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Don't you just love it when the team get captured and it's revealed that Whumpee has met Whumper before.

The twisted delight in Whumper's voice when they say "Oh, has Whumpee never mentioned me?"

The shame burning in Whumpee's face as Whumper recounts the fun they used to have together.

The confusion, disbelief, and horror on the teams' faces as the truth unfolds.

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difficult recovery prompts

Nightmares

Won’t wake up

Can’t/won’t speak

Overheated

Hypothermic

Sickly

A fever that breaks

A fever that won’t let up

In too much pain to sleep

Lingering effects of poison

Applying bandages

Removing bandages

Stitched up wound(s)

Can’t stop shaking

Finally, water

Finally, food

No appetite

Drawn and frail

Pounding headache

Unsteady on feet

Falls trying to leave room

Not quite themself anymore

Hopelessness

Sore and achy

Fading bruises

Tense muscles

A slow-mending break

Impatient and frustrated

A balm or lotion

Touch starved

Side effects of medicine

Too much medicine

Not enough medicine

Recovering lost and alone

Recovering safe at home

Recovering while still with whumper

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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—“

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Whump Poll

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Whump prompts I can’t get enough of:

1. The shifty and embarrassed look in a stoic leader’s eyes as they finally are forced to reveal an injury to their friends, reluctantly allowing themselves to be treated for the first time. The awkwardness as they strip, and/or lay down to be examined. The subtle fighting to maintain some choice or control ( would rather sit up, “I can do that myself thanks”) and so on.

2. The limp warmth of a Whumpee’s sleeping body as they are treated in the middle of the night. The change in their breathing as the covers are gently pulled back. The clumsiness of their movements as they flit in and out of sleep, sudden gasps or flinching as their wounds are tended. The caretaker’s whispers of comfort, hushing them back to sleep.

3. Whumpee lashing out in sudden rage at some petty action of another, before collapsing and breaking down in sobs. Everyone standing around awkwardly in shock, before caretaker goes in to grab whumpee in a crushing embrace, trying to calm their shaking.

4. Stoic whumpee being humiliated by Whumper. Orders like: ‘strip’, ‘face the wall’, ‘kneel’, ‘down on your hands and knees’, etc etc.

5. Slightly delusional whumpee being tied/held down for some potentially lifesaving procedure and quietly begging caretaker to stop, please please stop. Then more loudly, desperately, until they are crying out and fighting in a panic. Caretaker meanwhile is (1)staring at them in stoic silence while their heart is wrung with pity, or (2) they are quietly reassuring them, telling them it’s going to be alright.

Feel free to use as you like.

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“keep breathing”

“take a deep breath”

“you’re holding your breath”

“don’t hold your breath”

“breathe. that’s it. breathe.”

there’s something SO whumpy about these phrases

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when caretaker tries to clean blood from whumpee’s face, but they’re in the middle of nowhere, and really it isn’t the most pressing issue — and also they don’t have a wet cloth or anything, so they’re just using their hand / sleeve….

but they do it anway. why?

to comfort whumpee? to make it so when caretaker looks down at them, they don’t see a bloody mess?

“it’s gonna be okay, i promise. you’re okay, see? just gonna clean you up. it’ll be over soon. i promise.”

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whump tropes in everything i write pt. 2:

• that pause and dizzy sway A does after a fight/ordeal/magic overuse. B grabs a fistful of A’s shirt to steady them

• running a character into the ground: every time they get a second to rest, another fight happens/they’re on the run again/they’re attacked. bonus points if they’re in the same outfit the whole time and it progressively gets bloodier, more stained and ripped—makes that final collapse sooo good

• A is on the verge of completely losing it, shaking hands/frantic pacing, whether that’s bc anxiety/the horrors™️/the plot etc. B is the only person who can ground them. Love a good forced hug that A resists but B’s stronger and it turns into B guiding A to the floor as A melts into them

• A hiding an illness/injury right up until they literally tip over and give B the fright of their life

• a character coughing up blood and still pushing thru

• obligatory homoerotic wound cleaning: A and B both covered in A’s blood. lots of shushing. frantic soothing. very handsy. bonus points if B is inexperienced and freaking the f out while A is delirious & breathlessly trying to comfort them

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And B refuses, instead choosing to stay in contact and support A mentally, which means B must also experience the torture to a degree.

Two people share a mental connection except A is kidnapped and tortured and mentally begs B to stay out of their head so they won’t know what’s happening to A.

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Concussed villain gets kidnapped?

Villain showed up on Hero’s doorstep, heaving in breaths as they slammed their fist on the door. Their arm was ridiculously heavy, and it took everything in them to throw it mercilessly against the wooden door. The effects were meagre knocks that Villain prayed Hero would hear.

If Hero was even home.

What if they were working tonight? Fuck, why didn’t Villain think of that? Their head was pounding so they rested their forehead against the cool wood, letting out a shaky, shallow breath, trying not to anger the fire in their ribs. Blood continued to trickle from their hairline down over their eyes and dripping onto their cheeks.

That wasn’t good.

They heard footsteps behind the door and Villain almost broke down there and then, relief flooding them like a tsunami of feeling, washing away everything that was keeping Villain upright. Tears poured down their cheeks at the thought of safety, hero looking after them… their hero. They could tell them about Superhero’s plans.

They could tell them… Villain put a hand against the door and pushed themselves backwards. They would’ve fallen if not for the arm that snaked around their waist. Villain blinked dumbly and glanced down. Arm around—?

Before they cry out or scream in warning a hand clamped over their mouth and Villain was ripped away from the door and into the shadows. Villain thrashed, struggling in their attacker’s grip, all their screams and cries muffled to nothing but silent pleas.

The door opened and Villain’s struggles renewed but Hero wouldn’t be able to see them from here. Hero wouldn’t know they were even there!

“Hello?” Hero asked into the darkness and Villain whimpered against the hands holding them in an iron cage. Villain threw their body forward, back, trying to dislodge their attackers arms but they didn’t budge even a little.

“If you want Hero to continue to draw breath, Villain, you’ll come quietly.”

Villain froze at the voice. That was… Superhero… the reason why Villain was in this state in the first place. Villain’s struggles renewed as Hero stepped out of their house. If they could even sense something was amiss so close to them then they would investigate. Hero would have to investigate, right? And Hero was in danger too!

Villain had to warn them, they had to!

“Hello?” Hero asked, a note of agitation creeping into their voice.

I’m here! Villain wanted to scream. Hero please! I’m right here.

A pinch in their neck and Villain’s fruitless struggles seized, their blood running cold. They flinched as cold liquid was pushed into their neck. No… no, no, no, no. “That’s it, Villain,” Superhero whispered. “Don’t fight it.”

The hazy world blurred even more and Villain fell back against Superhero’s chest, the fight leaving them almost instantly. What did Superhero drug them with?

Their eyelids shut and Villain forced them back open, with a gargantuan effort. The last thing they saw was Hero frown and close the door before their entire world faded to black in the arms of their enemy.

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I really like the trope where the whumpee is emotionally exhausted from something and then slowly and silently… rests their forehead against the caretaker’s chest. Maybe they’ll cry, maybe they’ll stay quiet, maybe they’ll hug it out. But the moment where whumpee shows that small amount of vulnerability and trust towards caretaker is beautiful to me.

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I love the way a whumpee flinches as they're being hit, especially from whips. Like they brace for it and they still jump (and sob into their gag) every time the whip cracks against their back

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Winged whump prompts

plucking out ‘ugly’ feathers and replacing them with synthetic ones.

adorning the wings with heavy, gold jewellery that weighs them down.

feathers that can’t grow back.

wings hurting to open properly because they’ve been uncomfortably restrained for so long.

painting the feathers. a small, intimate task that requires time and patience, from both whumpee and the artist.

wings being held up by chains/ropes, on display for anyone to marvel at.

breaking wings as punishment.

wings being removed entirely to go on display in a gallery/museum. are they known to be real? or does someone take credit for creating them as an art piece?

in a medical setting, wings requiring their own set of restraints to keep whumpee from moving.

wings being the only part of whumpee that is valued and cared for. without them, they are worthless.

whumpee forgetting how to fly after being in captivity.

alternatively: not being able to because of how damaged their wings are.

feathers starting to fall out because of how terrible whumpee’s condition is.

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10 Non-Lethal Injuries to Add Pain to Your Writing

If you need a simple way to make your characters feel pain, here are some ideas: 

1. Sprained Ankle

A common injury that can severely limit mobility. This is useful because your characters will have to experience a mild struggle and adapt their plans to their new lack of mobiliy. Perfect to add tension to a chase scene.

2. Rib Contusion

A painful bruise on the ribs can make breathing difficult, helping you sneak in those ragged wheezes during a fight scene. Could also be used for something sport-related! It's impactful enough to leave a lingering pain but not enough to hinder their overall movement.

3. Concussions

This common brain injury can lead to confusion, dizziness, and mood swings, affecting a character’s judgment heavily. It can also cause mild amnesia.

I enjoy using concussions when you need another character to subtly take over the fight/scene, it's an easy way to switch POVs. You could also use it if you need a 'cute' recovery moment with A and B.

4. Fractured Finger

A broken finger can complicate tasks that require fine motor skills. This would be perfect for characters like artists, writers, etc. Or, a fighter who brushes it off as nothing till they try to throw a punch and are hit with pain.

5. Road Rash

Road rash is an abrasion caused by friction. Aka scraping skin. The raw, painful sting resulting from a fall can be a quick but effective way to add pain to your writing. Tip: it's great if you need a mild injury for a child.

6. Shoulder Dislocation

This injury can be excruciating and often leads to an inability to use one arm, forcing characters to confront their limitations while adding urgency to their situation. Good for torture scenes.

7. Deep Laceration

A deep laceration is a cut that requires stitches. As someone who got stitches as a kid, they really aren't that bad! A 2-3 inch wound (in length) provides just enough pain and blood to add that dramatic flair to your writing while not severely deterring your character.

This is also a great wound to look back on since it often scars. Note: the deeper and wider the cut the worse your character's condition. Don't give them a 5 inch deep gash and call that mild.

8. Burns

Whether from fire, chemicals, or hot surfaces, burns can cause intense suffering and lingering trauma. Like the previous injury, the lasting physical and emotional trauma of a burn is a great wound for characters to look back on.

If you want to explore writing burns, read here.

9. Pulled Muscle

This can create ongoing pain and restrict movement, offering a window to force your character to lean on another. Note: I personally use muscle related injuries when I want to focus more on the pain and sprains to focus on a lack of mobility.

10. Tendonitis

Inflammation of a tendon can cause chronic pain and limit a character's ability to perform tasks they usually take for granted. When exploring tendonitis make sure you research well as this can easily turn into a more severe injury.

This is a quick, brief list of ideas to provide writers inspiration. Since it is a shorter blog, I have not covered the injuries in detail. This is inspiration, not a thorough guide. Happy writing! :)

Looking For More Writing Tips And Tricks? 

Check out the rest of Quillology with Haya; a blog dedicated to writing and publishing tips for authors!

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I am not artistically inclined but made these in like 5 mins

Whumpee:

Caretaker:

Whumper:

why dont we have whumpee/whumper/caretaker pride flags yet. or not pride flags but just flags. wouldnt that be so cool

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whumper pulling whumpee's hair down to bring them to their knees