Re: Character Deaths

by cya6 Tue Jul 24, 2012 7:57 pm

I've written two stories that involve character death. One was, yes, the one you guys were talking about earlier, What He Left (which I haven't updated because I'm busy on others Sad

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the other is betrayal, revenge, and the rise of the new order, which has two.

My view on character death is, well, basically, I'm a glutton for punishment. I'll comb the fics for any story where my favorite character dies, read it out of morbid fascination, and then spend the next few days wondering why the hell I just did that. Then I check again. Personally, I actually find quite a few stories with character death ('course, it's probably because I go looking for it). I've run into a bunch of really bad slasher fics, which are generally awful.

But the thing with character death is, it's so easy to go overboard.

(Actually, another story of mine that has character death are my drabbles. 4 of them have a stated death, and 1 has an implied death. Sigh. Of 8 drabbles, 5 have at least one character death Sad

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One thing I HATE (and I write that in bold letters, because that's how much I hate it) is when a character death is used as a plot device. That's kinda vague, but what I mean is, it's just there to make a point. I've always characterized it, when A: that character really shouldn't have died in said situation, and B: after a very brief period (one or two sentences) the character isn't really brought up again, and you get the impression no one really cared.

by eseiprahs Tue Jul 24, 2012 11:15 pm

I remember I started reading a fic in which Odd got shot and died within like, the first chapter. I was like :l and stopped reading. But you know, whatever. It's that person's story, it's up to them what happens.

by Kittyclaw Wed Jul 25, 2012 7:58 am

Cya, I hate the same thing you do. But I wouldn't call what they're doing a plot device--that's something neccessary that keeps the story moving forward. I would say what those authors are doing is simply clearing out characters they don't want to deal with/have to bother writing or are just doing it because they think it will get the story attention/reviews.

But, like Essy says, to each their own.

by cya6 Wed Jul 25, 2012 11:22 am

I only called it a plot device, because most of the times I see it, is just to prove something, like how evil a character is, or along the lines of that.

I try not to do that. Deaths in my stories are not treated lightly.

by eseiprahs Wed Jul 25, 2012 3:55 pm

Yeah. I do like when people do the unexpected - such as a character death. It's the same as with movies and books. I like whenever those kinds of things happen and yet I don't. I hate it whenever it's my favorite that dies, but it serves good for the unexpected factor!

by Hika-chan Wed Jul 25, 2012 8:29 pm

i love character death, actually. i'm an angst-o-holic, if i could name it, and it's already my favorite thing to come out in my stories, same as my other friends. i've read some of fic contain chara death, and mostly, i love 'A Sixth Sense?' by Lost Animus. it's an u/y old archive, but great--i love the suprising end, i'm twisted! and so then i save the page and open it whenever i'm feeling down or need to fangirling or need to doing an angst fic.

and yeah, two from my three fic in CL contained chara death--one in english (Cendrillion) and one in indonesian (euphoria, requiem, memory, and paper crane)

Dream out Loud! =)