Managing expections

[lizardbeth]

So here's a question I had today,inspired obviously by current fic, but something I've struggled with before. For a long fic posted in installments, reader comments are obvs fantastic, especially when they make guesses about what's going to happen. Now when they're right, it can be both a little bit 'oops guess that was more predictable than I hoped' or 'yay people are getting it' depending. Anyway it's fairly easy to know how to respond.

Most wrong guesses just elicit evil chortling. But sometimes, someone comes up with something very exciting that is not at all going to happen. This reader is probably going to be very disappointed that zombies aren't going to attack (usually it's something less out of left field, but still, not something even close). Now obviously if I wrote tv or something, that person would have to take their lumps; they expected something that didn't happen, bummer. But this is fanfic - it's also very easy for me to PM this person and tell them, no, sorry, there are no ninjas, and manage their expectations a bit.

Anyone have any thoughts on this, as reader or writer?

Comments

[gaslightgallows]

Given the circs, a gentle PM wouldn't be totally out of line. Or even just a warning at the head of the next chapter, something like "This is not a fighty story, this is an angsty-talky story."

Or both, in case there are other readers who haven't commented but who might also be anticipating the great battle that is never going to come.

[lizardbeth-j.livejournal.com]

I would LIKE to say "Yo, Reviewer Person, thank you but Thanos ain't coming in this fic. And you should be happy about that because if he came BEFORE the end, Asgard would be really really screwed." heh.