Talks with Aunt Coffeebuddha: I'm too tired and pissed to try to be funny.

[coffeebuddha]

It's late, I'm tired, and I've seen this way too many times today to not want to hit something with a tuba.

Guys. Warning for slash in your headers? Is fucking repugnant.

Let's take a look at some things that are typically warned for and see if you can't figure out why that is without my spelling it out for you.

• Rape/noncon/dubcon/sexual assault
• graphic violence
• character death
• child abuse
• emotional/mental abuse

Basically, these are all things that are generally acknowledged to be potentially triggering for readers. Can we all parse out why lumping a same sex relationship into the category of 'things that need to be warned for' with things like that might possibly be offensive as all get out?

If you want to say that your story contains slash, then have at it. Include it in your summary, in your notes, or in an actual 'Contains' line. But don't fucking warn for it like it's something offensive and triggering.

Comments

[dlasta.livejournal.com]

Also, it's stupid and annoying.

[pixiequeen10thk.livejournal.com]

Guilty as charged :(. Of course you're completely right. My warnings do tend to contain more info than just triggers e.g. crack, spoilers etc, but you're right that I should have put it in an info section rather than warnings *facepalm*.

EDIT: Yay, as I thought I'd only done it on a few posts, so it was easily fixed.

[guilshad.livejournal.com]

You know the worst for me? When people warn for it while posting it in a comm dedicated to a slash pairing. It's like...I would hope there'd be slash.

The only time I would understand doing that is in larger comms where there's a chance of being flamed for not 'warning' for slash, but I avoid those and so am not sure how common that kind of reaction from readers is.

[magical-mia.livejournal.com]

God, I cannot explain how much this bugs me. I don't even really like it in the summary to be honest; I think they should just put the pairing and be done. No one puts "het" in their summaries after all.

[rispacooper.livejournal.com]

I hate the word pre-slash. Drives me up a wall. What does that even mean? Gay but not dating each other? Wanting to? Why is that a word? That's what UST is for. Nobody says pre-het!

[cedara]

Trufax.

*watches the gif - mesmerized*

[lizibabes.livejournal.com]

I don't think I've ever warned for slash, the pairing has two men's names people should be able to tell its slash, right?. I warn for sex because I've seen people be seriously flamed when they don't.
So yeah I make it clear that there will be M/M sex to avoid being yelled at but I'd prefer to be able to put it in a contains line.
I've seen Het warned for as well as if that's also offensive?
clear pairings should be enough.

[mildly-neurotic.livejournal.com]

It never even occurred to me before but I see your point. I've never done it was a warning, though I have written things in my rating line like:

Rating: NC17 (for hot boy sex)

My lame attempt at humor. :-)

Have you tried a nudge in their comments explaining their misstep?