#byeeeeeeeeeee

Nishino Watari

Posting this on my new blog because I no longer have access to my old one.

Watari!!! Her design was the hardest to figure out in my opinion. I wasn’t sure what direction I wanted to go with her. I decided to keep the big red coat but I didn’t wanna just cover her in red. I figured the crop top with the skirt and boots would make her look more like a dancer.

And, like, okay, they're both Very Handsome Men. I admit this, and I'm not going to insult anyone's intelligence here by pretending it doesn't play a role in them being my favorites - neither my favorite actors, my favorite people, nor even my favorite whump actors.

BUT!

(Side Note: They also have nice butts. Unrelated.)

BUT!!!

I do contend that they're both exceptionally good at whumpy acting. And I think whumpy acting, the skills of acting in a whumpy scene, is something we don't talk about enough in the whump community.

Like, what makes a good whump actor? Obviously, they have to look good covered in blood - but doesn't every handsome man? Really, let's be honest here - pretty much any handsome actor is going to look better (at least to us whump-loving types) with blood and wounds and disheveled clothes/hair and a stagger or two.

No, I contend that there is something more to whump acting than just looking good covered in blood and angst. I'm not going to claim to be an expert on the subject, but I feel like my two faves exhibit two of these skills perfectly, and I'd like to wax poetic about these skills for a little bit here, because I like to hear myself type.

And it might be important/interesting to someone out there.

I'm going to start with my second husband, Tom Payne. I'm starting with him, because I think his particular skill is much more common in the acting world - though, I must say, rarely done with the level of sheer perfection Tom is capable of doing it with.

That skill is, simply put, the ability to sincerely portray vulnerability. I added the word "sincerely" in there, because I find that even some of the very best actors just... don't do it quite right. They portray it, yes, but... you just don't quite buy it. And in a whump scene, vulnerability needs to be bought, gift-wrapped, and insured for millions in order to make a truly epic whump scene. A mediocre whump actor can make you believe he's vulnerable in that moment, and the blood and peril and darkness around him will complete the scene... but a truly exceptional whump actor will make you want to crush him to your bosom and caretake the ever loving shit out of him his character with just a single look. They don't even need any blood or wounds or bondage or immediate physical danger to give you whumperflies.

Tom can do that.

Admittedly, those large, expressive eyes he has give him a leg up in this regard. When he aims those things at you with just a hint of need/desperation in them and the twinkle of unshed tears... You're toast. But there's so much more to it, in every breath he takes (or lets out), every twitch and tremble, every muscle tic and eye shift.

Now, you can say this is just good acting - and it is! But it's specifically good whump acting because... Let's be real. A lot of very good actors can (and do) phone in whump scenes, because all that blood and peril and danger and fast action and jumpy camera shots kinda speak for themselves. And I'm gonna say it - a lot of people (men in particular) have a hard time expressing vulnerability in the first place. But doing it - and doing it well - is so very important to creating a good whump scene. We've all seen some of the lackluster whump that's out there. And I think a lot of what ruins it is a lack of believable vulnerability on the part of the actor. I also think this is why there's a surprising (or perhaps NOT surprising) lack of blockbuster megastars when we list out our favorite whumpees. John Wayne probably got shot and/or tied up millions of times in his career... but I doubt he ever looked convincingly vulnerable, like, ever.

So that's one skill a good whump actor needs. Now for the other one... I'm gonna use my good ol' pal Colin to illustrate this one, because unlike the previous skill (which most actors possess with varying degrees of success), this one seems kinda rare in whump scenes. Again, not so rare in acting in general, but rarely seen or bothered with in whump scenes.

That skill is... actually going there. A good actor will really put himself into his character's skin and live the scene. But... a lot of them don't bother doing this to the same extent in a whump scene as they do for, say, a scene where their character is giving a heartfelt confession of love. Oh sure, they can dig deep and bring up some sincere and profound emotions for a scene like that, but a scene where they're getting their ass kicked? Not so much. Do a prat fall, make a grimace or two... cut, print, done.

And, admittedly, a lot of people wouldn't even notice/care that there's no profound emotional depth in a whump scene. I mean, it's not like it's Shakespeare or something. Nobody expects that much... and often, nobody cares if they don't get that much. (We, of course, would be in the minority here - we want that deep emotion and we always, always want more from our whump scenes.) As a result, some whump scenes come off more like straight action scenes, more focused on stunts and blood and gore than emotional depth. And sometimes the actors come off as almost... cut off from what's going on. Like, they're there, they're making all the right pain faces and looking hot covered in blood... but it could be so much better.

And then there's this guy:

Yes, I did need two pictures to express this to you. Look at that man. Now, I know there's a lot on a script page and a lot in a director's guidance... but this scene is some kind of full-body experience being caught on film here. This man essentially transported his freaking soul into an underworld dungeon and hung out there for awhile in order to show us what it's actually like. (And also show us all how a whump scene is done, people, am I right??) The uncontrollable drool. The quivering. The erratic breathing. The desperate and entirely transparent attempts to not look scared. The tiny whimper that breaks free in a moment of weakness. The disassociated look in his eye that isn't there because the actor's phoning it in, but because the character is literally disassociating in order to survive and JESUS TAKE THE WHEEL, BECAUSE I AM NO LONGER CAPABLE OF OPERATING A MOTOR VEHICLE.

These scenes literally launched my blog, you guys. Like, I was enjoying Hook very much so before this point, but it was these scenes that made me decide to dedicate a small portion of my life to this man's epic ability to take a beating and portray it beautifully.

Incidentally, it was Colin's cute and sweet and quirky self that made me decide to start a cult devoted to him. But that's a whole other topic. Suffice to say that in reading interviews and watching panels he's spoken in... He's mentioned many times that he prefers dark material and "bad" characters, because it gives him an opportunity to explore the darkness and delve deep inside himself for darker feelings and experiences that one doesn't get a chance to explore in real life. The fact that he loves plumbing those depths as much as I love watching him do it makes me all the more a fan of him and the work he does.

(Side Note: He also has a nice butt and wears fun socks.)

So there you have it: My two favorite whump actors and the particular acting skills they possess that are the reason(s) WHY they're my favorites. I would watch either of these men do literally anything on screen, because I am in awe of their skills and abilities in what they do - and, particularly, in how what they do makes my favorite kinds of scenes even more delightful when these men happen to be in them.

Victim: @fist1cuffs 💚

I said that I would draw back for you, so let's a go! >w<

apologies if I heard anyone’s feelings

But who the heck named their kid Dot

That poor kid would just get beat up all the elementary school

But then again, they have very odd names

Like that girl who really likes Mash I just remembered her name is Lemon who names their kid LEMON

THE COMMUNITY ALWAYSSSS REINSTILLS MY FAITH IN HUMANITYY

there was this old woman who had had bandages around her shoulder and a brace on her arm. she sat in the wrong seat and some other guy came and asked her to move. everyone around us stopped, just to help her out. shes not a native english speaker, someone explained to her what she needed to do. everyone cleared the path for her. every single one.

BUT THE BEST PART

EVERYONE HELD THEIR HAND OUT SO SHE COULD LEAN AGAINST THEM TO HELP HER TO HER SEAT

AND EVEN MORE?? THEY ASKED AND TOOK HER BAG AND PASSED IT DOWN ONE BY ONE TO HER SEAT

then the people around her helped her settle in and made sure she was okay <33

AND THEN THE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS CAME BY AND CLOSED ALL THE OVERHEAD CABINET THINGIES BUT ONE DIDNT CLOSE AND THEY DIDNT REALIZE SO LIKE 3 PEOPLE, WHO DIDNT EVEN HAVE THEIR LUGGAGE THEIR, ALL TOGETHER WENT AND FIXED IT AND PUSHED IT UP FOR THEM-