Line #26 Main/FiveThingsFic


1	Commonly referred to as "Five Things" and sometimes "Five Times", this is a fanfiction or other fanwork structured as a series of small "scenes" unconnected from a larger plot. The most common format depicts a common event happening repeatedly with minor variations or gradually shifting character reactions. The final scene is usually the biggest change, where the common event either fails to happen entirely, or happening differently.
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3	Like most fan work structural tropes, there are many works that twist the trope. Common variations are using a different number of scenes, or using the format as part of a larger work.
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5	The title usually follows the established convention of a NumberOfObjectsTitle: "Five times (event happens) and one time (event either doesn't happen or variation on event happens)" in an example of ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin.
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7	This trope occurs most often in romantic fics, where common titles include "Five times [x] kissed [y] and one time [y] kissed back" or "Five times [x] said 'I love you' and one time he didn't need to." This trope is also often seen in comedy or CharacterBashing fics,
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9	The earliest predecessor to this is a 1981 ''Franchise/StarWars'' fanfic called ''Four Preludes, and One Short Epilogue on Han Solo or After the Empire Struck Back'' by Marcia Brin. The format as its currently known began in the ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' fandom circa 2001. A writer called "Basingstoke" wrote ''Five Things That Aren't True'', which caused [[FollowTheLeader other similar stories to be created]].
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11	This type of fic is most popular on Website/{{Tumblr}} and Website/ArchiveOfOurOwn, but also appears throughout fandoms on various websites.
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13	Fanlore discusses this fic style [[https://fanlore.org/wiki/Five_Things here]].
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15	----
16	!!Examples:
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18	[[foldercontrol]]
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20	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
21	* ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'': ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12967904/1/Five-Times-America-Forgot-His-Own-Strength Five Times America Forgot His Own Strength]]'' by Dear Inconspicuous details five times America accidentally used his superstrength along with one time he remembered he had it (and used it intentionally). Unlike some of these fics, this one has an interwoven plotline where Germany witnesses each accident and attempts to learn why and how America is superhumanly strong.
22	* ''Franchise/MyHeroAcademia'':
23	** ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/13063044/chapters/29880132 Dry Eye And Other Things That Burn]]'' by hakuraimaru follows "4+1" format: "Four times Aizawa helps his kids, and one time they get him back"
24	** ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/11701374 Sing Sing (Lovin' You)]]'' by [=ModernArt2012=] is about five times Hizashi sang about his feelings for Shouta, while "+1" bit has Shouta sing for Hizashi about his own feelings.
25	* ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/7880923/chapters/18000238 If My Feelings had Wings, the Only Thing I'd Want Would Be for Them To Reach You]]'' is an ''Anime/OsomatsuSan'' fic where Homura [[IdenticalTwinMistake accidentally meets Jyuushimatsu's identical brothers]] five times and then reunites with Jyuushimatsu the sixth time.
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28	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
29	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Cinderella}}'': ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/922859 Five Things The Baker Taught Anastasia, and One Thing They Learnt Together]]'' is a fanfic about how Anastasia's relationship with the Baker affects her recovery over her abusive childhood.
30	[[/folder]]
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32	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
33	* ''Series/BlakesSeven'': ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/19856467 Painted Smiles]]'' by thisbluespirit has the synopsis "Five times Servelan smiled and someone died".
34	* ''Series/DoctorWho'': ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/522393/chapters/923589 Five Times Jack Died For Love Of Ace, And One Time He Didn't]]'' by [=JohnAmendAll=], playing on Ace's CartwrightCurse, and the one character that's not a problem for.
35	* ''Series/HoratioHornblower'':
36	** [[https://wig-powder.livejournal.com/15294.html "Five Times Horatio Looked After Archie (And One Time Archie Returned the Favor)"]]: CaretakerReversal fic.
37	** ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/329362 Five Times Somebody Noticed Horatio and Archie Were a Couple (And One Time Nobody Did)]]'': Fairly self-explanatory title. This one is a shipping fic with slash pairing Hornblower/Kennedy.
38	** ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/2344073/1/Five-things-that-never-happened-to-Archie-Kennedy Five things that never happened to Archie Kennedy]]'': 5 alternate reality and/or fanon discontinuity fics. The "plus one" fic is missing. Some stories are dark and have a downer ending, while some end on a good and hopeful note.
39	** [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/181418 "Lives And Deaths of Archie Kennedy (Five Things That Never Happened)"]]: Five divergences of Archie's path, moving backwards from point of death in the series. Rather dark divergences.
40	* ''Series/TheManFromUNCLE'': ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/7734208 Tripping Balls; or, Five incapacitants THRUSH considered using (and the one they went with)]]'': In alternate-reality versions of the same scene, Napoleon encounters a series of {{Fantastic Drug}}s including KnockoutGas, a LovePotion, and a TruthSerum. The sixth one is [[spoiler:a placebo]].
41	* ''Series/NorthernExposure'': ''Fanfic/FiveSecretsMauriceIsHiding'' shows the secrets Maurice will not say like letting Nikolai win a game or that he occasionally likes something that Chris plays on the radio.
42	* ''Series/PersonOfInterest'':
43	** ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/12134205/chapters/27524823 Bargains]]'' by Zaniida was originally titled with an inverted version: ''One Bargain Harold Could Not Agree to (and Five He Could)''. It showcases variations on the deal that Harold made with the mob boss Elias to save John's life. (The original deal in canon was played up like the sacrifice would be dramatic, but it turned out that Elias merely wanted [[spoiler:a chess partner]]... which he used as a chance to regularly [[spoiler:exchange information with Harold]].)
44	** ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/5345081/chapters/12342179 Five Times Finch Compared Reese To Dillinger]]'' adds the "...and one time he didn't" part in the description. The fic puts some canon interactions in context of what Dillinger might've done to make Finch so suspicious of Reese.
45	** ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/7792867/chapters/17778250 Five Times Harold and John Died Together (and One Time They Lived Together)]]'' by DisposalUnit is a very dark variant, with each chapter named after the type of damage done (which results in the death of both characters in all but the final chapter, which has a happy ending).
46	** ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/11279943 Five times Harold sang to John]]'' by talkingtothesky is an example of the version without the +1. It uses lyrics from six different songs within five mini chapters.
47	** ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/3892384 a very private person]]'' by nowrunalong leaves the 5+1 note in the description: "Five times Finch avoids Reese's questions, and one time he doesn't." As is typical of the show, Reese tries to get information about Finch's past and his preferences, but Finch repeatedly evades the attempts.
48	* ''Series/TheShadowOfTheTower'': ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/16966815 i love the rose both red and white]]'' by thisbluespirit is a series of canon divergence [=AUs=] with the synopsis "Five other ways it might have gone for Elizabeth of York and Henry Tudor."
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51	[[folder:Music]]
52	* ''Music/{{Avantasia}}'': In the fanfic series ''Fanfic/AvantasiaProtagAU'', ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/26351812/chapters/70184325 5 + 1 (Aaron)]]'' is the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin aptly]] named chapter featuring, according to the summary, "five times the others were there for Aaron and one time he was there for them".
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55	[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
56	* ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'': ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9194793/1/5-Times 5 Times]]'' is a ''Peanuts'' fic about five times that Lucy said "I love you" to Charlie Brown. The fifth time, Charlie said it before her.
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59	[[folder:Video Games]]
60	* ''Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}'': ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/7689082 First Meetings]]'' follows a 3+1 format with three times that Chiaki greeted Hajime and the one time that she did not.
61	* ''VideoGame/{{Dishonored}}'':
62	** ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/4254063/chapters/9627486 (Don't) Blink]]'' by puppyblue is a set of snippets about Corvo accidentally Blinking somewhere he didn't intend to. Five times he finds himself in unwanted situations, and one time he gets a lucky peaceful moment in a pleasant company.
63	** ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/3566528 oh quiet down, I've had enough]]'' by taywen is about five times various people tried to hit on an asexual Daud, and one time someone asked instead of making assumptions. The fic changes the format a little: the "+1" bit is placed between fourth and fifth regular bits.
64	* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'': ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3440708/1/Kiss Kiss]]'' is a Aerith/Tifa fanfic of this sort. It involves six kisses between them, with the sixth being when Aerith kisses back.
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67	[[folder:Western Animation]]
68	* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6122375/1/Five-Times-Aang-Didn-t-Propose Five Times Aang Didn't Propose]]'' is an Aang/Katara fic revolving around Aang repeatedly trying to propose to Katara.
69	* ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'': ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6213131/1/Five-Times-and-First Five Times And First]]'' is an Arnold/Helga fic about how four times they held hands and the fifth, they kissed.
70	* ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'':
71	** ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10597298/1/Beware-the-Nice-Ones Beware the Nice Ones]]'' (not [[BewareTheNiceOnes that one]]) is a ''Young Justice'' fanfic by [=DragoneseElf=] about five times Nightwing showed his protective side to the Team, and one time they protected him.
72	** ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8897366/1/Five-Times Five Times]]'' is a platonic example. It's about five times Dick needed to be carried and one time where he carried someone.
73	[[/folder]]

Context Main / FiveThingsFic