This loosely translates as “there is no fundamental problem with this and I have no issue with the people who enjoy it but it makes me personally deeply uncomfortable”
“It’s not a trigger so I don’t want to appropriate that terminology; but I really don’t like it and don’t want to read/see/hear it.”
“it will not give me psychological distress but HOT DAMN I will die happy if I never see it again”
Doing my part as a member of fandom and spreading this. It really is a good term to use.
For example, I’m “squicked” by adultery. I legit cannot read a fic that has it no matter how well written or how much I love the pairing (it’s why I’m always so angry when people conflate polyamory and adultery. NO THEY ARE NOT THE SAME THING AND I WILL DIE ON THIS HILL)! If I click on a fic that didn’t have tags for adultery and I accidentally stumble into it, I’ll just back button out of there.
I do have personal reasons for thinking adultery is “squicky” beyond the basic moral issues behind it (*sigh* family, what can you do?) but it doesn’t cause me any more emotional turmoil than being aggravated that I wasted however long I read the fic for (and internally muttering that my faves would never). Then I just ignore it and move on. It doesn’t push me into a panic attack, it doesn’t bring up horrible memories or bile, I just don’t like it.
squick = I don’t really like peanut butter so I don’t have peanut butter in my house but if other people want to slather themselves in peanut butter and dance around their front yards then cool, okaaaaaay, whatever?
trigger = I’m allergic to peanuts. If you slather yourself in peanut butter do not touch me because I will break out into hives. If you have made cookies, please tell me if there’s peanut butter in this because if I eat it and there is then I will have an allergic reaction and it will mess up my entire day/week/insert period of time here
JackSGreyson Says 