Smells Are WAY Underused In Whump

Smells are WAY Underused in Whump

The scent associated with an experience, good or bad, is a POWERFUL thing for humans, and a great tool for whump.

Smells making kidnapped (and already malnourished) character nauseous

(Remember, blood and badly burnt skin have distinct smells to them, it can really add to the impact if they’re mentioned)

A positive smell being somehow tied to the ordeal, and almost being ruined for Whumpee.

Victims of medical whump being sent into a panic at the smell of latex or strong cleaning supplies

Victims of mechanical whump (car related, saw traps, what have you) despising the smell of gasoline.

On the lighter side, Whumpee using the smell of Caretaker’s cologne/perfume to remind themselves they’re safe.

Please add if you want, because this is an untapped wealth.

ATTENTION ALL WHUMP WRITERS!

To all fellow whump writers, here is an excellent resource for learning about field medicine. This thing is packed full of knowledge for the layman to use when you are A) nowhere near medical help B) medical help isn’t coming or C) a global pandemic causes a collapse and we all have to fend for ourselves. Oops, that last one...

Anyway, this guy, James Hubbard, breaks it down so anyone can do it. I find it super helpful and an invaluable tool, both in writing and in life. I’ve turned to it more than once in real life and I am always using it when I write. Nothing annoys me more than a horribly-written procedure that could have easily been researched. Seriously...research, people.

If nothing else, this book will prepare you for the apocolypse, for sure!

Here's some uhhh "fun?" info about how deeper wounds work (unfortunately based on experience bc I am so clumsy lol) for your whump writing knowledge.

TW: mention of wounds, stitches, somewhat detailed description of stitching procedure, scars

So when you get a deep cut that goes past the surface of the skin (ie. needing stitches) there are a few things that need to happen to help it heal correctly and without infection. Depending on what caused the laceration, you may need a tetanus shot if it was some sort of metal (even if it wasn't rusty metal, this is usually done to play it safe). Then, they'll have to numb the area, and let me tell you -NOT FUN. Remember that open wound? Yeah, they inject the local anesthetic directly into the wound. IN to it- not near it. So that's really not fun, and it's even worse if you're able to watch it happen because the area swells up from the medication. So very unpleasant. From there, honestly the worst part is usually over. The stitching itself is scary to watch (caretaker said not to look for a reason!), but the most that's usually felt is some pressure from the needle- IF it is numbed completely.

What's worse though- is if you DON'T get stitches when you need them. So after a deep laceration, there is generally a 24 hour window (maximum) to get it stitched. Usually it's ideal to be done within 4-6 hours of the injury. If this doesn't happen, the wound cannot be stitched because the body has already started healing the wound as it currently is, and won't be able to heal back together and close. So this means: much longer healing process (sometimes can be a month or more depending on the laceration), the wound should stay covered with gauze for most of the beginning of healing to prevent infection which is a bigger risk with an open wound. This will additionally create a different looking scar than a wound that was stitched. They can look similar, but are obviously wider and flatter than a stitched wound which can heal with a raised and much thinner scar. Sometimes you can also see scarring from where the stitches were too! I think that's kind of cool, though.

This is just what I remember from the situation and doctors, I am not a professional.

Have fun patching up your whumpees! Or ya know.. Not

grab them by the hair

grabbing a fistful of their hair to hold them in place for the next punch or slap

grabbing their hair to force them to look at you

grabbing their hair to make them bow

grabbing their hair to slam their head back into the wall

grabbing their hair to smash their face on the floor

grabbing their hair to make them bare their throat to you

grabbing their hair to stop them moving away from the blade or syringe at their neck

grabbing their hair to dunk their head under water

grabbing their hair to rub their face in a mess

grabbing their hair to pull them across the room before throwing them down where they belong

grabbing their hair to hold them up when they’re about to slump over

grabbing their hair to drag them up to their knees from where they lay on the floor

placing your hand in their hair when they’re already kneeling just to remind them what you could do with it

stroking their hair as a half-hearted apology after pulling a little too much

comment more please :)

blüd

Y'know what! Fira has inspired me so I'm gonna talk about my second-favorite Dragon Slayer headcanon, and it goes as such:

The more stress a Dragon Slayer's body goes through, the more it dragonizes. This is a really dry way to say that I think injuries a Dragon Slayer gets will scar over with scales, and also that mental stress can have consequences that are…interesting, to say the least, from a writer's perspective.

Let me bring in my favorite punching bag, Gajeel. In my headcanon appearance for him, the scars on his right arm are replaced by patches of iron scales—rusting iron scales, depending on how old those scars are, because I think rust would be really cool and mimic how human scars fade from age, and ruddy rust blends better with human skintones than silvery iron. But I also really like the idea of him having iron spines all the way down his back, for the aesthetic. Which could have the Watsonian explanation of him potentially being so distrusting of anybody to guard him in the past, that his magic responded to his paranoia and trauma by protecting his spine from a literal backstabber. Two headcanons all wrapped up in a neat 'what if dragonization responded to human fragility by dragonizing it away' bow! :D