This post contains content notes and trigger warnings. If content notes or trigger warnings make you uncomfortable or offend you please feel free to skip it! I wouldn’t want you to unexpectedly encounter content which you’d rather avoid during your leisure time.
It isn’t possible to warn for everything, but I have tried to warn for the most common triggers. You may choose not to read this story, to skip certain chapters, or to choose to read certain chapters when you’re feeling mentally and/or emotionally prepared.
Please keep yourself safe and I apologise if I’ve missed anything that negatively affects you. I want reading my stories to be enjoyable, however I do sometimes include some serious themes along with love and kissing and stuff.
If you know that you have triggers which are uncommon or I may not have anticipated please feel free to ask me so that I can add them to the content notes or give you spoilers to let you know whether or not something does or does not happen.
Some of these notes may include spoilers.
I will include more general notes first before a chapter breakdown which may include “spoilers” for the story. I suspect that Chapter 10 is the only one likely to be triggering and therefore I have included more detailed notes about Chapter 10 if you feel it is likely to affect you so that you can decide when and where to read it or whether you want to skip it entirely.
There is a character that you might end up quite worried about at the end of Part One. If you would like to keep worrying along with the other characters and resolve that worry if and when the other characters do then please do that! If that sounds stressful and you would like to not in advance whether or not someone is, ultimately, okay please see the notes about “Is everyone okay?” down the bottom.
Verbal and Physical Abuse
I almost feel like warning for this is going to make it seem like a much bigger deal than it really is. A couple of chapters include passing references to verbal and physical abuse but nothing happens “on screen” and for most people it’s “blink and you’ll miss it” sort of thing. I’m including it just in case.
Suicide, Self-Harm and Harm toward others
Some characters in this part express thoughts of self-harm and suicide or thoughts that other characters may be engaging in suicidal behaviour. Detailed notes for Chapter 10 are available below and may include spoilers.
If you are experiencing thoughts of suicide or self harm please keep yourself safe. You can call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or find a crisis line in your country.
Chapter Breakdown
- Tamika Wood’s Birthday Party; no notes apply
- Before; no notes apply
- Rules, Written and Unwritten; no notes apply
- After; passing references to verbal abuse (no details)
- The title of this chapter is longer than the text that it contains; no notes apply
- Mumtalk; brief reference to past physical violence
- Get in the Car; suicidal ideation, off-page suicidal/self harm behaviour, on page anxiety about it
- The Tape; no notes apply
- Mani; no notes apply
- Stop; post-natal depression, suicidal ideation and threats of violence (see below)
- Tamika Wood’s Birthday Party (Reprise); no notes apply
Detailed notes for Chapter 10: Stop
In the second part (Michelle POV) of the chapter Michelle, suffering from post natal depression, expresses thoughts of harming herself and the baby, claiming she wants to throw the baby at a wall. None of the thoughts or threats are carried out, nobody dies and nobody is injured.
If you do not feel safe to read about that please feel free to skip the second half of Chapter 10. The first part, from Alan Sebastian’s POV should be safe as no notes or warnings apply to that section. The warnings only apply to the part from Michelle’s POV.
Is everyone okay?
Yes. Everyone is okay. Everyone will be okay and everything will be okay. Michelle’s okay. She’s as alive and well in 2022 as can be reasonably expected for a person who does not exist. Everyone else is also okay. Hooray!