By Pranjali Wakde
Let’s face it, we always have had a thought of changing scenes, dialogues, endings of the books we read, even if we love those works. Fanfiction, in this sense, comes to your rescue! Fanfiction – which are stories written by fans based on already existing stories – is just so fun to read, no matter how old are you! In addition to that, it also becomes the best way for budding writers to practice their art. And that is exactly why there are so many fanfic websites popping up all over the internet these days, some of which are listed right down below.
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Archive of Our Own (AO3):
Archive of Our Own – more popularly known as AO3 – is one of the biggest fanfiction platforms on the internet, having launched in 2009. It is a non-profit open-source platform for fanfics and fanworks. To date, there are as many as 7 million works on AO3, which come from 40,000 fandoms. The fandoms that feature the most here are Supernatural, Sherlock, Harry Potter and Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The website is an award-winner platform, having won the Hugo Award for Best Related Work in 2019. As to why the website is so popular is because of its policy of minimal content censorship, no-ads and obviously juicy content!
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Wattpad:
No one can even say that they don’t know what Wattpad is, as it has become a rather common name, something your mind immediately goes to while talking about fanfictions. Launched in 2006, it serves as an online reading platform where users can read as well as write original stories. In fact, many stories first published there have gone on to become published books and even TV dramas and movies. However, it is more popular for fanfictions, as well as Romance and Teen fiction.
Wattpad is rather easy to use and provides many interactive tools so that authors and readers can talk and leave their opinions and constructive criticism. It is always compared with AO3, but Wattpad still comes out as the best in the game right now. Why? Because of its efficient, easy-to-use app, available for both android and iOS.
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net:
The one that started it all – FanFiction.net! It has been around since the longest of times, i.e. since 1998 and is easy to navigate, thanks to the site being divided into ten main categories. Some of these include anime/manga, cartoons, comics, games, miscellaneous and so on. The content you’ll get to see in these categories is astounding, which is surprisingly available in more than 40 languages. The interface is still classic but that doesn’t take away the ease of using it. While you can read all the content without an account, it is needed if you want to post your own work or comment or review someone’s content. FanFiction.net still remains the go-to fanfiction site, working as a base for those new to the fanfiction genre.
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Tumblr:
Admittedly, Tumblr is a storehouse for literally everything – but it has always been used for fandoms and fanfictions enough to be included here. It is a microblogging and social networking platform that lets you find the blogs you’re interested in. That means just one search and you’ll easily land to the users’ fanfiction works. Some of the writers post all of their work on their blogs for everyone to read. Whereas, some just post some teasers and lead their readers to other fanfic websites, especially AO3 and Wattpad. Even if the content part is lacking, comparatively, Tumblr makes up for it by offering a sense of community for the writers and readers. Some users also make a list of recommended fiction – a boon if you ask me!
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Quotev:
Quotev is not exactly just a fanfic website – rather, it is a platform for all kinds of writers to publish their content. It is just that fanfics are available here in a larger number. The stories available are many, all of them divided into different fanfic categories. And even if you are looking for original stories – or post one by yourself – the platform is perfect for that too. In addition to that, Quotev also provides an interactive chat system, forum options and a whole lot of quizzes! Yes, there are many quizzes available, many of which are related to different fandoms. There might not be many fanfics but Quotev is really fun.
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Commaful:
What sets Commaful apart from other fanfiction websites is in their tagline itself – Read and share fanfiction, stories, poetry, and comics in our unique picturebook format! A big category of this website is fanfiction, which provides clean segregation of fandoms – click any one of them and go wild. The stories are displayed in cute layouts and captivating visuals, making it fun to read them. This reading format is certainly appealing to most of the crowd, stimulating your brain and keeping you more involved in the story. Working like a cherry on the top is their amazing chat system. Comparatively, Commaful might not have that many works published, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth exploring!
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DeviantArt:
Last but not least is DeviantArt, which has been around since the dawn of time! It is not exactly a fanfic website – but rather, a fanart and illustration community. There are fanfics, of course, but barely enough to call it a fanfic website. More focus is on artworks and photography obviously, which is great because there are many fandom artworks as well! The website is easy to navigate, beautifully designed and provides many tools to make the entire experience better and more fun. To find those fanfics though, all you have to do is type your desired fandom fic in the search bar and sift through until something catches your eye. Now, that doesn’t sound too exhausting, does that?
The possibilities that fanfiction offers are literally endless. So many characters to shape, so many endings to rewrite, so many worlds to explore – it is just so fascinating. And these fanfic websites just let you do that; not only do you get to write stories on there but also get feedback and read other fanfics. And what does any writer – or a reader, for that matter – want more than exactly that?
