Things that you love in fanfiction discussion

[Walnut Sparks]

I like fics that stick with canon characters, but in unique storylines (as opposed to the plots and plot ideas that tend to get overused in fanfiction). Also slice-of-life silliness and crackfics. Moczo wrote several of my favorites, including Happy Riniversary and Sick Time.

I take it for granted that writing will flow well and sound ordinary, unless purple prose is used intentionally for comedy - see Thirty H's. It's a quality that's hard to describe, and I only really notice its absence; I never come away thinking, "That was some good writing! It was NOT awkwardly phrased!"

[xthomas]

I like stuff that involves either Dead Apostles, Magus, TYPEs, sealing designations, eyes, vampires, etc.

[Parks_98]

The two main draws I have towards Type-moon stuff (that isn't H-scenes) is their long expositions on the lore of the world and their fights. They do those so well that its their bread and butter and I can't image a story made by type-moon that doesn't have those things. So when I'm reading a fan fiction that has those things I can't help but feel happy.

[Historia]

less dialogue

[Spartacus]

As long they feel like LN/VN/translated Japanese instead of YA I probably like them.

[MattyC24]

A bit of an odd mix for me, but here we go:

Detailed and/or technical fight scenes, like in the VNs.

Character-driven work with lots of entertaining interactions and snark.

Exploration or stretching of the known Nasuverse lore.

[Leftovers]

Bump because I am curious about two things: one, how many (theoretical) fanfiction readers are still around; two, what (hypothetical) fanfics you would like to see written. Or, I suppose, just the things you like to see in TM fanfics in general.

If you're more interested in Create-a-Servant or Quests, feel free to put your preferences out here as well. Maybe someone will see an audience for their idea and pander specifically to you.

[BladeOfEden]

Personally I like the ones where people put their own spin on already established concepts as well as “what if” type stories. I enjoyed OnesFleetingGlory’s Ordainment for this reason. Now if only there was a way to prod him into continuing the story…

[pinetree]

Not really a fanfic reader but I really enjoy narratives that have to work within a restrictive format. Servant sheets obviously but I also enjoy SCPs, or the ones I read anyway.

In regards to fanfics, I only really read one now and it's a crossover, so maybe that?

[DracoScribe]

I'm one! I regularly read fics. Though the ones I read most frequently are shipfics (of varying themes and topics and tones), but I also read other stuff...for other fandoms. I admittedly haven't read too many non-shipfic Fate/Type-Moon fanfics...but I still have read some (and shipfics where the ship isn't even the main focus, just a background thing if that counts).

Fics wise, I notice I like the fics that one, explore "missing scenes" inbetween, before or after a Fate story. Like this one fic (I forget where I found it; it might've even been thanks to here?) about...I think Rin writing "letters" amd her feelings about Sakura and apologizing and stuff. Or, to be slightlt shipficcy, this one detailing Shiki Ryougi's pregnancy with Mana. Two, crossovers, because one of my favorite bits is basically the "culture clash" that can happen or the shenanigans that happen with an Outside Context Problem and dealing with it. And three, AUs that explore an idea that would lead to interesting/unexplored character dynamics, sometimes (usually) leading to different/derailed plots, like this one fic that i still need to read all the way through where catalysts aren't a thing and so the participants of the 4th(? Presumably the 4th) Holy Grail War get Servants matching their natures, most notably Kiritsugu summoning Serenity.

As for Servant sheets, I prefer it be chunky. As in, whether it's short but dense, or long and detailed, I just want stuff to chew on more than just a description of the skills, NPs and so on, cause in the end I still want a story to read through. So I do tend to lean towards longer sheets that have more of a chance (and time) to be a story in the form of a "character sheet".

[Saron]

I really also enjoy "what if" storylines where whatever changes is just SUPER SMALL but butterfly effects outwards into a completely different story.

For Servant sheets, ditto with Draco. While I have been guilty of not really "fluffing" my sheets up so kind of hypocritical of me, but adding a character's personality in detail can GREATLY expand how much I like it or take interest in it.

[tsugumi]

Anything written along materialist lines is absolutely poggers. Obviously this is rare in fanfiction for multiple reasons, but it's such a happy day when it shows up.

Ambition. Boldness. A willingness to get weird with it and really get in the mud. Bringing together a bunch of disparate ideas together and making it work.

Competent what-ifs are good.

Anything about my favs as long as it's well-written, because beggars can't be choosers.

I have really fallen off reading fanfic aside from a 600k behemoth for a different fandom with all of these things sans the favs that updates periodically, but I have a little backlog of things to get to. I think of it as my emergency treats pile.

[Petrikow]

Short stories.

Ambition is good and all, but good short stories can let people actually explore ideas without getting bogged down by the weight of unnecessary fandom baggage.