#phanfic recommendations

[disaster-catalyst]

I need more "people of amity park goes into danny's mind, learn his trauma, and change their treatment towards him" fics

I've already read one and it's so good that I just can't help but want more!! I eat these kinds of fics up!! (someone give me the tags or recommend something similar so I can read more)

fic by the way is "Cinema Horrors" by pandaluna on ao3 and I really recommend reading it

[serendipnpipity]

Thank you to @proudsnackeezowner for pointing out apparently the fic submission tab of my phanfic rec masterlist was view only this entire time???? 😫

I FIXED IT so now pleaseeee rec your fav fics!!! I’d love to read them!!!

[tourettesdog]

hia Dog :3

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💕💗

AWWW hi Kate! Thank you ; u ;

And HMMM okay so--

Leap Before You Think

My first DPxDC fic, which is still ongoing. I work really hard on self editing this one and I'm very proud of it. Twin shenanigans have a special place in my heart and I'm excited to share where the story is going.

Halves

I have SO many plans for where this DPxDC fic is going and I'm excited to write more for it. I'm currently working on editing another chappy for it, but my ADHD has been bad so I've also been jumping between a lot of projects.

Lightning

This was the first DP fic I wrote and posted, officially throwing myself into the Phandom. It's still not complete, but it can be read well as-is I think. I hope to come back and finish it sometime soon though.

Okay

Of the fics I wrote for Phic Phight this year, this was my favorite I managed. I'm just such a sucker for identity reveals (as a lot of these show), and good teacher Mr. Lancer.

Cold Hands

This one was incredibly self indulgent and it's one of my few completed fics that's more than one chapter. Sometimes you just gotta write a ship you like cuddling and sharing emotions.

I have more DPxDC and DP-only fics up on my AO3 profile, but I think these might be my faves :D

[b0rn22die]

i miss when this was just a fangirl blog and tumblr was huge and i was just on it 24/7 reblogging and posting and asking and reading and writing fanfic T__T good times i will not get back </3 2014 u are missed DEARLY

[simplydnp]

hey there!

I kind of consider you the resident dnp expert (at least in dnp culture) so I wanted your opinion on a question that's been building for a while now.

What are the boundaries for dnp now?

There are so many things that I feel have changed even in the last four years: writing smutty rpf was Gross and Weird, along with art along that line, speculating about their relationship was ABSOLUTELY a no-go, all things that I see happening on Tumblr now. And I'm not saying that's a bad thing!! I'm just acknowledging things have changed over time. They're different people now and so are we, and the "we know you know" era is lots of fun.

I was browsing reddit today (bad idea, do not recommend) and came across a post from a new Phannie asking if DnP were in a relationship. And while I agree that we cannot say for absolute certain that they are, the responses had a VERY different vibe than on here, emphasizing how bad the speculation was (true) and essentially saying "don't even think about that, just enjoy their content." (or something to that extent.)

Which... is very different from this here website in which we joke about them being horney for each other constantly lmao.

Being a very rules-driven person, I like expectations to be made abundantly clear for pretty much everything. So that's why I want to ask: Is there a line here? Are we crossing that line? How defined is that line? (All of this, of course, I recognize is your opinion and yours alone, and if this is posted I encourage anyone else to share their two-cents in a respectful way.)

Obviously, trying to find out where they live/things like that is very clearly crossing a boundary. But is there some sort of limit or boundary I (and tbh the rest of the phandom), in your opinion, should be keeping in mind?

thanks xx

hi!

'resident expert' is a hefty title, i'm just here trying my best!

'what are the boundaries for dnp now?' is really a great question. cause the thing is, we used to know. there used to be a fairly well-defined and mostly agreed upon line, and ever since the dapg revival in particular, the line keeps moving.

i'll be honest, i never really saw phanfic as rpf, even though it is. my stance on phanfic is the same as dnps: it's a beautiful expression of art and creativity and is so, so important. they've always been pro-fic (even though we subjected them to some absolutely horrific crack fics), so i don't think 'smutty' fic has ever been gross or too far. they've given their blessing, and, as the conversation has been in fandom communities the last few years, rpf isn't 'for' the people in them, it's for the fans. so i digress.

art is much the same way. they love art! they even included art of them kissing in a tumblr tag video back in the day, so to say that's not allowed especially after they're out is kind of crazy to me.

i think the line with stuff like that was showing it directly to dnp--tagging them in explicit stuff, that kind of thing. but creating it? go for it! it's always been a green light. (i think fans have previously overpoliced this and we lost a lot of great fic, art, and community members over it)

browsing reddit is always a Choice. i've never participated on dnp reddit before but i am aware that it is an entirely different space than here. something that's important, i think (and i think you think this too as you're asking about them), is to respect the fandom rules of the place you partcipate in. tumblr is generally one of the most phan-positive places on the internet, especially publicly facing. we make a lot of relationship jokes, particularly because we run on the assumption it's already true, based on what they've both said publicly (mostly dan).

i won't comment on reddit specifically just because i'm not a part of the community there, but the speculation about dnp online was a Lot for a long time. but the worst part of it was the stalking, the digging into personal lives, the contacting family members--that is what was bad. dnp have always had a connection--and, honestly, they kind of love flexing it and kind of always have. they absolutely play into things now, but they certainly did even way before coming out too. i think a certain level of speculation was to be expected, especially in that era of online fandom. but it wasn't just the 'teenage girls' who cared, the media did too, and so did many others.

i think one of the biggest differences now is 1 the awareness of 'our' past and trying to make up for it, and 2 the broader societal conversations about parasocial relationships.

you see this reflected on the snippets ive seen from dnp reddit and dnp twitter. they tend to be Very 'cautious' about the words they say, often undercutting perfectly reasonable statements with 'but whatever their relationship is'. on one hand, they don't want to cross a line, and i can respect that. on the other hand... it's 2024 babes. they just put out merch of them holding hands. dan's directly, intentionally, and explicitly called phil a bottom on dapg. they reacted to all of the pinofs, made jokes about 'theyre touching', and even joked about the tackle being 'wrestling 👀'. dan posted half-naked catboy pics and showed us phil was taking them. the 'watch your step babygirl' tweet & their reactions to it. phil is credited in WAD. they're making threesome jokes about themselves as a unit. i could go on and on.

to me, there's a few things that have 'moved the line' for us, so to speak.

1 - DAPG returning. for the last few years they specifically were not a duo (for projects) anymore. (and no, not because they hated each other). they just weren't. they wanted to focus on their goals and projects. they didn't have to resurrect dapg, but they chose to. marketing and money aside, they knew that if this went over well, it would well and truly revive the 'dan and phil' brand again. it would be specifically returning to being a duo in the public eye. (however they've also fully embraced this in all aspects, including merch, videos, and general attitude)

2 - pinof reacts. even though they'd been out since 2019, we hadn't had regular joint content from them since before that, therefore, while they had become more comfortable with themselves and their 'outness', we hadn't (in terms of them making explicit gay jokes together). so i really think dnp had to de-fang a lot of the 'theyre touching' of it all, because we didn't really know where we stood on it anymore. i think they succeeded, too. we couldn't be here, with the content of the last 3 months, without them tackling it head on (well, as head on as they're want to do).

3 - dapc. genuinely another big shift. they did this for the real fans. purely a passion project, and a specific choice in doing the handhold. they know what we're like. and this wasn't a brief, unplanned, unscripted moment. it's a specifically blocked out scene. they know it's opening a door, and they chose to. this is doubled by the fucking iconic merch selling, and furthered by phil's twitter likes of arguably romantic phanart, and then dan's full straddle like.

even throughout the current 6 months of revival, the line has moved. i don't know where it will settle. dnp keep moving it, in my opinion, and, genuinely, i don't think it's going to leave much to the imagination. as you say, obviously not the stalking or the contacting, but beyond that? especially here on tumblr? i wouldn't get too worried. obviously people will have their opinions, but as long as you're generally respectful and recognize that humans will see your posts and humans interact with them, i think you're good.

my rule of thumb is anything they intentionally put on the table, we can joke about or at the same level. but in terms of art/fic? go off, live your dreams. dan and phil would want you to.

[dnpbeats]

do you read phanfic? any recs, especially for long ones?

i used to be an avid phanfic reader when i was like 13/14 lol, since coming back to the phandom i havent read as much but i have read some!! one fic i just reread is i don't blame you much (for wanting to be free) by @leblonde which is just as good as i remembered it to be 😭 honestly anything by them i rly recommend i've also talked about when you gonna realise on my blog at one point ugh just so good 🥺🥺 a few other longer fics i've read recently:

In Any World by @jestbee

to let the light in by @cityofphanchester this one ;-; soooo good and i especially love d&p's dynamic it's spot on 💞 i really don't know how to express it but like the vibe of this fic is just immaculate

Monochrome by @intoapuddle (first phanfic i read after i came back!)

I try to picture me without you but I can't by solarpower21

Just the Beat of My Own Heart by howellhaze (you've got mail au!)

missing the obvious by fictropes (reverse you've got mail au!!)

okay lastly, this was my favorite fic from my first time in the phandom!! FULL DISCLOSURE i havent read it since i was like 15 so if it sucks im sorry, but at the time i loved it lol. i think ive probably read it about 5 times 😭 Pretty Odd (Things Have Changed For Me and That's Okay)

some shorter fics:

all that you are by @possumdnp is SO FREAKING CUTE

constant future memories by kishere

so I will share this room with you by @jonsaremembers so sad but in a good way 😭

the hoodie bow incident and oh, baby, seasons change by @antiadvil 🥺

that's what i can think of off the top of my head but i'll reblog with more if i think of anything else i read recently :)

[pseudophan]

from now on if dan and phil want to go more than a week without uploading they're required to provide at least three phanfic recommendations so we have something to occupy the time with

[thighguys]

kay guys i have never read phanfic before because it always felt a little embarrassing to me to read fanfiction about real people but i am in so deep... do you guys have recommendations please??? i need something good bc my most recent experience with phanfic was reading the hat fic and the cherry fic in middle school and i was in fact scarred for life. would love some cute angst/fluff fics (no pwp pls lmao, though im not opposed to smut in general). anyway thanks guys!!! thanks for helping out a girl in need!!!!! im drowning over here theyre all i can think about

[cozyfoxy]

Everyone send me phanfic recommendations! I literally read a bit of everything, just nothing super sad please 💜

[blossoms-phan]

will never pass up the opportunity, so! i am asking. what are your phanfic recommendations?

ask (honoured!) and you shall receive bestie! quick preface: i returned to the wonderful world of reading phanfic around the start of this year and have admittedly missed out on years of incredible work i am now catching up on! also in terms of what i read i generally lean towards current-era fics, canon compliant/fluff/smut- although i'm always taking recs from lovely moots/whoever, you may find this isn't the largest range (no aus/long chapter fics or whatever) but this is just a selection of what i've discovered/loved in the past few months and i hope to make more of these as i discover more writings!

shoutout to everyone on here for their recs, all the incredible fanfic writers and the peeps at @phanfictioncatalogue for their work and accessibility and being the reason i discovered so many new fics/tropes i now love <3 ok lets get into ittttttttt

"you look at my face a lot" by natigail: i credit this fic for getting me into reading phanfic again in 2024 <3 one of the first ones i read post-hiatus and i've returned to it countless times! it makes my heart jump, just so sweet and so them. the slittening(s) were such an iconic moment i can't believe it's been 6+ months since them but i love the little moments like dan describing phil's hair colour to a sephora worker, always wanting to know more about each other and the soft intimacy.

"the angel in the marble" by ivylakes: OHH MY GOODNESS this one is artttt. this one is my fave of the post-phlondeing fics i can just see and feel everything that happens, the loving, lazy intimacy, and following this week's t-shirt events it absolutely cements my HC that angel is a nickname for our philly. introspection, hair-kissing, body worship- i eat it up (im having a thing for mirrors in fics rn so there's also that)

"slumber party" by possumdnp: if i wasn't already clear reality-based fics really just do it for me and i love this one!! slumber party is one of my favourite recent-ish gaming vids and i just love the cozy comfort vibes of having a sleepover and getting a little flirty with your best friend/crush going on 15 years <3

"after the birthday stream" by trashcanfromgallifrey: the birthday stream ignited something in all of us but this is just such a perfect depiction of (possible) events after hehe. feels so them, just love the loving intimacy and shower activities and fluffy endings with cake <3 (shoutout hannah ily!!)

"lovers, keep on the road you're on" by possumdnp: another personal fave. japhan 2019 is EVERYTHING to me, this is so lovely and well-researched and i just go in between reading this and watching the stories from it when i want to cry and book a flight to tokyo

"welcome home! (never leave that long again)" by natigail: this one is just soooooo soft and sweet and fluffy. so heartwarming and one of the many wad reunion fics that has my heart <3

ok i'm going to end up including all 40+ of my bookmarks (not a lot. but working on it hehe) if i don't stop myself so as much as i could write paragraphs about all of these just know that my PPA test is positive and i was probably sweating/giggling/kicking my feet at all of these so here's a speedrun list of pure smut (sorry it's a lot of what i read lmao):

"juxtaposition", "slow down", "sensitive", "some kind of mood" and literally everything written by the force that is intoapuddle

"come light me up" by JudeAraya (perhap not pure smut but I loveeee the teasing and characterization in this so so dan ugh)

"appreciation" by Scuddleduck

"a little vitamin D" by Spring_Haze

"good for you, good for you" and "under my thumb" by dvp_95

"lucky" by iihappydaysii

i could keep going but for now i'm going to stop here! i'm sorry if this is messy i have no idea what i'm doing with linking and stuff but i hope this introduces at least one person to a new fic they end up loving! i lurked/read sooo many fics before finally creating an a03 account only a little over a month ago so i def might be missing some i've forgotten to go back and bookmark! shoutout to all of these writers (i could include multiple works from them all u ppl are amazing)- again i'm soo open to discovering more phanfic and want to expand my horizons, i've started to read some chaptered fics i didn't include on here but will reblog more current reads where i can! also if we're moots pls shamelessly promote your works i'd love to check them out! need to start commenting more too but ok ok wrapping it up

[danrifics]

Omg reallyyy I don't really read fanfic anymore but I'd love to try! Can you recommend me some? I've only read one phanfic and it was so good I think I thought everything else was gonna be mid after that it's monochrome

i’m gonna recommend some that got me through the hiatus cos i don’t really read too much phanfic anymore!

and also i’m someone who’s favourite fic of all time is monochrome so i promise all of these are on the same level of amazing!

Six Ravens by iihappydaysii

Coffee at Midnight by waveydnp

L'Histoire Française by danfanciesphil

Linger on by dizzy and waveydnp

also if you want more like one shots etc from that era then i’d definitely check out those authors pages too!

[proudsnackeezowner]

Ooh dip and pip in the art thief AU from the fic you recommended me, maybe? 👀🎨

hi ser!! While I have another (better) spread dedicated to this art au theif coming for my phanart for phanfics thing I'm doing, I decided to do as you did for my ask earlier and just get outta my head and give you *something* lol!! So here is a low effort post-it for you!

Moments before disaster... poor art theif dan

(Little bit of context for whoever finds this: this is a doodle based on the phanfic "I don't blame you much (for wanting to be free)" by The_Blonde on ao3! It's an au where dan is an art theif, and phil is a security guard. I'll describe it a little more in a proper art post tomorrow as well but everyone should check it out !)

[dapg-otmebytheballs]

What are your favorite Dan and Phil fics?

I've been meaning to respond to this for ages but I had to compile the list first, sorry this is late!

I haven't read a lot of phanfic yet but I'm making my way through it on ao3! Here are ones that I loved so far:

They fade to nothing when I look at him by phasamtasie : (General) fluffy winter oneshot with sledging!

Come On Down To The Lavender Luck Lounge by thelezbrarian : (Mature) work in progress but it's a casino au where Phil is the casino owner and Dan is the accountant and I love this concept tons you should check it out!

again and again, even though we know love’s landscape by JudeAraya : (Mature) migraine hurt/comfort fic!! Very sweet and lovely

After the Storm (orphaned fic) : (Teens and Up) car accidents, ptsd, hurt/comfort, this one might be my favourite yet

The Edge by Japhan2024 : (General) Very sweet fic where they talk about the gaming channel return

CTRL+ALT+DELETE by ahappyphil : (General) DnP having to comb through social media and delete some memories, it's very sweet and intimate though

Of mistakes and fuck-ups by elusive_eventuality : (Explicit) post-vday vid, fight, happy ending, warning in this for self-harm and ed, but fics like these help me as someone who has similar issues so I hope it helps someone else out there too!

Leap of Faith by phanmindpalace : (Mature) another one with a warning for a suicide attempt, I think it's handled so well, especially how things are in the aftermath, and I'm sure there's others like me who need stories like this to find themselves in so this is for all of us fucked up readers hehe. happy ending tho!

after all that by cityofphanchester : (Teen and Up) another that's possibly my favourite so far, it's when Dan gets news from youtube about all his efforts being for naught. I think the very grounded but harsh facts of rejection are handled so well here, and how deeply it can hurt in a way that's all too big to make sense of. 10/10 would recommend

That's all from me for now! Thanks for the ask, I hope people find something to their tastes in this list 🌸

[astradyke]

If u have dnp fic recs I would owe you forever 🙏🙏

hi, darling anon. i have not one, not two, but twenty two (+) of these! however, i don't want to overwhelm you or my dash, so i am going to go with seven pieces that i think display a range in tone, style, length, etc. if anyone would like other recommendations-- or perhaps at a later time, i'll do this without prompt-- please reach out! i have so many more that are wonderful and all-time favorites <3

(when you gonna realise) it was just that the time was wrong by The_Blonde (T, 96.5k, 6/6)

this is quintessential “i need to sink my teeth into something for the next XYZ hours of my life” — it’s a long, incredibly well-written piece of work. while this is obviously a piece of AU fiction, it really did shift how i view and appreciate Dan and Phil's relationship, and overall is an incredibly well-thought out exploration of love and internal want. masterfully executed, which seems to be a trend of this author. this is what got me into reading more phanfic-- i read this, found it imperative that i read the rest of this author's works, and spiraled into AU content. set aside a few hours and really soak this one in, it's worth it.

back to those tokyo nights by waveydnp (M, 3k, 1/1)

i am so obsessed with reading domestic fics, and this is so perfectly that. it’s a realistic, earnest exploration of the perspective character in a way that masters show not tell and unreliable narrator skillsets. i have other recommendations by this particular author and have found that they are excellent at introspection and dialogue. in 3k words, the author manages to say quite a lot, and i find it a very good read altogether.

now i know there is no other by georgiabread (N/A, 970, 1/1)

a very quick hurt/comfort read that is just nice on sad nights, y’know? i really love this one for nostalgia’s sake— this was one of the fics i believe i read when i was first/last immersed into the phandom, back when i was thirteen or so. i recognized nearly every word— so i’m fairly certain i had seen it back then. perhaps not, but either way, something about it is really familiar and comforting so i’ll put it forward. it's set during the earliest parts of their relationship, and just feels really true to the newness and simultaneous depth of their connection, and how young they are. something about the dialogue really feels perfect for the 2009 era-- the anxiety, the freshness, the infatuation.

walk slow and low on a tightrope by chickenfree (T, 6.5k, 1/1)

with my whole heart, i am telling you, this fanfiction left a seismic impact on me. it’s left me with a lot of new thoughts and perspective on Dan and Phil together (setting aside the speculative nature inherent to RPF, etc. etc., it definitely reflects on love in general and theirs in the more particular). it’s also affected me on a separate, personal scale. it explores loving in a way that is not typically actualized in display, something hard to wrap your mind around if you struggle to feel loved, and in a way that i had my own journey with and found that this piece explores expertly. and again, just the writing style of this author really captivates me. i’ve been meaning to rec this fic for a while now; the author's style is idiosyncratic and may not immediately click, but i maintain that this is a must-read, and is best to read a few times over. i cannot emphasize how much i adore this one, it's top 3 if not top 2 if not top 1.

let chance take me to your shore by basl (G, 15k, 1/1)

astonishingly under-appreciated piece that i am absolutely in love with. very enjoyable magical realism AU that implements hurt/comfort, internal and external angst, and fluffy domestic scenes in a really nice, seamless way. i really love how this fanfiction ends but am very attached to every scene— if you don’t have endless amounts of time, but want to get really invested into an AU setting, i couldn’t have a better fic to rec you.

slutty, slutty soulmates by sierraadeux (E, 7k, 1/1)

my God, this is THE explicit fic while simultaneously being THE soulmate fic. it’s an incredibly sex-positive and consistently sweet piece that has like, to die for prose. the way that the author writes amplifies the sensuality of a lot of scenes in a way that makes it intoxicating and fun to read. it’s honestly a very real, grounding piece, with funny moments and emotional moments as well. definitely top five favorite pieces, really heavily recommend if you are an adult that’s comfortable with explicit content.

as he goes, so i go by cloej88 (mutual alert! @bitchslapblastoids) (E, 16.9k, 1/1)

i am also in love with the companion piece to this fic, but i wanted to recommend the first in this series here. i am selective about works that describe their relationship during tour, and can positively say that i really love this one. i think it’s a really fascinating interpretation of their relationship at this time, and features a lot of key moments in the 2015 era that i really just have to applaud the writer for including in such a seamless way. i love the interesting subtype of yearning that the prose exhibits here. obviously, everyone has their different tastes and draws, but i think this is a strong universal recommend.

let me know if you want any more, and i hope you enjoy these! i tried to hit a wide range, but if you like one author's piece, check out their other works; some of these appear again at other places in my rec list, and i know many of them are active writers and/or have a substantial number of fics!

[thistooisphanyuri]

because your lil doodles are giving me SUCHH a great urge to read some phanfic— do you have any recommendations:)

Helloooooo omg TYYY that’s such a big compliment 🥺 I don’t read phanfic that much, mostly just stuff that comes across my dash, but I’m getting kinda into it rn! Some of my favs atm includeeee

the wagtail and the lovers by @buskingalbatross (probably my fav ever fanfic)

backstage, baby by @mundaniel (oneshot, ADORABLE)

orange heart emoji by @secretlywritingstories (based on recent events and so 🥺)

intertwined by @calvinahobbes (honestly ANY fics by cal are *chefs kiss*)

keep me from you @demonqueenart (this made me EMOTIONAL)

the pianist everyone is talking about… is my husband by @secretlywritingstories (the only one on the list that didn’t just show up on my dash, but one of my absolute favs)

[lesbianphan]

im sorry about your shift :( if its not too much, would you care to share what fic(s) you're reading? ive been meaning to jump back into phanfic but its been so long, idk where to look

Sup anon! Sorry for taking a bit to reply to this, BUT in my defense I peruse the @phanfictioncatalogue like it's the newspaper whenever I have free time, so I read so much fic (kinda stopped reading books whoops bad). Anyway, here are some fics I read recently and really recommend!

Easy for you to say by phantasticworks - Phil tries to convince Dan to throw away the grey shirt. Dan can’t do it.

And the days after that by cityofphanchester - He can hear Dan’s voice coming down the hall, laughing with someone from the crew, and it makes his breath stop in his chest. (doomed tour usa, autumn 2022)

Your love is my drug by @antiadvil - Phil wakes up with a migraine.

Kissing gif by @calvinahobbes - Meeting Dan is the luckiest he’s ever been. Having him here, on his bed, is a dream come true whether it looks like a sexy Internet gif or not. (A pinof tag about expectations and reality.)

I know you, hands under my sweatshirt by midorijpg - something something about having bad days and growing up and realizing you don't (completely) fit in couches anymore.

Collision by TortiTabby - A day full of arguing and disagreements on tour gets turned on it's head when an incident puts things in perspective.

Some more recs that come with TWs please be careful:

(TW) Filling the void by Merrydith - For Dan Howell, it was almost too easy. Once in a while became every week, which became every few days. And now, this was the fourth person he’d brought home that week and it was only Friday. What happens when Phil suggests Dan takes it easy?

(TW) In eternity I choose you by lovestillaround - Dan starts having unusual dreams, and they all seem to have a common denominator (my god pls more people read this one, it made me INSANE I wish it was a full book it's so interesting)

(TW) Sacrifice painted in red from our hearts) by lesbianphan (yep reccing myself) - a.k.a the dark and raw 'DanandPhilCRAFTS - Slime' fic I was always meant to write.