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Character death; warning required?
Seems to have sparked quite a discussion.
I'm on the side of not warning. Especially if it spoils the whole fic. Any suspension or buildup is lost by warning for it. Take for example a certain Stargate Atlantis episode. Totally killed the episode for me since nobody in fandom could shut up about it. I really would have preferred not to know.
So what are your thoughts?
- I feel:
busy
Comments
On the one hand I completely understand the desire not to warn, especially if the death(s) are the climax of the story. But on the other hand there are some people on my f-list who are completely against death fics--won't read them, avoids them like the plague and Paris Hilton.
Once upon a time, I had a major plot bunny for a story with Tommy/Jason and the SPD crew..which would have resulted in a character death. I talked about this story at some length with arrow when I met him last summer. I think one of the main reason I chose not to write this story was exactly this problem. If I warned people, I'd ruin the story. If I didn't and killed off a popular character (well actually it was worse than that, it was one person died in the fic but everyone else was gonna die later anyways) then there would be a lot of flack. I think its especially hard to kill of a Power Ranger because until SPD, no Ranger ever stayed dead for good. Its like going against canon really if you kill a Ranger off. I really didn't want to deal with that, on top of the fact that people I love really hate death fics, so in the end I chickened out.
I'm kinda glad I did because it was a very depressing story that I came up with almost two years ago, when I was a lot more depressed than I am now. But I think with this debate its really up to the author, I dont think policy should dictate this at all.
Not so much becuase I'm sparing people their dislikes, but rather to ensure that I'm covering my own butt.
call me selfishThere 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 characterI'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.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.
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.)
...uh, I was saying ::frowns:: Oh, the few people I know do it well can kill characters if they must ::waves hand:: I give my permission ^_^ But I still want them to warn me.
(Obviously I'm not saying everyone should warn about these things to conform to my personal desires ::grin:: I'm just saying, my personal preference is that I'd like to know these things in advance.)
Happy Friday!
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 is well.
Awww. *hugs* Thank you. It's been a rough week, but things seem better now. And although the weekend will be much tso short, it is still a welcome respite.
Or (someone mentioned this in the linked entry) warn that there is *a* death, but don't say who it is.
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*http://angel-negra.insanejournal.com/74
Very interesting thoughts though. I can totally see the sense in a lot of that.
It also helps in our fandom because we have so many authors who are obsessed with killing someone in every damn story they write - but those folks I just know to avoid after a while.
Putting a warning for character death is a nicety, the details of the death or even who doesn't have to be said. That gets into spoiler terriority.
many authors who are obsessed with killing someone in every damn story they write
I hate those. Fics that are little more than character bashing. Seriously, if you don't like a character that much, then don't write about them. It seems simple to me. So far, I haven't encountered a character I 'hated'. There are some that I don't care for, but that's where I prefer to avoid including them.
Better yet, try writing that character into someone who can become likeable. Or get into their head and explain why they're such a dickwad. Much better than random 'Omg, I hate so-and-so and thereof they must die just because I can'.