fic labelling

[pez]

I want to ask for your opinion on fic labelling, particularly if you've been directed here from 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!

Comments

[thirdshade.livejournal.com]

To be right on to the point, I need labels for a matter of practicality. I can't spend the whole day sitting before the computer reading fic. So if I see, let's say, a rape warning, a songfic warning, a TezuAto pairing, or any of my pet peeves, I won't waste my time reading a story I know I'll hate. If there's no warning, how do I know I'm not investing time in reading a story that suddenly will throw me completely off? How do I know I won't run into a pairing I loathe and find out I've been wasting my time when I could have been reading something that I do like? If the fic doesn't have labels of any kind, I'll just skip it. If the author can't be bothered enough to even try to get my attention by, I don't know, a pairing, a genre I might be drawn to, why should I bother?