Content Notes

FanWorks has a set of standard content notes for all submitted works. Unless the work creator selects “choose not to give content notes” (or someone is submitting on behalf of a work creator and no content notes are available), any submitted work must be properly tagged with any standard content notes that apply to it.

Content notes may overlap with one another; in some cases, content notes covering similar kinds of content are provided separately for clarity, nuance, and to better highlight specific kinds of content as needed. Choose any and all tags you feel apply to your work.

Usage guidelines for FanWorks content notes:

Choose not to give content notes

If you don’t wish to use standard content notes for any reason (you want to avoid spoilers, you aren’t sure which notes apply, you generally don’t want to use content notes, or any other reason), select this option. This lets anyone viewing / listening to your work know that the work could contain any (or none) of the standard content notes, and that they should proceed at their own risk.

No standard content notes apply

If none of the standard content notes apply to your work, select this option. If there is content you want to warn for outside of the standard notes, you can choose this option to cover standard notes and also select “Other” to write in additional notes.

Physical triggers

Physical triggers apply largely to vids and moving artwork, and may include (but are not limited to) rapid cuts between clips or stills, strobing light, flickering light, sudden very bright light, and rapid or spinning movement.

Audio triggers

Audio triggers apply largely to vids and audio recordings, and may include (but are not limited to) sudden loud noise, sustained loud noise, grating mechanical noise, gunshot audio, and sounds of people or animals in pain or distress.

Major character death

This should at the very least cover the main / focus characters of your work. Whether or not other character death qualifies as “major” is up to you; consider the audience for your work when making these determinations.

Sexual content

This should cover any work including sex scenes. If a work includes a sex scene - not just kissing or a fade to black, but a sex scene depicted in the work itself - this tag applies. Some cases may be less graphic in nature than others (such as fic that AO3 might rate “Mature” rather than “Explicit,” or visual sources in which the sex scene is characters rolling around under bedsheets), but if sexual acts are depicted in the work, this tag applies.

Nudity in and of itself isn’t considered sexual content, but can be tagged separately under “Other.”

Underage sex

Any characters under eighteen years of age engaged in sexual activity. The guidelines for sexual content above apply here in determining what counts as sexual activity.

Graphic violence

For written or read works, this includes detailed descriptions of violence; for visual works, this includes any depictions of violence that are realistic, brutal, and/or are shown to result in serious injury or death. This may or may not include blood or gore; blood/gore can be noted separately under “Other.”

Sexual violence

Rape, non-con, sexual assault of any kind. Whether this tag extends to dub-con is left to your judgment; if you aren’t sure, you can include dub-con as a content note under “Other.”

Slavery

Any work including slavery as an element, whether as a main theme or background / worldbuilding element of the story.

Animal harm

Any harm to animals, whether depicted in the work or only referenced / implied. Types of animal harm might include (but are not limited to) animal abuse, animal neglect or endangerment, hoarding situations, and animal death.

Child harm

Any harm to children, whether depicted in the work or only referenced / implied. Types of child harm might include (but are not limited to) physical, sexual, or psychological abuse, child neglect or endangerment, and child death.

Body image and eating disorders

Depictions of eating disorders of any kind, characters with negative body image or body dysphoria, body shaming or any prejudice based on body size or appearance, and any other potentially triggering content related to body image. This tag casts a wide net, so if there is something specific you want to warn for in addition, you can do so under “other.”

Alcohol or drug use

Any use of alcohol or drugs depicted in the work. The wording of this content note is intentionally broad; if characters in your story / artwork / onscreen are drinking alcohol or taking drugs, the tag applies. The situation does not have to be alcohol or drug abuse or misuse specifically for the tag to apply.

Self harm

This includes any form of self harm, physical, psychological, or otherwise. When deciding what constitutes self harm, use your best judgment.

Suicide

Any depiction of an individual taking their own life (main character or otherwise), attempted suicide, deliberate symbolism or implication of suicide, or suicidal thoughts.

Depictions of bigotry, hate crimes, and systemic oppression

This includes any axis of oppression. The examples we give on the submission page are racism, homophobia, transphobia, and antisemitism, but that is by no means an exhaustive list. Kinds of depictions may include (but are not limited to) slurs, symbols or other imagery associated with hate groups, harmful acts targeted at marginalized identities (physically violent or otherwise), characters using the indigenous dress of other cultures as a costume, historical settings such as plantations or Nazi Germany, and institutional violence. When using this content note, please make sure to provide any needed details for your audience in the text box on the submission form.

Other

Any content notes you wish to provide that are not covered by the standard notes. The provided examples on the submission form are “blood or gore, incest, domestic violence, medical trauma, police / law enforcement,” but these are examples only, not an exhaustive list of additional tags. If you selected a standard tag but want to provide more detail, you can also do that here.

I am submitting for someone else and no content notes are available

If you are submitting a work made by someone else and they don’t have content notes publicly available for the work, select this option.