Tags

Witches / Warlocks

Mythical & Fantastical Creatures

Synonyms: Black Magicians, Sorceresses, Witchers

Witches and/or warlocks play a significant role in the fic.

Witch Hunts

Historical Periods & Events

Synonyms: Salem Witch Trials

The fic is set during the European and colonial witch hunts of the early modern period.

Withdrawal

Illnesses, Disorders & Phobias

Synonyms: Dope Sickness, Medication Withdrawal, Withdrawal Syndrome

The fic depicts characters experiencing a cluster of symptoms, varying in combination and severity, that arise when a psychoactive substance is stopped or its dose is reduced after repeated, usually prolonged and/or high-dose, use.

Witnesses

Occupations

Synonyms: Witness Protection, Witness Protection Program, WITSEC

The fic involves characters who have witnessed some event.

Wizarding Wars

Fandom-Specific Tags fanfiction only

Synonyms: Battle of Hogwarts

The fic is set during the First or the Second Wizarding War (Harry Potter).

Wizards / Sorceresses

Mythical & Fantastical Creatures

Synonyms: Mages, Magical Abilities, Sorcerers

Wizards and sorceresses play a significant role in the fic.

Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

Tropes

The fic describes knowingly negative characters who pretend to be good and conceal their true nature.

Womance

Relationships

Synonyms: Female Bromance, Sisteromance

The fic focuses on an extremely close, non-sexual and non-romantic relationship between two or more female characters that exceeds the level of ordinary friendship and is marked by a particularly high level of emotional intimacy.

Womanizer

Relationships

Synonyms: Casanova, Ladies' Man, Lothario, Skirt-Chaser

The fic gives an important role to a male character who falls in love easily, frequently changes partners, and doesn't seek a serious relationship.

Workaholism

Freeform

The fic centers on characters driven to excessive work, whose drive clearly goes beyond ordinary diligence and/or love of their work.

Workers

Occupations

Synonyms: Industrial Workers, Labor Force

The fic's plot is centered on the life and activities of characters who work at enterprises in various branches of industry.

Workplace Romance

Relationships

Synonyms: Boss/Subordinate, Commander/Subordinate, Military Romance, Office Romance

The fic focuses on a romantic and/or sexual relationship between coworkers.

Worldbuilding Notes

Format

Synonyms: Lore, Setting Guide

The fic presents worldbuilding details, lore or setting notes rather than a story.

World Reboot

Tropes

The fic builds on the trope that implies a new interpretation of an already existing setting.

Worldview Conflict

Warnings

The fic depicts conflicts between characters whose worldviews differ drastically.

World War I

Historical Periods & Events

Synonyms: WWI

The fic's events take place during World War I, with the corresponding setting. The story may align with real-world history or diverge from it.

World War II

Historical Periods & Events

Synonyms: Ostarbeiters, WWII

The fic's events take place during World War II. The story may align with real-world history or diverge from it.

World War III

Setting

Synonyms: Third World War

The fic takes place during World War III — a hypothetical future global conflict. Its events may be based on real history or diverge from it.

World Without Homophobia

Tropes

The fic's action takes place in a world or society where the concept of 'homophobia' does not exist, and homosexual and/or bisexual relationships are the norm.

World Without Sex

Setting

The fic is set in a world where sex is wholly or partly absent.

World Without STDs

Setting

The fic depicts a world without sexually transmitted diseases, or one where it's impossible to contract them through sexual contact.

Worry

Freeform

Synonyms: Friendly concern

The fic focuses significantly on the theme of worry.

Wound Kink

Kinks (18+)

Synonyms: Burn Kink

The fic depicts a range of erotic fetishes connected to physical injuries, wounds, and mutilation.

Writers

Occupations

Synonyms: Aspiring Writers

The fic's plot is centered on the life and activities of writer, publisher and literary agent characters.

Wrong Number

Tropes

Synonyms: Wrong Text

The fic starts when a message or call reaches the wrong person, leading to contact.

Xenomorphs

Mythical & Fantastical Creatures

Synonyms: Alien (franchise)

Xenomorphs, alien creatures from the Alien franchise, play a significant role in the fic.

Xenophilia

Kinks (18+)

Synonyms: Interspecies Relationships, Xenokink, Xenoromance

The fic focuses on romantic or sexual relationships between sentient beings of different species.

Xenophobia

Warnings

Synonyms: Chauvinism, National Discrimination, Racial Discrimination, Slurs

The fic depicts characters displaying irrationally hostile or discriminatory attitudes toward "outsiders," expressing hatred toward them, denying their existence, or restricting their social rights. These "outsiders" are most often characters of other races, species, nationalities, and so on.

Y/N (Reader-Insert)

Format

Synonyms: Any Name, Character/Reader, Reader-insert, X Reader, Your Name

The fic is written in a format that lets the reader insert themselves or another character into the story: placeholders like "Y/N" ("Your Name") or "A/N" ("Any Name") should be replaced with the chosen name while reading.

Yandere

Tropes

The fic focuses on a character in love who, driven by jealousy, is willing to maim or even kill rivals — and sometimes the object of their affection.

Yangire

Tropes

Characters who at first seem friendly but later reveal a penchant for cruelty play a significant role in the fic.

Yaoguai

Mythical & Fantastical Creatures

The fic focuses on supernatural creatures of Chinese mythology.

Yoga

Sports

Synonyms: Yogis

The fic centers on the lifestyle and activities of a character or characters practicing the physical, spiritual, and/or mental disciplines that originated in ancient India.

Yokai

Mythical & Fantastical Creatures

Synonyms: Bakeneko, Dodomeki, Gotoku-neko, Hari-onago, Kawauso, Mononoke, Nekomata, Nogitsune, Noppera-pon, Nukekubi, Oni, Rokurokubi, Tanuki, Tengu, Tsukumogami, Yamamba, Yamauba, Yuki-onna

The fic focuses on supernatural beings of Japanese mythology.

Younger Top, Older Bottom

Relationships

Synonyms: Older Bottom, Younger Top

The fic uses an age dynamic in which the active partner is younger than the passive partner. It's recommended to use this tag together with the 'Age Gap' tag to make searching easier.

Young Parents

Relationships

The fic focuses on characters who became parents at a young age, either early or too early by the standards of the society they belong to.

Youth Sports School

Sports

Synonyms: Sports Academy

The fic features young athletes in youth sports schools and academies.

Yugoslavia

Historical Periods & Events

Synonyms: Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY; 1992-2003), Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918-1945), Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY; 1945-1992), State Union of Serbia and Montenegro (2003-2006)

The fic's events take place in the territory of the former Yugoslavia. The story may align with real-world history or diverge from it.

Yugoslav Wars

Historical Periods & Events

The fic's events take place during the armed conflicts in the former Yugoslavia between 1991 and 2001, with corresponding setting details. The story may align with real-world history or diverge from it.

Zadushky (Remembrance of the Dead)

Holidays

Synonyms: Hrobky, Provid Sunday, Radonytsia

The fic's events take place during the celebration of Zadushky (Remembrance of the Dead), or are closely tied to the holiday itself.

Zakarpattia

Geography & Ethnicity

Synonyms: Mukachevo, Transcarpathia, Uzhhorod

The fic is set in Zakarpattia (Transcarpathia).

Zaporizhian Sich

Historical Periods & Events

The fic's events take place in the territory of the Zaporizhian Sich, the self-governing Cossack host centered on the fortified encampments built on islands and riverbanks of the lower Dnieper, which from the 16th to the 18th century served as a key center of Ukrainian Cossack military, political, and social life. The story may align with real-world history or diverge from it.

Zmiy (Slavic Serpents)

Mythical & Fantastical Creatures

Synonyms: Serpent Lover, Zmiy Horynych

The fic features the zmiy, a serpent or dragon of Ukrainian folklore who can take human form, often as a seductive lover.

Zodiac Signs

Freeform

Synonyms: Aquarius, Aries, Cancer, Capricorn, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Pisces, Sagittarius, Scorpio, Taurus, Virgo

The fic gives a significant role to a specialized zodiac system in which each of the 12 signs is attributed certain metaphysical properties.

Zombies

Mythical & Fantastical Creatures

Synonyms: Local Zombie Apocalypse, Zombie Apocalypse

Zombies play a significant role in the fic.

Zoophobia

Illnesses, Disorders & Phobias

Synonyms: Agrizoophobia, Ailurophobia, Anatidaephobia, Batrachophobia, Bufonophobia, Cynophobia, Fear of Jellyfish, Herpetophobia, Hippophobia, Ichthyophobia, Musophobia, Ornithophobia, Pteronophobia, Selachophobia, Vespertiliophobia, Zemmiphobia

The fic depicts characters afraid of specific kinds of animals.

Zoos

Setting

Zoos, their staff, and visitors play a key role in the fic.