Hurt/Comfort Exchange letter
Mar. 12th, 2025 09:55 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 injuries. 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, marriage of convenience, mystery solving, requited pining, 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 some gen and some ships in this exchange. For the latter, I'd enjoy anything ranging from unresolved sexual tension, to getting together, to established relationship. 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.
AO3: I have gifts enabled and am open to treats.
I've listed more details under each individual request.
I hope this helps. Have fun writing!
Yours sincerely,
meteordust
(AO3 name Serenade)
***
Request 1: 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
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
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 fascinated by Roh where there's still part of him existing alongside Liell, or where it's ambiguous about that. But I'm also interested in 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.
Fandom Specific Do Not Want:
- I don't want Morgaine to be permanently injured or killed.
- I don't want Vanye to abandon Morgaine and her quest. (I'm fine with him deciding to stay somewhere for a long while though.)
***
Request 2: Seafort Saga - David Feintuch - fanfic
Relationships:
Nick/Edgar (hurt Edgar)
Nick/Edgar (hurt Nick)
Freeform tags:
BAMF character A is hurt/sick and is still a BAMF; character B provides comfort anyway
Chained to a wall
Character's Past Trauma Is Revealed Against Their Will
Faking Recovery So Others Will Stop Worrying About You
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 comforting
Time Travel - Comforting future loved one while trying to figure out what the fuck happened to them
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.
* "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" - Nick and Edgar as co-mods of a fanwork exchange - Best Mods Ever or Worst Mods Ever? (This prompt is an exception to my general Do Not Want of setting change AUs.)
Fandom Specific Do Not Want:
- I don't want 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 3: The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan - fanfic
Relationships:
Apollo & Demigods (hurt Apollo)
Apollo & Mortals (hurt Apollo)
Freeform tags:
Character is hurt protecting/helping others
Character overuses powers/magic/etc to protect a loved one
Collapsing from exhaustion
Deity loses their powers
Feeling responsible for someone's death; bringing them back to life
Others discuss/worry about character's illness/injury
You Can't Go Home Again
What I love: Apollo actually being brave and heroic! Apollo not being brave and heroic but suffering prettily anyway! Apollo feeling all the feelings!
Extra prompts:
* During canon - There was a lot of Apollo whump in the books. More like that please. Apollo being targeted by enemies! Apollo getting caught in the crossfire! Apollo trying to protect others! And then being taken care of by his friends and allies. I especially like when Apollo doesn't realise how badly he's hurt, but the other characters are shocked by it.
* Post-canon - Apollo deals with PTSD from everything he went through on the quest.
* Post-canon - Apollo is mortal again for a time or for good, and is trying to do impossible things anyway.
* Post-canon - Apollo is still a god, but is facing off against a power that can hurt gods. (Maybe a showdown with Zeus.)
Notes:
- I'm fine with including characters and content from the rest of the Percy Jackson books. (This is an exception to my crossovers DNW.)
- For clarity, although this is a gen request, I'm fine with mentions of Apollo's past romantic or sexual relationships.
Fandom Specific Do Not Want:
- I don't want mention of real life politics, wars, or tragedies, that are from later than the Roman Empire.
- I'm not in the mood for reading about tyrants right now, so I don't want focus on the emperors. I'm fine to include brief mentions.
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 injuries. 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, marriage of convenience, mystery solving, requited pining, 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 some gen and some ships in this exchange. For the latter, I'd enjoy anything ranging from unresolved sexual tension, to getting together, to established relationship. 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.
AO3: I have gifts enabled and am open to treats.
I've listed more details under each individual request.
I hope this helps. Have fun writing!
Yours sincerely,
meteordust(AO3 name Serenade)
***
Request 1: 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
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
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 fascinated by Roh where there's still part of him existing alongside Liell, or where it's ambiguous about that. But I'm also interested in 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.
Fandom Specific Do Not Want:
- I don't want Morgaine to be permanently injured or killed.
- I don't want Vanye to abandon Morgaine and her quest. (I'm fine with him deciding to stay somewhere for a long while though.)
***
Request 2: Seafort Saga - David Feintuch - fanfic
Relationships:
Nick/Edgar (hurt Edgar)
Nick/Edgar (hurt Nick)
Freeform tags:
BAMF character A is hurt/sick and is still a BAMF; character B provides comfort anyway
Chained to a wall
Character's Past Trauma Is Revealed Against Their Will
Faking Recovery So Others Will Stop Worrying About You
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 comforting
Time Travel - Comforting future loved one while trying to figure out what the fuck happened to them
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.
* "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" - Nick and Edgar as co-mods of a fanwork exchange - Best Mods Ever or Worst Mods Ever? (This prompt is an exception to my general Do Not Want of setting change AUs.)
Fandom Specific Do Not Want:
- I don't want 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 3: The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan - fanfic
Relationships:
Apollo & Demigods (hurt Apollo)
Apollo & Mortals (hurt Apollo)
Freeform tags:
Character is hurt protecting/helping others
Character overuses powers/magic/etc to protect a loved one
Collapsing from exhaustion
Deity loses their powers
Feeling responsible for someone's death; bringing them back to life
Others discuss/worry about character's illness/injury
You Can't Go Home Again
What I love: Apollo actually being brave and heroic! Apollo not being brave and heroic but suffering prettily anyway! Apollo feeling all the feelings!
Extra prompts:
* During canon - There was a lot of Apollo whump in the books. More like that please. Apollo being targeted by enemies! Apollo getting caught in the crossfire! Apollo trying to protect others! And then being taken care of by his friends and allies. I especially like when Apollo doesn't realise how badly he's hurt, but the other characters are shocked by it.
* Post-canon - Apollo deals with PTSD from everything he went through on the quest.
* Post-canon - Apollo is mortal again for a time or for good, and is trying to do impossible things anyway.
* Post-canon - Apollo is still a god, but is facing off against a power that can hurt gods. (Maybe a showdown with Zeus.)
Notes:
- I'm fine with including characters and content from the rest of the Percy Jackson books. (This is an exception to my crossovers DNW.)
- For clarity, although this is a gen request, I'm fine with mentions of Apollo's past romantic or sexual relationships.
Fandom Specific Do Not Want:
- I don't want mention of real life politics, wars, or tragedies, that are from later than the Roman Empire.
- I'm not in the mood for reading about tyrants right now, so I don't want focus on the emperors. I'm fine to include brief mentions.
