feveraches

[feveraches]

oh also! since I'm getting a Lot of followers I thought I'd say that I wanna take requests for prompts or even fics!!

[feveraches]

Not gonna lie, I’m a total sucker for a usually prickly standoffish person becoming an absolute touch-starved sweetheart when exceptionally ill. I know it’s a cliche and a total trope, but I love it.

Like they’re usually colder than the arctic, they won’t let their teammates/coworkers die/fail, but they don’t really talk to them in a casual context or interact beyond that. Any attempt to do so by someone else is just met with a brick wall of resistance.

So when the caretaker finds them sicker than a dog, fever spiking, they’re expecting a worse version of that. Instead they get trembling hands grasping the hem of their shirt, a raspy barely there voice begging them to stay, and soft pleading whimpers when they try to detangle their limbs from the other.

They get stuck caring for this poor much too warm being who just simply can no longer accept existence without the comfort of another person around.

Bonus points if the sickee ends up babbling not realizing they are or not realizing who they’re telling. Especially if old injuries are mentioned.

Extra bonus points if the whole time the sickee thinks they’re a person who’s no longer around. Maybe someone they were close to, but who’s no longer around.

And then there’s fever nightmare potential and you literally just cannot go wrong with that to be honest.

Crying out in their sleep, tears, the panicked rising and falling of their chest. The little tremors that course through them after they wake up. The shakes which turn into heaving sobs that sound much too big for them, the ones that steal their already weak breath away sending them straight into a coughing fit. The caretaker pulling them close to themselves, petting their hair, trying desperately to keep their voice even as they encouragingly whisper, ‘you’re okay now. You’re safe. Breathe.’

The sickee in the end tries to return to their normal routine, but the caretaker never treats them the same.

[feveraches]

villain whump is so underrated adhj...a villain getting seriously injured, maybe by a force thats not the hero, and needing to be cared for by the hero and theyre so humiliated

[feveraches]

the whumpee is really proud of their hair. its a big part of their identity and their friends love seeing the crazy colours they dye it and the styles they do.

the whumper ruins their hair. they pull on it, they cut bits of it off, maybe even just shave the whole thing super roughly.

when theyre rescued, their friends cant help but stare at it, which only makes the whumpee feel worse

[feveraches]

i love characters passing out as much as the next person, but i feel like greying out has Just As Much potential, and I hardly ever see it in fics!

The whumpee’s vision slowly going fuzzy as they slide down the wall, their legs giving out on them. they’re dimly aware of the panicked words of their friends, of careful hands jostling them, searching for an injury. they’re just so tired. 

“[Name]? [Name], you gotta stay with us, okay? Just a bit longer, buddy.”

Can the whumpee walk with help? Leaning on someone, with their arm slung around the caretaker’s shoulders? Do they need to be carried? Either way, they experience the transition to movement in bursts -- one minute, they’re on the ground, and the next, they’re being picked up.

The whumpee losing bits of time as they fade in and out of awareness, moaning as their injuries are jostled. They just barely hear the caretaker’s frantic apologies.

Are they feverish? Do they know what’s going on? Do they know where they are, and who’s taking care of them?

“Hey, glad to see you back with us! No -- you’re safe, everything is okay! We just need to let the doctors take a look at you, okay? I’ll be here the whole time.”

The caretaker or a medical professional narrating what’s happening to get the whumpee to stay with it, informing them that, okay, they’re gonna pull up your shirt, and then we’re gonna get a look at that wound. just a few more stitches, you’re doing so good.

Whumpees who fight unconsciousness with all their might. Maybe they’re worried about nightmares or visions. Maybe they’re scared that this isn’t really real. Maybe the whumper punished them for falling asleep!

Caretakers who recognize this and tell the whumpee that it’s okay, they can give in now, they don’t need to fight anymore, they’ll be right here.

OR whumpees who want nothing more than the blissful oblivion of sleep/unconsciousness, but they’re too miserable and in too much pain to even pass out. They keep slipping in and out of agonizing moments until the caretaker notices and asks if we can get some pain meds over here, please?

In general I love this trope as a filler for what happens when a character passes out and gets transported from Point A to Point B -- after all, where’s the fun in whump if you’re too unconscious to feel it?

[feveraches]

trickery

A prompt that I’ve wanted to write since FOREVER but never got around to it:

A character, maybe a spy or official, has been taken in by the enemy and is being interrogated, but they’re defiant as hell and won’t give up anything. Conditions get bad: rough treatment, no sleep, brutal beatings. But they still hold strong. So the interrogator/whumper tries a new tactic. They send in a caretaker.

The caretaker sneaks in at night or after a particularly harsh session and brings the whumpee food. Tends to their wounds. Touches gently and speaks softly. Says they could get in a lot of trouble for this, but they can’t stand to see whumpee being treated so poorly.

Little by little, the whumpee begins to trust them.

But they have no idea the ‘caretaker’ is only doing it on the whumper’s orders.

[feveraches]

asdkl i know i just made an intro post but i changed my theme! i really loved the pink look o the other one but it was kiiinda inaccessible? and i love the discord look of this one tbh!

[feveraches]

RWT: Spoken Word - Deconditioning Edition

So, I made that post about whumpee archetypes and I mentioned Conditioned!Whumpees. While writing about deconditioning, I couldn’t help but think of all the wonderful words that come outta that situation.

From a rough-and-tumble caretaker [or friend not usually a caretaker]

“Wh- Hey! A, A, what’re you doin’, buddy? No, no, no-! Put- fuck!- put that down, buddy, it’s okay. You’re okay. You don’t need to do that anymore, okay? You don’t need to do that anymore… You don’t…”

“No, I’m not mad… Why would I be mad…? What? You think I’m mad just ‘cause I didn’t hand you that soda earlier? Wh-? Oh shit… oh, shit, I see what happened… No, no, man, it’s… No, you didn’t do anything wrong, I was just in a hurry – I’m sorry, man. Shit.”

“Dude, no way! Gah, I can’t believe you did that! Dammit, I was so close, ha ha!… H-hey, whoa, what’s wrong? Why are you shaki- whoa, hey! What- why’re you cryi- no, buddy, man, it’s just a game. Don’t worry ‘bout it, hey… I’m okay, you’re okay, I’m not gonna do anything. You didn’t do anything wrong, bud – see? ‘High score’ – you won! Ya did great, man. It’s okay – you won fair and square.”

From a stoic type

“Hey, you doing okay? Look, I don’t want to hear what you tell the others – I need to know. Are you doing okay? Don’t do that – I know you don’t want to make eye contact, but you have to. I’m safe, remember? Safe.”

“I know, I kno- ah!- I know you don’t like being touched right now, but I have to hold you st- ow! – still. [aside] Doc, where’s that sedative?! [back to whumpee] Hold still, please!”

“Hold up, you are not going into the field like that. Absolutely not. [taking the whumpee aside] A, you and I both know you’re not ready for this yet. I know you really want to get back out there, but… A, you were catatonic last night. None of us – not even B – could get through to you. I can’t put you in the field – I am not going put you in danger like that.”

(fun little stoic leader manipulation note: they’re saying “I’m not gonna put you in danger like that”, but they mean “I’m not gonna put my team in danger” but they know saying those particular words will throw the whumpee off the deep end and the entire team is heading out on mission, so it would mean the whumpee would be all along with their dark and torturous thoughts if the leader said it bluntly)

Doctor or Medic Caretaker

“Hey, sleepy. Welcome to the land of the living. I- hey, where are you goin’? Whoa, hey! No, stop- what are yo- Why… why are you lying on the floor? Come on, let’s get you on the b- ‘Not allowed…’? What… oh god, what did they do to you?”

“What’s going on? Why’d you call me out of that me- A! Jesus! You! What happened?! You gave him scissors?! Why in the fucking hell would you do that?! You know what they made him do! ‘Thought he was better’ my ass – get the fuck outta my med bay, and, so help me God, if I see you in here again, I will kill you myself.”

“H-has anyone seen A? She isn’t in her bed and I can’t find her anywhere in the medical wing. Th- the jail wing?! Why’d she go there?!” [after locating A in the jail wing] “A? I see you’ve found yourself a comfy little corner, far away from the cot… You cold? I can see you’re shivering…”

Caretaker (usual one or not) using the conditioning reluctantly

“Come on, just… take the blanket, man. Come on, you got it… I… [under their breath] god, don’t make me do this… okay [deep breath] H-how ‘bout this, A? Can you get us a snack from the kitchen? Grab us both something to eat and I’ll reward you with a blanket. You ‘bout that? [under their breath again after A is out of earshot] fuck… what have I done…”

“Who-who gave her a fucking syringe?! A- A, sweetie, just… can you put that down for me? I- no! No, don’t put that in your neck- please god don’t make me…” [through gritted teeth, the caretaker changes their demeanor into one of threatening authority – Character A visibly shrinks and lowers the syringe, assuming an obedient posture] “You listen to me right now, Precious. I want that syringe and you’re gonna hand it over to me, right now. Move it.” [Caretaker has to fight through every instinct to hug A, simply accepting the syringe from them]

(yeah deconditioning whump drabbles need to happen – please feed me deconditioning scenario prompts)

What’s your fave scenario? What’s the next line, the next scene, the next conditioned response our whumpee does?

Happy Whumping, friends. 

[feveraches]

where'd you get your icon?? it's so cute!!

:0 thank you! ugh i wish i knew where i found the original image, because i think i saved it forever ago from a free clipart site but i ran a reverse image source and i think that this may be an original source?

[feveraches]

Trembling, unsteady hands gently stripping their body of wet clothing. Damp hair sticks against their neck and forehead uncomfortably, but when they move it - that’s where it stays, suspended with water and sweat. The jacket is the first to come off, a hoody maybe, thick and absolutely saturated with rain. A stifle against the wet fabric, when the mound of it is pressed quickly to their nose and mouth, a small sniff following a tremendous, restrained sneeze. Their shirt follows the jacket to a laundry basket - a soft grey color turned to black with water. Peeling it from their body is no easy task, it gets stuck around their elbows. Their breath steadily increasing in pace, they cough twice, chesty and painful, but eventually manage. Their shoes were already toed off at the door, but their socks are leaving a puddle where they stand. Yanking them off is a small pleasure, because their feet are freezing. Sliding off their pants, revealing only boxers or a cute pair of undies - they can finally allow themselves to get ready for bed. But even this final layer is wet, so they gently tug them off, toss everything in the washing machine, and unsteadily make their way under the covers.

And oh, they feel so unwell, suddenly. A chill rips up their spine like a flame catching kindling on fire. A steady fever, one that’s been brewing unnoticed all day, spikes. They’re left shuddering under their blankets, but at least they aren’t wet anymore. And their comforter is so soft, and fluffy - they wrap it around themselves and screw their aching eyes shut. When their lover gets home, it’s all they can do to not audibly moan due to the quiet click of the bedroom door shutting in an otherwise blissfully quiet home.

“Babe? I’m home.”

“Oh g-god. I don’t feel good.”

“Shit. What’s up, honey?”

They’re unable to articulate the many ways in which they’re beginning to feel like garbage, so when their lover leans down to press a cool hand against their forehead, they catch their wrist with their own icy one, fingers stiffly curling against it.

“Keep it- there. Feel’s good.” They mumble, eyes drooping closed. Their partner’s own clothes are a little wet too, but only on the edges. They must have gotten a ride home. The sick one can’t help but smile at that. If anyone had to be sick, they didn’t want it to be their lover. Themselves? It was fine. They would deal with it. They always did.

[feveraches]

Back to an old fave and the idea behind my url

A sick character leaning against a mirror in the bathroom while they try and pull themselves together and leaving a foggy halo from their fevered forehead

A sick character getting a ride home and falling asleep pressed against the window leaving hot puffs of their breath to fog it up, and the messy press of their hair and forehead against the glass

A sick character waking up from fever dreams or nightmares to their pillow soaked in sweat and clinging to their neck with their hair spilling over the growing damp circle even as they shake with chills

A character worrying over a sick friend/lover/coworker and hovering their hand above the sick characters forehead, feeling the heat before they ever even touch the other’s skin

A sick character trying to get themselves somewhere safe to lie down as their fever spikes, making the lights feel too strong and bright and making everything cast a hazy almost double-vision like aura around it. A worried character standing in front of the sick one asking if theyre alright but the sick character hears none of it. Its hazy and this shadow in front of them is eclipsing the light and in doing so bringing relief from the headache

A sick character leaning forward with their elbows on their knees and a cold wet towel draped over their head to cool them off as they sit alone in their bathroom. Pressing their own cold hand to their burning forehead and wondering if they should call for help but the dizziness is making their head spin and the world feels too tight and too large all at once

All the different types of feverish ‘halo’s that come along with a sick character 💖

[feveraches]

I love it when I see a character use the back of their hand against someone’s cheek to check for a fever. For some reason, to me, that is the best way to check someone’s temperature.

[feveraches]

Whump trope

Trying to care for yourself when sick:

- going to the store for soup and OJ and staring blankly at the cartons of juice for 10 minutes because your fuzzy fevered brain can’t focus.

- slowly walking down the cold medicine isle and occasionally reaching out to the shelf when it starts to look swimmy.

- after work/school, crashing in bed still in your street clothes but too tired to change, so you just kick off your shoes, drag a blanket over yourself and curl up.

- debating whether or not it’s worth it to get up and dig around for a thermometer or keep laying there sweating. You know you have a fever anyway.

- coughing yourself so short of breath you start to panic and involuntarily start crying

- finally giving in and texting your roommate to come home, with flu meds.

[feveraches]

Get comfy.

I’m gonna talk about blankets! What? Blankets aren’t whumpy! Hear me out.

The tangled lump of blankets at the corner of the bed, kicked off by a feverish whumpee who’s probably now shivering without them. Throw in, or throw out, a couple of pillows from the bed to the corner of the room. Because in your whumpee’s nightmare they were attacking animals or something even more bizarre.

Or maybe it’s an itchy blanket, rough wool that prickles along the whumpee’s skin, irritating them instead of providing comfort so they can rest and heal. That’s the kind of blanket that gets pushed away, but pushed back up by a caretaker.

Soft warm blankets tucked around a recovering whumpee, in hospital (heated blankets for the hypothermic), on a couch, a gurney, in a bed, Or just wrapped around their shoulders. Your fave waking up as a loved one or nurse is pulling the blanket up, a warm smile. 

“Are you comfortable? How are you feeling?”

[feveraches]

Favorite sick tropes? Passing out from fever, someone dabbing a cool cloth/resting it on their forehead. Coughs that just plain *hurt*. Vision swimming as they try to get up because they think they're alone but oops the caretaker just left to get the thermometer/water/medicine/some other thing Do those do it for ya? 😋

-Omg, when they underestimate how bad the fever is until their body just gives out. They don’t even realized what happened until their vision clears up and they’re on the ground or being held in their friend’s arms while the friend is chastising them, asking them how they could let it get this bad. 

-And the cloth thing! I love that! Especially when characters wake up to it. Maybe they collapsed from fever, and they wake up in bed with a cold cloth on their head, or with a friend gently dabbing them with a cold cloth. It’s very cool, very sweet, I love it. 

-Coughs that hurt are good! Coughs that make them feel like their throat is bleeding. Coughs that rattle their frail body so hard they’re worried they’re going to throw up. I think I can speak more about this than I can about fevers because I’ve probably only ever had like 3 fevers in my life, but every fall/spring I get a cold that involves a lot of coughing. It sucks to experience but like…. it’s great to read about, especially if you’re into whump

-I love it SO SO SO much when the character is fading in and out of consciousness. They’re not sure what time it is or what day it is but sometimes the caretaker is there and sometimes they’re not and the whumpee is just confused and maybe scared and is having a hard time focusing on anything. They have trouble falling asleep but when they do they’re woken up by the caretaker to take their temperature or give them medicine and the whumpee is grouchy and just wants to go back to sleep and not have to deal with the coughing and the shaking. 

[feveraches]

The Colorful Stages of Bruises: What’s Going on in There?

I thought this would be useful to those of us whump folk who write. :)

[feveraches]

the [“aw are you sick?” -> hand-to-head fever check] progression is classic and deeply gucci but [“aw are you sick?” -> lymph node feeling check] is so cute and unexpected but just as intimate