Can I put both gen and a romance tag (M/M, M/F etc) on a fic? I’m writing one that follows separate characters, and romance isn’t a part of those stories. Is there a way to specify this in additional tags?
Yeah, that's absolutely possible to do! I'd specify this partly through relationship tags (i.e. tagging the romance as characterA/characterB and any important platonic relationships as characterB&characterC) and partly through additional tags.
As far as additional tags, here's my advice. If I'm understanding your ask right (feel free to tell me if I'm not), the majority of the fic is platonic stuff, so you can definitely use a tag like "Mostly Gen" to indicate this. If the romance is only at the end, "Slow Burn" is usually appropriate. If the romantic relationship doesn't actually appear in the fic but is implied to happen afterward, "Pre-Relationship" is a good tag to use. If the fic involves important platonic relationships, tag those too! Tags like "Family Dynamics" or "Friendship" can really be useful!
Also, like, use those additional tags to talk about what actually does happen in the story! Is it mostly hurt/comfort or family drama or set in the characters' childhood? Even if a fic is tagged with a ship, if most of the tags are about something other than romance, most readers will understand that the romance is not the main focus of the fic.
Finally, if you're still worried the tags aren't clear enough, feel free to say something in the initial author's note! Since you're not limited to certain words and phrases, you can be clearer about what exactly you have planned for the fic there.
blakekathryn
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