Hurt/comfort

Hurt/Comfort is a plot device used to get two characters together. Usually these characters are canonically not involved with each other so the badficcer must come up with a reason to get them together. The plot of the story involves one character getting hurt (victim) in such a way that the other character needs to comfort them (saviour). Hence the name.

The hurt itself can take many forms.
 * Hurting self: the victim character hurts themselves, by auto-mutilation, developing an eating disorder or attempting suicide. The motive for this OOC behaviour is that savior character does not love them. Upon finding out victim character hurt themselves for their sake saviour character confesses their love is mutual and all live happily ever after. Never mind that saviour character when in character would never fall for someone that is mentally unstable.
 * Hurt through illness: victim character has an accident or is diagnosed with cancer and saviour character nurses them back to health.
 * Hurt through angst: something terrible has happened to victim character: a bad childhood, or more recently being raped. Saviour character steps in and kisses the booboo away. In some extreme cases (that despite being extreme are unfortunately not rare) it is saviour character that rapes victim character. After which they fall mysteriously in love.

Hurt/comfort almost always involves healing sex. As can be derived from these short descriptions hurt/comfort often trivialises illness, mental problems and even rape. The elements of hurt are merely used in the story to give it a semblance of a plot and get to the sexxing part. Badficcers often don't seem to realise that rape victims, or even people with a broken leg that was put in a cast mere hours previously, are not all that interested in having sex right away. Not even with their Twu Wuv.