whomp whomp

Whumpee having to carry around an inhaler because their cell had mold in it and it damaged their lungs.

Having to go through a detoxification treatment because the water they got came from lead pipes.

Whumpee walking around with a cane/on crutches in agony until they can have surgery for the leg that Whumper had severely injured. And even after the surgery there may still be lingering pain

Having to adjust to hearing/vision damage. Even worse if they were an artist or musician before.

so, whumpee has been freshly delivered to caretaker's house, thinking this is just their new owner, the latest of many. caretaker goes to introduce themself, and whumpee completely freaks out. begs that they dont need to know it, please, please don't tell them

"what? but it's just my name," caretaker asks, confused.

“pets aren't to know and I… if you, if you don't tell me then you don't need to make me forget it again,” whumpee pleads.

turns out whumpee was tortured severely to make them 'forget' their previous owner's name. forced to say it over and over, and hurt every time they did, until merely the thought of it made them panic.

if caretaker even looks like they're about to say their name, whumpee starts to beg for them not to, or covers their ears, or tries to run out of the room

whumpee is desperate to avoid their previous torture, but caretaker is torn. whumpee is living with them now, they'll learn caretaker's name eventually. besides, they want whumpee to start calling them by it, rather than using an honorific.

I think convincing whumpee that nobody knows caregiver’s true name could work here, depending on the reason given for why pets aren’t supposed to know, but it’s a long shot. It would take a certain kind of caregiver to sell this well.

I think the next move (angsty, could hinder whumpee’s progress) is to try scary reasoning. “But pet, you need to know what people call me in case we ever get separated in public. How will you be able to let the authorities know who owns you if you don’t know who I am? It would be awful if there was some kind of mix-up and you didn’t get returned home because you couldn’t identify your owner.”

An alternative choice is playing the “I’m your new owner and I don’t know want to share titles with your old owner. You need to call me [honorific] [first name] so everyone understands that you belong to me now” card. I also love the simplicity of an inexperienced caregiver just making it a rule that whumpee address them by name, figuring that the most important thing to whumpee is obeying so it’ll be an easy adjustment, and then getting blindsided by all the fear and panic that follows.

I love all of these suggestions!! Especially the further angst you can get from each of them. Like, the idea of being taken out in public could be REALLY new for this whumpee, and cause all sorts of further anxieties. What happens if they do get lost? Where does their owner want to take them?

I also like the subtle implication with the third suggestion (about making sure caretaker isn't mixed up with whumpee's previous owner) that whumpee hasn't fully moved on and accepted caretaker as their new owner. Sounds pretty disobedient if you ask me...

My dude has a gold-plated ear cuff pierced through his ear (and permanently melted closed) with a stamped “M” on it, an arm tattoo with his facility-given ID number, and multiple trackers embedded in his neck and spinal column (in areas where he can't cut them out)—you know, because you can never be too careful when it comes to securing the whereabouts of such a pricey asset!

Reference pic of the type of ear tag he has:

they're so used to their own company that they forget it's normal to have contacts in their phone, to meet up with friends, to be invited to things.

they can't get close to people because they're scared of someone seeing the real them and deciding it's not worth the effort. and they don't want to tell the people they might actually be close to the truth because then they'll be forever treated differently, even if their friends say they won't.

The Weekend in Paris Job (S03E01) LEVERAGE: REDEMPTION (2021—)

But what if Caretaker just gently corrects the behavior?

They don't even verbalize it.

Whumpee kneels in an argument- Caretaker gently pulls on their hands so they stand again.

The moment passes.

Whumpee cowers when they break a plate- Caretaker quietly gets them a new one and cleans up the shards.

Whumpee removes their shirt and their torso is hatched with scars-and Caretaker looks at them all the same.

And it's a relief. Everyone treats Whumpee like a fragile glass thing ever since they came back.