#less generously i feel like people kinda say this to be edgy/holier-than-thou sometimes

[windcarvedlyre]

Possibly a hot take, but I feel like the way people discuss spoilers is reductive sometimes. Specifically when people dismiss that spoilers can be upsetting, arguing that if they ruin the experience for you then the story relies on shock value over substance and is therefore bad.

But I think the first blind experience of something and subsequent rewatches are distinct experiences that are engaging in different ways. Yes, if something has zero rewatch value it probably sucks! But the emotional rollercoaster of a blind watch- going insane trying to work out what's going on based on tiny hints, the rush of satisfaction if you're right, the awe if you're wrong and realise a million things went over your head- is part of how we experience good writing too. Especially for the mystery genre.

It feels like people are talking about a real issue- cheap shock value twists that add little to the story and/or aren't foreshadowed in an engaging way- but they're projecting it onto any twists. And that dismisses a fundamental part of storytelling which requires a lot of skill to do well.

Thoughts?