Let's be honest: If you grew up with the internet, you probably went through a fanfiction phase.
And hey, enjoying fanfiction doesn't have to be a teenage phase. A lot of it is actually really good! Sometimes, fics are even better than the actual show or movie they're based on.
Everyone goes through a moment in their lives when they have to put down the book they’re reading and accept the fact that they’ve have read better fiction from anonymous writers on AO3
Yes, I am in my twenties. Yes, I still read AO3. Mind your business.
That being said, I also read my share of ridiculous fics during my pre-teen years. You know the kind I'm talking about.
no one: 2011 wattpad fic: i was getting ready for school, putting my long brown hair into a messy bun. as i looked at my blue eyes in the mirror, my mom came in. “i sold you to pay our debts” she said. “come meet your new master.” i went downstairs and there he was...harry styles
Here are 19 things that probably happened in every fanfic you read in junior high:
1. Eyes were always called "orbs."
2. Every male character was described as having "a mop of messy dark hair" and a "lopsided grin."
3. And every female character would always wear her hair in a messy bun, no matter the occasion.
4. Every boy also mysteriously smelled like pine trees.
I’ve never met a boy who smells like pine??? Where do YA book characters find these boys??? Are they actually just trees??? 🌲
5. The author would just randomly insert themselves in the middle of the story to tell us their thoughts.
6. Sometimes a fic would be tagged "NSFW." So you would cautiously pull it up on your flip phone and then JUMP if your mom so much as walked past you.
Most of us got our sex ed from wattpad fics don't even lie
7. Band members and celebrities would show up to the narrator's house with no explanation.
8. There was sexual tension between literally EVERYONE.
9. An OC (original character) would just randomly join the group and instantly be trusted with everyone's secrets as if they were there all along.
10. A character would be killed off, then just show up a few chapters later with no explanation.
11. All of the "book covers" looked like this:
12. Two characters who don't yet realize their mutual attraction would somehow end up in a hotel room together...and there would only be ONE bed...
13. ...and they'd wake up in a "mess of tangled limbs."
14. A character would smirk or chuckle, like, every other line.
15. Most fics began with "Y/N" (your name). Because who wouldn't want to imagine themselves getting coffee with Harry Styles in a hipster café?
16. Parents usually didn't exist. Or they were weirdly chill about everything, like their children skipping school to hang out with Fall Out Boy.
17. Everyone basically lived at Starbucks for some reason. If someone accidentally spilled coffee on someone else, you could guarantee they were destined to fall in love.
18. Couples would always fall in love and get married within like two days. Bonus points if they were enemies to lovers.
19. Finally, there would always be a SUPER long author's note (aka A/N) at the very end and it definitely concluded with "XD."
Bless fanfic writers for entertaining us for free!!!
