SHATTERED THINGS & SOFT RUINS
roleplay headcanons inspired by trauma, heartbreak, and the quiet ways people survive what broke them
what remains when the worst has already happened
Flinches at raised voices, even when the room is safe.
Keeps moving forward because stopping would mean feeling everything at once.
Carries guilt for surviving something others didnโt.
Learns how to smile convincingly long before learning how to heal.
Measures time by before and after rather than dates.
THE HEART THAT STILL HURTS
love lost, love damaged, love that never fully left
Still remembers the exact sound of the door closing for the last time.
Avoids places, songs, or scents that bring them back.
Loves deeply but cautiously, like someone touching a bruise.
Believes heartbreak rewired them permanently.
Wonders if they were ever enoughโor just convenient.
the ways pain is managed, hidden, or ritualized
Uses humor to deflect questions they donโt want to answer.
Stays busy to avoid being alone with their thoughts.
Keeps their emotions tightly controlled in public, unraveling only in private.
Finds comfort in routines, even unhealthy ones.
Pretends theyโre โover itโ because explaining feels exhausting.
TRUST, FRAGILE AND FRACTURED
how trauma reshapes connection
Needs reassurance but struggles to ask for it.
Tests people unconsciously, waiting for them to leave.
Apologizes for existing too loudly or taking up space.
Keeps emotional distance even while craving closeness.
Believes abandonment is inevitable, so they prepare for it early.
when the world is quiet and the past is loud
Sleeps lightly, waking from memories that donโt fade with daylight.
Replays conversations, searching for the moment everything went wrong.
Finds the dark both comforting and dangerous.
Uses music or white noise to drown out their own thoughts.
Feels loneliest when surrounded by people.
THINGS THEY NEVER SAY OUT LOUD
unspoken truths, buried confessions
Misses someone who hurt them deeply.
Fears they are too broken to be loved properly.
Wishes someone had stayedโeven if it meant staying broken together.
Blames themselves for not seeing the signs sooner.
Still hopes, quietly, despite everything.
the slow, imperfect process of learning to breathe again
Healing doesnโt look linear; some days feel like setbacks.
Finds peace in small, ordinary moments rather than grand gestures.
Learns to sit with pain instead of running from it.
Starts believing they deserve gentleness.
Lets someone see the scarsโnot to fix them, but to understand.
what comes next, if anything
Falls in love cautiously, one step at a time.
Needs patience more than passionโat least at first.
Feels safest with someone who listens without trying to solve everything.
Learns that love doesnโt have to hurt to be real.
Slowly, quietly, chooses to try again.
