AO3 Tags: BtVS (1992) versus BtVS (TV)
Tagging on AO3 can be a headache and a half, particularly as far as the 'Additional Tag's category goes, but when someone decides to write fanfiction one would assume that the person in question knows which fandom they're writing in. When said fandom is a franchise or have spin-offs, and/or remakes things get a little dicier, but still, making sure you're tagging the right one isn't that difficult. And no, tagging everything just to be 'safe' is *not* okay.
Case in point, the Buffyverse.
The Buffyverse is separated into four 'main' categories;
1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992).
This is the original movie which started the entire thing. Buffy no last name is a senior living in LA who is Chosen as the new Slayer. Her watcher is Merrick Jamison-Smythe, her romantic interests are Jeffrey Kramer ((ex-)boyfriend) and an outcast/rebel named Oliver Pike, and her friends are Jennifer Walkens, Kimberly Hannah, and Nicole Bobbittson. The main antagonist is Lothos, the King of Vampires, and his minions. The entire movie is set in LA.
Differences from the TV show include but is not limited to
- Vampires cannot transform their faces.
- Vampires can either fly or levitate.
- Vampires do not turn into dust when killed.
- The Slayer's ability to detect vampires gives them cramps.
- Each Slayer has a distinctive birthmark.
- Merrick is several hundred years old while Watchers in the TV show are mortal.
2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV). 1997-2003.
The TV show which made Buffy a cult icon. Buffy Summers is a 15 year old girl who is Chosen to become the Slayer. It's implied she's been the Slayer for some time before moving to LA, and some of the elements from the movie is given as a backstory for the TV show. Buffy's Watcher is Rupert Giles throughout most of the show, and her friends are the so-called Scooby Gang. She has a number of romantic interests throughout the show with the most notables ones being Angel, Riley Finn, and Spike. Each season has at least one main antagonist with minor ones throughout the seasons. The TV show is mainly set in Sunnydale.
3. Angel the Series. 1999-2004.
Spin-off from the TV show, featuring Angel, Cordelia Chase, and Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, plus an assortment of new characters. Angel, Cordelia, and Doyle start a detective agency called Angel Investigations whose mission statement is to 'help the helpless'. The show mainly takes place in LA.
4. The Comics, the Novels, the Video Games, and the Unreleased Animated Series.
Some of these are officially canon, continuing either from Buffy the TV show or from Angel the Series, but for the most part they're non-canon. Some are non-canon backstories, or in the case of Fray, set far into the future.
So, what are you going to tag your shiny new fic with?
Well, it depends on who's in it and when and where it's set. If you're writing a BtVS fic, ask yourself this: Does Willow, Xander, Giles, Faith, Angel, Spike, Dawn, and/or Sunnydale, etc. exist in your fic? If the answer is 'yes', then you tag it with 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV). If the answer is 'no' and it's set in LA, then you have to tag it with 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)'.
Of course, it isn't always that simple since some of the movie plot was reused in the TV show. However, chances are that what you're looking for is the TV show since there isn't really a lot of fics based on the movie.
This or that character appears in both Buffy the TV show and Angel the TV show!
Again, this can be a little tricky. Ask yourself this: When is your fic set? If you're writing about Cordelia in the early years then it's BtVS, if she's in LA after graduation then it's AtS. Same with Angel. Unless you ignore AtS entirely, of course. If you're writing Spike post-Chosen it's either AtS or Comics. Or completely AU. Faith is a problem child, but she's most likely BtVS unless it's AtS episode specific or set in the Comics.
Then there's crossovers between the various incarnations, and we get all the fandom tags.
What you have to consider when you tag your fic is who and what appears in the story. This had become especially important now that they've added a feature where we can exclude a large number of tags. So if you've added a fandom tag to your fic in order to get more exposure it could very well work against you if someone isn't interested in that particular fandom, character, or additional tag.
Case in point: There are 44 fics which use both the movie and TV tags, but only 14 of them include characters from the movie. The remaining 30 all have characters from the TV show. If you exclude the TV tag you get zero results.
I don't envy the tag wranglers over on AO3 who has to sort everything out, but I'm sure the people who are stuck with the Marvel/MCU mess has it even worse. *pets them*
Case in point, the Buffyverse.
The Buffyverse is separated into four 'main' categories;
1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992).
This is the original movie which started the entire thing. Buffy no last name is a senior living in LA who is Chosen as the new Slayer. Her watcher is Merrick Jamison-Smythe, her romantic interests are Jeffrey Kramer ((ex-)boyfriend) and an outcast/rebel named Oliver Pike, and her friends are Jennifer Walkens, Kimberly Hannah, and Nicole Bobbittson. The main antagonist is Lothos, the King of Vampires, and his minions. The entire movie is set in LA.
Differences from the TV show include but is not limited to
- Vampires cannot transform their faces.
- Vampires can either fly or levitate.
- Vampires do not turn into dust when killed.
- The Slayer's ability to detect vampires gives them cramps.
- Each Slayer has a distinctive birthmark.
- Merrick is several hundred years old while Watchers in the TV show are mortal.
2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV). 1997-2003.
The TV show which made Buffy a cult icon. Buffy Summers is a 15 year old girl who is Chosen to become the Slayer. It's implied she's been the Slayer for some time before moving to LA, and some of the elements from the movie is given as a backstory for the TV show. Buffy's Watcher is Rupert Giles throughout most of the show, and her friends are the so-called Scooby Gang. She has a number of romantic interests throughout the show with the most notables ones being Angel, Riley Finn, and Spike. Each season has at least one main antagonist with minor ones throughout the seasons. The TV show is mainly set in Sunnydale.
3. Angel the Series. 1999-2004.
Spin-off from the TV show, featuring Angel, Cordelia Chase, and Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, plus an assortment of new characters. Angel, Cordelia, and Doyle start a detective agency called Angel Investigations whose mission statement is to 'help the helpless'. The show mainly takes place in LA.
4. The Comics, the Novels, the Video Games, and the Unreleased Animated Series.
Some of these are officially canon, continuing either from Buffy the TV show or from Angel the Series, but for the most part they're non-canon. Some are non-canon backstories, or in the case of Fray, set far into the future.
So, what are you going to tag your shiny new fic with?
Well, it depends on who's in it and when and where it's set. If you're writing a BtVS fic, ask yourself this: Does Willow, Xander, Giles, Faith, Angel, Spike, Dawn, and/or Sunnydale, etc. exist in your fic? If the answer is 'yes', then you tag it with 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV). If the answer is 'no' and it's set in LA, then you have to tag it with 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)'.
Of course, it isn't always that simple since some of the movie plot was reused in the TV show. However, chances are that what you're looking for is the TV show since there isn't really a lot of fics based on the movie.
This or that character appears in both Buffy the TV show and Angel the TV show!
Again, this can be a little tricky. Ask yourself this: When is your fic set? If you're writing about Cordelia in the early years then it's BtVS, if she's in LA after graduation then it's AtS. Same with Angel. Unless you ignore AtS entirely, of course. If you're writing Spike post-Chosen it's either AtS or Comics. Or completely AU. Faith is a problem child, but she's most likely BtVS unless it's AtS episode specific or set in the Comics.
Then there's crossovers between the various incarnations, and we get all the fandom tags.
What you have to consider when you tag your fic is who and what appears in the story. This had become especially important now that they've added a feature where we can exclude a large number of tags. So if you've added a fandom tag to your fic in order to get more exposure it could very well work against you if someone isn't interested in that particular fandom, character, or additional tag.
Case in point: There are 44 fics which use both the movie and TV tags, but only 14 of them include characters from the movie. The remaining 30 all have characters from the TV show. If you exclude the TV tag you get zero results.
I don't envy the tag wranglers over on AO3 who has to sort everything out, but I'm sure the people who are stuck with the Marvel/MCU mess has it even worse. *pets them*