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

[nakeisha]

It must indeed have something to do with one's fannish background. I would always expect a 'unhappy ending' warning or something similar, and would be stunned not to see one. Not so much that some people wouldn't want them, because I know a lot of people don't like any kind of warning.

Thanks for your input.

[nakeisha]

Thank you for popping over

[erehwon6]

Oh good :)

I quite agree, and will generally just roll with whatever other people do (unless it's problematic).

Hmm interesting, I wouldn't have thought of that (having never written it). Gibbs & Ducky don't really seem the type to go for that anyway; but I'll keep that in mind.

Would a teddy make you feel better? :)

[nakeisha]

:-)

Not a lot of people would have thought about it :-) But no, I certainly cannot see Gibbs and Ducky doing that kind of thing, but thank you :-)

Oh, yes, teddy bears always make me feel better :-)

[erehwon6]

Very true. It's sort of a grey area; you wouldn't want anyone getting squicked, but too many warnings might spoiler it.
Thus far I've not written anything too 'kinky', just a few passing references to bondage. Which I would never do IRL (taps into my worst fear), but don't mind in a fic.

I do find kinks interesting, from a sociologic/psychology perspective, but it can be hard to know exactly what would ring true for a character. I've not written any sex scenes for NCIS thus far because I haven't 'got to know them' enough yet.

They are very sweet, I've had my favourite one since I was a baby. His name is Fred.

[nakeisha]

It's interesting that I've seen 'foodplay' come up as a not want or won't write in a few ficathons recently.

My nearest thing to anything 'kinky' was Ducky being really turned on by Gibbs dressed up in his uniform/suit and the story where they make love in the car with Gibbs touching Ducky through his trousers and gently telling him 'come for me, come for me now, Duck'.

But beyond that . . . I can't see Gibbs and Ducky playing any kinds of games, not really. Maybe the mildest 'domination' if one was really trying to comfort the other, i.e. they insist on being the one to do all the touching, etc. But the idea of Gibbs using his handcuffs in the bedroom . . .

I know what you mean about kinks from the sociological/psychology perspective, they are interesting.

They are adorable. I name all mine too.

[ravenclaw_devi]

(via metafandom)

People who want a warning for unhappy endings would likely want one for both, is my feeling.

[nakeisha]

Thank you for this. Tis my feeling too.

[frogspace]

Which of the above would warrant a warning for an unhappy ending?

Both.

Most pairing fanfic follows the conventions of the romance genre. One defining element that makes a romance a "Romance" (actually, the most defining element) is the HEA - the "Happily Ever After". It's a genre requirement. The Romance Writers of America define it as An Emotionally Satisfying and Optimistic Ending -- Romance novels end in a way that makes the reader feel good. Romance novels are based on the idea of an innate emotional justice -- the notion that good people in the world are rewarded and evil people are punished. In a romance, the lovers who risk and struggle for each other and their relationship are rewarded with emotional justice and unconditional love.

Basically, if your story doesn't have the HEA, it's not a romance.

Based on that approach, both stories would be unhappy, but I think giving the genre info that they aren't romance fiction would be more useful than giving away the ending.

[nakeisha]

Thank you for taking the time to comment.

And yes, you're right, the endings are not endings for a romance. But then a lot of fanfic writers shy away from using the term as they see it in purely negative and wishy-washy connotations, and they deny they are writing romance, so would never label it as such.

There was a personal element to this question, as I had to label a story (the silly Comm Moderator ::coughs:: me *g* has 'unhappy endings' as something that needs to be warned for). And given that if I'm known for anything in the fandoms in which I write, it's HEA, no matter what the story was about it would be expected to end 'happily', i.e. the couple together.