once again rotating the idea of whump video games, as I know at least several of us do from time to time, so here's some open questions for the community:

what are you craving from a whump game? have any games ever scratched that itch for you, or gotten close?

(for the record I don't mean whumpy cutscenes or storylines, I mean something where the gameplay itself is delivering whump)

I’m not sure how many people realize that there’s a way in which hurt/comfort is actually very kinky, because at its core you’ve got this emotional power exchange fantasy where one character is vulnerable and helpless and the other takes care of them. In the case of stories involving grievous injuries, where someone is bedridden for a long time, you often end up with two characters in a 24/7 total power exchange relationship without a safeword. It just doesn’t involve as many whips and dog collars.

Can I?? Like burrow into your brain like an amoeba? I need to feed on more of this

Oh, they're stoic, alright. They take the pain without flinching. They ignore the hand creeping up their thigh, too. It's just an empty threat-

It's not.

Are they still stoic?

Are they still stoic in the aftermath? What about when it's another's turn with them? When others watch, do they still hold their head high? Can they hold the gaze of the one touching them? Do they try to hide it when their body responds, when they tremble, or do they acknowledge it and claim meaninglessness?

Can they really pretend that it doesn't matter? That it won't haunt them?

for your consideration: character who had really shitty parents getting sick or injured, and the team mom/dad deals with it in a normal, sympathetic way, and whumpee has NO idea what to do with that. some potential reactions:

BONUS: fever! fever induced nightmares about their childhood that have them waking up scared and confused. fevered delirium making them call caretaker mom/dad. fevered delirium making them weepy and they apologize to caretaker for getting sick/hurt and being a burden.

I like it when characters feel disconnect from their bodies I like it when they percieve the world as if separated from it by a veil I like it when they feel floating in their surroundings I like it when they are not Really There.

need to see him whimpering like an injured animal, can he pleeease pleaaase lose a concerning amount of blood until he’s barely lucid. can i nurse him back to health like a baby bird pleeeeaaaaaseeeee

im normal 👍 about The Character 👍

i see your "traumatized character finally getting a good night's sleep in their loved one's arms" and i raise you "traumatized character freaking the fuck out when they wake up in their loved one's arms because why are they restrained why is someone else in their bed where are they and now their loved one has to comfort them"

Forced to hurt where whumpee A really wants to scream / cry / beg whumpee B to stop, but they know they mustn't. Because B actually would stop, and be punished for it, and A can't have that on their conscience.

Testing a theory…

Ripping the arrow out of their own flesh, arrowhead and all, to string it onto their bow and fire it at the enemy as blood gushes down their arm.

the long term captivity trope, to me, heavily resonates with the disabled experience. being bedbound or housebound, often at the mercy of your caretakers, who have almost unlimited leeway to abuse or neglect you as they see fit (often while denying that it's actually happening). going out in public very rarely and for short periods of time, always accompanied. being confined to certain areas due to fatigue or inaccessibility of the rest of the house. only able to do low-energy activities like watching tv or listening to audiobooks or music. and sometimes not even that - sometimes just lying in bed staring at the ceiling because it's all you're able to do. pain and fatigue in general.

mind-numbing boredom and reliance on others for basic needs are the biggest common themes, i think, but it all resonates.