I’m down for a positivity post!
I love elaborate, detailed descriptions of clothes/outfits on a character. I’m a clothes horse irl so it gives me a little thrill to read these. I like being able to picture exactly what the author was going for in my own head. ❤️
Literally, this is what I do. I have a Once Upon A Time AU and one of the people telling the story *is* Little Red Riding Hood. In the show, she’s called Red or else Ruby. (It depends). And in my story, she’s Red because that’s a nickname. But she’s always wearing something red-colored. Sometimes it even has wolves because that’s a big part of every version of her story. Even when I don’t mention what she’s wearing, I still see her in something red 😌
This is mine tooooo! It’s a running joke to dunk on outfit descriptions being a sign of a juvenile writer putting their oc in an outfit they desperately want to wear but idc I love it
This pleases me lol because sometimes I’m scared I’m being *too* detailed in regards to the outfits. I just have a very vivid image and I feel it deserves to be conveyed! But it can bog down the word-count if I’m not careful lol.
I've only gone into light detail once about clothes cause I personally have a limited wardrobe but I did it cause the character got most of their clothes from a donation bin, so I wanted to show to mismatched closet he now had
I saw one where the babysitter freaked out, so her friend demonstrated how to fix it: Pretend to freak out about a different word, getting the child interested in that one instead.
i wrote a scene between two divorced moms where one mom says 'crap' and the kid is like "whats a crap?" other mom is like !!! "its a bad word sweetie, you can say it when you're a mom" and kid is like "oh so is it like when you say 'damn'?" both of them like 👁️👁️ "lets change the subject"
Maybe it’s not all that small, but I love when you can tell an author is very knowledgable about some details they might write into a story. I always appreciate when they share those more niche interests within fanfics :)
Omg, yes! I once read a fic with the numbers thing and in the AN they expanded on every point. That was sooo cool. You could totally feel the love the author had for the AU they were writing :DD
I love it when authors take some meaningless flavor detail from canon like a piece of set decor or an accessory on a character and create some kind of backstory for it.
Nope… Not me currently writing a one shot where the sole purpose initially was to explain why in one scene of a flashback had character A wearing character B’s dog tags, lol. The only insight into why being a vague mention throughout the game that character A used to be in love with character B, although the feelings were supposedly never reciprocated.
I thought I was crazy for being obsessed with that small detail, lol.
I love when an author writes something that isn’t canon but is such a logical extension of the character or world that I immediately accept it like it just fits. I’m not thinking of good examples right now but it’s a joyyyy
This is one of my favorites! I also love the specific twist on this of them doing something that used to get them hurt (whether it's, like, dropping a plate and being abused, or confessing a secret and being abandoned for it, or something) and being all wound up and tense and terrified, and the other character(s) being all concerned about them and their health and safety and not at all about the offense.
This always feels like a version of the “Who did this to you?” trope to me and I really don’t give a fuck that it’s cliche, I adore that trope in any way I can have it. Especially when it’s not just a romantic interest and there’s found family mixed in.
I love callbacks. Like, if something seemed like a throwaway detail or set dressing in one chapter, only for it to be acknowledged or noticed in another one later on. It makes me feel like an author is paying extra attention to what they write.
I do this all the time but usually as an accident lol. Like, I’ll throw something in that was meant to be a random detail and then my brain will bring it back later on as I’m writing and I’ll be like “oooh, perfect opportunity for a callback” it’s almost never planned 😂
It's not fair I can only upvote this once. Yes, tell me all about the weird fun facts you stumbled across and strange rabbit holes you fell down; they're almost as good as the fic!
I got a little one. I'm into a lot of stuff featuring men with long hair (Fire Emblem, historical/wuxia BL, Metalocalypse, you get the idea), and whump is my bread and butter. So when one guy is throwing up, I like it when his boyfriend/husband holds all his long hair back.
I just think it's nice 💕
Oh I read one where a guy returned from battle and his partner sat him down and pulled out the sticks and leaves and brushed his hair until warrior guy was calm and knew he was cared for.
Could I find it again? Probably not. But I remember it fondly
I read a fic where Character A has long hair, but his parents sent him to an awful conversion therapy camp and one of the people working there ripped out some of his hair, and when he escapes and sneaks into Character B's house, Character B braids it for him, and keeps doing it whenever he needs, even though he kinda sucks at it. It was really sweet. (And that was before they even got together lol)
That sounds beautiful! I read a fic about my fandom's favourite half-elf in which he gets abducted and they shave his waist long hair of. Yoh. The comments...... people were PISSEDD. Apparently you can whump, him, torture him, assault him, KILL HIM, but the fandom draws the line at his hair. Lmao.
I miss the hell out of my fandoms with guys with long hair for this reason *exactly*. My hyperfixation rn is a military based fandom so they all have regulation haircuts but this tropeeee 😩
I love descriptions of casual, gentle touches. Fingers brushing palms, tracing cheeks, brushing hair, etc. It doesn't even have to be romantic, I just really love it.
As someone who is extremely hyper-fixated on a fandom where the characters are comprised almost entirely of military men and then having another, more niche fandom where my favorite character is a veteran, I *adore* this trope.
I also love soldiers being allowed to feel small, delicate, protected, etc. I don’t know why lol, something about stereotypically masculine and strong characters willingly giving into that is just so *good* for me.
As a writer: The satisfaction of nailing a scene or dialogue in a way that does justice to canon characterization and my vision.
As a reader: When an author Gets the characters to the point that I can just sink right into their entire oeuvre for that fandom.
I love it when an author just off-handedly mentions some other media they love. Like, they couldn't HELP but make a reference, even if it's not the fandom they're writing in.
Example - was reading a Bucky Barnes Recovery fic (Marvel/MCU), the writer had him watching an episode of Xfiles and I delighted over this for a solid ten minutes. BE SELF INDULGENT it is the best.
I love it when I open a fic, expecting it to be average run-of-the-mill fluff/smut,etc, but it ends up being one of the most breathtakingly beautiful things I've ever read. This happened last night and it made me go from feeling like shit to completely forgetting about my pain whole kicking my feet screaming
Oh, I came across an LOTR rarepair smut one time that I was *not* prepared to be an actually very emotional and tender rape recovery sequence in which the non-traumatized character gave him good memories associated with sex that he didn’t otherwise have due to his trauma. It was so beautiful it made me cry, I need to go revisit that fic actually.
I love it when people hate the same things as me...
Okay, jokes aside, I love finding a fitting film AU for ships of mine. Sometimes, it just FITS. I love reading Spider-man AUs, Titanic AUs, Moulin Rouge AUs, basically seeing my favourite ships transported to my favourite films/books.
I also love when character A acts weird/has bizzare interests but Character B finds it intriguing and endearing, and fully supports their weirdness.
When the OTP has a significant life span difference, and the one with the longer life spends years preparing for the other one to get older/weaker.
Bonus points if the longer lived character has a plan to ensure a happily ever after for them both.
I love writing Christmas in general, but in particular, I really love writing one character getting their first-ever Christmas stocking and marveling over it because the gifts inside were picked out by their other half. Or sometimes their other half’s parents.
When someone gives a gift in a fic and it's actually, genuinely, a good, beautiful, thoughtful gift that the recipient would be super touched by. One of my favorite pieces has this and it sends me to the moon every time even though I know what happens.
I love this paired with Secret Santa fics.
I read one fic a few weeks ago where a guy who has a sort of tentative relationship with the guy he’s crushing on (like they were rivals and they’re only just starting to become friends) and he gets him in Secret Santa and he has ABSOLUTELY NO CLUE what to get him. But then he overhears a conversation by accident and gets an idea, and he ends up commissioning an artist to create a hyperrealistic portrait of his crush and his crushes parents (who both died when he was a kid) together as if they’d taken a picture with one another and his crush has a full blown breakdown over it and spends days trying to figure out who his Secret Santa was and it was just so beautiful and heartfelt and emotional.
any angst along the lines of "oh...... we're both boys in these prestigious families...... so we can't...... but I want you so bad......" internalised homophobia is kind of my guilty pleasure trope LOL
Thanks for this. The negative vibes are so tiresome. I love amnesia plots. It can be so emotional seeing the friends trying to remind the character of what all they used to love, etc.
And I love a well-written shy character. Especially mingled with romance, like they’re trying to approach someone they like, but can’t, then suddenly, boom, they run into the love interest suddenly and have to interact. Reels me in every time.
My favorite is always checking the email and realizing an author just posted a long oneshot with some of my favorite tags ever. It feels like Christmas lol
When the grump character does something nice for the jellybean character and gets all awkward when they get profusely thanked. And they're all "It's not that big a deal" but they're secretly just smug and proud inside.
It's silly, but I love learning region specific terms that differ from the Canadian ones I'm used to from reading fics! ((Examples: pop/soda, car hood/bonnet, truck/lorry, swimsuits/togs, slippers/baffies, lady bug/ ladybird/ God's cow etc.)) They're like little Easter eggs in the writing for me haha. I also make a little game of trying to guess where the author may be from based on them before looking them up. I don't know why, but I love it haha
I'm still getting comments on old stories. My mother developed dementia a few years ago, and I had to pull back from fandom. I'm ND and just couldn't handle it all. She ended up passing from covid, and everything in my life kind of exploded. Outside of my partner, I don't do much and don't write at all (partly stress and partly finances meaning I'm on an old computer that can't really handle it anymore so I'm mostly on my phone) and my social circle vanished.
But those emails from AO3...
Godsend. Absolute godsend.
They're a little reminder that I was good at it. That I did make people's days a bit better with it, and nothing can take that from me.
Writing things by hand! It's not economical for me to write 100% by hand anymore but I decided I'm going to write at leaat one story mostly by hand now.
"Accidental dating." Two characters are just hanging out, spending time with each other, and then after a few months they realize they're living with each other and might be common-law married.
Characters lying.
Not in a mean, or harmful way. But in a “I can’t say what I really mean or it will be obvious how much I’m secretly in love with you” way. Especially when the author uses “lied” as a dialogue tag.
> “What’s your favorite color?”
> *Character* pictures the deep green of *other character*’s eyes. “Red,” she lies.
I love when characters in an established relationship are flirting/having fun together. Also when they use it to tease or mess with other characters.
It feels like the ship has an inside joke and the reader is in on it.
When the author has to research a more niche aspect of something in the fic and then goes into detail/leaves sources in the note. Just happy info spreading
I have an AU I started writing solely because I have an excessive amount of knowledge about horses and the notes of that story often includes info-dumps because I feel a need to make sure things are understandable to non-horse people lol
When the author has knowledge about food and lets the characters cook. Like yes, mention that grand seven course dinner, or really sell that yummy comfort food.
I love stopping to google just what that dish is and looks like, so I can salivate over the food the character makes for the dinner where they're going to declare their love for someone.
I like that too, OP. I've written that in some fics I don't plan to ever finish or post, but I'll keep it in mind the next time I write child characters! Thanks for mentioning it.
I like it when characters just straight-up say wildly romantic things. In one I read yesterday, character B said something that happened in canon was better than anything similar B had done, because he was with character A. And I remembered how lovingly B looked at A, at that moment in the show, and my heart melted.
I always love love love kidfics and pregnancy fics. I just think it’s sweet to read about so I’m a fan.
I also like reading whatever’s in the author’s notes. If it’s jokes, little ‘extras’, some of the author’s thoughts, etc. I think it’s fun to read and it’s why my own are a bit rambley lol
One of my favorite aspects of writing a fantasy setting when magic is in play (or a modern setting where someone is cosmic for any reason) is writing at least one character who can talk to animals while everyone else is like, “😶 are you seeing this…?” and the person talking to the animals is totally oblivious.
When a scene sets a character's delivery of a line up so perfectly that the amount of ✨️feral✨️ shines though beautifully and it just makes me grin with all my teeth ferally sharing that "thrill of the chase-catch" that the character felt/feels.
I'm super obsessive when it comes to the position of characters, whether torture or smut. It is such a relief to my brain when the author uses a ton of detail, so I know exactly what's going on.
for a long time I didn't have an AO3 account so it's an absolute joy when I find a fic I thought I'd lost :D sometimes because an author replied to my comment, so it's in my email, or because I already downloaded it
A character dies? No they didn't, we can fix that :)
Fics with 'no one dies/everyone lives' or 'someone lives / doesn't die' tropes are absolutely a treasure. Not sure if it can be considered small but it is something I love very much in fanfics.
* When you can tell what the author's current knowledge fixation is because they're including lots of cool details about trains/architecture/culinary history/steelworking into their story.
* Dramatic irony/suspense that *only* works because the readers are familiar with the original work.
* Gen crackfic.
* *That one sentence*. You know which one I mean, authors. The one where you weren't sure if it went hard or was maybe "too much" but you included it anyway. I can confirm it was, in fact, as awesome to read as it was to write.
* AUs that conveniently handwave the villain's villainy so they can be part of the main cast (especially in slice of life settings) but the villain's personality is almost exactly the same as canon, with zero redemption arc.
I love when a usually gruff or difficult character shows a soft side. Like a tough act gently rocking a toddler to sleep or a closed-off person doing some little romantic gesture.
I love it when authors leave detailed explanations on things they used in their fic (doesn't matter what, it's always so interesting to learn something new!).
I recently discovered I have an appreciation/admiration kink. I found this out when reading a whole chapter where the guy just thought about how his new wife was amazing, for political reasons he couldn't take her home and he *seethed* that he couldn't see her be so great in his home, he admires his new stepkids and bemoans how useless his bio kids are and why couldn't they have even an ounce of these new kids' smarts.
It was very cute, and I want more. All the characters, especially (as was the case here) serious, hardened ones, just sighing and marveling at how remarkable their people are.
Maybe this isn't exactly what was intended for this, but there are some really underrated tags out there that I absolutely adore. Shoutout to the Masquerade Ball tag and the Slow Dancing tag, you'll be in my heart forever <33
I love when authors include long ass in-depth authors notes at the end that details any research they did for the fic. It’s so interesting to read and I learn something new!!
I know this isn’t the most popular opinion but I like it a lot :-) <3
Excellent! My series in progress is high in medicine/medical info and I've done an absurd amount of research to make sure my preexisting knowledge is correct and that it's accurate for the time period
I started writing for a completely dead fandom last year. It had been years since a fic was posted. Just absolutely shouting into a void. I guess some people checked in when it had an anniversary this year, and it just suddenly came back in full force, but small in a way. There’s a new fic, maybe every 3 days? It feels like me and like 8 friends, and it’s been so fun.
I LOVE when an author makes a super niche fic that’s clearly just full of knowledge from their day job. Like yes, I would LOVE to read a fic about my favorite Naruto characters working in a museum, please tell me more about the PastPerfect catalogue software and the optimal humidity for a 300 year old painting🩶
My series in progress has a ton of medical things woven in, most heavily in the sequel because the first few chapters are set in a hospital. It's great knowing at least a few people will appreciate me creeping in.
That kind of knowledge is always enriching for a fic! I love seeing other people in the professional world writing, it gives me little glimpses into their lives and daily routines! I wish you the best of luck on your series :)
I love it when authors go into deep detail about micro expressions.
I know many fanfiction can be based off of a simple three second scene interpretation and it’s fed on the tiny expressions here and there.
It is just such great imaginative thinking to see a small look or action that a character took and was overlooked as nothing and see it turned into an entire new facet of the character etc
In a similar vain to your opinion - kid fics in general! There's so much negativity I feel like surrounding kid fics and ESPECIALLY fics involving pregnancy but idk there's something about them just heals eight year old me's obsession with the idea of having kids haha.
i love when relationships that aren’t just romantic are just as important. i love the silly little details and bickering between the friends. give me fun days out together but i also adore christmas dates with hot chocolate and little shops!
This might be oddly specific, but I like it when 'reader x character's read more like 'reader x author'.
I don't know if that makes any sense, but I've come across a few reader inserts where the reader character is very blank, but the love interest has certain quirks and mannerisms that, while making sense for the character itself, kind of come off as the author putting parts of themselves into it.
I like seeing that, a lot. I don't know why.
I love when authors created equivalents of things that exists in our world, like similar names for apps or medicine, such a small detail but I think it truly gives live to the fics.
I love when writers are aspiring writers, as in they strive to be a publisher author outside of fanfiction. It really ads to the quality and passion put forth to the work that I’m reading. I also love when an author takes constructive criticism and actually listens to it and considers how to make their writing better. I know fanfiction is free and just a hobby for many but for some it’s a foot in the door of the writing world and many could actually become accomplished authors from using it as a means to get better at it and I love that kind of effort.
When one character plays an instrument or sings for another character! They might be comforting them, showing off, or just fooling around, and I love it no matter what :) bonus points if the song being played/sung is relevant to the plot or the themes of the fic!
Great post! As for me, I love it when two characters barely brush against each other, and the POV character is *highly* aware that they're touching while still being in denial of how much they like them. It's a very specific situation that makes me ecstatic when it shows up.
I love it when writers play with layout and format.
I'm talking more than just bold and italic. Give me offset, give me colour text, give me a scattershot of words when the character's thoughts implode!
Fanfic is an informal form of writing. Have fun with it. Play!
I love when fluff or hurt/comfort authors write in a little forehead kiss or a solid kiss to the temple instead of going straight for mouth kisses or more. It's just a really authentic and emotional way of comforting somebody.
I love the cliche 'Oh...' when a character suddenly realizes they were in love with someone theyve known a long time, esp due to some little casual detail or action
i was just talking about this the other day, a good carnival date. i eat it up every fucking time give me the stuffed animals and funnel cakes and ferris wheel kiss now.
I love when you go into a fix expecting maybe just a bit of fangirling/fanboying and end up seeing such an amazing work that is on the level of or better than the content it was based on and it now holds a special place in your heart.
Characters actually having hair on other places beside their head and sweating and having natural human processes.
It’s absolutely a personal preference (and those are fine too!), but some stories feel like they have the characters feel “movie-star sterile” where everyone is shaved and clean and “look” (read?) only as cool and pristine. This isn’t about nsfw necessarily, but I like little asides and descriptions where characters “feel” human because of the details.*
*Some characters do shave and all that, but this isn’t about them. It’s like if, for example, a medieval character on a two week hunting trip with little access to water isn’t stinking up a storm or has perfect skin and is shaved everywhere.
I like it when the author has actually been around real kids, real siblings and writes them accurately and gives them age appropriate behavior & abilities and they don't act like miniature adults or way to babyish. A grade school age child should not be using baby talk!
I love crossover fics when characters from two different fandoms meet each other for the first time and their first impressions of one another. If well done, they make my brain fuzzy with happiness :D
I love good metaphors, puns and other literary devices (e.g., alliteration or rhyme) snuck into the prose like no one’s looking. Especially if it’s an inside joke.
I love when characters show their love (platonic or romantic) with like kiss on the forehead, bringing tea to another, holding hands, joking together... it's aways lovely!
I love that fanfiction exists. I love seeing the 'what ifs' people, read their style, get a peek into their imagination. Even if ultimately the story is not my cup of tea, I love that somebody wrote BECAUSE they wanted to share it.
I love when authors include a character who's barely even mentioned in canon and make them have a significant role in the fic, creating them an elaborate back story, relating them to the main characters somehow etc.
When one character is speaking to another in a language that only one of them knows, but the other secretly understands that language.
In a similar vein, when two characters are having a conversation in a different language and a third character secretly understands everything they said.
When someone learns another langauge for their friend or partner.
When one character never smiles, but gives a barely noticable smile that only the character who likes them notices.
When one character loves a smell, or smells it in Amortentia (love potion that smells like whatever you love/are attracted to), then finally realises that the smell is from their crush/partner.
When one character memorises the other character's food/drink order, even if they barely speak, especially if it's dependant on different factors. This works especially well if it's a barista/customer dynamic.
When one charcter thinks that the other will grow to hate them because they don't know them well and the other character starts listing everything they know about them.
When a character who normally would always follow the rules or never do something "bad" breaks the rules/law for the other character.
This ended up really long but I don't care because all of these are exquisite.
Edit: HOLD ON I HAVE MORE
When one character usually only uses the other's surname but finally uses their first name.
When the usually really loud/boisterous character can just be quiet with the other character.
When a character with a bad family life finds the nicest sweetest people ever to be their new family (bonus points if it's their partner's family.)
When one character doesn't like/sucks at cooking/baking but learns how to make the other's favourite food. (This one also works for books, music, sports, etc.)
When one character always carries a hair tie for their partner/friend who has long hair.
When two characters on opposing teams who are dating are normally super sweet and romantic with each other but are ruthless when competing.
The classic "Oh. *Oh*." moment of realisation.
Losing all memories except for the person they love (Looking at you, HOO Percabeth.)
Their last thought before they die being of the person they love, especially if it's the apology they never got to say (I love angst.)
One character having trauma responses to certain things like too much water and the other character(s) making changes to help them through it, or their voice being the only thing that keeps them from having a bad response.
Insults become more halfhearted then eventually becoming their way of flirting.
I can probably think of more but I'm gonna stop now because otherwise I'll never stop. Hope you enjoyed 🫶
OC insert fics or just really OOC characters. I think it’s fun to see the author in their work and characters and it’s really easy/obvious to see in OC and OOC works
Nesting 😊❤️ I will eat that shit up every time. I don't care which character it is or what dynamic they have, as long as they make their nest however they want (a messy pile of soft cuddly things vs an imposing blanket fort) and snuggle into it, then you have my heart in your hands.
So many things I can write! Here a few things I love! When people share fanfic they love! Really so sweet they want to some me something they enjoy reading! I loooove first kiss in fanfic, when the characters are kind of awkward about it maybe or just kind of rush into it! Mmmm so good! When the author makes a sequel of their fanfic! Even if is just fluff is so fun to read! When fanon and canon can both be in the fanfic together! Is hard to explain this last one- is just when authors can mix fanon and Canon together to make it seem natural 😊
Lately I've been very intrigued in reading stories with disabled characters, but specifically battle-caused disability. I mostly read original works there, but I can see that the quality of representation, humanization, but also coolification (is that a word? lol) of disabled characters is getting much better. Many authors whip up characters with disability that is not easily ignored (not just a throwaway line or token disabled person and it's never mentioned again or something), while still making the characters fierce and defined by other compelling traits.
Like I read about an old general dude who lost his leg and you don't ever forget that he has prosthetic leg, but at the same time what you know him as is not a one-legged dude, but a general who is sarcastic and too old for this shit when dealing with his team, but would burn the world for them still.
It's just one example, and only from original works genre, but I do believe the same thing is also happening in fanfic circles too. It makes me feel hopeful for newer writer generation.
I like when authors really take their time delving into a characters mind, even if it’s a long passage. Please write me those long paragraphs of your characters contemplating something and connecting it to their own experiences so we as readers can better understand who they are. That shit is like heroin to me 🙏
I love daily life details or small things such as the way the characters arrive/leave a place, or the way they say goodbye to each other, how they greet, what they talk about while on route somewhere. Yes, tell me who held the door to whom, who asked for the menu, what they talk about in the elevator or in the car. I love each and every interaction. In the end it's all about the small things
I love the intimacy of non-sexual trailing of fingers over bare skin. Just, gentle, sweet affection. Soothing circles on their back. A thumb across the back of their hand. It's not a necessity, of course. I see a lot of scritches (and I love those too), but there's something so real and wonderful about the small touches—*especially* when the character(s) are unsure/afraid of vulnerability and intimacy. The instinctual freeze, tensing up against the contact??? That turns into a slow relaxation into it??? A subtle push closer, non-verbally asking for more??? I'm *fine* thanks for asking
I love nose kisses and giggles. And smut where the person touches a sensitive spot and the other yelps or squeels because it's ticklish. I love silliness, and terms of endearment.
I love when an author uses words they like, regardless of the majority opinion of others. You like the word mewl? Use it boo. I like consistency, when a series has a character do something small like fidgeting all the way through to the other stories.
When such a lovable character goes through something awful (hold on guys!!!) and manages to conquer the bad guy while still being good. Good prevails :)
Similarly, kids failing to say the word they’re trying to say!
Also when the author doesn’t spend much time describing the visuals beyond actions. Which I know is a weird thing to say but I’m one of the unlucky who doesn’t “see” what they’re reading in their head so I like just grazing over that in favor of the story
I am absolutely thrilled when a character I'm writing first realizes they're in love, or that someone loves them. My blorbos are people with little to no experience of love or being loved, so their reactions are complex and a joy to craft. Although I'm the one writing it, I feel like I'm witnessing something profoundly special, even when there's an element of fear or anxiety. In one case, I even cried as I wrote.
I love flashbacks!
Fanfic is supposed to be fun, and while I can see why people say a flashback can mess with the pacing in a novel, I don't care! It's fanfic! People are allowed to be self indulgent and I'm a sucker for slower scenes we clearly didn't see in the canon because canon is focused on action and plot. Give me the character moments that happened when the cameras were off.
The slow realization that a couple likes each other, both way crush, yet they're both too nervous, idk slow burns are so good when done right and when they kiss/fuck/do something mildly couple-like which causes said crush.. I DIE, this isn't small but like ❤️
i love when you can tell how devoted an author is to a fic. if you’re writing and fic right now and thinking, “will anyone notice this small detail i put it in?” YES!!! I WILL!! I WILL AND I LOVE YOU FOR IT!!
I have a very odd love for knitting fics. When characters knit things for the people they love it’s just chef’s kiss. I love them picking out yarn, I love them tinking, I love them borrowing a crochet hook from someone to fix a dropped stitch, I love knitting unhinged stuff like punishment booty shorts knit in obnoxious colors and itchy yarn, I love stitch and bitches, I love “I noticed you can’t wear most gloves doing this activity so I knit a pair with finer thread so they’re thinner and you have more dexterity and they won’t get caught in the gun’s mechanism.”
i love when we can see inside a characters head and know from a readers perspective how much the character is in love with the person they wanna be with🥹 like being the one to know that characters little secret is so cute
I love anything with a surprise reveal. From simpler stuff like surprise gifts or a surprise party to more complex things like a secret relationship reveal, a character coming out, or ‘surprise! I’m actually a parent’.
I love seeing everyone's interesting takes on magic and theory and history in any respective universe/fandom.
Like the OG author set the groundwork, and the fan author runs with it.
I also love reading everyone's takes on emotions and right/wrong.
I just love everything about fanfiction honestly.
I’m down for a positivity post! I love elaborate, detailed descriptions of clothes/outfits on a character. I’m a clothes horse irl so it gives me a little thrill to read these. I like being able to picture exactly what the author was going for in my own head. ❤️
This delights me because I love going in detail for clothes. Especially for my stories that are set in fantasy and/or woodland environments.
Bonus points if it’s an AU and the outfit has some symbolism built into it that’s connected to the character. I love little easter eggs like that.
Literally, this is what I do. I have a Once Upon A Time AU and one of the people telling the story *is* Little Red Riding Hood. In the show, she’s called Red or else Ruby. (It depends). And in my story, she’s Red because that’s a nickname. But she’s always wearing something red-colored. Sometimes it even has wolves because that’s a big part of every version of her story. Even when I don’t mention what she’s wearing, I still see her in something red 😌
This is mine tooooo! It’s a running joke to dunk on outfit descriptions being a sign of a juvenile writer putting their oc in an outfit they desperately want to wear but idc I love it
What are OCs, but fancy mannequins that you can put outfits on /hj
I love descriptions of food!
I love this too!
This pleases me lol because sometimes I’m scared I’m being *too* detailed in regards to the outfits. I just have a very vivid image and I feel it deserves to be conveyed! But it can bog down the word-count if I’m not careful lol.
I've only gone into light detail once about clothes cause I personally have a limited wardrobe but I did it cause the character got most of their clothes from a donation bin, so I wanted to show to mismatched closet he now had
I love it when couples are absolutely devoted to each other; some openly and some pretending like they barely tolerate each other.
on a similar note, i LOVE when a child character overhears an adult cursing and repeats the word
I saw one where the babysitter freaked out, so her friend demonstrated how to fix it: Pretend to freak out about a different word, getting the child interested in that one instead.
i wrote a scene between two divorced moms where one mom says 'crap' and the kid is like "whats a crap?" other mom is like !!! "its a bad word sweetie, you can say it when you're a mom" and kid is like "oh so is it like when you say 'damn'?" both of them like 👁️👁️ "lets change the subject"
Love this
This
Maybe it’s not all that small, but I love when you can tell an author is very knowledgable about some details they might write into a story. I always appreciate when they share those more niche interests within fanfics :)
Omg, yes! I once read a fic with the numbers thing and in the AN they expanded on every point. That was sooo cool. You could totally feel the love the author had for the AU they were writing :DD
specific aus where the author knows and loves the topic/setting and shares that knowledge and love with the readers >>>>>>>>>>
One of them cooks for the other. Basic but it hits the spot. Especially if they are tired, had a bad day etc and wow, here’s my favourite dish.
God showing love through food is so, so good.
Or washing the others hair
Acts of service as a love language is one of my favourite things in fics
"food is a metaphor for love" is a phrase i've heard and loved since i've heard it
i love getting together fics. i don't care how simple or basic the circumstances around it are i'll read it every time.
I love it when authors take some meaningless flavor detail from canon like a piece of set decor or an accessory on a character and create some kind of backstory for it.
Nope… Not me currently writing a one shot where the sole purpose initially was to explain why in one scene of a flashback had character A wearing character B’s dog tags, lol. The only insight into why being a vague mention throughout the game that character A used to be in love with character B, although the feelings were supposedly never reciprocated. I thought I was crazy for being obsessed with that small detail, lol.
I love when an author writes something that isn’t canon but is such a logical extension of the character or world that I immediately accept it like it just fits. I’m not thinking of good examples right now but it’s a joyyyy
I do that!!
Yes!! And when they do it so well that when you read fics that don't have it you're like "something feels off here..."
I love unresolved sexual tension. Like omg her hand just brushed against my hand and it shouldn’t be that big a deal but holy fuck
I just rewatched the 2005 Pride and Prejudice and that hand clench is just perfect
That hand flex alone was hornier than the entire 50 Shades trilogy
Getting the email notification that there’s an update.
Thiiiiiiis. I don't need much. This is enough ❤️
I love when a person who has been hurt so many times that they don't know how to be loved, slowly learn how with a lot of time and patience.
That’s such a sweet trope
Yes! Especially when they’re suspicious of it at first!
This is one of my favorites! I also love the specific twist on this of them doing something that used to get them hurt (whether it's, like, dropping a plate and being abused, or confessing a secret and being abandoned for it, or something) and being all wound up and tense and terrified, and the other character(s) being all concerned about them and their health and safety and not at all about the offense.
This always feels like a version of the “Who did this to you?” trope to me and I really don’t give a fuck that it’s cliche, I adore that trope in any way I can have it. Especially when it’s not just a romantic interest and there’s found family mixed in.
Ma'am/Sir/Buddy please leave my trauma out of this >> (jk)
This trope is a guilty pleasure of mine. What's your favorites fic(s) that feature it? HP and MCU fanfics preferred.
When that one emotionally traumatized character awkwardly hugs their sad friend because they didn’t know what else to do.
With the "there there" pat on the back!
Damn, am I the emotionally traumatized character???
This one is the one that always makes me cry. It's genuinely one of my favourite tropes ever
I love callbacks. Like, if something seemed like a throwaway detail or set dressing in one chapter, only for it to be acknowledged or noticed in another one later on. It makes me feel like an author is paying extra attention to what they write.
I do this all the time but usually as an accident lol. Like, I’ll throw something in that was meant to be a random detail and then my brain will bring it back later on as I’m writing and I’ll be like “oooh, perfect opportunity for a callback” it’s almost never planned 😂
I LOVE when the author infodumps about their research in the end notes. PLEASE give me the bonus goodies!!!!!
It's not fair I can only upvote this once. Yes, tell me all about the weird fun facts you stumbled across and strange rabbit holes you fell down; they're almost as good as the fic!
I got a little one. I'm into a lot of stuff featuring men with long hair (Fire Emblem, historical/wuxia BL, Metalocalypse, you get the idea), and whump is my bread and butter. So when one guy is throwing up, I like it when his boyfriend/husband holds all his long hair back. I just think it's nice 💕
as a long-haired man enthusiast i am agreeing emphatically.
Or wash it, or braid it, or run their fingers through it...
Oh I read one where a guy returned from battle and his partner sat him down and pulled out the sticks and leaves and brushed his hair until warrior guy was calm and knew he was cared for. Could I find it again? Probably not. But I remember it fondly
Oh my god now I need to write this
I don't know what it is... but it *works*
I read a fic where Character A has long hair, but his parents sent him to an awful conversion therapy camp and one of the people working there ripped out some of his hair, and when he escapes and sneaks into Character B's house, Character B braids it for him, and keeps doing it whenever he needs, even though he kinda sucks at it. It was really sweet. (And that was before they even got together lol)
That sounds beautiful! I read a fic about my fandom's favourite half-elf in which he gets abducted and they shave his waist long hair of. Yoh. The comments...... people were PISSEDD. Apparently you can whump, him, torture him, assault him, KILL HIM, but the fandom draws the line at his hair. Lmao.
I miss the hell out of my fandoms with guys with long hair for this reason *exactly*. My hyperfixation rn is a military based fandom so they all have regulation haircuts but this tropeeee 😩
A lot of my babygirls are soldiers too, they're just in settings where long hair *is* regulation ✨
That’s lovely, I also love hair braiding.
I love descriptions of casual, gentle touches. Fingers brushing palms, tracing cheeks, brushing hair, etc. It doesn't even have to be romantic, I just really love it.
Yessss, especially in the found family trope it's *chefs kiss*. Just learning to be comfortable with other people on that level hits every time.
Lately, I’ve been loving big, strong military men being hyper-aroused messes in smut fics
As someone who is extremely hyper-fixated on a fandom where the characters are comprised almost entirely of military men and then having another, more niche fandom where my favorite character is a veteran, I *adore* this trope. I also love soldiers being allowed to feel small, delicate, protected, etc. I don’t know why lol, something about stereotypically masculine and strong characters willingly giving into that is just so *good* for me.
Damn okay. Yes please.
me but always
As a writer: The satisfaction of nailing a scene or dialogue in a way that does justice to canon characterization and my vision. As a reader: When an author Gets the characters to the point that I can just sink right into their entire oeuvre for that fandom.
I love it when an author just off-handedly mentions some other media they love. Like, they couldn't HELP but make a reference, even if it's not the fandom they're writing in. Example - was reading a Bucky Barnes Recovery fic (Marvel/MCU), the writer had him watching an episode of Xfiles and I delighted over this for a solid ten minutes. BE SELF INDULGENT it is the best.
Ohhh, I'm so guilty of this it pains me, hearing that readers actually like this makes me so happy :D
I love it when I open a fic, expecting it to be average run-of-the-mill fluff/smut,etc, but it ends up being one of the most breathtakingly beautiful things I've ever read. This happened last night and it made me go from feeling like shit to completely forgetting about my pain whole kicking my feet screaming
Oh, I came across an LOTR rarepair smut one time that I was *not* prepared to be an actually very emotional and tender rape recovery sequence in which the non-traumatized character gave him good memories associated with sex that he didn’t otherwise have due to his trauma. It was so beautiful it made me cry, I need to go revisit that fic actually.
Do you have a link?
It took me forever to find it cause it’s poorly tagged 😩 but I have it! [Here you go!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/171708)
I love it when people hate the same things as me... Okay, jokes aside, I love finding a fitting film AU for ships of mine. Sometimes, it just FITS. I love reading Spider-man AUs, Titanic AUs, Moulin Rouge AUs, basically seeing my favourite ships transported to my favourite films/books. I also love when character A acts weird/has bizzare interests but Character B finds it intriguing and endearing, and fully supports their weirdness.
Oooh yes these are so fun! My weakness is Phantom of the Opera aus in particular!
When the OTP has a significant life span difference, and the one with the longer life spends years preparing for the other one to get older/weaker. Bonus points if the longer lived character has a plan to ensure a happily ever after for them both.
I love writing Christmas in general, but in particular, I really love writing one character getting their first-ever Christmas stocking and marveling over it because the gifts inside were picked out by their other half. Or sometimes their other half’s parents.
When someone gives a gift in a fic and it's actually, genuinely, a good, beautiful, thoughtful gift that the recipient would be super touched by. One of my favorite pieces has this and it sends me to the moon every time even though I know what happens.
I love this paired with Secret Santa fics. I read one fic a few weeks ago where a guy who has a sort of tentative relationship with the guy he’s crushing on (like they were rivals and they’re only just starting to become friends) and he gets him in Secret Santa and he has ABSOLUTELY NO CLUE what to get him. But then he overhears a conversation by accident and gets an idea, and he ends up commissioning an artist to create a hyperrealistic portrait of his crush and his crushes parents (who both died when he was a kid) together as if they’d taken a picture with one another and his crush has a full blown breakdown over it and spends days trying to figure out who his Secret Santa was and it was just so beautiful and heartfelt and emotional.
When there's a pregnancy reveal and the father immediately makes a dad joke to show yep it's his lol
I love when people make up ridiculous details that aren't canon but *fit* with canon.
When in the middle of sex the usually very polite male character says FUCK
any angst along the lines of "oh...... we're both boys in these prestigious families...... so we can't...... but I want you so bad......" internalised homophobia is kind of my guilty pleasure trope LOL
I love seeing fanfics and fan arts of all my favorite fictional couples, especially when they're wholesome
Thanks for this. The negative vibes are so tiresome. I love amnesia plots. It can be so emotional seeing the friends trying to remind the character of what all they used to love, etc. And I love a well-written shy character. Especially mingled with romance, like they’re trying to approach someone they like, but can’t, then suddenly, boom, they run into the love interest suddenly and have to interact. Reels me in every time.
Teenagers bring serious but the author makes it the most hilarious thing ever
That email notification when an author you love starts a new story... in a fandom that you love!
My favorite is always checking the email and realizing an author just posted a long oneshot with some of my favorite tags ever. It feels like Christmas lol
When the grump character does something nice for the jellybean character and gets all awkward when they get profusely thanked. And they're all "It's not that big a deal" but they're secretly just smug and proud inside.
It's silly, but I love learning region specific terms that differ from the Canadian ones I'm used to from reading fics! ((Examples: pop/soda, car hood/bonnet, truck/lorry, swimsuits/togs, slippers/baffies, lady bug/ ladybird/ God's cow etc.)) They're like little Easter eggs in the writing for me haha. I also make a little game of trying to guess where the author may be from based on them before looking them up. I don't know why, but I love it haha
I'm still getting comments on old stories. My mother developed dementia a few years ago, and I had to pull back from fandom. I'm ND and just couldn't handle it all. She ended up passing from covid, and everything in my life kind of exploded. Outside of my partner, I don't do much and don't write at all (partly stress and partly finances meaning I'm on an old computer that can't really handle it anymore so I'm mostly on my phone) and my social circle vanished. But those emails from AO3... Godsend. Absolute godsend. They're a little reminder that I was good at it. That I did make people's days a bit better with it, and nothing can take that from me.
Writing things by hand! It's not economical for me to write 100% by hand anymore but I decided I'm going to write at leaat one story mostly by hand now.
*shoves mountain of WIP journals out of the frame* Hand-writing first and then transcribing is the easier method for me ☺️
When fics continue using the same style of humor and running gags that were in the source material
When a character has depression and slowly learns that things are ok and that there is joy in life
"Accidental dating." Two characters are just hanging out, spending time with each other, and then after a few months they realize they're living with each other and might be common-law married.
I love the “character A thought they were dating, character B thought they were pining” trope, it’s always so funny to me
I remember the movie Waiting had something similar. "I'm playing hard to get." "Didn't you have sex with him last night?" "...not THAT hard to get."
Characters lying. Not in a mean, or harmful way. But in a “I can’t say what I really mean or it will be obvious how much I’m secretly in love with you” way. Especially when the author uses “lied” as a dialogue tag. > “What’s your favorite color?” > *Character* pictures the deep green of *other character*’s eyes. “Red,” she lies.
I love when characters in an established relationship are flirting/having fun together. Also when they use it to tease or mess with other characters. It feels like the ship has an inside joke and the reader is in on it.
When the author has to research a more niche aspect of something in the fic and then goes into detail/leaves sources in the note. Just happy info spreading
I have an AU I started writing solely because I have an excessive amount of knowledge about horses and the notes of that story often includes info-dumps because I feel a need to make sure things are understandable to non-horse people lol
When the author has knowledge about food and lets the characters cook. Like yes, mention that grand seven course dinner, or really sell that yummy comfort food. I love stopping to google just what that dish is and looks like, so I can salivate over the food the character makes for the dinner where they're going to declare their love for someone.
I like that too, OP. I've written that in some fics I don't plan to ever finish or post, but I'll keep it in mind the next time I write child characters! Thanks for mentioning it. I like it when characters just straight-up say wildly romantic things. In one I read yesterday, character B said something that happened in canon was better than anything similar B had done, because he was with character A. And I remembered how lovingly B looked at A, at that moment in the show, and my heart melted.
I always love love love kidfics and pregnancy fics. I just think it’s sweet to read about so I’m a fan. I also like reading whatever’s in the author’s notes. If it’s jokes, little ‘extras’, some of the author’s thoughts, etc. I think it’s fun to read and it’s why my own are a bit rambley lol
I love those fics too. They make me happy.
Cameos, or even just mentions, of characters from previous works in a series makes me happy, whether in canon or in fanfiction.
One of my favorite aspects of writing a fantasy setting when magic is in play (or a modern setting where someone is cosmic for any reason) is writing at least one character who can talk to animals while everyone else is like, “😶 are you seeing this…?” and the person talking to the animals is totally oblivious.
When a scene sets a character's delivery of a line up so perfectly that the amount of ✨️feral✨️ shines though beautifully and it just makes me grin with all my teeth ferally sharing that "thrill of the chase-catch" that the character felt/feels.
I love when characters have tenderness in a moment of vulnerability. 💞
I'm super obsessive when it comes to the position of characters, whether torture or smut. It is such a relief to my brain when the author uses a ton of detail, so I know exactly what's going on.
And when it stays consistent
for a long time I didn't have an AO3 account so it's an absolute joy when I find a fic I thought I'd lost :D sometimes because an author replied to my comment, so it's in my email, or because I already downloaded it
I really like to read simple terms, no need to be flowery or too much prose, you are fine with concise words.
Someone who thinks they're impossible to love and someone who loves them like breathing brb im going to go throw up
A character dies? No they didn't, we can fix that :) Fics with 'no one dies/everyone lives' or 'someone lives / doesn't die' tropes are absolutely a treasure. Not sure if it can be considered small but it is something I love very much in fanfics.
* When you can tell what the author's current knowledge fixation is because they're including lots of cool details about trains/architecture/culinary history/steelworking into their story. * Dramatic irony/suspense that *only* works because the readers are familiar with the original work. * Gen crackfic. * *That one sentence*. You know which one I mean, authors. The one where you weren't sure if it went hard or was maybe "too much" but you included it anyway. I can confirm it was, in fact, as awesome to read as it was to write. * AUs that conveniently handwave the villain's villainy so they can be part of the main cast (especially in slice of life settings) but the villain's personality is almost exactly the same as canon, with zero redemption arc.
A Gilligan Cut never fails to amuse me.
In-character nickname/pet names. Not canon ones, just ones that the character would use if left to their own devices.
I love when a usually gruff or difficult character shows a soft side. Like a tough act gently rocking a toddler to sleep or a closed-off person doing some little romantic gesture.
I love it when authors leave detailed explanations on things they used in their fic (doesn't matter what, it's always so interesting to learn something new!).
I recently discovered I have an appreciation/admiration kink. I found this out when reading a whole chapter where the guy just thought about how his new wife was amazing, for political reasons he couldn't take her home and he *seethed* that he couldn't see her be so great in his home, he admires his new stepkids and bemoans how useless his bio kids are and why couldn't they have even an ounce of these new kids' smarts. It was very cute, and I want more. All the characters, especially (as was the case here) serious, hardened ones, just sighing and marveling at how remarkable their people are.
Maybe this isn't exactly what was intended for this, but there are some really underrated tags out there that I absolutely adore. Shoutout to the Masquerade Ball tag and the Slow Dancing tag, you'll be in my heart forever <33
I love when there's a character feeling super lonely and sad and his family (found, most of the time) shows up to comfort him ❤️
I love when authors include long ass in-depth authors notes at the end that details any research they did for the fic. It’s so interesting to read and I learn something new!! I know this isn’t the most popular opinion but I like it a lot :-) <3
Excellent! My series in progress is high in medicine/medical info and I've done an absurd amount of research to make sure my preexisting knowledge is correct and that it's accurate for the time period
domestic fluff. those things where it's like 4 + 1 and it's about A confessing to B or trying to get their first kiss
I will never tire of 4/5 +1 fics.
I started writing for a completely dead fandom last year. It had been years since a fic was posted. Just absolutely shouting into a void. I guess some people checked in when it had an anniversary this year, and it just suddenly came back in full force, but small in a way. There’s a new fic, maybe every 3 days? It feels like me and like 8 friends, and it’s been so fun.
Congratulations for reviving a dead fandom!
The classic romance italicized “oh”. Every time.
I LOVE when an author makes a super niche fic that’s clearly just full of knowledge from their day job. Like yes, I would LOVE to read a fic about my favorite Naruto characters working in a museum, please tell me more about the PastPerfect catalogue software and the optimal humidity for a 300 year old painting🩶
My series in progress has a ton of medical things woven in, most heavily in the sequel because the first few chapters are set in a hospital. It's great knowing at least a few people will appreciate me creeping in.
That kind of knowledge is always enriching for a fic! I love seeing other people in the professional world writing, it gives me little glimpses into their lives and daily routines! I wish you the best of luck on your series :)
I love it when authors go into deep detail about micro expressions. I know many fanfiction can be based off of a simple three second scene interpretation and it’s fed on the tiny expressions here and there. It is just such great imaginative thinking to see a small look or action that a character took and was overlooked as nothing and see it turned into an entire new facet of the character etc
"oh. *oh.*"
In a similar vain to your opinion - kid fics in general! There's so much negativity I feel like surrounding kid fics and ESPECIALLY fics involving pregnancy but idk there's something about them just heals eight year old me's obsession with the idea of having kids haha.
i love when relationships that aren’t just romantic are just as important. i love the silly little details and bickering between the friends. give me fun days out together but i also adore christmas dates with hot chocolate and little shops!
I love exploring unusual ships and the results of said relationships. I’m all about different perspectives
This might be oddly specific, but I like it when 'reader x character's read more like 'reader x author'. I don't know if that makes any sense, but I've come across a few reader inserts where the reader character is very blank, but the love interest has certain quirks and mannerisms that, while making sense for the character itself, kind of come off as the author putting parts of themselves into it. I like seeing that, a lot. I don't know why.
I love the combination of "sun" and "soft glow" (kinda like: "Sunlight was falling in thorough the window besides X and cast them in a soft glow").
I love when authors created equivalents of things that exists in our world, like similar names for apps or medicine, such a small detail but I think it truly gives live to the fics.
I love when writers are aspiring writers, as in they strive to be a publisher author outside of fanfiction. It really ads to the quality and passion put forth to the work that I’m reading. I also love when an author takes constructive criticism and actually listens to it and considers how to make their writing better. I know fanfiction is free and just a hobby for many but for some it’s a foot in the door of the writing world and many could actually become accomplished authors from using it as a means to get better at it and I love that kind of effort.
When one character plays an instrument or sings for another character! They might be comforting them, showing off, or just fooling around, and I love it no matter what :) bonus points if the song being played/sung is relevant to the plot or the themes of the fic!
Great post! As for me, I love it when two characters barely brush against each other, and the POV character is *highly* aware that they're touching while still being in denial of how much they like them. It's a very specific situation that makes me ecstatic when it shows up.
God, I love hand holding and characters just vibing with each other.
When someone gets the characters dialog so in character it could be canon
I love it when writers play with layout and format. I'm talking more than just bold and italic. Give me offset, give me colour text, give me a scattershot of words when the character's thoughts implode! Fanfic is an informal form of writing. Have fun with it. Play!
The slow burn that’s only possible in fan fiction.
I love when fluff or hurt/comfort authors write in a little forehead kiss or a solid kiss to the temple instead of going straight for mouth kisses or more. It's just a really authentic and emotional way of comforting somebody.
I love the cliche 'Oh...' when a character suddenly realizes they were in love with someone theyve known a long time, esp due to some little casual detail or action
i was just talking about this the other day, a good carnival date. i eat it up every fucking time give me the stuffed animals and funnel cakes and ferris wheel kiss now.
i like when the authors sense of humor is added into the story and written well and cleverly, and when you can tell the author had fun writing
I love when you go into a fix expecting maybe just a bit of fangirling/fanboying and end up seeing such an amazing work that is on the level of or better than the content it was based on and it now holds a special place in your heart.
Characters actually having hair on other places beside their head and sweating and having natural human processes. It’s absolutely a personal preference (and those are fine too!), but some stories feel like they have the characters feel “movie-star sterile” where everyone is shaved and clean and “look” (read?) only as cool and pristine. This isn’t about nsfw necessarily, but I like little asides and descriptions where characters “feel” human because of the details.* *Some characters do shave and all that, but this isn’t about them. It’s like if, for example, a medieval character on a two week hunting trip with little access to water isn’t stinking up a storm or has perfect skin and is shaved everywhere.
I like it when the author has actually been around real kids, real siblings and writes them accurately and gives them age appropriate behavior & abilities and they don't act like miniature adults or way to babyish. A grade school age child should not be using baby talk!
I love when people do whatever magic they do to make hover text for translated words show up its simple genius and wonderful
I love fics where characters have unanswered questions about their own world, questions that never get answered - just as we do for our world.
I love banter! Especially between siblings. It reminds me of my own when done well.
I love mutual pining so much. "We love each other but we can't be together" slow burn is SO GOOD.
I love crossover fics when characters from two different fandoms meet each other for the first time and their first impressions of one another. If well done, they make my brain fuzzy with happiness :D
Oh, the warm feeling you get in your stomach/ chest when you laugh
I love good metaphors, puns and other literary devices (e.g., alliteration or rhyme) snuck into the prose like no one’s looking. Especially if it’s an inside joke.
I love when characters show their love (platonic or romantic) with like kiss on the forehead, bringing tea to another, holding hands, joking together... it's aways lovely!
I love when an author uses another language
When partner a curls up to n partner b's lap to get little forehead kisses
Evil demonic anomaly(SCP) becomes a parent to the safe demonic anomaly(also SCP) become why not.
I love when writers give characters (pre-established and original) little quirks and unique habits.
I love it when a two people are so clearly in love but just won't admit it while everyone around them ships it too ❤
I love that fanfiction exists. I love seeing the 'what ifs' people, read their style, get a peek into their imagination. Even if ultimately the story is not my cup of tea, I love that somebody wrote BECAUSE they wanted to share it.
I love when authors include a character who's barely even mentioned in canon and make them have a significant role in the fic, creating them an elaborate back story, relating them to the main characters somehow etc.
I love when authors manage to seamlessly link small references at the beginning of the story and make them overall relevant to the plot later on.
When characters get embarrassed and everyone makes it worse while trying to make it better 😂
When one character is speaking to another in a language that only one of them knows, but the other secretly understands that language. In a similar vein, when two characters are having a conversation in a different language and a third character secretly understands everything they said. When someone learns another langauge for their friend or partner. When one character never smiles, but gives a barely noticable smile that only the character who likes them notices. When one character loves a smell, or smells it in Amortentia (love potion that smells like whatever you love/are attracted to), then finally realises that the smell is from their crush/partner. When one character memorises the other character's food/drink order, even if they barely speak, especially if it's dependant on different factors. This works especially well if it's a barista/customer dynamic. When one charcter thinks that the other will grow to hate them because they don't know them well and the other character starts listing everything they know about them. When a character who normally would always follow the rules or never do something "bad" breaks the rules/law for the other character. This ended up really long but I don't care because all of these are exquisite. Edit: HOLD ON I HAVE MORE When one character usually only uses the other's surname but finally uses their first name. When the usually really loud/boisterous character can just be quiet with the other character. When a character with a bad family life finds the nicest sweetest people ever to be their new family (bonus points if it's their partner's family.) When one character doesn't like/sucks at cooking/baking but learns how to make the other's favourite food. (This one also works for books, music, sports, etc.) When one character always carries a hair tie for their partner/friend who has long hair. When two characters on opposing teams who are dating are normally super sweet and romantic with each other but are ruthless when competing. The classic "Oh. *Oh*." moment of realisation. Losing all memories except for the person they love (Looking at you, HOO Percabeth.) Their last thought before they die being of the person they love, especially if it's the apology they never got to say (I love angst.) One character having trauma responses to certain things like too much water and the other character(s) making changes to help them through it, or their voice being the only thing that keeps them from having a bad response. Insults become more halfhearted then eventually becoming their way of flirting. I can probably think of more but I'm gonna stop now because otherwise I'll never stop. Hope you enjoyed 🫶
OC insert fics or just really OOC characters. I think it’s fun to see the author in their work and characters and it’s really easy/obvious to see in OC and OOC works
Nesting 😊❤️ I will eat that shit up every time. I don't care which character it is or what dynamic they have, as long as they make their nest however they want (a messy pile of soft cuddly things vs an imposing blanket fort) and snuggle into it, then you have my heart in your hands.
Long authors notes explaining their creative process or what inspired them
So many things I can write! Here a few things I love! When people share fanfic they love! Really so sweet they want to some me something they enjoy reading! I loooove first kiss in fanfic, when the characters are kind of awkward about it maybe or just kind of rush into it! Mmmm so good! When the author makes a sequel of their fanfic! Even if is just fluff is so fun to read! When fanon and canon can both be in the fanfic together! Is hard to explain this last one- is just when authors can mix fanon and Canon together to make it seem natural 😊
Lately I've been very intrigued in reading stories with disabled characters, but specifically battle-caused disability. I mostly read original works there, but I can see that the quality of representation, humanization, but also coolification (is that a word? lol) of disabled characters is getting much better. Many authors whip up characters with disability that is not easily ignored (not just a throwaway line or token disabled person and it's never mentioned again or something), while still making the characters fierce and defined by other compelling traits. Like I read about an old general dude who lost his leg and you don't ever forget that he has prosthetic leg, but at the same time what you know him as is not a one-legged dude, but a general who is sarcastic and too old for this shit when dealing with his team, but would burn the world for them still. It's just one example, and only from original works genre, but I do believe the same thing is also happening in fanfic circles too. It makes me feel hopeful for newer writer generation.
I like when authors really take their time delving into a characters mind, even if it’s a long passage. Please write me those long paragraphs of your characters contemplating something and connecting it to their own experiences so we as readers can better understand who they are. That shit is like heroin to me 🙏
I love daily life details or small things such as the way the characters arrive/leave a place, or the way they say goodbye to each other, how they greet, what they talk about while on route somewhere. Yes, tell me who held the door to whom, who asked for the menu, what they talk about in the elevator or in the car. I love each and every interaction. In the end it's all about the small things
I love the intimacy of non-sexual trailing of fingers over bare skin. Just, gentle, sweet affection. Soothing circles on their back. A thumb across the back of their hand. It's not a necessity, of course. I see a lot of scritches (and I love those too), but there's something so real and wonderful about the small touches—*especially* when the character(s) are unsure/afraid of vulnerability and intimacy. The instinctual freeze, tensing up against the contact??? That turns into a slow relaxation into it??? A subtle push closer, non-verbally asking for more??? I'm *fine* thanks for asking
I love nose kisses and giggles. And smut where the person touches a sensitive spot and the other yelps or squeels because it's ticklish. I love silliness, and terms of endearment. I love when an author uses words they like, regardless of the majority opinion of others. You like the word mewl? Use it boo. I like consistency, when a series has a character do something small like fidgeting all the way through to the other stories.
When such a lovable character goes through something awful (hold on guys!!!) and manages to conquer the bad guy while still being good. Good prevails :)
Head pats. My characters are patting each other over heads all the time, kid or no kid lol
Healing. In whichever form. Seeing the characters heal from something is my kryptonite – will always cry.
Similarly, kids failing to say the word they’re trying to say! Also when the author doesn’t spend much time describing the visuals beyond actions. Which I know is a weird thing to say but I’m one of the unlucky who doesn’t “see” what they’re reading in their head so I like just grazing over that in favor of the story
I am absolutely thrilled when a character I'm writing first realizes they're in love, or that someone loves them. My blorbos are people with little to no experience of love or being loved, so their reactions are complex and a joy to craft. Although I'm the one writing it, I feel like I'm witnessing something profoundly special, even when there's an element of fear or anxiety. In one case, I even cried as I wrote.
I love flashbacks! Fanfic is supposed to be fun, and while I can see why people say a flashback can mess with the pacing in a novel, I don't care! It's fanfic! People are allowed to be self indulgent and I'm a sucker for slower scenes we clearly didn't see in the canon because canon is focused on action and plot. Give me the character moments that happened when the cameras were off.
Yeeeessss thank you. I needed that; I've had some doubts about keeping them in my WIP
The slow realization that a couple likes each other, both way crush, yet they're both too nervous, idk slow burns are so good when done right and when they kiss/fuck/do something mildly couple-like which causes said crush.. I DIE, this isn't small but like ❤️
i love when you can tell how devoted an author is to a fic. if you’re writing and fic right now and thinking, “will anyone notice this small detail i put it in?” YES!!! I WILL!! I WILL AND I LOVE YOU FOR IT!!
I have a very odd love for knitting fics. When characters knit things for the people they love it’s just chef’s kiss. I love them picking out yarn, I love them tinking, I love them borrowing a crochet hook from someone to fix a dropped stitch, I love knitting unhinged stuff like punishment booty shorts knit in obnoxious colors and itchy yarn, I love stitch and bitches, I love “I noticed you can’t wear most gloves doing this activity so I knit a pair with finer thread so they’re thinner and you have more dexterity and they won’t get caught in the gun’s mechanism.”
Looooove when an author includes a link to a playlist of all the songs referenced in the fic. It's such a delicious little unexpected treat.
i love when we can see inside a characters head and know from a readers perspective how much the character is in love with the person they wanna be with🥹 like being the one to know that characters little secret is so cute
I love anything with a surprise reveal. From simpler stuff like surprise gifts or a surprise party to more complex things like a secret relationship reveal, a character coming out, or ‘surprise! I’m actually a parent’.
I love seeing everyone's interesting takes on magic and theory and history in any respective universe/fandom. Like the OG author set the groundwork, and the fan author runs with it. I also love reading everyone's takes on emotions and right/wrong. I just love everything about fanfiction honestly.
Sibling relationships. I had/have a horrible relationship with my older sister, so both bad and good relationships just feel so.. healing?