Warnings

Warnings are usually in the header or metadata part of fanworks that warn readers or viewers of potentially disturbing content, including but not limited to graphic sex, violence, chan, rape or non-con, BDSM or other kinks, foul language, character death, detailed depictions of mental illness, spoilers, slash, het, homophobia, or a host of other possibly offensive elements, squicks or triggers. Many fans also expect a warning for an unhappy ending, such as their OTP not getting together or breaking up. 
Sometimes warnings are used to attract readers who may be seeking a specific type of content, such as a particular kink. Warnings may also be used in a facetious manner, to "warn" readers about content that is unlikely to be disturbing. ("Warnings: You cannot look away from the Shiba Inu puppy cam." Seraphwings,. Accessed November 13, 2008.)
Labels or warnings can also be used by the creator of the fanwork in regards to feedback they would like, or not like, to receive. See 
Not all labels are warnings. They may simply ways to explain the content of the fanwork, such as pairings, timelines, genre, and other assumed non-controversial information.
Content warnings have been common in media for decades: public television's "viewer discretion is advised," radio and television journalism's "some of what you're about to hear/see is graphic," and various music, TV and film labeling. The infamous parental advisory sticker on record albums is a well-known example.These stickers are taken very seriously by some religious conservative groups. Musician/gadfly Jello Biafra was charged in 1986 with "distributing harmful matter to minors" and put through a very public show trial for including a poster of H.R. Giger's Landscape XX in the Dead Kennedys' album Frankenchrist sans sticker. He describes the experience in detail along with a history of the conservative anti-rock movement, on the album High Priests of Harmful Matter/Tales from the Trial.
See Timeline of Warnings Meta.
==Types of Warnings==
===Warning for Slash: In Print Zines===
From a fan in 2010: 
From the 1985 zine, Tales of Two U.N.C.L.E.S. #2 where the slash stories were printed on a different color paper and were preceded by a full page, capslocked 100-point font warning. From the editorial of that zine: 
===Warning for Slash: On Fiction Websites===
Slash fansites in the 1990s and 2000s usually had warning pages for slash content that made it clear that the content wasn't suitable for minors and readers had to be of legal age do access it. It was also common during this period for a fansite to have a splash page for warnings.
File:Boiler Room Warning.png|Mercury's Boiler Room
File:Dismantled.jpg|Dismantled
File:DOMinate Me Please.png|DOMinate Me Please!
File:Fiendling Warning.jpg|Fiendling
File:Chelle's nightstand-warn.jpg|Chelle's Nightstand
File:Plaid Punk Productions WARNING.png|The Collected Stories of Rose Ferguson
File:Erins House O Fanfic warning.png|Erin's House-O-Fanfic
File:CatMoran Warning page.png|CatMoran's Fan Fiction
=== Different Fandoms===
Different fandoms may have their own unwritten standards about what kinds of content need to be warned for, and archives or LiveJournal communities usually have written rules.
For example, The Sentinel slash fiction developed a growing list of warnings. The trend peaked in late 1999 or early 2000, when during a Senad discussion about warnings -- with many people suggesting things that should be warned for -- one fan asked that people warn for stories where Blair Sandburg cuts his hair, which she personally found traumatic.If Sandburg has Native American heritage or identifies with that part of his ancestry, this would make perfect sense. However in this case it looks as if the fan's objections were related to her personal experiences of domestic violence, rather than cultural. The idea was quickly shouted down and the fan withdrew her request, but it was such an extreme one that word spread out to other fandoms, cementing Sentinel fandom's reputation at the time as the most-warned-for fandom ever. A fan in 2009 posted "I don't care that once upon a time someone demanded warnings for cutting Blair Sandburg's hair. In fact, if I never hear another word about Blair Sandburg's goddamn hair, it'll be too soon. It's a straw argument and it's derailing and I'm sick and tired of it." -- I Don't Care Abut Blair Sandburg's Hair; Live Version] posted by fairestcat, June 23, 2009. For more context, see Blair's Hair: Warnings. Also see comments by ratcreature at , post by zvi, June 22, 2009 
In Lord of the Rings fandom, interspecies sex between hobbits and humans is often considered to merit a warning, while many other fandoms consider consensual interspecies sex to be no different from any other, or adequately addressed by pairing tags.Interspecies sex is canon in Tolkien, with elves and mortals occasionally marrying, and rumors in The Hobbit that one of the Took ancestors had married a "fairy", accounting for Bilbo Baggins' slight eccentricities. It seems that Tolkien meant fairies to be elves, rather than a related but different species.
=== Archive of Our Own===
When it was first founded in 2008, the Archive of Our Own implemented a choice of warnings for Rape/Non-Con, Graphic Violence, Major Character Death or Underage, and added a "Choose Not To Warn" optionNew change to the AO3’s “Archive Warning” system, posted 2009-12-18, accessed 2016-04-20. This enables authors who do not wish to warn for their fanworks to do so, while allowing readers to avoid works which may contain disturbing elements. 
There is a specific list of required warnings; at least one selection is required for every work posted.
The list includes the following options:
* Creator chose not to use Archive warnings
* No Archive warnings apply
* Graphic depictions of violence
* Major character death
* Rape/non-con
* Underage
This list of warnings has remained the same ever since AO3 was created. The Additional Tag option on AO3 can be used to add tags that serve as additional content warnings, or provide more specifics about why a particular warning was chosen.
Content creators choose which, if any, warnings are placed on a work and, beyond the above list, are not required to place any additional warnings on a work.
=== Other Warning Systems ===
Wraithbait has very basic, high level warnings available but are not required. The built-in warnings include:
* adult themes
* character death
* may squick
* non-consensual sex
Additional warnings are to be placed in the story notes.
The 'may squick' option allows the poster to indicate that there may be an element of the post that may not be to everyone's taste.
The word squick, as defined by The Urban Dictionary makes a point that, while there may be discomfort, there is no moral implication in the response. As an example, consider the vegetable beets. Beets may be a 'squick' for some eaters in that they have an extreme, distinct dislike for the vegetable. This does not imply that there is anything right or wrong about beets. A person who reacts in this way may simply dislike the taste, associate beets with unpleasant memories, have never had beets cooked in a palatable way, or may have sensory issues with the texture or flavor.
==History of Warnings==
For many decades during the print fanfic days, the use of warnings was not commonplace. This is, however, not to say fanzine publishers did not include descriptions in their zine flyers or ads. And one function of fanzine reviews was to offer other readers insight into the fanzine topics before having to part with cash to buy the zine.
One early debate (1978), whose main topic was fanworks and explicit sexual content, led to the rise of age statements, an early label. See The SekWester*Con Porn Debate.
[[Image:samuraierrant1.jpg|thumb|left|a cheeky warning from the Buckaroo Banzai zine, Samurai Errant #1 (1988)}}
In 2010, a fan recalled warnings and the reason for them: 
In 1987, there was flurry of discussion regarding the labeling of fic, along with warnings. Maggie Nowakowska wrote: 
Fans began to want more information about what it was they were buying and viewing; the rise of the age statement is in some ways, was also the rise of warnings and labeling. This comment is from 1988: 
In 1988, the editorial of As I Do Thee #11 by Dovya Blacque used the term to avoid "surprises": 
In 1994 Rachel Sabotini recalled: 
The topic of warnings in fanzines came up during the 1994 MediaWrite convention where fans pointed to usefulness of labels on stories in the UK paper circuit library.Morgan Dawn's personal notes, accessed November 3, 2012.
As more and more fans migrated to online forums, the use of warnings became more frequent and by 1996 some fans felt they were the norm. In 1996, for example, the moderator of the CI5 mailing list received private complaints from listmembers that a death story posted to the mailing list had not been properly labeled. She observed that she had thought it was the norm to say if a story involved death, but then realised to her surprise that maybe labeling was only common to the Pros online circuit library. This led to a revision of mailing list rules: 
By 1998 it appeared that more and more fans expected their online stories to come with warnings: 
By 1999, more and more fanfiction had been posted to the Internet with warnings, so that when netfans did come across print fanzines, their lack of warnings often resulted in outrage and cognitive dissonance. In a comment left on Sandy Herrold's rapefic rec website, one fan wrote: 
In response to this complaint about the lack of warnings in fanzines, one fan commented: 
A fan in 2000 wrote: 
In 2001, a fan asked: 
A fan in 2002 wrote: 
In 2006, there was a brief discussion of shifting norms regarding ratings and warnings in the Fanthropology community:
Two fans in 2010 talked of warnings: "We didn't need warnings in those days - it was either slash or it wasn't! It's only now that there's much more slash available that subtle differences of taste have crept in; then, we were grateful for whatever we could find - and just skimmed over the bits we didn't like! from theficklepickle at Epic Recs, May 25, 2010, accessed September 24, 2013 Another an answers: "Gah. I doubt I would have made it then; I'm far too sensitive about things like rape to even consider reading a fic that contains explicit non-con. from janeelliot at Epic Recs, May 25, 2010, accessed September 24, 2013 
The warnings debate continues across many platforms such as tumblr. Because of the migratory and segregated nature of fandom, the history of warnings and the role they play in fandom is often overlooked. In 2012, one tumblr fan attempted to educate her followers with her own cautionary warning about warnings:
== Warnings Controversies ==
Warnings are often the subject of controversy. Some fans choose not to include warnings on their fanworks because they want their work received without preconceived ideas; additionally, warnings may spoil important plot points. 
In 2005, a fan pointed out what they felt to be a disconnect in expectations between fans who didn't want to be spoiled regarding canon details, such as an episode, movie, or book, and those who insisted upon labels and warnings for fanfic: 
A fan wanted to point out that a lack of warnings could expand a fan's reading experience: 
However, other fans may become mentally or emotionally distraught if they read or view work that contains triggering themes, or encounter a story element that they strongly dislike, and prefer extensive Trigger Warnings. Fuck Yeah, Trigger Warnings, I Would Like To Talk With Ya'll About Trigger Warnings, accessed July 6, 2011.
From a fan in 2011: 
Another fan in 2013 wrote: 
Comments from a fan in 2015: 
===Disagreement About Content Requiring Warnings===
There is perennial disagreement among fans about what kinds of content should be warned for. Warning for certain elements, such as slash, may be seen as homophobic; warning for het, especially when the heterosexual pairing in question is canonical may be seen as misogynistic. Some fans feel that warning for elements that are present in the source text, such as violence, is unnecessary. Some warnings may not have solid definitions shared by all fans; the dub-con label was created in order to address a certain type of rapefic kink, usually along the lines of sex pollen or Aliens Made Them Do It, but some fans debate that there is any difference between rape and dub-con, and there have been instances where fans felt misled by these warnings. 
Another comment:
Some fans feel that having to add labels and warnings to story requires the writer to not only read minds of their readers, but also sets that author up for being accused of trickery: From an X-Files fan in 2000: 
Writers who do not like to warn are often accused of trying to force readers to read the way they want them to. However, it is not actually possible for a writer to force a reader to read a story without warnings. Since this is the case, most writers who do not include warnings frame the discussion in terms of personal responsibility, arguing that readers who know that they are vulnerable to being seriously affected by certain story elements should refrain from reading unlabeled stories, just as a vegetarian might refrain from eating an unlabeled food product.
In most cases it's just that they themselves do not like warnings as readers, and thus when faced with two types of readers, unsurprisingly favor those like themselves.
There also have been various compromise solutions implemented to satisfy both pro-warning and anti-warning preferences and leave the choice to the readers themselves. That includes special formatting, such as warning display options in archives, putting warnings in a separate post on lists, in a hidden section that is only visible when highlighted in journal or website posts, or on the bottom of the story or linked on a separate page.
==Warnings on Songvids==
===Vidshows===
The idea of placing warnings on songvids comes up from time to time. With songvids at convention vidshows, viewers are sitting in a room watching premiereing or new-to-them vids. Some vid shows hand out playlists to the audience, but the playlist can be minimal offering only the fandom, the title of the song and the name of the vidder. Thus, when something squicky unexpectedly appears, the audience is not in the position to change the channel or even easily leave the room. 
In the pre-digital age, vid shows were not curated. Vids were handed in on videotapes at the convention and they were played straight through. All the vids by one vidder or vid group were watched together and then the next videotape was inserted into the VCR. Thus, early vidshows had no warnings or playlists. In the 1990s, one convention, Mediawest] began segregating slash fanvids from het and gen fan vids as a primitive method of allowing audience members to choose what type of vids to watch. Even at slash only conventions, where viewers knew what to expect (slashy vids), audiences could be startled by the content of the vids. In the late '80s-early '90s, a few slash vids had m/m porn clips cut into them, which shocked (or at least surprised) some congoers. However it wasn't until 2000 when attendees of vidshow began to demand warnings on the content of the vidshows. For example, during one Escapade vid show, an Oz vid Prison Sex disturbed some viewers with its canonical images of graphic violence. This led a few attendees to complain and later demand warnings on Escapade vidshows. It was the first time this had been requested and signaled a shift in the expectations of the viewing audience towards a more controllable and individual customized viewing experience. While media vidshows had always included movie vids which had R (and in some cases X) ratings, the majority of footage had come from primetime TV shows which were restricted by censors in terms of both sex and violence. Cable TV had however, by 2000 made significant inroads in both, and the request for warnings on vidshows illustrated that not all fans were prepared for fandom to adapt to the increased explicitness in TV and movies. Escapade eventually decided to not include warnings on their vidshows deciding that since the convention was for fans 18 years or older, that this was not necessary. 
More recently, vids done to movies (like Absolutedestiny's 15 vid Deep Kick at Escapade 2008 or HBO/Showtime shows with visceral violence (Oz at VividCon 2004, Dexter at Vividcon 2008, have led some congoers to wonder if there is some way to warn susceptible members of the audience before a vid show.Elke Tanzer.Gut reactions are visceral, let me show you them. Posted 11 March 2008 (accessed 15 November 2008) 
In 2010, some fans began advocating that all vid shows include warnings in advance. (See Vividcon 2010 for a summary of those discussions). Even so, many vidders and attendees found the concept of songvid warnings challenging, as it made it difficult for convention organizers to find an acceptable compromise for attendees.It should be noted that most convention organizers tend to focus on creating policies for attendees rather than the fan population at large, many of whom have never been nor will ever attend a convention. This fact can be overlooked by those advocating universal warnings. And some conventions, like Vividcon and VidUKon, which host multiple vid shows over an extended three day period have greater logistical difficulties to overcome. The typical fan run convention will only offer one vid show lasting between one to two hours.
Vid show practices also vary across genres. For example, anime vid shows are less submission based and more like contests. Not all vids entered will be shown and there are often multiple rounds of pre-screening. This means that the convention organizers pre-select the content they feel is suitable for their event. And, some anime events are clearly targeted at the PG13 audience while others try to straddle both child friendly and adult fare (with varying degrees of success). However, because of the pre-selection and screening, no warnings or content notices are provided to the audience.
In the context of Yaoi Con (m/m anime), extreme violence is only OK if it fits within the theme of the year. Also explicit m/m is OK, but m/f and femmeslash is not.
However, more recently some anime conventions began trying to enforce their PG13 content restrictions as a mean of limiting their liability. At Katsucon 2014, the vid show organizers were unexpectedly hit with violence and sexual restrictions that eliminated many vids. This is what one of the vid show coordinators had to say: 
Others point out that while it is perfectly fine for a convention to limit itself to PG13 material - but it needs to be enforced equitably. In fact, oftentimes more explicit content is allowed in the Cosplay/Costume contest, dealer's room and in the anime episodes being shown in the video room. Re: KATSUCON 20 AMV Showdown...FINALISTS! dated Feb 2014. This double standard is perhaps best reflected in the snarky warning provided by one anime vid show coordinator, even while acknowledging and listing the vids he had to exclude for profanity and sexual content:
With convention attendance on the wane, the number of vid shows have declined, so there are fewer opportunities for fans to watch vids live. As of 2014, the following vid shows are still active.Additional info that would be helpful for this section: a list of anime cons that show fanvids and their warnings practices. Commercial, for profit conventions like Creation Con offer some video contests on occasion, "but bans anything controversial outright including slash." (See Moar Vividcon Wank Brewing for the Nonstalgic? dated May 14, 2014; WebCite. Also, most of the TV shows featured at Creation Con events are prime time TV shows. Note that convention practices are in flux and can and will be changed over time and in many case informal warnings are often provided by fellow attendees or upon request.
*Escapade - no warnings
*Con.txt - two playlists are made available in advance, one with warnings and one without. Items warned for: "blood, torture, self harm, suicide, violent religious imagery, abusive relationship, sexualized violence, consent issues, incest, underage, parental homophobia, transphobia, institutionalization, Holocaust imagery, misogynist lyrics, strobing/flashing lights, and sudden volume changesCollapse."2012 Vid show post.
*Mediawest - no warnings, but slash and gen/het vids are still separated
*Muskrat Jamboree - in 2013, warned for one vid; otherwise no formal warning policy..
*Katsucon - no warnings, but anime vids are pre-screened and limited to PG content: "This contest will be viewed by a general audience (all-ages) so try and maintain a PG-rating. Absolutely NO sexual content (this should be obvious), excessive violence (disembowelments, organs, amputations, etc), or profanity will be permitted. Anything that is questionable will be shown to both the judging panel and convention chair for further review. Bottom line: the convention chair has the FINAL WORD!"2014 AMV Showdown Contest Rules (accessed May 14, 2014).
*Kiscon - no warnings
*Pacificon - content notes and warnings supplied via LJ in advanceApril 2014 vid show announcement.
*Revelcon - no warnings
*Sharecon - no warnings
*Southern Media Con - no warnings
*Wincon - no warnings made in advanceSell all Wincon Vid show posts in their LJ community.
*Wiscon - TBA
*VidUKon - vidders and VJs are asked to submit warnings with their vids; however, warnings are not mandatory (vidders and VJ may state "Choose not to warn" on all of their vids). Attendees may contact the concom with requests for specific warnings; anonymous email contacts permitted. Collected content info included in the attendee registration packs.
*Vividcon - - vidders and VJs are allowed to submit warnings with their vids; however, warnings are not mandatory (vidders and VJ may state "Choose not to warn" or simply not provide any information at all). Attendees may contact the concom with requests for specific warnings; anonymous email contacts permitted. Note: in 2014, Vividcon limited the number of shows available for private warnings to premiering and/or new vids."In order to make the warnings process more sustainable, starting this year we will be making private warnings available for premiering vids only, instead of for every vid shown in every vidshow at the con, as we have previously attempted to do. Warnings will be available upon request for the following vidshows: Premieres, Non-attending Premieres, Auction, and Challenge. Warnings for premiering vids from Club Vivid, Nearly New, and themed vidshows will also be available, if possible, but they will be a secondary priority behind the premiering vidshows. In addition, warnings requesters will also receive playlists for non-premiering vids and vidshows as soon as they are finalized, to allow the requester time to review, investigate, or have a trusted friend evaluate any unfamiliar non-premiering vids in those vidshows for the requester's warning needs. See Request warnings by June 15th -- new details, please read! dated May 11, 2014; WebCite.
*Yaoi Con - no warnings, however extreme violence may not be accepted unless it fits within the annual vid show theme. Het and femmeslash content not accepted. Explicit adult material (m/m) accepted. Yaoicon 2012 Rules post in the animemusicvideos.org forum] dated June 2, 2012.
Interestingly, a few conventions such as Vividcon and VidUKon have begun experimenting with streaming their vids shows during the convention to a wider online audience. Most vidshows, have up to this date, relied on providing play lists with links to the vidder's own streaming version after the convention has concluded for those fans unable to attend the event live. How these practices will change - if any - the existing warnings policies is unknown. However, as some have argued, the streaming viewing experience is different than the live viewing experience and warnings policies for streaming vids tend to be left to individual vidders who have adopted a wide and diverse range of approaches (see section below).
===Streaming Vids===
Warnings on vids that are streamed online depend on the preferences of the vidder and the fandom culture. For some vidders it seems natural to include the same types of warnings they would on fanfic. And, since vids are a visual medium, a few vidders will include warnings on flashing lights and quick edits as these have the potential to physically impact viewers. But unlike vidshows which are a compilation of various vids shown live, vidders own their own websites and blogs and have greater control over whether to warn or not. And most of fandom seems content to allow them to exercise that control. As one fan explained it: "I don't get warnings on some of the crap I see on Youtube. Why should I expect warnings on fanvids?" (cite source?) Other fans feel that this is not accurate as Youtube uses flags to allow viewers to demand removal of objectionable content. However, allowing fans to demand removal of fanfic, vids, and art raises a whole other set of issues in the warning debates.
The Archive of Our Own allows vidders to embed their vids and use the existing fanfiction warning structure for fanvids. In that case, vidders can warn along a specfic set of criteria, create custom warnings or "choose not to warn". 
For vids created as part of an organized community challenge or gift exchange, the warnings practices vary. For example, vids created as part of the Supernatural Big Bang are required to be rated according to the US movie rating system (G, PG13, R, X etc). A standard template must be used, but the "Warnings" line can be deleted if "not applicable" and there are no guidelines as to what, if any, to warn for. Fans can add whatever warnings they like on the entries posted in their blog - the challenge rules only apply to the links posted to the challenge community.How to Post post dated May 13, 2013.
Vids created as part of Festivids do not carry mandatory warnings but do have to comply with standardized content notes. 
==Challenges of Warning Standards==
Many fans feel that the problem with warnings is that they need to be tailored to the specific fan. In other words, one fan's hurt/comfort story is another fans curtain fic.
In 1994, one fan pointed out that coming up with classifications would be difficult given the wide range of fannish opinions:
In response, Cybel Harper offered her thoughts on the proliferation of types of warnings: 
In 2000, a fan wrote of the difficulties of writing summaries: 
In 1994, alexfandra offered her tongue-in-cheek take on the difficulty of coming up with a standardized set of warnings (or as the terminology of the time, a 'story marker'): 
And finally, as some fans point out, warnings lack the necessary nuances to convey the true nature of some fanfic: "Personally, I don't like to see stories pigeon-holed so cavalierly .... A story could be brilliantly written, insightful, compelling, fresh, but if a character dies -- bang -- it is a "death" story."September 1994 post to the Virgule-L mailing list, quoted anonymously.
== Warning Parodies==
* (2002) 
* (2007) 
==Meta/Further Reading==
* Timeline of Warnings Meta
==Notes==
== References ==
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