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feldmanI wouldn't say I'm a spoilerphobe, so much, I'm just often better off not knowing a plot development beforehand.
Either I trust the storyteller (the crew behind Farscape) and they'll do their best to deliver the goods on even the weirdest plot point (ploint?), or I don't (Chris Carter, this hot plate of stink-eye is for you). Either the ride is more delightful for the shock, or the rubbernecking is more interesting if the vehicles in the pileup are a surprise.
Some shows, I'm in a rollercoaster car and I'm not invested in the world it's passing through--I've always been spoiler-neutral for Doctor Who.
When the trust is a grey area and I'm invested in the characters or the world, that's when I seek spoilers. I need to know man! I need to protect my heart! Will they be gentle? How should I brace myself? Am I better off staring out the window at the squirrels and writing my own fic?
I tested the cut tag, which seems to be working alright.
For Arrested Development, my anticipation for new episodes and my trust in the storytellers were both very high. I didn't even watch trailers until a few days ago, not wanting my brain to start gnawing on what-ifs. And I'm trying to pace myself instead of inhaling it all at once, so I'm only a handful of eps in. It's something I want to pay attention to and savor, and this weekend my six-year-old is ALL UP MY NOSE FOR SOME REASON.
Anyway. So far my trust is well-placed, and while the pacing is different, that may be something I'm bringing to the table due to the aforementioned kinder-booger. I know I'm missing things, and I also suspect there's a fair bit of front-loaded set-up that will pay off once other episodes are in place--
--pauses to inhale another handful of eps--yep, totally right on the payoff.
Conclusion: Spoilerphobia Justified! Also, the spouse Mr.F informs me that we recognize the awesome Dr. Norman as IM2's Howard "Scotch! Scotch! Scotch!" Stark.
Speaking of which, I finally saw Iron Man 3. This was a difficult one to have a spoiler policy for, as the Marvel movie-verse runs hot and tepid with me. Mr. F is a comics fan from way back with a raconteur's gift for retelling storylines, so my knowledge is spotty, arcane and character-based (we've been picking up carry-out orders under 'Steve' for nearly two decades, but it's funnier for me now). I've also had impure thoughts about Robert Downey Jr. since "Weird Science", so I'm a soft-sell in that regard. Effin' A, those eyes.
So I could be disappointed by a crappy Iron Man movie, and did have some issues with 2 that make it less fun than I'd hoped, but I'm less likely to take a misstep personally, my heart won't be broken over these characters. I had a cringe in reserve for the Mandarin plotline, but I was willing to hear the movie out. If I'd seen it the first weekend I would have been spoiler-free, but a dearth of pocket change and self discipline meant that I was spoiled for major ploints before I saw it yesterday, and hence able to watch it all loose and unbraced for a punch in the gut.
There was plenty of awesome left unspoiled, up to and including the ending credit sequence that weirdly reminded me of Johnny Sokko and his Flying Robot.
Conclusion: Pepper Potts doesn't know how to work your flying robot suit, but she's a natural at firing people.
Speaking of 20th century era Japanese media, did you know George Takei did voice-over work for the English dub of "Godzilla Raids Again"? Which brings me to my last example for Making Spoilers Work for You!
I cut my teeth on Star Trek TOS, and while I don't self-identify as a trekkie or trekker, it's like lead poisoning--trek has replaced a percentage of the calcium in my bones and is there to stay. When I got my tonsils out at age seven I had a picture of Nichols on my hospital bulletin board (wish I knew where that's got to!). I still have my autographed pic of Takei. My fic-writing pseud is an homage to an 80's Star Trek fic. I'm a third generation fan, and it's cheesy mashed potato comfort food to me.
I did enjoy the first reboot, despite thinking that while Pine and Quinto are kinda cute on their own, standing side by side they simply make each other look weird. I liked Saldana's take on Uhura, Pegg redeemed Scotty for me, Cho is adorable, and I've enjoyed watching Karl Urban since he was Caesar on Xena: Warrior Princess--I think that last fact establishes that I have a high tolerance for cheese, as long as it's sharp.
But it was uneven and shallow, and while I adore a good AU, I don't trust Abrams. So I've been spoiling myself for ages, trying to get a bead on what I'd be dealing with, and I'm so damned glad I did. Even watching the trailer before IM3 was too much. As I said to Mr.F, "I enjoy Cumberbatch, so it's a shame to see them throwing away a perfectly good white boy like that."
So I shall retreat back into my own unwritten AU with Gary Mitchell and Dr. Dehner in more than just her skivvies, and the creepy ethical sequelae of getting godlike powers when you're already kind of an asshole, and hothead AU Kirk having to sack up and start earning the bennies he was prepaid in the first movie.
Either I trust the storyteller (the crew behind Farscape) and they'll do their best to deliver the goods on even the weirdest plot point (ploint?), or I don't (Chris Carter, this hot plate of stink-eye is for you). Either the ride is more delightful for the shock, or the rubbernecking is more interesting if the vehicles in the pileup are a surprise.
Some shows, I'm in a rollercoaster car and I'm not invested in the world it's passing through--I've always been spoiler-neutral for Doctor Who.
When the trust is a grey area and I'm invested in the characters or the world, that's when I seek spoilers. I need to know man! I need to protect my heart! Will they be gentle? How should I brace myself? Am I better off staring out the window at the squirrels and writing my own fic?
I tested the cut tag, which seems to be working alright.
For Arrested Development, my anticipation for new episodes and my trust in the storytellers were both very high. I didn't even watch trailers until a few days ago, not wanting my brain to start gnawing on what-ifs. And I'm trying to pace myself instead of inhaling it all at once, so I'm only a handful of eps in. It's something I want to pay attention to and savor, and this weekend my six-year-old is ALL UP MY NOSE FOR SOME REASON.
Anyway. So far my trust is well-placed, and while the pacing is different, that may be something I'm bringing to the table due to the aforementioned kinder-booger. I know I'm missing things, and I also suspect there's a fair bit of front-loaded set-up that will pay off once other episodes are in place--
--pauses to inhale another handful of eps--yep, totally right on the payoff.
Conclusion: Spoilerphobia Justified! Also, the spouse Mr.F informs me that we recognize the awesome Dr. Norman as IM2's Howard "Scotch! Scotch! Scotch!" Stark.
Speaking of which, I finally saw Iron Man 3. This was a difficult one to have a spoiler policy for, as the Marvel movie-verse runs hot and tepid with me. Mr. F is a comics fan from way back with a raconteur's gift for retelling storylines, so my knowledge is spotty, arcane and character-based (we've been picking up carry-out orders under 'Steve' for nearly two decades, but it's funnier for me now). I've also had impure thoughts about Robert Downey Jr. since "Weird Science", so I'm a soft-sell in that regard. Effin' A, those eyes.
So I could be disappointed by a crappy Iron Man movie, and did have some issues with 2 that make it less fun than I'd hoped, but I'm less likely to take a misstep personally, my heart won't be broken over these characters. I had a cringe in reserve for the Mandarin plotline, but I was willing to hear the movie out. If I'd seen it the first weekend I would have been spoiler-free, but a dearth of pocket change and self discipline meant that I was spoiled for major ploints before I saw it yesterday, and hence able to watch it all loose and unbraced for a punch in the gut.
There was plenty of awesome left unspoiled, up to and including the ending credit sequence that weirdly reminded me of Johnny Sokko and his Flying Robot.
Conclusion: Pepper Potts doesn't know how to work your flying robot suit, but she's a natural at firing people.
Speaking of 20th century era Japanese media, did you know George Takei did voice-over work for the English dub of "Godzilla Raids Again"? Which brings me to my last example for Making Spoilers Work for You!
I cut my teeth on Star Trek TOS, and while I don't self-identify as a trekkie or trekker, it's like lead poisoning--trek has replaced a percentage of the calcium in my bones and is there to stay. When I got my tonsils out at age seven I had a picture of Nichols on my hospital bulletin board (wish I knew where that's got to!). I still have my autographed pic of Takei. My fic-writing pseud is an homage to an 80's Star Trek fic. I'm a third generation fan, and it's cheesy mashed potato comfort food to me.
I did enjoy the first reboot, despite thinking that while Pine and Quinto are kinda cute on their own, standing side by side they simply make each other look weird. I liked Saldana's take on Uhura, Pegg redeemed Scotty for me, Cho is adorable, and I've enjoyed watching Karl Urban since he was Caesar on Xena: Warrior Princess--I think that last fact establishes that I have a high tolerance for cheese, as long as it's sharp.
But it was uneven and shallow, and while I adore a good AU, I don't trust Abrams. So I've been spoiling myself for ages, trying to get a bead on what I'd be dealing with, and I'm so damned glad I did. Even watching the trailer before IM3 was too much. As I said to Mr.F, "I enjoy Cumberbatch, so it's a shame to see them throwing away a perfectly good white boy like that."
So I shall retreat back into my own unwritten AU with Gary Mitchell and Dr. Dehner in more than just her skivvies, and the creepy ethical sequelae of getting godlike powers when you're already kind of an asshole, and hothead AU Kirk having to sack up and start earning the bennies he was prepaid in the first movie.
