And it's here that we get dangerously close to Meta *g*. And I do agree with you- I need hope at the end of a fic. Not necessarily all threads tied, all characters married and content and a ride into the sunset with swooping violin music, but I need hope. I'm with you on the fic as escapism- I have to be lured into deathfics and partner betrayal, but am not averse to a bit of good healthy angst. Different strokes and all that