fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #4049 ]

[ SECRET POST #4049 ]

⌈ Secret Post #4049 ⌋

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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?

I don't write smutty fic, but as a reader I appreciate when certain acts are tagged.
I'm in a fandom where rimming is super popular, and I'd love to be able to block it because mouths near asses squicks me so hard.

It also makes it easier to look for specific kinks when I'm in the mood for them.

I think you're fine tagging without details, but the reason for tagging with details is because people specifically look for fics with certain scenarios. In that sense, it's in your best interest to tag because people will seek out certain kinks. But you're certainly not obligated to tag, either.

If it's a smut-centric fic then I tag everything that's going on, because if I'm reading a porn one shot I like to know if there are any kinks that tickle my fancy or not. But if it's smut in a longer fic, then I don't really tag for individual sex act and tag more for plot things. But then, when I tag smut it's not so much so people avoid things but more to be like "Hey, you like this kink?? well boy howdy do I got this kink for you!"

Oh, and the only thing I got told off for not tagging was a character death, but I'd tagged 'Heavy Angst' and then not selected an Archive Warning because the death was a spoiler

If you selected "choose not to warn" and they read it anyway, that's on them.

If fandom rules were legally binding, this would be true. Their ass would be covered.

But I personally disagree. The problem is, 19 out of 20 times someone uses the "choose not to warn" tag, there is nothing to warn for. I don't even know why the person used the tag, maybe they were covering their ass, just in case? But because 95% of the time, that tag is used when it's not really needed, it makes the one time when it's actually used for good reason impossible to predict. Therefore, IMO, if you genuinely have something to warn for you should at least have an additional tag that says something to further reinforce that Something Upsetting Happens Herein.

What does "legally binding" have to do with anything?

There's no requirement that an author click on "choose not to warn" only if there is something that fits under one of the established categories of things to be warned for.

So yeah, maybe they're only covering their ass. Or maybe they're taking a principled stand against "warnings culture." Or they have no idea of how to tag it, only that it's something that might upset people.

"Choose not to warn" is a warning. It means that you don't know what's inside. And as a writer, when I use that warning, I know that I am going to have fewer readers, because some people won't read fics without explicit warnings.

As a reader, you get to decide if the 95% of fics that weren't upsetting (to you -- another reader might be upset by 50% of the fics, or upset by a different 5% of fics) is worth risking the 5% of fics that are going to upset you.

yep this is my method. plain old tab-A-slot-B smut inside a much larger and mostly gen fic just gets the generic, but total porn, I definitely tag the details because someone out there is going to go "yessss an X/Y fic that hits all my buttons!" I never take warning into account, just attracting people looking for what I gave them.

But then, when I tag smut it's not so much so people avoid things but more to be like "Hey, you like this kink?? well boy howdy do I got this kink for you!"

This is a very good strategy. And I can say as someone who reads a LOT of fic, that smut tags are a total siren's song for me. They're a really good movie trailer. They're a restaurant wafting the smell of their food into the sidewalk. If you give me smut tags of my OTP doing sexy things, I will 100% want to read my OTP doing those sexy things.

If there's something in there that's likely to be someone's kink or squick, I'll tag for that. People who don't like it can avoid it, people who are looking for it can find it, everybody wins.

I was kind of weirded out when I first discovered that Supernatural fandom was so insistent on labeling who's on the top, but I've since come to appreciate its role in minimizing my chances of coming across dewy-eyed uke!Sam.

That seems like waaayyy overkill. I'll tag for specific kinks or sex acts that I think ~change it up enough that someone might either be specifically looking for OR I guess specifically trying to avoid (rimming, pegging, breathplay, etc), but like, positions? Fuck that.

IMO it's not for people to avoid, but for people looking for specific types of porn. So if I'm in the mood to read some fingering, or blowjobs, or femdom or something, I look for porn with those tags. It's not like I won't read porn without those tags, but they help when I'm in a specific mood.

I tag ships, characters, and specific kinks if they are the focus of the fic.

Good lord. That's way too much work. I only tag specific, more 'kinky' stuff, like 'bdsm' or 'spanking' or whatever. If it's just sex, various positions, penetration and/or oral, it just gets an 'explicit' rating and the 'ship. I'm not gonna tag all that other stuff.

I don't write it, but as a reader, I'm weird and I don't like tags that spoil me for what's going to happen, so if I see someone over-tagging something, I'll probably not read it.

I tag for acts that I think people are into, and that's the only reason. And even then, I don't tag for everything. Like, if I'm writing about het sex, I don't think woman on top is something that would be unexpected so I don't tag for that. It's just a PIV position. Kitchen sex or shower sex or office sex I might tag for if it's a significant focal point, because while I would expect there to be some variety of PIV, sex in alternative locations is a kink that might need advertised.

With gay porn do get really specific with acts just because anal has a bigger reputation for being something that not all gay people are into and again the idea is to get people to things they want to read.

No one should feel obliged to tag for which character is on top.

Tagging for common squicks seems considerate, but anyone who's going to freak out because of unexpected bondage or anal in a story may need to grow up before reading porn.

ETA: Oh. I suppose the real reason people want descriptive tags is to organise their masturbation material more precisely. I get it, but I don't think it's your job as a writer to anticipate all the kinks some nerd might organise by. (For example: "OK, let's see, non-bondage, interracial, lesbian, toys, white stockings, pubic hair, fantasy characters in a scene with no fantasy elements, meganekko, nipple play with toys, yelling, citrus scented oils, dog owners, nappy hair, tribadism, earlobe kissing, fingering, long-term relationship, what else should I tag this with?")

Edited 2018-02-04 08:46 (UTC)

I tag for Explicit and I tag all of the acts. I'll mention in the summary who is on top. I haven't gotten any blowback as of yet.

If I write smut, it's as simple as this:

smut, nsfw, 18+,

That's it.

If I write something with rape in it or implied rape, I'll add:

rape, (or) implied rape,

I don't do that tw:rape crap. The damn word is PLENTY enough of a warning.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ SECRET POST #4049 ]

How detailed do you get when tagging smut?

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