I’m also a beta reader for phanfic! FAQ post here. If interested feel free and send me a message! :)
This post however, is about my favorite reads. My personal recommendations are under the cut and are coming from a longtime phannie who enjoys mainly fluff, smut, and some angst. You’ll find a lot of Strangers to Lovers AU and many well known fics from the past because they are rated highly for a reason! My preference is long chaptered fics you can really get lost in. Happy endings required. Not every story will be something someone likes and that’s okay, I just wanted to share the ones that have touched me so dearly and helped me love and celebrate our guys.
If you end up reading any of these stories, please give the writers some love, kudos, and appreciation for all their hard work! This is some goddamn special writing.
Also, if you want to chat about these phanfics message me! I love talking about amazing stories with my friends and fellow phannies. Don’t hesitate to share your own recommendations in comments or reblogs! I’m always looking for new ones to read and I love seeing what other people recommend. FYI these are in no particular order. Hopefully you’ll enjoy my list. :)
See below:
***Please ensure you read any tags and warnings before diving in!
• a match and a fuse by waveydnp (link here)
Summary: Phil is twenty six years old and stuck in a dead end life. He works at Starbucks and may or may not be carrying a torch for his best friend of eight years. He doesn't know who he is or what he wants--or how to go about figuring it out. That all starts to change when he happens upon the resume of a certain law school grad named Daniel.
I personally don’t think the description does this story full justice because I can’t oversell how special it is. There is something here that is so beautiful. This is one of the best things I’ve ever read. My favorite coffee AU of the thousands upon thousands written. You won’t regret reading this. There’s an option to buy a physical copy of this and it’s sitting on my shelf!
• If You Don’t Love Me, Pretend by @phantasticworks (steddieworks) (link here)
Summary: All his life, Dan has wanted to have the chance to be a parent someday. He would be the best parent that ever existed, he was sure of it. Fostering might not be the most traditional way on the road to parenting, but Dan's dead set on doing it anyway. But, well, it would be easier with a co-parent, right?
Reading Dan and Phil as parents is as interesting as you think it will be. This story showcases it beautifully. There is a gorgeous heart and soul to it that makes the absolute utter frustration of the slow burn worth it in the end. I loved this fic so much the day I finished it I restarted it. No joke. Do NOT miss the bonus posted content. I cried of happiness!
• Misfit by @melancholymango (link here) (only Wattpad link)
Summary: It’s been this way for as long as he can remember, the constant runaround process of trying to feel normal. His life is built around it, trying to trick both himself and everyone he interacts with into seeing him as your average person. The isolation as he desperately tries to keep others from finding out, the bitterness that wells up inside of him each and every time he’s reminded that he’ll never be like everyone else, the fear that nothing will ever change. He’s fated to be this way forever; a misfit from society.
I have such a vivid memory of reading this 10 years ago in a bathroom stall at work after getting an update notification from Wattpad because I was SO excited and just could. not. wait. Yes, it is that good. This is my culture. This is my history. I recently reread it and fell in love all over again. This story has a supernatural twist that makes it super unique and interesting. There’s mystery, there’s horror, there’s fluff, angst, smut, comedy. There are heartrenching emotional moments that I still think about. It has everything you could ever want. This story is incredibly long, it’s over 900,000 words and probably the longest book I’ve ever read. Don’t let the length scare you off and definitely finish if you start it because it has a huge emotional pay off. I don’t think any story made me blubber cry as much as this one. In the way where you know it’s one of the best written things you will ever consume. I’m not exaggerating. Enjoy.
• If Lost, Return to Phil by @thatsmistertoyou (link here) (you need an ao3 account to access)
Summary: Dan and Phil are friends with benefits, which always works until it doesn’t. Dan wishes things could be different, and gets more than he bargains for.
This is the first phanfic I ever read, so it has a special place in my heart. The story has a romcom feel with a premise that feels known and yet I was so emotionally locked in. I also blame this story for my beginning love of smut. :) This is an author with amazing stories that you should check out. Don’t miss this one it’s worth a read!
• linger on by @alittledizzy and waveydnp (link here)
Summary: A recent loss has ground Phil's life to a halt. At 33, he's static in his grief and living in the house he grew up in - until his mother kicks him out. Break In a fit of indignation and with nothing to lose, he answers the first listing he finds for a room to rent in London... a listing posted by a guy named Dan.
A beautiful story honoring grief in a sweet and delicate way. This slow burn felt earned and gentle. The story takes its time and is settled with an undercurrent of care. It’s really quite warm and lovely. The characterization and writing is masterful. Fluffy and heartwarming in the best ways possible. Definitely one I was sad to finish. Both of these authors library of works are lovely!
• L'Histoire Française by @danfanciesphil (thejigsawtimess) (link here)
Summary: Since he can remember, Dan has had a bad experience with teachers. When desperate times call for him to take a job as a TA at his local secondary school, he is dreading the experience. Cue Phil Lester: eclectic, vivacious History teacher whom the students and teachers adore for his unique methods and sincere passion for his job. Dan was expecting all sorts of drama in his new job, but falling for a member of the faculty was not part of it.
It was hard to pick only one story from this author because you should read them all. The unique and interesting premises really make their works shine. This one in particular was really enjoyable because of the French language elements. It was SO fun to read along with the French translations. It made the story interactive and special. Also, do not miss the amazingly fitting Spotify playlist for this fic!
• Six Ravens by @iihappydaysii (link here)
Summary: Dan meets Prince Philip at a cyberbullying campaign, but what starts as a working relationship grows complicated when Dan realizes he’s falling for the prince and maybe, just maybe, he’s not alone in his feelings.
There is something so amazing and funny and frankly bizarre (I say with the utmost affection) about this phanfic. It really stood out to me from the rest. This writer is talented. The premise has a flavor of Red, White, and Royal Blue (iykyk) but was written before and is definitely its own thing. It’s so cute I just want to pinch it and love it forever. Read it now!
• finding light in the dark places. by commonemergency / @nihilismdan (link here)
Summary: They’re all connected in some way. All have their own stories to tell. If Dan were a better person he’d get to know them more but he always feels like something is holding him back. So they just continue to work in each others spaces, creating things out of dough and making better things with icing. Donna’s slogan is that everything was made with love but he thinks that’s just because she made this thing—they’re just the hands that give it out to other people. One day, Dan thinks, he’ll hope to feel that passionate about something again.Or a story about grief and loss, found family, donuts, and first love.
I don’t know what it says about me that two of my favorites on this list center on grief. I think it’s because I love stories that are deep and meaningful and make you feel. This particular one was really lovely and I think leapt off the page in terms of heart and realness because the author shared it was inspired by some personal experiences and people in their life. It’s so genuine and the story of Dan and Phil in it is very sweet. The friendships created, the healing described, and the way grief is shown in a different way were all beautiful. It was kind of like..hey you’re hurting can I take your hand and then we follow the journey of healing through care, love, friendship, and the complexities of life along the way.
• where we belong by @parentaladvisorybullshitcontent (link here)
Summary: In which Phil is snowed in with nobody but the mysterious dark haired author next door for company.
I just loved the premise of this story so much. It felt cozy and romantic and it was written beautifully descriptive in a way I could see each moment so clearly. You know when you cry happy tears it’s good journey with the characters. Read it!
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phanfic idea where dnp are actors working on a project together. they don't know each other very well but seem to have good chemistry and everything is going swimmingly EXCEPT phil's character is constantly bullying/antagonizing/sniping at dan's and dan knows that it's just a character but his anxiety just won't let go of the idea that phil hates him.
so being an emotionally mature, problem solving adult he starts hanging out with phil more in an attempt to get to know him better and separate phil lester the actor from the character he's playing and is absolutely FLOORED by just how much pure sunshine phil radiates. the two become fast friends and dan gains an appreciation for phil's acting ability, because how can somebody so sweet seem so cold and cruel in front of a camera?
then a new problem arises. dan starts catching feelings, and since heart-eyes howell has all the subtlety of a cartoon anvil, it carries over into his acting. fans of the tv show (is it a tv show? a play? a movie? who knows) are quick to pick up on the change in dan's character and suddenly the studio is getting all of these questions about queer subtext and an entirely new fan base and dan has to navigate this new dynamic, personal questions about his identity, and a series of comical misadventures where he desperately tries to keep anyone from telling phil that dan loves him before dan can do it himself.
Encouraged by the glorious CC whose inbox I'm always yelling in, here are some recs & links for a few fics that have become firm favourites over time (non-exhaustive as I could yap forever - and will probs do a part 2 - and in no particular order bar no1).
*I personally have no triggers with any of these fics so am recommending based on my comfort levels - please check the ratings and tags first*
Linger On. For me this is the ultimate phanfic. I have read all the big beasts trust me (A Match & A Fuse, Six Ravens. Monochrome, L'Histoire Française, If You Don't Love Me Pretend etc) but nothing comes close to this. It is the most beautiful depiction of how grief lives with you and how life can give you someone you need when you least expect it. The Phil voice is stunning and we live every word as he tries to move on and heal. It's a story of hope and changing for the better through bravery and opening your heart. Its a sllllooowwww burn but we grow to love this version of DNP long before anything happens and it's so satisfying when it does. - I totally bawled my eyes out at the end. Also Stevie is my favourite original character ever. I make no apologies for how many times I've told people to read it.
2. After all the Things that I've Done Wrong. If I have one true love (bar WAD and piano Dan) it's an angsty bit of getting back together and my god this is stunning. It is at times beautifully painful as we watch Phil at a crossroads navigating his life without Dan pretending he's fine. It veers from hot to genuinely tense watching them try to combine their lives again but it's so worth it. The use of language is really beautiful too and certain lines from it live rent free in my head as you live and feel regret with them. It's not a mega-beast of a fic and I went into this blind one random afternoon, read it in one go and it blew me away. Truly a visceral experience.
3. I Dare You to Love Me. Now I love me some angst but God this is bloody adorable. It's so evocative and I can visualise Dan's quintessentially-London flower shop in minute detail. The Dan character is just the most beautiful sweet boy inside and out ,and just like Phil in the fic we have no choice but to love him as we see him through Phil's eyes & thoughts. It's not all plain-sailing (but the 'course of true love' and all that) and good lord you are rooting for them and I think It did actually cheer when Phil barges back into the shop. Both parts of this AU are worth a read.
4. The Hadans and Philsephone series. God dammit this is fucking clever!! Hades and Persephone told in the phanverse but rather than being kidnapped, Phil wanders into the underworld being cheerfully annoying and upturns Dan's existence where he lives dealing with the humdrum admin of death. It is a world where both allow the unexpected in and whilst the story of Peresephone traditionally heralds winter and darkness, it is turned 180 where the the strongest of Gods is given hope and light and spring by this strange mortal. The imagery of nature is stunning as is the use of water & the river as cleansing, kinesis and change. The language intentionally mixes formal prose with modern language and informality. I actually don't re-read this one as often as others as it a) needs to be read as a whole and b) is just special - it's fine dining in fic form.
5. Coffee at Midnight. This is the most beautiful story of a physically & mentally broken Phil learning to live again through his friendship ,& ultimately love, with Dan. Both are searching for something else and as Phil tries to move forward with hope, Dan helps Phil heal whilst learning to live without the fear he has built up. It's a lovely story of trust and faith and taking chances. Winnie and Ada are incredible OCs too.
To thse writers of these and any other fics, thank you for what you put out there! You're so so appreciated ❤️
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Does anyone have any like cozy/sweet phanfics, one shots maybe (like 6k to 15k words?), I yearn for them but am soooo bad at finding them (or if you just have a recommendation for later thats fine too im desperate LMFAO)
“Dan loved playing video games, but he loved watching Phil play them more—the way his tongue stuck out between his teeth as his fingers moved over the controller, trying to move Sonic in the correct direction at the right time. He could be content here forever. There wasn’t a version of the future where sitting next to Phil on the couch or directly in front of him on the floor didn’t make his heart swell. And maybe that’s why he didn’t want it.”
