Fianna wrote:At the point the writer goes "anyone can die!" is also usually the point I go "then why should I care about anyone, then?"
I hope you only apply that reasoning to fiction instead of to real life, 'cause, hoo boy, that is some high grade nihilism.
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What would
possibly give you that impression?
Usually, when a writer[1] starts with the "anyone can die" bullcrap, it, in my experience, almost unilaterally means "we're going to kill off lots of characters because Drama!" And my attitude is if
you (the writer) don't care about your characters except as fodder for (attempted) cheap emotional shock value, why the hell should
I care about them? It is why I don't don't watch disaster or slasher movies. If you (the metaphorical you) will treat your protagonists with less regard than I treat my standard units in an RTS game, I'm not even going to give you the time of day for a choice in my entertainment media.
Character death does not equal good writing anymore than any other tool, but it is often given the correlation, and it's one I wholeheartedly disagree with. It says you cannot think of anymore stories to tell with that character, or that you rate short-term emotional impact (let's face it VERY few media dwell on characters that have died for very long) higher than long-term character development.
(I mean SURELY you weren't reading that as "if some writer says that they will show a eagerness and willingness to kill fictional characters in their work of fiction for some half-arsed goal of "realism" or really for shock value, Aotrs Commander will not care about anyone or anything in any universe ever, fictional or otherwise? That wouldn't be nihilism, that'd be completely bonkers...
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I mean, sure, I'm quite, quite insane (or quite, quite sane, depending on perspective [2]) and I have a generally low regard for human life at the best of times because I'm Evil, but that is entirely earned by humanity's own actions, not because some writers like a high body-count in their stories...!)
[1]And if you do know how to contact writer of the real life universe, please do share it with me, I'd like to take up a few issues with them, starting with the everything...
[2]I.e. mine verses everyone else's...