Has anyone ever read one of those stories that has a sad ending before? You know, the bad guy wins, or the girl ends up with the wrong guy? You know, the ones that work out a little closer to real life.
I have a new respect for stories in which the people get what they want, and not what they need. Joss Whedon's Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, for instance. (Okay, I'm a bit of a sci-fi fanboy.) I'm probably not ruining anything by telling you that the main character is a super-villain, (well, maybe not "super") and in the end, he gets what he wanted, mostly.
There are also the stories where you see the characters get not what they want, but what they deserve. That's not nearly as true to life, but it seems more comforting, knowing that good always conquers evil and such. I happen to be a firm believer that good will finally conquer evil in the end, but we know that evil is going to win a few battles along the way.
So I prefer the stories where the decisions are made, and the characters deal with the consequences, whether they are worth it in the end or not. Because that, my friends, is the true struggle; making mistakes, and bad decisions, and then figuring out what to do after that. You might get what you want, but before you do, you probably ought to make sure it will be worth what you are giving up. And, if that realizations comes a little too late, you just might have to be willing to close that door.
So careful what you wish for... (ah, you know the rest.)
