Warnings and Sim stories

[profbutters]

 There was an interesting thread last night in Sim_Secret, leading to some interesting discussion on various communities.  Basically, the discussion was about story warnings and whether or not those ought to include portrayals of same-sex relationships.  I wanted to share a few thoughts and see what other people thought, too.

I think for a lot of us, this isn't an issue we're used to.  Many of us began our SIms stories on the Exchange, where there were fairly stringent standards you had to adhere to or else.  I didn't always agree with them.  I think subbing in "airline swearing" for the real thing is silly, and a naked male rear end faaaar in the distance shouldn't be enough to get a story axed.  Still, people writing for the Exchange had a pretty clear set of guidelines about what they could and couldn't do.

Enter EAxis and its enormous PHAIL with uploading to the Exchange.  This meant a lot of authors migrated to LJ, where there was already a thriving Sims community and a much wider array of possibilities, and also broader guesses about what should be rated at what level.  

Most of the Sims communities I frequent --  sim_spiration , sim_scenes , and now sims_crossing  -- use the old exchange level of ratings.  I'm not used to doing "warnings" in Sims stories.  Back in the day when I wrote fanfic, there were ratings, usually based on ERSB on fanfiction.net, and on movie ratings on Fiction Alley (an HP fanfic community).  This is what the headers look like on Fiction Alley:

Title: 

Author Name: 

Rating:  

Spoilers:   (A big deal in HP fanfic, especially once upon a time!) 

Genre: 

Era: (also unique to fanfic)

Main Character(s): 

Ship(s): 

Summary:  

Author's Notes: 

ETA:  Note the "ships" line.  That is because at least once upon a time, the really big snarling, incoherent rage in the Harry Potter fandom used not to be "het" vs. "slash."  It used to be Harry/Hermione vs. Hermione/ Ron.  

Maybe it's the terminology.  I think it's strange to "warn" for fluff (which basically means "you know that heavy breathing?  well, forget it.") Usually I used to add something to explain the rating, mostly that Cartman has a potty mouth.  There are very practical reasons for warning about Not Safe For Work.  

But I am not going to warn for same-gender relationships.  Nuh-uh.

Here's where I am on this personally:  I write one of the most belted-down Legacies around.  There's hardly any cheating, just about no murder, very little violence (you don't even see too much in the way of fights!) and just about zero sex, pre-,  extra-,  or just plain marital.  I don't use anti-censor blur, I don't use ACR, I don't use adult pose boxes.  There's nothing wrong with them, I just don't.  

Now, sometimes, this feels like a straitjacket, to be honest.  But I created a certain 'verse and I want it to be consistent within itself, mostly.  

But it bothers me to think that the DG/Brutus storyline, which I think is one of the sweetest I've ever created, ending in DG singing the equivalent of "Dear Prudence" under Brutus' window, would have to be stamped "WARNING WARNING WARNING:  THERE ARE TWO MALES IN LOVE."

Also, I get a fair number of readers who expect Squeaky Clean to be even cleaner than it is.  They don't understand that with a last name like "Goodytwoshoes," I am partly being tongue in cheek.  I had one set of comments from a girl who said "I don't like Emerald because she dated someone else in high school."  Got that?  ONE date, with ONE other boy, turned my heiress into a sleaze.  Even CECIL wouldn't have said that, though he did express shock at the time.  I get tired of the pressure from readers who say "oh, you CAN'T marry in Spencer: he's married to Dagmar Bertino!  You CAN'T marry in Brody: he's married to Heather the Zombie!"  After a while, I start to feel overwhelmed with all the special orders and just want to scream "write your own."

There are a few exceptions, which I'm not going to get into here: they are a whole different kettle of fish.  But yeah, even in my Squeaky Clean little world, there are going to be some gay and bi people and they are going to lead happy, fulfilled lives as much as anybody else.  

Warning:  Equal Opportunity Happy Endings.

 

Comments

[lauriempress.livejournal.com]

"But yeah, even in my Squeaky Clean little world, there are going to be some gay and bi people and they are going to lead happy, fulfilled lives as much as anybody else."

And it's your legacy, your story, so that's your prerogative. If they don't like it they can a) skim through that part, b) quit reading, and/or c) shove it. The internet has an on/off switch just like the television. ;)

I personally feel you gave plenty of warning that DG and Brutus could possibly be a couple. It was subtle, but it was there. You gave it in your writing.

About the warnings per se. I really think that should be up to the writer. We as readers reserve the right to stop reading after all. I'm not opposed to writers putting warnings on their work if they choose. But it's their story, their choice.

Lauri

[profbutters.livejournal.com]

Well, to be fair, I DO want to see warnings for things like, um, rape. I really don't want to read that, and that can sneak up in the middle of a story. But, uh . . . that ain't gonna be in my Legacy anytime soon. Or ever. At all.

[lauriempress.livejournal.com]

Well yes, and I thought of that when I was writing my response and then the phone rang, and my husband wanted me to get something out of the garage, so yeah. But yes, things like that I do want to see warnings for, but naive me generally figures those would be covered in com rules. But you are right.

[dumdeedumdumdum.livejournal.com]

I quote:

I had one set of comments from a girl who said "I don't like Emerald because she dated someone else in high school." Got that? ONE date, with ONE other boy, turned my heiress into a sleaze.

Oh, dear.

Even in real life I quite am an uptight person (or so I delude myself to think). I'm not the third sex's biggest fan, I don't approve of PDA, and I am squicked out by pre-marital stuff. BUT I just don't go dissing people who believe in the aforementioned stuff. Heck, one of my friends claims he/she (I'm keeping identity ambiguous) has had pre-marital, and I'm fine with that. Heck, some of my favorite professors in college are gay.

What surprises me is that some people do not have the maturity to stop gagging in public. There are such things as "viewer discretion" and "intelligent readership," after all. Even though I write pathologically moral stuff (in my CW portfolios just as much as in the Sims), I do assume that people know better than to flame the nicely-written unconventional ones (like Lolita, for one).

[profbutters.livejournal.com]

Heh, well, I'm not Vladimir Nabokov. I don't know as much about butterflies, for one thing. I think I just had a brief moment of "Oh, Lordy, if SC has to become more Moral than it already is, I will scream." It's not as though it's going to change radically THIS late in the game.

In nine generations, I have had virtually no out-of-wedlock pregnancies, either. None, actually. Aliens don't count, I think, and Cecilia and Secundus' baby Max was a very unusual exception that proves the rule.

[dumdeedumdumdum.livejournal.com]

Well, my analogy is not fair. ;p SC is indeed no Lolita, but my point is that people really shouldn't go flaming.

And gaaaads, I'd hate it if Max did not happen. Besides, the SC fan can argue that Cecilia really didn't do it outside wedlock, and Max's birth is completely innocent. :)

In the end, it all comes down to whether the read is good, after all. Right?

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Well said. If your story is very much G-rated, then what exactly would you be warning for? This really strips the whole argument for warnings on homosexual content to the bone, because if it's sex that people need warning for, then they can say that without mentioning the sexuality of the participants.

Do people actually comment with reactions like that? I didn't get into it in simsecret, but I was secretly thinking, who are these people who'd react that way? I've never experienced it.

[profbutters.livejournal.com]

*sigh* Boolprop. I love the place and we actually attract some pretty good writers. I think it may be a problem I run into a bit more because I chose certain handicaps. I actually haven't run into much, if any, "OMG TEH GAY!" stuff. We tend to pass each other's characters back and forth and that creates some issues around expectation.

It's more PG than G. But I would be bothered by that one particular storyline needing a warning for "homosexual content," when it was part of a whole story arc during which people re-evaluated their friendships and some fell in love. I didn't feel that one of my couples deserved a warning, while the other two didn't.

Thanks for popping by my journal, by the way!

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Ah, yes... when we talk about characterization and expectations for a certain character, that takes us back to the original use of the term slash, though again, this could be covered by simply saying it is OOC, AU, non-canon, etc.

I agree. To draw attention to that one couple would be very unfair and, I think, inappropriate.

No problem! ^_^ I've been fairly reclusive and inactive in the sims comm lately (as well as reale life, I'll be honest), so it's nice to "get out more" around here. I've always appreciated seeing your thoughtful comments on simsecret, so I'm glad I started following your posts.

[swhedonberry.livejournal.com]

It bugs the heck out of me that you would be expected to put warnings for homosexuality in your stories. If a person has problems with it, they need to not play the game, truthfully. With no hacks and just the basic game, sims can engage in nearly the same activities surrounding love and affection. Which is my way of saying a friendly "suck it!" to your detractors.

I'm gearing up for one of my characters to start having realizations about his sexuality. You know what my warnings are? Some adult situations. That's it. Same as when Whedonberry just had heterosexuals.

It comes down to the fact that reading makes one responsible for what they see. If you come to something that you disapprove of or don't feel comfortable reading, you're responsible for making the choice to continue reading or to cease. Do we need content ratings? Yes, I think so. Acts of violence, graphic sexuality (of any sexual orientation) or extreme language should be earmarked so that we can make choices. However, for sim fiction, those ratings should be based on assumptions, language, and activities outside of the scope of the game itself. If the story contains a basic function in the game, well, you're on your own. If one feels so intensely about what one reads, perhaps he/she should find or start a sims story community that adheres to a similar beliefs system.