Hurt/Comfort Exchange letter
Mar. 8th, 2020 10:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
meteordustDear Hurt/Comfort Writer,
Thank you so much for offering to write a story for me! I love all these fandoms, and the tropes I've nominated, and I'm really keen to see what you do in them! I've also provided some extra prompts in case you're looking for inspiration, but I'd also love to see whatever other ideas capture your imagination.
For me, it's about the characters and their interactions. I'm not a stickler about researching canon details, as long as the spirit of the characters and the flavour of their world is there. I want to see adventures that might have been, or missing moments from between scenes, or a slice of their daily lives, or where the future might take them.
HURT/COMFORT PREFERENCES: I'm not into graphic descriptions of physical injury. I'm more interested in the emotional state of the character, coping with the aftermath, the reveal of the hurt, and the eventual comfort.
LIKES: Some of the things I enjoy in stories are: undying loyalty, personal bravery, risking self to protect others, displaying cool competence, big damn hero moments, special everyday moments, banter, hijinks, confessions exposing emotional vulnerability, conversations loaded with unspoken meaning, tough people showing a soft side, and soft people showing a tough side. Some of my favourite tropes and genres are: amnesia, angst with a happy ending, animal transformation, arranged marriage, bodyswap, cosmic horror, curtainfic, five things fic, getting together, hurt/comfort, mutual requited pining, mystery solving, road trips, sex pollen, slice of life, stranded together, and time travel.
DISLIKES: I generally prefer optimistic stories in exchanges, so I'm not keen on anything that is brutally violent or hopelessly bleak. However, I don't mind darkness during the story, as long as there is a glimmer of light at the end. Endings that are bittersweet or ambiguous are also fine.
DO NOT WANT: Underage, bleak endings, crossovers, setting change AUs like high school, coffee shop, or omegaverse (but canon divergence AUs are fine).
RATING: I've requested both gen and ships in this exchange. For the latter, I'm fine with explicit sex, but it's usually not the most important part of the story for me.
STYLE: I'm fine with first, second, or third person. I'm fine with past or present tense. I'm fine with stories of any length, including stories that start in media res or consist of a scene that implies a larger plot.
INTERACTIVE FICTION: I like interactive fiction and would welcome it.
I've listed more details under each individual request.
I hope this helps. Have fun writing!
Yours sincerely,
meteordust
(AO3 name Serenade)
***
Request 1: Books of the Raksura - Martha Wells - fanfic
Relationships:
Moon & Dusk (hurt Dusk)
Moon & Dusk (hurt Moon)
Freeform tags:
Time Travel - Deliberate Time Travel To Comfort Someone Who Suffered Alone In Original Timeline
Time Travel - Future Version Of Loved One Comforts Traveler
Time Travel - Past Version Of Loved One Comforts Traveler
Time Travel to Save Friend or Loved One
What I love: Moon and/or Dusk get the comfort they dearly deserve!
Extra prompts:
* Moon lost his father too young to remember him. I would love to see either Moon travel into the past or Dusk travel into the future, so they can get to know each other and find some way to comfort their hurts. Is Dusk what Moon expects or totally different? Moon is apparently the spitting image of Dusk. He also wears a broken and bloodstained version of his pendant. Does this raise any questions or cause any weirdness?
* Moon knows Dusk will be killed by the Fell, and goes back in time to rescue him from captivity. Or maybe Moon knows Dusk has to meet his fate in order to preserve the timeline, but he can at least do something to help him. Or maybe Dusk finds out and decides to go to his fate bravely, so that he can make sure all the other captives survive.
* Dusk travels from the past to the present day, before his captivity by the Fell. Dusk learns how Moon lost everyone he cared about and grew up as a lonely outcast, and gives him all the love he never had before.
* Dusk travels from the past to the present day, after suffering captivity by the Fell. Moon looks after Dusk and tries to help him recover from his ordeal.
Fandom Specific Do Not Want:
- I don't want graphic depictions of torture or abuse. (I'm fine with showing what Dusk suffers at the hands of the Fell, but not in extended detail.)
- I don't want child!Moon to be hurt during the course of this story. My hurt/comfort prompts are intended for adult!Moon. (I'm fine if child!Moon otherwise appears as a side character. I'm fine if adult!Moon talks about the bad stuff that happened in his childhood.)
***
Request 2: Chronicles of Morgaine - CJ Cherryh - fanfic
Relationships:
Vanye & Roh (hurt Roh)
Vanye & Roh (hurt Vanye)
Vanye/Roh (hurt Roh)
Vanye/Roh (hurt Vanye)
Freeform tags:
Aftermath of sex pollen
Being stuck together in a seemingly fatal situation
Both Captured - Forced to Work Together to Escape
Caring for someone who should be your enemy
Character manages to injure arch-foe and realizes they don’t actually want to hurt them
Comforted By An Enemy
Finding comfort in sex under dangerous or dubious circumstances
Guilt over Other Character's Sacrifice
Truth Serum
What I love: Vanye is so conflicted about Roh! And Roh becomes conflicted about Vanye too!
Extra prompts:
* I'm most interested in Roh where there's still part of him existing alongside Liell, or where it's ambiguous about that. But I'm open to where it's Roh before the bodysnatching, or where it's predominantly Liell in Roh.
* There's a scene where Liell takes an avid interest in Vanye's body, admiring it and assessing it, in a creepy way. It becomes even creepier when Vanye discovers that Liell wants not to seduce him, but to possess him. Why not both?
* There was no greater heartbreak than when Morgaine told Vanye the man he met on the road was no longer Roh. That because Vanye escaped from Liell, Liell used Roh in his place. So much angst for Vanye that his beloved cousin is gone. So much conflict between hating Liell for what he has done, and being moved by how he looks and acts like Roh.
* There's a scene where Vanye is captured by his enemies, drugged, and interrogated. Roh rescues him! But continues to question him while he can't resist! And then gently bathes his wounds! More please.
Note: I've read the first three books, but not Exile's Gate yet. I don't mind some spoilers, but I would prefer if they're not the main focus of the story.
Fandom Specific Do Not Want:
- I don't want Morgaine to be hurt or killed.
- I don't want Vanye to abandon Morgaine and her quest.
***
Request 3: Foreigner Series - CJ Cherryh - fanfic
Relationships:
Bren & Tabini (hurt Bren)
Bren/Tabini (hurt Bren)
Freeform tags:
Assassination Attempt(s)
Character doesn't realize how badly they're hurt until they collapse
Character doesn't realize they've been injured
Character draws negative attention onto themself to protect another
Character is Injured while Protecting Another
Discovery of Hidden Injury
Hurt character continues to protect unhurt character(s)
Jumping in Front of a Bullet
What I love: Bren is ready to sacrifice himself for Tabini! Tabini shows Bren how much he is valued!
Extra prompts:
* Bren canonically has run towards gunfire to protect his bodyguards (making his bodyguards rather unhappy with him). I have no doubt he would put himself between assassins and Tabini.
* Bren soldiers on through all kinds of injury and hardship. I can imagine him being wounded or exhausted, and stoically going on. Humans are physically slighter than atevi. Maybe the people around him don't realise how badly he's struggling. Or maybe they're astonished he managed to keep going in his condition.
Note: This series is up to 20 books, but I'd be fine with a story based just on the first book, Foreigner.
Fandom Specific Do Not Want: If you decide to go the shippy route, I would prefer no infidelity. For their canon relationships, I'd be happy with any of the following: before it starts or after it ends, alternate universe where it never happened, or just not mentioned.
***
Request 4: Seafort Saga - David Feintuch - fanfic
Relationships:
Nick/Edgar (hurt Edgar)
Nick/Edgar (hurt Nick)
Freeform tags:
BAMF character A is hurt and is still a BAMF; character B provides comfort anyway
Chained to a wall
Character's Past Trauma Is Revealed Against Their Will
Comforting future self while trying to figure out what the fuck happened to them
Faking Recovery So Others Will Stop Worrying About You
Hurt Character And Comforter Are Mutually Pining And Oblivious About It
Injury after encounter with a cosmic horror
Mod A Is Distraught Dealing With Ao3 Bugs and Mod B Comforts With Memes
Technically awful attempts at comfort are actually very comforting
What I love: Nick and Edgar being loyal and sacrificing! Stoic suffering, angsty feelings, and cathartic comfort!
Extra prompts:
* Most of the freeform tags are self-explanatory, but I've added a few notes below.
* "Comforting future self while trying to figure out what the fuck happened to them" - This could be comforting their own future self or the other character's future self.
* "Injury after encounter with a cosmic horror" - The fish are strange enough alien lifeforms, but what other eldritch beings might exist out there?
* "Mod A Is Distraught Dealing With Ao3 Bugs and Mod B Comforts With Memes" - This prompt is an exception to my general Do Not Want of setting change AUs. Nick and Edgar as co-mods of a fanwork exchange - Best Mods Ever or Worst Mods Ever?
Thank you so much for offering to write a story for me! I love all these fandoms, and the tropes I've nominated, and I'm really keen to see what you do in them! I've also provided some extra prompts in case you're looking for inspiration, but I'd also love to see whatever other ideas capture your imagination.
For me, it's about the characters and their interactions. I'm not a stickler about researching canon details, as long as the spirit of the characters and the flavour of their world is there. I want to see adventures that might have been, or missing moments from between scenes, or a slice of their daily lives, or where the future might take them.
HURT/COMFORT PREFERENCES: I'm not into graphic descriptions of physical injury. I'm more interested in the emotional state of the character, coping with the aftermath, the reveal of the hurt, and the eventual comfort.
LIKES: Some of the things I enjoy in stories are: undying loyalty, personal bravery, risking self to protect others, displaying cool competence, big damn hero moments, special everyday moments, banter, hijinks, confessions exposing emotional vulnerability, conversations loaded with unspoken meaning, tough people showing a soft side, and soft people showing a tough side. Some of my favourite tropes and genres are: amnesia, angst with a happy ending, animal transformation, arranged marriage, bodyswap, cosmic horror, curtainfic, five things fic, getting together, hurt/comfort, mutual requited pining, mystery solving, road trips, sex pollen, slice of life, stranded together, and time travel.
DISLIKES: I generally prefer optimistic stories in exchanges, so I'm not keen on anything that is brutally violent or hopelessly bleak. However, I don't mind darkness during the story, as long as there is a glimmer of light at the end. Endings that are bittersweet or ambiguous are also fine.
DO NOT WANT: Underage, bleak endings, crossovers, setting change AUs like high school, coffee shop, or omegaverse (but canon divergence AUs are fine).
RATING: I've requested both gen and ships in this exchange. For the latter, I'm fine with explicit sex, but it's usually not the most important part of the story for me.
STYLE: I'm fine with first, second, or third person. I'm fine with past or present tense. I'm fine with stories of any length, including stories that start in media res or consist of a scene that implies a larger plot.
INTERACTIVE FICTION: I like interactive fiction and would welcome it.
I've listed more details under each individual request.
I hope this helps. Have fun writing!
Yours sincerely,
meteordust(AO3 name Serenade)
***
Request 1: Books of the Raksura - Martha Wells - fanfic
Relationships:
Moon & Dusk (hurt Dusk)
Moon & Dusk (hurt Moon)
Freeform tags:
Time Travel - Deliberate Time Travel To Comfort Someone Who Suffered Alone In Original Timeline
Time Travel - Future Version Of Loved One Comforts Traveler
Time Travel - Past Version Of Loved One Comforts Traveler
Time Travel to Save Friend or Loved One
What I love: Moon and/or Dusk get the comfort they dearly deserve!
Extra prompts:
* Moon lost his father too young to remember him. I would love to see either Moon travel into the past or Dusk travel into the future, so they can get to know each other and find some way to comfort their hurts. Is Dusk what Moon expects or totally different? Moon is apparently the spitting image of Dusk. He also wears a broken and bloodstained version of his pendant. Does this raise any questions or cause any weirdness?
* Moon knows Dusk will be killed by the Fell, and goes back in time to rescue him from captivity. Or maybe Moon knows Dusk has to meet his fate in order to preserve the timeline, but he can at least do something to help him. Or maybe Dusk finds out and decides to go to his fate bravely, so that he can make sure all the other captives survive.
* Dusk travels from the past to the present day, before his captivity by the Fell. Dusk learns how Moon lost everyone he cared about and grew up as a lonely outcast, and gives him all the love he never had before.
* Dusk travels from the past to the present day, after suffering captivity by the Fell. Moon looks after Dusk and tries to help him recover from his ordeal.
Fandom Specific Do Not Want:
- I don't want graphic depictions of torture or abuse. (I'm fine with showing what Dusk suffers at the hands of the Fell, but not in extended detail.)
- I don't want child!Moon to be hurt during the course of this story. My hurt/comfort prompts are intended for adult!Moon. (I'm fine if child!Moon otherwise appears as a side character. I'm fine if adult!Moon talks about the bad stuff that happened in his childhood.)
***
Request 2: Chronicles of Morgaine - CJ Cherryh - fanfic
Relationships:
Vanye & Roh (hurt Roh)
Vanye & Roh (hurt Vanye)
Vanye/Roh (hurt Roh)
Vanye/Roh (hurt Vanye)
Freeform tags:
Aftermath of sex pollen
Being stuck together in a seemingly fatal situation
Both Captured - Forced to Work Together to Escape
Caring for someone who should be your enemy
Character manages to injure arch-foe and realizes they don’t actually want to hurt them
Comforted By An Enemy
Finding comfort in sex under dangerous or dubious circumstances
Guilt over Other Character's Sacrifice
Truth Serum
What I love: Vanye is so conflicted about Roh! And Roh becomes conflicted about Vanye too!
Extra prompts:
* I'm most interested in Roh where there's still part of him existing alongside Liell, or where it's ambiguous about that. But I'm open to where it's Roh before the bodysnatching, or where it's predominantly Liell in Roh.
* There's a scene where Liell takes an avid interest in Vanye's body, admiring it and assessing it, in a creepy way. It becomes even creepier when Vanye discovers that Liell wants not to seduce him, but to possess him. Why not both?
* There was no greater heartbreak than when Morgaine told Vanye the man he met on the road was no longer Roh. That because Vanye escaped from Liell, Liell used Roh in his place. So much angst for Vanye that his beloved cousin is gone. So much conflict between hating Liell for what he has done, and being moved by how he looks and acts like Roh.
* There's a scene where Vanye is captured by his enemies, drugged, and interrogated. Roh rescues him! But continues to question him while he can't resist! And then gently bathes his wounds! More please.
Note: I've read the first three books, but not Exile's Gate yet. I don't mind some spoilers, but I would prefer if they're not the main focus of the story.
Fandom Specific Do Not Want:
- I don't want Morgaine to be hurt or killed.
- I don't want Vanye to abandon Morgaine and her quest.
***
Request 3: Foreigner Series - CJ Cherryh - fanfic
Relationships:
Bren & Tabini (hurt Bren)
Bren/Tabini (hurt Bren)
Freeform tags:
Assassination Attempt(s)
Character doesn't realize how badly they're hurt until they collapse
Character doesn't realize they've been injured
Character draws negative attention onto themself to protect another
Character is Injured while Protecting Another
Discovery of Hidden Injury
Hurt character continues to protect unhurt character(s)
Jumping in Front of a Bullet
What I love: Bren is ready to sacrifice himself for Tabini! Tabini shows Bren how much he is valued!
Extra prompts:
* Bren canonically has run towards gunfire to protect his bodyguards (making his bodyguards rather unhappy with him). I have no doubt he would put himself between assassins and Tabini.
* Bren soldiers on through all kinds of injury and hardship. I can imagine him being wounded or exhausted, and stoically going on. Humans are physically slighter than atevi. Maybe the people around him don't realise how badly he's struggling. Or maybe they're astonished he managed to keep going in his condition.
Note: This series is up to 20 books, but I'd be fine with a story based just on the first book, Foreigner.
Fandom Specific Do Not Want: If you decide to go the shippy route, I would prefer no infidelity. For their canon relationships, I'd be happy with any of the following: before it starts or after it ends, alternate universe where it never happened, or just not mentioned.
***
Request 4: Seafort Saga - David Feintuch - fanfic
Relationships:
Nick/Edgar (hurt Edgar)
Nick/Edgar (hurt Nick)
Freeform tags:
BAMF character A is hurt and is still a BAMF; character B provides comfort anyway
Chained to a wall
Character's Past Trauma Is Revealed Against Their Will
Comforting future self while trying to figure out what the fuck happened to them
Faking Recovery So Others Will Stop Worrying About You
Hurt Character And Comforter Are Mutually Pining And Oblivious About It
Injury after encounter with a cosmic horror
Mod A Is Distraught Dealing With Ao3 Bugs and Mod B Comforts With Memes
Technically awful attempts at comfort are actually very comforting
What I love: Nick and Edgar being loyal and sacrificing! Stoic suffering, angsty feelings, and cathartic comfort!
Extra prompts:
* Most of the freeform tags are self-explanatory, but I've added a few notes below.
* "Comforting future self while trying to figure out what the fuck happened to them" - This could be comforting their own future self or the other character's future self.
* "Injury after encounter with a cosmic horror" - The fish are strange enough alien lifeforms, but what other eldritch beings might exist out there?
* "Mod A Is Distraught Dealing With Ao3 Bugs and Mod B Comforts With Memes" - This prompt is an exception to my general Do Not Want of setting change AUs. Nick and Edgar as co-mods of a fanwork exchange - Best Mods Ever or Worst Mods Ever?
