This is something not just I, but other people have addressed before, and I think it's important to bring up again. This goes for all platforms, not just AFF, but I feel like some writers (especially younger ones) tend to get glorification, romanticizaton, and diversity mixed up/confused. Which, for people who are new writers and/or aren't familiar with those words is understandable, but can sometimes have bad consequences!

Glorification - when a subject is made to look to be great, especially subjects that aren't (ex. violence, mental illness)

Romanticization - when a subject is used to play a part in a romantic relationship, often portrayed unhealthily (ex. diseases, abuse)

Diversity - when a subject that is not often portrayed in media is, but in a healthy and non-stereotypical way (ex. LGBT and PoC characters)

Having diversity in your story is great! People are always up to read stories about people/things that you can't really find in mainstream media, especially when it's portrayed well and in a healthy way. Diversity is important, not just in fanfic but in real-life media (such as Hollywood movies) because people want to see other people that reflect themselves. Think of movies like Marvel's 'Black Panther' or 20th Century Fox's 'Love, Simon' - both movies portrayed black and LGBT characters, in a way where they weren't racially profiled or stereotyped in some way - it reflected real people. You can have diversity in other ways, playing into subjects like mental illness, abuse, etc. However, when using these subjects, it's important to do your research! Don't go into detail about something that can potentially harm someone, place warnings/ratings accurately and when necessary, and portray it accurately. That's the key with diversity - the subject is realistic, and (not always) a plot device.

Glorifying certain subjects can spread the wrong message to readers. Things like violence and forms of abuse aren't okay, and put people in danger. It's not cool or quirky to make an OC x Idol story where the idol abuses OC and OC thinks it's fine and/or normal. A lot of the time, glorification is unintentional and unfortunately, sometimes cannot be avoided and is about context. The Netflix adaptation of Thirteen Reasons Why glorifies the suicide of Hannah Baker - everyone had something to say about her and some connection to her (it also portrays the actual suicide of Hannah Baker, and other dangerous topics such as in more detail than is healthy and follows guidelines). It's arguable, but having seen both the first season and read the original book by Jay Asher, I would say that the book did a good job of being diverse and not glorifying it. When some subjects are glorified, people can get the illusion that subjects like that are okay, and even 'cool' and 'quirky'. It's not okay to abuse your partner and there are other options rather than suicide. When people think glorified subjects are okay, they can then portray that in real life, and not only endanger themselves, but those around them. When you are using elements as such and also portraying the fact that they aren't okay and not the answer, you're being diverse. When you use elements as such that makes them look trendy or whatnot, that's glorifying it.

When a subject is romanticized, it often comes across that character A can't get over whatever they're struggling with (usually some sort of mental illness) without the help of character B. This also leads to character B not really doing much to help, but rather character A falling so madly in love with character B they magically get better. People don't just get over not only mental illness, but other things they struggle with, and often takes a lot of therapy and support to work on. Yes, having a romantic partner sometimes gives someone incentive to work on getting better from whatever they struggle with (if it is something they can get better from), but doesn't automatically cure them. Romanticization is something a lot of us fall guilty for, especially when we're young writers (I, for one, know that I've done just that, romanticizing self-harm, which I now realize isn't okay and has since been taken down and apologized for). Movies such as The Weinstein Company's Silver Linings Playbook gives the illusion that just because two people fall in love, they are immediately healthy and don't have to take medications anymore. It's totally okay for a healthy relationship to have a positive influence on mental health, but a relationship magically curing mental health isn't very realistic.

Although it's unfortunate that the media glorifies and romanticizes subjects, with or without intention, it's important for everyone to remember that more often than not, glorification and romanticization is unhealthy, and yes, there is a difference between glorification, romanticization, and diversity. If you're confused onto whether your story is glorifying, romanticizing and/or being diverse, don't be afraid to ask people (like myself) for help! We want your story and writing to be the best it can be, and not something that can cause problems not only for yourself, but others, as well.