I’m thinking about a situation, both Whumpee and caretaker are captives. Equal amounts of pain, equal humiliation and torture. Maybe they knew each other before this, maybe not. Whatever it is, they’re both suffering. Maybe caretaker has it a little worse.

But for whatever reason, they’re stuck being Whumpee’s caretaker. Maybe Whumpee is just weaker, smaller, younger, has a lower pain tolerance. But caretaker is always stuck being the strong one. They don’t get to sleep at night because they’re stuck holding and soothing Whumpee while they toss and turn through the nightmares. They have to ignore their own wounds in favor for caring for Whumpee’s. They give what little food and water they are gifted from Whumper to Whumpee because no matter how hungry they are, Whumpee is hungrier. There’s only one blanket in the small, chilled room, but of course Whumpee is always colder. No matter how exhausted or sick or tired they are, Whumpee is worse.

At one point or another, Whumper may catch on. If they notice, what do they do? Do they take Caretaker aside, becoming a caretaker themself to them because shit, if this keeps going on, Caretaker is going to kill themself trying to help Whumpee? Or do start hurting caretaker worse, watching with glee as Whumpee continues their usual dynamic?Maybe they stop hurting Whumpee entirely. They stop the torture and the humiliation, they give them bigger rations, more water. Maybe they bring another blanket to the cell, just to watch humorously as Whumpee takes it for themself. Yet still, as Whumpee begins to grow stronger, their wounds heal, etc, they’re still the one who needs to be cared for.

Does Whumpee even know they’re doing it? Caretaker prayed they did. It would be so much easier for them to take what they so desperately needed if Whumpee was consciously depriving them of it. They wouldn’t feel bad that way then, but no. Caretaker was convinced Whumpee had no clue what they were doing, even though they were doing it.

And god, they’re starting to get so tired.

All of this because when Whumper first cracked the whip, even though it was across Caretaker’s bare back, Whumpee was the first to cry and cower.

a crossover bottle episode. 

lock all of these lunatics and their many tons of baggage in a room together and let them just hang out with low stakes and no world-ending crisis.

give me lena realising that kara has had friends with access to an actual time ship this whole time and refusing to speak to her out of irritation while simultaneous becoming gideon’s number 1 fan girl.

give me kelly sitting them all down in front of a powerpoint presentation titled “Your Emotions and You - Healthy Ways to Process Your Grief and/or Massive Abandonment Issues That Don’t Involve Running Around In Latex Suits”

give me kara and barry and the shooty one sitting in a circle comparing bad guys they’ve fought, or weird shenannigans they’ve gone through.

give me alex and ava commiserating on the bunch of grown-ass children/siblings they’ve accidentally adopted.

give me sara and kate seeing lena and both doing that oh-no-she’s-hot head tilt thing.

give me mick and nia, give me brainy and cisco. give me zari and the frosty chick.