Non-fetish H/C or whump fic prompts?

[Chanel_no5]

Okay, so, here's the thing. I'm getting more and more into H/C and caretaking scenarios (though the characters I'm comfortable doing this with are extremely limited, as always is the case with me   ), and I want to try writing some light-ish whump fics that aren't fetishy. However, all the prompts I can find that aren't within the realms of our fetish, tend to be pretty much lethal scenarios, like stabbing and bleeding out and such - which is way beyond where I'm willing to go - or they're centered around the v-thing, which I'm definitely not willing to do. 

So those of you who are into H/C, caretaking, and whump outside of the fetish, do you have any prompts/ideas/suggestions that doesn't include those things? I really have no clue, I'm that new to this whole thing. I'm asking on the forum because this is the only place I know people who even write fiction. Most people I know outside of the forum have zero interest in writing and reading, so discussing it with them is completely pointless.  

You can either reply in this thread or send me a PM if you're more comfortable talking that kind of stuff privately. I know I feel a bit weird publicly talking about liking to put characters through hell.  

 

[•.*°•☆. Q .☆•°*.•]

basically u just gotta think of ways someone could get hurt, and then how those things could happen

like if they have a broken bone or fracture, did they fall from something? were they attacked? were they hit by a bicyclist? was it a sports related injury?

if they have a cut, was it an accident? did they cut themselves while cooking or doing handiwork? were they in a fight? did they have an encounter with a wild animal? were they doing something they weren't supposed to like breaking & entering and cut themselves on a barbed wire fence or a broken window? 

of they have a burn, was it from a stove top? hot oil or metal? these are all kitchen accidents. or was it from a fire? was it a little fire or a big one? was it an accidental fire or one that was intentional but got out of hand or acted unpredictably? a prank gone wrong? an arson gone wrong? a dare?

there's also the slew of injuries that come from just getting beat up real good, and then you can think of WHY they got beat up. are they a villain, bested by the story's hero? did they accidentally start a bar fight? did they INTENTIONALLY start a bar fight? do they owe somebody money? did they piss off the wrong person's family? just the wrong person themselves? were they mugged? were they trying to con someone stronger than them who caught wise? did they win a bet with a sore loser? 

and you can play around with characters that have endurance beyond human capabilities if you want to whump them harder and still not have it be a serious emergency, like a vampire, werewolf, demon, super hero, or angel can take more of a hit than joe schmoe from hoboken. so you can get into really nasty stuff like car or train accidents, falls from great heights, extreme stabbings, and stuff like that, without necessarily having the character be in peril.

[Anonymouse]

My favorite ways to whump are by making characters do something stupid.  I had my Ophelia break her arm last year after falling out of a tree where she was just hanging out sucking down peaches. That came with a lot of other light whumpy stuff like bruising and soreness.

Maybe someone accidentally slams their hand in a door, or insists on petting a not-so-friendly cat and getting scratched the fuck up? Or just straight up tripping and falling and getting bruised up? There are a lot of mild ways to whump someone. Q offered lots of great starting points!

You can also watch Jackass and Ridiculousness for ideas of how people can stupidly injure themselves.

[Chanel_no5]

2 hours ago, •.*°•☆. Q .☆•°*.• said:

basically u just gotta think of ways someone could get hurt, and then how those things coupd happen

I'm such a super careful, "scared of everything so thinking five steps ahead to avoid all injuries"-type of person myself, so most of my aches and pains have either been from illness or from horse-related injuries. Or my own clumsiness. Cutting my finger on plastic lids or cutting my mouth on hard fried bacon, and that kind of weird shit. So this is really helpful! I'm so used to think of how to avoid everything that might hurt, that I've actually forgotten to even consider a whole bunch of potential reasons for injury that you listed there. How ironic.  

2 hours ago, •.*°•☆. Q .☆•°*.• said:

and you can play around with characters that have endurance beyond human capabilities if you want to whump them harder and still not have it be a serious emergency, like a vampire, werewolf, demon, super hero, or angel can take more of a hit than joe schmoe from hoboken.

Hmm, that's not really the kind of characters I like to write. But thanks for the suggestion anyway.  

 

2 hours ago, Anonymouse said:

My favorite ways to whump are by making characters do something stupid.  I had my Ophelia break her arm last year after falling out of a tree where she was just hanging out sucking down peaches. 

Yeah, but I have to make it something that fits the character's personality. Think of my general type, because that's what I like to write even outside of fetish stuff - serious middle-aged women in power positions. There are far too few of those in literature, unless they play the part of a semi-villain or obstacle. Anyway, I have a hard time picturing a Theresa-esque character falling out of a tree because she got a bit too greedy for the ripest peach..   ALTHOUGH, come to think of it, I've actually written stupid-injury whump fic before: drinking a bit too much the night before is pretty stupid, and the morning after-headache is never a fun thing to deal with.... 

Just plain tripping and falling is a good one. Hmmm... and on that note, slipping in the shower/bath/pool could work also. 

Thank you guys!!! Got some food for thought there!  

 

[Selene]

Some of the things Q suggested like the character getting mugged in a cold  alley (ok, cross out the "cold" and make it a "well-tempered" alley because it might lead to fetish sneeze-related other illnesses if it's too cold ) also yield a good starting point for the psychological aspects of whump or h/c fics.

Whump can come in different shapes and sizes -as a form of physical injury, but also as an invisibile injury to the character's psyche and include lots of angsty feelings. Which might be something for those proud, always-in-control ladies of yours. For example, the character could be involved in a car crash - only mildly injured, so you don't have to step out of your comfort zone when it comes to wounds and bleeding, but you could go on and explore the psychological impact of such an experience.

Also, if you would like to include other characters, you could always have a person accidentally hurting another person. Maybe someone slams a door in another person's face? Or the two main characters have an argument and as the character storms off, they trip and hurt their ankle in the process.

[Anonymouse]

1 hour ago, Chanel_no5 said:

Just plain tripping and falling is a good one. Hmmm... and on that note, slipping in the shower/bath/pool could work also. 

Thank you guys!!! Got some food for thought there!  

 

Maybe the character usually wears fashionable but sensible shoes, but tries heels and ends up tripping and falling?

[Chanel_no5]

38 minutes ago, Anonymouse said:

Maybe the character usually wears fashionable but sensible shoes, but tries heels and ends up tripping and falling?

Ooooh, yeah, that's a good one!  

 

1 hour ago, Selene said:

Some of the things Q suggested like the character getting mugged in a cold  alley (ok, cross out the "cold" and make it a "well-tempered" alley because it might lead to fetish sneeze-related other illnesses if it's too cold ) also yield a good starting point for the psychological aspects of whump or h/c fics.

Whump can come in different shapes and sizes -as a form of physical injury, but also as an invisibile injury to the character's psyche and include lots of angsty feelings. Which might be something for those proud, always-in-control ladies of yours. For example, the character could be involved in a car crash - only mildly injured, so you don't have to step out of your comfort zone when it comes to wounds and bleeding, but you could go on and explore the psychological impact of such an experience.

Hahahaha, I have to admit, that broken ribs injury immediately makes me want to make this happen during the height of allergy season or, depending on the character, have them catch a cold right after. A very sneezy cold. And a certain lady with very violent sneezes... however, I'm trying not to go there with these, so I think the alley would have to be a decent temperature and the weather fair, after all.  

Oh yeah, I never thought about the psychological part of it as well... hmm hmmm… lots of things to consider here.  

 

[Shay]

Do you still consider it to be fetishy if someone comes down with a cold or flu but there's little to no sneezing involved and it's mostly just fever, aches, and coughing? As far as my own fetish goes, those types of scenarios don't really do it for me in that way, but depending on the characters, I can really enjoy it on an emotional level. I've definitely written some non-sneezy sick fic, though I guess it could probably be posted under the related-fetishes section on this forum, but I just ended up posting it on AO3 since it was fanfic.

Personally I've also written some pretty life-threatening scenarios, but it's like it doesn't even count because I tend to write them about an immortal character, so even if he does die, he'll just come back to life shortly after. But even with non-immortal characters, as the writer, you do have the power to make sure your characters survive, but I completely understand if it's out of your comfort zone.

I don't know if this would be too close to fetishy, but what about something where someone's pretty uncomfortable because they're itchy? It could be skin allergies, bug bites, poison ivy, or some virus that causes a rash. Admittedly, the only time I've ever written about skin allergies, it generally was alongside sneezy allergies, but I could definitely see the potential for a non-fetish h/c story with just the skin itching and no sneezing.

[Chanel_no5]

On 6/22/2019 at 6:25 PM, Shay said:

Do you still consider it to be fetishy if someone comes down with a cold or flu but there's little to no sneezing involved and it's mostly just fever, aches, and coughing? As far as my own fetish goes, those types of scenarios don't really do it for me in that way, but depending on the characters, I can really enjoy it on an emotional level. I've definitely written some non-sneezy sick fic, though I guess it could probably be posted under the related-fetishes section on this forum, but I just ended up posting it on AO3 since it was fanfic.

First off, I'm so sorry I haven't responded until now. I was sure I had, but apparently I just wrote the response in my head and never in the thread. (hah, I'm a poet and I don't know it! ) To answer the question; no, if there's no sneezing involved it's not fetishy for me. I have actually written sickfics centered around characters with the flu (little to no sneezing but the rest of the symptoms), but had someone point out that "boy, you sure write a lot of colds/flu..." and I kinda froze up and decided that I should probably branch out if I want to fly under the radar with H/C.  

 

On 6/22/2019 at 6:25 PM, Shay said:

Personally I've also written some pretty life-threatening scenarios, but it's like it doesn't even count because I tend to write them about an immortal character, so even if he does die, he'll just come back to life shortly after. But even with non-immortal characters, as the writer, you do have the power to make sure your characters survive, but I completely understand if it's out of your comfort zone.

I don't want to write life-threatening scenarios at all. I can write pretty nasty flu scenarios since I've had the flu myself and know how miserably sick you can be without actually die or end up in the hospital, but scenarios that I haven't experienced myself and that in my head seems horrific, I don't want to write. Like, I've gotten some pretty bad bruising and twisted ankles/wrists and gotten the wind knocked out of me and stuff when I've taken a fall from a horse, but I've never actually broken anything and never had to go to the hospital (though in some instances I probably should have..) I've had migraine once, which to this day remains one of the most painful experiences in my entire life, but that doesn't make for a very good H/C fic since the only thing you want is silence and darkness.   All in all, illnesses and injuries that leads to v-ing are stuff I stay away from in writing. I can mention it off-hand, but not when it's a consistent and repeated symptom. And things that has to do with respiratory distress, like anaphylactic shock, is an absolute no. Being unable to breathe is just about the scariest thing in the world. 

On 6/22/2019 at 6:25 PM, Shay said:

I don't know if this would be too close to fetishy, but what about something where someone's pretty uncomfortable because they're itchy? It could be skin allergies, bug bites, poison ivy, or some virus that causes a rash.

Hahaha, I'm actually morbidly intrigued by rashes. Not in a fetishy way whatsoever, and I'm generally quite disgusted by it, but it's super fascinating. Not sure if I could make it work for a full story, though. 

I don't know, maybe I'm too much of a sissy to write whump after all.  

 

[l226268]

So I only recently learned what whump was, but I've been reading (fan)fiction for a while and like minor H/C stories. I didn't know there were other terms. I've never written a whump fic however,  unless you count being mean to characters via sneezing fetish, so I apologize if I just rolled up on your thread while being sort of a newbie lol. But I guess I do kind of have an interest in that genre, if only minor. I have friends that I can discuss art and writing with, but they'd look at me like a crazy person if I brought this topic up, so I'm kind of with you on that one.

So first I have a question and can't find an answer to it googling; is the whump term limited to physical injuries or illnesses? Is emotional/situational whump a thing? Because that is something that have read and really liked before; like a character suddenly being unable to do something they really enjoyed or being unable to serve their purpose. Example, like Jaime from GoT losing his hand (although that is kinda physical too since the hand is missing) and the emotional impact that would have on him.

Another plot line I am a sucker for is either one or both characters hating each other's guts, but being forced to depend on each other in some way because of an injury. A common one I see seems to be like temporary lower paralysis where one can't walk and has to be carried/moved, among other things in day to day life. Maybe they are in a dangerous location, and even though the would-be caretaker hates the injured one, they won't leave them behind. Or maybe the hurt character hates the caretaker, would rather choose to be left behind and die than spend time with them, but the caretaker is an annoying, overzealous do-gooder and won't let that happen. Maybe one character is or was evil and feels the injury is deserved. They argue/fight the whole time and may or may not eventually tolerate each other. Love those.

So do any of those things mentioned interest you? Because that's the sort of stuff I read under that umbrella. But yeah, in the future, if you ever want a reader, even if it's beyond the scope I just mentioned,  then I'll volunteer!  

21 hours ago, Chanel_no5 said:

but had someone point out that "boy, you sure write a lot of colds/flu..." and I kinda froze up and decided that I should probably branch out if I want to fly under the radar with H/C.  

Also, as far as dissenters go on your sickfics, don't feel bad! If they don't like it, they can just... not read it lol. Or go elsewhere. I started recently updating my AO3 to include my fetish stories and got some weird remarks, but I just deleted the comments because I don't care if they don't like it. I just clearly label the type of fic at the beginning and if they read past that and get weirded out then that's their own fault. The DW sign meme comes to mind. I didn't post it for them. Own it and write what you like!  I am sure there are people with tastes just like yours, no matter how specific you make it. Oh, and by doing that, you may also fix the problem of not having anyone to discuss your particular niche with, because those people will be the ones who show up to your fics, especially if you label them upfront.

 

[Chanel_no5]

13 hours ago, Losseneth said:

So first I have a question and can't find an answer to it googling; is the whump term limited to physical injuries or illnesses? Is emotional/situational whump a thing? Because that is something that have read and really liked before; like a character suddenly being unable to do something they really enjoyed or being unable to serve their purpose. Example, like Jaime from GoT losing his hand (although that is kinda physical too since the hand is missing) and the emotional impact that would have on him.

From what I can tell - and I'm a total newbie into this kind of fiction as well, so don't trust me blindly!   - there is also emotional whump. It makes sense, because personally, the worst suffering I've been through has been emotional/mental, and not physical, though I've had some really horrific pains as well. Could also be combined; the physical pain/discomfort if you do something you enjoy, leading to the emotional pain when you can't do it. Didn't think that far myself.   Like, I'm waiting to be tested for a rare genetic blood disease that is triggered by sunlight, so given that I do have it (which I'm certain I do), I can kiss "going to the lake for a swim on a sunny day" goodbye. I don't particularly enjoy the sun as in tanning or anything, but there are plenty of things you only really do on sunny days that I'll no longer be able to do. I'm gonna miss that a lot, but it's just not worth the pain and fucking up my nervous system worse than it already is. It would ruin a lot of nice things you never really thought about losing, though.  Oh man, I've never watched GoT so I have no idea what that means, but I burst out laughing because to me it sounds like YEAH, maybe losing your hand is KINDA physical, no?  

13 hours ago, Losseneth said:

Another plot line I am a sucker for is either one or both characters hating each other's guts, but being forced to depend on each other in some way because of an injury. A common one I see seems to be like temporary lower paralysis where one can't walk and has to be carried/moved, among other things in day to day life. Maybe they are in a dangerous location, and even though the would-be caretaker hates the injured one, they won't leave them behind. Or maybe the hurt character hates the caretaker, would rather choose to be left behind and die than spend time with them, but the caretaker is an annoying, overzealous do-gooder and won't let that happen. Maybe one character is or was evil and feels the injury is deserved. They argue/fight the whole time and may or may not eventually tolerate each other. Love those.

So do any of those things mentioned interest you? Because that's the sort of stuff I read under that umbrella. But yeah, in the future, if you ever want a reader, even if it's beyond the scope I just mentioned,  then I'll volunteer!  

I usually write characters that are proud/arrogant and don't want anyone to see them being vulnerable, and then FINALLY getting to the breaking point and allowing someone who's gentle and caring to get close enough to give some comfort. I don't think I've written characters really hating one another and still ending up offering/accepting help. That could be very interesting to try out. My favourite character to write these kind of fics about (the only character I feel truly comfortable writing whump about because she's so tough in herself she just keeps working through it, which lessens my guilt significantly, lol!) is part of my OTP so I usually write her being taken care of by her lover, so no hate is part of it. However, there are other characters that she has a... strained, at best... relationship with, I could try stepping out of my comfort zone and give that a shot.   Because that could certainly involve some "hate-caretaking"... Interesting, I never really thought about that. 

Also, be careful what you volunteer for... I might hold you to it!! 😛 

13 hours ago, Losseneth said:

Also, as far as dissenters go on your sickfics, don't feel bad! If they don't like it, they can just... not read it lol. Or go elsewhere. I started recently updating my AO3 to include my fetish stories and got some weird remarks, but I just deleted the comments because I don't care if they don't like it. I just clearly label the type of fic at the beginning and if they read past that and get weirded out then that's their own fault. The DW sign meme comes to mind. I didn't post it for them. Own it and write what you like!  I am sure there are people with tastes just like yours, no matter how specific you make it. Oh, and by doing that, you may also fix the problem of not having anyone to discuss your particular niche with, because those people will be the ones who show up to your fics, especially if you label them upfront.

Well... I did have a bunch of readers back at fanfiction.net, when I wrote Criminal Minds fics, but I've got maybe two or three people that read my Westworld fics and they usually never comment, so I don't actually know if they like them or read them to get a good laugh because they suck.   It's not any better on AO3, where I've posted Westworld fics and maybe one or two fics of other fandoms. It's not the fandom per say; I know other writers that get plenty of readers, but I don't write the type of characters that people like to read in general, so the tiny bunch that did like my stuff have probably since moved on to other fandoms. So most of the time I feel I'm just shouting into the void. But I keep hoping some day someone's gonna find it and be interested. Hopefully before I lose interest and move on from the fandom.  

(and yeah, I'm a pathetically insecure writer in constant need of reassurance. I try not to come across as an attention whore, but I'm so painfully insecure about everything I tend to do that anyway. )

 

[l226268]

@Chanel_no5 Oh, to add context to the GoT thing, Jaime is (was) one of the best swordsman and also is the one who took out the Mad King, so he was known for both of those things. Then he lost his sword hand and was forced to relearn with the left, but afaik was never as good. So that came to mind as an example of emotional whump first because something like that would really mess with someone's head.

[Chanel_no5]

8 hours ago, Losseneth said:

@Chanel_no5 Oh, to add context to the GoT thing, Jaime is (was) one of the best swordsman and also is the one who took out the Mad King, so he was known for both of those things. Then he lost his sword hand and was forced to relearn with the left, but afaik was never as good. So that came to mind as an example of emotional whump first because something like that would really mess with someone's head.

Ooooh, yeah, totally get it now. Wow, talk about trauma. 

 

[Snapdragon]

If you're looking for some general prompts for h/c or whump, there's a couple of places that might be worth a look: the hc_bingo community on Dreamwidth and the Bad Things Happen Bingo tumblr community.

Both have their prompt lists available if you just want to look through a list of prompts without the pressure of signing up to a fic challenge (I actually signed up for both and got "Common Cold" and "Fevers" on my Bad Things Happen card - WHOOPS, I played myself, now I gotta try and write sickfic that doesn't get too fetishy because oh god my non-fetish friends are gonna see it what have I done).

[Chanel_no5]

13 minutes ago, Snapdragon said:

If you're looking for some general prompts for h/c or whump, there's a couple of places that might be worth a look: the hc_bingo community on Dreamwidth and the Bad Things Happen Bingo tumblr community.

Both have their prompt lists available if you just want to look through a list of prompts without the pressure of signing up to a fic challenge (I actually signed up for both and got "Common Cold" and "Fevers" on my Bad Things Happen card - WHOOPS, I played myself, now I gotta try and write sickfic that doesn't get too fetishy because oh god my non-fetish friends are gonna see it what have I done).

Hahahahahaha, I laughed out loud at your playing yourself there, then I clicked the first link and randomly clicked one of the lists and oh wouldn't you know it, two of the prompts were "Allergic Reaction" and "Sex Pollen"   So I played myself too! 

I've been in a writer's block situation lately, when things I should write pile up and the more they do, the harder it is to write anything. Hopefully if I can write something completely unrelated, that would shake me loose so I can wrap up the other things. Thank you!!

Oh, and good luck with those prompts and keeping the fetishy parts lowkey. That is NOT an easy feat at all! Though most of the time, vanillas don't notice unless it's extremely detailed. But... yeah, that's the thing. What is too detailed?  

 

 

[Snapdragon]

@Chanel_no5 Good luck getting those muses to cooperate!

Also... when it comes to "what is too detailed", I have literally NO IDEA. My partner read a really self-indulgent sickfic I wrote once and still had no clue it was a fetishy thing for me until I told them much later, so... beats me. 😅

[Chanel_no5]

@Snapdragon Thanks! I have a feeling I'm gonna need it...  

I know, right??? I had a reader on ff.net once who loved the one very (for me) fetishy allergy fic I sneakily posted, because... ... she had really miserable allergies and thought my descriptions of the allergic hell the character went through every spring were spot-on. 

I may have felt somewhat ashamed. I never told her that was essentially porn to me.  

 

[Snapdragon]

@Chanel_no5 oh gosh oh nooo, that must have felt so awkward! There really is no good way to tell someone "actually I wrote this lovingly detailed fic about this affliction you also suffer from because it makes me horny" 😂

[Chanel_no5]

@Snapdragon SOMEWHAT!!! Though I did get to know this person pretty well over a few years when we were in the same fandom, and I think she was the kind of person who would have been genuinely amused if she had found out, but I was just too embarrassed.