whump side blog

And of course it can be followed by…

- A low moan of pain when they register it fully.

- A hand immediately going to their wound, and encountering bandages. When did that happen?

- Bleary eyes roaming about, trying to figure out where they are and how they got there.

- Jolting up, thinking they’re back in the danger or forgetting they’re injured, only to cry out in pain.

- Trying to sit up, but their arms too weak/shaky to support them and they fall back again.

I'm the OP. I'm making this post. If you like, comment, reblog (without comment) on this post, then I'm the one who will see all those notes in my activity page.

However...

If you reblog (with comment), I will get a notification that you did that, but any likes/comments/reblogs (without comment) you get on that reblog will only be shown to you. As OP I won't see them.

If someone adds a reblog (with comment) to your reblog...as OP I won't see that. I won't see any of those notes in my activity page.

Basically, if someone with a large following makes a comment, then they will get all the notes and OP will see nothing. If OP has said something silly because they're, y'know, 21 and it happens, and then someone reblogs it onto the dash of someone with a large following who then dunks on them for fun? OP doesn't see it, doesn't get notes for it, but they're gonna get the harrassment for it in their inbox.

If I, someone with a 5 digit follower count, reblog something to correct misinformation on Ancient Egypt, then OP will never see it unless it was on the original post, but I will continue to get notes on that post even though it's not my post. If I reblog fanart, or just art in general, with a comment like 'Oh this is so lovely!' then OP will not see any of the notes from people reblogging it from me. They'll only see my reblog. So it's possible for an art post by someone else to have 200 notes for them, but 9000 for someone who reblogs it with a comment, and the OP artist will have no idea it's been seen by that many people.

It's killing blow to the community we've built here, by someone higher up who doesn't understand that being able to see all the comments and reblogs is what makes this site the place I keep coming back to.

That's what sucks.

I feel like most of whump post-rescue focuses on the physical scars and specifically psychological trauma (which are very important to explore as well!), but cognitive damage is an underutilized topic.

Depending on the whump (beatings, isolation, oxygen deprivation, electric shocks, even magic) there can be a lot of different consequences to the brain and its functions. I'll list some examples.

Brain fog and slower processing speed.

Thinking is becoming so much more difficult and energy consuming. Before the whump, character had lightning fast reflexes, could spot patterns and connections in seconds and could adapt to any situation. Now every task takes twice as long and they feel utterly exhausted at the end of it. Maybe some more complicated tasks have simply become impossible.

Losing the ability to read and/or write.

They used to spend hours reading, writing, journaling. Now the letters have just become incoherent shapes, constantly blurring and losing meaning. One day someone asks character to write down their name and with tears in their eyes they have to discover that they're simply not able to.

Memory loss, both retrograde and anterograde.

Before the whump, character's memory was a source of pride for them. No matter if it was faces, random facts or important dates. Now all of that is lost. Familiar faces wiped and all wisdom of important topics lost (retrograde amnesia). At the same time, character is slowly realizing that retaining new information after their rescue is also not as effective as it used to be. They met someone new just yesterday, how is it possible that they can't remember their name or anything of their conversation (anterograde amnesia)?

Previous abilities disappearing.

Different brain areas are important for different talents. Maybe character was a math genius before, had exceptional balance and body control or could compose music like no other. But during the whump, that specific part of their brain got damaged and now they are unable to do what gave their life meaning and what made them so unique.

All of those usually go along with heavy self-doubt and an identity crisis. Character will probably get frustrated at failing something that used to take no effort at all. Maybe they will lose their sense of identity as abilities that used to define them are stripped away.

having harsh coughing fits. caretaker getting medicine for them and rubbing their back, trying to get them through it.

panic attacks spiraling into asthma attacks.

aftermath edition

Fading in and out of consciousness in caretaker/rescuer’s arms or slung over their back as they’re carried away.

Disoriented, without a clue where they are. Looking around and slowly remembering that they got away and this place is safe.

Whumpee who was kept somewhere confined and dark for so long, waking up in a high-ceilinged, sunlit room. Starting to hyperventilate as the agoraphobia hits.

After the fever breaks, with a cool cloth over their forehead and caretaker slumped asleep at the end of the bed.

Out in the open, alone and hurt and with no idea where they are. Maybe they collapsed after escaping, or maybe whumper dumped them somewhere. Now they have to figure out where to go from here, and how they can get there in their condition.

Coming back to consciousness in an ambulance, being rushed through a hospital, or any other whirlwind of emergency care. Bright lights and loud sirens, unfamiliar people rushing around them, feeling completely overwhelmed and weak from their injuries.

As their restraints are lifted off by someone with careful hands and a painfully familiar voice.