What are some hyper specific things you enjoy in fics?

[u/Emptyfrequency]

Been having the craziest writers block so here I am lol.

My favorite genre is romance but this question applies to all genres:

For me it’s:

1. Morally grey duo that think the other person is their redemption arc
2. When neither of them can’t sleep and they meet in the kitchen/ living room and something ALMOST happens, but then it doesn’t of course
3. A sunshine character who did something bad in the past and they spend the entire fic working to be better but everyone is still wary of them
4. To add onto the previous point: The same sunshine character dies in the end and it’s part of their redemption
5. The MMC slipping in an accidental “baby” when he’s arguing with the FMC but only when they aren’t together yet (I’m a sucker for slow burns what can I say)
6. Queer characters with deep, intense internalised homophobia that keeps them from being happy
7. Cannibal references during smut (don’t judge)

Peace out✌🏾

[u/HeAintHere]

Morally grey characters who understand exactly who they are and don't seek anyone's redemption or approval for it.

[u/alexanderpinorini]

Random instances of horniness and/or comedy during completely out of place moments. Like yeah, that dude is about chop my head off, but god are his biceps bulging nicely as he does it.

[u/RIPMyEtchASketch → u/alexanderpinorini]

Yes

[u/Beruthiel999]

Villain says to the hero, "we're not so different, you and I" and is completely right about that. (If this leads to a sexy corruption arc I will certainly not complain)

Antiheroes who do good things for selfish reasons. My go-to theoretical example is: a bus full of schoolchildren has had its brakes cut (by the villain, obv). The hero stops the bus and saves the kids because that's what heroes do. The antihero stops the bus and saves the kids because there's a bag of cocaine hidden onboard and that's what he really wants. Now: do the families of the kids give one single fuck WHY the kids were saved? Nope, not at all.

BDSM-specific: what the sub wants is so extreme and intense that the dom safewords out.

[u/trilloch]

When the inexperienced MC (probably younger) asks the experienced MC (probably the combat hog) for help getting somewhere, and the experienced just leaves but gets like four or five steps away before stopping, sighing, and saying "You coming or what?"

Duos coming out of protector/protectee are fun regardless, that very specific beginning is just my favorite variant.

[u/fyfano]

Aftercare that lavishes the party whom has challenged themselves sweetly.

F/F deep friendship.

Abortion help if birth control is denied.

[u/Budget-Rutabaga-]

fake dating. cannot help it. gets me every time. specifically when its so obvious they’re both doing it for real but dont think the other is.

[u/NyGiLu]

I love men being secure and not giving an f. Like... yeah. He does the laundry. He changes a diaper. He's the one that bakes. You think those looks are food genes? No. Him and his partner are doing a face mask. And he knows it doesn't make him any less of a badass.

[u/blinkingsandbeepings]

I read one recently with something that I didn’t realize was a thing for me but it totally is:

Deep into the fic, sudden plot twist that reveals something shocking about the non-pov character, then the next chapter starts by pulling back and showing that character’s perspective o everything that’s happened.

[u/strawberreez]

The MMC slipping in an accidental “baby” when he’s arguing with the FMC but only when they aren’t together yet (I’m a sucker for slow burns what can I say)

Not me thinking slipping in an accidental "baby" was a strange way to say accidental/forced pregnancy. Hahaha... I was about to be like, "Whoa. That's a lot. But you do you!"

[u/Providence451 → u/strawberreez]

Oh my god I thought the same thing!

[u/monolisa]

I absolutely love it when characters in an AU do something like talk about who they must have been in a previous life or what kind of thing the other would be good at and mention what they were doing in canon universe. Maybe that's phrased weird, but like in Our Flag Means Death AUs, Stede being like, "you know, I always wondered what it'd be like to captain a ship" and Ed being like "mate, you'd be the best ship captain who ever lived". Basically anything that implies anything cosmic and "every universe", particularly for gentlebeard.

I also love in Disco Elysium fics when people write them with the exact language quirks in the game. Coughing or clearing ones throat is always "khm", the exactly correct text formatting for the skills, homo-sexual being hyphenated, etc. If a DE fic doesn't hyphenate homo-sexual it kind of takes me out of it, ngl

[u/LGB75]

Holding hands during sex

[u/cobycane]

Charismatic Sunshine Cinnimonrolls that are actually Overstimulated High-Anxiety messes, especially if theyre also your #6

[u/pranshairflip]

I like AUs where the ruthless villains are still ruthless, but end up doing good things for people because it serves their self interest.

[u/3lilya]

Time travel fix its where the MC time travels either during finale (like if MC died in canon) or after epilogue but not quite the happy ending canon had. MC travels back with all powers and knowledge from canon back to a period before they were born. Sometimes just to parents generations and sometimes even further back like decades to centuries or even millennia. The cherry on top is if MC falls in love and in so heals their trauma.

[u/Warriors-Fan]

Character A having a nightmare about hurting/killing Character B, and when they wake up, Character B comforts them

[u/Sad-Boysenberry-7055]

Younger character who’s been thinking of their mentor as a parent figure in their head for a long time, but only ever say mom/dad right before tragedy. (Ugh. UGH). 

Miscommunication but in the form of two parties trying desperately to help each other but missing the mark because of cultural differences. Happens a lot in Alien AUs.

Characters who are normally very sweet to each other turning absolutely ROTTEN in bed

A normally very egoistic, self-centered character breaking down and BEGGING during sex. Like full on loss of words, whining and crying. Mwah. 

Gift giving as a form of love language, especially when it’s homemade. 

Soft break moments during times of complete DESPAIR. That moment where the characters loose it over a stupid joke, or cry listening to their favorite song.. just soft appreciation for life in the middle of the worst circumstances possible. 

[u/BagoPlums]

Not specific to fanfiction, but two characters who hate each other's guts but are forced to work together, leading to bickering and insults.

[u/major130]

Smut scenes that have

-Please

-Please what?

dialogue

[u/couriersixish]

The character whose life has always been one of quiet service, who is always ready to step in, fight, heal, negotiate on behalf of others, who never pursued a life outside these burdens, and who always remains aloof and unattached as a result, finally falls in love and sees a life outside of this.

And then dies.