Julie, it's the infamous "dry-aged" fic among some of us. It's not even an enjoyable bad fic to read, sadly.

I get that people have triggers, but I do wonder what happens when they read fiction in book form. Or even watch some TV. TV might be easier to find spoilers for, but there are a whole lot of books out there.

okay, how is "read at your own risk" in any way helpful? Beyond me not clicking?

I have no idea how they can navigate the real world. At least fandom has decided to provide a semi-safe space where you can chew someone out for not using warnings properly for common triggers and intense squicks.

But say you're reading Game Of Thrones. I know I'm going to have to skim the incest parts (spoiler for book), because that's how I roll. I'm glad I know they're in there, but that's because fandom told me.

I'd assume the people with bad common triggers do a lot of due diligence. But how the fuck can you have everything cleared for potential rape scenes, for instance?

Me, I'm going into Captain America hoping that the war is abstract enough for me to get by with easily. But again, it's not a trigger, it's just something I'm very uncomfortable with in fiction.

Superheroes might fix that.

eta:

how is "read at your own risk" in any way helpful? Beyond me not clicking?

God, that's totally rude. It's very "I deign to share my magic with you."

I get that people have triggers

I have discovered that I want to be warned for non-con. If it's a writer I trust, or the rec came from someone I trust, I'll read the story anyway but I want to know ahead of time. Rape takes me to a very bad place.

And I definitely avoid deathfics. I fully support any writer's right to create the story they want to tell, and their right to craft the story however it suits their needs. But I also support my right not to put myself through the emotional wringer watching a character who I've invested in dying. Too much of that in my real life; I don't need it in my fictional life too. As I said, I completely support the writing of it, I just won't read it.

Warning for non-con is a very good thing. You have the triggered, the completely uninterested (me), and the people who want to seek it out. I'm sure those three groups outnumber the set of readers who doesn't care one way or another.

Deathfics make me a bit irrational. I don't want, in general, to be made sad by fic, even when it's good. Stories where they maim the main characters and don't heal them...not good news.

Deathfics make me a bit irrational. I don't want, in general, to be made sad by fic, even when it's good. Stories where they maim the main characters and don't heal them...not good news.

I can sometimes find deathfics sad in a cathartic way, but I totally get not wanting to be put through that particular wringer. Out of curiosity, would you include a canon death* (e.g. John, Ellen) in that category?

* I do warn for this, just in case. Better safe than sorry

I finally read Night at the Museum, now that it's complete. Well written and different plot-wise, but it takes off from Dean dying in the End!verse, and I wasn't sure if Dean was going to stay dead, and then it got kind wtf, and there was lots of naval gazing.

Fics starting off or based on a canonical death are okay. And I can kinda respect that some authors like yellow_pomelo consciously refuse to warn for plot spoilers, but I know the author enough now to know that death and other unsavory things are the potential price of a well-written fic from them. I'm actually somewhat okay if everybody dies, or the two main pairing die. The angst for me is way less than if one has to live without the other, permanently. And if the death is at the beginning, up front and part of the summary, and there's still story after the death, I can handle it. But, as a conclusion, makes Julie vewy unhappy.

would you include a canon death*

I know I've read stories that have had warnings that were something like: "Canon Death of a character" without a problem, because I knew the author wasn't going to knock off Sam or Dean. The loss of John or Mary, if they aren't already deceased before the beginning of the story (in which case the warning would be unnecessary, I feel) would be sad but wouldn't break me the way the loss of one of the boys would.

It's weird for me because I come from a book background, and I've written jacket copy for years. And there you only give the most basic setup, and leave out anything that would ruin any kind of surprise.

I also now wonder if I warned for character death in one fic I wrote where Dean didn't survive the demon deal, and Sam never saved him. Oops.

I like warnings for canon death, since they've all died. If the story features them not coming back from a canon death, I may not be interested unless it's really good.

I wish people would also warn up front if they hate Sam. It would save time. If you think Dean is better off without him, I don't care how hot the porn gets. You're not writing anything vaguely related to what I want out of the show.