[ OT ] Is it just me or does it seem like most of the prompts or storys end up in a dark and dreary place ?

Happy endings seem far too cliché. 
 
 I think people here want to explore the more depressing side of their imagination. It's easy to have the hero escape on a plane and marry the love of his life, it is n't easy to have him die forgotten in an alleyway. Depressing writing is almost ( at least, for me ) a means of stretching my own imagination. 
 
 The same goes for emotions provoked in the reader. If the character is likeable, the author can easily stir up sadness and other powerful emotions through that character's misfortune. It is n't as easy to provoke a strong reaction for a character using a happy ending, so most happy endings seem too hollow for people to write.
