This is our reality here in Gaza: killing, forced displacement, executions, living under fire, and shortages of medicine, food, and potable water. This is the current reality in Gaza.
The current situation is extremely difficult. There are no basic necessities for life here; life itself is almost nonexistent. Besides the lack of food and water, my father and my niece Iman are suffering. She is going through the worst days of her life, and she is only two years old. She has spent her entire life in extremely difficult circumstances and a war of genocide.
My father, who has cancer that could end his life, please don't ignore him. Please donate to save him and give him a decent life. Please don't leave us alone in this suffering. Please donate now. Your donation makes a huge difference and greatly helps in surviving. Please donate now.
Look at the horrors of what life as a Palestinian entails. Its unfair that anyone should be forced to live like this. Please show some compassion and donate to Nader and his family so they can see some relief.
The suffering is far worse than what's shown on the news. Life here is practically nonexistent; there are no basic necessities. Please help us and don't ignore us. Donate now, please.
Nearly 300 people have shared this and not a single person has donated. My father could lose his life while you ignore us. Please donate now! We need âŹ3900 to reach our goal. Please donate now and save us all.
Hey everyone, please don't stop sharing and donating! Please help us in any way you can. We need âŹ3780 to reach our goal. Please help us and donate now!
these are just some of the amazing fics Iâve read! I highly recommend every single one to my fellow satosugu lovers. you wonât regret it, I promise.
Carry Me Home by @valleykey [58.4k, completed, T]
The boy shifts on his feet. âThe year is two thousand and eighteen? Common Era?â
Slowly, smile still plastic on his face, Suguru faces Satoru. This fucking dumbass. âSatoru,â he says, dangerous edge to his voice, âwhat did you do?â
Satoru makes some bastardization of a sound, half between a laugh and a cough. Â â...Whoops?â
 âI,â Suguru grits, pinching two fingers together, âam this close to mass murder.â Heâs joking.  Probably.
 ///OR: Shortly before Geto would have massacred a village, he and Gojo are thrust eleven years forward into a would-have-been future that Geto is conspicuously absent from.
ćăŽăăĺ ´ć; river of light (that brings me to you) by @yuzudetergent [66.8k, completed, T]
A lesson in love is a lesson in swimming. Except for Suguru, it's getting dropped into the deep end with the tide licking at his neck, no kickboard or life preserver keeping him afloat.
(Or: This is how Satoru finds the ocean.)
achilles, only the dead stay seventeen forever by getou_suguru (dheiress) [7.9k, ongoing, T]
He looks like a little kid, insouciant and irreverent, smiling at you like that. This is how you want to remember him.
âWinter snow melts into Spring, of course!â
You open your mouth to laugh and laugh and laugh andâ
His breath tastes, inexplicably, like spun sugar and honey on your tongue.
 (Gojou Satoru is not a God, not yet. But He will be and you think (you know) that you will be  the first to kneel in worship and offer Him your blood, your flesh. Build Him a temple inside the circle of your arms until He sinks inside your ribcage, there to dwell safe and sound and beating just for you.)
 ((Pay attention, now. This is a story about how a boyâthe Hallowed one, the enlightenment of all, the one who rose high above others, the one and onlyâfell.))
Always an Angel (Never a God) by 0atmlk [44.6k, ongoing, M]
"The first time I saw the sunset here, I wanted to send you a picture."
 Suguru looked at him, surprised. "Why didn't you?"
 "Because I knew youâd been here before on your own, it was probably something you'd seen plenty of times." Satoru paused. "But I almost did. Opened it and everything to send to you. Then I saw the date of the last message you sent. We were pushing year three. So I didn't."
. . .
 Suguru finds Satoru at fifteen. Satoru finds him at twenty-eight.
Iâm Sorry: In Various Translations by @koifishscribbles [45.9k, ongoing, M]
The coffee in Satoruâs stomach curdles. He feels the weight of every one if those eight years roll through his entire body like an earthquake. All the missed sleep clings to his eyes, and the unsent texts threaten to erupt from his mouth.
Getou Suguru.
It is not that his stitches unravel. Those took years to craft, cinched with vitriol, and wonât be undone in a single moment. Itâs his very being that unspools onto the dirty linoleum floor. He wants Suguru to pick him up and untangle the length of him. His fingers once again becoming familiar as they expertly craft him into something new, better.
 ââ
Gojo Satoru has not seen his ex, Getou Suguru, since college. Until he shows up one day teaching in the classroom across the hall from him.
an anthology of bad ideas by ilovegetosuguru [9.5k, completed, gen]
Gojo panics and asks a very attractive stranger to be his fake boyfriend for a wedding.
 Hereâs the problem â thereâs no wedding.
 (Fake Dating AU)
april pink by @valleykey [3k, completed, gen]
âDude,â Satoru says, first thing off the train, glasses sliding down, wide eyes peering over the rim, âyou have, like, flowers. In your lungs.â
âOh really,â Suguru says, dry, âI hadn't noticed.â
Puppet On A String by @killjoyproductions [6.8k, completed, E]
âHuh,â he muses. âAre you⌠saving yourself for marriage?â
 âNope.â
 âAre you asexual?â
 Satoru shakes his head. âIâm not asexual, just a virgin.â
Autonomic Breath by finalproject [10.9k, completed, E]
She turns to Satoru and asks, "When did you know?"
Lies That Bind by Anonymous [48.1k, ongoing, E]
âReally now,â Gakuganji snorted, doubtful. âHow convenient. Who is this alpha, then?â And of course, Satoru had seen that question coming as soon as his claim of having a mate was halfway out of his mouth, but by that point he was already talking and it was too late to stop.
âSo nosy.â He wagged his finger in a tut-tut motion in the geezerâs face, watching him turn a horrible shade of angry red. âItâs Geto Suguru, of course.â
Satoru's sick and tired of all the higher-ups insisting he needs to find an alpha and settle down just because he's an omega, and the simple lie that Suguru is his mate seems like the easiest way to get some peace and quiet. What could go wrong?
like the tides, never standing still. by antepuer [1.1k, completed, T]
âI fucking hate it sometimes.â
Suguru taps the ash off and looks at him. Puppy-dog eyes, has no idea what Satoru refers to, but it would be far from the first time.
âWhat do you mean?â
âBeing queer.â He finally admits. âIt fucking sucks.â
once we have sufficiently tortured one another by irrevenance [4.6k, completed, E]
Suguruâs throat goes dry. âYouâre no longer a sorcerer,â he realizes, a hysterical laugh bubbling in his throat in response to the sick joke that has laid itself before him. âAnd you came to me?â
âYes,â Satoru says pleasantly. âWhat will you do about it,â and here he lowers both his eyelashes and his tone, a mockery of seduction, âGetou-sama?â
the dream house by irrevenance [6.1k, completed, E]
Suguru adopts two little girls, marries Satoru, and becomes a teacher. Itâs not enough.
where shall we go tomorrow? by elivellichor [15k, ongoing, T]
âWho the hell are you, and what the fuck do you want from me?â a raspy voice hisses, breath on the shell of his ear, knocking Suguru out of his daze.
Suguru tilts his chin up to better meet his pursuit face to face and goes breathless. Enraged and fiery cerulean eyes stare down at him with a twisted expression.
This child is undeniably Gojo Satoru. He canât imagine any other with a disposition so fiery and confrontational.
 Or: an indulgent age-regression fic featuring One (1) Baby Gojo Satoru and One (1) Very Tired Geto Suguru feat. healing <3
Caesura by @cielelyse [85.5k, completed, M]
The first time they meet, Suguru and Satoru do not like each other. Arrogant, cocky, insufferable, they think. Despite the smirks Shoko gives Suguru, or the sighs Yaga gives Satoru, they do not like each other.
Until a mission changes that.
it's not gay unless the domains touch by @hollow-lime-green [40.2k, completed, E]
Funny thing is, when you put up walls made of infinity, you donât expect people to start slipping in. And you certainly donât expect to start wanting them to.
Gojo Satoru never had a chance to get used to people touching him. Suguru gets that, and heâs happy to help. Thatâs what good friends do, right?
Alternatively: Geto Suguru is the most oblivious man alive.
two sorcerers chillin' in a hot tub (five feet apart cause theyâre not gay) by @hollow-lime-green
Geto Suguru has almost two decades of practice pretending not to see things that are clearly there, and Gojo Satoru has a well-documented history of being the most socially-stunted motherfucker alive.
Thatâs how they got here.
Thatâs also why neither of them know where the hell theyâre going with this.
BONUS! Baby Mine by @seaemberthesecond
There was something just slightly off in every interaction between Gojo-sensei and Fushiguro and once Yujiâd begun to notice it, he couldnât unsee it. It wasnât a bad kind of off â at least he didnât think so â but it was just different from the way either of them acted around everyone else.
*
Or, Yuji's journey to discovering that Megumi is Gojo's baby boy, featuring: an insane amount of simping, the mundane indignities of being a parent, and a lot of Yuji snooping in places he really shouldn't be.
(aka, that fic I go back to all the time. gojo being megumiâs dad will never not be one of my favorite things ever.) (clearly)
For my fellow angsty and whumpy writers who are writing characters that have been through a lot.
Does trauma actually speed up one's aging?
Yes, and no. Studies show mixed evidence, that requires more looking into as it's more complex than initially thought.
We mostly know that some people do seem to age faster during trauma like violence or some abuse, but not as much so for poverty or neglect. Genetic factors might play a role. People who seemed to age faster would have puberty earlier than others and even show signs of accelerated aging at a cellular level.
We're still doing ongoing research about what this means and what decides this.
The general theory behavioral scientists and biologists are leaning on is that aging faster during in dangerous traumatic times serves an evolutionary advantage.
As for adults, significant results show that depression can be a damper of lifespan, especially for elders, but there's a lot outside of trauma that influences this.
Graying Hair
Stress, not even just trauma, but stress alone can gray your hair. Genetics can play a role of course, but you've ever seen a single mom you know that they have to buy lots of hair dye.
Many hormones and chemicals activate when stressed, and double so when entering a form of shock, adrenaline rush, or total despair. One of those chemicals is norepinephrine.
Norepinephrine actually affects your melanocyte stem cells, the exact cells that stand at the base of each string of hair, and if these melanocytes die off they can't be replaced and the hair happens to lose pigment.
People typically start to gray around their forehead, sides of their faces, and central scalp. It takes a long time for someone's whole head of hair to completely gray, and usually someone will rock half-grayed hair for a long while before aging catches up if their gray is caused from stress. Facial hair can also gray.
Wrinkles and Tear Troughs
Dark eye circles, stress wrinkles, deep tear troughs, heavy eye bags... We've all heard it. Do these actually happen though?
Yes, absolutely. I can even vouch anecdotal evidence, as a severe abuse survivor myself, if you pull up old pictures of me I look like I was just pulled out of someone's back shed that had a magical portal to a world war.
Stress Wrinkles
Stress causes tenseness, and that includes in the face. This tenseness for long periods of time can cause wrinkles, especially in individuals past their late twenties. Some common stress wrinkles we see is between the eye brows known as frown lines, forehead lines, bunny lines that are between the nose and cheeks often near the nostril area, and smile lines that around the mouth.
Tear Troughs
Those lines you typically see right at the top of the nose and underneath the eyes are actually deep tear trough lines, I have these myself.
They can sometimes give the appearance of sunken eyes, dark circles, and heavier eye bags due to lighting on your face. Deep ones are referred to in the cosmetic industry as tear trough deformities. They can be caused by genetics of course, but also heavy sleep deprivation, dehydration, stress, and significant weight loss.
Many would describe their appearance as making a person always look extremely tired. They can also have a sort of darker hue to them as they leave the skin thin against your sockets. They can help eye bags form as well.
Eye Bags & Dark Circles
When you're always tired or experiencing a lack of sleep the muscles around the eyes can become strained, leading to puffiness and color tinting. Fatigue, depression, and lack of sleep messed with your blood flow. We can the see the results of so in places with thin skin such as the eye area.
Inflammation, dehydration, malnourishment, and weight loss cause these areas to discolor as well.
Sunken Eyes
One day I found an old picture of my brother and I. We looked mostly like normal kids besides our eerily sunken eyes.
Sunken eyes look different from eyebags and dark circles, and you typically know when you see them because they leave you feeling chilled or spooked. Something just looks so very very wrong in them. They are dramatic, really really dramatic, and can even be frightening depending on their severity.
Dehydration is a major player in causing sunken eyes, as well as damage to the facial structure from physical trauma. Sleep deprivation can cause it. Pair this with all the other above stress agers, and one can walk out into the world with a sunken appearance.
Sunken eyes can appear very dark, red, purple, or black even, and leave deep grooves underneath the eye. They can cause the eyelids to appear droopy, and the eyes intense and bulging. The eyes are literally deeper into the socket and they truly are best described as sunken.
Sunken eyes can also cause eye dryness, give the face a sense of asymmetry in eye positioning, cause double vision, difficulty focusing, and a sagging look to the skin around the eyes and eyelids.
Thousand Yard Stare & PTSD Eyes
I'm sure you've seen the famous artwork by Thomas Lea going about capturing an American soldier looking to the perspective with these horrific eyes.
PTSD eyes and the thousand yard stare are two completely different things.
Thousand Yard Stare
The thousand yard stare is a biological response people can have due to extreme violence and danger such as war. Wikipedia describes the stare as blank and unfocused. It is a reaction to shellshock or CSR which are both really terms for active PTSD while still under extreme duress such as in war combat.
In fact there are plenty other reactions that can happen alongside the thousand yard stare or in its stead, including...
Catatonia
Hypervigilance
Dissociative Amnesia
Uncontrollable Laughter
Tremors
Headaches/Migraines
Tinnitus
Neurasthenia (Sudden Muscle Weakness)
Mutism
Fugue
Sensory Overload
Screaming
Paralysis
Fear Response
Dissociation
And many many more
This is shellshock/combat stress reaction, and these things actually aren't limited to those in war. Anyone experiencing any kind of extreme shock in traumatic situation such as sexual assaults, murder, sudden death of a loved one, torture, kidnapping, and more.
These things very much often develop into PTSD, and although a rare reaction to returning extreme stress, those with PTSD can sometimes mimic these reactions during a flashback episode.
PTSD Eyes
Then what is PTSD eyes?
PTSD Eyes is a term coined to describe that sort of unique look in the eyes that those with PTSD can exhibit. This is caused by a lack of pupil reaction to threatening or upsetting imagery compared to the average person, and meanwhile an exaggerated reaction to nonthreatening imagery.
People with PTSD eyes can actually have a harder time focusing on things with their sight. This can also give people with PTSD a general unfocused sort of look.
In a series of pictures showing soldiers before, during, and after war we can see this very often in the after image.
Weight Loss
Malnutrition and starvation is extremely hard on the body, and very dangerous. It will show in every facet on your appearance. Your face can grow sunken and sharp, your arms and chest boney and gangly, and the muscles and bone structure underneath starts to show.
Often times trauma and weight loss can go hand in hand, not even through relation, but just due to circumstance.
Pale Complexion
Pallor, or medical paleness, can be a result of fatigue and stress, giving the skin a paler or grayer appearance.
Other causes can be shock, malnutrition, vitamin deficiencies, anemia, recent blood loss, and even low blood sugar. After some time and care to the body people will eventually brighten back up.
Extra Sources & Farewell
Here's some awesome sources if you want to look into things even more!
Researchers found that the bodyâs fight-or-flight response plays a key role in turning hair gray.
Boston University is a leading private research institution with two primary campuses in the heart of Boston and programs around the world.
Cardiff University study finds pupils of people with PTSD respond differently to emotional images
Photographer Lalage Snow, who is currently based in Kabul, Afghanistan, embarked on an 8-month-long project titled We Are The Not Dead featu
Combat stress is a common response to mental and emotional strain from dangerous and traumatic situations. Learn about combat stress and PTS
Trauma-induced paralysis, or tonic immobility, is an extreme trauma response often associated with severe trauma. Click here to learn what c
Your blog is super helpful with advice and research.
Do you have any resources on writing a character with PTSD, specifically from the Vietnam War era? I want to be accurate and respectful.
Thank you so much!
Writing Notes: PTSD
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
in DSMâIVâTR, a disorder that may result when an individual lives through or witnesses an event in which they believe that there is a threat to life or physical integrity and safety and experiences fear, terror, or helplessness.
The symptoms are characterized by:
reexperiencing the trauma in painful recollections, flashbacks, or recurrent dreams or nightmares;
avoidance of activities or places that recall the traumatic event, as well as diminished responsiveness (emotional anesthesia or numbing), with disinterest in significant activities and with feelings of detachment and estrangement from others; and
chronic physiological arousal, leading to such symptoms as an exaggerated startle response, disturbed sleep, difficulty in concentrating or remembering, and guilt about surviving the trauma when others did not.
Subtypes are chronic posttraumatic stress disorder and delayed posttraumatic stress disorder.
When the symptoms do not last longer than 4 weeks, a diagnosis of acute stress disorder is given instead.
Changes in PTSD criteria from DSMâIVâTR to DSMâ5 and DSM-5-TR include the following:
Exposure to the traumatic event may be secondhand if the event happens to a loved one or if there is repeated exposure to aversive details (e.g., as with first responders cleaning up after a disaster);
the subjective criterion requiring that the person feel fear, terror, or helplessness has been eliminated;
symptom clusters have been recategorized, with additional symptoms; and
separate criteria have been developed for children age 6 years or younger.
Who Develops PTSD?
Anyone can develop PTSD at any age.
Some factors can increase the chance that someone will have PTSD, many of which are not under that person's control.
For example, having a very intense or long-lasting traumatic event or getting injured during the event can make it more likely that a person will develop PTSD.
PTSD is also more common after certain types of trauma, like combat and sexual assault.
Personal factorsâlike previous traumatic exposure, age and genderâcan affect whether a person will develop PTSD.
What happens after the traumatic event is also important.
Stress can make PTSD more likely, while social support can make it less likely.
What Are the Symptoms of PTSD?
PTSD symptoms usually start soon after the traumatic event, but they may not appear until months or years later.
They also may come and go over many years.
If the symptoms last longer than 4 weeks, cause you great distress, or interfere with your work or home life, you might have PTSD.
There are 4 types of PTSD symptoms.
To be diagnosed with PTSD, you need to have each type.
That said, everyone experiences symptoms in their own way.
Reliving the event (also called re-experiencing symptoms).Â
Memories of the traumatic event can come back at any time.
They can feel very real and scary. For example:
You may have nightmares.
You may feel like you are going through the event again. This is called a flashback.
You may see, hear or smell something that causes you to relive the event. This is called a trauma reminder, cue or trigger. News reports, seeing an accident, or hearing fireworks are examples of trauma reminders.
Avoiding things that remind you of the event.Â
You may try to avoid situations or people remind you of the trauma event.
You may even avoid talking or thinking about the event. For example:
You may avoid crowds because they feel dangerous.
You may avoid driving if you were in a car accident or if your military convoy was bombed.
If you were in an earthquake, you may avoid watching movies about earthquakes.
You may keep very busy or avoid getting help so you don't have to think or talk about the event.
Having more negative thoughts and feelings than before the event.Â
The way you think about yourself and others may become more negative because of the trauma.
For example:
You may feel numbâunable to have positive or loving feelings toward other peopleâand lose interest in things you used to enjoy.
You may forget about parts of the traumatic event or not be able to talk about them.
You may think the world is completely dangerous, and no one can be trusted.
You may feel guilt or shame about the event, wishing you had done more to keep it from happening.
Feeling on edge or keyed up (also called hyperarousal).Â
You may be jittery, or always alert and on the lookout for danger.
You might suddenly become angry or irritable. For example:
You may have a hard time sleeping.
You may find it hard to concentrate.
You may be startled by a loud noise or surprise.
You might act in unhealthy ways, like smoking, abusing drugs or alcohol, or driving aggressively.
What Are the Symptoms of PTSD in Children?
Children may have symptoms like those above or other symptoms.
As children get older, their symptoms are more like those of adults.
Here are some examples of PTSD symptoms in children and teens:
Children under 6 may get upset if their parents are not close by, have trouble sleeping, or act out the trauma in their play.
Children ages 7 to 11 may also act out the trauma through play, drawings or stories. Some have nightmares or become more irritable or aggressive. They may also want to avoid school or have trouble with schoolwork or friends.
Children ages 12 to 18 have symptoms more similar to adults: depression, anxiety, withdrawal, or reckless behavior like substance abuse or running away.
Vietnam War Veterans
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has a long and complicated history.
During the Civil War it was call DaCostas Syndrome, named for the doctor who published about the troubling symptoms he was seeing in soldiers from both sides of battle. They suffered:
shortness of breath,
rapid pulse, and
fatigue during times of stress, and especially when recalling certain aspects of battle.
Shell shock,
Battle Fatigue, and
Post Vietnam Syndrome were all names given to symptoms of PTSD before it was officially added to the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) as an anxiety disorder in 1980. It has since been changed to a trauma and stressor related disorder.
Military service and PTSD are often linked because of the danger men and women in the armed forces face.
Their ability to show grace and present calm after traumatic experiences in life threatening situations can often be misinterpreted by those around them as being âfineâ. Â
The reality of war zones often forces them to march forward without the opportunity to process the trauma as other civilians might be able to.
A flash of light, a noise, or unexpected movement can trigger a jarring memory for service members thus causing them to experience PTSD.Â
Symptoms can be distressing to daily life and create daily traumatic experiences.Â
In the past, the image of the brave soldier made acknowledging, discussing and getting help for PTSD nearly impossible for many veterans.Â
Alcohol abuse, addiction, depression, muscoskeleton pain and other illnesses are frequently linked with PTSD and can cause problems in family and work life creating distress for veterans and the people who care most about them.
A major difference during the Vietnam War and previous wars was the homecoming experience.
While their fathers had come home from World War II to ticker-tape parades and national adulation, Vietnam veterans were often told to hide their military service or encouraged to not share it with others.
Many were maligned and mistreated.
This compounded the trauma that they experienced in Southeast Asia.Â
Vietnam veterans worked to change the narrative around PTSD. Men like Max Cleland, Lewis Puller Jr., and Hal Moore openly spoke about their struggles adjusting to civilian life.
Do People With PTSD Get Better?
After a traumatic event, it's normal to think, act, and feel differently than usual--but most people start to feel better after a few weeks.
Talk to a doctor or mental health care provider (like a psychiatrist, psychologist, counselor or social worker) if your symptoms:
Last longer than a month
Are very upsetting
Disrupt your daily life
"Getting better" means different things for different people.
There are treatment options for PTSD. For many people, these treatments can get rid of symptoms altogether. Others find they have fewer symptoms or feel that their symptoms are less intense.
Your symptoms don't have to interfere with your everyday activities and relationships.
What Treatments are Available?
Both trauma-focused psychotherapy (sometimes called counseling or talk therapy) and medication are proven to treat PTSD.
Sometimes people combine psychotherapy and medication.
Trauma-focused psychotherapy
A few trauma-focused psychotherapies are the most highly recommended treatments for PTSD.
"Trauma-focused" means that the therapy focuses on the memory of the traumatic event or its meaning.
The 3 most effective types of trauma-focused psychotherapy are:
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)Â where you learn skills to understand how trauma changed your thoughts and feelings. Changing how you think about the trauma can change how you feel.
Prolonged Exposure (PE)Â where you talk about your trauma repeatedly until memories are no longer upsetting. This will help you get more control over your thoughts and feelings about the trauma. You also go to places or do things that are safe, but that you have been staying away from because they remind you of the trauma.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), which involves focusing on sounds or hand movements while you talk about the trauma. This helps your brain work through the traumatic memories.
Sources: 1 2 3 â More: Notes â Character Development (Tips & Notes) â PDFs
Consider the above notes, and then the following tips & advice to further develop your character:
Writing about Mental Health Conditions
Character Development
Thanks for telling me, I'm glad to hear that! You can find more information in the links. If you can, speaking with a person/s with PTSD would provide valuable insight into your story, as well as doing further research on media portrayals of and by people with PTSD. All the best with your writing!
Caretaker cupping the delirious, hallucinating whumpeeâs face in their hands. âHey. Hey. Look at me,â they urge softly as Whumpeeâs terror-filled eyes keep darting over to whatever monster theyâre seeing in the corner. âItâs okay. Just look at me until it goes away.â
note; these are my personal experiences. i am clinically diagnosed with complex post traumatic stress disorder and also study psychology, and PTSD in general shows up very differently in all people. please be mindful of this information.
---
anywho! many a times i see PTSD in whump and in general being represented as flashbacks, nightmares, avoidant behaviour, and so on which isn't wrong or exaggerated, just coming on here with some more symptoms or issues i don't see often, mainly physical manifestations. feel free to give your whumpees an even harder time <3
1. Trauma literally rewires the brain and its no joke. The amygdala is in overdrive constantly. Whumpee's always on edge. The hippocampus reduces in size, and boom, eventually you're losing your mind and your memories of what happened. Now whumpee has little to make sense of why they are the way they are, and whatever they recall is so blurred it's driving them insane.
2. Getting triggered by a smell, sound, even a sensation on the body, like the wind on the skin 'rubbing off' the wrong way and Whumpee's suddenly spiraling. What's worse is the moment itself is so distressing they disassociate before they can help it. It takes hours to come back to their own body and realize that they can't remember anything except feeling lost and terrified that they can't even calm down. And they don't even know or remember why.
3. Following up on the previous prompt, outsiders will have a hard time telling if Whumpee is upset, sleep-deprived or tired (could be!) or simply out of it. Eyes glazed over, expression slack. Maybe their eyebrows are furrowed slightly. They stare into the distance and only hum back responses or a few syllables. Later into the day, somebody asks them what they're angry about. Whumpee stops, and thinks. What are they even upset about? They don't know.
4. Just fucked up hormones in general :/ Effective for female whumpees, intense stress levels interfere with hormone production and can infact halt your menstrual cycle. I struggled with this & when my cycle actually resumed the cramps were like 10x worse than what they were before lol. Additionally, some studies also report that PTSD symptoms worsen during the menstrual phases. Not fun.
5. The immune system of a Victorian child. Falling sick way too often. Headaches that don't go away. Digestive issues that give a Whumpee stomach cramps every time they even try to eat (this varies a lot). AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES OF ANY SORT!! Alot more things that can wrong. LOTS of potential for non-whumper whump.
---
all from me for now. based on some unfortunate experiences i've had in the past year :'). hope this helps someone or so
note; these are my personal experiences. i am clinically diagnosed with complex post traumatic stress disorder and also study psychology, and PTSD in general shows up very differently in all people. please be mindful of this information.
---
anywho! many a times i see PTSD in whump and in general being represented as flashbacks, nightmares, avoidant behaviour, and so on which isn't wrong or exaggerated, just coming on here with some more symptoms or issues i don't see often, mainly physical manifestations. feel free to give your whumpees an even harder time <3
1. Trauma literally rewires the brain and its no joke. The amygdala is in overdrive constantly. Whumpee's always on edge. The hippocampus reduces in size, and boom, eventually you're losing your mind and your memories of what happened. Now whumpee has little to make sense of why they are the way they are, and whatever they recall is so blurred it's driving them insane.
2. Getting triggered by a smell, sound, even a sensation on the body, like the wind on the skin 'rubbing off' the wrong way and Whumpee's suddenly spiraling. What's worse is the moment itself is so distressing they disassociate before they can help it. It takes hours to come back to their own body and realize that they can't remember anything except feeling lost and terrified that they can't even calm down. And they don't even know or remember why.
3. Following up on the previous prompt, outsiders will have a hard time telling if Whumpee is upset, sleep-deprived or tired (could be!) or simply out of it. Eyes glazed over, expression slack. Maybe their eyebrows are furrowed slightly. They stare into the distance and only hum back responses or a few syllables. Later into the day, somebody asks them what they're angry about. Whumpee stops, and thinks. What are they even upset about? They don't know.
4. Just fucked up hormones in general :/ Effective for female whumpees, intense stress levels interfere with hormone production and can infact halt your menstrual cycle. I struggled with this & when my cycle actually resumed the cramps were like 10x worse than what they were before lol. Additionally, some studies also report that PTSD symptoms worsen during the menstrual phases. Not fun.
5. The immune system of a Victorian child. Falling sick way too often. Headaches that don't go away. Digestive issues that give a Whumpee stomach cramps every time they even try to eat (this varies a lot). AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES OF ANY SORT!! Alot more things that can wrong. LOTS of potential for non-whumper whump.
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all from me for now. based on some unfortunate experiences i've had in the past year :'). hope this helps someone or so
When Whumpee misconstrued one of Caretakerâs questions/concerns/casual comments to be something they are sorry for/ should be apologetic about or that Caretaker meant for them to stop doing that thing or was being demeaning about it.
âYouâre bleeding!â âSorry! Iâm sorry! I wonât get it on anything!â
âDoes your ankle hurt?â âI can still do the [thing Caretaker asked if they wouldn't mind doing]. It doesnât hurt that bad.â
âYouâre snifflingâŚ. Are you crying?!â âI promise I wonât be loud! I just canât stop! Iâm sorry!â
âYouâre breathing a bit loud. Is your rib hurting again? ⌠WHY ARE YOU HOLDING YOUR BREATH?!â
âYour room was a bit warm today. Is that how you like it? I sleep hot so I would end up sweating all night with my heater on that high.â (A few nights later) âC-Caretaker? Is.. is it alright if I t-take the blanket from the couch to m-my room t-tonight?â âOf course! How are you still cold when you're room is so hot? Are you feeling well?â WHY ARE ALL YOUR WINDOWS OPEN?! ITS WINTER!!â
âYou sure are hungry! Looks like your appetite is coming back.â âIâm sorry. I didnât mean to take too much. I wonât eat tomorrow to make up for it.â
âYour hair looks different!â âI know⌠I'm sorry. I didn't really like it in [old-Whumperâs-favorite-style] so I changed it. Iâll change it back though, 'cause I know it makes me more pleasing to look at. Iâm sorry.â
"Why are there bandage wrappings in the garbage?" "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to take your supplies without asking! Its just that one of my stitches opened up and it wouldn't stop bleeding."
Living Weapon whumpee who treats the caretaker like theyre a new handler.
Expecting a punishment for everything they believe they've done wrong and getting really confused when there's none of it.
"Yes, sir/ma'am.", "I'm sorry, sir/ma'am."
Straightening their posture whenever caretaker sounds angry.
Treating every small suggestion and off handed comment caretaker makes as an order. "It's quite dirty in here." becomes "Clean up this mess, now."
Getting confused and scared at the lack of established rules and punishments. Every move could be the wrong one. Every action they make risks being hurt. They constantly wait for the other shoe to drop.
Proudly displaying their skill to their caretaker (by killing/harming someone?) only for caretaker to be horrified by what they've done.
Stoic whumpee spending hours in the shower after being reunited with the team because it's the only place they can break down with guaranteed privacy.
Whumpee being too tired to wash themselves standing up so they sit on the floor (then accidentally falling asleep, leading Caretaker to break down the door in panic in case Whumpee was hurt).
Caretaker sitting outside the door to provide support for a whumpee with water related trauma.
Caretaker getting in the shower with Whumpee to help them wash because they're not strong enough to do it alone yet.
Whumpee turning the shower to extreme temperatures (hot or cold) to stop feeling numb or to distract from their feelings being out of control.
Whumpee not showering for ages after being rescued because they're not used to being allowed to.
Caretaker's water bills running astronomically high because Whumpee keeps dissociating and spending hours in the shower every day.
Whumpee finding comfort in the warm water after years of being frozen and left in the cold.
Throwing whumpee onto their knees before the enemy leader and holding them there by the back of the neck
Whumpee half-curled into a fetal position as they're being relentlessly kicked
Whumpee forced to strip. And doing so flushing and getting ashamed.
Whumpee shuddering and shaking from exhaustion caused by screaming, resisting, and fear
Wiping blood off hastily, grabbing injuries, making faces as they try not to cry
Ripping their pants down or shirt up so roughly it jerks whumpee's body
The broken sob that's kind of the end of a cry they barely managed to hold in
Whumpee feeling stupid, humiliated, even though anyone would, in their position
Sweating, swallowing, and keeping their face under control, trembling as they are inspected
Being twisted by the wrist, spun around, and slammed face-first into a wall or desk
Compromising positions like whumper sitting on their butt, in a non-sexual, violent way that just emphasizes the desperate physical struggle.
Grabbing them by the face to look at them and make snide observations about how scared they are
Slapping whumpee in the cheek
Small whumpees being thrown around and restrained physically by big whumpers
Grabbing their hair to slam them into the wall and whispering something in their ear that makes whumpee grimace
"turn around and face the wall."
Slapping a knife wound or gunshot injury and whumpee winces, cries and curls over the injury
A sarcastic remark dying on whumpee's lips as they see what whumper brought to beat them with
A stoic whumpee after a long time of taking a beating with only grunts of pain, groaning as a bone is broken, and as whumper raises their boot to kick again, whumpee hoarsely cries "wait wait, please! --please wait!"
fumbling tasks that they normally perform without second thought, maybe dropping items in the process or having to pause and try to make their hands stop shaking
stumbling unexpectedly, catching themselves on a wall or a piece of furniture and perhaps blinking dazedly as they try to clear the sudden fog from their brain
having to stop for rest, strangely out of breath even though they haven't been working all that hard at anything
leaving their food mostly untouched, claiming they're not hungry or that they already ate
taking a bit longer than they should to register what other people are saying to them and to formulate a response
coughing occasionally and brushing off anyone who mentions it; "it's just a cold"
being unusually quiet and withdrawn, especially if they're normally talking everyone else's ears off, making stupid jokes, pestering others, etc.
keeping their coat on even though everyone else has shed theirs because it's too warm to be wearing one (or the opposite: unzipping their coat and shedding their scarf and gloves even though it's certainly cold enough to be wearing them)
sitting or lying around instead of getting up and helping with whatever work is at hand, especially if this is very unusual behavior for them
spacing out, with others having to practically shout their name in their ear to get them to snap out of it and respond
losing timeâone minute, they're in their house; the next, they're at work, and a whole hour has passed without them noticing
squeezing their eyes shut/grimacing/wincing in pain
subtly keeping their hand pressed against their side or their arm wrapped around themselves
falling behind the others since they're moving slower than usual
having others comment on how they look pale or unwell
remarking on how they haven't been sleeping well for some reason
