Terry,
I actually have typed responses to this thread a couple of times and deleted them without posting. I feel like I have to reply to this. First I never said I did not care for angst, I said I did not care for stories heavy with angst. Where the angst is the reason for the story and permeates the story throughout. Ones where there is 19 chapters of angst followed by an epilogue that either magically fixes the angst or in so many of your stories just ends.
You mentioned the heavy angst episodes of the series and most of those I have watched once and never have felt the need to go back rewatch. As Laura said I got hooked on the series due to its banter, chemistry, and wit. Remove those elements and I go meh. So many of the recent stories have little (some have none) of those elements and so I don't find them compelling to read.
I look at the Best Overall Story Kerth winners for the past 10 years and I read DebbieG's Fictitious Persons, Female Hawk's Trusting Me, Trusting You, and Sue S.'s Honeymoon in Vegas. Of those Fictitious Persons was my favorite by far and it was not without its angsty moments but the angst was not the underlying purpose of the story. Now I understand that not everyone will agree with me but as I am so fond of saying: I cannot tell you what to write, but I can tell me what to read.
As for reading palates, at 69 heading towards 70 my palate is pretty well set and I read for entertainment and if something does not entertain me I quit reading it. If torturing the characters is entertaining to you well that is your decision.
I often wonder how many readers have felt the way Cindy and I do but just left rather than voicing those views. I guess we will never know as they probably will not be back.
Mike
