An Unexpected Ending

[Asbel]

You're reading your favorite fic by this author on Literotica, and holy shit, this guy's been nailing everything. You love the characters, you love the chemistry, you love the story.

At some point in the middle of the story, the author starts hinting that the main love interest might actually be the antagonist. Okay, whatever, as long as they still have awesome sex, right?

But then close to the end, the love interest becomes a demonic asshole and everything you thought you knew about this story is completely different. The antagonists are the protagonists, the protagonists are the antagonists, the love interest is a fucking monster and the sex is still good but it's bordering on abuse.

Would you keep reading it?

 

[lovecraft68]

I suppose it night depend on how well the shift was handled. If it was heavy handed and blatantly 'oh, shit this is how I should have done it, let me change it" I would click off, if it was subtle and seemed like it made sense as in clues left all along I would continue.

As for the abuse, if it was romantic for a long way in then did that 360 I would be ticked because I'd feel like the author was playing category games and trying to hide content that would have gotten people to click off immediately instead of tricking them once invested.

 

[GoldenMaia]

Rough sex that the character receiving likes? I'd still read it.

Rough sex that is non-con when it started out all romantic?.....nah.

I want to see even really rough sex as being consensual though. The fantasy of rape is hot when you know all parties are digging it. When it turns brutal and cruel, I tap out.

 

[Desiretobedesir]

.........

 

[Asbel]

I suppose it night depend on how well the shift was handled. If it was heavy handed and blatantly 'oh, shit this is how I should have done it, let me change it" I would click off, if it was subtle and seemed like it made sense as in clues left all along I would continue.

As for the abuse, if it was romantic for a long way in then did that 360 I would be ticked because I'd feel like the author was playing category games and trying to hide content that would have gotten people to click off immediately instead of tricking them once invested.

In this case it'd have been subtle over a long time and obvious intended from clues that were left in early on, same with the abuse.

 

[NotWise]

Would you keep reading it?

If it's well done then I think that's a twist that would make the story interesting. Foreshadowing it in the middle of the story is better than doing a big reveal at the end -- Ah! your protagonist has been screwing you (figuratively) since the beginning and you didn't know it!

 

[NOIRTRASH]

I must be sold on every page, and never go forth on faith.

 

[sr71plt]

Sounds like it could be a memorable read, yes.

 

[GoldenCojones]

I would probably finish the story, but I doubt I would ever read another story by that author.

Personally, I enjoy unexpected non-happy endings. I hate reading a story knowing that in the end everything is perfect and wrapped in a neat little bow.

I like reading stories that in the end everything is perfect and wrapped in a neat little bow. There is too much pain in the world for me to read or write about more without there at least being a happy ending. I mean, I want the full monty of happy endings. Bunnies and butterflies enjoying the warm summer afternoon as Bambi contentedly enjoys eating the beautiful green grass in the perfect meadow kind of happy ending.

And for me, there is absolutely nothing erotic, sexy, or pleasant about rape whether fantasized or not. I want all parties to not only be consenting but actually intensely enthusiastic! But to everyone their kinks, right.

 

[Ewobbit]

Some of my favorite mainstream books pull out surprise endings. As long as it is done well, I don't really mind. and often enjoy it.

I actually have a plot mapped out somewhere in my infamous slush pile (that I will probably never complete anything out of) that centered around an Angel and a Demon, and the demon was the beautiful flawless (not to mention sexy) one where the angel was disfigured and a bit more plain by comparison.

But, frankly every instance that I can think of where it worked was peppered liberally with hints and foreshadowing not a surprise slap in the face in the last ten pages of a two hundred plus page read.

Except for one. A movie titled "Shattered" ended with me going "What the fuck just happened?" But, that is the only one I can think of that worked, for me at least. And it has a 6.5 out of 10 star rating on IMBb with over 6k votes. So apparently it was either loved or hated by people that are old enough to remember it.

 

[Asbel]

Well, what about rape that's not intended to be fetishized?

Let's say I only put my stuff on Literotica BECAUSE of the massive amount of sex involved and not so that I can write sex and only sex. The sex just kinda happens. I find myself, therefore, questioning a lot of what I do because it's not typically intended to be a fetish-based plot device, but simply a plot device at all.

 

[GoldenCojones]

Well, what about rape that's not intended to be fetishized?

Let's say I only put my stuff on Literotica BECAUSE of the massive amount of sex involved and not so that I can write sex and only sex. The sex just kinda happens. I find myself, therefore, questioning a lot of what I do because it's not typically intended to be a fetish-based plot device, but simply a plot device at all.

IMHO, rape could be a powerful motivator for almost any negative emotional response. Depression, suicide, homicide, multiple personality disorder, schizophrenia, you name it, if it's a negative emotional response or outcome then rape could be the root cause. That's not a medical opinion. I'm not a doctor, but for me, it would be believable.

If you try to use it as a positive motivator, then you will lose me as a reader. And for me that is absolute.

 

[Asbel]

If you try to use it as a positive motivator, then you will lose me as a reader. And for me that is absolute.

God, no. That's just stupid.

 

[HandsInTheDark]

You're reading your favorite fic by this author on Literotica, and holy shit, this guy's been nailing everything. You love the characters, you love the chemistry, you love the story.

At some point in the middle of the story, the author starts hinting that the main love interest might actually be the antagonist. Okay, whatever, as long as they still have awesome sex, right?

But then close to the end, the love interest becomes a demonic asshole and everything you thought you knew about this story is completely different. The antagonists are the protagonists, the protagonists are the antagonists, the love interest is a fucking monster and the sex is still good but it's bordering on abuse.

Would you keep reading it?

You lost me at "fan fic". Even if I ignore that, probably not. If I didn't like the original story, I won't care about any fanfic. If I did, and you've turned the author's intent upside down, I'll wander off in huff. Two huffs if the abuse was leveled at a favorite character.

That's just me, though. I couldn't sit through the Lord of the Rings or Hobbit movies because I *know* those characters and I could feel it every single time a character did or said something that Tolkien would never have consented to. It happened a lot. Don't get me started on anything ever done in fanfics, music or movies to Narnia. (I wrote a tiny anti-homage to the damage done by "abridged" and "adapted" versions of Narnia in one, of my stories. Serious pet peeve.)

In music you can do a "fantasy on a theme by..." and everyone knows at the start you're going to take significant liberties with the original. (Most impressive example I know: Larks' Tongue in Aspic. Play it back to back with The Lark Ascending and have your mind melt.) In a musical fantasy, you know from the start what to expect. In writing it's much harder to get that same prior consent from the reader.

At the very least I'd warn the reader about where you're going. If people get as passionate about their original lit as I do about Lord of the Rings or Narnia, expect hate mail if you don't.

 

[Asbel]

I did actually say fic, not fanfic. Just fiction.

 

[Desiremakesmeweak]

Who, who is it? Which one is it?

I wanna see this. I wanna see this road crash. Or not. I just wanna see it now that you said this about it. Sounds unusual.

 

[Asbel]

Who, who is it? Which one is it?

I wanna see this. I wanna see this road crash. Or not. I just wanna see it now that you said this about it. Sounds unusual.

... Um, well, actually it's my story, Hematoma. I've been reeling back and forth on whether I go with my planned ending or make something more appealing to the general populace. So far the answer is "fuck the populace, I'm going to ruin someone's happiness for the sake of literature."

 

[ElectricBlue]

Write two separate endings - one as a crowd pleaser, and your preferred. Post them as two separate chapters with a preamble on each explaining what's going on. Satisfied punters, satisfied author, and you get to see the reaction to both. More writing though, you'd better get on with it, stop agonising over it!

 

[le_kitty]

Write two separate endings - one as a crowd pleaser, and your preferred. Post them as two separate chapters with a preamble on each explaining what's going on. Satisfied punters, satisfied author, and you get to see the reaction to both. More writing though, you'd better get on with it, stop agonising over it!

Yeah, I do know of one writer on Lit who did this to her series.

 

[Hypoxia]

Write two separate endings - one as a crowd pleaser, and your preferred.

I didn't like how I ended my 3-part series Bride of Kong so I wrote a ch.04 finale with alternate and cascading endings. That chapter scored higher than the others so I guess it worked.

Then for Substitute Pussy I left the story hanging with a number of possible continuations. I asked readers to choose a future path. Its in LW so no, that didn't go over too well. I do intend to write a few of those alternates, all clearly identified as such.

 

[SecondCircle]

Yes. I would.

Would everyone like it? The gradual flip flop from pro to antagonist? The evolution from one mood to a more agressive mood? No. But not everyone will like everything, so I would simply advise one to make peace with that.

Why I say yes? Well for one, if it is like you say where it gradually shifts little at a time while foreshadowing along the way and you pull it off, that sounds like a smoothly flowing well constructed read. As opposed to just dropping the shift in mood and theme like an anvil. It doesn't sound like just "a twist ending" to me. It sounds like a story starting in sunshine and evolving into thunderstorms. That's pretty cool I think. Sounds interesting. So it's a kind of writing I like to see.

Also, I personally like stories where it's not just clear cut "good guy" and "bad guy". I like when a character seems like an awesome person, but over time as they meet challenges and conflicts, you get to see another side of them. Same with an antagonist character. You are given up front reasons to hate them, and along the way you learn about the characters and realize they aren't just a devil with horns. They have hopes and fears like us. We might start to sympathize with choices they made, we might pity them, we might even cheer for them. So I like your swap. To me, it's awesome character building if done right. Sounds like it'd make you stop and think about the characters and see them as red blooded people and not templates.

Whatever route you choose, don't just tack it on. It will show. That will cheapen the effect. The whole story should mesh.

 

[Asbel]

Yes. I would.
Sounds like it'd make you stop and think about the characters and see them as red blooded people and not templates.

This becomes infinitely more amusing when you realize 90% of the characters are vampires.

Write two separate endings - one as a crowd pleaser, and your preferred. Post them as two separate chapters with a preamble on each explaining what's going on. Satisfied punters, satisfied author, and you get to see the reaction to both. More writing though, you'd better get on with it, stop agonising over it!

This would be great and I'd probably use this idea for another series, but the shift is so slow and the ending so long that it will probably end up being three chapters. But that does sound awesome. I'll be planning a story I can use this on, then.

 

[Theroughstockeventauthor]

My two cents

Asbel! I wanted to let you know that I've enjoyed this story so far, more for the plot than as a "stroke" piece, since I don't really share your protagonist's kinks. However, I thought the sex was nicely written and supported the plot. FWIW, I would like to read more. I thought Ricky's dangerous nature was established very clearly, and the other character came across as naive and vulnerable. I don't think an ending where Ricky acts like the monster he is would be misplaced, although I sympathize with the other guy and would be duly sad if he died or suffered permanent debilitating injury. That is not a reason not to write that outcome if that's how it falls out IMHO, but rather the natural response evoked by good writing. I agree with your premise that vampires are brutal monsters, not sparkly and friendly. Their sex appeal is in the service of seducing victims, whom they then kill or turn into undead slaves, a la Dracula. Any scenario in which a so-called vampire is able to survive by drinking animal or blood bank blood and maintain supernatural abilities, eternal life, etc feels totally unbelievable and tantamount to "cheating" to me. The whole premise is based on the idea that the vampire must make the choice to murder or otherwise steal the lives of others to support his or her unnaturally extended and enhanced life. I totally appreciate the work you are doing to address this important social issue. *L

I can appreciate your dilemma about the ending as far as reader expectations vs. your own plans for the plot and characters. I encountered a somewhat comparable situation with my own story, "The Other Boy in Goodwell". I wrote it as background for the novel I'm working on, "The Rough Stock Event", and posted it thinking it would be kind of a fun, short, sort of feelsy stroke piece that Lit readers might enjoy. The response was generally positive, if not overwhelming, and an anonymous commentator requested a sequel from Scott (the titular "other boy")'s pov. Needless to say, this flattered me as a writer, and presented an intriguing challenge. So I wrote part 1.5 as a sort of wrap-up/coda kind of thing. Ok, cool! Done. But then I got an email from another reader who wanted more! So, ever obliging, I started working on another scene (mostly sex with a little plot and backstory). Then I realized "fuck! The readers don't know what I know! They might be/probably are expecting a HEA ending for Dare and Scott. But that's impossible, because Dare ends up with Austin Hart a couple years later." So, I still haven't decided whether to continue through the break-up, or leave Dare and Scott on a HFN note...

Hope this helps or encourages in some way. Thanks for an enjoyable read so far!

Love, Rough Stock

 

[NaokoSmith]

Personally, I enjoy unexpected non-happy endings. I hate reading a story knowing that in the end everything is perfect and wrapped in a neat little bow.

Sorry, I was distracted by the neat little bow in your great new profile pic
What was the question?

LOL, Asbel, it sounds like you have at least one new fan, anyway - go with the dark ending! it sounds intriguing.

 

[Desiremakesmeweak]

I swear I go to this party each year with these people in your story...