about eren/levi & levi/eren (fanfic)
this is a follow up⌠follow up of my posts about using the borrowed tags of ereri/rivaere correctly. if you have not read the original post on what tag means what or why you should be careful about tagging fanart i greatly encourage you to read those posts before reading this post, as this post will speak of some of the topics touched previously in those posts.
the topic for this post is in regards to the most common practice of the western fandom when it comes to contributing to their ship/fandom. it is the medium i am most familiar to: fanfiction
this is a guide that will assist you in choosing the correct tags to label your work
in the previous posts i stress greatly about how both the commonplace ship tag âereriâ (and the less common ârivaereâ) are borrowed tags. they are tags/ship names we have taken from the japanese fandom and so have specific meanings.
japanese ship names are typically created as such: since many fanworks are R18 and there is a strong rule of courtesy when it comes to preference of âtop or bottomâ, in m/m works in particular it is customary that the first syllable(s) of the character who tops [is dominate] will go first in the ship name, and the first syllable(s) of the character who bottoms [is submissive] will be second
eren/levi: ereri follows this as such eren/rivaiÂ
ă¨ăŹăłăăŞă´ăĄă¤ ďź ă¨ăŹăŞ
levi/eren: rivaere follows this as such rivai/eren
ăŞă´ăĄă¤ăă¨ăŹăł ďź ăŞă´ăĄă¨ăŹ
*please note, in japanese leviâs name is spelt phonetically- ârivaiâ
but this is how japanese fandoms come up with ship names/tags. western fandoms have a different method.
though, depending on the fandom, if itâs anime/manga/video games- should there be a âwestern counterpartâ(what the snk fandom is btw) it is not uncommon for the western counterpart to adopt the japanese tags/ship names (like we have done). however there are times a western counterpart will make its own ship names and style these names like they typically do in fandoms for ships of a western series. itâs because western fandoms have a different method that our ship tag is befuddled. people are misusing it because they have tacked onto it a western mentality though it is a japanese ship tag. this is harmful because the japanese ship tag is created by specific rules and as such has a specific meaning. trying to give it another meaning with western logic just doesnât make sense because the tag wasnât created to support that logic or any other meaning than the one it originally has.
when it comes to western series fandoms, they typically have (1) prevailing preference on âwho tops or bottomsâ and (1) ship name is decided to be unanimous. this ship name does not always adhere to the fandomsâ most popular/decided on preference. the unanimous ship name is usually decided as a combination of the characterâs names: the first half of one characterâs and then the second half of the other characterâs. and what combination of these names that usually âsounds the bestâ is how itâs decided.
even in western series fandoms, a unanimous ship name does not equate a unanimous tag.
i will use a western fandom i am familiar with as an example.
the BBC show âmerlinâ. The most popular m/m ship is âarthur/merlinâ, and the unanimous ship name follows western rules: it is âmerthurâ (merlin arthur). arthur topping merlin is more popular than merlin topping arthur, yet for the ship name merlin comes first. this is just what was decided in that fandom when they created their ship name.
since âmerthurâ is a unanimous ship name it can be used to speak of both works that are âarthur/merlinâ and/or âmerlin/arthurâ. be as that may, should the fic have sexual content or the writer has a preference, it is still common practice and courtesy, that if merlin tops arthur in a fic- even if the fic is labeled âmerthurâ, the pairing tagged/presented on the work would reflect the content and thus be âmerlin/arthurâ and not âarthur/merlinâ.
we have an extremely huge problem when it comes to fanfiction for our pairing and it is this confusion on tagging.
a work that has eren topping levi might be labeled âlevi/erenâ or a work that has levi topping eren might be labeled âeren/leviâ, because there is confusion that âereriâ is unanimous it is also confused on if the whole tag of a ship itself is also unanimous. it is not possible for a ship tag to be unanimous unless every single fan ships a pairing one certain way. as mentioned before, this is an extremely popular pairing, loved by many and interpreted differently by many so there are different preferences and as such different tags depending. that is just how it is, but it is not a difficult thing.
since our fandom is a western counterpart of a japanese fandom we are borrowing their ship names/tags. but when it comes to tagging our fanfic we are not borrowing japanese tags. we have our own tags that follow the same format as almost any other fandom. if your fic has sexual content, who tops and who bottoms is the deciding factor of whose name goes first and whose name goes second.
for examples i will be utilising AO3â˛s format, it is customary to include the surname(s) of the character(s) in the ship tags of this website and so the tags will reflect that. however it is up to you should you be posting on tumblr or a blog site like lj if you want to include surname (i personally rather like to, this is spoilers free below)
if levi tops and eren bottoms, itâs âlevi/erenâ and should be tagged as followed:
if eren tops and levi bottoms, itâs âeren/leviâ and should be tagged as followed:
if at some point they both top/bottom (switch) in the work, or will in the future depending on how you see it, it is either âlevi/eren/leviâ or âeren/levi/erenâ. you could use a tag like this
but perhaps they donât switch in the same scene. or you donât want them to switch until later in your work. or that tag is simply too much effort and youâre retagging old works. taking that into consideration, what would be easiest is add the other tag with whatever ship tag you originally have and it will look as such (or the other way, i donât know what choice you thought youâd regret the least):
if your work does not have sexual content both tags can be used. people are usually only picky about preference when the work contains sexual content b/c one way might not be pleasing to them like the other. if your work does not have sexual content and you have a firm preference, of course any work can choose one tag over the other. the writer is the creator of their work so they know what their work is.Â
itâs because writers are not accurately tagging their works.
tagging for the ship is tagging for content.
tagging for preference is as important as for tagging for content like certain kinks (eg; foot fetish, breath play, somnophilia, fellatio) that your readers might share with you, and certain warnings (eg; rape, character death, extreme violence) that your readers might want to avoid.
depending on what you wrote and what you tag, determines on what sort of reader you will draw in.
you should not tag your work to be something it is not. if you do this it is a disservice to your work, yourself, and your audience.
people will choose to spend time on what they think they will enjoy. readers typically choose to read a fic because they think it will suit their tastes.
i will tell you now as a writer myself for this fandom and this pairing. my preference as i have stated on my blog is âlevi/erenâ. i only tag my work âlevi/erenâ because i only write âlevi/erenâ. and a comment i have received countlessly from readers has always been essentially: âi was relieved. you tagged the work as levi/eren and the work is levi/eren.â
i am making these posts on tagging partially because of such comments. why was i receiving such comments? does not every writer tag their content correctly? and then i was told this is not the case. and then i have seen it is not the case.
please remember, when it comes to your work, when you post, you the writer are the one in control of the tags on your work. the writer should know what tags they should use, because they wrote the content of the work.
do not be ashamed of what preference you have and do not be afraid to tag your work for what it is. the reader will know when they read your work what the truth is. the work is what it is. and the reader will know if you have deceived them for the sake of their potential readership.
in the case of many readers, they will definitely not trust you to read your work again if you have failed to warn them about certain content; the ship tag is that powerful. as powerful as tagging for warnings of unsavoury content (i have learnt my lessons too)
rather than ensnare a hit to your work- cultivate a company that will appreciate your work. i cannot imagine how many writers were thought of badly not because their writing was bad, but because they had mislabeled their work and left a bad taste in the readerâs mouth from the readerâs disappointment.
if a reader goes in expecting x/y but the content is y/x, the reader will be upset about that. especially when they only started to read the work because they trusted you to present the work as what it is.
and it is especially important to tag your work when your work contains sexual content. letâs be real, porn is one of the most sought for type of works to read, and the most mislabeled despite that it is the most easy to tag.Â
tagging is a courtesy and it shows you care.
please care about your work, your readers, and other people in this fandom.
nobody wants to waste time reading something they know with certainty theyâre not going to like.
i speak to you as a writer again. the feedback you receive from people who truly value and understand your work because they share the same preference or likes or kinks, will always be the people who will enjoy your work the most. they will be the most likely to return to you. you will have their trust. they will be the most likely to speak to you about what they enjoyed and what you might need to work on. they will invigorate you and help you.
readers are important and so are you the writer.
i have always thought, writing fanfic is for fun, it is for my own self-satisfaction and i still think that, and that the most important person to enjoy the work is the person who created it. love your work, be honest about your work; always strive to improve and berate yourself over how it can be done better. enjoy yourself and let your readers enjoy your work for what it is. and that can be done if you show your readers consideration. you will love your work more if you do and so will your readers. have pride in what you do. everyone likes what they like and tagging is a tool that helps people who likes things exactly as you do, find your work.
please tag your work correctly.
i would like to stress for what seems the nth time. nobody is better than anyone else for having a preference. whether you only like one character to top or bottom, whether you like it when they switch, whether you view them asexual, or aromantic. if you prefer them as girls. if you prefer them in a modern setting over canon. however you like it. write what you like. but tag what it is you like.
we all ship this pair because we love them and no oneâs love is greater than the otherâs.
do not allow at any time for someone with any preference to look down on yours. people are always willing to cause trouble when they are unwilling to change, unwilling to learn; when they are arrogant and stupid. but we all have in common that we love this ship, just like how each tag has a meaning that will not change that fact too cannot change.
i am sincerely grateful to the people who have reblogged, liked, and even shared their stressful experiences from the misuse of tags. you have been helpful and i hope your input will also encourage everyone to tag their works and the works of otherâs correctly.
if you have read this far, thank you so very much for your time and consideration. i sincerely encourage you to reblog this post. iâm sorry itâs so long, writers never shut up. see you later!
andulkaphoto
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