holdouttrout | Realism and Viewer Expectations

You know that lesson you've heard, sometime, about good poll questions? Yeah, that first one on yesterday's poll does not qualify. What happened is I had another one that was slightly better, but lj ate it. Anyway, what I was trying to get at was actually a few different questions, which of course I didn't realize while writing the poll. Well, and it was supposed to be fun, not a lot of meta work. ;-)

Anyway, here are some of the questions that I jumbled into that first question. I also have to say that I am primarily thinking about established media--television, movies, published books. Fanfiction carries a whole different set of expectations.

Do you enjoy fiction with unrealistic premises? (Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror)
Do you enjoy fiction where the outcome is certain?
Do you enjoy fiction where main characters can die?
Do you enjoy fiction where it is expected that the "rules" are the same as our reality? (i.e. no one comes back from the dead)
Do you enjoy fiction where a satisfactory resolution takes precedence over realism? (i.e. some crime dramas)
Do you enjoy fiction that doesn't necessarily make realistic sense, but has a greater artistic or emotional mood/resonance?
Do you enjoy fiction that bends/breaks the fourth wall (is self-aware and comments on itself)?

1. Personally, I love unrealistic premises. A Stargate? Fantastic! A guy who is a genius and can learn how to do something by reading about it? Completely awesome. Sudden onset of superpowers? Bring it on!

2. I sometimes love and sometimes hate fiction where the outcome is certain. Sometimes I find it boring, overdone, and ridiculous. But good writers can make me reevaluate that reaction--even though I know the ending, they can bring me along to an emotional place that feels amazing and fresh.

3. Fiction where main characters can die is one of my absolute favorites, as long as it's not just gratuitous death. I like knowing that the rules extend even to the main cast--like knowing that Jack might not recover from the gunshot wound OMG or that the black smoke might get Kate. (Of course, the intial promise of Lost has not paid out quite the way I would have expected.)

4. I generally assume that the rules are the same as in our world unless otherwise stated--for example, in BSG where Cylons can be resurrected in a new body. I expect that humans cannot come back from the dead, although I'm willing to suspend my lack of belief if I think there's a good reason for it coming down the line.

5. Sometimes, I just want the good guys to get the bad guys, time and process be damned. I don't care if Test A takes a month to do, or if Character B, who is a forensics expert, would never actually do the interview. I want to be told an entertaining story that doesn't push too many "unrealistic" buttons, but still ends with the good guys solving the crime.

6. I hadn't really though about an artistic lack of realism in television until the season finale of House and my friend's very unique perspective on it. I always just assumed that the writers and producers screwed up when my expectations for a show were not met. I'm still not sure she's right about House being structured much more like an epic poem, but it's definitely an interesting viewpoint. And I know I've liked movies--or at least not hated movies--that are more about the mood and pretty scenery and music than they are about the plot or even the characters.

7. Fourth-wall breaking! I am probably one of the most enthusiastic fans of internal commentary. Self-referential humor done well is so much fun! Of course, it can also be really, really bad, but I tend to love it anyway.

So...feel free to answer one, some, all, or none of these questions.

Also, I have to say that some of the fill-in answers are hilarious.

likethesun2, I agree that it's probably a good thing most television/movies don't deal with literary criticism. Hah!

pcrackenhead, I knew you'd tick (check) that box. *grins*

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Can you tell I'm having a slow work day? ;)

Do you enjoy fiction with unrealistic premises? (Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror)
Yes, absolutely, but my bias is to science fiction. I won't touch most horror with a ten foot pole, and with a few exceptions like the LOTR movies, I steer clear of fantasy too. Basically my rule is, if some scientist type person gives me a technobabble explanation of why character Y has suddenly developed the ability to open the fridge with his mind, I'm good. But if someone starts talking about gods and spirit forces, I'm moving on.

Do you enjoy fiction where the outcome is certain?
I like things that are predictably unpredictable. I want to know that the good guys will win in the end, but I want to be surprised by the bumps along the road.

Do you enjoy fiction where main characters can die?
Yes, as long as the deaths aren't just there for dramatic effect and make sense. *cough*explodingtumor*cough*

Do you enjoy fiction where it is expected that the "rules" are the same as our reality? (i.e. no one comes back from the dead)
Sometimes, but generally the more a series bends the rules, the more likely I am to get into it.

Do you enjoy fiction where a satisfactory resolution takes precedence over realism? (i.e. some crime dramas)
I like stories that strike a balance between the two. Don't leave me hanging all the time, but don't always wrap everything up in a pretty bow either.

Do you enjoy fiction that doesn't necessarily make realistic sense, but has a greater artistic or emotional mood/resonance?
Sure, as long as it has internal logic. A basic continuity and internal logic is pretty much all I ask of my fiction in terms of realism. Beyond that, go nuts. *g*

Do you enjoy fiction that bends/breaks the fourth wall (is self-aware and comments on itself)?
Meh. If done well, yes, but it's not a favorite thing.

I want to be surprised by the bumps along the road.

There's nothing I love better than plot twists that manage to surprise me. I've been steeped in stories my whole life, so seeing things coming is an occupational hazard.

Someone once said that the main difference between most sci-fi and fantasy could be explained by how the characters move through a wall. In sci-fi, someone waves a technological device that rearranges the molecules of either the wall or the character so they can pass through each other, while in fantasy, someone waves a magic wand to accomplish the same thing. *g* It's a little simplistic, perhaps, but it generally works for the kinds of sci-fi and fantasy I like. I like fantasy that reads a lot more like sci-fi in that it still has rules--it's just set in a world with different rules.

Oh yeah. Sometimes I know what a character is going to say before they say it, even when it's a show I'm not very familiar with. I'm just so used to the way TV shows are written, I can guess at the dialog. It's always great when the writers can actually surprise me.

Dialogue, especially one-liners. Or plans. Or...subtle clues. I'm really good at picking those out, to the point where they have to be really subtle to get me, sometimes.

I'm assuming you mean to cover the broad spectrum of fiction, including movies, tv, written fiction and fanfiction? :)

1. (Unrealistic premises?) Yes. Most of them time, RL is not interesting. It is boring and monotonous and I get enough of it during the day. I'm not so much a horror person, but I am quite happily able to suspend belief on a great many things for good TV/fiction.

That being said, I also love realism-based shows: The Office and other sitcoms.

2. (Certained outcomes?) Not too often. If things are certain, I often have a harder time getting through them. An author/whatever could be fantastically talented, but if I KNOW the pony is going to go home with the cute little pig-tailed girl, I'm going to get bored.

3. (Main character death?) YES. I had much more fun reading HP when I thought Harry, Ron or Hermoine might get offed. The SW EU is MUCH more interesting to me nowadays, when people get killed. The suspense KILLS me, and I love it.

4. (Biding by RL rules?) Yes. Or, rather, yes-ish. I do if it makes sense. Don't try to feed me a line about a show whose premise is so outlandish it could be on the Sci-Fi channel, and yet bog me down with the rules of death. ;)

5. (Satisfactory resolutions?) I often hate these. And also love them. I love realism when it's gritty and dynamic and makes all sorts of funnish moments. I love tidy neat little endings if it's a Tuesday or if I'm feeling particularly brain-dead. So it's a toss-up.

6. (Can I stand unrealistic artism?) Yes. I can take it all in stride. I watched Alias, which made about as little sense as it possibly could. :D

I also think I made up a new word. Artism. Awesome.

7. (Fourth-wall breaking?) OMG YES GOMZ. I love it. I find it hilarious and self-aware and clever, even when it is not any of these things, as long as it's subtle. I hope you are not talking about the fanfic phenomenon of making random AN's in the middle of a particularly good paragraph that does not require the author's opinion on woolen sweaters.

Thanks for the chance to procrastinate. :D

OMFG, I think I am guilty of that author's note thing you mentioned in answer #7. I think when I was thirteen I used to insert author's notes into the story itself, back when I used ff.net and wasn't really fanfic savvy. Dear lord.

I hope you are not talking about the fanfic phenomenon of making random AN's in the middle of a particularly good paragraph that does not require the author's opinion on woolen sweaters.

Not what I was going for, no. Although I just have to point out that woolen sweaters tend to shrink quite terribly and are very itchy. *g*

Also, you didn't read my caveat, which was that fanfiction is often a very different beast from canon. I think fanfiction can get away with things, to varying degrees of success, of course, that canon sometimes can't.

And death in shows is sometimes a bendable rule. BSG being one of the notable examples.

I had to give props to my technical terms!

I'll note, however, there were 2 other people who at least checked it, even if they were so wrapped up in checkbox mania that they didn't know on what they were clicking. :)

Regardless, I'm totally counting this as a win for The Great Crackenhead.

Well, I checked all of the ticky boxes, and someone else did, too. I was amused. No one else checked more than one or possibly two of the boxes. ;-)

Hey, if you hadn't put 'idiot' on it ... I'd have checked it too! *g* That's a technical term in my profession, but I couldn't bring myself to call you that even in the name of professional integrity. Hee.

Ah, yes. I included the question because it's sort of a running joke. I've argued quite vehemently that it doesn't matter what the official name is--it's still a ticky box. *grins*

Hahaha! No, it's only a ticky box until your design gets laughed out of the conference room. ;) Then you become an apocryphal tale of warning and woe told to every new hire to walk through the door.

Hahaha! No, it's only a ticky box until your design gets laughed out of the conference room. ;) Then you become an apocryphal tale of warning and woe told to every new hire to walk through the door.

Oh, dear. I hope that isn't personal experience.

Er, not that in particular? And apocryphal tale is a stretch, but I was teased mercilessly for weeks on end. Apparently panic resulting in failure to pull up the correct technical term for something basic during a briefing for a department head is really funny. It still comes up on occasion. I file this particular story under 'experiences of girl working in boys' world'.

Okay, and it sounds like I'm bitter about it, which I'm really not. I did myself eventually come to see the humor ... once I was resurrected from dying of embarrassment.

Hah! Yes, sometimes things are a *lot* funnier in retrospect.

1. Oh, yeah, I love unrealistic premises. My dad raised me on Star Wars and Star Trek. How could I not? All most all of the books I read are set in the future, the past, another world, or in another country. I don't like reading books set in modern day America. I live here, I want to escape in books. In movies and TV I'm much more flexible.

2. Sometimes. It depends on the circumstances. Most of the time I like knowing the god guys will win against the odds, no matter how impossible.

2. I really enjoy it when a main character that I didn't like dies. For instance X-Men 3 was made much better for me when Cyclops died. I've always hated him whether it was in the comics, the movies or the cartoons. It filled me with much glee. But even if it's a character I like, it doesn't bother me greatly as long as it moves the story along and gives you a greater sense of impending doom as in Wash and Book's deaths in Serenity.

4. Rules aren't a big deal to me. I like to have 'guidelines' if a world acts differently than ours, but I also don't want to be pounded over the head with exposition.

5. I like a satisfactory resolution. I find myself looking for another part of the series only to find there is none. I don't like loose ends flopping in the wind. It keeps me up at night.

6. No, I don't care for those moody evocative types of works. I end up laying those books or movies down and never picking them up again. I like plot and character development more than a pretty turn of the phrase.

7. Sometimes. Most people can't pull it off. Peter David's on the Captain Marvel comic did an amazing job of frequently breaking the fourth wall while still allowing you to remain caught up in the story.

But even if it's a character I like, it doesn't bother me greatly as long as it moves the story along and gives you a greater sense of impending doom as in Wash and Book's deaths in Serenity.

I'm really weird in how I like or dislike characters, but I'm exactly the same on this part. I mean, I feel sad, or if I feel there wasn't a point to it, I get angry, but in the end, killing main characters sometimes just works.

1. Yes, though not so much horror. Personally not big on that whole fear, gore, and nightmares thing.

2. Frequently. I'm a 'journey' kind of girl, I guess. I like knowing how someone gets from A to B, and what it looks like, and who else is there and all of that, even if I already know what B is.

3. Depends. When it's part of the story, when it's thematically consistent, when it makes sense, even when it's totally unexpected - just not when it's used as an artificial means to create angst in the viewer or to add to the pile of misery being experienced by a character I'm being told to feel sorry for.

4. I like there to be rules that make sense, especially if I get to figure them out as the story unfolds. I don't really care if they are the rules that I deal with in everyday life. And if you are talking series vs. movie, I don't care if they change halfway through (though I will laugh if I notice).

5. If it's consistent with the body of the work as a whole. If they've tried to be really realistic in the details most of the time, and then all of a sudden the rules go out the window, that bothers me.

6. Sure, when done well.

7. Oh, yes. Uh, within reason. Then again, if it's not within reason, it's probably a spoof, and that's okay, too.

I SO did not read your answers before I replied...WE. SHARE. A. BRAIN.!

Sometimes I don't like spoilers, but it's mostly because I want the experience of the journey without jumping to the end--even if I know that Character A will save the day, I want to find out how.

I also love constancy in the rules of a universe. If people can't generally rise from the dead, then I want them to follow that rule or explain why this is a special case. (Like Daniel!)

1) Do you enjoy fiction with unrealistic premises? (Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror)

Um. Yes. But I'm picky in inexplicable ways. Onscreen I like science fiction a lot better than I like it in text. Fantasy I tend to like better in text than onscreen. I don't do horror (okay, if Buffy counts then I do - and while I watch Supernatural, the more horror-like it is, the less I like it). I'm not convinced science fiction is necessarily unrealistic so much as it is an exploration of humanity's potential :)

2) Do you enjoy fiction where the outcome is certain?

Sometimes. I don't want all my fiction to be that way, but it isn't guaranteed to ruin my enjoyment (this isn't precisely fiction but take the movie Apollo 13 - I knew that mission backwards and forwards and yet the first time I saw the movie I was on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen.

3) Do you enjoy fiction where main characters can die?

Oh, hell yes. Though I generally prefer them to die in believable, meaningful ways (and sometimes a meaningless death can be meaningful - say in M*A*S*H). I also really don't like to be warned for character death.

4) Do you enjoy fiction where it is expected that the "rules" are the same as our reality? (i.e. no one comes back from the dead)

Yep. Historical fiction is my second favorite (sometimes favorite) genre. Sometimes I like playing in the rules, sometimes I like playing outside them.

5) Do you enjoy fiction where a satisfactory resolution takes precedence over realism? (i.e. some crime dramas)

I prefer the resolution to be realistic and not just tacked on, but yes. I also enjoy the realism of nothing ever being tied up with a shiny bow.

6) Do you enjoy fiction that doesn't necessarily make realistic sense, but has a greater artistic or emotional mood/resonance?

Um. That really, really depends. If I spend the whole thing confused and wondering what is going on, then generally no, I don't. If it makes sense then I often can.

7) Do you enjoy fiction that bends/breaks the fourth wall (is self-aware and comments on itself)?

Heck yes. Though I'd hate for all my fiction to be that way.

Onscreen I like science fiction a lot better than I like it in text. Fantasy I tend to like better in text than onscreen.

Huh. I feel the same way!

Some science fiction has the science part tagged on rather haphazardly, but the really Good Stuff tends to be about human nature, and how that changes and doesn't change with technology.

Do you enjoy fiction with unrealistic premises? (Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror)

To an extent. I enjoy sci-fi, but I hate fantasy. A lot of people don't understand that, but for me, sci-fi is still science-based, so to me (and this goes back to yesterday's poll), it's easier to see where it's grounded in reality, per se. Although I still believe that elements of fantasy have to have sprung from a creator's real-life experiences or opinions or whatever, fantasy just doesn't do it for me. It's too much outside the realm of what I know--it's not believable to me, I guess.

Do you enjoy fiction where the outcome is certain?

Sometimes, yes. I love Jane Austen, and everyone knows how her stories are going to end. Also, I love watching TV shows that are over and out on DVD, because then I know if they end crappily or not.

Do you enjoy fiction where main characters can die?

Sometimes, but not usually. It depends on how long-term the thing is--on TV, I don't like my main characters dying, because I get too attached. But in books, they can die all they want, so long as they aren't animals. :P

Do you enjoy fiction where it is expected that the "rules" are the same as our reality? (i.e. no one comes back from the dead)

More or less. In sci-fi you can bend these rules a bit, but at the very least, everything is always backed up with some sort of explanation, no matter how lame it is. In fantasy sometimes, it just seems like things just "are," and there's no real reason.

Do you enjoy fiction where a satisfactory resolution takes precedence over realism? (i.e. some crime dramas)

Hmm. I think it really just depends on the sort of way the show has presented itself thus far. Like, on LOST, I went in knowing there was something weird going on, but it still seemed relatively normal. Now, though, the show has continuted to stray so far from realism that it's just become convoluted and hokey--and it wasn't like that before. The same sort of thing happened on Alias (damn you, JJ). So, I think I like the show to say, "Hey, this is how we're going to be" and not stray from that too much.

Do you enjoy fiction that doesn't necessarily make realistic sense, but has a greater artistic or emotional mood/resonance?

Eh. I like a definite balance between the two. If it doesn't make any realistic sense, then how well can it emotionally impact you? Star Wars may not be "realistic" in that there are spaceships flying around galaxies in 2.05 nanoseconds, but to the characters of the GFFA, that's realistic for them. And for us, it's realistic to have a war; to have various people in your life; for there to be a Really Bad Guy; etc., etc. That's where the emotional resonance comes in, you know?--in the way that we find ourselves able to relate or sympathize.

Do you enjoy fiction that bends/breaks the fourth wall (is self-aware and comments on itself)?

Not so much. Occasionally, it's cute--like, there's this line from a really, really terrible X-Files episode, but it's the greates meta-line just about ever. Mulder and Scully are talking about a female/male agent pair that's been working together for seven years (like them), but he notes that "they are not romantically involved, if that's what you're thinking" in such a smug, cutesy, self-referential way that you let it go, because it's so perfect. Otherwise, breaking the wall kind of annoys me, because it's a remindre that you're watching a TV show or a movie or whatever. I know I'm watching TV, so you really don't have to remind me; besides, I want to believe more that I'm in a world where the characters exist. It's hard to explain. But I usually cringe or balk at a character speaking to me.

Whee! These were fun. :P

I find that getting into series later on is easier, because you can prepare for the bad and enjoy the good. :-)

I completely disagree with you on Lost, but I'm not going to make a huge issue of it--it's a show I enjoy for the ride, and all the strange things in it now were always hinted at from the first episode--it's exactly like Alias, to me, and I feel bery differently about that than most people I know do. So. Yeah.

1. Yes - but not Horror...I don't do uckiness well, and I get nightmares...

2. Sometimes, if it is well written and the characters are engaging and likable...I'm kinda good at ferreting out what is going to happen, comes from reading So. Many. Books.

3. Not usually, being a sap, with a very tender heart. I do better when it is expected...I don't enjoy angst for angst sake, but if there is some
kind of overall story-line pay off, then it might be worth while?!

4. Not necessarily...I like fiction which behaves realistically within the bounds that are set up for its reality, which doesn't change the bounds mid stream, but the rules could be different for our reality...

5. Since I watch House and Bones and CSI, I'd have to say yes! But it needs to not feel forced or is inconsistent with the way the plot, story, show works as a whole

6. As long as it is well done...

7. I suppose, as long as it doesn't feel forced or out of no where...

I've found I'm a fan of suspense but not horror. Horror, to me, is gratuitous and squicky, but I can like suspense quite well.

I wonder how it can be determined what kinds of plot/resolution/etc is natural to a certain show...

I adore suspense! But no horror!

I have no idea how you empirically determine what is natural; but it is usually obvious when it is not!

Exactly! You know it when you (don't) see it!

1 Do you enjoy fiction with unrealistic premises? (Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror)
Yes. I love it a great amount. My imagination knows no bounds, and with sci fi and horror all things are possible. One of my big pet peeves are people claiming various scientific theories aren't possible (on SG-1). See, scientists with that attitude never make the big break-throughs. ;)

2 Do you enjoy fiction where the outcome is certain?
Well, it depends on authorial intent. Are they just telegraphing the ending too strongly and ruining the story? Or are they deliberately revealing the ending? In something like a romance novel, you sort of know that the couple will end up together, and it's the journey that counts. And that rings true for me across all genres.

3 Do you enjoy fiction where main characters can die?
Yes, but I'd rather my favorites live. I find it incredibly depressing when a character I've become very invested in dies. If I know a book ends that way, I might even procrastinate on finishing it. So, maybe I lean more toward 'no'. Hmm.

4 Do you enjoy fiction where it is expected that the "rules" are the same as our reality? (i.e. no one comes back from the dead)
Sure. I really have no preferences in this area. A universe where all the rules are different is fine as long as they're not unduly complicated and hard to remember. Rules same as ours is fine too.

5 Do you enjoy fiction where a satisfactory resolution takes precedence over realism? (i.e. some crime dramas)
Yes, unless it's something I'm incredibly knowledgeable in. Otherwise I'll probably not know the difference. And when I do I'm usually willing to allow latitude for story-telling and time/resource restrictions. Make it entertaining and I'll forgive almost everything.

6 Do you enjoy fiction that doesn't necessarily make realistic sense, but has a greater artistic or emotional mood/resonance?
Yes. Very much. I have great admiration for writers who can accomplish this.

7 Do you enjoy fiction that bends/breaks the fourth wall (is self-aware and comments on itself)?
Yes. If it's well done. I like the narrator format, both in fic and in movies. (Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang with Robert Downey Jr is an excellent example of this and how well it can work.)

In something like a romance novel, you sort of know that the couple will end up together, and it's the journey that counts. And that rings true for me across all genres.

Yes. This is very different from a clumsy author revealing what's going to happen later on.

For me, main characters dying really depends on the book/movie and the mood I expect to get out of the book/movie. If I have the expectation that things aren't going to go well, I'm more likely to be okay with a character I like dying.

Interesting about the narrator format. Do you enjoy first person outside of fanfic, then?

Some people think that to "enjoy" something, you have to feel pleasure, it has to make you happy. They might then say something that didn't make them happy but they're glad they read it is something they "appreciate"...

If I say I "enjoyed" a story, I derived some kind of satisfaction from it - from the journey, from the outcome, from something that caught me by surprise, from having learned something... This doesn't always equate with making me squeefully, fluffily happy (like Sam/Jack fluff).

That's what I'm bringing to my answers; that's my POV from which these answers came.

Do you enjoy fiction with unrealistic premises? (Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror) Oh, yes. Like my brother says, "I have enough non-fiction in RL"; so, yes, I enjoy fiction that stretches the boundaries or that takes me elsewhere.

Do you enjoy fiction where the outcome is certain? In most cases, Sam/Jack fic notwithstanding, no. I usually like to be surprised or have the chance to figure it out as it unfolds. Obviously, if I'm reading about something that actually happened, I will know the outcome, and then it's more about the genesis of that result.

Do you enjoy fiction where main characters can die? While I prefer it NOT to happen, I can enjoy a deathfic if well-told and if the death has either some meaning or really advances the plot. Killing off someone "just to shake things up", though, pisses me off. (*misses Janet*) I will, however, also cry if I've had a chance to develop affection for that character or if it totally wrecks a beloved character left behind. (Yes, I can and definitely do enjoy fiction that makes me cry! It means I'm emotionally involved, which is a good thing!)

Do you enjoy fiction where it is expected that the "rules" are the same as our reality? (i.e. no one comes back from the dead) In general, I prefer that, but whether it's scifi or not, people can come back - like when something has been faked (like faking a death to catch the bad guy or to protect the person from further attempts on their life).

Do you enjoy fiction where a satisfactory resolution takes precedence over realism? (i.e. some crime dramas) I enjoy crime dramas, and I can suspend disbelief if I'm caught up in it - i.e., it was a good story that kept me interested all along. However, if the premise is that it takes place in our reality, I prefer realism to rule.

Do you enjoy fiction that doesn't necessarily make realistic sense, but has a greater artistic or emotional mood/resonance? probably not as much

Do you enjoy fiction that bends/breaks the fourth wall (is self-aware and comments on itself)? Usually prefer it didn't. But that doesn't include not taking itself too seriously (like Stargate didn't take itself too seriously).

If I say I "enjoyed" a story, I derived some kind of satisfaction from it - from the journey, from the outcome, from something that caught me by surprise, from having learned something...

This is more what I meant, too. I tend to enjoy most things I appreciate, although there are a rare few times this wasn't the case.

Janet's death is really interesting--I think that it works well as part of the story, but it doesn't necessarily make sense as part of the whole of the show. Maybe.

Janet's death is really interesting--I think that it works well as part of the story, but it doesn't necessarily make sense as part of the whole of the show. Maybe.

*cries whether it makes sense or not*

*joins you*

I still get sad every time I see Janet now.

Do you enjoy fiction with unrealistic premises? (Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror)SOmetimes. Far more in books than in movies.

Do you enjoy fiction where the outcome is certain? Occasionally. Sometimes. I like historical fiction, and usually the outcome is known. In the good vs evil genre, I want the good to win, but I want there to be an unexpected sacrifice. sometimes.

Do you enjoy fiction where main characters can die? YES!

Do you enjoy fiction where it is expected that the "rules" are the same as our reality? (i.e. no one comes back from the dead) Yes. But I can enjoy the unrealistic ones as well. But I usually like hte follow the rules ones more.

Do you enjoy fiction where a satisfactory resolution takes precedence over realism? (i.e. some crime dramas) I can enjoy it, but I often prefer realism. Well, with social justice issues, I prefer satisfaction. With love, I prefer realism.

Do you enjoy fiction that doesn't necessarily make realistic sense, but has a greater artistic or emotional mood/resonance? Yes. ::is trying to think of a good example...the tango movie perhaps?::

Do you enjoy fiction that bends/breaks the fourth wall (is self-aware and comments on itself)? Yes. As long as it does it consistently.

Well, with social justice issues, I prefer satisfaction. With love, I prefer realism.

Hah! This is interesting to me, and sums up my reactions perfectly.

TANGO MOVIE! *loves you*

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