Not to rain on your parade, but, what potential? She's just a name... It could just as well be Tracey, F!Blaise, hell, even Sally Ann Perks (or whoever she is)...

 

Hard to say, the fic I look back on with nostalgia is The Dilgar War but it has been so long since I read it. I plan to reread it at some point but that word count is very imposing even if it is the fic that pulled me into fanfiction.

Flicking through it I see grammar issues, guess I am just going to assume it has a fair few problems.

 

Just one? WIND CHAKRAS by JMenace.

I love a couple deeply, but that is probably the one I think about the most. Polarity (Shocker Vs Zombies) and the quest by Droman are in the running based on pure enjoyment.

I also remember a contest one shot of Harry being possessed by the brain of Gellert due to Time Turner shenanigans that was pretty memorable.

EDIT: Just caught up on the Black Prince. It rounds out my top 5.

 

Exactly... The author can do whatever he wants

 

All my regulars were said already (heck, even Forging the Sword).
So, uh, Hurricane Suite. I'd definitely kill for a HS update nowadays.

....Inert, if you're reading...just name your target, buddy.

 

Control by Anonymous58.

Update never ever.

 

Well damn now I feel bad. I'll go do some writing this weekend.

 

You misunderstood the point of this thread.

 

After all these years... it's still The Sacrifices Arc.

Although it has parts I thoroughly dislike, no story or series has managed to capture my interest like this one did. I can still recall whole passages of dialogue and action, five years after my last re-reading.

The quality of world-building, along with the brilliance of narration (the solemn, chilling tone) make for something so uniquely enjoyable - I've not managed to find any story quite like this one.

 

I have to say, something about this series eludes me. I've read the first three installments twice and twice I gave up halfway through Freedom and Not Peace. Even now I have the epubs on my phone, maybe I'll try to bite in again.

I can say that the overblown wordcount is one of the detracting factors - especially in recent years, I've come to appreciate authors who can enclose a story within a reasonable wordspan - but I also think there's something else that keeps me from buying into it and it's not even the slash, because I never actually got far enough for the slash to be a factor.

 

I do love the Sacrifices Arc, but I've read it three or four times now and every time I do I keep finding new things that detract from it. It's an incredible piece of work, and five years ago I'd probably have said it was my favourite fanfic of all time, but these days I couldn't place it that high. Still top five though.

 

There are a lot of top mentions in this thread so far. The Game of Champions, A Black Comedy, The Sacrifices Arc and Blank101's The Son of Suns trilogy to name but a few.

Not being a writer myself have never been super into technical writing quality as a benchmark for how much I enjoy a story. As long as the writing meets a certain minimum level that I can sink into a story and forget that i'm reading words on a page, it's good enough for me. I suspect that some of the prolific writers on this board are used to critiquing their own writing to the point where it's instinctual to notice imperfections in the writing of others, I luckily do not.

Instead, a great story for me is one that makes me genuinely involved in the world, or with the characters. A beautiful passage about scenery does nothing unless we feel like we're there looking at it through our own eyes. Similarly, a story that evokes a significant and lasting connection to the characters, that makes you want to jump up and cheer when they triumph - that's when a story reaches the top echelon for me.

While I hate Palindrome for the rule of only being able to choose one fic, the rule has led to several (thoroughly enjoyable) re-reads since the thread was created.

With the above in mind, End of the Line By shewhoguards wins my vote for the best fanfiction that i've read full stop.

There are a variety of wonderful fics out there, a range of superb worldbuilding, universally loved comedy, raw emotional storytelling, and magnificent plotlines. End of the Line had the things that make a story special to me, but it achieved it in elegant and concise manner that made it all the more poignant. The first chapter was the first time I ever shed tears reading a fanfic (don't tell anyone), and it did all of this while telling a story in that same whimsical manner that made us all love the potterverse and discworld in the first place.

 

A lot of my favorites have already been mentioned, mostly Black Comedy, Game of Champions, and WIND CHAKRAS of course.

But for my money, the best fanfic I've ever read is still Dreaming of Sunshine, by Silver Queen. It's a Naruto SI fic, which you think would mean it's a steaming pile of shit. But the plot of the story isn't like your usual SI, with all the self-aggrandizing and ultra power ups right away. Instead, Silver Queen takes the time to actually explore the Naruto World, doing some top-notch world building that I haven't seen equaled in any other fic.

And that's not even the best part; there's also the interpersonal relationships between the cast that grow and change over time. The brother-sister relationship between Shikako and Shikamaru has been especially great to watch develop.

Just great all around.

 

I love adventure stories featuring a thoughtful Harry who seems realistic in the universe. Nothing too overpowered, and can still be challenged, but is not weak. I also enjoy stories where there is a sense of mystery about the direction of the story.

So I think Ectomancer and Harry Potter: the Last Avatar are my two favorites. It's unfortunate that both stories are abandoned, but these are stories I can reread since there is a sense of adventure and excitement that very few other stories can provide. I think I favor the HPtLA a bit more since it seemed like it was just getting into a part of the story where you could see the sense of direction. Ectomancer was still a giant mystery, but still excellent.

 

A good fic, in my eyes, makes me see what's happening as I read it. Good worldbuilding, well written battles, a little sleaze on the size but not in detail, strong but not overpowered hero.

My first choice is A Game of Champions *bows to Lord Lamora*. The imagery is extremely powerful. I can imagine Misty pointing her fingers as a gun, and saying BANG (if you've played HGSS or even GSC, you can see Misty as that annoyed, semi-corrupt, glam-girl as well). Especially since Starmie's animation in the TV shows water being fired from the tips of the star in bursts.

I kid you not, those battle scenes get my blood running. I've actually imagined someone shouting "Aion, RE-RACK!" for that last rep on my bench press.

My second choice (and I've campaigned for this one endlessly hehe) is Newcomb's The Lesser Sadness. Harry is well ahead, but doesn't immediately rip shreds into Voldemort. Dumbledore is torn and possibly might pick a different faction. Penelope and Harry is very organic hooking-up. Cedric winning and no one dying is new.

 

Maybe the angst? I read the first two installments twice, but just couldn't get over the unbearable amount of angst. But then I forced myself to read through it one week a few years ago when I was extremely bored, and I'm glad I did. There is still a ton of angst in the latter installments and some of the Draco POV scenes almost made me give up on the story again, but the excellent world-building and fighting/dueling/battle scenes make it worth it. I mostly just skipped over the slash parts.

 

It was already old when I started reading it around 2004, but On A Clear Day You Can See Forever by Mark MacKinnon is still by far the best work of fanfiction I've ever read. Nothing else has stuck with me like it has. The world building is amazing, characterization is great, the dialogue is really tight and the author has a knack for writing genuinely spooky and otherworldly scenes that makes your hair stand on end.

Problem is, it's impossible to succeed in recommending it to almost anyone these days. It's long dead, written for mostly dead fandoms (Ranma/Sailor Moon), it's completely different in tone and content from either of those two and it's the fourth installment of a longer series (although it is standalone). On top of this it's so AU that it might as well be original fiction.

 

As several people have already said, Prince of a Dark Kingdom hands down. Worldbuilding, terrifyingly cool magic, and Voldemort all make this story so much better than any other for me. It's changed how I imagine Voldemort in my head and how I like to see him stories. Just great all around, and I would do anything for an update. Literally anything

 

Not if I sacrifice you for an update of People Lie first.

 

I'd be very hard pressed to choose between People Lie by Nugar and Written in Reverse by Menace. Honourable mention goes to Dancing with Demons too.

People Lie is a Naruto fic set in a world where the Kyuubi is more of a Lovecraftian horror than a chakra monster. It twists and perverts all it comes into contact with and is malevolent to the end. It's also not alone in this either. The writing has some flaws, but it combines all of my favourite horror themes into one fic, so it holds a special place in my heart for it.

Written in Reverse is the exact counterpoint to that. Where People Lie is grim, WiR is optimistic. Where Nugar presents a world where everything is shit, Menace provides a fun romp through time and a love story of epic and hilarious proportions.

"Be my friend motherfucker!" indeed.

Dancing with Demons deserves its mention here too, as it portrays an inhuman Naruto better than any other fic I've read. It also manages to make cannibalism hilarious.

EDIT: Also, He Had No Fingers by Gleam. It falls off a bit towards the end, but the atmosphere it builds up in Konoha is exquisite.