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

[lindafishes8.livejournal.com]

Having read all the comments here, I'm in agreement with Janto. She really hit the mark. She mentions empathy and that's a key point.

For me, the Hurt/comfort aspect of it has to do with women's 'mothering' instincts. The strong need to take care of anyone who is hurt and to nurse them back to health. (That's why I became a nurse). Of course it doesn't explain why we, as writers, keep beating them up. Maybe so we can make them all better (through their partners, of course).

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

I imagine we all have the need to mend, or at least try to help. In any event, IK is certainly the recipient of a lot of love, however it arrives.