Concerning fanfiction and warnings
In light of the most recent…debate…in bandom regarding warnings on fanfiction and how they affect individual readers and the community at large, I want to say a few things to make very clear my position and policy on warnings for fanfiction posted in this journal.
+ In the past (no matter the fandom) I have always put warnings on fanfiction that I write and post to this journal as well as communities, regardless of community policy. Whether I post finished fic with a proper header, or drabbles or snippets of things I might be working on without a proper header, I have always included appropriate warnings, should they apply. (If you know of a specifc instance where I did not do so, please let me know so that I may rectify the situation).
+ I have and will continue to warn for the following, no matter the fandom: sexual situations involving no consent (non-con, rape) or dubious consent (dub-con); sexual situations involving one or more underage characters (for my purposes, under the age of 18); suicide; self-harm (including eating disorders); excessive violence; torture; abuse; molestation; blood play/knife play/breath play; incest; character death; BDSM and D/s themes; drug abuse; water sports/scat; infidelity; mpreg; genderswap/genderswitch.
+ Though it has not been my policy to do so in the past, in future I will ALWAYS include a warning section in my fic headers, even if no warnings are needed. Simply put, even if there are no warnings needed, I will explicitly say so.
+ I choose to post warnings not only for fellow fans who may have triggering issues, or those who may have squicks, but because I feel that it is my responsibility as a member of a larger community to ensure that all potential readers are fully informed about the fanfiction they are about to read. I do not believe that warnings are spoilers; I do believe that warnings are a common decency that should be extended to all members of fandom.
That said… I do not have triggering issues. I am very hard to squick. I will read fanfiction posted without warnings because I personally do not need them. However, some people do. I realize that not all fanfiction writers believe in posting warnings and that neither I, nor anyone else, will be able to convince all writers to use them. However, I urge everyone who reads this post (or who has read other posts on this subject) to examine their own warning policies and to remember that for some members of fandom, hitting the back button is not a perfect solution. Additionally, if I have forgotten a warning which you think should be included in the above list, please let me know so that I may include it. Finally, if you have a problem with or disagree with my warning policy, you are free to go to my User Profile and click on the Modify Friend icon and remove me from your friends list.
+ In the past (no matter the fandom) I have always put warnings on fanfiction that I write and post to this journal as well as communities, regardless of community policy. Whether I post finished fic with a proper header, or drabbles or snippets of things I might be working on without a proper header, I have always included appropriate warnings, should they apply. (If you know of a specifc instance where I did not do so, please let me know so that I may rectify the situation).
+ I have and will continue to warn for the following, no matter the fandom: sexual situations involving no consent (non-con, rape) or dubious consent (dub-con); sexual situations involving one or more underage characters (for my purposes, under the age of 18); suicide; self-harm (including eating disorders); excessive violence; torture; abuse; molestation; blood play/knife play/breath play; incest; character death; BDSM and D/s themes; drug abuse; water sports/scat; infidelity; mpreg; genderswap/genderswitch.
+ Though it has not been my policy to do so in the past, in future I will ALWAYS include a warning section in my fic headers, even if no warnings are needed. Simply put, even if there are no warnings needed, I will explicitly say so.
+ I choose to post warnings not only for fellow fans who may have triggering issues, or those who may have squicks, but because I feel that it is my responsibility as a member of a larger community to ensure that all potential readers are fully informed about the fanfiction they are about to read. I do not believe that warnings are spoilers; I do believe that warnings are a common decency that should be extended to all members of fandom.
That said… I do not have triggering issues. I am very hard to squick. I will read fanfiction posted without warnings because I personally do not need them. However, some people do. I realize that not all fanfiction writers believe in posting warnings and that neither I, nor anyone else, will be able to convince all writers to use them. However, I urge everyone who reads this post (or who has read other posts on this subject) to examine their own warning policies and to remember that for some members of fandom, hitting the back button is not a perfect solution. Additionally, if I have forgotten a warning which you think should be included in the above list, please let me know so that I may include it. Finally, if you have a problem with or disagree with my warning policy, you are free to go to my User Profile and click on the Modify Friend icon and remove me from your friends list.