Round Table - H/C ... Why We Love It

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

It is, perhaps, the most popular of genres within fanfiction, fandom and beyond.  It fuels fantasies, inspires scads of stories and makes our hearts ping a little.  Why is it such a draw?
In thinking about the series, I recall fewer incidents than we'd probably like to have seen, and most of them do involve the Russian.  The most notable, of course, comes in the Children's Day Affair, after Mother Earth (Wait, it's Mother Fear ;), lashes Illya with her strop.

Of course it is the elusiveness of that chest hidden in the shadows that compels us to keep looking, but the scene has the potential of being a very poignant moment for the partners: Napoleon wincing in sympathy at his friend's pain while Illya tries to emerge from his torment.  He has, by this time, been discovered because of some very loud moaning; I'm guessing it's a tactic and not a low pain threshhold ;)
Anyway, Hurt/Comfort.  Tell me more, why is it  so compelling? 

Comments

[mrua7.livejournal.com]

There was also that scene in the Shark Affair when Solo was lashed, and Illya gets trounced while trying to prevent it.

I agree with JantoJones, the emotions these things elicit ...fear, anxiety, sympathy, empathy, relief and joy pretty much cover it all. We run the emotional gamut in such tense situation.

In a way people have a morbid fascination with thinks like passing a fatal car accident and not be able to 'not' look. We know someone died, and we feel awful, but we also know there's nothing we could do about it. H/C gives us the opportunity to witness a hurtful sad event and to have a positive outcome and get that emotional high as the hero recovers with the help of his friend and goes on to save the day. It counter balances the sometimes harsh the realities of life.

We have an emotional connection to these characters and it's like getting an adrenalin rush when they're in danger and rescue each other. And of course like, Janto says, we keep doing that to these characters, definitely 'Illya wump', so we can experience (peripherally) being able to mother him and make him well.

It's all about having an emotional connection to the characters we write about.

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

Definitely we get a connection through the hurting process, feel empowering during the healing. Perhaps we can use the old line... "This is going to hurt me worse than it hurts you."

[insaneladybug.livejournal.com]

Ah, a topic after my own heart. ;)

I love that scene in The Shark Affair where Illya is trying to stop the torture. Not a moment of hesitation, just rushes right in.

I love to write "fix fics" in many fandoms when certain characters die whom I would rather see live. If they died in canon, then h/c pretty much has to be there to revive them. And if I adore either them or the actor (or both), so much the better. It's so nice to be able to have the power to change an unnecessary or otherwise unwanted death, unlike being helpless to do so in real-life. I definitely agree that one of the enjoyments of h/c is being able to have things end happy.

I am definitely more likely to focus h/c on characters I like, or characters who are liked by the character I like. I like the vulnerability a bit, as others have said, but I think mainly I like seeing the friendship squee that results as the hurt one is taken care of. (And I sort of like living vicariously through the one trying to help.) I also like exploring the characters' reactions to what's happening. Since each character is different, the stories will always be different even if some scenarios get recycled between fandoms.

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

Your response is comprehensive, and I like this:And I sort of like living vicariously through the one trying to help/
We do have that when we write, lending a helping hand to the one in need.