simplecoffee | Dear Hurt/Comfort Ex Creator

Hi there! It's been...a while, hasn't it. I promise I don't make a habit of being this late. It hasn't been a great couple weeks. Thank you for your patience. <3 As always, if you've read my signup, there are no surprises in this letter; all the DNWs are the same as in my signup, the likes list is a little expanded and pretty much the same, and what's added over and above that is basically just a whole ton of rambling about fandoms, characters and freeforms. :D

So, thank you so much for sharing my fandoms and for creating for me! Hurt/comfort is my very soul in fandom (as my ao3 and tumblr will attest), and I am so damn excited. <3 All my requests are for fic this year, but I am super open to art treats, and have added some art prompts under each fandom as well.

So, the thing I love most in fanfic is taking canon character dynamics and just...making them More. Taking them further, exploring their natural progression, in either a gen or a shippy way. Most of my requests this year are ship-oriented, so most of my rambling below will be too, but rest assured where I've requested an & pairing in addition to the / one, I will love the gen version just as much. 💛

I've arranged my requests by fandom and pairing: for each request, each tag in the cloud can be taken as a prompt on its own, or you can read the tags for that request as a whole and get a pretty solid idea of the general vibe for that pairing that I adore. I'm going to ramble a bit in this letter about some individual tags that catch my fancy, but I do love all the tags very much, so I'm pretty much guaranteed to love whichever one(s) you choose, regardless of whether or not I mention it separately here. 💛.

Here are the navigation links for the sections below!

> Likes & DNWs
> Mission: Impossible (Movies)
• Ethan/Hunley, Ethan & Hunley (hurt Ethan); Ethan/Hunley (both hurt)
• Ethan/Luther, Ethan & Luther, Ethan/Luther/Hunley (hurt Ethan)
• Ethan/Max (hurt Ethan)
> The Hunt for Red October (1990)
• Jack/Ramius, Jack/Mancuso, Jack/Ramius/Mancuso (hurt Jack)
• Jack/Mancuso, Jack & Mancuso, Jack/Ramius/Mancuso (hurt Mancuso); Jack/Ramius/Mancuso (hurt Jack & Mancuso)
> Collateral (2004)
• Max/Vincent (hurt Vincent)
> Oblivion (2013)
• Jack/Jack, Jack & Jack (one or both of them hurt)
> The Shadow (1994)
• Margo/Lamont (hurt Lamont)
> Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
• Cage/Rita (hurt Cage)
> Top Gun (1986)
• Ice/Mav (hurt Mav)

My general likes:
Hurt tropes: fevers, headaches, migraines, exhaustion, respiratory illnesses, illness messing with a character's grip on reality, combat/mission injuries, scars, old injuries acting up, touch starvation, sensory deprivation / sensory overload, characters not believing they deserve comfort or being surprised to receive comfort, hurting characters choking up at moments when they really need to speak (eg. leader unable to tell their worried team they're fine, submissive unable to safeword), stoic characters breaking down when faced with comfort, subdrop, anything exploring the fallout of canon trauma
Comfort tropes: carrying, cuddling, hair stroking/petting/brushing, massage/finding pressure points to ease pain, characters wrapping smaller characters in their arms, another character wrapping the ill/injured character in soft blankets/clothes/their own jackets (especially jackets that are too big for them or markedly not their colour/style!), clothes sharing in general, sweater paws and too-big clothes, gentle dom/mes, keeping characters warm, aftercare, forehead kisses, hands and touch

In general, I will love every h/c scenario (within the tags) there is - whether or not you'd like to put it in a larger context, plot or no plot, casefic, fluff fic, getting together fic, established relationship, wherever you'd like to take it, I'm game. If taking the romantic route, please don't feel pressured to write me sexy times if the story doesn't go that way - I love 'em, and there are a few tags that point to sexual situations, but I'm just as happy without smut as I am with it, and as far as smut goes I also love heavy petting and making out just as much as full-blown sex. If you feel inclined toward the lovin', I have a preference for a Mature rating over an Explicit rating, but I will likely enjoy whatever rating speaks to you. :D

That said, my sexual likes:
D/s overtones. Service subs. Subs With Issues. Praise kink. Hands, fingers, touch; touch starvation. Finger-sucking. Aftercare. Tenderness, especially if the person receiving it isn't expecting it, isn't used to it, and it breaks them just a little.
Marking, intentional or no - bruising with lips or teeth; hiding the bruises under clothing. Suit kink. Wrists bound or held down. Honour bondage. Careful sex / making out when one partner is hurt or ill and feverish (fever sex is, uh, a Thing of mine). Or rough, desperate, life-affirming sex / making out.
There are some fandoms where I love the sex a lot rougher; see the sections under Collateral and Top Gun. (Also, to an extent, Edge of Tomorrow.)

Also, art likes:
Realistic and sketchy styles, bold lines and rich colours/textures, bold accent colours, creative lighting choices, noir-style art especially for action canons, minimalist styles/silhouettes, characters captured in unaware moments as though they're being photographed without realizing it, art that captures the vibe of canon without necessarily capturing the style of canon; angsty hurt/comfort or warm, gentle, casually intimate moments
Kisses of all descriptions, especially on the forehead, hands, or collarbone. Characters undressing their injured/sick partners or taking off their glasses, if they wear them (eg. Hunley, Mancuso, Ethan in MI 1). Sick/hurt characters with their hair messed up, perhaps hiding their faces in other characters' chests or shoulders. Smaller characters getting carried bridal style when they're not feeling well, maybe clinging to the character carrying them if they're not unconscious. Just hands in general, especially if they're scratched or hurt and being taken care of. :D
(I'm vaguely not-okay with pink or green as a dominant/background colour, but I love...well, basically every other colour there is. :D)

General DNWs:
• Mundane/depowered/setting change AUs
• Bleak, hopeless endings (as long as there's hope, bittersweet endings are more than fine!)
• Unrequested crossovers and fusions
• Any mention of Mission Impossible 2 canon
• Death of requested characters (even if they died in canon. Alan Hunley Is Alive That's My Story And I'm Sticking To It)
• Non-canonical character death
• Terminal illness
• Any mention of coronavirus
• Permanent injury (exceptions: Collateral, Oblivion, and Jack Ryan's canonical past injury in The Hunt for Red October)
• infected wounds
• Gastrointestinal illness (nausea/vomiting is okay but not as a result of GI illness)
• Pregnancy (with a single exception under Oblivion), menstruation
• Infidelity
• Hurt/comfort-verse
• For Oblivion, Jack 49/Jack 52

Sexual DNWs:
• Noncon or dubcon, except where noted (see Collateral, Oblivion and Top Gun sections)
• humiliation as a kink, except where noted (see Collateral, Oblivion and Top Gun sections)
• anal, dirty talk, spanking, ageplay, scat, watersports, rimming, emeto, A/B/O, d/s-verse, mommy/daddy kink, maledom/femsub

[back to navigation]

Mission: Impossible (Movies)

Ethan/Hunley, Ethan & Hunley (hurt Ethan)
Ethan/Hunley (both hurt)

Tags: Character Almost In Tears From The Severity Of Their Headache/Migraine • Fever • Too Sick To Sleep • Coughing • Fever sex • Gentle Sex Because One Partner Is Injured/Ill • Characters have to stop having sex because sick/injured partner starts feeling worse • Forced To Relive Trauma for Mission Report/Debrief • Rubbing A Sick Character's Temples • Massaging Another Character's Hands • Character Cradling Sick Character's Head In Their Lap • Character's headache is bad enough to be evident to other characters • Migraine Aura Symptoms • Stopping a meeting/conference call to care for sick colleague • Back rubs for head/shoulder pain • Back rubs to alleviate coughing • Back Rubs To Help Sick Character Sleep • Hurt Character Clinging to Comforter • Hurt character stealing clothes from comforter • Comforter Taking Off The Comfortee's Glasses •
A confesses feelings because they think B is unconscious/asleep • Aftermath of Torture • B sees formal A voluntarily wearing casual clothes for 1st time while A is sick/injured • Bear hugs • Being very quiet because of hurt character's bad headache • Carrying • Carrying A Sick/Hurt/Exhausted Character To Bed • Character feels so bad they have to sit down on the floor/ground • Character goes quiet when they're hurting • Character rubbing other character's hair dry • Checking For Fever With A Gentle Touch That Lingers • Collapsing on character's doorstep • First kiss after almost dying • Heating pad(s) or hot water bottle(s) for hurting character • Helping hurt character to dress/undress • Hurt/Comfort While Undercover • Inexperienced comforter calls third party for advice • Kissing away tears • loss of voice • Lovingly Touching Scars • scar kink • Shibari As Pressure Stimming • Shibari/bondage on a sick character • sick/hurt at formal social event • Sick/hurt character isn't quite lucid • Trapped Together While One Is Injured • Warming A Sick Character's Hands • Both hurt/sick and trying to take care of the other

I love Ethan and Hunley and their odd and beautiful dynamic so much. Hunley spent most of Rogue Nation trying to chase Ethan down, but by the airport scene in Fallout he's clearly at least a little bit in love or hero-worship with him, and whether or not they end up dating, it's adorable. They're so different but so complementary! Hunley's so vocal and Ethan so quiet, but equally intense! Ethan's such a ray of sunshine that he apparently converted Hunley from a cynic to an idealist by deciding to trust him! Hunley heaps praise and reassurance on Ethan, while Ethan looks as though he's in physical pain from being told he's worth believing in! Ethan calls Hunley 'sir' and it somehow means all the things! And as always, Ethan is canonically pretty damn touch-starved and might tear up on receiving unexpected physical affection, especially if he's otherwise hurting and overwhelmed.

There's so much unsaid between these two characters, so much unexplored. I'm here for them spending some time together, getting to know each other, becoming affectionate toward each other, especially through adversity. Does Ethan's seniority in the IMF mean that Hunley is his handler? And, therefore, would Hunley be the person Ethan calls for emergency extraction from a solo mission gone wrong - Hunley the one to hear please, sir, I'm sick and alone, bring me home? Would Hunley be the one to hide Ethan in his office and let him get some rest, away from the other government/agency brass who want to interrogate him while he's medically unfit - "stopping a meeting/conference call to care for sick colleague"?

I love how deeply Hunley seems to care for Ethan, how soft they already are with each other in Fallout, and I'd love to see how their dynamic evolves once they get together (or, indeed, how it changes between Rogue Nation and Fallout if they got together between the two films, and that was why Fallout had them so gentle with each other.) I'd love to see Ethan seeking Hunley out when he's hurting and needs some tenderness, Hunley so distressed when he's ill or in pain and so badly wanting to help him feel better, and sometimes being able to figure out how on his own, while at other times needing to ask Ethan himself what he needs, or to call up Luther and ask what Ethan needs ("inexperienced comforter calls third party for advice"). How does Hunley cope when Ethan comes home from a mission sick or hurt, not badly enough to need a hospital but definitely badly enough that he could do with a lot of comfort? (How does he cope with knowing that Ethan's gone without help or comfort so often for so many years?) How does he find ways to show Ethan how much he loves and appreciates him? How long does it take for him to learn to read Ethan well enough to figure out when he's really badly hurt or sick and when he's mostly-okay, and the states in between? We know Ethan trusted him professionally at once; how long does it take him to trust him personally, enough to cling to him like he does to Luther, enough to let himself be held? (When is the first time Hunley carries him?)

Some more tag rambling, some softer, some on the kinkier side - "Hurt character stealing clothes from comforter", because Ethan is small and likes to be warm and I love the thought of him stealing sweaters and jackets as comfort items from the people he loves; "loss of voice" - Ethan's not one for talking much in general, but it's different and all kinds of unnerving when he can't; "sick/hurt at formal social event" - Ethan having no choice but to be there at said event due to Intelligence Community Brass Nonsense, and Hunley getting increasingly worried when it becomes clear he's not okay; "Aftermath of Torture" - torture could definitely be taken to include sensory deprivation and/or sensory overstimulation as well as more traditional forms of pain, Hunley being the first person Ethan sees after villainous organization du jour tries their damnedest to break him, holding him gently and maybe wondering where he can even touch him that won't hurt; "Too Sick To Sleep" - maybe Hunley keeps him company, keeps him warm; "fever sex", because fevers can heighten sensation and generally make things a lot more shivery and pleasurable, Hunley making sure Ethan's okay and not too sick to go on and spoiling him thoroughly and kissing him senseless; "Shibari As Pressure Stimming • Shibari/bondage on a sick character", for similar reasons but even more heat and shivery sensations, Ethan delighting in letting Hunley tie him in knots or just tie his wrists with something soft and luxurious like satin sheets or ribbon, and then undo him later; "Characters have to stop having sex because sick/injured partner starts feeling worse" - maybe Ethan really does want to go on but would rather curl up and try to feel better, so Hunley pulls him gently into his arms and makes a fuss of him instead of making out.

There are also some tags in the list that refer to the few months post-Fallout in particular, when both Ethan and Hunley are badly hurt - as mentioned, please assume that Hunley survived his injury; my heart can't take his death! Among those tags are: "Comforter Taking Off The Comfortee's Glasses" (Hunley is the one who wears reading glasses); "Both hurt/sick and trying to take care of the other"; "First kiss after almost dying", though Ethan almost dies pretty often so this could apply elsewhere too, heh; "B sees formal A voluntarily wearing casual clothes for 1st time while A is sick/injured" - Hunley is A in this case, since he's always dressed formally in canon, and I bet Ethan would have Some Feelings about seeing Hunley dishevelled or more casual; "Helping hurt character to dress/undress" and "Character rubbing other character's hair dry", for them just quietly recovering together and doing their best to help each other, especially when one of them is doing a little better than the other that day, and can offer them some extra care and sweetness.

Art prompts!

• Ethan sleeping on a couch under Hunley's suit jacket, maybe with Hunley feeling his forehead.
• Ethan wearing sunglasses and hiding his face against Hunley's chest, maybe even inside his suit jacket or coat.
• Hunley awkwardly comforting Ethan when he's ill, like in the famous 30 Rock scene (gif of that scene, stills of it) - maybe with Hunley later also comforting Ethan properly, holding him snuggled against his shoulder or with his head in his lap, once they've got to know each other better.
• Ethan generally being Smol at 5'7" to Hunley's 6'. He could fit nicely under his chin while hugging him, or have his head cradled against his shoulder. Or stand on tiptoe to kiss him, even. Or look tiny when wearing clothes that belong to him. 💛

[back to navigation]

Ethan/Luther, Ethan & Luther, Ethan/Luther/Hunley (hurt Ethan)

Tags: Headaches & Migraines • Migraine Aura Symptoms • Too Sick To Sleep • Pneumonia • Fever • Fever Dreams • Touch-Starved - Will only accept touch from one trusted person • Sick/Injured Character Slipping In And Out Of Lucidity While Important Information Must Be Shared • Coughing • Gentle Sex Because One Partner Is Injured/Ill • Sick character losing their grip on reality • Sick/hurt character forgets they are undercover • Back rubs to alleviate coughing • Back rubs for head/shoulder pain • Back Rubs To Help Sick Character Sleep • Keeping Sick/Hurt Characters Warm • Carrying • Character rubbing other character's hair dry • Hurt character stealing clothes from comforter • Helping hurt character to dress/undress •
Character apologizes for being sick/hurt • Character Cradling Sick Character's Head In Their Lap • Character feels so bad they have to sit down on the floor/ground • Characters A and B take care of hurt/ill Character C whom they both love • Characters have to stop having sex because sick/injured partner starts feeling worse • Collapsing on character's doorstep • Comforter stunned by how much comfortee trusts them • Defiant throughout torture until they fall apart when alone with lover • Delirious character asking for the one they're pining for • First kiss after almost dying • Forced To Relive Trauma for Mission Report/Debrief • Hiding injuries from onlookers but comforter knows • Hurt Character And Comforter Are Mutually Pining And Oblivious About It • Hurt Character Clinging to Comforter • Hurt character doesn't feel deserving of comfort • Kissing away tears • loss of voice • Near Death Experience Makes Unaffected Character Realize They Love the Victim • Old Injuries Acting Up • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD • selective mutism • Sensory Overload/Sensory Overstimulation • Typically stoic character breaks down and admits how ill they feel • Worried third party calls sick/hurt character's significant other

How do I love Ethan and Luther's adoration for each other? Let me count the ways. ("What's up, baby?" "Hey, man.")

These two have known each other since MI: 1, and they've been so deeply fond of each other and loyal to each other ever since. Luther calls Ethan 'baby' twice! He's also the only one apart from Julia, Ethan's canon wife (now ex), who gets to see Ethan truly vulnerable and take care of him when he is; for everyone else in the team, Ethan does his best to be stoic and strong and not reveal much when he's a mess, but Luther's been around long enough to see right through him, and romantic or not, Ethan clearly loves him enough not to mind. I'm pretty sure Luther is the only one of the current team to have seen Ethan cry, and he's canonically the only one to have had Ethan literally cling to him like a lifeline.

So I'm here for all the love and tenderness between them that's built up over the years - especially in a romantic way, but platonic is so good too. I'd love to see the other team members, or even Hunley, realize that Ethan feels responsible for the team and never lets himself be truly vulnerable with them, but can lean into Luther or steal his jacket or just meet his eyes and be immediately, intimately understood. Maybe he even lets Luther look after him in front of the others, if he's feeling really awful, or maybe Luther needs to convince him to take it easy for a bit, and takes care of him in private so he can pretend to be less hurt than he is in front of the team. Maybe Ethan lands up in medical after a mission without Luther, badly injured or delirious with a high fever, and asks for Luther often enough that someone actually goes to find him for him ("delirious character asking for the one they're pining for", perhaps?). Maybe tell me about one of the team calling Luther for advice on how to help Ethan when he's hurt. Maybe just tell me about all the little moments of trust and comfort over the years, about Ethan knowing Luther's favourite colours and videogames and Luther knowing how Ethan likes his coffee and just how often they've been holed up in safe houses together with Ethan injured or sick, waiting in each other's arms till the coast was clear to get moving and get on home. About Luther being the only person who can ground Ethan when he's so sick or hurt that he barely remembers the mission or who he's supposed to be playing, the only person who can touch him without him flinching or feverishly trying to reach for a weapon afterwards. Or about Luther having been there for Ethan after the miserable, exhausting missions he's been on in canon (say, after Ghost Protocol or Rogue Nation or Fallout, or even all the way back after MI: 1).

I'm also all about the quiet intimacy between them when off-duty, especially after they get together. Luther gently looking after Ethan with lots of touch, because he knows how touch-starved Ethan is and knows what makes him feel better when he's sick; Ethan allowing himself to ask Luther for comfort, even though he still sometimes feels driven to apologize for needing it. Luther knowing Ethan gets migraines a few times a year ever since he had a bomb implanted in his head for a while in MI: III, because he was there with Julia to help him through the immediate aftermath, and knows his tells when he's hurting even if he's trying to hide it from the rest of the team. Ethan letting Luther do little things for him like help him on with a jacket or wash and rub his hair dry, because he trusts him and it feels nice. Luther calling Ethan on his bullshit when he pretends to be feeling better than he is. Ethan trying not to wake Luther when he has a flashback or nightmare (perhaps during the fireworks on the Fourth of July), sometimes successfully, sometimes not so much. Both of them kissing each other's scars when they make out, making sure to be gentle if one of them's hurt, or if old injuries are making themselves particularly known.

In addition to all the lovely hurt and comfort tags, which could of course also be applicable to the threesome, there is also a specific tag I picked out for Ethan/Hunley/Luther - "Characters A and B take care of hurt/ill Character C whom they both love". Luther and Hunley may not see eye to eye on everything - indeed, it was Hunley's relentless pursuit of Ethan as a fugitive in Rogue Nation that made Luther distrust him deeply at first - but Hunley admitted he was wrong and clearly adores Ethan in Fallout, so it's not inconceivable that Ethan's general ray-of-sunshine-ness brought them together, and certainly not a stretch that they'd both look after him as best they can when he needs it.

Art prompts!

• Ethan curled up against Luther's shoulder while clutching a cough buddy bear to his chest after Fallout - he broke a few ribs at the end there, and it's going to hurt to breathe for a while.
• Luther bridal-carrying Ethan, any time in the series from MI: 1 to now.
• Luther worriedly, gently catching Ethan as he collapses unconscious.
• Ethan generally being Smol at 5'7" to Luther's 6'. He could fit nicely under his chin while hugging him, or have his head cradled against his shoulder. Or stand on tiptoe to kiss him, even. Or look tiny when wearing clothes that belong to him. 💛

[back to navigation]

Ethan/Max (hurt Ethan)

Tags: Fever • Fever sex • Sexual Submission As Comfort-Seeking/Sexual Dominance As Providing Comfort • Gentle Sex Because One Partner Is Injured/Ill • Characters have to stop having sex because sick/injured partner starts feeling worse • Sick/Hurt Submissive Character • Touch-Starved • Hair Brushing • hair petting • Crying due to fever • Catching Hurt Character as They Collapse • Keeping Sick/Hurt Characters Warm • Character apologizes for being sick/hurt • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD • Sick character admits to past trauma • trauma triggered during sex • Hurt/Comfort While Undercover • Character's headache is bad enough to be evident to other characters • Sick/hurt character isn't quite lucid • nausea due to intense pain •
B sees formal A voluntarily wearing casual clothes for 1st time while A is sick/injured • Body worship focusing on the scars and aftermath of trauma • Character being protected isn't used to being cared about • Character expects to be punished for failure but is shown unexpected concern • Character feels so bad they have to sit down on the floor/ground • Character is Exhausted From Overwork • Character is reluctant to eat because they are exhausted/in pain • Character Should Safeword But Doesn't • Character's Past Trauma Is Revealed Against Their Will • Checking For Fever With A Gentle Touch That Lingers • Comfortee Believes They Have To Earn Their Comfort • Comforter drapes their coat over hurt character's shoulders • Comforter lends clothes to hurt character • Hiding injuries from onlookers but comforter knows • Hurt character doesn't feel deserving of comfort • loss of voice • Lovingly Touching Scars • sick/hurt at formal social event • Warming A Sick Character's Hands

CANON DOMME/SUB DYNAMICS RIGHT HERE! These two were flirting so hard from the very moment they met, Max was so very domme and Ethan so very subby and eager, and it was fully mutual and consensual - they may be rivals in an uneasy allyship, but they like and respect each other so damn much; they both play completely fair at all times, clearly enjoy their banter, and look like they'd be all over each other should circumstance permit. So my prompt here is...let circumstance permit.

There's a sort of deep affection between these two that goes beyond their fiery sexual tension. When Max and Ethan met, Ethan was at his shakiest and most vulnerable; he'd just lost his whole found family in one night, and been framed for their deaths when he tried to call for help. He put up a damn good front for Max - he had to, playing the high-stakes cloak-and-dagger spy game he was forced to play - but it's not unreasonable to figure she might realize there's something else beneath the surface. Not unreasonable to figure an experienced domme could tell what he needs, and that she might want to give.

Max is a whole lot taller than Ethan as well as being much older, which I find all kinds of lovely; she also lives a super luxurious high-society life. I imagine she also has fine taste in clothes and jewellery and would take them off a partner with some attention, and appreciate the same being done for her, especially at her direction. Ethan is the kind to be similarly attuned to detail, and (especially when as young as he is around the time of MI:1) he is also the kind to be breathlessly eager to please and to be Good. He's also shaken up and miserably touch-starved, and might tear up on receiving unexpected physical affection, so make of that what you will.

Maybe Ethan lets Max take him to bed during MI:1, or maybe they run into each other afterwards by chance, and pick up their recent acquaintance right where it left off. Maybe Max takes him out to dinner or the opera or something equally opulent and befitting her position in high society, and spoils him rotten for the night; what's Max's belongs to Max, and nobody gets to touch him but her. Especially if he's fresh from a mission and hurt or ill, but still so very eager to suit up and take her arm and be the best damn service sub for her. Maybe she'll keep him protectively close at her side all evening, gently clean blood off his injured face and hands with her handkerchief, make sure to let him know how very good he's being, and then bind his wrists or cover his eyes with his own necktie in the bedroom later.

...Or maybe they just fall into bed, and it just so happens that Max is completely in control, as Max is wont to be. And Max, good at being gentle but firm, can tell when a sub is hurting, or when they want to safeword but don't, or when they want to keep going but are too injured or sick to make it much further, and she breaks the scene to give Ethan the comfort he needs, even if she may never know what caused the hurt.

Basically I am 100% Here for Max Giving Ethan A Whole Lotta Love And Praise In Luxurious Surroundings. And for that love and praise and gentleness just...kinda destroying him, and maybe even making him cry, because he needs it so badly. (Max knows that, too.)

Art prompts!

• Ethan kneeling reverently at Max's feet, looking up at her, while visibly hurt or sick (perhaps with her undoing his shirt, or perhaps with her tying him in shibari, or perhaps with his wrists bound behind him with his own tie).
• Max brushing Ethan's hair.
• Max wrapping Ethan up in her cloak.
• Ethan dressed to the nines in black tie or white tie, walking into an event at an equally fabulously dressed Max's side (he's 5'7" while she's 5'11" plus heels, so make of that what you will 😏), visibly injured (eg. with his arm in a sling, or with his face scratched up and bleeding).

[back to navigation]

The Hunt for Red October (1990)

Jack/Ramius, Jack/Mancuso, Jack/Ramius/Mancuso (hurt Jack)

Tags: Forehead Kisses • Touch-Starved • Fever Dreams • Chronic Pain • Day-to-day living with chronic pain • Rubbing A Sick Character's Temples • hair petting • Hair Brushing • Wheelchairs and mobility issues • Sick/Hurt Submissive Character • Forced To Relive Trauma for Mission Report/Debrief • Spinal Trauma • Keeping Sick/Hurt Characters Warm • Helping hurt character to dress/undress • Sick/hurt character isn't quite lucid • Comforter drapes their coat over hurt character's shoulders • Comforter drapes blanket over hurt character's shoulders • Stopping a meeting/conference call to care for sick colleague • Back rubs to soothe character's chronic back pain • Back rubs to alleviate coughing •
A & B have to cancel planned date because A's ill/injured. B comforts and makes evening romantic. • Back rubs for head/shoulder pain • Back Rubs To Help Sick Character Sleep • Character doesn't realize how badly they're hurt until they collapse • Character feels useless/like a burden to their partner(s) due to their illness/injury • Character Forced to Reveal Past Trauma • Character goes quiet when they're hurting • Character pushes themself too hard before they're fully recovered and relapse • Character who's usually good at hiding their chronic pain is in too much pain to hide it • Character works so hard while mildly ill that it turns severe • Character's Past Trauma Is Revealed Against Their Will • Checking For Fever With A Gentle Touch That Lingers • Dizziness • Exhaustion • Fainting • Gunshot Wounds • Heating pad(s) or hot water bottle(s) for hurting character • Kissing away tears • Lovingly Touching Scars • Shibari/bondage on a sick character

This Jack Ryan is such a sweet nerd, and I love his dynamics with both Ramius and Mancuso so much. He's clearly a scholar, aware of strategy and history/politics and knows which hunches to play, but he's equally clearly anything but a field agent and knows exactly Fuck All about field operations - which delightful combination, along with how deeply idealistic he is, how perseverant and keen to believe the best of everyone at all times he is, lends itself to Ramius and/or Mancuso (as older men who've seen battle from the frontlines and feel responsible for the crews they command) being instinctively protective of him - especially when he's hurt.

A lot of the tags I've chosen here relate to Jack's canonical traumatic backstory - his lingering PTSD and likely chronic pain from the spinal injury that ended his career as a Marine. "Day-to-day living with chronic pain", "Spinal Trauma", "Back rubs to soothe character's chronic back pain", "Wheelchairs & Mobility Issues" - I'd love to see how Jack deals with the fallout of his past injury in the present day, how Mancuso and/or Ramius help him with it, how good or bad he is at asking for help; perhaps even immediately after the film, on the Red October or at a safe house in Maine, they realize he's not doing so great and do their best to help. Perhaps he only gets up the courage to talk about the pain with Ramius and/or Mancuso once they get together, or perhaps circumstances get dire enough to force them to get involved to help. Perhaps over the years it gets the point where Jack has to use a cane or eventually a wheelchair to ease the strain on his back, and has to get through all the issues and insecurities that come with that, with his partner(s)' help. (Hey, perhaps he even gets into public life, and eventually gets to be President while unashamedly queer and disabled, with Mancuso and/or Ramius proudly at his side.) Another thing I'd love to read about is Jack's fear of flying, perhaps even nightmares or feverish flashbacks to the chopper crash, and his partner(s) helping him cope.

There are, of course, some other general h/c tags, and I feel like a lot of them focus on tenderness - Jack is such a sunbeam of positivity, and deserves a lot of gentleness in his life; Mancuso and Ramius are both lovely people, who are already becoming fond of this nerd, and as such would be perfect to give him it. Do they realize he's working too hard while sick and gently coax him away from his books? Do they stay by his side to brush or pet his hair and keep him warm when he isn't feeling well? Do they spoil him with hot showers and hot water bottles when the weather gets cold and damp and makes his old injuries act up? Are they furious at the higher-ups when he gets sent on another dangerous field assignment, flings himself headlong into danger and gets shot or otherwise badly hurt? Do they hold him close and comfort him over a few drinks after a miserable debrief with the CIA brass? Do they very gently tie him up and order him to sit still while they make sure he's okay, and drive him wild with want before they finally, deeply kiss him?

Art prompts!

• Senator or President (so older) Jack in a wheelchair, with Ramius and/or Mancuso beside him holding his hand.
• Ramius or Mancuso kissing Jack's forehead.
• Jack sleeping with his head in Ramius or Mancuso's lap.
• Ramius or Mancuso brushing Jack's hair.

[back to navigation]

Jack/Mancuso, Jack & Mancuso, Jack/Ramius/Mancuso (hurt Mancuso)
Jack/Ramius/Mancuso (Jack & Mancuso hurt)
(I would also be very happy with Ramius/Mancuso (Mancuso hurt)!)

Tags: Crew Worrying About Their Sick/Hurt Captain • Worried third party calls sick/hurt character's significant other • Character has to be convinced to accept comfort • Hiding injuries from onlookers but comforter knows • Falling Asleep As A Sign Of Trust • waking up sick • Massaging Another Character's Hands • Warming A Sick Character's Hands • Fever • Coughing • Comforting over the phone/radio • Headaches & Migraines • Touch-Starved • Carrying • Old Injuries Acting Up • Rubbing A Sick Character's Temples • Sick/Hurt Dominant Character • hair petting • Comforter drapes their coat over hurt character's shoulders • Comforter Taking Off The Comfortee's Glasses •
Back rubs to alleviate coughing • back rubs to ease a headache • Back Rubs To Help Sick Character Sleep • Carrying A Sick/Hurt/Exhausted Character To Bed • Character being protected isn't used to being cared about • Character doesn't realize they've been injured • Character hides their illness until they faint and everyone panics • Character works so hard while mildly ill that it turns severe • Character's headache is bad enough to be evident to other characters • Combat Injury • hot water bottle as comfort item • Hurt character stealing clothes from comforter • Inexperienced comforter calls third party for advice • loss of voice • Lovingly Touching Scars • Nonverbal Comfort • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD • scar kink • shoulder/arm slings • Sick character admits to past trauma • sick/hurt at formal social event • Sinus Pain • Stopping a meeting/conference call to care for sick colleague

Bart Mancuso, how I love him. He's never really mentioned much when people talk about the film - Jack and Ramius being the protagonists, of course - but Mancuso is so compelling and fascinating when you look a little closer. I'm particularly struck by his command style - how very soft-spoken he is, how he gives his orders in such a low voice that it's nearly a whisper, and how all of his crew immediately leaps to obey. How very rational and fair-minded he is at all times, following Jonesy's hunch to track the Red October, treating Jack with respect and making sure he gets a towel and some dry clothes even when he thinks he's out of his mind. How much his crew hangs on his every word, how concerned they are for him when he doesn't get as much sleep as he should. And, of course, his glasses ~~and how he constantly has them either in his hand or in his mouth~~. (He also has rather nice hands - so does Jack, for that matter, but Mancuso's are onscreen up close a lot and it is a treat.)

So, I love Mancuso, and I love the idea that he might eventually fall in love with Jack or Ramius or both. He has a strong mutual respect with each of them, a protective tendency that would surface delightfully with Jack (romantic relationship or no!), a sort of intense quiet knowledge of Submarine And Seafaring Things that he and Ramius could bond over, and in general he could give them lots of love and gentleness and receive lots of love and gentleness from them in turn.

So, pretty much all these tags are chosen with one intention: to Give Bart Mancuso A Lot Of Tenderness And Love. He seems the kind of person to not say much (or anything) if he's not feeling okay, whether it's on board the Dallas so as not to worry the crew, or in a friendship or relationship because he doesn't like asking for attention despite sometimes really needing it, or even refusing to complain when he's really obviously not okay because that's just the kind of person he is, just quiet and gentle even when he's hurting.

Some of the tags would lend themselves to h/c scenarios onboard the Dallas ("Crew Worrying About Their Sick/Hurt Captain", "Combat Injury", "Character doesn't realize they've been injured", "Character hides their illness until they faint and everybody panics", "Worried third party calls sick/hurt character's significant other", "Comforting over the phone/radio") - with Mancuso staying at his post despite feeling increasingly awful, and Watson, Thompson and/or Jonesy slowly realizing the captain is Not Okay and maybe having to convince him to get to medical, or maybe waiting till the serious military situation they're facing is over so he'll have no excuse not to get himself treated - eventually calling his partners Jack and/or Ramius to let them know he's not okay, and so they can comfort him over the phone. Perhaps it's near shore leave and he can go home to them for some rest and TLC, or perhaps things get bad enough that they have to get him to a hospital onshore for a while to heal up, and Jack and/or Ramius camp out there till he's well enough to come home.

Other tags are less dramatic, but no less wonderful, including - "Touch-Starved", because it feels like he could really do with some touch, and would appreciate it deeply; "Nonverbal Comfort" since he's not one for talking, tends toward nonverbal intimacy, and probably would love to just curl up in his partner's arms while they stroke his hair; "Comforter drapes their coat over hurt character's shoulders" or "Comforter Taking Off The Comfortee's Glasses" for Jack or Ramius gently making sure he's comfortable; "Hurt character stealing clothes from comforter", because both Jack and Ramius are taller and somewhat wider of shoulder than Mancuso is and like to wear warm clothes; "Sick/hurt at formal social event" for having to soldier through a navy get-together (or political event, if Jack's a senator or the President) while feeling less than well, and getting some comfort afterwards; "Combat Injury" and "PTSD" for older injuries or memories surfacing at inconvenient times, and Mancuso perhaps being able to tell his partner(s) about it or them being able to read him even though he tends not to show his suffering on his face; "Massaging Another Character's Hands" for, possibly, issues with arthritis or similar as he gets older, or maybe even just to keep his hands warm when he feels the cold; "Sick/hurt dominant character" for Jack and/or Ramius being in the submissive role for gentle d/s purposes, and obeying Bart's instructions/orders even when he's feeling under the weather.

Art prompts!

• Jack or Ramius massaging Bart's hands.
• Jack or Ramius gently taking Bart's glasses off his face, while he's almost asleep on their shoulder (and perhaps wearing their clothes, ie. a shirt or sweater that's much too big for him).
• Jack and Ramius both hugging Bart in a happy Comfort Sandwich, perhaps one or both of them kissing him at the temple or nape of the neck.

[back to navigation]

Collateral (2004)

Max/Vincent (hurt Vincent)

Tags: Altered Mental States • Fever • Fever sex • Fever Dreams • Subdrop • Shivering • Sick character losing their grip on reality • Touch-Starved • Scars From Self-Inflicted Wounds • Character acts casual about their scars from childhood abuse • Character sloppily caring for their own wounds • Masochistic sub asks for more pain than they really want • Aftercare • Chronic Pain • Career Ending Injuries • Sensory Overload/Sensory Overstimulation • Sick character admits to past trauma • trauma triggered during sex • Unclear if enthusiastically consenting sick character is actually lucid enough to consent • Trapped Together While One Is Injured •
Awkward Comforter • Believing Others Consider Them An Inferior Substitute for Someone Else • Character Accepts Bad Comfort as Better Than None • Character doesn't care about their own wellbeing • Character doesn't realize they've been injured • Character expected to die but didn't and has no idea how to live anymore. Other helps & comforts. • Character Forced to Reveal Past Trauma • Character Should Safeword But Doesn't • Character's Past Trauma Is Revealed Against Their Will • Combat Injury • Comfort as Cruelty • Comforted By An Enemy • Comforting Out of Obligation Turns Into Real Sympathy • edgeplay due to thin line between kink and trigger • Gunshot Wounds • Injury on Top of Old Injuries • Kink(s) as coping mechanisms • loss of voice • Munchausen Syndrome • scar kink • Shibari/bondage on a sick character • Sick/hurt character isn't quite lucid • Slow recovery

God these characters are so fucked up. Vincent is a terrible person, and yet you kind of feel for him; Max is a sad bean who never asked to be caught up in any of this, and yet somehow finds it in himself to be an absolute hero and kick ass. Please tell me more about these messed up people! I'm a-okay with fic set before the film, during the film, or after the film in a universe where Vincent doesn't die.

Until Max got the better of him, Vincent spent most of the film reading Max like a book, and constantly, mercilessly unmasking him to himself. What I'm after with these prompts is a just reversal of that, a re-balancing of the power dynamic between them by means of Vincent being hurt. I'm here for Max getting to see Vincent torn down and vulnerable, to see what an utter mess he is, how held together with trash and duct tape he is under all the posturing. (He's a dick, to put it mildly, but there's an angle or two from which he's...really fucking tragic? When you start to see him coming undone, you really see him coming undone. We know a few things about him that are established as sore spots - that he's been passed around between foster homes and an abusive dad, and that he was military or a military contractor before he became a hitman.)

Maybe this is the same night as the film, and Daniel at the jazz club convinces Vincent not to kill him, or something happens to convince him to let Annie go, or there's just a skirmish with police or a rival assassin group, and Vincent ends up badly wounded - and Max can neither let him die, nor resist the urge to torment him by providing comfort with no explanation, no reason for it that would conceivably make sense to Vincent ("comfort as cruelty"). Maybe Vincent gets hurt and tries to fix himself up in the back of the cab, and Max catches sight of all his scars in the rearview mirror, and one thing leads to another and they end up making out roughly, Max noticing every old injury, every stiffness of a limb, everything that points to Vincent having had a hell of a past; noticing every gasp of pain he can't manage to hide. Maybe, for something completely different, Vincent survives the MTA with permanent injuries from the incident that end his career as a hitman, turns state's evidence or just disappears and possibly grows, like, half a conscience (which he hates but now it's there), and gets a card from the Island Limo Company while he's healing up.

I'm here for Vincent And Max Getting It On In All The Rough, Fucked Up Ways, during or after the film. There's a bunch of 'altered states' tags to potentially help that along - maybe one or both of them are drugged or drunk or high, maybe Vincent's sick or injured so badly he's hallucinating and isn't sure Max is real (and Max isn't sure Vincent's really consenting). Maybe they use banging each other as an excuse to talk out or fuck out their various issues, like Max's with his limo company and Vincent's with his father. Vincent is definitely a masochist; maybe he's surprisingly eager to please, and Max uses that to get revenge for everything Vincent put him through in the film. Maybe he does that by hurting him, or maybe he does it by getting him to confess to (or just talk about) all the times he's been vulnerable in the past. Maybe Vincent's time in the military comes up, in a kinky context or an angsty, bitter context, or both. Maybe they walk away weirdly healed...or maybe just bleeding and ripped apart.

I'd like whatever they do sexually to be more or less consensual, if not necessarily safe or sane - I could get behind mutual dubcon scenarios, where they could be drunk, both under the influence of a ~substance, or (as mentioned above) Vincent may be hallucinating and not entirely conscious, but I don't want either of them to use physical force to get the other to sexually comply. I don't want either of them to hold disproportionate power over the other - as Max established in the second half of the film, the leash very much goes both ways. (Also Vincent is weirdly fucking principled for a hitman and I could see him as being laughably obsessed with consent, so make of that what you will.)
There are some dubcon-flavoured thoughts/prompts in my Chocobox/Consent Issues writeup on them, here.

Art prompts!

• Vincent stitching up his own wounds alone, possibly not doing a great job of it. (Possibly drunk.)
• Max undressing Vincent, finding him littered with scars.
• Max and Vincent generally Making Out Roughly, perhaps with Vincent handcuffed to something, or perhaps with Max holding a knife to Vincent's throat.
• Vincent waking up in hospital to a bunch of flowers and a card from the Island Limo Company.

[back to navigation]

Oblivion (2013)

Jack/Jack, Jack & Jack (one of them hurt)
Jack/Jack, Jack & Jack (both hurt)

Tags: Headaches & Migraines • Post-Concussion Syndrome • Permanent Injury • Chronic Pain • Wheelchairs and mobility issues • Shoulder Injuries • Dealing with PTSD • Fever • Coughing • recovery from intimate partner abuse • Comforter reads to hurt character • Touch-Starved • Carrying • Scars From Self-Inflicted Wounds • Lovingly Touching Scars • Rubbing A Sick Character's Temples • Massaging Another Character's Hands • Keeping Sick/Hurt Characters Warm • Character Cradling Sick Character's Head In Their Lap • Character apologizes for being sick/hurt •
Back rubs for head/shoulder pain • Back rubs to alleviate coughing • Back Rubs To Help Sick Character Sleep • Believing Others Consider Them An Inferior Substitute for Someone Else • Broken Bones • Character A falls for Character B after being treated kindly • Character doesn't care about their own wellbeing • Character expected to die but didn't and has no idea how to live anymore. Other helps & comforts. • Character is used to being punished for saying no • Character isn't used to being loved and shown tenderness/affection • Character pushes themself too hard before they're fully recovered and relapse • Character who's usually good at hiding their chronic pain is in too much pain to hide it • Chronic Pain • Faking Recovery So Others Will Stop Worrying About You • Forgetting to eat • Hair Brushing • hair petting • Heating pad(s) or hot water bottle(s) for hurting character • Helping hurt character to dress/undress • Hurt character doesn't feel deserving of comfort • Kissing away tears • Nightmares • Sick character admits to past trauma • Sick/hurt character provides comfort to less sick/hurt character(s) • Spinal Trauma • Worried third party calls sick/hurt character's significant other

Jack 49 is a beautiful man who's had a lot of awful things happen to him. I imagine many other Jacks are equally lovely, and may have suffered just as much. I'd love for Jack 49 to survive the Tet explosion, perhaps with serious injuries - "post-concussion syndrome"; "broken bones"; other listed serious injury tags - and go on to meet other Jacks and Vikas from other areas of the world. I'd love to see him get a happy ending, learn to live again, find his own identity away from people like Vika and Julia who constantly expected him to be someone he's not. I'd love him to come to terms with the fact that Vika 49 was abusive, that what he knew as love from her was not real love at all, that regardless of what her own trauma was it didn't excuse what she put him through, and to maybe recover a little from the pain he suffered at her hands.

I am super here for worldbuilding and exploration of the differences between various Jacks, both canon and original - maybe a few are permanently injured even, and have had to learn to live with and make accommodations for their levels of ability; I'd love to hear their backstories. Maybe there's a Jack in a wheelchair, or one who was otherwise badly hurt when the Tet came down, or just a lot of Jacks with surprisingly different life circumstances despite their supposedly identical situations. Maybe some Jacks and Vikas find each other and try to build a community when the Tet comes down, and take care of each other with love and tenderness when they need it. I'd especially love for 49 to fall in love with another Jack, who looks after him and makes him feel loved and wanted in a way he's never known before.

49 never having really known love is the reason for the tag "recovery from intimate partner abuse". I love Vika as a character (Original Vika is such a lovely nerd!), but Vika 49 is not good to Jack 49; she canonically shuts him up by coercing him into sex, and by demanding that he kiss her, which he is clearly at least a little, possibly very, uncomfortable with. I really do think Jack is fond of her and into her, but he's also been subject to emotional and possibly sexual abuse from her for nearly five years, and that takes a toll. I'd be very okay with exploration of past Jack/Vika (the 49s or others) with dub/noncon tags, such as Dub/noncon - ignored safeword, Aggressor uses knowledge of victim's kinks against them, Aggressor promises victim kink they want in exchange for kink that triggers them, Consensual aftercare after nonconsensual sex, Agreed upon kink limits disregarded (causing hurt/trigger/damage), Coerced or forced into sex while too unwell to participate, Character is used to being punished for saying no. I am also 1000% here for Jack 49 recovering from Vika 49's abuse while he tries to deal with living in a post-Tet world, coping with the fact that he expected to die in the explosion but didn't, with the help of another Jack who loves him deeply.

Relatedly, I imagine some Vikas may not have been as abusive as Vika 49, but it's also possible there are other Vikas who were worse. Maybe some Jacks stayed with abusive Vikas until they couldn't take any more. Maybe there are Jacks who developed coping mechanisms like self-harm or issues with food, or still have nightmares or anxiety attacks, or startle when anyone even lightly touches them. Maybe - an exception to my pregnancy/kidfic DNW - maybe there's a Jack/abusive Vika couple who had a child after the Tet fell, and the child was what made Jack realize he had to save them and himself and leave her.

Art prompts!

(Jack 49 probably has a scar over the bridge of his nose from the events of the film.)

• Jack 49 asleep in a field of bright red poppies, or asleep in a field of grass while holding a bright red poppy.
• Jack 49 walking with a cane, next to another Jack, who Loves Him
• Jack 49 resting his head on the shoulder of another Jack, who Loves Him
• A Jack in a wheelchair
• A Jack who has self-harm scars up his arms, travelling with a toddler-age daughter who has his dark hair and Vika's grey eyes and clearly adores him deeply
• A Jack with purple streaks in his hair, and his right arm in a sling, snuggling with a Vika who has short, choppy black hair and is dressed in black, and/or with another Jack who has a black cat and is wearing green.

[back to navigation]

The Shadow (1994)

Margo/Lamont (hurt Lamont)

Tags: Touch-Starved • Fever • Fever sex • Gentle Sex Because One Partner Is Injured/Ill • Old Injuries Acting Up • Nightmares • Rubbing A Sick Character's Temples • Sexual Submission As Comfort-Seeking/Sexual Dominance As Providing Comfort • Sick/Hurt Submissive Character • Masochistic sub asks for more pain than they really want • Shibari/bondage on a sick character • Kissing away tears • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD • trauma triggered during sex • Migraine Aura Symptoms • Character isn't used to being loved and shown tenderness/affection • Impact Play - inflicting pain until character breaks down in much-needed emotional catharsis • Combat Injury • Gunshot Wounds • Collapsing on character's doorstep •
Character expected to die but didn't and has no idea how to live anymore. Other helps & comforts. • Character feels so bad they have to sit down on the floor/ground • Character Insists on Helping Others With Useful Power That Gives Them Migraines • Character is reluctant to eat because they are exhausted/in pain • Character is used to illness/injury and treats it less seriously than others • Character thinks they aren't good enough for the object of their pining • Checking For Fever With A Gentle Touch That Lingers • Comfortee doesn’t believe they are worthy of care • edgeplay due to thin line between kink and trigger • Hurt Character Clinging to Comforter • Loss of Control of Superpower/Magic - Due to Emotional Distress • Loss of Control of Superpower/Magic - Due to Illness • Oversensitive scar(s) • Overusing Powers • Pain Play & Aftermath • scar kink

I love that in canon, the Margo/Lamont relationship is both beautifully soft and founded in the very basic tenets of consent: Margo is among the only people Lamont's mind-influencing powers don't work on, and therefore by definition she is at his side solely because she wants to be. This messes with Lamont's head a great deal, since he's an enormous disaster sub with a ton of guilt and self-worth issues and doesn't remotely believe he deserves to be loved.

A few of the tags here are related to Lamont's past, the fact that he fought in the Great War and has so much additional blood on his hands from his time as Ying Ko afterwards - "PTSD", "Nightmares", "Character expected to die but didn't and has no idea how to live anymore, other helps & comforts". Others are related to the Shadow superpowers and their potential side effects / effects of their overuse - "Loss of Control of Superpower/Magic - Due to Emotional Distress/Due to Illness", "Character Insists on Helping Others With Useful Power That Gives Them Migraines", (relatedly) "Migraine Aura Symptoms", "Overusing Powers". There are also tags related to delicious, delicious vigilante h/c tropes - "Combat injury", "Collapsing on character's doorstep", "Gunshot wounds", "Character is used to illness/injury and treats it less seriously than others".

Meanwhile, some tags are D/s-focused, because to my mind they're a couple that tends heavily towards it. Margo is super assertive, knows exactly what she wants at all times, is very very sexual and horny on main, and she's also very generous with comfort when Lamont needs it. Lamont, meanwhile, is all haunted and racked with guilt for his past, and afraid he'll hurt her, and also kind of awkward and embarrassed by her boldness; embarrassed to be wanted as much as she wants him. I'd love to see her taking him in hand and showing him how to let go of his guilt and nervousness and place his trust in her - him all reverent and worshipful, her patiently finding out what he needs (even if it's a long-term project, and even if what he needs is pain or bondage - perhaps especially if it is!), and maybe her giving him lots of praise and aftercare as a reward for being good for her. I also think Lamont might, in his self-flagellating way, sometimes go too far in asking for pain, and Margo might have to figure out when those times are, take care of him and reassure him, and figure out how to help him stop doing that.

D/s or no, I love the idea of Margo putting Lamont in shibari while he's sick, perhaps because they've found it helps keep his powers or power-induced sickness/headaches/burnout in check, perhaps as a simple exercise in comforting touch. I love the idea of Lamont just...not being able to deal with tenderness and being loved, especially so when he's ill or hurt, and Margo having to kiss away tears of sensory overstimulation/general overwhelmedness. Lamont just being very used to curling up and riding out illness/injury alone, and Margo refusing to let him do that and giving him lots of gentle touch and kisses, is such a soft spot for me, as is the fact that she can read his mind and hear his distress from miles away, so he literally cannot hide any kind of suffering from her.

Art prompts!

• Margo tying Lamont in intricate shibari knots while he's sick or hurt.
• Margo undressing Lamont from bloodied clothes.
• Lamont kneeling at Margo's feet, somewhat or completely undressed, looking up devotedly at her while she cleans his injured face of blood and grime.
• Margo wrapping a sick, shivering Lamont in one of her jackets (that's clearly feminine and drapey.)

[back to navigation]

Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

Cage/Rita (hurt Cage)

Tags: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD • Chronic Pain • Dealing with PTSD • Day-to-day living with chronic pain • Character who's usually good at hiding their chronic pain is in too much pain to hide it • Character Should Safeword But Doesn't • Aftercare • Pain Play & Aftermath • Subdrop • Shibari/bondage on a sick character • Sick/Hurt Submissive Character • Carrying A Sick/Hurt/Exhausted Character To Bed • Sick/hurt character isn't quite lucid • Character Forced to Reveal Past Trauma • Character Catches Colds Easily • Character believes comforter is taking care of them for practical or selfish reasons • Character Believes They're an Unimportant Hookup • Believing Others Consider Them An Inferior Substitute for Someone Else • Inexperienced comforter calls third party for advice • Worried third party calls sick/hurt character's significant other •
A & B have to cancel planned date because A's ill/injured. B comforts and makes evening romantic. • Accidentally hurting partner more than intended during consensual rough sex • Awkward Comforter • Character Accepts Bad Comfort as Better Than None • Character doesn't realize they've been injured • Character expects to be punished for failure but is shown unexpected concern • Character feels useless/like a burden to their partner(s) due to their illness/injury • Character hides their illness until they faint and everyone panics • Character thinks they aren't good enough for the object of their pining • Checking For Fever With A Gentle Touch That Lingers • Collapsing on character's doorstep • Comfortee overhears Comforter's friends talking negatively about them • Comforter lends clothes to hurt character • Faking Recovery So Others Will Stop Worrying About You • Hurt character doesn't feel deserving of comfort • Impact Play - inflicting pain until character breaks down in much-needed emotional catharsis • Kink(s) as coping mechanisms • Kissing away tears • Lingering Weakness After Illness • Lovingly Touching Scars • Mistakenly Believes the Other is Dead • Nonverbal Comfort • Slow recovery

Cage has been through a hell of a lot over several lives, up to and including several deaths. I'd love to see Cage and Rita getting to know each other more after the film, and Rita slowly falling in love with Cage in return, over the backdrop of him going through some serious health fallout from all the time looping. Maybe it's something Rita recognizes because she went through it herself before, or maybe it's something entirely new that they have to figure out the cause of and remedy for. Maybe Cage ends up with some kind of chronic pain (whether time-bound or permanent) and has to figure out how to mitigate it enough to live with. Maybe there's phantom pain to deal with from the times he died. Maybe all the time resets 'reset' his immune system as well and now he keeps catching colds and falling ill, and it's kinda funny until it turns into pneumonia and it's really, really not funny any more. It's likely he may have some PTSD - maybe there's a day or two when it all just catches up to him and he just...stops. Maybe after he and Rita get something like together, he collapses while hanging out with J Squad and they have to call Rita to come get him. Maybe he just pushes himself too hard despite all his symptoms until he crashes, and has to spend some serious downtime slowly recovering. Maybe he and Rita are more casual than a full-on relationship at first, and he hides how much pain he's in from her until he can't any more, just so he can spend time with her - not wanting to inconvenience her, not daring to believe she'd ever like him enough to look after him when he needs it.

Then, there are relationship and D/s feelings. One of my favourite things about Cage and Rita is that Rita clearly has a lot of love in her, but is extremely awkward and stoic about Expressing Emotions; another is that Cage's arc can be read not just as becoming a better person thanks to her, but as becoming a better and better sub thanks to her. He straight-up goes from 'bratty sub who doesn't know he's a sub' to 'please tie me the Fuck up and do what you will with me because life sucks and I am so sorry' - a slow Sub Awakening to Rita's domme who doesn't yet know she's a domme. Unfortunately, since they're living through the literal apocalypse and there's no time for recreation let alone soul-searching, Cage's becoming a better sub translates to his becoming more and more desperately in need of being taken into subspace, and suffering more and more the longer he endures without it. I keep seeing the pre-chopper scene as a breaking point of sorts, with Cage not only begging Rita for a reprieve from seeing her die, but for a chance to spend a quiet ten minutes serving her.

So, with that in mind, another broad idea in this tag cloud is Cage being a sub to Rita post-war, and Rita learning to Deal With Feelings about it. Rita first realizing she's fond of Cage, then realizing she's a domme and how very much of a sub he is, and then having to figure out both how to domme, and specifically how to domme a sub who deals with serious chronic pain and health issues including PTSD. She probably has some experience with hurting and getting used to normal life after looping, but not quite to the extent that Cage is suffering, and while she's grown fond of him after getting to know him, she's not good at Emotions or at medical caretaking, and might have to call Dr Carter to help her help him. She'll also have to learn how to strike a balance between giving Cage the pain he often wants as a sub, and figuring out when he's asking for more than he can take, when it's really a pleasure thing versus when it slips into being a messed-up self-worth thing, and when he needs her to just stop a scene, or shelve it entirely, and just look after him a little instead.

Relatedly, other tags are about some very real frustrations that chronically ill/chronically hurting folk deal with - feeling like a burden to one's partner, for instance, or not realizing it on getting hurt or sick because one is in so much pain anyway. Some other self-worth-related tags are about Cage considering himself not good enough for Rita - maybe thinking he's an inferior substitute for Hendricks, whom she loved, or maybe thinking he's an occasional hookup she doesn't and shouldn't really care for, especially because he has days when he ends up too sick or in too much pain to move; or overhearing Rita's friends saying rude things about him, and hearing Rita defending him - or perhaps ending up not hearing that part, and Rita having to find a way to convince him she really does love him.

(I would absolutely love it if at some point Rita either bench presses Cage, or carries him bridal style.)

Art prompts!

• Rita knitting Cage a sweater.
• Rita and Cage snuggling together while she pets his hair and he pets a cat.
• Rita carrying a barely conscious Cage bridal style.
• Cage braiding Rita's hair while she gently encourages him.

[back to navigation]

Top Gun (1986)

Maverick/Iceman (hurt Mav)

Tags: A is too uncertain of their place in B's life to directly ask for direly needed help • Accidentally hurting partner more than intended during consensual rough sex • attempted self-sacrifice is thwarted by people who do not agree character is expendable • Character crying in their sleep • Character gets hurt protecting other character(s) • Character has no sense of their own boundaries • Character has to be convinced to accept comfort • Character manages to injure arch-foe and realizes they don’t actually want to hurt them • Character who is clearly not fine insists they are fine • Comforter started out trying to manipulate comfortee but now they're not so sure • Coping with past rape through sex with unaware partner fails when character has flashback • edgeplay due to thin line between kink and trigger • former abusive relationship • Insisting That Exhausted Character Rest • Insomnia and Sleep Deprivation • Kink(s) as coping mechanisms • Long Overdue Breaking Point • Masochistic sub asks for more pain than they really want • Near Death Experience Makes Unaffected Character Realize They Love the Victim • A mistakenly thinks B is only comforting them on orders from superiors
A accidentally injures B • A confesses feelings because they think B is unconscious • Character A says hurtful things in anger and Character B takes them to heart • Character believes comforter is taking care of them for practical or selfish reasons • Character Believes They're an Unimportant Hookup • Character blames self for what they went through • Character doesn't realize how badly they're hurt until they collapse • Character draws negative attention onto themself to protect another • Character expected to die but didn't and has no idea how to live anymore. Other helps & comforts. • Character fails to sacrifice self for greater good & it turns out they wanted to die • Character feels so bad they have to sit down on the floor/ground • Character goes quiet when they're hurting • Character is ashamed of needing help/comfort • Character is used to being punished for saying no • Character Should Safeword But Doesn't • Character thinks they aren't good enough for the object of their pining • Character's Past Trauma Is Revealed Against Their Will • Collapsing on character's doorstep • Comfortee overhears Comforter's friends talking negatively about them • Hurt Character And Comforter Are Mutually Pining And Oblivious About It • Leaving someone for their own good • Pain Play & Aftermath • unexpected tenderness • Worried third party calls sick/hurt character's significant other

Masochistic Sub!Mav is the vibe for this request! Also Mav being like 'I thought you hated me', and Ice being like *already taking off clothes* 'god Mav you're so fucking stupid.' (Mav is so fucking stupid, you guys.)

I'm all about Mav's sadness and self-worth issues, and how very bad he is at dealing with them, especially in TG1 canon. He constantly seeks out both sexual engagement and arguments/physical fights, so it's not too much of a stretch to figure he might do both at once - seeking out partners who could hurt him, with varying degrees of actually being turned on by the pain vs. accepting the pain because he thinks he deserves it. I'm also very much here for Ice being kind of horrified at how willing Mav is to be hurt, and teaching him a little about what he should expect from a good dom with regard to boundaries and aftercare. (Perhaps Ice realizes this after they get together, or perhaps he finds Mav already hurt while they're sparring, and manages to get the truth about Charlie or a random hookup out of him.)

Mav seems to not know where his sexual/masochistic boundaries lie, what's healthy and what's not, even possibly what his own consent is and what's not, which lends itself to a very particularly Mav kind of suffering: "Masochistic sub asks for more pain than they really want" because he believes he deserves more pain, even when it stops being fun and starts to really hurt; "Character Should Safeword But Doesn't" - either because Mav finds himself suddenly too near tears or in too much pain to be able to talk at all, or because he convinces himself he'd be a bad sub or not ~man enough~ if he asked to stop; "edgeplay due to thin line between kink and trigger" - could be any kink, but I particularly love the idea of Mav being super eager to try being humiliated until it turns out it actively triggers him and he chokes up too much to safeword; "Kink(s) as coping mechanisms" because of course; "Pain Play & Aftermath" because it's possible he might be too used to patching himself up alone and receiving grudging or inadequate aftercare; "Accidentally hurting partner more than intended during consensual rough sex" - maybe Mav tries to laugh it off, maybe he even thinks Ice meant to hurt him that much, but Ice sets him right and patches him up and helps him understand that he should only ever get to be hurt as much as he wants to be.

I'm also all about the incredible sexual tension between Mav and Ice, the antagonistic sparks that sometimes clear to show us they Really Do Like And Respect Each Other, Actually. Pretty much my favourite Mav/Ice-pre-getting-together dynamic is 'good at sex, Bad At Dealing With Feelings, Terrible Disasters at realizing or admitting they actually love each other', so a lot of these tags reflect that tense interplay between their rivalry, their affection, and Mav's lack of belief that Ice might actually care about him. "A is too uncertain of their place in B's life to directly ask for direly needed help"; "A mistakenly thinks B is only comforting them on orders from superiors"; "Character Believes They're an Unimportant Hookup"; "Character A says hurtful things in anger and Character B takes them to heart"; perhaps even "Leaving someone for their own good", for the version where Mav decides Ice would be better off without him and walks away breaking Ice's heart, and Ice has to figure out what's in his stupid head this time and get him back. Some are about Ice's side of this same dynamic, growing from being annoyed by Mav to fond of him and deeply concerned about him: "Character manages to injure arch-foe and realizes they don’t actually want to hurt them"; "Comforter started out trying to manipulate comfortee but now they're not so sure"; "Near Death Experience Makes Unaffected Character Realize They Love the Victim"; "A confesses feelings because they think B is unconscious". Perhaps Mav realizes Ice really cares because Ice looks after him when he doesn't have to; perhaps Ice realizes Mav really cares when he does something stupid and surprisingly selfless, like getting hurt protecting him, or taking the blame for something Ice or Slider did, or acting out and drawing attention to himself so they can get away with something not entirely by the book.

There are also some tags that speak to Mav's general headspace, both at the time of TG1 and now, in the trailers for TG2. He's got some serious self-worth issues that are evident even outside of the bedroom, and definitely has some PTSD going on in the aftermath of Goose's death; when we last see him in TG1, he's still just barely getting over the grief and shock. I'd love to see something exploring the echoes of that in his life afterwards, because he canonically seems to have had no meaningful emotional support from either Charlie or his friends (let alone external support like professional help). So, PTSD, nightmares, Mav crying in his sleep, asking for Goose when he's too sick to remember Goose is dead, blaming himself for what he went through, being ashamed of needing help/comfort, going quiet when he's hurting, generally not caring about his own wellbeing and not believing he's worthy of comfort - perhaps even overhearing Ice's friends talking shit about him, and taking every word to heart. I'd love to see how Ice helps him deal with these things, perhaps forced to by Mav getting hurt or falling ill - perhaps he gets a call from a civilian or other officer when Mav's in a bad way, or perhaps he is the worried third party calling Mav's significant other while Mav is dating Charlie, and he gets a glimpse of how Charlie is sometimes less than sympathetic when Mav is not okay.

I also now have 5 entire emotions about older Mav - present-day Mav, whom we see in the new trailers as deeply sad and quiet and, I quote, 'refusing to die'; there are just so many Depression Feelings there. I'd love to hear more about how Mav refuses to die, despite not really knowing why, or about him being ready and willing to sacrifice himself and not knowing how to cope when he lives instead of dying. Maybe tell me about how lonely he's been and how tired he is, and how he copes with it; maybe about how Ice walks back into his life, and how while he can't fix him, he can help him feel a little less alone. Maybe about him getting hurt protecting the new trainees, or working himself into the ground for them, and Ice having to pick up the pieces. Maybe tell me about Ice and the new trainees loving Mav so much they straight-up refuse to let him die for the greater good.

As for the "former abusive relationship" tag - I am very okay with past Mav/Charlie with a focus on that not having been a great relationship for Mav, and possibly on past dub/noncon with Charlie having sexually violated Mav, who may or may not realize/be in denial that that's what went down. Charlie's not a bad person, but she does have a manipulative streak that demonstrably wasn't good for Mav, who's honest to a fault and very vulnerable to manipulation; she's also a little selfish, and I don't think she loved Mav enough to realize when that was hurting him. Tags chosen with that dynamic in mind, as something Mav has to heal from when dating Ice gets serious: "unexpected tenderness"; "Character is used to being punished for saying no"; "Coping with rape through sex with unaware partner fails when character has flashback".

(In case this line of thought takes your fancy, here are some thoughts about Charlie and Ice, and how their respective relationship and dominance styles work with Mav, and here are some thoughts about Charlie and Mav's relationship incompatibility leading to her essentially sexually assaulting him.)

Art prompts!

• Mav covered in bandages, wearing Ice's jacket.
• Ice bandaging up Mav's hands after he got into a fight yet again.
• Ice comforting Mav after a nightmare or during a flashback.
• Present-day Ice carrying a barely-conscious present-day Mav bridal style.

[back to navigation]

Once again, thank you for creating for me! I hope you have fun doing so; that's what it's all about, after all. 💛

Dear Hurt/Comfort Ex Creator - 2020