Revolving Door has a lot of content warnings, and they can differ massively from chapter to chapter. (The full content warning list has “massacres” and “misgendering” side by side, which I think encapsulates the vibe).
I don’t think it’s a grimdark story by any measure, but I want to be unflinching in the portrayal of the topics that matter to me and to the themes, and the CWs are really important in letting me do that while providing a layer of safety for anyone who could stand to be negatively affected by those themes.
But often, the warnings spoil key turns in the plot. So, the question of how to present content warnings to be informative without spoiling story elements is one I approach every time I publish a chapter that needs one.
Often, obfuscating spoilers is as simple as listing them in a different order from how they appear in the chapter (spoilers for Chapter 39 on this example, but: “deadly infectious diseases, animal death, graphic injury” makes it less obvious that it’s about someone getting bitten by a rabied animal than if the list were in reverse).
Broadly, this is why the content warnings are always hidden in a collapsible element. If one’s disappointment regarding spoilers outweighs one’s need for content warnings, it’s almost certain that the experience will be improved by skipping them—but of course, do what’s best and healthiest for yourself.
If the content warnings definitely spoil a plot element, the collapsible header will note them as “(contains spoilers)” instead of “(may contain spoilers).” I might even bold this for further clarity in the future.
I’m kind of curious about how readers view the CWs. Do you read them? Have they helped anyone? Have they ever spoiled the story? How I can improve the presentation to make the experience better? I do have full control over the HTML presentation of the chapters, so I can add things like per-paragraph CW annotation.