Fanfiction is serious business. From Archive of Our Own (AO3) to Fanfiction.net, it’s a reader’s way of expanding their fandom world or seeing their ship sail. But what kind of reader are you? Are you into the kinkiest fic or the fluffiest goober fic? Or maybe you love a good trope and like fixing what the show/book/movie of your choice messed up. Join us as we break down 7 different kinds of fanfic readers!
Warning: You can be multiple kinds of a fanfiction reader. Or you can be all, depending on your mood.
1. The one who likes all the fluff
This reader is here for all the hearts, rainbows, and fluff that the heart can handle. Characters deserving all the good things in the world? Yes. Domestic fluff? Yes. Cuddling being dorks with each other? Yes, yes, yes. They’re here for their ship to get all the happiness they deserve!
2. The one who is here for the tears & angst
This reader is here for the painnnnnn. Yes, there’s eventually a happy ending. They still love those. But they’re also here to see their favorite ship go through some life altering shit that brings them together, forging a bond like none seen before that makes them stronger.
3. The one who is perpetually reading smut
This reader is here for all the kinks, graphic details, and PWP. They are the best at keeping a straight face while reading their ship making love or having just straight up kinky, rough, magical sex with all the details; and we mean all the details. The more, the better, for them.
4. The one who loves a good trope when they see one
This reader is here for all the tropey goodness. From enemies to lovers, to pretend relationships, they can spot a good trope a mile away! And it doesn’t matter how many times they’ve read the same kind of trope. They’re all good and bring the reader the same joy.
5. The one who wants to fix what the show messed up
This reader has grievances against the show/book/movie of their choice that they can’t let go of. And they’re not the only one. They never are. And they join a community of like minded people who are here to fix what has been broken or make it so it never happened in the first place.
6. The one who wants THAT couple to get together
This reader is here to make sure the couple that never happened…well, happen. They saw the spark, the magic, between these two characters and are here to get the confirmation/vindication they need that these two were always meant to be together.
7. The one who needs those missed opportunities
This reader is here to fill in all the gaps they feel like should’ve been included in the show/book/movie of their choice. Said gaps include moments that make us understand the characters motivations or what they were doing between scenes that we didn’t get to see.
What kind of fanfiction reader are you? What fandoms do you read fanfiction for? Let us know in the comments section below.
IMAGE USED: RAMIRO ROMAN
As a queer person I am certainly a number 6, but as an obsessive fanfic reader and occasional writer I fall in to the categories 3, 4, and 5.