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Old 07-24-2007, 07:05 AM   #41
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Giligan View Post
I read Murder on the Orient Express that way. The first bits seemed a bit dry. Unfortunately, after I found out that there was a big lemon pie in the cupboard, (big surprise there. Not.) I had no particular motivation to read the preceding chapters. So it backfired.
YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME. It does not do, sir, to post SPOILERS in a thread discussing the damage SPOILERS do to ones enjoyment of a tale! I care not how old this tale is, if it hinges on an element of surprise, then it should be put in SPOILER tags. You are a buffoon, sir!

Now that I've stated this, you will already know how I feel. I greatly value not knowing what happens in my entertainment before it happens. Of course you can enjoy a movie in a different way if you already know what happens, but it is an ALTERNATIVE way. Spoiling it robs me of one of the ways, whereas in the case of good movies or books I look forward to enjoying it in both ways.

Spoiling should never be done haphazardly just because you cling to the notion that it doesn't hurt your enjoyment. Other people think otherwise, and it is common decency to respect their feelings towards it and be cautious when handling such delicate matters.
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Last edited by Starflux; 07-24-2007 at 10:41 AM.
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Old 07-24-2007, 09:55 AM   #42
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What? You mean spoilers don't expire after 73 years?

Anyway, I've put spoiler tags in my post, so you might want to remove my quote from your post. Or my post from your quote. Whatever. Unquote me.
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Old 07-24-2007, 10:41 AM   #43
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No. The damage is done
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Old 07-24-2007, 11:05 AM   #44
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Unquote me, cad! Or I'll spoil another book for you!
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Old 07-24-2007, 11:11 AM   #45
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Everyone dies at the end!
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Old 07-24-2007, 11:18 AM   #46
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Everyone dies at the end!
Squinky, stop spoiling life for everyone!
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Old 07-24-2007, 11:24 AM   #47
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And the buff goon gets the blonde moron at the end.

Wait, that's not life.
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Old 07-24-2007, 01:31 PM   #48
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Maybe another question is what constitutes a spoiler? For example I've just finished reading "Evli Star" by Anthony Horowitz this morning (yes, I have had a bit of a run of his works. I'm catching up on my monthly magazines and then switching to someone else now ) I had a thought about the ending that conveys absolutely no direct plot information but I'm putting in spoiler tags anyway.
Spoiler:
I was surprised by the ending but I thought it was a bold move on the part of the author
That conveys actually no information about the content of the book itself (heck, it doesn't even tell you what sort of book it is, which would be a factor in whether people choose to read it or not) Nevertheless, the fact that I would have that particular thought about the ending could well skew other's perceptions when reading the book because they'll find themselves waiting for the part that gave rise to that thought.

So is that a spoiler or not? (Limited to people who've either read the book or are willing to take their chances with a statement that I guarantee has no direct plot information in it)
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Old 07-24-2007, 01:56 PM   #49
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Us really pathetic, pedantic people have already given such a thing an official name: the secondary spoiler.

This can take many forms. For instance the one you mentioned,
Spoiler:
where you tell someone there's a surprise waiting for them.
But it can also be telling someone 'wait till you see what happens to Bubba halfway through the movie'. It's not an actual spoiler, but you are indeed chipping away at it. A surprise is that much less surprising if you know it's coming, even if you don't know what it'll be.

Of course, the secondary spoiler is not as unforgivable as a primary one. It also falls more under the category of the rowdy relative that gets too enthusiastic about the movie and is oblivious to any and all tact.
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Last edited by stepurhan; 07-24-2007 at 02:00 PM. Reason: spoiling my spoiler
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Old 07-24-2007, 02:04 PM   #50
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This is the reason I put the sentence in spoiler tags (I hope you'll forgive me taking the liberty of doing the same for your reference to it in your post)

Like you say when you suggest something is going to happen, no matter how vague you are about what the "something" is, it sets people up waiting for that something which takes their mind off just enjoying the story.
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Old 07-24-2007, 02:16 PM   #51
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Exactly. Now how anal I get precisely depends on the movie of course. Really, I'm quite lenient. As long as it isn't something I've been looking out for, the occasional spoiler, though undesired, won't throw me into a hissy fit. For instance, if someone were to tell me what the ending to the new Fantastic Four movie were, I'd be shrugging my shoulders. It's not The Matrix, you know?
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Old 07-24-2007, 02:23 PM   #52
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Y'know, comic writers are often guilty of spoiling their own stories, on a tiny scale. How often have you read a comic strip where you notice the last panel first, ruining the joke? 'Cause it happens to me all the time. The trouble is panels that stand out too much from the rest of the page, either because of coloring or content or most importantly panel placement. Sometimes I'll come across a huge plot twist in a comic book coming at the end of a page in a big, flashy panel. It ruins the momentum of the story because your eye is drawn to that big panel first, with its shocking content, and only then do you go back to the earlier panels which set it up and explain what it's doing there. (Those earlier panels then have lost the emotional value they were meant to have.) In order to avoid such problems, big reveals should either be only after a page turn, or drawn to blend with the rest of the page.

Anyway, my basic point (if indeed there was one) is that creators can sometimes be guilty of spoiling scenes too.
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Old 07-24-2007, 02:28 PM   #53
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There's this impatient kid I know who doesn't seem to understand the concept of a linear story. It drives me crazy. Any time he's in the middle of playing a game I lent him, he asks me endless questions about how it ends. When I refuse to spoil the experience, he insists I'm "mean". He also would like me to give away the solutions to easy puzzles, though I refuse that as well. Now he's reading the Harry Potter books... sort of. He's never read the first four- he's alternating between reading the fifth and the seventh! What butchery.
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Old 07-25-2007, 08:09 AM   #54
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I guess people are different that way. I like to know as little as possible about a story (book, game, movie...) before experiencing it. The ideal review before* reading would simply be "read this". The problem is that such a review would only be effective if it was given by someone I trust, and it was given for me personally. People are too different. But any other review does contain some spoilers.

I don't mind-re-experiencing a story, though, but it's a different thing. I think this is also related to the fact that I find multiple endings/paths less interesting than most people. (Or at least most reviewers/vocal people.)

* The ideal review of something I already have played/watched/read would be quite detailed. It'd offer opinions for me to compare against my own, and it'd share insights in the art it's reviewing. Why is this thing good? Why is that thing less effective?
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Old 07-31-2007, 02:52 AM   #55
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There was a story in the newspaper today, about a teacher, who, on the last day of term, read out the final page of the ultimate Harry Potter book, to the children during assembly.

I think that takes mean-spiritedness to a whole new level.
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Old 07-31-2007, 04:01 AM   #56
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Regarding the big secret in the Crying game:

Spoiler:

The assasination attempt fails
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Old 07-31-2007, 04:41 AM   #57
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Quote:
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There was a story in the newspaper today, about a teacher, who, on the last day of term, read out the final page of the ultimate Harry Potter book, to the children during assembly.

I think that takes mean-spiritedness to a whole new level.
what a bastard!
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Old 08-01-2007, 11:21 PM   #58
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Think that's bad? What about spoiling the end on a breakfast television show!
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599...-29277,00.html

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Old 08-29-2007, 08:34 AM   #59
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Squanks, this shirt would look so fantastic on you! (edit by Mel - spoilers at site linked to)

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Last edited by Melanie68; 08-29-2007 at 03:23 PM. Reason: removed picture as it was too spoilery
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Old 08-29-2007, 09:27 AM   #60
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Oh wow! And it's on sale, too! Thank you for that.
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