Death in stories.

[miomo]

I just thought I'd share this link concerning death in sci-fi and fantasy stories.

http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/846609/the_growing_problem_with_death_in_science_fiction_movies_and_tv_shows.html

It's particularly relevant to my characters, having one that lives in the DR, and is a bit disgusted with all the wreckless abandon that the "toplanders" have regarding their lives.

Discuss

[Phantomboy86]

Well, considering I can't work the death realm, i've had fear of death drilled into my head, and made an IC excuse for Trav's larger wariness of it.

I have seen a fair too many times though where people come flying back, not even looking a bit pale and shaky!

[LigH]

I wonder if it is a measure of maturity or not, the relation to and acceptance of the death. Of course death is natural, still I prefer not to experience it too often.

Like horror movies ... I don't mind a good movie with a lot of fear and death risk. But I hate movies where one after another gets killed or severly injured.

Might be a similar difference like erotic vs. porn: Imagination vs. presentation.

[Sarras Volcae]

when i started playing, it was customary for people to spend at least a day in the death realm. now, players treat death like a minor inconvenience, like stepping in dog crap. it's really unnatural and ruins a lot of plots (in my opinion).

Might be a similar difference like erotic vs. porn: Imagination vs. presentation.

could you provide an example that us non-perverts could relate to?

[LigH]

On one hand, the presentation.
Regarding sex: Porn - plain visible.
Regarding horror: Splatter - plain visible.

On the other hand, the imagination.
Regarding sex: Erotic - not everything is visible, but you can imagine the rest.
Regarding horror: Fear - not knowing its source or reason is more thrilling than just counting the corpses.

See "Blairwitch Project": Nothing really happened, but everyone was afraid of what could happen.

The story of "Hagarath, the living curse of the Purrty Family" was just as exciting. A lot more than e.g. Psrk going mayhem. Even Jacula had more thrill because you were more afraid of him becoming insane again than him actually being in bloodrush.

[Sangwa]

Sometimes I like movies where everyone is killed, sometimes I like movies where no one is killed, sometimes I like movies when people are killed and returned. It has to do with the context you give it. Being an agronomist I've come to know (for sure) that everything has to do with the situation and that there are no recipes, just objectives and conditions. If you learn well about these conditions, you'll find the best way to reach your objectives, if you know what they are to begin with. In sum, "Death in stories" has much to do with the feeling/thought/scene/crutch/material you want to bring forth, with the public you're trying to please (what they have seen, etc.) and with the material you have in hand (your character, the setting, the historic). Your intution and ability in bringing this all together will then decide if you succeed.

Take R.R. Martin. He does it all: people who die and are brought back, people who die and never come back, people who last against all chances, people who die against all chances. And he makes all of those work so well I'm feeling like reading the whole thing again.

(I guess LigH got a good example.)

Imagination vs Presentation isn't a recipe I'd follow either. Mainly because they're not actually substitutes of each other: they have their own time and spaces to be.