So, earlier today, I tweeted a link to a fic that had just been posted, written by an author I am quite fond of reading, and… you guys liked it. Okay. Well… since I’ve been having a bit of a creative block lately as to what I should post this week, I thought, why not put together a list of my all-time favorite fanfictions? The short ones, the long ones, the epic sagas that last eternity? True, I’m not in every fandom. My tastes are my own and might not jive with what you guys like. However… come on. Dude. It’s literature. Won’t hurt.
I am aware that nearly all some a few a couple of these have adult content (such as violence, drug use, sexual content, etc) that may be not safe for work, not safe for school, not safe for church and possibly not safe for life. I will try to include any possible red flags in the description of the fics quite clearly, and without spoiling the plot of the story for you. However, I am fallible and merely human; since nearly all of these are hosted over on AO3, I recommend you read the story tags very carefully before you jump into the story.
Okay? Okay. Let’s read some fanfiction, bro.
A Cure For Boredom by emmagrant01
Fandom: BBC Sherlock
Rating: NC-17 like whoa.
Pairings: John/Sherlock; John/original characters
Spoilers: It’s Sherlock. Are you telling me you haven’t seen all of the six episodes yet? Okay, fine. Spoilers for everything before Reichenbach Fall, but you really should consider finishing the series. It’s totally worth it.
Length: approximately 82k words
Look, this isn’t just a fic. It’s a religion. It’s a tradition. It’s… it’s porn. Basically, what happens is, Sherlock is bored, and John tells him to go wank like a normal person. The rest of the fic is filled with umm… sex, more sex, and even more sex. But, it’s like, really well written sex. Oh, and all of it is being done for science, John.
Read it on Archive of Our Own.
New Day Rising by Scyllaya
Fandom: Supernatural
Rating: Explicit on AO3
Pairings: Dean Winchester/Gabriel
Spoilers: None, AU
Length: approx 26k words
This is an AU, so things are a bit different… actually, a lot different. Dean, living like, the worst life ever, hooks up with a handsome stranger at a bar only to have life change on him in a flash. This fic is awesome. Trust me. Oh, and there is sexual content in it so you probably should like… not read it at work, I guess.
Read it on Archive of Our Own.
Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, by Less Wrong
Fandom: Harry Potter
Rating: T on FF.N
Pairings: Irrelevant, as they are children at this point.
Spoilers: This fic does not do spoilers. It changes the whole plot around on you.
Length: If you printed out this fic, and laid the pages end to end it would stretch all the way around the universe.
This fic lied to me. It promised to be a humor fic. Instead it is now nearly a hundred chapters long and each one makes me question reality, nature, the universe and my own sanity. It’s kind of like walking into looking glass land. I don’t know what this fic is. It’s not finished. it’s disturbing. It’s confusing. It will have some rather… incomprehensible stuff in it. I’m not sure if I would say it’s quite NSFW; it does not contain sexual content (considering that they’re first years, I should bloody well hope not!) however there is quite a bit of violence, and psychological horror. NSFL? Possibly, yes. Don’t read this if you like your sanity intact.
Read it on Fanfiction.net or the fic’s site.
The Dance of Inanna by PeppermintWind
Fandom: Supernatural
Rating: Explicit on AO3; M on FF.N
Pairings: Destiel, Sam/Amelia, others
Spoilers: Let’s go with all the way through to 8.23 just in case.
Length: approx 106k words
I wanted to dislike this fic so much when I started reading it, and yet something reminded me of my all-time favorite fic, In His Image (found farther down on this list). So I kept reading. And it sucked me in. And it made me laugh a lot. And it was funny and perfect and flawless. And then it fxxxng tore my heart out and stomped on it. So, if fics were episodes of Doctor Who, this one would be the entirety of Tennant’s run, because that is exactly how I felt about him.
Contains sex and violence and mentions of sexual violence.
Read it on Fanfiction.net and Archive of Our Own.
inspired by your laugh to wait for things by gyzym
Fandom: Welcome to Night Vale
Rating: T
Pairings: Cecil/Carlos
Spoilers: Through all the episodes.
Length: approx. 4k words
Sweet Cecilos fluff, but extremely poetic. It’s kind of like, romance, the Night Vale way. Look, here, read the description:
Maybe in Night Vale, where everything else works a little bit wrong, love works a little wrong too. Maybe in Night Vale, where time occasionally stands on end and gravity pulls slightly less than usual every second Thursday, someone like Cecil, a love like Cecil’s, could come without any strings attached at all.
It’s sweet and romantic, in the only way Night Vale could be sweet and romantic. The writer really has a great way with words; everything is painted so perfectly. Please be warned that this may be NSFW as there are mentions of sexual activity, though nothing graphic.
Read it on Archive of Our Own
Journals and Ice Cream by Estora
Fandom: Harry Potter
Rating: T-M on FF.N; T-M on AO3
Pairings: Canon
Spoilers: through the DH epilogue
Length: Series.
The Journals and Ice Cream is a series of relatively light-hearted mysteries that picks up the moment that 19 Years Later leaves off. Murder and conspiracies hide behind the sweetness and fluff that lure you in, and everything is told in the form of diary entries, and, occasionally, letters. If you ever hoped that Ron and Draco and Harry and Hermione would become friends in the distant future, this is the fic you want to read. There is no sexual content as far as I can tell (I’ve read up to middle of the third story and stopped when the writer took a break; now that she’s picked up I haven’t gotten back to it yet. SOMEDAY OKAY.) but there is violence. And murder. And shenanigans.
Read it on Fanfiction.net, on Archive of our Own, or on the fic’s tumblr.
Black Swans by omphalos and wolfling
Fandom: Supernatural
Rating: Explicit on AO3
Pairings: Sam Winchester/Gabriel (Sabriel) with a side of Dean Winchester/Castiel (Destiel)
Spoilers: through 5.23; however, AU at some point in season 5.
Length: approx. 67k
I really love this fic for a number of reasons. There’s something entirely too poetic about it. The title itself refers to the black swan theory – that there are events, impossible to predict and impossible to comprehend at first that change the fabric of our reality in one fell swoop; events that deny the reality of one’s entire universe and rewrite it with the whisper of a wing. Here, read this excerpt from the fic:
Humans of the classical world had once thought that black swans simply didn’t exist. A good man was as rare as a black swan, some ancient wit had once proclaimed. But after the big reveal of black swans alive and kicking water in Australia, the expression of impossibility had taken on on a new and more ironic meaning. A guy called Taleb crystallized the whole concept. A ‘Black Swan’, he defined, was an unpredicted event that changed the world irrevocably. The internet and 9/11 were two of the examples he gave.
Yes, the Winchesters are a pair of black swans flying through the field of the apocalypse. This is a post apocalyptic road trip, where a beaten-up but victorious Sam and Gabriel seek out Dean and Cas. It’s… very philosophical. There’s some sex. It has some violence. I like it very much… and I’m going to re-read it tonight. Also, there’s sex. You probably shouldn’t read it at work. Just sayin’.
Read it on Archive of Our Own.
A Black Comedy by Nonjon
Fandom: Harry Potter
Rating: M on FF.N
Pairings: Both Sirius and Harry hook up with many ladies; however there is no “main” pairing and romance is generally irrelevant. Sirius and Harry brotp.
Spoilers: All the way through HBP.
Length: approx. 246k
This has been one of my favorites through the years, and I think I’ve read it approximately eight billion times. Basically, here’s what happens – Harry, fully grown and having defeated Voldemort around two years before the beginning of the story begins to do research on the mysterious archway through which Sirius had fallen. He makes it do a thing – he knows not what; and then the whispering stills. One day, he accidentally falls into the archway and is reunited with Sirius, who has remained more or less frozen in time over the past decade. Shenanigans ensue, and oh my lord it is the most hilarious thing ever. Rather off-colour humor, some inappropriate jokes. You might not want to read this at work.
Read it on Fanfiction.net.
To Boldly Go by TamrynEradani
Fandom: Supernatural
Rating: T on AO3
Pairings: Hinted-at Destiel; Charlie and Dean brotp
Spoilers: Let’s be safe and say 8.20
Length: 1212 words
Charlie and Dean have a drinking party with vodka and Star Trek. It’s sweet. It’s fluffy. It’s short. It warms the cockles of my heart, and I don’t mean the ship. Guh. Dean happy. I like this. If they kill Charlie I will be so disappoint you have like no idea.
Read it on Archive of Our Own.
Remus Lupin, PI, by Larry Huss
Fandom: Harry Potter
Rating: T on FF.N
Pairings: Remus/OFC, Harry/Hermione/Padma, the pairings are rather irrelevant though as nothing happens onscreen, thank god.
Spoilers: It kind of assumes you’ve read all the books.
Length: approx. 97k
This fic asks the important question, what if things had gone differently? What if Remus had decided to become a private investigator, working for both the magical and the muggle sides of the street? What if Dumbledore was a meddling old fool? What if, what if, what if. There’s a lot of questions, but this film noir-esque fic answers all of them. Definitely very satisfying, very clever and very original. Safe for work, mostly.
Read it on Fanfiction.net.
On Feathers and Bacon Sandwiches by Kryptaria
Fandom: BBC Sherlock
Rating: T on AO3
Pairings: John/Sherlock
Spoilers: season 1 of Sherlock
Length: approx. 21k words
You know those scary demon!John gifsets that have been going around Tumblr? Yeah, those are brilliant, but… I like fluffy!demon!John better. And that’s exactly what you get in this fic: a good dose of the supernatural (not the CW kind), with some fluff, and it’s totally worth reading. Also, there are bacon sandwiches, and chocolate, and jumpers and ducks. Oh, and Sherlock is asexual, so you can read this at work. Or wherever.
Read it on Archive of Our Own.
The New Kid by TamrynEradani
Fandom: Supernatural
Rating: T on AO3
Pairings: Dean Winchester/Benny Lafitte
Spoilers: None, AU
Length: approx. 9k words
It’s like, a really sweet and fluffy high school AU and it’s adorable and dorky and cute and ugh you need to read it okay? Just… just shush and read it. I promise you, you’re going to feel so warm and fluffy, like you’re being cuddled by an army of giant koalas. JUST TRUST ME OKAY THIS FIC IS A GOOD LIFE CHOICE
Read it on Archive of Our Own.
Oh God Not Again! by Sarah1281
Fandom: Harry Potter
Rating: K+ on FF.N
Pairings: not very relevant
Spoilers: through DH
Length: approx 167k words
Another fic where Harry gets knocked into the mysterious archway in the Department of Mysteries; in this one, he is shot into the past and forced to live all the way through his schooling over again. It’s a parody fic of sorts, but stands well, is hilarious, and worth a read. Or ten reads.
Read it on Fanfiction.net.
Important Angel Business by entanglednow
Fandom: Supernatural
Rating: T on AO3
Pairings: Sam/Gabriel, vaguely
Spoilers: up til let’s say season 5
Length: 3332 words
Gabriel acquires Sam’s phone number and texts him. A lot. Why should you read this fic? These two lines:
emergency sacrificial goat much harder to sneak into evil lair
ive never considered the difficulties involved in emergency sacrificial goat transport before
No worries, the rest of the fic is written properly and with the use of this thing called grammar. It’s very in character. It’s a good balance of funny and sweet. In case you didn’t notice, my tastes tend to run towards the safe, sane and consensual. Oh, and very, very fluffy.
Read it on Archive of Our Own.
And a Doctor by StillWaters1
Fandom: BBC Sherlock
Rating: T on FF.N
Pairings: none
Spoilers: Just do yourself a favor and watch all the six episodes, so you can join the insanity.
Length: approx 27k words
Sure, everyone’s gaga about John Watson being a military BAMF, but the doctor part of him sometimes gets overlooked. This fic looks at five times Doctor Watson’s treated others and one time he’s had to treat himself.
Read it on Fanfiction.net.
In His Image by Whit Merule
Fandom: Supernatural
Rating: Explicit on AO3
Pairings: Dean/Castiel, Gabriel/Sam, eventually dissolves into TFL later in the series though the other stories past the first one pretty much stand alone
Spoilers: Up til and through 5.23
Length: approximately 197k words
Okay, guys, if you read only ONE fic out of this whole list? Make it this one. This is my most absolute favorite fanfic ever, and I’m not exaggerating this. It’s perfection. It’s ideal. It’s flawless. It’s… I don’t have words for it, really. It’s beautiful. Perfect. Flawless. It makes me question reality. I find something new and perfect on each read-through, and I think I’ve read it several hundred times already in the past year or so. There’s emotions. There’s time-traveling shenanigans. It has a happy ending. I just… I don’t have words for how much I love this fic. I really don’t. I think I love it more than I love most books. It’s perfection. It’s written in this very lovely, descriptive way, like… you just feel like you’re part of the story, you know? Like you’re right there, watching it happen.
I don’t have any more words. Please, just read this fic. It’s such a good life choice.
Read it on Archive of Our Own.
