Intro to Fanfiction Tropes

A trope refers to a common narrative device, plot element, or theme. Although “trope” can be used as a synonym for “cliché”, a trope is a more neutral term, while “cliché” has implications of being overused, stereotypical, or uninteresting. Tropes are part of all literature, but are especially important in fandom and fanfiction. When reading fanfiction, on many sites, you are able to see the tropes used in a fanfiction before reading it (for example, Ao3 tags), and even search for fanfiction that uses a specific trope.

Every genre of fiction has its own common tropes (for example, the Chosen One trope in fantasy literature), and fanfiction is no exception. Although every fandom will have tropes well-loved by that fandom, there are some tropes that are common across fandoms. This workshop will introduce you to twenty-five common fanfiction tropes, which have been sorted into three categories: narrative tropes, romantic tropes, and types of fic.

Narrative tropes are plot elements that may be present in a particular fic. Romantic tropes are tropes which are most common (or exclusive to) romantic fanfiction, also known as shipping fic*. Types of fic are different kinds of fanfiction - the type of fic does not dictate the plot.

* - shipping is very common in fandom, and a lot of fanfiction is focused on one or more ship. In general, ships are divided into three main categories - het, or m/f, where one person in the relationship is male and one is female; slash, or m/m, where both people are male, and femslash, or f/f, where both people are female. There are other types of ship (for example, poly relationships, where there are more than two people in a relationship; relationships involving one or more non-binary people; and relationships involving non-humans), but those three categories are the most common and well-known.

The tropes included in this workshop are by no means a complete list of all fanfiction tropes, but they are a selection of tropes you’re likely to encounter if you read fanfiction!

Narrative Tropes

(1) There are multiple types of crossover, but all crossovers essentially involve two or more original works being combined into the same fanfiction. Crossovers might involve characters from one universe being transported to another universe, or if the original works involved are set in the same universe, the characters might meet naturally. A crossover can involve characters from both (or all) original works involved, but sometimes only includes characters from one universe. These are good to use, but some types of crossover (such as Hogwarts AUs, where characters from one original work attend Hogwarts) are often overused.

(2) Kidfic is fanfiction that involves young children. This often overlaps with Next Generation fic, which is when the characters from an original work are given children, and the plot focuses on either the children involved. Kidfic more commonly focuses on the parents - it can be a romantic trope, but not always.

(3) “Five Things” is a trope commonly used to explore the possibilities of a certain character or situation. It’s usually set up as “five times {x thing happened} and one time {y thing happened}” or “five times {x thing happened} and one time it didn’t”. This is useful when an author thinks that a certain plot point could have gone in a different direction, or that a character’s journey could have had a different ending.

(4) Alternate Universe (AU) fic is a common trope which involves the setting of the original work being changed drastically. For example, if an original work is set in a different universe, one AU could involve transporting the characters into our universe. Often, AUs involve taking the canon characters and giving them completely different lives.

(5) A high school AU or college AU is an alternate universe in which the canon characters attend high school or college. In cases where the characters have magical powers, the author might choose to remove their powers, turning them into mundane, non-magic characters, or they may choose to make the characters have to keep their powers secret.

(6) A modern AU features characters who are from a different universe or time period being placed into our universe and time period. Again, in some cases they may still have any magical powers they possess in canon, and in some cases they may not. “Modern AU” can also be a shorthand for taking characters with magical powers and removing their powers, even if the setting does not change.

(7) A magic AU is the opposite of a modern AU - it involves taking characters without magical powers and giving them magical powers. Magic AUs can often be crossovers if the powers in question belong to characters in a different original work, although not always!

(8) “Let’s Watch Our Show” fic is fanfiction where the characters in a particular original work read or watch the source material, and reacting to it. (Despite the name of this trope, the source material in question does not always have to be a TV show.) This trope was more common a few years ago and has fallen out of popularity somewhat, but it can still be used effectively when the author has commentary on the source material.

(9) Backstory fic is fanfiction which takes a particular character or group of characters from the original work (usually, though not always, adults) and expands on or creates a backstory for them. This is often used when a character the author likes and finds interesting doesn’t have a backstory in canon, or when the author thinks their backstory could be elaborated on.

(10) A role-swap is when two characters in a fanfiction swap roles - so, for example, if Character A has a specific part to play in the plot, in the role-swap, Character B would now have that specific part to play. This is often used when two characters are narrative parallels - so when they have similar personalities or are just similar in general, but their differences are due to their backstory, upbringing, or narrative role - this kind of fic would swap those things and often explore how the characters would come out differently.

(11) Angst fic is fanfiction in which the main plots feature a lot of angst. Angst refers to things intended to make the reader feel scared or upset. This type of fanfiction usually features a lot of bad things happening to the characters. (When this gets particularly intense, it can also be called “darkfic”.) Sometimes angst fic has a happy ending (a trope known simply as “Angst With a Happy Ending”), but sometimes it doesn’t.

(12) Hurt/Comfort is a subgenre of angst fic, which often fits under Angst With a Happy Ending. This type of fanfiction features one or more characters going through emotional or physical pain, and then being comforted and supported by another character or group of characters. This is often character-focused or relationship-focused (it can be a romantic trope, but isn’t always), as it commonly explores the relationship (romantic or platonic) between the character/s getting hurt and the character/s offering comfort.

(13) Fluff fic is fanfiction that is light and sweet. It is also known as “Warm And Fuzzy Feeling”, or “WAFF fic”. It often focuses on affectionate relationships between characters, whether that is platonic or romantic. Its purpose is usually to make the reader feel happy. It is typically mutually exclusive to Angst - fanfiction which is Fluff won’t have any Angst. (When a Fluff fic contains Angst, it’s known as “flangst”. It also usually falls under Angst With a Happy Ending.)

Romantic Tropes

(14) A soulmate AU is a fanfiction set in a world where everybody has a soulmate. There are many different subsets of this trope, usually playing on the concept of how people recognise their soulmate. For example, one common example is that the first words your soulmate says to you are written on your skin. This isn’t always a romantic trope, though - it usually is, but some soulmate AUs focus on people who don’t want romance (or are aromantic), or people who don’t have or don’t believe in soulmates.

(15) Enemies to Lovers is a trope where two (or sometimes more) people who were previously enemies realise that they have romantic feelings for each other, and get into a relationship. “Enemies to Friends to Lovers” is a subset of this trope, where the characters have a friendship before getting into a relationship.

(16) Friends to Lovers is a common romantic trope where people who are friends get into a romantic relationship - often, it features one or both characters involved being surprised that they have romantic feelings for the other person, having previously thought they were not interested in each other. In fanfiction, this trope can be used both for pairings who were friends in the original work, and for pairings who were not (in the latter case, the fanfiction would usually develop the friendship before introducing a romantic element).

(17) Established Relationship is a romantic trope where the two (or more) characters are already romantically involved at the start of the fanfiction. Although a lot of romantic fanfiction focuses mainly on how the characters get together or the start of a relationship, fanfiction written with this trope focuses more on the dynamic of the couple, and how the relationship works after the beginning stages.

Types of Fic

(18) Fix-it fic is a fanfiction that focuses on “fixing” elements of canon that the author doesn’t like or sees as unnecessary. This can be changing which characters are romantically involved, it can be changing the direction of the plot, resurrecting a dead character, or fixing plot holes left by the creator of the original work. It can be used for an author’s personal preference (for example, if they dislike a particular couple) or for cases where the original creator made mistakes (such as plot holes).

(19) A crack fic is a fanfiction which isn’t meant to be taken seriously. It’s often written as a joke, and can involve the characters being extremely OOC (out of character - “OOC” refers to a character in a fanfiction being written to act very differently from their canon personality). It might also be written in a completely different setting from the original work. (Many crack fics are written as modern AUs, for example.)

(20) Songfic is fanfiction based around an already-existing song. In general, there are two main types of songfic: one is the song is used in the story (for example, having a character listening to or performing the song in question. The second type is fanfiction written so that the lyrics of the song are included in the text, but not part of the story - the lines are usually spread out across the story, and are typically italicized to distinguish them from the rest of the story.

(21) Chatfic, also known as Logfic, is fanfiction presented in the form of internet pages, usually messaging or social media. The fanfiction is typically entirely composed of these elements. Examples include text messages, Twitter threads, or blog posts. This can be combined with a modern AU if the original work does not have messaging or social media.

(22) An original character, also known as an OC, is a character in a fanfiction who does not exist in the original work, and was created by the author of the fanfiction. A fanfiction can feature any number of original characters. Fanfiction featuring OCs usually focuses on the OC/s interacting with canon characters, but in some cases, the canon characters do not appear at all (or are only in the background) and the fanfiction focuses on multiple OCs.

(23) Reader Insert fic is a type of fanfiction, generally written in second person (i.e. using “you” pronouns) where the protagonist is the reader. The protagonist is usually referred to as “y/n”, for “your name” - the reader can insert their own name into that space when reading. It is often a romantic type of fanfiction, in that it commonly features the protagonist having a relationship with a canon character - however, it doesn’t have to feature romance, and not all reader insert fanfiction does.

(24) Canon Compliant fic is fanfiction that does not deviate from the events or details of the original work. There are multiple types, including fanfiction set in the past or future (relative to the original work), events from the original work retold from a different character’s perspective, and exploring events that are only briefly described in the original work. Canon Compliant fic cannot be an AU. In practice, some Canon Compliant fic may not be 100% accurate to canon, but using this trope to describe the fanfiction indicates that the author made an effort to keep it accurate.

(25) Canon Divergent fic is fanfiction which is not Canon Compliant. Although it can technically refer to any fanfiction that does not follow the events of the original work, it is less commonly used for AUs - instead, it typically refers to fanfiction set in the original world of canon, but where there have been some changes (either minor or major) made to the events or details.

Conclusion

There you have it - twenty-five common fanfiction tropes! Although this workshop has introduced you to some of the basics, it's important to remember that these are by no means the only popular fanfiction tropes in existence - to list all of them would take a lifetime. It's also important to note that although most fanfiction uses at least one common trope, you don't have to stick with popular tropes - mix and match; choose uncommon tropes; put your own spin on the popular ones; or even try to come up with your own! Fanfiction is essentially a blank page, ready for you to make your mark on. Whether you already write or read fanfiction, or whether you've now decided to give it a go, or whether you just don't think you're interested in that, I hope you enjoyed this workshop, and have a lovely day!!

first

“Come, on, Sophie. SPILL,” Marella haggled for the hundredth time.

“For the last time!” Sophie huffed. “I'm not going to tell you what it says.” She absentmindedly fingered the words on the palm of her hand: “You look lost.” She wondered how long it would take her to meet her soulmate - after all, it could take ages for all she knew.

Biana rolled her eyes, running to catch up with the two of them. “You've got to be kidding. Everyone else has shared theirs at one point or another. You can't keep it a secret forever - WAIT, or what if the reason she's hiding it is because it's something super embarrassing?” The last portion of her sentence was directed at a giggling Marella.

“Maybe, ‘Your shoelaces are untied’? Or ‘Your eyeliner’s smudged'!” Marella suggested enthusiastically, hi-fiving Biana.

Sophie groaned. Sometimes she wondered why she was friends with Marella Redek and Biana Vacker, the two girls in the entire school that gossiped the most and were the most fashion savvy.

She was neither. In fact, she wasn't even popular, unlike the two of them. Her brown eyes weren't much compared to Biana's striking teal ones, after all.

Sophie felt like telling Marella that she wasn't wearing eyeliner and her shoes didn't have shoelaces, but it was too late - they were already in a heated discussion about what her soulmate would say to her, the theories getting more ridiculous by the second.

Sophie sighed. High school could be a pain in the butt sometimes.

Biana had already found her soulmate, Dex Dizznee. The first time Sophie saw him, she had concluded that he was kind of cute, but not like dazzling handsome. He was nice, though, and Sophie wouldn't have minded if he had been her soulmate. Marella, on the other hand, hadn't yet, and she did have a notorious reputation for flirting with every single cute boy in school.

Biana gasped. “Or, or - what if it's ‘You look cute’?!”

“Or ‘I’ve liked you forever'?!”

“Or ‘I have a crush on you’?!”

“Guys, cut it out,” Sophie grumbled, throwing her hands up in irritation. “You're never going to guess. It's pretty weird.”

Marella's eyes widened. “'You smell like dirty socks?'”

Sophie gave her a look that hopefully told her she did not appreciate the comments, especially not ones that involved the words “dirty socks”.

Marella held up her hands. “What? It could be, for all I know. It's not like you've hinted at it.”

Sophie rolled her eyes. “Fine, it starts with ‘you’.”

Biana pumped her fists up in the air triumphantly and Marella gasped. “I knew it!” she cried.

“Whatever. I've got to get to class, guys. See you later.” Sophie detached herself from the two of them, hoping desperately that they'd forget all about the “You smell like dirty socks” theory.

She did wonder what her soulmate would be like, though. Arrogant? Cocky? Handsome? Or quiet, kind and gentle? She just hoped it would be someone she liked. Sophie smiled faintly as she thought about how Biana and Marella would react when she found her soulmate. Probably with a lot of shrieks. And questions. Tons of questions. Sophie could already picture it in her mind, but it was only a dream.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she nearly slammed face-first, at top speed into a chunky pillar - then immediately realised she'd taken a wrong turn.

Sophie cursed herself. What a dumb mistake. Couldn't they put signs or something? But even after a good fifteen minutes, she was still confused as to where she was. She made a few more turns, hoping to be able to backtrack and find the main corridor, but to no avail.

“Hello?” Sophie tried calling out. But there was no response - the hallways here were deserted. Sophie sighed heavily, leaning against the wall.

Just then, she noticed a boy with blonde hair sprawled across a bench nearby, sleeves rolled up casually, probably ditching. She knew he was supposed to be popular, and she vaguely remembered his name. Keefe Sencen or something. Half the girls in school had a crush on him.

He raised an eyebrow and flashed a cocky smirk when his eyes landed on Sophie.

“You look lost.”

this is AWESOMEEE this is actually sooo helpful

thank you

A helpful guide! I finally learned what those tags in AO3 actually mean. Thank you!

A quick question: Do you have to pick one from all three or can you pick more than one trope from the same category?

This is really well written! So cool!