Boilerplate Editor's Notes added to stories?

[SyleusSnow]

Is this new?

Editor's note: this fictional work contains scenes of fictional mind control, rough, reluctant, dubiously consensual, consensually non-consensual (CNC), or non-consensual sex or scenarios.

The above was inserted at the top of my summer story when I submitted a revision. It wasn't added to the original submission.

The story's only non-consensual aspect is a male character is caught naked and coerced to stay that way... CFMN stuff. There's no mind control and the sex scene is gentle and enthusiastically consensual. So the warning seems like generic boilerplate phrasing (maybe even AI generated

Anyone else had notes like this added to their stories? Are there other warnings for other stories with other scenarios?

My story is in the interracial category, not non-consent, so maybe that's why.

 

[MrPixel]

My story is in the interracial category, not non-consent, so maybe that's why.

Could be. My non-authoritative, non-participatory take is that this was added due to the recent controversies around non-con on LitE. It would also make sense it was boilerplate to send a consistent message to all concerned parties.

 

[KeithD]

That's a new one on site editorial intervention on me.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Huh. New to me. Not seen that before. I posted one in E/V a few years back, which wasn't strictly speaking non-con - Dr. M is pretty good at talking people into consenting to things they're going to regret - but definitely several shades darker than yours, and no such boilerplate on that one.

I notice your story has a "nonconsent" tag. Was that yours, or is it Laurel's addition? I won't go checking now, but I wonder if that boilerplate is being added to stories with that tag outside NC/R.

 

[SyleusSnow]

That's a new one on site editorial intervention on me.

I had a more concise Editor's Note added years ago to Speechless:

Editor's note: this story contains scenes of non-consensual or reluctant sex.

There is non-consent in that one and it was posted in First Time, so in that case it was understandable.

 

[SyleusSnow]

I notice your story has a "nonconsent" tag. Was that yours, or is it Laurel's addition? I won't go checking now, but I wonder if that boilerplate is being added to stories with that tag outside NC/R.

I added that tag when the story was first posted first week of September and no disclaimer was added.

Maybe that triggers an automatic warning now. Wonder if other tags trigger different warnings, like "mf straight sex" triggers a warning for "bland heterosexual relations between consenting adults"

 

[NoTalentHack]

I had something similar added to Her Master's Voice a while back, for non-sexual violence.

 

[SyleusSnow]

I had something similar added to Her Master's Voice a while back, for non-sexual violence.

Interesting. At least the warning on your story looks hand-crafted for the content, not scattergun boilerplate.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Laurel will add Editor Notes from time to time, when content wanders from one category to another. I've got a story with an incest sub-theme in T&C, and she added a note, warning of the incest content (which was fine by me).

It's not something new - I recall several threads over the years where someone has commented about a note being added, and in some instances, tags being added. Also, she reserves the right to change category, or will choose a category where she thinks a story will run best.

 

[SyleusSnow]

Laurel will add Editor Notes from time to time, when content wanders from one category to another. I've got a story with an incest sub-theme in T&C, and she added a note, warning of the incest content (which was fine by me).

It's not something new - I recall several threads over the years where someone has commented about a note being added, and in some instances, tags being added. Also, she reserves the right to change category, or will choose a category where she thinks a story will run best.

Yeah. I got one added to a story a few years ago, but like the one added to NoTalentHack's story, it was tailored to the content and not an overbroad generic warning about things the story never comes close to touching on.

 

[Altissimus]

I've never had a warning added. I need to up my non-con game.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I've never had a warning added. I need to up my non-con game.

Are you publishing in Non-Con? The warnings are only added if something is "out of category".

Either that, or you could change your profession to an ice-cream van driver .

 

[mirafrida]

I had a similar blurb added when i structured one of my submissions with a phony 'story i once heard' frame tale. I thought it'd be ok, rules-wise, since the inner story was presented as fictional. Laurel let it stand, but added a "this is fictional" editors note - to cover all bases i guess.

 

[Bramblethorn]

I added that tag when the story was first posted first week of September and no disclaimer was added.

Maybe that triggers an automatic warning now. Wonder if other tags trigger different warnings, like "mf straight sex" triggers a warning for "bland heterosexual relations between consenting adults"

Hm. Looking through recent stories with that tag, seems my guess was wrong. There are others, including this one in IR, which have a "nonconsent" tag but no such boilerplate. In the handful that I checked, I saw a few others with content notes which appeared to be tailored to the stories, probably by the authors.

In which case, I'm mystified as to why yours was singled out, unless they're applying extra caution with contest stories or something? Having now read through the whole story, I'd agree that it was much milder than that boilerplate might suggest. If it were my story, I'd consider editing to replace it with a more tailored note that gives a better idea of what the "nonconsent" aspect is about.

 

[SyleusSnow]

Having now read through the whole story, I'd agree that it was much milder than that boilerplate might suggest. If it were my story, I'd consider editing to replace it with a more tailored note that gives a better idea of what the "nonconsent" aspect is about.

Thanks for reading through the story. I was beginning to think mind control and brutal floggings had somehow slipped into the scene of the characters making love on the lawn among the fireflies

I'd love to tailor that note, but seeing how it was inserted by Laurel (or, more likely, a robot surrogate), I doubt that's possible. Guess I'll slip her a PM and ask for it to be toned down. Don't want to scare off sensitive readers (or disappoint readers eager for hardcore non-consent).

 

[SyleusSnow]

Following up on this:

PMs to Laurel were ignored, so I submitted another edit of the story, adding this at the top:

Author's note: This fictional work contains scenes of forced (non-consensual) nudity.

...plus when submitting, I added a note to the admin saying I hoped that was sufficient to replace that horribly inaccurate boilerplate disclaimer.

Apparently it was. Laurel removed the boilerplate and now the story just has my warning at the top. Yay.

So if your story has anything approaching non-consent and you're not posting in the non-consent category, add a similar disclaimer. Or it might get an "Editors note" warning about possibly objectionable stuff it doesn't have: mind control, rough sex, vegetarianism, kitten mincing...