[ SECRET POST #2459 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #2459 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 00 pages, 000 secrets from Secret Submission Post #351.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 1 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Eh, I don't think it's unreasonable to have a tag (NOT a warning, because that implies bad). But I don't think the author HAS to tag it, either. It's not like you suffered from surprise trans inclusion, after all.

[(Anonymous)]

Nah. I think you have to tag very much character changing facts. If you don't, you're an ass.

[(Anonymous)]

Oh ffs, you're an ass for making a character trans? really... If I make a blonde character secretly a bottle blonde, do I have to warn for that, too?

[(Anonymous)]

DA

If you consider hair color a major character trait...

I think you are making an ass of yourself by missing the point. It's not about what you change, it's about letting the reader know what they're about to start reading.

[(Anonymous)]

Troll in the dungeon.

[(Anonymous)]

Is the story being marketed as a sexy story for people who love blondes? If so, then yes. You are an ass for not informing your readers of an essential part of the story.

[(Anonymous)]

Fanfiction is marketed now? Lol at this stupid

[thene]

Fanfiction is marketed in the sense that people put it out there in communities and put tags on it with the intention of getting other people to read it, right?

[(Anonymous)]

I'm certainly loling at *your* stupid. Of course it's marketed. It's just not for sale.

[mimi-sardinia.livejournal.com]

It is for sale, but it's paid for in reviews/comments and kudos.

And paying is not mandatory, but is always appreciated.

[(Anonymous)]

agreed. If the character has been dramatically changed in some way, it should be tagged.

[fleshisyummy]

That's the problem. What the hell does "character changing" even mean? The fact of the matter is that we default to assuming characters are cis and het. But I generally don't see characters proclaiming that they're cis and het.

[(Anonymous)]

Most people in real life don't go around proclaiming they're "cis" and "het" because there's no need to.

Also, if I wrote a fic where House, M.D. was trans? That's clearly character changing and I'd definitely give my readers a heads-up that this is canon divergent and for some it would stray too far from canon which isn't something they're searching for in fic. For example, I don't like any AUs. I can only read them if it's a fanfic for a canon I don't personally follow.

[fleshisyummy]

Okay, tagging is nice, but an author isn't obligated to tag. That's all I'm saying.

[mimi-sardinia.livejournal.com]

And readers are not obligated to not be pissed off if an author doesn't tag.

[fleshisyummy]

I can understand getting annoyed, but if you get legitimately pissed off because an author doesn't tag something, then you need to gain some perspective.

[mimi-sardinia.livejournal.com]

Well when you phrase it like that, I agree, but that's because I phrased my comment a bit hyperbolically. It can also be translated as "readers are not obligated to not be annoyed if an author doesn't tag.

While I personally would react to such annoyance simply by closing the fic (if the un-tagged factor is off-putting enough), it is a simple reality that some people would express their annoyance in reviews, and not all of those reviews would be polite.

So tagging is more an issue of whether the author is willing to put up with potentially flame-worthy reviews.

[(Anonymous)]

So, do you think it's not changing the character (and that it's ok) to write a trans character as cis without tagging it properly?

Actually, don't tell me anything. I'm sure you'll talk about erasure, while forgetting some of us are talking about an author changing something important about a character deserves getting tagged instead of being a surprise.

[fleshisyummy]

No, I don't think that's okay because trans* characters and people are marginalized as it is. I really don't see what the big deal is with writing a character that is "canonically" cis or het as trans* or gay and not tagging it.

Yeah, while an author can tag it, I don't think it needs to be and whining about it just makes you sound like an entitled baby, to be honest. There are certain things I don't like in fic, but I'm not going to send a message to the author demanding that they warn for it.

Like I said before, at the end of the day it's just a fanfic. If you discover something in the middle you don't like, you can just move onto another.

[mimi-sardinia.livejournal.com]

I really don't see what the big deal is with writing a character that is "canonically" cis or het as trans* or gay and not tagging it.

The big deal is if people aren't expecting it, they'll get angry when it is sprung on them, send the writer flaming reviews and generally be pissed off for being tricked and unpleasantly surprised.

I would be unhappy if a fic I was expecting to be het suddenly, unexpectedly turned into femmeslash. Because I am not a femmeslash shipper. I ship slash and some het, and prefer to read about penises going into holes.

[fleshisyummy]

Wow. Someone unexpected in a work of fiction? Amazing!

I don't like mpreg. I'm not going to throw a tantrum if the author doesn't tag it, though.

[mimi-sardinia.livejournal.com]

I'm not either, but that's because I'm laid-back to the point of apathy. I am however realistic to acknowledge that there are some unreasonably reactionary people online, and in fandom.

[fleshisyummy]

Completely agree. At the end of the day, it's a freaking fanfic. The author doesn't have to warn for non-triggers if they don't want to. If it bothers you, you can stop reading.

[(Anonymous)]

ia