whumpwright

[whumpwright]

Howdy, first time writing stuff like this publicly, so I’m gonna speed right through so as to not cause myself inner turmoil.

Just an idea on writing psychological abuse: matching the responses to the character

Yes, I am using myself and my siblings as an example here.

Now, I personally have been kicked out 3 times by the same person AKA my old man. And I’m still living with the dude half time because court order. But I’ve learned some knowledge over the situation now, so there’s a bright side to everything, eh?

Regardless, few facts (remember, based off of personal experience, I can’t help outside of that):

When the Whumper in this situation is drunk, there’s a possibility they’ll constantly be contradicting themself or forgetting things they said almost instantly, switching up, etc. This does not happen for all people ‼️‼️ Some Whumpers might be different

Each whumpee is different. I wasn’t the only one removed from residence, my younger brother was as well. I faced the situation rather too calmly for what it should have been and my brother attempted to fight our father with a metal bat

Adding onto that, the process of psychological whump is different for everyone. And yes, all these example with be based off how me and my siblings reacted.

Some might be overly angry about the whole thing. They’ve maybe been lied to and manipulated for a long time and they’re pissed. They want to relieve the anger. They may retaliate with mocking or screaming matches or even physical disputes. It’s easy to affect the way they act and manipulate them again

Another whumpee might be overly distraught by the whole thing. They might just be a bystander! But golly, that doesn’t stop them from being absolutely messed up. To see someone they care too deeply about cause potential harm to someone else they care about is too much. They may stay silent. They might try and shield the eyes of another party. They may try and change the mind of whumper, desperate for things to be fixed. They might sob their eyes out. They might scream at the top of their lungs, wanting to fix this, but not wanting anyone to get into trouble.

Or maybe your whumpee is almost completely fine. They’re emotionally numb to the whole encounter. Maybe they were playing clown tricks not a minute ago. But they’re being hurt mentally and they know. They don’t care enough. They just leave calmly and do what they’ve been told to do.

Your whumpees shouldn’t all act the same. They need character. They need a personalized reaction to the situation. Have they seen this before? Have they been in this situation before? Are they new to this? How does that affect their way of acting?

What do your Whumpers say to manipulate the whumpee?

Maybe one whumpee is showered in praise. A golden child. They’re such a kind soul, who’s being tainted like sallowing newspapers. Maybe they pull away from everyone else that they were close to. They’re more aggressive to others, more defensive, more secretive. They want- no, NEED this praise

Maybe your whumpee is a scapegoat. Something to be cast aside. A copy of a past whumpee. So naive and hopeless. They want what the other has, they want better, they’ll do anything to prove they’re better. And then there comes a moment they know it’s hopeless.

Most people write long dramatic speeches or yelling matches where the whumpee realizes it’s hopeless. They need it explained to them. When all it takes is one sentence. You know what my father said about me, when he assumed me to have already fled? That I wasn’t listening.

“She’s like her mother. She’ll come crawling back later.”

That’s all it takes. One small sentence and you know. It’s hopeless. To be compared to another who you look up to, but they’re compared to absolute garbage.

So do it. Break them. Make them feel hopeless. Make them know that from now on, there’s no going back in your mind. Those words won’t leave.