So I follow a blog that discusses AO3 norms and trends, and some recent entries were about how people tag smut.
I guess there's an expectation out there that all of the various acts be tagged individually, just in case an act isn't someone's cup of tea. So, like, if it's a het pairing and the woman is on top at some point, you should tag for that. If there's any oral, you should tag for that. If there's doggy style, you should tag for that. If it happens outside of the bedroom, you should tag for that. etc etc etc.
I have two reactions to this: 1) this seems like overkill, and 2) what if I've upset someone with my fic? The only tags I've used are "smut," "fluff and smut," "explicit sex," "porn without plot," and "porn with feelings." I always figured those were sufficient, especially since individual acts are never the focus of my writing (I'm all about the emotional side of things), but now I'm wondering.
How do you guys go about tagging your smutty fics? What are the norms in your fandoms? Have you ever had any blowback due to not being descriptive enough with your tags?
How detailed do you get when tagging smut?
I guess there's an expectation out there that all of the various acts be tagged individually, just in case an act isn't someone's cup of tea. So, like, if it's a het pairing and the woman is on top at some point, you should tag for that. If there's any oral, you should tag for that. If there's doggy style, you should tag for that. If it happens outside of the bedroom, you should tag for that. etc etc etc.
I have two reactions to this: 1) this seems like overkill, and 2) what if I've upset someone with my fic? The only tags I've used are "smut," "fluff and smut," "explicit sex," "porn without plot," and "porn with feelings." I always figured those were sufficient, especially since individual acts are never the focus of my writing (I'm all about the emotional side of things), but now I'm wondering.
How do you guys go about tagging your smutty fics? What are the norms in your fandoms? Have you ever had any blowback due to not being descriptive enough with your tags?