query

[tigriswolf]

When you're watching a movie or reading a book, do you prefer to know your favorite character will die ahead-of-time or not till it happens?

Comments

Honestly

[cattraine.livejournal.com]

If I know my fav is going to die, I tend not to read or watch.

[moonpupy.livejournal.com]

What cattraine said. If I'd known certain things about Brokeback Mountain, I would have NEVER watched it.

[ratherbe4gotten.livejournal.com]

I like to know. Usually I'll still read/watch, but I need to have my head in the right place. That said I'm a nightmare for spoiling myself at the best of times XD

I don't mind my favorite characters dying. I have a much harder time with betrayal. I read a fic once where Dean chose someone else over Sam and it pretty much ripped my heart out. I've never forgiven the writer for not warning for it, not even for Dean/OMCs... and I've never read anything by her again. Maybe it seems extreme, but it hurt more than fiction has a right to xD

[acarbonatedgirl.livejournal.com]

It depends for me. Sometimes it ruins a movie for me sometimes it makes me like it more.

[acarbonatedgirl.livejournal.com]

Cannot tell you how much I hate it when people write that. Ugh.

[layne67.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, that's actually kind of a difficult question to answer. Being warned that there'd be a character death might put people off from reading a really good story and I'm a sucker for good writing, more than for the story itself.

If the death!fics were written by well-known authors, I'd still go ahead and read them but I'd probably give them a miss if I didn't know the authors, and consequently I might have missed a wonderful story.

You probably know the story 'When It's Over' by wynter_rebel? I for one was glad that she didn't give a death warning there because since I wasn't familiar with her name then I would probably have skipped that story if I knew there'd be a major character death and in so doing I would have missed one of the most well-writen stories in fandom!

So I guess my answer to your question would be no, I'd rather not be told beforehand that there'd be a character death.

[layne67.livejournal.com]

As for movies, no, I don't mind not being warned beforehand for a character-death. I LOVE angst!

But having said that, I'd probably kill Kripke if he killed Sam and/or Dean.

[aja-evenstar.livejournal.com]

I don't like to know. Usually, i hate finding out anyone's going to die ahead of time - whether i like them or not. It ruins the impact of the event, which is part of the ride.

[caffienekitty]

Depends... I think a lot on how closely I identify with the character, and whether there's a possibility it can be undone. In general though... no. It takes the tension of situations out if I know so and so will die, and I'll sit through the movie half-distracted by waiting for the death to arrive and not get fully immersed into what's going on.

There is one character in one series who I've found out will be dying, and I'm very glad I found out in advance because, well, it's one of those characters that I need to live forever, and getting ambushed by that death under the circumstances I would be watching would be rather horrific. In general, no, in that case, kind of yes.

Although on fic a 'death-fic' warning is nice.

[caffienekitty]

But having said that, I'd probably kill Kripke if he killed Sam and/or Dean.

If he killed them permanently, you mean? ;-)

(Also, OMG "When It's Over"!)

[layne67.livejournal.com]

Oh okay, that's a good one :DD

And if they HAD to die ( permanently! In the final final ep ) I'd rather have both of them killed.

And yeah, I had my heart totally ripped out with that fic ...

[isaacsapphire.livejournal.com]

Um, for fanfics, I want a warning because I read fanfics for amusement and some days death fic just isn't going to be amusing to me.

For original works though, it kind of depends. The amount of time I have to get attached to a character (and the other characters who will be sad if they die) is important.

I bawled at the end of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon even though I don't usually cry at movies (and I didn't see anyone else crying either). See, the movie is based on the fourth of a series of five books and they'd made comics based on the books starting from the first book and I'd been reading them. I'd gotten attached to the characters and their relationships before I sat down to watch the film.

Aside from that, it depends a lot on *how* they die. I mean, I'm not going to be shocked if a character who's had increasingly severe cancer through the series finally kicks it. Sad, but not shocked. If it's a "good death", the hero saves a bus full of orphan kittens and nuns or something as his dieing act or even just going down fighting, that's a ok sort of death with me.

But like I said, how the other characters react is also a biggie. I don't just care about the character who just died, I care about all their friends who are now horribly sad. Sometimes I don't even like the dead character much but I understand that the other characters (that I do like) liked them and I'm sad because they're sad.

With creators, I have learned who tends to kill people off and who doesn't, so I know who to be nervous with (and so not read when I just can't take it). So that's a sort of know ahead of time - had reason to suspect ahead of time maybe?

If I'm reading/watching for warm fuzzies (like with romance novels or fluffy fun fantasy or kids' books) then I definitely want warning of deaths of dogs, forget about people.

For stuff I'm reading/watching for the story and storytelling, if it's not death ex machina (hate those. Worse than deus ex machina), I'd rather trust the writer's abilities and have them tell me or not tell me as they think fit. The Man Who Fell In Love With The Moon tells you right at the beginning that entire the cast dies except for the perspective character and then reminds you periodically through the book. It was still sad when they died.

There are ways for a reader to know that a character doesn't die (first person, main character and the fact that there are more books in the series or we're only half way though the book, that kind of thing). When the perspective character was changed from the lead to a supporting character for Rupert of Hentezu, I should have known the main character was doomed.

So, it depends on what I'm watching or reading and why and how much I trust the creator(s).

Re: Honestly

[tigriswolf]

What would be an exception?

[tigriswolf]

*hee* I think I still would've watched, simply because it had two handsome men making out.

[tigriswolf]

Which story is that?

Yeah, I think I'd prefer death over one of the Winchesters leaving the other.

[tigriswolf]

Have you seen Pay It Forward?

[tigriswolf]

I haven't read that fic, actually. *shrugs* I think it's on my to-read list. Somewhere. That list is about twenty-five pages long now.

[tigriswolf]

Either both or neither! I'd sob if the last scene of the series is one of the boys holding the other, Dean or Sam bleeding out, no angels around to heal him...

[tigriswolf]

That's true.

[tigriswolf]

Oh, who on which show?

Sometimes, though, I don't like warning for character death in my fics because that's the twist at the end. For you, is that okay?

[tigriswolf]

For some reason, the death of animals in fiction affects me more than say, a bus full of old people exploding. Although, I really hate it when they hurt/kill kids, too.

[unbreakableburr.livejournal.com]

Not until the end. I can honestly say that I probably wouldn't have tuned into the finale of Legend of the Seeker if I'd known one of my favorite characters was going to bite it big time. A: I love the actor, b: it was not very true to the books, which I understand changing a few things but that was a bit early and c: I think it was terribly shortsighted.
I enjoyed the finale pretty much up until that point so that definitely left a bad taste in my mouth.

[ratherbe4gotten.livejournal.com]

>.< part of me doesn't want to say, because she's a really sweet person and I still read her posts if not her fic, but it's not like I didn't say what I thought at the time.

It was hansbekhart's bigbang fic from last year Full Tilt Boogie (http://hansbekhart.livejournal.com/304370.html). In a lot of ways it's a really well written fic. None of the characters really know what's going on, there’s a lot of confusion and the whole feel is kind of disorientating. If it wasn’t so well written it never would have had half the impact. Even now, just thinking about it makes me want to go curl up in the corner and cry. I think maybe it was my frame of mind at the time I read it too... that's why I like warnings, so I can read the fic/watch the film I'm in mood for.

[caffienekitty]

Technically I guess it's not a permanent death, but it's permanent as far as the actor goes. I was slightly emo about it here.

Sometimes, though, I don't like warning for character death in my fics because that's the twist at the end. For you, is that okay?

Some days I'll get really upset if I'm ambushed by death-fic, but those days aren't as common as they were once. That's also usually if it's not foreshadowed by the author and just "bam, he's dead". Your fic I don't mind no warning, because I go into yours expecting anything and everything, plus I know that you're a better writer than to throw major character death around capriciously. :-)

[diva5256.livejournal.com]

I tend to like a prior warning - for example the only SPN death I wasn't spoilered for was Ash and it left me so shocked that now I like to know if characters are going to die.

[lostinpsychosis.livejournal.com]

I like to know ahead of time even though, to quote myself after seeing Serenity "It hurts more knowing". If I don't know it's coming up and it just happens I tend to get flabbergasted and miss like ten minutes of the movie.

[layne67.livejournal.com]

So sorry for butting in but I know what you mean about that fic. Hansbekhart is one of my favourite writers in the SPN fandom but I couldn't read that story, I gave up about halfway.

But you have read her other stories, haven't you? The Miner's Lamp (http://hansbekhart.livejournal.com/225708.html) series for instance, sooo beautiful, and Hey Dad Speaking of Driving (http://hansbekhart.livejournal.com/216820.html). Scorching hot!

But I know what you mean about being wary of reading fics written by the same author once you've been "burned", and I'm glad that FTB wasn't the first fic of hers that I read because I absolutely adore her other Sam/Dean!

[layne67.livejournal.com]

It's here (http://wynter-rebel.livejournal.com/22253.html) if you want to move it further up your list!

[tigriswolf]

Aww, thank you. *twirls*

[tigriswolf]

So, you'd prefer to not be warned?

[tigriswolf]

Does knowing someone will die affect how you read/watch?

What is the middle word in your icon?

[tigriswolf]

What about fics/books?

[grandiose666.livejournal.com]

i like knowing, it makes me less anxious, and i feel less blindsided by it, whether it's sudden or lingering, like i have more time to emotionally prepare. true for books, fics, and movies/tv shows. i have been known to skip to the end of a novel to see what happens, and read brokeback mtn the story before seeing the movie (also tend to read very detailed reviews of movies).

re: "Sometimes, though, I don't like warning for character death in my fics because that's the twist at the end. For you, is that okay?"

i think a good compromise (for the issue of major twists) is to cut spoiler-y warnings/labels with a note explaining how they'd ruin the suprise. that way people with major squicks can read just in case, people who hate suprises can too, and people who don't mind being shocked can skip.

[tigriswolf]

Sometimes, I skip to the end to see what happens.

There was this one book--I can't even remember what, now. My favorite character was so adorable and awesome, and then wasn't mentioned at all at the end. So I flipped through the pages and found out he died about four chapters in. Randomly, out of the blue, just to set up pain for the main character. I didn't finish the book.

[unbreakableburr.livejournal.com]

Yup, that way I can enjoy the episode/movie without going into it with preconceptions.

[lostinpsychosis.livejournal.com]

with books and fics, I think I'd rather be surprised. mainly because I can take time to go "Oh my god" and be shocked without missing anything.

[ratherbe4gotten.livejournal.com]

I have this stupid thing where if I start reading something I have to read it to the end >.< plus I kept expecting for it to work out in the end...

I have read a lot of her other fic. In fact her bigbang from the year before, The Knuckles of Skinnybone Tree, is one of my favorites! I half thought about giving her bigbang this year a go, but it's Dean/Castiel, which I don't mind, but I'm pretty sure I'd have the same reaction again if ends up with the two of them against Sam. *head desk* I've never been as OTPish as I am about SamnDean.