poppyseed

this is so interesting, thank you for sharing! as a lover of conflict in fiction and especially in fanfic, I have many thoughts on conflict and it's really fascinating to see someone else's take on and approach to it.

your explanation of hurt/comfort also really helped me understand something about why I don't like h/c despite being what most would classify as an "angst" over "fluff" reader (which goes to show how those categories aren't really that helpful). as you say, it's a very conflict-less genre - in some ways it's the same as fluff, but in a different colour scheme. everyone is good to each other, taking care of each other, being held and being loved. which is not a bad thing, but as someone who craves the conflict, it has never managed to capture me.

in part I think this is because the tension of h/c comes from external circumstances, rather than internal. and my favourite type of conflict, and the kind I find the most compelling, is conflict that comes from something deeply fundamental to the characters. situations that force characters to confront the fact that there is something fundamental within them that is at odds with each other - because through that kind of conflict you either fall apart, or you get a very deep, genuine, "you have changed me" type growth. and that latter thing is what I find so compelling and indeed so romantic!! to have your world view shifted by someone, even if just in one small way. SO GOOD.

but that type of conflict is hard to build because it can't just come from the outside, it needs to be born from deep characterisation, PLUS you need to create the circumstances to force the characters to have to confront those differences between them. it's the eternal struggle for me when writing, finding that perfect conflict. but it's so satisfying to get it right

this was so rambly... in short thank you for your thoughts and I've loved reading them!