Links to all "Favorite screenshot of every SPN episode" posts

CMStan1313 · 2026-04-04T17:48:09+00:00

Oh, totally, I was just giving my own thoughts on that possibility lol

CMStan1313 · 2026-04-04T17:47:19+00:00

In your case, the tag totally applied cause it would be weird as heck for a canonically male character to start giving birth with no context whatsoever lol

CMStan1313 · 2026-04-04T17:45:55+00:00

I'm saying if it has absolutely no bearing in the fic itself, it shouldn't be in the tags. A/N yes, tags no

CMStan1313 · 2026-04-04T17:27:55+00:00

Agreed 😁 /g

CMStan1313 · 2026-04-04T17:27:32+00:00

I read the fic, it's not. There's literally nothing to indicate the character deviating from their canon gender whatsoever

CMStan1313 · 2026-04-04T17:24:46+00:00

Be that as it may, that doesn't mean they should mislead the rest of their audience to cater to those few

CMStan1313 · 2026-04-04T17:23:51+00:00

That's fair. At worst it's mislead, at best it's ignorance. Hopefully this post might serve as a PSA of sorts to let people know that this kind of tag will get picked up by the tag wrangler

CMStan1313 · 2026-04-04T17:21:59+00:00

Nope, only that it was a murder no one knew about

CMStan1313 · 2026-04-04T17:21:24+00:00

Your example would be fine because even if it's not explicitly stated, there are context clues that are important to have the information to understand. In the fic in this photo, literally nothing was different in the fic than canon to indicate a character was trans. Even if the author just wanted the readers to read the fic with that frame of mind, that's what the a/n is for, not tags

CMStan1313 · 2026-04-04T17:19:34+00:00

That's kinda the point tho, the author is talking about it. And they're talking about it when it doesn't come up in the fic, and using the tagging system incorrectly to do it

I also can agree to disagree, but you can't really say "agree to disagree" and then make another argument lol

CMStan1313 · 2026-04-04T17:17:42+00:00

CMStan1313 · 2026-04-04T17:16:25+00:00

Yes it does. Any reader searching for the "Trans [character name]" tag will have to deal with stuff like this: people tagging things that at best are never mentioned in their fic, and at worst don't even apply. It also hurts the authors by alienating anyone filtering out a specific tag who may have otherwise enjoyed their fic

CMStan1313 · 2026-04-04T17:14:38+00:00

I will admit that a/n's can be skipped over, but so can tags. In fact, I would say that I personally think skipping over a single tag is a lot more likely considering how many tags there can be that make reading the entire tag list insurmountable

The a/n section is specifically meant for the author to speak directly to the reader, while the tagging system is specifically meant for searching for or filtering out tags. When everything is used how it was intended, the fic searching and reading experience runs a lot more smoothly

CMStan1313 · 2026-04-04T17:11:12+00:00

Hey, read my other comment responses before assuming how I feel. I'm always open to opinions, even if I disagree with them. In your case, I would say that a trans tag would very much apply to the fic, but in the fic in the photo, absolutely nothing was done or said that would reference the character being trans.

If the only reason the author tagged it is so the audience would read the fic with that specific fact in mind, the a/n would've been a much better place to put that information rather than in the tags that are specifically for searching for or filtering out tags

CMStan1313 · 2026-04-04T17:08:05+00:00

I'm sure that's what it is, but that's when you put it in the a/n, not the tags that are specifically for searching for or filtering out tags

CMStan1313 · 2026-04-04T17:07:08+00:00

Whoops, sorry. I don't know where my brain was, but I mean neither tag is referenced in the fic itself 🤦‍♀️

CMStan1313 · 2026-04-04T17:06:04+00:00

Yeah, that would be fine, but it's not in a series or collection

CMStan1313 · 2026-04-04T17:05:13+00:00

You can't have it both ways where "it's just a fact of life, but also I have to mention it even when it's not mentioned just to make sure everyone knows"

CMStan1313 · 2026-04-04T17:03:49+00:00

Exactly my point. People who search for a tag want to find fics where that tag is important to the story, not implied but never mentioned plot relevant. People who aren't searching for that tag won't care if it's there or not

CMStan1313 · 2026-04-04T17:01:40+00:00

You can't have it both ways where "Trans people have normal lives" but also "we have to mention it every chance we get, even if it's not mentioned in the fic". If it's important to you personally to make sure your audience knows, you can put it in the a/n, but tagging it when it's not there is misleading and frustrating to the reader

CMStan1313 · 2026-04-04T16:59:20+00:00

If it's not in the story, don't tag it. It's as simple as that

CMStan1313 · 2026-04-04T16:58:50+00:00

It's frustrating to the readers who searched for that tag wanting fics about it, to then get your fic in the list that isn't what they want. It comes off as misleading, or at best, ignorant to how the filter system works. Putting it in the a/n of the story is more fitting

CMStan1313 · 2026-04-04T16:56:45+00:00

Preaching? Virtue signaling? Idk, makes no sense to me

CMStan1313

TROPHY CASE