Angst is one thing, but let's-see-how-horrible-we-can-be-to-the-characters has no appeal for me at all.
Of course, that's not always the motivation for such a fic. Many fans write fanfic to explore all possible possibilities out there, all the angles, all the what ifs...dark and light and all shades in between. It's curiosity to see how a specific change in the characters' histories would ricochet through their lives that interests them, rather than trying to be mean to the characters.
Although, there are writers who write the former, too, of course, just for the heck of it.
LabRat
