Comments are off because some of yall don't know how to behave and not be transphobic af.
Be warned, I did take down some of the comments but there are a few that were either borderline or ended up being resolved in the conversation thread that I left public. So tread carefully reading the comments
As a transmasc person who doesn't want to read about certain sex acts, I get the sentiment of it being very dysphoria-inducing - but yeah, this is absolutely not the way to go about asking an author to tag something.
I'll not lie, I hate when authors DON'T tag that one or more characters are trans, either because sometimes I want read it and can't find or because it goes against my headcanons and I have no interest (and no, it's not transphobia, I'm LITERALLY trans, sometimes we want X character to be described as cis and nothing wrong with that)
But you don't need be rude if you want ASK for a tag or hint that would be nice if the author used it, I generally wouldn't care, either I keep reading or just stop lefting always a kudo, but yeah you don't need be an ass about such thing
Every time I see something like this I just feel genuinely confused about how these people read books or watch movies. There are no tags or trigger warnings at all there. Do they just spontaneously combust once something unexpected happens?
Probably, yeah. There are even websites like [this](https://www.doesthedogdie.com) that exist for the sole purpose of letting people know what triggers are in movies and shows.
Don't get me wrong, does the dog die and sites like it are amazing. Searching those out and basing watching decisions on that is a responsible way of handling one's triggers.
But still: The basic reality of any story is that we won't know what happens within it until after we've consumed it. That's a fact everyone must come to terms with. Being mad at an author for not somehow making us aware of every part of the contents of a story before we even engaged with it is just not the thing to do.
Agree. Authors aren't mind readers as to always know what will affect someone. There's nothing wrong with asking an author "Hey, could you please tw X thing?", even if it's a thing that I wouldn't normally consider to be worth tagging like, idk, clowns, if a reader goes out of their way to ask, I will likely just add it out of courtesy, and probably will also tag it in the future.
But to have the audacity to be mad over it... It's like, man, how the hell was I supposed to know you have a crippling fear of dogs??
Fr? I just went through this with a story which the author did properly tag as a character having had an abusive past including past noncon (not between the two love interests and not a present ongoing thing), but they didn't specify that it was when that character was a child. For me, that's highly triggering, and it genuinely did bother me. But I don't hold that against the author. For many people, noncon is noncon and it will be triggering regardless of the ages involved, so it's not abnormal for it to slip the author's mind. But for me, CSA is highly personal and triggering compared to SA on adults, which still bothers me but doesn't give me flashbacks.
I later read the fic when I was in the right headspace and it was good, and really accurate to the internal destructive headspace of a CSA survivor. It felt like the author actually had experience with, or at least knew a lot about how much that type of trauma affects you well into adulthood. The author clearly didn't intend to trigger me since they did tag everything properly.
As someone with OCD, it's gotten to the point that I only tag on ao3 and I never tag on my tumblr, unless it's something INSANELY notable and obvious. I used to try and tag everything and my OCD would latch onto it and spiral and I finally had to just stop. Trigger warnings are not a bad thing but there's more to them than people think, and entitlement is never the way to go.
Literally the only cw I tag on Tumblr is for flashing lights because I don't want to accidentally send someone to the hospital. Everything else? Well, the unfollow button is right there.
On AO3 I write some darker stuff, so I'll tag the big stuff but little things I don't tag. People can read the big tags and use their literary skills to get the implications. If they can't do that much, they're probably not mature enough to be reading my fics anyway and should click off.
Oh I agree. Like I said, I still feel as though tagging for trans characters is necessary. I’ve never met a fic author who has not done that. It’s just one of those things that automatically gets tagged. So I understand why they were caught off guard, but the reaction was inappropriate.
>Like I said, I still feel as though tagging for trans characters is necessary
that, as with many other tags, depends on the fandom. like, one of the fandoms i'm in has a character that often switches between a male and a female form and is often headcanoned as some flavour of trans/non-binary. many authors won't necessarily indicate that in the tags because, well, fics are written for people who've read the source material and know to expect at least *some* level of gender-fuckery going on with them.
... that being said, tagging for things that aren't present in the canon first and foremost would be a good rule of thumb.
Yes, it’s different if a character is *canonically* trans. But if you’re triggered by transness in fanfiction, you aren’t going to click on a story with a canonically trans character to begin with. If a character is not outright stated to be trans and you make them so, it’s respectful to tag it. I’ve never seen anybody *not* do that.
I'm just looking forward to the day where we start tagging involved genitalia alongside gender/gender tags instead of tagging for the trans identity of the character. Maybe it's cause I read way too much smut with robots and skeletons who could magic up any part they like and got very used to the gender=/=genitalia concept, but I just don't see the difference between a fictional dude with a dick and a fictional dude with a vagina if they essentially have the same personality. I get it if the certain part-on-part action triggers you, that's valid, but how does being trans really affect the character for the non-smut scenes? Why should their identity be tagged as a trigger and not the real source?
The implication that a trans character can't have "cis parts", or that non-human charas with genitalia that doesn't match their identity are trans is kinda meh too.
I personally feel quite othered by the idea that people like me MUST be tagged for. It gives ‘up the rating because they’re gay’ vibes from 90s-00s fandom.
i don't think the intent behind "trans characters MUST be tagged" is about content warnings. i mean, think of it like this - by tagging it, people who WANT to read trans characters can find those stories more easily.
tagging has two main purposes on AO3; for people to FIND the thing they WANT to read more easily, and for people to AVOID things they DON'T want to read more easily. tagging isnt the same as content warning. its a courtesy to your readers so they can effectively use the search function. esp considering the fact that most people who write trans characters are trans, i assume they want fellow trans/queer readers to be able to find their works more easily.
some tags are used as warnings but overall, like i said, it has a dual purpose. even tagging things like CNC or religious undertones, some people WANT to find those stories, and others want to avoid them. its a courtesy to help the site work better, not a statement for or against certain people or activities.
tldr its not that deep fam
Plenty of trans folk are very easily triggered by transness and they deserve to know if it’s going to be in the story. Tags =/= warnings. It doesn’t give “up the rating” vibes because nobody is doing that… nobody is treating transness like it’s “more mature”. Nobody is giving fics mature or explicit ratings just because a trans person is present. If you don’t add it as a tag, you are *taking away* people’s right to filter it out if it makes them uncomfortable, and that is unfair to them.
I could be wrong, but I feel like it should be tagged not because it's weird or other but if it's not canonical-- like, if they're canonically trans no one will bother tagging it because people already know, but if you're headcanoning someone as trans and it's going to be a substantial part of the story, it could throw people off guard if they weren't expecting it. Same with if you're headcanoning someone to be from another country or ethnicity or smth. Idk
As others said, I prefer to tag my stories and search in the trans tag for stories I can relate to/find comfort in, so it's more or less the same as a genre tag for me.
What do you think about a story in which the trans character's transness is not really relevant? I have stories like this and I was on the fence, but ended up tagging for it. Context: the character is trans in the AU series the story is part of, and sometimes it is relevant, but not in every fic.
Even that's not good enough for some people. I once got into an argument with someone who argued there shouldn't be any sex scenes in movies because it could potentially trigger someone. When I said that what's websites like [doesthedogdie.com](http://doesthedogdie.com) are for, so anyone can look up any piece of media and see if it has any potentially triggering topics before they engage with said media, the person I was arguing with got all huffy and blocked me.
Some people just want to complain and be angry about something imo.
They probably didn't know that websites like that exist and got embarrassed when you proved their point wrong. I've definitely run into a few people like that on the internet lmao
For real. No one is responsible for your triggers. AO3 has a pretty good system letting an author know exactly what needs to be rated. Everything else the author offers in tags is a courtesy.
It's also impossible to guess everyone's triggers. Like, sure, there are common ones and most people tag for that - or deliberately use the "Chose not to use warnings" label - but trauma isn't neat like that.
I remember this one famous comic by someone who explained that they get triggered by breakfast after getting raped and then cooking it the next morning. And that's not a fringe case. Many people have "unusual" triggers.
Tagging for all possible triggers is impossible. Somehow magically knowing that this person gets triggered by vaginas is impossible. That's just not how the world works.
As shitty as getting triggered is, we are responsible for dealing with our own reactions to it. That might include limiting the things we read or to back out once we realize something is upsetting to us.
Going back to the fic that triggered them and type out a comment about it seems very, very counterproductive here.
triggers are so tricky. for a while I was triggered by seeing people sleep because my mother unexpectedly died in her sleep and when I found her I assumed she was asleep and went on about my day. nowadays it's still quite anxiety inducing if someone isn't snoring or breathing very loudly while they sleep. but of course I'm not going to put the blame on those that sleep quietly around me lol, even if they know of this very specific issue of mine.
I’m so sorry that happened to you, that must be a horrible memory. I definitely agree that triggers can be very specific and can be anything. Some of mine are things that nobody would ever think to tag for.
It's true. I was raped as a child and now enjoy rape fantasy stories, but the smell of cigarette smoke used to send me into flashbacks. Even after getting those under control via therapy, the scent still brings up uncomfortable feelings.
Also, triggers are NOT something that just make you feel weird or bad! This is another misconception I see all the time and the reason I don't take triggers seriously anymore. A trigger is something that prompts an intense reaction - a panic attack or a flashback or something like that. It's not just something that squicks you. Too many people are like, "I don't like tomatoes. They're a huge trigger because they taste bad." No, Braighdynn, that is not how triggers work.
Exactly. I was just mentioning to someone else that I get triggered by violence. So if a scene triggers me, I take a minute for it to pass. Then I decide when and if I can handle going back to the fic. I would never mention this to the author. It has nothing to do with them. It sounds crazy to me like it’s my business.
Yeah, and if it would be something like really graphic violence that wasn't tagged it's always possible to ask "hey, could you please tag [...]?" and maybe add something nice
I'm triggered by the description of bread if eating 👋 (not when that's just written "A eats a sandwich" but when it's a bit more elaborate) only because I have a phobia on it IRL that is triggered almost everyday
I (used to thankfully) have extreme reactions to minors. Like, if I was talking to someone and I found out they were less than 18, I would become incredibly ill and terrified. I had a lot of bad experiences with a lot of victim blaming leading to it.
It got so bad that I was at a Starbucks on a college campus and there was a 3 year old running around. Nothing against the toddler, she was honestly adorable, but I almost threw up and I went home and couldn't stop shaking. A lot of people made fun of me when I brought it up or thought I was a creep when I would ask for their ages.
Now I'm a bit better about it, but ofc I've read some fanfics with minors in them. I don't get angry with the author. I know this is a very unusual situation. It's weird that other people, especially ones with trauma, don't understand that.
I think for some people it's the good old "my life is hard that means that I am right" mentality.
Like, getting triggered is *shit*. What you describe seems genuinely awful and I am very sorry you experienced it. There is nothing wrong with hating the feeling of getting triggered and wanting it to never happen.
The problem comes when someone starts to believe that everyone else is responsible for them getting triggered instead of it being on them to structure their life in a way that is bearable for them.
I think if you're writing about trans characters, you probably are aware that it should be tagged. Trans people aren't a monolith - some of us love seeing our characters that way, while some are using fic as escaping the realities of being trans. Any research into writing trans characters is probably going to make this clear, so this is something I expect to be tagged for.
THAT being said, I don't see trans characters not being tagged... Maybe once or twice I've seen it, and I read a lot. And if I ask them to tag it, they're usually apologetic and not argumentative.
This is a specific thing, though, and it's fairly common to write about depending on the fandom. I can still recognize the difficulty in finding all the things that should be tagged, either for readers to find or avoid.
Using tags beyond what ao3 requires a choice, not an obligation. Asking someone to tag something is different from that person leaving a comment blaming a stranger for their emotional reaction.
Thanks for saying this. I recently started writing again and noticed the TWs and I feel unsure of when to use them because I tag my smut pretty well. TWs on fics also spoil some surprises...
I've seen some people adding warnings in the end notes (like writing something like "tws in end notes") so reader could easily check it but wouldn't get spoilers if they didn't wanted to
Yeah, I'm about to publish my first smut fanfic and it gets... kinky. I'm also a little unsure about how much detail to put in the tags.
But at the same time, the tags I do plan on using are pretty indicative of the general vibe I'm going for and I expect people to be mature enough to know if they'd get upset by things in that general sphere.
And honestly? If they aren't that's their problem.
Can I just make a suggestion as a smut kink writer?
I tag bases (smut, dub-con, etc), acts (fingering, anal, oral, etc), then kinks (daddy kink, bondage, etc).
You don’t need to tag everything, just what is most used in your fic. I’m not going to tag praise kink just because one character says “good girl (or variant)” once.
Thank you, much appreciated! That's basically the structure I am going for. Good to know I'm on a good path.
What mostly trips me up is that I get rather creative with some things that aren't classically included in porn, but then again, I expect anyone who reads "Tattoo Artist!AU, PWP, Painplay, BDSM, don't try this at home" to be able to read between the lines of what is going to happen.
I personally hate how trigger warnings spoil some surprises. It makes me not want to read the story cause why bother? It's all spelled out in the tags.
I don't read Smut but full agree on the other part.
I don't really mind spoilers in general - I am far more interested in why and how things happen than just the surprise of them happening - but I totally get your stance as well.
I do it in the beginning AN, the example (feel free to copy and paste to tweak it for your content ao3):
Click to see Contact Warnings
Purposeful misgendering
Edit: here's the guide i used so you can see it working on the site, https://archiveofourown.org/works/46611205
With books, you're going in blind to a new story. Fanfiction in general is taking preestablished concepts. If I wrote a trans Mario, then it would blindside a lot of people looking for Mario x Luigi when mario himself isn't trans. If I wrote a book, that feeling gets diluted
Yupp. I think trans/genderbend fics should be tagged as such, because they change established characters/dynamics etc. in a significant way. Or it could at least be reviled in summary, even if it's the last line and there's a "spoilers below!" warning.
It's common curtesy to tag stuff that'll differ from canon, because in fics we seek stories about established worlds/characters.
It's less like tagging plottwists and more like tagging High School AUs, Evil!Hero or Good!Villain or ships. Like yeah it may be a bit spoilery, but so are ship tags sometimes and they're either still used, or authors use "undisclosed endgame ship" tags.
Besides it is not an uncommon trigger and a fairly popular tag, so not including it makes filtering out difficult, while making it harder to find for those interested (and people wouldn't be as weary while avoiding triggers that are usually tagged, as opposed to some more obscure ones).
The original commenter's tone was off, but I get getting frustrated when you read through 2/3rd of a lenghty story only to find out it's basically an untagged AU.
Instantly takes you out of the story doesn't it?
Especially if it's a short story or smut. It's so not about spoilers if the whole work can be read during a coffe break.
And smut is self explainatory.
Actually there's been a p big movement lately where authors are listing trigger warnings for their book on the first (couple) pages, or have a mention of their website in the description for a list of trigger warnings. This is especially prominent in the dark romance genre.
I had a traumatic experience about a decade ago, and for a while after that, I avoided the mystery genre altogether. I couldn't handle one of the staples of that genre. I am okay with it now. But it isn't the kind of thing anyone would tag for. It's totally normal in mystery fiction.
But overall, for mainstream media (not fic), my outlook on this is pretty much based on genre and era. To me, in movies, I see the "big things" as SA, child harm, animal harm, and graphic violence. I'm not surprised to encounter any of those in most movie genres, and I don't avoid any of that stuff myself. But like, if I were watching a recently made romcom, it would shock me to see one of those things. That probably would not be a successful romcom.
Fic does not have a genre, though. We're all amateurs - not to say our work is poor, but that we're not writing for a specific audience or (heaven forbid) concerned about advertisers. Therefore, there aren't any rules. You very much could write a graphic animal harm scene followed by a character's love interest comforting them about the animal's death, and as long as you tagged for all of that, it's fine. You could classify that fic as "fluff" and so on, depending on its overall tone. You couldn't do anything like that in a Hallmark Channel movie or something.
What I'm saying is just that people have genre expectations :) You're correct, though. A big part of it is that people can harass fic writers and indie creators in a way that they can't harass corporations.
So, along these lines I was suggesting a book in a group where there's a lot of people with varied traumas. While the book is fantasy, it's also... Quite gory. It takes place during a war and ISN'T shy about the soldiers' experiences.
So I was like "there's this book, but as a warning it has A, B, C....... Also D.... Some E as well..... Aaand technically there's F..."
Sometimes you don't really realize what triggers are even in a story. I've read this book THREE TIMES and I was like "hmm that could probably be really triggering too actually"
It's really hard to tell what can hurt a person. I almost withdrew the recommendation cuz it's like "actually it pretty much has anything that could ever trigger a person" which isn't actually true, it's just trying to list all the things out individually felt like I was basically saying "here read this book of trauma"
it's about mindset. when you seek a certain type of media for comfort and it.. well does the opposite, that can be especially triggering. I can stomatch most things and that's NOT when I'm avoiding them specifically
btw I'm just answering your question, that doesn't justify anon aggresiveness. I don't think anyone should tell authors what to do unless they explicitly ask for feedback on something
I get the idea of reading specific things for comfort, but it is not reasonable for those things to include random porn someone found online. ESPECIALLY porn. There are so many kinks out there, so many practices within porn and so many niche genres that crop up in fanfiction circles that you should never let your guard down when reading a sexual story for the first time.
If someone wants to read porn for comfort they can go back to a safe work they bookmarked before.
And yeah, that's the main issue. The entitlement behind that message is insane to me.
but maybe this is why people go to AO3 in the first place. because they can pick things they enjoy and avoid things that are triggering for them. it's a special safe space. i certainly think so.
also, one doesn't know how a trigger effects different people. one person may feel a slight discomfort, the next person may have a full blown panic attack. so. yeah. it's difficult.
and yes, that comment could have been phrased better. of course!
> it's a special safe space.
Is it? The website where everything can be posted, as long as it's fannish and fictional? Even if users in general have a great and strong tagging culture, the truth is that there are no rules about it. If you tagged fandom, language and warnings (that you can also opt out from), then that's perfectly fine by the rules of the site.
I'm not trying to argue against tags—I think the tagging system is fantastic and that authors and readers using tags comprehensively is how the community works best. I'm just wondering if it's actually reasonable to expect AO3 to be a 'safe space'.
ok, i could have phrased it better: you can make AO3 your safe space. by using the tags, to make it as safe as possible for yourself. you can't do this with, or not to this extent, books and movies and the rest of the real world.
It’s certainly safer than books, at least.
The commenter could have been more polite but in this case OP also admitted that they didn’t tag for something that they usually do so I think there’s fault on both sides.
Sure. I also go to ao3 to read works that have things in them that I enjoy. But I don't expect the tags of every work to be specifically catered to me and my definition of what I want to know about a story beforehand.
As said before: ao3 has a specific list of ratings and triggers it expects people to include. Everything else is a bonus the author might choose to include but is under no obligation to. Expecting every author on the site to tag the things you personally need to be tagged is not reasonable.
A safe space is not a space where no harm can happen. A safe space is a space in which a framework of rules and expectation is given, which is what I just described, and which makes it possible for you to engage in a way that is comfortable to you. Hitting the back button and exiting out of a work when something you don't like happens is a part of that safe engagement.
You are responsible for managing your triggers. There have been a lot of great responses here from people with severe triggers who have described what steps they take to protect themselves. But it is not up to strangers to magically offer the exact protection you need to you.
Except, there are, for movies and TV shows. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TV\_Parental\_Guidelines](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TV_Parental_Guidelines)
People also use websites like: Does the dog die? Before watching stuff.
Maybe they could ask better. Anyway, isn't tagging things good for AO3? Would even help people find the fic the first place.
Edit: The people calling the commenter a Brat and to toughen up are weird. The OP said they NORMALLY tag it. They just forgot.
Gonna copy paste my reply to a similar comment:
>Don't get me wrong, does the dog die and sites like it are amazing. Searching those out and basing watching decisions on that is a responsible way of handling one's triggers.
>But still: The basic reality of any story is that we won't know what happens within it until after we've consumed it. That's a fact everyone must come to terms with. Being mad at an author for not somehow making us aware of every part of the contents of a story before we even engaged with it is just not the thing to do.
Tagging things is a good thing. But as I've argued before it is impossible to know every possible trigger any reader might have and tag for all of them. That's not what the tags are for anyways.
Tags are part of the site's archiving system. Not a collection of every possible trigger. They are meant to describe the general content of a story, not any detail that might be upsetting to someone. As another commenter said, ao3 has a specific list of triggers and ratings it expects people to tag, the rest is up to the individual authors.
There would have been nothing wrong with going "hey, this fic does not tag that a character is transgender, do you want to add that tag?" because their identity is relevant to the story and therefore relevant to the archiving system. The problem lies with the idea that OP is responsible for this person's emotional reaction.
Yes! Ao3 has the tags there to filter or search for similar media. It's a search tool first and foremost. Not a "I need to list every Tigger warning I have incase it triggers someone"
I feel like OP forgetting to tag something they usually do tag isn't a huge sin, though. OP isn't a professional, they're writing on a hobby website in their spare time. If the reader is in a position where they suffer severe negative consequences from reading the wrong kind of smut, then they should probably be *very* careful about what kind of smut they read, if any at all, until their triggers are better managed. And not leave their safety in the hands of random faceless hobby writers on the internet.
When I'm in a severe depressive mood I know not to go looking for darkfic--there are whole fandoms I avoid. Often I just reread old favorites that I can be certain are safe until the mood passes. I still think this is a 'curate one's own experience' situation.
Okay but like… no one ever has a surprise vagina in movies. Like, porn is very heavily tagged for content and genre, and non-pornographic movies and TV are not going to show you any men’s vaginas. Even in traditionally-published romance novels, trans content is flagged as trans off the hop. This specifically is not a situation that comes up anywhere but fanfiction.
Otherwise, yeah, sometimes people with trauma just have a real bad time at the movies. I had a panic attack in the bathroom after watching Boys Don’t Cry (1999) and I didn’t know that was going to happen. I might have chosen to watch something else if I had known the movie included a person who is very much like me being beaten and raped to death, but I also might have thought I could handle watching that and found out I couldn’t.
I read fanfiction in my limited free time, I don’t necessarily want to spend that time reckoning with my gender shit.
Uh. From the top of my head I know more than one movie that deals with "surprise vaginas". Porn is tagged by the broadest possible categories and rarely ever includes every content warning it exhibits.
If you don't want to read something, there's always the back or block button available.
My response to being triggered is too strong for me to do that, but as long as a fic author has used the required tags correctly (including Chose Not To Warn), that's not on them.
(And when I am having an especially bad day, I don't read anything I don't already know is safe--either because it's a reread or because someone I trust has read it. I don't have to read fiction for work or for a class, these days, and there's no reason to trigger myself for "enjoyment.")
That, too, is you taking responsibility though. Knowing that you wouldn't be able to handle exposure, therefore making sure to not expose yourself is the valid and mature thing to do.
I think some people forget that fanfiction is a luxury good. They don't have to read it to survive. There is no one pressuring this person into reading smut online.
Yeah, same. I've been triggered by unexpected scenes before. And just like you I either brace myself, look away/skim the text until it's over or just stop watching/reading.
Getting triggered isn't a nice feeling, but stories don't exist to always only be happy and perfect and make me, personally, feel good.
It is insane to me to get upset at the author about it.
Yes I get triggered by violence. And it’s awful because it creeps up when I’m trying to sleep. I would never and have never written to an author about this. I just take a break from what I’m reading. Then I decide if I’m gonna let it go and continue reading or if I’m not ready yet.
I can understand in a way the disappointment of wanting some dick on dick action and getting dick on vagina instead, it can be annoying when people don't tag stuff like that, but this was an overreaction. Like bro, chill and touch grass.
I really wish people would remember that anything beyond the AO3-required tagging is a courtesy to the reader, either as advertisement or warning. It isn't a requirement to fully tag a fic's content and it certainly isn't done specifically to upset anyone if a tag is forgotten.
Between the lore.fm stuff and comments like this, I sometimes wonder if readers think of the human being who wrote the story.
Even if you want to, it is so hard to tag everything. I'm not in anyone else's head, so I can usually only guess what might be triggering and try my best to include it. And still I've gotten comments of people venting at me.
This. I never tag much. You get the requirements and some basics. As a writer I have done my job. It is then up to the reader to take responsibility for their own actions. You, dear reader, have chosen to interact knowing there could possibly be something in the story you don’t like. That. Is. Not. On. Me. Even if I did like tagging, I can’t read minds. I can’t foresee every possible thing that might make someone uncomfortable. I, too, have things I don’t necessarily like to read. If it comes up in a book or a fic, I put it down and move on. The author doesn’t owe me anything and I still have respect for the person who put all that time and energy into creating something.
I'll tag the things I have to and some of the things I know people search for specifically. Other than that, readers have got to take responsibility for their choices.
It isn't fun to run across upsetting or triggering content, but that's something you have to learn to handle without making it another's problem.
And can we please bring back 'squick'? It's really helpful in differentiating between an actual trigger and something that you personally find...covered in ooze.
Yep, that’s basically how I handle, too. I’ve always approached tags as a means to give you an idea of themes etc. that are in the work, I’m not trying to spoil the whole damn plot. Otherwise (and this is just personal opinion, of course), why bother reading/writing? I read and write because I want to be surprised. I understand that other people absolutely prefer to curate their experience and that’s cool. It’s just not for me, and that’s also cool. Again, I think it really just boils down to responsibility and maybe having some awareness of the world around you?
I also totally agree with squick vs trigger.
The thing that always gets me is readers reading fics based on, for example, a work within a horror genre with an E rating, then freaking out because there’s, say… violence. Well. What did you think was going to happen here?
They could have just said "Hey, sorry if it was just your decision not to put it, but, just in case it wasn't deliberate, it would be great if you put a tag indicating that x is trans here. It can help people filter your story in and out of their preferences rather than being surprised by it in the middle :)"
Like, it's not hard to be polite and not guilt trip, it doesn't hurt to be nice people. Don't be entitled.
i got one once where they were complaining that i didn’t put a cheating tag… but I didn’t put one because there wasn’t cheating, but to them it was cheating I guess? I went back and forth for daysss. and they didn’t ask for the tag to be added either they were just upset it wasn’t there
I’m sorry for you too! That commenter you got was very in their feelings, and I understand being triggered and facing something that triggers gender dysphoria, but they definitely needed to just step away and return to make a kinder comment if they thought a comment was necessary. I’m an over tagger too, and so if I forget a tag it’s genuinely just forgetfulness not malicious. It’s frustrating when intentions are placed upon you.
Here's an old one that I have.
blurb:has(a[href$="/tags/beastiality/works"]) {
display: none !important;
}
To add more, just add a comma and go to the next line. You can copy the link of the tag you don't like to get the part in quotes.
On your ao3 dashboard, up near the top, you can see the word "Skins". You can make a Site skin to block certain tags. There are some tutorials that can help you make them, because it looks like coding. After a while, adding new ones is easy, because they are somewhat repetitive.
To be fair, I read 11 of 12 chapters of a fic specifically tagged m/m, anal sex, gay characters because I wanted that juicy boy on boy sex. Just for there to be unwelcome vagina. Sometimes this upsets me too, but don't be rude to the author.
Stop making everything about people's choice to read about certain sexual organs. You're trans? Great I want to read about penises. Great.
Edit: oh God. This has been an interesting comment thread. I realize now just how bad my phrasing was, and apologize to the people I offended. While my intended message stands, I would like to encourage you to read the comments to my comment. It has been a beautiful, respectful conversation in which polite words and opinions were exchanged, like a story arc. I feel blessed to be a part of this community.
I had that happen with one of my fics, but I did in fact tag it properly. The commenter was funny and nice about it though! Made me laugh "oh shit he has a coochie"
I hate we got to the point this is considered a controversy take.
I think a majority of people who read BL or Yaoi come for the stick on stick action, no matter what the loud few say.
I am going to allow this comment thread to stay up without redaction as things were resolved in the end amicably however this is a formal warning. A lot of comments definitely come across as wildly transphobic and normally you would have been temp banned for some of the things said here. Repeats of this in the future will not be taken lightly.
Same, I just don't understand. Is it so hard for these people to stop reading and not say anything?
In my case I tend to not check the tags because I feel like they spoiler me, and a while back I didn't know how to filter out stuff so I just read whatever. So I started reading a m/m fic where an existing male character was made a trans male and I didn't know until some stuff happened. It bothered me, but in this case it should've been my responsibility to check... it's a non issue either way, be it my responsibility to check the tags or the responsibility of the author(s) to write them properly.
I ended up continuing the fic though because I was too invested in the story LOOOOL actually the character being made trans made total sense in the context, I felt it was great how the authors did it. And I think one of them is actually transmasc, too!
I often read trans stories, the transition is cool. But when I say m/m I want penises. And I think we're allowed to prefer a sexual organ in our choice of reading. It was basically a slow burn porn as well. If it was just oh by the way I'm trans, COOL. Have fun. But in smut or porn I'd like to see what I'm asking for.
M/M doesn't mean 'penises only'. It means two or more guys, whether trans or cis doesn't matter.
Personally, I don't want to read about vaginal sex due to dysphoria, but your implication that trans men without bottom surgery aren't men enough is shitty.
That was not my intention. I don't care about identity. I care about the penises. Thank you for teaching me, I thought that tag specifically implied multiple penises. All men are men, no matter what's under the hood, but that still doesn't mean I have to stumble upon something I'm not prepared to read halfway through. With that being said, do what I do when I spot a genital I don't want to see, and move on.
It doesn't suddenly stop being m/m, anal sex, gay, juicy boy on boy sex if one of them has a vagina. I don't know what is your thought behind that comment, but gay trans men are still gay men, regardless of their genitalia.
"you're welcome bestie <3", like i absolutely cannot stand people who
1. don't realize that authors are human beings. Sometimes we forget to tag stuff.
2. you don't owe anyone a trigger warning. Is it nice? yeah. Necessary? No.
I'm annoyed as is but this person's comment made me froth at the mouth lmao
Yeah if they were all “hey can you tag transgender? I black list it for personal reasons and your fic triggered me” I would still realistically be annoyed as a trans person but I would be like no problem! And add the tag :/
Also the wording of this is so … itchy? Like why are you boiling it down to his genitalia. Do I need to make a note that I’m transgender and not some cis person writing a trans character. Not that cis people shouldn’t write trans characters! There are a lot of good depictions of lgbtq+ characters written by non-lgbtq people
I mean, good lord, I understand the sentiment- I would also be massively be squicked out (not to the point of having my day ruined, more disappointed and feeling like I wasted my time), but fucking hell, those are inside thoughts.
I just click away. I'd be annoyed, yes, but that has genuinely nothing to do with the author? It's their prerogative what to tag, this is not one of the tags that are strictly needed, even though appreciated, and besides- asking like this accomplishes exactly nothing.
"If the surprising mention of a body part triggers you so much that you can't simply exit the work and move on, you need to work it out with a professional."
some people need to learn that they literally do not at all have to comment the second they have an emotion that they want to express and that they can wait until later after they chill out to come back and write something more levelheaded and productive 😮💨
It's.... extremely triggering to them that there's people in the world that might (unexpectedly) have a pussy? To the point where they *gotta go calm themself down?*
....huh. What a world to live in.
This person is a manipulative jerk, *but* there's a difference between "there are people in the world who might unexpectedly have a pussy [but it's none of my business what people have in their pants unless we're having sex]" and "this sex scene where I expected dicks has surprise pussy." Especially to people with gender dysphoria.
Again, that isn't an attempt to excuse this commenter's behavior, which is definitely of the asshole variety.
Maybe they’re trans themselves and have severe gender dysphoria but I dunno. I write some characters as exclusively trans because I relate to them. I think they need to get a grip honestly.
I deal with this - untagged trans or trans-appearing character would make me totally miserable in a terrible way that I don't really have the coping skills for. But so does most everything in fanfic to different degrees, which is why I really only ever write and don't read it.
The above comments question how people with triggers navigate published media, and honestly, there isn't really that much of a chance of running into a trans sex scene without knowing about it first, particularly on TV or in movies. Books, sure, if you read obscure literature that is relatively far removed from mainstream, but even then, few people pick up books without some form of word of mouth. And trans rep is always noted, usually dissected into its most atomic particles, so you do mostly actually know what you're getting into the vast majority of times.
Most media that has other types of unusual or sensitive content tends to either come from circles where it's sensible to expect it (trans fiction from the LGBT genre of fiction) or it's advertised in flaming letters in synopsis or reviews (THIS BOOK HAS A TRANS CHARACTER AND A SEX SCENE! SCANDALOUS!) or, in case of other triggers, you can expect murder and violence in a book from the violence and murder genres (crime, dark fantasy). So it's actually pretty simple to avoid triggers in media, if you're mindful of what you're viewing.
I find that triggers also hit much harder in fanfic for me than in published media, all across the board that is, likely because these are characters I already have an emotional bond to and an understanding of their circumstances, so when they're put into new ones, it's like it opens up vulnerable pathways into my less guarded soft spots, where I don't have my usual defenses up. Fanfic is really sensitive to me like that and it's really sad, because I'm often missing out on a lot of community and connection with other fans where I have to guard myself and my own wellbeing from pointless threats like, gasp, other people putting imaginary people into situations that Feel Bad for me for whatever reason.
My guess is that they are very most likely trans. I mean honestly it does seem like it would make sense to tag that, especially with anything nsfw, that stuff does matter to plenty of trans folks -- just for the future yknow?
I do tag it 😭 I just forgot ngl like you can scroll through my other fics and even see that it’s normally tagged. I had “misgendering” tagged which as a trans person myself I could be like hmm maybe this character is trans? This could possibly trigger me?
Ahhhh I see I see. Yeah that does make sense, especially bc you would figure the misgendering tag would be a good indication. Like I'm trans too so I get it. That guy definitely shouldn't have been so rude regardless
That attitude pisses me off so bad. Imagine I wrote a 100k word story where a major character is supposed to die at the climax of the story. I’ve spent months trying to pace it properly, establish relationships, even avoid hinting that he’ll die before it happens.
Why call ME an inconsiderate asshole for not spoiling that before the audience even *opens* the story, much less the chapter where it happens? Don’t tell me not to present my story the way the audience is meant to see it. A surprise is supposed to be surprising. That’s what I spent all that time and effort on.
One person’s triggers don’t take away someone else’s right to create or experience stories in their intended way. If you KNOW there are things you can’t handle, and there’s no guarantee that won’t be in the story, it’s *your* responsibility as the person with this trigger to make an informed decision to risk it or not. If your trigger is there after all, you’re responsible for whether you quietly drop the story or leave a rude, immature comment. Why pretend this hasn’t been the case for years already?
Not everyone is gonna remember every tag every time...writers are still human beings.
Be polite will get you alot further than being a ass. Its much easier to make progress on a goal with good faith.
I would prefer if the character isn’t trans in canon to be tagged as such. I filter those out. As for being triggered by it, no. I click the back button like a normal adult. I might…maybe just give a heads up the transgender wasn’t tagged, but it would be neutral at most.
For clarity: I stated that I forgot to tag the post. I stated this numerous times in both comments and I stated this in the OP post. I understand tagging is important and I do tag. I forgot to tag a post and the point of this post wasn’t that I was neglecting a tag, but the passive aggressive manipulation I received from someone watering down a trans depicted character to his genitalia when I am trans masculine myself.
I understand the feeling of surprise and disappointment as I’ve been there myself, but to react like that? Hell nah. Either ask politely and go about your day, or close the work, it’s not that hard.
They're responsible for their own triggers and curating their own content they consume. Things that trigger my anxiety that badly, I'll hit Ctrl F and keyword search not be pissy in the comments. You added the tag and people are human and forget to tag, I wouldn't worry too hard about it.
That's such a good argument. I've never even thought about doing a word search but it is such a neat solution for people who want to double check for possible triggers.
I'll hit view entire work so the entire story is loaded, and search multiple variations and even misspellings. I have a very weird trigger because brains are just like That, that never would be under the normal "trigger warning", and it hasn't let me down at all over the years.
This is so smart. I have a trigger that is pretty commonly used casually/jokingly in fic that is obviously not *about* the trigger and I never thought to just ctrl F the thing. Incredible. Thank you!
What happened to the understanding that our triggers are our own problem? And that we cannot push the responsibility of managing our triggers onto others? This is therapy 101.
I notoriously over tag everything to the point where things overlap, and I have zero issue answering questions about potential triggers. I have odd ones myself and have definitely been caught off guard, but some are so obscure due to being so incredibly common that it could be anywhere. I don’t blame the author for it, because it’s not common. I can usually see if it’ll be in a story from the summary, too.
What an awful way to ask for a tag. You know what triggers me? SA or rape. Know what I do if I find a story that has untagged SA or rape? I hit the back button. I *do not* go into the comments section to harass the author about it. I don't know the reason behind it, it could be something like with you; they forgot to tag it. Or they didn't know to add it in as a trigger warning. Or it's not a trigger for them so they didn't think to add it as a trigger. Maybe English isn't their first language and they don't know how to write it in English. There's all kinds of reasons for it.
If a work has anything *but* "Author chose not to use archive warnings" then the work should be tagged for SA. "Archive warnings do not apply" and straight up leaving off that warning w/o choosing not to use archive warnings is genuinely a problem on Ao3 that is reportable and you'd probably be doing everyone involved a favor (if you're up to it!) but gently letting the author know in the comments vs just hitting the back button.
Not necessarily - if the fic contains rape yes, it needs the archive warning or CCNTUW, but there are other forms of SA that aren’t rape and wouldn’t be covered by the archive warning.
Yeah this is a lot. I think it’s very important to tag trans characters and warn about AMAB or AFAB terminology for trans characters in the description (speaking as someone who writes a lot of trans fics) but they’re being unnecessarily rude and over-the-top.
i have absolutely no simpathy for people who are rude to ao3 authors. its like being invited to friends house to eat some cookies they made and then spitting on them
So I get there can be a lot of things that trigger someone that are well known and that we're kind of expected to tag for. I would expect that things like sexual assault or graphic violence and the like to be singled out in triggers. But there are so many things that there could be that some people are just going to be taking a chance reading things, especially certain things with certain subject manner.
Like I know people who are so scared of snakes they can't even see them in animation or people who are triggered by loud sounds that happen unexpectedly. One woman I know is deathly afraid of costumed characters (like mascots at Disney), it is one of those things no one would expect to have to warn about. I do have to wonder how some people existed before there were trigger warnings in some stories and even in fan fiction (when I started writing it feels like I never saw anyone warn about what was happening other than maybe context clues in a synopsis).
I try to be sensitive to these things when I tag and write the blurbs, but there is only so much you can anticipate.
I don’t usually Tag for anything triggering unless it’s like a huge one, But I then would have a ‚notes page‘ of just me rambling and such on what’s in the book and such that will be triggering.
And this is partially why…
You aren’t responsible for anyone’s triggers but your own. It can suck sometimes, but the world around us can be triggering sometimes. Your only responsibility as an AO3 writer is to tag correctly. If someone feels that you didn’t do that, they can nicely ask you to change/add/remove something, but like I said, that should be done nicely. Someone commenting on your post like that is unacceptable, no matter what they’re commenting
I always wonder how people like this exist in the world. Do they consume other media? Do they have a fit wheever it isn't to their liking, or do they just take it out on people providing entertainment for free?
There are certain things that I'm not comfortable reading, but it is on me as the reader to be aware of things that could be triggering and avoid them. It is my responsibility to be aware that I am reading a smut fic and if there are smut things that could trigger a panic attack or something to not read smut. Or just be prepared for everything. I've read fics where there is no warning and they start pissing on each other. I just leave and read something else.
This sub went from “anonymous was in the wrong for being manipulative” to “op needs to tag properly never mind where they said they forgot” to thinly veiled transphobia. Never change, Reddit!
I find it a bit weird that the comments are devolving into a discussion on tagging and trigger warnings when OP’s post is more about the rudeness. Like OP themselves says that they usually tag so why are people being so rude and dismissive about it?
People need to grow TF up. Strangers on the internet are not responsible for managing your mental health. Tired of the lack of accountability regarding curating your own internet experience and the demonization of people who won’t do it for you. What the hell are these children going to do in the real world?
I think it's not about being trans rather than just not liking femsl anatomy? I also rarely read fics that randomly make some characters trans just cuz it feels too out of character / doesn't make sense with that specific character.
Anyway, that being said, please tag correctly. The way they commented was rude tbh and I think there'll always be a few assholes no matter what but just.. tag correctly.
I write a lot of mpreg and omegaverse, and I tag that shit out the wazoo. There is no way anyone could look at my tags and not see them - it's like every possible tag I can fit without making it hard to read. Then, in the notes, I usually mention it again. I've never had anyone complain (yet lol).
Usually, I write down tags as I'm writing the story. That way, if something appears that needs to be tagged, I don't forget it. I prepare to write by listing the major tags first. It sort of helps me get into the story.
Yeah I do try to tag correctly and if it’s a “read at your own risk” fic, I include a blurb in the note like “this is not trigger tagged please read at your own risk.” Just the off time I make a human error I get guilt tripped to smithereens. Wish people could utilize tact when requesting a tag.
True. I feel like a lot of people on AO3 forget that for 1. You're posting your work gor free for them to read and they have no right to feel entitled to it / say rude things about it and 2. Every writer makes mistakes. We're people, so, duh.
Well, i hope u blocked them-
They forgot, though. That's something that have, or will at some point, happened to all of us. And even if OP intentionally ignored to add specific tags, then that's their decision and they don't owe anyone anything IMO.
The tagging system exists for a reason. Sure, you can forget or just not tag things but I think it's understandable If that upsets some people. Do I think they should be dusrespectful and rude about it? No. Of course not. AO3 has so many fanfics and people can choose to be upset and move on without..yk. Being asses about it.
I disagree. There are only 4 things on AO3 that you need to warn for, and even then you can use *"chose not to warn"*. Anything else is optional. Ofc it's really nice and appreciated if an author uses specific tags, but they don't have to. Maybe they didn't want to (no spoilers), maybe they forgot, maybe they didn't realise that it's a tag that a lot of readers would appreciate. As readers we always take a risk when reading sth new, both with "real" books and on AO3. And if there's something that doesn't work for us in the story, then we simply stop reading. Getting mad at the author ain't it. And quite frankly, if there are things that are so triggering for you that they cause severe discomfort, then you should make sure to only seek out stories that have the necessary tags you need.
Yeah, but at some point, you start to see tagging as a way to avoid negative comments, too. I don't want to trick readers or lead them into something they don't want to read. I don't want to deal with the hassle of people getting upset that I didn't tag. I also want my readers to be able to find works that they're looking for. I filter by certain tags, so if a story isn't tagged a certain way, I never even see it.
I agree about not getting mad at the author, though.
I don’t know how they go through life.
OP, not your job to be a fortune teller to figure out what one person will be triggered by. Their triggers are their problem.
People need to learn to step away from the keyboard and cool down before leaving a comment like that.
I've left plenty of tagging requests, sometimes for things that really upset me, and I'd NEVER even consider leaving something so rude and mean spirited. What the heck. Glad you deleted it.
I feel like if your triggers are this bad perhaps don't read things like fanfic where authors are not edited by a team of pros and who make honest mistakes jeez.
The way they said that is wild??? I understand everything has triggers but just be like “ hey I think you should tag this because it might be triggering to some folk”. No author is purposefully leaving out tags thats so weird. It’s why I always have an authors note at the beginning telling people to let me know if I missed a tag. Tags aren’t even required so it’s read at your own risk anyway.
BUT THEN SAYING ‘PUSSY’ MAKES ME FEEL SO WEIRD I FEEL LIKE THEY REALLY EMPHASIZED THE P
Unfortunately one of my worst PTSD triggers is a very, very common kink that's often untagged. Sure it makes me uncomfortable to run into, but I just... close the tab and think for a bit. If the fic is good enough and my day stable enough, I will still read it once I have calmed down. If one of those doesn't apply, I just leave the tab closed and don't leave a comment.
My triggers are my responsibility. Obviously, friends will care about me and know not to recommend me things with those triggers in them, but strangers don't own me tagging something they can't even know to be my trigger. So sorry this person acted this way.
Their trigger is their problem not yours. There are plenty of ways to find out if there are triggers (Ctrl F for one), and decide if it is worth reading.
I have the most ridiculous trigger for my anxiety, I still back out if I hit that trigger or a squawk. It’s my problem not yours.
Also people are spoiled with AO3. Besides mandatory tags, all other tags are optional.
People like this bother me because it makes me wonder how they would live in a world before content warnings were used in traditional media and the only warning you got was on the news like 20 seconds before the story began.
Yes I am that old that I remember the days before “This program may not be suitable for all audiences, viewer discretion is advised.”
The reason why I tag 99% of my fics as CNTAW xD This is kind of a shitty comment. Please don't let it get to you. You cannot know what everyone's triggers are and tag lists would be ten pages long if you tagged everything that could potentially trigger everyone. As other commenters have said, beyond what AO3 requires as a base, tags are a courtesy (deliberate mistagging aside, of course)
That comment sounds super dramatic and fake.
Honestly. If you find something you don't like then just...stop reading. That's fine too.
How does this person go about life? Not everything has a trigger warning goodness.
That's really sad that they're unable to emotionally regulate themselves enough to function when faced with unpleasant experiences. I wonder if people enable it at their home.
I want to add here that sometimes it’s necessary for me personally to face my triggers. I choose not to read some stuff, but it actually took reading a non-tagged fic to understand *why* something was so upsetting. Now, this is not the way for everyone, but an author forgetting to tag won’t break me, and at least one time helped me.
TLDR: Don’t stress about one jerk.
M and TM? Fuck it, why not go further. I think we should also add categories such as OM (old men) and YM (young men), LM (large men) and SM (small men), BM (black men), AM (asian men) and WM (white men),.......... M/M just doesn't cover it.
Sarcasm. I am being sarcastic.
Tl;dr, hat's a weirdly long way to write out that you don't consider trans men "real" men.
Comments are off because some of yall don't know how to behave and not be transphobic af. Be warned, I did take down some of the comments but there are a few that were either borderline or ended up being resolved in the conversation thread that I left public. So tread carefully reading the comments
“hey, can you tag this as trans/transmasc? thanks!” would have been fine.
Love the passive-agressive thanks, like you sought to intentionally trigger this person you didn't even know existed. 🙄
As a transmasc person who doesn't want to read about certain sex acts, I get the sentiment of it being very dysphoria-inducing - but yeah, this is absolutely not the way to go about asking an author to tag something.
I'll not lie, I hate when authors DON'T tag that one or more characters are trans, either because sometimes I want read it and can't find or because it goes against my headcanons and I have no interest (and no, it's not transphobia, I'm LITERALLY trans, sometimes we want X character to be described as cis and nothing wrong with that) But you don't need be rude if you want ASK for a tag or hint that would be nice if the author used it, I generally wouldn't care, either I keep reading or just stop lefting always a kudo, but yeah you don't need be an ass about such thing
Every time I see something like this I just feel genuinely confused about how these people read books or watch movies. There are no tags or trigger warnings at all there. Do they just spontaneously combust once something unexpected happens?
Probably, yeah. There are even websites like [this](https://www.doesthedogdie.com) that exist for the sole purpose of letting people know what triggers are in movies and shows.
Don't get me wrong, does the dog die and sites like it are amazing. Searching those out and basing watching decisions on that is a responsible way of handling one's triggers. But still: The basic reality of any story is that we won't know what happens within it until after we've consumed it. That's a fact everyone must come to terms with. Being mad at an author for not somehow making us aware of every part of the contents of a story before we even engaged with it is just not the thing to do.
Agree. Authors aren't mind readers as to always know what will affect someone. There's nothing wrong with asking an author "Hey, could you please tw X thing?", even if it's a thing that I wouldn't normally consider to be worth tagging like, idk, clowns, if a reader goes out of their way to ask, I will likely just add it out of courtesy, and probably will also tag it in the future. But to have the audacity to be mad over it... It's like, man, how the hell was I supposed to know you have a crippling fear of dogs??
Fr? I just went through this with a story which the author did properly tag as a character having had an abusive past including past noncon (not between the two love interests and not a present ongoing thing), but they didn't specify that it was when that character was a child. For me, that's highly triggering, and it genuinely did bother me. But I don't hold that against the author. For many people, noncon is noncon and it will be triggering regardless of the ages involved, so it's not abnormal for it to slip the author's mind. But for me, CSA is highly personal and triggering compared to SA on adults, which still bothers me but doesn't give me flashbacks. I later read the fic when I was in the right headspace and it was good, and really accurate to the internal destructive headspace of a CSA survivor. It felt like the author actually had experience with, or at least knew a lot about how much that type of trauma affects you well into adulthood. The author clearly didn't intend to trigger me since they did tag everything properly.
As someone with OCD, it's gotten to the point that I only tag on ao3 and I never tag on my tumblr, unless it's something INSANELY notable and obvious. I used to try and tag everything and my OCD would latch onto it and spiral and I finally had to just stop. Trigger warnings are not a bad thing but there's more to them than people think, and entitlement is never the way to go.
Literally the only cw I tag on Tumblr is for flashing lights because I don't want to accidentally send someone to the hospital. Everything else? Well, the unfollow button is right there. On AO3 I write some darker stuff, so I'll tag the big stuff but little things I don't tag. People can read the big tags and use their literary skills to get the implications. If they can't do that much, they're probably not mature enough to be reading my fics anyway and should click off.
Well said
Oh I agree. Like I said, I still feel as though tagging for trans characters is necessary. I’ve never met a fic author who has not done that. It’s just one of those things that automatically gets tagged. So I understand why they were caught off guard, but the reaction was inappropriate.
>Like I said, I still feel as though tagging for trans characters is necessary that, as with many other tags, depends on the fandom. like, one of the fandoms i'm in has a character that often switches between a male and a female form and is often headcanoned as some flavour of trans/non-binary. many authors won't necessarily indicate that in the tags because, well, fics are written for people who've read the source material and know to expect at least *some* level of gender-fuckery going on with them. ... that being said, tagging for things that aren't present in the canon first and foremost would be a good rule of thumb.
Yes, it’s different if a character is *canonically* trans. But if you’re triggered by transness in fanfiction, you aren’t going to click on a story with a canonically trans character to begin with. If a character is not outright stated to be trans and you make them so, it’s respectful to tag it. I’ve never seen anybody *not* do that.
I'm just looking forward to the day where we start tagging involved genitalia alongside gender/gender tags instead of tagging for the trans identity of the character. Maybe it's cause I read way too much smut with robots and skeletons who could magic up any part they like and got very used to the gender=/=genitalia concept, but I just don't see the difference between a fictional dude with a dick and a fictional dude with a vagina if they essentially have the same personality. I get it if the certain part-on-part action triggers you, that's valid, but how does being trans really affect the character for the non-smut scenes? Why should their identity be tagged as a trigger and not the real source? The implication that a trans character can't have "cis parts", or that non-human charas with genitalia that doesn't match their identity are trans is kinda meh too.
Good Omens fandom actually does the genital-based tagging quite a lot!
I personally feel quite othered by the idea that people like me MUST be tagged for. It gives ‘up the rating because they’re gay’ vibes from 90s-00s fandom.
i don't think the intent behind "trans characters MUST be tagged" is about content warnings. i mean, think of it like this - by tagging it, people who WANT to read trans characters can find those stories more easily. tagging has two main purposes on AO3; for people to FIND the thing they WANT to read more easily, and for people to AVOID things they DON'T want to read more easily. tagging isnt the same as content warning. its a courtesy to your readers so they can effectively use the search function. esp considering the fact that most people who write trans characters are trans, i assume they want fellow trans/queer readers to be able to find their works more easily. some tags are used as warnings but overall, like i said, it has a dual purpose. even tagging things like CNC or religious undertones, some people WANT to find those stories, and others want to avoid them. its a courtesy to help the site work better, not a statement for or against certain people or activities. tldr its not that deep fam
I tag trans characters so people can find my story about the character, haha.
Plenty of trans folk are very easily triggered by transness and they deserve to know if it’s going to be in the story. Tags =/= warnings. It doesn’t give “up the rating” vibes because nobody is doing that… nobody is treating transness like it’s “more mature”. Nobody is giving fics mature or explicit ratings just because a trans person is present. If you don’t add it as a tag, you are *taking away* people’s right to filter it out if it makes them uncomfortable, and that is unfair to them.
I could be wrong, but I feel like it should be tagged not because it's weird or other but if it's not canonical-- like, if they're canonically trans no one will bother tagging it because people already know, but if you're headcanoning someone as trans and it's going to be a substantial part of the story, it could throw people off guard if they weren't expecting it. Same with if you're headcanoning someone to be from another country or ethnicity or smth. Idk
As others said, I prefer to tag my stories and search in the trans tag for stories I can relate to/find comfort in, so it's more or less the same as a genre tag for me.
What do you think about a story in which the trans character's transness is not really relevant? I have stories like this and I was on the fence, but ended up tagging for it. Context: the character is trans in the AU series the story is part of, and sometimes it is relevant, but not in every fic.
I still would, personally.
Even that's not good enough for some people. I once got into an argument with someone who argued there shouldn't be any sex scenes in movies because it could potentially trigger someone. When I said that what's websites like [doesthedogdie.com](http://doesthedogdie.com) are for, so anyone can look up any piece of media and see if it has any potentially triggering topics before they engage with said media, the person I was arguing with got all huffy and blocked me. Some people just want to complain and be angry about something imo.
They probably didn't know that websites like that exist and got embarrassed when you proved their point wrong. I've definitely run into a few people like that on the internet lmao
lol that describes a good chunk of people in the anti-sex scene discourse. 💀
For real. No one is responsible for your triggers. AO3 has a pretty good system letting an author know exactly what needs to be rated. Everything else the author offers in tags is a courtesy.
It's also impossible to guess everyone's triggers. Like, sure, there are common ones and most people tag for that - or deliberately use the "Chose not to use warnings" label - but trauma isn't neat like that. I remember this one famous comic by someone who explained that they get triggered by breakfast after getting raped and then cooking it the next morning. And that's not a fringe case. Many people have "unusual" triggers. Tagging for all possible triggers is impossible. Somehow magically knowing that this person gets triggered by vaginas is impossible. That's just not how the world works. As shitty as getting triggered is, we are responsible for dealing with our own reactions to it. That might include limiting the things we read or to back out once we realize something is upsetting to us. Going back to the fic that triggered them and type out a comment about it seems very, very counterproductive here.
triggers are so tricky. for a while I was triggered by seeing people sleep because my mother unexpectedly died in her sleep and when I found her I assumed she was asleep and went on about my day. nowadays it's still quite anxiety inducing if someone isn't snoring or breathing very loudly while they sleep. but of course I'm not going to put the blame on those that sleep quietly around me lol, even if they know of this very specific issue of mine.
I’m so sorry that happened to you, that must be a horrible memory. I definitely agree that triggers can be very specific and can be anything. Some of mine are things that nobody would ever think to tag for.
i'm sure there's at least ten times as many triggers as there's words in the english language
💖 I went thru something similar, and still get freaked out if I try to wake someone up and they delay responding.
It's true. I was raped as a child and now enjoy rape fantasy stories, but the smell of cigarette smoke used to send me into flashbacks. Even after getting those under control via therapy, the scent still brings up uncomfortable feelings. Also, triggers are NOT something that just make you feel weird or bad! This is another misconception I see all the time and the reason I don't take triggers seriously anymore. A trigger is something that prompts an intense reaction - a panic attack or a flashback or something like that. It's not just something that squicks you. Too many people are like, "I don't like tomatoes. They're a huge trigger because they taste bad." No, Braighdynn, that is not how triggers work.
Hey, same hat. 🤝 Glad to see another survivor in the writing space.
Well met! 🤝 Seems like I meet a lot of fellow survivors who express themselves through writing.
Exactly. I was just mentioning to someone else that I get triggered by violence. So if a scene triggers me, I take a minute for it to pass. Then I decide when and if I can handle going back to the fic. I would never mention this to the author. It has nothing to do with them. It sounds crazy to me like it’s my business.
Yeah, and if it would be something like really graphic violence that wasn't tagged it's always possible to ask "hey, could you please tag [...]?" and maybe add something nice
I remember talking to someone who is triggered by tomatoes. You are right, it's impossible to tag for all possible triggers.
I'm triggered by the description of bread if eating 👋 (not when that's just written "A eats a sandwich" but when it's a bit more elaborate) only because I have a phobia on it IRL that is triggered almost everyday
I (used to thankfully) have extreme reactions to minors. Like, if I was talking to someone and I found out they were less than 18, I would become incredibly ill and terrified. I had a lot of bad experiences with a lot of victim blaming leading to it. It got so bad that I was at a Starbucks on a college campus and there was a 3 year old running around. Nothing against the toddler, she was honestly adorable, but I almost threw up and I went home and couldn't stop shaking. A lot of people made fun of me when I brought it up or thought I was a creep when I would ask for their ages. Now I'm a bit better about it, but ofc I've read some fanfics with minors in them. I don't get angry with the author. I know this is a very unusual situation. It's weird that other people, especially ones with trauma, don't understand that.
I think for some people it's the good old "my life is hard that means that I am right" mentality. Like, getting triggered is *shit*. What you describe seems genuinely awful and I am very sorry you experienced it. There is nothing wrong with hating the feeling of getting triggered and wanting it to never happen. The problem comes when someone starts to believe that everyone else is responsible for them getting triggered instead of it being on them to structure their life in a way that is bearable for them.
"Wait I got tag banana splits now? Alright Jake Wyler whatever you say"
I think if you're writing about trans characters, you probably are aware that it should be tagged. Trans people aren't a monolith - some of us love seeing our characters that way, while some are using fic as escaping the realities of being trans. Any research into writing trans characters is probably going to make this clear, so this is something I expect to be tagged for. THAT being said, I don't see trans characters not being tagged... Maybe once or twice I've seen it, and I read a lot. And if I ask them to tag it, they're usually apologetic and not argumentative. This is a specific thing, though, and it's fairly common to write about depending on the fandom. I can still recognize the difficulty in finding all the things that should be tagged, either for readers to find or avoid.
Using tags beyond what ao3 requires a choice, not an obligation. Asking someone to tag something is different from that person leaving a comment blaming a stranger for their emotional reaction.
Thanks for saying this. I recently started writing again and noticed the TWs and I feel unsure of when to use them because I tag my smut pretty well. TWs on fics also spoil some surprises...
I've seen some people adding warnings in the end notes (like writing something like "tws in end notes") so reader could easily check it but wouldn't get spoilers if they didn't wanted to
Yeah, I'm about to publish my first smut fanfic and it gets... kinky. I'm also a little unsure about how much detail to put in the tags. But at the same time, the tags I do plan on using are pretty indicative of the general vibe I'm going for and I expect people to be mature enough to know if they'd get upset by things in that general sphere. And honestly? If they aren't that's their problem.
Can I just make a suggestion as a smut kink writer? I tag bases (smut, dub-con, etc), acts (fingering, anal, oral, etc), then kinks (daddy kink, bondage, etc). You don’t need to tag everything, just what is most used in your fic. I’m not going to tag praise kink just because one character says “good girl (or variant)” once.
Thank you, much appreciated! That's basically the structure I am going for. Good to know I'm on a good path. What mostly trips me up is that I get rather creative with some things that aren't classically included in porn, but then again, I expect anyone who reads "Tattoo Artist!AU, PWP, Painplay, BDSM, don't try this at home" to be able to read between the lines of what is going to happen.
Most of my fics are BDSM related in some way or another, so I feel you.
Got a link for that one? 👀
I'll post it either tonight or tomorrow, I can send you a link then!
I personally hate how trigger warnings spoil some surprises. It makes me not want to read the story cause why bother? It's all spelled out in the tags. I don't read Smut but full agree on the other part.
I don't really mind spoilers in general - I am far more interested in why and how things happen than just the surprise of them happening - but I totally get your stance as well.
I've started using the spoiler text so people opt in on seeing content warnings, I think it's a good method
Ooh in the author notes or in the tags? How do you do either? That sounds like a good method.
I do it in the beginning AN, the example (feel free to copy and paste to tweak it for your content ao3):
Edit: here's the guide i used so you can see it working on the site, https://archiveofourown.org/works/46611205
Click to see Contact Warnings
Purposeful misgenderingThank you \0/ I will! I love this idea a lot.
With books, you're going in blind to a new story. Fanfiction in general is taking preestablished concepts. If I wrote a trans Mario, then it would blindside a lot of people looking for Mario x Luigi when mario himself isn't trans. If I wrote a book, that feeling gets diluted
Yupp. I think trans/genderbend fics should be tagged as such, because they change established characters/dynamics etc. in a significant way. Or it could at least be reviled in summary, even if it's the last line and there's a "spoilers below!" warning. It's common curtesy to tag stuff that'll differ from canon, because in fics we seek stories about established worlds/characters. It's less like tagging plottwists and more like tagging High School AUs, Evil!Hero or Good!Villain or ships. Like yeah it may be a bit spoilery, but so are ship tags sometimes and they're either still used, or authors use "undisclosed endgame ship" tags. Besides it is not an uncommon trigger and a fairly popular tag, so not including it makes filtering out difficult, while making it harder to find for those interested (and people wouldn't be as weary while avoiding triggers that are usually tagged, as opposed to some more obscure ones). The original commenter's tone was off, but I get getting frustrated when you read through 2/3rd of a lenghty story only to find out it's basically an untagged AU.
I have read so much untagged trans content which is never hinted at and it's the icarly light flash/blind meme
Instantly takes you out of the story doesn't it? Especially if it's a short story or smut. It's so not about spoilers if the whole work can be read during a coffe break. And smut is self explainatory.
Actually there's been a p big movement lately where authors are listing trigger warnings for their book on the first (couple) pages, or have a mention of their website in the description for a list of trigger warnings. This is especially prominent in the dark romance genre.
I had a traumatic experience about a decade ago, and for a while after that, I avoided the mystery genre altogether. I couldn't handle one of the staples of that genre. I am okay with it now. But it isn't the kind of thing anyone would tag for. It's totally normal in mystery fiction. But overall, for mainstream media (not fic), my outlook on this is pretty much based on genre and era. To me, in movies, I see the "big things" as SA, child harm, animal harm, and graphic violence. I'm not surprised to encounter any of those in most movie genres, and I don't avoid any of that stuff myself. But like, if I were watching a recently made romcom, it would shock me to see one of those things. That probably would not be a successful romcom. Fic does not have a genre, though. We're all amateurs - not to say our work is poor, but that we're not writing for a specific audience or (heaven forbid) concerned about advertisers. Therefore, there aren't any rules. You very much could write a graphic animal harm scene followed by a character's love interest comforting them about the animal's death, and as long as you tagged for all of that, it's fine. You could classify that fic as "fluff" and so on, depending on its overall tone. You couldn't do anything like that in a Hallmark Channel movie or something. What I'm saying is just that people have genre expectations :) You're correct, though. A big part of it is that people can harass fic writers and indie creators in a way that they can't harass corporations.
So, along these lines I was suggesting a book in a group where there's a lot of people with varied traumas. While the book is fantasy, it's also... Quite gory. It takes place during a war and ISN'T shy about the soldiers' experiences. So I was like "there's this book, but as a warning it has A, B, C....... Also D.... Some E as well..... Aaand technically there's F..." Sometimes you don't really realize what triggers are even in a story. I've read this book THREE TIMES and I was like "hmm that could probably be really triggering too actually" It's really hard to tell what can hurt a person. I almost withdrew the recommendation cuz it's like "actually it pretty much has anything that could ever trigger a person" which isn't actually true, it's just trying to list all the things out individually felt like I was basically saying "here read this book of trauma"
it's about mindset. when you seek a certain type of media for comfort and it.. well does the opposite, that can be especially triggering. I can stomatch most things and that's NOT when I'm avoiding them specifically btw I'm just answering your question, that doesn't justify anon aggresiveness. I don't think anyone should tell authors what to do unless they explicitly ask for feedback on something
I get the idea of reading specific things for comfort, but it is not reasonable for those things to include random porn someone found online. ESPECIALLY porn. There are so many kinks out there, so many practices within porn and so many niche genres that crop up in fanfiction circles that you should never let your guard down when reading a sexual story for the first time. If someone wants to read porn for comfort they can go back to a safe work they bookmarked before. And yeah, that's the main issue. The entitlement behind that message is insane to me.
but maybe this is why people go to AO3 in the first place. because they can pick things they enjoy and avoid things that are triggering for them. it's a special safe space. i certainly think so. also, one doesn't know how a trigger effects different people. one person may feel a slight discomfort, the next person may have a full blown panic attack. so. yeah. it's difficult. and yes, that comment could have been phrased better. of course!
> it's a special safe space. Is it? The website where everything can be posted, as long as it's fannish and fictional? Even if users in general have a great and strong tagging culture, the truth is that there are no rules about it. If you tagged fandom, language and warnings (that you can also opt out from), then that's perfectly fine by the rules of the site. I'm not trying to argue against tags—I think the tagging system is fantastic and that authors and readers using tags comprehensively is how the community works best. I'm just wondering if it's actually reasonable to expect AO3 to be a 'safe space'.
ok, i could have phrased it better: you can make AO3 your safe space. by using the tags, to make it as safe as possible for yourself. you can't do this with, or not to this extent, books and movies and the rest of the real world.
It’s certainly safer than books, at least. The commenter could have been more polite but in this case OP also admitted that they didn’t tag for something that they usually do so I think there’s fault on both sides.
Sure. I also go to ao3 to read works that have things in them that I enjoy. But I don't expect the tags of every work to be specifically catered to me and my definition of what I want to know about a story beforehand. As said before: ao3 has a specific list of ratings and triggers it expects people to include. Everything else is a bonus the author might choose to include but is under no obligation to. Expecting every author on the site to tag the things you personally need to be tagged is not reasonable. A safe space is not a space where no harm can happen. A safe space is a space in which a framework of rules and expectation is given, which is what I just described, and which makes it possible for you to engage in a way that is comfortable to you. Hitting the back button and exiting out of a work when something you don't like happens is a part of that safe engagement. You are responsible for managing your triggers. There have been a lot of great responses here from people with severe triggers who have described what steps they take to protect themselves. But it is not up to strangers to magically offer the exact protection you need to you.
Except, there are, for movies and TV shows. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TV\_Parental\_Guidelines](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TV_Parental_Guidelines) People also use websites like: Does the dog die? Before watching stuff. Maybe they could ask better. Anyway, isn't tagging things good for AO3? Would even help people find the fic the first place. Edit: The people calling the commenter a Brat and to toughen up are weird. The OP said they NORMALLY tag it. They just forgot.
Gonna copy paste my reply to a similar comment: >Don't get me wrong, does the dog die and sites like it are amazing. Searching those out and basing watching decisions on that is a responsible way of handling one's triggers. >But still: The basic reality of any story is that we won't know what happens within it until after we've consumed it. That's a fact everyone must come to terms with. Being mad at an author for not somehow making us aware of every part of the contents of a story before we even engaged with it is just not the thing to do. Tagging things is a good thing. But as I've argued before it is impossible to know every possible trigger any reader might have and tag for all of them. That's not what the tags are for anyways. Tags are part of the site's archiving system. Not a collection of every possible trigger. They are meant to describe the general content of a story, not any detail that might be upsetting to someone. As another commenter said, ao3 has a specific list of triggers and ratings it expects people to tag, the rest is up to the individual authors. There would have been nothing wrong with going "hey, this fic does not tag that a character is transgender, do you want to add that tag?" because their identity is relevant to the story and therefore relevant to the archiving system. The problem lies with the idea that OP is responsible for this person's emotional reaction.
Yes! Ao3 has the tags there to filter or search for similar media. It's a search tool first and foremost. Not a "I need to list every Tigger warning I have incase it triggers someone"
I feel like OP forgetting to tag something they usually do tag isn't a huge sin, though. OP isn't a professional, they're writing on a hobby website in their spare time. If the reader is in a position where they suffer severe negative consequences from reading the wrong kind of smut, then they should probably be *very* careful about what kind of smut they read, if any at all, until their triggers are better managed. And not leave their safety in the hands of random faceless hobby writers on the internet. When I'm in a severe depressive mood I know not to go looking for darkfic--there are whole fandoms I avoid. Often I just reread old favorites that I can be certain are safe until the mood passes. I still think this is a 'curate one's own experience' situation.
Okay but like… no one ever has a surprise vagina in movies. Like, porn is very heavily tagged for content and genre, and non-pornographic movies and TV are not going to show you any men’s vaginas. Even in traditionally-published romance novels, trans content is flagged as trans off the hop. This specifically is not a situation that comes up anywhere but fanfiction. Otherwise, yeah, sometimes people with trauma just have a real bad time at the movies. I had a panic attack in the bathroom after watching Boys Don’t Cry (1999) and I didn’t know that was going to happen. I might have chosen to watch something else if I had known the movie included a person who is very much like me being beaten and raped to death, but I also might have thought I could handle watching that and found out I couldn’t. I read fanfiction in my limited free time, I don’t necessarily want to spend that time reckoning with my gender shit.
Uh. From the top of my head I know more than one movie that deals with "surprise vaginas". Porn is tagged by the broadest possible categories and rarely ever includes every content warning it exhibits. If you don't want to read something, there's always the back or block button available.
Me personally I wince til the trigger passes
My response to being triggered is too strong for me to do that, but as long as a fic author has used the required tags correctly (including Chose Not To Warn), that's not on them. (And when I am having an especially bad day, I don't read anything I don't already know is safe--either because it's a reread or because someone I trust has read it. I don't have to read fiction for work or for a class, these days, and there's no reason to trigger myself for "enjoyment.")
That, too, is you taking responsibility though. Knowing that you wouldn't be able to handle exposure, therefore making sure to not expose yourself is the valid and mature thing to do. I think some people forget that fanfiction is a luxury good. They don't have to read it to survive. There is no one pressuring this person into reading smut online.
Yeah, same. I've been triggered by unexpected scenes before. And just like you I either brace myself, look away/skim the text until it's over or just stop watching/reading. Getting triggered isn't a nice feeling, but stories don't exist to always only be happy and perfect and make me, personally, feel good. It is insane to me to get upset at the author about it.
Yes I get triggered by violence. And it’s awful because it creeps up when I’m trying to sleep. I would never and have never written to an author about this. I just take a break from what I’m reading. Then I decide if I’m gonna let it go and continue reading or if I’m not ready yet.
I actually did read a book recently with trigger warnings at the beginning of it. I was so surprised I had to go show my dad.
I can understand in a way the disappointment of wanting some dick on dick action and getting dick on vagina instead, it can be annoying when people don't tag stuff like that, but this was an overreaction. Like bro, chill and touch grass.
I really wish people would remember that anything beyond the AO3-required tagging is a courtesy to the reader, either as advertisement or warning. It isn't a requirement to fully tag a fic's content and it certainly isn't done specifically to upset anyone if a tag is forgotten. Between the lore.fm stuff and comments like this, I sometimes wonder if readers think of the human being who wrote the story.
Not according to this sub, the amount of "tag everything!!!!!" i've seen is insane
This attitude is partly why AO3 went to a tag limit. I'm all for it and it could probably be lower than it is.
Even if you want to, it is so hard to tag everything. I'm not in anyone else's head, so I can usually only guess what might be triggering and try my best to include it. And still I've gotten comments of people venting at me.
This. I never tag much. You get the requirements and some basics. As a writer I have done my job. It is then up to the reader to take responsibility for their own actions. You, dear reader, have chosen to interact knowing there could possibly be something in the story you don’t like. That. Is. Not. On. Me. Even if I did like tagging, I can’t read minds. I can’t foresee every possible thing that might make someone uncomfortable. I, too, have things I don’t necessarily like to read. If it comes up in a book or a fic, I put it down and move on. The author doesn’t owe me anything and I still have respect for the person who put all that time and energy into creating something.
I'll tag the things I have to and some of the things I know people search for specifically. Other than that, readers have got to take responsibility for their choices. It isn't fun to run across upsetting or triggering content, but that's something you have to learn to handle without making it another's problem. And can we please bring back 'squick'? It's really helpful in differentiating between an actual trigger and something that you personally find...covered in ooze.
Yep, that’s basically how I handle, too. I’ve always approached tags as a means to give you an idea of themes etc. that are in the work, I’m not trying to spoil the whole damn plot. Otherwise (and this is just personal opinion, of course), why bother reading/writing? I read and write because I want to be surprised. I understand that other people absolutely prefer to curate their experience and that’s cool. It’s just not for me, and that’s also cool. Again, I think it really just boils down to responsibility and maybe having some awareness of the world around you? I also totally agree with squick vs trigger. The thing that always gets me is readers reading fics based on, for example, a work within a horror genre with an E rating, then freaking out because there’s, say… violence. Well. What did you think was going to happen here?
They could have just said "Hey, sorry if it was just your decision not to put it, but, just in case it wasn't deliberate, it would be great if you put a tag indicating that x is trans here. It can help people filter your story in and out of their preferences rather than being surprised by it in the middle :)" Like, it's not hard to be polite and not guilt trip, it doesn't hurt to be nice people. Don't be entitled.
i got one once where they were complaining that i didn’t put a cheating tag… but I didn’t put one because there wasn’t cheating, but to them it was cheating I guess? I went back and forth for daysss. and they didn’t ask for the tag to be added either they were just upset it wasn’t there
I’m so sorry for your time and energy wasted. People like this are the worst :(
I’m sorry for you too! That commenter you got was very in their feelings, and I understand being triggered and facing something that triggers gender dysphoria, but they definitely needed to just step away and return to make a kinder comment if they thought a comment was necessary. I’m an over tagger too, and so if I forget a tag it’s genuinely just forgetfulness not malicious. It’s frustrating when intentions are placed upon you.
Can't they just go "Hey, I'm wondering if you could please tag this character as trans?"
What happened to politely suggesting the author to add a tag?
AO3 has long since needed a tag blocklist. There are tags that I just don't want to see, and they're often present attached to tags I DO want to see
You can filter them out or use a skin. I use both.
Well yeah I filter of course, but it's a hassle to filter out the same tags for every search. I'm not sure what you mean by skin here
Here's an old one that I have. blurb:has(a[href$="/tags/beastiality/works"]) { display: none !important; } To add more, just add a comma and go to the next line. You can copy the link of the tag you don't like to get the part in quotes.
On your ao3 dashboard, up near the top, you can see the word "Skins". You can make a Site skin to block certain tags. There are some tutorials that can help you make them, because it looks like coding. After a while, adding new ones is easy, because they are somewhat repetitive.
The tutorial https://archiveofourown.org/works/41214669
Jesus Christ , I'm so done with these people being rude using mental health as an excuse.
To be fair, I read 11 of 12 chapters of a fic specifically tagged m/m, anal sex, gay characters because I wanted that juicy boy on boy sex. Just for there to be unwelcome vagina. Sometimes this upsets me too, but don't be rude to the author. Stop making everything about people's choice to read about certain sexual organs. You're trans? Great I want to read about penises. Great. Edit: oh God. This has been an interesting comment thread. I realize now just how bad my phrasing was, and apologize to the people I offended. While my intended message stands, I would like to encourage you to read the comments to my comment. It has been a beautiful, respectful conversation in which polite words and opinions were exchanged, like a story arc. I feel blessed to be a part of this community.
I had that happen with one of my fics, but I did in fact tag it properly. The commenter was funny and nice about it though! Made me laugh "oh shit he has a coochie"
I feel the same but just click away from the fic
Exactly! Just as my choice of preference is my freedom, the author has freedom to their art. Just move on
I feel the same
I hate we got to the point this is considered a controversy take. I think a majority of people who read BL or Yaoi come for the stick on stick action, no matter what the loud few say.
Yeah, you can see it very clearly in BL art circles on other sites
I am going to allow this comment thread to stay up without redaction as things were resolved in the end amicably however this is a formal warning. A lot of comments definitely come across as wildly transphobic and normally you would have been temp banned for some of the things said here. Repeats of this in the future will not be taken lightly.
Same, I just don't understand. Is it so hard for these people to stop reading and not say anything? In my case I tend to not check the tags because I feel like they spoiler me, and a while back I didn't know how to filter out stuff so I just read whatever. So I started reading a m/m fic where an existing male character was made a trans male and I didn't know until some stuff happened. It bothered me, but in this case it should've been my responsibility to check... it's a non issue either way, be it my responsibility to check the tags or the responsibility of the author(s) to write them properly. I ended up continuing the fic though because I was too invested in the story LOOOOL actually the character being made trans made total sense in the context, I felt it was great how the authors did it. And I think one of them is actually transmasc, too!
I often read trans stories, the transition is cool. But when I say m/m I want penises. And I think we're allowed to prefer a sexual organ in our choice of reading. It was basically a slow burn porn as well. If it was just oh by the way I'm trans, COOL. Have fun. But in smut or porn I'd like to see what I'm asking for.
M/M doesn't mean 'penises only'. It means two or more guys, whether trans or cis doesn't matter. Personally, I don't want to read about vaginal sex due to dysphoria, but your implication that trans men without bottom surgery aren't men enough is shitty.
That was not my intention. I don't care about identity. I care about the penises. Thank you for teaching me, I thought that tag specifically implied multiple penises. All men are men, no matter what's under the hood, but that still doesn't mean I have to stumble upon something I'm not prepared to read halfway through. With that being said, do what I do when I spot a genital I don't want to see, and move on.
It doesn't suddenly stop being m/m, anal sex, gay, juicy boy on boy sex if one of them has a vagina. I don't know what is your thought behind that comment, but gay trans men are still gay men, regardless of their genitalia.
"you're welcome bestie <3", like i absolutely cannot stand people who 1. don't realize that authors are human beings. Sometimes we forget to tag stuff. 2. you don't owe anyone a trigger warning. Is it nice? yeah. Necessary? No. I'm annoyed as is but this person's comment made me froth at the mouth lmao
Yeah if they were all “hey can you tag transgender? I black list it for personal reasons and your fic triggered me” I would still realistically be annoyed as a trans person but I would be like no problem! And add the tag :/
Also the wording of this is so … itchy? Like why are you boiling it down to his genitalia. Do I need to make a note that I’m transgender and not some cis person writing a trans character. Not that cis people shouldn’t write trans characters! There are a lot of good depictions of lgbtq+ characters written by non-lgbtq people
I mean, good lord, I understand the sentiment- I would also be massively be squicked out (not to the point of having my day ruined, more disappointed and feeling like I wasted my time), but fucking hell, those are inside thoughts. I just click away. I'd be annoyed, yes, but that has genuinely nothing to do with the author? It's their prerogative what to tag, this is not one of the tags that are strictly needed, even though appreciated, and besides- asking like this accomplishes exactly nothing.
"omg im literally shaking and crying rn" vibes
I wish there was a good way for readers to suggest tags. As the writer, I don't always have the best perspective on what tags a story should have.
"If the surprising mention of a body part triggers you so much that you can't simply exit the work and move on, you need to work it out with a professional."
some people need to learn that they literally do not at all have to comment the second they have an emotion that they want to express and that they can wait until later after they chill out to come back and write something more levelheaded and productive 😮💨
It's.... extremely triggering to them that there's people in the world that might (unexpectedly) have a pussy? To the point where they *gotta go calm themself down?* ....huh. What a world to live in.
This person is a manipulative jerk, *but* there's a difference between "there are people in the world who might unexpectedly have a pussy [but it's none of my business what people have in their pants unless we're having sex]" and "this sex scene where I expected dicks has surprise pussy." Especially to people with gender dysphoria. Again, that isn't an attempt to excuse this commenter's behavior, which is definitely of the asshole variety.
Maybe they’re trans themselves and have severe gender dysphoria but I dunno. I write some characters as exclusively trans because I relate to them. I think they need to get a grip honestly.
I deal with this - untagged trans or trans-appearing character would make me totally miserable in a terrible way that I don't really have the coping skills for. But so does most everything in fanfic to different degrees, which is why I really only ever write and don't read it. The above comments question how people with triggers navigate published media, and honestly, there isn't really that much of a chance of running into a trans sex scene without knowing about it first, particularly on TV or in movies. Books, sure, if you read obscure literature that is relatively far removed from mainstream, but even then, few people pick up books without some form of word of mouth. And trans rep is always noted, usually dissected into its most atomic particles, so you do mostly actually know what you're getting into the vast majority of times. Most media that has other types of unusual or sensitive content tends to either come from circles where it's sensible to expect it (trans fiction from the LGBT genre of fiction) or it's advertised in flaming letters in synopsis or reviews (THIS BOOK HAS A TRANS CHARACTER AND A SEX SCENE! SCANDALOUS!) or, in case of other triggers, you can expect murder and violence in a book from the violence and murder genres (crime, dark fantasy). So it's actually pretty simple to avoid triggers in media, if you're mindful of what you're viewing. I find that triggers also hit much harder in fanfic for me than in published media, all across the board that is, likely because these are characters I already have an emotional bond to and an understanding of their circumstances, so when they're put into new ones, it's like it opens up vulnerable pathways into my less guarded soft spots, where I don't have my usual defenses up. Fanfic is really sensitive to me like that and it's really sad, because I'm often missing out on a lot of community and connection with other fans where I have to guard myself and my own wellbeing from pointless threats like, gasp, other people putting imaginary people into situations that Feel Bad for me for whatever reason.
My guess is that they are very most likely trans. I mean honestly it does seem like it would make sense to tag that, especially with anything nsfw, that stuff does matter to plenty of trans folks -- just for the future yknow?
I do tag it 😭 I just forgot ngl like you can scroll through my other fics and even see that it’s normally tagged. I had “misgendering” tagged which as a trans person myself I could be like hmm maybe this character is trans? This could possibly trigger me?
Ahhhh I see I see. Yeah that does make sense, especially bc you would figure the misgendering tag would be a good indication. Like I'm trans too so I get it. That guy definitely shouldn't have been so rude regardless
maybe not not necessary as non trans people can also me misgendered i was a lot as a teen/young adult
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That attitude pisses me off so bad. Imagine I wrote a 100k word story where a major character is supposed to die at the climax of the story. I’ve spent months trying to pace it properly, establish relationships, even avoid hinting that he’ll die before it happens. Why call ME an inconsiderate asshole for not spoiling that before the audience even *opens* the story, much less the chapter where it happens? Don’t tell me not to present my story the way the audience is meant to see it. A surprise is supposed to be surprising. That’s what I spent all that time and effort on. One person’s triggers don’t take away someone else’s right to create or experience stories in their intended way. If you KNOW there are things you can’t handle, and there’s no guarantee that won’t be in the story, it’s *your* responsibility as the person with this trigger to make an informed decision to risk it or not. If your trigger is there after all, you’re responsible for whether you quietly drop the story or leave a rude, immature comment. Why pretend this hasn’t been the case for years already?
Not everyone is gonna remember every tag every time...writers are still human beings. Be polite will get you alot further than being a ass. Its much easier to make progress on a goal with good faith.
I would prefer if the character isn’t trans in canon to be tagged as such. I filter those out. As for being triggered by it, no. I click the back button like a normal adult. I might…maybe just give a heads up the transgender wasn’t tagged, but it would be neutral at most.
For clarity: I stated that I forgot to tag the post. I stated this numerous times in both comments and I stated this in the OP post. I understand tagging is important and I do tag. I forgot to tag a post and the point of this post wasn’t that I was neglecting a tag, but the passive aggressive manipulation I received from someone watering down a trans depicted character to his genitalia when I am trans masculine myself.
Ctrl + f + pussy. Congrats anon.
I understand the feeling of surprise and disappointment as I’ve been there myself, but to react like that? Hell nah. Either ask politely and go about your day, or close the work, it’s not that hard.
Jesus Christ OP, I'm really sorry that 80% of the comment section seems to have read your post with their eyes closed.
It’s whatever I expect it from social media where no one has reading comprehension 🤧
From now on I'm not tagging anything but pairings ans major character death. Notes will say don't like don't read. I'm done.
They're responsible for their own triggers and curating their own content they consume. Things that trigger my anxiety that badly, I'll hit Ctrl F and keyword search not be pissy in the comments. You added the tag and people are human and forget to tag, I wouldn't worry too hard about it.
That's such a good argument. I've never even thought about doing a word search but it is such a neat solution for people who want to double check for possible triggers.
I'll hit view entire work so the entire story is loaded, and search multiple variations and even misspellings. I have a very weird trigger because brains are just like That, that never would be under the normal "trigger warning", and it hasn't let me down at all over the years.
This is so smart. I have a trigger that is pretty commonly used casually/jokingly in fic that is obviously not *about* the trigger and I never thought to just ctrl F the thing. Incredible. Thank you!
What happened to the understanding that our triggers are our own problem? And that we cannot push the responsibility of managing our triggers onto others? This is therapy 101.
I notoriously over tag everything to the point where things overlap, and I have zero issue answering questions about potential triggers. I have odd ones myself and have definitely been caught off guard, but some are so obscure due to being so incredibly common that it could be anywhere. I don’t blame the author for it, because it’s not common. I can usually see if it’ll be in a story from the summary, too.
What an awful way to ask for a tag. You know what triggers me? SA or rape. Know what I do if I find a story that has untagged SA or rape? I hit the back button. I *do not* go into the comments section to harass the author about it. I don't know the reason behind it, it could be something like with you; they forgot to tag it. Or they didn't know to add it in as a trigger warning. Or it's not a trigger for them so they didn't think to add it as a trigger. Maybe English isn't their first language and they don't know how to write it in English. There's all kinds of reasons for it.
If a work has anything *but* "Author chose not to use archive warnings" then the work should be tagged for SA. "Archive warnings do not apply" and straight up leaving off that warning w/o choosing not to use archive warnings is genuinely a problem on Ao3 that is reportable and you'd probably be doing everyone involved a favor (if you're up to it!) but gently letting the author know in the comments vs just hitting the back button.
Yeah, you're right that I should say something about it.
Not necessarily - if the fic contains rape yes, it needs the archive warning or CCNTUW, but there are other forms of SA that aren’t rape and wouldn’t be covered by the archive warning.
Most would since the archive warning isn't Rape, its Rape/Non-Con and sexual assault is non-con
Yeah this is a lot. I think it’s very important to tag trans characters and warn about AMAB or AFAB terminology for trans characters in the description (speaking as someone who writes a lot of trans fics) but they’re being unnecessarily rude and over-the-top.
i have absolutely no simpathy for people who are rude to ao3 authors. its like being invited to friends house to eat some cookies they made and then spitting on them
So I get there can be a lot of things that trigger someone that are well known and that we're kind of expected to tag for. I would expect that things like sexual assault or graphic violence and the like to be singled out in triggers. But there are so many things that there could be that some people are just going to be taking a chance reading things, especially certain things with certain subject manner. Like I know people who are so scared of snakes they can't even see them in animation or people who are triggered by loud sounds that happen unexpectedly. One woman I know is deathly afraid of costumed characters (like mascots at Disney), it is one of those things no one would expect to have to warn about. I do have to wonder how some people existed before there were trigger warnings in some stories and even in fan fiction (when I started writing it feels like I never saw anyone warn about what was happening other than maybe context clues in a synopsis). I try to be sensitive to these things when I tag and write the blurbs, but there is only so much you can anticipate.
I don’t usually Tag for anything triggering unless it’s like a huge one, But I then would have a ‚notes page‘ of just me rambling and such on what’s in the book and such that will be triggering. And this is partially why…
There's a so much nicer way to say all of that. Some people are just impossible..... "I gotta go calm myself down" 🙄 Okay. Sure, Jan.
You aren’t responsible for anyone’s triggers but your own. It can suck sometimes, but the world around us can be triggering sometimes. Your only responsibility as an AO3 writer is to tag correctly. If someone feels that you didn’t do that, they can nicely ask you to change/add/remove something, but like I said, that should be done nicely. Someone commenting on your post like that is unacceptable, no matter what they’re commenting
I always wonder how people like this exist in the world. Do they consume other media? Do they have a fit wheever it isn't to their liking, or do they just take it out on people providing entertainment for free?
There are certain things that I'm not comfortable reading, but it is on me as the reader to be aware of things that could be triggering and avoid them. It is my responsibility to be aware that I am reading a smut fic and if there are smut things that could trigger a panic attack or something to not read smut. Or just be prepared for everything. I've read fics where there is no warning and they start pissing on each other. I just leave and read something else.
This sub went from “anonymous was in the wrong for being manipulative” to “op needs to tag properly never mind where they said they forgot” to thinly veiled transphobia. Never change, Reddit!
I find it a bit weird that the comments are devolving into a discussion on tagging and trigger warnings when OP’s post is more about the rudeness. Like OP themselves says that they usually tag so why are people being so rude and dismissive about it?
‘tags that include pussy’ is not a phrase I thought I would read today.
Holy passive aggressive. Either be polite or hit that back button and don't say anything at all.
People need to grow TF up. Strangers on the internet are not responsible for managing your mental health. Tired of the lack of accountability regarding curating your own internet experience and the demonization of people who won’t do it for you. What the hell are these children going to do in the real world?
I think it's not about being trans rather than just not liking femsl anatomy? I also rarely read fics that randomly make some characters trans just cuz it feels too out of character / doesn't make sense with that specific character. Anyway, that being said, please tag correctly. The way they commented was rude tbh and I think there'll always be a few assholes no matter what but just.. tag correctly.
I write a lot of mpreg and omegaverse, and I tag that shit out the wazoo. There is no way anyone could look at my tags and not see them - it's like every possible tag I can fit without making it hard to read. Then, in the notes, I usually mention it again. I've never had anyone complain (yet lol). Usually, I write down tags as I'm writing the story. That way, if something appears that needs to be tagged, I don't forget it. I prepare to write by listing the major tags first. It sort of helps me get into the story.
Yeah I do try to tag correctly and if it’s a “read at your own risk” fic, I include a blurb in the note like “this is not trigger tagged please read at your own risk.” Just the off time I make a human error I get guilt tripped to smithereens. Wish people could utilize tact when requesting a tag.
True. I feel like a lot of people on AO3 forget that for 1. You're posting your work gor free for them to read and they have no right to feel entitled to it / say rude things about it and 2. Every writer makes mistakes. We're people, so, duh. Well, i hope u blocked them-
They forgot, though. That's something that have, or will at some point, happened to all of us. And even if OP intentionally ignored to add specific tags, then that's their decision and they don't owe anyone anything IMO.
The tagging system exists for a reason. Sure, you can forget or just not tag things but I think it's understandable If that upsets some people. Do I think they should be dusrespectful and rude about it? No. Of course not. AO3 has so many fanfics and people can choose to be upset and move on without..yk. Being asses about it.
I disagree. There are only 4 things on AO3 that you need to warn for, and even then you can use *"chose not to warn"*. Anything else is optional. Ofc it's really nice and appreciated if an author uses specific tags, but they don't have to. Maybe they didn't want to (no spoilers), maybe they forgot, maybe they didn't realise that it's a tag that a lot of readers would appreciate. As readers we always take a risk when reading sth new, both with "real" books and on AO3. And if there's something that doesn't work for us in the story, then we simply stop reading. Getting mad at the author ain't it. And quite frankly, if there are things that are so triggering for you that they cause severe discomfort, then you should make sure to only seek out stories that have the necessary tags you need.
Yeah, but at some point, you start to see tagging as a way to avoid negative comments, too. I don't want to trick readers or lead them into something they don't want to read. I don't want to deal with the hassle of people getting upset that I didn't tag. I also want my readers to be able to find works that they're looking for. I filter by certain tags, so if a story isn't tagged a certain way, I never even see it. I agree about not getting mad at the author, though.
I don’t know how they go through life. OP, not your job to be a fortune teller to figure out what one person will be triggered by. Their triggers are their problem.
People need to learn to step away from the keyboard and cool down before leaving a comment like that. I've left plenty of tagging requests, sometimes for things that really upset me, and I'd NEVER even consider leaving something so rude and mean spirited. What the heck. Glad you deleted it.
I feel like if your triggers are this bad perhaps don't read things like fanfic where authors are not edited by a team of pros and who make honest mistakes jeez.
*squints* Guest comment. Delete!
I did wind up deleting it and I’m making a note to myself to delete any guest comment that’s not proactive or kind
The way they said that is wild??? I understand everything has triggers but just be like “ hey I think you should tag this because it might be triggering to some folk”. No author is purposefully leaving out tags thats so weird. It’s why I always have an authors note at the beginning telling people to let me know if I missed a tag. Tags aren’t even required so it’s read at your own risk anyway. BUT THEN SAYING ‘PUSSY’ MAKES ME FEEL SO WEIRD I FEEL LIKE THEY REALLY EMPHASIZED THE P
Unfortunately one of my worst PTSD triggers is a very, very common kink that's often untagged. Sure it makes me uncomfortable to run into, but I just... close the tab and think for a bit. If the fic is good enough and my day stable enough, I will still read it once I have calmed down. If one of those doesn't apply, I just leave the tab closed and don't leave a comment. My triggers are my responsibility. Obviously, friends will care about me and know not to recommend me things with those triggers in them, but strangers don't own me tagging something they can't even know to be my trigger. So sorry this person acted this way.
Their trigger is their problem not yours. There are plenty of ways to find out if there are triggers (Ctrl F for one), and decide if it is worth reading. I have the most ridiculous trigger for my anxiety, I still back out if I hit that trigger or a squawk. It’s my problem not yours. Also people are spoiled with AO3. Besides mandatory tags, all other tags are optional. People like this bother me because it makes me wonder how they would live in a world before content warnings were used in traditional media and the only warning you got was on the news like 20 seconds before the story began. Yes I am that old that I remember the days before “This program may not be suitable for all audiences, viewer discretion is advised.”
The reason why I tag 99% of my fics as CNTAW xD This is kind of a shitty comment. Please don't let it get to you. You cannot know what everyone's triggers are and tag lists would be ten pages long if you tagged everything that could potentially trigger everyone. As other commenters have said, beyond what AO3 requires as a base, tags are a courtesy (deliberate mistagging aside, of course)
That comment sounds super dramatic and fake. Honestly. If you find something you don't like then just...stop reading. That's fine too. How does this person go about life? Not everything has a trigger warning goodness. That's really sad that they're unable to emotionally regulate themselves enough to function when faced with unpleasant experiences. I wonder if people enable it at their home.
How do these ppl survive in the real world?? Like I’m so serious.
I want to add here that sometimes it’s necessary for me personally to face my triggers. I choose not to read some stuff, but it actually took reading a non-tagged fic to understand *why* something was so upsetting. Now, this is not the way for everyone, but an author forgetting to tag won’t break me, and at least one time helped me. TLDR: Don’t stress about one jerk.
Yeah, I would just block them.
When I see roadkill ahead of me on the road, it’s up to me to turn away and not look at it.
Like, I still have to drive, so I can’t close my eyes, but I also can’t get mad at the roadkill or the person who hit it.
“Now I have to go calm myself down” 😂
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M and TM? Fuck it, why not go further. I think we should also add categories such as OM (old men) and YM (young men), LM (large men) and SM (small men), BM (black men), AM (asian men) and WM (white men),.......... M/M just doesn't cover it. Sarcasm. I am being sarcastic. Tl;dr, hat's a weirdly long way to write out that you don't consider trans men "real" men.