#tw: institutionalised abuse

[haunted-armour-shell]

Essentially in this universe, the British Government rounded up all the nations they could find relating to a specific land, and made them fight to the death to decide who they wanted to represent before frankensteining them together to create the modern America, Canada, Australia, etc.

They focused on the white (or white appearing) colonies and ignored/destroyed the others because Racism. So for America it was only like State personifications (yes i'm doing a version of Statetalia), for Canada it was New France/Quebec and Newfoundland.

But I'm gunna focus on Australia. There are six for Australia; three pairs, with each pair having a Tasmanian and Mainland representative.

The first pair are two young First Nations (did the Carers rock up and steal the first young nations they found? yes, yes they did.) representing the Original Owners. (Also because the Stolen Generation is an important part of Australian History and I am making a - possibly ill-advised - reference.) They are made to fight in the death-match mostly as a form of sadistic torture because the carers were never letting either of them be the representation because, again, racism

The second pair are unnamed spontaneous arrivals, representing the unwillingly transported (i.e convicts) population. They grew up in the prison where the First Nations were being kept, and sort of, kinda, understand First Nation traditions, but are still White.

The final pair, of course, is New Holland and Van Diemen's Land representing the white settlers. They are the Carers preferred winners, and Netherlands' children.

In the end - via the fact that her power is to manipulate luck to help her Escape - it is the Mainland representative of the second pair who survives to become modern Australia.

Because of this, the story is largely disconnected from First Nations culture, because I am well aware that I am nowhere near capable of writing a true and realistic story that can accurately portray that in a respectful manner.

(Instead I am focusing on what I feel confident in, and making it about her experience in the Carer House - the house where colonies are kept when England has no need of them, sort of a Red Room scenario - and her relationships with her siblings a.k.a other colonies in the British Empire.)

Despite this, I was hoping to find a First Nations or BIPOC person willing to give me their perspective on the ideas I have outlined above. Because even though I am woefully out of my depth writing about institutionalized racism and First Nations culture, it feels disingenuous to cut it out of the story completely.

To add, no this has never been published - I am working on it merely as a fun hobby but want to make it as compassionate and good representation as possible in case I do ever decide to share it.

[my-autism-adhd-blog]

‘In my day, we didn’t have all this Autism stuff’ ‘The last Asylum for Disabled people only closed in 2001’

Neurodivergent_lou

[elusiveweekend]

thinking about this family

[spiltcandycoatedpunkblood]

it makes me sad understanding myself that I attach myself to characters who are vulnerable, traumatised or on the edge of society. I feel too deeply and when they are hurt in some way, I feel it at the very core of my being. on top of seeing such injustices, I find myself impassioned to the point of rage and tears to see them be kicked around like this. it's not fucking fair. I actually told my therapist that I realised then it felt like the characters in the Northern Lights series who have daemons, and that you should never cut the bond between them because it would cause serious trauma and death. in a strange way, it makes a whole lot of sense of my life. I see the injustices and I see my trauma and I want to fucking scream and stop it from happening. it makes me violently ill to see this happen.

[formshaper]

“I can save you. You need only ask.“ del @ dutch 👀

tw: manic episodes (mentioned), medical abuse (implied), forced institutionalisation (implied), dissociation, hallucinations, internalised ableism

"no," he tells the phantom-thing in the corner of his eye, over and over. bursts of colour that hurt his eyes and he's lying on a bedroll somewhere cold, can't remember where, and he's... that figure hurts to look at, to be near. he sits up in the dark, talking with his hands as much as his mouth. head hurts and he's saying more words tonight than he's said in years. "no, see, hosea's comin' for me, he said... and when he gets here--he's gonna explain everything. he's gonna get me home."

when he comes back to himself, the bright phantom is gone. he thinks he was dreaming. must have been, to see colours like that. must have been, to think he was all the way back there, out of his mind for no reason he could see, with hosea and bessie worried sick about him and all of them knowing they couldn't take him to a doctor, couldn't, knowing what would happen. knowing what he was. there were some close calls in those days. dutch's head ain't ever been screwed on too tight. he knows. they all knew.

they all knew and they still... judged him, in the end. didn't they.

did they? did you?

it takes until his cheeks are cold and frozen-over with tears for him to realise he's crying, but after that he stops real quick. sits there in the cold and dark, still thinking about the old days, his head still hurting. everything else hurting alongside it.

[whumps-and-bumps]

The Masterlist

Okay so I don't have much yet, but this is where I plan on linking all my various chapters, drabbles, ideas, and so on :) I want to at least try to keep things organised from the get go!

It's worth noting that some posts may contain implied noncon, and others explicit. Both will be marked at the beginning and tagged. All take place in a fantasy BBU-adjacent universe unless otherwise specified.

OC Masterlist -`♡´- Art Tag -`♡´- Mood Boards -`♡´- Tag/TW List

˖⁺‧₊˚ ♡ ˚₊‧⁺˖ Xenophobia ˖⁺‧₊˚ ♡ ˚₊‧⁺˖

[18+ content, BBU-adjacent, institutionalised slavery, dehumanisation, violence & abuse, gun violence, nonsexual nudity, humiliation, rescue, recovery]

Xen was a regular, boring old human, with a regular, boring old life - at least they were, until they found themself kidnapped and shipped to North Irades. They're quickly sold to a criminally wealthy man, and along with several other humans, are taken to his private island to be hunted for sport - but not before they're shown what their role in this society truly is.

The Lure

The Date

Preparation

˖⁺‧₊˚ ♡ ˚₊‧⁺˖ Lambs to Slaughter ˖⁺‧₊˚ ♡ ˚₊‧⁺

[18+ content, BBU-adjacent institutionalised slavery, dehumanisation, violence & abuse, slave/pet training, often explicit noncon/dubcon, pet whump]

Once upon a time, she was a model and a dancer. Once upon a time, she had a life and dreams. Once upon a time, she was free - but when a casting call went terribly wrong, that was all stripped away. She no longer has a name, for it is up to her new master to give her one, if she is lucky enough to be bought at all. Only time will tell. Until then, let the training commence.

[First]

˖⁺‧₊˚ ♡ ˚₊‧⁺˖ Bleed Me Dry ˖⁺‧₊˚ ♡ ˚₊‧⁺

[18+ content, BBU-adjacent, institutionalised slavery, dehumanisation, violence, pet whump, whumper-turned-caretaker, chronic illness, bloodplay, guilt]

Rune Sauvéterre de Vaillancourt is a proud, headstrong demon, but despite his family's terrifying reputation and immense generational wealth, he likes to say he is self-made. In a world where it's not only acceptable but expected for someone of his race and wealth to own several human pets, it's strange it's taken him so long to buy his first one.

[The Auction]

˖⁺‧₊˚ ♡ ˚₊‧⁺˖ Misc Things ˖⁺‧₊˚ ♡ ˚₊‧⁺˖

Valentines Day Drabble -`♡´- Rag/Tape Gag Prompt -`♡´- Dangerous Whumpee Prompt -`♡´- Lonely Whumpee Prompt

Jas/Varro/Willow Ask

[whumpshaped]

tw fantasy discrimination (institutionalised), exploitation, mistreatment mention, capitalism

"A conscience? Ethics? I haven't looked for that around here in a long time. I know you're a soulless, disgusting creature. You and your kind... you all are."

Standing at almost seven feet, with broad shoulders, muscles tensing and untensing visibly even under the coat of fur, a mouth full of sharp teeth designed to rip flesh from bone, and a death glare directed straight at the human in question, one might've thought the image was intimidating enough to make them back off. But with two guards on either side of them, equipped with the latest (and deadliest) version of the silver-coated, monster killing weapon family, they could afford to meet her gaze with calculated coolness.

"Surely, scolding me is not the purpose of your visit."

"No. No, it's not." The werewolf, leader of not only her pack, but the entire coalition of non-human creatures, gestured for her assistant to step forward and present the documents.

Her assistant was an unassuming little thing, one chosen specifically for her docile appearance. She must've thought that by choosing a dainty nymph to accompany her on her diplomatic missions, the picture would be a little more balanced; at the very least, humans wouldn't employ twice the guards for every meeting.

She spread out the papers on the desk, then gracefully stepped back to allow the human to look them over. It was complaint after complaint, pleading letters, terrified confessions from every creature on land, in sea, and air, all about one corporation, the director of which was sitting in front of the two of them.

"How could you have let this happen?" she snarled, fangs bared in a clear display of disgust and anger. "I know damn well- we all know damn well that rich human fucks love to abuse and take advantage of my people. So you, as someone who is working with hundreds if not thousands of them should've put in place strict measures to keep those people out of this corporation."

"Madam Chancellor, please, no need for such vulgarities-"

She slammed her clawed hand down on the table, letting out a frustrated, animalistic growl, ignoring the four weapons now pointed directly at her. "I will speak however I please, and you, Director, will listen. Get these people out of your corporation. I know there's not a smidgeon of empathy in that cold, dead heart of yours, but to think that you wouldn't even care about your billion dollar company is beyond me. Do you care for nothing but causing misery? Is that your sole motivation for getting out of bed in the morning?"

"I must ask you to refrain from making such accusations, ma'am," they said calmly, staring up into her glowing, yellow eyes. "I will keep the copies of these documents, and have my employees look through them. We will conduct thorough investigations, I assure you. Anyone found guilty of the crimes you've mentioned earlier will be let go."

"You have three months, Director. And during those months, while you conduct your investigation, you will make sure that the suspects don't set foot in this building, nor any of the others you own. Am I clear?"

"Very."

There was not an ounce of fear in their eyes, a fact that she could only lament. Slowly, she straightened up again, waiting until the guards lowered their weapons as well. "Good," she said finally. "Our meeting is concluded, then. I expect regular reports sent to my office."

"Of course, ma'am."

"I hope I won't have to barge into this office ever again, Director."

As they watched the two beasts leave, the human could barely stifle a laugh. Inflicting misery, as their sole motivation? Oh, what a ridiculous idea. No, they were a businessman through and through. Money had always been the only thing that dictated which direction to take the company in.

At the same time, these primitive monsters failed to realise that the billion dollar corporation was not the actual money making machine. The company was the cover-up, the ruse designed to lure hundreds of their kind to this one place with the promise of a well-paying, flashy career; a cover-up that had gotten a little too successful by complete accident.

The business, the real money was in letting those people in, the ones she expected them to now fire. And of course, they would, because it didn't matter in the slightest. Whether they were listed as employees and granted access to these disposable freaks that way, or they were simply let in through a backdoor, or invited to afterparties, it didn't matter. The money was going to keep flowing regardless.

They picked up one of the papers, scanning the tearful testimony with critical eyes. Oh, they were about to launch an investigation alright, and they were going to make sure that there would be no complaints like this in the future.

"Bring these over to my secretary," they ordered nonchalantly. "I want to know the sender of each individual complaint."

~

@ashh-ed @whumpsday @whump-queen @the-scrapegoat @hidden-dreamland @rosewriteswhump

[callofthxvoid]

Please welcome JULIANNE "JULIE" DAVENPORT (SHE/HER) to Huntsville, WV. They are a 21-year-old VISITOR who lives in TOWN. You may see them around working as a PHARMACY ASSISTANT AT HUNTSVILLE CLINIC & PRIVATE TUTOR. They are looking for JASMINE DAVENPORT MINNIE GARCIA, their AUNT. Poor unfortunate soul. We'll see if they survive.

quick facts

Title: The Broken Bird

Name: Julianne Bryony Davenport

Nickname: Julie

Date of Birth: August 8, 2002

Age: 22

Place of Birth: New Haven, Connecticut

Hometown: Hartford, Connecticut

Languages: English, Spanish, French, Italian

Faceclaim: Natalie Alyn Lind

Pronouns: She/Her

Sexuality: Bisexual

Relationship Status: In a relationship with Zel Dutton

personality

Myers-Briggs: ISFJ - The Defender

Enneagram: Type One - The Perfectionist (1w2)

Moral Alignment: Lawful Good

Occupation: Pharmacy Assistant at Huntsville Clinic & Private Tutor

Role: Gatherer

[+] polite, kind-hearted, dutiful, selfless [-] obedient, passive, repressed, fearful

Character Inspirations: Machi Kuragi (Fruits Basket), Cassandra de Rolo (Critical Role), Lucy Maud Montgomery (Bungo Stray Dogs)

background

TW: Parental Control, Institutionalisation, Medical Abuse

Julie's parents were still in college when she was conceived. While it had not been planned, both families deemed the pair a good match and arranged for them to get married, with her mom dropping out of college to become a full-time wife and mother. In their early years as a family, they often visited Huntsville to see her grandparents and her aunt Jasmine, who was much closer to her in age than to Julie's father and ended becoming more like an older cousin or even a sister to her than anything.

Their trips to Huntsville stopped when she was nine years old and her grandparents suddenly relocated to Hartford. She was told that her aunt had passed away and that they had decided to move for a fresh start, to be closer to family, and to help them cope with the loss. For years, her own home had been cold, turbulent and devoid of love, and while she mourned Minnie, she was grateful to have her grandparents close. After a while, she ended up spending more time at their place than she did at home, with them raising her and caring for her in away neither of her parents did.

When she was in high school, she went to live with them permanently after her father was charged with embezzlement and fled the country to avoid a certain conviction, while her mom left to avoid being associated with the whole thing. His indictment and subsequent escape turned into a massive media circus, and while Julie tried to carry on with her life as normal, the public attention she received led to her eventually having a complete mental breakdown and being forced to spend some time in a psychiatric facility. When she got out, her grandparents set her up with a private doctor, a whole host of refillable prescriptions, and arranged for her to be homeschooled so that she could graduate away from prying eyes. She was grateful for their help at the time, especially since they insisted on paying for everything and refused to let her get a job to pay them back, even after she started college. She had no reason to believe that they had ulterior motives for leaving her completely financially dependent on them.

She was already halfway through her degree in chemistry at Yale when she realised that her grandparents' involvement in her life was not normal. A big fight ensued, after which Julie dropped out of college, moved out of their house, and started working a series of minimum wage jobs. For about a year, she was totally broke, living with more roommates than they had bedrooms, and going through withdrawal from no longer taking her various medications, but at least she was free. It was honestly the happiest that she had felt since she was a child visiting Huntsville, but the thought of having to see her grandparents again to get the last of her things was still terrifying to her.

Eventually, she managed to arrange with their housekeeper for her to drop by when they weren't home, and it was when she was grabbing her own legal papers from the family safe that she found evidence that her aunt was in fact very much alive, including her emancipation papers. Feeling a surge of hope that she might still have real family in the world, she packed a bag and started hitchhiking her way down the coast to West Virginia, excited for the prospect of getting to see her aunt again after so many years.

misc

She arrived with Zel Dutton and his emotional support duck(s).

[feral-cockroach]

MASSIVE TW FOR SELF HARM

ive been clean for almost a full year. maybe just over at this point, i dont know. but all (and i mean ALL) of my scars were fully healed and some were even fading into those little white lines that are barely visible on your skin.

and i relapsed tonight. ive been fighting it for weeks now but realistically i knew it was going to happen eventually. i feel so, so hopeless. nothing is working out and i cannot convince myself that things will improve. its a feat to just talk myself out of suicide every morning at this point.

im so fucking sick of everything. i mean honestly what is the point? im barely making rent, im going to lose my home in october of next year, ive got no car, no license, i can't afford groceries most of the time with absolutely no help from anyone around me. im scared. im tired and im alone.

i havent self harmed in a year or over and the worst of it was 3 years ago. except im getting back to that point i was at 3 years ago and i cant afford institutionalisation again. even if i could i dont want to go back. they held me for a week and then gave me a caretaker and then took away my caretaker when i turned 18 and then when i found myself a new therapist they completely cancelled my insurance with no warning and then denied me when i tried to reapply. ive been without insurance for a year in march.

im fucking terrified and i hate it here and i cannot do this shit much longer. i just cant. i dont know how much more fear and paranoia and justified upset one guy can fucking take !!!!

i just wish my father hadnt stalked and coerced my mom and i wish my moms mom wasnt such a pro life piece of shit and i wish my mom hadnt developed such an attachment to her abuser to convince herself that having a child was a good idea and i ESPECIALLY wish that my mom hadnt completely discarded me when we left my father and then immediately started dating new men every fucking week my whole life ive never known her to be single

and i love my mom !!!! but my mom does NOT love herself !!!!! and my mom HAS TO HAVE validation from men !!!!! and ive spent the past FOUR YEARS trying to have a relationship with her and she wants absolutely nothing to do with me and it SUCKS !!!!

it sucks so fuckinf much that EVERY SINFLE PERSON involved in bringing me into this SHITHOLE wants NOTHING TO DO WITH ME because i didnt end up how THEY WANTED ME because GOD FORBID I BE FUCKINF TRAUMATISED BY WHAT THEY ALL PUT ME THROUGH.

and im so , so angry. and scared. im so scared. im not sure when im going to kms but honestly, if i look to the future, thats all i see. thats all i have ever seen since i was 12 years old when i first self harmed. thats almost an entire decade of self harm. and i was convinced i wouldnt hit 16 or 18 or 21 and im about to hit 21 and every year it was "if i make it to [16/18/21] i wont make it to 30" and here i am at 21 and you know what

i wont. i dont think im going to make it to 30. by my own hand or my fathers or capitalisms i dojt fucking know but i will not live to see 30. i am certain

and it is the only thing i have ever been certain about my entire life.

[myersesque]

so literally every time my mum's spoken to my counsellor she's been thanked for being The Only Parent who doesn't ask them to lock up her kid for having issues, so like. that's fucked up. im not optimistic abt the quality of parenting in the world

[one-abuse-survivor]

Hey. This is the roommate anon again.

I can’t remember if the last ask was about her being in the hospital or not, but she’s in the hospital. I think it was originally supposed to be a 72 hour hold, but it’s going on longer. My dad and I are taking care of her dog.

Which brings me to this morning. I found out from one of the neighbors that she had accused said neighbor of filming her when the neighbor was just playing candy crush. My roommate had an episode a few months ago where she was hallucinating people and animals outside the house, but I’m not sure if this was during the same episode or if it was a different episode. I called my dad to ask him to tell the social worker about it, since he had offered to help, and he was the one to handle talking to the hospital roommate is in, since I had dealt with calling the local hospital and the police. But he didn’t want to because he didn’t want her to end up in the system, and when I called him out that I’d end up being the one to take care of said roommate and that I can’t handle it, he changed it to “well they’d rather hear a first hand account.” I got him to agree to being there with me to call the hospital to tell them what’s happened in the past couple months. I also told him I can’t live with her after this, cause I’ve reached the end of my rope, between financially helping her out a lot over the past 6 years, and dealing with her decline the past couple months, and dealing with my own mental health, and switching jobs.

I know I shouldn’t live in my car, but at this point, I don’t know what else to do. My dad has a really long history of saying he’ll help or be there for me and then not doing that because of the woman he’s with at the time. My ex stepmom, my dad’s current girlfriend, and my roommate who rents from him, he’s been really good at enabling all of them to either take advantage of me or emotionally abuse me. And between dealing with my dad and dealing with my roommate, I can’t stay here any longer, but I don’t have enough money right now to live on my own. At least, on my birthday in a couple months, I’ll get full access to the money my grandma left.

This sounds really rough, nonnie. I'm glad you were clear about being unable to continue to be there for her, but I really hope you don't have to live in your car after all. It's so good to hear that you'll have access to more money soon!

Your dad sounds really shitty. I'm sorry he's been enabling others to abuse and take advantage of you. You really didn't deserve that.

I hope things change for the better soon and you don't have to worry about your roommate's safety or where you're going to live. Sending all my support your way ❤️

[whumpthisway]

OH fldhskdjwhs EEEEK! this is so wickedly, wonderfully creative punishment ahhhhh, Kit honey!! :O the poor guy ahhh!! I was just *wincing* for him ooooof xD

Speaking Out of Turn

Warnings: Dehumanisation, punishments/torture, abuse, descriptions of pain, victim blaming and general mind fuckery/fucked up inner thoughts

Set in the Box Boy Universe, at a privately owned pet store, where Kit is the pet store pet.

Word count: 1.8k

[Beginning] [Prev]

With one thing and another it had been a trying day. Kit felt run off his feet. One current pet was stubborn as anything and wouldn’t do a thing unless pushed right up to the point of requiring a behaviour correction. Emile’s job to administer, but Kit’s job to avoid them getting to that point. The kid was relentless, dug his heels in at every request, scowled at customers. Kit didn’t know how he’d ever be sold.

And a customer had come in with a pet that was so nervous they hardly functioned. Kit had tried to offer comfort, the soft place toward the back of the shop with water and a fan where pets could rest or be left in their care while Owners ran errands but the pet had refused to go with him. The Owner had snapped and slapped the pet right there on the shop floor and kicked them until they scurried after Kit on all fours. It had startled him, to see frustration turned to anger and rained down on the pet. His head had been half lost in thoughts ever since.

So when Emile called for him as he tried to clean up the pet care area, his name twice— clipped and impatient by the second time— he growled back “In a minute!” Without even thinking.

Realising what he’d done he walked slowly around the side of comforting cubby with his hands clasped over his mouth. Emile’s round face was smattered with red blotches, his mouth a thin line.

“Get back there. Bathroom. Now.” It was barked at him and he didn’t hesitate to comply.

Keep reading

[the-great-lightwood-bane]

Shadowhunters Pride Bingo 2022 Masterpost

Series on AO3 | all fics are created for the Shadowhunters Pride Bingo presented by the Malec Discord Server. @malecdiscordserver

of love & names Magnus-centric, Malec | G, tw transphobia | The best thing that Asmodeus ever did for him, Magnus sometimes thought, was letting him choose his own name. Or: Magnus is trans, has friends, and (finally) feels accepted. | Prompt: AFAB | AO3 | Tumblr

U — Understanding [Shadowhunters Ace ABC] Alec-centric, Malec | G, tw internalised & institutionalised homophobia | Isabelle realised that her brother was not straight when she was fifteen and he was sixteen. Or: Izzy loves her brother, but some wounds go deeper than she can fix. (Ft. gratuitous light/dark metaphors, sibling antics, and angst with a happy ending.) | Prompt: “Love is Never Wrong” | AO3 | Tumblr

of colourful nails & the defeat of homophobes Malec | G, tw homophobia | Magnus’ nails glowed with every colour of the rainbow. Or, Alec paints his nails and is politically savvy. | Prompt: Painted Nails | AO3 | Tumblr

N — Natural [Shadowhunters Ace ABC] Malec | G, tw internalized & external homophobia & aphobia | Alec is ace and gay, Maryse is evil, Alec meets a certain Magnus Bane, and the road to self-acceptance is long and hard — but it's a bit easier when you have friends and family to support you. (Ft. pining idiots and Alec writing books.) | Prompt: Forehead Kiss | AO3 | Tumblr

sweeter than sugar Malec | G, tw minor mention of homophobia | Pretty boy. Darling. Alexander. Sayang. Husband. Five times Magnus called Alec something that wasn't his name, and one time Alec returned the favour. | Prompt: Pet Names | AO3 | Tumblr

cum non bellantis Malec | G, no warnings | Alec and Magnus enjoy the benefits of a telepathetic bond and Alicante has its first pride. (Takes place in my libertate bellantis ’verse.) | Prompt: First Pride | AO3 | Tumblr

G — Gaze [Shadowhunters Ace ABC] Magnus-centric, Malec | G, tw aphobia | Magnus sometimes found the gazes of strangers unnerving. Or, Magnus is demisexual and sex-positive, people are not always understanding, Camille is a bitch, and Alec loves Magnus. | Prompt: Free Space | AO3 | Tumblr

pull me closer Jimon | G, tw mention of Jace's abusive childhood, panic attacks | For most of Jace’s life, his assumption that he was straight went unchallenged. Jace is definitely not straight and in love with Clary. That doesn't change just because Simon's cute and funny and brave and— well, Jace is straight, so obviously he doesn't like Simon that way. (Right?) | Prompt: Pansexual | AO3 | Tumblr

(beyond) this place of wrath and tears Malec | T, tw for mention (not graphic) of the following: biphobia, racism (anti-Downworlder and anti-POC), whatever it's called when people want men not to wear makeup, suicidal thoughts, and depression | People tend to hate what they do not understand, and while Magnus can ignore most cruel words, he sometimes fears there might be a fragment of truth in them. Fortunately, he has Alec. | Prompt: “There’s nothing wrong with you. There’s a lot wrong with the world you live in.” | AO3 | Tumblr

[comfy-whumpee]

Whumping Safely 101

Many people in this community have mental health problems, face various types of discrimination, and have complicated relationships with some parts or types of whump. In particular, I aim this at people who care about the experience of survivors and others with triggers – partially because I am an abuse survivor who often flirts with triggering content as part of my love of whump.

Keeping your blog safe is difficult, takes effort, and is never a perfect process. But as the community grows and grows, it’s really important that we hold ourselves to a high standard. I would argue that this is a responsibility of all content creators, but especially those of us in the messy playground of whump.

I’ve got three sections in here: content warnings, writing with care, and community interaction. I’ve tried to make it navigable. It’s about 1.8k words. Shorter than a lot of drabbles! I welcome good-faith criticism on this topic and further questions on my own views.

Content Warnings

The biggest responsibility, in my opinion, is empowering your reader to make their own decision on whether they want to expose themselves to your writing. This also happens to be by far the easiest way to help people whump safely.

What to warn

This is a big and ever-changing topic. Some things you should warn for as a rule of thumb are anything NSFW, pet whump and box boy whump, drugs and alcohol, medical and hospital content, graphic gore, intimate partner violence, and animal harm. It can be tricky to draw the line of what counts – what needs a warning? If you’re in doubt, just warn it anyway. It doesn’t hurt.

If someone requests a trigger be warned for, even if it’s something that feels obscure or tame, show compassion and agree to the request. This is someone who cares enough about being able to read your writing that they wrote in! They want to be able to read it and enjoy it. You’re being complimented.

Otherwise, look at what other blogs tag for. You’ll see some variation in styles and levels of detail, but it’s a good way to gauge what people think is warn-worthy, when we’re often writing stuff that would already be R-rated in mainstream media.

Read Mores

The easiest way to make sure people don’t see your triggering content is to use a cut. Tumblr is not a very functional website and likes to delete cuts, but a cursory check of your posted content will usually tell you whether it’s worked. With asks, cuts are very spotty, so don’t be afraid to post an ask response separately with a screengrab of the original question. People often then respond to the ask itself with a link to the post, especially if it’s a whole drabble. Tumblr is weird and bad so just do your best.

Content notices

I.e., a quick summary before the drabble, usually in bold, to state what will be coming. I like to distinguish between using content notes (CN) and trigger warnings (TW) to indicate severity. Others might use the old phrase ‘dead dove do not eat’ to indicate this is a heavy piece, and often you will see qualifiers like ‘intense’, ‘mild’, ‘mention’, ‘referenced’ (i.e. it is discussed but not actively happening), and ‘implied’ (as the opposite of ‘explicit’). I’ve also seen a couple of people use ‘vibes’, which is a really nice way of demonstrating that it’s there, but not the focus. A quick paragraph like this, or just a line, lets people make a quick risk assessment on their reading.

This is also important if you’re sending in asks or requests to people. If you want to ask about something triggering, send an inquiry first about whether the blog is okay to hear it.

Tagging

Tagging is a chore, but it’s your primary way of warning people about your content. The main benefit of tagging is that you can be as detailed as you want, because can be tagging for content in general, not just triggers.

In a best case scenario, you’d tag the kind of whump you’re doing, tag triggers, tag characters, and even your ‘verses, because tagging is your index for your blog. If you tag reliably, you help your future self and your readers find stuff, and you also make your blog really dang safe. People who have unusual triggers can blacklist tags, and will pick up on your content tags to help them.

Don’t just tag your own writing. Tag your reblogs, tag your prompts, tag your asks. Yes, edit your asks to add the tags. Tag your images and gifs. Tag your images as images and your gifs as gifs.

If you aren’t up for detailed tagging for whatever reason, just tag for triggering content, and add stuff to that list if you’re asked to. My usual technique is to make a mental note of tags while I’m formatting and editing before posting.

Be aware that your first five tags will be used in search results. If you’re using tags that are associated with kink too, such as ‘shibari’, you might want to rethink your tag order if you don’t want interaction from those blogs. Also think about what tags might come up in non-whump contexts, such as ‘collar’ or ‘PTSD’. Some tactics for getting around this I’ve seen are adding ‘whump’ after the content or writing the tags in past tense (i.e., ‘collared’).

It is also a good idea to watch out for when you might be reblogging something whumpy that is intended as kink / porn / fetish, especially in images. Tagging these as spicy / nsfw / kink is a sensible move.

Writing with Care

Okay, now for the harder stuff.

I mean here to lay out some guidelines for how to write in a way that helps your reader build good faith. This is a much more nuanced topic, and it’s different for everyone. There will always be differing opinions on what should and shouldn’t be written about, what a good depiction of a sensitive topic is, and how to discuss that topic. I tried to strip this back into absolute basics that I hope we can all agree on.

Maybe your whump involves abuse. Maybe it’s gaslighting. Maybe it’s severe mental health problems, or addiction, or slavery, or you write about or analogise real-world issues. Whump deals with the dark stuff, and that’s a big part of its appeal. But don’t ever forget you’re writing the dark stuff.

(Try to) Know what you’re doing

Some of us play fast and loose with plots, medical accuracy, worldbuilding, and other things that get in the way of the pain we crave. This is all well and good, but when we start using whump that speaks true to people’s lived experiences, we shouldn’t be careless with it. I’m particularly talking about things that get represented poorly in mainstream media, such as abusive relationships, issues around marginalisation, mental illness and disability.

Be critical of media that you’ve consumed. Think about how its depicted things that you want to depict in turn. Look for opinions on fictional representations of those issues. Be aware that you might be more ignorant of things than you realise.

Look at how others are writing these issues, particularly if they’re writing from a perspective different to yours. If you haven’t personally experienced what you’re writing about, e.g., if you don’t have PTSD and you want to depict a character who does, seek out stuff written from or with experience. Listen to the experts.

If you’re looking for stuff about representation specifically, I recommend this collection of posts about ‘Braving Diversity’ cultivated by Writing With Colour, who are in themselves a fantastic resource for this topic, and have recommendations for other blogs that deal with intersecting issues.

Listen to others

Missteps are inevitable. Nobody is perfect. If constructive criticism is offered, that’s also a compliment to your writing. Someone read your work and thought about it, and thought you’d care about improving it. They’re offering themselves as a resource for helping you see your work in a new light.

Criticism is hard and sometimes hurtful, but even if we don’t think it’s accurate, there’s often a grain of truth in it. If someone tells you that your writing is harmful, think about why they’ve said that, not whether or not they’re correct. This is an opinion! Opinions are subjective! But what drove someone to send that in?

You don’t have to respond to all your criticism and definitely don’t respond straight away. Being respectful to those who are trying to help you means taking the time to consider it properly. Sometimes, they don’t need a response. Others, you might want to learn more about what they think before deciding. You might have already discussed the topic, in which case, you might just want to reblog your previous posts.

If it’s sent in bad faith or is outright hateful, you’re well within your rights to just delete it and move on. You might get the same criticism over and over again, and that’s exhausting, and you don’t have to retrace your steps for everyone.

But if it’s new, even if it puts your hackles up, you can always stop and wonder why someone felt that strongly about your work.

Take a step back

One of my better-known characters is a pet whumper who conditioned his victim to adore and depend on him. It’s not always easy to represent how deeply messed up that is within the text – though I think that’s part of the challenge – but in meta-commentary, I am always describing him as a creeptastic bastard lacking compassion and self-reflection. I hope to always give the reader the confidence that I know just how wrong it is.

This is a really simple thing you can do just to give readers good faith in you. Show that you know what you’re writing is dark and messed up. Show your understanding for the issues you’re handling and that they’re complicated. It might seem self-evident, but when you’re writing the really dark stuff, or unhealthy relationships, or institutionalised whump, you can inadvertently create the impression that you just think it’s fun. The fact that it’s fiction does not automatically absolve you. Show that you care about doing it right.

Community Interaction

I’m going to keep this one short and sweet because I will almost entirely be preaching to the choir here.

Be polite to others. Imagine saying what you’re saying to their face.

Don’t send anon hate. Just don’t. If you can send criticism off anon, do so.

Nobody is obligated to interact with you.

Nobody is obligated to monitor their own reader base.

If someone says do not interact, do not interact.

If someone says do not interact, why they’ve said that is none of your business.

You don’t need to spread the word about someone’s bad politics.

Ask yourself if your input is needed, or if what you’ve said has already been said.

You don’t have to take a side.

Take care of yourself. Take breaks. Remind yourself that whump is a small part of the world.

That’s all from me, folks. Stay safe.

[imjustapigeon]

vent post. this is just about getting therapy, so I don't think it needs a tw.

I still live with my abusers (although hopefully not for long), so I've been hesitant to talk to a gp, since I worry that if my abusers find out then I'll be homeless. I also worry about not being believed about my symptoms and being laughed at (idk how someone is going to react to "I think I have a few people living inside my head". how tf do I bring that up. because I'll need to bring it up if I want the right therapy).

however, the thing that I'm the most worried about, is getting institutionalised. after my peer group found out I have DID (at the time I didn't even know I had it, let alone that they knew. they didn't tell me that I had DID for their own disgusting reasons) one person at one point said something about me needing to be put in a home. I'm now really worried that a professional is just going to write off anything I have to say about myself, since how could I possibly know what's best for myself, and try to put me somewhere that I don't want to go. I'm worried because I just don't know what's going to happen to me of I tell my gp. it could really go one of 2 ways. either really, really well, or really, really badly. I'm going to do it anyway, but this has just been weighing on me a lot. hopefully I'm overthinking it and everything will be fine.

[yourcasualfangirl]

Aaron and Kaytlyn Minyard-

This is gonna be a long one strap in.

Tw// self harm, suicide, drug abuse, war

Rosie Minyard:

- Rosie Minyard was born in Hawaii to a different name and a different family.

- When she was 5 her parents were murdered. It’s as simple as that. And she was taken.

- there’s a lot of speculation about what actually happened and god if she knows

- but where she goes after that is what’s mattered.

- she’s sold to the biggest human trafficking ring in North America.

- for years she gets bought and sold and it’s all she ever knows.

- it gets busted when she’s 12 and she gets out.

- she’s rushed to a hospital in New York but she refuses to be treated, nobody can get close enough before she starts screaming and fighting

- she’s so traumatized she can’t speak, even if she could she doesn’t speak much English.

- she’s malnourished and beaten and has so many scars you couldn’t even begin to count, the most noticeable one from her right eyebrow to somewhere below her collar

- enter Aaron Minyard

- he recognizes that look in her eye, he saw it when he first met Jean and a car alarm went off, when he first saw kevin after leaving the nest, when Andrew had a bad day, when he saw Neil for the first time after Baltimore

- so he asks if he can look after her, eventually the doctors give in, there’s nothing they can do anyway

- so he sits with her, he doesn’t speak and neither does she. For days, neither of them talk, he comes in when his shift starts and leaves when it’s over

- then he does start talking, he talks to her about anything and everything, he takes to calling her ‘Rosie’ after some of the flowers that were dropped off

- one day he comes in and she’s sitting where he normally does, he asks if he can sit with her and she nods, he asks if he can give her a quick check up, make sure she’s okay, and she nods

- she doesn’t let anyone else touch her, doesn’t let anyone else near her

- and then they find out her name, the first time someone says it to her she starts screaming again, she try’s to run

- Aaron’s the only one who can calm her down, he calls her Rosie until she falls asleep

- that night she tries to kill herself

- Aaron’s the one who stops her, coming in to bring her food, kaytlyns with him

- right then and there’s kaytlyn knows nobody else is going to take her home. She knows it’s gotta be them, so she asks Aaron that night, if they can foster her

- Aaron just looks at her for a moment before he starts crying. He says yes of course and she’s theirs within the month

- the next year is hard, it’s so goddamn hard but they never give up on her

- they help her through her nightmares and therapy, they hold her when she doesn’t remember where she is and thought someone hurt them

- she starts talking about six months in, slowly but surely. She doesn’t speak a lot, it’s just something that’s really hard for her so they learn sign.

- but Rosie does get better, nightmares become less frequent, and god do the foxes love her

- her and Andrew get along easily and quickly, with long silences and hesitant signing (Andrew learned when Aaron did)

- sometimes Andrew and Jean feel like the only ones who could ever understand

- the first time she calls Aaron ‘da’ is when she’s hysterically crying. She woke up not knowing where she was, kaytlyn was working the night and Aaron was asleep. She ran to the living room, though she knew where she was it wasn’t registering. Aaron went downstairs to see what all the fuss was and she was in the backyard.

- she collapsed and cried and begged him to never leave her, when she called him ‘da’ he cried too

- it hurt to see her in so much pain

- when she was 16 she attempted suicide again, the memories being too much

- she had to get institutionalised for a little while and Aaron and Kaytlyn were there every step of the way

- she got better. Really better. It took a while and it was hard but she did. The foxes helped and though she was never able to fully talk about what happened to her, she was never able to have sex without the panic coming back, she was okay again.

Aristotle Minyard:

- the second Aaron saw him he knew what had happened to this boy

- kaytlyn had been the one to propose another kid, Rosie was 13 now and when they asked her about it she had been so excited

- so they went to their local orphanage (idk how it works don’t come at me)

- Aristotle Minyard was born to a different name and different family

- he grew up in a trailer park in southern New Mexico, he barely spoke English

- he had track marks all down his arms and was too skinny for it to be genetics

- he couldn’t look people in the eye and couldn’t stand still

- when Aaron had tried to talk to him he almost started crying.

- they asked what had happened to him and it went like this:

- born and raised in New Mexico, abusive druggie parents who used whatever they had as a substitute for the ADHD meds that Ari needed. Nobody knew the full extent of what had happened

- Kate knew then and there that that boy was going to be theirs.

- the thing was, he came as a packaged deal

- when they asked him if he’d be okay staying for a while he refused, he refused to go anywhere without ‘Lil’

- nobody knew who that was

- eventually he lead them to the detention room where the kids who start fight go, he pointed to the only girl in the room

- a small middle eastern girl who looked as if she wanted to rip the heads off everyone there

- apparently she had been protecting him since the second he got there

- so Aaron and Kate made the decision and took them both home

- it took a while for Ari to come out of his cage but they soon realized everytime they called him by his birth name it got worse, he was back to being the helpless little boy who let him mum poke needles in his arms

- so they asked him what he wanted to be called, and he remembered a man his grandmother used to talk about ‘Aristotle’ now he didn’t really know who that was but the name was cool so he stuck with it

- and he was Aristotle Minyard, he stopped repressing his ADHD because he soon learned in this house it doesn’t mean pain, it doesn’t mean no food

- it took a while and some therapy but eventually he was himself again, the himself he never got to be before Aaron and Kaytlyn

- he never called his parents mum and dad, he never really called them anything so moving those titles to Aaron and Kaytlyn felt like reclaiming who he was and who he wanted to be

- because those names menat love and for the first time ever he felt it

- of course Ari had his bad days, days when the cravings were so bad he felt like he was dying but Aaron was always there

- he helped him through all of it

- the first time Ari touched Aaron’s own track marks and then his Aaron didn’t know what to do, but when Ari quietly whispered ‘we match’ and Aaron hugged him until they both felt okay again. Aaron cried to Kate all night

- he relapsed when he was 17. It was bad. It was really really bad. Ever seen beautiful boy?? Yeah it went like that. His birth parents were trying for custody. He had to go to court and everything and it was so damn hard even Aaron felt the urge

- but after that, when he got out of rehab and saw his parents and fox family again he knew he had a reason to keep fighting, though the drugs didn’t want him to see it

- Jack day and Aristotle Minyard were the best of best friends that ever were. Everyone was convinced they were dating (despite ari being straight), they went everywhere together, they loved each other so damn much and jack helped Ari out of the darkest of times

- he and Nicky speak Spanish together and gossip and talk shit constantly, he and Nicky are like best friends and everyone’s so confused

Lilith Minyard:

- Lilith Minyard was born in a war. She was born in fighting and battle but never thought she would see the middle of it

- and then she did.

- her village was bombed when she was six, the children were rounded up and taken

- she was forced to be a soldier

- she watched children die, she watched families die, she even killed

- it was that or death. She watched her brother refuse, she then watched them cut off his legs and leave him to die. She had to survive.

- when she was 13 she immigrated to America (that thing where you come to the country because if you go back to yours you’ll die)

- she was put into foster care where she met Ari, a small boy on the other end of people’s cruel ness, she watched him allow people to keep bullying him so she stuck with him, she stuck with him and protected him

- she didn’t really have morals anymore, she didn’t know right from wrong, she didn’t know if she cared to learn anymore

- she was much like Andrew in that sense. She couldn’t care less what happened to her, she had no regard for her own life but once she found someone worth protecting it was all that mattered

- when Ari got adopted she went with him

- she didn’t trust Aaron or Kate, any amount of kindness could be a set up, could be a trick

- she might be young but she had seen things they could only imagine

- they made her start therapy, she didn’t talk. She could deal with the nightmares. She could deal with the PTSD. She could do it all herself and didn’t need anyone.

- she slowly started protecting Rosie too.

- she would be lying if she said she wasn’t growing fond of some of the foxes (neil and Renee)

- she had a smart mouth of her own too, her and Neil would get going at it and it would be quite the show

- she never let her guard down though

- Aaron and Kate did what they could but she just wouldnt let them in

- until one night, Ari and Rosie were at Jacks, she had stayed home

- the nightmares were bad, really really bad

- she woke up in a cold sweat and didn’t know where she was

- she walked down stairs so quietly you wouldn’t even know she was awake

- Aaron and Kate were in the kitchen

- she was still at war, she felt it in her bones

- she grabbed katelyn from behind and held her in a headlock, seconds away from snapping her neck

- it took a while to talk her down, to show her she was safe, that her mind was playing tricks on her

- she was yelling in Arabic which nobody knew, and then she was crying too

- they didn’t sleep that night, and the next day Lilith actually talked in therapy

- and the next time someone asked ‘which Minyard? The psycho or the murderer’ she punched them in the face because that was her family

- she was the only one who could take Andrew and Renee in a fight and beat them both

- she was so angry, violence a first nature for her, it took her a while to make it come second, it took her even longer to be able to come to terms the fact that she did need help

- she came out when she was 16, she did so by responding to kaytlyns ‘any cute boys at school?’ question over dinner with ‘ew no but plenty of girls’

- she ended up dating dan and Matt’s daughter

- she chose her name when she first came to America after she heard the story of Adam and Eve, she decided she wanted to be like Lilith

- she’s form Iran btw

All of them:

- they all play exy: Rosie is goalkeeper, Ari dealer and Lilith striker

- they asked Aaron and Kate to properly adopt them when they were 15, they threw a little party

- they help each other, a lot

- so much trauma in one house oml

- also so many languages, German and English with aaron, Arabic and English with Lilith, hawaiian and English for Rosie and Spanish and English with Ari