To Warn or Not to Warn

[lttledvl_writes]

I've seen this discussion pop up elsewhere, but I'd like to know y'alls thoughts on this as well.

Character death; warning required?Seems to have sparked quite a discussion

Comments

[kikos_ai]

Hmm

[lttledvl_writes]

It is kind of a grey area. Character death isn't in the same category as explict sex scenes, violence or harsh language. All of which I feel should be warned for.

Not so much becuase I'm sparing people their dislikes, but rather to ensure that I'm covering my own butt. call me selfish There are younger kids out there reading fanfic. And the last thing I want or need is some uptight Mom trying to slap me for 'exposing' her kid to adult material.

With a warning and a rating, I can always point back to them and say, 'Hey, your kid obviously had to see that and chose to ignore them. Bitch to your kid, not me.'

Character death is more of a personal like or dislike. Unless it's violent or graphic, I don't think it should have to be warned for. Of course, I like my deaths to have meaning. Pointless killing of a character particularly by fanbrats who hate a character I'd probably complain about. But if it served a purpose or was integral to the story, the ultimate sacrifice for example, I'd read it and prefer not to be warned.

[dragovianknight]

Honestly, that's the first time I've ever seen so many people posting on "my" side of the warning debate. Personally, I would prefer not to warn or be warned for anything, but I've quite had "warn for rape/non-con, dub-con, and character death at minimum" drummed into me by this point. (I still find most warnings quite silly.)

[lttledvl_writes]

I agree to a certain extent. As above, I warn for those things more to avoid hassles if some kid stumbles into a fic they shouldn't. Or if they read it on purpose and Mom finds out. Yah, I'd rather not have some parent trying to sue me.

Honestly, I do bare minimum for warnings anyway. I don't get long and drawn-out with them. Usually it's just along the lines of stating harsh language, character death, etc. I don't even warn for sex scenes, I let the rating part take care of that. If it says NC-17, that's what it means. Explict sex scenes are rather implied.

[starandrea]

Warn. If you want an off-the-cuff opinion as I wander by ::smile:: (Some love in passing, too! ::love:: Haven't talked to or about you in a while, was just thinking about you yesterday, hope all is well ♥)

When it comes to fanfic, there's a lot of it out there, and I prefer not to spend lots of time reading things I don't like: rape, pillaging, murder, that sort of thing :) Major character death included. The few people I know do it well I will totally read (which, frankly, goes for everything except torture, which I thought I would read if it was handled well but then NALAN-fucking-ZU wrote it well and totally creeped me out, and I have never, ever stopped giving her credit for being the creepiest writer I know ::grin:: She RULES

[lttledvl_writes]

If you want an off-the-cuff opinion as I wander by

Why on earth would I want one of those? Lol.

At this point, I'm not sure if there isn't anything I won't read. *g* I have odd tastes sometimes. Mpreg however, is something I can't really get into. My logical brain refuses to push the button of disbelief on that.

I'll admit, it does take me some time to warm up to certain things with particular characters/fandoms. Explicit Ranger sex didn't used to be something I was into. Now I write it. Hee. Buttsex in Stargate used to make all ewwwwy, but now I skim it and shrug. Just another day in Atlantis. Lol.

The one thing I won't read, and it's not a specific story device, but a fandom, is RPF. I don't care if it's squeaky clean, Disney approved for kiddies of all ages. I want to read about characters I love, not the actors. If I want to read about the affairs of actors, I'll grab a copy of the Inquirer. *snerk*

Some love in passing, too! ::love:: Haven't talked to or about you in a while, was just thinking about you yesterday, hope all

[windchaserc]

I personally don't like to be warned of character death. If the death is incorporated skillfully (as versus a pointless death fic), I consider it a spoiler to be forewarned. Since people rarely keel over without cause, maybe a warning for the cause of the death will suffice? Violence or serious illness, for example. Then the reader knows there's a possibility of death, at least.

Or (someone mentioned this in the linked entry) warn that there is *a* death, but don't say who it is.

[lttledvl_writes]

I consider it a spoiler to be forewarned

Me too. Especially if it is done well, just as you said. Pointless death fics are just annoying.

I dunno about the cause. I suppose one could put 'illness: possible death'? That way you wouldn't be giving away too much.

Or warn that there is *a* death, but don't say who it is.

I agree. I wouldn't want to know who it is. And I certainly don't list who's getting the ax when I kill someone off. Not that I've done that often. just twice to the same poor guy *snerk*

My thoughts?

[angel_negra]

Since I'm both wordy and in the minority, here's my thoughts linked so you can ignore them:
http://angel-negra.insanejournal.com/7448.html

Re: My thoughts?

[lttledvl_writes]

I wouldn't ignore you. *hugs*

Very interesting thoughts though. I can totally see the sense in a lot of that.

Re: My thoughts?

[angel_negra]

Apologies to late-comers, but the post is now locked.