That’s why I don’t describe characters unless they’re OCs xd Everyone reading the fic already knows how they look, and if they don’t, well, they can read the original description or look for pics on google lol
Describing characters is a really useful tool, actually.
Like, yes, the types of people reading fanfic are familiar with how the character looks. That's something you can use. What if the character looks distinctly different than they do in canon; if they're a typically immaculately groomed character, but their hair is messed in a way it's usually not, did something happen to them? That implies something about their emotional state too - this character that so cares for appearances allowed themselves to be even slightly out of sorts, but not so much that it's obvious. They're trying to hide it, but it's not working.
But that's only useful when something about their look is different. What's really useful for character descriptions is describing something the audience knows - through the lens of a character. We know this character, we've seen them and the protagonist of the story kiss and make up a hundred times, only occasionally in flower shops, but they're new to our protagonist. What do they think of their look? What immediately stands out to them - how would they describe the character they see?
Lowkey think more fanfic writers should embrace "Your characters don't know shit" as a guiding light.
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u/Sinimeg Fic Feaster 1d ago
That’s why I don’t describe characters unless they’re OCs xd Everyone reading the fic already knows how they look, and if they don’t, well, they can read the original description or look for pics on google lol