AU List

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BDSM AU – Is when the entire cast is either a dominant or a submissive and BDSM relationships are considered the norm. Be advised that while a healthy BDSM relationship is consensual and not dangerous, if handled incorrectly it can result in abusive behavior which is offensive and considered bad BDSM etiquette.

BioShock AU – In this AU, the characters of a fandom are portrayed as the characters from the video game series BioShock. Writers find the idea of the characters being trapped in the underwater city of Rapture (or the floating city of Columbia) appealing while they face ADAM-obsessed enemies and the iconic, deadly Big Daddies (or Handyman/Songbird).

Blogger AU– Is similar to Youtuber AU, in which a character is well-known for their blog. Usually it’s focused on one or more of their favorite interests, be it trying different food, sharing what their lifestyle is like, hobbies that they enjoy like photography or fashion. If not, they might write articles on current events, do interviews or give advice about various subjects. Usually the rest of the cast is their fans or they meet them through their blogging adventures.

Bonnie and Clyde AU – In this AU, two of the characters in a fandom (usually a pairing) take on the roles of the American criminal couple, Bonnie and Clyde. Together, they traveled the land robbing people and killing when cornered or confronted.

Bookstore AU – When most of the casts works at a bookstore. If not, usually a few of the characters work there, while the rest of them are customers. Another version is the Library AU, in which one or two of the characters are librarians, while the rest of the cast spend their time looking for particular books to read or for information.

Bounty Hunter AU – Is also known as Recovery Agent AU. These AU stories usually focus on a pairing, in which one of the characters is a bounty hunter, who captures fugitives for a bounty and the other is the fugitive.

Business AU – In which the story is set in an office building and the characters are employees. Sometimes it is focus on one character who works as a personal secretary and another character as their boss.

Catboy/Catgirl AU – Is when a canon character becomes a half-cat person, thus having cat ears, a cat tail, fangs, and claws.

Circus AU – In which the story is set in a circus and the characters are circus performers or customers.

Coffee Shop Au– Also known as Barista AU. In most cases, one half of the main pairing is the barista and the other is or becomes their favorite customer; in some stories the whole cast works at a coffee shop.

Corpse Bride AU – Is an AU where the characters from another fandom are placed into the roles and/or plot from Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride.

Corpse Party AU – In this AU, the character of a fandom are placed into the setting or plot of the survival horror adventure video game series, Corpse Party.

Crime AU – In which the characters of a story are various type of criminals, such as burglars, bank robbers, gangsters, drug dealers, smugglers, hitman/fixer and so on. This AU focuses on their criminal lives. It is similar to the Mafia AU.

Dance AU – Is an AU that has one or two characters that have a passion or interest for dancing. They go out to clubs or join a dance studio to learn. Or they own a dance studio and prefer to teach it. Sometimes the entire cast are students of a dance school.

Dark Fantasy AU – Is a subgenre of fantasy, which incorporate darker and frightening themes of fantasy (such as the dark and frightening side of human nature, psychology and the weird, sublime and uncanny). It also often combines fantasy with elements of horror or has a gloomy, dark (or grimdark) atmosphere, or a sense of horror and dread. Examples of this type of genre that this AUs might use are Stephen King’s The Gunslinger, Glen Cook’s The Black Company, Neil Gaiman’s Coraline, etc.

Darkside AU – Is when the canon villain of the story succeeded in their ultimate mission or goals and the AU story focuses on the outcome of it. For example: In Harry Potter, what would happen if Voldemort had won? Or what if Tom Riddle had been successful in sucking out all the life energy from Ginny and had come back alive?

Dead Space AU – Is when the characters of a fandom are place into the setting or plot of the science fiction survival horror video game, Dead Space.

Delivery AU – In this AU, a character is a food delivery driver for either pizza, Chinese, or groceries. The restaurant or store they work for gains a regular customer, which is another character that usually is who they’re paired with.

Deserted Island AU – Or also known as Uninhabited Island AU. Is when a main character and another character are trapped or stranded on a deserted island, usually from being shipwrecked, their plane crashing, or they were left behind. Sometimes this includes the entire cast of the fandom and other times it just focuses on a pairing.

Disability AU – Related to this AU and is most commonly used is Deaf AU, Mute AU, and Blind AU. In which one of the characters is born or becomes impaired with an cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, sensory, or some combination of these. Usually these types of AUs explore what the character’s life is like now with the disability, how those around them behave/interact with them and so on.

Dog Walker Au– In this AU, a character (which may or may not be canon) has a dog and is need of a dog walker. This set up is usually a way to bring together a pairing.

Dragon AU – In this AU, it’s centered around a world inhabited by dragons. One or more characters that are canonically human are changed into dragons or have dragons forms. Usually they coexisted with humans, but not always. And sometimes this AU includes wizards, witches, princesses, and of course knights.

Dystopian AU – Is set in a dystopian society that is not the original setting of the canon. Some of the most famous examples of dystopian fiction that these AUs stories use are George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and Anthony Burgess’s A Clockwork Orange.

Fairy Tale AU – In which canon characters are put into situations and/or settings from Disney’s fairy tales, such as Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Frozen, etc. Other times it’s uses the Grimm’s fairy tales versions, which is a much more darker telling of the stories. These AU stories do not have to be exactly like the fairy tales, as the writers put their own spin to them.

Fake/Pretend Relationship AU – Is also known as Fake Dating AU (or Fake Marriage AU). Is when two characters are throw together in extended proximity and then explore the hidden, or not so hidden, feelings that develop. This AU covers all sorts of pretenses; marriages of convenience, undercover identities, investigations, financial schemes, immigration schemes, high school reunion dates, wedding dates, making someone jealous, and so on.

Fallout AU – In this AU, it places the characters into the plot or setting of the post-apocalyptic role-playing video game series, Fallout.

Fantasy AU – In which the story takes place in a fantasy universe where magic is normal, technology is nonexistent, and magical creatures or  mythical beings exist. Some of the most famous examples of fantasy fiction that this kind of AUs use are The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lord of the Rings, His Dark Materials (which begins with The Golden Compass), and The Wizard of Earthsea collections