What are your personal "green flags" before reading any fanfic?

Basically the reverse of the "red flags" thread. What kind of fanfics would get you interested enough to read it? Would it be its content, its title, or even its pairing?

I'm a fan of crossovers, especially Toku crossovers, so I naturally gravitate towards those.

What's yours?

One of my green flags is when I see minor characters in the summary. I mean, minor characters are a challenge to write because of little characterization and most of them are naturally ignored. Thus, for example, when I see Staci, A. Shizua or K. Kyousuke as one of the main characters I immediately click on it. I don't care whether it's good or bad, this is something I decide when I finish Reading, but I do stop to read it.

My work is here. Current main fic: Tengen Toppa Gurren Solvernia

not many actaully

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Basically, a well-written summary with an idea I either like, or have not seen before. Minor characters are a plus, but not a requirement.

That’s the epitome of privilege right there, not considering armed nazis a threat to your life. - Silasw

Something that happens to me in a certain small fandom where my favorite character is, IMO, severely underrated: If someone (other than me) writes a fanfic about him, I will read it. As long as he's not severely OOC, I will enjoy it. If he's completely in character, I will wish I could reach out and hug the author.

Stories by people I have gotten along with in the past, especially if they've reviewed my stories with constructive criticism. Since they typically have similar taste to mine, I can usually trust that what they've written will be, if not good, at least enjoyable. And if it's lacking, but getting there, I can give them constructive criticism right back.

What gets me to read a fic...

Recommendations! If enough of my friends and fellow fandom members talk about it, it will get me curious and interested. I'll also peek at the fanfic Recs page here. I always find quality work on TV Tropes's list of recs.

Good writing conventions. Proper punctuation, spelling, and grammar are all big pluses that keep me immersed in the fic.

Expanding on already established characterization. This means the author establishes the characters as we know them in canon, and then digs deeper, and considers how they would react in a different situation because of their personalities.

Ships, when done right. When a realistic, healthy, loving relationship is portrayed, I love it. Reading 'ship fic is relatively new to me because I normally stay away, but when I get rec'd, I get curious. I found out that it makes me feel good to read it, for some reason. It gives me the feelies.

True Companions fanfic. I do not see this enough, but when I do, it's usually written well. I'm aspiring to be the kind of fanfic writer who can give more of this to my fandoms too.

Minor characters getting A Day in the Limelight. I just love that trope, and I love it when the protagonist in canon isn't the only focus.

Even when your hope is gone, move along, move along just to make it through

When a fanfic seems to have been written by someone who actually knows how to write in English (and not, as I often suspect, in some foreign language that was later translated to English with Babelfish), the odds of me reading rise above 0%. When it also appears to have been written by someone who actually uses spell check and reviews what they've written before posting it, it rises several more percentage points.

It also helps when the author does not announce which couples they are shipping.

Provided the summary is well-written and the story starts well, "no shipping" and "ships TBD" are like magic words. "No shipping" is inviting because SO MANY fanfics are romance-centric and it's a relief to see exceptions. "Ships TBD" in combination with good writing means that the author has decided to let the characterization develop naturally and pair up characters based on what works for the story, instead of writing the story to serve the ship.

Stuff what I do.

What's wrong with saying upfront what couples are included? It seems like a good way to A) draw in fans of the couple(s), and B) warn off people who dislike them.

edited 12th Sep '13 7:58:49 PM by PPPSSC

Nothing is wrong with announcing ships in a fanfic. Shipping itself is the problem.

For some reason, the vast majority of fanfic writers who intentionally include shipping in their story end up writing the story about those ships, even when the plot is supposedly about something else. And the vast majority of fanfiction writers are bad at writing relationships. So when shipping is announced in the summary, it usually means the fic is going to suffer for it.

Unless, of course, shipping is the whole point of the fic. But I don't usually read those.

edited 12th Sep '13 9:24:09 PM by Hyp3rB14d3

Any fic that shows off characters that don't get the spotlight in canon works a lot.

Also crossovers with unusual series (e.g. Human Target and Patlabor).

A harem story is another one, but I'll read one if it's good and well-written.

"Exit muna si Polgas. Ang kailangan dito ay si Dobermaxx!"

Long chapters....I have rarely encountered a fanfic with let's say 10.000 words per chapter instead of 1.000 (or less) which wasn't well written, especially if it was a gen one. The fic being written by a writer who I already know to be good, or by one who updates regularly. The work being finished. The number of reviews (that can be misleading, though, if someone has a particularly obsessive reviewer). Everything which excludes stuff I don't like, for example "No bashing".

Naturally stories about stuff I like to read. "I believe in Sherlock" stories in which his name is cleared, after the war Harry Potter fics with canon pairing. I also have a thing for AU's which are based on the butterfly-effect (one event is changed and what results out of it). White Collar stories about Neal being an artist or having to work with a different handler. Grimm stories which are gen and don't involve random Oc's (those are nearly impossible to find). Detective Conan stories involving the Black Org in a clever way, or about Takagi. In general stories which happen with minor characters at "the edge of canon".

My trick for finding good stories is normally to have a look at "I lost this fic can you help me to find it" sites...they have the advantage that for one, you get a better idea what the story is about and two, if someone liked a story so much that he goes hunting for it, it is normally worth a glance at least.

... I guess that makes me in the minority? The one fic where I mention a ship in the summary, the actual pairing is shown more often in the background or in passing than taking up screen time.

That’s the epitome of privilege right there, not considering armed nazis a threat to your life. - Silasw

That's actually true in a lot of my fics.

The summary. If it looks well-written and have an interesting concept, I'd be interested to read. If the writer can't be bothered to write a decent summary, I will not be convinced that he/she would bother to write anything impressive.

A well written summery, a first chapter that quickly establishes the premise and has a good hood, and good prose. For Fan Fiction I'm a little more forgiving of Purple Prose simply because of the rampant Beige Prose. I've seen prose so beige it's like you're reading a chapter by chapter summary of someone else's fic.

Being complete is also a good sign simply because I don't worry about it being good, but never finished.

"Canon pairings"....most of the times this means that the writer is not concerned with shipping at all.

Ooh, I like this thread.

Vague, abstract summaries usually hook me, as long as I don't hear something cheesy like, "Time is like a river, and all it takes is a single pebble to form ripples in the water. Watch [insertmaincharacterhere] as he/she proceeds on a different path!"

Another green flag for me is when the summary gives you a sample of the story, a cryptic hint, or a conversation-in-progress.

Akira Toriyama (April 5 1955 - March 1, 2024).

I don't like excerpts instead of summaries at all, because they are kind of missing the point...unless there is enough room to do both, then a good scene might draw me in.

I know what it is about me. I've developed a rather disturbing dislike for television/book/fanfic summaries.

When it comes to fan fics, I like excerpts because I've seen an annoying number of fan fics that tell me the story's themes, pairings, bashing targets, and ultimate goal. I prefer to jump right into the scene.

Akira Toriyama (April 5 1955 - March 1, 2024).

Just the fact that a fic doesn't trip most of the "red flags" mentioned in the other thread is a green flag in itself. I'll read anything so long as I think the premise is interesting.

I agree with swanpride about long chapters being a plus. Most bad fanfic writers will try to get their points out as quick as possible even if they rely on Purple Prose. Length is a good sign that the writer actually cares about writing something good.

There also needs to be a sense of love in the writing. The biggest problem of bash-fics is the fact that their sole driving force is hate and anger.

Stories that stand out as having a completely different premise from those around them. Whether they're good or bad, they're usually enjoyable.

I guess I feel the opposite way about length as most people do. I'm much more likely to click on a story on a whim if it's under 3000 words than if it's really long, mainly because even if it's bad, it won't take that much time to read.

edited 14th Sep '13 10:34:56 PM by PPPSSC

I kinda agree with that; but most of the time, the ones that are very short are more likely to be badly written. Sometimes, they have good summary, but then it goes, "X does this, and that and thought this and that. The End." I suppose that's one terrible example of "rampant beige" mentioned in a few posts above?

A interesting premise or a fic that doesn't take a lot to invest into; if a fic starts with five different perspectives, I'm not interested any more.

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Generally, if a fic has been recommended by someone who's work I've read and enjoyed, is in a fandom I'm familiar with, and has an interesting premise, I'm far more likely to read it than if I just stumble across it randomly.

Also, a sufficient amount of boredom on my part can turn into a green flag for nearly any fic.

edited 16th Sep '13 5:46:34 PM by Hyp3rB14d3