[ SECRET POST #4358 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #4358 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 38 secrets from Secret Submission Post #624.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 1 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

I mean, on one hand, I agree. A lot. I use very few tags and think people generally need to take more responsibility for their fandom experiences. OTOH, there's a difference, IMO, between a spoiler and a trigger warning, and you seem to be conflating the two. Even then, I don't always warn for things either (and there's no way to know that you're covering ALL your bases.) But I certainly tag for character death (seriously? at NOT tagging that, tbh). And I think it's ridiculous and rude to say "readers can take their chances" on something when you're the one going against standard practices of fandom by not even hinting at what risks they might be taking.

[(Anonymous)]

I have a story I'm working on where a character self-harms. The fact that he does this is a major plot point and a surprise that's hinted at but never clearly stated until the reveal. I'm not sure when/if I should tag for self-harm because I don't want to trigger anyone EVER but I want to preserve the reveal. Any thoughts?

[(Anonymous)]

How about "destructive behavior"?

Or put it in an author's note that you title "spoiler".

[(Anonymous)]

I guess my first question is, is it obvious that it's this particular character? That is, would a generic self-harm tag be spoilery or could it refer to any one of a number of characters? If a vague tag for self-harm can be used, I don't think it will take away from the reveal.

My second question would be how graphic does it get and when does it start playing a major role in the story? If it's right away and/or very graphic, tag it. If it's later on, especially if more "abstract", you can do an author's note later once readers might start to realize what is happening but before anything really triggery. In that case, also tag "chooses not to tag" or similar.

My third (and arguably biggest) question is, is the REVEAL actually that important or is the character/story arc more important to the story you want to tell? If the latter is true, go ahead and tag it. I think fic writers (myself included) have a tendency to put undue emphasis on what they consider major plot points whereas most readers are there for the characters/story as a whole. Readers who want to read a story about this character self-harming will likely read it and enjoy it even with the tag (hell, it might even help interested readers find it). Readers who don't want to read that will be able to decide right away and will thank you for it.

If none of these thoughts help, I think overall, I would err on the side of caution and tag it. But then, this is not a personal trigger OR interest of mine (that is, I neither write nor read fic about it but not because it triggers me). So, I'd be interested to hear from others who might have more insight or experience.

[(Anonymous)]

They only way I can think of to tag trigger without revealing them: "Please be aware that this fic can trigger people that are unstable".

[(Anonymous)]

Author's Note: I'm Choosing Not To Warn for something that is 1) not one of the archive's listed triggers, but 2) fairly common. It is, however, a fairly big spoilery plot point. If you have triggers and you want to double-check that it's not yours, highlight the whited out text/check the End Notes.

Then readers can decide for themselves whether surprise or knowledge is more important to them.

[(Anonymous)]

I'd put a note saying "there's some dark stuff not tagged bc it's plot relevant, see end notes for spoilers" and have the warnings them there.

[(Anonymous)]

I recently did a long fic where I really did not want to tag everything right away. Tag slavery? Spoil the surprise that one of my romantic pairing is kidnapped! Tag, first time, body worship? Great, now I'm spoiling that my damsel-in-distress is not only rescued but that he and his LI hook up before the end!

I hear you. I dealt with it by specifying that the fic had a (somewhat) happy ending, and tagging for more specific items at the beginning of the chapter containing them. So the chapter where they got kidnapped got updated tags saying 'slavery' but not before. It seemed to work okay for my (few) readers.

Plus, sometimes, I CAN'T tag for everything because I haven't written it yet!

[(Anonymous)]

"Standard practices of fandom" have always been to warn for things like graphic violence, rape, abuse, etc. In other words, stuff that could potentially be upsetting to anyone, regardless of whether they have triggers or not. I don't think anyone has any obligation to warn for anything beyond that.

[(Anonymous)]

Yes, and current standards of fandom include things like character deaths, eating disorders, etc. in the list of things that could be potentially upsetting to anyone or at least to many readers. Indeed, these fit the bill arguably far more than "graphic sexual content" that the OP is A-OK with warning for. Like I said, I tend to undertag too, but I don't pretend that it's because it's just some newfangled thing that snowflakes are demanding for those safe spaces. Fandom practices change. Or do you think we should all be warning for slash/LGBT content too, since that was "always" part of fandom practice for many years?

[(Anonymous)]

No, they haven't been. It used to be pretty common to stumble into untagged violence, rape, abuse, etc - you were expected to read the summary, look at the rating, and figure out on your own if there was a chance of running into something you weren't happy with, and make use of your back button if you guessed wrong. There was a hell of a lot of argument when trends started shifting towards warning over whether it was necessary, or just imposing on writers.

[(Anonymous)]

I miss those times. I'm in a big fandom and been writing for twelve years already and I only tag stuff that's not evident in synopsis and/or rating. I think I've only ever tagged incest and rape. I've written about basically every dark problem out there never tagging and no one's ever complained and I wouldn't even care if they did. It's in the synopsis one way or the other. Or in the author's note. Not my problem if you skip that info. I'm old school and I tend to stay that way.