Atlantis Fic's constent hurt

[GatetheWay]

I have read a lot of Atlantis fics and it seems a lot of them like to greatly abuse the characters espacially Sheppard and McKay. I'm new to fan fic and have not readmuch other then Atlantis ones but I just want to know why writers enjoy hurting them so much.

[kris]

yes that's a topic I have thought about a lot because when I first discovered fanfic I was struck by the sometimes excessive use of "whumping" as I came to know it. But not all fics are that way, some use it sparingly. Some not at all.


It's not just fanfic that does it. Hurting the hero is a time-honored device for getting the reader involved. It can be exciting or engender a warm and fuzzy feeling, concern, for the character. In the novel The Bourne Identity, we start with the hero being shot several times and floating in the sea, cared for by a drunken doctor (if I remember the story correctly, been a long time) and look at poor Luke Skywalker - ouch, my hand! I just reran Master and Commander--anybody see that? Poor doctor gets shot accidentally and has to operate on himself! Yikes! How about poor Frodo in Lord of the Rings trilogy? Sam had to practically carry him by the end he was in such a sad state. Old TV westerns used it a lot too, rattlesnake bites, gunshots, flogging at sea or prison episodes. It's endless.

As for why writers do it: Anything to stress and test the emotional core of the hero and those around him. Writing is all about what can be done, where it takes you, and in that way, the writer is on his own adventure without getting hurt herself/himself. yeah, it's fun. Oh those wicked, wicked writers!

Also, fanfic is written by mostly amateurs, so I think the tendency is to take the hurt the hero thing over the top. If you look at the show SGA, there is very little hurting. The writing is restrained and careful.

btw, I think Daniel Jackson has been hurt more than any other character in fanfic on the face of the planet. He definately has a poor baby kind of face.

I hope that starts the discussion. If not, we'll have to go find some rattlesnakes.

[Sparky13]

Good question! Lots and lots of fan fic out there has beatings, torture, illness, mental breakdowns and angst (the latter amounting to self-abuse if one reads too much of it, IMO). It's an interesting phenomenon.

Speaking as an individual, the "hurt" aspect of a story is not the least bit satisfying unless there is also a "comfort" element. Just having someone out there, bleeding into the dirt alone, does nothing for me. It is only the care and concern of others for the hapless, abused character that makes a story worthwhile.

I am not an introspective person, so I can't figure out on the spot why I tend to enjoy this type of story. Perhaps with enough therapy the answers will come. Off the cuff, I'd say that the strong bonds forged between characters are magnified by hurt/comfort situations. (Quite the opposite from, say, my real, actual life, wherein my very own family belittles my 104-degree fever and insists that I get up this very instant to make dinner... You know, I may be on to something, here.)

Sparky

[ShadowMaat]

The hurt/comfort fics seem to be a staple of the genre. I think it's mostly the comforting that comes afterwards that makes people want to hurt the characters. Unfortunately, though, SOME people write hurt/death/torture fics because they hate the featured character. I think Jonas has cornered the market on those, although Pete probably has a few, too.

I go mostly for angst, myself, because I think it's good for character development and to explore the emotional dark corners of a character. But I usually avoid physical pain because it isn't as interesting to me. Physical pain hurts the body, emotional pain hurts the soul. Which, when you think about it, is probably a much darker and more disturbing thing to like. Ah well. I'm used to being creepy.

[Skydiver]

Hurt comfort fic is easy to write, it's as simple as that.

imagine writing an adventure or drama....you need, or should, come up with who, what, when, where, why....a plot and all and that's harder than it sounds like.

for hurt/comfort fic, eh, just have them off world, one gets hurt, another comforts

you have the opportunity to use the caring element to get through those barriers people have (when one person cares for antoher one, as in comfrt caring, not ship) then you have the opportunity to deal wtih emotions, to lower those barriers, to get to the 'true' feelings and expose them

you use the injury to get down to brass tacks with two characters

unfortunately, since its so easy to write, it's also incredibly easy to write poorly. writers don't do enuogh research and actually kill the characters wiht what they put them through. they make no effort to show the true fallout of the injury, or the fact that what they've done to a character necessitates months of recuperation

[prion]

Hurt comfort fic is easy to write, it's as simple as that.

imagine writing an adventure or drama....you need, or should, come up with who, what, when, where, why....a plot and all and that's harder than it sounds like.

for hurt/comfort fic, eh, just have them off world, one gets hurt, another comforts

you have the opportunity to use the caring element to get through those barriers people have (when one person cares for another one, as in comfrt caring, not ship) then you have the opportunity to deal wtih emotions, to lower those barriers, to get to the 'true' feelings and expose them

you use the injury to get down to brass tacks with two characters

unfortunately, since its so easy to write, it's also incredibly easy to write poorly. writers don't do enuogh research and actually kill the characters wiht what they put them through. they make no effort to show the true fallout of the injury, or the fact that what they've done to a character necessitates months of recuperation

Actually, the same can be said of any genre of fanfic if you want to go that route... all you need are Sam and jack on a planet to make goo-goo eyes at each other, or all you need are just two guys or two women on a planet to have slash.

As you pointed out, yes, you need to have a decent PLOT for the story itself, which is why so much slash, ship, and h/c (or any other genre) is more of a skim it, don't bother with it. But then again, fanfic writers aren't paid a penny to write, it's free to post, so nobody is editing them and telling them a) no, sam and jack can make wild jungle love on the gateroom floor without someone noticing, or b) no, you can't lop off McKay's head and then just sew it back again, or c) no, Hammond isn't going to tell Sam and Janet, or Daniel and Teal'c, etc, etc., that sure, we don't mind if you're gay.

As for recuperation time in fanfic, some stories are great in it, others suck, but ditto for what the writers on the actual show do as well (usually they have a character recover in between episodes, that vague, undefined time...)

Mind you, there are some great h/c, ship and slash stories out there; it's a matter of sorting and finding them, or getting recommendations.

[prion]

I have read a lot of Atlantis fics and it seems a lot of them like to greatly abuse the characters especially Sheppard and McKay. I'm new to fan fic and have not readmuch other then Atlantis ones but I just want to know why writers enjoy hurting them so much.

H/C fanfic has been around since, whenever fanfic started, STAR TREK for one. ANyway, there's an old phrase, 'you only hurt the one you love,' which hey, maybe it applies here.

One part of h/c fiction (as long as it doesn't descend into a 'get-em', which is unending never-ceasing suffering without the comfort - sort of like a protracted IRS audit, I guess) is that you get the emotional resolution that most writers on TV shows never give you. After all, in the SG1 episode "Need," one minute Daniel has nearly killed Jack and is suffering a breakdown, and the next minute (after commercial break) he's fine. Fans like to read that in between part. It explores a part of the character you really don't get to see in the series, although the writers/ producers jumped into h/c themselves fairly early on with "38 Minutes" as they consider that kind of situation to be something that would bond the team together, which it did.

I like h/c, write h/c, and gee, was raised on h/c, come to think of it. As a kid, every show I saw put the hero in jeopardy, but usually bonked him on the head or shot him in the shoulder. In scifi, you can do more. Heck, in SG1, you can kill 'em ten times over and revive 'em like new in a sarc!

[BackStageJim]

A lot must come from their own hurt being transferred and placed on characters they identify with on some undisclosed level. If the character is hurting more then they are, they can feel good for the moment. On the other hand, if they are made a hero, the same transference occurs.

Might be cheaper then professional therapy, but not as productive.

[Sparky13]

<<Might be cheaper then professional therapy, but not as productive.>>

It depends on the therapist. Or the patient. Or both.

[prion]

A lot must come from their own hurt being transferred and placed on characters they identify with on some undisclosed level. If the character is hurting more then they are, they can feel good for the moment. On the other hand, if they are made a hero, the same transference occurs.

Might be cheaper then professional therapy, but not as productive.

Oh, believe me, academics have already done papers on fans

But if h/c writers xfer their hurt on to a character, what does this mean about people who write ship and slash???

[CoffeeGirl]

But if h/c writers xfer their hurt on to a character, what does this mean about people who write ship and slash???

Don't go there...

[prion]

Don't go there...

Oh, I love that little yellow emoticon that hides its face!

[Skydiver]

A lot must come from their own hurt being transferred and placed on characters they identify with on some undisclosed level. If the character is hurting more then they are, they can feel good for the moment. On the other hand, if they are made a hero, the same transference occurs.

Might be cheaper then professional therapy, but not as productive.

in a lot of the 'stereotypical' hc fic what you have is Hero. Hero has a theory/opinion. Hero is right, but Comforter doesn't believe him/her. usually because of that disbelief, Hero is hurt and Comforter is forced to care for Hero....thus seeing the error of his arrogant ways.

in ship/slash this can also be the catalyst for Hero and Comforter to realize their unmentioned feelings for each other

once Hero and Comforter are rescued, there is the obligatory infirmary vigil, whre Comforter is again shown the error of his ways by Friends, who see what a great person Hero is and must show that fact to Comforter. And who, sometimes, urge Comforter to overcome his/her guilt and confess their feeligns to Hero.
Of course, there is teh angst of Comforter feeling that Hero will never forgive him/her for thier transgressions.

in the end, every one is happy and forgiven

What you can draw parallels to is a common feeling of inadequacy in a lot of people. many times, a person feels left out or not wanted. They have to earn the respect of the 'cool kids' and what better way than to be proven right and accepted?

The Hurt part is a way to get through the emotions, but also there to engender guilt and angst while the comfort part gives the other person an excuse to reveal his/her feelings and accept the outcast

The problem with this is a problem endemic to a lot of fic....people go too far. In that i mean that the situations/feelings/actions are so over the top that the fic becomes farcical.

[prion]

The problem with this is a problem endemic to a lot of fic....people go too far. In that i mean that the situations/feelings/actions are so over the top that the fic becomes farcical.

Well, after seeing a few minutes of Desparate Housewives, who's to say fan fic is farsical?

[Skydiver]

Well, after seeing a few minutes of Desparate Housewives, who's to say fan fic is farsical?

desperate housewives is meant to be farcical, that's half the allure

to me, it's one thing when a show sets out to be a farce, it's something else when it is a farce, but thinks it's really high drama