Here’s a guide to tagging on AO3, with a focus on mcyt.

There are two fandom tags to put your fic under. Minecraft (Video Game) and Video Blogging RPF. You only really need the minecraft if your fic involves it or you are using DSMP characters.

“Dream SMP - Fandom” currently doesn’t work as an independent fandom tag. It redirects to Video Blogging RPF. You can use it, but it means the same thing.

Relationship tags have two symbols. For characters A and B, A&B is a platonic relationship and A/B is a romantic/shipping relationship.

Don’t use the ship names, they just redirect to these tags.

Please don’t tag relationships that get little to no words in the story. It clogs up the tag if people are looking for that pairing/friendship. You can include side pairings, but make sure they get decent screen time.

Character tags, please include these, even if you have already added a relationship tag that has the character. These are separate. Same rules as relationship tags, make sure they have screen time if you include them.

Ratings: please give a rating. It’s not necessary, but it’s pretty easy to do. Use some common sense and err on the side of caution if you think it’s borderline, choosing the higher rating.

Warnings: only choose No Warnings Apply if no warnings actually apply.

If you don’t want to mention the warnings because you are think they are too spoilery, there is a separate Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings. Use this or use the actual warnings if they exist.

Additional Tags Don’t’s
- don’t add tags that mean the same thing as earlier tags like relationships
- don’t clutter your tags with run on sentences, it makes it harder to read
- don’t use these as authors notes

Additional Tags Do’s
- if you want, label the role of the character such as Villain!Dream or Villain Dream.
- label your common categories, these include Fluff, Angst, Hurt No Comfort, Comfort (make sure these are separate tags for filtering purposes). Browse the tags for more.

- include major themes (esp. violent ones) like Murder, Long-Distance Relationship, Panic Attacks, Abuse, Cuddles, etc.
- include an AU category if your fic is in an alternate universe, these include Canon Divergence - AU, Fantasy - AU, High School - AU, and so forth.

Make sure your works are only marked as complete if they are complete (or discontinued with a mention in the tags/description). This one can be hard to find, but you should either have total chapters as ? or a number higher than the current amount of chapters.

I’ve been on here for 6+ years, but I might have missed some things. Other AO3 veterans, please feel free to add your own advice.