Link to article: Tale Tagging Guide.
+ Introduction and the golden rules If you are reading this, you likely are interested in helping to tag our many tales. Now, unlike other tags, which are an objective description of an article, the genre and themes of a work are inherently subjective. To remedy this, we take the author's word as the final source of authority on an article. ++ The Golden Rule: The author has the final word on what genre and theme tags apply to an article. The second key thing to understand is that genre and theme tags are fundamentally for navigation and discovery. Thus, in case of uncertainty: ++ The Secondary Rule: If you are uncertain about if a tag should be applied, ask if someone who was searching specifically for that tag would be interested in that article. As an example, if an article has an incidental gay couple or a character who goes by neopronouns, but the story does not explore those concepts, it likely should not be tagged LGBT except by the tale's author (see the Golden rule). When tagging for genre and themes, the aim is to apply the most relevant tags for describing the work, not necessarily everything that could apply. Subtags require the parent tag, but do not supersede it, so tales will be tagged with both //horror// and //body-horror// when appropriate. ++ You don't need to tag everything that could apply, just whatever you see based on your best judgement. Finally, when it comes to new articles, you can tag for genre and themes. However, the objective components (characters, groups, series, and canons) are best left to the tagging team; we identify untagged tales by a lack of the //tale// tag, so leave that out. ++ If you are tagging a new article, please don't add the //tale// tag specifically and let tagging do that part. Please see the [https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/a-laymen-s-guide-to-tagging tagging guide] for details on non genre tagging. + Who can tag tales While we do limit the number of people who can tag articles, this list is very broad and applies to most people who have interacted with the site in any meaningful capacity. The following users can tag articles: * Any user with one successful page on the site. * Any user who has had an idea fully greenlit (two greenlights). * Any user who has passed a crit flight or has greenlight permissions for some other reason. * Site Staff. * Former staff in good standing. * Any user a member of site staff deems capable of doing so (see https://05command.wikidot.com/staff-list for a list of all staff). + Where to start If you are an author, we recommend that you start with your own tales. If all of your articles are all tagged, or if you are not an author, please check [[[workbench:tale-tagging|here]]] for a collection of untagged tales. If an article you want to tag is locked, please contact a site moderator as seen in [[[system:members]]]. The best way to do this is to make a request on the official SCP discord (https://discord.com/invite/scp) or the official SCP staff discord (https://discord.gg/efrnKZxVZB). Alternatively, sending a wikidot PM to a moderator with a list of tags for an article is allowed. + Tags and their definitions ++ Genre and Theme * **[https://scpwiki.com/system:page-tags/tag/absurdist-fiction absurdist-fiction]** -- Depicts events lacking any rational explanation or meaning, for the purpose of shock or comedy. * **[https://scpwiki.com/system:page-tags/tag/action action]** -- Focuses on exciting events and spectacular violence. * **[https://scpwiki.com/system:page-tags/tag/adventure adventure]** -- Focuses on the exploration of unfamiliar environments. * **[https://scpwiki.com/system:page-tags/tag/bittersweet bittersweet]** -- Intended to evoke both positive and negative emotions. For tales that mix elements of both the //bleak// and //heartwarming// tags. * **[https://scpwiki.com/system:page-tags/tag/bleak bleak]** -- Intended to evoke negative emotions, focusing on anguish, distress, and suffering. * **[https://scpwiki.com/system:page-tags/tag/comedy comedy]** -- Intended to be funny. * **[https://scpwiki.com/system:page-tags/tag/black-comedy black-comedy]** -- Depicts shocking or unpleasant situations for the purpose of humour. * **[https://scpwiki.com/system:page-tags/tag/chase chase]** -- Focuses on pursuit or escape. * **[https://scpwiki.com/system:page-tags/tag/crime-fiction crime-fiction]** -- Focuses on criminals and law enforcement. * **[https://scpwiki.com/system:page-tags/tag/fantasy fantasy]** -- Depicts magic and the supernatural, inspired by mythology and folklore. * **[https://scpwiki.com/system:page-tags/tag/heartwarming heartwarming]** -- Intended to evoke positive emotions, focusing on pleasant experiences and supportive relationships. * **[https://scpwiki.com/system:page-tags/tag/horror horror]** -- Intended to evoke fear, shock, or disgust in the reader. * **[https://scpwiki.com/system:page-tags/tag/body-horror body-horror]** -- Focuses on physical mutilation or transformation. * **[https://scpwiki.com/system:page-tags/tag/cosmic-horror cosmic-horror]** -- Focuses on human insignificance and irrelevance, with emphasis on the unknowable and incomprehensible. * **[https://scpwiki.com/system:page-tags/tag/psychological-horror psychological-horror]** -- Focuses on psychological distress and emotional vulnerability. * **[https://scpwiki.com/system:page-tags/tag/lgbtq lgbtq]** -- Features LGBTQ+ themes, culture, or history as a major focus of the work. Possible examples include portrayal of gay and lesbian relationships, depiction of asexuality and bisexuality, and exploration of trans, queer, and agender identities. * **[https://scpwiki.com/system:page-tags/tag/military-fiction military-fiction]** -- Focuses on soldiers, field agents, or mercenaries. * **[https://scpwiki.com/system:page-tags/tag/mystery mystery]** -- Focuses on investigation of unanswered questions. * **[https://scpwiki.com/system:page-tags/tag/mythological-fiction mythological-fiction]** -- Depicts creatures, events, and practices drawn from mythology and folklore of a specific culture, outside of structured religious practice. * **[https://scpwiki.com/system:page-tags/tag/religious-fiction religious-fiction]** -- Focuses on religion, faith, and belief. Includes depictions of real-world religions, as well as worship of anomalous entities. * **[https://scpwiki.com/system:page-tags/tag/romance romance]** -- Focuses on romantic relationships between characters. * **[https://scpwiki.com/system:page-tags/tag/science-fiction science-fiction]** -- Depicts advanced science and technology. May feature scientific analysis of phenomena currently thought to be impossible. * **[https://scpwiki.com/system:page-tags/tag/slice-of-life slice-of-life]** -- Offers a look into the everyday lives of characters, with a focus on the mundane. * **[https://scpwiki.com/system:page-tags/tag/spy-fiction spy-fiction]** -- Focuses on espionage and counter-intelligence. * **[https://scpwiki.com/system:page-tags/tag/surrealist-fiction surrealist-fiction]** -- Creates a dream-like story by juxtoposing the mundane with the impossible and irrational, with emphasis on subconscious associations between them. ++ Setting The following tags describe settings associated with particular genres. Additional genre tags from the list above will likely apply as well. * **[https://scpwiki.com/system:page-tags/tag/alternate-history alternate-history]** -- Depicts historical events that diverge from how they happened in real life. This tag only applies for when there is a divergence in history as known to the general public - otherwise this would apply to all tales on the Wiki, given that there is not a massive global conspiracy to hide the supernatural in real life. Additionally, any events occurring in the future are not alternative history. To give some specific examples: * [/system:page-tags/tag/7th-occult-war The Seventh Occult War] does not count as Alternate History, as World War II still looks normal to most people, despite the use of anomalous weapons. * [[[broken-masquerade-hub| Broken Masquerade]]] is alternative history, as things do look dramatically different once the Foundation is unveiled. * [[[unfounded-hub|Unfounded]]], in which the Foundation never existed, does not get the aternate history tag, as the premise is that the world largely looks the same. * [[[ad-astra-per-aspera-hub| Ad Astra Per Aspera]]] is set in the future, and so does not count as alternate history. * **[https://scpwiki.com/system:page-tags/tag/dystopian dystopian]** -- Imagines a non-existent society or culture, portrayed as being much worse than our current one. * **[https://scpwiki.com/system:page-tags/tag/otherworldly otherworldly]** -- Set in another world, reality, or universe. Includes works that are specifically set somewhere other than Earth, as well as portal fantasy fiction featuring travel to another world. * **[https://scpwiki.com/system:page-tags/tag/period-piece period-piece]** -- Set during a specific period in the past. * **[https://scpwiki.com/system:page-tags/tag/post-apocalyptic post-apocalyptic]** -- Takes place after a catastrophic event. * **[https://scpwiki.com/system:page-tags/tag/space-opera space-opera]** -- Depicts a futuristic society in outer space or on other planets, focusing on dramatic events and adventures. * **[https://scpwiki.com/system:page-tags/tag/western western]** -- Set in the American Frontier, during the time period known as the Wild West. * **[https://scpwiki.com/system:page-tags/tag/utopian utopian]** -- Imagines a non-existent society or culture, portrayed as being much better than our current one. ++ Style The following tags describe how the tale is conveyed. * **[https://scpwiki.com/system:page-tags/tag/first-person first-person]** -- Told from a //first-person// perspective ("I did"). * **[https://scpwiki.com/system:page-tags/tag/second-person second-person]** -- Told from a //second-person// perspective ("you did"). * **[https://scpwiki.com/system:page-tags/tagjournal journal]** -- told in the form of an in universe journal written while events happen. * **[https://scpwiki.com/system:page-tags/tag/no-dialogue no-dialogue]** -- Contains no spoken dialogue. * **[https://scpwiki.com/system:page-tags/tag/worldbuilding worldbuilding]** -- Focuses on conveying information about the setting, often taking the form of an in-universe document. ++ Other * **[https://scpwiki.com/system:page-tags/tag/_genreless _genreless]** -- No Genre, Setting, or Style tags apply to this tale. Used to identify which articles need to be tagged, versus those that are not taggable. Only apply this tag if none of the definitions listed above apply to the article.