young adult

Definition

young_adult refers to a character who falls roughly within the age range of 18 to 29 years old, denoting early adulthood and independence.

This tag serves as a neutral baseline age descriptor for search, blacklisting, and filtering. It denotes full legal adulthood and early maturity without being mutually exclusive with specific relational roles, professions, or tropes.

Young adult characters are central to fiction involving college life, early career entry, adulthood transitions, and romance. They bridge the gap between late adolescence and mid-life maturity.

Usage

Apply this tag when a character is explicitly stated to be a young adult (approx. 18–29 years old) or clearly portrayed within this general age range.

Cross-Tagging:

• Teenage Overlap: If the character's age is explicitly stated to be 18–19 years old, this tag may be used in conjunction with teenager.

• Parental/Relational Roles: Can be combined with tags like MILF or mother if the character is a young parent.

• Education & Career: Often combined with setting tags such as college_student or professional roles.

When NOT to use:

• Do not use this tag for characters aged 17 or younger; use teenager or appropriate minor age tags instead.

• Do not use this tag for characters aged 30 to 55; use older_female or older_man instead.

• For youthful-looking adult characters whose exact age is unstated, use physical trait tags (e.g., petite) rather than guessing an age range.