Kinds of Fanfic?

[severewrath]

How many different kinds of fanfic are there? I'm not really sure - here are some incomplete thoughts on the subject:

• Emotional Projection (Fluff/Dark): The story tries to create certain emotions in the reader. Lots of romances fall into this category.
• Character Investigation: Trying to completely flesh out a character by investigating & proposing

Comments

[sixbitsforfact]

I am definitely guilty of writing fics that hit at least one (if not all) of those headings unabashedly and without reservation. Often it's out of my own personal curiosity, though (like I have something I've been puzzling over and I just need to explore it through writing), and I don't necessarily need them to be posted or read.

That last example though (Harry marrying Severus "for his protection") baffles me a bit.

[severewrath]

Oh, I don't think there's anything *wrong* with writing any of the styles - so I wouldn't say one could be "guilty" of them.

But fanfiction is curious and, quite possible, in a genre all of its own. There does seem to be an extraordinary level of conformity in the types of plots/etc that people write - which is odd, since their options are nearly unconstrained.

It does leave me in near-shock as some of the premises, though.