches pulled against their clothes, grabbing at them, seeming to pull them back towards the place they’d escaped, but Whumpee didn’t dare stop.

Their breath rasped in and out of their lungs. A hand pressed against the wound in their side, cuts dripping blood onto the dirt. Whumpee knew they looked half-dead, but they were free now. After what could have been months, or even years spent in captivity with Whumper, now they were finally free.

Whumpee glanced up at the trees, watched how they rustled softly in the wind, the sunlight peppering the ground. Birds chirped somewhere above them. Just another mile or two, and I’ll be in the clear.

A branch snapped somewhere to Whumpee’s left. Whumpee faltered. Icy panic seeped into their veins, stopping their breath and freezing their muscles. They quickened their pace. No, no, nonono...

They strained their ears, praying it was just an animal. Hoping they wouldn’t hear anything else. They started into a jog, wounds screaming in protest.

Another snap, closer this time. They heard footsteps, now. Leaves crunched behind them, getting louder, moving impossibly fast. Tears sprang to their eyes.

Whumpee ran. Their wounds jostled and they knew they couldn’t run for long, but they didn’t dare look back. They didn’t want to know it was Whumper.

They didn’t want to accept that, maybe, they would never really be free.

Whumpee tore through branches, thorns sticking in their clothes. They tripped over roots and stumbled through a small creek. As soon as their feet left the water, another set of footsteps splashed in behind them. Their heart crawled into their throat.

Someone grabbed their arm, and they screamed and shoved it away. Tears streamed down their face. “Nonono, no, no,” they sobbed, gasping in breaths. Hands grabbed them again and Whumpee fell to the ground. They both tumbled to the dirt. Whumpee kicked viciously and clawed at their attacker, tears blurring their vision. They felt their fist connect with flesh, heard a grunt. Arms loosened around them, just a little. Whumpee squirmed out of their grip and stumbled to their feet. They took a step forward.

A hand grabbed their ankle, and they fell forward onto their hands. Rough arms grabbed them from behind and shoved them to the ground, the dirt digging into their wounds. A boot clamped down onto their back, holding them down.

Whumpee screamed in frustration. The hands yanked whumpee’s arms behind their back, and Whumpee turned their head to find Whumper’s smile flashing back at them, cold as ever. Whumpee buried their face into the ground and sobbed. They squirmed weakly as Whumper fastened their wrists with a zip tie, the plastic biting into their skin.

“N-no. No. Whumper, please—“

Their voice was cut off as they were yanked to their feet.

“Whumper, no—“ A vicious slap nearly knocked them to the ground again. They stumbled to the side, cheek burning.

“It’s nice to see you again, Whumpee,” came Whumper’s voice, just behind them.

Tears streamed down Whumpee’s face, but they said nothing.

“The sun feels nice, doesn’t it?” Leaves crunched behind them, working their way to the front.

Whumper stopped in front of them, composed and completely calm. Unfazed, just as they always were. They met Whumpee’s terrified gaze, and their lips slid into a slow smile.

“Enjoy it now, Whumpee, because you won’t be seeing it again.” They snapped their fingers, and Whumpee heard more footsteps coming from the woods, more branches snapping. Two sets of hands clasped around Whumpee’s shoulders, and they were forced back the way they came.

Whumpee still said nothing, just silently followed Whumper. They were too focused on looking at the sunlight striking through the soft green of the bushes, still wet with dew. The colors blurred into strange shapes through their tear-filled eyes, but they looked to the sun and smiled, savoring the blinding light through their squinted eyes.

They wouldn’t be seeing it again.