whumpwright

[whumpwright]

Look, I love the classic manhandle-the-whumpee-into-restraints trope as much as the next whump blog. But lately my mind’s been stuck on a different trope- that thing where a character is captured and they extend their hands themself to be cuffed or tied up. Just- there’s so many ways to play this trope, and all of them are so, so good.

- a character doing it because they have no choice. They’re too tired to run anymore. They just want to get it over with, so they hold out their hands for the chains. What else can they do?

- a character who is powerful, far more powerful than whoever has them cornered. But they extend their hands and let themself be taken, because if they don’t, someone less powerful will be hurt instead of them. They aren’t willing to live with that, so they go willingly.

- a character who steps forward and holds out their hands to be restrained almost gleefully. Bantering and trading taunts with their captor, because they know that every moment they spend here is another moment their team/friend/lover has to get away.

- a character who has no place to go, no last resort. They grit their teeth and hold out their hands to be bound, making the only choice they can make. But they still make the choice- it isn’t being made for them. They can still cling to the last shreds of their dignity. They keep their pride, even if they lose everything else.

- a character who falls to their knees and extends their hands immediately, terrified of what they know is coming next. They hope maybe, just maybe, if they show obedience now, they’ll be granted a little mercy later.

- a character who lets themself be restrained, but with a cold stare that says how little they think of their captor. The look in their eyes that says that whoever is doing this had better be glad that they’re chained, because if they weren’t, there would be blood on the ground, and not their own.

- a character who is submitting, but just barely. Angry and defiant even as they hold out their hands for the restraints. They’re trapped, held at weapon point. They may not want to be captured, but they also don’t want to be killed. So they hold out their hands, but they make it clear that this is not a cessation of hostilities by any means. They’ve lost this battle, but they are not done fighting.

And how does their captor react? Are they triumphant, smirking, gloating over their victory? Are they frosty, businesslike, here to get something done and not waste any time? Are they seething with anger, but unwilling to let their rage boil over just yet? Do they accept the outstretched hands, or do they ignore the show of submission and treat their prisoner roughly anyway?

[whumpwright]

"Get your fucking hands off me -!"

Whumper grabbed Whumpee by the roots of the hair and wrenched their head back so they could speak in their ear, while their other hand ran down Whumpee's torso.

“You have no idea what it means for me to have my hands on you. Not really. Would you like to find out?”

[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.