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@byteofwhump
I believe in equal opportunity torture
Beat that woman up. Tie her to a chair and leave her there. Kick her until her ribs break. I want her crying and sobbing and shaking and begging for mercy
you need to do this. For feminism.
As a longtime enjoyer of whump and hurt/comfort, I have to say I don’t like the term ‘caretaker’. It carries to much real world connotation, medical baggage ect and feels icky. I get why it’s used bc it’s sort of a catch all term, since they can be anyone technically taking care of the whumpee. I tend to just use friend, rescuer ect, to avoid the term. As a hurt/comfort enjoyer, I propose ‘comforter’ something along those lines.
tbh as someone who's been around the whump community a long time as well and is maybe a bit stuck in my ways, it's also kind of weird to think about bc like... i remember when i started hanging out in these circles, that's... not really a word that was used? (nor was whumper in the sense of the character role, actually, i'm pretty sure, though we did call ourselves whumpers - usually for the character role you'd just say "villain", but also back then you used to see a lot more environmental/wilderness whump and other scenarios where there wasn't always necessarily anyone actively purposefully inflicting harm on the whumpee, the harm just happened due to other forces)
like, in the prompts and scenarios you'd see around, it would never be "caretaker" it'd be "medic", "teammate", "friend", "s/o", or whatever, something more focused on what the character doing the helping is to whumpee outside the moments when the whump is happening. Like the specific word caretaker wasn't really used at all when I was new to whump, though I couldn't tell you when it started being common
tbh i think i kinda preferred things that way, too, though for me that's less because the word itself feels icky and more because i do actually like that specificity, i'm very much interested in who the characters are to each other outside of the context of one of them being hurt and vulnerable and in need of help or comfort, and how what they are to each other colors the dynamic when one (or both) characters are hurt and need all that
I think a lot of that shift has happened because people have gradually taken "whumpee", "whumper", and "caretaker" to be rigid archetypes, rather than temporary, situational descriptors.
Your last paragraph really hit the nail on the head.
A lot of what makes whump compelling as a storytelling device gets lost when these dynamics stop shifting. A medic who sometimes gets hurt themself, who gets too stressed and turns snappy when they shouldn't, and still has a bond with the victim where they mutually support one another when no one else does is far, far more intriguing than 'the one whose role is to be a one-way, endless source of comfort-giving, full stop'.
For as much as whump is centered around empathy, the way these archetypes sometimes get used is very dehumanizing. It flattens the stories, and takes away so much. I wish we saw the average whump story focus more on characters—complicated, messy, multi-dimensional characters—than roles.
This is an EXCELLENT breakdown and I’d add that this type of flattening has become really prevalent across all media and fandom over the past decade.
There has been a noticeable shift towards “tropification” of stories. Like, I was a fan of TVTropes back in its heyday but this is an extreme. It feels like now people are actively seeking out specific tropes and creating based almost solely on strict interpretations of those tropes. And with that has come a certain subset of folks who seem to get upset or even offended when their preferred tropes aren’t “done right” or don’t go the way they want or expect.
(Caveat: I’m not saying this mindset didn’t exist before, but the predominant way fandom operates nowadays is strongly influenced by this sentiment in a way that it wasn’t before.)
Tropes aren’t rules. They’re not even guidelines. They’re just patterns that repeat across stories.
No one should be beholden to these sort of strict archetypes - they’ve never been meant for that.
*gets new blorbo*
Me: I should write a fic where they snuggle and get taken care of
My brain, without fail: I wonder what would happen if blorbo went through *truly horrifying thing no sane person daydreams about over lunch*
Correct me if I'm wrong but a whumpee saying "something's wrong" in a desperate/terrified/etc. tone has got to be one of the greatest whump-related quotes ever
fucking bizarre that computers heat up while operating. like dude it’s just math
i too heat up doing math. They're not special
it’s worse than that. the laws of physics require doing math to produce waste heat.
it's bonkers that the answer to "can i make a more efficient steam engine" is "no, and btw all good is temporary", but it's objectively even funnier that the answer to "can my fucking cpu stop throttling" is "no, bc otherwise you could make more efficient steam engines"
rolf landauer, looking at a steam engine: “this is just a very bad computer.”
Stoic Whumpees who are mostly able to hold it together once they’re rescued. Maybe they cry a few times, share a few mild examples of how badly they were treated while captive, but the Team doesn’t really see how badly Whumpee been affected. That is, until Whumpee is caught off guard by one of their triggers in front of the Team. They’re unable to hide their reaction: their breath hitches, they scrunch their face up in terror, they hunch over and wrap their arms around their chest, tears forming in their eyes. Then, just as quickly, they snap out of it like nothing happened. Heavily embarrassed, they run off to their room to cry, avoiding all the Team’s questions and calls for them to come out.
Mind control whump:
When it isn't quite total control. When you have to sit in the passenger seat of your own body, feeling yourself move against your will. When you can fight, strain against the control, every second of hesitation a victory. You're dragged around like a puppet by its strings, each movement a tug of war between you and Whumper. Better not lose.
When it is total control. Watching days slip by behind a pane of glass, losing touch with what part of you is still you. Watching your body obey Whumper's orders, hearing your voice speak Whumper's words. Your thoughts, desires, needs completely disconnected from the actions your body takes. Someone else living in your skin while you watch helplessly.
When its a complete blackout. You blink on the battlefield and suddenly you're in a prison cell, defenseless and confused. Whumper walks in and you blink again, and suddenly you're doing dishes on a cold winter night. Blink, and you're outside in the springtime with Whumper. Blink, and there's a bloody knife in your hands and your friend's bodies at your feet.
Bonus: when it could be any of these, depending on Whumper's mood
Living weapon whumpee who starts to love someone but they're not exactly in touch with their emotions so they have no way to actually understand what they're feeling, even if they are aware what romance/friendship/etc is. It's just weird to apply it to themself. Not how it works. They don't actually realize they love this person (or people) so it translates as being obsessively loyal and protective to them and swearing to slay their enemies. They don't know how to have a lover. All they know is how to have a master.
love love love when a particularly manipulative character is lying off their ass about something and then throws in one hauntingly genuine line
I see your "people say they are a monster, but I am the only one who knows the truly kind soul beneath" dynamic and raise you "they are exactly the monster everyone says they are, but I see it and I don't flinch away"
relatable for most i'd wager
compliant whumpee who is pushed and shoved around but feels frustrated more than anything bc 'just tell me to do it and i will'
Conditioned long-time whumpee jealous that defiant new whumpee is getting all of their owner's attention
Intimidation Scenarios...
Hand on the throat — not choking, just resting there, a reminder of how easily it could turn.
Crowding in close — shoulder to the wall, breath hot in the ear, nowhere to move.
Weapon pressed flat — knife laid cold against the skin, unmoving, just waiting.
Mocking calmness — a soft smile, quiet words, while holding them pinned in place.
Dragged into the light — spotlight or flashlight shoved in the face, no shadows to hide in.
Hands behind the back — wrists twisted just enough to ache, captor murmuring threats.
Forced stillness — someone grips their jaw tight, turning their face where they want it.
Interrupted silence — no strike, no shout, just someone leaning close and whispering: “You know what happens next.”
Cut off from escape — blocking the doorway, boots planted, arms folded, waiting for the panic to rise.
Pain without strike — pressing a thumb into a fresh bruise or wound, watching for the flinch.
Looming presence — circling like a predator, slow steps echoing louder than words.
Mock vulnerability — letting them go, daring them to try to run, promising what will happen if they do.
Dragged to the ground — knee planted on the chest, pinning with effortless weight.
Psychological knife-twist — “We don’t need to hurt you. We just need you to remember we could.”
Goshhhhhh
forced caretaking as a trope i think is like cocaine to people who know they need to be taken care of but have mental blocks in the way like yeah please do gently force me into a state of vulnerability so my body learns it is a safe thing to feel around you
This has gotta be a hit with the girlies who have always wanted something terrible to happen to them just so people realize they're in more misery than their outward appearance lets on
So I heard it's whump's birthday today
