18. Do you prefer to give your ocs specific labels, or keep it unspecified? Why? If applicable, do you change their labels depending on circumstance?
For me, it really depends! A lot of the time, I don't know at first, unless their sexual/romantic/gender identity is one of the most fundemental parts of thier self identity or the plot. Sometimes, it's a changing thing.
One of my whumpees, Aiyan, is a great example! At first, I assumed only they/them pronouns, but eventually I realized they were a they/she type of person. I also had no idea about their agab until it became relevant (thry were naked in a scene). I still don't know their exact gender identity, just thrir pronouns and the fact that they're cisn't.
I also originally thought that she was asexual and aromantic because they seemed completely uninterested. But then, they developed a romantic relationship with another character and I realized they were demiromantic and grey ace.
When I figure out thier identities, I typically use modern terms to keep everything clear for myself, but will often change terminology in the actual story to mesh with their experiences.
For example, another character of mine is attracted to multiple genders and is a woman, but doesn't use the labels bi or pan because she's in a Victorian inspired setting. Similarly, Aiyan was raised in a very isolated and fundementalist community, so they didn't have the language to describe themself until they left.
So really, it depends on whether they have the language to describe themselves, whether that language would be different than today based on setting and culture, and whether I'm writing the story or a meta post like this!
Thanks for asking!