Trek ficlet, warnings discussion
Fandom is having quite the debate over warnings. Though I am definitely on the fringes of this, it's been a real eye-opener for me in a lot of ways; I'd generally thought of myself as anti-warning, but reading the posts and discussions has made me realize that I was coming at this from a very limited perspective. Basically, I don't tend to write the stuff that is highly triggery, so the only time I heard from people who wanted warnings, it was people who were upset about stuff like warning for pairings. As a result I think I trivialized the whole idea of warnings without realizing the much bigger picture that's out there.
So, what with the debate and there being some new folks around these parts, it seems like a good time to explain what I do and don't warn for. Taking a cue from the careful selenak, here we go --
Spoilers: Generally I warn for this or at least say when in canon the story is set, in which case I think most readers would understand that spoilers up to that point were implied. The longer the fandom has existed or the canon has been dead, the less specific I get, though -- not intentionally, but the assumption that people are familiar with stuff becomes easier to make.
Character deaths: I generally don't warn for this. (The one time I did was "Irenicon," because I think I killed more than half of the regular and recurring characters that had ever been on the show, which I figured people needed to know going in.) When I kill a character, I want it to have impact. I don't do it that often; however, if I advertise something as "post-apocalyptic," be aware that I generally do not have the apocalypse conveniently avoiding everybody we know from canon.
Slash or Het: I list pairings when the pairing is either the main focus of the story or one of the main focuses of the story. Presumably those who know canon will then be able to determine if the story's slash or het. I also use MPAA ratings to let people know how graphic the sexual content is going to be (and usually break this down by chapter as well), and I do not consider either slash or het to require a significantly higher "warning level" than the other. I don't list pairings that are not a main focus of the story, whether canon or non-canon, slash or non-slash. If for some reason a main pairing was meant to be a surprise, I'd probably indicate that a surprise was coming through the summary.
Violence and traumatic non-sexual events: Essentially, if the violence and trauma in the story exceeds what you would find in the source, I would probably warn for that. I wouldn't warn for violence or trauma in keeping with the tone of the source material. So I'd warn for violence way earlier on, say, an "Ugly Betty" fic than I would for an "Alias" story. I tend to write to the tone of the source material, though.
Rape: I think I've only written this once, and I warned for it. There's really only a couple of dub-con scenes that I've written, and I think I warned for them too. Would warn in any hypothetical future scenarios, but it's not likely that I'm going to write this much.
Underage sex: I never write sex scenes about kids under the age of consent, which usually kicks in mid- to late teens, depending on your jurisdiction. Were this for some unfathomable reason to change, I would certainly warn.
Incest: Again, don't write it, would warn if this were to change, but it won't.
**
I will add a link to this entry in my profile. I am not suggesting that my guidelines should be everyone's guidelines, but this is what I work with and I hope that this is helpful.
**
Now let us have a Trek ficlet, which requires no warnings at all. Prompt from the delovely slow_waking:
Spock has come to Earth with only the contents of one duffel bag, one that would not feel heavy even to a human. He is aware that he will need warmer clothes, but those are best purchased here in San Francisco, where the items available will suit the local climate. His notes, personal records, music and books have all been digitally transferred and await him when he logs into his Academy account. He has set out for a new life with only a couple days' changes of clothing and two holos: a recent one of his mother, and an older one of the entire family.
In the corner of the older holo, I-Chaya sits, all fur and fangs. Spock does not quite admit to himself that this is why he chose this one.
He walks off the high-warp transit shuttle pad, confident that he will know his way. The maps were thorough and accurate, and Spock has studied them for months. But studying maps did not prepare him for the chill in the air, nor the extraordinary moisture of the atmosphere. Every breath feels heavy - not unpleasant, but different. Sol's light is softer than he's used to, casting gentler shadows. In the distance he can see the bay, which is by an exponential factor the most water Spock has ever seen in one place at one time. Terms that had been theoretical to him become fact: waves, tides, ocean. He shivers, both from the cold and from the sheer impact of displacement. Everything about this world is profoundly unfamiliar - and yet beautiful, in its way. (An appreciation of aesthetic qualities is not illogical.)
So Spock walks slowly, paying little attention at first to where he's headed; right now, everyplace on Earth is a destination of its own.
**
ETA: Everybody needs to check out the latest ST drabble challenge, "Where No Woman Has Drabbled Before"! Mostly AOS-centric at this point, but the where_no_woman comm may start doing this on a regular basic. Basically, prompts about awesome female characters, great ficlets already there to browse through and more good things sure to come.
So, what with the debate and there being some new folks around these parts, it seems like a good time to explain what I do and don't warn for. Taking a cue from the careful selenak, here we go --
Spoilers: Generally I warn for this or at least say when in canon the story is set, in which case I think most readers would understand that spoilers up to that point were implied. The longer the fandom has existed or the canon has been dead, the less specific I get, though -- not intentionally, but the assumption that people are familiar with stuff becomes easier to make.
Character deaths: I generally don't warn for this. (The one time I did was "Irenicon," because I think I killed more than half of the regular and recurring characters that had ever been on the show, which I figured people needed to know going in.) When I kill a character, I want it to have impact. I don't do it that often; however, if I advertise something as "post-apocalyptic," be aware that I generally do not have the apocalypse conveniently avoiding everybody we know from canon.
Slash or Het: I list pairings when the pairing is either the main focus of the story or one of the main focuses of the story. Presumably those who know canon will then be able to determine if the story's slash or het. I also use MPAA ratings to let people know how graphic the sexual content is going to be (and usually break this down by chapter as well), and I do not consider either slash or het to require a significantly higher "warning level" than the other. I don't list pairings that are not a main focus of the story, whether canon or non-canon, slash or non-slash. If for some reason a main pairing was meant to be a surprise, I'd probably indicate that a surprise was coming through the summary.
Violence and traumatic non-sexual events: Essentially, if the violence and trauma in the story exceeds what you would find in the source, I would probably warn for that. I wouldn't warn for violence or trauma in keeping with the tone of the source material. So I'd warn for violence way earlier on, say, an "Ugly Betty" fic than I would for an "Alias" story. I tend to write to the tone of the source material, though.
Rape: I think I've only written this once, and I warned for it. There's really only a couple of dub-con scenes that I've written, and I think I warned for them too. Would warn in any hypothetical future scenarios, but it's not likely that I'm going to write this much.
Underage sex: I never write sex scenes about kids under the age of consent, which usually kicks in mid- to late teens, depending on your jurisdiction. Were this for some unfathomable reason to change, I would certainly warn.
Incest: Again, don't write it, would warn if this were to change, but it won't.
**
I will add a link to this entry in my profile. I am not suggesting that my guidelines should be everyone's guidelines, but this is what I work with and I hope that this is helpful.
**
Now let us have a Trek ficlet, which requires no warnings at all. Prompt from the delovely slow_waking:
Spock has come to Earth with only the contents of one duffel bag, one that would not feel heavy even to a human. He is aware that he will need warmer clothes, but those are best purchased here in San Francisco, where the items available will suit the local climate. His notes, personal records, music and books have all been digitally transferred and await him when he logs into his Academy account. He has set out for a new life with only a couple days' changes of clothing and two holos: a recent one of his mother, and an older one of the entire family.
In the corner of the older holo, I-Chaya sits, all fur and fangs. Spock does not quite admit to himself that this is why he chose this one.
He walks off the high-warp transit shuttle pad, confident that he will know his way. The maps were thorough and accurate, and Spock has studied them for months. But studying maps did not prepare him for the chill in the air, nor the extraordinary moisture of the atmosphere. Every breath feels heavy - not unpleasant, but different. Sol's light is softer than he's used to, casting gentler shadows. In the distance he can see the bay, which is by an exponential factor the most water Spock has ever seen in one place at one time. Terms that had been theoretical to him become fact: waves, tides, ocean. He shivers, both from the cold and from the sheer impact of displacement. Everything about this world is profoundly unfamiliar - and yet beautiful, in its way. (An appreciation of aesthetic qualities is not illogical.)
So Spock walks slowly, paying little attention at first to where he's headed; right now, everyplace on Earth is a destination of its own.
**
ETA: Everybody needs to check out the latest ST drabble challenge, "Where No Woman Has Drabbled Before"! Mostly AOS-centric at this point, but the where_no_woman comm may start doing this on a regular basic. Basically, prompts about awesome female characters, great ficlets already there to browse through and more good things sure to come.