Fanlore:Featured Article Archives/2021: Week 48

Five Things... is a fanfiction writing form or structure that originated in Smallville fandom in 2001 with the fic Five Things That Aren't True by Basingstoke. It became increasingly popular throughout the early 2000s, particularly as a format for challenges, and remains a staple of fic writing two decades later.

The format requires a set of multiple scenes that are related to each other in some way, without necessarily being in the same chronological timeline. The number of 'Things' may vary slightly depending on the work (see Evolution), but five is the most common number. 5+1 Things is an enduringly popular variant.

Five Times is also a common variation on this format, 'Five times X almost happened and 1 time it did' being its most popular use.

Fics that use this format frequently use the "Five X" phrase in their titles, or as a subtitle: 'Title; or five times something happened...'