Insight, not entirely out of nowhere
So I finally, finally managed to get that wretched prologue for Berserk finished. In my defense it was a) technically a short story, at going on 9000 words, and b) mostly description of events, which is not my strong suit (as I've mentioned before).
Anyway, I got there and I posted it and I got four reviews so far. That's not bad at all for a first chapter, but not a whole lot compared to the ten or eleven I got for a mere set-up chapter with Stardust- and yet, these reviews are immensely more satisfying, even though they're not very long, either. As I suspected, it's not being disenchanted with storytelling in general, just that the reviews I get for fluff don't do as much for me.
So what is it? Why is "aww they are so sweet" not as satisfying as "oh god I'm so scared for them" (paraphrasing, here)? Is it because "aww" is much easier to achieve than genuine tension? Do I just like to make people hurt for my characters? Am I just better at hurt than at fluff? Find it more meaningful, maybe? >.>
And do painful stories generate better/more meaningful reviews, or am I just so much more invested in them that the reviews I get mean more?
There is one more fluffy chapter of Stardust before the actual plot sets in (and about five before it gets downright tragic), so if the reviews I get then do more for me than the current ones, I'll... actually, I'll know about as much as I do now. But I'll have confirmation that I should stick with the tragic ones.
***
That bonus chapter for Stockholm is... well, as I said, it's turning out to be quite different from my original idea. And I like the new one, but I basically have to start from scratch now, sooo.... I can't promise it'll be soon. :/