#talk.suv

So, I've been wandering around AO3 and a few proship spaces here, and many times I've come across stories and posts mentioning or tagged with "Dead Dove: Do Not Eat."

I usually don't have a problem with this, since I would use it myself when applicable. But the issue here is- there are some people who only use the phrase with no context. When it comes to having triggers, like myself and many others do, this can be annoying or even dangerous in severe cases.

So what's the problem exactly? Well first, lemme explain what the phrase actually means...

"Dead Dove: Do Not Eat" is almost as literal as it gets. It implies there's a dead dove inside a container with the warning "do not eat." So, when someone looks inside and sees a dead dove, they shouldn't have expected anything else.

DD:DNE is a warning for the following content and potential triggers. There's nothing wrong with using it - it's when you use it by itself with no explanation or list.

A trigger warning is only as useful as the list itself. If there are no listed triggers, then the warning is pointless. DD:DNE relies on a list of triggers or any relevant tags for the story/post. It's to let readers know "hey, this contains everything tagged, so don't blame me if you ignore it."

Unfortunately, this isn't just a problem with DD:DNE specifically... it's trigger warnings in general.

I've been seeing more and more warnings with no explanation whatsoever, just "trigger warning!" as if we can read the OP's mind. By the time we realize what trigger it is, it'll be too late. That's the whole point of a warning, so we don't have to see it.

I would rather have no warning at all, because an empty warning is just frustrating and makes the triggers even more stressful (at least for me, not sure if it's the same for everyone). With no warning, I'd be more surprised at seeing the trigger than actually thinking about it.

Just to make this clear though, I do not justify the lack of warnings. It can still be a stressful experience. I just want to make the point that empty warnings are worse than lack of warnings. Both are bad.

That's all for now, though. Hopefully this was helpful in any way, though it's a bit on the rant-side... All of this is /nbh, mostly randos I've seen as far as I'm aware.

I'm currently thinking about my most recent dream. The beginning of it was jumbled (as usual), but quickly got into the "plot."

The Cattle Egret

There was a large white bird with a golden crest. It would fly around my home, landing in trees. I was mystified by it, chasing it below to get a better look.

What confuses me about this is that I never knew about Cattle Egrets until I looked up what I saw. I knew what Egrets were, but not this specific kind. And yet this bird I saw looked near-identical to one.

Familiar but Not?

Cut to what appeared to be an old-style building. Inside was where I met a familiar character. They weren't any of my OCs or someone I knew irl, but they had an almost uncanny familiarity to them as if I knew them from somewhere else. They didn't have a unique appearance either; you could probably mistake them for a generic anime boy (short straight black hair (kinda emo tbh), creme white skin, dark eyes, skinny...). And yet I could still "recognize" him.

He wasn't too friendly, though. Had an attitude and was rather reckless. He treated me the same as he treated everyone else in the building, so whatever I recognized in him, he didn't return to me.

I tried talking to him, but it didn't seem to go over well. All I got was a name - I can't remember exactly, but I believe it was Dorix.

A day had apparently passed in-dream, and I returned to the same building. However, I was told by another person I shouldn't be there (private property and whatnot), so I went around the back of the building and found Dorix again.

He seemed a lot less tense than his first appearance. He even opened up to me, and let me walk with him. I wish I could remember our conversations, but unfortunately, I can't.

All I know is that we grew close, and I got to see a much softer and more sensitive part of his personality. Who used to be an aggressive and spiteful person was now gentle and shy. There was more to him, more that I wasn't able to learn about. He had a life.

The End + Thoughts

Nearing the end of my dream was also jumbled (less so than the beginning, but still not nearly as connected to the plot). The environment was similar to that of the Hidden World, with a modern aspect. However, while everything else was drifting plot-wise, Dorix was still there. While I transformed into a dragon for this dream segment, he did too. He may have changed appearance-wise, but it was still him. I could still recognize him.

So... It feels weird thinking back on this. I had made a friend, a companion, all inside a dream. And now he's gone.

Normally, I slowly become aware that I'm dreaming. By the end, I knew everything wasn't real, except... Dorix. He felt real. No, he WAS real. He wasn't just some two-dimensional figment of my imagination. He had a life, he LED me through my dream. He introduced me to places I wouldn't have explored on my own. He felt emotion, made me feel emotion.