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.
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.
The title usually follows the established convention of a "Number of Objects" Title: "Five times (event happens) and one time (event either doesn't happen or variation on event happens)" in an example of Exactly What It Says on the Tin.
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 Character Bashing fics,
The earliest predecessor to this is a 1981 Star Wars 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 Smallville fandom circa 2001. A writer called "Basingstoke" wrote Five Things That Aren't True, which caused other similar stories to be created.
This type of fic is most popular on Tumblr and Archive of Our Own, but also appears throughout fandoms on various websites.
Fanlore discusses this fic style here
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Examples:
- Hetalia: Axis Powers: 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.
- My Hero Academia:
- 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"
- 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.
- Dry Eye And Other Things That Burn
- If My Feelings had Wings, the Only Thing I'd Want Would Be for Them To Reach You is an Osomatsu-san fic where Homura accidentally meets Jyuushimatsu's identical brothers five times and then reunites with Jyuushimatsu the sixth time.
- Cinderella: 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.
- Blake's 7: Painted Smiles by thisbluespirit has the synopsis "Five times Servelan smiled and someone died".
- Doctor Who: Five Times Jack Died For Love Of Ace, And One Time He Didn't by JohnAmendAll, playing on Ace's Cartwright Curse, and the one character that's not a problem for.
- Horatio Hornblower:
- "Five Times Horatio Looked After Archie (And One Time Archie Returned the Favor)": Caretaker Reversal fic.
- 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.
- 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.
- "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.
- "Five Times Horatio Looked After Archie (And One Time Archie Returned the Favor)"
- The Man from U.N.C.L.E.: 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 Drugs including Knockout Gas, a Love Potion, and a Truth Serum. The sixth one is a placebo.
- Northern Exposure: Five Secrets Maurice Is Hiding 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.
- Person of Interest:
- 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 a chess partner... which he used as a chance to regularly exchange information with Harold.)
- 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.
- Five Times Harold and John Died Together (and One Time They Lived Together) by Disposal Unit 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).
- 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.
- 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.
- Bargains
- The Shadow Of The Tower: 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."
- Avantasia: In the fanfic series Avantasia Protag AU, 5 + 1 (Aaron) is the aptly named chapter featuring, according to the summary, "five times the others were there for Aaron and one time he was there for them".
- Danganronpa: First Meetings follows a 3+1 format with three times that Chiaki greeted Hajime and the one time that she did not.
- Dishonored:
- (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.
- 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.
- (Don't) Blink
- Kingdom Hearts: Kiss is a Aerith/Tifa fanfic of this sort. It involves six kisses between them, with the sixth being when Aerith kisses back.
- Avatar: The Last Airbender: Five Times Aang Didn't Propose is an Aang/Katara fic revolving around Aang repeatedly trying to propose to Katara.
- Hey Arnold!: Five Times And First is an Arnold/Helga fic about how four times they held hands and the fifth, they kissed.
- Young Justice:
- Beware the Nice Ones (not 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.
- Five Times is a platonic example. It's about five times Dick needed to be carried and one time where he carried someone.
- Beware the Nice Ones
