For me, it would definitely have to be Luminosity by Alicorn. Radiance, the sequel, struck me as a step down mostly because of the different (less intelligent) protagonist, but it's still way up there among my favourites.

 

Game of Champions, I just find it utterly incredible, props Lamora.

Other notable ones: Fire Emblem Awakening - Invisible Ties

Harry Potter and the Boy Who Lived by Santi, only read this a month back, brilliant.

Fight for the Lost by Luxdragon - Mass Effect worshipper in general, this was great.

 

All the really good ones have been mentioned, but "Traitorous" by La Flamata is still my favorite Dark!Harry fic.

 

Black Comedy because it has so much wit with an extremely sophisticated plot. I consider it the smartest HP story due its plot, characterization, interaction, emotional conflicts and gimmicks. Sirius was just pitch perfect how I would imagine him after escaping his past situation and in a Marauder context. The whining about his boring old buddy James is so deliciously funny.

There are other stories I could name which have a beautiful scope and drama or have detailed developed actions where you can see how much thought the writer put into it.

But Black Comedy has-it-all and as a cherry on top, it doesn't age. A perfect storm.

 

Definitely Make a Wish.

 

Potters Resistance by IP82 was one of my favorites, I'm not sure if it still holds up.
Anarkie by Naia will always be up at the top of my list.
The Brave New World by Bellerophon30

These are just a few of the ones that haven't been mentioned yet.

 

The Puella Magi Madoka Magica story To the Stars by Hieronym is my headcanon for what happens after the anime. It's more than good fanfiction, it's good sci-fi.

 

Water Mage's Awaken Sleeper, by far. The Harry/Aurora is too strong to be defeated by anything else, and how he portrays the rest of the Dresdenverse just rocks.

 

In no particular order:

• Awaken Sleeper by Water Mage
• Twenty Times Uzumaki Naruto Didn't Die by Kraken's Ghost
• The Biker-Half/Harry Johnson verse by Doghead Thirteen
• The Stalking Blood Sack and Retsu's Folly by nuhuh

 

Circular Reasoning.

I don't need to explain this. If you haven't read it, do so. Swim's writing is incredible.

Anything by Voice of the Nephilim. Sitra Ahra, The Unforgiving Minute, Elizium for the Sleepless Souls in particular.

Some of Nonjon's stuff deserves a mention, at least - A Black Comedy, and Browncoat, Green Eyes. It's a type of humor that tends to be hit or miss with people, and lacks the prose and sheer quality of the first two authors, but for sheer enjoyment factor, I'd be remiss to not mention them.

In that vein, Make a Wish - I still read it about once a year, and I still clap my hands like a retarded seal and laugh at some points. Maybe it's nostalgia. Maybe it's maybelline.

There's some WIP I enjoy - Harry Potter and the Boy Who Lived, On the Way to Greatness, Forging the Sword, Hogwarts Battle School. I should note I'm hesitant to lump the last in with the other three. But I still enjoy it, and whatever, I've rambled more than enough.

Might update if anything else jogs my memory as being a must-mention.

 

OTWTG should come with a warning though. The story really begins in chapter 11. Everything before that is canon rehash. Likely the most polished canon rehash you'll ever read, but boring as hell.

To be clear, I'm not crapping on it just to be contrary. One can acknowledge the good and point out the bad and still enjoy a fic (ABC features typos and the prose isn't the sharpest, but it does everything else so well that I can easily forgive those faults).

 

This is basically a complete summary of early OTWTG

 

Pure HP: A Black Comedy by Nonjon
Dresden Files: God's Eye by todeswind
Pokemon: Game of Champions by Lamora
ASoIaF: A Dragon of the North Quest by Droman/Hash

At least those are the first that come to mind.

 

On the Way to Greatness is a canon rehash. The whole point of the story is to retell HP canon from a Slytherin Harry perspective. It was always meant to be a realistic canon-friendly story with a single point divergence -- and that was naturally incompatible with large scale changes early on.

As for the boring part -- I can only shrug, because while OTWTG was many things (things generally ranging from brilliant to amazing), it was never boring to me. I thought the first three years did a wonderful job of characterizing Harry, general portrayal of pre-Voldemort Slytherin house and showing the subtle differences in the mindsets of Slytherin!Harry and canon Harry and how they react to canon events.

The first three years may be very similar to canon, but I like it that way and wouldn't have it otherwise. For me, it is a feature and not a bug. The fifth and sixth years are naturally the best, but I love the entire story -- rehash and all.

 

Reading through thread makes me realize just how different my taste/likes are from the rest of DLP. I'm glad though, if everyone was the same then it'd be boring.

 

Couldn't find it on either his ffnet or patronuscharm profiles.

Link?

 

Came here to say this.

 

I know its got a lot of detractors, but I love Embers by Vathara. It has such great worldbuilding that continues to build as the characters learn more.
It has humor, it has fun, and its just really well done.

 

Reading this thread has reminded me that even on DLP, some people have some shit taste. Though I will thank the person who posted Interstitium, I started reading it, and so far it's great.