Dear Hurt/Comfort Exchange Author
A03 name: Alley_Skywalker
Dear Hurt/Comfort Exchange Writer,
First, I would like to say thank you for the time and effort that you are willing to put into writing for me! Length of fandom sections or the order the fandoms are in no way indication of how much I want fic for any given fandom; I would be ABSOLUTELY DELIGHTED to receive fic in any of the fandoms I asked for. Optional details are optional, but if you're like me and like to have lots of info to work with, I've tried to provide some details on the sorts of things I like (and don't) and give prompts for each of my fandoms/ships.
GENERAL STUFF'
Hurt/Comfort & This Exchange Specific Things
Relationsihps/Sex/Ratings:
Likes:
Genres/Themes (and such):
Likes:
FANDOMSLes Miserables - Victor Hugo
Courfeyrac/Marius Pontmercy (hurt Courfeyrac)
Fandom DNW: Marius/Courfeyrac as a purely one-sided/unrequited ship. It can start off one-sided/the characters thinking it’s one-sided, the realization of feelings may come too late, but at some point by the end of the fic it must be requited (whether or not they (are able to) confess said feelings to each other).
TAGS: Bedside Vigils, Cleaning/treating wounds, Delirious character asking for the one they're pining for, Feverish Confessions, Forehead Kisses, Forehead kisses poorly disguised as checking fever, Helping hurt character to dress/undress, Helping hurt character to eat or drink, Helping hurt character walk, Love confession by sick/hurt character, Love confession to sick/hurt character, Mutual pining during slow recovery from near-fatal injury, Near Death Experience Makes Unaffected Character Realize They Love the Victim, Sharing a bed to keep a close eye on hurt character's well-being & needs, Taking care of hurt friend(s) leads to realization of romantic feelings
So, I would LOVE one of those not-everyone-dies-at-the-barricades AUs. I’m not super picky about who else lives, if anyone, or how Courf and Marius get out of there - whether Valjean helps them or they get away some other way. The main thing is that Marius and Courf get away but Courfeyrac is badly hurt (and Marius isn’t, or at least not seriously). Marius takes care of Courfeyrac as he recovers and realizes - slowly or right away - that Courf is the one he’s in love with. You can focus more on the recovery and pining side (we all know Marius is stunted and not great at communicating his feelings), or take it more the rout that for a long time Marius doesn’t know if Courf will recover and his anxiety and fear over that is what make him realize (and that’s where all those “feverish confessions” type tags come in, too, because Courf giving away his feelings while he’s delirious and Marius just being SHOCKED and disbelieving about it is good stuff!).
TAGS:A confesses love to dying B to motivate them to live but thinks it's insincere, A confession in a desperate situation has to be dealt with afterwards
Basically the above scenario with the twist that Marius spits out a love confession when he thinks Courfeyrac is dying and then later has to deal with the consequences when Courf survives and has to figure out his own feelings re: did he mean it or not after all? (Especially good if he’s initially still hung up on Cosette and thinks he lied and feels guilty about it.) Why Marius makes this confession is up to you pretty much - maybe he already knows Courfeyrac is in love with him and is trying to motivate him to live, maybe he blurts it out because those are his true feelings but he’s been suppressing them for so long that he them takes some time to sort through them and realize that, ah, yes, that confession was on point.
TAGS:Character A Realizes They Love Character B Too Late To Tell Them, Character A Unwilling to Accept B's Death, cradling someone in their arms
Basically, A Little Fall of Rain Courfius style. The sadder and more tender the better. (If there’s self-sacrifice involved like in ALFoR even better!)
War and Peace
Fyodor "Fedya" Ivanovich Dolokhov/Anatole Vasilyevich Kuragin (both hurt)
Fyodor "Fedya" Ivanovich Dolokhov/Anatole Vasilyevich Kuragin (hurt Anatole)
TAGS: Aftermath of Panful Medical Procedure, Amputation Aftermath, Bedside Vigils, Cleaning/treating wounds, Delirious character asking for the one they're pining for, Fever, Feverish Confessions, Forehead kisses poorly disguised as checking fever, Hurt leads to realization of feelings, Keeping Sick/Hurt Characters Warm, Kissing away tears, Love confession by sick/hurt character, Love confession to sick/hurt character, Mutual pining during slow recovery from near-fatal injury, Near Death Experience Makes Unaffected Character Realize They Love the Victim, Watch hurt/sick character sleep
Well, I’ll just be honest and say that I’m definitely craving a post-Borodino Anatole!lives AU. I don’t have a lot to say about it, I think this universe of tags kind of speaks for itself xD Whether they’ve already lovers or this is the first time Dolokhov realizes that he’s actually in love with Anatole/how much Anatole means to him, it’s all excellent! Would definitely prefer a hopeful if not happy ending.
But it could be a different scenario, tbh, if you don’t want to deal with the whole…amputation thing. (Which, I totally get, omg xD) I’m not super picky, but maybe Anatole ends up challenged to a duel and that goes…badly. (I have a feeling Anatole is not a particularly good shot. ) In that case, there can be some pre-duel emotional hurt/comfort too!
TAGS: Character A Realizes They Love Character B Too Late To Tell Them, Character A Unwilling to Accept B's Death
Dolokhov mourning Anatole’s death. Maybe they were lovers and he’s haunted by their memories together. Maybe he only realizes his feelings when Anatole is dying is in his arms. Maybe after the war, Anatole comes to comfort him in his dreams…
TAGS:Comforter Rains Down Retribution On Hurt Character's Behalf
I don’t have a specific prompt for this. But it’s just pretty much canon that Dolokhov is very protective and would totally fuck up anyone who hurts someone he loves.
Romeo and Juliet - Shakespeare
Fandom DNWs: Benvolio/Mercutio (fine within the Montacrew OT3, obviously), v-formation for the Montacrew OT3 that’s centered on Benvolio (v-formation centered on Mercutio or Romeo is fine, as is full/everyone-with-everyone OT3).
i really, really prefer there to be very little age difference within the Montacrew. Two years between oldest and youngest is prob max that works well for me. Also, I'm fine with mentions or brief cameos of Romeo/Juliet, but I'd rather they not be focused on too much (as you see, I have a lot of conflicting ships lol).
Benvolio Montague & Romeo Montague (hurt Benvolio)
TAG: Character apologizes for being sick/hurt, Character being protected isn't used to being cared about, Child A comforts Child B after B has nightmare about their dead parents, Comfort after nightmares, Nightmares, Staying Up Together after a Nightmare, Sharing a bed to comfort hurt character, Cuddling & Snuggling
So tbh, I have a headcanon (fanon?) where Benvolio comes to live with Romeo when they’re still kids after his parents die in an accident/some feud related thing. In my version of this, Ben spends a few months being passed around between various relatives before finally being taken in by Romeo’s family. By this point he’s not only still grieving his parents but also really unsure if going to get a real family again what with everyone passing him around and it kind of feeling like he’s a burden to all his relatives more than anything. And then Romeo happens and Romeo just like…adopts this kid in three seconds flat because why not? (In my head they’re somewhere between 6 and 8 years old.) So, yes, I just want childhood flangst with snuggles and nightmares and Benvolio being uncertain about everything and Romeo being sweet and loving and Ben being kind of confused/stunned and also grateful at Romeo’s ability to just…attach. (And one early morning Lady M goes to check in on the kids and finds them both asleep in Benvolio’s bed and is just like…whelp I guess we’re keeping him lol.)
Benvolio Montague & Romeo Montague (hurt Romeo)
Benvolio Montague/Romeo Montague (both hurt)
Benvolio Montague/Romeo Montague (hurt Romeo)
TAGS: A and B mourn death of person they both loved, Comfort-getting together while mourning the person they both loved, Grief/Mourning, Kissing away tears, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Support, Forehead Kisses
So some of these tags are more generic/broad (e.g. "forehead kisses") and very much apply to any prompt or scenario you choose to go with! More specifically, I have two prompts here and both can work for gen as well as slash scenarios. One: Romeo and Benvolio mourn Mercutio’s death together (and, optionally, get together in the end). Maybe it’s an AU where Romeo survives, maybe it’s just a missing scene before he has to leave Verona. (Seriously, I side-eye Will so much for not letting Romeo mourn property and making him fixate so exclusively on Juliet. Let people have strong emotions about their friends 2kForever.)
Two: An AU wherein, like in many adaptations, Benvolio is the one to bring Romeo news of Juliet’s death. But, unlike most such adaptations, he doesn’t run off/let Romeo shake him off afterwards and instead stays with him, doesn’t let him do anything stupid, and helps him get through the worst of his grief. And maybe stays in Mantua with him indefinitely? (And, optionally, they end up together by the end of it.)
TAGS: Character A attempts suicide; character B finds & stops them in time & helps them recover, Long illness and recovery after attempted suicide, Long illness and recovery after poisoning
Would love an AU where Benvolio walks in on Romeo drinking the poison (up to you why/how he’s there) and stops him before he can get through all of it/manages to get help for him immediately. So Romeo survives, but he ends up really ill for a long time. With Friar Lawrence’s help they’re secretly transported back out of the city for Romeo’s recovery since Romeo isn’t supposed to, you know, be there. Ah…basically…this is a request for sickfic with a fancy premise lol. Any emotional hurt/comfort surrounding the other events of the play also encouraged! Again, I would enjoy seeing this in either a shippy or gen rendition.
TAGS: Distress due to an imminent separation from the other character
Basically, I’d love a missing scene of Romeo and Benvolio tearfully saying goodbye before Romeo leaves Verona…
Mercutio & Benvolio Montague & Romeo Montague (hurt Romeo)
Mercutio/Benvolio Montague/Romeo Montague (hurt Romeo)
TAG: Characters A and B take care of hurt/ill Character C whom they both love, Group taking care of a sick or injured member of their team/group/found family, waiting to see if someone both characters love recovers from serious illness/injury, Bedside Vigils, Forehead kisses poorly disguised as checking fever, Helping hurt character to eat or drink, Keeping Sick/Hurt Characters Warm, Long illness and recovery after attempted suicide, Sharing a bed to comfort hurt character, Sharing a bed to keep a close eye on hurt character's well-being & needs, spoon feeding, Too Sick To Sleep, Watch hurt/sick character sleep
A lot of these are more broad tags and represent stuff I would love in my hurt/comfort whether or not you go with a specific prompt/scenario I offer. The theme here is definitely “Romeo gets love and care and support from his friends/boyfriends.”
The specific idea I had in mind: similar to one of the Romvolio prompts above, Mercutio and Benvolio walk in on Romeo taking the poison when he thinks Juliet is dead and their appearance stops him before he gets through all of it/they get help for him fast enough for him to survive, but he ends up very ill and they take care of him. Why is Mercutio alive in this? It could be a straightforward scenario where Mercutio just flat out survives the duel (perhaps Romeo was misinformed about his death as well while he was in Mantua). In the case that Mercutio survives and Romeo is aware, I’d love some going into Romeo’s emotional state re: how difficult the exile and being all alone was for him, perhaps him being insecure and feeling that on top of being disconnected from his entire support network he thinks it’s most likely that the people he loves will move on and eventually forget about him. (I love me an insecure Romeo and don’t so much love Romeo’s suicide being all about Juliet’s death; my preferred reading is that she’s the last straw).
Alternatively, for why Mercutio is alive - you know those AUs about Mercutio using the duel to fake his death so he can run off with Benvolio but then they don’t tell Romeo for some reason?? Well, for an OT3 version of this…what if Benvolio and Mercutio are already together (even though Mercutio (and Ben?) is/are also in love with Romeo but haven’t realized it/haven’t had the courage to face up to/confess those feelings) and they make the spontaneous decision to run away from Verona when Mercutio is (not seriously) hurt. They mean to tell Romeo but either that plan gets derailed by Romeo killing Tybalt/the specific way things go down or, if you want to mean extra mean, they decide they need his grief to look genuine and they consciously decide to get word to him later (except, of course, that derails too because I don’t think anyone would have expected Romeo to react by killing Tybalt). So they don’t get a chance to tell him and then lose touch until they accidently walk into him in the crypt. Why they decide to go back to Verona is totally up to you. Maybe Tybalt haunts Mercutio and tell him to go put a flower on him tomb lol. I’m not terribly picky about the logistics here. A lot of this set up can be hand-waived and just alluded to. I’m more interested in the hurt/comfort that follows them walking in on Romeo’s suicide (attempt). The added bonus of this, admittedly, more complicated scenario is all the potential self-guilt-trips for Mercutio and Ben and the emotional fall out of them having to explain themselves, even though it all ends in happy poly somewhere away from Verona : D I also realize this prompt is ridiculously detailed, so please feel totally free to completely ignore it.
TAGS: Character believes no one is coming to save them, Believing Others Consider Them An Inferior Substitute for Someone Else, Character feels rejected by loved one(s), Comforter caused the Hurt, unexpected tenderness
The Montacrew (either as a friendship or an OT3) being really Soft and affectionate but also kinda dysfunctional because they all have their own baggage which they can’t always (or ever) communicate/talk about property (because teenagers, lbr) is an intriguing concept to explore. And in this case my focus is on Romeo. Romeo, who is loved by his friends and is a sweetheart but is also kind of Extra Naïve and emotional/romantic and therefore gets made fun of by his friends. Not maliciously, and he and Mercutio clearly can have a go at each other in pure fun, but I can see it imprinting on him a bit, maybe even without him realizing, and aggravating some feelings of inferiority he already had. So, I’d enjoy something dealing with that and it finally coming out in one way or another how insecure he feels and how much he’s afraid his friends/boyfriends might leave him behind. (And maybe the reason he’s so obsessed with finding romantic love/romantic love with a woman is because he thinks marriage is his only way of securing an attachment that’s not going to “slip away” from him or something.) And then when all this comes out him getting reassurance and comfort from Ben and Merc that he’s wrong and he’s very much loved and needed.
Specific prompt - some situation (AU or pre-canon, doesn’t matter) where Romeo is kidnapped (perhaps by Capulets) not so much for ransom but more as a “warning” to his parents. His captors rough him up a bit and then leave him tied up in some out-of-the-way location. (How hurt he actually gets by this is totally up to you!) Merc and Ben are, of course, frantically helping in the search for him, but Romeo is genuinely wondering if anyone other than maaaybe his parents will actually bother. (And then the ensuing h/c when they actually find him.)
TAGS: Group hugs for comfort after a traumatic event, Comforting Cuddle Piles
There wasn’t an “all hurt” version for the Montacrew but I am here for that as well. And honestly, some good old childhood fluff and cuteness is always a YES in my book. Although, of course, these tags can be applied to older versions of the boys as well. All the cuddles and group support!
Mercutio/Romeo Montague (both hurt)
Mercutio/Romeo Montague (hurt Mercutio)
TAGS: Bedside Vigils, Being bathed while mutually pining, Cleaning/treating wounds, Forehead kisses poorly disguised as checking fever, Helping hurt character to eat or drink, Delirious character asking for the one they're pining for, Feverish Confessions, Keeping Sick/Hurt Characters Warm, Love confession by sick/hurt character, Mutual pining during slow recovery from near-fatal injury, Sharing a bed to keep a close eye on hurt character's well-being & needs, spoon feeding, Taking care of hurt friend(s) leads to realization of romantic feelings, unexpected tenderness, Forehead Kisses, Helping hurt character to dress/undress, Near Death Experience Makes Unaffected Character Realize They Love the Victim, Tenderness, Being Cared for by Their Unrequited Love Interest, Watch hurt/sick character sleep, Helping hurt character walk
All the broad/more generic tags there are things I love in hurt/comfort and/or hurt/comfort with this ship, so absolutely feel free to use them in any scenario, whether I specifically prompt for it or not!
This ship is ripe for all kinds of angst and h/c, but especially obvious, I think, is the Mercutio!lives AU. Just like…give me Mercutio who survives the duel but is still badly hurt and Romeo who doesn’t kill Tybalt and, ah, postpones his Juliet romance to take care of his best friend. Mercutio, who is deeply in love with Romeo and maybe a little embarrassed of needing care-taking, especially by the person he’s in love with, but doesn’t really have a choice. Mercutio who believes his love is unrequited (though, preferable it isn’t, or eventually isn’t). Mercutio who, perhaps, asks for Romeo/confesses his feelings while delirious. And Romeo - Romeo who adores Mercutio but maybe doesn’t realize he’s in love with him until he almost loses him. Romeo, who makes Mercutio his priority, even if it kind of tears him in two at first. I’m totally open to any other AU elements that make a resolution easier (e.g. the duel happening before R/J manage to get married.)
TAGS: A confesses love to dying B to motivate them to live but thinks it's insincere, A confession in a desperate situation has to be dealt with afterwards
So, I had this idea, related to the more general scenario above: what if Romeo suspects that Mercutio is in love with him and when Mercutio is dying he tells him he loves him to like…motivate him to live or maybe just make him happy in his last moments… Except then Merc survives and now Romeo has to figure out how he actually feels. Maybe he realizes right off/very quickly that, oh wow, he actually meant what he said (but maybe Mercutio doesn’t remember? For drama? Lol). But maybe it takes him a longer time to realize his feelings because he’s still hung up on Juliet and he goes through a whole Phase of freaking out about how he lied to his best friend and now might have to break his heart…
TAGS: Character A Realizes They Love Character B Too Late To Tell Them, cradling someone in their arms, Hurt leads to realization of feelings, Dying Character Comforts Already-Grieving Comfortee
The one where the canon death(s) still happen, but they get a more prolonged and intimate goodbye. Where Romeo realizes he doesn’t just love Mercutio as a friend/brother but is also in love with him. Except, by then, of course, it’s much too late…
TAGS: Hurt to Protect the Comforter, Self-Sacrifice, Hurt character still being the protective one
I don’t have very particular scenarios here but just love the characterization of Mercutio as super protective, especially of Romeo. I love themes of loyalty and self-sacrifice - whether that’s the canon duel events or a totally different scenario. Maybe it’s something from their childhood/early teens, something more low stakes but their first taste of the feud…
TAGS: Collapsing on character's doorstep
Um, well. Mercutio is a nuisance and probably gets into a lot of fights. And while they are obviously not always fetal, I imagine they would sometimes be taxing. So, basically, Mercutio showing up at Romeo’s in the middle of the night because he doesn’t want to go home where his parents/uncle/whoever will see and scold him for fighting again and making a mess, and Romeo cleans him up and lets him stay the night. And it’s mostly just fluff. (But doesn’t have to be!)
Dear Hurt/Comfort Exchange Writer,
First, I would like to say thank you for the time and effort that you are willing to put into writing for me! Length of fandom sections or the order the fandoms are in no way indication of how much I want fic for any given fandom; I would be ABSOLUTELY DELIGHTED to receive fic in any of the fandoms I asked for. Optional details are optional, but if you're like me and like to have lots of info to work with, I've tried to provide some details on the sorts of things I like (and don't) and give prompts for each of my fandoms/ships.
GENERAL STUFF'
Hurt/Comfort & This Exchange Specific Things
- Typically, if I'm requesting something like "A/B (both hurt" what I mean is that one person is hurt both/either physically or emotionally and the other is hurting emotionally, either due to what is happening to the first person or some other angsty thing. It generally doesn't mean that both are hurt physically, unless I happen to specify that in a prompt.
- I love my comfort to have both physical and emotional manifestations (e.g. both hugs and practical help but also encouragement or words of endearment). Usually, when I refer to emotional h/c vs. physical h/c I'm talking about the main type of hurt that is being suffered by a character.
- Regardless of whether the tone is more fluffy/mushy or more angsty, I love for there to be lots of tenderness. I want them to touch each other, to cuddle, hold hands, kiss (if applicable). Even if they start out not really being able to do too much of this (have a contentious relationship, haven't admitted their feelings yet), I'd rather they get there eventually to some extent. Or for it to be a necessary aspect of the comfort (like in the case that bandages need to be changed or trying to keep someone's fever down with a wet cloth, etc.) I enjoy loving details of tender, physical aspects of the comfort - I think the specifc freeforms I chose are a good guide here.
- Feel free to sprinkle in endearments! Not cutesey pet names but like regular ones (darling, sweetheart, etc). To whatever extent seems even remotely realistic for the characters. That's a YMMV thing of course, but what I'm trying to say is that I don't mind if its a little more mushy/saccharine than might be typical for the characters - I enjoy my h/c to be very sweet.
- In that same vein, I love emotional h/c that involves reassurances from the comforting partner, maybe even sliding into praise!kink a bit, if it seems to fit the situation.
- "Practical comfort" is also very nice, though may not always reflect in the tags that I've chosen. E.g. some competency kink thrown in where the hurt character is not in the position to manage a responsibility atm or to get back at someone who hurt them and the comforter character takes care of that stuff for them - "don't worry I've got you."
- No heeling cock, PLEASE. Nothing where sex magically makes things better somehow. (Something where characters take comfort in each other over a shared hurt and that includes sex is fine, but not like..."oh we had sex! That makes things better!") (Really, I'd rather not have sex used as a primary solution to a hurt.)
Relationsihps/Sex/Ratings:
Likes:
- Outside of any ships I ask for specifically, I have a preference for slash as a general rule. I'm good with slash, het or fem for background ships!
- All ratings up to R.
- A focus on the romantic/emotional aspect of a relationship and some semblance of a plot/point rather than just sex.
- Unrequited or secretly requited pining.
- Complicated relationship dynamics, love triangles, relationships that take some effort/time to work, loving each other but because [insert reasons here] not always being able to be together/communicate those feelings, etc in this vain.
- UST. Eventually resolved is probably better than not, however, not a must-have.
- Conversely from the above - romantic partners who just can’t help but adore each other.
- Kissing, hugging, holding hands, non-sexual physical contact in general.
- Praise kink (in the sense that there’s a lot of emotional investment in and getting-off on getting praised or otherwise acknowledged as worthwhile. Works especially well with characters who are deeply insecure. I’m generally fond of other related things, such as body worship, partners being encouraging during sex in a very sweet, reassuring way, etc).
- Het as the main (hurt/comfort) relationsihp.
- Threesomes/moresomes and polyamory, unless specifically requested.
- Incest (unless specifically requested or explicitly canon).
- Parings with large age disparity (over 15 years) unless specifically asked for.
- Minors under 16 in sexual/romantic relationships with adults; one-sided teenage crushes on adults are fine. I'd rather not read about teenagers under 16 having sex, even if both are 14/15, but romance/kissing and some groping and whatnot is fine; references to off-screen sexual experimentation/sex is fine if it's something that fits the characters/story.
- NC-17 and PWPs.
- Healing cock.
- BDSM, omegaverse, and most kink. (NOT included in this: foreplay; bantery/lighthearted roleplay for the purposes of foreplay; preferences for a certain sexual position, fascination with a partner’s physical trait, such as, e.g., preferring redheads or virgins or younger partners or being fascinated by someone’s shoulders; rough/aggressive/desperate sex or outside-of-bedroom inequalities that transfer into the bedroom, even though there may be pining down of wrists or some other element that could be considered a kink or part of BDSM; anything specifically listed as a “like”).
- Foot fetishes (I know I said liking specific body parts is fine, but feet are the exception).
- Humiliation (both sexual and not).
- Non-con/rape (dub-con that leans toward/ends up as consensual is ok).
- Mpreg.
- Ccross-dressing; genderbending/genderswap; non-canonical genders and gender headcanons in general.
Genres/Themes (and such):
Likes:
- Angst, drama. (Please don’t try to use this as a challenge to see how many angst/dark tropes you can fit into a single fic. I have no issue with dark themes, angst is my crack and things like character death don’t bother me, but if it feels like it’s just a marathon of horrible things happening…that’s a little too intense for me. Exceptions apply if a specific prompt calls for dark!fic or similar endless angst.)
- Humor is fun too, but I like it more as an element in the story rather than a story that sets out to be funny first and foremost.
- Hurt/comfort.
- LOYALTY KINK! Themes of loyalty and devotion in general. Protectiveness. I have a special place in my heart for the loylaty kink + rank difference combination, especially in M/M.
- Friendship, family (dynamics), platonic love.
- Fluff, banter, cuddling/snuggling, kissing, general adorableness (and adoration!).
- Well-rounded characters, characters with emotions/sympathetic motives; the “other side of the story”.
- Politics, intrigue; plot (if you already happen to be that way inclined.)
- Anything to do with urine or feces. Graphic depcitions/descriptions of characters vomiting.
- Very graphic depictions of open wounds, puss or bodily fluids generally (blood is ok); gore and graphic violence.
- Crack!fic, parody.
- AUs that subvert the universe or drastically change the setting (eg: setting a modern fandom as a fairytale, turning a historical fandom all Sifi, Coffee Shop/College AUs, etc. This includes stuff like A/B/O and inserting magic/supernatural elements into a non-magic/supernatural universe).
- Crossovers
- Time travel.
- Apocalypse/post-apocalypse scenarios, regardless of whether done as an AU or some kind of post-canon possibility thing. (Exception for when this setting is explicitly canon.)
- Character bashing. (Especially with requested characters.)
- Horror.
- Torture. (Mentions are fine if torture is something that happens in canon. BUT no deaths/executions by torture - eg: drawing and quartering - whatsoever.)
- Humiliation; any sort of glorification of bullying.
- Issuefic.
- Narrative implications that “sex = love” or that romantic partners HAVE to have sex to have a “valid” relationship or to be “really” in love with each other.
FANDOMSLes Miserables - Victor Hugo
Courfeyrac/Marius Pontmercy (hurt Courfeyrac)
Fandom DNW: Marius/Courfeyrac as a purely one-sided/unrequited ship. It can start off one-sided/the characters thinking it’s one-sided, the realization of feelings may come too late, but at some point by the end of the fic it must be requited (whether or not they (are able to) confess said feelings to each other).
TAGS: Bedside Vigils, Cleaning/treating wounds, Delirious character asking for the one they're pining for, Feverish Confessions, Forehead Kisses, Forehead kisses poorly disguised as checking fever, Helping hurt character to dress/undress, Helping hurt character to eat or drink, Helping hurt character walk, Love confession by sick/hurt character, Love confession to sick/hurt character, Mutual pining during slow recovery from near-fatal injury, Near Death Experience Makes Unaffected Character Realize They Love the Victim, Sharing a bed to keep a close eye on hurt character's well-being & needs, Taking care of hurt friend(s) leads to realization of romantic feelings
So, I would LOVE one of those not-everyone-dies-at-the-barricades AUs. I’m not super picky about who else lives, if anyone, or how Courf and Marius get out of there - whether Valjean helps them or they get away some other way. The main thing is that Marius and Courf get away but Courfeyrac is badly hurt (and Marius isn’t, or at least not seriously). Marius takes care of Courfeyrac as he recovers and realizes - slowly or right away - that Courf is the one he’s in love with. You can focus more on the recovery and pining side (we all know Marius is stunted and not great at communicating his feelings), or take it more the rout that for a long time Marius doesn’t know if Courf will recover and his anxiety and fear over that is what make him realize (and that’s where all those “feverish confessions” type tags come in, too, because Courf giving away his feelings while he’s delirious and Marius just being SHOCKED and disbelieving about it is good stuff!).
TAGS:A confesses love to dying B to motivate them to live but thinks it's insincere, A confession in a desperate situation has to be dealt with afterwards
Basically the above scenario with the twist that Marius spits out a love confession when he thinks Courfeyrac is dying and then later has to deal with the consequences when Courf survives and has to figure out his own feelings re: did he mean it or not after all? (Especially good if he’s initially still hung up on Cosette and thinks he lied and feels guilty about it.) Why Marius makes this confession is up to you pretty much - maybe he already knows Courfeyrac is in love with him and is trying to motivate him to live, maybe he blurts it out because those are his true feelings but he’s been suppressing them for so long that he them takes some time to sort through them and realize that, ah, yes, that confession was on point.
TAGS:Character A Realizes They Love Character B Too Late To Tell Them, Character A Unwilling to Accept B's Death, cradling someone in their arms
Basically, A Little Fall of Rain Courfius style. The sadder and more tender the better. (If there’s self-sacrifice involved like in ALFoR even better!)
War and Peace
Fyodor "Fedya" Ivanovich Dolokhov/Anatole Vasilyevich Kuragin (both hurt)
Fyodor "Fedya" Ivanovich Dolokhov/Anatole Vasilyevich Kuragin (hurt Anatole)
TAGS: Aftermath of Panful Medical Procedure, Amputation Aftermath, Bedside Vigils, Cleaning/treating wounds, Delirious character asking for the one they're pining for, Fever, Feverish Confessions, Forehead kisses poorly disguised as checking fever, Hurt leads to realization of feelings, Keeping Sick/Hurt Characters Warm, Kissing away tears, Love confession by sick/hurt character, Love confession to sick/hurt character, Mutual pining during slow recovery from near-fatal injury, Near Death Experience Makes Unaffected Character Realize They Love the Victim, Watch hurt/sick character sleep
Well, I’ll just be honest and say that I’m definitely craving a post-Borodino Anatole!lives AU. I don’t have a lot to say about it, I think this universe of tags kind of speaks for itself xD Whether they’ve already lovers or this is the first time Dolokhov realizes that he’s actually in love with Anatole/how much Anatole means to him, it’s all excellent! Would definitely prefer a hopeful if not happy ending.
But it could be a different scenario, tbh, if you don’t want to deal with the whole…amputation thing. (Which, I totally get, omg xD) I’m not super picky, but maybe Anatole ends up challenged to a duel and that goes…badly. (I have a feeling Anatole is not a particularly good shot. ) In that case, there can be some pre-duel emotional hurt/comfort too!
TAGS: Character A Realizes They Love Character B Too Late To Tell Them, Character A Unwilling to Accept B's Death
Dolokhov mourning Anatole’s death. Maybe they were lovers and he’s haunted by their memories together. Maybe he only realizes his feelings when Anatole is dying is in his arms. Maybe after the war, Anatole comes to comfort him in his dreams…
TAGS:Comforter Rains Down Retribution On Hurt Character's Behalf
I don’t have a specific prompt for this. But it’s just pretty much canon that Dolokhov is very protective and would totally fuck up anyone who hurts someone he loves.
Romeo and Juliet - Shakespeare
Fandom DNWs: Benvolio/Mercutio (fine within the Montacrew OT3, obviously), v-formation for the Montacrew OT3 that’s centered on Benvolio (v-formation centered on Mercutio or Romeo is fine, as is full/everyone-with-everyone OT3).
i really, really prefer there to be very little age difference within the Montacrew. Two years between oldest and youngest is prob max that works well for me. Also, I'm fine with mentions or brief cameos of Romeo/Juliet, but I'd rather they not be focused on too much (as you see, I have a lot of conflicting ships lol).
Benvolio Montague & Romeo Montague (hurt Benvolio)
TAG: Character apologizes for being sick/hurt, Character being protected isn't used to being cared about, Child A comforts Child B after B has nightmare about their dead parents, Comfort after nightmares, Nightmares, Staying Up Together after a Nightmare, Sharing a bed to comfort hurt character, Cuddling & Snuggling
So tbh, I have a headcanon (fanon?) where Benvolio comes to live with Romeo when they’re still kids after his parents die in an accident/some feud related thing. In my version of this, Ben spends a few months being passed around between various relatives before finally being taken in by Romeo’s family. By this point he’s not only still grieving his parents but also really unsure if going to get a real family again what with everyone passing him around and it kind of feeling like he’s a burden to all his relatives more than anything. And then Romeo happens and Romeo just like…adopts this kid in three seconds flat because why not? (In my head they’re somewhere between 6 and 8 years old.) So, yes, I just want childhood flangst with snuggles and nightmares and Benvolio being uncertain about everything and Romeo being sweet and loving and Ben being kind of confused/stunned and also grateful at Romeo’s ability to just…attach. (And one early morning Lady M goes to check in on the kids and finds them both asleep in Benvolio’s bed and is just like…whelp I guess we’re keeping him lol.)
Benvolio Montague & Romeo Montague (hurt Romeo)
Benvolio Montague/Romeo Montague (both hurt)
Benvolio Montague/Romeo Montague (hurt Romeo)
TAGS: A and B mourn death of person they both loved, Comfort-getting together while mourning the person they both loved, Grief/Mourning, Kissing away tears, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Support, Forehead Kisses
So some of these tags are more generic/broad (e.g. "forehead kisses") and very much apply to any prompt or scenario you choose to go with! More specifically, I have two prompts here and both can work for gen as well as slash scenarios. One: Romeo and Benvolio mourn Mercutio’s death together (and, optionally, get together in the end). Maybe it’s an AU where Romeo survives, maybe it’s just a missing scene before he has to leave Verona. (Seriously, I side-eye Will so much for not letting Romeo mourn property and making him fixate so exclusively on Juliet. Let people have strong emotions about their friends 2kForever.)
Two: An AU wherein, like in many adaptations, Benvolio is the one to bring Romeo news of Juliet’s death. But, unlike most such adaptations, he doesn’t run off/let Romeo shake him off afterwards and instead stays with him, doesn’t let him do anything stupid, and helps him get through the worst of his grief. And maybe stays in Mantua with him indefinitely? (And, optionally, they end up together by the end of it.)
TAGS: Character A attempts suicide; character B finds & stops them in time & helps them recover, Long illness and recovery after attempted suicide, Long illness and recovery after poisoning
Would love an AU where Benvolio walks in on Romeo drinking the poison (up to you why/how he’s there) and stops him before he can get through all of it/manages to get help for him immediately. So Romeo survives, but he ends up really ill for a long time. With Friar Lawrence’s help they’re secretly transported back out of the city for Romeo’s recovery since Romeo isn’t supposed to, you know, be there. Ah…basically…this is a request for sickfic with a fancy premise lol. Any emotional hurt/comfort surrounding the other events of the play also encouraged! Again, I would enjoy seeing this in either a shippy or gen rendition.
TAGS: Distress due to an imminent separation from the other character
Basically, I’d love a missing scene of Romeo and Benvolio tearfully saying goodbye before Romeo leaves Verona…
Mercutio & Benvolio Montague & Romeo Montague (hurt Romeo)
Mercutio/Benvolio Montague/Romeo Montague (hurt Romeo)
TAG: Characters A and B take care of hurt/ill Character C whom they both love, Group taking care of a sick or injured member of their team/group/found family, waiting to see if someone both characters love recovers from serious illness/injury, Bedside Vigils, Forehead kisses poorly disguised as checking fever, Helping hurt character to eat or drink, Keeping Sick/Hurt Characters Warm, Long illness and recovery after attempted suicide, Sharing a bed to comfort hurt character, Sharing a bed to keep a close eye on hurt character's well-being & needs, spoon feeding, Too Sick To Sleep, Watch hurt/sick character sleep
A lot of these are more broad tags and represent stuff I would love in my hurt/comfort whether or not you go with a specific prompt/scenario I offer. The theme here is definitely “Romeo gets love and care and support from his friends/boyfriends.”
The specific idea I had in mind: similar to one of the Romvolio prompts above, Mercutio and Benvolio walk in on Romeo taking the poison when he thinks Juliet is dead and their appearance stops him before he gets through all of it/they get help for him fast enough for him to survive, but he ends up very ill and they take care of him. Why is Mercutio alive in this? It could be a straightforward scenario where Mercutio just flat out survives the duel (perhaps Romeo was misinformed about his death as well while he was in Mantua). In the case that Mercutio survives and Romeo is aware, I’d love some going into Romeo’s emotional state re: how difficult the exile and being all alone was for him, perhaps him being insecure and feeling that on top of being disconnected from his entire support network he thinks it’s most likely that the people he loves will move on and eventually forget about him. (I love me an insecure Romeo and don’t so much love Romeo’s suicide being all about Juliet’s death; my preferred reading is that she’s the last straw).
Alternatively, for why Mercutio is alive - you know those AUs about Mercutio using the duel to fake his death so he can run off with Benvolio but then they don’t tell Romeo for some reason?? Well, for an OT3 version of this…what if Benvolio and Mercutio are already together (even though Mercutio (and Ben?) is/are also in love with Romeo but haven’t realized it/haven’t had the courage to face up to/confess those feelings) and they make the spontaneous decision to run away from Verona when Mercutio is (not seriously) hurt. They mean to tell Romeo but either that plan gets derailed by Romeo killing Tybalt/the specific way things go down or, if you want to mean extra mean, they decide they need his grief to look genuine and they consciously decide to get word to him later (except, of course, that derails too because I don’t think anyone would have expected Romeo to react by killing Tybalt). So they don’t get a chance to tell him and then lose touch until they accidently walk into him in the crypt. Why they decide to go back to Verona is totally up to you. Maybe Tybalt haunts Mercutio and tell him to go put a flower on him tomb lol. I’m not terribly picky about the logistics here. A lot of this set up can be hand-waived and just alluded to. I’m more interested in the hurt/comfort that follows them walking in on Romeo’s suicide (attempt). The added bonus of this, admittedly, more complicated scenario is all the potential self-guilt-trips for Mercutio and Ben and the emotional fall out of them having to explain themselves, even though it all ends in happy poly somewhere away from Verona : D I also realize this prompt is ridiculously detailed, so please feel totally free to completely ignore it.
TAGS: Character believes no one is coming to save them, Believing Others Consider Them An Inferior Substitute for Someone Else, Character feels rejected by loved one(s), Comforter caused the Hurt, unexpected tenderness
The Montacrew (either as a friendship or an OT3) being really Soft and affectionate but also kinda dysfunctional because they all have their own baggage which they can’t always (or ever) communicate/talk about property (because teenagers, lbr) is an intriguing concept to explore. And in this case my focus is on Romeo. Romeo, who is loved by his friends and is a sweetheart but is also kind of Extra Naïve and emotional/romantic and therefore gets made fun of by his friends. Not maliciously, and he and Mercutio clearly can have a go at each other in pure fun, but I can see it imprinting on him a bit, maybe even without him realizing, and aggravating some feelings of inferiority he already had. So, I’d enjoy something dealing with that and it finally coming out in one way or another how insecure he feels and how much he’s afraid his friends/boyfriends might leave him behind. (And maybe the reason he’s so obsessed with finding romantic love/romantic love with a woman is because he thinks marriage is his only way of securing an attachment that’s not going to “slip away” from him or something.) And then when all this comes out him getting reassurance and comfort from Ben and Merc that he’s wrong and he’s very much loved and needed.
Specific prompt - some situation (AU or pre-canon, doesn’t matter) where Romeo is kidnapped (perhaps by Capulets) not so much for ransom but more as a “warning” to his parents. His captors rough him up a bit and then leave him tied up in some out-of-the-way location. (How hurt he actually gets by this is totally up to you!) Merc and Ben are, of course, frantically helping in the search for him, but Romeo is genuinely wondering if anyone other than maaaybe his parents will actually bother. (And then the ensuing h/c when they actually find him.)
TAGS: Group hugs for comfort after a traumatic event, Comforting Cuddle Piles
There wasn’t an “all hurt” version for the Montacrew but I am here for that as well. And honestly, some good old childhood fluff and cuteness is always a YES in my book. Although, of course, these tags can be applied to older versions of the boys as well. All the cuddles and group support!
Mercutio/Romeo Montague (both hurt)
Mercutio/Romeo Montague (hurt Mercutio)
TAGS: Bedside Vigils, Being bathed while mutually pining, Cleaning/treating wounds, Forehead kisses poorly disguised as checking fever, Helping hurt character to eat or drink, Delirious character asking for the one they're pining for, Feverish Confessions, Keeping Sick/Hurt Characters Warm, Love confession by sick/hurt character, Mutual pining during slow recovery from near-fatal injury, Sharing a bed to keep a close eye on hurt character's well-being & needs, spoon feeding, Taking care of hurt friend(s) leads to realization of romantic feelings, unexpected tenderness, Forehead Kisses, Helping hurt character to dress/undress, Near Death Experience Makes Unaffected Character Realize They Love the Victim, Tenderness, Being Cared for by Their Unrequited Love Interest, Watch hurt/sick character sleep, Helping hurt character walk
All the broad/more generic tags there are things I love in hurt/comfort and/or hurt/comfort with this ship, so absolutely feel free to use them in any scenario, whether I specifically prompt for it or not!
This ship is ripe for all kinds of angst and h/c, but especially obvious, I think, is the Mercutio!lives AU. Just like…give me Mercutio who survives the duel but is still badly hurt and Romeo who doesn’t kill Tybalt and, ah, postpones his Juliet romance to take care of his best friend. Mercutio, who is deeply in love with Romeo and maybe a little embarrassed of needing care-taking, especially by the person he’s in love with, but doesn’t really have a choice. Mercutio who believes his love is unrequited (though, preferable it isn’t, or eventually isn’t). Mercutio who, perhaps, asks for Romeo/confesses his feelings while delirious. And Romeo - Romeo who adores Mercutio but maybe doesn’t realize he’s in love with him until he almost loses him. Romeo, who makes Mercutio his priority, even if it kind of tears him in two at first. I’m totally open to any other AU elements that make a resolution easier (e.g. the duel happening before R/J manage to get married.)
TAGS: A confesses love to dying B to motivate them to live but thinks it's insincere, A confession in a desperate situation has to be dealt with afterwards
So, I had this idea, related to the more general scenario above: what if Romeo suspects that Mercutio is in love with him and when Mercutio is dying he tells him he loves him to like…motivate him to live or maybe just make him happy in his last moments… Except then Merc survives and now Romeo has to figure out how he actually feels. Maybe he realizes right off/very quickly that, oh wow, he actually meant what he said (but maybe Mercutio doesn’t remember? For drama? Lol). But maybe it takes him a longer time to realize his feelings because he’s still hung up on Juliet and he goes through a whole Phase of freaking out about how he lied to his best friend and now might have to break his heart…
TAGS: Character A Realizes They Love Character B Too Late To Tell Them, cradling someone in their arms, Hurt leads to realization of feelings, Dying Character Comforts Already-Grieving Comfortee
The one where the canon death(s) still happen, but they get a more prolonged and intimate goodbye. Where Romeo realizes he doesn’t just love Mercutio as a friend/brother but is also in love with him. Except, by then, of course, it’s much too late…
TAGS: Hurt to Protect the Comforter, Self-Sacrifice, Hurt character still being the protective one
I don’t have very particular scenarios here but just love the characterization of Mercutio as super protective, especially of Romeo. I love themes of loyalty and self-sacrifice - whether that’s the canon duel events or a totally different scenario. Maybe it’s something from their childhood/early teens, something more low stakes but their first taste of the feud…
TAGS: Collapsing on character's doorstep
Um, well. Mercutio is a nuisance and probably gets into a lot of fights. And while they are obviously not always fetal, I imagine they would sometimes be taxing. So, basically, Mercutio showing up at Romeo’s in the middle of the night because he doesn’t want to go home where his parents/uncle/whoever will see and scold him for fighting again and making a mess, and Romeo cleans him up and lets him stay the night. And it’s mostly just fluff. (But doesn’t have to be!)