#This was really long haha oops. Anyway I hope something in there was inspiring!! 💖

[thewhumpcaretaker]

fav kinds of whump + comfort perchance?👉👈 (looking for inspo hehehehehe)

Okay so you probably know my all-time favorite already, because it’s panic attacks, and I put them in everything.

“Always add a pinch of panic attacks, it’s like garlic!” - The Whump Caretaker

Panic attacks are great for three reasons:

Something usually causes them (not always, you can have a character who just has panic disorder, but usually). Which means you end up thinking about what would push a character to their breaking point.

Differently people respond differently to panic, so there’s a huge range of possibilities for symptoms. And those symptoms include a lot of my favorites: self-defensive rage, crying, dissociation, shivering, hyperventilation, shock, and passing out.

And finally (this is where the comfort comes in) even though panic attacks are very physical, they can be resolved through purely emotional means. It’s like real life healing magic - the presence of a loved one just being there and breathing with them can pull them out of it. That’s such an opportunity for bonding!! Even if they’re alone, they can focus on things that matter to them or self-sooth or just find their inner strength and pull through, which is so beautiful. You once mentioned a fic about Vincent dissociating alone and my brain immediately started buzzing about this idea.

But okay, that’s just my top favorite. What are some other great kinds of hurt/comfort?

Consent focused hurt/comfort. Whumpee feels completely backed into a corner in some way. Their wishes are not being respected, maybe even for their own good. We expect Caretaker to force them into doing something they don’t want to do, but surprise! Caretaker doesn’t, because whumpee’s will is more important to Caretaker than anything else. This can look like backing off and giving someone space when they don’t want to be touched, helping them escape forced institutionalization, letting them cope in the way they choose even if it’s not totally healthy, etc. It creates a lot of grey areas and tension too, because Caretaker is forced to hold back.

Humiliation and Praise. One character has either been publicly humiliated or is at risk of that. The other hides them from the public eye, or explains to them why the things people are saying don’t matter at all. The caretaker showers them in praise until they feel better and rages against anyone who would judge them. This seems like it’s purely mental, but it can be even more impactful when it’s combined with physical elements. Like maybe they’ve been branded or tattooed against their will, or physically punished in front of a crowd, or maybe the humiliating thing was physical weakness - passing out in the middle of a meeting from exhaustion was something I included in a previous fic, for example.

Unexpected Rescue. Whumpee has lost all hope of rescue - either they think this is just the way life is, or they think there’s something wrong with them that makes a normal life impossible, or (if they’re actually imprisoned) they think they’ll just never be rescued because it’s been so long. Maybe Caretaker even pretends to be allied with Whumper in order to get close enough to help, so whumpee expects things to get even worse for them. But instead, surprise! They’re taken out of that whole environment and given a safe place to recover, or they’re introduced to a new way of life or a concept that allows them to live differently, without so much pain.