And I think that a top/bottom tag on PWP makes a lot more sense than it generally would in a multi-chapter fic. Yes, I could put top, bottom or switch tags to represent whomever is literally taking it up the ass in the fic, but that doesn't take into account actual power dynamics in the relationship or as you originally mentioned non-penetrative sex. I'm guessing that an aversion to a certain character being top has a lot more to do with the actual perception of the character than it does to sexual position.
Can we twist ourselves into pretzels in an attempt to accomodate every kink or squick or preference for readers? Sure, we can. Will we manage to cover all our bases? No. When I was writing Kennel Training -- a fic for which I had warned heavily for -- I got a PM from a reader telling me that she had been triggered by a scene. I'm not talking about "eww, gross," I'm talking full-fledged anxiety attack. But here's the thing, she told me that it wasn't something she would have anticipated being triggered by. She wasn't blaming me or complaining. She just wanted to share her experience and let me know that it was something she now realizes she needs to deal with.
I'm far more interested in tagging for serious triggers than squicks, and I know that I can't imagine all possible triggers even. Nothing turns me off much more on AO3 than dozens of tags. That being said, I'm not entirely opposed to the idea of tagging for top/bottom, if you all can come up with an agreeable and effective way of doing it.
no subject
Can we twist ourselves into pretzels in an attempt to accomodate every kink or squick or preference for readers? Sure, we can. Will we manage to cover all our bases? No. When I was writing Kennel Training -- a fic for which I had warned heavily for -- I got a PM from a reader telling me that she had been triggered by a scene. I'm not talking about "eww, gross," I'm talking full-fledged anxiety attack. But here's the thing, she told me that it wasn't something she would have anticipated being triggered by. She wasn't blaming me or complaining. She just wanted to share her experience and let me know that it was something she now realizes she needs to deal with.
I'm far more interested in tagging for serious triggers than squicks, and I know that I can't imagine all possible triggers even. Nothing turns me off much more on AO3 than dozens of tags. That being said, I'm not entirely opposed to the idea of tagging for top/bottom, if you all can come up with an agreeable and effective way of doing it.