There’s whumperless whump in the toxicity of the industry. Of selling your talent and body on stage, of abandoning your creativity to conform to the industry. The vulnerability of your entire life being known and every action or inaction judged, especially when whumpee isn’t a perfect person by any means.
However, there is also a potential when a whumper is whumpee’s manager/producer. Giving whumpee drugs to prepare them for performances, starting/fueling that addiction. Overseeing what they write and perform/act, so none of Whumpee’s ideas are their own. Forcing whumpee to do things for the sake of their status that they would never want to do at all. Whumper can even blackmail them to keep them in the industry. Whumper indulges toxic fans and almost allows whumpee to get hurt by them. Whumper has the ability to control every single aspect of whumpee’s life even beyond their career, from diet, exercise, and clothing, to even who they date and who they spend their time with.
Whumpee might think this is a normal part of the industry, might accept or even perpetuate these toxic ideas. Accepting that fame requires sacrifice.
So, they don’t think twice before bringing this up to other idols in private. Maybe just asking an innocuous question about how other idols deal with fans who are getting handsy, a cheery remark about how whumpee’s so glad that their manager lets them hang around other idols, or a comment about how the idol so lucky that their manager allows them such freedom with their diet.
Imagine whumpee’s shock when their idol friends are concerned by their comments and outright horrified when whumpee accidentally tells them about the horrifying control whumper has on them. Imagine how surprised whumpee is when their idol friends tell them that that the way they’re treated isn’t normal, maybe even asking if they need legal protection and a place to stay.
Still, whumpee can’t leave whumper, they can’t help but imagine the scandal when everything gets released to the public. As whumper says, if this gets out from behind closed doors everyone will see whumper for who they are and hate them. Whumpee knows how the industry works, knows escaping whumper will only leave them as a sob story for the media to indulge in before they’re left in the dust.
Also there’s possibly good recovery ideas too! Whumpee getting loads of support when whumper is exposed, maybe even changing their brand and embracing what they wanted to be from the start. Whumpee who supports the causes they actually want to now that they can control their own funds, possibly donating to an organization that helped them get clean. Whumpee who discovers the joy of having a respectful and caring fanbase, who actually enjoys fan meet ups now. Whumpee who is more than what they survived and where they came from, who leaves that pain behind and doesn’t build their brand off it.
Please, please, everyone consider idol whumpees. A spotlight can burn too
