The Appeal of Death Stories
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| Title: | The Appeal of Death Stories |
| Creator: | Anonymous |
| Date(s): | January 30, 2002 |
| Medium: | online |
| Fandom: | |
| Topic: | Fan Fiction, Deathfic, Tissue Warning |
| External Links: | The Appeal of Death Stories/WebCite |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
The Appeal of Death Stories is an essay by Anonymous.
It is part of the Fanfic Symposium series.
Excerpts
It's okay to rape them, it's okay to hurt them without any comfort, it's okay to give them teddy bears, dress them in pajamas, and have them call each other 'honeybuns,' but it's not okay to kill them.That seems to be the prevailing attitude toward death stories in slash fandom. Even in fandoms where a main character does actually die, there is always a strong denial contingent. Two-thirds of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace stories are denial stories. A significant number of Highlander slash fans deny Richie's death. After Blair's drowning on Sentinel, many stories appeared in which he survived, during the period in which it was thought that the show was permanently off the air.
If there is resistance to killing a character who legitimately dies on the show, stories wherein a main character who survives the show dies are even more stigmatized. Highlander stories in which Duncan and Methos must decide who is the One are surprisingly few compared to the number of stories in which they both survive.
There are, however, a few brave slash fans who are not afraid to kill off a character in order to tell a good story and stir emotion. For really, what is a more vulnerable moment than the moment before death? And what is more likely to provoke declarations of love than the cold body of someone who the surviving character never said the right words to? What can possibly be more agonizing than deciding who should live and who should die? What is more wonderful than one lover sacrificing his or her life for the other?
Yes, liking death stories is in some ways a kink, like enjoying MPREG or BDSM or rape stories. Part of it is, I think, an appeal to the desire for tragic endings, a passion to prove that not all stories need to end happily.