Hello Whump world! I have had several of you follow up on when the next part of my ex-villain story will come out and 1) OMG THAT MAKES ME SO HAPPY 😭🥺THANK YOU FOR READING I CANT BELIEVE PEOPLE ACTUALLY ARE READING MY STUFF and 2) I’m working on it!! 👩🏽💻
I feel so bad for all the delays! 🫠 My apologies for leaving y’all on a cliff hanger. 😬 Thank you a thousand times over for your patience and for reading my self-indulgent hurt/comf/whump! If you have put that you wanna get tagged in the comments since the pt 4 was posted I’ll be sure to tag ya! Let me know if I forget anyone this time around and I’ll make sure to add you asap. (Also soon to come is an official master list; for now, check my pinned post of pt 4 and you kind find links to all the stories from there 👍)
Snyopsis: Villain x Civilian. Civilian can sense other people's powers through auras but hides this ability. They are terrified of the most boring person at their office job, who hides the most powerful aura Civilian has ever felt.
Being the first person out the door undoubtedly did Civilian no favors to their work reputation.
Anytime someone joked about it, often with an edge, Civilian would make excuses: their dog needed let out (they didn’t have a dog), they had to get to the bank before it closed (they use their banking app 90 percent of the time), they liked having a work/life balance (that one’s true).
The real reason, of course, was to avoid any encounters with them. Their newest colleague -- Jonathan Anderson. A bland, forgetful name for a bland, forgetful person. He arrived two months ago in her data entry division, dressed everyday in the same unremarkable navy suit with a grey tie, gave generic responses to small talk at lunch.
And he scared the shit out of them.
Luckily for Civilian, their paths didn’t cross that often and when they would, Civilian had found ways to neatly side step them -- emails instead of face to face conversations, calling in favors, and once, even taking a sick day to avoid a meeting.
It worked great -- until it didn’t.
The elevator descended at an agonizing snail’s pace. Civilian stood in the back, gripping the railing behind them with a sweaty hand and tried to breathe slowly and evenly.
The only other person in the elevator with them -- and the only other person in the building -- was Jonathan Anderson. Because of course he would be working late the one time Civilian had a deadline change and a mad scramble to get everything read by tomorrow.
He stood in front of the buttons, his back to them, plain brown leather briefcase dangling from his hand. To everyone else, he looked harmless. But the sheer power of his aura radiated like the sun. It made Civilian light-headed being in such close contact with it.
Thirty more seconds, they thought to themselves. That’s all this elevator ride would last. After that Civilian could scurry off to the parking garage and screech out of here.
29 . . . 28 . . . 27 . . .26 . . .
The elevator came to a sudden, sickening halt and Civilian’s heart with it. They waited for the emergency alarm to blare, but the elevator stayed eerily silent.
“Is there . . is there something wrong?” Their voice came out shaky and hoarse. They cleared their throat.
For a moment Jonathan didn’t respond. Instead he turned around to lean casually against the wall and survey them, his face as bland and unreadable as always.
“That’s a question I think I should be asking,” he said, adjusting his glasses.
Instantly their hackles rose. It took considerable effort to keep the panic from their face, to force their shoulders to relax, to look confused and concerned.
“What do you mean?”
“You’re afraid of me.”
The truth struck true, lodging itself between their ribs. Civilian swallowed, suddenly dry mouthed, and tried to find the air again.
“You’ve trapped me in an elevator and you’re bigger than me,” they pointed out.
“That is rather nerve-wracking, I’ll admit. It’s almost believable. But this started a long time ago, didn’t it?”
He straightened and took a step towards them. And another. All while speaking in that affable, level tone, as if commenting on the weather.
“Since my first day here. Don’t think I’ve forgotten how you never shook my hand that day. Or that I don’t notice all the little tricks you pull to avoid me. Yet we’ve never had a negative encounter. You’ve never given me the opportunity to create a bad impression. It’s rather baffling, don’t you think?”
He stopped a safe distance away but close enough to prevent any attempt to escape. Despite being only a couple inches taller than Civilian, they loomed in the small space.
“So tell me -- how do you know?”
“Know what?”
It was their only defense, this wide eyed denial. To pretend they were discomfited by a bizarre encounter with their coworker, rather than straddling the edge of a panic attack while stuck in an elevator with a man who could kill them with a snap of his fingers probably.
He snorted. “You gave up the ability to be coy when you stepped into this elevator. Please don’t make me ask you again.”
Though he made no threatening movements, the swell of his power spoke for him, the pressure of it nearly suffocating.
“I can feel it,” Civilian whispers shakily. “Your power. Anyone’s power. They have an -- an aura about them and I can feel how strong it is.”
“So you can tell, instantly, who is and isn’t a powered individual?” he clarified, his focus sharpening like the sun through a magnifying glass.
They only managed a nod, their throat tight.
“Fascinating.”
The hint of awe in his voice would have been flattering if Civilian hadn’t spent so much effort to avoid this kind of attention.
“And which organization is benefiting from this power? Who is keeping tabs on me?”
“No one,” Civilian said hurriedly. “I haven’t told anyone.”
A wicked smirk spread like slow poison across his face, transforming a visage that no one looked twice at into something terrifying.
“Do you think I’m as stupid as I pretend to be for work? There is no possibility that any organization would allow someone like you to walk untethered. Now, answer the question before I show you exactly why my aura frightens you so much.”
His hand hovered just over their heart, the beat of which a cacophony in their ears. Nothing happened -- yet. But the anticipation of it, coupled with the fact that Civilian still had no idea what such power was, made their whole body start to tremble.
“They don’t know about me,” they said, throat tight. “No one knows about me. I’ve kept it a secret my whole life.”
Jonathan still surveyed them with suspicion. “Why? I imagine you would be an extremely valuable asset to them. And those tend to be very well compensated. You expect me to believe you’d rather be a data clerk for a bank?”
A flash of rage breaks through the fog of terror. “My father was an extremely valuable asset. It didn’t stop him from dying an excruciating and unnecessary death. I’m not following in his footsteps.”
For a moment he looked taken aback at this confession before his eyes narrowed in what almost seemed like approval. It emboldened Civilian.
“Look, I don’t know what you’re doing here and I don’t want to know. If I tell anyone about you, it will blow my secret too. So just . . . let me stay out of your way?” They swallowed, tongue darting out to moisten cracked lips. “Please?”
For several agonizing seconds he just looked at them, his face blank as printer paper. Civilian tried to meet his eyes, to look trustworthy, but the weight of his flat, calculating stare was too much. Instead, their gaze fell onto his hand, still hovering over their heart, ready to crush them or incinerate them or dissolve them or whatever ungodly thing he could do.
And then his hand slowly slipped down further between them and flipped up, palm open.
“What take out do you enjoy?” he asked.
“ . . .what?”
“It’s a bit late for a restaurant, but I know several takeout places still open this time of night. Do you have a preference?”
It was Civilian’s turn to stare at Jonathan with their brow furrowed.
“You -- you don’t need to buy me dinner,” they stammered.
“Of course I do. It’s customary for a date, yes?”
“For a what?” Civilian choked.
That wicked smirk appeared again, giving life to the void of his neutral expression.
“You know what they say. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”
“I -- I’m not your enemy!”
“And you will never have the opportunity to be one. I’m ensuring it. And since you refuse to acknowledge my presence here at work, there is only one other recourse. Now choose or I shall choose for you.”
A date. Dinner. With him. Someone with the strongest aura Civilian had ever encountered. Someone who was definitely planning something illegal.
“I like tacos,” they said faintly.
With a wave of his hand, the elevator shuddered back to life and continued it’s gentle decent to the ground floor.
“Then we shall get tacos,” said Jonathan, taking their hand.
Hi whump community! Sooooo I’m a dumb bish lol. @elizaisnotokay very sweetly reached out to ask if there was a part 4 to my villain whump series from last summer (based on a prompt by @whumpwillow ). Because I’m an idiot I was under the impression that no one was really interested and probz wouldn’t care to read more. But because of this message I decided to start writing again.
Fast forward to me looking back at my original post…AND SEEING OVER 1000 LIKES/REBLOGS?!?! And the tags/comments people were leaving were so kind! it just melted my heart.
SO, this is a heads up that part 4 WILL be released soon! I just returned to school after quite a long hiatus so I can’t make any promises as to when it will be posted, but I will do my best to post it in a timely manner.
THANK YOU so so much for the support! I love interacting with you all!
Hey you. If you've ever felt anxious or ashamed because of your enjoyment of whump, this post is me pulling you into a hug (if you like hugs, of course!) and telling you that you're not alone. You're not weird, broken, dangerous, or evil. The things you enjoy in fiction don't dictate your worth or morality as a person. I know what you're feeling, you are loved, and you are so welcome in this community. 💖
Part 1 is available here: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/whatwhump/689094256572416000?source=share
Thank you to everyone who has read and supported this! I have a lot of fun writing it. And thank you to @whumpwillow for inspiring me to write with their awkward villain post and amazing series Hazeshift (which if you haven’t read you must–it’s so good)!
TW: Suicidal thoughts? (Not sure if this totally applies, but I’ll put this here just in case.) Also discussion of death really bad self-esteem. Very wonky, toxic head space.
~
“This will be our most difficult and dangerous mission yet. Now is the time, more than ever before, to work as a team–united on all fronts.”
Villain sat amongst the heroes around a long conference table, taking notes quietly. Faces revealed an array of emotions–worry, fear. No matter how brave the hero, there was no escaping from the fact that they had to come to terms with the possibility of not returning from this mission.
“Villain,” Team Lead said. “We need you to be with us on this one. As in, on the front line.” Villain’s jaw nearly dropped. They usually helped by working from headquarters during missions from the communication center since technology was their expertise. But Team Lead trusted them enough to work up close and personal with the heroes? This could be my chance to prove myself! Villain thought.
“I…I’d be honored,” Villain said, their face blushing.
“But…there is one caveat. Villain, our mission is at your old base: Supervillain’s lair. Your new foes are your old friends.”
okay let me explain. the villain has been mostly redeemed. or is at the very least, trying. they’ve given up their evil lifestyle, gone to live with the hero team, started to see the error of their ways and reflect on their past mistakes, but...it’s still awkward for them to be around everyone.
These are people they’ve hurt before. These are people the villain knows don’t trust them. Villain is pretty sure the team doesn’t even want them there.
Villain tip-toes around the house, trying to be as quiet as possible. Don’t scare anyone. Don’t be a nuisance.
The team watches their every move, waiting for the moment they’ll snap. As if they could revert back to their old ways, as if they could possibly harm the people who took them in at their lowest point when they could have killed them.
They walk into a room and the conversation comes to a dead halt. Laughter dies down. The light fades from their eyes.
Villain takes their meals and eats privately in their room from then on, not wanting to disturb the pleasant atmosphere the team has with each other. Not wanting to stand under the withering glares and wary eyes of suspicion and fear.
Villain wants to be a part of their world. Wants to be accepted. To not be seen as a ticking time bomb.
They’re trying. They just don’t know when it will ever be enough.
Hey I wrote it myself!! I couldn’t help it, this was just too much angsty-goodness to ignore! If you enjoy this, let me know in the comments and I’lll consider writing another...
~
Rain battered on the roof and thunder roared in the distance. The smell of Hero 1’s chicken green bean casserole permeated the base. A fire flickered in the den and laughter came from the room as the team reminisced and enjoyed each other's company.
Villain stood on the stairs in the shadows, careful not to make any sounds on the rickety stairs. They peaked into the den, a small smile on their face unconsciously.
“Uno! Haha, I told you Team Lead, I am the champion!”
“Oh please, reshuffle the cards let’s play this again and I’ll beat your ass.”
The Villain’s chest filled with the aching sensation of longing. God, how they dreamed of being part of the family. I mean, it was already incredible that the team didn’t kill them and that they allowed them to participate in missions. That alone was enough; they didn’t owe Villain anything. But oh–no matter how much Villain knew it was what they deserved, they found themselves daydreaming of sitting on the couch smooshed between the others, playing Uno and enjoying the comfort of their found family.
Hero 1 exited the kitchen and carried the casserole and some plates on a cart into the den.
“Dinner, everyone! Voila!”
“Oh my gosh, that smells soooo good,” exclaimed Hero 2.
“Are those rolls?” Hero 3 asked.
“Yup,” Hero 1 replied.
The sounds of clinking cutlery soon filled the room along with a comfortable silence as everyone prepared for a prayer.
“Our Dear Lord in Heaven–”
Creak…
Villain froze. Their foot caused the old stairs to whine beneath them, and Team Lead and the others immediately looked to the stairs.
Taking a deep breath, Villain slowly walked downstairs.
“Villain…we were just about to eat,” said Team Lead.
“I’m, I’m so sorry. Didn’t mean to interrupt. Please, continue.”
Team Lead stared at them for a moment–as if they were waiting for something, searching for something in their face. Then, they bowed their head once more and resumed the prayer.
Everyone’s gaze was averted momentarily from Villain. Relieved, Villain settled in the corner and said “Amen” along with everyone else. They weren’t religious, but it didn’t matter. They wanted to fit in more than anything. They didn’t have anyone left–this was their last chance at being loved.
A pang of guilt exploded in their chest. “You don’t deserve love,” they chastised.
“All right everyone,” Team Lead said. “Eat up.”
The mood of the room had significantly lowered. Everyone was uneasy, Villain could tell. Every time the team was in their presence, smiles turned to frowns and eyes stared them down disconcertedly.
Villain waited until everyone had been served. They picked up a plate and brought it over to Hero #1.
“May I please have some?” they asked. Hero #1 stared at them blankly.
Hero #1 and Villain had a…complicated relationship. Well, they did with everyone, but with Hero #1 it was more so the case. Out of everyone Villain hurt while they were working for SuperVillain, they hurt Hero #1 the most. They didn’t know why. Something about them just used to…infuriate them. They had caused countless injuries and innumerable traumas for the team, but Hero #1 was the only one who had been captured by Villain and tortured.
Villain swallowed nervously.
“Yeah. Whatever,” replied Hero #1 with a lackluster tone.
“Thank you. It smells really, really good.”
Hero #1 simply nodded in response. They didn’t make eye contact with Villain.
Villain looked around the room for a place to sit. All the spots were taken up, except the cushion next to Hero #1.
“Um…I think I’m going to eat upstairs.”
Villain rushed out of the room and quickly padded up the stairs in their fuzzy socks. (They were given to them in the infirmary when they first arrived. They treasured them since they were unable to bring any belongings when they escaped from SuperVillain’s base). Villain was about to turn into the first door on the right–a little closet that Team Lead had made into a makeshift cubby, with just enough room for a floor bed, an old bookshelf, and the radiator–when murmurs from below traveled through a nearby vent.
“I wish they’d drop dead.” It was Hero #4.
“Hero #4, don’t talk like that,” said Team Lead.
“Oh don’t act like you aren’t bothered by them creeping around the house all day.”
“They’re a good worker,” argued Team Lead. “They’ve done everything they said they would since day 1. We’ll all get used to them eventually.”
“As the one with a giant scar on my face because of that rat, I’d just like to say I said this was a bad idea from the beginning. So when they lose their shit and steal a bunch of our files–or worse–I expect an apology.”
The room got quiet again.
“Hero #1, how have you been holding up lately? It’s hard for all of us, but I suspect it’s a particularly hard experience having Villain with us for you,” said Team Lead.
“...”
“We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”
“Let’s just say I echo Hero #4’s sentiment.”
Tears filled Villains eyes. Their chest felt like someone was sitting on them. They were so, so stupid! How could they think anyone would actually care about a garbage person like them?
“What are you doing?”
Villain yelped in fear and spun around.Their plate fell to the ground and the hot food burned their ankle as it splattered. It was Hero #5–Hero #1’s best friend.
“Oh um…I was just…well–”
“Wait a minute…are you…crying?”
“What? No. I just. I was startled. And–”
Hero #5’s face lit up. Then they stood there and just…laughed.
“Oh I can’t WAIT to tell Hero #1 that Big Bad Villain is a Big Stupid Crybaby. Move out of my way, ass hole.” They shoved by and went downstairs. The team greeted Hero #5 warmly as they entered the den.
Their vision blurred and salty tears ran past their lips.
Villain bent down and began slowly picking up casserole off the ground. Well, looks they aren’t eating tonight. They wouldn’t dare go downstairs and ask for seconds–they’re already taking up enough resources.
Besides–they knew they didn’t deserve to eat anyway.
I love any ex villain whump man... especially when ex villain is in a team ??????? so many possibilities *chefs kiss*
*nods* there's so many possibilities
heroes welcome villain after villain has been whumped
some heroes welcome villain but some don't, some wanting to give villain a chance to heal and others wanting to let villain die
villain being accused of a crime they didn't commit and the hero team turning on them
conversely, the hero team staying on their side and the villain being awed by people who genuinely care about them
just villains being awed by people who show them basic kindness in general
villains not having anywhere to go and seeking help from the hero team
the hero team rescuing villain after they've been whumped
the heroes and villain forced to work together but are not happy about it
the villain genuinely trying to change but the heroes don't give them a chance
villain using their villainous connections to help the heroes
villain going undercover with the villains to help the heroes but being caught by the villains and branded a traitor and whumped
villain going undercover with the villains to help the heroes but having to do the things they used to do before they redeemed and seeing how awful it all was / struggling not to fall back into their old urges / having to force themselves to do it but it hurts them and makes them hate themselvse
You are under no obligation to remain the same person you were a year ago, a month ago, or even a day ago. You are here to create yourself, continuously.
I love gentle caretakers as much as the next person, but I do love rough handling in the early recovery.
Caretakers that find their feverish whumpee has an infection they have to drain and clean and they´re doing their best, but whumpee keeps swatting and hissing and the biting is the last string before Caretaker immobilizes them roughly and cleans the wound so harshly Whumpee can´t help but cry in agony.
Just the way Caretaker tries so hard to be gentle but Whumpee is so feral they just resort to their size and weight to overtake them to the point they´re both hissing warnings and insults at each other, before Whumpee slowly starts to give in because they´re used to rough handling, but they´re feeling…good? They´re not being extremely hurt?
Pulling on their hair while brushing still hurts tho, (it´s so matted after all) but it feels so light to have it cut and then, Caretaker is sure to put on thick gloves because there´s no way Whumpee will let them wash their hair, but to their surprise Whumpee just goes still with their hair mussing up on the warm water.
More Caretakers that have to handle unruly Whumpees with force that slowly washes away their fury and distrust, please.
Whumptober 2021 | No. 15: FEED A COLD, STARVE A FEVER
delirium | fever dreams | bees
The Bourne Legacy (2012): To not rely on taking chems, Cross gets infected with live virus that will make his intelligence permanent. The process makes him very sick and delirious.
Finally getting round to making my first Whump post on tumblr (whoo hoo!!). So…I thought I’d kick things off by making a list of my favourite Whump tropes. Feel free to add some of yours too.
Characters concealing injuries. Only for them to be revealed after they collapse from blood loss/the wound getting infected.
Person A places hand on an injured Person B, not realising that they are hurt. Person B winces from pain. Person A retracts their hand only for it to be red with Person B’s blood.
Broken leg/other injuries that render a character unable to walk. (Bonus points if that character is alone and has to make their own way back to their friends/allies in excruciating pain.)
Knocking characters unconscious, preferably with a blow to the head. (Or just characters passing out for any reason in general.)
Character catching a potentially fatal illness. They keep brushing their syptoms off until they are basically on death’s door and their team have to rush to their aid, in order to save their life.
Concerned Carers. They keep expressing their concern for the Whumpee, who keeps insisting that they’re fine until they are at breaking point. (either with an injury, illness, or with an emotional issue)
Person A is about to collapse. Person B notices at the last second and rushes forward to catch them just before Person A hits the deck.
Character jumping infront of an incoming projectile, in order to protect another character. (Bonus points if this is between two characters with a particularly strong bond, such as love interests, siblings, or close friends)
Emotional Whumps:
Character’s traumatic past coming back to haunt them and having to ebarsingly recount their trauma for unknowing members of the group, while they just stare at them with complete horror and concern written on their faces.
Character going through a tough time emotionally, but chooses to hide their feelings from concerned Carers, for fear of burdening them (or for other reasons) before completly breaking down, crying in their Carer’s arms and pouring their heart out to them.
Medical Whumps:
Extracting some sort of bodily fluid (such as blood) from a captured character to be experimented on.
Character being strapped to an operating table, seeing various pieces of medical equipment lined up on a table next to them. Doctors/scientists/villains, looming over them, unsure of what’s going to happen.
POISON!!! literally just poison!!!!
Paralysing or knocking out a character by injecting them with some sort of tranquiliser.
If you wanna make your characters suffer, couple pure exhaustion with an ailment of your choice. Nausea is my go to, but it works great with any sort of pain or discomfort, included but not limited to headaches, congestion, fever.
Just imagine, they’re dead tired. Almost to the point of tears. All they want is to fall asleep. They can barely keep their eyes open. Their body feels heavy. It’s hard to control their emotions. But because of how terrible they feel, they just can’t fall asleep. Time passes in a way that is painfully slow. This seems even more slow if they have a visible digital clock within their vicinity, shining those usually red letters through the darkness. Each glowing minute seems to sit frozen for an eternity before it switches over to the next one, and somehow with each of those minutes their nausea increases, but never enough to make them actually be sick. They’re just stuck in what seems like an eternal battle against their own stomach and their tiredness. If they could just fall asleep or throw up they’d probably feel better, but instead they’re stuck in this misery with no end in sight.
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