Joy

Let's talk about relationship tagging! Does anyone else get stumped by this?

To start: I often write what I call a hybrid between romance and gen. Possibly owing to being acearospec, I tend to focus more on the emotional and collaborative aspects of relationships than the pure ~romance~ as it were, although I've written some fluff as well. So when do I tag a fic as being gen, and when do I tag it as being M/M or F/M, etc.? And when do I use specific relationship tags?


I hope this question makes sense. Perhaps my thoughts will add some clarity. Jim, Doug and Paula aren't real characters, although now I want them to be.

Scenario 1: Doug drunkenly half-proposes to Jim. Obviously this is pure M/M and Jim/Doug. (I actually did write a fic with that premise.)

Scenario 2: Jim and Doug discuss moving out of Jim's apartment into their new shared home. This is still M/M and Jim/Doug, because while there's not a lot of romance per se, they're having an important conversation about next steps as a couple.

Scenario 3: Doug's sister Paula shows up in need of support. The fic entails Jim and Doug helping her make a decision. They're together as a couple in the fic, but it focuses more on their relationship with her than it does each other. This would be a tough call, but I think I'd still say M/M and Jim/Doug.

Scenario 4: Doug and Paula go on a road trip. Jim is mentioned, but barely. I would mark this as purely gen/Doug & Paula, but note that Jim is mentioned. 

Scenario 5: On a road trip, Doug and Paula end up discussing his will they/won't they relationship with Jim, Doug landing on the fact that he is willing to risk that Jim might not feel the same way. This I would say is Jim/Doug because even though they aren't together, it very much focuses ON their budding relationship. 

Obviously, there many other variants. Thoughts?

(Please tell me if this doesn't make sense. My thoughts are scattered among the millions and that doesn't always result in coherence.)