On twitter,
@tuesdaymidnight referenced a fic as one of her top 10 in any fandom ever. When asked for the list, she said it was in her head. Thus, it was determined that these sorts of lists need to be in writing and shared among friends. So below are my own top 10 fics in any fandom ever. I don't know what it says that I spent 5 years in the 1D fandom, but none of the fic made my favorites list. lol
I consider this a snapshot in time. If I had made the list a few years ago, it likely (definitely) would be much more HP-heavy. Since I've been revisiting Merlin this past year, that fandom is currently closest to my heart. I've recently been gobbling up Supernatural fic; however, the stories are too new to me to know if any will shake out to be all-time faves.
Please share your own list and we'll put them in a nice big spreadsheet for all.
My Top 10 All-Time Fave Fics
(In no particular order)
Rating: NC-17, modern American high school AU with magic
Pairing: Arthur/Merlin
Word Count: 40,000
Summary: Arthur and Merlin meet in high school. When they're separated after a magic duel gone wrong, hearts are broken, lots emails are written and a few cupcakes are set on fire. Sometimes it takes a while to figure destiny out.
Notes: I'll just copy my comments from a rec post I did years ago--This world is incredible and I have a difficult time saying anything coherent about it other than: *FLAIL*. Angsty, romantic, brilliant. I doubt anything will ever knock this series out of my top faves. I can still see this fic in my mind, years later.
Rating: NC-17, canon era
Pairing: Arthur/Merlin
Word Count: 36,807
Summary: Uther fears his son's power, and Merlin has helped Arthur flee to escape imprisonment. Now the two of them must fight to regain Arthur's rightful place in Camelot.
Notes: I had a hard time picking between this and another of my fave canon era plotty fics,
astolat's
Beltane Cycle (did you see what I did there?). This hits so many of my buttons, great magic reveal, noble Arthur growing into his kingship, Merlin and Arthur relying on each other. I've listened to the podfic read by the incomparable
FayJay multiple times and just never get tired of it.
Title: When Morning Comes by
Starlingthefool Fandom: Merlin
Rating: M, AU-Apocalypse
Pairing: Arthur/Merlin
Word Count: 9,248
Summary: If life were fair, anyone who managed to survive the apocalypse would be given a fuzzy blanket, some tea, and a nice bed to hide under and weep.
Life is not fair, obviously, and there's no actual end to the end of the world. Instead, there's grief and pain and mud and death, there are minor miracles, and there's the love that gets you out of bed in the morning, despite everything. Life goes on.
Notes: Often referred to as the Alien Invasion fic, this is just brilliant. I don't know how this author packed so much into less than 10,000 words, but it's powerfully effective--gritty, romantic, horrific, angsty, poignant, joyful. Originally written for the Happy Endings fest, it's one of the best (if not the best) apocalyptic works out there.
Fandom: Merlin
Rating: NC-17, Modern AU without magic
Pairing: Arthur/Merlin
Word Count: 60,796
Summary: Arthur, a travelling businessman, decides to rent a room with the Wyllt family while in town. Hunith is charmed. Her son, Merlin, is not.
Notes: I used to refer to this one my all-time fave Merlin fic, and although my #1 spot is continually shifting over time, this certainly deserves a spot in my top 10. It's an age-disparity fic, and although the author adjusted the age a bit when it was reposted on AO3, giving it a slightly different feel, it's still deliciously angsty and leaves me full of emotions.
Fandom: Merlin
Rating: NC-17, pre-canon AU
Pairing: Arthur/Merlin
Word Count: 37,246
Summary: Merlin and Arthur don't meet in Camelot: they meet near Ealdor. Merlin brings an unconscious Arthur home from battle, but when Arthur wakes, he's forgotten who he is. The closer they become, the more Merlin believes in the world their shared destiny could create.
Notes: Amnesia fics are like crack to me. Although this is a relatively new-to-me fic, I knew instantly it would remain one of my all-time faves. Lush and romantic, you really see the kind of future we
could have gotten were Arthur to rule with a magical Merlin by his side. Beautifully written with one of the best Huniths and best Wills I've seen in fic, it's charming, funny, moving and altogether wonderful. They are so in love! *Swoon*
Fandom: Harry Potter
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Harry/Draco
Word Count: 4,289
Summary: The war is over; Harry has buried himself in the tedium of a job, Draco has lost himself in stale vengeance. When Harry loses his memory, Draco steps in to tell him an alternate version of their lives. There are lies and then there are truths that only look like lies.
Notes: What? A second amnesia fic (crack, I tell you)? This little fic has stuck with me over the years and I come back to reread over and over. It's a spare slice of broken boys, post-war, with a hopeful ending that gives my heart a pang every single time.
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Harry/Draco
Word Count: 13,433
Summary: It was eleven o’clock when Harry heard the knock on the door. He very nearly didn't answer.
Notes: Besides amnesia, I apparently also have a thing for damaged post-war Harry. This canon divergent fic, written before DH was published, beautifully captures Harry's depression and brokenness. It's a lovely, quiet story of two people finding something special in the aftermath.
Fandom: Harry Potter
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Harry/Draco
Word Count: 40,991
Summary: Hope may be found in the oddest of places, even in the bleakness of winter.
Notes: There's so much rich and gorgeously written fic in the Harry Potter fandom that it's hard to narrow down to just a few picks, but I have to put this one by Femme on my list. It's a beautiful tale of grief and forgiveness and still sticks with me long after I first read it.
Title: KeptBoy!Wardo by
Poose
Fandom: The Social Network
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Mark Zuckerberg/Eduardo Saverin
Word Count: 54,000
Summary: everyone thinks wardo is a kept boy and plays angry birds on his iphone all day and works really hard at maxing out mark's credit cards on designer clothes and was basically introduced to mark by sean as a pimp move? but in actuality he was introduced as a potential investor (and did actually end up going in halfsies with the angel investment, thus giving him legit shares), and is checking the foreign markets and global weather systems and like, texting in what stocks he wants to buy and sell all the time when it just looks like he's goofing off with his phone? and, ok, is trying really hard to max out one of mark's credit cards, but mostly because it really kills him that the companies just keep raising the limits? at first it was hilarious but now wardo has a grudge, one of those childish vendetta things, where he wants to finally push the credit card company over the edge, and mark just gives him a vaguely bemused, besotted look when he rants?
Notes: I always say the TSN fandom was a perfect fandom, small, fantastic fic, low on fandom wank. And the TSN kinkmeme was pure joy. This fic remains a fave, sexy, angsty, and an all around great read.
Title: Children, Wake Up series by
hollycomb
Fandom: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Hux/Kylo Ren
Word Count: 608,083
Summary: Hux follows orders and loses his way.
Notes: The thing is, I'm mindful of the criticism of fandom's tendency to elevate the two white guys (and space Nazis, no less) over character of color. But this series grabbed me so hard and fast, I couldn't get enough. Angsty, complex, and as you can see by the word count, incredibly detailed, it's just a fantastic read. I came out of the movie shipping stormpilot so hard, yet this is the fic that did it for me when I went diving.
Honorable Mention
Title: With Teeth by TalulaBlue
(also on A Different Forest here)
Fandom: Twilight
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Edward/Bella
Word Count: 183,053
Summary: Edward is a 27-year-old alcoholic/addict struggling with his recovery. Bella is a 23-year-old who's moved back home after college. This fic chronicles how they meet, fall in love, and struggle with the complexities of their relationship. Not nearly as maudlin as it sounds (I hope). Rated NC-17 for graphic (and sometimes non-romantic) sex, drug and alcohol use and abuse, profane language, and brief (very brief) suicidal ideation (although NO suicide attempts). No sexual assault, no cutting.
Notes: So many of my dearest fandom friends came from the Twilight fandom, so I feel it should at least get a mention on my list! Although it's been years since I read (or wrote) in the fandom and I was most heavily involved in the slashy side of things, this fic is probably my all-time Twilight fave. I don't think I've ever read a better portrayal of addiction and recovery, fic or otherwise. Well worth a read.
So there you have it. Ask me tomorrow, and I could have a completely different top 10, but I adore everything listed above and they've all merited a reread from me at one time or another (or multiple rereads). Have your own list to share? Comment or @ me with the link to be added to the
spreadsheet!
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