To Warn or Not to Warn

[lttledvl_writes]

I've seen this discussion pop up elsewhere, but I'd like to know y'alls thoughts on this as well.

Character death; warning required?Seems to have sparked quite a discussion

Comments

[shoujokakumei]

I hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate character death fics. It's up there with rape, RPS, and mpreg on the list of stuff that will turn me off from reading something instantly. So.. Yeah, I get a little pissy when there's not a warning on a deathfic. I don't care if the warning says WHO dies - that'd be a spoiler for the fic, so I can see not wanting to put that in, but a "character death" note is appreciated. (If you're killing an OC you created, maybe not, but an established character for sure - especially in something like PR where, largely, Nobody Dies.)

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.

[lttledvl_writes]

RPS is the big thing I refuse to read. I'm not terribly keen on mpreg either, but if I had to choose between John Sheppard and Rodney McKay's ass baby vs. Joe and David's ass baby, I'll take the former. But honestly, I probably wouldn't read that anyway.

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'.