Before you read a Prosfic...

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Somewhere along the way I've picked up the impression that Pros fans tend to be divided most strongly into either slash, gen or het (or various combinations thereof) readers, and that it is on this basis first that we decide whether or not to read a particular Prosfic story. Following an interesting discussion a few weeks ago about labels/categories/warnings etc on Prosfic, Circuit Archive is experimenting with including other information in their lj (and presumably other) updates, and this has got me thinking about it all again - in a rather needs-first-coffee-of-the-morning kind of way!

Basically, I know that I hate all warnings etc on a Prosfic story that I'm about to read, except that I'd like to know whether it's slash, gen or het, because I adore slash, I'll read gen if there's some reason to (or a chance of adding my own subtext!) and I don't want to touch het with a bargepole... a very long bargepole! During the discussion, I came across the idea that most people would view a label of slash, het or gen (or the story's pairings, which actually is a much smarter way of telling us whether it's slash, het or gen!) as the same kind of "spoiler" as, say a deathfic warning, which completely surprised me, took me aback, and got me thinking even more... *g*

And then I remembered that lj lets you do those poll-thingies, and wondered if I might try one of those... though I'd like to hear what people think as well as just seeing numbers, so please do comment as well! So - what kind of, if any, information do you look for before you read a Pros story? (And I'm not really going for the to-warn-about-deathfic/rape/non-consensual debate here, although I've included it in my question and I'm curious about numbers there too, it's more the broader sense of the question - and do we care about age ratings? Are there other things people consider that I've never even thought of?!) So, without further ado:

[Poll #1043269]
I've never tried doing a poll before, so here's hoping it works - do let me know if you have problems... Oh, it looks like you have to vote first, and hit submit, and then comment afterwards - you can't comment and vote at the same time (I just tried it...)! And non-lj members can't vote (says lj, not us), but you can still comment!

Comments

[phantomas.livejournal.com]

And just to add, to me, a warning for 'character death' equals to saying that it was the butler *G*

In other fandoms (SPN, for example ;) I got used to it, and I can see the need as well, because of a slightly bigger cast, a different approach, what have you...but for Pros...I love having a new story in my hands, and being taken away with it, to discover it all. Perhaps it's a question of having been mentored in Pros, instead of browsing on my own. Possibly.

:)

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

a warning for 'character death' equals to saying that it was the butler
Yes! That's it exactly! It's spoilers for HP! (which I still don't know yet, btw, I'd better get on with reading that, eh..?!)

Hmmn - I'm definitely a browsed-on-my-own fan though, and I feel the same way about wanting to be vanished into a story, into the glorious risk of a story! If you already know what's going to happen, then it's not the same experience at all...

Mind you, sometimes I am in the mood for a particular experience - and that's when I go back and re-read stories that I know will make me feel one way or another... but that's when I don't want the risk, and it's a whole different kind of reading to me... sounds like that's the kind of reading that most people want all the time though... This must be just a fandom thing though, surely... (Got room on yer Phd course for a little un? *g*)

[phantomas.livejournal.com]

the glorious risk of a story! If you already know what's going to happen, then it's not the same experience at all...

yes, exactly :D

Someone called it 'the fix' - fanfiction readers chose a fiction because they want a fix of something specific, so without headers, the reader doesn't know/can't get his fix.

I know that in a fandom like SPN, with so many people writing and so many stories with SO MANY characters....headers are sort of necessary to separate what you must read (anything with JOhn Winchester in it! in my case) from the rest...but in Pros, I don't know, it's Bodie and Doyle and Cowley and sometimes Murphy, but there's always Bodie and/or Doyle, they are the main focus anyway..and I'd rather be surprised by a story. :)

[magenta-blue.livejournal.com]

And just to add, to me, a warning for 'character death' equals to saying that it was the butler *G*

I agree with you and byslantedlight here, this is the same for me and how I feel, and 'glorious risk', yes that is exactly it. Once you are familiar with a story, then you can chose to re-read if you want that mood, but the best thing about reading is just launching off into a new world, where ever that path takes you.