Uplifting and Sad Moments

There's something I've been pondering about now and then.

In your opinion, what is the most Heartwarming Moment you've ever written?

And on the other side, what's the saddest story part you've ever written?

In the interest of not tripping over my two left feet and dislocating an arm, I'm wary about posting what might be my best content so far because it'd mean spoiling things I've yet to get uploaded (*gestures grandly and obnoxiously at link in signature*). But in exchange? I've got other content that'll probably never see the light of day, partly because it's been revised/revamped into oblivion. Partly because my computer died last year and took plenty of files with it. I mean, I still have backup copies saved elsewhere, but whatever. It's more poignant to pretend my life's work, such as it is, is gone forever.

Here's the setup. Despite being the ostensible hero, Arc Siegel's no knight in shining armor. As clever and driven as he is, he's by no means a people-person; at best, he's callous and judgmental, willing to snark anyone who doesn't meet his lofty standards into submission. At worst, he'll stop being so "tolerant" and go on the attack — quite literally in the event someone dares to even brush against him. So his story is as much about shutting down a dimension-hopping serial killer before he unseals an ancient horror (and lord of the dead) as it is about building bonds with the people he's supposedly out to protect. That's largely because Mr. Ghost Emperor can't make it back to terra firma without using the corruption-induced madness of the populace to jury-rig an escape route.

With me so far? Boy, I hope so.

He may be the protagonist and one of the cast's smartest members, but paradoxically, he's by far the weakest. He can't hang with the tougher enemies in the story, which forces him to rely on those not only met through dire circumstances, but also have a vast array of potent (if occasionally wacky) abilities. Over the course of the story, Arc learns to view them as more than just assets for the cause or a band of bumblers he has to lead around; he thaws out and recognizes their humanity, gaining understanding of the "scars of the heart" they all share.

Nobody tests him more than his polar opposite, Kath — one of the team's dedicated powerhouses, but also a haughty, flippant party girl who openly refuses to fight for the greater good. She's the type that would rather (and does) ditch work to go show off her beach bod. But because she has such finely-tuned ghost senses, she's forced to take part in one, and only one, mission. And she has to do it alongside Arc — the only other one with the necessary ghost senses — despite the two of them already calling each other out multiple times by that point. That said, part of those callouts include Kath revealing a deeper part of herself; despite her bravado and zest, she's deeply hurting inside. Arc's mind has been steadily opening to humanity's ails and despair, but seeing Kath look so broken shakes him so much he's completely out of it during the big mission briefing.

Still with me? Just keep hanging on.

The mission goes awry, as missions are wont to do. While working in an astral plane, Arc and Kath get ambushed by an army of corrupted ghosts — and while their physical bodies are safe, dying there means dying for real. Not exactly good for business when Kath ends up getting an arm, leg, and a decent chunk of her torso blown away. As she's left there, seconds away from death and asking Arc to get away — to let her die — Arc instead makes his last stand against the army, fighting as best he can no matter how many hits he takes. Just when it seems like he can't take anymore? He gets up anyway — but not before reassuring Kath as best he can...up to and including taking her hand in his own. AKA breaking his personal, reflexive mantra of never touching anyone outside of punching them. AKA touching someone for the very first time in the story, all for the sake of someone he should by all means hate. His words, deeds, and heart all ignite a spark in Kath, driving her to overcome her wounds and keep fighting...just long enough for them to finish their mission and get extracted safely by a comrade.

The mission (or at least that facet of it) does more than just keep the big baddie sealed away. It breaks the walls down of both characters. Arc takes a step toward becoming a true hero, fighting for humanity and hope in earnest instead of treating "saving the world" like ticking off checkboxes on a list. Kath starts transforming into someone genuinely happy instead of faking it, having seen light in the world for the first time in years. And when all's said and done (after a cooldown chapter feat. a "date" between the world's greatest odd couple)? Kath gives Arc the most beautiful, most genuine smile he's ever seen — and Arc returns the favor.

Whew. There we go.

Now, that's all heartwarming(ish) and all, but you may be wondering where the sadness comes in...besides having to drag yourself across the field of broken glass that is my needlessly-long summation. The answer to that is what happens a few chapters later. Their best efforts? Thwarted once the big bad, given just enough wiggle room to act, flexes his power and brings the sky crashing down. The heroes? All rushing from multiple angles to try and stop the chaos, but fail at every turn. Arc himself? Ends up staring down said big bad. And as you'd expect, it's not even close to fair.

Arc dies.

By the end of it, there isn't even a body left. Come the next morning (inasmuch as a broken city can have a morning), the remaining, worn-down heroes all gather at their meeting place, only to confirm one of them is forever missing. Worse yet, they barely have the time to grieve — but make it anyway, at Kath's insistence. She forces them all into honoring Arc with an impromptu funeral, and puts on a brave face all the while. After saying their goodbyes — including venting their sorrows and regrets — Kath rallies the troop and takes point as the leader of the newly-minted Ghost Emperor Rebellion. But before they can start their next mission? Kath puts together a makeshift tombstone for Arc — complete, of course, with the tears she dared not show.

Well. That was...something. Hopefully not agonizing to get through, but oh well. Too late for regrets.

Probably.

Hard to say for sure because I tend to flip-flop on whether my writing is awesome or horrible and don't want to toot my own horn too much, but I did just finish writing a scene that was very bittersweet but ended on a really cute note with the POV character's girlfriend being...well, there for him, during a stressful and scary time for him. I'm not sure it's the most heartwarming thing I ever wrote, and I think there are stronger moments in my actual novel than in this fanfic, but it did end up going in a more emotionally touching direction than I expected.

In general though it's hard to really objectively say what's the saddest or most heartwarming thing I've ever written is, because it's all very subjective, but I do tend to emphasize so much with the characters I write that if I'm writing a sad or heartwarming thing from my perspective, the feeling sticks with me and I'll feel what they feel. I'm just never sure other people will find it as emotional as I do

Just wrote this scene in my screenplay. I think it's pretty well-executed, between it and the boat wreck and all.

It sound like an incredibly gut-wrenching moment and well written as well.

While there are far too many to count, being a three (and possibly more!) part series, my Urban Fantasy has distinct light and increasingly dark aspects.

• One of the most heartwarming parts is in the first book, when the teenage main protagonist's childhood friend, who has been ordered by her werewolf pack to hunt him down and kill him, finally nears the completion of her mission. She has cornered him in an abandoned building in a near-deserted and depressed part of their hometown where there will be no one to hear him scream and she can rip him apart easily in her transformed state. However the memories of their lifelong friendship outweigh her desire to kill him and fit in with her pack and she spares his life. It shows that even with both of their lives having been entangled involuntarily with the supernatural world, what came before will always be stronger.

• As for the sad aspects...there are really too many to count here, so I will just be wide-reaching about it. There are four protagonists in this story and each of them (the main character included) all meet sad ends to their stories. One of them dies suddenly out of nowhere and can only choke out her boyfriend's name before succumbing to her wounds. The main character I mentioned in the heartwarming section undergoes so much physical and mental suffering that he slowly loses his sanity and becomes a near-godlike Omnicidal Maniac who must be put down by his own former friends and family. Another childhood friend of the main character is involuntarily dragged into the supernatural community and his own suffering leads him to become a fanatical Dragon who supports the former protagonist's genocidal rampage against the supernatural world. He dies begging the heroes to abandon their quest to stop the villain. Finally the last protagonist lives, but dedicates the rest of her long, long life to atoning for the many people she has fed on, killed and tormented as part of her existence as a vampire. While her end is slightly happier, she is forever left in mourning and it leaves a bitter taste since she is one of the people who started the ball rolling on this sad tale.

Edited by Swordofknowledge on Dec 20th 2020 at 9:53:08 AM

I just wrote a scene I feel is pretty sad, not because anything sad happens in it but because it's dealing with a character's mental state and his feeling of distance from other people, including his girlfriend. It struck more of a chord with me because I really tried to get into his head and show how anxious and isolated he feels, and the result was a lot more depressing than I'd anticipated.

Sorry about the pause; there was something I wanted to post but I got rather busy. x_x ^_^;;

The China chapter of my new book ends with a Heartwarming Moment. Queen Sastiana is standing in the doorway of her hotel room in Guilin one last time before heading back home. Before she leaves, she looks down at her waist and very happily rubs it while gently whispering “I can’t wait to show you to everybody.”

There is a scene in which three half-vampire kids die in the apocalypse the main character eventually causes. They aren't the protagonists by any stretch of the imagination, but they are a group that the audience has come to know as they struggle to survive rejection by both the human and supernatural communities and the sibling-like bond they share.

The worst part comes when they are absolutely trapped with no way out, and the youngest of the three kids asks her "big brother" with that terrified-but-matter-of-fact way kids have, if they are going to be Eaten Alive. The leader of the trio knows they are doomed, but he puts on his usual devil-may-care smile that has worked so many times before and tells her that of course they're going to make it out alive, and to not give up.

It's worse because the narrative swings back and forth between the process of their deaths and the destruction of the city they're in, and the protagonist's weeping Motive Rant as he tearfully explains the reasons why he's unleashing such death and destruction to the person he's using as "fuel" for his rampage.

Edited by Swordofknowledge on Apr 5th 2021 at 2:05:18 PM