use whatever pronouns you use for yourself for me || what it says on the tin, whump reblog dump || CAUTION: i use quick reblog so many things may be untagged
A kind Whumper who gives Whumpee everything they ask for
Whumpee asked for water, and so they were waterboarded/drowned.
Whumpee was cold so Whumper either locks them in a burning hot room, or sets a part of them on fire
They're hot? Ice bath for a couple of hours
Tired? Sedate them constantly until they can't remember how many days have passed. Maybe play a sick game of twisting the world when they awake. " YOU'RE FINALLY AWAKE!!! THREE YEARS, WHUMPEE. I'VE WAITED THREE YEARS" keep on playing mind games until they start to believe you, only to shatter their new reality. Maybe they wake up with Whumper not around, believing they've been freed. WHumper's friends play into the delusion, just long enough for Whumper to get home before mocking a devastated Whumpee.
Bored? Give them so much labour, they can barely walk after.
hungry? force them to eat until they're puking
lonely? Kidnap another person and gift them to Whumpee. Make sure they both know who's fault it is that they were taken.
There's nothing unusual about Whumpee cursing Whumper out, nor is it strange for the latter to punish them for it. What is unusual however, is for Whumpee to flinch away from Whumper's hand. It stills in the air between them, while Whumper's lips slowly quirk upwards.
"Are you... scared of me?"
Whumpee swallows, forcing themself not to look away. "You don't scare me, you pathetic-"
Whumper's hand suddenly moves, and there's nothing Whumpee could do to stop their head from twisting away, eyes closing.
It never reaches them, Whumper's chuckles spreading through the room instead.
There's nothing unusual about Whumpee cursing Whumper out, nor is it strange for the latter to punish them for it. What is unusual however, is for Whumpee to flinch away from Whumper's hand. It stills in the air between them, while Whumper's lips slowly quirk upwards.
"Are you... scared of me?"
Whumpee swallows, forcing themself not to look away. "You don't scare me, you pathetic-"
Whumper's hand suddenly moves, and there's nothing Whumpee could do to stop their head from twisting away, eyes closing.
It never reaches them, Whumper's chuckles spreading through the room instead.
Whumpee who was really annoying (straight-up dickhead personality) before being captured by whumper, so after their rescue people don't say a thing about whumpee's much more docile, quiet and cooperative personality. Except for caretaker, who feels a pang of pity (or even guilt).
Warnings: captivity, torture, electrocution, forced to watch (well, sort of), restraints, caretaker and whumpee, cruel whumper, sadistic whumper, emotional whump
Caretaker's side still ached from where Whumper had shocked them. Their bones still vibrated from the electricity. That was what they told themself rather than admit their whole body was trembling with fear. Not fear for what Whumper was planning on doing to them, but fear for what Whumper was doing to Whumpee.
The screaming continued louder than before and different. With sinking dread, Caretaker realized that it wasn't Whumpee screaming, but someone else. Someone else had started screaming after Whumpee had stopped begging. What did that mean? Whumpee couldn't be dead. They had to still be alive. Perhaps they were just unconscious and Whumper had moved onto torturing someone else while waiting for Whumpee to wake.
How many people did Whumper have captive? Was it just Whumpee, themself, and this other person? It didn't matter. Caretaker was going to get them all out. There was a way. They had to find a way to slip the cuff and get to Whumper. They were going to stop Whumper and bring whoever was here to safety. They could do it.
"Hold on, Whumpee," Caretaker said as they stared at the cuff on their wrist. "Just hold on, I'm coming for you."
Pt 1 of a crossover story by me and @paingoes!! Delta from their series Destroyer gets some new whumpers <3
༻✧༺
“If you’re expecting gratitude, you won’t get it.”
Delta didn’t look at her. He tried not to look at any of them since he’d woken up here—chained to the floor of this unfamiliar ship.
Amira stood over him, arms folded, gaze razor-sharp. She watched him carefully, studying for any flicker of resistance, every muscle that tensed at her words.
"You understand your purpose here, then, do you not?" Her voice was smooth, unwavering.
Delta held his silence, ignoring the rising burn in his knees. He wondered how long it’d been since he’d moved them. They’d kept him on his knees since he’d arrived. Wrists locked behind his back. A small length of chain kept him tethered to the floor.
"You were a weapon of Empire because you possess a certain power. We now possess you,” she paused, as if to let the obvious sink in. “Therefore the power belongs to us."
She tilted her head slightly, eyes narrowing as if waiting for him to argue.
He deflated. It wasn’t like he actually expected anything different. Of course, in the event of his capture, they would want him for his powers.
"This part isn’t up for discussion." A beat of silence. A pause just long enough to let the weight of it settle.
"But you can choose to make it as easy or as difficult as you’d like."
Of course he would have no say in it. It was the same spiel with each new owner — or with each who aimed to be.
He’d been briefed on this possibility already. He knew what he was meant to say. But that was all just theory. Now, in the moment, refusal seemed like the worst thing he could do.
He thought of Empire, were they ever to find him. Would he ever be able to defend himself?
He imagined himself whipped bloody, if not rendered limb from limb. Brain in a jar. Decommissioned. He knew where his loyalties lay, the steps they took to ensure them.
“…You’re not authorized for use,” he said slowly. “I apologize. I won’t be able to.”
“I expected as much.” Amira stepped closer, eyeing him sharply. “But let’s not delude ourselves—’no’ was never on the table.”
Her hand rose, fingers catching Delta’s chin, lifting his face. It wasn’t gentle, but it didn’t hurt. Not yet.
“I’m sure you’ve had plenty of practice reciting that little line at Empire Elementary,” she said. Her voice darkened, “But their rules don’t apply to you anymore.”
She tightened her grip, fingers pressing just enough to remind him who was in control. “Your powers belong to us now. To me. You’ll do well to remember that.”
Empire Elementary.
If she had known half the shit he went through at Beldam, the things that went on at that school—
He pushed it back down. Now wasn’t the time.
The touch didn’t faze him. Truthfully, he almost leaned into it. He expected this too—the reminder of his place, who was really in charge.
That was fine. He would follow her orders to the letter, do everything she asked of him.
But the powers were a no-go.
“I’m property of the Empire…sir.” He added the last honorific out of caution, as an afterthought. “I am accountable to their laws. My choice has nothing to do with it.”
I couldn’t help you if I wanted to.
Amira released his jaw, and her tone fell with it, dipping ever further, into something even colder.
“I could let you rot in here, if you want. But remember, if Empire ever does find you, they’ll put you right back in that little cage you love so much.”
Her hand hovered for a beat longer, as if debating whether to grab him again.
“Or worse, they’ll kill you, if I leave nothing for them to use.”
She let the threat hang in the air. Her hand lowered to his neck, fingers tracing at the edge of the dampener collar he still wore.
“That insignia doesn’t suit you. Let’s fix that.”
He stayed quiet. If Empire did find him, he’d have done exactly as they asked. The threat of returning to his cage meant very little as she leveraged the new one over him. What difference did it make?
He’d thought the rebellion might be different, in some way. It was a naive hope. He knew exactly what he was to her. As her hands traced the collar, he got all the confirmation he needed.
“…As you wish,” he confirmed.
She turned away without a word, moving toward the wall where tools hung in their precise places. Delta couldn’t see what she reached for—not at first. But then she turned back, and he saw it.
Bolt cutters.
Very large bolt cutters.
She crossed the room again, gripping the thing easily in one hand, as if it were weightless.
And then she came for his neck.
Or rather, the tongs of that thing did. Metal jaws opening, teeth snapping too close to his face before clamping down on the band around his throat.
Delta held still. The shears were gnarly-looking and the look in her eyes was no better. He didn’t need to play with her while she had it at his throat. In fact, he craned his neck slightly, trying to give her an easy angle.
He realized, a bit belatedly, that she meant to do it right now.
Was she actually just going to—
With a small, ringing clank, the metal snapped apart.
Immediately, the lightning poured out. It was enough to blind him, more than enough to make him seize. It went off, off with no warning, and all the world snapped into a razor-sharp focus.
Delta keeled. It was an indignity, one he’d fought so hard to spare himself from, but his body was not his own right now. There was an awful, alien energy to it.
The spasm repeated itself incessantly. It wasn’t supposed to be this bad. It was never supposed to be this bad, but when was the last time he’d had the collar off?
He never could have been ready. There was too much information around him to process—each nail in the wall, each arc of the craft’s trajectory, each link in the chain.
There was a different body, not too far from him, collapsed to the floor. The shock had come for her too.
What had she done?
Amira’s breath came in sharp, shallow bursts as she reached for the replacement collar, fingers trembling from the residual shock. Sparks still flickered across Delta’s body, the air thick with the scent of burnt ozone. Every instinct screamed at her to back off—to let the storm pass—but there wasn’t time.
She crawled toward him, ignoring the heat radiating from his skin, and forced her fingers around the edges of the collar.
The crackling energy bit at her hands, jolts stabbing up her arms with every twitch of his body. She grit her teeth, steadying her grip. No hesitation. Not now.
The new collar snapped shut with a click.
For one agonizing second, nothing happened. Then the crackling died, the blue arcs dimming into silence. The energy ebbed, and Delta ceased to move.
Amira exhaled hard, her hands still clenched around the metal. For a terrifying moment, she wasn’t sure which of them held the reins.
The moment ended nearly as quickly as it’d begun, with no point in between in which he could fully recover, or even wrest back control. His body ached as savagely as if he’d been beaten.
Delta was keenly aware of Amira’s movements behind him — was unable to not see it, unable to not see everything.
He coughed terribly as sensation returned to him, gasping for air. He’d hurt her, he realized with a dawning horror. He’d hurt her, in what he knew was an execution-worthy offense.
Amira knelt, breath ragged, her head dropping forward as she unclenched her fingers from the collar. Her hands ached, still crackling with the last traces of his power.
She stared at the crumpled body before her, chest heaving, struggling to process what she had just unleashed.
She thought she knew what he was capable of. She thought. But she had no idea it was this.
Could anyone truly control a being like this? Could she?
A whisper of fear clawed at her throat, cold and sharp. But something else rose to meet it—a heat in her chest, fierce and undeniable.
Not fear.
Anticipation.
To hold this power in her hands. To twist it, bend it, make it hers.
Her pulse quickened—adrenaline snapped through her like a live wire.
She had ended it. She had locked her collar around his neck. And she had ended it.
She felt her lips curl at the corners.
He belongs to me now.
༻✧༺
There is more written!! I can actually promise that!!
General taglist: (I’ll tag general this time cuz it’s the first part of this but might just have a separate taglist from here!)
“That for however many times I’ve hit this button, you still wear that sullen expression on your face.”
She looked down at him as she spoke, sharp eyes meeting nothing. His gaze was firmly affixed to her shoes.
“What I can’t figure out,” she took a step towards him. “Is that despite all of our,” she paused, “convincing, you continue to refuse to cooperate.”
She was close now. He still didn’t dare look up. He realized he could hear the electric hum of the gadgets she wore around her wrists and waist. He could hear the half-distant buzzing of the tiny radio in her ear.
Too close.
“Despite the fact that you know we require so little, and that doing what I say would grant you better treatment, effective immediately.”
Sora’s neck burned.
He saw—felt—her hand lower towards her left bracelet and he flinched, he felt the muscles in his neck seize—
After a second, he realized she hadn’t touched it— her hand was back on her hip.
She hadn’t pressed it.
Hadn’t even touched the remote.
Amira frowned.
“You want me to press it for real this time?” she asked, a momentary drop of irritation in an otherwise cool facade.
“Rather, not just yet. I think if I could simply shock this attitude out of you, it would’ve happened by now.”
Beneath a mess of ash-brown hair, Sora’s eyes widened slightly, but remained trained on that place on the floor. Hovering somewhere on the laces of her boots.
“You’re lucky I’m so patient. I’m willing to work with you on that. So let’s try something else. Something a little more… out of the box.”
He had barely the time to process her words before—
“Yoojin!*
That snapped him out of it. There was a loud clanging sound, like metal slamming into the concrete wall. Sora winced at the sound, his eyes squeezed shut. It just made the ringing in his ears that much worse.
He registered Amira stepping away from him, and he briefly, stupidly, felt grateful for the reprieve.
Then, he heard that terrible, stupid laugh for a second time that afternoon.
“Fiiiiinally….” Yoojin’s low chuckle reverberated off the walls.
Sora audibly groaned. He already felt like he was getting a live lobotomy from the inside out. His head sank down to his chest. He was too fucking dizzy for this.
Not this fucking guy.
“I was losing my mind back there, you know.”
Sora scoffed. “Too late. She’s already tried ‘bad cop.’
“Oh, you haven’t seen bad cop.”
He could almost feel it before it even happened. He didn’t see her do it, leaning against the back wall of the room as she was now. But Amira’s finger had tapped at the remote on her wrist, and it had sent white hot pain shot through Sora’s throat—squeezing and twisting the tendons on his neck into a horrible knot that forced his chin down and his features to contort with the pain and the voltage, as though stretched apart so tightly they’d break entirely.
“Why the—why the fuck—cant you—j- just— turn it—around—fuck—why the fuck is it— is it — .. “
‘Why was the voltage box on the collar pressed against the front of your neck?” Amira asked, like she was inside his head. He thought it had come out less than intelligible.
“Call it a happy accident.” Amira turned, collected the tablet from the nearby table, and promptly strode toward the exit.
Sora could feel his eyes on him the moment Amira shut the door behind her.
“Shit, you don’t look so good, hot-shot.” Yoojin’s voice echoed over the silence, smiling through every word.
The hot-shot in question was promptly trying to look anywhere but right in front of him, trying to think of anything but the reality of who he had just been left alone with, who just happened to be, in Sora’s fine opinion, the worst one he had met so far.
“I think it’s time we hear you scream for real. Cmon, I know you can do better than whatever that was.”
Yep, definitely the worst. He’d be surprised if any of these half-witted mafia goons could come up with a worse bastard-piece-of-shit-asshole than this guy.
“Frankly, I was just surprised you took so many shocks without fucking passing out.”
Ohh.. to rip this fucker’s tongue out so he’d finally— “Shut the fuck up.”
“Yeah? Giving me ideas?” Yoojin audibly smirked, and Sora looked up just in time to see him sticking out his tongue and making a scissors motion with his free hand.
He was goating him again. It was no different. Different day, same Yoojin. Sora was so sick of this game.
But he shut up after that, which left him with nothing to do but hang there by his wrists as Yoojin crossed the warehouse floor, taking his sweet fucking time.
He willed the pain in his shoulders to distract him from whatever braindead thing Yoojin would say next.
But he didn’t hear his voice, at least not right away—only a low scraping, trailing along behind nearly quiet footsteps. He was dragging something behind him. Sora could hear it screeching along the concrete, and the pain in his head throbbed—he was so fucking dizzy.
Okay, maybe he was a little concussed.
Or just shocked fucking stupid.
The muscles in his throat twitched again, at the mere thought.
“What, not even a hello?”
Sora still didn’t look up. Fuck this guy. Sora could hear him smiling.
The footsteps stopped, taking the awful dragging sound with it.
Sora didn’t look up.
“Cmon, you didn’t miss me even a little?”
Sora didn’t even want to entertain him.
“Nothing to say? Aren’t you gonna at least tell me what a big piece of shit I am? Better get some insults out while you still can, right?”
His boot nudged Sora’s exposed ribs, teasingly, and Sora momentarily lost his focus on that spot on the ground and snapped his gaze up to Yoojin, eyes wild and furious.
“If you’re asking me to insult you—“
Yoojin’s boot slammed right into his stomach. Sora coughed hard as the wind was gutted from his lungs and his entire body collapsed and cringed over. He rather fruitlessly tried to fold in half as he wheezed and gagged his way back to functioning airways, but the awkward position prevented him. His knees stayed folded below him, his arms strained above his head, yanking against the chains that affixed them to the ceiling,
“I’m asking if you’d even dare.”
Sora would fucking skin him alive.
“Go fuck yourself you piece of shi—“ but his words died in his mouth when he saw Yoojin’s hand approach.
Yoojin gripped his jaw, wrapping around his face before Sora yanked his head away. The sudden movement sent a loud clang down the chains and shot pins and needles through his arms.
He hadn’t realized they’d fallen asleep.
Fine. No more sudden movements. Sudden movement fucking hurt. His sore muscles seemed to boil and seize as fresh blood reunited with oxygen-starved tissue.
“Piece of. Shit.” Sora finished.
In the time he’d caught his breath, Yoojin had re-strategized. Sora felt fingers along his scalp, roughly grazing before twisting a tight fist into his hair. Yoojin yanked his head back all the way until Sora let out a choked cry.
This was quickly becoming a favorite of his. It always seemed to shut Sora up right away.
“You don’t wanna play nice? Fine. I’ve got something new I’ve been wanting to try out.”
As if there was ever another option with Yoojin. As if he knew the first fucking thing about playing nice.
Yoojin released his hair and Sora’s head fell forward. He squinted his eyes and flexed the muscles in his neck, trying to ease the tightness at the strain of the past few moments.
Sora hadn’t even noticed Yoojin had left his side until he felt something sharp press into his back. He felt his blood run cold instantly, nearly freezing in his veins. He felt his heart slow—almost stop—like it would let his cells drift, suspended, through the cold, liquified sludge.
A knife? A box cutter? What was it? It felt bigger than that. Sturdier, somwhow. But it had an edge.
“Come on. Whatever you’re planning can you just get it over with? I’m trying to limit the amount of hours per day I have to see your fucking face.”
“How sad. It’s like you don’t care at all about having fun. Are you really gonna just sulk the whole time?”
“I fucking hate you,” Sora seethed.
Yoojin smiled wide. He seemed to like the insults. It was part of the game to him, Sora had gleaned.
“Am I going to have to get creative?” He leaned down to Sora’s eye-level. “‘Cuz I’ve got a lot of new ideas, you know. You’re quite a fun assignment.”
Yoojin was too close to cloose—wayyy too close. Again. He leaned in until their noses nearly touched. Sora grimaced. Yoojin smiled. That look was back in his eyes again.
“You’re inspiring. You really are.”
Sora grimaced. What the fuck was that even supposed to mean??
Yoojin must have read his face, because he continued.
“I was so fucking bored before you showed up. You know that?”
Sora blinked.
“She had me benched for, like—over a month, I swear. For some fucking stupid reason.”
Sora cocked an eyebrow.
Yoojin frowned. “Shut the fuck up. Don’t even say it.”
“I was gonna say I could name a few—”
Yoojin’s nostrils flared—he swung a roundhouse straight into Sora’s ribs.
Sora coughed sharply, doubling over for a moment before straightening, his eyes watering.
“…Reasons.”
Yoojin grit his teeth and let out a frustrated grunt as he made contact a second time.
“You think you’re so fucking funny, huh?”
Sora choked on another breath, failing to stay upright. This one must’ve hit something deeper—softer. Organs and all that, Yoojin considered absently.
For a moment, all Yoojin could hear was the ragged sound of Sora’s breathing and the heavy pound of blood in both their ears. Just long enough for him to think Sora would finally shut his stupid mouth for once.
- I’ve had the idea of somehow putting a whumpee in a computer for a really long time. confined to a single digital room, only able to interact with a few things, going from human to being bound by programming. The touch starvation that comes with that. Interacting with a cursor is nothing like interacting with another person. basically yeah tamagotchify them.
- Phones with the same concept^
- keeping whumpee trapped in a mirror, only ever able to gaze out at the real world.
- if you’re feeling really mean, make it a compact mirror. There’s hardly even enough space to shift around. A whole world just out of their reach from that claustrophobic little space they’re stuck in. They’re completely portable.
- Doesn’t have to be 2D, but a book or a journal. Being able to script whatever events they want for whumpee. Whether they’re aware of it all or not is also a fun thing to keep in mind.
- A painting overlooking a grand room. They’re allowed to move around in the frame. Being marveled at and spectated, or instructed to stay in a certain pose. That frame can always get smaller if they disobey.
- i know i already said mirrors, but basically any reflective surfaces work well. maybe a jewel or a puddle.
scientist carewhumper comforting lab whumpee after one of their experiments? maybe with a bit of platonic cuddling too..
content: lab whump, carewhumper
“I know, I know…” Whumper led their current project away from the experimentation chamber and back into their — still very sterile and much too white — bedroom, guiding them to the bed and sitting with them. “Today was rough.”
“I wanna go home,” Whumpee sobbed, but despite everything, they couldn’t keep themself from leaning on Whumper and accepting it when they hugged them. “Please. Please, you don’t have to do this…”
“Oh, Whumpee…” Whumper rubbed their arm, sighing heavily. “We’ve had this discussion so many times.”
“I know you said you can’t let me go,” they sniffled. “I know, but please… You’re in charge here, aren’t you? You’re conducting all the experiments. Please, they hurt so much.”
“I have higher-ups too, you know,” they said gently. “And they want results.”
Whumpee just wailed even louder. “I don’t care about their results! I wanna go home!”
Whumper hugged them close. “I know. I know. You’ll get to go home, someday. Just hold out until then.”
Love the concept of Bad Thing that provides protection from Even Worse Thing. This villan has dibs on killing me someday, so they’re not going to let anyone else do it. Person has a permanent illness that’s super hostile to any other type of infection. Lawful evil tyrant absolutely PISSED at chaotic evil invader killing their subjects. Person has been cursed by the gods but the curse supersedes all other hexes and magical ills. This shit absolutely charges my batteries.
- their friends haven’t ever seen them display sadness, disappointment, or anything like that. anger, maybe, but never tears.
- whumpee who doesn’t cry when they’re rescued. Maybe they’re staring blankly, maybe they’re biting their rescuers, maybe they’re just quietly appreciative. whatever it is, they don’t cry.
- whumpee who actively avoids conversations that might trigger them. they’ll get up and leave the room if whumper’s name is even whispered. does caretaker follow them? how do they find them?
- whumper *finally* breaking whumpee. maybe they taunt caretaker while whumpee’s still in captivity. maybe it’s while they’re being carried away in handcuffs.
- “I won, Caretaker. Your little firecracker cried for me.”
- caretaker being in shock. denial, even. whumpee *cried*? maybe they don’t believe whumper at first, until they look over at a hysterical whumpee.
content: time loop, pet whump, failed escape attempt, guns, major character death, whumper turned caretaker, suicide
Whumpmas in July Day 3: "___ deserved it."
i wrote this all in one sitting and when i looked up it was 4am. starting WIJ off with a bang!!
-
Day 1
Devran didn’t know it was day one of anything at the time, though he certainly learned fast.
The little shit had tried to escape. It had never done that before, and he certainly wasn’t a fan of it. He’d thought his training was getting him somewhere, Emereo seemed almost completely obedient. But somehow, it had all gotten away from him.
Not enough for the pet to actually succeed, of course.
His captive was weeping in a crumpled heap on the floor by the time Devran was done with it. Devran was careful to never go further than what he could fix on his own–it wasn’t like he could take the damn thing to a hospital without getting arrested. Still, the bruised, broken figure kneeling at his feet seemed thoroughly cowed, and the fresh, smoking brand on its shoulder blade ensured that it would never forget its place again.
He grabbed it by the collar, the pet’s eyes flashing with terror as it was brought up again.
“Master–” Emereo gasped, “Master, please, I’m sorry! No more, I won’t run again! I’ve learned my lesson!” It winced away from him as much as it could without pulling back.
Devran scoffed. “Clearly, you’ve learned nothing. Begging for the punishment you’ve duly earned to stop?”
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” it cried. It opened its mouth, then closed it again, no doubt biting back more pleas for it to end.
“You deserved it.” He shook the helpless thing a bit, watching it choke on the collar for a moment before moving with it. “Say it!”
“I–I deserved it, sir,” Emereo sobbed.
Devran dropped it, then kicked it one last time for good measure. Emereo whimpered and curled in on itself, every muscle in its body tensed and waiting.
Exactly how he wanted it.
He dragged it back over to the wall, clipping its collar to the chain there. “No food today or tomorrow. You’re dismissed.”
Emereo slumped over. “Th-thank you, Master.”
Devran left it there, locking the basement up as he went upstairs. Two days nursing its injuries in the dark with no food should give it the time it needed to reflect on its actions.
He went on with his day, not paying any more mind to the crying mess in his basement aside from when he cleaned the branding iron.
Later, he would swear that somehow, when he went to bed that night, he could feel that something wasn’t right.
-
Day 2
“I–I deserved it, sir,” Emereo sobbed.
Devran blinked.
He was back in the basement, his fist coiled around his pet’s collar, just like yesterday. Emereo’s brand was even still smoldering, he noted.
He dropped the wretched thing, taking a moment to collect himself while Emereo shook on the ground. He must have been dreaming, right? The last thing he remembered was falling asleep.
“Sir?” Emereo squeaked.
“Stupid,” he muttered, turning away and back up the stairs. Though he didn’t bother closing the door, the Emereo of his dreams had learned its lesson just as well as the real one and stayed put.
Devran straight up to bed, and though it was still light out, managed to get himself to drift off into a nap.
-
Day 3
“I–I deserved it, sir,” Emereo sobbed.
Devran was not the slow sort.
He only gripped the pet’s collar tighter, drawing it up with a yank. “What’s going on?” he barked.
“I deserved it!” Emereo repeated, pupils dilated. Its hands raised slightly, then lowered as it snuffed out the instinct to loosen the pressure around its neck. “I’m so sorry, Master! Please!”
“Forget about the stupid escape!” Devran threw the pet to the floor, hard. Its skull cracked audibly against the concrete, though it did not lose consciousness. “You don’t remember, do you?”
Emereo’s breaths came quick as it wracked its mind, desperate to placate its master. “R-remember what, sir? I remember my lessons! I won’t forget again!”
“Great. Just great.” Devran stormed upstairs and locked the door behind him. If he was going to figure this out, it certainly wouldn’t be aided by a stupid pet who had no idea what was even happening.
Internet searches returned only science fiction. Obviously, this was out of the realm of the ordinary. He was on his own, but Devran was nothing if not adaptable.
And clearly, he had all the time in the world to figure it out.
After a day of fruitless research, he checked himself into a hotel for the night. Perhaps it was the bed.
-
Day 4
“I–I deserved it, sir,” Emereo sobbed.
It was not the bed.
Devran sighed, dropped the pet, and headed back upstairs without another word. He started writing ideas in his journal, but scrapped that–it would all be erased anyway. He would simply have to remember everything.
He brewed a pot of coffee in pursuit of his next endeavor. Every time he slept, he reset. So he simply would not sleep. Obviously unsustainable, but maybe if he crossed some sort of threshold, time would go forward as it was meant to again. It wasn’t like he’d never pulled an all-nighter before. He would aim to pull two, at least.
On the bleary 40th hour of his endeavor, Devran was pulled from his countless shaky-handed cup of coffee by a soft knocking.
“Master?” came a small voice.
At least it was something to distract from the sleeplessness. Devran opened the door. “What?”
Emereo backed up, almost tripping over itself as it fled to the bottom of the stairs. “C-could I have some water, please? My bowl’s been empty… I’m sorry to bother you. It’s just…”
It was very, very clearly sorry. It was apparent that it would rather be doing anything else at the moment.
Devran rolled his eyes. “Stay.”
The pet obeyed as Devran filled a cup with water, brought it back, and tossed it down the stairs, spilling it all over the floor. It could lick it off the ground if it wanted it so badly. He was too tired to give a shit. “There’s your water.”
“Thank you, sir!” Emereo called as he slammed the door back.
Devran returned to his pacing until he was simply too exhausted, only daring to sit down for just a moment.
-
Day 5
“I–I deserved it, sir,” Emereo sobbed.
“Damn it!” Devran shouted, throwing his pet to the floor. It shrieked, covering its face as it cowered away.
Back to the drawing board.
He stared curiously at the pet curled on the ground. He’d been focusing on himself and his behaviors to stop the loop, but why did he always wake up here? Was it simply random chance, or could Emereo be connected to this, somehow? Even if it couldn’t remember?
Devran lowered Emereo, then released its collar. “Have you ever seen Groundhog Day?”
“W-what?” it asked, completely tense as it looked up at him.
“The movie, the one about the man trapped in a time loop. Keep up.” Devran snapped his fingers.
Emereo immediately positioned itself into a kneeling position. “Yes, sir! I’ve seen Groundhog day. M-my siblings and I used to watch it on the actual holiday.” It covered its mouth suddenly, like it had said something it shouldn’t have.
“I’m stuck in a time loop. Like in Groundhog Day. Do you understand?” Devran asked.
It was immediately clear that the pet thought he was losing his mind. It looked up at him questioningly, trying and failing to hide its obvious disbelief. “...Yes, sir. And… should I be, um, doing something?”
“You should be glad your punishment’s interrupted. I keep resetting right then, why is that?” he muttered.
“I don’t know, sir. I’m sorry.” Emereo’s voice was quiet, trying hard not to trip on unsteady ground.
“Useless.” Devran left it down there and headed upstairs, then out the door.
His friends were even more useless than the internet had been.
-
Day 6
“I–I deserved it, sir,” Emereo sobbed.
Devran dropped it, heading upstairs without another word. It had been a while since he’d opened this drawer for anything other than cleaning, and, well, he’d always wanted to try this. Either it would break the loop and he’d be free, or it wouldn’t and there would be no consequences.
The pet’s eyes grew wide as it looked up the stairs when he returned, straight up the barrel.
“Sir?” it breathed, not daring to move a muscle.
“Good night, pet.”
With that, his basement was painted red. Devran didn’t bother cleaning it up.
-
Day 7
“I–I deserved it, sir,” Emereo sobbed.
It was strange, seeing his pet so full of life after blasting its brains all over the walls. Devran released it to the floor, taking a step back.
“You used to watch Groundhog Day every Groundhog Day with your siblings,” he said simply.
Despite its aching body and cracked ribs, Emereo moved swiftly to prostrate itself, bending until it was the utter picture of submission.
“Please don’t hurt them,” it choked out, “I’ll do anything, Master, anything, I promise I’ll never try to run again, just please. I’ll be such a good pet for you, I swear! You’ll never need to discipline me again! Please don’t, oh God, please–”
“I’m not going to kidnap your fucking family. Get a grip.” Devran snapped, and Emereo in turn snapped up to an upright kneeling position. It cried out as the sudden movement jostled its injuries, but did not complain.
In all their time together, he had never seen it quite this distressed. Devran pocketed the idea to ensure future obedience, once he’d dealt with this damn loop.
“You told me this. I’m trapped in a time loop,” he explained. “Do you believe me now?”
“Yes, sir!” The pet was unreadable this time, its mind clearly elsewhere.
“Listen.” Devran snapped again, and Emereo flinched. “Every day for the past week, I’ve woken up to you crying here, and nothing I’ve tried has worked. I’m half-convinced you’re somehow involved with this.”
“I didn’t!” Emereo insisted, fresh tears brimming. “I s-swear, sir, I didn’t, I’m sorry I tried to escape, but I didn’t–”
“Not like that. In the more… catalytic sense,” he corrected.
Emereo pursed its lips.
“What?” Devran demanded. “Spit it out. I only have all day.”
“H-have…” It cut itself off. “I’m afraid I’ll be… punished again, sir. I don’t want to disrespect you.”
“You’re disrespecting me more by disobeying my direct order to spit it out.”
“Have you ever seen Groundhog Day, sir?” Emereo asked. It put its arm up to guard its face, as if that would do anything.
Ah. Of course that would be the first thing the stupid pet thought of. He hadn’t seen the movie itself, but it had wormed its way into popular culture enough for him to get the gist: a man is trapped in a time loop until he betters himself as a person.
“Very fucking funny. That’s a movie, this is real life.” Devran turned to leave it once more, then stopped.
Why not? He might as well try everything.
“You know what?” He turned back toward the pet.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Emereo wailed. “Please, I didn’t want to say it, you ordered me to!”
“Go.” Devran stepped aside, gesturing up the stairs.
Emereo shook its head, frantic. “I’ve learned, sir. I promise. I’ll never run again, never, never.”
“I said to fucking go.” Devran grabbed it by the collar and dragged it upstairs, throwing it out the door. “Don’t come back.”
He shut the door in its bewildered face.
It wasn’t even an hour later that police showed up to arrest him.
Devran didn’t particularly mind. If it stuck, he would still be imprisoned for less time here than he would be if it didn’t.
-
Day 8
“I–I deserved it, sir,” Emereo sobbed.
Devran abandoned the pet once more to work on his own. While Emereo’s idea was juvenile at best, there was a kernel of worth in it: perhaps there was some use in looking to time loop narratives. If someone else had ever escaped his predicament, perhaps they’d write a book or script about it. It wasn’t like he was lacking time.
He threw some food and water down for the pet so he wouldn’t be disturbed, then set to work.
After Groundhog Day, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, and Happy Death Day, he fell asleep halfway through 1408.
-
Day 9
“I–I deserved it, sir,” Emereo sobbed.
It had only been just over a week, but the spot Devran had left off in his old life was slowly starting to lose its meaning. He couldn’t find any energy to be angry about the escape attempt anymore.
“Up,” Devran ordered, releasing its collar.
Emereo struggled to its feet. “Yes, sir.”
Devran led it upstairs. “Go sit on the couch.”
“Yes, sir.” Emereo collapsed there, whimpering as it tried to find some semblance of comfort with its injuries.
“Your punishment is over. I’m going to be watching some movies and TV shows. If you’re good, you can stay and join me for lunch and dinner,” Devran offered. Perhaps the recent watch of Groundhog Day had made him soft after all.
The pet wiped its eyes. “Thank you, Master. I’ll be good.”
He put on 1408 again, fast-forwarding until he got to the point he’d fallen asleep at. The pet watched with rapt attention, not seeming to mind having missed the beginning of the movie. It did not speak at all during its run, only looking away to try and fail to spot the brand now taking residence behind its shoulder.
After a horrific torment at the hands of a cursed hotel room, the protagonist ended up setting it ablaze and escaping. Devran had already successfully fallen asleep outside his house, so that didn’t help at all.
“This wasn’t the original ending,” Emereo piped up suddenly. “They changed it because test screeners thought the director’s vision was too much of a downer. There’s actually four endings, ‘cause they made a bunch trying to find a good one for theaters, they included them all in the DVD release. He dies in the fire in the original one.”
Devran turned to look at it.
Emereo shied away. “I-I used to watch a lot of horror movies. Master.”
“Hm.” Well, that was equally as useless. If dying was the only way to escape the loop, he’d be dead after he escaped, and it would be pointless. “Lunch time, I think.”
It turned out that getting through all the movies and staying awake was easier with Emereo’s commentary. It slowly opened up as Devran encouraged it. It even gave recommendations.
-
Day 10
“I–I deserved it, sir,” Emereo sobbed.
Devran lowered his hold slowly, then released it. That brand really did look nasty. All that bright-eyed babbling from yesterday was gone, now.
“Punishment’s over. Come on.” Devran helped it up, his hold firm even as Emereo flinched from his touch. “No more hurting for now.”
Emereo was able to get up the stairs much faster with help. Devran even applied some burn cream to its brand and gave it some ibuprofen for the pain.
“Thank you, Master,” it said after it downed the pills. “You’re… more merciful than I’d expected. Thank you. I really won’t try to run again. I’ve learned.”
It was a pathetically low bar, but it was also the most kindness Devran had ever allowed it at once. This was how he’d imagined it in the beginning, when he’d pictured training a human pet: a loyal, devoted companion, after the pesky conditioning was out of the way. He’d seen others in his circles accomplish the same. He’d thought for a while that they’d simply chosen better victims, and he was stuck with this one now that he couldn’t let it go without the police on his tail. Maybe it just required a gentler hand.
“Good. Maybe I’ve been too harsh with you, and that’s why you felt the need to run,” Devran conceded. “We can both learn from this. A better pet and a better owner.”
He chanced a soft pat on the head. Emereo only flinched a little.
“I’d like that, sir,” Emereo agreed. There was no doubt in Devran’s mind that it wanted to be free more, but its words were sincere nonetheless.
-
Devran fell into a routine.
At the start of each day, he took care of Emereo, learning more and more what words were most effective in calming him down–a he now, eventually–as he treated the injuries he’d inflicted. He made lunch for the two of them, then did something related to the loop. Research or an attempt to break it. As the days went by, he grew lazier and lazier with that, sometimes skipping it altogether as he grew more sure there was no way out after all.
He spent the rest of the day relaxing with his beloved pet, falling into a kind of peace. Emereo never reacted well when he tried to free him or take him outside, only causing more distress after the punishment he’d just taken. So he stayed.
-
Day 259
“I–I deserved it, sir,” Emereo sobbed.
“Good, there you go. It’s over now, I promise. You’re going to be alright.” Devran unclipped the collar from Emereo’s neck and tossed it aside. “You did such a good job. I’m not going to hurt you again. Let’s treat those injuries, okay? Let me help you up the stairs.”
Emereo’s face was the picture of relief. Devran had seen it hundreds of times. “Thank you, Master.”
It bothered Devran that this was the reset point. If only it could have been an hour earlier, before he’d caused so much pain. He’d even prayed for it, during his brief stint turning toward the church for an answer to his loop. But he always woke in the same spot.
After Emereo was all treated, Devran wrapped him in a blanket, brought him to the couch, and served him his favorite food: grilled cheese. It was about the most content someone recently-tortured could look, but through it all, there was always that undercurrent of pain and fear.
It was cruel, really. Devran had made his peace with the loop, but Emereo was the one that truly suffered for it, even if he couldn’t remember.
By this point, there was only one thing he hadn’t tried. He had mulled it over for quite a while, and he’d finally made up his mind. It was a bit drastic, but if it was the only way to free Emereo from his daily torment, he had to at least try, didn’t he?
He took his journal and wrote the names of everyone else he could think of, then tore out the page, folding it in half.
“Emereo? There’s something I need you to do,” he said as he joined him back downstairs.
“Yes, Master?” he asked, suddenly just a little more tense. Devran hated that. He wondered if Emereo would ever lose that fear, if he spent some years away from here. Away from him.
He handed Emereo the paper. “You don’t need to read this, it won’t make sense to you anyway. These are my… friends. If you ever get out of here, give this to the police, okay?”
Emereo looked lost, but that was alright. He didn’t need to understand just yet. “Um, yes, sir.”
“Good. You’re free to do as you please. Use the phone, take a walk outside, whatever you like. You won’t be punished.” Devran left him there and locked himself in his bedroom. He didn’t want Emereo to be the one to find him, even if it reset and he wouldn’t remember.
“Well, here goes nothing.” Devran clicked the safety off and shot himself in the head.
let me know if you want to be added to or removed from any taglist!
Defiant Whumpee with the ability to see the future is stuck in captivity. They see their future self broken and conditioned without any fight left in them. No matter what they choose, they will always end up as Whumper's pet. The question is just when and what will do the trick.
day 31 — bonus day :) write whatever you feel like writing today or have a nice day of rest
AuguSnippets is an event that encourages the short and sweet of the whump genre. Ideally, your drabbles would be under 500 or even under 100 words, maybe even just a dialogue prompt. This, however, does not mean I won't reblog longer prompt fills! Don't stress too much on that limit. I just think it's sometimes nice to challenge yourself to write shorter drabbles, and it can also work as a very good exercise to write daily or semi-daily, and it doesn't need a lot of prep.
As for tagging your work, please use the appropriate trigger warnings. This is so everyone can stay safe and avoid potentially triggering topics while participating. Also, if your work is nsfw, please don't forget to tag it as mature content! If your work is not tagged properly, I won't be able to reblog it! Thank you!
Our special tag will be "#augusnippets day [x]". On the first day that would be "#augusnippets day 1". This is so I and others can find your work easier! You can also tag the blog, that's an even more surefire way to get me to notice your prompt fill :)
Is this a writing only event?
Yeah, this one is exclusively writing focused.
Do I have to use the special tag or tag this blog?
Not if you don't want to get featured on this blog :) It's just so I can find your work easier and reblog it here! If that's not something you're interested in, just scribble away without it.
Is the "under 500" a hard limit for the word count?
No, but I encourage everyone to try and keep to it in the spirit of this event.
Can I submit nsfw works?
Yes! Just please tag it properly :)
Can I mix and match the prompts from different paths?
Yes! Have fun!
What do I need to do to get the completionist badge?
Either you need to complete one whole path, or complete 10 prompt fills altogether while mixing and matching. Those who complete all 30 days (and maybe even the bonus day) will get something extra special!
