poll! KFZ!

[aimeelicious]

So I've been giving a lot of thought to character death in fic, and the fic header warnings that often come with them, but sometimes don't. In the interest of fostering a dialogue on the topic, I've created a poll to gather some general information about reader preferences. This post/poll is UNLOCKED, in the hope that some of you will be willing to PIMP it in your journals and hopefully encourage others to fill it out, as I'd like as much input as possible. ETA: I do plan on doing a results post based on this poll, so please know that your responses will not just disappear into the ether.

Feel free to answer the poll anonymously if you wish, and take over my journal for discussion, just don't get nasty! This has been declared a kerfuffle-free zone (KFZ).

[Poll #450697]

ETA: Sorry for forgetting Smallville as a fandom...it's one of my faves and I left it off! Dang polls, can't edit them.

Comments

[starkittyn.livejournal.com]

Couple things

1) emmagrant01 had an interesting rant/discussion about character death warnings in her journal not too long ago. I can't be arsed to go find the link but she doesn't post too terribly often so you can probably find it. Her stance is that character death warnings (and other warnings) can be considered spoilers. To which I say, um, yeah but it's not like a movie or a book with trailers and dust jackets. The header info is all a reader has to decide whether to read a fic or not. Therefore a reader needs to know the primary squickables - like character death before they decide to click.

2) Very well put together poll

3) I chose other on the question regarding "dark fic = character death". A lot of people use dark fic to cover such a big blanket of thigns that I think it's impossible to jsut assume the above. I would never assume that, although I probably would have a little inner debate with myself, to click or not to click, and I have that on "dark fic" regardless. However, I 95 percent of the time will NOT click on a fic that has "character death" in the warnings unless I know the author or have some other really compelling reason to read it. That HP fic that everyone's been talking about, I have steadfastly not read, despite the fact it's been recc'd up and down and side ways.

4) I'm not saying that every fic has to be shiny happy joy joy cuteness, but for my money, my life is complicated and depressing enough. I'm on here and in fandom for stress relief, for an escape. I don't need to get sadder based on something I read.

*snugs* Thanks for doing the poll though, good job.

And I wibbled slightly on what fandom to choose before picking HP, omg!

[aimeelicious]

OMG your icon! *thud*

What was I going to say? Oh yes, first, I will definitely dig up that discussion you mention in #1, as I am totally obsessed with this subject right now. Also, your point in #3 about the dark-fic = character death assumption is really interesting--how you don't make the same 95% avoidance choice when something is labeled "dark" as you do when there's a specific death warning.

I really appreciate the fact that you responded so thoughtfully, and also that you felt the poll was well-done. I wasn't sure when I was creating it that my own bias wasn't glaringly obvious, or that I hadn't missed some very significant point. Both of which are still possible, but at least most folks seem to think it covered the salient issues.

*hugs*

[starkittyn.livejournal.com]

Hee, the original manip is by a russian artist named Eneada. There are other manips of hers running about in icon form. I had to come and look what icon I used. How sad is that?

Anyway, I had some other thoughts while I was afk

Regarding the questions in your poll about does it matter who is the person dying in the fic - it does matter to me.

I mean, I'm not going to cry too much if Voldemort gets it, you know? Or Glory, or ...well I hope you see what I mean.

I think it also matters how important the character death is to the story as a whole. It's one thing to say, "Ron was killed in the war and Harry missed him every day" and then get on with the rest of the story. (not a big Ron fan, can you tell?) It's quite another to have the story completely revolve around Ron's painful death and Harry's own slipping into grief and madness as a result. You see what I mean?

I don't particularly think the first example needs a character death warning since the death is not intrinsic to the story. You could take out the death of Ron and for the most part the story would continue just the same. Those stories that deal more intensely with character death and which would not exist without it, or which deal with other than "the bad guys" or "minor characters", I'm in a gray area about.

I think it's a bit like bondage play or excessive amounts of come or cutting or things that are likely to cause massive squickage for readers. I might not squick at the 1st but have issues with both of the other two, as an example. That doesn't mean someone else may be triggered in a negative way by bondage and therefore I have a duty to warn potential readers.

As a final note, I don't read books or see movies that are likely to have content that I find disturbing so it's not like I'm holding fic or fic writers to another standard. Movies like The Grudge, Gothika, The Cell are all on my "never, ever, ever going to watch this" list. I had to walk out in the middle of a theatre showing of Silence of the Lambs on a *date* (yes that's how old I am, omg) because it disturbed me so much - as a basis of comparison. I won't read books of a certain "thriller" genre for the same reason.

The difference is, I can see the trailer of any of those movies above and many others on line and usually, the trailer is a fairly accurate diagnosis of the content of a movie. (not necessarily it's quality but it's content) I can read the back of the book, I can read reviews to get an idea of the content of said book.

The header is the only thing I have to judge whether I want to read a given fic, and sometimes a rec, depending on how thorough the rec really is.

Blah, I aparrently like the sound of my own "voice". Sorry to type your ear off.

[aimeelicious]

I think it also matters how important the character death is to the story as a whole. It's one thing to say, "Ron was killed in the war and Harry missed him every day" and then get on with the rest of the story. (not a big Ron fan, can you tell?) It's quite another to have the story completely revolve around Ron's painful death and Harry's own slipping into grief and madness as a result. You see what I mean?

I see *exactly* what you mean, and it makes a lot of sense. I've read plenty of post-war HP fic where Harry and/or other characters mourn their losses, but it's not -current- and is more a part of the backstory that motivates the characters now. I feel no need for a warning about something like that.

Also, I hadn't considered the idea of dust jackets, reviews, trailers and the like. Now that I think about it, other than a few random times I fell over a movie on television, I don't believe I've ever intentionally watched a film that I didn't know something about ahead of time, for the same reasons I like warnings in fic. Why subject myself to entertainment that pains me?

I've loved all your comments regarding this poll, and am happy you engaged a few other responders as well, please don't apologize for participating!

*snergle*

[starkittyn.livejournal.com]

Why subject myself to entertainment that pains me?

I think this is a key issue really.

I'm here to be entertained, and hopefully to entertain others. That's why it's called entertainment or a hobby or whatever.

If entertainment makes me grow as a person, gives me food for thought all the better, but I really don't want to be put through the wringer. That's not entertainment to me, that's self inflicted torture.

I don't get the pleasure some people get out of hurt/comfort or angst most of the time for this same reason. "OMG, they're suffering, isn't it great?" And I'm thinking, not really. LOL, I'm still in it for the porn most of the time. Usually when boys are getting off, they aren't dying. ;)