alright there are only 27 minutes left of fanfic appreciation day here but gosh dang it I’m gonna do a fic rec post too GO GO GO
Fisherman’s Knot by @scribefindegil (Gravity Falls): this fic. this fic is the first GF fic I remember ever reading and it set the standard so high and it still means so much to me. its depiction of depression is so vivid and real it can be hard to read, but that only makes the heartfelt promise that it can get better so powerful. anyway this fic helped me deal with my own depression and also makes me want to cry at all sea shanties forever
In Search of Antidotes by azhdarchidaen (Gravity Falls): the 1800s Jekyll and Hyde-styled Mystery Trio AU you didn’t know you needed until just now. Bill is terrifying, Stan is stubborn and just the right kind of gritty, Ford faints dramatically, it’s all there.
An Outreached Hand by @dubsdeedubs (Ghost Trick/Gravity Falls): EXCUSE ME a Ghost Trick-Gravity Falls crossover? YOU MAD GENIUS. seriously this is the last thing I ever expected to happen but good gosh does it have me hooked. you don’t even need to have played Ghost Trick to read it, which is quite a trick considering how hard Ghost Trick is to explain.
Solivagant by penhaligon (Breath of the Wild): an absolutely beautiful second-person take on the game that gorgeously draws out the achingly lonely feeling of traveling through an empty Hyrule, and really delves into Link’s struggle to regain his strength. sadly there’s only three chapters but I live in hope that one day there will be more.
Equilibrium by PSW (Star Trek: TOS): listen I have read a lot of Star Trek novels and I’m here to tell you that this fic is the best Star Trek novel I’ve ever read. the triumvirate bonds (and suffers), Bones gets to be absolutely kickass awesome, it will have you on the edge of your seat for chapter after chapter, and it feels amazingly true to the series but also takes the time to delve into the characters’ emotions and reactions in a way that TOS never really did but should have. basically it’s the TOS novel I always truly wanted.
Eleutherophobia by SoloMoon (Animorphs): a series of fics set in an AU where Tom survived the war, written by someone who seriously, seriously gets Animorphs. it tackles the awful mess everyone’s in after the war and pulls no punches about it, but the AU allows just enough of a sense of hope to keep you going; it’s realistic, it hurts, but it’s not crushingly bleak.
Boy With A Scar by dirgewithoutmusic (Harry Potter): I recommend this--a series of AU oneshots--because it’s personally my favorite but oh my god absolutely everything this author does is amazing, seriously their Star Wars fics broke me up inside and I’m not even a Star Wars fan. actually while I’m here I also can’t not recommend this series about the female characters of Harry Potter which gives them their due in a way Rowling never really did. and they also wrote some Narnia fics--look everything they’ve done is heartbreaking and beautiful and makes me want to cry and feel things and JUST GO READ IT ALREADY
okay now I’m eight minutes overdue so I’m gonna stop here and I’m sorry to everyone I didn’t mention, I had to work fast, but there is so much good fanfic out there and it means so much to me and if you are a fanfic author I tip my hat to you on this good day. thank you for your service.