Equal Opportnity Whump: Some Thoughts

[kriadydragon]

The First of my offerings for month_of_meta

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Equal Opportunity Whump: Some Thoughts

I've always had a bit of a love-hate relationship with equal opportunity whump stories (stories where everyone, or at least more than one character, gets whumped). I've always been of the (selfish) attitude that if you're going to whump a few then you should whump them all (for example, in team fic), only to read an equal whumping story and end up… rather disappointed.

Or write an equal whump story and end up – surprise! - rather disappointed.
         
Because the thing about whumping everyone - and I am speaking as both a writer and reader, here – is that it can be rather tricky to pull off in a satisfying way. Really tricky. Really, really tricky. And usually for the following reasons.

1. So many characters. Soooo many characters. And that means having to figure out how each character is to be whumped, then remembering how they were whumped, and sometimes you can get so caught up in one person’s whump you kind of, sort of forget that, oh yeah, this other person was whumped as well and probably isn’t capable of doing what they’re doing right now.


2. Favoritism. Most of the time, if you have a character you like more than the others, they’re the one you want to play with. But at the same time, you want to write something that caters to all the fans of all the characters. Except… you’re really not fond of “certain character” and would much rather focus everything on your favorite character. Sometimes it’s not even a matter of favoritism but getting caught up in the moment and never realizing it, and so sweeping the other characters under the rug for the time being.


3. So much to remember! Which does go along with what I talked about in point one, I know, but with the addition of having to remember all the medical, emotional, and psychological facets involved, as well as making sure you don’t downplay one character’s situation simply to make it easier to focus on another character.

It’s not unlike juggling, really – so many balls, so little hands, trying so hard to give everyone the whump treatment but running the risk of dropping a few balls along the way.

So I have to wonder – what makes for a good equal opportunity whump story? How does one go about accomplishing such a feat? What is it about those few equal whump stories that not only pushed my whump buttons but pushed them hard even when my favorite character didn't get my favorite type of whump? Or even when my favorite character wasn't the one heavily whumped?

I can only really speak for myself when answering this, and I can only hope I answer it in a way that makes sense.

For me, the best equal whump stories are those where the whump, both physical and emotional, is a personal, separate experience for each character. Even though they may be in the same situation – say, for example, they're both imprisoned and they're both being tortured – what they're going through as individuals isn't the same. Maybe one is being tortured while the other is made to watch. Maybe they're being tortured separately, in separate ways...

No, that doesn’t quite describe it.

I guess the better way to describe it is to say that it isn't so much the whump that needs to be equal but the author's focus on each character – how they are injured, what they are going through both mentally and physically and the aftermath of it all. Everyone gets equal attention down to the smallest nuance, no injury or mental trial is forgotten but is instead explored in vivid, dare I say, loving (even if what the character is going through is, in fact, horrible) detail. No character's experience is a mirror of the other characters' experience – what they go through will have different consequences for them, even if what they go through is pretty much the same as what the others go through. Even if one character is whumped less than the other, the author still puts them through the mental wringer. The character and what they went through is not forgotten, nor shoved aside for the favorite character.

So it's not about making sure to whump every character. It's really about the characters themselves.

Which is way more difficult to accomplish than it seems, it really is, and mostly for the reasons I’ve stated above. I've attempted equal whumping myself and, well, I regret to say most of the time I've caved to favoritism. Really, I need to just stick with whumping my favorite character, but I like giving something to the fans of all the characters. So I keep on trying, sometimes succeeding (if the comments are anything to go by) and sometimes not. It's a delicate process, and the more characters you have the more delicate it's going to be. It requires quite a bit commitment, because it means whumping characters you don't normally whump (sometimes characters you don't like to whump or have a difficult time writing) with all your heart, as though you do like to whump those characters. And, yeah, for some people, like myself, that is hard. For others, it's not even a second thought, let alone much of an effort. I envy those people.

And... those are my thoughts on equal whumping.

Comments

[black-raven135.livejournal.com]

***equal opportunity whump***

NOT only NO but NO
I see no reason to spread it around because that way you ensure fans of other characters will be satisfied.
If they want a specific character, then they can read a story directed at that character. I am not saying there should be no participating in the storyline but see no reason to ensure they too receive whump.
Like you, my preference is emotional & physical. If there is just one or the other I find myself drifting off....
Finally, I also don't like ff which in the end tie into a lovely package with a bow on top either.
Life is not like that.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

I see no reason to spread it around because that way you ensure fans of other characters will be satisfied.

Ah, but if you're reading a story where everyone is whumped except for your favorite character, it can be incredibly frustrating. And that's what I mean by spreading the love and giving something to all the fans. It sucks to be left out of the pool when everyone else is having such a good time.

Besides which, equal whump can be incredibly fascinating if done right - not just in what the characters go through but how they interact with each other as well. Two good examples of this would be Skypig's The Known World and Kodiak Bear's It's Always Autumn. Great equal whumping situations right there.

[black-raven135.livejournal.com]

Whumping of others is fine but not an equal amount to suit those who may be reading to suit their interest in another character
It does not work for me anymore than when everything ties together neatly in the end.

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

This is interesting.

I just read a story that I think qualifies as what you're calling equal opportunity whump (it was Eurydice Turns Left), and I really liked it. The group was going through a communal experience, but the story includes several POVs and while some of the trauma was shared, each character had at least one element unique to themselves.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Ooohhh! I love that story! :D It was one of my top favorites in SGA. It had really great everything - whump, plot and even the OCs.

[metanewsmods.livejournal.com]

Hi, can we link this at metanewsfandom?

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Sure :D