Tv Shows Fanfiction Novels & Stories

One thing I've noticed is that romance-driven AUs absolutely dominate the conversation in most TV show-based fandoms. You can barely scroll through Archive of Our Own without tripping over a coffee shop AU, a university AU, or a soulmate AU. I think it's because TV characters are already so vividly realized—we've spent hours with them, we know their chemistry, their tensions. So we want to drop them into a world where those tensions can resolve in a different, often softer, way. For shows that are already high-stakes like 'The Witcher' or 'Supernatural', a modern-day, no-monsters AU feels like a cozy blanket. Maybe we're just tired of the main plot's trauma and want to see them happy.

It's not just about shipping either, though that's huge. Found family is another massive genre that crosses over with romance and gen. Think 'Stranger Things' or 'Our Flag Means Death'—the source material gives you a group dynamic that fans immediately want to explore, expand, and sometimes fix. Canon might kill off a beloved character or leave a relationship underdeveloped, so fanfiction steps in to create the catharsis the show didn't provide. I'm always more drawn to these character-driven explorations than, say, plot fix-its, which feel a bit more mechanical.

Honestly, I see a lot of crossovers that feel kinda lazy—just dumping characters from one show into another's plot. The ones that stick with me dig into theme and premise. Like, a 'The Good Place' and 'Breaking Bad' mash-up I read wasn't about Eleanor meeting Walter White; it was about moral philosophy, redemption, and the flawed systems that judge them. The writer rebuilt the entire afterlife bureaucracy to accommodate the meth empire's consequences. It's not a cameo parade; it's asking what happens when the ethical frameworks of these two universes collide.

That's the work, right? Finding that central question both shows dance around but never answer together. Sometimes it clicks from a throwaway line—I remember a 'Buffy' and 'Supernatural' fic that started from the idea, 'What if the Men of Letters were just another Watchers Council splinter group?' Suddenly you have centuries of shared, hidden history explaining why the lore works differently in Sunnydale versus the bunker. The original plot grew from that single contradicting world-building detail.

I’ve bounced around a few places over the years. Archive of Our Own is my absolute foundation—the tagging system is a lifesaver for finding your audience, and the moderation is solid without being overbearing. Sometimes the culture there can feel a bit… formal? But it’s reliable.

Tumblr’s still weirdly good for certain fandoms, especially if your show has a strong visual component or you like making moodboards to go with chapters. The reblog chain can give you insane reach, but it’s ephemeral; your work can vanish into the algorithmic void overnight.

Honestly, I’d steer clear of Wattpad for TV-based stuff unless your show skews very young. The discovery feels geared toward original fiction or massive book fandoms. My 'Supernatural' one-shot got maybe five reads there versus hundreds on AO3. It’s just not the right ecosystem.

Lately I’ve seen people using Pillowfort or even setting up simple Carrd sites to host their longer works, linking from social media. It’s more work, but you have total control.