Have to pick one

 

Definitely this masterpiece.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12849767/1/Harry-Potter-Books-1-7-but-they-are-good-instead

 

I continue to go back to The Unforgiving Minute as my all-time favorite.

 

Gotta go with PotDK. Characters (Voldemort, Harry, Snape), worldbuilding, plot. It does so many things so well.

 

Honestly I got a bit of sand in my vagina when I saw this thread, but on reflection fuck it, this discussion is among the few worth having over and over again. Unlike, say, Wizards Vs Muggles, we're all likely to give different answers after time has passed so perhaps it can add value to the forums despite being low-effort noob bullshit.

I wouldn't want to pick an all-time favourite, but my favourite among things I read for the first time in the past twelve months has got to be Ryuugi's Ceaseless Flow.

 

On the Wings of a Phoenix. So many ground breaking ideas in the story, though it's marred by Harry being passive and apathetic.

 

Sadly, it remains abandoned. I don't know if it was the first with the pagan stuff, but I'm sure it was influential, even though it's really only Harry, Voldemort, and werewolves doing the pagan staff.

 

It changes, day by day. Sometimes it's The Changeling, sometimes Traitor's Son, sometimes Forging the Sword or even The Last Avatar.

But if we go by what I revisit most often, what has passages that I know by heart but still love rereading, what I most wish for more of, no matter the form - then it has to be @Lamora's The Game of Champions.

 

I think my favourite is In Shadows and Darkness by Blank101. The entire trilogy is great, but book two is my favourite as it has Luke coming into his own whilst still giving Palapatine a load of screentime. Great ending as well.

Throughout the trilogy I simply love the characterisation, especially Palpatine and to a lesser extent Luke. It's also one of the few fics where there's nothing that jars suspension of disbelief (assuming you can buy into the SW universe that is). The actions of all the characters are internally logical, the overall knock on effects make sense, the character progression seems organic and relates to the character's experience and nothing seems to be shoehorned in just for the sake of plot. It's good stuff, especially considering the convoluted 'political' aspects of the subject matter, which must be hard to track for any author.

In the HP universe, I have a soft spot for Santi's HP and the Boy Who Lived. I can't really put my finger on why though, I think it's just that I find that Harry very relatable and the magic system is done well. Shame it's abandoned, or near enough.

 

Mmm, if we are talking HP its Ectomancer by RustyRed Its really a phenomenal piece, if you have never read it I highly recommend it.

I wouldn't exactly call it second place but I've always had a real soft spot for An Unfound Door by Joe.

If we are talking Worm, I have a hard time picking one, I don't want to count Alt-Powers as actually FF same with SI/OC fics. So if I had to pick I'd say Atonement. Its what I'd consider actual fanfiction. With it picking a PoD or an alternate to the actual source material while not staying to stations of canon. Basically the main character of Worm, Taylor, dies during her power up sequence.

Now for ASOIAF, I would have to pick, Wyrm and Cub, its not Peggy Sue, SI or any other dumb shit as much as I love those contrived AUs there just aren't what I'd consider pure FF.

 

I'll honor my heart (A Long Journey Home) over my head (The Song of the Trees)

 

It's really hard to say.

I'd go batman 1939: the dangers of being cold, or Hitchups or A Dragon From Ash just generally.

Three or Son of a Western Sea for Percy Jackson.

Harry Potter is extremely difficult. I'm going to have to give it to either Skitterleap or maybe The Shadow of Angmar? I think with HP I could answer differently each day.

 

Honestly, I think if I had to pick just one, I’d say it’s Dragon From Ash. It’s just so... finely crafted. There are like three or four huge pitfalls / tightrope acts that it passes with flying colors: OC main character, canon rehash, infodump/chapter bloat...

The dialogue is so sharp, and the way it pulls you in and gets you rooting for the main character is fantastic.

 

I gotta go with Harry Potter and the Boy Who Lived by The Santi.....
Pretty original fic with well hashed out OC's
Gotta admit I have a soft spot for the whole WBWL trope though

 

For HP I'd have to go with What You Leave Behind.

And for Naruto, it's The Howling Wind. Life in Konoha's ANBU takes second.

Most of my other favourites have already been mentioned in this thread so I feel less bad about leaving them out.