cruiscin_lan (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
cruiscin_lan) wrote2009-06-27 11:33 am
cruiscin_lan) wrote2009-06-27 11:33 am
My rantiness, let me show you it.
ETA: For those of you just clicking in, here's the skinny: this is a rant, so it's not exactly the most coherent thing I've ever written in my life. Yes, it's aggressive and offensive, and perhaps its poor phrasing has clouded some of the things I was trying to get off my chest, so here's the TL;DR version:
I think that's an accurate summary of what I was trying to say, at least. I'm sorry if you came across this earlier and were offended by my tone, or my words, or anything that I may have implied. Of course, if you'd rather read the whole motherfucking thing, I left it up here unedited as a testament to my own idiocy. Enjoy it with a grain of salt.
This is probably old hat by now, but I've just been catching up on all this wankery about warnings in fic headers. Some people on my flist have talked about this, but only in passing, so I found the unfunnybusiness post that summarizes the beginning of the whole issue. I won't link any particular entries or comments here, because I've got rubber-neckers syndrome to the nth degree and I wouldn't wish it on anyone else. You can find most of the stuff through the unfunnybusiness thing, though, if you're so inclined. There's a ton of shit flying on![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
metafandom too.
But here are my views anyway. Enjoy.
Mostly I don't understand what the big fucking deal is. If there's rape in your fic, warn for rape. If there's a consent issue, say so in the header. If there's something even remotely squicky, much less triggering, there's nothing wrong with at least warning for it.
But for the love of Peter Petrelli, no one is going to get upset because of very specific triggers that weren't mentioned in the header. But if your fic contains really, truly uncomfortable material, you should say so just so people know what they're in for. Yeah, in some cases, a rating of R or NC-17 might cover some of your bases, but it wouldn't hurt to be more specific about why it merits those ratings.
That definitely means warning for explicit violence.
That definitely means warning for child abuse.
That definitely means warning for rape or dubcon, or any sort of consent issues at all.
That could also apply to any number of "questionable content" sort of kinks, and while it may not be practical or even possible to list any and all triggers, there's no harm in warning for "possibly triggering content." For example, I warn for BDSM in fics - not because BDSM is a deviant kink or an illegitimate sex practice/lifestyle, but because it's something unfamiliar and frightening to some people, for a variety of reasons. I'll continue to do the same with oral sex, which is probably more common but still very uncomfortable for some people.
PEOPLE ARE ALLOWED TO BE SCARED OF THINGS, OKAY?
Warning for these things is not catering to someone else's whims or wishes, it's just motherfucking courteous. In your own journal, do what you want. If you think putting a warning on your fic is going to give the story away, or erode your integrity as an artist, or anything like that, then keep it between you and your flist. But if you want to post it to a comm and get other people to read it, then WARN. When you play in public, you play by the rules. That means putting on your big girl panties so no one has to see all the shit you got stuck to your ass if they don't want to.
Meanwhile, I'm going to start warning when I put babies in danger. It's really douchebaggy of me not to realize that could really upset people, even though I know at least two people on my flist who feel that way. (Actually, I'm probably a douchebag for putting babies in danger in the first place, but there you have it.) I'll own up to the fact that I'm a dumbass. And it's okay to be a dumbass as long as you deal with it and try to either be less dumb or less ass. Obviously, I'm going with less dumb and more ass, because my posterior looks so fucking cute in these skinny jeans.
This is just my point of view. I write and post my fic because I like others to read it. I am going to do as much as I can to earn readers, and that means warning.
On that note, I'm going to finish counting up votes for the het fic awards and then go redo my masterlist so headers are clearer and triggers are warned for: non-con, dub-con, babies in danger, anything particularly dark or dramatic. It might take me all weekend, but I think it'll be worth the effort. So if you have any triggers or anything you need/want/would like for me to warn for, leave a comment, or send me a PM.
Not a poll or anything, but anyone who wants to, please feel free to discuss in the comments. Disagree with me if you want, I won't be hurt or anything. And I wasn't trying to hurt anyone else with this rant; this whole issue has just rubbed me all kinds of the wrong way.
- Warnings are necessary for community posts.
- Definitely warn for rape/consent issues, explicit violence, and child abuse.
- You don't have to warn for other things, but it's not a bad idea.
- You don't have to warn in your personal journal, but I do because I know some of my friends are sensitive to different things.
I think that's an accurate summary of what I was trying to say, at least. I'm sorry if you came across this earlier and were offended by my tone, or my words, or anything that I may have implied. Of course, if you'd rather read the whole motherfucking thing, I left it up here unedited as a testament to my own idiocy. Enjoy it with a grain of salt.
This is probably old hat by now, but I've just been catching up on all this wankery about warnings in fic headers. Some people on my flist have talked about this, but only in passing, so I found the unfunnybusiness post that summarizes the beginning of the whole issue. I won't link any particular entries or comments here, because I've got rubber-neckers syndrome to the nth degree and I wouldn't wish it on anyone else. You can find most of the stuff through the unfunnybusiness thing, though, if you're so inclined. There's a ton of shit flying on
metafandom too.But here are my views anyway. Enjoy.
Mostly I don't understand what the big fucking deal is. If there's rape in your fic, warn for rape. If there's a consent issue, say so in the header. If there's something even remotely squicky, much less triggering, there's nothing wrong with at least warning for it.
But for the love of Peter Petrelli, no one is going to get upset because of very specific triggers that weren't mentioned in the header. But if your fic contains really, truly uncomfortable material, you should say so just so people know what they're in for. Yeah, in some cases, a rating of R or NC-17 might cover some of your bases, but it wouldn't hurt to be more specific about why it merits those ratings.
That definitely means warning for explicit violence.
That definitely means warning for child abuse.
That definitely means warning for rape or dubcon, or any sort of consent issues at all.
That could also apply to any number of "questionable content" sort of kinks, and while it may not be practical or even possible to list any and all triggers, there's no harm in warning for "possibly triggering content." For example, I warn for BDSM in fics - not because BDSM is a deviant kink or an illegitimate sex practice/lifestyle, but because it's something unfamiliar and frightening to some people, for a variety of reasons. I'll continue to do the same with oral sex, which is probably more common but still very uncomfortable for some people.
PEOPLE ARE ALLOWED TO BE SCARED OF THINGS, OKAY?
Warning for these things is not catering to someone else's whims or wishes, it's just motherfucking courteous. In your own journal, do what you want. If you think putting a warning on your fic is going to give the story away, or erode your integrity as an artist, or anything like that, then keep it between you and your flist. But if you want to post it to a comm and get other people to read it, then WARN. When you play in public, you play by the rules. That means putting on your big girl panties so no one has to see all the shit you got stuck to your ass if they don't want to.
Meanwhile, I'm going to start warning when I put babies in danger. It's really douchebaggy of me not to realize that could really upset people, even though I know at least two people on my flist who feel that way. (Actually, I'm probably a douchebag for putting babies in danger in the first place, but there you have it.) I'll own up to the fact that I'm a dumbass. And it's okay to be a dumbass as long as you deal with it and try to either be less dumb or less ass. Obviously, I'm going with less dumb and more ass, because my posterior looks so fucking cute in these skinny jeans.
This is just my point of view. I write and post my fic because I like others to read it. I am going to do as much as I can to earn readers, and that means warning.
On that note, I'm going to finish counting up votes for the het fic awards and then go redo my masterlist so headers are clearer and triggers are warned for: non-con, dub-con, babies in danger, anything particularly dark or dramatic. It might take me all weekend, but I think it'll be worth the effort. So if you have any triggers or anything you need/want/would like for me to warn for, leave a comment, or send me a PM.
Not a poll or anything, but anyone who wants to, please feel free to discuss in the comments. Disagree with me if you want, I won't be hurt or anything. And I wasn't trying to hurt anyone else with this rant; this whole issue has just rubbed me all kinds of the wrong way.