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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/27340
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

There is a common difference between the two separate sections you have presented. Between Feel Good, and Feel Bad - those two groups have a clearly defining difference, and that is that in Feel Good stories the protagonists are better off in the end of the story than at the start.

Think of the success of a character as being a line on a graph.[![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/JIcYT.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/JIcYT.png)

At the start of the story, they are at the axis 0,0. This is where they were at the start of their story, in terms of wealth, relationships, fame, etc. Whatever the protagonists aim is.

By the inciting incident, and where the character is fully introduced, we already get an idea of the characters current development - but then gain a twist that provides obstacles and a second thought, where the character begins to lose faith and confidence. At the midpoint, the protagonist gains leverage and grows closer to meeting their goal, before a twist occurs and they reach the low point - the furthest away from their goal.

This is where the paths between the two begin to diverge. While the 'feel good' tragedies end with the protagonists failing to meet their initial goal, they do however end at a higher point in terms of success than where they started. In terms of the 'Feel Bad' tragedies, they end at a lower point than where they started - they end at a loss.

For example, in the Empire Strikes Back, the characters gain new knowledge - Luke learns his father is Darth Vader, and gains a new arm. The characters in total gain new allies and more experience.

In contrast to this, in Titanic - the protagonists end up dying, they lose everything and end up with less than they had at the start. The same with Romeo & Juliet.

Deadpool is a unique one, the audience gains something - comedy and a laugh, but what does deadpool get? A pillow and a can of ice cream that he didn't have at the start.

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