RPF Fic Tagging Question

[fangirlishness]

I often write Guardian RPF with realistic elements like closeted relationships or references to a homophobic environment.

I am aware that a lot of people prefer their RPF without these things, but I belatedly realized that I never really plainly tagged my fic to make this aspect clear.

But now I want to remedy this and tag my fic appropriately, both the ones that are set in "realistic China" and those that aren't.

Do clear tags for this exist, or should I (we) make up new ones for our fandom?

I don't want to use generic tags like "Homophobia" or "Fluff", because I'm not sure they're making it much clearer. I'm thinking of something like "set in real China" for the angsty case - in addition to the other warning tags I already use.

The fluffy case is more difficult, because negative tags ("not set in realistic China") are bad, but how do I make it clear that something is *not* in a fic without mentioning it?

"Happy RPF"?

Any ideas?

If we come up with something clear and precise, then I can go and add those tags to my fic.

Comments

[fangirlishness]

I don't like the negative tags, but if nobody else minds them, since they're canonical, I guess that's fine then?

I really can't tell what people like to see or not, since it's never been my primary concern.

Hence this insecure post. :D

if you don't want to tag for just "Homophobia", there are some related tags, like "Background Homophobia" or "Internalized Homophobia" which'll give a better idea on what's going on in the fic.

I think the Background Homophobia tag is one I haven't used but which would be good.

[extrapenguin]

If you're trying to communicate that the fic doesn't have X, the easiest way is a tag saying "No X" (even if the tag isn't canonical). Same for modified tags à la "Background Homophobia". Their purpose is to label things, as advertising for people who're looking for that thing, and secondarily as warnings for people who absolutely don't want to see it.

(And FWIW, if you write mostly porny stuff, I think a short wordcount + E rating + porny tags should be enough to communicate that this is a PWP where homophobia isn't mentioned, since the wordcount it all taken up by the banging.)

[fangirlishness]

If you're trying to communicate that the fic doesn't have X, the easiest way is a tag saying "No X"

Yeah, ok, you've convinced me.

(And FWIW, if you write mostly porny stuff, I think a short wordcount + E rating + porny tags should be enough to communicate that this is a PWP where homophobia isn't mentioned, since the wordcount is all taken up by the banging.)

This neatly sums up all my fic. :D