whumpy days

the breathless gasp for help

the slam of a hand on a surface

the frantic scrabbling as they try to find something to hold themselves up

the thud as they hit the floor

the thud of several other items hitting the floor

the sudden silence as everything settles

A lot of stuff that's considered canon in star wars is actually kind of ascended fanon. Like, if you really dig into it, it's remarkable how much of the lightsaber-juggling, movie-retreading atmosphere of pop culture/the expanded universe Lucas incorporated into the prequel trilogy, likely without realising.

Example: Strictly according to the original trilogy, does Master Yoda possess a lightsaber? I would say no. It is significant that in a film, where every shot is deliberately planned, we never see a lightsaber in relation to Yoda, and the one time he acknowledges Luke's it is dismissively; "Your weapons, you will not need them." By implication, Yoda is a Buddha to Obi-Wan's warrior monk. Yoda is a teacher and a mystic, but he is not a warrior.

Force lightning is another of these things. You go back to the original trilogy, and there's a sense that the Force and what you can do with it is very personalised. Nobody but Palpatine throws lightning, not even his apprentice, and in turn nobody but Vader chokes people to death. Luke does learn the mind trick introduced by Obi-Wan, but that's part and parcel with Luke's growth into a compassionate warrior-philosopher who tries to solve conflicts nonviolently. Force Choke is not 'a dark side force power', it is Vader's power, a manifestation of his crushing authority and smothering presence.

Likewise, Force Lightning is not 'a dark side power', and it is not generic lightning. It is the Emperor's power, characteristic of his cruelty, his sadistic delight in corrupting and hurting other people. We can see this in how it is used. Force Lightning does not split steel or blast people off their feet or blow things up, like a real bolt of lightning - it transfixes Luke in agony, sends him reeling to the floor with torturous pain until he screams for his father's help.

Sci-fi is focused on what it would mean for a setting if physics were different or a new continent was discovered or some other new power were introduced to the world and made generally available; "Good sci-fi predicts the car and great sci-fi predicts the traffic jam". There is something like amorality in sci-fi working out the consequences that are likely, logical, or possible, and one of those is often mass interest and mass production.

Whereas fantasy is focused on what it reveals about a character to have new power, and so we see that the Emperor uses the Force to fry people, whereas Obi-Wan uses the Force to avoid a fight with stormtroopers, telling us what kind of people they are. Fantasy is more focused on the moral aspect of how people choose to act, and because the specific powers are statements about a specific person, they can't be made on an assembly line and rolled out to everyone.

Dean worrying about Sam for anonymous 

Bonus

The Walking Dead, s5e16

Because you don't have to be stone faced to be strong

Whumpees who are scared of pain and want to avoid it so badly, but they shoulder the responsibility anyway because they understand what's more important.

Whumpees who tremble and cry as they brace themselves.

Whumpees who instinctively react in an attempt to block incoming pain, but when threatened by Whumper again they hesitantly lower their guard to allow them in.

Whumpees that faint easily, fighting against the panic that their body's natural reaction takes autonomy away from them, but facing Whumper anyway, knowing they'll pass out every time.

Whumpees taking deep, shaking breaths and attempting to not hyperventilate in panic.

Whumpees squeezing their eyes shut tightly in preparation.

After the rescue, Caretaker expects they'll be kind of shell-shocked and will want a little time alone, and so is prepared to let them be. Especially if Whumpee was a standoffish I'll-handle-it-myself type of person before their capture.

But when they come back... Caretaker can't seem to shake them. If Caretaker is cooking dinner, Whumpee wants to sit at the counter. If Caretaker is watching TV, Whumpee quietly slips into the room to watch it with them. Not once has Whumpee turned down an invite to go to the store or the laundromat or any other errand.

At night, Whumpee slips from their room and asks Caretaker if they can sleep with Caretaker.

Whumpee might not draw attention to it- maybe they just somehow end up a shadow on Caretaker's heels, the way a cat might.

Or maybe they do draw attention to it, and get wounded if Caretaker goes out without them.

Give me living bioweapons, whose very blood is toxic, whose drained on the daily to keep up supply and demand.

Give me magical or super powered whumpee who would never hurt people of their own free will, but Whumper is controlling them. Perhaps with simple mind control, or perhaps with drugs that show Whumpee their greatest fears, that make them lash out to defend themself, only to inadvertently hurt whoever's Whumper points them at.

Give me Whumpee who is doing Whumper's bidding only to save someone they care about. Whumpee who walks freely and has what looks like a normal life, but drops everything when they get one call, one name, one target.