What battle results do you feel satisfied with?

[Eldoria]

What battle results do you feel satisfied with?

1. The protagonist wins completely;
2. The protagonist wins the duel, but loses in the war;
3. The protagonist wins but is badly injured;
4. The protagonist loses, but is saved by an ally;
5. The protagonist loses completely and is captured by the enemy;
6. The protagonist turns the enemy into an ally (talk no jutsu?);
7. The protagonist flees from the battlefield;
8. The protagonist surrenders unconditionally to the enemy;
9. The protagonist sacrifices/betrays the alliance for victory/survival;
10. The protagonist turns out to be the mastermind behind the war, whether he realizes it or not;
11. The protagonist gets a power up from the war.

 

[Worthy39]

This is one of those questions That's situational. If there's a villain I absolutely love, and don't consider totally irredeemable, I do enjoy seeing them turn into an ally. But do I want to see an absolute psycho turn into the protagonist's best friend? Probably not, unless the protagonist is also a psycho. Really, it depends on the tone of the story how I like a battle to end.

 

[Plantorsomething]

All of the above. Only options should be “whatever result serves the plot and characters in engaging ways” and “fanservice”

 

[Jerynboe]

What was set up, and what are we aiming at? What are the consequences, what is the moral? What are the established power levels of the sides? What is the genre? All of these questions matter.

The question is meaningless, nearly to the point of rage bait lol.

 

[Naravelt]

I personally think every choice is valid and satisfying as long as it is well-executed and logical. Even "talk no jutsu" is justified if it involves a misunderstanding on one side. For example, an alien invasion where the protagonist's goal is to bring in a character who can communicate with the aliens and end the war because the aliens misunderstood human morality makes sense. What I personally enjoy the most is when things aren’t monotone. If everything resolves the same, it feels off to me.

 

[CinnaSloth]

anything except 1, 8, or 5.
The protagonist loses completely and is captured by the enemy
At this point it is an obligated duty of the antagonist to murder the protagonist to send a message. If they do not, they are asking to be defeated. And don't forget to end the bloodline.

The protagonist wins completely
No protagonist should win outright. That's boring and kind of lame. Either they get beat up, or a friend gets beaten up, but also takes the antagonist down a peg so the protagonist can take them down completely.

The protagonist surrenders unconditionally to the enemy
BOOOOO!!!! Protagonist's should expect hardship, and need to deal with those hardships.
Any protagonist worthy of the name should have a plan B, C, D, and O. O standing for "-OH, sh*t, we're gonna die trying."

LMAO!!! OH DANG. I'm sorry Eldoria! I didn't even realize this was your thread. I know how sweet, and gentle, and kind hearted you are. I wasn't even thinking. My answers would have been way more.. civil? or more idk. Something. I didn't mean to shock you with my nonsense.

 

[FleecedSheep]

I think... and it is a kind of lacking response, but it ultimately depends. If I had to choose from the list, it would definitely be #2.

I'm more for pyrrhic victories. Winning the battle but losing the war is a good example. Creating a situation where the main character does their very best, but they ultimately fail or fall short due to outside circumstances is a good way to temper a character or to keep the world from feeling like it revolves around the main character. The reverse can also be a good example, where the main characters task isn't to win the duel, in this situation, but to keep the general distracted long enough for the war to be done. Both examples can create very different outcomes, and at the same time, provide a good opportunity for a character to grow or learn.

What's important is how victory is defined and how it can be best achieved. Even a loss can be considered a win, in certain circumstances. Or a victory a loss.

I am curious of what you think, Eldoria. Sure, you're asking for our opinion, but what's your thought on the question?

 

[Snake99]

I choose the one that includes sex scene after the battle

 

[LightHikari]

I feel like all of them have a place, but I prefer if the protagonist wins enough.

 

[Eldoria]

I am curious of what you think, Eldoria. Sure, you're asking for our opinion, but what's your thought on the question?

This question is just my mapping to analyze the reader response. I'm writing a climax arc with a brutal war. While any answer might not impact my writing (which I've already conceptually planned), it can at least help me assess whether the outcome of the war in my fiction is sufficiently satisfying for readers or not.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

Over the course of a story, you should see 7-9 of these surface at some point. Done well, they can all be at least equally satisfying - though it can take a lot of work to make an MC's betrayal satisfying, it should be worth it in the end.

 

[MFontana]

What battle results do you feel satisfied with?

1. The protagonist wins completely;
2. The protagonist wins the duel, but loses in the war;
3. The protagonist wins but is badly injured;
4. The protagonist loses, but is saved by an ally;
5. The protagonist loses completely and is captured by the enemy;
6. The protagonist turns the enemy into an ally (talk no jutsu?);
7. The protagonist flees from the battlefield;
8. The protagonist surrenders unconditionally to the enemy;
9. The protagonist sacrifices/betrays the alliance for victory/survival;
10. The protagonist turns out to be the mastermind behind the war, whether he realizes it or not;
11. The protagonist gets a power up from the war.

Ultimately, it depends on the story overall, and the themes you're presenting and exploring here.
Any, and all, of them can be presented to be narratively satisfying as long as they fit within the context of the ongoing story or world that you've built.

Personally, though, as long as the outcome is befitting the story, and has consequences (be they good, or bad), I don't particularly care one way or the other what actually happens. What matters more to me is the WHY it happens, and what are the consequences of it happening.

 

[SternenklarenRitter]

I hope someone brought a tourniquet because those results say our protagonist will be going home with their left hand in a sandwich bag.

 

[Kitty]

For the final battle, I definitely prefer 1 with the protag winning in some shape or form.

For intermediary battles, it matters a lot less, and some losses here and there is fine.

 

[hell_yeahMylike]

No options : 'The Protagonist Loses and Loses Again: Defeated by Everyone—from Extras to Wild Animals, even the Heroine' ??
I chose 6 and 7.

tanenter: Wait, wait, wait a minute! Why are you dragging me into this, anyway?!
Yamao: Well, he's right, isn't he? You've always lost. You lose even to me and everyone else at this Academy of Magic.
tanenter looked strained and sad, before she put her hand on his head to stroke it.
Yamao: Don't be sad. I won't let a rotten-brained kid like you die easily. Just trust me.
tanenter: What "kid"?! We're both 15 years old. You're just taller than me!