Fictional Fans

"Outside looking In" is my bulletproof trope. Someone is completely outside canon and ends up seeing a character's arc or a relationship (romantic or friendship) or notices something even the characters don't know (sometimes they find out at the very end). I've written a few that aren't exactly as detached as I like, but give me a reporter preparing for an interview, a barista wondering about zir favorite customer, an administrative assistant trying to figure out the weekly meetings with someone enigmatic, the nosy neighbor who thinks the family/couple/commune that moved in next door looks familiar...