ki'var@firstsaga.com wrote:

On 24 Dec 97 at 18:53, fanfic@fanfic.com wrote:

Just because *you* think that tags are unneccessary doesn't mean that
others share the same belief. Myself, I much prefer to know
beforehand if the fanfic I'm reading is going to take a darker turn
or not, or if it's a lemon, or anything like that. How about that
"Kagato's Revenge" fanfic, eh? Doesn't that one just scream for the
[Pre-teen RAPE] tag? How about Aikan Muyo! (hope I spelled that
right), a very good fic that deserves a [LEMON] tag, and shouldn't be
ashamed of it - it's a well-written lemon. Or the one that started
this, which deserves a [DARK] tag, and again should not be ashamed of
it - it's well written, and good.

And just how do you define just what is "Dark", much less the various shades of

darkness?

These kinds of tags sound good on paper, but they don't really tell you anything in

reality.

I'm willing to bet my defination of dark isn't quite the same as yours. I'm also willing to

bet

that the folks who don't write and read Ranma fanfics don't exactly have the same

viewpoint

of what consitutes darkness that the folks that do read and write Ranma fanfics.

Different strokes for different folks....

True, but some kind of warning would still be nice. If the author
thinks the fic may be a bit (or more) on the dark side, then he
should say so (beware the Dark Side, young Skywalker....). Similarly
with lemons (which are, admittedly, a bit easier to define). Or YAOI
fics.

Again, how would this really work out in the real world? Let's take the AMG/Hellblazer
crossover "Dire Fates" for an example. Is Dire Fates really any "darker" than either of the
series it draws upon? I'ld say no. It's most certainly isn't darker 

It's definitely darker than OMG, since it kills an innocent girl and
has a lead character, normally classified as a "good guy" do it.  

than the DC comic

Hellblazer, and I'ld say it's just as darkish as the ending of the 4th and the begining of 5th
episodes of the AMG OVA series.

When in doubt, tag it. If people don't think it deserves the tag,
they'll let you know. It's better to err on the side of caution than
to lose a reader because you *didn't* tag.

This is silly. How can a fanfic be tagged as being "dark" when it may not be really "dark"
given the context of the series it's based on? Despite what you may think, there is a very
real "dark" side to the AMG universe. Urd is half demon, remember?

In what way does that lead to tragic consequences in the series as 
opposed to just being a plot complication?  (And a way of explaining
why she misbehaves a little.)

 Skuld can be a spoiled

brat. Belldany has a really nasty temper.

Has she killed anyone yet?  How many innocents?  

Let's look at another series: Gargoyles from Disney. Exactly what would be not considered
"dark" in a fanfic that was based on this series? Not very much if

Better to ask what would be considered "dark".  Death of a lead 
character would be considered dark.  Raping Elissa would be considered
dark.  Good-guy gargoyles killing innocent people would be considered
dark.  Someone succeeding in committing suicide would be considered
dark.  

 your logic was used,

especially if you looked at  just what went on in the 1st and 2nd seasons of this show.