Dear h/c exchange writer
Thank you so much for writing for me! I love everything about h/c and I am sure I am going to love whatever you write.
Sorting this request out has been a challenge: so many options! so many tags! I've selected tags in two sets: one set that I've put on all the fandoms, which are general h/c tropes that I would love to see with any of these relationships, and then each fandom has some extra tags that fit them particularly well. Those are all tropes I adore, but reading through the tagset, there's very little on there that I wouldn't read, so if you have some other idea that you're keen to write, you are completely free to pretend I selected 'any' and go for it. About the only exception to this are tropes which revolve around the hurt character feeling worthless or unworthy of help; I don't mind that as a side note but I don't want it as the core of the story.
Less is more, for me, I like it better when a story goes into a relatively small thing in detail than when there's tons and tons going on. Comfort in small gestures, or hidden in plain sight. A lot of these characters are very stoic, prickly types, and I like to see how that plays out in h/c, how they do eventually lower their guard and accept help, or express their concern. And I like it when the hurt character can play an active role in the story, somehow or other.
When it comes to realism, the canon level of realism generally works fine for me. If you want to go into accurate medical detail, I like that too, but if characters suffer from Hollywood blows to the head and so forth, I have no problem suspending disbelief. Feel free to apply magic and sfnal medical science whenever you need it.
For me h/c and loyalty kink fit together really well, and almost all of my requests can go in that direction. I love how the two relate to each other: protectiveness and caretaking and role reversals are all things I love, and loyalty issues intensify all of them in some wonderful ways. Most of my relationships have characters who can and do give orders to the other, where one is in a position of power over the other, and I love seeing this explored with h/c, whether it's the loyal First Officer taking the blow for her captain, or the senior officer ordering his subordinates to leave him behind, or reversals of any of these.
I mostly like gen h/c best, though for established ships or where indicated below I'm also happy with romance. When it comes to sex, unless you're writing a specifically sexual h/c trope I'd rather fade-to-black/out-of-focus sex scenes.
My only DNW for this is death of requested character. Other than that, have fun! I am fine with body fluids, gore, rape and any kind of dark stories, so long as they fulfil what, to me, is the fundamental part of h/c, that there is some comfort by the end of the story.
General tropes
accepting injury to protect another - I don't think that needs any explanation, all of these characters have reason to protect each other, or they could be injured on behalf of a third party. If it's futile, that can be a good twist on this. And you can broaden it to injury to reputation, to the success of a plan, any kind of injury real or metaphorical.
bedside vigil - this trope can be an exception to wanting the hurt character playing an active part in the story (though it doesn't have to be), this one is often all about the comforter and what they feel and what they can or can't do to help. It tends to go along with other excellent tropes like delirium or restraining a character for their own good or confessions
drugged - this is a very broad category and I love all of it, from truth drugs to characters high on pain meds via confused sedated characters and characters drugged so that they can't resist some enemy, and ending up with Peter getting his tea spiked with magical weed
exhaustion - a generally excellent h/c trope, especially when the reason the character has worked themself into exhaustion is genuinely very important and while the comforting character may be worried they can't intervene much
hurt/sick character isn't quite lucid - but they think they are. Perhaps they have something important to communicate, or they reveal something unexpected
hiding illness/hiding injuries - stoically carrying on is the best. I like this even more if the two characters have to work together to conceal it for some plot reason, and while the one has to work to hold it together, the other has to conceal their anxiety and make sure any attempts to help are inconspicuous, and only once the plot issue is resolved can they collapse and be cared for
huddling for warmth - almost all of my requests are gen, but I've no objection to a bit of UST for any characters in this if it fits
physically injured character comforting emotionally distressed character - for any of them, if you wanted to do the 'both hurt' option I adore this sort of trope where between them they make one unhurt person and they have to each cover for the other's weakness.
sharing a bed - this is a wonderful trope! Any sleep tropes you can think of, I'm on board with, really. There wasn't a general tag for putting a sick/hurt/distressed character to bed, but I like that too
Nirvana in Fire, Lin Shu | Mei Changsu & Jingyan
This is the only one where I'm only putting Jingyan hurt. Canon delivers so much h/c with MCS, you can't go through an episode without people wrapping him in fur cloaks, tenderly supporting him up stairs or tucking him into bed and feeding him tea. I want to see Jingyan in trouble of some kind, and MCS in the unusual situation of being the one worrying and trying to help. Feel free to have some kind of fix-it for the ending if you want, I am entirely on board with MCS having miraculously survived if you want to set the story post-canon. Or set pre-canon, either back before Meiling, or sometime in the intervening years when MCS was keeping an eye on Jingyan without his knowledge.
blaming themself for the other character being injured - of course MCS would, and would probably get tied up in all kinds of knots about it
forced to watch the other undertaking a dangerous task - perhaps a political task, perhaps a fight, possibly during the battle after the Spring Hunt
Rivers of London, Peter & Nightingale
Both of these characters go through the wringer in canon, and there's far too little of their recovery and comfort shown. Or there's plenty of other magical mishaps that they could go through. I've requested gen, but I've no objection to shippy fic or OT3 with Beverley if you want to go that way instead. I love all the little understated moments in canon when they look out for each other, and I want to see more of that.
blood magic - are there any other magical things that happen with blood, other than Molly's vestigia-world thing?
entering a dream/nightmare to help the dreamer - this seems like the sort of magical situation that could be interesting to explore, either way around
captivity - both of them are abducted at various points in canon and we see very little of the aftermath of either
injured by mind controlled friend or loved one - perhaps one of them is under a glamour or other magical compulsion?
magical mishap - the sky's the limit for this one, whether it's cursed objects or magical booby-traps or any of the side cases that we don't learn about in canon, or a training accident, or anything at all
Star Trek Discovery, Michael & Saru & Philippa & Mirror Philippa in various combinations
I love all three (four?) of these characters and their interactions. I found the combinations and which one hurt issue to be hard to figure out: by all means use any or all of them in any combination that works best for you. I've mostly requested gen, but I'm also happy with shippy relationships between any of them too; apart from anything else, mirror Philippa would have chemistry with a small rock. I love all their interactions, and I'd love to see that explored and exposed with h/c. Saru, Philippa's first alien protege, and then Michael, the second, faster-rising one, always sniping at each other but both loyal to her. And then on Discovery, Michael and Saru learning to become friends, their ranks reversed, and then they go to the Mirrorverse, which is completely ripe for h/c in so many ways and if you want to go there, with Michael and mirror!Philippa (or mirror!Saru; by all means use him too), and then Mirror Philippa in the main universe, obsessed with Michael but viewing Saru as dinner. And all that Michael and Saru go through together in S2, and Mirror!Philippa's overtures towards Michael and her scheming... there's so much going on between them all. I'm up to date with the show and will continue watching, so no need to worry about spoilers, but I'm perfectly happy with something set pre-series or during S1 if you're not up to date.
fighting own instincts - a good one for Saru, both before and after vahar'ai, or for mirror Philippa, or for Michael with the Vulcan-human tension
Injury due to other character's incompetence - I love the idea of this as a source of tension between Michael and Saru. Both are sublimely competent, but both have their weak points and failings too, and having that be the source of the other's injury would make a very good plot. Or between Michael and either Philippa, that could be fascinating with either incarnation of Philippa
Injured in the wilderness - a classic away mission trope for a reason, I'd love to see this set pre-show when they are bickering rivals on the Shenzhou. Or, Michael with Saru or Mirror Philippa, some plot or mission going wrong and forcing them to rely on each other when they can't trust each other...
nobody hurts that character except me! - excellent for mirror Philippa, but also for the sometimes-antagonistic relationship between Michael and Saru
Vorkosigan, Aral & Simon, Alys/Simon, Aral/Cordelia, Aral & Piotr
All characters I love very much, who all go through all sorts of unpleasant things in canon. Feel free to either use canon events as a base, or go off into something totally different, perhaps set during the Regency when there must have been all sorts of hijinks that never get mentioned in canon, or a canon AU of any kind you like (I've often wondered about the Prince-Serg-survives AU, if you want to go really dark). Or something light and fluffy, or anywhere in between.
amnesia - Simon's specific memory chip issues, obviously, or if you wanted to swap it around and write a classic amnesia story about one of the others that would be fun too, especially if it was set post-Memory and Simon was in the now-unusual position of being the one who remembers. Or for other characters, amnesia is always a great trope
comforting over the phone/radio - or commlink. I feel like this has potential for a more military story, if you were that way minded
Injury prevents character from performing canon job permanently - happens to both Aral and Simon in canon, and how do they adjust to that?
interrogation - lots of this in canon, lots of options here - Cordelia's experiences on Beta, or Simon either from being interrogated or from having to interrogate someone, or more informally with Piotr trying to talk to younger Aral
I hope this gives you something to go on! I've written an awful lot here, but please feel free to ignore it if you've got a different idea. I am already absolutely thrilled that someone is going to write me a h/c fic with my favourite characters, so don't worry, you can't go wrong :-)
Crossposted at https://philomytha.dreamwidth.org/160607.html. There are
comments there.