Unhealthy Concepts You LOVE to Read and Write

Note: This video does mention a few sensitive subjects (and no words are censored).
Fiction and fanfiction aren't always sunshine and roses. Some people prefer it when it's dark, in fact! Even if we hate bad things happening in real life, some writers and readers love to see it happen in stories. Trauma, toxic relationships, torture... Do you have any unhealthy concepts/tropes you adore? Here are some answers from Reddit!
Link to the original r/FanFiction thread: / what_unhealthy_concept...
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[@ForeverFallingCrescent]

I always say: 'Just because it's horrid to witness, doesn't mean it isn't entraining to watch.' There's a strange catharsis in seeing something in fiction that you wouldn't be able to stomach in real life and even though horror has accepted this fact, and embraces it, other genres haven't quite got there yet. Now, I'm not saying romanticize it, but I am saying write about it.

[@YourWaywardDestiny]

People are always so concerned with romanticizing toxic behavior, but the way humans process fictional is different from the real deal. There are whole studies around how people actively give more empathy to characters in a make-believe situation than they do if they're told the crime is real. The manipulative, evil, double-timing mob boss in your faction is going to be romanticized no matter _how_ you write them. And the manipulative, evil, double-timing mob boss is going to be reviled in real life no matter _how hard_ you try to humanize them before presenting what they're on trial for. Go write the way you're going to write, the people who don't have that fiction/reality filter aren't going to be made worse or better by how you write, they already very much have that issue and you can't really make it worse or better because it's a yes/no situation about if you're going to want the serial killer or not.

[@tinytatotot2910]

There's also those casual terms like 'its like watching a car crash' where you can't look away from the disaster, except in this case everyone is fictional

[@paigemosher8697]

I'd say soap operas and black comedies have a similar perspective, although that may be crossing the line just a smidgen. Still not romanticizing it, but also maybe not taking it very seriously or using it as a plot device?

[@sn0wcake]

yeah as long as youre not portraying it as a good thing i really don't care

[@icantthinkofaname_-vd7pt]

@@sn0wcake why? i think it would be interesting to have a narrator with a warped view of morality who portrays bad things as good.

[@stegydraws]

Manipulation. More so the emotional kind, but i love when one character manipulates the other into doing what they want. One character being an absolute mastermind, and the other having no clue is great in fics.

[@Squabsss]

trueee, i think part of the reason for me is that you can get so deep into the heads of the characters with it and if that situation somehow ended, how does it affect the one who got manipulated in the present day? idk i just think its super interesting from a character study standpoint

[@Thing1G]

wait that's actually so true

[@bug688]

Me when I read Chainsaw Man recently. It’s just so sad and fun and crazy all in one.

[@FirstnameLastname81206]

This! Manipulators are really fun and interesting to write, especially when you know how they think. It's... actually rather concerning how good I am at it lmao

[@RandomGirl785]

@@bug688I love Chainsaw Man too

[@blueflare3848]

Cruel characters. Characters who enjoy inflicting pain onto others because they like the feeling of control it gives them. Oh, and I like seeing the main protagonist get hurt/traumatized.

[@penmars9530]

Same!

[@Cinnamonraisin_Bagel]

When the mc gets traumatised and then has a arc of healing and learning to deal with grief it makes me feel so good

[@aceofspades8474]

I have a character who’s very caring and sweet to her friends, yet very cruel and sadistic to her enemies, and put her in a qpr with a masochistic character. You can probably see where this is going, and since the first character has healing powers which include resurrecting others and the second finds being brutally killed weirdly enjoyable they can keep each other entertained.

[@Lord_No-brainer]

Same here bro. I even write that stuff

[@Aiko_Rou]

sounds like a whump trope, you could look into that !!

[@mai-the-bee1171]

Not the most unhealthy thing, but REVERSE Stockholm Syndrome, where the assailant falls in love with the victim(and maybe become a better person because of it). Very niche, but very cool.

[@jazmindulcecitlalic]

This is called Lima Syndrome

[@mai-the-bee1171]

@jazmindulcecitlalic Oh dang I didn't know it had a name-

[@bananabro1010]

I’ve done this before! I had a totally insane character that stockholmed someone he kidnapped, but eventually he grew to care for him as well. So when the police came, the kidnapper let him go without a fight

[@veronicaallen88]

I honestly need more media where the villain and heroine fall in love.

[@not-so-obvious_autism777]

@@bananabro1010 I SAW AN MSA STORY LIKE THAT, YOU JUST DREGED UP A MEMORY FROM THE DEPTHS OF MY SOUL 🤯🤯🤯

[@claytown189]

I am so abnormal (positive) when it comes to emotionally semi-available people falling in love. Like, they're both incredibly traumatized and are still in love and it's so hard, they're both so broken but they want to heal for each other. And they still don't even know how to 'properly' love each other... dude. I live for that.

[@zwrulez185]

_This._ Especially if the story is in some apocalyptic world where it is _definitely_ not the time for romance and these people are way too emotionally traumatized and busy trying to stay alive, but the _chemistry tho…_

[@meatkirbo]

Revenge Plots. Genuinely, never even “there’s no reason to seek revenge, because it wouldn’t fix anything” but pure and unfiltered “There’s nothing you can do to stop my revenge” I absolutely love those, and have a few myself. Destroy those who do wrong, it may seem like a cycle but only to those who wish to keep it going

[@not-so-obvious_autism777]

Fr like when my fav character is wronged and there’s no revenge (or apology) it gives me an aneurysm, but like, in my whole body. *_ANGER_*

[@ericraululyeetusdelyeetus5028]

Library of Ruina: Revenge plot^2, with a happy ending

[@imtired2298]

Middle schoolers being vitriolic, two-faced, heartless children of satan is one of my favorite things to write as someone who’s been bullied and absorbed into abusive friendships since the 1st grade… repetitively.

[@not-so-obvious_autism777]

Dang I feel sorry for you bro but yeah I also have that too lol

[@Mx.muffin]

Oh, which to choose? Child abuse? Torture? Manipulation? Dependence on a manipulator? Kidnapping? Psycological torture? Literally vivisecting the other? My parents would be concern what I like to read

[@not-so-obvious_autism777]

Me writing child abuse (both physical and verbal) AND child neglect, Manipulative people, abusive parents, TOXIC SIBLINGS/RELATIVES, wrongful execution/conviction, attempted murder, SUCCESSFUL murder, orphans, clinically diagnosed psychopaths, severe bullying, and multiple counts of kidnapping _BECAUSE IT’S _*_FUNNY_* >:DDD (I love watching my favorite characters get kidnapped idk why, I know something is wrong with me- 😀 but it’s never even traumatic lol it’s just like “😒” bc even in canon the MCs get kidnapped so often they’re like like “ah so we’re doing this again, greeeaaat…”)

[@quack-tastictictac1630]

Traumatized/self-hating characters. I really love characters who just absolutely despise themselves, sometimes to the point where they want to die. Whether it be from their own actions or someone inducing that viewpoint onto them. I especially love it when manifests physically like emotional outbursts or self sabotage. And if they have trauma-induced panic attacks? Oh, that’s some good shit right there. It just tickles a part of my brain it probably shouldn’t.

[@Messwiththehonkyougetthebonk]

Haha! Yeah... 😅

[@Zhavari]

I’ve read quite a bit of these fics I love AkiToya fics where they work out the problem together

[@Zitronen_]

are you alright

[@Zhavari]

@@Zitronen_ 90% sure

[@quack-tastictictac1630]

@@Zitronen_Depends, really

[@mariana-cross5403]

2:56 Okay but like sometimes “can I kiss you?” can be sexy as hell both in fiction and in real life. It can be breathless and begging and pleading and I just… *melts*

[@esuterunokitsune3556]

In one of my stories I have a character say "I really want to kiss you right now." And the other just tilts up their chin and says "Then do it." And then they go in for the passionate kissing. And it's. Aidhhdbdkdbzshdgd. I did it after I realized it would be really out of character for the first character to not ask. And I honestly think this is hotter, tbh.

[@BookWyrmOnAString]

Ydhdpygjpdlhryockgd (i agree)

[@joshstack34]

The Roaring Rampage of Revenge. Mindless death and destruction may be a terrible coping strategy, but goddam is it cathartic.

[@vickypedia1308]

Artificer from Rainworld I love her

[@Shedded-Tears]

@@vickypedia1308I WAS THINKING THIS

[@not-so-obvious_autism777]

HAHA YES 🤩🤩🤩😈😈😈😈😈

[@-raecat-]

“I’d do _anything_ for them” but specifically with siblings/friends. I feel like there’s not enough media where an older sister goes crazy because their younger sibling(s) got hurt/killed and quite frankly that is unrealistic. For example; in one of my WIPs one of the characters makes a deal with a life god that if she betrays and kills the MCs, he’ll bring her sister back to life. She also ties in with another trope I like: Someone who cannot/will not be saved. She is given multiple chances to turn back and/or not go through with it but..well, she wants her sister back.

[@iosonorubykenhiga]

Dude that sister thing is literally the plot of my friend's book i agree with this SO much

[@-raecat-]

@@iosonorubykenhiga let sisters go crazy!!!

[@not-so-obvious_autism777]

My personal hc for my favorite character: And with literally anyone he cares about, like his friends, his allies, his children, ESPECIALLY his close friends and children. Not even just his children, just children in general! You better not fw a child (especially not any of his 3 kids) in front of Gene And even in canon (where he has no kids lol) he’s thrown himself into the fray for his best friends on multiple occasions

[@not-so-obvious_autism777]

@@iosonorubykenhiga DROP THE NAAAMMMEEEEEEEE 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩

[@Blackplaaague]

One of my only actively-updating fics is tagged “as per usual, we do not condone emotionally manipulating your wife into eating ghosts.” …I’m not giving the context for it, but I thought the idea of tricking a loved one into consuming someone else’s life force “for their own good” would really fit with the character I was writing for. And yeah. If that were possible, I would not support it.

[@charleston1789]

Heavy infatuation - like irl, that phase wears off and doesn’t always leave the best consequences/relationships in its wake. But reading a character utterly drunk on the highs of infatuation? That’s the good stuff. Also enemies to lovers: it ain’t healthy, but it’s dynamic and exciting

[@lavenderisdedagain4554]

One of my favorite tropes of all time is Redemption Through Parenthood. In fiction I loooove exploring the messy stumbling of someone who is/believes they are a terrible person who suddenly becomes responsible for a life. I love watching them grow and change for the sake of their child, work through their protective tendencies and become a better person as a result of their child….. but in reaaaal life? I’m of the belief that you should do your best to be fully mentally stable before becoming a parent. And if a situation like this played out irl it could be disastrous for the child and their well-being. Like having an unstable parent who you know CARES about you but is just Not Well sucks

[@not-so-obvious_autism777]

Wow I love this and I have a character just like this! :D But I also have a character who’s the complete exact opposite lol, which is also a trope I shouldn’t find as fun as I do 😂😂

[@Saphira-Seraphina]

Oh my god, you're so real for that. I love that trope so so much!

[@BMS777]

When a good character evolves into evil, it would be a very bad thing in real life, to see your friend become someone despicable, but in literary terms, it's one of my favorite tropes!

[@not-so-obvious_autism777]

I have a character like this too, he’s my favorite scapegoat 😈😈😈

[@jellyjackcheese]

People who revel in violence and destruction. In fiction, seeing a character commit horrible atrocities with a manic gleam in their eye is attractive as hell. In real life I would be terrified of that person.

[@not-so-obvious_autism777]

Me headcanoning my favorite character as a pyromaniac: 😂😂 (He’s actually chill most of the time but when you LET HIM LOOSE?? Naw bro you and anyone and everyone within a 10 mile radius is dead unless you’re a child or his friend 😂😂😂)

[@Black-Opal-System]

This probably sounds horrible, but I'll explain. Sexual trauma/SA. Especially when a character either hypersexualizes themselves because of it, or completely shuts down around the concept of sex. As someone who had been through a milder version of it and has had both reactions at different times, it makes me feel really seen and validated in my experiences. It's also a good way to vent.

[@kotlc12a99]

exactly,!, i love this trope too

[@not-so-obvious_autism777]

I kind of have this too (I think?) this character of mine marries and has a child with a man she’s been growing to HATE (but she still consented to what he did despite not wanting it) but she has to keep up the facade to protect her stepsons. She sits up cries in bed while her husband is asleep, reflecting on how it came to this and wondering how it would’ve been if her village wasn’t massacred, and what her mother would think if she saw her little girl like this.

[@icantthinkofaname_-vd7pt]

you’re not horrible! so many people (including me) like to project their trauma onto fictional characters because it can provide a sense of control and understanding :DD

[@tsifirakiehl4250]

A lot of what I love in fiction, both fanfic and original fiction, is stuff I’d never want to happen in real life. If the characters are all perfect people and nothing bad ever happens to them, you don’t have much of a story. If there’s no conflict to overcome, there’s no plot.

[@bananabro1010]

Exactly

[@gaybot8375]

I once created (though unfortunately never wrote) a story about a woman who watched someone die and fell in love with the Grim Reaper, then became a serial killer so that he would keep coming back and she could get close to him. It was so much fun and so satisfying to create. I guess it fits into the yandere trope. For some reason, I just love when female characters go to extreme and violent lengths for their love, even though I visibly cringe when male characters do the same thing. Also, yes, it was based on The Sims 4.

[@CakeofRage]

my immediate first thought: oh this commenter would love olive specter from the sims ...AYO 👀

[@_AstaLily]

The manipulation stuff is real Fun to write and read fics about it, but it’s not fun when one of your irl relatives is manipulated by someone they know to abandon your family and block everyone in your extended family’s contacts, especially when you’re super close to that person

[@Trans_Belos_Fan]

Obsession, co dependency, stalking, yandere, Stockholm, trauma. Yk. A lot of stuff I probably shouldn't

[@not-so-obvious_autism777]

Lol says someone with that piece of dogshit Belos as their lovely pfp, checks out 👍🏽

[@coyotix]

I put toxic yuri in an AU im working on. I had to desperately make it clear to my friends that I dont support toxic relationships and I just enjoy writing it. I don't want it to happen to anyone unless they're fictional.

[@BJGvideos]

Why would your friends somehow think that you condoned it in real life just because you wrote it in fiction? They know fiction ain't real, right?

[@teabur4043]

@@BJGvideosthat’s what I’m saying. I wish more people would understand that

[@y2kayh]

toxic yuri is soooo banger but irl i want all sapphic relationships to thrive and live happily ever after.

[@reharm_reality]

I feel like this is part of why fanfiction and kink are such overlapping communities. In kink, you can have the power dynamics and the dependency and the worship and the torture and then go right back to your normal, healthy relationship. I also think aftercare sometimes does something similar to the hurt/comfort theorizing-- we may not be addressing something negative, but it is a moment of active rather than passive care (and ofc some dynamics are entirely about active caring, like with cg/l or some petplay!).

[@FireIsAmazing]

codependency, obsession, stalking, and yanderes. they’re so entertaining to read about but the idea of having someone so obsessed with you to the point where they would harm or kill your loved ones is absolutely terrifying in a real life situation.

[@animeotaku307]

Dysfunctional relationships. Currently writing a fic about soulmates who hate each other and aren’t happy being soulmates, but also don’t want to be apart from each other. Also, stories where someone goes “f**k it. They think I’m a monster? I’ll show them a real monster!” And proceeds to do the mother of all rampages.

[@sdn4050]

Honestly, I do love reading a lot of fanfics with problematic tropes (emotional/psychological abuse, child abuse, kidnapping, manipulation, torture, etc) because I think that the fanfics with those tags would be an interesting read. I want to read about the characters' interesting dynamics, how the main character handles a trying situation and the comfort that comes after the hurt. Reading the characters heal after suffering from such a trauma feels relieving and cathartic. On the topic of extreme trauma, I have also read dark fics which deal with SA and when they are handled with respect and care, they become good reads. Sadly, a lot of the dark fanfics romanticize or exploit SA so much that I feel like I need to take a shower.

[@Rebelco]

I'm super into bdsm irl and for me the most important is that everything have to be consensual! But in fiction... Abuse, manipulation, extreme kinks it all fair game baby!

[@lilyhawthorne1196]

Same! I have absolutely no problem with extremely dubious consent in fics and I often seek it out, but anywhere else it's a major ick

[@esuterunokitsune3556]

Oh mood. Irl (and even sometimes in fiction), safe sane and consensual are unbreakable rules. In fics though.. mindbreak and all that good stuff!

[@BookWyrmOnAString]

Have you heard of the terms diegetic and non-diegetic? They're originally used to describe music, but I've seen them used to describe bdsm in stories. Diegetic if the characters themselves are consensually engaging in a scene, non-Diegetic if they're actually getting kidnapped or whatever.

[@HallowIsSmol]

torture. im a horror writer (hobbyist, of course, and i write softer stuff too) who specializes in some particularly gruesome stuff, but id be horrified if i witnessed any of what i write about irl

[@papercookiezzz]

due to childhood trauma junk, noncon/grooming + problematic power dynamics (age, class, physical, etc) its comforting, in a weird way, and makes me feel less alone about what happened to me :,) plus its (personally) more interesting than regular romance or sex, as someone who recently discovered im ace and always wondering why fanwork sex was so boring unless it had some other junk on top of it going on like intimacy, practicality, abuse, fluff, or angst lmao

[@krisk0meiji]

this!!!!

[@not-so-obvious_autism777]

Oh man I’m sorry for whatever happened, are you ok bro? 😦

[@melon_choly]

A character’s slow descent into insanity with at least 10k - 100k words. And nobody even notices until they just snap, not able to think rationally or reasonably. It really resonates with me

[@ShutmeowUp]

Hear me out - Love at first sight. Typically, I enjoy slow burn love fics where they _learn_ how to love the other despite every flaw and take time to know more about that person instead of rushing things, but love at first sight tropes are also so fun to just watch/read because it shows that they've really been interested since the beginning. But.. if that were me in real life, I'd try to atleast get to know the person better than just say I 'like' them without even knowing their names. I'd just be creepy if I said I was interested in someone who barely knows me.

[@kirabarnes657]

I adore love at first sight tropes, I think because I've often developed attractions at first sight that make me want to know the person better. Oftentimes it doesn't go anywhere, so I love to make the love between the characters be mutual. "At least someone's getting what they want" type thing

[@ShutmeowUp]

@@kirabarnes657 right! But I also like to incorporate angst through 'love at first sight' and 'unrequited childhood crush' in fics, so it's probably why I'm against those tropes in the real world

[@The_lamb_sauce]

Enemies and lovers

[@Adrianacopycat]

yes bro

[@lilyhawthorne1196]

Yes this is chefs kiss

[@Cinnamonraisin_Bagel]

I feel like if most people if they were in an enemies to lovers they'd never make it out of the enemies phase

[@demcatzlol]

YES irl I’ll never do that like ever because I usually really despise anyone I consider my enemies but on fics? Yes sir!

[@TGAOA-jm1zs]

I like how you said enemies and lovers and not enemies to lovers, like they're still enemies, but they're also dating now

[@Thao-nathos]

Mine is cannibalism lmao Sounds oblivious but consensual cannibalism and cannibalism as a metaphor for love are cathartic to read and write Also extreme power embalance paired with mind fuckery and mindbreak, i love to read about one character stirring the other's brain like a latte and the other not even being able to realize/notice/bring thenselves to care because of how much scrambled their mind has been

[@fictional-girl_05]

See I like joking about cannibalism but idk if I can properly answer it to this question because I've only ever read one cannibalism fic and it fucking scarred me

[@kieransky]

In case you don't know the song "Loveit?" by biz and ZERA, I highly recommend you check that one out

[@not-so-obvious_autism777]

_I AM A WILLING VICTIM OF A CANNIBAL_

[@MySerpentine]

Sounds like you're a Hannibal fan :D

[@Thao-nathos]

@@MySerpentine ironically no! I've watched half the first season and dropped it because it didn't spark any interest amd i had other things to do lol

[@confused5804]

A lot of my fics involve a character with a strong and stoic exterior breaking down, usually alone when nobody is around. As an autistic person, it fucking sucks having to hide your true emotions and having it all fall apart in a meltdown is super draining and not fun. But in fics it’s pretty delicious (with a dose of catharsis). I think a large portion of why we are drawn to fanfics with dark themes and things we don’t want irl is the escapism and second hand catharsis; and the simplicity of not personally knowing these characters Edit: oh and horror tropes. Love them in fanfictions, irl would fuck me up and not in a fun way

[@not-so-obvious_autism777]

OMG I HAVE A CHARACTER JUST LIKE THAT OMG NOT TO MENTION THE FANDOM NOTICED HE’S KINDA AUTISTIC CODED IN CANON (tho we dunno if the writers did that on purpose or not) SO I HC HIM AS THAT AND I’M ALSO AUTISTIC IRL (I usually have his friends walk in on him and tell him it’s gonna be ok 🥹🥹🥹)

[@ejsuperstar]

My fav fic is filled with self loathing, self hatred, self harm, unhealthy coping mechanisms, all of the characters are doing terribly emotionally, and handling it terribly, the main character loathes his brother for being depressed, and loathes himself as well. Overall the characters are doing so awfully and are written so well that it can get to me irl sometimes, but i just cant put the fic down. Ofc i would NEVER wish this upon another person, but GOD DAMN my children are suffering and im here for every moment (Fic is Omorionette for anyone wondering! Its really good!!!)

[@zwrulez185]

I love to see one character relentlessly bugging and invading the space of a character who is clearly extremely fed up with them, only for the annoyed character to slowly get attached without realizing (bonus points if romantic.) Irl, thinking of someone who is avoiding you as an ice queen that needs to be defrosted or a bad boy who needs to be fixed is really problematic.

[@onlineskitty]

i love trauma recovery and healing. i love "it gets worse before it gets better" stories where the characters go through a lot and experience the bumpy road to recovery. its cathartic for me as someone with cptsd

[@vanillaextract4135]

Bullying, stalking, murder, kidnapping… all interesting to read about, don’t think I even need to say don’t do that shit in real life. Also, soulmate AUs. That would be a REALLY fucked up societal dynamic in real life, and it’s nice to read fics that address that but damn if I haven’t also read some really nice fluffy soulmate AU oneshots. Same for omegaverse.

[@BulblorbLarva]

Im no writer but i really like exploring the topic of substance abuse/addiction with drawings and incoherent rambles in my friends dms but id never wish for someone to go through that irl because ive lost 2 people to addiction and it really is a horrible thing to go through

[@bananabro1010]

SAME.

[@BrandonVout]

Arranged marriages where one tries to make it work despite hating it while the other is petty and resistant out of spite.

[@KanetheGoofster]

I LOVE reading about child abuse and having characters I headcanon as trans/LGBT in general go through homophobia/transphobia and being called slurs, I think I got some issues. Is this normal? Though I need some comfort after that!

[@urmom-ky7cj]

yes, it's absolutely normal! never feel bad about the things you like in fiction unless you want to do them irl ^^

[@icantthinkofaname_-vd7pt]

You’re absolutely normal! In fact, there’s an interesting theory that our kinks romanticize our deepest fears and hatreds, hence why so many LGBT+ people have a homophobia/transphobia kink themselves

[@BookWyrmOnAString]

I really love ur pfp!

[@youknow3881]

Child abuse and ritual child/human sacrifice, both of these concepts disgust and highly disturb me in real life, but in fiction there's something about their dark, macabre nature that draw me in. The main character in one of my slightly more original stories was a victim of both, although he ultimately survived and recovered from the getting sacrificed chapter of his life, so you can probably lump him in with the fictionalization of trauma recovery as well.

[@fictional-girl_05]

That last person was so right, I mean, without conflict, a story can't exist. Also I want to say cannibalism but that's moreso funny to joke about, the one fic I ever read that actually had cannibalism in it was very scarring and I wish I could forget it.

[@Cinnamonraisin_Bagel]

2:48 i remember reading a fic which did this concept really well (character A cupped character B's face and in a non-verbal way asked to kiss her and then character B nodded and they kissed)

[@Dressup_Doll]

Emotional manipulation, very toxic MC’s, ditzy MC’s who have no thoughts and only music going on upstairs, unhappy endings, tragedy that could have maybe been avoid but no one will ever know, TRAGEDY AND MISFORTUNE FOR ALL, nonlinear character development, and more. My current writings have all or most of these, and by God, do I love them. 1. “Daughter of Evil” AU; if you know, you know. 2. Vampire AU that has the first chapter end with implied s*icide. 3. Blind character AU that’s also a role-swap. 4. _Little Mermaid_ AU. More. So many more.

[@gaybot8375]

I've done so many stories with these things in the Sims. Personally, I love sirens and femme fatales. Same goes for gangs, cults, assassins, and rivalries in which the characters find themselves oddly attracted to one another (especially when they're like "oh, she thinks she's so perfect with her clear skin and her flowing black hair and her red, plump lips and... what was I talking about?"). Bonus points if they're really passive aggressive to each other. Revenge, too. I love revenge. And evil characters murdering other evil characters. Stories where no-one is a "good person". I love it.

[@Messwiththehonkyougetthebonk]

Panic attack hurt/comfort. I devour it in fics, but it triggers me so bad...

[@what-hq1gl]

i love this one. ive written it a few times

[@Azoomzoom]

I love yanderes, not because I romanticize them, not at all -- but I find something so fascinating about a highly intelligent serial killer who's entire motive is some random person they are in love with

[@Cinnamonraisin_Bagel]

I mean in general a lot of my favourite characters are people i'd be afraid to talk to irl

[@Ibert0318]

Enemies *and* lovers And it spirals down to a break up cause they can’t be together 😊

[@bunskero]

It's all gangsta till someone says pedophilia or smthng Also some of these can be so interesting but I know I could never write that stuff well so I just do silly stuff for enjoyment (there is still truama involved but yeah)

[@Danganfinronpa]

I’d say transformation to a degree, at least if it involves intimate contact. It can get pretty uncomfortable (cough) “Love Is Only A Drop Away” (cough)

[@ShardPendragon]

i fuckin' got an ad with gospel music

[@v1rzen]

lmao of COURSE

[@kzdjarrard]

I agree wholeheartedly with CYBORG3005 analysis on Hurt/Comfort. Hurt/Comfort is one of my all time favorite tropes, and I especially love it when combined with Good Samaritan. Above scene in brief: Character A cannot seek comfort from any characters A knows. In a moment of daily life when A is feeling particularly terrible; a complete stranger (character B) notices and takes action. I have actually had the mixed fortune to have experienced interactions like this in my own life, from both sides. Such events are terrifying lonely things, and I would NEVER wish the circumstances that would be necessary to reach such a scene on anyone.

[@thenightranger987]

I love writing horror stories (and character studies within horror), so probably about half the things I write fall in this category

[@the_magic_celery]

My OC couple have a guard dog and mistress dynamic, with the man being a cannibalistic murderer who has considered eating her as well, but finds her overpowering him much more satisfying than killing her would ever be

[@savannahthefangirlyt8884]

I think the first one that comes to mind for me is any argument that occurs between two or more family members, where I would usually write at least one scene of some sort of bickering match and would read the hell out of every one I come across? In real life? No thanks, been there, done that, got the trauma from constant arguments that would occur between my parents growing up

[@goldenheart__]

for me, its basically anything violent or any unhealthy coping mechanisms that can lead to really intense hurt/comfort. and by really intense hurt/comfort, i mean there has to be a LOT of hurt, with the ending being a loved one going “it’s okay, you’ll be okay, i’m here for you and you won’t have to hurt anymore while i’m here”. one of my fav tags on ao3 is non-consensual drug use (cause it usually leads to kidnappings). i love regular drug use, i love the alcohol abuse tags, i love sickfics, i love torture, i love suicide attempts, i love emotional manipulation, i love abuse, i love all of these awful, awful things because in the end, every single time, character B is there to tell character A that they are loved, that they are needed, that they will be safe, that they will FEEL safe, maybe not now, but soon. i love having B hold A, a broken, sobbing mess, and reassuring them that everything will be okay soon.

[@Saphira-Seraphina]

I feel that ngl

[@gerstein03]

Good old fashioned cold blooded anger and revenge. Like that shit is super unhealthy and bad for you but there is something so unbelievably satisfying about a character choosing scorched earth and making those who wronged them suffer a thousand deaths without any regard for morality

[@crow2616]

Yandere or yandere-adjacent characterization is very fun and I'm only half ashamed to admit it gets me giggling and kicking my feet. In real life however? Nope. Stay far away from me. My fav unhealthy trope to write is probably power dynamics, as in boss and employee, etc. Professor (*coughs in Snape lover and f JK Rowling*) x ADULT student especially gets me every time.

[@emanuelborges4458]

I'm impressed by how little age gaps appeared here. Being the gay with Daddy Issues, I love a good daddy/twink or a teacher/student stories 🤡 And the better, since it's fiction, it can be all the healthy i want. In real life, 99% of that kind of relationship would be problematic or abusive.

[@ChristineSG19]

When someone smells someone else. It’s absolutely demented in real life but in fics it’s cute

[@fishbowl.9399]

Not really a reader/writer of relationships, but I absolutely love it when a character loves the other more than anything *except* for that one thing that they’ll do anything to get. Whether it’s money, power, dominance, or something else, I eat that shit up.

[@savonhlee6385]

So many things- nearly everything mentioned in this video XD But especially cruel characters, manipulation (emotional specifically, even more so if it's from both side), histories with abuse, people pushing other people's boundaries- Fan fictions I read and write are quite dark and most plots would be a horrible thing to experience in real life, but it makes it easier for me to deal with the less extreme versions of the negative experiences I have had, or to lose myself in the perspective of someone who has such a different mindset to mine.

[@iluvy0u441]

I love Yanderes. But if someone irl was obsessed with me to the point of killing everyone around me, I'd run to the police and get a restraining order.

[@Baka_Crazy]

I kind of like to write that trope for one couple I have: "You do it again. You're bullying your crush." Yes it's unhealthy and he got punched in his face (by the sister of his crush) for it but it suits so much to their dynamic. The game ended like this ofc without the falling in love thing. I just thought this could be a good start of the fanfic...

[@penmars9530]

I end up writing the characters going through PSTD after the shit they go through in a show/movie. Oops.

[@kirabarnes657]

One of my fics is partially about the characters having fun and slowly getting together, but also just taking a moment to address the consequences of the things the show just sort of cast aside

[@themonarchofbaddecisionmak1405]

Revenge and obsession. Having someone enact brutality on a character is actually highly cathartic considering how I am in real life and the idea of being obsessed with someone is an interesting thing to explore. But also, some of the things these people are listing are very commonly liked.

[@iosonorubykenhiga]

i cannot explain this but i really like reading and writing manipulative/abusive relationships between a more mature or older character and a more naive or younger one specifically. i don't know why and it honestly scares me but i like to write it so uuhhh... Also really traumatized children, kids who have been so scarred by the world that they've forgotten how to feel. HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE THING TO HAPPEN, but really interesting to write. this is so specific ohmigod. i freak myself out a lot.

[@demcatzlol]

I like power imbalance relationships in fics too, but never irl. Because believe it or not, my school has a history of a few teachers marrying students and I like exploring the stories of similar events and dynamics but i am scared to experience the same.

[@Saphira-Seraphina]

Okay, this one is a bit specific but: A bully being in love with their victim and absolutely miserable about it, the victim finding out and using it as emotional blackmail to get what they want from the bully. Then through forced proximity they get to know each other and eventually fall in love with each other. The fantasy of having your persecuter melting like wax in your fingers and them hating it, hating you while they cannot stop themselves from loving and caring for you? Needless to say, this definitely is me coping with my childhood traumas but my god if it isn't always a good read

[@sjfrench8034]

Super rich people. In real life, I say eat the rich, no one needs to live in that level of opulence. In fiction I want that guy to have a gazillion dollars and I want him to give none of it to charity

[@jin5846]

one-sided love or unreciprocated crush/feelings. idk why but i love it when the characters go through hell and back to try and show their love for their object of affection, only for their efforts to bear no fruit in the end. i love watching the emotional development (or none) and seeing how they move on from that person. it's so interesting to read. however, i would hate this irl because it sucks and also it might feel suffocating if the person doesn't move on

[@mane53017]

Extremely dangerous and violent character who is feared by everyone serving a powerful character who they're not violent towards yet they're possesive and domain them Specific

[@analyticaltomato]

For me, it’s the military. I love reading and writing about armies, invasions, weapons, wars, but you won’t catch me irl ever being interested in picking up a gun, or supporting militaries. I’m a pacifist but there is an aesthetic about soldiers and the military than makes it so fun to write about and imagine… in the comfort of my own home. It still makes me feel like a disgusting person because the world has been through and is through wars and protests just now and like. I don’t want to romanticise it. But I guess that military propaganda is really good, cause goddamnit, there is something about writing characters as soldiers fighting for change and freedom that just gets me hyped

[@acsaudiodramas]

Basically escalating situations. In real life we have to make compromises. We have to take friends, family and coworkers often like they are since we learned they will never change. But in fiction I enjoy writing characters that clash with everyone, go on ego trips and revenge trips - telling people the painful truth to their faces, run off to join the villians to fight their former friends and abandon their babies they never wanted to have in the first place. I was a people pleaser for 30 years of my life. Today I at least try to de-escalate situations when people in my family or at my work place clash but in fiction I seek confrontation, destruction and scandal.

[@q_tfiaw]

Abusive relationships, yanderes, and rape The top three tropes that I always go to when it comes to fiction

[@BJGvideos]

Don't censor "rape". It hurts people who have words blocked, and it insults the reader's intelligence.

[@vortexwriting1026]

​​@@BJGvideos"Insults the readers intelligence" that's a new one and simply not true, censoring in this way is often to avoid getting in trouble. Just so you know while a channel can block certain words from appearing in comments under their *own* videos you can not hide comments with certain words under others. Unlike sites like Tumblr. KZbin doesnt like that word and so people censor it, not trying to start a fight I just think that's a weird request.

[@persialionheart]

One of my fics was set up at first to look like enemies to lovers where the main girl sacrificed herself to imprison the main guy (yeah not going into that) but they were actually star crossed lovers who were on opposing sides and at the forefront of a huge war and wow I was really on something when i wrote it. (That something was sleep deprivation). And that isn’t even half of what happened. They were both really codependent on each other that it broke their friendships and familial relationships. That was only the beginning. And fyi, it was a miraculous au. Overall, fun times but don't recommend in real life.

[@kittypink]

I see a lot of projecting, but oddly, I prefer stuff that avoids my traumas. Torture of the physical/psychological variety is really fun, but the line is drawn when it gets too close to home. I can’t even read about stuff that remotely resembles my major trauma

[@vangoghingtokms]

2:20 im basically the opposite 😭I feel awful reading about characters getting better or healthier when I find their struggle interesting. However, I absolutely adore healing irl. I love seeing people evolve and change and I love evolving and changing, but MAN if Abner Krill does it - HOW DARE HE

[@ALiteralClown69]

i can't stress enough how crazy i go every time i see condependency tagged in a fic. especially if its one partner being so devoted, so desperate for the other's attention while the other is apathetic and neglectful. step on me by the cardigans, need i say more? irl tho, its super unhealthy and bad!! and ppl who are stuck in relationships like that need help and support asap!

[@rodrick2716]

I don’t know why but I fucking love writing stories where one character is like a cannibal because the romance mixed with it makes it feel so poetic

[@animeotaku307]

Someone commented on a fic I wrote about how cannibalism can be a form of possessiveness, in that the person consuming the other is ensuring that they will never be separated and that person will always belong to them. And now I can’t stop thinking about that.

[@ChaiLatte666]

Honestly, just like. Straight up abuse ????? ESPECIALLY in romantic and sexual relationships. I don't want anyone to go through that shit but watching a main character realize they're being manipulated and abused and figuring out a way to heal is just? Cathartic? It's not as fun to write it makes my brain hurt when i try to write it but reading it is fun. And recovery. And ESPECIALLY revenge. I LOVE when you get past the actual bad stuff and then you get to see this person's freinds beat the absolute shit out of their abuser

[@bleedmagic88]

I love dynamics like a god and their most devoted follower sm,,, like, the power imbalance is off the charts here, but hear me out ok. when the god blesses their every move and in turn the mortal is devoted to a fault,,, that’s the good stuff. Bonus points if they wanna kiss but can't (the good old "I only want what I can't have" trope)

[@unaesteticfrog11]

Main character death, epically in a scene where a character could've died in canon, but didn't, but did die in the fan fiction.

[@v1rzen]

one sided love (my fave ship is one sided radiostatic) straight up evil characters and i havent found a ship that I like for this dynamic (so this is just my ocs) but bully x victim, emotional manipulation/just straight up toxic relationships. ik its messed up, but its very interesting to explore.

[@user-kg3xs1bu6x]

Same!!! radiostatic , one sided and mutual is my life! ❤️💙🦌📻📺🖥️

[@fatherjune]

I was once in a friendship where the other person was very codependent, toxic, manipulative, abusive and slightly possessive. He used to blackmail me A LOT. It was exhausting to deal with. And I just fucking *LOVE* writing about situations like this! Just a character who is having to deal with the emotional abuse and manipulation of a friend? I love writing about it because it helps me connect to the character and process my emotions. It's great! Horrible in real life, but amazing IRL!

[@tinytatotot2910]

I look at fanfics with dark content like any media. If you watch the 'Saw' movie franchise for example you probably dont condone any of that, but it can be interesting to watch. Dystopian novels are never really positive for the protagonists, and yet it is such a popular genre to read and write. Even stuff like rom-coms can often be toxic if these were people in real life. The type of stuff people write/read/draw/watch doesnt necessarily say what their own values are, especially for fictional characters. Sometimes you just wanna throw your lil guy (gender neutral) against a wall like one of those sticky hand toys.

[@fakenayhn]

People will admit this shit and then talk about how proshippers are terrible people.

[@osheridan]

There's a line.

[@fakenayhn]

@@osheridan whats the line. Why is this fine but 'problematic' ships arent.

[@osheridan]

@@fakenayhn The line is drawn at romanticising p--ophiIia and the reasons that's problematic are ones I expect to be paid to sound out. Ask ChatGPT, or your mother, or a librarian, or a psychologist. And then hand over your hard drive to the authorities.

[@fakenayhn]

@@osheridan help why did you assume i was a pedo.

[@fakenayhn]

@@osheridan so romanticising anything other than pedophilia (this isnt tiktok you can type the entire word, its fine) is ok?

[@madeleineallen7758]

I love reading and writing about all kinds of dark shit. But I'd never wanna experience that stuff IRL.

[@LucyPennies]

Characters getting bullied... 😅 Specifically when its my ocs bullying each other basically Then again I was bullied alot growing up so i could see where that came from

[@sakuraemerald3288]

I’ve been giddily writing about a character desperately trying to make amends for their mistake to an obsessive, murderous amount (to bring someone they care about back from the dead.) I’d never want anyone to experience such unhealthy, crushing guilt in real life, but man has it be fun to write.

[@Cypher-9]

Star crossed lovers (sometimes literally)

[@HenryMiller-ox1xu]

Wait Literally? How Do You Make It Literally

[@Cypher-9]

​@@HenryMiller-ox1xu galactic war.

[@HenryMiller-ox1xu]

@@Cypher-9 that is the hottest thing I have ever heard

[@Cypher-9]

@@HenryMiller-ox1xu it's quite literally the main subplot to my swtor legacy fics.

[@HenryMiller-ox1xu]

@@Cypher-9 do I need to have an account to look at this? Also what’s swtor

[@not-so-obvious_autism777]

Bullying, attempted/successful/premeditated murder, kidnapping, toxic and/or manipulative people, death, death, death and all kinds of bad parenting, just loads of trauma in general. I wouldn’t say I love to _read_ it, but I sure love to _WRITE_ IT! >:)

[@FirstnameLastname81206]

Seeing two things i like to write: manipulators and flirts. Sometimes both! I hate that behavior IRL and wouldn't never do it to someone, but writing a manipulator is weirdly fun. Using my psychology knowledge for something other than being the therapist friend is strangely intoxicating. I've written a story where a manipulator takes an emotionally vulnerable and lonely person and shows mock kindness, which she immediately clings to. He then ruins her perception of how relationships should work, gets her to do whatever he wants, and stays with him due to that fear of being alone again, and being in harsh denial that anything is wrong. I feel terrible for the girl, and yet writing the manipulation is oddly fun.

[@EmeraldSands]

In a literally unhealthy sense I love sickfic. I have emetophobia and health anxiety so being around illness in real life is very stressful for me, but in fic? It can bring out a softer side in the sick character and/or the caretaker and that’s cute.

[@branastasia8013]

You know you’re reading the good shit when you encounter a scenario so utterly toxic your upper stomach does the flips. 10/10 experience right there

[@kirby1781]

For whatever reason I've realized some of my favorite characters to write I have given narcissism in some way. One craves the attention due to low self-worth and the other does for similar reasons alongside not getting any from their family as a child. No idea WHY it has ended up this way, I write a ton of traumatized characters period but it's weird to realize I have two, maybe three headcanoned narcissists on my mind.

[@noreasonatall3852]

there's some quote that goes like "the worst crime a character can create is being boring" and i feel like that applies to most aspects of writing. to be so real i don't want to read about a standard, healthy relationship because that bores me! i want dramatics, trauma, tragedy, all of the above