i love u characters who are victims who don't show things in a way that's appealing i love u characters whos trauma leaves them with anger issues, with violence issues, with issues with connection and trust and being truthful i love you characters who don't get "better" in a way that's palatable, who don't find growth and meaning in their trauma
!!please credit/tag me!!
I like tied up Whumpees as much as the next person but you know what I love?
Whumpee being forced to hold still while they are beaten to a pulp while their s/o is held at gunpoint. Locking their arms behind their back, digging their own nails into their skin as to not make a move.
Whumpee who cannot scream or make any other sound because rough punishment awaits if they do.
Whumpee who is guaranteed to come back after tasks obediently because Whumper has something or someone they want.
Whumpee who cannot hurt someone else because their morals hinder them. Leading them into an even worse situation.
Whumpee having to do anything Whumper asks of them because blackmail material exists and got into the wrong hands. Or even better, has been faked but is good enough to ruin Whumpees whole life if they don't play nice.
The helplessness of being aware that they are physically capable to end all of this in a bloody mess. But the price is too high.
First time subbing to Crunchyroll; anyone have whumpy anime to recommend?
-A clueless newbie
The Case Study of Vanitas if you like vampires and bisexual disasters! Trauma, kidnapping, mental corruption, human experimentation and more!
Bungou Stray Dogs is good for anime boys going through some shit.
Madoka Magica if you want to see why being a magical girl is suffering
Ancient Magus Bride is effectively a whump recovery story and very good
Honestly, I love it when characters relapse. When someone who’s gotten over their anger issues falls into a situation so out of their depth they fall back on their old habits. When someone who’s learned to open up becomes a recluse again in order to cope with something outside their control.
There’s just something so horrible, so toxic, about watching a character grow and then slip back into their old selves in order to cope, bc you know they still care, that they’re the same inside, but watching them hurt so hard they don’t know what else to do brings a sense of catharsis.
I loveee fantasy settings doing magical exhaustion:
Druid, low on magic: I'm [coughs up flowers] fine.
Tmw Whumpee says something a little too concerning a little too casually, and caretaker and their mutual friend start giving each other the side-eye.
i'm feral for possessiveness in language. his boy, her girl, their pet, its slave... more of that in whump!!
The way they sleep can tell a lot about a whumpee
-Whumpees who don't sleep. Maybe they're plagued by terrible nightmares and flat out refuse to sleep until they physically can't stay awake anymore, and that sleep never lasts long before they wake up with night terrors. Maybe caretaker ends up slipping something into their drink - they feel guilty but they're getting so worried, it's dangerous to go so long on so little sleep.
-Or maybe whumpee just can't sleep at all. Maybe whenever they close their eyes they see whumpers face. Maybe it's a medical thing. But no matter what they do they just. Cannot. Sleep.
-Conversely, whumpees who sleep too much. Life's easier, when you're asleep; you don't have to deal with any bad feelings or memories, you don't have to face the world or look yourself in the mirror. Being asleep is the only time they feel some peace.
Now let's talk positions!
-Whumpees used to being chained to a table sleeping that way even once free, flat on their back with limbs sprawled out.
-Whumpees who sleep tightly curled up, legs drawn up and arms wrapped around their chest as if hugging themselves.
-Whumpees who just stay poker still the entire time. They were forbidden from moving an inch, maybe even wore electric bands that sent a shock whenever they detected movement, and now even in sleep they lie perfectly still.
I’ve been in a terribly whumpy mood lately, so please for your consideration, imagine a whumpee that’s been so heavily conditioned by whumper that they can’t really function without rules and orders, and now imagine a caretaker that will actually do that. I see so much where the caretaker tries to break whumpee out of that mindset, but what about a caretaker who just doesn’t have the time or resources to break the conditioning, and so their next best option is to just… go along with it?
whumpee won’t eat or drink or sleep without being ordered to? caretaker puts rules in place that require whumpee to do those things at set times, and the consequences for missing one of those times (because you know whumpee won’t accept that there are rules without punishments for breaking them) is to do that thing in the company of caretaker. whumpee misses their lunchtime? now they have to sit with caretaker to make sure they actually eat the food set out for them. it’s a consequence that doesn’t actually harm them, and one that will subtly reinforce that caretaker values whumpee’s wellbeing, without seeming like a cop-out.
caretaker knows that whumpee has been irrevocably changed by their experiences under the hand of whumper, and they know that the trauma incurred isn’t something that can easily be contradicted or fixed. they know whumpee is damaged, and they know it isn’t something they can help with right now, but that doesn’t mean they’re going to give up and leave whumpee behind, or expect whumpee to just bounce back on their own. caretaker wants whumpee to be safe and healthy, so they’re going to do their best to make that happen, even if they have to utilize the very conditioning that whumper put in place to make that happen.
I love a character raised to be a weapon as much as the next guy. But what really gets me is a character raised to be a shield. Who can’t fathom being needed—or even being wanted— beyond keeping others safe. Who believe they are alive only to insure someone doesn’t die. no matter the cost. Characters who self-sacrifice not because they think they deserve it, but because no one else does deserve it, and it’s their job to protect.
Characters who’ve been told that’s why your important. Your worth something because this other person/ thing is important, and you are here solely to keep them safe.
Bonus points if it’s not a legitimate job they’ve been given. Maybe at one point it was, but now that they are free from it, they haven’t given up that mentality. No one is forcing or asking them to do this, but they need to. They need to in order to be deserving.
Ooh I have a character like that
My main blog: Look at these cute cats! Look at this funny headcanon from my favorite fandom! Look at these writing jokes!
My side blog: I'm going to saw my OC's leg off and hear him scream and beg! 😀
“Is that--?” Whumpee licked his lips, quivering feverishly.
“Mhmm. Your favorite.”
The syringe glinted in the fluorescent light.
It wasn’t a matter of only wanting it. He was desperate for it, his body screamed for it, he needed it.
The gleaming vial held a promise—perhaps of relief, or perhaps something far more sinister-- but the air was thick with unspoken threats. Whumpee took a cautious step forward.
Whumper shook his head.
“No, no.” He chided. “You’re going to have to earn this.”
He needed it. He needed it more than he needed oxygen. God he needed it, god please.
“You want it, right, Whumpee?”
The frail man nodded frantically, head bobbing up and down rapidly as his gaze locked on the floor. Whumpee’s fingers fidgeted restlessly at his sides as he nervously shifted in place.
“Speak up, you fuckin’ junkie.”
“I want it.” Whumpee bit back, trying and failing to mask the shame that spilled in his voice.
“What will you do for it?”
“Anything.”
“Anything?” Whumper echoed, twisted satisfaction curling at the edges of his lips.
“Yes.”
“Good boy.” He said, his voice almost gentle. “Let’s see just how far your ‘anything’ really goes.”
Trying to whump a character and trying to figure out how they would react to the most painful horrifying things being done to them based on their personality but also considering the type of torture you want to put them through and how that would realistically shape them
ohhh we love a good “forced to torture your friend while undercover as a bad guy” don’t we
like. when you meet their eyes and you both know you have to do it and you have to do it well
Whumpee being given to Whumper as a present.
