Players use it in multiplayer lobbies to signal they are beginners.

But audiences are tired. They are exhausted by the tax of empathy required to watch their favorite characters suffer needlessly for the sake of subverting expectations. We have reached a saturation point of trauma-porn. Enter the counter-revolution:

: On platforms like Archive of Our Own (AO3) , it is a common tag for writers seeking a supportive audience for their "pure entertainment" stories.

This shift towards "gentle" media isn't just a fleeting trend; it’s reshaping how creators approach storytelling. It emphasizes that entertainment can be profound without being traumatic, and entertaining without being high-octane.