WhiteShoeQueen said:
I'm thinking of doing a multiple endings fanfiction. What do you think? Good idea? Bad idea? I'd like to hear other opinions.
Generally I personally am against them. While I actually like the idea in concept, as some stories downright deserve and almost demand them (I thought for example the Fate Stay Night/Zero no Tsukaima crossover story Hill of Swords deserved it rather than the ending it did get), the issue I have with the implementation is not any story doing it, but is with the author of any story that does it.
I've found author bias rears its ugly head in such things, and can downright ruin a story otherwise well written grammatically and spelling, and good plot and character interaction.
Example, I read one Ranma story like that, with different endings for him ending with different girls. The author was a diehard fan of one of the girls, and outright was known for such even though also known as a decent writer, yet all the endings *except* the one he liked were tragic horror stories, rather than happy endings...
It tainted the story so badly for me I've not been able to read it again since, despite the fact it was written well...
Hardly the only example, but it was one of the most memorable.