Let’s take apart one of my favorite (relation)ship tropes: friends to lovers.
I have read a lot of fanfiction.
A LOT.
And by “fanfiction”, I mean fan-written fiction; 450k-long fics, delicious one-shots, AUs, multi-universe mashups, even the occasional “x-reader”s.
I am in awe of the writers that dedicate MONTHS of their lives to writing a piece of fiction as long as a Harry Potter book, just to satisfy their craving for a coffeeshop au.
I admire the writers that draw out scrappy plots for chapters upon chapters, drawing me in with the promise of that sweet, sweet resolution where Katara and Zuko do end up together.
I’ve written fanfictions.
(I’ve only ever published one, and it was a Miraculous Ladybug fic for a Secret Santa exchange on Tumblr).
I prefer to read fanfiction, and let it permeate my soul, warming the very darkest recesses of my squee-ing little heart.
But when it comes to the tropes I love the best, I always come back to the friends-to-lovers category.
There’s just something about reading a story where two characters go from being best friends, to realizing that The One They’ve Always Dreamed Of was right there beside them the whole time.
I think part of me places that kind of slow-burn love on a pedestal, high above tropes like “love at first sight” and “best friend’s brother” (even though I enjoy reading those, too).
I don’t fantasize about having relationships a lot. I don’t fall asleep at night dreaming of my own Significant Other.
But I do dream of pursuing my dreams, just going along, chasing my dream, and then maybe one day, I look over to my side and notice that someone’s been there for a while.
And then, since we know each other already, it’s no herculean feat to just…get closer.
I said I don’t fantasize a lot.
I guess I mean I don’t hang my hopes on a particular thing or person to gain happiness or fulfillment.
I absolutely adore the “friends-to-lovers” dynamic, but the trope I would die for is “enemies-to-friends-to-lovers”.
It’s a long name, but it basically encapsulates that sweet, sweet story where two characters start out as bitter rivals, gradually grudgingly begin to admire each other (simply because of how smart or ambitious they are), and then, at the conclusion, decide that they’d make a better team than enemies…and fall in blissful love.
OH that GETS me!
The dynamic possibilities that it presents are endless.
I could have them literally hate each other’s guts until the very last chapter, where they have a change of heart and fall very suddenly for each other.
I could have hundreds of thousands of words of painfully slow angst and a gradual reveal of feelings.
Maybe even a heart-wrenching death scene where the dying confess their un-dying feelings.
Then I live with the satisfaction that they were, indeed, canon.
Fanfiction has taught me about creativity, innovation, dedication.
But fanfiction has taught me much more about the way people process their own thoughts and the actions of others.
Watching the improvement of a writer throughout a 300k word fic is fascinating, both in the ways they improve technically, and in the way that they change subtly.
Even the best writer — one that has a detailed plan for their piece and devoutly follows an update schedule — can change in the way they talk about something, how they describe an interaction.
Every writer learns something through writing, just like readers learn through reading.
As much as I love reading fiction, both fanfiction and “legit” published books, getting to peek into the mind of my fellow writers and fans is infinitely more interesting.
Next time you pick up a book, or even curl up with a fanfiction about your favorite characters, think about this:
How would you re-imagine the story?
Note: if any of these terms confuse you, just click on them and a link will take you the their Urban Dictionary definition!
Fun Fact! The longest fanfiction I’ve ever read was 335,760 words long. In comparison, the longest Harry Potter book sits at 257,045 words and Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind is 418,053 words.
