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What are your feelings about warning labels on fics?

How specific do you think they should be? Do you ever get to resenting them as spoilers, feel that the warning is giving away something about the fic that, as an author or as a reader, you would rather keep a surprise? Have you ever had readers complain that there was something in a fic that they weren't prepared for? Have you ever felt that way yourself and resented the author for not having warned you?

Heh, and have you noticed that I tend to ask these questions without giving my own thoughts on the matter? I'm not sure if this is more something intentional like not wanting to shape other people's thoughts too much or make them reluctant to disagree, or if it's more just me being a wimp.

I have mixed feelings about it all. When I started reading fanfic I thought it was a helpful and considerate idea, and sometimes even made it easier to find the things that I wanted. (I don't think most people here will hate me if I say that sometimes, yeah, I'm in the mood for a story with some violence, or a character death, or for something unusually kinky or a PWP.) Also, there aren't many warning labels that will keep me from trying out a fic, but sometimes I'm glad to know the disturbing thing is coming, to be more prepared for it. I don't think I squick all that easily and the things that could really bug me are probably too specific for me to expect authors to put up labels about them.

I should also say though that some of my favorite fics, including monster WIPs which I've spent many, many hours reading, come with no warnings at all, or only something as vague as "potentially disturbing elements" or "lots of angst". And nothing in these fics has made me wish I hadn't read them, but I can see how other people could get upset.

Do I worry too much?

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I want as many warning/labels/summary as I can get! If there's major angst, character death, a pairing I don't care about, etc., I want to know that before I waste any time reading something that won't interest me (or will make me sorry I read it). I actually try to write extremely complete story summaries myself (full of spoilers, I suppose), so folks will know what to expect.

Extra complete summaries with many warnings is probably the safest way to go. I suppose it's worth it to sacrifice some suspense if you can avoid giving a nasty shock to nice people.

In fanfic I want to know pairings, rating, genre (I loathe het). Warnings for: non-canon death of major canon characters (kill any OC you want without warning), non-con & rape, chan, blood sports, hurt/no comfort, excessive violence& torture.

: )

Thank you for being so specific. I think I would like a warning for any of those things too.

I like the labels.

It's the first thing I sort a fic by, i.e do I want to read this or not. Since there are so many different things I like to read and not enough time, I need this to be able to skip things I don't want to read or are not in the mood to read. Like you said, it's an easy way to find a fic you want to read.

I want to know what pairings is in the fics, that comes first, at least the main pair. And rating is a must. And I prefer if it says if it's gen or slash or het fic. I read and like all, but want to know before hand what I am to expect. It also states if the author see it as a slash fic or a gen fic. Can be good to know. Genre is a good thing too to put up.

Extra warnings such as extremely angsty, violence or death fics is a plus. I don't like death fics. I tend to avoid them, but sometimes I read them anyway because I've read other fics by this author and knows the story will likely be good. I prefer happy endings, so death warnings concerning a major character is in my opinion very welcomed.

I have also read a lot of fics that don't have many labels and I've found them good. I also don't squick easily so that is not why I want the labels. It simply is more easy to find the fics I want to read. Only if I have extra time or if someone has rec'd a story will I find and read those without labels.

Of course, a summery that gives the whole plot away is not a good thing. That would destroy the fun of reading. The tension of not knowing is a thrill. So to try and summon this up. Yes, I want labels but only short ones that don't give away too much.
=)

The early results of my survey definitely favor more warnings. I like what you say about using them as a guide for what to read rather than as a way of avoiding squicks, which we don't have a lot of.

And now that I'm thinking of it, most of the fics I've liked that have had very intense stuff (such as character death and non-con) without much warning, or fics that don't have summaries, are ones that I've seen recced several times and that I know a lot of people have enjoyed. So I probably wouldn't go into something like that blind either. Thanks for your thoughts, Suzy.

Personally, I resent them as spoilers. I wish no fics were labeled, because I hate being spoiled. It really ruins my enjoyment of a fic. I don't want a hint that minor character X is to meet a grisly death-- just kill him, and let me react with proper emotion to the event! If you're writing an AU, kill whomever you want: Aragorn, Frodo, I don't care. (Well, I care, but it _is_ an AU; take it where you will.)

I even resent dropping the name of the pairing, because often that's part of the fun--discovering who will end up with whom. However, I realize that many people want to read only about certain characters or certain pairings, so I always provide at least the major character.

On the other hand, I realize that some people really do have issues with certain kinds of violence or kinky sex. It is polite to warn them, but I'd prefer to warn as vaguely as possible. Warnings about slash or het strike me as simply silly, but then, I write both and read both so I don't have a drum to beat in either arena.

What I do like: the rating, and the genre (humor, drama, angst). That's enough to prepare me for the mood. I can trust a good writer to handle the story and plot elements to my satisfaction, no warnings required. :)

Yea! A difference of opinion! This is very good to know, there are definitely times when I enjoy a surprise too. There's some stuff in a fic that I would prefer not to give away but I realize it's the fanfic custom to let people know (and probably moreso in hobbit and interspecies fic than some other areas). I've been trying to think of compromises -- how would you feel about detailed warnings underneath an LJ cut, for instance?

The problem with detailed warnings under a cut is that, as soon as I click the link, I see the warnings anyway! You'd have to make two cuts, one for the warning, and another for the fic.

I really, really hate spoilers. Be as vague as you can. If you are someone whose writing I enjoy, I want to enjoy the story, your vision, and your skill as you tell the tale. I don't want to be warned about something that might happen. The last time I read one of my favorite WIPs, I was mad because I knew a certain character was going to die by the chapter's end. PHAW! It's like going into the second Star Wars movie knowing who Luke's father is.

I realize that I'm very much in the minority here, and won't win this battle. But less is better, in my opinion.

You probably are in the minority, but I think there ought to be a way of accommodating both preferences. I can get pretty extreme about avoiding spoilers myself. Like I'm annoyed that I accidentally read several Harry Potter spoilers this month, even though I haven't even bothered to read more than the first two books yet. It's the principle of the thing, and the possibility that I might get around to reading the rest of them someday. And I get annoyed whenever anybody says ANYTHING about Lost (other than "It's really good") because I'm waiting for the DVD.

And I'll tell you a secret: sometimes I'm kind of glad that I didn't read LOTR until after the first movie came out, because Gandalf's fall at Khazad Dum was a complete surprise to me, and that helped make it one of the most emotional moments I'd had in a movie theater in years. Shocking and horrible, but in a good way, you know?

See, the thing is, you found Gandalf's death "Shocking and horrible, but in a good way." I know some people (because they told me) who threw the book aside at that point and never read on. They truly did! I think it is such a horrible loss, but some people get really, really upset at death (or other understandably upsetting things).

I read what Lily said about her flist, and I so appreciate that. That is why I put spoilers on my fics, even though I wouldn't want to personally. I shocked I friend once-- I truly didn't think it would be shocking, as it was humor. But still, I felt terrible! As long at LOTR is a community, and the community seems to be in favor of spoilers, then I must abide by the community rules. Left to myself, I would avoid warnings, but I'm not left to myself. My enjoyment will be lessened, but my friends won't be upset. That's the deal. It's a small price to pay for being part of such a wonderful fandom.

Yeah, and my mom found that and Boromir's death so upsetting that she refused to come with me to see ROTK until after I'd promised her that no other members of the Fellowship would die. I understand that and I went along with it for her, but I wouldn't want to have known it myself. So I think I'd like to see a way of giving people a choice of whether they get spoilers or not.

Oh, yes. That would be perfect-- a choice. But how to do it?

Also, people vary considerably in what they consider adequate warnings. For example, someone might summarize LOTR as, "Frodo's journey to Mount Doom where he destroys the Ring, and his decline afterwards." That might satisfy your mom, but few others.

We have to be very careful, in these internet days. It's so easy to spill the beans!

And my mom would make an anxious face and say, "And will there be a lot more of those orcs?"

I wrote my idea in a comment to mother2012 below: a separate intro post giving warnings and summary under an lj cut, and then each chapter of the fic would have a link to that post. I'm probably thinking about it too much though. (And should spend more time thinking about how to get Frodo out of jail.)

You absolutely should! As far as the community goes, I pretty much follow the norm of posting warnings-- it's easier. But if you went to the trouble to hide yours, if they are spoilerish, I'd appreciate it!

Heh, well, now I need to go ahead and get some fic written, but I'll keep this discussion in mind.

I kind of agree with that, especially from the writer's standpoint. I hate to put out a spoiler of the very thing I'm building up to.

I wonder whether it would work to simply put the warnings under the cut or, here's an idea, have a link to a post that gives the warnings. Obviously though, a lot of people wouldn't bother with reading the fic that way - too much effort for unknown return.

No, but I think something like that could work in LJ, especially for a longer fic in several installments. Before chapter 1 there would be a sort of intro post: I've been working on a new fic, and some bad stuff happens in it. If you'd like more detailed warnings, please click here. If you'd prefer to be surprised, chapter 1 will be coming soon. And then in the heading of each of the following chapters there could be a link: More detailed warnings here.

I don't know though. It doesn't seem like a lot of effort to me, but some people want their warnings in flashing lights. Hmmm.

As for myself, I only need to know the pairing and appreciate a warning for character death. That's because I really cannot abide character death of Aragorn or Frodo in a story, and if I'm reading a story and that is involved and I invested my precious time reading it and was not informed and am now a grumbling, depressed, crying mass of neoplasm because of the fic---well---that usually just makes me upset at the author.

However, there are all sorts of things that squick people, and I've discovered on various lists and groups and here that if I have non-con, het, child abuse, extreme medical detail, or anything else "unusual" that I'd best put a warning on it or I'm going to piss an awful lot of people off. There are many more people upset by lack of warnings than by spoilers posted, and I have a lot of people on my flist that I *know* avoid certain things.

Maybe if I didn't know these people personally, I might not be as good with warnings, but I do it in an attempt to spare my flist from things I know they'd prefer not to read. And I think warnings are really common courtesy to people.

I understand what you mean about using warnings because you know people personally and don't want to upset them. Actually you were the first person I thought of when I started writing a certain other fic: better make sure Lily knows not to read this, because it will not make her feel good.

I just that... grrrr. I mean, for example, I haven't considered writing anything about child abuse, but if I did I might want it to be a secret the character was holding onto, and I might not want to reveal that until quite a ways into the fic. I definitely see the reasons for putting the warnings up, but sometimes it bothers me that it's necessary in fanfic when it's not in movies or in published books. Other times I prefer the fanfic custom, because it means nobody gets a nasty shock they're not prepared for.

Yeah, I'm a flipflopper. It's good chatting with you, Lily.

You do have a point--it's not necessary to put warnings for things like character death in movies or published fic. And it would spoil things---imagine the latest Harry Potter book with a character death warning on the outside!!! Heck, I've never seen ANY professional novel with warnings on it---it's always "read at your own risk."

I guess I do it because I know my flist personally, and their likes and dislikes. When I first started writing, I don't think I put as many warnings on stories. NC-17 graphic sex or non-con was about it--and the non-con only because I had a sensitive list mod on one group who about went cuckoo at the story.

You're right, really---people get their knickers into all sorts of twists when they read fanfic without warnings, while pro novels have none. Nor do magazine articles or newspaper articles... so I guess I have no idea where this came from. I think it's an Internet thing. Perhaps it's because there are so many younger people on the Internet, we writers of the "hard stuff" fear we're corrupting young minds without warnings. Or because we hear about all the crap on the Internet, and we want to LABEL our stuff, darn it, so others don't get misled and group us all into a bowl.

Very interesting. I may post a question about his on my LJ, too.

I always love chatting with you!

Ha, yes, for some reason I'd forgotten about the all the young people and those questions of responsibility for corrupting their minds. But that is one reason I'm glad that at least the broad, vague labels exist. It made me feel a lot more comfortable when I was telling a couple of young Romanian friends about fanfic last month. They're both at least 18 but they're personally not interested in gay porn, so, you know, it was nice to be able to say, "Look, it'll usually say at the top if it's slash, and it'll have a rating, so you know what kind of thing to avoid." Of course, for others of us, the NC-17 can be nice for seeking out the graphic sex, you know, when we're in that kind of mood. :D

And Warsaw, in case you were wondering, is lovely.

I have no idea why that posted as "anonymous"--it's me there.

I was all excited to have my first anonymous ("anonimowy" with the Polish LJ settings) comment, and wondering if it was going to be some crazy person. Much more exciting, really, to hear from you.

Hey, I am a crazy person! Does that still count?

You are crazy, but also familiar and loved.

*tacklehugs* When are you coming home?

Anyway, I have mixed feelings about warnings on fics. On one hand, I feel like

mariole, where I wish I didn't know that certain things were coming up. If Frodo or Aragorn died in an AU, I would be devastated, but I'd want to be carried along on that ride without knowing it was going to happen. A simple AU warning or angst warning would do for that.

But I understand why warnings are there. Most warnings won't keep me from reading a fic. Er...well, some will. Like incest. Or chan slash. Or child abuse of any kind. But some people feel that same way about things that I don't mind reading, like excessive violence or non-con or slash or het and so it seems necessary.

I warn for: non-con, no happy ending, non-canon character death, excessive violence, mpreg, slash (but I refuse to warn for interspecies slash because first of all, the pairing speaks for itself and second of all, why assume that interspecies slash is any squickier than hobbitslash?), het, etc.

Only another week and a half. :( I wish I knew more Polish.

I don't think I've ever read a fanfic with no warning for a character death. I've definitely read deathfics, and like I said, there are times when I seek them out. It's definitely something a lot of people want to see a warning for and that will cause a lot of people not to read. On the other hand, as I mentioned to Mariole, some part of me does enjoy being devastated by an unexpected and tragic thing in a novel or a movie. I mean hell, as long as it's fiction, I sometimes want to be ripped apart. But I get that not everybody feels the same way.

I like the way Slipperie mentioned het and slash as genre rather than warnings. I don't think of either one as something objectionable, but as a reader there are times when I'm in the mood for gen and times when I want slash (and very rare moments when I think I might possibly read something het), so I do appreciate knowing which it is going into it.

Um, chan means underage, right? *feels naive*

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