In defense of the feel-good fic
You know, there’s that saying that roughly goes: “If you give Harry a light saber, you have to give Voldemort a Death Star”. Heard that? Yeah. It’s bullshit. If I want to give Harry a light saber, because it’s cool I can, if I want to, slip Voldemort a whoopee cushion at the same time.
I don’t need a Death Star hanging over my hero/ine to make it awesome. I already have - like mostly everybody - a Death Star over my head, be it the banks, taxes, school or the job. And I don’t have a light saber. I’m more like a dog-walker somewhere in the boonies of Alderaan, destined to be collateral damage. Thank you for playing, better luck next life.
I read and write fics to feel joy, to have fun, not wallow in shit and angst and dire circumstances. By all means, if it’s necessary to include those, I’m good with it, but by Thor, give me something to laugh with it, give me moments of awesome - and those need not be battles, the right and perfect repartee counts as well. Give me witty banter and give me romance. If you give me comedy, give me Bogart/Hepburn, not vicarious cringing.
In essence, give me something to feel good after reading. Feeling bad I can totally manage on my own.
Thank you.
The original post is at http://nothorse.dreamwidth.org/34044.html. Comment there if you want.