What is a trigger warning? Why is this here?
Trigger warnings are tags indicating potentially distressing material in a post or story. They give readers information about what they are getting into and an opportunity to decide if they are willing and able to read something.
(See this post for a quote about the glory that is trigger warnings.)
Trigger warnings might be for mental health issues: discussions of suicide or self-harm; references to abuse or other traumatic experiences; or scenes depicting a panic attack or PTSD flashback.
They might be for common phobia objects: stories involving spiders, a picture of your new pet snake, or extensive discussion of your recent medical procedure and the needles involved.
“But that’s censorship! You’re letting people tell you what you can and can’t write!”
Oh, my darling child, no. It is the exact opposite, and it is GLORIOUS. Trigger warnings allow people to write about absolutely anything they want. They allow me to talk about whatever is on my mind. All I need to do is tag responsibly. Then you, IF YOU WANT TO, can check the trigger warnings for anything that might be a problem for you. Then you’ve got the option to either go ahead and read or pass it up as something you’re not interested in dealing with now or ever.
A person does technically have another option:
They can ignore the trigger warnings, read something that upsets them, and then shout at me for daring to talk about whatever it was.
But I’ve done my due diligence. I’ve given them everything they need to make an informed decision. So when someone howls at me that I’m not allowed to write about Offensive Subject X, I can ignore their shouting with a clear conscience.
Trigger warnings may contain spoiler-type information. If you really hate spoilers and don’t mind going in without any hints, feel free to ignore the warning pages linked on each story. If you don’t want to see them, you will never have to.
Conversely, if you have a particular trigger and you don’t think I’m tagging for it, feel free to contact me. I’m always willing to answer questions about my stories and what triggers they might contain. If you let me know you have a trigger you need tagged, I’ll add it to the existing stories where applicable and include it on future warning pages.
The only readers I want are the ones who choose to be here.
Your consent matters to me. Informed consent is the only kind that counts. That’s why I provide trigger warnings.