How I Choose What Fanfiction to read

Me, looking for fanfiction:

I normally don't listen to my shoulder angels while browsing for fanfics. That doesn't mean they ever shut up.

• Me: Oh, this one looks good. It's an AU fic, which I normally don't like to read, but this is a Brideshead Revisited AU. 
• SA: Brideshead Revisited is a wonderful story, although it seems suspicious that someone would be using it in the X-Men fandom. Why don't you click on it to see more details.
• Me: Okay. <clicks>
• SA: You shouldn't read this, madam.
• Me: Why not? It combines X-Men: First Class, and Brideshead Revisited. What's not to like about it?
• SA: It's rated NC-17. And one of its warnings is for "perpetual nudity."
• Me: I guess you're right, this does look like a good fanfic, though...
• Shoulder Demon (Fun fact: he's my shoulder angel's husband. I just thought you should know): Oh, posh. Don't you know that the NC-17 rating only applies to children under 17? 
• SA: She's still a decent young lady, though. She doesn't need to be reading smut!
• SD: You and your hatred of smut. "Smut," and "good writing and plot" are not mutually exclusive concepts!
• SA: I'm sure there are plenty of fanfics out there that don't have smut that she could be reading instead.
• SD: There are, but how many of those combine X-Men: First Class and  Brideshead Revisited?
• SA: <silence>
• SD: How many good Brideshead Revisited fics are there, Katy?
• Me: I don't think there are any Brideshead Revisited fics. 
• SD: Would you pass up the opportunity to read what could possibly be the only fanfic related to Brideshead Revisited because my wife is overly sensitive to the things you read online?
• Me: Heck, no. <clicks>
• SA: You're making a terrible mistake, madam.

And you know what? It turned out to be a really awesome fanfic. It was clever, gorgeously written, funny and not nearly as smutty as the warnings implied it would be. It was definitely worth reading.

The lesson here is: Don't let the disclaimers get you down.

Unless of course, you're watching Mystery of the Trinidad. People who go into a movie looking for a feel-good, coming-of-age film about the relationship between a man and his daughter are probably not looking for a Flowers in the Attic-esque twist involving the man's half-sister.

Seriously. It was a good movie up until that point. And I was watching it with my parents. Awkward doesn't even begin to describe it.