You Never See This in Fanfiction...

What do you love to see in fanfiction, but have a hard time finding? Do you want stories that fit perfectly into canon? Arranged marriage that's actually desired? Something as simple as characters tree climbing? From Reddit, here are some fanfic readers' favorite but rare story traits.
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[@iatethefloorcheese]

Platonic hand holding is more rare than my will to live. Platonic hand holding supremacy

[@honestlyali28]

I'm writing a book with a platonic handholding scene lol It's also like the climax of the story

[@iatethefloorcheese]

Hell yea @@honestlyali28

[@badliquidyawn]

a strange comparison

[@julialungan4722]

We really need platonic hand holding, irl especially.

[@iatethefloorcheese]

Yeah but it's true @@badliquidyawn

[@sammyuel7329]

I love reading fanfics where all the characters are just friends and goofy shenanigans ensue, but most of the fics I find have romance as the main focus

[@aceofspades8474]

That’s super valid, but a good romance fic can still have friends doing goofy shenanigans. One fic I’m working on has a romantic element but I’m planning on making most of it focus on one of the character’s friend group including his best friend who teases and roasts him about his crush while trying to think of ways to wingman and shenanigans ensue from there.

[@TeethAsSharpAsMyWits]

heck yes, chaos friend group fics are my favourite

[@sammyuel7329]

That sounds like such a fun read! I don’t mind romance but it’s usually the main focus it’s so rare to find a fic where it’s on the side, especially with the fandoms I’m in

[@tsuki3752]

been wanting to write one like this for a while. where romance maybe is a side thing but for the most part is focused on the friendship.

[@flooferdooper6206]

_slowly pulls out my god OC fic I'm working on where it's just my OCs messing around in various different universes_

[@UJEvans]

I once wrote a fic where the entire character arc was about the main character platonically saying "I love you" to his friends. That's just the kind of friendship I like to see in fiction and most fanfics that I've read are about romantic love.

[@goldenheart__]

this!!! i say ‘i love you’ to my friends ALL THE TIME. honestly, i forgot for a moment that its not the norm for others. i want more “i love you”s to be from a friend reassuring another, or tagged on the end of handing them a gift, or as a “see you later! love you!”. i want more platonic “i love you”s.

[@rahvithecolorful]

I'm aroace, so while I'm not against romantic love stories and even enjoy them at times, it really does get old to see every single good relationship between two characters be made romantic by the fandom. Let people love each other platonically too. And whenever I see people defending their ships saying things like "nobody says that/acts like that/goes that far for 'just' a friend" I can't help but wonder if those people never had a real, true friend. Like, yes, they do? That's exactly what friendship is about??

[@UJEvans]

@@rahvithecolorful that's how I feel about the Scott Pilgrim fandom right now. Everyone is shipping Scott with Wallace like it's canon. I'm not gonna stop people from having their fun. But Wallace's whole thing is being an eccentric guy who's super supportive and protective of his friends while still being condescending about it. I don't think his support of Scott is any different

[@kaylanek1]

link?????

[@xstar4698]

Character: Listen...my friend...I love you, man. Friend: Me too. Me: *Screams* YES FINALLY SOMETHING NOT ROMANCE

[@dr-amethyst-77]

Platonic relationships in general. Everything is so romanticized or sexualized that anything someone can do with someone else platonically can be taken as a ship thing. I’m writing a time travel fic with a very deeply devoted platonic friendship between a teenage character and a teenage version of an canonically adult character, and I want them to hold hands, hug, hold each other, but I can’t because people WILL think I ship them (when I don’t and find them as a ship deeply disgusting)

[@hidinginyourcloset]

I too wish to see more platonic fics. They can be INCREDIBLY wholesome, if not just a bit more than a fluffy shipfic.

[@RandomCatFromFrance]

I am planning to write a story with NO romance at all I feel like some very interesting moods can be made out of it

[@CiaBlackburn-zm4wr]

I have two characters I’m writing who are completely platonic-it becomes an inside joke to the two of them that others perceive them as romantic. Even if they cuddle or hold hands, they know each other best and have no problem with being deeply affectionate with one another even if other people speculate all the time. It’s their version of normal and the two of them just vibe together.

[@bogwife7942]

write what you want other people's interpretations are on them, not you

[@MicyPie]

Honestly this is why I like to watch children's cartoons sometimes. I love wholesome/cheesy friendships.

[@hidinginyourcloset]

I just love fics where they explore unlikely friendships. Just pairing up two characters who've never interacted and seeing how it goes. Think it's a good character writing practice cause you'll be writing and thinking "how would this character react to what this character does and say?" Hard though because there's not much to base the relationship off of in canon.

[@goldenheart__]

SO TRUE except i dont usually look at unlikely pairings but theyre still interesting to think about!! im a genshin fan and i have characters that i so badly want to be besties. scaramouche and albedo are both artificial humans abandoned by their creators, i wonder if they’d get along? i’ve seen a creator on tiktok show alhaitham and yoimiya as really good friends, and i absolutely want it to be canon. xiao and itto interacted in the chasm, and ik they didnt exactly become best buddies but i’d sure as hell like them to!!! please all of the above. just canonically become besties PLEASE

[@456puff]

My fiancé actually wrote me a fanfic of Anakin Skywalker (from Star Wars) and 2D (from the band Gorillaz) being bros and hanging out and I love it so much. It makes no sense, but somehow it does, you know?

[@KingKayro87]

I love the bottomless weapons trope, where they get stopped at like a gate or something and theey have to drop off all their weapons, and it just keeps going for like three minutes, and then a long pause, then the gatekeeper says "Is that all?" And then they deposit like two more weapons.

[@MatthewConnellan-xc3oj]

Same

[@BinglesP]

As a Mega Man fan I have to agree. Why have 1 weapon when you can download others' into your arsenal?

[@zakosist]

Imagine if they still have more weapons after all that. That could possibly be a great way to smuggle weapons

[@jasonbell8515]

*hyahs in frustration*

[@ytyt1169]

Unhealthy obsession in an otherwise healthy relationship. Two people who have a very sweet and wholesome relationship (platonic, romantic, familial, etc) who will literally commit murder if anyone even lays a *finger* on the other person. Just “I care so much about you, i will do anything to protect you” and they mean *anything.*

[@ytyt1169]

Also, I’m still upset that “Lovers to Enemies” isn’t filterable yet on Ao3 smh

[@BinglesP]

I'm writing an EEnE AU fanfic(as I stated in my standalone comment on this video) and I'm working up to that point. Some of the scenes in the OG show where the Eds defend each other verbally and/or physically are some of my favorites, generally speaking.

[@krart8401]

i don’t know if this is your thing, but Mr plant and agros from “the world of Mr plant” fits that 100%

[@princesserika9899]

That, I'm REALLY into it ☺

[@cartoonkelly7924]

I love when one of the couple attempts to pull the “Push Them Away to Protect Them” trope and the other one is like “I know what you’re doing and I’m not falling for it”. Also, bi, poly and ace characters.

[@goldenheart__]

yes!!! i love seeing aro and ace hcs (even if it turns a ship i really like into a friendship or a qpr, i just like having my identity acknowledged ig lol). i definitely don’t see enough polys tho!! im not poly myself but i wish there were more poly ships i actually vibed with other than just two

[@creativecutieprincessd]

My main OC is ace and she was in a poly relationship at one point in her life. (Though it was a platonic poly ship cause both her and I were 11 when I came up with the ship pairing.)

[@ettaetta439]

​​@@creativecutieprincessdIsn't that just a friendship lol? A polyship that's platonic is just a friendship with multiple people. We already have names for that. Unless you mean that it was an ace poly ship with romance, but no bedroom stuff.

[@dfghsjhjkasnjdbs]

AROACE CHARACTERS OMG. i hc this one character as aroace, and i need to find a qpr fic of this rarepair with them so bad but i cannot find it for rhe love of me 😭😭

[@The_Trident_Master]

@@creativecutieprincessdthat’s literally just called a friend group

[@strawberrysplitz1566]

I know it's weird but horseriding... I'm a horse girl and it shows a lot about their compassion, courage, patience. Everything.

[@chaoticfroggo6852]

SAME!!! Equestrian fics are my jam! Funny thing is I've never even rode a horse before, I just find the sport really fascinating for some reason

[@evergreenxo]

i love a good equestrian fic but i think they’re pretty difficult to write if you don’t have a lot of experience with horses. i’ve read a oneshot or two where they go riding but the author did NOT do research so they was borderline unreadable for me 😭

[@tsuki3752]

been wanting to write one for SOOOO long. you rarely see any stories in general that really delve into horses as pets/life companions. i’ve read way too many fics where horses are basically disposable to the mcs and it makes me sad. maybe it’s because i played way too many “horse girls” games as a kid (horsez 2 and barbie’s horse adventures anyone?) but i would love more stories in general where the horses have a bigger part of the story, but especially fanfic… cuz i love fanfic. anyway sorry for long response lol i am also a big horse girl.

[@redthedeathgripper7098]

Yes!

[@molasses3850]

And the ones you do see are so inaccurate its almost not even funny.

[@Halloweenish]

Villain couples. I just love seeing two people loving being awful together. I wish it was tagged, I need more of it.

[@leesalee1540]

Still can’t get over 2nd dimension Doof where he told his wife he was evil and she was 100% on board with it. It was funny and sad at the same time because not only would Prime Doof not have gotten divorced, but he would’ve succeeded. 🫤

[@staydetermined6717]

We could of gotten then in wish, but NOPE

[@foxglove-woods]

100% a sucker for normal-seeming lines with horrific implications a happy au in which one of the characters quotes a canon death scene? beautiful a pre canon with word play on the tragic ending? perfection tagging it would ruin the surprise tho :( the perfect reaction is when it makes you go "That's nice an- oh. *oh no.*"

[@strelitziamystery21]

That's a good one! I love in fics where it seems like the characters are out of the woods of whatever angst happened and then suddenly someone says a line that would be normal but is actually horrific under these circumstances. Just the 'oh sh%t!' moment is so good!

[@staydetermined6717]

Like someone, saying “I’ll die on this hill” And they do 😭

[@Cherrypopperr]

My favorite thing to see in fanfictions is when the characters get a bit of a reality check. Sometimes characters can be so out of touch or stuck in their ways that they don't realize when they're in the wrong or doing unethical things. I love seeing them get a wake up call and realize their mistakes, because it's so interesting to see how they react and how they can change.

[@BrunoMaricFromZagreb]

4:05 Tvtropes calls this "Walking Armory" and "Extended Disarming Sequence",I agree it's hilarious.

[@averilsworld]

honestly, we need more platonic relationships in general in fanfics. characters are romantically shipped so often that it becomes the standard and you have to specify that it’s platonic, and i don’t really like that, especially if the ship would be problematic if shipped romantically.

[@Sunny00002]

Same. I guess u can figure out the pairing if u know my pfp. I absolutely love their dynamic and how much one helped the other. But only platonic because one is a teen and the other a young adult. And its gross how many people ship them romantically.

[@babblgamgummi6029]

Morally grey characters using newly acquired power to be cruel to people they hold a grudge against. That shit is *juicy*

[@BinglesP]

I'm planning to put this trope in my EEnE AU fanfic, since the Eds get more agency w/ weapons and stuff. When I start getting the Kanker Sisters involved? Instant throwing of hands they *deserve.*

[@desmondnomad5319]

Nah I got one better, morally grey character who gains new powers but realizes that using these powers to be cruel to those who bullied him will make him no better than the bullies, so he forgives them and in doing so ends the cycle of hatred before it begins. "I have no enemies."

[@arrow_of_ravenclaw5155]

Fics where the characters are theatre kids and they go through the process of putting on a show

[@BreativityBideos]

Muppets

[@PalisadePeryton]

A and B are both trying to play matchmaker for their friends C and D. A and B fall in love with each other in the process.

[@everythingz888]

This is the plot of Toradora lolol

[@megancummins411]

Nightmare sequences. I love when the author can show a character's worst fears in an abstract way or without clunky dialog. Instead of having a character mention they're scared of heights, show them falling in their nightmares. It can also convey someone's subconscious trying to tell them something that they haven't realised yet, romantic feelings for example.

[@malaizze]

Outsider POVs. Live for these. I adore “people outside the situation trying to uncover the plot as the in-the-know protagonist engages in outwardly bizarre behavior.” It’s so enjoyable because, if the main protagonist’s actions are consistent with the information I could infer as a fan, I don’t even have to see their POV whatsoever to understand the situation. Just somebody with no idea what they’re seeing watching the plot like “What is WRONG with them????”

[@staydetermined6717]

Damn right like imagine a different protag for bnha, like first day at u,a would be wack

[@danino4141]

I read one of these not so long ago and ugh. It was so good. It was for a show called Supernatural where these two brothers basically hunt down supernatural creatures and live very not normal lives, so the fic had this hotel clerk just observing some of the behaviors that literally any normal person would find concerning and it was really captivating

[@staydetermined6717]

There’s one bnha fic where Jirou is the protag believe it or not

[@staydetermined6717]

@@danino4141 Ayo, that sounds really interesting, what’s it called?

[@BinglesP]

I haven't really seen it happen nor wrote it in anything myself before, but I keep thinking about making a fic that starts off with a 3rd-person POV then midway through reveals the narrator was actually a character the whole time through some cryptically-foreshadowed if-at-all "AND THAT'S WHERE I COME IN!" page break twist. If I ever read something that did that, I think I would legit laugh out loud getting to that.

[@mai-the-bee1171]

Not a fanfic writer, but there ARE rare tropes I want to write about and play with. This includes: -Platonic kissing. Just let characters kiss without it having to be romantic! -Characters living in treehouses(not using it as a house during the day, but rather it being their one true home. Best real literature example is Last Kids on Earth) -Were-creatures that AREN'T werewolves(werebears, weretigers, etc.) -Humans vibing with monsters and eldritch horrors instead of hunting them down or outcasting them(because let's be honest, we WOULD vibe with cryptids like mothman and bigfoot) -Character A trauma dumps like it's something that happens to everyone while character B watches in horror and sorrow -Seasons changing used as symbolism -What-Ifs that are also canon compliant int he fact they're either dreams or visions

[@starlydonati2008]

On the platonic kissing front, I’ve written/imagined scenes for stories with that. I’ve got a trio of aroace characters and two of them are particularly close and one of the pair always loved the idea of kissing under the mistletoe with someone but it only asked the other because anyone else would think it was for secret romantic feelings. Ultimately that one person was satisfied with one kiss, but it unlocked a desire in the other that was really hard to fulfill for the exact same reason the first character went to her in the first place, because it would be hard to get people to understand smooching the homies good night was completely platonic. She does find a smooching buddy who is content to keep his feelings for her to himself or at least not let them be her problem. Another scenario is a bi ace and aro ace bestie duo exchanging forehead kisses because forehead kisses are good and that being the way the aroace person figures out they even like kissing which is great info for their two partners. It’s a bit unclear if it’s romantic or queer platonic but they sure are partners.

[@starlydonati2008]

The first scenario was with next generation OCs, and the other is a crossover between The Owl House (Luz is the Bi) and Amphibia (Mars (nonbinary Marcy) is the aro)

[@stygian6642]

-Character A trauma dumps like it's something that happens to everyone while character B watches in horror and sorrow That's one of my favorite things to pull as writer as well. The dread as character A slowly starts to realize they've said something wrong, even if they have no idea what it is...

[@mai-the-bee1171]

@@stygian6642 Yesss it's especially good if you draw it instead of writing it. Storyboarding the slow realization and the dread setting in. In fact, it becomes more effective if you show it in comic panels or something.

[@beescakefactory]

I like when fics are written in the same tone and style as the original media, even if the events are all new. I've even read one series of fics that successfully did the near-impossible job of including completely original spontaneous musical numbers (like in the show it was based on) in a written form, in a way where you could almost hear the music in your head while reading.

[@PowerSpirit50]

Survival fics with a happy ending. Like the character gets trapped in a cave and their hope slowly dwindles but they get through it in the end either through their own merit or a rescue. I have really only been able to find these in minecraft fanfics. Also a relationship where one of the characters realizes that their partner isn't right for them, for whatever reason, and has to deal with navigating that.

[@stygian6642]

Oh I love those (survival fics)! I don't see them often at all so I don't think of them, and I don't have enough experience with them to write one myself, but when I do find them they're very good

[@craftytomato3759]

For me it's the the Faking Amnesia trope. I'm obsessed with amnesia tropes but I have a hard time finding fics where the character intentionally fakes amnesia to deceive their enemy. Or that they had amnesia at first, but got it back and are continuing to fake. I was writing a fic once where the latter happened, and it was meant to be a reveal so the character's non-amnesiac skills and mannerisms were sneaking into their act.

[@what-hq1gl]

i might use this idea

[@strelitziamystery21]

I've only seen that once and it's severely under used in my opinion.

[@AUCreatoer]

THIS

[@viveleshistoires4874]

Oh, oh! For me it’s when the character _does_ have amnesia (or maybe they come from a different timeline so their memories don’t line up with the events of the world they’re in) but for whatever reason decides to not let it show to the other characters so they have to analyse everything and do detective work on their own life in order to play their own role convincingly. I’ve seen this in like three fics total but I just love it every time.

[@AUCreatoer]

@@viveleshistoires4874 I'm so obsessed with those sm, I only saw like 2 fics of it and IM STARVING FOR MORE JFBGK

[@sweetsea3607]

I wish there was more fanfics where the narration has its own personality. Like instead of just telling the story it might also tease or goof around a bit.

[@blubblob8598]

Absolutely agree, I wish there was more of this. Not just in fanfiction but in published works too (though it seems a bit more common there, at least in my experience). Giving the narration some personality can make a story far more interesting and enjoyable, so long as it doesn't detract from the story or writing. First person and third person-limited perspectives are perfect for this kind of thing. When you limit your perspective to one character like that you're also giving yourself more opportunities to develop that character, some of which seems to be a bit neglected by a lot of people. Yeah there's the classic "they thought this", but what about trying to tinge your whole writing with a bit of the POV's personality? It can be a bit tricky to pull off and, like a lot of writing techniques, easy to overdo, but when done well I feel like it adds a lot to the character and story. It's especially nice in stories with multiple perspectives, where it gives each perspective its own subtle differences. For instance, character A is an optimistic person, but character B is pessimistic, so B's sections are written more serious or glum than A's, which are more hopeful. You don't have to change your entire writing style per character either, I think everyone's seen that writing exercise where changing a few words or sentence structures can completely change the tone/feel of a paragraph; it's pretty similar to that.

[@liljatupsu]

Ok, so this isn't a fanfic, or even fiction, but A Sting in a Tale by Dave Goulson is such a fun read because the text just has so much personality

[@CYR1E3]

I DO THIS AND I CAN’T HELP IT, i call all the characters dumb names and make the narration say jokes, i feel like it might be kinda dumb but i can’t help it

[@staydetermined6717]

I remember there’s an anime, where the narrator is wack, can’t remember what it’s called tho

[@alexander_markovski]

100% agree. I've always considered the narrator the most important character. If they're boring or bland, the story suffers. It's one of the first questions I ask myself when I write: What's the narrator's angle?

[@erica9443]

The one with one character making a comment that all their friends are horrified by and it leads to a traumatic backstory reveal and (hopefully) comfort and angst is just absolute perfection

[@dantheman425]

Juicy as fuck

[@jasonbell8515]

I read a lot of Kirby crossover fics, and this is essentially a requirement. Kirby has some serious nightmare fuel.

[@Star-ng5sl]

For me, I wanna see more 'siblings being wholesome' fics. Ik it's not so rare (atleast in my fandoms they aren't) but like, there's just something abt them that I love so much, especially if it's brothers. And I sadly don't feel like i've seen enough of it

[@braintoocloudy]

me too, but I like it when they've had drama/are suddenly separated after being so close to each other. secretly they still care about each other but they can't say it out loud because of their complicated history/the other sibling just isn't there. I like my angst smothered on a knife and stabbed into my chest, and then have the wound treated with wholesome fluff :3

[@Star-ng5sl]

@@braintoocloudy I'm sorry, but did you just describe Kaeya & Diluc?! (They're genshin impact characters and u basically just sums up their relationship). But yeah, I think tropes like that are amazing! Can't have fluff without a sprinkle of angst :33

[@BinglesP]

My Mega Man fanfic series is currently inactive right now as I type, but I like writing scenes there where the Light siblings are around each other. I have to agree.

[@braintoocloudy]

@@Star-ng5sl EXACTLY!!! and Aether and Lumine too!! I just love their relationship dynamics and I wanna scour the entire internet for more content of them

[@blueghost4769]

​@@Star-ng5slthey're the reason my new favourite fanfic genre is family angst. I just love the fics where they both realise what they've done wrong and start acting like brothers again

[@irishuisman1450]

platonic soulmates, but with soulmarks or other soulmate-identifying characteristics. I've only seen it in a handful of fics so far (all from the same fandom and although written by two separate authors all part of the same AU), but I absolutely love it. It opens up so many more options for pairings beyond just romantic couples. It's just the universe saying 'hey, you guys will get along great', which opens the door for not just romantic pairings (although those are certainly possible), but also inseparable friends, found family (in all the possible positive dynamics you can think of), and even more than 2 people sharing the same soulmark! Just imagine a found family where absolutely none of them are blood-related, but they all have the same soulmark and are so incredibly healthy for eachother after being hurt by others in their lives. You could even have someone with multiple soulmarks, where one is for their best friend and one is for their partner, or two friends they have that tolerate eachother for the sake of the group but would otherwise never get along. So many possible dynamics, and yet I almost never see it used in any of the fandoms I'm in. If someone has found fics like this, please send them my way! KZbin deletes comments with links, so just tell me the name of the fic, the author, and what fandom it's from. Thank you :D

[@goldenheart__]

noted for possible potential stories (i dont like soulmate aus but this sounds interesting to me)

[@starlydonati2008]

I can’t remember the specific fic, but I remember one for the Avatar the Last Airbender. I may be misremembering, but I’m pretty sure.

[@sarahmorris4575]

@@starlydonati2008I’ve seen several- I’ll edit this and namedrop them “illustrate the remnants of the life i used to live” by WitchofEndor “The Family You Choose” by TunaFishChris ^both of these are ATLA bc of the comment I responded to There’s also about 10,500 fics under the tag “Platonic Soulmates”

[@zxorcds]

there’s a one piece fanfic with this kind of soulmate au but the main focus is a romantic one. it’s still pretty good though “not a ball or chain”

[@bogwife7942]

yes! soulmates AUs generally annoy me but for some reason platonic soulmates AUs make me so soft. same with the 'true love' trope but its not about romantic love, like in maleficent. not quite what you described, but I read a great fic once where two sibling characters had a platonic soul bond they could sense each other through. it was very sweet :(

[@margaretcollins2374]

The canon compliance is real 😢 pls just let me enjoy the world I fell in love with not everything has to be combined with like four different animes 😭

[@itsgirlcraft5842]

Okay question. Technically my fic is AU, but its like...meant to be canon compliant too? The AU part wouldnt make any sense but im trying to get the characters to stick to canon at the same time

[@greilus4535]

I always try to keep everything canon, literally the one thing I hate the most is when the characters in the fic don't act the way they do in the show..

[@MicyPie]

All my favorite fics are canon compliant, it's honestly my favorite tags. I also like fics where the story starts out basically the same, but one little change/accident causes everything else to go differently (I think this could be another form of canon compliant though).

[@stygian6642]

@@MicyPie that's called "canon divergence", and from what I've seen that's the most common form of fanfiction (because it's genuinely creative while still being recognizable by fans of the source material)

[@liljatupsu]

My favourite AUs are the "what ifs" like all the worldbuilding is the same but an important character dies before they were supposed to or something and the story goes differently because of it

[@YourWaywardDestiny]

AH! I WROTE A PLATONIC HAND HOLDING SCENE ONCE AND THEN FELT WEIRD ABOUT IT FOR DAYS AFTER THE FACT, PANICING ABOUT IF PEOPLE WOULD MAKE IT ROMANIC, SO I WENT BACK AND MADE IT LESS OF A THING I FOCUSED ON. Just hearing that this would resonate a tiny bit with at least one person makes me regret not leaving it all in. It was supposed to illustrate how weirdly relaxed and friendly a character was being after getting captured by an antagonistic force. He went on, made fast friends with a goon, holding a soldier's hand like they were childhood friends instead of having to be gripped onto. That was the end of the description in the actual text, but originally, the character from whose POV it was from had an entire "yes, it's very sweet how you're able to make friends everywhere you go, BUT NOW IS NOT THE TIME, WE MIGHT HAVE TO KILL THEM AND-- NO, NO, NO, STOP PLAYING PATTY-CAKE WITH THE ENEMY SOLDIER, WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU STOP HOLDING THAT GUY'S HAND! YOU'RE NOT BESTIES!" sort of internal thing that built it up more.

[@ananas_6029]

Honestly if the character has a precedent of being very touchy/ not caring about social codes, it can be understood as platonic

[@Hababalooo]

Don't know this is the same as canon complaince but I love when the story still makes sense in the lore.

[@acc3ssd3n13d]

I love setting change aus that don't focus as much on romance as they do on fitting canon events into these circumstances. Seeing a complicated high stakes fantasy plot successfully translated into like... High school drama for example? Is really satisfying to me for some reason.

[@nympseudonym]

Non-Platonic high-fives: affection can be more than just kissing Cuckquean: even my spell check asks if I mean 'cuckold' (no, I emphatically do not) Recognition of the difference between romantic and sexual attraction: yes there is a difference

[@inkylynx2777]

Out of curiosity, what _does_ cuckquean mean?

[@redadabloom-rdb4575]

@@inkylynx2777I ask the same question…

[@aceofspades8474]

⁠@@inkylynx2777 I just googled it so you don’t have to and it’s basically the gender bent version of cuckold. “The wife of an adulterous husband.”

[@nympseudonym]

@@inkylynx2777 It is the gender opposite of Cuckold

[@Cattafang]

i am also commenting so i can find out what cuckquean means

[@galaxydacreature]

Something I love seeing in fanfic(and any media, really) is a character going through a physical transformation into some kind of Creature or smthn and then just. Having to live their life afterwards. Or like, character studies that go into the mindsets of characters who've had that happen to them in canon(like the Spot or Danny Phantom). I like body horror, I like angst, and I like non-human character designs, so its a big win! Unfortunately there's no real way to tag that because there isn't a concise enough trope name for it, so fics with that premise are difficult to find. Also doesn't help that the fandoms I'm in just don't have a lot of fics that explore those ideas as much as I'd like smh

[@Yohannai]

This!! This is exactly what I love focussing on in my own stuff as well as finding stories with it. Physical change comes with so much interesting baggage people don't focus on enough. Especially how other people will react to that change and how that affects the character going through it.

[@bogwife7942]

I think this ties in to a general fear of commitment. maybe its just because I'm queer and haven't really fit in my whole life, but one of my least favourite things in fiction is when the author makes a character "other" in some way, like making them a nonhuman creature, vampire, superhuman, mutant, or whatever, but then by the end of the story they're "fixed" and they get to be ""normal"". let the monster stay a monster, y'know?

[@galaxydacreature]

@@bogwife7942 real!!!! Its so much more interesting that way!!!

[@goldenheart__]

the first one is so real tho. im aroace but very physically affectionate with my friends (when theyre comfortable with it) and family. i wish there were more ‘romantic’ gestures that were normalised as being platonic as well. like?? i’d kiss my besties on the cheek!! i’d cuddle up with them and hug them and hold their hand!!! i do it already. i love holding hands with friends, especially bc sometimes i just desperately need to do something with my hands or hold something and a friend’s hand is really good at making me not go insane from craving physical touch. and i so badly wish that i saw more of it. theres a pairing in my fandom that i read fics for even tho i dont like them as a ship. bc i just genuinely like the idea of them being besties who act like romantic partners in the way i do with MY friends and say “oh no, we’re just friends” without being in denial. i just have to replace the word ‘boyfriend’ with ‘best friend’, but other than that, its fine bc i can genuinely see them doing literally ANYTHING romantic together in a completely platonic manner. and i wish that more people wrote fics intended to be viewed this way !!!! edit: after checking the comments, i am so glad we’re all on the same page rn of craving more platonic relationships in fics

[@dyingrat9]

SAME!! I get teased sometimes for holding my friends’ hands, but it’s just platonic, and I wish they could see that!

[@strelitziamystery21]

I'm an anxiety ridden Asexual so I over think every physical interaction I have people because I worry about how people may misinterpret it. It would be so nice to have more platonic physical interactions be normalised.

[@liljatupsu]

I also read shipfics of pairings I prefer as platonic, mainly because there aren't any platonic fics of them. Most of the time they stay somewhat in character, but sometimes I get jumpscared by a very intimate kiss scene with tongues and everything and it gets really uncomfortable, because not only does it not feel like they would do that it canon, it also doesn't feel like it matches the relationship they had in the fic

[@goldenheart__]

@@liljatupsu EXACTLYY!!! for me its not SO bad bc when i say i can see them as being platonic and doing romantic gestures, i mean that i think they could literally fuck and it would still be entirely platonic (i never read smut so this stays a hc and not something i read about). i feel like the fics of them as friends lean so much into the silliness of their dynamic and theres not many serious ones. so i like romantic fics bc they’re more likely to be serious. i got lucky tho. theres a fic with them thats tagged as romantic but its only very subtly implied that they have crushes on each other and it’s entirely serious and has some of my fav tags!!

[@liljatupsu]

@@goldenheart__ Yeah I totally get that! Also what fandom is the fic for? I might check it out if it's something I even vaguely know! [Long rant ahead, feel free to skip!] I'm just kind of salty because I recently read a series of otherwise well-written fics where the characters were pretty in character and the romance was subtle (in part 1 character A has a dream where they're together but even that could be taken as him being psychologically messed up and starved for validation and he even justifies it like that himself) until at the very ends of part 2 and 3 the author shoves in the romance and it all feels very out of place. Like part 2 is about character B (even calling him that is actually a pun) talking to character C to try and sort out how he feels about character A who's dead. It's all stuff about how he failed to help him become a better person, _why_ he failed at that, how he should have tried to be his friend rather than things other people were already doing for him, etc. Then character C leaves and character A's ghost shows up and all of the sudden it's "actually I wasn't scared of getting close to him for these other reasons, it was because he's so perfect and if I gave my heart to him he would never give it back and he could do anything and dump me and I would still love him forever." Out of nowhere. I'm not gonna go too deep into part 3 because it's very long and has explanations for the kiss at the end, but I still stand by the fact that no amount of time as a ghost or (literally via mind fusion) seeing how much character B loves him or even a million years of therapy could make the bag of trauma and defences that is character A show physical affection, and that there were better ways to make the ending meaningful (like making them finally hold hands instead of them just going trough each other due to one being a ghost (which had happened before and would've felt like thematic repetition) instead of just "ooo they finally gotta kiss!!1!").

[@Biblically-Accurate-Crow]

It may be a bit messed up, but body horror. I love reading about the buildup to it, and then the body horror itself. Heck- even better is how the characters adapt to what happened to them, and how they cope with it!

[@BinglesP]

YES SAME (Brace yourself because I admit that this sounds super unhinged out-of-context) I'm writing an EEnE AU fanfic(as I stated in other comments and replies) which is primarily a Y2K+Frutiger Aero themed Sci-Fi, but I did do some body horror stuff with Edd/Double Dee. Doesn't really have a beginning buildup, I admit, since it's supposed to be mysterious(because Edd is just an enigmatic character in general, like with the whole 'what's under his hat' schtick), but his beginning arc in the AU series is exactly that adapt/cope kind you said.

[@Frostfern94]

Sammmee

[@strelitziamystery21]

That's so true. I'm currently reading a good RE4 infected Leon fic and the body horror (and hive mind horror) is SO good.

[@jasonbell8515]

I read a lot of Kirby fanfics, and I dock MAJOR points for not including this. Like, the games have done it since the third game in the series, which was on the GAMEBOY of all things, put some in there with your elder god antagonist, jeez.

[@staydetermined6717]

Yooo, ever heard of bugsnax?

[@gilliancastle5106]

Honestly, I want to see Y/N fics based around platonic or familial relationships. Usually, when I imagine myself being inserted into the worlds of my favorite pieces of media, it's because I want to part of the adventure, not because I want to make out with any of the characters.

[@islaizzy]

i once read this australian book, and i really liked how the mc never ended up with either of the love interests at the end because she slowly realized how messed up they were and how messed up they were making her. i also want to be a psychologist but that’s unrelated right!!!!

[@everest5718]

I love love love outsider POV fics, whether from a minor character or an oc’s perspective. It’s always just so interesting and fun to think of the different ways characters will interpret what’s going on - especially with weirder fandoms. I also like crossover fics for this reason, though they tend to be more hit or miss. You don’t tend to see it super often, since most writers want to focus on the characters the fic is about of course.

[@peiithos]

im a big fan of crossovers, queerplatonic relationships (bc im in one!!) and things like for example, asta from black clover finally giving up. that genre of angst. i feel alot of fandoms focus too much on pairings so i have a hard time finding all of these things with the specific niches i like is nigh impossible and its painful.

[@aceofspades8474]

I love crossover stuff, but I’m picky in that I typically only read them if I’m familiar with and knowledgeable about both/all of the series’ involved which can really limit my options. For some reason a lot of the fandoms I try to find crossovers in don’t overlap with that many of my other fandoms. I’ve been working on a few crossover fics but I wonder if they’ll garner much attention when people who do the same as me and only read crossovers when they know both fandoms probably won’t read it since the three fics all fuse together an adult oriented dnd podcast and three different kids cartoons which probably have very different audiences. Queerplatonic stuff is also super cool, it’s fun seeing variety in the kinds of relationships that exist. I have a habit of writing a lot of shipping and romance stuff but when I do write strong platonic or found-familial style relationships I put a lot into it as that’s the kind of relationship that matter the most to me.

[@cbcimutebi5564]

What is a queerplatonic relationship?

[@peiithos]

@@cbcimutebi5564 "Queerplatonic relationships (QPR) and queerplatonic partnerships (QPP) are committed intimate relationships which are not romantic in nature. They may differ from usual close friendships by having more explicit commitment, validation, status, structure, and norms, similar to a conventional romantic relationship." - copy and pasted from a google search because i have a hard time formulating it in my own words :)

[@kay.009]

i totally agree!! i’m a huge fan of queerplatonic relationships, but i feel like i hardly come across them in the fandoms i’m in. i’d be so happy if there was more focus on platonic, queerplatonic, and familial relationships in general!! (because i’m projecting /hj)

[@stygian6642]

@@cbcimutebi5564 there's a lot of different definitions but I think the most basic is, a close relationship with a significant other that is not romantic nor platonic

[@thatfunky_thing]

I mainly read fanfics about found family and close friendships and ive seen platonic handholding maybe twice and i love whenever it happens. Similarly, in those stories characters often cuddle or sleep in the same bed as friends or like siblings. Its really sweet

[@piperjones8029]

I love being able to visualize everything. I want to hear the rain and smell the smoke and vividly imagine how everything looks and sounds and feels. I want to see more of them environment and location details SO bad.

[@BinglesP]

YESSSS I love writing location purple prose sm

[@NixFaerie]

Besides fandom specific things, I LOVE slice of life apocalypse/wilderness stories, where the characters just gotta go abotu their daily life surviving. Not the sort where 'man is the true enemy' cynical deals where all the characters are hardened and learing to open up but only to those they can trust (although one or two characters like that if it makes sense for their canon character is good) but just characters living their lives... but its a bit hard due to the circumstances and they gotta do everything themselves with only the kindness of the people they know to support them. Gathering food, scavenging supplies, putting together thing, takign care of one another, utilizing their hyperspecific skillsets... Which falls into my other favourite thing I don't see enough of which is just a fic about a character participating in a niche hobby and using it as a metaphor for their problems and relationships.

[@Samuelnakano]

Platonic hand-holding is my favorite thing ever I'm starving for it! I grew up in Japan and most of my girl friends at school liked holding hands and lean on their friend's shoulder and hug eachother tightly, it's very cute and it surely influenced how I write my platonic relationships.

[@greycat1246]

I'd like to see more stuff that's canon divergent but in a way suited to telling a new dramatic story using ideas from the original the original didn't use for whatever reason. Like a piece of the worldbuilding which is actually really messed up but doesn't get explored in the original, or an implication of the magic system which could produce something crazy that didn't happen in the original, or a fic where the villain wins and a new cast has to deal with that. Generally I want fanfic that has the dramatic structure and sensibilities the original usually does rather than focusing on romance or slice of life. I can get the appeal of romance and slice of life, but when I go to fanfic it's because I wanna see ideas from the original get used in new dramatic stories. Oh and also, I would enjoy fanfic with themes and commentary to make.

[@starlydonati2008]

Hi. This reminds me of something I’ve been working on where two characters basically don’t have much of a dynamic in the show despite being the teacher who loves giving out Fs and the only student who gets all As in his class. I saw an opportunity to write a wholesome mentor apprentice relationship that often serves as an obstacle for the protagonist. Additionally, I made an oc to explain why a character had a r@pe whistle handy to be the character’s creepy uncle. I’m doing basically a soft reboot that retreads and tightens up the good stuff, overwrites stuff I don’t care for, and adds new foreshadowing for the eventual series finale that the original show never really had. I only have synopses for episodes for now, but what I’ve shown to people who are familiar with Fairly OddParents have said that it feels completely in character or in line with the tone of the original which is what I was going for.

[@staydetermined6717]

Yeah, who doesn’t love canon divergence, like so with undertale, imagine humanity remembers the resets? Or the first human after chara, stops asgores plans with pacifist?

[@giorgiadiieso8641]

A trope I rarely see but I love is when characters get a piercing and they go with a friend or partner. They tend to be sweet.

[@certainnoodlesinapasta.5265]

It should be more common for fics to have a plotline. Like please, for the love of God, I came to fanfic to indulge in a good story with dramatic plot, multi-faceted characters who act and take control of their story. Where is the stakes? The twists and turns? Every single fanfic I've seen of my ship is about that ship confessing with one another and going from being best friends to lovers, or trying to spend time with one another cuddling or undergo a bunch of emotions I either simply cannot imagine or hits too close to home. Yes, emotional fits have their worth too, but can we write about something else? I don't see a lot of people complaining about this. Maybe some dramatic fics like what I said existed in my fandom and I missed them lol. I came here to scrape some dopamine to cope with my life, not to get hit with another wave of emotional crisis. Maybe there's some in my fandom but my dumbass managed to miss lmaoo. Cuz I see no one complaining this problem doe.

[@loopyhead3243]

I feel you! I love me some good plot fics! They can also have a pairing in them, I don't mind, as long as it isn't the focus of that fic.

[@certainnoodlesinapasta.5265]

@@loopyhead3243 fr my fandom be lacking it sm I've been craving man. what fandom you in.

[@greilus4535]

I've had quite the opposite experience, actually! I think it's all about how lucky you are finding a fic that suits your standards.

[@certainnoodlesinapasta.5265]

@@greilus4535 jdsjfdkfj lucky you.

[@Chordata7]

This!!!!

[@KanetheGoofster]

9:07 sometimes I actually worry about doing the opposite since I headcanon most characters as Bi/Pan due to past Het/Queer Relationships they've had in the past (Like: A is male and I headcanon him dating B, another male, but in canon he dated C, a female, so I make him Bi/Pan) and sometimes I worry I've got too many Bi/Pan headcanons and less Gay/Lesbian ones.

[@foxglove-woods]

Its a headcanon, the thought police won't get you

[@goldenheart__]

its okay if you dont have ‘enough’ gay/lesbian hcs, i mean it sounds like you prefer them as being gay/lesbian and canon is the only thing stopping you lol. but honestly dont worry about it. i hc so many characters in my fandom of choice as aro or ace or aroace and realistically, maybe one or two of them MAX would actually be aro or ace if we’re thinking about how statistically likely it is. but that shalln’t stop me!! in the empire of my own brain, ruled by me as i sat on the golden throne within my mind palace, i hereby declare all these characters as getting no bitches but on purpose!!!!

[@teeteeplays]

I’ve only found this a few times in the fandoms I read for but when there’s one character both of the characters being shipped together go to for advice and to vent to and they’re both like “but don’t tell them” That one character is so frustrated but keeps it a secret and when they finally confess the character is like “FINALLY GOSH GOODNESS Y’ALL ARE BLIND”. I usually hate miscommunication/not communicating something really important but for some reason in this context I really like stuff like that.

[@starlydonati2008]

Ooo yes. I love this too. I also generally dislike miscommunication plots, but when it comes to secrets about crushes or really personal information, I completely understand everyone involved and how privacy and honesty conflict with each other as values in stories like this. It reminds me of another trope where miscommunication is actually satisfying for me which is a confidant furiously trying not to out the person who came out to just them and explicitly said wasn’t ready to be out to others. The closeted experience is a really tricky and juicy one, especially when you’ve got a foot in both worlds.

[@Mari____________________]

This reminds of a fic I've been reading but the stupid slow burn was like 50 agonizing chapters. It was great, but agonizing.

[@hemophilicPainter]

onesided confessions, and onesided in general. the characters reaction to getting rejected can be so fun and the angst is really enjoyable too. most fics are "they think its onesided but its not" and i think actual unreturned love is great and its upsetting that its so rare!

[@freddieadams8435]

Actor AU's where they're doing interviews is so much fun, just seeing opposite sides just hang out is fun

[@katethevampire]

This one isn't as unpopular as some others but mostly that it's never tagged or when it is people don't go enough into it, but I really like internalized homophobia in queer relationships. This is probably a sign of something about myself but, idk it just really makes me feel for the characters and I feel like a lot of the times when it's tagged people don't really utilize it.

[@foxglove-woods]

as a tag its so mixed too, that tag could mean "so sad we can't get married" or the main character having an actual mental breakdown

[@tonkajoey08]

Watching characters learn to accept that their feelings aren't something to be ashamed of is something I enjoy seeing too :)

[@starlydonati2008]

I love this too! Maybe it’s just me, but I love seeing (and writing) characters who start off with unhealthy hangups that maybe I’m still working through and ending up breaking through those in order to be there for their found family and friends. One example is from my Fairly OddParents reboot where I gave both Chester and Trixie internalized queerphobia. Chester has it bad and lashes out in a way that makes him unpleasant to be around (policing everyone’s gender expression/general transphobia) but his crush on his best friend (AJ) makes him happy even if he’s afraid to admit it to anyone. He kind of gets over his hangups before confessing to his crush, but it still leaves residue. Trixie/Trevor on the other hand has an incentive to stay closeted to her girlfriend about being bigender even after they get together and staying secretive about the relationship even if being together makes her happy. There’s some real tension between wanting to maintain the privilege she has as a cis-passing straight-passing bigender bi kid, but it’s also exhausting trying to push away the urge to just be himself sometimes. Additionally, in the place he goes to be more masculine, Trevor is trying to pass and go relatively stealth and while passing as a dude is harder, the person who knows him there only knows his guy side and doesn’t realize he isn’t a binary trans guy. The only one who knows both side of her is Timmy who accidentally caught him boy-moding. It’s fun to add that complexity because it feels real. Also I put the kid through conversion therapy so there’s a bit of the need to be normal drilled into her after that ordeal. I feel so evil, but hopefully it makes for compelling didactic storytelling. If that’s not that same as what you meant, I also love a crack ship where one of the guys is a raging homophobe and the other is a bisexual guy who just lets his troubled bf deny that what they’re doing is actually gay even though it obviously is, but bi guy’s not going to push it. (It’s a crossover ship with the villains from Amphibia and TOH)

[@katethevampire]

@@starlydonati2008 both are exactly what I meant!

[@starlydonati2008]

@@katethevampire I’m glad! I makes me excited to keep working on it.

[@vanillaextract4135]

Totally agree with the person who said established relationships. Also, I really like to see healthy parent-child relationships. Not necessarily perfect ones, but ones where the parent and kid joke around together and genuinely enjoy each other’s company. Friends as well as family, y’know? Also one specific best friend pairing in my main (atm) fandom that I absolutely LOVE but rarely see.

[@inkylynx2777]

While I do like what 5:45 has to offer, I'd word mine a bit differently: not canon compliance, but canon _friendliness._ You can have a Universe Alteration where things go a little to the left, yet still have everyone behave as they do in canon. I'm writing a Hollow Knight fanfic that's under this umbrella, where it takes place after the events of the Embrace the Void ending, but after reading some meta posts, I realized my initial premise is unlikely to happen because of lore and I need to rethink how I need it structured. Also as a bi person myself, 9:05 hits so hard, I hate the bi erasure in fandom.

[@itsgirlcraft5842]

Oooh thats a good name for it! My fic is kinda out there in terms of environment, but the characters arent!

[@FrozenFennekin]

Yes! Canon divergence doesn’t mean you get to have your characters be out of character! Also fics where canon divergence happens that causes characters to react differently that is actually explained, if you’re going to make characters behave differently make it believable.

[@oliviatilleman8055]

@@FrozenFennekin that last part... YEAAAH. not "he would not fucking say that" but "under what circumstances would he fucking say that"

[@skatleosp1rit848]

Yes!! I really love canon friendly fics and most of the ones I write are centered like that. Like, you can create endless theories and actually make it work, everyone has to act the way they are.

[@jasonbell8515]

Yes! I like crossover fics, but only of this kind. Fandom A has some method to generate portals/move between realities/an interdimensional hero (Kirby's Lor Starcutter/Sonic's Chaos Emeralds/Professor Paradox from Ben 10), and this item/individual moves characters from fandom A to B or B to A. Everyone is in character, everything is canon compliant, and there is a new scenario that generates new responses from the characters involved (Kirby: On the Flipside/A Red Rose in a Blue Wind/Ben 10: Unlimited)

[@fivestarmichelin_]

The platonic one is SO true. People literally romanticise anything. Love is not just romance. Love can exist in many forms.

[@luckystarite]

Absolutely love friendly/well-intentioned platonic oneshots between characters that either don’t interact in canon, don’t interact much in canon, or have a relatively poor relationship in canon. Just gimme 1.2k - 7k words of two characters just existing in the same space and figuring out how that works. No stakes, no huge drama, just pure unadulterated “this is how they might talk to each other” character dynamic goodness ❤

[@varia2354]

I once read a Hanahaki fic where the sufferer developed a crush on his best friend, except he was straight up abusing the friend, which ends up costing the relationship, and thus, his life. I loved it because it was so preventable, and the relationship might've worked if he stopped being the worst human alive and apologized. But instead, he didn't, his friend grew a spine and told him no, killing him. A good death that was tragic and utterly deserved. And I don't think I'm ever finding another fic like that (at least not in any of my fandoms) because there are only 34 fanfics on AO3 with the tags "Hanahaki Disease" and "Abusive Relationships" without specifying any other filters. "Poisonous Heart, Wilted Love" by MarisaRaindrops if you're interested, and major spoilers for Your Turn to Die up through chapter 2. You have been warned.

[@buttercupghost]

I love when a character finds out something about someone that just... reshapes how they view them. Now, thats pretty broad, and I can find works that scratch this itch under many different trope/genere/tags. For example, something that scratches this itch are "reaction fanfics" where characters react to the canon or AU's about the canon. Another thing that scratches it are "identity reveals" fanfics, but those are only really a thing with superhero/magical girl properties. A scenario I love seeing that scratches the itch, though, is just... characters opening up to each other. Talking about their backstories, or a secret they have... and there's no universal tag for that. It's actually one of the reasons I love time travel fanfic too - a lot them have reveals to other characters that the time traveler is, indeed, a time traveler. I just love those "reaction" or "reveal" type stories where the characters come out from it having a better understanding of each other. Mind reading fics can also scratch this itch, and things similar to it. Hell, that's part of why I like Hanahaki fics too. Just... I love reveals

[@kittycoolcat7]

The last of these reminded me of a oneshot I wrote! Also, I feel like there's not enough non-romantic stuff in the fanficosphere. Maybe I just want to see family members, found or biological, care about each other. What about friends? What about a pair that are typically enemies, even?

[@PhoebeTheFairy56]

Even when there's no romance in canon ship fics will somehow still be the majority :(

[@rowan404]

I was obsessed with climbing trees when I was a kid. If I saw a tree with branches low enough for climbing, nothing else mattered in that moment. My mom did a lot of running after me when I was younger… 😅

[@Ciara_Turner]

I'm not one for romance in story for the most part, being ace and all, but I like a good 'boring' ship. Those that present the relationship as not the foundation of conflict for those characters, but where they are just comfortable in their status with each other Not to say I don't like growth or drama in a relationship, those things are necessary and good, and I've seen more than a few divorced couples in fiction that I enjoy. But when the relationship is the only driving factor in these peoples' lives (outside of the romance genre), it falls so flat to me and is not so fun. TL;dr, more backgrounding of the relationships

[@artikulv731]

I second this so hard, people put too much melodrama into relationships in media

[@liljatupsu]

All my favourite romances are ones where the characters just kind of slowly slide together and it fits and there's no need for any dramatic love confessions because they both just already _know_

[@juliaabreus]

I love canon compliance! I love spending a little more time in the original story

[@prastarkeepers]

4:33 Perrito talking about the sock incident.

[@level700giga8]

I love writing established relationship fic where they’re just healthy and the fic doesn’t revolve around there relationship. Just like yeah they’re together it’s no big deal let’s get them into sm silly non romantic antics For ship fics, I like getting them together early on and having the majority of the fic be about the aftermath of the initial getting together. I want to see them meet each others parents and be nervous about it!!!!

[@AnimalLover-43000]

Characters being frustrated by two characters who are absolutely head over heels for each other but just won’t confess is the best, especially when the character is feeling the same frustration as as a vast majority of the fandom is. It’s just pure gold. FEEL OUR PAIN Also fics that are just about daily life or transitions in life (such as the first semester of college away from home) where there isn’t an antagonist or romance plot, it’s just characters trying to navigate life. Also finding fics that focus on relationships that are typically in the background is hard, but I get so much joy from those.

[@TeethAsSharpAsMyWits]

1:41 I honestly should add that to my new book, it makes sense in the setting and the characters are definitely the type to scramble up trees

[@The21stGamer]

Non-sexual Intimacy. I mean things like kissing all over each other's body, whispering sweet words into their ears, etc. Some way of expressing love, connection, and commitment that isn't just straight up sex. Generally if a fic goes that far it will also go for full smut, but if a fic doesn't want to go for full smut it generally won't want to include Non-sexual Intimacy either, so finding that perfect medium which has a main focus on it is all that more satisfying.

[@shadowl.dragmire8531]

Siblings that act like siblings I have a huge family, and I wish for more fics with them. They either HATE each other, obsessive or lovey dovey. Siblings aren't like that. Historical details, especially fashion I'm a historical fashion buff and I love when I read in fan fics and even actually books (especially historical romance) accurately dress the characters most importantly men as they are usually thrown to the wayside when it comes to descriptions of dress.

[@zhenia2511]

I hate arranged marriage as a romance trope, but I *love* platonic arranged marriage. Especially, lavender marriage.

[@malktheyellowdino5456]

Fae family dynamics their so fun to read. Also specific to the Hermitcraft fandom soup group family aus. I like family aus

[@completeotakuness]

I love the dumb trope of "character a thinks they're alone but character b is watching them and sees character a do something cute/weird/upsetting" i usually refer to it as "accidental stalking"

[@wind64a39]

Love language that isn't obvious, at first, to the other person. Like when a person obsessed with building robots leaves a series of increasingly complex alarm clocks for someone that keeps breaking them.

[@caracaracat2958]

One of my favorite tropes ever is when a character, any character, is turned into a monster- usually literally but sometimes metaphorically too. I don’t see it often at all which is a shame because it is so fun to read haha

[@PhoebeTheFairy56]

I'm in a fandom where this happens quite a few times in canon and it's _still_ hard to find fics about it. _The protagonist's blood_ can literally be used for this in _two_ ways so it's not like it would need much setup or anything

[@RulomboTeAmo]

I need more fics with the ship dynamic that I decided to name "The jock who bullies the chess club falls in love with jock who's a member of the chess club but is afraid of confessing", I have only seen it like 3 times.

[@malaizze]

Todd Howard Bethesda

[@DragonbornCanid]

the one thing i absolutely live and die for is crying/comfort stuff. its not as common as one might think! usually when it does happen, there's not enough hugs and cuddles, or there's anger and phyisical distance involved, which is a huge turn-off for me. or sometimes its exactly the way i like it, but it lasts for only like 2 sentences ._. im really not into most comfort fics, because either the characters arent interesting to me, or its about someone who is sick/injured, and personally, if im sick/injured: dont come near me 😂 im a rabid dog, dont touch me, dont bring me soup, get the heckie out 😂😅 ive finally started writing my own fics though, and of course theyre all filled with plenty of comfort! just the way i like it 😌❤

[@Meteorite_Shower]

You know what I don't see enough of? Stories that take full ownership of the fact that the franchise in question is animated. Give me scenes where the characters have the cartoonish qualities they've been known to display during the show, and _not_ just the 'wacky character'. They've _all_ done _something_ wacky, I guarantee you.

[@crumpscrumbs]

Original Story fanfics. So many people nowadays make AUs where it’s “Insert Series but X Thing is different”, and they often just aren’t an interesting enough difference or the writer doesn’t explore that difference in enough detail. I love seeing characters react to new situations and seeing new events unfold before me, not something I’ve already seen.

[@Regigigas_YT]

I just started a Bluey x Persona 5 fanfic that is an entirely original story about the Phantom Thieves and Bluey going on in a journey to defeat 4 Palace Lords that have NOTHING to do with the Persona 5 ones. This isn't publicity or anything, you just happened to be the person with a comment perfect for me to reply this xd

[@crumpscrumbs]

@@Regigigas_YT Interesting. Can you send me a link to it, I kinda wanna check it out.

[@Regigigas_YT]

@@crumpscrumbs it's in spanish srry :(

[@V1G4M1]

I just today thought about fics where the MCs of a story get to read the story, or fanfics about themselves… but I have no idea what that is tagged as…

[@kay.009]

i’ve seen tags like “characters reading fanfiction” and “characters react to fandom” pop up on ao3 before, maybe those could apply!!

[@donaldduckith6792]

I love slow burn when it takes a while to get to the relationship… and then the rest of the plot still has to happen. I just really like *very* long fics, like 500k and upwards, which have romance as a subplot or a b-plot, without being the *entire* plot

[@yams8445]

When a fanfic has a plot that expands on/interprets an aspect that was heavily underutilized idea from the original work. I’m talking everything from a relationship to world breaking plot points. Not even sure how that would be tagged but I always love seeing how people would write stuff like this it’s so fascinating.

[@PhoebeTheFairy56]

I've seen this sort of stuff be tagged but in a way that's specific to the thing being expanded on (like "going in detail about x because canon didnt")

[@lilautieunicorn6632]

Things I’d kill to see mentioned in stories in general: * moving house * renovating houses * marriage of convenience where they end up falling in love * asexuality * good old cozy vibes and feelings * lots of location moving Idk just some thoughts.

[@chaoticfroggo6852]

I really like Dragon AUs? Like any sort of dragon stuff-- characters befriending dragons, characters turning into dragons, even characters fighting dragons, I just really like anything with dragons in it and I feel sad that I don't see it too much (at least in my fandoms)

[@avastoyboxandarcade]

DRAGONS!! I LOVE DRAGONS!! Yes we need more dragons! My favorite is when the characters befriend dragons or when the characters ARE dragons.

[@chaoticfroggo6852]

@@avastoyboxandarcade YOU!!! You get it.

[@GINGANTHROPY]

*̾ its a bit angsty, but i personally LOVE when a character is forced to be someone they arent. ive seen this tagged as " forced identity theft " before, but it doesnt have an official ao3 tag

[@GippyHappy]

Hard agree on stable relationships being rare. I’m actually in the middle of writing a fic like that right now and like I totally get why they aren’t very common. Every time I’m writing the two lovers doing something sweet together and just being happy with each other the little goblin inside me is like _“but where is the angst?”_ and I have to beat it back with a broom shouting *“LET THEM BE HAPPY!!!!”*

[@nintendoboy3605]

I just want more action/adventure fanfics. I want storys where my favorite guys gotta save the world.

[@onlineskitty]

i love unreliable narrators. i also love medieval/dark fantasy stories, especially grittier ones that don't focus too much on romance. also mentioned in the video were road trip/journey fics, absolutely adore those

[@PantherCat64]

Believable in character dialogue. I’m not kidding, I’ve read like a few fanfics, most of them and my start came from Zootopia simply because I was heavily impressed with how dedicated the fandom became only a few years after a single movie,not a franchise or something people are nestogic for not even having any spin offs at the time, for single movie that just came out and had to see what was going on with those little heads of theirs. There were some cute ones, I didn’t really care what genre they were in because I was closer to an alien overseeing a planet and trying to figure out their behaviors. but for me I enjoy the original movie because I understood both main characters perfectly, knowing elements from people I was familiar with and understanding how both them drew their conclusions to things, and going through it, its almost like people we’re familiar with one of them but not the other, there was no common denominator either. It took me out of the story because that’s kinda why the movie worked, less the plot and more how they conflicted and worked like two puzzle pieces fitting together off each other’s personality. I don’t read fanfics anymore, although I say that like I read a bunch I unfortunately didn’t otherwise I might have learnt something, because I’m busy with life and trying to write my own stories that are based in my own universe, so I would have to go back, find my old kindle fire (and charge it), figured out which ones did the best at that, not reading new ones any time soon, my show back burner is overflowing already.

[@violets-arent-blue4575]

This type of video helps my writing motivation so much, thanks for making this!

[@molasses3850]

Ive seen fics where the Villain manages to convince the Hero/Hero-in-training to the "dark side" or make them evil, but ive never seen one where the Hero makes the Villain/Villain-in-training good. I need more evil turned hero fics. Preferably where theyre confused and semi reluctant because they thought the Heroes were all against them when really both the Heroes and the Villain have the same goal in mind just the Hero has to make them realize it. Not even like a romantic thing necessarily. Good shit.

[@The_Blanket_Dragon]

Wasn't expecting to see social media AUs here, but god they are so right. I love the way characters interact with it and how that affects the world. I love seeing how characters approach their online persona. I love when a stoic character is just really silly online or a fun and flirty character spends all of their time infodumping about trains, and I also love it when a characters social media just reinforces their characterization.

[@gabrielabatista6016]

6:16 Uhm... Maybe the original work tag on AO3? Or you can put it on the search so that it always include OCs, if you're trying to find a pure OC fanfic that's set in the universe of some media.

[@indeed_me]

I absolutely love the "characters watch their show/movie" fics. They are soo fun but i useually dont see them too often but i eat them up when i do

[@srose1088]

I seldom read a story where the descriptions of a building are so complete and natural that when I do, it's like my minds eye hits pure ecstacy.

[@FoxtrotMouse]

Characters who are truly Bi/Pan, instead of just "Oh yeah, I dated a woman(man) once, but only show interest in men(women) now!" Friendships between characters, especially a Male and a Female character. Sometimes, I just want to read about them hanging around and talking about life, instead of trying to get into each other's pants. Non-sexual intimacy, like massages, cuddling, hugging, bathing, etc. I only read a few stories in all my Fandoms involving this, and I want more.

[@pastelshadows6437]

I just really love platonic tropes. Platonic friendships, platonic intimacy, platonic hugging/cuddling. Like the characters are extremely close, but not really in a romantic sense. And on a related note, adopted or found family makes me so, so happy ;-; This is a lot more common in some fandoms than others but I always love to see it!

[@FruitSalad253]

I like it when languages other than English are included, anything from a single phrase to multiple lines of dialogue. The author usually does a great job of setting the tone, so even if not everyone understands the characters they know whats going on, it can make the story more immersive or realistic, and its a nice little encouragement to expand a particular vocabulary!

[@VirginiaDowdy777821]

Well-written redemption arcs for villains.

[@AUCreatoer]

I need more platonic hugging and hand holding, it's just so cute 😭 Also more rarepairs fic!! THEY'RE SO UNDERATTED FJIG

[@TricksOfLoki]

Watching this video while sick actually made me feel better. Your voice is so soothing

[@Josiahthefox28]

Ok so maybe I'm just not looking hard enough, but a specific type of hurt comfort where someone is ridiculed for a fear when they're young, so they try to hide it. As an adult, their partner finds out, and consoles or 'protects' them (protects in air quotes because I prefer the fear to be semi-irational or not really being something one can protect another from, lime thunder)

[@hidden_animator522]

Canon compliant fics are my holy grail. Give me prologues, epilogues, a retelling of the story from the perspective of a different character! I love it all! Also it’s not specific but I feel like I’m the only person writing for a specific fandom and I feel like I’m waiting for a party that no one showed up to. So…. More fics from that fandom please.