^Mhm I agree that knowing the incoming pairing can take half the fun out of it, but I wasn't really concerned about predictability as much as quality, I suppose. I don't mind knowing what is coming, as long as it's well executed. It's a testament to the skill of the writer if he/she is able to command your interest even when their pairing cards are all laid out on the table. It's the business of the writer to re-invent the wheel, so to speak. There's no such as a completely original story, not in our time.
I mean, I'm pretty predictable in that everything I write insofar that it will almost always involve Ai.
As I am also partial to ReinAi, the pairing is dominant in all my recent works, and will continue to be so until as far as my tastes change. Or unless I decide to try something different. Heh.
Ok new question, because I'm in a thinking mood. What draws you most to a fanfic? It can be more than one thing; pairing, genre (as in comedy/angst/fluff/etc), theme/setting, or anything else you can think of. I like setting these sort of questions.
It helps me think, and I like picking the brains of you guys too. Muahahaha.
Well as for my answer to that question, I would say that pairing plays a large part to the attraction, and I would go further to add that since every pairing as their own quirks and dynamics, it is more to that particular type of dynamic that I am interested than the pairing per se; though it helps to care about the people in the pairing as well. I generally appreciate passion, and I don't mean just carnal passions.
I generally enjoy intense emotions, which can often lead to conflict (always fun!). Of course, it helps if the writer knows how to portray what I'm looking for. Tension can be created in conversation, even in description; though I prefer more subtle approaches. I've read some very good stories and they don't have to spell out tension for you -- it is simply there in the text without the need to say it out loud. I find that it is never enough to simply state a emotion or thought, it must be shown through, well, everything that the writer deigns to show. Personally, I'm still trying to work on that myself. I've seen fanfics that put my own work to shame, so I think I need more practice in that department. Hmm, and I need better notes too. Sigh. So much to learn!
And in conclusion, I believe I ramble too much.
The long and short of what I meant to say can be encapsulated in one sentence, as follows:
I LIKE GOOD STORIES.