(A word of warning/apology: I know this post is going to be disjointed/senseless because it's late past the hour of brain functionality).
I ponder about h/c quite a bit, mainly because I'm a complete sucker for it. But then I'll think about it and realise that I'm not really a complete sucker for it - I do have my standards.
I'll admit to really liking some of the things you mentioned in your post. I'm not defending my enjoyment of them - I enjoy them on much the same level I enjoy junk food. I know it's not good quality food but I like it anyway, and sometimes I like it just *because* it's not good quality stuff. It's a guilty pleasure... I wish I could live on a healthy diet all the time, but it's just not going to happen. On the same level, I wish I only enjoyed well written literature, because I'm sure it would be good for me, but at the same time I know I'm always going to want an unhealthy treat as well.
What it comes down to, I think, isn't anything as defensible as logic, but just a matter of pure personal taste. My favourite H/C fics involve not necessarily denial, but working through the pain and achieving something of worth despite the setback (and ultimately succumbing to the pain). I used to love the sappy care-giving relationship aspect a lot, and I suspect in the right context I still do. The reason is purely that I like to see characters act a certain way, even if it is OOC. That's not a popular view, I know, nor an intellectual one, but it's true - sometimes I just have an urge to see Ezra being comforted and petted over, because it's what I'd like to do to him.
And another caveat: it has to be written well. Really, I think this rule underscores and overwrites every single other rule I could ever come up with. If it's written well and believably, I'll gobble it up like icecream, regardless how OOC and implausible the naked premise is. Which is why I find it difficult to take most of my own fic seriously, I suppose - I know very well that I'm writing for pure indulgence and not for literary merit. I know I sacrifice characterisation for plot and my h/c kink. In the Mag7 fandom, I write gen, so maybe I haven't been too guilty of the things you've mentioned... I like the boys to be boys (only they're probably still a bit girlier than they'd really be), so I try to not be too over-the-top with their reactions, but it's a delicate line and I'm pretty sure I'm wavering all over the place like a drunken bikie...
All of that nonsense to say: I found your post very interesting, I admit to liking OOC h/c for the sake of h/c (as long as it's decently written) because I just love h/c in general, and I'm probably guilty of many of the things you've mentioned :)
no subject
I ponder about h/c quite a bit, mainly because I'm a complete sucker for it. But then I'll think about it and realise that I'm not really a complete sucker for it - I do have my standards.
I'll admit to really liking some of the things you mentioned in your post. I'm not defending my enjoyment of them - I enjoy them on much the same level I enjoy junk food. I know it's not good quality food but I like it anyway, and sometimes I like it just *because* it's not good quality stuff. It's a guilty pleasure... I wish I could live on a healthy diet all the time, but it's just not going to happen. On the same level, I wish I only enjoyed well written literature, because I'm sure it would be good for me, but at the same time I know I'm always going to want an unhealthy treat as well.
What it comes down to, I think, isn't anything as defensible as logic, but just a matter of pure personal taste. My favourite H/C fics involve not necessarily denial, but working through the pain and achieving something of worth despite the setback (and ultimately succumbing to the pain). I used to love the sappy care-giving relationship aspect a lot, and I suspect in the right context I still do. The reason is purely that I like to see characters act a certain way, even if it is OOC. That's not a popular view, I know, nor an intellectual one, but it's true - sometimes I just have an urge to see Ezra being comforted and petted over, because it's what I'd like to do to him.
And another caveat: it has to be written well. Really, I think this rule underscores and overwrites every single other rule I could ever come up with. If it's written well and believably, I'll gobble it up like icecream, regardless how OOC and implausible the naked premise is. Which is why I find it difficult to take most of my own fic seriously, I suppose - I know very well that I'm writing for pure indulgence and not for literary merit. I know I sacrifice characterisation for plot and my h/c kink. In the Mag7 fandom, I write gen, so maybe I haven't been too guilty of the things you've mentioned... I like the boys to be boys (only they're probably still a bit girlier than they'd really be), so I try to not be too over-the-top with their reactions, but it's a delicate line and I'm pretty sure I'm wavering all over the place like a drunken bikie...
All of that nonsense to say: I found your post very interesting, I admit to liking OOC h/c for the sake of h/c (as long as it's decently written) because I just love h/c in general, and I'm probably guilty of many of the things you've mentioned :)
Thanks for starting the discussion! :)