sverwhump📎

Whumper stumbling into the basement wasted. Whumpee is worried they are gonna hit them, but to their surprise Whumper sits down next to Whumpee, leaning against the concrete wall with a huge sigh.

Whumpee has no idea what to do. The silence stretched on, and Whumper just sits there, drunk. Whumpee is terrified, waiting for something to go wrong. They hardly dare to breathe. Whumper doesn't seem to notice at all.

Then, to Whumpee's biggest surprise, Whumper just starts talking. About a fight they had with a friend. About how lonely they feel. About how empty their life is. About their mom who was never home. About their childhood. Their failed career.

Whumper just spills out their guts in one big sad drunken ramble. And Whumpee just....listens. They don't dare say a word. They are still terrified out of their mind, maybe even more so because they don't know what to expect. They have no idea how to handle this sudden extremely vulnerable Whumper.

Maybe Whumpee feels flattered. Maybe they find themselves clinging to a conversation that isn't about hurting them. Maybe they are too scared to even have feelings about it. They are just waiting for Whumper to leave so they can relax. Or maybe they realize that Whumper is just using them as a human being to talk to because they don't have anyone else, and Whumpee can't leave anyway.

"Everyone hates me," Whumper pouts. "Even you hate me."

Whumper looks at Whumpee with red eyes.

Does Whumpee say something? Do they stay quiet hoping the conversation goes somewhere else? Are they honest and confirm? Do they tell Whumper that they don't hate them? Do they only do that because they are scared to be punished, or do they genuinely feel bad for Whumper? Are they suddenly confronted with the fact that their feelings about Whumper could be more complicated than just hate.

When Whumper is done ranting they leave without hurting Whumpee for the first time since the capture.

"You're a good one, Whumpee," they mumble. And whumpee....they soak it up. They haven't had someone say something caring to them in so long. They hate themselves for it, but the words stay in their head like a pleasant reminder.

Whumper taking away whumpee's comfort items like plushies, or blankets.

Whumpee being told about, or shown evidence of, harm happening to their parents or siblings.

Whumpee being drugged or poisoned with candy or treats.

Whumper using threats of abandonment to control whumpee.

Whumper forcing whumpee to wear clothes that whumpee finds uncomfortable or unpleasant.

Whumper forcibly cutting whumpee's hair.

Whumpee being told that their parents agreed to give them to whumper.

Whumper telling whumpee that everything's being done for their own good.

Whumper making promises of comforts to whumpee to ensure their cooperation, and then going back on their words.

Whumper destroying comfort items in front of whumpee.

Examples include: Seizures, memory loss, brain fog, migraines, stuttering or slurred speech, hand tremors, loss of sensation/pins & needles in extremities and balance issues

(still on the same vein, this post by @/creatingblackcharacters is a pretty nice resource to start out i think every now and then i reread it i think it has nice things to keep in mind)

^get peer-reviewed @whumpity-whumpity (on my other post) this is soooo real

i love you all and i need you to stop writing trauma as a single breakdown scene in the rain after which the character is Healed and Ready to Love Again. that is NOT trauma :(

⊹ Trauma doesn't announce itself. it shows up as your character suddenly not being able to eat a specific food, or going very quiet in a loud room, or laughing at the wrong moment because their nervous system decided that was the appropriate response. it's mundane and weird and it makes no sense from the outside. the dramatic flashback sequence is the least realistic part. the most realistic part is your character suddenly needing to leave a grocery store for a reason they can't articulate.

⊹ The body keeps score and it keeps it in the strangest places. a particular smell. the quality of light at a certain time of day. a tone of voice that sounds like someone who hurt them. your traumatised character doesn't think "this reminds me of the bad thing." their heart rate spikes and they don't know why. they feel wrong and they can't locate the feeling. they're irritable for three days and only later, if ever, do they make the connection. write the disconnection. it's more honest.

⊹ trauma also does not make people universally sympathetic and wise. it makes some people controlling. some people funny at inappropriate times. some people very good in a crisis and completely unable to handle a normal day. some people are generously kind to strangers and absolutely terrible to people they love. trauma shapes behaviour in contradictory, inconvenient ways that don't resolve into a lesson. your traumatised character can be difficult to like. that's not a flaw in the writing. that's the WRITING.

The first days of recovery that follow a rescue, a traumatic event, a mission gone wrong, an illness... The vulnerability of it can come in different shapes:

Whumpee going non-verbal (they know Caretaker will understand them anyway).

Falling asleep anywhere and at any time: naps don't follow time rules anymore, couches, chairs, other people become the perfect bed for a rest.

Soft and large clothing. Nothing tight at their waist or neck. Big sweaters that smell like someone safe.

Occasional tears after a previous big big cry™