#mercyfic

What is Mercyfic?

At its core, the term ‘mercyfic’ denotes the trope where one character (The Wretched/ Sufferer/Whumpee) does not expect to receive a kindness from / expects to be hurt by another character(s) (The Mercyful/Caretaker) who has no intention of doing so. This expectation by the Sufferer may manifest due to a variety of reasons, including societal norms, past experience or an actual personal vendetta. 

How the Mercyful chooses to extend that kindness will also affect the flavour of your mercyfic. For instance, a Mercyful who is appalled by whatever tragedy that has befallen the Sufferer and does their best to alleviate their stress will differ greatly from one who is apprehensive of the Sufferer due to past animosity but still has enough honour not to want Sufferer go through inhumane treatment or one who is completely ignorant to the stress that the Sufferer is sustaining until too late.

Simple TLDR: Character A expects Character B to do something bad to them, but Character B does not intend to do that to Character A. 

Here are some examples of Mercyfics on a03: 

Seeking Shelter by sphagnum

Wipe the ash from my eyes (so much more away) by PotatoLady

Leash by envysparkler

The Cold of Snow Refreshes the Soul by yelp 

Jason Todd and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Decision by gunpowder_and_pearls

Rules for this Event 

When: Now till the end of 2025

What: Any medium (art, fic, podfic etc) from any fandom with any rating is welcome! I only ask that you be sure to rate your works appropriately, and if you happen to be a minor, please be careful by selecting only the prompts that are suitable for your maturity levels. 

Where to post: You may post your works here on tumblr, tagging this account at @mercyfic-prompt-event so that your works may be reblogged. You may also post to this collection on AO3. 

There is no obligation to finish all of the prompts. The bingo square is really just there for aesthetic purposes - pick and choose the prompts that you vibe with the most and have fun from there. But if you do feel like completing the squares, then by all means, have all the fun you want! 

If there are any questions, feel free to send in an ask or dm this account. Happy writing!

[Text in picture under cut]

A goes through the horrors. A is now under the power of B. A expects cruelty, but receives kindness.

I have not actually heard of that tag before! That definitely sounds like the sort of vibe I go for in my writing!

I just looked up the tag and I have actually read fics with the tag mercyfic, I just hadn’t noticed lol

Thank you for explaining! I hope it becomes a canonical tag at some point :)

There was a moment of disquiet when his boot first struck pebble beach, and the slippery stones skidded under him, setting him stumbling. In that moment, he saw that one of the Low-Shore men had rope in his hands, coarse and thick as a man's wrist, unwound from the coil over his shoulder to an armspan and held at the ready like he was approaching a beast to tame. Though Aelius was under no illusion about his fate, that sight stopped him in his tracks: the realization that they'd come to meet him not as surrendered enemy commander, nor even the willing hostage that he was, but to yoke him as an animal.

Fandom: Original Work

Relationship: High-ranking war hostage sent in bad faith & Enemy druid expected to retaliate

Status: Complete (11k words)

Rating: M

Warnings: Descriptions of drowning/waterboarding, blood rituals, power imbalance and captivity

Summary: Surrendering under a false and temporary truce, Commander Aelius expects to spend his final days facing the brutality of a desperate enemy. Instead, life as a hostage sheds new light on a culture he was taught to disdain, even as his own people's inevitable betrayal nears.

The Stars Are Stigmata (7007 words) - Rated M

Pairing/Fandom: Jayce/Viktor from Arcane (League of Legends)

Summary:

The alien looks at Jayce like he’s a piece of meat. Jayce grips the bars of his cage and tries not to tremble. Fear means weakness, and as Jayce has always been taught, aliens will prey on any hint of weakness that he shows, using it as a weapon against him. Despite his best attempts not to show his fear though, his teeth start to chatter and a sob slips from his throat. But what does it matter anyway? What could his terror possibly matter now, when he’s found himself held captive by aliens, stranded impossibly far from Earth? What could allowing himself the indulgence of a single sob matter when he’s helpless and staring down the cold, eerily emotionless eyes of an alien that he can only assume wants to hurt him?