Warnings; peony red lipstick; lots of shouting

[raven]

The warnings debate. Hmmm. I don't feel like I have a lot to contribute to the debate, per se, but as someone who purveys fannish content for the benefit of the wider internet, I ought to say something about how I put warnings on my stories. (I like taraljc's point that it makes more sense if you call it a "content advisory"; the point is not to warn people off your story, but to let them read it, or not, under advisement.) The subject has never come up with my stories merely because I don't write noncon, I don't write dubcon, I don't really write sex beyond a sort of fade-to-black thing, and I only rarely write anything with graphic violence. If I did, I'd warn for all of those.

Beyond that - I warn for anything I think I ought to. Which isn't, as I've said, scientific, but it'll do. I don't pretend to know much about what triggers and what doesn't, and I suspect it's different for every person, but if something's in the realm of the obvious, I'll warn for it. Beyond that... well, I don't know. I'm always open to suggestions, both generally and in relation to any specific story of mine.

Some people have wondered about cases where the warning would "ruin" the story - where it would give away the twist twenty pages in advance, or something. To these people, I suggest: be creative, you're writers. White on white text, for example, doesn't work - people may be using any number of screen readers, and also ?style=mine - but one solution I think is very neat is the simple "click here for warnings". If I wrote stories that needed warnings often, I'd create an LJ/DW post just for them, adding a fresh cut-tag to each batch and linking directly to the relevant one from my story headers. You can even add target="blank" into your links if you're feeling punchy.

...that's it, yeah.

In other news, everything is unmitigatedly vile. Am revising for resits, and the doing of same continuously reminds me I am fail enough to be doing resits, and going through the motions of applying for jobs I am never going to get. I am trying very hard to make lists of things that make me happy, and giving myself stern talking-tos (talkings-to?) along the lines of really, life is not that bad, just fucking put up or shut up, and taking a lot of baths, but it's not working and I seem to have talked myself into my very own blue period, with less proto-cubism and more fail.

For example. A visiting family friend sent me a present. That's nice, isn't it? It's a lipstick. It's red. That's nice too. Red is my favourite colour. Hurrah. And the lipstick is not orange-red or pinkish-red but perfect even ruby red, and it's a nice creamy soft one that oozes decadence out of the very environmentally-unfriendly packaging, and I spent a very teenage twenty minutes meticulously trying it out with liner and brush, and a very very teenage further two blowing kisses at the mirror.

Only, then, my brain started to explain, in its best insidious whine, how I am not in any way the sort of person who can wear red lipstick, that it is for extroverts and beautiful people, and that geek-girls like me shouldn't have ideas above their station. Boo, hiss.

So, in an attempt at revenge, I decided that today, despite the fact I had nothing planned except getting out of bed and another bath, I spent another twenty-two minutes with the same lipstick doing exactly the same thing, and kept on wearing it this time even though it had worn off before I actually had contact with another human being. So there, brain.

...oh my god, I am a fucking lunatic.

Random fannish peeve of the day: people who put "copyright [author's name]" in their story headers. Just... why. Why. Why do you do this. Do you think it will stop someone plagiarising, if they were going to? Especially why do you do this for a bad drabble. Also, people who put full, longer-than-fic headers on drabbles annoy me too, but that's just me, I suspect.

Also! also, people who write "I wrote this in, like, an hour, and didn't get it betaed" in their headers. I am, myself, often guilty of writing up ideas quickly and posting them as-is. But as for writing it in the headers - that is just self-sabotage. I mean, do you want people to read your fic? Never explain, never apologise! Write your glorious fic in your glorious way and if it is bad it will be gloriously bad!

...see above re: fucking lunatic, plz.

Yeah. This afternoon I am writing a silly Star Trek story with lots of shouting, and this morning I applied for a job. Still here.

Comments

an old git writes...

[tmpe5t.livejournal.com]

Warnings- like on film trailers: 'contains mild peril and one use of a slightly rude word' wtf? Whats the point? I got through star wars at 6 without needing 'contains scenes of genocide, torture and really silly haircuts'.

Dint do me no 'arm...

And also. Wear the red lipstick and you will become the kind of person who wears red lipstick. Trust me on this, for i am a tranny and therefore know first hand how changing the way you look changes how you feel and therefore behave... :D

Re: an old git writes...

[emily-shore.livejournal.com]

Warnings- like on film trailers: 'contains mild peril and one use of a slightly rude word' wtf? Whats the point?

Have you been following the discussion on metafandom?

[kuteki.livejournal.com]

"I wrote this in, like, an hour, and didn't get it betaed" Oh GOD, I couldn't agree more about that, I think it is an attempt at self preservation, and I get it, but it is such a turn off.

As for warnings, I have heard a lot of people mention the issue, but has there been some origin to the debate that I have missed?

I feel like that about red lipstick too, and I think it is awesome that you wore it around the house!

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Heh, yes, I'm pleased someone agrees! It's up there with writing that the characters are OOC. I mean, why, why would you do that.

I think metafandom is your place to go for the ins and outs of the warnings debate, I haven't been following the major discussions, only the few that have been passing by on the flist.

(Thank you, I actually did feel better for it. Weird thing, the human brain.)

[marymac.livejournal.com]

You found a red lipstick that works? Wear it too death. And then get more. And wear it to death too.
*may be evangelical about red lipstick that suits*

I have to admit to saying if things aren't betaed because I'm fully aware of how hopelessly bad my proofing skills are on my own work. I feel people should know in advance that there will potentially be stupid spelling.

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

*grins* It is Guerlain, colour "true red", which I think is very appropriate. I will take your very wise advice, thank you.

[marymac.livejournal.com]

Hee. I am actually deathly jealous because my fabulous plummy one that I loved got discontinued. I have to hoard it now!

[hips-lips-tits.livejournal.com]

that's bull. concerning the red lipstick, anyhow. i am totally not the type of person who can wear it either, but i used to, almost every single day, no matter where i was going-- school, work, bar, whatever.

what i am getting at is that if YOU really do think you are not the type of person that can wear it, then you are not. if you are worried that other people think you are not the type of person to wear it, well, screw them.

red lipstick is fun.

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

You're right, you know. I wore it out yesterday, even though I was just shopping for a few things, and it was fun.

[eternalwings.livejournal.com]

Hey I wear red lipstick and LOTS of it, and I'm not outgoing in the least :P Chuck it on, make sure you haven't got it on your teeth and go for it is my motto!

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

*grins* Good advice.

[eternalwings.livejournal.com]

Also put your hair up, because if its windy it'll fly about, stick and then you have red marks all over you face (-knows this from experience- I have too much hair right now.)

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

I suspect I have rather less hair than I did when you saw me last. :)

(Speaking of, have you happened to go past Merchants' recently? It looks... different, shall we say.)

[eternalwings.livejournal.com]

Lol I suspect I have rather MORE hair lmao. Right down my back now with a fringe a la Lady whatsit in The Planet of the Dead.

(I have seen the fancy glass thing yes, not sure of the point of it but then again if I go past the place it is at a dead run really XD)

[janne.livejournal.com]

I have a guilty red lipstick around that I never dare wear in public, myself... Silly social conventions that say only such and such a type of woman should wear such makeup.

Also, while I haven't followed this warnings debate it does sound remarkably like the 'worksafe' debate from earlier this spring in which somebody was miffed that people were labelling her stuff 'NSFW' and thus in her mind scaring others away from it.
Me, I appreciate both NSFW and warnings as a friendly service to the reader -- I think it's overly strong to demand that they be there, but really appreciate when they are.

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

I think it's not overly strong to demand them for noncon and dubcon, and anything extremely graphic. Beyond that, yeah, I'd have to be persuaded.

[robette-wild.livejournal.com]

So you might not be an extrovert, but trust me, you are a beautiful person - with or without red lipstick. If you want to wear it then go for it, even if it's only around the house and just because you can. You will look lovely either way.

(I suspect there are many people who wear red lipstick around the house just because they can. Guilty as charged. Er, I mean, what?)

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

*blushes* Thanks, honey. I shall try to wear it outside the house, even, I think.

[ladyvivien.livejournal.com]

Allow me to join in on the chorus of "OMFG red lippie that works? Marry it." In fact, should you require a break from revising at some point over the next week or so, we should have coffee or something whilst wearing said red lipstick (I found mine a while ago and I ♥ it).

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

*grins* That sounds fabulous, yes. I return to Oxford for a little while this week, but when I come back, we should totally do that.

[fyrdrakken]

So a few weeks back I got a second tattoo (a full ten years after my first) because I realized A) I think I should be the kind of person who has multiple, visible, tattoos to go with my nosering and five earrings, and B) there's a very direct way to become the kind of person who has a lot of tattoos.

Which is me being roundabout at saying, "Hell, yes, if the red lipstick calls to your soul then clearly you're exactly the type of person who should be wearing red lipstick."