a weird mirror to the "comfort character" phenomenon I am noticing lately is that for many people it goes both ways. they have a character that brings them comfort; they also only want content where that character is comfortable, and happy, and mentally well.

on the face of it of course there's nothing wrong with this. happy stories are good! especially when we're talking about fanfic, low-stakes cozy content is wonderful, and when you have a comfort character bc you relate to them it can be really healing to consume that content.

but I think there's something a little bit flattening and insidious about focusing on the comfort of a character over the needs, themes, and meaning of the story within which they exist

I haven't fully thought this thread through but there's something in here about thinning boundaries between creators and fans, and the demands made on specifically queer creators to create exclusively happy content, and individual joy over societal message... idk.