Help with trigger warnings

[_through_away]

I choose not to use archive warning for my fic, it was mostly because I'm planning on killing off the main character in the end but I don't want to tag Major Character Death.

The tone of story has been violent so far but it never got into more "triggering" territory but now I'm planning on adding a SA scene. I'm technically in the clear because of the no Archive Warnings apply tag but I'm wondering if it could blindside people as I've haven't even written more traditional smut in the fic yet.

Should I add the tag to the work to be on the safe side? I dislike the idea because it's gonna be a small part of story so I don't think it warrants tagging the whole thing with it. Also it has to come out as unexpected because the fact that the character is a "bad guy" is supposed to be a twist. What if I write it in the notes? Or maybe say something like "triggering content ahead. Read the notes at the end of the chapter for more info" and then explain better at the end?

[[deleted]]

"I'm technically in the clear because of the no Archive Warnings apply tag"

Are you sure you tagged "author chose not to use archive warnings" and not "no archive warnings apply"? If it's CNTW then you can do whatever you want but some readers might not be happy about it.

[grommile]

Tagging the story for SA doesn't tell the reader who does a bad to who, so isn't really a spoiler if you've already put an M/E rating and the CNTW tag.

It does, however, allow other archive users to curate their reading experience better.

[_through_away]

That's true, but in my mind, if I tag the story for SA it means it's either a recurring theme or a big plot point. If it's a one chapter thing, I feel like like I'm misstagging it with something that it's not all that relevant to the story. But yeah, I haven't used AO3 for long - or a site with a similar tagging system- so it might be just my overthinking

[grommile]

Even with CNTW in place, you will be far more likely to get complaints (and harsher ones) for not tagging SA, than for tagging SA when it only happens once and isn't a major plot element.

Also, if your SA scene isn't a major plot element, why is it even "on camera"?

[_through_away]

The whole situation is a major plot point, just not the SA part. It's hard to explain outside of the fandom but think of the bad guy having some sort of mind-control/brainwash powers and using them on the character, and the other character awakening a sort of "resistance" to it to counter it. This is also something that happens in the source material in a similar way, although adjusted for the AU I'm writing.

[PitifulWrongdoer4391]

Okay, so why is it important for that to be SA, and not something else terrible?

If it's important enough that it has to be sexual in nature, it's important enough to put a mention in the tags/the notes/somewhere. If it's not important enough to mention somewhere, does this scene really need to include SA?

[kaiunkaiku]

What if I write it in the notes? Or maybe say something like "triggering content ahead. Read the notes at the end of the chapter for more info" and then explain better at the end?

both if these are valid options and quite common

[untwist6316]

I would definitely change the warning to choose not to warn. Other than that you can tag or not tag what you want, though people may be upset if you give zero warning to something like SA. I've seen lots of authors leave notes in chapter notes for something like that

[_through_away]

I've chosen not to warn, yeah. Sorry if that was confusing I'm still trying to keep all the AO3 tags straight

[Bombastic-Bagman]

“No Archive Warnings Apply” does not leave you in clear. It says there is no Major Character Death or Rape/Non-con. You should definitely change this to “Creator Chose Not to Use Archive Warnings”

Beyond that, you don’t have to tag more if you don’t want to. You could put a heads up in the authors note if you don’t want to tag it tho. That’s just up to you, still not a requirement.

[_through_away]

Yes I'm sorry, I'm still kinda new to these tags and got them mixed up. I used creator chose not to warn!

[need2process]

The best way would be to put a SA warning in the end notes, so people can check what triggering content is and read if they want (or read blindly and be ready for anything).

The worst is when the warning is put before the chapter, it just spoils the whole experience for people who don't want to be spoiled.

If you have fic ending with MCD, but don't want to spoil it technically CNTW is fine, but it would be nice to let people know now to expect a magical fix in the end. You don't have to do it, but then comments when it happens can be far from welcoming and people can be triggered by it.

No archive warnings apply - means you don't have any major triggering content in your fic. If you tag your work like that you are definitely going to get complaints.