Readers are such sheeple, warnings aren't enough
So, BSG season 2 ended with a bang (or a bizarre whimper, depending on who you talk to) last week, leaving lots of fodder for fan fiction authors for the next seven months. Lots of fodder for dark, angsty fan fiction.

abelard369 is one of many Starbuck/Apollo authors who jumps on the bandwagon and writes dark, smutty fan fiction. I don't know if it's based on the revelations from the season finale, because while she posts her announcement about her fan fiction in beyond_insane, a public Starbuck/Apollo community, her story is SO DARK AND SMUTTY that readers must friend her journal to read it.

That's only semi-wanky: her reasoning isn't really included in the post, and I initially shrugged and moved past since I don't friend random strangers just to read a piece of fan fiction. It's when readers start challenging her as to her reasons that the joy emerges:


From abelard369:

i've been writing fic for a long time and have learned my lesson about how little writers should just automatically assume that people are reading warnings and knowing exactly what they're getting into when they are just in the habit of reading fic in a community.

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Yes, exactly. i know it seems crazy, but i have been writing sexually explicit fic for a long time in various communities, and it is amazing how many people do not read warnings. it's not that they can't read, it's that many people are quite used to skimming through stuff. believe me, i used to not be so concerned, and that lack of concern led to a lot of very offended people, people that (despite warnings) really did not expect to read what they ended up reading.

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i have learned to be more protective, extra-protective, of people who don't want to read that kind of fic. i have learned that i would rather err on that side than let the work hang out there for everyone, and then have people wander in and have their quite deep-rooted senses of what is appropriate, permissible, etc., as far as sex goes, be very offended.

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i certainly do not mean to insult anyone, but i have been writing this type of fic for a long time, and it is incredible how many people do not read warnings and out of habit simply click through to fic.

Apparently, it's her responsibility to protect people from what might offend their sensibilities--and not just through the fan fiction standard of warnings. Readers are too lazy and stupid for that. Instead, they must "then go ahead and friend me" (you know, then revealing anything on their default friends filter to some random stranger from a fannish community) in order to prove their willingness to read her SO DARK FIC and not be offended by its content.


Then the mice get involved:

Gawd, another drama queen who wants attention. I bet her fic isn't even that dark, it probably just sucks.
Besides, there are thousands of fics out there that dont requires work...

Fun from all sides. And growing!