#recovery prompt

[jordanstrophe]

Caretaker: "Hey, how are you feeling?"

Whumpee collapsed across the couch: "How do I look?"

Caretaker: "Absolutely awful."

Whumpee: "Yes, that feels accurate."

[redd956]

Recovery showing in appearance my beloved...

Characters scars fading or healing. Characters who have come to hate their scars and hide them, slowly learning to be confident in their new appearance and allowing the scars to show.

Characters becoming their comfortable weight once weight. Underweight characters finally reaching their healthy weight goals. Feeble muscled characters finally being strong enough to lift their own children, wearing tight fitting clothing to show of their new defined muscles.

Trans characters transitioning or getting trans affirming accessories.

Characters learning to live with any newly obtained disabilities, not being ashamed of their mobility aids, and similar.

[rae-butter]

Honestly, I love it when characters relapse. When someone who’s gotten over their anger issues falls into a situation so out of their depth they fall back on their old habits. When someone who’s learned to open up becomes a recluse again in order to cope with something outside their control.

There’s just something so horrible, so toxic, about watching a character grow and then slip back into their old selves in order to cope, bc you know they still care, that they’re the same inside, but watching them hurt so hard they don’t know what else to do brings a sense of catharsis.

[belovedwhump]

Aftermath showers

Whumpee who is scrubbing their skin raw trying to escape the memories of what happened.

Whumpee who almost falls asleep in the shower/bath because they are so exhausted.

Whumpee who is still in shock, being carefully cleaned by Caretaker.

Whumpee who hides in the shower, finally allowing themselves to break down.

Whumpee who avoids showering for as long as they can because of what happened (water trauma? feeling trapped/locked in? ablutophobia/fear of bathing?).

Whumpee who gets to shower for the first time in days/weeks/months.

Whumpee who finally feels a little bit like themselves again after getting to shower.

[martyr-inthedark]

Washing wounds hurts. Washing scrapes and scratches hurts. Rubbing over torn apart skin with a soapy sponge hurts. Cleaning out a pus-oozing infection hurts. A cold shower while having muscle cramps hurts. It all burns and throbs, pain radiating from each and every little opening. Open blisters on the feet light on fire as soapy water runs down off the legs—this almost impossible to stand comfortably and getting in or out of the tub creates a fall risk.

Burns sting like a nest of bees as water pummels the withering flesh. Injuries on the fingers make it hard to thoroughly wash the hair, even as blood, skin, and debris crumble away under the water. Turning your head just the wrong way can get water in your ears or nose or can encourage shampoo to run into the eyes. Plucking shirt fibers from sores with tweezers is a tedious and agitating exercise.

Perhaps even the unraveling towel catches on a loose stitch or staple. Perhaps Whumpee can't recognize themselves the first time they see their reflection in the mirror. Perhaps all Whumpee feels is the aftermath of all they've endured. Perhaps Whumpee has to do it all by themselves, including redressing their wounds.

Bathe your Whumpees, lovelies ✨

[seth-whumps]

really big fan of caretakers cupping the back of whumpee's neck and supporting their face with their thumbs, gazing softly into their eyes and repeating words of comfort with as much intensity as they can, because if whumpee can't believe it, caretaker will just keep saying it until they do.

[whumpdedoodledoo]

teen whumpee in recovery.

they feel infantilized. after all, they went through so much completely on their own, and they managed to escape just fine, right? they've always bandaged their own wounds, cried alone; they've never had anyone else to comfort them before, so why would they need anyone to take care of them now?

it feels like when they were with whumper. their freedom, stripped away from them, forced to fit into perfect little boxes and a routine and rules and it's stifling; they just want to do what they want. they don't need caretaker.

they have so much less freedom than an adult whumpee would have in recovery. less choice. they need someone else to make medical decisions for them. they've been forced to grow up much too fast but now they're being treated like the child they're not.

and they can't do anything about 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.

[slippedtheknot]

"I Didn't Mean to,"

Whumpee sobbed as their shaking fingers grabbed pieces of porcelain. Blood dripped onto the floor from the sharp edges.

Heavy boots were coming down the hall and Whumpee tried moving faster; no doubt that Whumper would be pissed that Whumpee broke his plate. Whumpee swallowed when the boots stopped in front of them.

"Uh oh, what happened, Whumpee?" Whumper's voice was an eerie type of calm.

Whumpee tried to still their breathing so that they would be slightly coherent: "I...I broke a plate. I promise that I didn't mean to though! It...it just slipped from my hands when I was putting dishes away and I tried to clean it up. Not to hide the fact that I dropped it just-"

"Hey hey, it's all okay." Whumper's hand rubbed the back of Whumpee's neck and they froze; waiting for Whumper to slam their head into the floor. "Can you look up for me, Whumpee?"

Whumpee tilted their head up and was met with minty green eyes. That's odd...as far as Whumpee knew Whumper had cold and distant blue eyes that would stare into their soul. As far as Whumpee knew, Caretaker had the minty green eyes.

Whumpee blinked again and looked into his eyes. The eyes definitely belonged to Caretakeer, but then, why were they in Whumper's kitchen?

"You aren't there anymore, Whumpee." Caretaker's hand moved to Whumpee's shoulder as he pulled them into a much-needed hug.

[literarystarfish]

Whumpees who flinch.

The ones who always expect the worst to befall them no matter what because that's all they've ever known for years. Even now that they've been rescued.

So when Caretaker makes a sudden move or when some loud noise sounds or something unexpected occurs, they flinch. They take steps back immediately.

Especially when they're nervous wrecks and they can't help but be constantly on edge.

A phone pinged for a text message? Flinching every time.

A loud noise in the kitchen? Cowering.

Someone lifts a hand to reach something up high? Eyes squeezed shut, ready for the blow to land.

Nervous, anxious, flinching whumpees.

[jordanstrophe]

Whumpee's first real outing took a bit more from them than they expected. They found caretaker chatting at a table as whumpee slugged their arms over their shoulders, burying their face into caretaker's neck from behind.

"Hey sweetheart." Caretaker hummed a chuckle, having to reach behind them to cup their cheek.

Their smile disappeared when they felt a fever.

[caledine]

Dulling.

Whumpees that get small after captivity. They used to be loud and proud and Caretaker would watch them prance around all peacock like with a weird confidence that encapsulated them. They were flamboyant, bright coloured hair and spontaneous looking clothing. Coloured graphic liner and jewellery galore. They spent hours perfecting every outfit down to the last bracelet or scarf.

When Whumpee comes back they are dull. They curl in on themselves and the over grown roots are never dyed back— in fact they went natural for the first time since high school. The outfits they had so much fun choosing became generic. They blend right back in with the crowed refusing to be different in case it’s what leads Whumper right back to them.

They’d learnt how to make themselves small, quiet, unnoticeable in a busy room and not easily remembered to the common public. They curl small and whisper. They don’t giggle and hum to the radio or compliment strangers on their uniqueness.

Caretaker can’t even recognise their own friend.

[cravesunconditionallove]

Whumpee who wakes up in the ICU, disoriented, panicking because there’s a tube in their throat and everything hurts and they don’t remember what happened. Caretaker soothing them, holding their hand(s) to keep them from pulling at the things keeping them alive.

“Shh, you’re okay…. no no, don’t do that—“

[f1sh-bone]

✩ Whumpee who gets blindfolded so that they don't recognize whumper

✩ Scared, injured whumpee who gets blindfolded by their caretaker, so that they don't freak out during medical treatment

✩ Scared, injured whumpee who feels comforted by their blindfold and caretakers gentle shushes

✩ Scared, injured whumpee who completely freaks out after losing their ability to see

✩ Whumpee being blindfolded by Whumper so that they don't get to see the weapons they're about to be tortured with (them not knowing what to expect makes it more fun for Whumper)

✩ Whumpee getting rescued and flinching when caretaker tries to take off their blindfold

✩ "Dangerous" nonhuman whumpee who is forced to wear a blindfold, combined with physical restrains, while being medically examined

[whump-in-the-closet]

whumpees should wipe their own tears away more often. With scratched palms and battered hands, nails ripped, like they've clawed a path for their own existence out of the dirt itself. You know, the kind of crying where they tilt their head up, hoping gravity will push the tears back in, digging their palms into their eyes until they see sparks. Sharp inhales, sharper exhales. Trying to stop crying with everything in them, every nerve, every fiber, but the tears still leak through.

Willpower can only take them so far.

And better still, others are watching-- friends unsure or Whumper laughing. A stranger rushing to help or an enemy looking away to give them a semblance of privacy.

[the-bar-sinister]

Recovering whumpee returning to a place where they were badly injured and being unable to shut out the memories of what happened to them.

Whumpee's eyes drawn to the spot where they lay, huddled and bleeding. Is there really still a mark there on the ground? Or are they imagining it?

Why can't they stop hearing the sounds of their own screams and pleading echoing in their ears?

Whumpee, shaking and swallowing repeatedly, telling themselves they should be stronger than this, they have to be stronger than this.

Whumpee jolting in surprise and whirling around in fear at a touch on their shoulder; caretaker coming to check on them.