notdeadjack:

I highly appreciate the “happy ending” tag on angst fics, dark fics, etc. Its existence increases the probability of me reading by a significant amount

but some people are like “why even read those fics if you already know how they’re gonna end?”

Well, it’s kinda like going on a roller-coaster. I wanna experience the ride. The ups and the downs, the twists and turns. But I also wanna know that at the end, it’ll come to a safe stop and I’ll be able to get off of it completely unharmed

jadewhisper:

adreadfulidea:

I think a surprising amount of writers don’t realize that tragedies are supposed to be cathartic. They’re intended to result in a purging of emotion, a luxurious cry; the sorrow caused by a great tragedy is akin to fear caused by a good horror movie – it’s a “safe” sorrow, one that is actually satisfying to the audience. It can still be beautiful! It’s isn’t supposed to just be salting the earth so nothing can grow.

But that’s how you get grimdark: writers who don’t realize that they’re supposed to be doing something withthe audience instead of tothe audience.

#i once heard a lecture where someone said that the great appeal of tragedy is to see terrible things happen to people you’re supposed to#empathize with and see yourself in#and that the catharsis comes from seeing someone’s life go horribly wrong and still have the author hold your hand and tell you#‘this story mattered. even though it had a sad ending it still mattered. even if you don’t succeed your attempts matter’#grimdark tells you that the world sucks and nothing you do matters#well-written tragedy tells you that sometimes the world sucks but everything you do matters so so much#your story is still worth telling even if you never achieve that happy ending#or if you lose it along the way#people have inherent value and their stories deserve to be told no matter if they turn out okay or not#and in a reality that has no concept of ‘fair’ that shit just hits good man!!! feels good!!!!! it’s COMFORTING

Representation Matters, or, a Story in Edits

In Defense of the Literary Happily Ever After

I couldn’t choose between these two so I will share them both.

Heroes don’t get happy endings. They give them to other people.

Stephanie Garber, Once Upon a Broken Heart

massharp1971:

Epilogue of New Beginnings now posted!

I made it!!! The two-part epilogue of New Beginnings is now posted

Part1: John makes a confession, and kinky fun ensues…

‘Okay, I give up. I don’t get it. We live in a community with an assortment of queer, polyamorous lovers in which there is an entire floor devoted to kinky adult activities. What could possibly be so difficult to talk to me about in this context?’

Part2:Finally I resolve the entire, very soft, reason why this fic was written at all.

Show Chapter | Archive of Our Own

I hope you enjoyed my mushy, smutty epic.

“…not all stories have happy endings; but that doesn’t mean they’re not worth the read.”

— Cassia Leo,Black Box.

⭐️✨Couldn’t decide which つり革 photo to post, so I’ll post them all ⭐️✨