Rituals — Tag Meaning
Formal magical or cultural ceremonies — summonings, bonding rites, seasonal observances — whose rules and stakes structure the plot. The accidental ritual is a beloved device: characters bound, married, or soul-linked by a ceremony nobody fully read the fine print on.
What to Expect From "Rituals" Fics
Expect candles and circles, ceremonies with binding consequences, and accidental magical marriages at a statistically improbable rate.
How to find Rituals fics on AO3
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Browse "Rituals" works on AO3Popular Fics Tagged "Rituals"
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Related Tags
Soul Bond
Forges a metaphysical link between two characters — formed by ritual, accident, destiny, or one catastrophic act of magic — that typically carries shared emotions, pain transfer, or awareness of each other across distance. Distinct from soulmate predestination: bonds are events with causes, and fandom loves the accidentally-bonded pair forced to manage permanent involuntary intimacy.
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Magical Accidents
The whoops of the arcane world: potions splashed, wands misfired, rituals interrupted at the worst syllable. As a plot generator it's unmatched — accidents produce body swaps, de-agings, truth compulsions, and accidental soul-bonds on demand — and the tag promises the tone stays closer to chaos than catastrophe.
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Courting Rituals
The canonical tag for formalized wooing — historical courtship protocols, alien or supernatural species' mating customs, or one character's earnest decision to court the other properly, with gifts and intentions declared. Half the genre's fun is a character following rules their beloved doesn't know exist.
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Witchcraft
Practices magic in its herb-and-hearth register: spell jars, moon phases, kitchen witchery, covens, and craft passed down grandmother to grandchild. Cozier and more textured than generic spellcasting, the tag attracts stories where magic is domestic labor and quiet rebellion — the witch's cottage at the edge of town is practically its own character.
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