kriadydragon: (Shep grrr icon)
People really need to put warnings up in their stories if there's going to be explicit content, especially if it's content of a sexual nature, whether het or slash. I've been traipsing around, reading stories here and there where I can, and keep running into these ones that are warning free, start out okay, then... Hello! Totally didn't want to read that!

People who write slash are always good about labeling it as slash or preslash, even going as far as saying if there's explicit stuff or if it's just fluff. People who do torture stories are the same. I know I try to put up warnings if there's torture, violence, etc, even if its not explicit. (though I will admit that sometimes I do forget.) But there are stories out there containing content that is very detailed and in depth, and yet do not have any kind of a warning for the reader. Ratings aren't enough of a warning as I've come across stories rated as Mature and yet the story could easily be PG! And there are stories out there rated PG or PG-13 that should really be M.

Not all of us find detailed descriptions of the male or female anatomy amusing.

I think what people don't really realize is that once this stuff gets in your head, it stays there whether you want it to or not, and will pop up at the most inappropriate times. For some this isn't a problem. For others it can be very annoying. I have a very strong imagination and just one sentence of the explicit stuff will get stuck in my head to play havoc for quite a while. And trust me when I say that I don't want that crap in my head.

I always immediately stop reading once things start getting raunchy, but even then it's too late.  So I appreciate it when people put up warnings. Doesn't mean I won't read the story - if it's just one part that can easily be skipped over, I'll skip it and read the rest - I just like to know what I'm getting into when I start reading.

I think it should become common practice that when reading a story with explicit content of any kind - the kind of content of a squicky nature - and yet contains no warning, then something should be said. I encourage people to do just that. Most people are good about putting up warnings, but a few either feel warnings aren't necessary or just forget to put one up. For me, it's made reading a little less enjoyable as I'm afraid I'm going to end up running across something that I will regret reading. I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in the boat on this one.

This goes for any kind of fic, by the way, not just fan-fic.

Date: 2007-03-28 07:25 am (UTC)From: [identity profile] parisindy.livejournal.com
couldn't agree more!

Date: 2007-03-30 04:48 am (UTC)From: [identity profile] kriadydragon.livejournal.com
I think if Joe F. read some of the stories I've run across, he'd be smacking the authors upside the head and sueing them to never write again. Heck, I've come across stories where the synopsis alone would probably make him blush and squirm. .

Date: 2007-03-30 06:08 am (UTC)From: [identity profile] parisindy.livejournal.com
heheheheheheheeheheh oh man i pray he never reads the smuttys stuff...

my friend writes fan fic for this show, being the lucky duck she is, she went on to be friends with one of the guys from the show and his brother...

the brother read the fan fic (she is a whumper) and he thought she was a great writer etc...

she was horrified though.. me of course i teased her mercilessly

its my nature :D

Date: 2007-03-28 12:47 pm (UTC)From: [identity profile] nebbyjen.livejournal.com
I think it's happened to pretty much all of us. What a bugger to be into a great story and suddenly find images floating in your head that you really didn't need to be thinking about. Usually I don't read the rest.

Totally agree with your post.

Date: 2007-03-30 04:50 am (UTC)From: [identity profile] kriadydragon.livejournal.com
It's actually made me rather nervous whenever I start reading a new fic by an unknown author. I'd stick with known authors, but sometimes they don't update for a while, and reading fic helps motivate me to write.

Date: 2007-03-30 04:06 am (UTC)From: (Anonymous)
Totally agree with you on this topic. It just goes to show the power of the written word, that what we accidentally read can indeed "corrupt the minds of the innocent". Sometimes, there are scenes that are best left unsaid or are simply not required – but if the author wants to write it, then having warnings would be good. I don't really read a lot of fanfic, but if I do come across something that's inappropriate or worse yet, where the rating is misrepresented, then, not only do I stop reading the work, but I lose respect and trust for the author. Nobody likes to be high-jacked by any inappropriate content esp when you're not expecting it. (I don't mind it if there's appropriate warnings.) Perhaps, writers do not realise that such imagery could upsetting to others or that it could have a negative impact on their readers – but I really feel for children who lose their innocence reading things they're not meant to read due to wrong ratings or lack of warnings.

Stargalaxy

Date: 2007-03-30 04:59 am (UTC)From: [identity profile] kriadydragon.livejournal.com
What really bugs me is that a lot of these stories will be posted at communities or sites with moderators, but the moderators never say anything about the person needing to put up warnings.

A lot of people will say "just keep your kid from looking at what he/she isn't supposed to" but the Internet is huge, and it's not hard to end up where the bad stuff is. Heck, I try very hard to be careful and still end up stumbling unwittingly onto the very thing I was trying to avoid.

It's made me kind of nervous whenever I start reading a new story.

Date: 2007-04-11 01:41 am (UTC)From: [personal profile] bratfarrar
bratfarrar: A woman wearing a paper hat over her eyes and holding a teacup (glasses)
It's nice to know that I'm not the only one who's frustrated by this.

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