it's always so fascinating and heartbreaking when a character in a story is simultaneously idolized and abused. a chosen prophet destined for martyrdom. a child prodigy forced to grow up too fast. a powerful warrior raised as nothing but a weapon. there's just something so uniquely messed up about singing someone's praises whilst destroying them.
All at Sea - Welcome Home
|| Part One | Part Two ||
Tagging: @looptheloup
CW: implied past whump involving a minor, small spaces, dehydration, referenced/implied past noncon, box boy universe/pet whump setting & dehumanization
“Hey, bud,” came that same voice, the low, calm one. 567267 fluttered his eyelashes in an ugly squint that scrunched up his whole face, trying to adjust to the new light to see who was talking. Without thinking, he sunk lower into his corner, retreated from whatever horrible thing, whatever room, awaited him. But at least, thought the boy, there will be water.
The new light hurt, and he could barely make out the face above him, so he payed closer attention to his voice for any slight sign of anger, any demand, impatience, danger. Instead, he heard something that reminded him of… Calvin. “I’m gonna get you out of there now, that okay? Do you- are you hurt anywhere, that I need to be careful of when I lift you out? Legs, arms, ribs… any of that?” Low, cautious words. Like how someone might speak to a scared kid. And for a second, a thought flitted through his mind, dared cross the threshold between before the facility and after. Real memories, and fake ones.
I am a scared kid.
The first week of whumpee's stay with caretaker. Offhandely caretaker mentions that they don't need the whumpee for their wings (aka neither for work requiring flying, nor as a status symbol, nor as "image of defeated enemy" to take anger upon). Whumpee has a freak out because they assume caretaker wants to remove their remaining pair of wings.
These two are just hurt/comfort heaven I love them
•The whumpee reacts almost immediately,kneeling in front of the caretaker and begging them to not take their wings,it’s the last thing they have to remind them of the life they used to have.The caretaker,horrified of what they’ve done immediately tries to comfort the whumpee.
•From then on the caretaker starts thinking about their words more,Making sure that what they say can’t be taken the wrong way.The caretaker does have to correct themselves multiple times but they’re determined to change.
•The caretaker hadn’t really known that the whumpee had another pair of wings before,that’s when they realize just how awful the whumpee’s life was before meeting them.
Frathouse Boxboy: The Owner’s Manual/Fight
cw for implied dubcon, implied previous noncon, conditioning, physical violence.
***
Alex and Dominic seem to be his keepers when they get back from Spring Break. Z feels spoiled. First, from lounging around all break and then by getting passed exclusively between the two guys in the house who are consistently nice to him.
how do the people in town react when they find out from the news what Bram is?? and everything
The following reactions from folk in the small town of Hunter’s Den in Alberta, Canada come from the documentary entitled The Carver’s Captive, Determined Survivor: The Daniel Michaelson Story, unauthorized and containing no direct appearance by Daniel himself. To this date, Daniel has never appeared or given any interview regarding his time as the captive of the Carver in the Cabin, and neither have his brother or his former fellow captive and current spouse.
With their contributions withheld, documentarians and journalists have had to rely on third-party and eye-witness accounts, including the observations and statements of individuals in Hunter’s Den who interacted many times with Abraham Denner over a period of years.
In Hunter’s Den, the reaction was one of disbelief, shock, and guilt.
Bonnie Wyatt, longtime waitress at the Cup of Luck, the local longtime favorite diner restaurant: “Oh, we were absolutely horrified. He was such a lovely man. Always bought extra for the older folks, had good manners. Hair a bit too long, but that comes with living in the woods, you know. We were absolutely shocked.”
Elise Voth, customer service representative at the local hardware store: “I totally knew it. I knew something was off, totally. Why didn’t I call? I mean… I don’t know.”
Peter Jenkins, local home contractor: “I always said he needed to get right with God. I had no idea God was telling me to save him because of that.”
Henry Northrup, owner of the Cup of Luck: “Honestly, I feel sick. I used to sit with him while he ate sometimes. I just. If we had known… I should have known. He brought that man with him now and then, the one who stuttered. I shoulda seen it. I shoulda known.”
Daniel Klein, Local Resident: “Yeah, my dad owns the motel he always stayed in, I help out in the lobby sometimes. That guy… He always creeped me out. Always telling me about his dog. I had… Shit, it makes me fucking sick to know he was talking about a person, the whole time. I was like… Fourteen when he started coming around. And he always… stared at me. Would ask for stuff for his room, shampoo and stuff, even when I knew it was in there. Tried to get me to bring it to his room. I tried to tell people he was creepy, but… nobody listened.”
Robert Klein, Owner of Starry Nights Motel: “Yeah, Dan used to say he was a real weirdo, but he paid good money and he never did anything. I figured, kids kind of get worked up about nothing these days, not tough like they used to be.” He pauses, face paling. “What if it was my boy he’d got a hankering for? What if Dan had been the one who just… disappeared? Just ‘cause I didn’t believe him?”
Dianne Wessel, local postal worker: “I thought they were such a lovely couple, he and that other one. With the stutter. Nice to see how well-accepted he was in town, you know, things aren’t as narrow-minded as they used to be. We mostly keep to ourselves, but he was American, I figured, all that friendliness. But I loved… I thought it was his partner. His husband.” Tears stand in her eyes. “And the whole time, there was someone else tied up and hurting. I just wonder… Why didn’t that other one, Nate? Nate Vandrum? Why didn’t he try to tell me?”
Dr. Marjorie Macon, local physician: “I saw him during some illnesses, yes. Once he brought his… Well. We thought it was his partner. He never said a word about anything, just told me his symptoms, I diagnosed him, and away he went. If he’d said anything… Just one word… Why didn’t he?”
Lee Graham, police: “I used to have breakfast at the diner damn near every day. Talked to him all the time during those visits, once a month, every two months. Whole fuckin’ time, I was talking to a killer and a pervert.” A pause. “Just goes to show - can’t judge a book by its cover. Makes me pretty sick to think of all the slices of pie I let him buy me over the years. And all that time I listened to him brag about how… fucking good his dog was.” Lee swallows, uncomfortably. “I’m a police officer, and I spent four years chattin’ with a kidnapper and a rapist, and… I never suspected a thing.”
Aaahhhh this is soo good just thinking aboi the fact that the whumper had a life beyond what they put the whumpee through and how those people were effected by thier actions
@comfy-whumpee’s chapter where their whumper Alistair visits his family gave me literal chills thinking about this person having a lovely Christmas while they have a whumpee locked up somewhere. Super inspiring on that level.
Just…. it’s the talking about Danny that kills me. Everything else seems pretty par for the course for after a serial killer gets caught but like… oof.
Yeah! Everyone’s realization that he was talking about a human fucking being the whole time he was telling them stories about his dog and teaching it tricks, letting it up on the furniture sometimes, how it got weird and scared of thunderstorms after he accidentally left it tied outside during one once and lightning struck a tree pretty close by…
The stories changing from stories about his disobedience and bad attitude (”he’s a rescue, you know, I picked him up just wandering on the sidewalk, poor thing, he took a liking to my partner, you know”) to how obedient and good he’d become (”he’s mastered every trick I’ve taught him”)… and learning that every single story was about a human being who was being slowly broken apart and rebuilt into something less.
And the younger guy who was a teenager who picked up on how fucking creepy he was, but nobody really believed him, and in retrospect they’re just fucking lucky Bram didn’t take enough of a liking to them to want TWO puppies instead of one.
Frat house box boy part 2!
Let’s see how our boy fares with the various members of the house. credit for this universe goes to @sweetwhumpandhellacomf and @shameless-whumper ! ps i know some lovely current and past frat boys irl who do community service and are all around good folks lol no shade this is very much a boxoffice movie portrayal lol. I’ll do the tag list tomorrow thank you for those who asked to be tagged!!!!
heres part 1
***
“Just be glad it isn’t Bacardi this time.” One of the boys says dryly over his shoulder, turns back to the game.
He is. He’s grateful it’s just water. But they keep making him drink more every time their favorite team on the TV fumbles, every time they lose a point, even sometimes when they win. It doesn’t make sense, but it doesn’t have to. The point is they tell him to do something and he does it.
“How much is that now, Z2? Hold it up!”
Z2. The first letter and number of his BoxBoy serial ID. It’d stuck, and now they called him Z2, sometimes making beeping noises at him like a Star Wars droid. Except Alex. Alex just calls him Z.
He holds up the plastic gallon of water. Even three quarters empty, the weight of it makes his arm shake. He hasn’t eaten since yesterday morning. No one had offered him anything since then.
Last night they had a party, one of their all-night affairs that ended with the house in disarray and people he’s never seen passed out under tables, on the stairs. Even the front yard had been a mess. Part of his job is cleaning up after the parties, which he much preferred to being included in their games.
His hand still hurt from the game with the darts. He was told to stand beside the board and hold his hand up— to keep it still even if one hit him. One had been thrown so hard it stuck right in the meat of his thumb. That got a round of raucous laughter. Even the pledges, freshmen who always looked so eager and nervous liked to join in. He was the only thing lower on the totem pole than they were.
Later, Alex found Z2 curled up on the floor at the foot of his bed and bandaged his hand for him. It took a half hour of gentle questions before Z2 could even formulate the story and tell him what had happened.
Alex rubbed antibiotic cream over the sore punctures, wrapped them in gauze. He’d stayed in Alex’s room that night, the sleeping bag and pillow bed Alex had made him on the floor of his closet. It felt safe there. Alex installed a hook-eye lock on the inside of the closet door for him, told him not to tell anyone about it. Only when he was inside and it was latched could he relax enough to truly sleep.
“Almost there.” Someone taunts. “Can you get the gallon down before halftime?”
He whimpers, feeling the pressure on his bladder like an anvil, like a balloon about to burst.
One boy leans close to him. “You don’t have to drink any more of that.”
Z2 looks to his left and sees Dominic, a senior who’d set some sort of school record last semester for the football team. He’s tall and broad-shouldered, with a mischievous look in his eyes that has always made Z2 nervous. He hadn’t realized how close he’d been sitting to him until just now, distracted by his own misery.
“How?” He whispers back.
“Just don’t if you don’t want to.”
Cheers erupt from the boys. Something’s gone right for their team. The team in white, he’s deduced from their noises of joy and dismay so far.
“I….” He bites his lip, embarrassed. “I really have to use the restroom.”
Dominic gives the smaller boy a once-over glance. His fraternity brothers would like nothing more than to know that information, to tell him no and taunt him, make him keep drinking the water until he wets himself in front of everyone.
Dominic leans in close again so no one else hears. “Hold it until halftime. I’ll get up for another beer and take you with me, alright?”
He feels a surge of gratefulness that stings the back of his eyes with tears. He hurries to blink them away. A round of let-down cries makes him jump.
“Come on, Z2. Take one for the team. Bottoms up, little bitch.” Cameron says.
Z2’s heart thuds in his chest. It feels like the water he’s drunk is in his throat, like his sloshing stomach couldn’t take another ounce. His bladder hurts, and he’s started tapping his heel to avoid having an accident right there in the living room among all of them.
“You deaf and stupid?” Cam asks. He’s the one who’d missed the dart board deliberately, aimed for Z2’s face instead, laughing as he flinched away to protect his eyes. Z2 was nervous around a lot of the boys, but feared Cameron above the rest.
On the rare occasion they were alone, Cam would beckon him close only to twist his arm behind his back in a way that made it feel like it was going to break, just to hear him yelp. He’d hold it there until he begged for mercy, and sometimes wait a little longer after that. The sight of him made Z2 flinch and look down at his feet. Only when Alex was around would Cam leave him alone, knowing Alex was fiercely protective of their BoxBoy. Cam would tease him, asking if they’d sealed the deal yet, if Alex had fucked him.
“You’re projecting again, Cam.” Alex would always reply, nonplussed.
But Alex wasn’t here to protect him right now.
“Drink. Up.”
Z2 shakes his head. “I can’t.” He says quietly.
A few heads swivel in his direction.
“What’s the matter?” Cam stands, coming closer. “You not thirsty anymore? You’re always thirsty.” He presses the heel of his hand to Z2’s lower belly. He whimpers, squirming. “Gotta piss yet?”
“Leave him alone, Cameron.” Dominic says in a voice that begs no argument.
Cam lets off, laughing. “Little water never killed anybody.”
Dominic dips his head. “It has, actually. And I’d like to graduate without being involved in a lawsuit.”
“That’s what we got him for. No more lawsuits from pussy boy pledges.”
“Go use the restroom.” Dominic tells Z2. He looks at Cam flatly. “No one will follow you.”
Z2 gets up slowly, wincing at how badly he needs to relieve his bladder. When he comes back, as he knows he is expected to, he keeps quiet as possible and climbs onto the sofa next to Dominic… closer this time, holding his breath. Dominic might have only been helping him to annoy Cameron. He’s heard them arguing before.
But Dom lays a heavy arm around Z2’s skinny neck, pats him gently on the opposite shoulder. Z2 glances up at him and gets a little smirk, a nod that seems to say see? It’s alright. You’re alright.
He doesn’t know what would become of him without Alex, and apparently Dominic, who was the last guy he expected it from. He only hopes he doesn’t pay for it later.
