#injury trope

[beea-idiot56]

~ How He would React to You being Hurt ~

A/N: Hello <3 This is just little drabbles on how I think some MCD men would react to you being Hurt <3 you're not seriously hurt in most of these, Laurence's is the worst lol. But I really wanted to write some MCD one shots and I love injury patching tropes so here's this teehee

Also just in case youre mad I wrote something for Zane, okay I just- okay I cant defend myself. I read one(1) (uno) (eins) one shots about dating MCD!Zane and now I have a full fanfic planned out and I'm fighting the urge to write it LMFAO(I hate MCD! Zane but I also hate myself so why not)

Characters: Laurance, Garroth, Zane, Dante

Warnings: some minor gore

CW: non

Tags: fluff, hurt/comfort, absolutely smitten, pre-established relationship(arranged marriage for Zane), gn!reader, reader is mentioned to be a Lord, before the time skip <3

𝑳𝒂𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆

Y/N felt a groan rip through their throat as they shouldered the door into their home. The empty rooms met them and they let a sigh fall from their lips as they hobbled over to their bathroom where they held all of their medical supplies. The house was dimly lit, only the setting sun was the light that lit up the rooms, Y/N probably needed to light a candle or two, but at the moment they wanted to deal with the pieces of wood hanging out of their arm.

Of course bandits had decided to come pry around the outskirts of town. Usually it would be a guard patrolling but Y/N had been wanting to look for flowers to make a new stall with for a flower merchant so they took over the patrol in hopes of finding some while keeping watch. They did find the flowers, but the bandits also found them whilst they were picking the wildly colored petals up.

Y/N looked in the mirror as they finally set their bags on the ground and started to strip the armor from their shoulders. the heavy iron falling off was a relief to the tension in their shoulders as they let out a soft sigh. At least until they started to pull up the fabric on their sleeve, wincing as they looked at the small pieces of wood sticking out of their skin. During the fight with the bandits Y/N didn't notice one coming up to their side and they were shoved off a small ledge, and straight into the crates stacked nearby. Meaning there was a littering of splinters of where their body broke through the crates. The skin was red and irritated and blood dripped down their bicep and onto the white sink, if Y/N tried they would be able to hear the drip drip drip of their blood.

They quickly got to work on removing any small pieces of wood, deciding that they would remove the splinters first then clean off the rest with rubbing alcohol and then wrap it up. hopefully all before their lover, Laurance, returned home. This shouldn't be too hard, Laurance had been staying behind quite a bit later as of late, usually to finish up reports or to pick up food from their favorite villager. Y/N estimated they had about an hour to finish cleaning themselves up, and as long as they kept a shirt on Laurance wouldn't have to know what had happened.

It wasn't as though Y/N was worried about his reaction, he would most likely dote over them and take care of them, rather than get angry, but they didn't want to be taken from their freedom. if Laurance thought y/n was even slightly injured there was a pretty large chance that he would keep them from any duties or patrols that they might take in turn for them resting to try and recover.

the sudden sound of the door opening and metal scraping made Y/N let out a small string of low spoken curses as they quickly shut the bathroom door with their foot, frantically looking around for a way to hide this since their sleeve was already soaked with blood.

"Y/N! I'm home! I brought food from Cadenza!" Laurence called out, the sound of his armor clanking down on the ground following shortly after. Y/N frantically reached for the towel near them, wiping at their arm, a small hiss escaping their lips from the feeling of the towel dragging on the already fresh wounds. "Y/N?" Laurence had asked, gently pushing on the bathroom door. from the corner of their eye they could see the door open slightly and they shoved their foot out to stop it, "you good in there, darling?" "Yep!" is all Y/N could reply with, unsure if their voice would show how much pain they were in. the door budged against their foot, and this time it cracked open slightly and they could see Laurence's eyes trying to peer around through the crack.

Y/N watched as his face dropped once his eyes saw the blood on the counter, and they sent a silent curse to their past self for not washing the blood down the sink as Laurence pushed more forcefully against the door. "Let me in, Love. I can see that there's blood on the counter, are you okay?" Laurence asked, his voice dripping with worry. Y/N sighed before moving their foot, letting the brunette push his way in, his hands immediately came up to their face and cupped it. he tilted their face back and forth, looking for any cuts before looking down words and scanning their body. once he made eye contact with their arm he grimaced at the sight.

"What happened here sweetheart?" Laurence asked, his voice dripping in concern as he lifted Y/N's arm to inspect it closer, "Nothing much, just fell" Y/N gave a little white lie, they did technically fall, just not by their own merits. "well that wasn't very smart was it" Laurence chuckled a bit, before picking up the swab of cotton next to the two and putting some rubbing alcohol on top of it, before slowly wiping away the excess blood and dirt and grime on their arm. the alcohol eliciting a hiss of pain from Y/N.

Laurence grimaced at the sound but continued to wipe at the residue, making sure it was clean before he picked up the tweezers and began to pick at the rest of the splinters, only one or two remaining now. Laurence placed a kiss on their arm after removing a splinter, frowning as he continued his work, obviously upset at having to do this at all. Y/N smiled softly, their own concern for him showing through as their free hand came up to rub a thumb across the wrinkles caused by his furrowed eyebrows. "quit frowning like that or you'll get stuck frowning" they spoke softly, their voice coming out like a motherly coo. It caused Laurence to laugh slightly, which lifted Y/Ns spirits, only for them to be dropped again as he shook his head.

"I cant help but to worry about you my darling." his voice was quite, his eyes still trained on their arm as he started to wrap it with a bandage, One they were fully wrapped Y/N moved their hands to be holding Laurence's face as he leaned into their touch, his own hands finding their hips and leaning against them slightly so the two were flush with each other. Laurence hummed lightly as Y/N played with the hair at the nape of his neck, he leaned in and placed a kiss at the corner of Y/N's mouth, making them smile.

A long hum was strung from Laurence's mouth as he placed tiny kisses all along Y/N's cheeks and nose, pressing anywhere he could reach and showering them with love. In turn Y/N began to giggle and push Laurence away slightly, only making him grip onto their hips tighter to keep them there. "nuh uh uh~" he hummed placing another kiss into their forehead, "you have to stay here until I'm sure you're better" he chuckled softly, his voice soft and sultry as he placed another kiss into their lips.

Y/N only melted into his touch, resigning themself to his affection.

𝑮𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒉

A soft breeze passed through Y/N's hair, making them smile as they opened their mouth to drink in the lovely air brought in from the ocean over yonder. Y/N was walking besides Garroth, a peaceful silence between the two. The silence was not awkward or strained, but a mutual feeling of just enjoying each others company without the burden of keeping up a conversation.

The two had been walking for the entirety of the day, usually they would take a horse on such a long trip like this but alas, they had vastly underestimated the journey. Y/N didn't mind, however. They were content to enjoy the walk and the peace that came with not having to deal with their duties of the day. Y/N smiled, their eyes trailing along the sides of the path. Their gaze locked onto a bunch of flowers up ahead and they took off running, a smile on their lips as they went to go see the beautiful flowers. "Wait!" they heard Garroths frantic voice behind them, but they didn't quite care, keeping their fast pace run.

That was until they tripped over a rock, sending them face first into the ground.

"are you crying? oh no please don't cry-" garroth sounded frantic, his hands finding Y/N's shoulders as they started to shake. Y/N lifted their face, a wide smile filling their features as another laugh fell from their lips. Garroth stared at them for a moment, before slowly relaxing, chuckling a little himself as Y/N turned onto their back as their hands flew to their face, covering it as they laughed.

Garroth began to laugh as well, slowly easing into the ground as he face palmed, shaking his head as the worry he had for Y/N started to ease away. Y/N looked at Garroth, a smile and laugh in their voice as they spoke, "I guess you could say I was falling for you" Garroths head snapped to them, making them giggle more as his face turned pink. Y/N sat up, propping themself up on their arms as they giggled at Garroths face. He only stood up, reaching out a hand to them to help the Lord up.

Y/N gladly took his hand, standing up. That was until their legs buckled slightly and they fell into Garroths arms. He instantly caught them, not even hesitating to hold them up for support. Y/N looked down at their knees, okay maybe they fell harder than they thought. Y/N grimaced at the sight of bloody and scraped up legs, gravel sticking into their skin where they impacted the ground. Garroth looked down as well, sucking in a small breath.

"oh well, that's gonna suck to walk on." Y/N commented, before pushing off of Garroth and beginning to walk, trying to hide the very obvious limp from the pain that erupted with each step. Garroth let out a huff before coming up beside Y/N, making them yelp as he suddenly picked them up.

His hands held them around their knees and at their back, effectively carrying them bridal style as he walked. Y/N stared up at him, their own hands instinctively reaching up to hold onto his neck, their eyes wide with surprise. "Garroth, I can walk by myself" their voice came out a little weak, more so a squeak than anything else. he shrugged, continuing on with the walk as if he hadn't heard anything.

"I'd carry you to the end of the world, Y/N." his voice came out a little gravely, and Y/N could see the blush that covered his cheeks. they only smiled before relaxing into his grip and resting their cheek on his chest.

𝒁𝒂𝒏𝒆

The soft sound of humming filled the quiet home. The flowers bloomed outside, if you were looking out the window you would see them sprouting. The beautiful scenery left Y/N in a lovely mood, something that was quite unusual for them. Usually Y/N spent their time at this home hiding away or having semi stiff conversations with their forced lover.

Y/N and Zane had been "married" for around a year now, but it had only been in this past month or so the two had been warming up to each other. Originally their marriage was for the sake of a power boost to their respective villages, each of them faking dates and longing stares to keep up appearances before having an extravagant wedding in Y/N's village, them having insisted on it since they were still the Lord of this village. Since then the two have been civil. They didn't really indulge in romantic pleasures besides from the needed PDA to keep appearances up.

However, this past month had been a turning point. The usually cold conversations had slowly turned softer as Zane loosened up. What was usually his stiff shoulders and averted stares had turned into his mask less face keeping eye contact with Y/N as they told stories of their day and time. What was before keeping rooms length apart now turned into sharing couches, sometimes even blankets if the two were both enjoying a book and a bowl of grapes. Maybe that had been the change. Y/N pondered, maybe the turning point in Zane's head had been when he was reading and instead of continuing on with their day: Y/N picked up their own book and settled down onto the couch next to him, the both of them content to sit in silence as they divulged in rest during their usually busy days. Y/N smiled to themself, what used to be silent time had just a few days ago turned into soft conversation after ones eyes grew tired and they set down their book, and snacks had started to accompany their time.

Y/N let out a small gasp as the feeling of pain shot through their finger, they looked down at their hand realizing they had completely spaced out and had accidentally cut themselves while slicing the peppers they were preparing for tonight's dinner. Y/N stared at the cut for a moment, watching as the blood dripped from the cut with interest, not really caring since it didn't hurt but almost being curious about how the blood dripped from their finger, slowly splashing onto the cutting board they were using. It was only when they realized they were dirtying the peppers that they snapped out of their daze and drew back their hand, a small curse escaping their lips as they moved about to go wash off their hand.

"something wrong?" a voice sounded behind Y/N causing them to yelp and turn around, their hand immediately finding the knife and holding it in front of them, only for their shoulders to slack as they realized it was Zane who had spoke. Y/N sighed, before slipping the knife back onto the cutting board. "Yeah I'm fine" they hummed, bringing their finger to their mouth to lick up the blood that was still there.

Zane scoffed before stepping over to where Y/N stood, taking their hand out of their mouth before looking where they had been cut. "dumb-ass" he mumbled before pulling on their hand so they'd follow as he walked out of the room. Reluctantly, they followed behind him as he led Y/N to the bathroom, where he let go next to the counter as he pulled out a small first aid kit that Y/N had originally insisted on keeping for "just in case" emergencies. Y/N watched as Zane pulled out a band-aid before pulling at their hand again, bringing it up so he could look at it closer.

For a moment Zane inspected it before he opened the band-aid, wrapping the small piece of fabric around Y/N's finger and then letting go when he had finished. Y/N watched him with curiosity as he seemed to hesitate, staring at their hand for a moment, that was until he brought his lips to the back of their hand, pressing a kiss to the soft spot. Almost instantly he let go and turned to walk away, "I'll be in my office. Once the food is ready could you bring me a plate?" he spoke, clearly demanding it despite the statement being formed as a a sentence. Y/N only hummed but couldn't bring their eyes from where he had kissed their hand, a small smile slowly spreading across their lips.

yeah maybe this 'power marriage' wouldn't be too bad after all.

𝑫𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆

Y/N groaned as they fell onto the couch in the living room, their body sinking into the plush furniture without trying to fight it. Everything hurt. Y/N had been working in the yard and around the house since Dante left this morning at dawn. From plucking weeds, to pulling up the vegetables that were ready, to dusting and folding laundry. They had been either bent over, kneeling, reaching, or straining in some way the entire day. They already felt the repercussions for the continued strain, if they had been any older they were sure they wouldn't have been able to do such labor for so long.

Originally they were only going to pluck weeds, but then they just spaced out and kept going around and did all of the things they realized were on the house chore list. Ending with making dinner and setting it to the side so they could eat with Dante when he returned home. Speaking of which, they seriously hoped that he would be a little longer so they could take a quick nap and hopefully sleep off some of the aching.

Of course, however, the nature of time had no such plan and Dante pushed open the door to their shared home. His eyes averted to the ground as he entered. Y/N smiled up at him, they couldn't help but to admire him every time he came home. Sure he was sweaty, tired, and looked drained, but he never stopped being so beautiful. and apparently he shared the same sentiment because when he saw Y/N his eyes immediately lit up and a soft smile came across his face.

Dante shut the door, setting down his armor and weapons next to it before coming over to Y/N, leaning down to press a kiss to their temple, "hello, my beautiful spouse." he mumbled, running a hand through their hair.

Y/N smiled, turning slightly and opening their arms to him, inviting him to a small cuddle session but he nearly laughed and shook his head. "I would love to but I'm starving. Have you made dinner or do you want me to make it?" he asked, standing back up to his full height and looking over to the kitchen where the lovely smell of a home cooked meal was wafting in from.

"I made some, feel free to make yourself a plate." Y/N hummed, flopping back down to rest on the couch. Dante looked over at them, raising an eyebrow. "Do you want me to bring you a plate?" he asked as he walked over to the kitchen to help himself to a serving. Y/N thought of it for a moment, going to prop themself up so they could eat, but the sharp pain in their back said otherwise and they flopped back down with a small groan. "No, I'm going to lie here for a bit" they mumbled, closing their eyes, possibly they would take a nap in the time being. They could always reheat the food if they were hungry later.

Dante peeked from around the wall that separated the living room from the kitchen, his eyebrows furrowed. He stepped forward and leaned against the frame, "are you okay my darling?" Dante asked, his voice laced in concern but not moving just yet, worried that Y/N was in one of their 'come near me and die' moods. Y/N grumbled slightly, "yeah, just sore" they hummed, turning slightly so they could look at him while they talked. Dante looked at them, his eyebrows furrowing even more before he walked over leaning down by the couch and placing his hands on their back. Y/N looked at him with confusion but instantly melted into his touch as he slowly started to knead into their muscles.

Y/N groaned as he pressed into each knot that had formed during their day of labor, each movement of his hand bringing more tension relief, making them melt more and more into Dante's hands. Dante continued his movements, ignoring his own hunger to make sure they could relax properly first.

"Thank you, my love, for working around the house." he hummed quietly, pressing into a particularly rough knot, "next time let me help, I don't want my spouse to be too overworked" he smiled, before reaching down and pressing a kiss to their cheek.

[whump-or-whatever]

I absolutely love when a character is trying to hide injuries or just how sore they are by moving around like normal. They’ve perfected walking without wincing, ignoring the pain as they sit down or stand up, maybe even running.

But then as soon as they’re out of sight, the second they make it home and the door closes behind them, they just collapse to the floor in tears.

[kulai]

DAY 10, 11, 14 - 16, 17, 18 - 20, and 21 all-in-one post!

sorry im just getting really lazy posting it separately lol, check out the image description if you wanna know the specific prompt! xoxo

check out my twitter where i'm more active!

[incorrectbatfam]

One thing I rarely see in injury and chronic pain fics is the grief that comes with missing out on stuff you love because you can no longer do them without hurting yourself. Writers who have been disabled their whole lives (or at least a long time) tend to forget that not all disabled people are used to being disabled. For able-bodied characters, especially athletic ones like vigilantes, a serious injury could mean a jarring change that includes giving up the things that mean the most to them.

I was physically fine until I was 18. Back then, my sense of self was entwined with interests that required a lot of movement and dexterity. I started doing MMA in middle school for self-defense. I loved parkour and even had a few hundred subscribers on my old YouTube channel. I learned to shoot and was gifted my first gun when I was 16. I took up multiple instruments. You get the idea.

My motorcycle accident fucked up the joints on my left side—my knee and shoulder especially, but also wrist to an extent. When it first happened, I thought I'd be on crutches for a bit but things would eventually get back to normal. The pain didn't go away even after I got rid of the crutches but I figured it was just residual and I should do what I'd been doing before. It's why I turned to substances—to block the pain and do what I love, but that's another topic. I didn't recognize my injury as a disabling thing until the end of the pandemic, when I put my parkour channel on an indefinite hiatus because it was seriously wearing my body down. It might sound silly to you but I was devastated. It's like if Spider-Man wasn't allowed to swing from buildings. It took me a long time to make peace with losing that part of me.

Another piece of that grief is even when you can do stuff, it's not the same because you have to exclude certain aspects of it for your own health. It's like the Robin that died and came back wrong. I can't use certain gym equipment and I have to tell my sparring partners what to avoid. I don't go to the shooting range much now because I can't extend my arm and hold a rifle for the amount of time it takes to aim without it starting to hurt. I'm a drummer, but I need breaks throughout the setlist and I can't do anything too fast or complex with the pedals, which means I can't play some of my favorite songs and my band is limited in what we write and perform. I can't take my motorcycle on road trips without frequent rest stops. Making accommodations helps physically, but emotionally, they're not always easy to accept because that means accepting the pain as a long-term disability rather than a temporary setback.

This got super long because I think it's unexplored in fics so some tips for creators:

First, learn how the body works and how stupidly fast and easy it is to get hurt. Mine was on a residential road because I didn't pay attention for 0.2 seconds

Learn the difference between internalized ableism and being upset over becoming disabled. I think a lot of writers skip over the feelings someone would naturally experience because it can be construed as ableism. Let them be in denial, sad, angry, etc. upon finding out because acceptance almost never happens right away. That's different from being a dick to themselves or others based on disability

Also, not everyone uses the same labels or has the same vocabulary to describe themselves. Different characters will have different ways of describing depending on their personality, level of knowledge, where they come from, and their relationship with their disability. I still don't really call myself disabled since I don't have it as bad as others so I tell people what happened instead (anyone who says "differently abled" will receive a different ability from me in the Denny's parking lot)

Think about how they cope with their new disability. Do they realize it's a disability right away? Do they talk to someone? Search desperately for a cure? Numb the pain? Turn to alternative methods? Do they worry about something else first, like money? Do they develop something else because of it, like a mental illness? Again, coping poorly is not ableism

What stays the same and what changes? I think about the difference between Forrest Gump and Lieutenant Dan after they were both wounded in battle

If they have a passion they can no longer pursue, it doesn't make much sense for them drop it so readily. Maybe they find a way to continue with accommodations (a good place to get creative!). Maybe they try and push through anyway. If they do ultimately resign, include the thought process and internal conflict behind it

[spinzolliii]

People forget that recovering from an injury takes so much energy. It’s not just pain, but a constant exhaustion as your body dedicates all of its resources to repairing itself. This can last weeks or months.

The same is true in the aftermath of a severe illness. You’re not necessarily “well” after the infection passes. Your body has to recover from the damage done by the infection. It leaves a person weak and lethargic well after they’ve “recovered” from their illness.

So, imagine a Whumpee being forced to work again immediately after an illness or injury.

[whumpbug]

this is probably an overdone trope but a personal fave of mine: whumpees with concussions

whether it’s from an explosion/accident or just a plain ol bonk on the kitchen counter. they’re my JAM

when the whumpee wakes up they’re confused and nauseous and disoriented and out of it. they’re not quite sure where they are or what happened but they do know there are gentle hands guiding them to sitting and muffled voices speaking to them

when the whumpee can’t vocalize anything except for ‘’my head hurts” because it does and they feel the unexplainable urge to tell the people around them that, maybe in hopes that someone will do something to ease the pain

whumpee being so exhausted but they aren’t allowed to sleep because it’s dangerous until they can get proper medical attention so caretaker (very reluctantly) has to keep resorting to increasingly uncomfortable ways to keep them awake (ex: slapping, pinching, shouting, shaking), which leaves whumpee whimpering and crying softly

when whumpee finally does get to sleep, it isn’t even that restful because caretaker has to wake them up every four hours and when they do they are greeted with the pitiful whines and groans of whumpees who just wants to rest

feel free to add to this (please do actually) but this has been in my brain and i needed desperately to share it with u all ദ്ദി´▽`)

[scealaiscoite]

.☽༊˚ prompts for helping bathe an injured loved one

¹⁾ sitting on the edge of the bathtub and letting them lay their head against your thigh as the fatigue starts taking hold

²⁾ “i know, i know it hurts but hold on for just a little longer and we’re done, yeah? think you can do that for me, pet?”

³⁾ helping them lean up so you can wash their back, and pretending not to notice them shaking in your arms

⁴⁾ “you needn’t be so gentle, y’know. if today wasn’t enough to break me, i doubt an ill-applied handful of shampoo will.”

⁵⁾ using your soapstuffs because the familiar scent will, hopefully, help calm them

⁶⁾ “i can’t believe it took a night like that for you to let me help you with something.”

⁷⁾ having never seen them in a state of undress before and so, trying admirably hard to avoid looking directly at them in such a vulnerable state

⁸⁾ “so mr/mrs surly and serious likes having their hair washed for them, hm? don’t worry, i’ll keep your secret.”

⁹⁾ climbing into the bath/shower with them, more for the physical comfort than practicality

¹⁰⁾ “i wish the first time you saw me like this could’ve been under better circumstances.”

¹¹⁾ stripping down to the same level of undress as them in an effort to try and make them feel more comfortable

¹²⁾ “can we- can we just stay here, like this, for a minute? please?”

¹³⁾ using as gentle a touch as possible to clean them off and feeling your heart break each time they still suppress a pained whimper

¹⁴⁾ “it’s just me now. you don’t have to be brave anymore.”

¹⁵⁾ trying to towel them dry but ending up just cradling them to your chest with the towel pressed aimlessly between you

[digital-nova]

daily reminder to make your stoic whumpee hide their injury/sickness until they physically can’t :)

oh and make sure to include some fever-induced vulnerability that they would normally never show because of whumper for unknown reasons…

[whump-galaxy]

Love a character with a black eye. Love when their chin is lifted to the light and their eyes wince and rest, full of exhaustion. Love when they’re covered in dirt, and their hair is in tangles. Love when they relax their head into a stranger’s hand, hoping the gentleness lasts.

[whumpingaround]

Thinking about pets comforting whumpees

-a tiny kitten curling up into a little fuzzy ball on a whumpee’s lap

-a big ol saint bernard keeping a stranded character warm while out in the wilderness

-a loyal dog barking to alert rescuers

-a cat trying to make biscuits on a sick character’s blanket

-a cozy lil rabbit sitting with a whumpee because S O F T

-a panicked character calming down by watching their fish

[whumpdaydreamerx]

That moment when Whumpee overwhelmed with the pain of their injuries, screams and yells Caretaker’s name in desperation. And all Caretaker can do to stop their agony and writhing, is gently quiet them before getting started on treatment.

The “Shh, shh, shh. I know…I know” as they take a moment to brush a hand through Whumpee’s hair or cup their cheek. Softening their features to comfort them.

[so-very-small]

borrowers and fairies are full of biological differences, being two entirely different species despite looking similar. they’re more different than they are alike. in fact, one of the only physical similarities they share is that both are prone to having very weak ankles, and are susceptible to twisting/breaking them during periods of high stress. you see this often in g/t works, where the tiny injures their ankle while running from a giant, and this is not the author stretching medical belief, or coincidence. this is rooted in fact. tiny ankles are just brittle as fuck. it’s like they’re toothpicks. you look at a tiny wrong and they’ll break their leg, like a prize racehorse. it’s fascinating, really

[whumpdoyoumean]

From Rahul Kohli's Instagram story

[color-beyond-lines]

Shout out to Unknown for demonstrating that serious injuries do have long-term affects on your body and your mind.

There isn’t an episode that goes by where we aren’t reminded of everything Qian has gone through to get to where he is. And it’s not just from flashbacks. It’s in the scars that remain on his body. The nightmares that haunt his sleep. In his interactions with women. His fierce protectiveness of his family. Qian’s triggers and responses to them make sense and don’t just appear out of the blue for dramatic effect.

So much of the emotional and physical trauma that Qian has experienced continues to impact his daily life in a way that makes him feel less like a character with a tragic backstory and more like an actual person with lived experience.

[spinzolliii]

Whumpee being left with a Negligent Caretaker (NC) after their real Caretaker leaves for an extended period of time. Maybe Caretaker has to travel to get a doctor or some medicine and trusts NC to care for Whumpee while they’re gone.

Maybe NC fails to give Whumpee pain killers, leaving them to suffer the full extent of their illness/injuries for hours on end. Maybe Whumpee is left dehydrated from all the sweating/puking/blood loss. Maybe Whumpee is starving as their body is deprived of the vital nutrients it needs to heal. Maybe Whumpee gets desperate and crawls out of bed to reach the bathroom, or to retrieve something they need. In doing so, they pass out or bust a stitch.

If NC is enough of an asshole, they might even scold Whumpee for giving them more work. NC is disgusted by Whumpee, making them feel ashamed of their condition, and for having normal bodily processes.

When the real Caretaker gets back, they beat the shit out of NC.