“Gentle” Pet Whump
“Whump” isn’t really the right word for what I’m referencing but I can’t think of anything else.
I want a Whumper who bought their Whumpee because they just wanted a companion. Someone else in the house, someone to help with the chores, someone they can just chill and watch a movie with, someone to sit at the table with them while they eat.
All the centered stories I see with tropes kinda like this are always recovery centered, like a second hand pet bought from some shady dealer who is insanely traumatized both physically and mentally. And their owner is always like some sort of radical caretaker, encouraging them to find their humanity again and whatnot.
They still have to be a Whumper, but they don’t have to be *bad*. Just let both them and Whumpee be content with their dynamics.
Whumpee has to wear a collar, but Whumper doesn’t care that much if they have it off in the house—just be sure to have it on whenever they go out or have company over.
The rules aren’t strict, and neither are the consequences if they break them, but there’s still repercussions. They break something? Just a slap on the wrist, a warning or whatever. They enter a room they were told not to? Go to the corner, you can bring a rug over to kneel on, just stay there until Whumper says they can move. Dinner isn’t done by the time Whumper gets home from work? Well then, they can have the leftovers tomorrow morning, but tonight they don’t get to eat. If they don’t finish their chores in time, or if they forget to switch the laundry from the wash to the drier, they might earn themself a slap and a yelling at, but Whumper will move off it quickly and make up for it with a cup of hot cocoa after Whumpee finishes their task.
Whumpee gets a crate, of course, but Whumper doesn’t really lock it anymore. Sometimes Whumpee will sleep on a little cushioned mat in the corner of Whumper’s room, sometimes on the couch in the living room, sometimes curled in Whumper’s bed tucked under the warm covers. They’re allowed on the couch, or they can kneel by the coffee table, whatever.
Whumper doesn’t have a dungeon in their basement. They don’t have a collection of terribly sharp knives or beaded whips or spiked restraints. They have the shock collar they were given with Whumpee’s purchase, and the cuffs, but those were both tucked away in a box somewhere in the attic. Whumper never even bothered to put batteries into the remote.
Just give me casual pet/owner dynamics. Not all pet owners have to be cookie cutter whumpers of caretakers. Have them border that line, away to either side but never quite cross it.
Sarahi!!!
If you want to read something with this exact trope I invite you to read my series You came back a stranger! Hope you like it! :D