#the recovery/caretaker arc will be posted chronologically

[whumpsday]

I posted 8,468 times in 2022

That's 8,468 more posts than 2021!

3,215 posts created (38%)

5,253 posts reblogged (62%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@whumpshaped

@whumpwillow

@quietly-by-myself

@wolfeyedwitch

@hurtthemgently

I tagged 6,705 of my posts in 2022

Only 21% of my posts had no tags

#ask - 2,867 posts

#k&j ask - 1,917 posts

#begging - 360 posts

#whump art - 352 posts

#pet whump - 346 posts

#vampire whumpee - 229 posts

#txt - 216 posts

#torture - 176 posts

#whumper turned whumpee - 169 posts

#tiny whump - 166 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#the basement jim is keeping kane in is unfinished but its like fine. its clean and whatever. its definitely nicer than where kane was before

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Kane & Jim Masterlist

(vampire whump, whumper turned whumpee, whumpee turned caretaker)

Jim had lived as the prisoner of a cruel vampire for years, forced to provide blood for his insatiable appetite, before finally escaping. A decade has passed since then, when he hears word of a vampire in the custody of a group of hunters matching the description of his former captor, Kane. Wanting closure, he negotiates to have custody of Kane transferred to himself. But when he finally lays eyes on the vampire, it’s like he’s a complete stranger: A sobbing mess begging for mercy, not the arrogant man he once knew.

-

listed in chronological order, but writing order is indicated by the number next to them. click here for chapters sorted by newest update (and click here for canon drabbles sorted by newest update).

Kane & Bellamy - Prequel: (recommend not reading until after Family Reunion)

The Knight (#14)

Clean Break (#30)

The Contents of Several Unopened Envelopes Delivered to Kane de Sang (#41)

Jim’s Captivity & Recovery:

You’re Mine Now (#7)

Tomorrow (#8)

Run (#3)

Rebellion (#27) + Alternate Ending

Happy Birthday (#25)

Too Sick (#11)

Curls (#33.5)

Family Reunion Part 1 (#12)

Family Reunion Part 2 (#13) + Bonus

Quiet (#16)

Broken (#21)

Slice (#29)

Out (#22) + Bonus

Home (#23)

Everything’s Different Now (#43)

Drabbles: Calm Down, Midday Snack, Jim’s Nightmare, Fuck you

Intermission:

Something New (#19)

Power (#34)

Kane’s Captivity: (this arc is interactive, see here! anything tagged “canon kane whump” is canon!)

See the full post

355 notes - Posted March 2, 2022

#4

you’ll have to rip adverbs and italics and commas and stuttering out of my cold dead hands

388 notes - Posted April 17, 2022

#3

"livestreamed torture session where viewers suggest / pay for whumpee to be tortured in specific ways" is such a classic but i just thought of the funniest inversion: livestreamed torture session but the viewers are all sympathetic and paying for whumper to stop and give whumpee a break. chat is all like "fuck dude that's too far" "take the knife out" "let them have some water and a snack" "headpats pls"

411 notes - Posted April 23, 2022

#2

me asking to be added to a taglist

424 notes - Posted May 29, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

"Make it stop" / "Please make it stop" is like the whumpiest phrase. the complete & total desperation of it all... just begging for someone, anyone to make the pain go away

427 notes - Posted March 11, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[hold-him-down]

Derek’s Back: Part 2

TW: mostly emotional whump/angst, implied prisoner abuse, implied eating issues, anxiety, referenced med whump, poorly researched international affairs/law

Previous

✥ ✥ ✥

Jack’s eyes had adjusted to the dark hotel room by now. In one hand, he held a now-cold coffee. His other hand was waging some type of war on his brain. His fingers danced over the bruised skin on Derek’s wrist, not touching the faded splotches, but close. He curled them in, pulling back. Although he couldn’t see Derek’s face from his angle on the floor, he knew that he was staring blankly toward the balcony door. The tension didn’t leave his shoulders, and he jumped at every noise. Jack grew to predict it. He was almost glad that he couldn’t see Derek’s face. Almost.

As the hours crawled by, Jack’s mind raced. 

His thoughts bounced between the past and the present in a brutal cycle that he could neither control nor predict. He would watch the way Derek’s arms wrapped around his stomach. And then, as a special treat, his brain would supply every possible reason for it. He would eventually get his imagination under control, and then he would see the way Derek’s legs curled in as tightly as they could.

Jack found some solace in the recognizable pattern of dozing off and waking himself up, over and over, that Derek’s body eventually settled into. Some invisible force would startle him awake. He would scan the room. His gaze would ultimately lock on Jack’s. There would be a brief flash of confusion. He would stare, pupils large, confused and empty, out the window of the balcony. Eventually, his eyes would once more close. Like clockwork. Unsettling, dark clockwork that Jack tried to tuck away.

Needless to say, Jack felt an immense sense of relief when the sky eventually shifted, taking on those familiar hues of orangey-pinks. 

He watched the sun rise in relative silence, not daring to move, for what felt like hours before Derek lifted himself cautiously, disoriented as he took in his surroundings.

Jack opened his mouth to speak, but the words wouldn’t come. He could feel Derek’s eyes on him, and watched warily as Derek clutched his arms tightly. Cold, or scared, or just not sure what to do with his own limbs. They stared at one another in silence. 

He was startled out of the stalemate by a vibration on the table. Followed by several more. Their collective attention was drawn to the phone.

Is he there

Jack

Please tell me he’s there

Jack

Not more than twenty seconds later the phone lit up. 

“He’s here,” Jack said, by way of greeting. “We’ll head over soon.” 

After a quick exchange, he set his phone back down, his eyes slow to meet Derek’s.

“Your mom,” Jack said, although Derek didn’t ask. The silence penetrated the room for a moment too long. “We’ve been working on our friendship in your absence.”

It earned him a smile. A half-smile at best, but he couldn’t hold back his own in response.

“Would you like some water? Or… I do actually have coffee.” Jack indicated toward his own cup as he stood from the floor where he had spent the last several hours, stretching backward. 

“Coffee sounds good,” Derek said, rising with a wince. “Ow,” he whispered, expression tight. In the light of day, with zero minutes of sleep, it was more obvious now than it had been before. His once tan, lean muscle was now pale and gaunt. His once confident stride was now a timid, cautious movement. The stubble covering his chin, the dull hollows under his eyes. “Jack?” Derek interrupted the appraisal of his physique, nodding toward the kitchen.

“Sorry,” Jack replied. He was. For a lot of things. Derek smiled his empty smile and walked past him, opting for water instead. There were pieces of him still there, Jack thought, as he watched his back. If he squinted, he could still see the outline of Derek. Just… a new version of Derek. One that Jack hadn’t even begun to peel back the layers on. Jack stared at his back as he drank a glass of water. Almost greedily. Too quickly, he decided, and immediately compartmentalized it. 

✥ ✥ ✥

“I didn’t know what you would want, so I just... had them send up a few options that I thought would be easy on your stomach,” Mrs. Lewis said, wringing her hands. “The doctor, yesterday, he said your…” She watched Derek, who held his plate tightly, and swallowed. “Well, he said that mild foods are...  probably best for right now.” 

Jack offered a superficial smile; the awkward pauses throwing off the cadence of her speech were jarring. He had never seen her so unsure.

Derek nodded, the slight tremble of his fingers reverberating through the ceramic, his eyes focused intently on keeping it steady as he made the short walk from the kitchen island to the dining table. 

“I hope it’s okay,” she continued, when it became clear that Derek wasn’t going to share his opinion on the breakfast menu. “If you want something different, though, I can run out and grab you something…” Pause. “Anything you want.”

“This is fine.” His voice was low, his eyes trained on the floor. Everyone in the room felt the extended silence, and Derek must have, too, because he looked up, swallowing. “T–thank you.” He forced a tight smile. “Mom.”

Jack registered what was happening just a moment too late, as Mrs. Lewis made a split-second decision to lay her hand on her son’s arm. Derek hadn’t seen it coming and jerked away, his plate crashing to the ground.

He didn’t hesitate; immediately, Derek dropped to his knees, eyes wide. He picked up the broken pieces of dish, tension visible in every line of his shoulders.

“I’m sorry,” he said, a kind of frantic panic settling into his voice, as Jack knelt down next to him. Derek kept his gaze aimed at the floor, his fingers shaking more visibly now as he made a futile effort to spoon bits of egg onto broken shards of plate.

“Hey,” Jack said, collecting as many of the glass shards as he could. He watched Derek’s mannerisms cautiously, a mixture of frenzy and hopelessness deeply ingrained into every movement. “It’s fine.” 

“I’m sorry, I– ” Derek paused as he stood, regarding the contents of his hands, before finally dropping them into the trash can. He looked around himself, his face flushed. Jack could swear there were tears welling in his eyes, but Derek maneuvered around him too quickly for him to confirm. “I’m going to just…I- I’ll go take a shower.” The last part was nothing more than a whisper. “I’m sorry.”

“No,” Jack said quickly, standing too. “It’s really okay.” Derek looked at him then, taking a long breath. “You take mine, and I’ll grab breakfast downstairs.” Jack pushed his plate into Derek’s hands and smiled, nodding toward the table. “I’m going to go take a walk, okay? Grab some coffee.” 

They stood closely, eyes locked. Derek’s were red, tired from a bad night’s sleep plus seven years of who the fuck knew what, with tears threatening to spill over. Jack’s desperate to convey the absolute okay-ness of Derek taking his meal. “Thank you,” Derek finally whispered. It didn’t sound relieved, or grateful, or anything other than anxious.

Jack smiled toward Mr. and Mrs. Lewis, who were seated at the table, all stiff-backed and solemn-faced, as he made his much-needed escape. He walked through the hotel lobby and into the bustling streets of Adana, replaying the scene in his mind over and over; one thought kept poking at him: Derek Lewis was weird about food.

✥ ✥ ✥

Jack, eager to get back to the hotel, didn’t stay gone long. He grabbed a quick coffee and a few groceries, keeping Mrs. Lewis’s words in mind. 

The hell did she mean by mild food? He stayed away from fruits, carefully examining his options. He took a small stock of vegetables, a few cans of soup. He tried very hard to keep his mind off of Derek. His phone, a heavy weight in his pocket, beckoned him. He was under very strict orders not to share this news with anyone, but in the moments where he was successfully not thinking about Derek, the guilt clung to him like a magnet, unwilling to release its hold on him for even a moment.

It had been years since he had spoken to any of their friends. Their closest friend, James, had called him nonstop when he first moved back. It had been painful to hear his voice, but he had tried; he had answered the phone as often as he thought he could, but he found himself sending to voicemail more and more as time passed, and when James, the last person left in his corner, had finally given up on him, the calls had stopped. But even after, James sent him an email and a single text message every six months or so. A plea for any updates he received. And a reminder that he was not alone, no matter how much alone-ness he felt.

Jack forced the thought out of his mind and instead cashed out. The Embassy guy had been clear: until back on U.S. soil, lay low. No phone calls announcing Derek’s freedom. No phone calls at all would be ideal. So, he swallowed back his guilt, and he walked.

By the time he got back to the hotel, he had three missed texts from Mrs. Lewis. He read them on the elevator.

At 10:05: We just finished breakfast. He didn’t speak. He ate, though. :)  

At 10:17: Could you pick up some food for him while you’re out?

At 10:33: Please come back soon.

That last one gave Jack pause. So much has changed in the last two days. He hadn’t even really processed what everything meant. What it would all mean. God, he hadn’t really processed anything.

✥ ✥ ✥

“I brought you some–” Jack said by way of greeting, unceremoniously entering the bedroom after a solid ten-minute internal debate over whether or not to knock. He stopped short, second guessing his decision, the instant he realized that Derek was… asleep? No, not asleep. Derek was on his side, as though he was asleep. And his eyes were closed, as though he was asleep. But the tension in his jaw gave him away. “–soup. And some other stuff, I didn’t know what you’d want but… uhh, I just kind of grabbed a little bit of everything in case you get hungry.”

“Thank you,” Derek responded, his voice more than a little gruff. Jack would have thought it was sexy in another life. He still kind of did, but now he chastised himself for it. Derek spoke, interrupting the war Jack’s brain had declared on itself. What did he say?

“What was that?” Jack asked. 

Derek hesitated, then a little louder, said, “I’m sorry.” At Jack’s obviously bewildered expression, he added, “About earlier.”

Jack stared for a moment too long, then shook his head. He came around the bed, sinking onto the mattress as Derek shifted, making room for him. It was a small gesture, but damned if it didn’t get Jack’s stomach tied in knots. “Don’t be. No harm done.” 

“Right,” Derek replied, slowly sitting. Jack couldn’t ignore the wince that flashed across Derek’s face. Nor was he able to ignore the bruising that was both more apparent in the daylight and darker than it had been. These were recent. Jack took the risk and put his fingers on top of Derek’s, flipping his hand as they both watched, exposing the under-side of his wrist.

“What happened here?” he asked, his thumb hovering the dark splotches. Derek’s eyes met his, sucking in a deep breath.

“I–” A muscle in his jaw tensed, his mouth closed. There was a moment of silence, Jack waiting for Derek’s move, and Derek… doing the thing that he did when he didn’t know what to say. “It’s a long story. What have you been…” His voice trailed off. “What have you been up to?” 

“Sure,” Jack replied, taking the bait. “Yeah. Okay.” He smiled a little bit, regarding Derek in his full form. Loose sweatshirt, buzzed hair. Hollow cheeks, grey-blue eyes. Watching his every move. “God, I don’t even know where to start. Oh, I live in Florida now…”

“Florida?” Derek’s eyes lit up a little bit, the first spark of… anything… that Jack had gotten from him. 

Jack nodded. “Yeah, I got a full ride to the literal crappiest law school in the country, and I landed up in bum fuck Florida with all the red necks and–” Noticing Derek’s face fall, Jack paused. “Sorry. I… it’s not that bad. I just… it’s weird for me. Being there, in Florida. Alone.” 

“Law school?” Derek’s expression was guarded but interested, and given the level of interest shown in the last twenty-four combined hours, Jack wasn’t going to complain.

“Yep, I’m a full-blown third-year law student. By the skin of my teeth. I’ve been in Florida for the last two, just… soaking in sub-par legal knowledge.” Eager to get to an easier topic, he shifted gears. “I’m just a few hours away from Disney, though. When I really want to suffer, I go walk around Epcot and cry. Scare the children. And their parents.”

Derek didn’t ask questions, but he listened as Jack talked. And Jack kept it light. He didn’t talk about law school, or his sexual history, or how thoroughly familiar he was with the taste of hard liquor. He talked about Disney. And the sun. And the ocean. And a life that really, if he was being honest with himself, didn’t quite exist for him.

tag list: @redwingedwhump, @whump-cravings, @crystalquartzwhump, @mylifeisonthebookshelf, @nami-writes 

[secretwhumplair]

The Sink - Intro/Reference/Timeline

So. Since I stumbled back into this universe, I figured I’d finally write up a quick intro post because otherwise it’ll be horribly confusing and/or I’ll have to explain the context every time I post something out of chronological order, which we all here know will be often. Especially for the whole Xerxes/Nor/Rega mess lol.

This setting features: Xerxes & Nor/Pet (& Rega), Leigh & the shapeshifter, and I might also throw the angel in. More characters pending :D

Content warnings: Pet whump, dehumanisation, the works.

Worldbuilding

Government is corrupt capitalism is running amok not much thought was put into this line because why

Poor and especially homeless are at risk of being snatched up by pet traders. Is this legal? No one cares. If you don’t have friends/family who are either very determined or rich, say goodbye to your chances of rescue. Most pet snatchers know better than to snatch someone from the latter categories (Leigh was a mistake, we’ll get there)

Most importantly! The Sink (TM) was an event that occurred two or three generations back, with two main consequences:

Mythological-esque creatures appearing, some humanoid in appaearance and/or intelligence, some not

Children (rarely) being born with superpowers, such as shapeshifting and healing factors

Needless to say these are considered extra valuable in the pet trade

To be clear, a filthy rich upper class exists and is the main market for pets

(Not really a worldbuilding aspect but this ‘verse is also trans character central, Nor is the only cis main character so far lol. Me experimenting with gender via my characters? Nooo what are you talking about)

Leigh & the shapeshifter

Leigh grows up on his uncle’s horse farm, otherwise known as the House by the Hill

At 18yo, he runs away for mostly just bratty reasons with a friend

Gets snatched up by pet traders, who think he’s just your average runaway teen with a broken family who won’t come looking

(They’re wrong, and Leigh’s family desperately looks for him for years, but they still get away with it)

Leigh is broken and bought by a sadistic master, the works

Said master later captures a shapeshifter

The two don’t have much opportunity to interact at first but during a trip to a nice little place in the countryside their master takes them to, that changes

Both of them are pretty messed up at this point. Leigh has been captive for six years.

When an opportunity arises, Leigh urges the shapeshifter to escape - he can’t because he’s got a GPS chip or whatever - but the shapeshifter insists he come along, claws the chip out, and they escape together

Somehow or other, they make it back to the House by the Hill half-dead

Cue everyone - the pair of them as well as Leigh’s family - dealing with their recovery

The shapeshifter and Leigh fall in love, you know how it is

Xerxes & Nor

Features a redemption arc of uncertain quality, including a whumper/whumpee reconciliation. I’ll tag the pieces this concerns “ex-whumper x whumpee” (unless someone has a better, similarly concise idea. It’s mostly if not fully non-romantic so the x doesn’t really do it justice lol.)

Xerxes grew up poor, therefore at high risk from pet snatchers, therefore decided early on if it was eat or be eaten, they would do the eating thank you very much

They start training pets in their late teens, quickly refining their crude methods and building a loyal string of clients, a reputation, and a fortune

They capture Nor - a small-time criminal just getting by, without family or friends to speak of - to train and keep as their personal pet

At some point they buy the House on the Hill as their home and training facility. Yes it’s the same hill. They’re now next door neighbours to Leigh’s family (next door here still means like. Half a hill apart.) This occurs before Leigh’s disappearance

Over time, they find themself growing genuine affection towards Nor, and satrt questioning their entire life. Eventually, they set Nor free to have an existential crisis by themself

Nor, with nowhere else to go, asks for a job at the House by the Hill, and they take him in (this is after Leigh’s escape and return)

(Xerxes does offer to host him as long as he needs but obviously Nor wants to leave as soon as he wraps his mind around his freedom)

(Which doesn’t take as long as it could, Xerxes never broke him fully because they enjoyed watching him struggle with his conflicting feelings about them)

Meanwhile Xerxes takes a trip to figure out what to do with their life. Comes across one of the pets they trained, a harpy-type bird creature, now utterly ruined, and buys them back more or less on a whim to help them recover

They make up their mind that this is what they’ll do moving forward, to try and make up for some of the damage they’ve done. They ask for help at the House by the Hill. The shapeshifter goes to help so Nor, who feels he should, doesn’t have to

Xerxes’ ex-clients are not thrilled with the development. One of them winds up kidnapping Xerxes to whump the living shit out of them

They’ve always had a difficult relationship with their clients due to their background, à la “we’ll tolerate you as long as you’re useful”

Oh did we mention they have a healing factor? Because they sure didn’t, knowing full well what it will mean to their clients. But of course, their captor figures it out

Xerxes thinks no one will care to save them. But of course Nor does and manages to strike a deal with their captor

Cue Nor caretaking an utterly shattered Xerxes because he knows they need someone they can trust around them which includes exactly one (1) person (barely) especially after what just happened to them

As Xerxes recovers, they carefully negotiate what their relationship will now be. Nor moves up the hill to help with the recued pets

Rega

Rega is trapped in a heavily abusive relationship, as good as a pet, but of course he doesn’t admit that to himself, manages, despite his own doubts, to ask Xerxes for help, and moves into the House on the Hill, where he ends up falling in love with Nor.

[whump-me-all-night-long]

Ummmmm jewelry box rescue / caretaking arc when 👀👉👈

Eventually!

Okay, so the deal with the future recovery arc is that, I don't know exactly when I'll start writing or posting it. I'm not writing chronologically, but I'm also focusing on the past/present right now, to build that foundation. I'm still trying to figure out some of the key details of the recovery arc, right now it's more of an intangible idea floating around in my mind, but I hope to have it nailed down soon!