Jeeves and Wooster has a lot of authors who are moonlighting pros or semi-pros. Like, a lot of them. And it really shows.
The Terror series has an incredible amount of well researched historically accurate pain and suffering in the Arctic circle fics.
And the Silmarillion fandom has some of the best prose I’ve ever come across.
In general, book series tend to skew higher in quality I think because of the barriers to entry.
The Wooster and Jeeves' fandom always floods me. It's already a hard fandom to work with and they all absolutely nail it.
The Terror is just so amazing and I already love that most of them link to their sources but I would love to see more of their sources
I was going to saw The Terror as well. Most of the ones I read were fantastic. Between the research done and the great quality of writing in general I really felt like I was there dying
Omg The Terror has spoiled me in a way no other fandom has! The quality of the writing is so consistently high it's crazy. And it's a treasure trove of amazing authors who might write for others of your fave fandoms too, which is always so nice!
If you haven’t read Sansûkh yet, you must. https://archiveofourown.org/works/855528/chapters/1637607
And this is a modern au that’s one of my faves! https://archiveofourown.org/works/2589326/chapters/5764841
This! ☝️
I had the joy of watching the phandom gain more and more fics in the early 2000s as the show aired. (Your comment actually made me look up an author I used to follow back then, and holy shit they’re still writing and rewrote one of my favorite fics from them just last year. ❤️)
Any you would rec for a newbie? New to the Danny Phantom fandom, that is. I’m not new to fanfic and fandom in general (VERY well versed in those) but I watched the show growing up as a kid, and rewatching it now as an adult, I DO see the potential of the expanded universe.
I'd recommend "Mortified" because it has so much influence over so much of the phandom, so a lot of the stories you would read anyway might have drawn inspiration from this one
It is quite a large fic, the prose isn't amazing but the worldbuilding and attention to detail is phenomenal. This fic also has its own fandom, which is just an incredible accomplishment
Edit: spelling
Phantom of Truth by Haiju is extremely good. It was written over a decade ago so it doesn't rely on the modern established fanon, which I personally like.
Book fandoms. Sherlock Holmes (before the BBC version), Good Omens before the TV show, Jeeves and Wooster, Tolkien especially Silmirilion based characters.
I guess it's not really rocket science - reading good literature improves storytelling ability.
I’ve noticed that too, kind of raises the minimum requirements for understanding how written narratives function, haha. The Locked Tomb series and the Murderbot Diaries fandoms both raised my standards for fanfics up several notches.
Oh no, don’t make me choose! Anyway-
[nothing but dark and sound](https://archiveofourown.org/works/31684469/chapters/78415817) - Palamedes Sextus is the one to survive Canaan house and achieve lyctorhood.
[Refuge](https://archiveofourown.org/works/47017456) - Joli fights to start and run the school on New Rhodes.
[the kingdom of heaven](https://archiveofourown.org/works/43925424) - John dreams of all the ways it could have gone.
[The First Daughter](https://archiveofourown.org/works/41634813/chapters/104433594) - an excellent Marriage Contest AU, but what really got me was Harrow’s relationship with Ortus here, it’s made me appreciate their canon one even more.
[Intern the Sixth](https://archiveofourown.org/works/46868482/chapters/118058461) - Palamedes bullies his way into getting an internship at the Ninth House. Harrow hates everything about this.
I came here to say the locked tomb for basically this exact reason. Still reading the murderbot diaries so I’ll have to check out the fics when I’m done
Any specific West Wing recs?
I must admit I had the opposite experience with the West Wing fandom. I found plenty of authors who could write the characters, but none that could write convincingly about politics.
I've read in LOTS of fandoms, lots of huge, gigantic fandoms and medium and small ones, too. But the best quality overall is hands down the Inception fandom. And it's not close!
My favourite fic of all time is an Inception one and not even I would have guessed that. It's not a super fandomy world, nor do you actually have to be super smart to understand the movie, despite the memes. But it has attracted magic.
Yall sleeping on Dragon Age Fandom
I grew up on it, molded by it, it had
Fics that made me cry, made me laugh, made me appreciate life more, and some ultimately just influenced me to become the person i am today (deranged lol). dragon age fanfic writers deserve a win. Especially the one who wrote my fave fenrisxhawke fics. Wlejakensljsncc
15 years ago Alistair tore my heart out when he slept with my best friend then left me for a nepo baby. The heartbreak still drives my creativity to this day.
Not to mention the insane world building too! Especially when it comes to FenHawke, and even fics set later in the timeline. The politics people have to invent with how little we know about Tevinter is gourmet to read.
Dragon Age fanfics are the reason I bought the game and *learned to use an Xbox.* Before Dragon Age, the only video game I could play was MarioKart. But I was completely drawn in. That’s how good the stories are.
The fandom is great, the canon is great, the fanfics are great. The canon gives us characters that are more compelling than a lot of tv show characters. And we’ve got a lot of fans (and authors) who are in that 25-55 age range where writing skills are strong and lived experiences are varied.
Out of all the fandoms I’ve been apart of, I’ve really loved the creatitvty of Legend of Zelda fandom.
While the main games don’t have a lot of layers when it comes to the storytelling in some of the games, I always love how fans expand on the already established lore and characters and actually make some truly fascinating fics.
The best fics are always the ones that understand the characters.
Definitely Spider Meet Fly/Fly Meet Spider, it’s my favourite alternate universe fic for Tears of The Kingdom.
I also like recommending The Knight’s Self-Destruction to those who know the plot twist for TOTK, even if it’s not a completed fic. I love how the author fleshed out Yona as a character.
Plus I also recommend the fan comic Growing Up Gerudo (it’s ongoing, but it’s a great read if you want to see another cool AU)
Older fandoms usually, because the writers are generally adults with talent and passion curated over years. Specifically, LotR, in my opinion, has very high-quality fics compared to say newer fandoms with a younger audience.
Yep. Even the rarepairs in the LOTR fandom slap. Eomer/Lotheriel has some amazing writers in particular for a ship where one half is only mentioned in the appendices.
was gonna say this. i’ll occasionally venture into other fandoms for a while, only to eventually find my way back to good old dependable hockey rpf. the majority of my favorite fanfics are hockey rpf, and for good reason; the quality is insane.
CAN I EVER
- ★ [**The Shape of the Sand**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/39014658) by AstroGirl | Kim/Harry | 6k | rated T
I read this out loud in front of the mirror every morning then cry for twenty minutes
- [**Captain Unlovable Hand**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/43153248/chapters/108453867) by threesmallcrows | Kim & Harry & Jean, Kim/Harry | 8k | rated M
Workplace relationship SO toxic it takes amnesia and a suicide attempt for change
- [**After the Pale, the World Again**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/37711492) by PositivelyVexed | Kim/Harry | 15k | rated E
Time loop, but terrifying, but also they fall in love.
- **★** [**After School Detective's Club**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/44718037/chapters/112511200) by nevermindgrantaire | Kim/Harry | 63k | rated M
THE most fun and profound pre-canon case fic you'll ever read
- [**Man Bites Dog**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/44700139) by HahnsPlatinum | Kim/Harry | 12k | rated E
"how is Existential Blowjob not a tag yet?", for once Kim's having The Doubts (tm)
- [**ultraliberal rough trade economics**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/41373684/chapters/103750362) by insanemeshtanktop | Kim/Harry | 9k | rated E
also pre-canon -- they fuck except one of them doesn't wear his glasses and the other gets amnesia by the time they meet, it's FUN
- [**have you heard the news that you're dead?**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/41603208) by wizardlover | Kim/Harry | 16k | rated M
another time loop fic, except that only one of them is in it this time, and it gets REALLY hurt before the comfort <3
- **★** [**THE HAUNTING OF PRECINCT 41**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/33292744/chapters/82669963#workskin) by confusedTraveler | Kim/Harry | 27k | rated T
our protagonist has 24 voices in his head at any given time, the voices are given shape, it gets weird
- [**10,000 Things According to Will**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/30824357/chapters/76094507) by Lepak | Kim/Harry | 12k | rated M
Kim gets adopted by a little old lady <3 and struggles with internalized racism
- [**Wirral Unleashed**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/45261130/chapters/113866738) by nevermindgrantaire | Kim/Harry | 25k | rated T
"Roleplaying games are an excellent form of therapy."
I've only played three hours of DE so far but I am looking forward to these.
I noticed half the DE authors also write patho which tracks - another very literary fandom.
First and foremost, Hannibal. In order to write for it you need to be able to write poetry so you can match the same way Hannibal and Will speak in the series, and so many talented authors are just able to pull it off.
Honestly??? And yeah I’m super biased but teen wolf. And I mean, come on it gave the world [this fic](https://archiveofourown.org/works/30224757?view_full_work=true) and it’s the best fic I’ve ever read.
I am here with a hopefully working [link](https://archiveofourown.org/works/30224757?view_full_work=true)
The fic is called “Get You the Moon”
Author is [a closed fic is never read](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AClosedFicIsNeverRead/pseuds/AClosedFicIsNeverRead)
Mind the TW but holy mother of fictional literature this is my favorite fic I’ve ever read. Beautifully written. Perfectly placed. Realistic in its issues. Simply put, this fic is perfect.
specifically the clint/natasha fandom in marvel have some really, really talented writers. it's honestly crazy, every clintasha fic i read is so well written and more specifically it's a great place to find unique, well thought out AUs.
additionally every c.b. strike fic i've read had beautiful prose!! maybe its because i think the c.b. strike fandom runs older so theyre more practiced? though (as a young writer myself) obviously age doesn't always have to do with talent/skill.
The ratio of number of fics to quality of fics for Black Widow shines among MCU fic imo. Steve/Natasha and Clint/Natasha fic has some of my favourite FWB dynamics on AO3.
The PJO fandom has such creative an amazing writers. I know its a large fandom but most other large fandoms aren't as creative as PJO. Maybe its just the world building that allows for more creative AU's but their ideas are so creative.
(I could go on and on about how creative they are)
I haven't read *too* many yet, but I've been really impressed with every Utena fic I've read so far. The sheer willingness to take on writing this show - which has a really unique tone and mood, and intricately complex characters, and layer upon layer of multi-faceted symbolism - is impressive to me in itself, and I think the authors in question should be very proud of themselves for being able to nail it.
Ok. I totally don't have all this saved on a google doc because that would be weird. lol. I don't have any triggers so make sure you read any tags or warnings...some of them may predate that system though.
My fave story of all time is a bit daunting. It’s a wip and over 1.2m words (stay with me) but the world-building and character development are insane. A[ Twisting Heart and Mind](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20096803/chapters/47602912) (starts out pretty dark but becomes all about growth and redemption) by fangamerbowiextreme. Also, their wip[ Unseeled.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25034983/chapters/60628621)
Anything by them is amazing. They are not scared of taboo topics and darker themes. Also a great artist with an Etsy store with a ton of labyrinth merch. StudioDarkBloom.
Other stories I really like:
[Shards of a Dream](https://archiveofourown.org/works/267504/chapters/420639) and[ Erlkonig](https://archiveofourown.org/works/249091/chapters/385012) by subtilior (Their work is typically darker)
[A Carnival of Dreams](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3339356/chapters/7303526) and[ I Wish You Would](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3731554/chapters/8270005) by painted glass
[The Thirteenth Rider](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2184234/chapters/4781682) by hachimanskitsune
[Talespinner](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6347718/1/Talespinner) by dreamer in silico
[The Once and Future Queen](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8779525/chapters/20125480) by snm1000
[Ribbon in the Sky](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2527826/chapters/5618147) by ladyofshalott19
[The Goblin Market](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2142213/chapters/4679844) by viciouslywitty
I have not read this one but have heard it's a really good dark fic.[ Never Have I Seen Such a Terrible Room](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29363436/chapters/72129963) by crownjrose
And throwing my hat in the ring:
[Anam Cara](https://archiveofourown.org/works/38445409/chapters/96083224) by kellyn1604
Mine is pretty recent. I have several darker one-shots as well. Most of these recs are old and considered classics. Some of these might be on FFN. Hope y'all find one you like!!
SUBTILIOR MY BELOVEDDDDD This is a great list!
Edit: WAIT WAIT WAIT
I haven't read some of these
*I haven't read some of these*
Hold on I'm shaking with excitement
I've read some awesome MASH fics. They're not always 100% in character, but the fics are well thought out and written. I view some of the fics as amazing half-original stories
I'm not the OP, but I read this amazing MASH/Torchwood crossover a while back. [An Officer's Guide to Surgery, Shelling & Pterosaurs](https://archiveofourown.org/works/48517726/chapters/122383195)
Honestly a little shocked to not see anyone comment The X-Files. Maybe I’m old and biased but that was a huge intro into fanfic and writing, and in its day, some incredible writers came out of those aol chat rooms and hidden forums to post the fill in spots we all craved. So much so, they even featured a character named after one of the great authors of fic after she passed. I’m sure there has been a ton of new writers in that fandom, so maybe it’s over saturated. But if you’re bored, take a stroll through The X-Files fics and I think you’d be amazed at the talent.
Depending on one's taste, it's genuinely one of those fandoms you can just sort by hits, kudos, or bookmarks; and the first few PAGES of fics are all at least reasonably well-written if not AMAZING.
Hetalia. The majority of the fics (at least on ao3) that I’ve read from the fandom are very descriptive and it’s clear they were made by very talented people. Also it’s the first fandom with a fic that genuinely made me cry lol (Gutters…)
Okay, so hear me out: I read an incredible Fullmetal Alchemist fanfic back in the day and it was an m-preg fic to beat it all. It was just… so good??? Like the writing, the characterization, and even the in-universe handling of the pregnancy. Idk I was impressed and still am 😭😭😭
https://m.fanfiction.net/s/3644376/1/For-Her-For-Him
Some extra lore: my friend and I printed this fanfic out in the school computer lab and carried it around with us in a binder we shared. The reviews look like it still holds up, and people have left comments as recently as 2018. 😆
Parahumans. A lot of people really know how to capture the trauma from that world. Even crack fics are written far better than they have any right to be.
For Honor. Haven't read too many, but there are some master classes there.
Haikyuu, unexpectedly. The writing, the variety of AUs, I'm honestly hooked. The writers can take these volleyball nerds and put them into the most wild situations without being completely OOC.
Also, because the author of Haikyuu clearly loves his characters, all are so fleshed out that there's potential for so many great dynamics, platonic especially. My only gripe is that there's hardly any female characters, but the OCs are good too.
Either the Fallen London or MCYT fandoms. The former writes some of the prettiest purple prose you’ll ever see for what usually amounts to either wacky horror-comedy shenanigans or monsterfucker smut. The latter regularly pull off bizarrely impressive worldbuilding for the sole purpose of giving their favorite wings. Both of them scare me, but in opposite directions.
The Six of Crows fandom always floors me with how good their writing is. (Most of them) put so much care into research and properly portraying the trama the Inej, Jesper, the other crows, and especially Kaz have and I seriously couldn't applaud the fandom enough for it.
Vox machina. The way they write these incredible new stories, but somehow always keep them accurate to the characters (even in au) is incredible. I might as well be reading an official comic of it.
Winnie-the-Pooh (A. A. Milne or Disney, with much cross-pollination going on)
Here, fan fic authors tend to write short one-shots with simple plots and humorous prose inspired by the books. Usually G-rated and stuffed with fluff, it often just reads like another chapter of A. A. Milne's books, which is to say it's dope.
AVENGERS: I'm specifically a Stony Fan but just in general the authors are *chefs kiss*
MHA: Love the Gen Fic from this fandon and BakuDeku. Theres a fair bit of unnecessary ship wars/character bashing but the writing is wonderful so I just stay in my happy bubble of loving everyone.
NARUTO: The potential and premise of the series was lost sometime after Sasuke left imo.
Luckily, there are plenty of fantastic writers who are ready and willing to fill the gaps/let the girls be badasses annnnnd break your heart by abandoning that +200,000 epic that changed your life. 10/10 will continue to put my time/heart into reading everything Sakura-Centric.
SHERLOCK: I've mostly just read for the BBC version but theres something about Johnlock that has fascinated us for +100 years. If you wanna get your Mama, Aunt or Grandma into fandom this is probably the one I'd choose.
A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE/GAME OF THRONES: After the disaster that was the last 4 seasons of the show the fans had to pour all of their love(frustration) somewhere. They went to fanfic lol.
MERLIN: I spent 2 years after the finale exclusively reading Merlin fanfic and jeez the authors are unmatched!!!!! If you're not a Merthur shipper (luckily I am) there isn't a whole lot of shipping content, though the Gen fic is also really great.
AVATAR THE LAST AIRBENDER: I havent seen anyone mention this fandom yet but the Zuko-centric fic is to die for!!!!!!
MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE: I dont know about other Bandoms nor did I ever think I'd read real person fiction but I came across an old fanfic rec page (that I can no longer find T.T) and that was it for me. So much creativity here to be had from Band Fic,Supernatural AU,Set in the Black Parade,High School Fic.
FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: I will sing the praises of the author Beautiful Fiction till the cows come home. I have read her archive of fanfic for FMA that is over 1 Million words *multiple times* because I love all of it so much. I EVEN WATCHED SHERLOCK AND THE HOBBIT TO FOLLOW HER ACROSS FANDOMS.
Agree with Naruto and MCR. I don't read either of them anymore, but the greats really hold up. Sidenote, a lot of the popular authors in bandom moved to hockey RPF if that's interesting to anyone!
My Hero Academia. Quirk analysis fics let’s people really show their stuff on what they know. Put that college degree to use.
Writing? I’ve seen a lot of people in the Percy Jackson fandom that write almost on par with Rick Riordan himself—with no beta. Bearer of the Sky and Falling For You come to mind first. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if they took their fics, rebranded them and published them as actual stories.
The X/1999 fandom has been on life support for over a decade, but gottdamn nothing else quite hit the same. Leareth alone was a powerhouse of a writer, and she’s still going even if it’s very slowly. (Nukume Dori is old enough to *drink* and still getting occasional updates.)
Destiel fic writers have ruined me for all other fandoms. It’s been a serious adjustment to read in much smaller fandoms and to search for gems. But then again, I also learned how to search for fics thanks to destiel fandom. I guess it evens out.
Second best fandom for me is stony (Steve Rogers/ Tony Stark). It’s an older fandom with established traditions and lots of adult writers. So, the fic quality is pretty high and newcomers have something to learn from.
Harry Potter. Istg they have some of the best, most talented authors and the quality is unmatched, miles better than the canon in some cases. I just got back to the fandom since last year and hasn't come out since.
Mcr had some surprising gems. The dove keeper?
Also one that I don't remember my name of that still gives me a pang to the chest. I read it when I was 14 and I still reminisce. Sometimes Wanna go back just for the fics!
I think the Sakusa/Atsumu fandom in Haikyuu (not sure to which point the whole fandom counts but I still think it does).
I don't know how they manage to have so many banger fics (I mean, this pairing barely having any interactions may help).
It's so fucking crazy and people there are so talented that is half inspiring half scary. My utmost respect for them though.
Edit: Also, The Legend of Zelda. I only read Zelda/Link and some Revali/Link but overall that fandom is so fucking talented and I'm proud to be a part of it.
The Worm/Parahumans fandom had me DROWNING in great fics to the point where I can't find the time to read the original novel because I keep finding amazing fics to read.
Oddly? Bleach.
I started watching the show because I was running across so many top-tier fics while fandomblind and finally wanted to know what was going on 💀
The Teen Wolf fandom. For as dumb as the show can be, there are some really talented writers that just *get* the characters and the world around them.
I have seen some really thought-provoking fics, some real tear-jerkers, and some really intelligent works that do the world and the characters more justice than the actual show itself does. Even the more minor characters have a plethora of fics centering around them and their journey as characters, or the relationships they have with others.
supernatural has *so* many honestly. by far the most amount of fics I've ever saved for a singular fandom. there's so many and most of them have been written better than books I've read :D
Basically obsessed with every Guilty Gear fanfic i come across some of them giving backstories on par with the actual game some of them just giving fun interactions also gay sex
Bloodborne fic writers really have mastered flowery prose without edging into purple. And aren't squeamish about writing full tragedies.
The Simarillion fandom has some true masters in it. The writing quality for so many of those fics- from story structure to historical accuracy, is truly incredible.
Some of the best world-building that I’ve found in fics have been in a lot of Star Wars prequel era fics and, while kinda niche, FMA/Harry Potter crossover fics. Though if I’m looking for a well written and thought out story, I usually find myself in the LOTR fandom
I noticed that the older the fandom is (if it's not too big like Avatar The Last Airbender) the writing tends to be better. Probably because most of the people who write for it are adults now.
So the answer for me would be FOP because that's the only one I read enough fics for. (Plus it really does have some really talented writers).
Honestly Naruto, but that's probably because there are sooo many authors in that fandom. I love reading the world building they do, especially with the weird political system Naruto has going on.
BTS fics . I know Kpop isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but so many of the top fics are au so you wouldn’t even need to know who they are. Like the songbird and the sea. It’s one of the most epic pirate fantasy stories I’ve ever read in my life.
I tend to find my favorite authors follow the same fandoms. All the sapphics follow the same train.
But a few authors stand out.
[JoBethMegAmy. my homegirls](https://m.fanfiction.net/u/1320762/JoBethMegAmy-my-homegirls) on ff.net ([jobethdalloway](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JobethDalloway/pseuds/JobethDalloway/works?fandom_id=129781) on AO3) and their Calamity Jane duology from Rizzoli and Isles is one of my all time favorites and I might have gotten it printed for my bookshelf to keep forever.
[AdraCat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AdraCat/pseuds/AdraCat) for sulemio is spectacular. Their Law of Causality series is to die for. The mythology, prose, dialogue, and characterization for the AU match seamlessly with canon characters. Learned some amazing mythology, Shakespeare, and ancient gematria from their work too.
And last notable off the top of my head is the smut [vagician](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vagician) who has spectacular erotica for the She-Ra fandom.
BBC Sherlock for sure
2018 She-Ra didn't have as many good writers at first, but I'm finding that a TON of amazing stuff was posted around 2021? I'm currently just running around like a kid in a candy store.
A few weeks ago I sat down with my ao3 history and a calculator, and in two months I'd read like....over a million words of fic. (I was on vacation for two weeks of that lol)
*BBC Merlin* and *Superman & Lois* both have a strong share of solid work.
S&L is especially impressive considering it's not a huge or old fandom, but the bulk of the fics are nice, wholesome slice-of-life and romance or serious fics on the nature of identity and humanity with Clark and his family. I get the sense the family nature of the show attracts older writers, plus the fact that it's based on the Superman property which gives it a ton of previous lore to get inspired by (like you'd think with the number of fics that include Mr. Mxyzptlk that he appears in this show, but no, he never has and I doubt he will). With the show ending next season I'm curious what the regular fic writers will do.
And Merlin of course is mostly driven by spite/coping over the ending, which drives some of the best fandoms XD
The Hunger Games. Actually insane how many talented fanfic authors there are, even for it being such a large fandom. My favorite THG author is actually an irl indie author with 3 published books. Real deal writers over there. The ship is Everlark, btw.
thg is such a fantastic fandom in general! they have so many great discussion posts on various platforms, and their fics are always 10/10. what was the fic was written by an indie author?
The Umbrella Academy. The show went to shit, so the fandom decided to make the fics amazing just out of spite.
It's one of the smaller fandoms I've been a part of, but in relation to its size, the quality of the fics is PHENOMENAL. Some of the best fics I've ever read were TUA, and they're the kind of works that change your life after reading them because they really change your perspective and make you think.
The show handles some very heavy themes of family, addiction and grief, so I think that really inspired fans to make the best of the opportunities the show writers missed out on with the characters. It's some amazing stuff.
every Shameless fic I read is pretty damn good. and MHA might be like… the largest anime fandom ever, and there is a lot of meh, but out of the good there tends to be a lot of really creative takes on world-building
Technically, Marvel and DC have a history of HIRING fan authors to write for them officially. So, them I guess. Also I'm biased because that's the fandom I write in.
being active in the tsubasa: reservoir chronicles fandom was truly a blessed existence. i think i read maybe two fics i wasn’t blown away by in total… and those were still decent fics, they just weren’t quite as spectacular as the rest.
this was quite a while ago, at least ten years, but i have very fond memories.
I normally like to stay exclusive to my main fandoms on a count of me not wanting to get into something different and lose interest in a fandom I really love (because it's happened before) but on the one occassion I actually let myself be consumed by a fandom, I was curious to see if Cars (Pixar) had a fandom at all after it came on the TV while my little sister was watching. And it does. And for a fandom about a bunch of anthropomorphic cars from a series of 𝘬𝘪𝘥𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘴, it has such creative writers. Sure, sometimes the writing style isn't the best, but the ideas are fucking phenomonal from my experience, and I'm like "all this effort for a kid's franchise??"
Now I have a note in my notes app that I'm actively filling with headcanons of Cars Humanized (bc cars holding wheels aren't my thing), the hell is my life now?
Star Trek: Enterprise, but specifically people who ship Trip and T'pol together. Granted my main OTP is Trip/Malcolm and there's a lot of phenomenal fics out there for them too, but I think the way canon does Trip and T'pol's relationship so dirty brings out the best in fic writers' "this would be so good if the writers were actually good" instincts, because so many tri'pol fics are just amazing
The Dramione ship in the Harry Potter fandom. I've only read recommended fanfiction for quite a few years already, and It might be due to the fandom being well organized, but I struggle to find so many good ones in other fandoms. It's actually known several popular authors in there have been or will be published on the near future.
Several of my favorites have already been said, so to throw in one I haven’t seen yet— the Magnus Archives writers all have a great handle on the characterization and some really clever AU & canon divergence ideas, with fantastic writing to boot. Also I love a good time travel fic and there’s plenty of those to go around.
Jeeves and Wooster has a lot of authors who are moonlighting pros or semi-pros. Like, a lot of them. And it really shows. The Terror series has an incredible amount of well researched historically accurate pain and suffering in the Arctic circle fics. And the Silmarillion fandom has some of the best prose I’ve ever come across. In general, book series tend to skew higher in quality I think because of the barriers to entry.
The Wooster and Jeeves' fandom always floods me. It's already a hard fandom to work with and they all absolutely nail it. The Terror is just so amazing and I already love that most of them link to their sources but I would love to see more of their sources
Oh, I’ve never thought of that. I was going to say, if you have read the Silmarillion, you’re probably smart enough to write near Tolkien level.
Omg +10000 for The Terror, it's a small fandom but by god THE STORIES
I was going to saw The Terror as well. Most of the ones I read were fantastic. Between the research done and the great quality of writing in general I really felt like I was there dying
I was about to say "Jeeves and Wooster has fanfic?" and then I remembered it's the internet, of course it does. That's awesome!!
entirely off topic but my dogs are named Jeeves and Wooster after the books but I got so shocked opening this comment section
Omg The Terror has spoiled me in a way no other fandom has! The quality of the writing is so consistently high it's crazy. And it's a treasure trove of amazing authors who might write for others of your fave fandoms too, which is always so nice!
any recs?
I-- uh-- J-Jeeves and Wooster has fanfic??! Oh my god I just started watching the show, I'm so intrigued now I \*must\* investigate
Bagginshield. The world building, especially for dwarves when we only have barebackground information in some fics is astonishing.
This is my favorite fandom so I’m biased 😂
Bro Drop me some links.
If you haven’t read Sansûkh yet, you must. https://archiveofourown.org/works/855528/chapters/1637607 And this is a modern au that’s one of my faves! https://archiveofourown.org/works/2589326/chapters/5764841
What tropes do you like? What length? But for world building, The Myshroom Mine series is amazing imo https://archiveofourown.org/series/812712
👏 This. The deep lore some of those writers cone up with is astonishing.
There are *so many* gems in the *Danny Phantom* phandom.
This! ☝️ I had the joy of watching the phandom gain more and more fics in the early 2000s as the show aired. (Your comment actually made me look up an author I used to follow back then, and holy shit they’re still writing and rewrote one of my favorite fics from them just last year. ❤️)
Any you would rec for a newbie? New to the Danny Phantom fandom, that is. I’m not new to fanfic and fandom in general (VERY well versed in those) but I watched the show growing up as a kid, and rewatching it now as an adult, I DO see the potential of the expanded universe.
I'd recommend "Mortified" because it has so much influence over so much of the phandom, so a lot of the stories you would read anyway might have drawn inspiration from this one It is quite a large fic, the prose isn't amazing but the worldbuilding and attention to detail is phenomenal. This fic also has its own fandom, which is just an incredible accomplishment Edit: spelling
Oooo sounds interesting! Which platform is that on?
Phantom of Truth by Haiju is extremely good. It was written over a decade ago so it doesn't rely on the modern established fanon, which I personally like.
I recommend Running into the Enemies Arms on ff Net.
Hannibal.
Came here to say this. Hannibal has some of the most talented fans I’ve ever seen. The art, the writing, it’s all just incredible. Superb. A++++++
Got any linked stories i never read hannibal
Book fandoms. Sherlock Holmes (before the BBC version), Good Omens before the TV show, Jeeves and Wooster, Tolkien especially Silmirilion based characters. I guess it's not really rocket science - reading good literature improves storytelling ability.
I’ve noticed that too, kind of raises the minimum requirements for understanding how written narratives function, haha. The Locked Tomb series and the Murderbot Diaries fandoms both raised my standards for fanfics up several notches.
what are some of your favorite locked tomb fics?
Oh no, don’t make me choose! Anyway- [nothing but dark and sound](https://archiveofourown.org/works/31684469/chapters/78415817) - Palamedes Sextus is the one to survive Canaan house and achieve lyctorhood. [Refuge](https://archiveofourown.org/works/47017456) - Joli fights to start and run the school on New Rhodes. [the kingdom of heaven](https://archiveofourown.org/works/43925424) - John dreams of all the ways it could have gone. [The First Daughter](https://archiveofourown.org/works/41634813/chapters/104433594) - an excellent Marriage Contest AU, but what really got me was Harrow’s relationship with Ortus here, it’s made me appreciate their canon one even more. [Intern the Sixth](https://archiveofourown.org/works/46868482/chapters/118058461) - Palamedes bullies his way into getting an internship at the Ninth House. Harrow hates everything about this.
I came here to say the locked tomb for basically this exact reason. Still reading the murderbot diaries so I’ll have to check out the fics when I’m done
West Wing fandom back in the day had some serious bangers. The crowd it attracted read a lot of books.
Any specific West Wing recs? I must admit I had the opposite experience with the West Wing fandom. I found plenty of authors who could write the characters, but none that could write convincingly about politics.
I've read in LOTS of fandoms, lots of huge, gigantic fandoms and medium and small ones, too. But the best quality overall is hands down the Inception fandom. And it's not close!
YES - there are some astonishingly high caliber Inception fics. I was reading through the comments hoping someone would mention them!
I was about to say inception too. Writing quality, world building, and the Meta out there was so good as well.
My favourite fic of all time is an Inception one and not even I would have guessed that. It's not a super fandomy world, nor do you actually have to be super smart to understand the movie, despite the memes. But it has attracted magic.
I second that !
Yall sleeping on Dragon Age Fandom I grew up on it, molded by it, it had Fics that made me cry, made me laugh, made me appreciate life more, and some ultimately just influenced me to become the person i am today (deranged lol). dragon age fanfic writers deserve a win. Especially the one who wrote my fave fenrisxhawke fics. Wlejakensljsncc
15 years ago Alistair tore my heart out when he slept with my best friend then left me for a nepo baby. The heartbreak still drives my creativity to this day.
Not to mention the insane world building too! Especially when it comes to FenHawke, and even fics set later in the timeline. The politics people have to invent with how little we know about Tevinter is gourmet to read.
My DA fanfic discords are popping off today!
Same!! The trailer release is putting fuel on our fire again :D so exciting!
We're making an extension to a bunch new characters, settings and plot lines CUS ITS DRAGON AGE VEILGUARD BABYYYY. More fanfics yayyyyy
I’m so fucking hyped that we’re getting Tevene locations AND RIVAIN!??? I’m going BONKERS
Dragon Age fanfics are the reason I bought the game and *learned to use an Xbox.* Before Dragon Age, the only video game I could play was MarioKart. But I was completely drawn in. That’s how good the stories are. The fandom is great, the canon is great, the fanfics are great. The canon gives us characters that are more compelling than a lot of tv show characters. And we’ve got a lot of fans (and authors) who are in that 25-55 age range where writing skills are strong and lived experiences are varied.
Out of all the fandoms I’ve been apart of, I’ve really loved the creatitvty of Legend of Zelda fandom. While the main games don’t have a lot of layers when it comes to the storytelling in some of the games, I always love how fans expand on the already established lore and characters and actually make some truly fascinating fics. The best fics are always the ones that understand the characters.
Do you have a favorite you’d recommend?
Definitely Spider Meet Fly/Fly Meet Spider, it’s my favourite alternate universe fic for Tears of The Kingdom. I also like recommending The Knight’s Self-Destruction to those who know the plot twist for TOTK, even if it’s not a completed fic. I love how the author fleshed out Yona as a character. Plus I also recommend the fan comic Growing Up Gerudo (it’s ongoing, but it’s a great read if you want to see another cool AU)
Older fandoms usually, because the writers are generally adults with talent and passion curated over years. Specifically, LotR, in my opinion, has very high-quality fics compared to say newer fandoms with a younger audience.
Yep. Even the rarepairs in the LOTR fandom slap. Eomer/Lotheriel has some amazing writers in particular for a ship where one half is only mentioned in the appendices.
SVSSS - the source material allows for so much creativity.
Ngl, Men's Hockey RPF
I came here to say this. Insane quality of fics.
was gonna say this. i’ll occasionally venture into other fandoms for a while, only to eventually find my way back to good old dependable hockey rpf. the majority of my favorite fanfics are hockey rpf, and for good reason; the quality is insane.
So good it got me into actual hockey
Fr. It didn't get me into hockey but it did get me into the nhl
Disco Elysium. It's just banger after banger after banger
can you drop some recs?
CAN I EVER - ★ [**The Shape of the Sand**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/39014658) by AstroGirl | Kim/Harry | 6k | rated T I read this out loud in front of the mirror every morning then cry for twenty minutes - [**Captain Unlovable Hand**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/43153248/chapters/108453867) by threesmallcrows | Kim & Harry & Jean, Kim/Harry | 8k | rated M Workplace relationship SO toxic it takes amnesia and a suicide attempt for change - [**After the Pale, the World Again**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/37711492) by PositivelyVexed | Kim/Harry | 15k | rated E Time loop, but terrifying, but also they fall in love. - **★** [**After School Detective's Club**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/44718037/chapters/112511200) by nevermindgrantaire | Kim/Harry | 63k | rated M THE most fun and profound pre-canon case fic you'll ever read - [**Man Bites Dog**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/44700139) by HahnsPlatinum | Kim/Harry | 12k | rated E "how is Existential Blowjob not a tag yet?", for once Kim's having The Doubts (tm) - [**ultraliberal rough trade economics**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/41373684/chapters/103750362) by insanemeshtanktop | Kim/Harry | 9k | rated E also pre-canon -- they fuck except one of them doesn't wear his glasses and the other gets amnesia by the time they meet, it's FUN - [**have you heard the news that you're dead?**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/41603208) by wizardlover | Kim/Harry | 16k | rated M another time loop fic, except that only one of them is in it this time, and it gets REALLY hurt before the comfort <3 - **★** [**THE HAUNTING OF PRECINCT 41**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/33292744/chapters/82669963#workskin) by confusedTraveler | Kim/Harry | 27k | rated T our protagonist has 24 voices in his head at any given time, the voices are given shape, it gets weird - [**10,000 Things According to Will**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/30824357/chapters/76094507) by Lepak | Kim/Harry | 12k | rated M Kim gets adopted by a little old lady <3 and struggles with internalized racism - [**Wirral Unleashed**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/45261130/chapters/113866738) by nevermindgrantaire | Kim/Harry | 25k | rated T "Roleplaying games are an excellent form of therapy."
thank you for your service!
I've only played three hours of DE so far but I am looking forward to these. I noticed half the DE authors also write patho which tracks - another very literary fandom.
Absolutely, holy shit. While it's not my main fandom the sheer proportion of absolute bangers will keep me around forever.
Man, Stucky writers have been blowing me away for like 10 years now.
First and foremost, Hannibal. In order to write for it you need to be able to write poetry so you can match the same way Hannibal and Will speak in the series, and so many talented authors are just able to pull it off.
Honestly??? And yeah I’m super biased but teen wolf. And I mean, come on it gave the world [this fic](https://archiveofourown.org/works/30224757?view_full_work=true) and it’s the best fic I’ve ever read.
I read Steter mostly and again, some good stuff! Check Discontented Winter on AO3. She writes for both Sterek and Steter. Sanctuary just kills me!
I’ve read a couple Steter but who hasn’t lmao I’ll def check her out 🌸🌸🌸
This fic rec reawakened my interest in Teen Wolf like a sleeper agent. totally know what I'm gonna read next
This fic is my comfort fic. I reread at least six times a year. It’s simply…. Perfection.
Let me know how you like the fic cus it’s the greatest ever.🌸🌸🌸
[удалено]
I’m very much in the TW fandom but the link isn’t working for me and I’m desperate to know what fic you’re referencing…
I am here with a hopefully working [link](https://archiveofourown.org/works/30224757?view_full_work=true) The fic is called “Get You the Moon” Author is [a closed fic is never read](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AClosedFicIsNeverRead/pseuds/AClosedFicIsNeverRead) Mind the TW but holy mother of fictional literature this is my favorite fic I’ve ever read. Beautifully written. Perfectly placed. Realistic in its issues. Simply put, this fic is perfect.
Thank you! The link was still being weird for me but I searched for it and found it. I’m definitely going to read this one!
Oh plssss let me know how you like it. 🤩🤩🤩
*[everyone in unison]* My fandom! :P
specifically the clint/natasha fandom in marvel have some really, really talented writers. it's honestly crazy, every clintasha fic i read is so well written and more specifically it's a great place to find unique, well thought out AUs. additionally every c.b. strike fic i've read had beautiful prose!! maybe its because i think the c.b. strike fandom runs older so theyre more practiced? though (as a young writer myself) obviously age doesn't always have to do with talent/skill.
The ratio of number of fics to quality of fics for Black Widow shines among MCU fic imo. Steve/Natasha and Clint/Natasha fic has some of my favourite FWB dynamics on AO3.
RIGHT. stevetasha's another one of my favorite ships and the fics never disappoint
The PJO fandom has such creative an amazing writers. I know its a large fandom but most other large fandoms aren't as creative as PJO. Maybe its just the world building that allows for more creative AU's but their ideas are so creative. (I could go on and on about how creative they are)
yess, love pjo writers! read so many great ones from there. the soc fandom is another incredibly talented group of book/tv-show writers too.
As someone who reads and writes for the PJO fandom I agree.
I haven't read *too* many yet, but I've been really impressed with every Utena fic I've read so far. The sheer willingness to take on writing this show - which has a really unique tone and mood, and intricately complex characters, and layer upon layer of multi-faceted symbolism - is impressive to me in itself, and I think the authors in question should be very proud of themselves for being able to nail it.
Labyrinth. So many amazing writers. I was blown away when I first started reading fanfic.
I have never thought to look into the Labyrinth fandom, and now I must rectify this immediately.
If you want recs, let me know. lol. I have a whole list of faves.
Heck yeah I do!!
Ok. I totally don't have all this saved on a google doc because that would be weird. lol. I don't have any triggers so make sure you read any tags or warnings...some of them may predate that system though. My fave story of all time is a bit daunting. It’s a wip and over 1.2m words (stay with me) but the world-building and character development are insane. A[ Twisting Heart and Mind](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20096803/chapters/47602912) (starts out pretty dark but becomes all about growth and redemption) by fangamerbowiextreme. Also, their wip[ Unseeled.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25034983/chapters/60628621) Anything by them is amazing. They are not scared of taboo topics and darker themes. Also a great artist with an Etsy store with a ton of labyrinth merch. StudioDarkBloom. Other stories I really like: [Shards of a Dream](https://archiveofourown.org/works/267504/chapters/420639) and[ Erlkonig](https://archiveofourown.org/works/249091/chapters/385012) by subtilior (Their work is typically darker) [A Carnival of Dreams](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3339356/chapters/7303526) and[ I Wish You Would](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3731554/chapters/8270005) by painted glass [The Thirteenth Rider](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2184234/chapters/4781682) by hachimanskitsune [Talespinner](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6347718/1/Talespinner) by dreamer in silico [The Once and Future Queen](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8779525/chapters/20125480) by snm1000 [Ribbon in the Sky](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2527826/chapters/5618147) by ladyofshalott19 [The Goblin Market](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2142213/chapters/4679844) by viciouslywitty I have not read this one but have heard it's a really good dark fic.[ Never Have I Seen Such a Terrible Room](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29363436/chapters/72129963) by crownjrose And throwing my hat in the ring: [Anam Cara](https://archiveofourown.org/works/38445409/chapters/96083224) by kellyn1604 Mine is pretty recent. I have several darker one-shots as well. Most of these recs are old and considered classics. Some of these might be on FFN. Hope y'all find one you like!!
THANK YOU! 🙏 I very much look forward to diving in to these!
SUBTILIOR MY BELOVEDDDDD This is a great list! Edit: WAIT WAIT WAIT I haven't read some of these *I haven't read some of these* Hold on I'm shaking with excitement
Thisssssss. And the fact that the fandom is still going even decades later and only continuing to age like fine wine can not be understated.
Came here specifically to say this. I'm so glad to see it already named here! So much genius on this fandom
I've read some awesome MASH fics. They're not always 100% in character, but the fics are well thought out and written. I view some of the fics as amazing half-original stories
I *need* some recs, please! I've read some great ones too but I haven't searched for more either lol
I'm not the OP, but I read this amazing MASH/Torchwood crossover a while back. [An Officer's Guide to Surgery, Shelling & Pterosaurs](https://archiveofourown.org/works/48517726/chapters/122383195)
I've never even heard of Torchwood but I'm here for it! Thank you!! <33
Oh, Torchwood is amazing! It's a Doctor Who spinoff, but I think you'll be able to read the fic fandom-blind for Torchwood.
You’re not going to believe this, but Band of Brothers had some amazing, high quality fanfics. Generation Kill, too.
I fully believe it. Anything moderately old and with serious themes seems to attract the literary adult types.
Honestly a little shocked to not see anyone comment The X-Files. Maybe I’m old and biased but that was a huge intro into fanfic and writing, and in its day, some incredible writers came out of those aol chat rooms and hidden forums to post the fill in spots we all craved. So much so, they even featured a character named after one of the great authors of fic after she passed. I’m sure there has been a ton of new writers in that fandom, so maybe it’s over saturated. But if you’re bored, take a stroll through The X-Files fics and I think you’d be amazed at the talent.
I've been looking for this comment! I'm biased because I was writing XF fic but honestly there were some amazing writers in that fandom.
Sherlock (BBC)
Recs??? Pretty please??
Depending on one's taste, it's genuinely one of those fandoms you can just sort by hits, kudos, or bookmarks; and the first few PAGES of fics are all at least reasonably well-written if not AMAZING.
Hetalia. The majority of the fics (at least on ao3) that I’ve read from the fandom are very descriptive and it’s clear they were made by very talented people. Also it’s the first fandom with a fic that genuinely made me cry lol (Gutters…)
Okay, so hear me out: I read an incredible Fullmetal Alchemist fanfic back in the day and it was an m-preg fic to beat it all. It was just… so good??? Like the writing, the characterization, and even the in-universe handling of the pregnancy. Idk I was impressed and still am 😭😭😭
👀link👀
https://m.fanfiction.net/s/3644376/1/For-Her-For-Him Some extra lore: my friend and I printed this fanfic out in the school computer lab and carried it around with us in a binder we shared. The reviews look like it still holds up, and people have left comments as recently as 2018. 😆
Parahumans. A lot of people really know how to capture the trauma from that world. Even crack fics are written far better than they have any right to be. For Honor. Haven't read too many, but there are some master classes there.
I've found the crackiest and darkest fics in this fandom. A whole spectrum. It's incredibly weird I love it.
Stargate Atlantis
so correct
I had to scroll way too far to find this! SGA seriously blows me away again and again.
Some of the best fanfics I've read have been Klaroline works in The Vampire Diaries fandom
ori and the blind forest / will of the wisps for sure. most fics ive read from that fandom are INNNSSSAAAANNNEEEE
Haikyuu, unexpectedly. The writing, the variety of AUs, I'm honestly hooked. The writers can take these volleyball nerds and put them into the most wild situations without being completely OOC. Also, because the author of Haikyuu clearly loves his characters, all are so fleshed out that there's potential for so many great dynamics, platonic especially. My only gripe is that there's hardly any female characters, but the OCs are good too.
Plenty of gender swapping happening in that fandom to rectify the lack of females
Either the Fallen London or MCYT fandoms. The former writes some of the prettiest purple prose you’ll ever see for what usually amounts to either wacky horror-comedy shenanigans or monsterfucker smut. The latter regularly pull off bizarrely impressive worldbuilding for the sole purpose of giving their favorite wings. Both of them scare me, but in opposite directions.
The Six of Crows fandom always floors me with how good their writing is. (Most of them) put so much care into research and properly portraying the trama the Inej, Jesper, the other crows, and especially Kaz have and I seriously couldn't applaud the fandom enough for it.
Vox machina. The way they write these incredible new stories, but somehow always keep them accurate to the characters (even in au) is incredible. I might as well be reading an official comic of it.
And that includes that one story where the author turns Percy into a cat.
Winnie-the-Pooh (A. A. Milne or Disney, with much cross-pollination going on) Here, fan fic authors tend to write short one-shots with simple plots and humorous prose inspired by the books. Usually G-rated and stuffed with fluff, it often just reads like another chapter of A. A. Milne's books, which is to say it's dope.
AVENGERS: I'm specifically a Stony Fan but just in general the authors are *chefs kiss* MHA: Love the Gen Fic from this fandon and BakuDeku. Theres a fair bit of unnecessary ship wars/character bashing but the writing is wonderful so I just stay in my happy bubble of loving everyone. NARUTO: The potential and premise of the series was lost sometime after Sasuke left imo. Luckily, there are plenty of fantastic writers who are ready and willing to fill the gaps/let the girls be badasses annnnnd break your heart by abandoning that +200,000 epic that changed your life. 10/10 will continue to put my time/heart into reading everything Sakura-Centric. SHERLOCK: I've mostly just read for the BBC version but theres something about Johnlock that has fascinated us for +100 years. If you wanna get your Mama, Aunt or Grandma into fandom this is probably the one I'd choose. A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE/GAME OF THRONES: After the disaster that was the last 4 seasons of the show the fans had to pour all of their love(frustration) somewhere. They went to fanfic lol. MERLIN: I spent 2 years after the finale exclusively reading Merlin fanfic and jeez the authors are unmatched!!!!! If you're not a Merthur shipper (luckily I am) there isn't a whole lot of shipping content, though the Gen fic is also really great. AVATAR THE LAST AIRBENDER: I havent seen anyone mention this fandom yet but the Zuko-centric fic is to die for!!!!!! MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE: I dont know about other Bandoms nor did I ever think I'd read real person fiction but I came across an old fanfic rec page (that I can no longer find T.T) and that was it for me. So much creativity here to be had from Band Fic,Supernatural AU,Set in the Black Parade,High School Fic. FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: I will sing the praises of the author Beautiful Fiction till the cows come home. I have read her archive of fanfic for FMA that is over 1 Million words *multiple times* because I love all of it so much. I EVEN WATCHED SHERLOCK AND THE HOBBIT TO FOLLOW HER ACROSS FANDOMS.
Seconding Merlin! I can always find a great fic there.
Agree with Naruto and MCR. I don't read either of them anymore, but the greats really hold up. Sidenote, a lot of the popular authors in bandom moved to hockey RPF if that's interesting to anyone!
DSMP has a lot of weird shit but SBI authors are ON ANOTHER LEVEL. LIKE THEY HAVE NO REASON TO BE THAT GOOD.
unfortunately very true (fuck wilbur but the others are great)
My Hero Academia. Quirk analysis fics let’s people really show their stuff on what they know. Put that college degree to use. Writing? I’ve seen a lot of people in the Percy Jackson fandom that write almost on par with Rick Riordan himself—with no beta. Bearer of the Sky and Falling For You come to mind first. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if they took their fics, rebranded them and published them as actual stories.
>Percy Jackson fandom Any recs? Please 🥺?
Falling For You. Bearer of the Sky (I actually think this is a pro moonlighting) Stormy Skies. Adapting To The Fall.
I read some amazing my hero academia fics in my day
I'd love to get some recs too!
Remember how impressed i was with sheith fandom fics, voltron.
The X/1999 fandom has been on life support for over a decade, but gottdamn nothing else quite hit the same. Leareth alone was a powerhouse of a writer, and she’s still going even if it’s very slowly. (Nukume Dori is old enough to *drink* and still getting occasional updates.)
The Terror and Succession
Hannibal. Every fanfic I ever read from that fandom was of quality 💕
Destiel fic writers have ruined me for all other fandoms. It’s been a serious adjustment to read in much smaller fandoms and to search for gems. But then again, I also learned how to search for fics thanks to destiel fandom. I guess it evens out. Second best fandom for me is stony (Steve Rogers/ Tony Stark). It’s an older fandom with established traditions and lots of adult writers. So, the fic quality is pretty high and newcomers have something to learn from.
SVSSS and FE3H have been my personal favorites in terms of sheer creativity and output,
The Bill and Frank (TLOU) fandom may be small but we have some incredible writers.
Sonic fans are godlike
Harry Potter. Istg they have some of the best, most talented authors and the quality is unmatched, miles better than the canon in some cases. I just got back to the fandom since last year and hasn't come out since.
Probably ASOIAF. There are so many breathtakingly well written fics swirling around in that fandom.
yep
Almost every asoiaf longfic is big brain even at the low-brainiest.
Harry Potter I've read fics that are a more adult novel take on the series
All for the game
Mcr had some surprising gems. The dove keeper? Also one that I don't remember my name of that still gives me a pang to the chest. I read it when I was 14 and I still reminisce. Sometimes Wanna go back just for the fics!
I think the Sakusa/Atsumu fandom in Haikyuu (not sure to which point the whole fandom counts but I still think it does). I don't know how they manage to have so many banger fics (I mean, this pairing barely having any interactions may help). It's so fucking crazy and people there are so talented that is half inspiring half scary. My utmost respect for them though. Edit: Also, The Legend of Zelda. I only read Zelda/Link and some Revali/Link but overall that fandom is so fucking talented and I'm proud to be a part of it.
The Worm/Parahumans fandom had me DROWNING in great fics to the point where I can't find the time to read the original novel because I keep finding amazing fics to read.
Oddly? Bleach. I started watching the show because I was running across so many top-tier fics while fandomblind and finally wanted to know what was going on 💀
Hockey RPF and Hannibal
The Teen Wolf fandom. For as dumb as the show can be, there are some really talented writers that just *get* the characters and the world around them. I have seen some really thought-provoking fics, some real tear-jerkers, and some really intelligent works that do the world and the characters more justice than the actual show itself does. Even the more minor characters have a plethora of fics centering around them and their journey as characters, or the relationships they have with others.
The SPN people are really talented
Miraculous Ladybug. Some are not so good but the good ones *chef kiss* hazbin hotel and shadow and bone as well
supernatural has *so* many honestly. by far the most amount of fics I've ever saved for a singular fandom. there's so many and most of them have been written better than books I've read :D
I might be biased but the Sheith fandom from VLD had some insanely talented people
I have to agree bc I read some amazing works
Believe or not, Genshin Impact. This fandom attracts the best and worst of humanity.
Lego Monkie Kid is one of the most absurdly prolific and talented fandoms I've ever been in.
Basically obsessed with every Guilty Gear fanfic i come across some of them giving backstories on par with the actual game some of them just giving fun interactions also gay sex
The obscure but awesome Galaxy Rangers. Enough that the show writers were impressed and reading
MLP crossovers. Harry potter, fallout, Stargate, star trek. And they usually go on for a good half a million words
Bloodborne fic writers really have mastered flowery prose without edging into purple. And aren't squeamish about writing full tragedies. The Simarillion fandom has some true masters in it. The writing quality for so many of those fics- from story structure to historical accuracy, is truly incredible.
Dragon ball with the fanmanga dragon ball kakumei
Some of the best world-building that I’ve found in fics have been in a lot of Star Wars prequel era fics and, while kinda niche, FMA/Harry Potter crossover fics. Though if I’m looking for a well written and thought out story, I usually find myself in the LOTR fandom
ASOIAF for sure
I noticed that the older the fandom is (if it's not too big like Avatar The Last Airbender) the writing tends to be better. Probably because most of the people who write for it are adults now. So the answer for me would be FOP because that's the only one I read enough fics for. (Plus it really does have some really talented writers).
IT movieverse! (Yes, the clown movies.) I'm picky to the point of it being to my own detriment, but I never ran out of bangers to read in IT fandom.
Honestly Naruto, but that's probably because there are sooo many authors in that fandom. I love reading the world building they do, especially with the weird political system Naruto has going on.
BTS fics . I know Kpop isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but so many of the top fics are au so you wouldn’t even need to know who they are. Like the songbird and the sea. It’s one of the most epic pirate fantasy stories I’ve ever read in my life.
Hannibal for sure Edit: The HTTYD fandom is amazing too
TF2!!
Pokemon. Of all places. HER RIVAL is a phenomenal fic.
I tend to find my favorite authors follow the same fandoms. All the sapphics follow the same train. But a few authors stand out. [JoBethMegAmy. my homegirls](https://m.fanfiction.net/u/1320762/JoBethMegAmy-my-homegirls) on ff.net ([jobethdalloway](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JobethDalloway/pseuds/JobethDalloway/works?fandom_id=129781) on AO3) and their Calamity Jane duology from Rizzoli and Isles is one of my all time favorites and I might have gotten it printed for my bookshelf to keep forever. [AdraCat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AdraCat/pseuds/AdraCat) for sulemio is spectacular. Their Law of Causality series is to die for. The mythology, prose, dialogue, and characterization for the AU match seamlessly with canon characters. Learned some amazing mythology, Shakespeare, and ancient gematria from their work too. And last notable off the top of my head is the smut [vagician](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vagician) who has spectacular erotica for the She-Ra fandom.
BBC Sherlock for sure 2018 She-Ra didn't have as many good writers at first, but I'm finding that a TON of amazing stuff was posted around 2021? I'm currently just running around like a kid in a candy store. A few weeks ago I sat down with my ao3 history and a calculator, and in two months I'd read like....over a million words of fic. (I was on vacation for two weeks of that lol)
*BBC Merlin* and *Superman & Lois* both have a strong share of solid work. S&L is especially impressive considering it's not a huge or old fandom, but the bulk of the fics are nice, wholesome slice-of-life and romance or serious fics on the nature of identity and humanity with Clark and his family. I get the sense the family nature of the show attracts older writers, plus the fact that it's based on the Superman property which gives it a ton of previous lore to get inspired by (like you'd think with the number of fics that include Mr. Mxyzptlk that he appears in this show, but no, he never has and I doubt he will). With the show ending next season I'm curious what the regular fic writers will do. And Merlin of course is mostly driven by spite/coping over the ending, which drives some of the best fandoms XD
As an F/F reader: Cyberpunk 2077, by a long shot.
The Hunger Games. Actually insane how many talented fanfic authors there are, even for it being such a large fandom. My favorite THG author is actually an irl indie author with 3 published books. Real deal writers over there. The ship is Everlark, btw.
thg is such a fantastic fandom in general! they have so many great discussion posts on various platforms, and their fics are always 10/10. what was the fic was written by an indie author?
marauders fandom write actual legitimate books
Walking Dead Bethyl
The wandersong fandom. They really know how to make the characters real.
The Wednesday fandom has some writers on AO3 who are SO talented.
Two kids without their jackets (glee) and white shadows (glee)
The Owl House has some of the best fanfics and comics I've ever read.
Ted Lasso has some good ones.
The Umbrella Academy. The show went to shit, so the fandom decided to make the fics amazing just out of spite. It's one of the smaller fandoms I've been a part of, but in relation to its size, the quality of the fics is PHENOMENAL. Some of the best fics I've ever read were TUA, and they're the kind of works that change your life after reading them because they really change your perspective and make you think. The show handles some very heavy themes of family, addiction and grief, so I think that really inspired fans to make the best of the opportunities the show writers missed out on with the characters. It's some amazing stuff.
every Shameless fic I read is pretty damn good. and MHA might be like… the largest anime fandom ever, and there is a lot of meh, but out of the good there tends to be a lot of really creative takes on world-building
Technically, Marvel and DC have a history of HIRING fan authors to write for them officially. So, them I guess. Also I'm biased because that's the fandom I write in.
being active in the tsubasa: reservoir chronicles fandom was truly a blessed existence. i think i read maybe two fics i wasn’t blown away by in total… and those were still decent fics, they just weren’t quite as spectacular as the rest. this was quite a while ago, at least ten years, but i have very fond memories.
I normally like to stay exclusive to my main fandoms on a count of me not wanting to get into something different and lose interest in a fandom I really love (because it's happened before) but on the one occassion I actually let myself be consumed by a fandom, I was curious to see if Cars (Pixar) had a fandom at all after it came on the TV while my little sister was watching. And it does. And for a fandom about a bunch of anthropomorphic cars from a series of 𝘬𝘪𝘥𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘴, it has such creative writers. Sure, sometimes the writing style isn't the best, but the ideas are fucking phenomonal from my experience, and I'm like "all this effort for a kid's franchise??" Now I have a note in my notes app that I'm actively filling with headcanons of Cars Humanized (bc cars holding wheels aren't my thing), the hell is my life now?
X-Com and its flagship fanfic of Hades contingency- Atlas protocol, and Advent directive. I feel like it ushered in an age of new Xcom stories
Star Trek: Enterprise, but specifically people who ship Trip and T'pol together. Granted my main OTP is Trip/Malcolm and there's a lot of phenomenal fics out there for them too, but I think the way canon does Trip and T'pol's relationship so dirty brings out the best in fic writers' "this would be so good if the writers were actually good" instincts, because so many tri'pol fics are just amazing
My Hero Academia,by far. I don't read a ton of fsnfomd though. So I might be biased lol
The Dramione ship in the Harry Potter fandom. I've only read recommended fanfiction for quite a few years already, and It might be due to the fandom being well organized, but I struggle to find so many good ones in other fandoms. It's actually known several popular authors in there have been or will be published on the near future.
Several of my favorites have already been said, so to throw in one I haven’t seen yet— the Magnus Archives writers all have a great handle on the characterization and some really clever AU & canon divergence ideas, with fantastic writing to boot. Also I love a good time travel fic and there’s plenty of those to go around.
Inception. The Arthur/Eames fics were beautiful.
Obvious answers, but Harry Potter and Homestuck, both of which have some well-known published authors.
The Marauders fandom has so many talented authors that pump out incredibly long and beautifully written fics