Poll: Warnings and Spoilers, To Show or Not To Show?

[moonbeamsfanfic]

I've found I very much tend to be in the minority where it comes to my love of knowing what's going on ahead of time. I love spoilers, and think warnings for fanfics are the best thing since ratings. (And heck, now that I think about it, there are even some folks who refuse to rate their fic, and that's a whole other issue to think about!)

But a lot of people out there not only don't want to have the mystery ruined for them, they also get rather strident about anyone who does. So, poll. What's the limit? Where's the line between what's acceptabe to talk about, and what should be kept secret so as not to take away somebody else's enjoyment? And if it should be kept secret for those so inclined, what's the best way to go about it?

Take my poll and let me know what you think of these issues. Further comments and/or extrapolations will also be gratefully accepted.

Thank you!

[Poll #1083733]

Comments

[redwolf]

Generally it's the characters in a story that will initially sell me on it, rather than the content. There are crap authors I won't read because they suck, no matter the characters, but there are also amazing authors who I'll read even of it's charcters I don't usually have an interest in.

My annoyances aren't so much squicks as they are a reaction to them being lame devices and boring.

[moonbeamsfanfic.livejournal.com]

I'm willing to use any tool at my disposal. If all I get to evaluate a story before I read it is the title, then I'd better darned well trust the author or I won't even give it a shot. I need at least a rating or a genre category before I dive in blind. Summaries preferred; warnings an extra bonus.

My annoyances aren't so much squicks as they are a reaction to them being lame devices and boring.

Alas, I've found my tolerances have actually decreased over the years. What never use to bother me, now drives me insane. Too much exposure to poorly done versions of certain devices have built up deep, abiding hatreds. I need the warnings to protect myself from scenes which might squick me right into a rage. Far too many times have I been lured into something that looked good only to be surprised by a turn that pisses me off so bad I have to restrain the urge to punch the screen. Lack of sufficient warnings have led me to avoiding my computer for several days at a time while I cool down from a bad experience. Decent story warnings always just save me a lot of hassle.

[redwolf]

A spoiler warning for television used to be pretty much bring it on, but our local networks are now running Heroes just over a week off the US airing (and I just had episode 7 handed to me a few minutes ago), so I'd like to watch it fresh. That said, I'm just as likely to be spoiled by my download source anyway.

Fiction of late has to grab me in the first few paragraphs or I don't bother unless it's a preferred writer. Even if it's a favourite pairing or genre, I'll way away if it doesn't interest me quickly. My attention span is really short.

This is probably worse since I started following Doctor Who. There's a fairly prolific, popular author who writes a pairing I like. Unfortunately, she's a seriously crap writer with no talent, who's shown no signs of improvement. Worse still, she's breathlessly adored by two far more talented authors. I don't know if they're trying to improve her writing or have suddenly got an enthusiastic puppy who follows them everywhere and pees on the carpet. I see her name on anything and it's an instant skip.

[crimsonquills.livejournal.com]

I didn't vote for the first question because it depends on the show. For some shows, I seek out spoilers. For others, I avoid them like the plague and turn into one of those people who get really pissy if I do get spoiled.

Also, I use warnings as much as advertisement for a story as for squick avoidance. Sometimes I use the "warnings" button on search engines to find exactly the kink or story type I'm looking for. :-)

[moonbeamsfanfic.livejournal.com]

Also, I use warnings as much as advertisement for a story as for squick avoidance. Sometimes I use the "warnings" button on search engines to find exactly the kink or story type I'm looking for. :-)

Yeah, me too. :) But that's why I'm kind of confused about why people wouldn't want to have warnings on their stories. I often deliberately seek out certain story warnings, just because that's what I'm in the mood to read. Mpreg or collar!fic or genderswitch or whatever. I use story warnings as advertisement, fercryinoutloud. The hubbub over them has always mystified me.

Spoilers are a bit different, I guess, but the same principle still applies to me. I really do want to know what going on before I get into it. Spoilers rock, because then I never hit any nasty surprises -- if the show's gonna take a turn for the worse, I've got time to brace myself and be ready for it. If I go in blind, I'm liable to be thrown off and then I'll probably miss the rest of the show. I've had to watch many episodes over two or three times just to catch everything and keep up. Advance warning via spoilers means I know to look for it and therefore won't miss anything.

[crimsonquills.livejournal.com]

I'm the same way with warnings, but definitely not for spoilers.

With spoilers, I find that if I know what's going to happen ahead of time, it completely ruins the emotional impact of a storyline for me. I spend the entire ep waiting for something to happen and then it's always, always an anticlimax, because I've been thinking about it so much already.

Heroes is the only show I read spoilers for. I'm not sure how I got into the habit, but I do know that I enjoy the show less as a result of it. I've spent whole eps mentally checking off moments I was waiting for and then feeling disappointed because I already knew all that, so what was the point of watching the ep?