Unhappy Endings

[nakeisha]

In fanfic what are unhappy endings?

Does the term 'unhappy ending' apply to the characters? Or to the reader? Or to both?

Take the two following scenarios (I'm not going to make it fandom, pairing or even gender specific, just imagine they are your favourite pairing or any other two fandom characters in a longish term established relationship).

Comments

[executrix]

Hey, I started out in Blakes7, where the entire named cast dies under the worst possible circumstances. BtVS ends with the town a smoking crater, and in AtS there's a meaningful possibility that the world is going to end. Divorces and bad breakups just don't make it into the "unhappy ending" category for me.

[azdak]

Couldn't agree more. Also, I can't really imagine wanting to read about an amicable, mutually agreed break-up unless there was something much more interesting going on in the foreground of the story. To paraphrase Joss Whedon, there's a reason why Shakespeare didn't write a play about Othello popping out to get a quickie divorce.

[executrix]

I don't suppose that's what Loves Labours Wonne is about, either.

[azdak]

Surely Love's Labours' Wonne can only refer to childbirth?

Possibly - in fact probably - of twins. Of different genders but nonetheless inexplicably identical. Who would go on to have all sorts of romantic adventures and humorous confusions of identity but would at no point either (a) kill their lover or (b) have an amicable divorce

[ravenclaw_devi]

Yeah, but fans and especially 'shippers being the way they are - I think short of actual character death, most kinds of in-story catastrophe are going to sadden readers less than a breakup. Rather have the characters go through all sorts of abject hell while deeply loving each other (and drawing strength from that love), than have them go through a mutually agreed upon divorce like reasonable adults, sort of thing. (Doesn't mean that I, personally, would expect a warning for breakup endings.)

[nakeisha]

Apologies for the delay in replying to you.

I take your point, and for certain shows/fandoms as well as different people, a break-up compared to other things indeed might seem 'minor'. But for a lot of folk a break-up for their OTP is worse than death.

As I spend a lot of my time saying there is no way anyone will every please everyone!