under harsh lights

whump reviews: spoiler free book reviews with a focus on the whump in them | minors DNI | adult | they/them | nsfw!

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intro

hello! i read books very fast & i love whump. therefore, i have whump reviews which is a spoiler-free whump-focused review of books i have read.

please feel free to submit book suggestions and requests for review! i am also a registered nurse, so i love answering medical whump questions. <3

oc list

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Whump Review: When the Tides Held the Moon

Summary: After creating a tank on comission, Benigno ends up participating in the capture of a merman. After spending time caring for the merman, the two become closer until a boiling point is reached.

Whump rating: 2.5/5

Tropes: chronic lung disease, chloroform, capture, walking through breathing exercises, held while crying, slow & wasting illness, fire, mob violence, shot, identity struggles

Review: I love a whumpee who doesn't know who they are and struggles with figuring that out! Especially in this case, where Benny is also a whumpee in the situation but participates in both contributing to and easing the suffering of Rio, the merman. While it isn't the main focus, the whump is tasteful and adds to the story quite well.

Goodreads link.

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Whump Review: The Sovereign

Note: this is not the first book in a series, and this post may contain unavoidable spoilers as a result! Click here to see the whump review of the first book in the series.

Summary: There ain't no rest for the wicked--and that includes Luca and Touraine, who must do their best to pivot to new problems the moment their previous ones have been defeated.

Whump rating: 5/5

Tropes: whipping, chronic pain, plague, shooting, death by sword, trying & failing to run on injured leg, animal bites, digging bullets out of flesh (no pain management), magical healing, passing out, captivity, bound, whumpee picking fights, struggle with identity, near collapse, caught escaping by whumper, forced to chose who to kill or spare, hand to hand combat, forced to torture, stabbing, puking from pain, in & out of consciousness, delirium, cannibalism

Review: AAAHHH. A really delicious amount of whump, absolutely delivers in every possible way with the many whump opportunities this world has set up. Every single method of whump you can think of in this setting gets used, and it hits well every time.

Goodreads link.

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Whump Review: The Faithless

Note: this is not the first book in a series, and this post may contain unavoidable spoilers as a result! Click here to see the whump review of the first book in the series.

Summary: Returned to her empire and still facing the problem of her uncle, Lucas must determine what her next steps involve, and how exactly Tourmaine will factor into them.

Whump rating: 3.5/5

Tropes: PTSD, cold, creepy/dehumanizing whumper, fainting, infection, swordplay, poisoning, near death, stress puking, stabbing, blows with a gun, whumpee that grabs power and becomes unrecognizable, struggling with magic

Review: While this book isn't as physical whump heavy as the last one, the internal conflicts do not slow down one bit! Everybody gets their fair share of suffering in this book, and it sets up the next book very well.

Goodreads link.

Next book in series: The Sovereign

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Whump Review: The Unbroken

Summary: Tourmaline must decide where her loyalty falls: the empire that captured her as a child and raised her to be a skilled soldier, or the country she was born to. The princess of Baudelaire sees her for what she is: the perfect opportunity to make moves towards knocking her uncle off the throne.

Whump rating: 5/5

Tropes: long term captivity, raised as a child soldier for the other side, drugging, capturing, flashbacks, living weapon flavored, beating, knife used for torture, rescue from torture/captivity, caregiving, whipping, chronic pain, traumatic leg amputation, beat to shit by ones own mom (not abuse believe it or not), concussion, shot, knocked out, magical healing, passed out from illness, and then also a whole bunch more getting shot.

Review: I love it when you give lesbians swords, cannibalism, and magic! I don't particularly enjoy political stories, but this book manages to strike a great balance between political and military conflicts. While there are slow parts to the book, it always serves up excellent whump and continuous internal conflicts distressing the characters (my fave) during the fast parts.

Goodreads link.

Next book in series: The Faithless

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Whump Review: Compound Fracture

Summary: Miles sets out to put an end to a decades-long blood feud that has culminated in multiple deaths, while the ghost of his ancestor tags along.

Whump rating: 3.5/5

Tropes: severe beating, hospitalization, homophobia, transphobia, permanent facial deformity as a result of assault, burn injury, shot.

Review: Set in a poverty-plagued mining town, this story has more emotional brutality than physical whump, but the whump that does exist gets great mileage. The plot is definitely a bigger focus than the whump, but I still found it enjoyable.

Goodreads link.

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Whump Review: The Spirit Bares Its Teeth

Summary: Silas is diagnosed with a magical illness and sent off to a sanitorium/finishing school.

Whump rating: 4.5/5

Tropes: fantisizing about whump, enucleation, unlicensed surgeon, surgery without anesthesia, autistic whumpee, trans whumpee, self doubt, autistic masking, administering stitches to self, sexual assault, dissociation, bathtub surgery abortion, freezing to death.

Review: This is very medical/Victorian focused whump, and it has a fantastic atmosphere to it. It has a small element of magical whump as well. Overall, a good read for those who enjoy surgical and medical whump!

Goodreads link.

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Whump Review: First, Become Ashes

Summary: Forcibly removed from the commune and magic he grew up with, Lark is determined to free himself and carry out his directives.

Whump rating: 3.5/5

Tropes: cult setting, brainwashing, noncon whump/nsfwhump, use of hot iron, lashing/whipping by other whumpees, codependent relationships, dizziness, shock, being shot, running, questionable magic.

Review: Told from multiple points of view, this book leaves you vaguely wondering what exactly is and isn't real, but the whump does come through nontheless. There are POV sections from both a whumpee who is still believing in the cult, and one who is no longer brainwashed. It's definitely a different type of book, but very enjoyable if you like the niche content.

Goodreads link.

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Whump Review: Hazelthorn

Summary: Evander gets slightly distracted from being sickly and obsessing over his enemy when his guardian (Laurie's grandfather) drops dead in front of him.

Whump rating: 5/5

Tropes: pinching at self, biting self, eating non food items, living with the person who tried to murder you for no good reason, child abuse, purposefully ordering a meal for whumpee that they can't eat due to a disability, limb deformity/loss of use of limb, forced medication/drugging, forced touching, tearing out stitches with ya fingers, fever, lingering effects of drugs, asking permission to touch, amnesia, learning disability, hunger/starvation, blackouts, medical episodes, blood loss, sarcastic whumpee, angry whumpee, amputation of a limb without anesthesia, surgery by a non-surgeon, vivisection, buried alive, lack of autonomy, shame, rage, grief.

Review: EEEUUUUGH I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH THAT I WENT OUT AND GOT A COPY OF IT IMMEDIATELY. The PROSE. The EMOTIONS. The realizations and sinking feelings and terrible happenings. The narrator for the audiobook put a fantastic amount of flavor into it that I think really enhanced the experience as well.

Goodreads link.

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Whump Review: Don't Let The Forest In

Summary: Two whump creators discover that one of them has creations (read: monsters) coming to life every night that they must defeat. As the challenges continue to mount, the two of them must come to terms with what might need to happen to destroy the monsters for good.

Whump rating: 4/5

Tropes: child abuse, ditching self care, whumpee isn't eating, school setting, teen whumpees, panic attacks, doubt in reality, stoic whumpee has a panic attack (yes this is different), sleep deprivation.

Review: This was an excellent quick read! The author has a greatly enjoyable prose, and the emotions are so incredibly visceral thanks to that. The gay yearning cuts almost as deeply as the whump AND the main character is canonically asexual. I'm also starting to think that I may just be into botanical horror?

"For a vicious moment, Andrew thought about slipping his fingers into Thomas' cut. Taking hold of his rib and breaking it. Pulling the soft and crumbling bone from his chest and sewing it into his own. They'd be together forever, rib against rib, fused in gore and bone and adoration."

Goodreads link.

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Whump Review: Docile

Summary: Elisha sells himself into the current system to eliminate his family's debt. His contract is purchased by a trillionaire scientist who expects that Elisha will be taking his family's legacy: a drug called Docilin that makes Dociles compliant.

Whump rating: 5/5

Tropes: physical punishments such as kneeling on rice/confined spaces, branding, lab whump, dehumanization, nsfwhump/non-con on multiple levels & with different contexts, use as a slave, noncon drugging, suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, puking, nightmares, whumper who sees himself as a good guy, brainwashing, loss of autonomy, commitment to a psych ward (just not who you think will be), deprogramming brainwashing, rejection by family.

Review: This is one of those books that people will have differing opinions on. I do have to say that for the first half of the book, it DEFINITELY had more of an erotica/kink oriented book feeling to it and I wasn't that into it. I found it far more compelling from a whump perspective during the second half of the book. That's where there's more focus on the emotional consequences for the characters and lil moral debates including by whumpee about whether or not he too is a perpetrator.

Goodreads link.

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Whump Review: Kingdom of Claw

Note: this is not the first book in a series, and this post may contain unavoidable spoilers as a result! Click here to see the whump review of the first book in the series.

Summary: Silla continues on her journey, and is made to discover more about herself than she really wants to.

Whump rating: 4.5/5

Tropes: Emotional neglect, parental whumper, blood letting, dissociation, flashbacks, panic, reluctant caretaker, blood loss, shot with arrow, whumpee resisting basic care, relapse temptation, five vs 1, knocked out mid fight, loss of powers at a critical time, near death experience, mandhandled, branding, agoraphobia.

Review: Healthy dosing of emotional and physical whump throughout, and lovely explorations of feelings related to said whump. Multiple POVs, and just a well written book with a cool magic system!

Goodreads link.

Next book in the series:

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living weapon whose handler has stuck a sign saying "beware of dog" on the door after weapon finally got their own space

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Whump Review: The Road of Bones

Summary: After Silla's father is killed, she is left running almost blindly for her life. Kept sheltered from certain parts of the world, she ends up in the wagon belonging to a vicious mercenary crew who begrudgingly take her in.

Whump rating: 4/5

Tropes: untrained whumpee, team trains whumpee, choked into unconsciousness, severe chronic headaches, drug dependency, drug withdrawal, drug craving, hallucinations, stabbings, character death, forced drugging, turned in for money, held captive, threatened noncon, flashbacks, feeling of failure from living weapon, reveal of personal history unknown to whumpee, identity reveal, hiding from enemy forces.

Review: I'm slightly biased, because this book covered some of my all-time favorite tropes and I found it quite enjoyable. Set in a magical Viking-inspired story, the book does a great job of exploring addiction and several whumpy events happening to a naive whumpee. I also just generally really liked how the author explored the emotions the characters had!

Goodreads link.

Next book in series: Kingdom of Claw

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Whump Review: Gearbreakers/Godslayers

My notes got messed up, so here's a two-for-one deal! Spoiler free review of the whump across a duology. A good amount of the whump is seen in both books.

Summary: Two girls on opposite sides of the war come together, break apart, come together, break apart, and then come back together. There's some fun mecha fights too.

Whump rating: 3.5/5

Tropes: self-sacrifice by team leader, capture, defiant captive whumpee, torture, puking, fighting until you get knocked out, manhandling, living weapon feels emotions including terror/resignation to their fate/feeling less than human/feeling that they should be punished, brainwashing, confusion from brainwashing, mass poisonings, We Made Each Other Worse

Review: This author was pretty young when these got published, so the characters are 17 in the first book and 18 in the second. HOWEVER, I still think this author pulled off some spectacular whump, particularly in the living weapon and her struggles with her emotions and thoughts. I really thrived off that more than the physical whump, but it was pretty neat to see somebody think of a way to whump mecha suits.

Goodreads link / Goodreads link

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Day 31: Finish the Job

Day 31 of Whumplover's Whumpmonth. Click here to see all of my entries!

Prompts used: Long fall into water | Bounty | Storm

Song: "Young and a Menace", Fallout Boy

CW: heights, falls.

Lips twitched up into a self-satisfied smirk as a car came into view in his headlights. The car was parked on the shoulder of the road, scraps of the rear tire scattered across the empty freeway. The target was already out of their car, kicking the bumper as Osprey pulled over behind them and put his hazards on. Io Redshift, cultured thief of priceless artifacts. A private collector was quite upset with this man. "Time to finish the job," he muttered to himself, opening his own car door and stepping out into the rain. "Need some help?"

Io had already turned, squinting against the glare of the headlights. "No."

"You sure? We can make some quick work of that tire change," Osprey said, approaching with his hands in his coat pockets. One hand gripped an auto-injector loaded with a nice sedative. It would be an enjoyable nap for the other person. Osprey figured he was the one on the short end of the stick here, as he would be fully aware of how wet and cold he was for the rest of the trip.

"I'm fine, thanks," came the firm reply. The driver was making no move to even open his trunk, leaning against his car's bumper.

The temptation to smirk was there. Osprey knew that the trunk held some artifacts that those who had set the bounty were fairly interested in getting their hands on. But he kept his face carefully neutral, continuing to approach. "I'm afraid I have to insist, I can't fathom leaving somebody out here in this weather," he said, sounding apologetic. "And your tire just looks awful, it might take both of us to loosen those lug nuts with the damage it has."

He was almost close enough to lunge and drug the target. He could do this. His breath hitched silently with anticipation—only to groan as the other man launched into a dead sprint down the empty freeway. He quickly gave chase, hands out of the pockets and arms pumping as he started running. "Io! Come on, it doesn't have to be like this," he yelled, trying to catch up. There was no response, or at least not one Osprey could hear. A flash of lightning slashed across the sky, the responding thunder crack immediate and loud enough to feel like it was reverberating in ones bones. Maybe he could catch up before—no, here came the bridge. The lights coming into view had Osprey gritting his teeth and digging deeper to try and get Io. He had miscalculated. Maybe he should have purchased a dart gun like a fucking animal control officer. By the time he caught up enough to latch onto the other man and crash to the floor, they were solidly on the bridge.

Limbs tangled and lashed out as the two fought, too close in proximity to get good swings on each other. Osprey ignored an elbow that did manage to crash into his face, smashing the auto-injector into the nearest part of Io's torso that he could and holding on for dear life. He just needed to make it the three to five minutes it would take for Io to be subdued by the drug. Right?

As the two continued to scuffle, Osprey began to have suspicions. Thoughts like, "did it not actually fucking work?" started to creep in as Io showed no signs of slowing. Other thoughts along the lines of "oh shit" and "maybe it's time to go" started popping up as Osprey's fight became increasingly defensive. He finally made a break for it, trying to disengage and gain enough distance to get his gun out—no, now those stupidly thick arms were wrapped around him, pinning his arms down against his sides. "Redshift! Io! We can talk it out, let's put a pause on this," he began, as he was physically dragged towards the side of the bridge. He struggled, trying to find purchase against the rain-slick pavement with his feet and attempting to break the vice like grip around him. "Fuck, how are you so strong?"

"You made a mistake today," Io hissed in his ear, forcing Osprey against the side of the bridge. Before he knew it, he had been rolled up over the concrete boundary and unceremoniously dumped off the bridge.

The

Fall

Went

On

And all Osprey could think was that his brothers would be devastated.

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Day 30: Moment of Truth

Day 30 of Whumplover's Whumpmonth. Click here to see all of my entries!

Prompts used: Shot | Smaller protector | Adrenaline crash

Song: "Here Comes The Rain Again", Kristóf Hajós

CW: shot with an arrow, fantasy ableism towards a blind character

Nucifera picks their way deeper into the island, feet landing surely on the familiar path they have walked plenty of times before. It is always nice when the sun is out, making an appearance from behind the heavy clouds that often clung to the island. There are typically birds singing that Nucifera could listen to, but any birds that are singing seem drowned out by the oppressively loud footsteps of the man behind him.

Nucifera and their half-drowned beach find have come to a sort of agreement the best they could, considering how little they spoke of each other's languages. Nucifera had felt that being rid of the man—Ellas, apparently, it turned out that even Heshi had names— would be ideal, but he seemed intent on repaying them for their generosity. They hadn't managed to figure out how to tell him to stop, though, and had resigned themselves to tolerating his presence including now. Those harsh, loud boots are crashing through their patience quickly. Maybe they need to make him new footwear. They stop walking, turning around to face him with a frown on their face.

"You sound like a broken-winged bird fighting a too-large fish on the rocks," they inform him, frustrated and knowing he would understand none of what was said. "Walk quieter!" They stomp their feet, then repeat the movement much more quietly. "Yes?" The last word was in Heshi, but they don't bother waiting for a response before they turn around and start walking again. To his credit, he is quieter this time, the rocks not grating as loudly against his boots.

Even when Nucifera tried to bite, Ellas seemed to take it in stride. Sometimes they thought they were sinking their teeth in deep enough to leave a vicious wound, only for him to then offer help in ways they hadn't expected. It was never overly presumptuous either; unlike those Nucifera had grown up around, Ellas seemed to recognize that they were quite capable and only stepped in when necessary. For example, the spilled herbs the other day. They had been crouched on the floor, painstakingly holding each stalk of greenery up just in front of their face. He had just started sorting through the herbs and handing grouped items back to Noose. If they had misplaced something, he made sure it quickly appeared back in their hands. Sometimes they would find their knives sharpened, ready to be put to work.

Today, they had told him they would be harvesting materials to make more nets. He had said he would come with. They said no, he said yes. So now here the pair were, Nucifera with a large knife in hand and Ellas trailing behind them bearing the ropes Nucifera would use to bind the grasses so they could be carried back to their home. And now, the birds could be heard singing over the sound of Ellas. Ellas, who was starting to convince Nucifera that perhaps he could be trusted to come in close, that his hands would only offer care as gentle as they had given him in his illness. Paros had taught them to lash out first so that they could know where the next blow was coming from, to scrap for every bit they had before it was taken away. To have somebody challenge that was… well, it was new.

Upon reaching the field, Nucifera immediately sets to grabbing large handfuls of grass and hacking it off at the base, their knife making quick work of it. They hesitate after the first handful, only for Ellas to relieve them of the clump in their hand. They stand, stepping into his personal space to the point they could see at least some of him, fixing him with their eyes and a narrowed expression. As far as they could tell, he was only offering a warm smile in return. They purse their lips before breaking into a smile almost against their will and immediately turning back away to the task. Hopefully he hadn't seen that.

Ellas has started babbling away the way he typically does by the time Nucifera manages to wipe the smile off their face. They can't understand outside of a couple of words, but it doesn't deter him. If he keeps it up, they're going to learn Heshi against their will. Sometimes Nucifera talks back in a mild rant, if only to catch a break from hearing his voice. They don't dislike the sound of his voice, but they're pretty firmly convinced he needs to be kept humbled occasionally.

After about an hour, Nucifera pats the clumped grass, determining that this is about where they would usually stop themselves. But they've felt the muscles on their new companion, and he's almost certainly able to carry at least double. It only takes a moment's thought before they resume cutting more grass. Maybe he can stick around for these purposes. They relax back into the new rhythm of the chore, accepting his involvement.

When he fails to collect a clump of grass that they'd just cut, Nucifera makes a noise of protest. His hand lands on their shoulder, startling them. They stand up, shrugging his hand off with a scowl. "What, you are bored?" they demand, even as he says something at the same time.

"The moonfish has found its way onto my field," comes a voice from much too close. Venenatus. Nucifera recognizes her voice.

Nucifera swears, turning to face the voice before realizing that Ellas has positioned himself between them and the interloper. They put their hand on him, maneuvering around the man. They were the one with the knife in hand, and they were fairly certain that he hadn't brought any weapons with him. They step in front, offering him their protection and ensuring they'll be able to speak. If they could see themselves, they might laugh at the sight of a smaller person placing themselves in front of an obviously capable man.

"You know as well as I do that these are not owned lands," Nucifera replies, their eyes fixed in the general direction of the woman.

"You missed it! They posted a decree putting the land up for sale. I read it, and I was able to purchase," taunts Venenatus. "You didn't see it? Didn't look at a map?"

Nucifera bristles, scowling. They're almost certain that this isn't true, but it wasn't like they would know. Ellas' hand lands on their shoulder, but they shrug it off, holding a hand back to him. "No," they say in Heshi, hoping he would listen. Their fingers tightened around the knife, which was still held low. "Deliver me the new maps and perhaps I will look, but until then I will continue to use these lands the way I have known them," they reply to Venenatus. "I will not believe a word from your mouth."

The knife is heavy, begging Nucifera to commit to their usual methodology. Ellas' presence adds a layer of confusion, hesitation, and Noose is still weighing the risks and benefits when her hand collides with their chest, pushing them forcefully back into Ellas. They yell in protest as the knife is wrenched out of their grasp by hands larger than they expected to feel.

Ellas is gone from behind them—there's a scuffle, bodily blows happening—Nucifera flinches, empty hands flying up to protect themselves when the unmistakable sound of a crossbrow meant for fishing snaps through the air. An impact knocks into Nucifera's leg, causing it to buckle and bringing them to the ground where they usually end up.

They roll onto their side and scrunch up, their body folding into the smallest possible surface area. A strangled cry of frustration escapes them—they're so fucking sick of being the easy target, the moonfish that can be easily struck when boredom arises.

But there are no blows raining down on them. Nucifera can hear the unmistakable sound of flesh being thoroughly punished, but it isn't their own taking the blow. As soon as they realize that, the sounds stop and all they can hear is Ellas breathing heavily. They cannot hear Venenatus anymore.

Nucifera starts to unfold, their own breath catching in their throat. "What did you do?" they whisper, their voice cracking. They flinch away when they hear footsteps approach them, panic seizing them and insisting that they're next, that they haven't escaped anything—only for Ellas to make a sound of distress. And start talking, the way he always does.

Heavy hands land on Nucifera's thigh where the impact had. Nucifera squeaks, surprised at the pain this touch causes. They push at the hands, trying to get Ellas off of them. His grip on them only doubles, drawing a louder noise from them.

"You are trying to crush me?" Nucifera demands, their arms trailing up his arms to his chest and uselessly pushing there instead. "Do not take my leg!"

Ellas's tone is harsher than usual, strict in a way Nucifera doesn't appreciate even if they can't understand the words. They're about to just try to get up and escape that way when one of Ellas's hands captures their wrist, dragging their hand to their thigh. Understanding hits them as they realize there's an arrow straight through their thigh. "Oh."

"Oh," mimics Ellas, before he places Nucifera's other hand on their thigh in place of his own. The next words seem to be instructions, as he forces their hands back where he put them each time Nucifera tries to move. They huff, before giving up and keeping their hands where they've been put. It only lasts until Ellas moves away; Nucifera immediately releases their leg, sitting up and struggling to a standing position. They lean all of their weight off of it, but it's too late. The adrenaline has already drained away, leaving them panting and pained.

Ellas makes a stern sound, and Nucifera hears him drop the grasses. "No!" they insist in Heshi, waving their hand in the general direction of the grass. "Keep it!" Ellas growls, but lashes the grasses back together and lifts the bundle with ease.

Nucifera finds Ellas dragging one of their arms up over his shoulders, his broad muscles flexing as he takes their weight upon himself. His arm wraps around their waist, supporting them to where they can use their uninjured leg to start moving. As much as they loathe being so close, they have no choice but to accept the help.

By the time the two complete the journey back to Nucifera's home, the sun has started to sink towards the ocean. Each step is shooting pain up and down Nucifera's leg, despite how much of their weight is being hauled along by Ellas. He drops the grass as soon as they step through the door, before scooping Nucifera up entirely and carrying them the rest of the way to the cot he had recently been occupying as the injured one. He ignores their protest, ignores their soft hands smacking against his chest in an attempt to get him to drop them, instead settling them gently upon the bedding. Better to bleed upon his own borrowed blankets than those that they could be found curled up in each night, Ellas figures.

Nucifera wants to sit up, to escape from where they've been put down, but exhaustion and pain pin them down in place as efficiently as any other restraint. They're on their side, their uninjured leg underneath them as they twist and gently feel at the leg. Their fingers curl around the shaft which would be slick if their blood hadn't already dried. Ellas is in the area of the herbs, talking in what sounds like questions as Nucifera ignores him. Their fingers tighten around the arrow, before they pull as hard as they can.

Both the arrow and a scream are ripped out of Nucifera, which seems to promptly summon Ellas back over. Noose is breathing heavily and drops the arrow, realizing their hand is smarting where the barbs of the arrow had dug into the flesh of their palm. At least it was done; they weren't sure if Ellas would have known to pull the arrow the rest of the way through. They can vaguely hear him scolding them as his hands land on their leg again, applying renewed pressure. Nucifera only groans, leaving the rest of the care up to Ellas.