What a great post. I started reading "Children of Mars" only yesterday and now I'm halfway through... I'm almost relieved to know that you chose to leave Snape in this condition - for a number of reasons.
Hurt/comfort fics usually go like this: a guy #1 gets some health problem and his present/future lover/friend/whatever takes care of him. The author is always ready to describe the details of their misery. The guy #1 suffers because of his condition, the guy #2 suffers from seeing guy #1 suffering... The reader feels that if a cure isn't found soon, both of them are definitely going to depress themselves to death. And then there's a cure and everyone gets their fluff and snot in sugar.
I've always had these questions: - And what if they didn't find a cure? The authors tend to describe only the "sad part" of being disabled. Happiness is always associated with "fixing" and not with learning to live with a certain condition. It's like "a guy can't use his legs - he's sad - he regains partial use of his legs - he's happier" but NEVER like "he learns how to use a wheelchair - he's happier". It especially angers me if the "hurt" character is supposed to have lots of willpower. Well then, dear author, why won't you show it to us? Anyone can be happy if magically cured, but you need guts to fight for happiness if you're disabled. - If romance is involved, the attraction usually begins when the guy #1 is still disabled, but a full-blown romance starts only when he's cured. Doesn't it cheapen the idea of their (supposedly) true love? And, once again, what if they didn't find a cure? - The cure itself. It's usually quick and simple. Why can't someone describe complicated and excruciatingly slow therapy which makes the guy wonder if it's even worth it, but his SuperWillPower makes itself known and he manages to overcome the obstacles?
I think I'm going to look for more data about H/C fics and try to analyse this matter. I can't believe I've never thought about how cheap and unrealistic they are.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2010-08-03 07:33 am (UTC)Hurt/comfort fics usually go like this: a guy #1 gets some health problem and his present/future lover/friend/whatever takes care of him. The author is always ready to describe the details of their misery. The guy #1 suffers because of his condition, the guy #2 suffers from seeing guy #1 suffering... The reader feels that if a cure isn't found soon, both of them are definitely going to depress themselves to death. And then there's a cure and everyone gets their fluff and snot in sugar.
I've always had these questions:
- And what if they didn't find a cure? The authors tend to describe only the "sad part" of being disabled. Happiness is always associated with "fixing" and not with learning to live with a certain condition. It's like "a guy can't use his legs - he's sad - he regains partial use of his legs - he's happier" but NEVER like "he learns how to use a wheelchair - he's happier". It especially angers me if the "hurt" character is supposed to have lots of willpower. Well then, dear author, why won't you show it to us? Anyone can be happy if magically cured, but you need guts to fight for happiness if you're disabled.
- If romance is involved, the attraction usually begins when the guy #1 is still disabled, but a full-blown romance starts only when he's cured. Doesn't it cheapen the idea of their (supposedly) true love? And, once again, what if they didn't find a cure?
- The cure itself. It's usually quick and simple. Why can't someone describe complicated and excruciatingly slow therapy which makes the guy wonder if it's even worth it, but his SuperWillPower makes itself known and he manages to overcome the obstacles?
I think I'm going to look for more data about H/C fics and try to analyse this matter. I can't believe I've never thought about how cheap and unrealistic they are.