This is a really wonderful and eloquent essay. (I expect cereta would be delighted to publish it at the Fanfiction Symposium, if that sort of thing interests you. It would be an asset to the site, I think.)
You manage here to explain to me what it might feel like to enjoy death stories, which is no small feat, given that I'm fairly orthodox about wanting stories which end happily, or at least with some hope for redemption. Still, I'm amused by your point that many fans (myself included) will read curtainfic if it's recommended, but will shy away from (even well-rec'd) death stories because we don't want to ride that rollercoaster.
Rollercoasters may not be a bad analogy, actually. I can't stand them. They scare me. *g* I know people who love them, and I can kind of imagine what it would feel like to love them, but they make me feel ill. Just so, the emotional ride of a good death story -- I can appreciate the aesthetic, but it's just not a ride I relish.
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You manage here to explain to me what it might feel like to enjoy death stories, which is no small feat, given that I'm fairly orthodox about wanting stories which end happily, or at least with some hope for redemption. Still, I'm amused by your point that many fans (myself included) will read curtainfic if it's recommended, but will shy away from (even well-rec'd) death stories because we don't want to ride that rollercoaster.
Rollercoasters may not be a bad analogy, actually. I can't stand them. They scare me. *g* I know people who love them, and I can kind of imagine what it would feel like to love them, but they make me feel ill. Just so, the emotional ride of a good death story -- I can appreciate the aesthetic, but it's just not a ride I relish.