The "One of Us"
Okay, listen. One instance of "sword under the chin, manhandled, tied up, knocked over the head, face bloody upon slow awakening" was nice! It was lovely! Two instances? Stellar! Three? You're seriously considering typing up a Chick-style tract entitled, "The Whump Community -- are YOU part of it?" and mailing it to the writer's P.O. box.
The Snippet
Whumperflies galore, but the whump lasts 1.2 seconds. (You know this because you giffed it. You rewatch that gif over and over, wishing it was twenty times longer.)
The Textbook Example
The most perfectly constructed canon whump, handed to you on a platter. You can hardly believe you've been offered something so perfect. Shows the "hurt", doesn't skimp on the "comfort", with a perfect peppering of "plot" and "characterization". It's long, it's detailed, it gets the whumperflies going and they just. won't. stop. It's a whole episode, or a whole third act of a movie, or the whole first half of a book. Makes the rounds within the community fast enough that the sound of reblogs breaks the sound barrier.
The "Once in a Lifetime"
A trope so rare, so beautiful, so sweet, that you'd never even considered it and you've only seen it this once. Like a full solar eclipse, you'll see it once if you're lucky and then think about it for the rest of your life.
The "Missed Opportunity"
The jump cut, the discretion shot, the "two weeks later", this is the lacuna where the whump should have been. And it would have been so good! A wonderful hospital reunion, or three days in the mountains with a broken leg, or a nuanced and sensitive and aching depiction of PTSD. But that's not what the writers were interested in, so they did us dirty and just skipped it.
The "Concerningly Enthusiastic"
Similar to the the "one of us", but you're just not sure what they're into. Are they into this? Are they into it? Is it sadism? Are they just super committed to their craft? You're happy they're happy, but you're not sure you're on the same page and you've got some questions you probably don't want answers to.
The "So Unrealistic It's Terrible"
"That's not how that works!" you yell, knocking over the popcorn and sending the cat scurrying for cover. "That's not how any of this works!!" Either it's inaccurate in a way that gets your goat professionally, because you know this stuff, or you've done your research and know the writer intentionally chose the less-whumpy of various options.
The "So Unrealistic It's Good"
Okay, so you know that nobody's going to be digging a bullet out of their friend's gut with a kitchen knife in an industrial kitchen while surrounded by zombies, using a blow torch to cauterize the wound. But the detail! The commitment! The incredible whimpering! You’re willing to forgive many medical sins when the result is this juicy.
The "So Realistic It's Good"
They did their research and it shows, in the best way possible. A little-known, painful complication, or consequences for shoddy field medicine, or the natural consequences of forgetting to restock your medkit. This writer definitely has their medical friends concerned from the amount of very specific questions they ask via text at two in the morning. You would like to buy them a coffee. You would never, ever cross them.
The "So Realistic It's Bad"
What do you mean, you have painkillers on hand? What do you mean, it’s the future and nano-machines can heal you in twenty minutes flat? You’re telling me the team leader intervened and insisted on a medical exam and they caught that injury before your favorite character got to say "I don't feel so good" and pass out, blood on their fingertips? This isn't fun. Couldn't they do a little less research, or at least make their characters a little less perfect?
The "I Have Complicated Feelings"
Maybe it was a cartoon that gave you whumperflies when you were a kid and still kinda does, even though you wish it didn't. Maybe it's the painting you wrote your dissertation on. Maybe it's the stain glass Jesus at the church where you used to attend 4-H meetings. Look, I'm not judging. As long as you're not sending that tract about whump to the priest, you're in the clear. What? no, no, you're not blushing. Sweetheart, we're all weird here. You're fine.
The "I Wasn't Uncomfortable Until You Were Uncomfortable"
The actor's not committing, the cuts are too quick, there are discretion shots three scenes in a row and not nearly enough blood. You were into this, until you got the feeling that the creators are uncomfortable, which is making you uncomfortable, and you're considering writing a fix-it fic about what would happen if everyone just committed to the gosh danged premise they set up for themselves, already.