"Oh."

"Oh." or "Oh." is a phrase, commonly used in fanfiction, which in a specific use has become a trope and even a meme. This use is sometimes called the italicized oh or the italicized oh moment.
This "Oh" is not a simple expression of surprise, but is used to denote a pivotal moment of realization, often of a character's own feelings for someone, or of the fact that those feelings are reciprocated.
It is often used in sequence: "Oh. Oh." to better emphasize the slow but radical change in someone's understanding of a situation.
==History==
As a literary device, it is likely that the use of the "Oh." or "Oh." to express this idea has always existed.
However around 2018/2019, it seems to have gained more attention and to have become increasingly popular to the point of acquiring meme status around 2020/2021.
Presumably this increased popularity then led to an increase in its use, though it is difficult to obtain proper statistics to support this hypothesis.
==Examples in fanworks==
===2011===
===2012===
===2015===
===2019===
===2020===
===2021===
==Fandom Discussion==
Discussion of "Oh." in fanworks covers topics like its effects, whether it really has a special use, and whether the trope is overplayed and writers should lay off it:
==Meme Status==
===Memeification===
Many memes have been created about the "Oh. Oh." moment, for example:
File:That italicized oh - @tierciel.PNG | "when fic writers use that italicized 'oh' slam that mf like button if u agree" - @TIERCIEL (2018)
File:My favourite part in fics - @yatogamis .PNG|"my favourite part in fics is when a character realizes they're in love with someone and there's always this "oh." in italics" - @yatogamis_ (2019)
File:It's about the italicized oh - amyeeera.PNG|"Reading a slow burn fic be like: IT'S ABOUT THE ITALICIZED "OH." - @amyeeera (2020)
File:Oh no - @seijohsmanager.PNG | "the italicized oh is absolutely fucking wonderful but have you also considered: oh. / oh. / Oh no." - @seijohsmanager (2021)
File:Oh. oh - bisaster energy.PNG | "Oh. Oh." - bisaster-energy (2021)
File:A very italicized oh - @readbeantofu.PNG | "I wish all fanfic readers/writers a very italicized oh." - @readbeantofu (2021)
File:Turn red oh meme.jpg
====Use as reaction phrase====
Many social media users use the phrase "italicized oh" to describe what is happening in a picture or gif they are posting, describing what the characters or people involved are feelings (i.e., "this picture is X having an 'italicized oh' moment.").
Another use developed off the back of that practice (?), in which variations on "italicized oh" by itself is used to describe the poster's own reaction to a piece of media that made them experience certain feelings. A simple twitter search for the term returned dozens of such uses concentrated over a few weeks of August 2021 (due to the limitations of the Twitter search tool), among which the following examples, used to react to media being posted or to reply to media:
File:Italicized oh @eternvllys.PNG
File:Italicized oh @peppermayne.PNG
File:Oh italicized @tamilekas.PNG
File:Italicized oh @0X1zip.PNG
==Resources==
* Twitter search for "italicized oh"
* Oh (tag), Italicized Oh (tag), and Italicized Oh Moment (tag) at AO3
* italicized+oh (tag) and italicized oh (tag) at Tumblr
* i'll tell you when you get your soft, italicized, "Oh." quizz on uquiz.com by strikerflynnmr
==References==
Category:Memes