Special Episode 23: Tropefest: Hurt/Comfort
In Special Episode 23, Flourish and Elizabeth continue the Tropefest series with an examination of a foundational subgenre of fanfiction: hurt/comfort. Why do people love to read about their favorite characters being tormented, and what exactly is the appeal of the “comfort” part? Topics covered include blockbuster movies’ lack of emotional depth, the way that perilous situations can break down emotional barriers, and h/c-adjacent fandom staples “whump” and “sickfic.”
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Show Notes
[00:00:00] As always, our intro music is “Awel” by stefsax, used under a CC BY 3.0 license. This time, it’s the outro music, too.
[00:02:45] In case you were one of the confused, learn more about whump on Fanlore. Also, read about the Tropes survey in the “Projects” section of our site!
[00:04:15] Fanlore has some great, extremely old-school examples for “get ’em.”
[00:05:45] There’s debates about Muldertorture from the 1990s on Fanlore in which people argue about what’s “over the top” and “basically snuff.” The more things change, etc., etc.
[00:06:50]
[00:19:32] Elizabeth’s piece on Mary Sues.
[00:27:03] We discussed the “schmoop plateau” in our special episode with Javier Grillo-Marxuach in Special Episode 9, “No Edith, No Peace.”
[00:39:40] Rec Center guest reccer Galia put together the “characters fixing themselves” list, and she actually referenced h/c in her intro:
Most hurt/comfort fics involve one character who experiences grief and trauma, and their love interest who helps put them back together. But I have a particular love for characters who put themselves back together—the slow process of practicing healthy thought patterns, spending time on self care, and noticing the small things that spark happiness.
[00:54:47] CW: LOTS of torture of various and graphic kinds (too many to list here—assume that if you don’t want to see it, it’s in here, and probably some horrible things you haven’t even thought of); plus, mostly-naked men. Please take this content warning seriously. That said...