I think fan writers enjoy an extraordinary freedom of examination and ability to go into detail that most pro-writers find constrained by their publishing houses.
And that said, I find it a little tough to take that as a fan writer I am expected to be more aware/considerate/empathic/understanding/cautious in my dealing with total strangers (because PTSD or even rape survival or abuse survival is not something I can infer from a user name) than pretty much anyone else.
For me, your first sentence is the reason for - not so much an expectation but an understanding and discussion about why we should exercise more care. The freedom that we have in fandom and fanfic is also a responsibility, the venue to write so much more, to write outside the mainstream, to explore issues that cannot always be explored in pro writing, whether books or TV or movies, comes with that responsibility to warn about fires.
Does that mean I think warnings should be mandated on all fanfic, that fandom should make it a requirement? Hell no. Each writer does have the freedom to make that decision on their own, some may give it great deal of thought and care about whether and when to warn and some will be dashing off a story and posting it without ever considering warnings at all. The discussion is the point, that we talk about whether or when or why to warn so each writer can make their own decision.
when I go to a home of someone I've never been to before, I've learned to ask. It's awkward and a little embarrassing but not nearly as embarrassing as having to have my potential host call 911 because I can't breathe.
The difference with fanfic is that there's not always someone there to ask - it can be on a website or an archive with an email address long terminated and the website or archive may not require warnings or even ratings (and I'm *not* advocating that archives require either). So it's more like you were going to someone's house and they're not home and you had no opportunity to speak to them before your visit. You get to stand at the door and survey the surroundings and try to determine what might be inside that poses a risk for you.
no subject
And that said, I find it a little tough to take that as a fan writer I am expected to be more aware/considerate/empathic/understanding/cautious in my dealing with total strangers (because PTSD or even rape survival or abuse survival is not something I can infer from a user name) than pretty much anyone else.
For me, your first sentence is the reason for - not so much an expectation but an understanding and discussion about why we should exercise more care. The freedom that we have in fandom and fanfic is also a responsibility, the venue to write so much more, to write outside the mainstream, to explore issues that cannot always be explored in pro writing, whether books or TV or movies, comes with that responsibility to warn about fires.
Does that mean I think warnings should be mandated on all fanfic, that fandom should make it a requirement? Hell no. Each writer does have the freedom to make that decision on their own, some may give it great deal of thought and care about whether and when to warn and some will be dashing off a story and posting it without ever considering warnings at all. The discussion is the point, that we talk about whether or when or why to warn so each writer can make their own decision.
when I go to a home of someone I've never been to before, I've learned to ask. It's awkward and a little embarrassing but not nearly as embarrassing as having to have my potential host call 911 because I can't breathe.
The difference with fanfic is that there's not always someone there to ask - it can be on a website or an archive with an email address long terminated and the website or archive may not require warnings or even ratings (and I'm *not* advocating that archives require either). So it's more like you were going to someone's house and they're not home and you had no opportunity to speak to them before your visit. You get to stand at the door and survey the surroundings and try to determine what might be inside that poses a risk for you.