Hi there! I’m here now. And so are you! This is a whump blog! If you want to drop me an ask, please do! Share your favorite whump prompts, perhaps.
Here are some of my favorites:
Delirium
Bloody hands/clothes/face
Cleaning wounds
Hidden wounds
Fever
Sleep Deprivation
Tears
Hostage/Kidnapping
Defiant/Quippy Whumpees
Physical Comfort (cuddles, hugs, etc)
Right now this blog is a basket for all the whump posts I forage. But I love talking about whump, and I might post some work of my own. (I have a few groups of OCs that may make appearances.)
Anyway, I’ve lurked in the whump community for too long and want to start actually contributing.
So, I don’t know who this is going to reach, but I hope it reaches anyone or everyone <3
I really want to meet small whump creators on here. I do obsess over a lot of whump creators who are big and somewhat popular, and I always wonder how to find smaller blogs that are lurking around like I do. As a small blog myself.
So if you’re a small whump blog and want to meet new friends, I’d love to read your stories and see what you create. Even if you don’t make anything and just reblog, that’s okay too. I really do think there are hidden gems out there that I’d love to find, but sometimes it’s hard to.
And if you interact with this post, we’ll all find each other and make more friends. At least, that’s what I’d like to think would happen.
And while you’re here, maybe say something in the comments about yourself, your blog, or your stories. What’s your favorite whump trope? What have you put your characters through? What’s the whumpiest media you’ve consumed lately?
As usual, I’ll say that I obsess over everyone’s OC’s and literally want to eat every crumb of lore I can get. I love drawing them too! So please talk about them!
i feel like an often overlooked downside to 10-episode seasons and the death of the "monster of the week" format is that we get way less whump variety nowadays. used to be that there'd be dozens of opportunities for your fave to get punched or kidnapped or hypnotized or what have you. these days if it doesn't fit into the main plot, it just doesn't happen. this is a tragedy. we should be protesting.
Tags/Warnings: Spiders, Blood, Poison, Field Medicine, Gen (no romance), Original Characters (read about them HERE)
Word Count: 2k
Summary: Matilda sustains a nasty wound from a monster in a cave. Dorian has to administer first aid without drawing any more attention.
~~~
Nothing is ever simple. Matilda internalized this core tenet when they began mercenary work. Things are never what people say they are, problems never as easy to solve as they look, and morality never as clear as it seems from afar. If something seems simple, you’re missing part of the picture.
So when Dorian mentioned that they were on a “simple” business errand, Matilda already knew it would be anything but. She managed to convince Dorian to let her go along, urging strength in numbers. Dorian’s mission led them away from camp and into a dark, web-filled cave.
No prize for guessing what complication they would face there.
Matilda was currently locked in fierce melee with a monstrous spider, nearly six feet wide with oil-black eyes and fangs the size of hunting knives. Sliding out of the way of the spider’s lunging attack, she shouted over her shoulder to Dorian. “How’s it looking back there, Professor?”
Dorian was still fiddling with the puzzle lock on an ancient-looking black box. “I’d ask that you allow me to focus, Captain,” they spat Matilda’s former title in frustration. Dorian didn’t like being called professor.
But Matilda didn’t particularly like being spider bait, so she supposed it was an equal exchange. She swung her sword at the creature’s face, trying to get close enough to finish it off, but it would always manage to skitter just out of reach. Attacking its legs also seemed like a never ending task. Its carapace was thick and tough like bone, sporting hundreds of scratches from past battles, but showing very little sign of breaking. Every angle of approach was just as fruitless: the perk of having so many legs. Still, Matilda kept trying new angles, new attacks, new strategies.
Then, she saw her chance. As it reared back to pounce, its legs were curled at its sides like springs. Its center was wide open. Gritting her teeth, Matilda charged forward. The spider lunged at her, but it didn’t expect Matilda to shoulder check one of its front legs and lodge her sword in between the exoskeletal plates covering its body. As it shrieked in pain, Matilda tried yanking her weapon free, but it remained stuck. The spider prepared to sink its teeth into her. As panic set in, Matilda grabbed her sword with one hand and balled up her other fist, punching the spider in the eye. It was unpleasantly slimy. The spider shook again, freeing the sword from its body, and setting Matilda off balance as she tried to hold onto her blade. In the scuffle, the spider grabbed onto the closest thing it could get its fangs into: Matilda’s left forearm.
Massive fangs sunk into her flesh, and the pain of the puncture was followed by a strange burning sensation. Matilda screamed. Now that it had a grip on her, the spider began jerking her around like a doll. Maybe it was trying to tear off the bit of meat it had already gotten a taste of. Maybe it was just having fun. Matilda kept trying to wrench herself free from its jaws, but all the fruitless pulling magnified the pain until her entire arm was pulsing with it. The spider dragged her across the floor, slamming her against a stalagmite. It shrieked, almost like a battle cry.
“Dorian!” Matilda shouted. The spider placed one of its forelegs onto the center of Matilda’s chest, pinning her in place. Matilda could only wriggle pathetically.
Then, from over her shoulder, Dorian called. “Duck!”
Matilda, unable to do any such thing in her current posture, watched a bolt of energy zip towards them, inches in front of her nose. It connected with the head of the spider, shattering its exoskeleton like glass and turning the contents into an artful splatter of goo. With the entire top of its head vaporized, it crumpled to the ground, its legs still twitching. Even in death, its fangs remained clamped onto Matilda’s arm so that when the spider dropped, so did she. Matilda used her sword to cut the fangs free from the carcass as Dorian jogged over to help her up. They said nothing, only offering a hand. Matilda took it gratefully.
“Bloody good shot,” she grunted as she rediscovered her balance on her own two feet.
“Bloody is right,” Dorian agreed, gesturing to Matilda’s wounded arm, sleeve now half soaked with blood and spider guts.
Matilda was about to answer when something horrible echoed from further up the cave. A shrieking sound. Both she and Dorian looked off in the direction of the noise, at each other, and began scrambling for the closest hiding place: in this case, within a small alcove in the cavern wall.
They sat, backs to the wall, trying to silently catch their breath. They listened to the skittering of dozens of legs just outside where they hid, and watched each other's eyes with trepidation. Dorian poked their head a few inches out of their hiding spot before quickly ducking it back in. They held up three fingers, mouthing “three,” to Matilda. Matilda silently groaned. The two of them were just able to take down one spider, and that was when they had four working arms between them. With two more spiders and one fewer arms, a straight fight was out of the question. Matilda began mapping the cavern in her head, trying to plan their escape, when Dorian caught their eyes. Their gaze flicked down to the fang still embedded in Matilda’s bicep. A question lingered in their face.
Matilda’s hand hovered over the wound, but she was hesitant to touch it. The thing hurt like hell as it was. She furrowed her brow at them. What about it?
Dorian looked surprised at her. They mimed grabbing something on their own bicep and pulling it off, then pointed at the fang.
Were they telling her to pull it out? Now of all times? There was hardly ever an opportune time for field medicine, but Matilda would rank “hiding from man-eating spiders” at the bottom of the list. She shook her head.
Dorian rolled their eyes and grabbed the front of Matilda’s shirt. Whispering right in her ear, they hissed, “You have to remove that fang as soon as possible.”
“It’s fine,” Matilda assured them. “Pulling it out means more blood loss, you-”
“As long as that thing is in you,” they interrupted, “it is pumping venom into your blood, which for a spider of that size, is almost certainly paralytic.”
“What?”
“Can you feel your arm?”
Matilda rolled her eyes. “Of course I…” Matilda stopped. With how much it hurt, Dorian’s question seemed pointless. But now that she was thinking of it, the tips of her fingers were already getting pins and needles. She tried to flex her fists, but her muscles felt cold and slow.
“I can’t and won’t drag your paralyzed ass out of this cave by myself,” they declared.
Matilda couldn’t exactly argue with that. Clenching her teeth, she wrapped her good hand around the base of the fang and tested the waters with a little tug. Instantly, it was like her whole arm was on fire. A groan escaped her throat, echoing gently through the cave. The spiders reacted with more screeching and more skittering. They both held their breath, remaining glued to the cave wall until they settled down. Once she could breathe again, she looked down at her arm to see that the fang hadn’t budged a bit.
“I can’t do it,” she gasped. “We just have to make a run for it.”
“We’ll never make it if we go now.”
“We can wait. How long do you think I have before-”
“No,” Dorian stared her down with icy determination. “We can’t do anything if the venom progresses too far. Before we do anything, the fang has to come out.”
“I can’t,” she breathed. “I- I don’t know if its my grip, or if I just-”
“It’s the fang. Spiders of this size often have reverse barbs to-”
“The point, Dorian,” Matilda pleaded.
“I’ll do it.” Dorian’s answer was swift and confident. They were already moving across to her.
“You sound way too eager,” Matilda joked. Well, half-joked. Dorian did look as though they’d done something like this before.
“I’m eager to get us out of this damned mess,” they grumbled. Their hand hovered over Matilda’s arm. They looked at her, silently awaiting her permission.
Matilda sighed. “Fine. Get this over with.” She began moving her arm into a more open position, but paused. “Wait, actually, brace yourself like this.” Matilda moved Dorian so their shoulder was pressing against her chest. “Better leverage,” she explained. “Hold the wrist down.”
Dorian didn’t seem quite so eager all of a sudden. “This seems…”
“You’ll thank me,” she sighed. Finally, she loosened one of the leather straps from her bracer and held it between her teeth. “Ok, now.”
Dorian heard the word “now” and didn’t hesitate a millisecond longer. Matilda’s vision went white. She couldn’t hear or see or feel anything other than pain. Through it all, she kept repeating to herself “not a sound,”
Not one fucking sound, or we’re both dead. Not a sound.
Slowly, Matilda became aware again of the world around her. Dorian, with their hand pressed over where the fang used to be. They were trying to open their bag with the other hand.
A healing kit, she realized through the internal cacophony of pain, pain, pain. They’re looking for gauze. To prevent her from bleeding out in minutes. She didn’t trust herself to try and form words in this state. It was all she could do to limit her noise to harsh, heavy breathing through her teeth. Instead, she used her free hand to half-grab the one on her belt. Dorian snatched it away.
“Not one sound,” they were whispering to her. Or maybe to themselves. It was difficult to tell. “Not a single fucking sound…” Was that what she had been hearing?
Another shock tore through her arm like lightning. It took her by surprise, and a moan welled up deep in her chest before she could stop it. Dorian clapped a hand over her mouth. But not their hand: her own hand. A glance at Dorian showed someone still absorbed in their work. Their hands flew to wrap up the bleeding wound, their lips still moving as they muttered their mantra. “Not one fucking sound…” Matilda kept her hand blocking her mouth, fighting to keep her cries from breaking through, letting Dorian work as best as she could. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out all sensation, trying to maintain focus.
When she finally opened her eyes, Dorian was already closing their bag back up. Their hands were wiped clean of her blood. Looking down, a bandage was wrapped tightly around her arm, blood seeping through ever so slightly. And, if the everpresent pounding ache was to be trusted, she could definitely still feel her arm. Tentatively, she peeled her hand from off her mouth.
“Ready to move?” Dorian asked. “I think the spiders are finally losing interest. We should be able to slip past.”
Matilda nodded, still trying to shake off her daze. “Yeah… Hey, thank you.”
Dorian stopped short. “W-what?”
“Thank you,” she repeated. That was one thing she loved about the librarian. They were so easy to perplex with the simplest of things. “Haven’t you ever had anyone thank you before?”
Dorian gave her a look. “Yes, but never for… that.”
“That was what needed to be done,” Matilda assured them. Dorian nodded silent assent, then offered them a canteen of water. Matilda nodded more gratitude and took a gulp.
“Alright,” she sighed, wiping her chin. “Let’s move.”
Hello. These are some of my whump OCs. Just a couple of little guys. Small, soft creatures to grind into a pulp <3
The world of Equothir is a traditional high/medieval fantasy setting inspired by D&D. However, like any good DM, I follow the rules when they are convenient to me, and then conveniently forget about them when they are not. The D&D elements show mostly through fantasy races, the characters’ powers, and a few select lore tidbits.
Character Bios below the cut
Matilda DeLion (they/she) is a soldier with divine, angelic ancestry. They were once a well-respected captain in the royal guard, but something made them quit suddenly and take up mercenary work instead. They are a natural leader with a strong sense of responsibility and a fondness for their companions.
Dorian Windsor (they/them) is a drifting scholar serving a dark master. Dorian was a professor and archivist at a prestigious university. The sudden and mysterious death of their dear friend inspired them to pursue a drastic career change. Their incisive demeanor belies a streak of sentimentality.
Noelle Toffelmeir (she/her) is a poet desperately fighting against disillusionment. Her greatest treasure - her muse - is her daughter, though tragic events have kept them apart. Despite all of her well-founded fears, doubts, and bitterness, she's trying to see good in spite of them.
Cedric Pyram (he/they) is a young hunter. He wants to dedicate his life to protecting the haunted forest that he calls home. His time is fast running out, but Cedric refuses to accept or face the fact. He is a wise-cracking go-getter who is always trying to look as cool as possible.
Violet Pyram (she/her) is a fledgling scholar. Her hunger for knowledge is driven by a belief that it holds the solution to every problem, and that sometimes drives her into dangerous territory. What she lacks in tact or common sense, she makes up for with razor sharp intelligence and fierce tenacity.
Hi! I just found your blog and I felt like interacting so question for you:
What are the best forms of physical comfort? What physical comfort tropes do you not see a lot but wish there was more of?
(I've been really interested in bathing recently, like helping whumpee get cleaned up after rescue, so if you have any recs with that I'm all ears.)
I emerge from my tumblr writing sabbatical like a phoenix from the ashes
You thought I forgot about this ask, didn't you. Jokes on you. Anyway.
Hmmmmmmmm I love hair play. Stroking, brushing, braiding whumpee's hair either to provide comfort or clean it up or keep it out of the way. Like, when a whumpee with long hair gets a fever, and caretaker pulls their sweat-damp hair off of their neck? Chefs kiss.
I also think we should have more "whumpee squeezes caretaker's hand to endure the pain". Comfort that isn't necessarily gentle? Um yes plz.
I don't have any bathing recs, but I did write a drabble where a gruff caretaker left whumpee to take a shower in their bathroom, only to come back and find them fast asleep on the bathroom floor, no closer to getting clean. Whumpee didn't get a bath in my story, but your ask makes me wonder if they should have.
It's so funny to me that the term "whump" can easily mean anything from "this character has a cold 😦 but here's another character taking care of him 🙂" all the way over to "this character is being viciously tortured to death" and sometimes those two creators are following each other.
Let's talk hallucinations in whump/general fiction.
So first off full disclosure, I have schizoaffective disorder - think some bits of bipolar and some bits of schizophrenia kind of squished together, and as such hallucinations are a BIG part of my general existence.
Definition: A hallucination is a perception of a sensory experience—such as sight, sound, smell, taste, or touch—that appears real but is created by the mind and lacks an external stimulus.
Now, I see a fair few "hallucinations" type prompts in whump events, and just generally within the whump community, and I see a LOT of auditory hallucinations type prompt fills - mainly in the form of malevolent whispers - and ye that's a thing, but there are so many other hallucinations.
The thing is hallucinations can effect literally any sense, not just hearing - though I will add that auditory is usually regarded as the most common.
this is a long post so I am going to put a cut here... below the cut is exploration of the tyoes of hallucination, the causes and a bit about insight.
So, I thought it could be "fun" to explore a few in a post. Lets explore the 5 "main" senses first:
Auditory Hallucinations
Description: These are the most common type of hallucinations. They involve hearing sounds that are not present. The sounds are hear as if they are coming from somewhere external to the body. So in my case I have a few of these, but my main one is a voice who is with me even when I am in meds (another good point there for anyone who wants to use mental illness in their fics even in meds we can do have symptoms). This voice has a name and most of the time he just sorts off passes comments about things and people around me, like a sarcastic narrator and it sounds like he is standing just behind me.
Common Examples:
Malevolent Whispers: Insidious voices that might threaten, taunt, or belittle you.
Hearing Music: Melodies or songs playing that no one else can hear. For me this kind of sounds like someone is playing a radio in a different room.
Environmental Sounds: Hearing footsteps, doors creaking, or other sounds suggesting someone else is present.
Command Hallucinations: Voices that instruct or suggest (its not always ademand, sometimes more subtle and manipulative) you to do certain things, often with a compelling and distressing sense of urgency.
Less used examples:
Kind/supportive hallucinations: Voices that are encouraging, reassuring and supportive.
Distortion: Rather than sounds with no origin hallucinations that disort or warp actual sounds/voices changing the meaning, making it as if the TV or Radio is addressing you personally, making it sound as if a friend is threatening you.
Fun fact: it actually is possible to have a two way (sort of) conversation with a hallucination - I know I do it relatively often. It will be different for everyone, but fo me its a bit like having a conversation on a bad phoneline, yes the voice will respond but often its almost as if he hasn't fully heard what I said - or is ignoring key points. I can do this both outloud and "in my head".
Visual Hallucinations
Description: Visual hallucinations involve seeing things that are not present. These can range from simple shapes and flashes of light to detailed images or scenes. They often appear as if they are in the physical world and can be very convincing.
Common Examples:
Shadowy Figures: Seeing indistinct, shadowy forms that may move or appear to watch the character.
Distorted Faces: Perceiving familiar faces as grotesque or altered in frightening ways.
Apparitions: Full-bodied figures that may interact with the character or appear menacing.
Lights/sparkles: The whump community seems to very much enjoy lights and sparkles, especially in drugging.
Less Used Examples:
Intrusive Visuals: Images of disturbing or graphic nature that suddenly appear in your line of sight.
Perceptual Distortions: Objects appearing to warp, change shape, or color in unnatural ways.
Double Vision: Seeing multiples of objects or people, creating a confusing and disorienting experience.
Scenery Shifts: The entire environment changes, making you believe they are in a completely different place.
Fun fact: Sleep deprivation can cause some wild visual hallucinations, even relatively "mild" sleep deprivation can start to effect a persons perceptions.
Gustatory Hallucinations
Description: Gustatory hallucinations involve tasting things that are not actually present in the mouth. These can range from pleasant to extremely unpleasant tastes and can be triggered without any external food or drink.
Officially these are considered "rare", but personally (as someone who has done a lot of peer support work in the psychosis/voice hearing community I think they are simply under reported.)
Common Examples:
Bitter or Metallic Taste: A persistent bitter or metallic taste in the mouth, often leading to a sense of unease or concern about poisoning.
Sweet or Sour Taste: Tasting something sweet or sour unexpectedly, which can be confusing if it doesn’t match the current context.
Less Used Examples:
Spoiled Food: Tasting something rancid or spoiled, causing nausea and distress.
Unfamiliar Tastes: Tasting something completely unfamiliar and hard to describe, adding to the character's sense of disorientation.
Mimicking Actual Foods: Tasting specific foods that trigger cravings or aversions, despite not eating anything.
Transforming food: Food tasting like other food - I know someone for whom everything tasted like strawberries for days.
Common Causes: Neurological conditions or can be a side effect of medications.
Olfactory Hallucinations
Description: Olfactory hallucinations involve smelling odors that are not actually present. These can be pleasant or unpleasant and occur without any corresponding external stimulus. They can be particularly disorienting because they may trigger memories or emotions associated with certain scents - extremely complex if the person also has PTSD.
Common Examples:
Burning Smell: Wood, rubber, or food, which can lead to panic and fear of a fire.
Rotting Flesh: An overpowering smell of decay or rotting flesh, causing distress and nausea.
Perfume or Flowers: Smelling strong scents like flowers or perfume - hallucinations don't have to be inherently unpleasant sensations.
Less Used Examples:
Chemical Smells: Smelling chemicals like bleach or petrol.
Unfamiliar Scents: Smelling odors that you cannot identify.
Food Smells: Smelling specific foods that trigger hunger or nausea, despite the absence of any actual food.
Tactile Hallucinations
Description: Tactile hallucinations involve feeling sensations on or under the skin that are not actually there. These can range from mild tingling to severe pain and can be extremely distressing.
Common Examples:
Crawling Sensation: Feeling as though insects or bugs are crawling on or under the skin - often leading to frantic scratching or picking.
Electric Shocks: Experiencing sudden, sharp, electric-like jolts.
Pressure: Feeling pressure or tightness around certain body parts, such as a hand gripping the arm or something heavy on the chest.
Less Used Examples:
Temperature Changes: Feeling extreme cold or heat on the skin without any external cause.
Wetness or Dripping: Feeling as though liquid is dripping or running down the skin, even when dry.
Phantom Touches: Sensations of being touched or grabbed, often when alone. Sometimes its an almost feather like touch, other times its more akin to a grab that if reak would leave a bruise.
Right now let's expand - because there are more than 5 senses.
Proprioceptive Hallucinations
Description: Proprioception is the sense of the relative positioning of one's body parts. Proprioceptive hallucinations involve distorted perceptions of where your body is in space or how it is moving.
Common Examples:
Floating Sensation: Feeling as if the body is levitating or moving without control.
Distorted Body Size: Perceiving limbs or the entire body as being unnaturally large or small.
Less Used Examples:
Misaligned Limbs: Feeling as though limbs are twisted or out of place.
Movement Hallucinations: Sensing movements that aren't occurring, like swaying or rotating.
Common causes: Neurological disorders or the effects of certain drugs, but can by caused by a huge array of things.
Vestibular Hallucinations
Description: Vestibular sensations involve balance and spatial orientation. Vestibular hallucinations affect your sense of balance, making you feel dizzy or as though you're moving when you're stationary.
Common Examples:
Vertigo: A spinning sensation, as if the environment or oneself is rotating.
Imbalance: Feeling as though you're about to fall over or can't maintain your balance.
Less Used Examples:
Motion Sensation: Sensing movement, like rocking or swaying, when you're still.
Gravity Distortions: Feeling as if gravity is stronger or weaker than it actually is.
Common caused: Inner ear issues, migraines, or anxiety.
Temporal Hallucinations
Description: Temporal hallucinations involve distorted perceptions of time. They can make time feel like it's speeding up, slowing down, or standing still.
Common Examples:
Time Dilation: Feeling as though time is passing much slower than it actually is.
Time Compression: Perceiving time as moving rapidly, making events feel like they're passing in a blur.
Less Used Examples:
Frozen Moments: Experiencing time as if it's stopped, with everything around you appearing frozen.
Temporal Displacement: Feeling as though you're living in a different time period.
Temporal Dissonance: Feeling as if time is moving differently for you in comparison to those around you.
Common caused: Extreme fatigue, high stress, or under the influence of certain drugs.
Interoceptive Hallucinations
Description: Interoception refers to the perception of sensations from within the body, such as hunger, thirst, or the feeling of a heartbeat. Hallucinations in this realm involve feeling internal sensations that aren't actually occurring.
Common Examples:
False Hunger: Feeling extremely hungry despite having eaten recently.
Nonexistent Thirst: An intense sense of thirst even when well-hydrated - I have had this one a few times and given myself electrolyte imbalances due tot he amount of water I ended up drinking (not fun).
Less Used Examples:
Phantom Heartbeats: Feeling the heart racing or skipping beats without any physical basis.
Digestive Sensations: Sensations of digestion, such as gurgling or bloating, without any real cause.
Common causes: Panic disorder or certain types of seizures.
Right, now lets quickly review the main "causes" of hallucinations
Mental Illness:
Schizophrenia: Can involve basically anything from this list, but anecdotally auditory and visual appear to be the most common.
Bipolar Disorder: Can include hallucinations, especially during manic or depressive episodes.
Schizoaffective Disorder: A combination of symptoms from both schizophrenia and mood disorders, often leading to a variety of hallucinations.
EUPD/BPD: Auditory hallucinations are relatively common.
In all of these the hallucinations will rarely (if ever) exist in isolation. If you do not have primary or secondary experience of mental illness then I would recommend doing a LOT of research - and talking to people who do (on this note my asks are open if anyone has any schizoaffective based questions).
Neurological Conditions:
Epilepsy: Particularly temporal lobe epilepsy, can cause a range of sensory hallucinations.
Parkinson's Disease: Can lead to visual and auditory hallucinations.
Migraine: Migraine auras can include visual and auditory hallucinations.
Once again the hallucinations will not be in isolatation so same advice as with mental illness.
Substance Use and Withdrawal:
Psychedelics: Drugs like LSD, psilocybin, and mescaline are known for causing vivid visual and auditory hallucinations.
Stimulants: Methamphetamine and cocaine can cause tactile and visual hallucinations.
Alcohol Withdrawal: Can lead to visual, auditory, and tactile hallucinations.
You know what I am going to say that my "if you do not have experience of this then go talk to someone who does" advice may just stand for every potential cause.
Sleep Disorders:
Sleep Deprivation: Can cause a variety of hallucinations across different senses.
Narcolepsy: Often includes hypnagogic (while falling asleep) and hypnopompic (while waking up) hallucinations.
Medical Conditions:
Delirium: Acute confusion and hallucinations often seen in severe infections, fever, or after surgery.
Dementia: Especially Lewy body dementia and Alzheimer's disease, can cause hallucinations.
Medications:
Anticholinergics: Can cause hallucinations as a side effect.
Steroids: High doses can sometimes lead to hallucinations.
Certain Antidepressants and Antipsychotics: Occasionally, these medications can cause hallucinations.
Psychological Stress and Trauma:
PTSD: Flashbacks and hallucinations related to traumatic events.
Extreme Stress: Can sometimes trigger hallucinations.
Metabolic and Endocrine Disorders:
Thyroid Disorders: Hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism can sometimes cause hallucinations.
Electrolyte Imbalances: Severe imbalances can lead to hallucinations.
Deprivation:
Sensory Deprivation: Go google the ganzfeld effect, it's facinating.
Isolation: Extended periods of isolation can lead to hallucinations, known as sensory deprivation hallucinations.
Autoimmune Disorders:
Lupus: Can cause neurological symptoms including hallucinations.
Tumors:
Brain Tumors: Depending on their location, they can cause hallucinations affecting different senses.
Ok, finally point for this post. Let's discuss insight, because it is not as black/white or binary as people seem to assume.
Definition: Insight, in this context, refers to the awareness and understanding that one's hallucinations are not real but are a product of their mind. Insight can be partial or complete, and it often fluctuates.
Complete Insight:
Description: The individual fully understands that their hallucinations are not real and are caused by an underlying condition.
Impact: This can help the person manage their symptoms more effectively and seek appropriate treatment. However, it doesn't necessarily lessen the distress caused by the hallucinations.
Partial Insight:
Description: The individual has some awareness that their hallucinations might not be real but can still struggle with differentiating them from reality.
Impact: This can lead to confusion and anxiety, as the person oscillates between believing and doubting their experiences.
Lack of Insight:
Description: The individual firmly believes that their hallucinations are real and external.
Impact: This can lead to significant distress and functional impairment, as the person might respond to these hallucinations as if they were real.
Now imagine these three points on a scale from 0 (complete insight) to 10 (lack of insight) a person can be anywhere on this scale, and can slide back and fourth along it.
Factors such as stress, fatigue, medication changes, or daily fluctuations in mental state can cause insight to vary. A person might have high insight at one moment and low insight the next.
Basically Insight Is Not Static.
Also sometimes insight is just FREAKING RANDOM fluctuation for no discernible reason - honestly at times there is zero logic.
so ye, halluncinations… the brain is freaking wild.
Disclaimer - this is by no means an exhaustive list and like with many things every individual will experience these things slightly differently.
A similar post about delirium
A similar post about fever
as a fellow touch starved whumpee enthusiast i NEED ur fave headcanons for it please 🙏
FAVE TOUCH STARVED WHUMPEE THINGS! coming right up! there are so so many things i love here but here’s a handful of them:
the way it physically hurts. hurts in their body, the way their bones ache and they feel cold to their core and their skin feels too tight and wrong. they know what would fix it, how they would feel better, but they can’t acknowledge it. they can’t ask for this.
the shame. the SHAME of it all.
when touch starvation is combined with traumatic touch aversion. touch has been somehow turned into a dangerous and frightening and traumatic thing they had no choice in. but they still want and need this. they’re both equally powerful and so they need something that they fear. they need someone it’s safe to get it from, but how can they explain it? how can they explain that they need something that terrifies them but they still need it, and need help from the person they need it from to make it safe and okay?
when it’s so overwhelming they choke up and can barely speak when they finally get touch, causing the person touching them to be afraid they’re making things worse, going to pull away, and whumpee crying harder and hanging on tight.
skin contact. direct skin to skin touch - cupping whumpee’s face or neck, cuddling in little clothing, helping them bathe. the extra layer of intimacy and intensity to the touch being so direct.
whumpee feeling like they’re doing something wrong when they seek out touch or ask for it. they don’t deserve it, there’s something wrong with them for wanting it, they’re dirty or ruined in some way. the person they want it from, feel safe with, isn’t a romantic partner or a biological parent or someone else really socially accepted to want touch from.
the thing where people assume whumpee won’t want touch after what’s happened to them, or think because of their fear and flinching and shrinking in on themself that it’s too triggering. meanwhile whumpee thinks that no one WANTS to touch them. miscommunication abounds, heightening the eventual moment when whumpee is finally touched.
Pspsps this is your sign to get real self-indulgent and design a fictional drug or illness that only does your favorite things, bc it's super fun and you don't have to do any research
very funny that the symptoms of blood loss include making you more uncoordinated and cognitively impaired. look at me i'm so cute and helpless and fucking dying.
[struggling to walk in a straight line and giggling stupidly] i think i might;need some help [trips and falls into your arms] no really i think i need . hopital
It is absolutely vital in any fandom to have a favourite character who you want to wrap up in a pile of blankets and give sweet treats to and a favourite character you want to beat on the head with hammers.
I love characters who are bad at saying ‘I love you.’ Characters who say it wrong, or at the wrong time. Characters who can’t say it at all. Characters who show it through habits. Characters who say it through repeated menial gestures, but if told to stop would react as if they’ve been told to stop breathing. Characters who say it through completely unrelated actions, known only to themselves. Characters who say it through completely unrelated actions, unknown to themselves until it’s too late. Characters who can only say it in the form of a joke. Characters who twist themselves into morbid shapes hoping their body says it for them. Characters who come up with words that leave the afterimage of ‘I love you’ as a ghost upon the other person’s heart.
Characters who’ve never said the words, but whose actions sing with it
