fic labelling
Aug. 2nd, 2004 10:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pezI want to ask for your opinion on fic labelling, particularly if you've been directed here from ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
word_games.
I know some people from my flist are against not labelling death fics, but recently I've been thinking that I might not label them anymore. It's like, when you buy a novel at the bookshop, you wouldn't know if the character's going to die or not. Same for when you watch a movie. You will get appropriate warnings for sex, language and violence, but not for death.
Sometimes labelling a death fic just spoils the story. I don't have any death fics in the works right now, apart from [Trials of Trust], but if the death is a twist in the plot then giving warning just spoils everything doesn't it?
I don't really like labelling what pairing the story would be, too, but I guess there's no escape from that. People do pick pairings to read; I do that too. Reading the back of a book usually tells you who falls in love with who, if it's a gay story, etc etc.
So, yeah. I'm not very good at constructing a discussion or anything, but I'd like to hear as much opinion as possible. If you can, please tell me if you support not labelling death fics or not. Doesn't have to be followed up by reasons or anything (although that'd be great too). Comment away!
word_games.I know some people from my flist are against not labelling death fics, but recently I've been thinking that I might not label them anymore. It's like, when you buy a novel at the bookshop, you wouldn't know if the character's going to die or not. Same for when you watch a movie. You will get appropriate warnings for sex, language and violence, but not for death.
Sometimes labelling a death fic just spoils the story. I don't have any death fics in the works right now, apart from [Trials of Trust], but if the death is a twist in the plot then giving warning just spoils everything doesn't it?
I don't really like labelling what pairing the story would be, too, but I guess there's no escape from that. People do pick pairings to read; I do that too. Reading the back of a book usually tells you who falls in love with who, if it's a gay story, etc etc.
So, yeah. I'm not very good at constructing a discussion or anything, but I'd like to hear as much opinion as possible. If you can, please tell me if you support not labelling death fics or not. Doesn't have to be followed up by reasons or anything (although that'd be great too). Comment away!
no subject
Date: 2004-08-02 03:16 pm (UTC)But my own point of view on deathfics is that I hate them. They make me very sad, and that's not what I read fanfic for, personally - I read fanfic because I love the characters and want them to go on and have new adventures. I don't much like novels or TV or movies with the death of a hero as a main theme, either - I always avoid those when I can. It just hurts too much, and I like my fantasy to be uplifting.
Which doesn't help you much, because here I am saying a) don't label if you don't wanna and b) but I don't want to read deathfics. In general I think it's a case of 'reader beware', but you could maybe give a general warning - like we do for yaoi, without giving away the death thing for a specific fic. I always look out for words like 'dark' and 'tragic' on book and DVD jackets - and avoid those ones like the plague!!
But at the end of the day it's up to you, and I totally respect that.