Astro

maybe they’re too sick to move. maybe they’re injured and broken. maybe they’re dying.

Whumpee: "Yeah, I was way into cooking before, but now I can't really look at knives without having a dissociative panic attack like a loser."

Caretaker: "Whumpee, don't call yourself a loser! You went through hell."

Whumpee: "Bruh, I don't even remember like 90% of it. Like I don't even know what Whumper did with the knives, I just know I can't look at em."

They're held captive and exhausted from torture, hardly able to see straight, chastising themself for merely fantasizing about freedom instead of working on their escape plan.

They're sprawled out, breathing heavy and trying to get their bearings after the whump. They need to go fetch their first aid kit but they spend a few precious, guilt-ridden minutes bleeding and feeling sorry for themself.

Their first thought when they see whumper is no, please, not now! I have too much to do!

They flit around the house as their bandages grow steadily redder: a ticking time bomb that only further delights the one who hurt them in the first place.

Then, worst of all, they're bound and gagged, growing more anxious with the second as their inability to get anything done gnaws away at their sanity.

“Hey… wait up… I feel dizzy.”

“You don't look very well. When did you last drink water?”

“Come on, let’s get you in the shade…”

“Let’s take a break before you have to take a permanent break.”

“How long have you been out here in the sun?”

“We’re almost out of water…”

“Whoa, your skin is really warm. Are you feeling okay?”

“Easy there. Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you, but I found you passed out on the trail and dragged you in the shade. Help is on the way. You okay?”

“Shut up and let me help you.”

“We need some help over there! Someone collapsed!”

caretaker building a small pillow fort for the hundredth time that week so whumpee can be in the living room with them

“yeah, no no it’s all yours!” in response to whumpee just sitting quietly in a box. as long as whumpee’s safe and happy, that box can stay!

The classic nightmare scene. Whumpee has never slept with people close by for this very reason. Unfortunately, they don’t have a choice this time, and they do, in fact, scream (or cry) in their sleep, in front of someone/everyone.

The person behind the trauma suddenly reappearing in Whumpee’s life. Whumpee losing it—running away, hiding, refusing to engage with anyone. Or even better, trying so hard to pretend they’re okay until they just. Shatter.

Truth serums, spells, and items. Flippantly asking Villain, “Why do you keep doing this?” only to get a gut-wrenching answer in return.

The mind probe. Whumpee is sick/unconscious, and someone does the magical mind probe (I swear this comes up so much in media) to figure out what’s wrong and stumbles on Whumpee’s tragic past.

Teammates unknowingly triggering Whumpee for a while until Whumpee finally just screams it out. The looks of horror.

Also shout out to intentional trauma reveals. For trusting the found family enough to tell them the things that hurt the most.

Forcing a dissociated whumpee to look at their reflection as they're being tortured, ripping them out of their fragile headspace.

Whispering sweet nothings into whumpee's ear as they cringe and twist their head away, trying to focus on anything but the simmering pain of their limbs. "No one is coming for you, darling. Why not relax and give yourself up for me?"

Whumpee who's been so overloaded that their mind has short-circuited. It breaks Whumper's cruel heart to watch them stare blankly at the floor, unable to focus their eyes or form a coherent thought. So they throw a motionless Whumpee into solitary confinement for a few days to help them snap out of the trance.

Sleep deprivation, blood loss, or a raging fever leaving Whumpee dazed and unresponsive, until Whumper dangles the possibility of rest and medicine in front of them. "Ah, there's your spark! How I missed it..."

A Whumpee so preoccupied with thoughts of Caretaker that a fed-up, blindly jealous Whumper kidnaps them too and gives Whumpee a real show.

Whumper chalking up their lack of focus to boredom and shaking things up by changing their restraints or forcing them into a new stress position.

Whumpee got raped? They forgot the rape part and only remember before and after

Dissociation

like most of the Whump I see has whumpees who remember everything clearly and are always crying and shi.

but what abt whumpees who dissociate heavily? Whenever they were tortured or whatever they mentally checked out of the situation, their mind somewhere far away from the pain.

and this carries over to when they’ve been rescued. Say Caretaker accidentally triggers them and instead of crying their eyes glaze over, mind already somewhere far away where they can’t be hurt

Writing prompts

Yes and here are some more things that happen with exhaustion!!

Exhaustion

Content: mostly sleep deprivation style exhaustion, harassing whumper, defiant whumpee, begging

Skin becoming so sensitive that every touch lights up your entire nervous system, becoming a gentle but constant torture if whumper won't leave whumpee alone

Headaches, noises become sharp and painful, every word is like those horrible semi truck brake sounds (you know what I'm saying? I hate those things)

Developing a migraine that lasts into the next day

Finding their head drooping forward wanting to sleep

Legs giving out suddenly and whumpee collapses, only to be reprimanded by whumper. "You are asking for it, whumpee."

Through their teeth, vision swimming, "I'm trying."

Leaning against a wall, arm trembling just to stay up

Hallucinations. Flinching at whumper's voice at their shoulder and there's no one there.

He's alright, really.

They’ve been sleeping for days and Caretaker gets worried every now and again. Should they let them keep sleeping? They’ve tip toed into the room every so often to check Whumpee’s pulse, feed them soup and water, but they just fall right back asleep.

They don’t interfere other than that, though. They know Whumpee must be so tired. They leave a nightlight on, adjust the ceiling fan setting, and leave the door ajar, just in case they happen to wake and need something.