Amnesia

Synonyms:

amnesia fic

See also:

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1 Canon amnesia
2 Thematic Lists for amnesia fic
3 External Links

Giving a character amnesia is a popular fanfic story trope. The amnesia is usually temporary, but sometimes permanent.

It can be used for angst, h/c, or to make a character reevaluate their life from an outsider POV, but as pairing-centric fanfic is most popular, amnesia is also most frequently used as a plot device for a relationship. It can be used to make a character forget the anxieties and objections they had to starting a relationship or make them forget their existing relationship. The latter is an easy way to generate angst especially if the two have nothing in common at first glance but had grown closer over the course of a series through shared experiences as is often the case in buddy shows with unlikely partners.

Canon amnesia

Many fandoms provide instances of amnesia in canon and thus on one hand may make it easier to fit amnesia fic there if it leaves room for episode tag fic or have canon mechanisms to provide convenient plot device types of amnesia that wouldn't work in real life (such as mindwiping technology). On the other hand additional instances of amnesia also may stretch suspension of disbelief, unless the protagonists are exceptionally unlucky and prone to have run ins with the same cliches over and over again.

Fandoms with canon amnesia include Buffy, MacGyver, Miami Vice, Smallville, Stargate Atlantis and SG-1, and nearly all superhero comics.