I mainly enjoy LitRPG, gamer fics, and progression fantasy. My go-to resources are the Dark Wolf Shiro Discord, the Omniverse recs site (https://omniverserecs.floofyfox.com), and AO3 searches using tags/terms like gamer, choose your own adventure (CYOA), gacha, celestial system (forge, grimoire, etc.), litrpg, and progression fantasy.

What resources, fanfic lists, AO3 tag searches, curators, Discord/Reddit communities, or custom search tricks do you use to discover fics you like? Links and short notes about why they’re useful appreciated.

I'm also interested in threads within this forum for example:
dlp-library-archive
Top 100 Fanfics
Big List of HP Smut

 

To be very honest, the only reliable way to get good fics in my experience is to go diving into the favourites/bookmarks of authors I like on FFN and AO3. Good writers usually have decent taste, and plenty of friends who also write. I do find it infuriating when an author I like reads on an alt account or primarily uses private bookmarks over public ones.

Occasionally I'll search for whatever I'm looking for in Google (duckduckgo really) directly, and there'll usually be about 5 reddit threads begging for recommendations on r/hpfanfiction that might have something worth reading. AO3 tag searches can be fun, but they usually don't turn up anything good in my experience, unless you really narrow down what you're looking for, or are searching in a more niche fandom.

Obviously aside from the above I've read pretty much everything in the Library and I usually read things that are posted into the Review Board, and leap into the bookmarks of those authors and so on. Threads here can be goldmines too, but they're rarer and rarer these days. The Discord is also worth checking out if you like that sort of thing, as recommendations get posted there and asked for quite often.

 

I use RoyalRoad for a lot of reading, and have used the trending/popular this week lists a few times, but like Drachna, I'll also zig-zag from favourites or recs.

The problem with RR is there looks to be an expectation of returning shoutouts, regardless of quality, style, or genre. Sometimes a good author seems to set up a circle, and you find five or six good stories all reccing each other for a week or so; but sometimes it's just reccing anything.

There's also the second problem, in that fics on RR are often aimed to be published, meaning if you start reading too late, you only have the first few chapters, then an immediate jump to chapter 500 or something. I get it, no shame, but I'm not buying the book.

 

The most popular places to find fanfiction are large archives like AO3, FanFiction.net, RoyalRoad, curated recs sites, author bookmarks, and recommendation communities on Discord and Reddit.

Major Fanfic Archives

• AO3 (Archive of Our Own): Offers powerful search, filtering, and tagging tools, especially for niche genres and tropes like LitRPG, gamer fics, and progression fantasy.
  
  
• FanFiction.net: Still extensive for older fandoms; author favorites and reviews are useful for discovery.
  
  
• RoyalRoad: Particularly strong for LitRPG, progression fantasy, and serial webfics, with trending and popular lists that highlight new and active stories.

Discovery Strategies

• Author Bookmarks/Favorites: Browsing favorites or bookmarks of authors whose work you already enjoy, especially on AO3 or FFN, often leads to quality recommendations, as good writers typically follow other strong writers.
  
  
• Curated Rec Lists: Dedicated rec sites like Omniverse Recs provide organized recommendations, often with filters for genre, fandom, and quality.
  
  
• Perplexity/Google/Search Engines: Direct searches for keywords or specific tropes frequently uncover Reddit threads or discussion posts with further recs.

Communities

• Discord Servers: Many fandoms and niche interests have Discord communities where recommendations are continually exchanged (e.g., Dark Wolf Shiro Discord).
  
  
• Reddit: Subreddits like r/hpfanfiction and r/FanFiction offer weekly recommendation threads and genre-specific lists.
  
  
• DLP Forums: The Dark Lord Potter (DLP) forum contains discussion threads, library archives, top 100 lists, and specialized compendiums (e.g., “Big List of HP Smut”).

Additional Tools

• AO3 Tag Searches: Building customized searches using layered tags for specific genres, tropes, and styles narrows results and increases the chance of finding niche works.
  
  
• Kemono: Recently added features to discover similar authors, which can help expand your reading list beyond standard archive recommendations.

Within DLP

• The Library and Review Board threads feature vetted recommendations from experienced readers.
  
  
• Story Search threads provide targeted reading suggestions for highly specific criteria.

These strategies, combined with following trusted authors and participating in active recommendation communities, offer the most reliable route to discovering high-quality fanfiction tailored to specific interests.

 

Did you... feed this thread into Chat GPT and ask for a summary? If so, may I ask why? If not, why summarise what three posters, including yourself, said?