High School AU

"High School AU" is a broad term used across general fandom to describe the tendency by fanfiction writers to often transplant primary characters, events and other elements from an established fictional universe into a typical academic High School setting, often minimizing supernatural or unusual elements and instead focusing on social dynamics, relationships, careers, and mental health.
In the South Park fandom, this is actually not considered a form of Alternate Universe fic, as the central child characters are too young to enter High School; as a common setting, it is often written as an intended future for the characters years after the events of the show, although as is common with the trope, many writers choose to downplay the supernatural and unusual canonical elements of the show, though this is not universal. This is typically referred to as 'aging up' within the fandom.
It is important to note a key reason for the theme's prevalence is that it allows writers the flexibility to explore themes surrounding issues like addiction and sex that would be highly uncomfortable to explore with significantly underage characters.
==External Links==
*High School AU at TV Tropes
Category:Terminology