#2022frc

[fanfic-reading-challenge]

Important Information and Links

2025's Intro post with rules, FAQ, and current links!

Discord server and info

2025’s Fic Reading Challenge spreadsheet

Jandy's 2025 Fic Tracker

Juulna's 2025 Reading Log

Noxy's 2025 Reading Log

Taru's 2025 Fic Tracker

2024's badges -- check back here soon!

Rules & FAQ ~ From 2023 but still current

2023's badges

2022’s badges and participants

2021’s badges and participants

(Will continue to update this with links as necessary. This will remain the pinned post.)

[juuls]

Juulna's 2022 reading stats - fics and books too!

Wow, so many statistics and so little time! Let's see... what are the most pertinent and interesting ones...? Thanks to the @fanfic-reading-challenge I got to read some pretty interesting things this year! The new one starts soon. :D

How many books did I read?

177, wow! My goal had been to read 100 (you can set a goal for yourself and keep track on Goodreads, which is awesome) so I definitely surpassed that. I used HowLongToRead to get an approximation of how many words I read in books, and it totalled 16,700,982 words. Nearly 17 million! It's actually more than my total in fics, hah.

Do I have any favourite books I'd recommend?

Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett

Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan

The Women's War by Jenna Glass

Shake Hands with the Devil by Roméo Dallaire (genocide trigger)

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

Scythe by Neal Shusterman

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

The Last Watch by J.S. Dewes

Heck yeah I do! These books were amazing and had me reading any sequels I could, ASAP. For those with a limited budget, check out this free online library, Library Genesis, or your own library's resources!

Now let's talk about fanfiction...

In total, I read 15,832,562 words, 4,017 chapters, and 589 fics. That works out to about 26,880 words per fic on average. But what's the monthly breakdown of all that? Some of those words, chapters, and fics are ones I did not finish (yet), but I did count as finished those WiPs which I'd caught up with.

The least I read in a month was 470,293 words in April, with 22 fics read. Not even sure what was going on with me back then. The most I read in a month is actually December! I attribute that to me finishing off or at least reading as much as I can of some long fics on the back burner. Also, there were a lot of WiPs which had updates in December, and fics I'd been reading a little at a time month after month, which I finally completed. So yeah, I read 2,030,497 words in December, fairly closely followed by October. Pretty sure I was just drowning out the lack of light these last few months. :P 7/12 months I read more than a million words, and 4/12 months were over 1.5 million, plus those labelled incomplete for both those stats.

I read 137 different romantic pairings which were the main relationship(s) of the fic. I also read 49 distinct fandoms. I definitely dug into my past and some of my favourites from when I was a kid! It was quite neat, actually!

But okay, so this is definitely getting a little dry. Here are some of my favourite fics from this year (and I may make a few rec lists from my much larger 'favourite list')!

How about some fic recs?

Red are the BEST of the best.

Knock Three Times by Jellyneau, TenRose (Doctor Who)

I sung of chaos by Sadhippie, Sansa & Cersei frenemies (GoT)

This Time, We'll Do Better by LadyTP, SanSan and others (ASoIaF)

Conqueror by mardia, Darklina (Shadow & Bone)

The Empress, Robed in Sun by Anonymous, Darklina (Shadow & Bone)

And all that's best of dark and bright by kaaterinapetrova, Iron Family (MCU)

System ID: J.A.R.V.I.S. by valdomarx, Stony (MCU)

Kudos by StonyFan1918 by RiaRose, Stony (MCU)

she swallowed the shipwreck between her ribs by justanotherpipedream (Marvel x The Witcher)

It's the Little Things that Matter by TunaFishChris, Wanda & Tony (MCU)

create / detonate by pprfaith, WinterIron (MCU)

ink and paper prayers by kitsunerei88, Chedric (Potterverse)

Three Wizards and a Baby by Lizzie_carlile, Dramione (Potterverse)

Bring Him to His Knees by Musyc, Dramione (Potterverse)

Phoenix Rising by Peanutbuttertoast, Dramione (Potterverse)

Chronos Historia by In_Dreams, Dramione, Bloody Baron/Helena Ravenclaw (Potterverse - Founders era)

Love In A Time Of The Zombie Apocalypse by rizzlewrites, Dramione (Potterverse)

Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Falling in Love by isthisselfcare, Dramione (Potterverse)

A Marauder's Plan by CatsAreCool (Rachel500), Harmony and Sirius & Harry (Potterverse)

What Would Matilda Do? by hansolo, Harry & Hermione (Potterverse)

Face On the Milk Carton by dyslexic_penquin, Theomione (Potterverse)

The Shattered Marque by Kryptaria, Johnlock (BBC Sherlock x Kushiel's Legacy)

The Intergalactic Scuttlebutt Club by Moonbeam (luvsbitca), Spirk (Star Trek: AOS)

Living in the Now by Alethia, Michael Burnham/Christopher Pike (Star Trek: Discovery x Star Trek: Strange New Worlds)

Gotta Love The Little Things by AquaWolfGirl, DarkJediStormPilot (Star Wars)

It Takes a Village by rightforlife, Reylo (Star Wars)

Sky Marked Souls by AnonymousMink, Reylo (Star Wars)

This Bolder Life by darkrose, Telesilla, Teyla/John/McKay/Ronon (Stargate: Atlantis)

Pegasus Non-Verbal by igrab, McShep (Stargate: Atlantis)

Written by the Victors by Sperenza, McShep (Stargate: Atlantis)

we are the raven and the ghost by Itar94, McShep (Stargate: Atlantis x His Dark Materials)

How Rue Became the Mockingjay by aimmyarrowshigh, Everlark (The Hunger Games)

Value by didoandis, Geraskier (The Witcher)

We Drift Inside Each Other (All We Need is One Another) by newtypeshadow, Stuckony (MCU x Pacific Rim)

An Unexpected Malfoy by RiverWriter, Dramione (Potterverse)

The Black Family's PR Nightmare by elphabalives17, The Black Family (Potterverse)

Heart on my Sleeve, Joy on my Cheek by freyjawriter24, Geraskier (The Witcher)

Sorry for the lack of Tumblr handle tags, I can only link 50 things a post now!

[jandjsalmon]

Fic Reading Challenge Stats Dec & 2022 Round-up

Hello Everyone! I’ve completed the stats for my year of fic reading. Once again, they ended up being pretty interesting - at least to me.

In 2022, I read (or reread) over 17.5 million words. This was down a bit from 2021 - but in an exciting turn of events - I read 604 unique authors (almost 100 more than 2021) and while 2021 had 60 different fandoms with 99 unique ships - THIS year, I read 96 unique fandoms and 144 unique ships! I fell in love with SO many new ships.

Once again, I participated in the @fanfic-reading-challenge and completed the Regular, Hard, and Extreme levels of the challenge. That is 277 tasks! It was tough but a lot of fun. The 2023 challenge should be ready for participants by the 15th (I believe) and I hope some of you will sign up. 

Thank you to everyone who gave me suggestions for stories and pairings and fandoms and who shared their favourite stories with me. I could not have gotten through this year without you and I’m SO grateful for you. 🥰

My December Stats:

Of course, I wanted to slide in first with December numbers (and a soulmates fic rec as well) before I hit the pie charts for the year.

In December, I read just over a million words, 392 chapters, and 103 stories. The pairing I read most was Wednesday Addams/Xavier Thorpe (from Wednesday on Netflix). There are a lot of very short chapters in the fandom (I think because many authors are pretty young) - so when you find a long story it's like finding a cookie in a salad. ANYWAY - I love Soulmates - and Skin-deep as the Soul by @ozmathegreatand is WONDERFUL. You should read it. Come ship Wenvier with me! 🥰🖤

---

OKAY - now for the yearly stats!!

Note (35) means that I reread 35 stories more than once during the year. Scars by IndianSummer13 -- Together, Tomorrow by @sunshinebunnie -- Viper Radio by @lucivar -- and Eight Nights (the epic Nancy/Ace Hannukah series by @happilyshanghaied) are some of my favourite rereads.

This year, I read 1093 stories - rereads only accounted for about 19.76% so 80% of the time I was reading new stories. That's fun.

Unsurprisingly, Bughead is the pairing I read most this year (I seriously did a huge @thepointoftheneedle reread and it was glorious), but they went from 47% of my stories in 2021 to 27% this year. I attribute this to all the pairing tasks in the fic challenge. I really branched out with pairings and fandoms this year. Considering Wednesday only came out in November, it's pretty clear what I've been reading for the last month and a half to get them this high on my list. Same with House of the Dragon, Rings of Power, and Hellcheer - as we've only known and loved Eddie/Chrissy, Galadriel/Halbrand, and Daemon/Rhaenyra for half the year. I've read so many amazing new stories and have fallen in love with them falling in love a million times over again. It's been great.

Some special favourites this year:

tortured artist and torturer (series) by @nevinimus (Wednesday/Xavier - NR - Post Canon) - by far one of my favourites in this fandom. It's clever and sweet but there are also decapitated roses, so it's on brand. Love it.

Sweet Nightmares are Made of This (series) by the_retro_witch (Wednesday/Xavier - E - Post Canon) - I am DEVOTED to this story. It's huge and awesome and hot and fun and yeah. SO good.

The Trials of Mairon by @jackpotgirl (Galadriel/Halbrand - E - Post Canon) - AMAZING. Honestly one of the best fics I've ever read. Set AFTER Lord of the Rings but references stuff from Rings of Power. Galadriel gets to be Sauron's judge and jury.

new romantics (series) by @amandaashplease (Eddie/Chrissy - E - Musician AU) - I love a good Musician AU and this one was CUUTE (and hot!). I read this one and then ended up reading a bunch of other stories by the same author because she's amazing. Read her!

Reborn in Fire by rachiemcd (Daemon/Rhaenyra - E - Time Travel AU) - There are a ton of fics in this fandom where one or the other goes back in time and tries to fix the timeline. THIS is one of the best. And it's HUGE. Love it. A perfect happy ending (for almost everyone)!

Anyway - this is probably enough recs for now but if you every are looking for something interesting to read, hmu. 😘

Thanks for being here, friends.

Have a wonderful 2023!

[onceuponaswanqueen]

Reading stats for 2023 & favorite reads of the year - Fanfiction Editon

This is the first year I have tracked my fanfiction reading, which I started in June, which means it’s not one 100% but I think still pretty good due to the fact that I mostly read on ao3 and the history feature is great! This is because I discovered the fanfiction challenge! And I am looking forward to the 2023 challenge and follow it from the start. 

Some stats to start off:

I read 11,931,924 words! 422 different fics, 67 fandoms and 173 unique ships!

Read on for my favorite fics of the year, and more statistics about type of fics, most popular fics and fandom and other fun facts!

By number of fics read my most popular fandom was Harry Potter. I read 41 different Harry Potter fics last year, and my most popular pairing for that fandom was Harry/Ginny. 9 of the fics had Harry & Ginny as the main pairing. 

Second most read by according to number of fics was Glee, with 39 total fics, and Rachel/Quinn being my most popular pairing, with 21 fics where that was the main pairing as well as being a secondary pairing in another 4 fics. 

In third place we have Critical Role, which means that I do atleast have one fandom that is still producing new content that I consume (sorry HP but fantastic beast is not my canon!). I read 35 different Critical Role fics, mainly campaign one and two. My main pairing I read was essek/caleb, with 4 fics, as well as 4 fics without romantic pairings. 

Overall by most fics read, my most popular pairing was a tie between regina/emma (once upon a time) and rachel/quinn with 21 fics each!

If we look at by number of words read, my most popular fandom was Harry Potter with 1 836 237 words read. Second most, accord to words, was Glee, with 1 637 214 words. And in third place, we have The 100, with 1 046 514 words read. 

In terms of ships, quinn/rachel win out by a fairly large margin. Nearly 10 percent of all words read was quinn/rachel, with a total of 1 14 9513 words total read. Jess/Rory (Gilmore Girls) comes in second with 990 554 words read. In third place is Harry/Ginny with 736 903 words.  I also read 799 501 words of fics without a romantic pairing. 

Longest fic read was of queens, kings and pawns by chancecraz which is a star wars time travel fix it fic, which focuses on a post-the force awakens leia being sent back to the day she woke on the death star. 

When it comes to type of fic, i mostly read canon divergence, with 143 fics qualifying under this type. When it comes to number of words, the most popular type of fic was still canon divergence, but followed very closely by time travel fix its and modern aus.

23 percent of all fics were re-reads of old(er) favorites, aka fics that I had read prior to this year.

And now, my top ten fics I read last year, (in no particular order and also some of these are series because this is my list and i make the rules and sometimes its just two unconnected series because i wanted to)!

1.  of queens, kings and pawns by chancecraz

I went to sleep on the worst day of my life and woke to find myself in the past on the second worst day of my life. As experiences go, I don’t recommend it. (leia-centric, han/leia)

This fic is INCREDIBLE. The world building is spot on, the character voices are spot on, leia being a reluctant force user, and the darth vader of it all is so good. It’s a WIP and might never be finished, but still totally worth it. It’s a long one tho.

2. The Changeling + The Armistice Series by  Annerb

Ginny is sorted into Slytherin. It takes her seven years to figure out why. (ginny centric, hints of harry/ginny) 

+  The thing about war is that it never ends. Not really. The battlefields just change locations. Harry and Ginny after the war. (harry/ginny)

The redemption of slytherin, the power of female friendship and also this is just such an incredible character study for ginny. The sequels are also fantastic, and the way the ginny & harry relationship unfolds is worth it alone. 

3. lux et veritas and distilla trust by peterstank

He stops, so she does too, albeit with a bit less grace. Then he grabs the sleeve of her coat and gently tugs her toward a bench with a quiet, “C’mere,” and it’s stupid, it’s ridiculous, but it gives her goosebumps. “Sit down, it’s gonna snow.”

Rory’s breath catches in her throat. Absurdly, ridiculously, she thinks: oh no. Dares to ask, “How can you tell?” and sincerely hopes his answer is something sarcastic and obvious like I checked the forecast this morning, how else?

Instead: “I can smell it. Sit.”

or: the one where jess goes to yale

+

“You brought a book?”

“Like you didn’t.”

She concedes the point and digs a paperback out of her clutch—Austen’s Persuasion, a good choice. Jess displays his own masticated copy of Tobias Wolff’s Old School, which feels like a consistently fitting read when encased within the two-hundred year old hallowed halls of Chilton Preparatory. The book’s cover is hanging on by Scotch tape and a prayer, and half the pages are creased with undone dog ears.

“Man, we’re a couple of anti-social freaks,” Rory declares.

Jess grins. “Just call me Thomas Pynchon.”

or: the one where jess goes to chilton.

First of all, all of peterstanks jess/rory stuff is AMAZING. Like out of this world, maybe some of the best stuff I’ve ever read amazing. But I am super weak for these two AUs and how Jess’s character elvoves in these two very different circumstances. I change my mind about which of these two are my favorite every single time I reread any of them, and like if you ship Literati, these are a MUST. 

4. Quality Ingredients by HurricaneJane

Executive Chef Lexa "The Commander" Woods is working in her latest establishment in her home town of Portland, Maine. She is about to start conceptualizing her next restaurant and only has one rule for herself during the process: No more girls. When an accident at the restaurant lands her in Dr. Clarke Griffin's ER, she second guesses why she ever had that rule in the first place. Lexa's head bartender, Lincoln, is obsessed with a divey restaurant on the other side of town run by Octavia. It doesn't take long for the small town to get even smaller when Lexa starts running into Clarke everywhere. Maybe rules were meant to be broken. (Clarke/Lexa, side Lincoln/Octavia)

This is my all time favorite the 100 fic, and I honestly can’t really put my finger on why. It has pretty much zero angst, so much good food, the characters feels right even in this setting, and just this fic gives me so many happy feelings.

5. Take these broken wings (series) by celaenos

Begins in Season one and follows Quinn through her life should she have chosen to keep Beth, realize she is gay, and fall in love with Rachel Berry.

I read a lot of Faberry, like a lot, and this is one of two fics (the other one reccomended below) that I constantly return to. It has everything I want from my faberry fic, with the added benefit of quinn/sam friendship and an absolutely adorable beth. it’s a very interesting look at quinn and how keeping beth would have changed her experiences and choices in the show. just give it a try, you won’t regret it.

6. the art of boxes by possibilist 

'Quinn thinks of gardenias growing through her eyes, and she thinks thinks of her childhood jewelry box: open it slowly enough, and the ballerina would spin for what seemed like forever.' College!Faberry as promised. Follows canon up through s3

First of all, all of possibilists writing is gorgeous, and if you don’t hate reading seccond person pov stories, i also highly recommend all of her one shots in her series where quinn is diagnosed with bipolar disorder, which can be found on ffnet. But art of boxes if just so beautiful, written in third person, and is such a beautiful interpretation of a post-season 3 faberry. like quinn makes so much sense, their relationship develops so naturally, and quinn’s relationship with both her mom and franny in this one makes my heart sing. 

7. the leftover you by beatperfume

Isabelle Lightwood is having a rough start to her senior year. Her brothers have moved out, leaving her alone with her parents as their relationship falls apart. She’s questioning her commitment to ballet just as she’s supposed to be preparing her auditions for ballet academies. She doesn’t need beautiful and talented Clary Fray making her life even more complicated. (izzy/clary)

i’ve never read much shadowhunter fanfiction before, but this one just stole my heart completely. i am a sucker for ballet!aus, and this one is just so beautiful. izzy feels so right and her friendship then romance with clary is just everything. also has great izzy/alec feels. (trigger warning for eating disorders/disordered eating, abusive parents and drug abuse)

8. after laughter (series) by palaces_outofparagraphs

the girls in the years after the finale, dealing with the inevitable trauma after being stalked and tortured on and off for ten years. starts off at age 26, 3 years post-finale; will probably skip around. probably aria- and spencer-centric; a lot of spoby; absolutely no ezria.

this fic series is everything that i wanted the post time jump to be even if it’s set after the finale. it’s all about the girls (focusing on spencer) healing from their trauma and what that means for them, and how to exist in the world after all of it. and like it’s so good. my favorites are “half-empty girl” which deals with spencer & alison and is really really good and “aria.” in which aria realizes that stalking isn’t romance, and seducing a sixteen year old can never be a good thing. but the whole series is worth it. 

9. met you at the right time by bookglue

Rory Gilmore—single, unemployed, technically homeless, and pregnant—comes unstuck in time. Bouncing between significant and not-so-significant moments in her life, she tries to determine when and how her careful plans went wrong. With some help from an ex-boyfriend. (jess/rory)

I am a sucker for time travel fix its, but this is one of the more unique ones i have ever read, not as much fix it, but still in the same vein. mostly, it’s just really good and i don’t want to spoil anything because the journey is everything in this fic, so just read it please.

10. done with my graceless heart by prettypony

After seven year old Henry starts asking one too many questions, Regina realizes the only way forward is to find Emma Swan and break the curse over Storybrooke. The town’s clock will start, everyone will wake up, and perhaps they’ll be so grateful for her change of heart that they’ll decide not to execute her right away.

And if not, at least her son will have a mother. Even if it isn’t her.

[or: regina and henry go on a road trip to find henry's birth mom. true love ensues.] Season 1 AU - Canon Divergence (emma/regina)¨

this fic was so surprising and at the same time just made so much sense, because really how did henry make it to ten without realizing none of his friends aged? it’s really beautiful, it’s wonderful redemption story for regina, and the romance between emma and regina happens really naturally. just a wonderful fic. 

[reallybadfeeling]

2022 Fic Reading Challenge So Far

Just a little bit of an update of how far I got in these first 6 months of challenge, I guess. If you are interested in participating, you can still join. Rules can be found @fanfic-reading-challenge.

NUMBERS

Total fanfics: 210 (14 of which DNF) Total words read: 4.823.985 Most popular ship: Obi-Wan Kenobi/Anakin Skywalker (427.125 words); but I technically read more no ship fanfics (1.398.266 words) Most popular fandom: Star Wars Prequels (1.303.908 words) Different ships: 59 Different fandoms: 31 Most productive months:

January: 73 fanfic (7 of which DNF) and 986.912 words June: 56 fanfics (0 of which DNF) and 970.201 words May: 56 fanfics (5 of which DNF) and 962.930 words

HOW AM I DOING?

Compared with previous years

Total fics read in the first semester of 2022: 210 fanfics

Total words read in the first semester of 2022: 4.824.777 words

Words to fanfic ratio: 22.975

Total fics read in the first semester of 2021: 297 fanfics

Total words read in the first semester of 2021: 5.012.096 words

Words to fanfic ratio: 16.876

Total fics read in the first semester of 2020: 271 fanfics

Total words read in the first semester of 2020: 3.813.964 words

Words to fanfic ratio: 14.074

Total fics read in the first semester of 2019: 168 fanfics

Total words read in the first semester of 2019: 3.735.846 words

Words to fanfic ratio: 22.237

All in all, I think I can still at least hit the 9.5 millions words I reached last year, if I manage to deal with the seasonal depression that always hits me the hardest in late summer/fall.

Challenge tasks

Regular Mode:

Tasks: 107/125 done (86~%).

Categories: 6/11 done (AUs, Content, Minorities, Ships, Title, Tropes)

Still left before completion: completion at 80%, so I am technically already done.

Hard Mode:

Tasks: 56/87 done (65~%)

Categories: 3/12 done (AUs, Minorities, Ships)

Still left before completion: completion at 85, so 20~ still left to go. I think I can manage it.

Extreme Mode:

Tasks: 31/65 done (48~%)

Categories: 0/11 done

Still left before completion: completion at 95%, so 47~% still left. Time wise it can be managed then, since I'm halfway there. Not sure I can actually do it since I'm left with all of the actually hard ones to do.

Tasks I'm struggling with:

Author's unger age 20: I have a friend that turned 48 this year that writes in Italian, so the 45+ task I could manage easily. But I have yet to find someone younger than 20.

Reading from rec lists and bookmarks: it's something I usually don't do, because I'm super picky already and sorting through other people's favorites is tedious for me. Also, I'm one of those "forever alone" people when it comes to fandoms. My fandom friends (which are few) and I don't really do the suggesting fanfics thing. Mostly because we don't ship the same things unfortunately.

Reading from ff.net: I tried multiple times opening ff.net in these months... I have yet to read even a single fic. I'm just too used to how much easier it is to both find and read on AO3.

"Character has the same profession as you" task: can be done easily, right? Everyone at a certain point was a student... Yeah, problem is I don't want to consider student a profession. And I had very few jobs so far (was an avon "lady" when I was still in high school before I learnt what an MLM was, tutored a bit after high school, was an intern in a couple of companies and did a little bit of freelance proof reading). None of which I really care to read about even if I manage to find fanfics with them. Don't know, this task in particular is almost triggering for me, apparently.

Reading from different fandoms: while I did read from more than 30 different fandoms, for most of my minor fandoms I read short things, mostly under 5.000 words. Which makes the Fandom tasks the hardest for me. Also, I don't know if I should consider all of the Star Wars content as just one fandom, or if each trilogy should be considered it's own (same for each animated show and each disney+ series).

Numbers category in general: I literally keep this one category always closed in extreme mode (and I skip it quickly in hard mode). Seeing those numbers I already know I won't reach apparently make me very anxious. Which means I'm ignoring even those tasks I could probably complete.

Reading WIPs specifically: it's just something I usually don't do because of memory issues. But I have one author in particular that I love that has plenty of WIPs. I'm just procrastinating on this one I guess.

Titles from song lyrics/books: despite my love for titling fanfictions with lyrics, I struggle finding titles referencing songs from the 80's and the 90's. And don't even get me started with books.

The "Childhood friends to Enemies to Lovers" Trope: I know one ship in particular that fits this trope. And it's my damn NOTP for that specific fandom. (I mean, if anyone know of an Obikin/Vaderwan with Obi-Wan the same age as Anakin, the two of them being friends, then Anakin falling then the two of them becoming lovers, I would read the fuck out of it. But I still haven't found something like this so... For now this damn trope is killing me.)

Relay fanfics: even if now I know what they actually are, I stumbled into only one. There's a second one I'm not sure about, because there are not tags or notes that make it obvious that it's a relay. otherwise, multiauthors fanfics are apparently something I struggle to find.

5 fanfics each from 5 fandom events: I managed to do this for 2 events so far. Like I mentioned already, I'm picky, so for me it's hard to be so restricted. I guess I just have to get over it and actually search for events collections...

Tasks I surprising didn't struggle with at all:

25 different soulmates AU: I'm literally missing just 4. Maybe it's because I consider different some of these AUs on "technicalities". Like, I think it counts as a different soulmate AU if both have marks but they work in different way. Like, maybe one the mark appears when you meet, another has the mark that works more like a compass, or things like that.

AUs in general: I am am literally 7 fanfics away from completing even the extreme mode AU category. And it's mostly because I'm waiting for being in the mood to read the AUs I'm left with and I need to stumble into the 4 aforementioned different soulmates AUs.

Minorities: I never realized how much I read about minorities apparently, because I'm only 3 fanfics away from being done with this category in all extreme mode (already done with them in the other difficulties).

Ships categories: I'm 7 ships away from being done with the first of the 2 tasks from extreme mode. It'll probably be a little bit harder to complete the second task. But I was surprised by how quickly I managed this, considering I usually stick to my 10 usual ships. This one really pushed me into reading more into my minor ships and exploring ship I found interesting but never read about.

"one of each for every letter of the alphabet" tasks: I had to specifically search for letters like K, X and Z, but all in all it wasn't hard at all, especially since you can sort fanfics easily on AO3. (And there are alphabets challenges apparently!)

Tropes: other than the previously mentioned trope in specific, I'm basically missing only 4 total tropes tasks. Three because I'm very anal about finding the right fanfic about said trope otherwise I get annoyed with them and the last one is the tropesgiving event task. Because I haven't bothered looking for it yet.

Kinky stuff: another thing I found out about me because of this challenge. I'm more into reading kinky fanfictions that I realized at first.

Fandoms under 2000-1000-500-100 fanfics: I'm into niche things. Didn't know some of the things I like are actually this niche.

[fanfic-reading-challenge]

We also have badges! (By the amazing @saganarojanaolt)

Ours is a yearly challenge (though admittedly this is just our second year and I’m still learning what does and does not work) and has had some success for a fairly self-run challenge. :) You can join at any time, too! And you don’t even need to tell us, hehe. ;)

Hoping to see some new faces around, but I know I’ll definitely be checking out the above challenge as well! The more reading, the merrier—of any kind—you got that right!! ❤️

(Thank you for the mention xoxo)

I’ve been seeing posters for my city’s summer reading program for kids, and I thought I’d make one for fic readers, too. 

Just because it isn’t published traditionally doesn’t mean it’s not a book. Let’s celebrate how much we read in our fandom spaces, too.

Visit this website for more information and to get a reading tracker. I’ve also made achievement badges to help you celebrate your reading goals. 

This is just a starting point, so if there’s anything missing let me know. 

And above all, happy reading!

[fanfic-reading-challenge]

Announcing 2022's participants...!

(If you haven't submitted your participation form yet, you still can, with no time limit --- we're on the honour system here, so if you read it in 2022 and did the challenge and say you did, feel free to use one of the appropriate badges you rightfully earned. Even if you don't submit the form. I trust ya!)

Due to some lack of foresight and inexperience with using Google submission forms, there may be some mistakes made, people placed in the wrong categories, so please let me know so I can fix it asap!

As for the ones who have submitted already, here they are (if they chose to allow me to mention them)!

If you didn’t submit your spreadsheet, have no fear! Just grab the appropriate badge and call that that. As we say here: it’s all on the honour system here!

Please excuse me if I missed your name. Let me know as soon as possible so I can add it!

1. Participation

@sparkylurkdragon

2. Regular Mode

@found-nomad

@rainbow-mug

@dchelyst

@harry-potterfanatic

@s6xtaespada

3. Hard Mode

@reallybadfeeling

@onceuponaswanqueen

4. Extreme Mode

@juuls

@jandjsalmon

@dayenurose

Oh? What's this? Surprise milestone awards???

Hang in for a new post where we will grant a few special prizes for things such as most words read and ships/fandoms read in 2022, along with some others. I look forward to announcing those!

And.... here are the badges!!! … by, well, me. Tada!

Thank you for your patience everyone! We had some issues with receiving the art from the original artist, so I had to improvise late last night. I hope they’re at least somewhat nice looking, even if not as spectacular as last year’s! If/when we hear from the artist, we will either replace this year’s 2022 badges or will keep them for future use for the 2023 challenge badges.

If you would like a personalized one with your name on it, I may be able to do so.😊 I can at least give it a try! 😜 These won’t necessarily work as profile pictures (maybe?) due to the text and contrast but I certainly will give it a go. 😁

They’re not perfect, but I still wanted to give you something special for being such amazing people and participating in my small event. Thank you so very much! So very much. 🙏🏻❤️💜💙🥰

[fanfic-reading-challenge]

Where is the info on what the modes were about?

On the spreadsheet itself was a sort of ‘Welcome’ page and FAQ that explained the modes. Really, at their most simple, you just had to complete a percentage of each page, and each page was divided into regular, hard, and extreme mode tasks. Each page would increase with difficulty.

I hope that answers your question! If not, please feel free to ask for more information as an Ask or even as a DM directly to this account. :)

Happy New Year!

[fanfic-reading-challenge]

2022 Multi-Fandom Event

We're baaaaaack! *cackles*

Hello! First of all I'd like to thank @jandjsalmon for essentially being my 'beta' as I developed this second year's Fanfic Reading Challenge. You did so much, and deserve tons of credit for this alongside me! @attractiverock also helped by looking over new tasks and asking some really spectacular questions that helped develop what I think is a really superior challenge this year. Three cheers!!!

But now... It's time to get ahead/on top of the doldrums of 2022 and immerse ourselves in fantasy worlds --- The Neverending Story will always be a classic exactly for that reason --- because we all need a break from the world we live in, right? I know that the 2021 challenge helped relax me and others who participated, and hopefully the trend can continue into this year! (But don't forget to be a good, productive, and caring citizen of Earth, because everyone needs love these days.)

Before we get into the brass tacks of the basics new participants will need/want (though this is all repeated on the first tab of the challenge spreadsheet, and in more detail!), let me give you the link(s) to the challenge and to two wonderful reading log tools @jandjsalmon and @juuls developed to make keeping track of your reading that much easier! (It can also be used for books!)

And here they be...

The Long-Awaited 2022 Fanfiction Reading Challenge!

Open it! Click 'File'! Make a copy! It's yours now! We can't spy on it! Now personalize it, and start reading your hearts o... well. Really, read just as much as you always do! xD This we do know!

The above spreadsheet includes:

Tab 1, the FAQ/Rules/general info section. A welcome page!

Tab 2, Regular Mode

Tab 3, Hard Mode

Tab 4, Extreme Mode

Tab 5, Swappables (see the challenge spreadsheet or blog FAQ for more info on what these are (when the latter is updated)). To put it simply, however, they are tasks you can swap out for any other challenge task you don't wish to complete.

Tab 6 and 7, 'Fic Tracking Sheet' and 'Reading Log', created by @jandjsalmon and @juuls respectively, are there to use if you wish. Both fic tracking tools (to see what you've read over the course of the year, like this example of mine from last year) have their pros and cons, so give each or neither a try, and figure out what works best for you if you want to keep track of each fic. This is not necessary to complete the challenge, though!

Jandy's Fic Tracking Sheet

Juulna's Reading Log

These here, above, are separate copies of the logs if you so wish to keep your files separate from the challenge or... I mean, you could just want to keep track of what you read without even participating in the challenge! *shrugs* Who am I to judge?

For further assistance, here's a link to my reading log from 2021, so you can see how I (sometimes in a very hodge-podge way) kept track of what I was doing, reading, and how I was labelling fics, adding fics for the future, etc.

Don't worry, it may seem like a lot (!!) but it's really quite easy to navigate and understand, and you are always welcome to ask me questions at any time. :) The first step is to open the spreadsheet and then make a copy of your own. Then we can talk if you need to!

(If you need another format other than Google Sheets, like Excel or Word or something else, please let me know so I can get those to you ASAP!)

So what is this 'challenge(s)'? Here are the basics:

The event runs from January 1st to December 31st, 2022. If you started a fic in 2021 but finished it in 2022, that absolutely counts in full towards the 2022 challenge and word count. Anything you read before you start this challenge (whether in January or May or October) counts too!

Signing up: You don't need to sign up at all! You can just grab a copy of the challenge spreadsheet and fill it out however you wish (or even keep track of your tasks in an entirely different manner like a Word doc). Declaring your intention to participate is more of a thing if you want to be held accountable for your goals, but it's not like we're going to be angry with you if you don't finish any of it!

This challenge operates on the honour system. If you said you completed a fic for a certain task, that's between you and whichever ghost/saint haunts/watches over you. Come January 2023, all I'll ask is just to see the document you've used to keep track of your challenge, so I can match it up to the numbers which determine which prize you get!

Yes! Prizes! Here's an example of Juulna's 2021 badge for completing hard and regular mode:

Badge(s) created by the amazing and incomparable artist @saganarojanaolt, who I will be commissioning for next year's badge and a banner as well! (Until then you get my shoddy banners.) They based this particular art on my own basset, Ygritte, and I could just stare at it forever. <3 Here's the link to the post with the other badges!!

So what do I have to do? … Just read!! Have fun! Enjoy yourself! And fill out the challenge spreadsheet if you'd like any of the following badges (further info on the FAQ page or on the spreadsheet itself):

~~~ Participant Prize: Complete at least one task from the challenge!

~~~ Regular Mode: Complete at least 80% of the regular mode tasks, which is the equivalent of 100/125 tasks, regular mode only.

~~~ Hard Mode: Complete at least 90% of the hard mode tasks, which is the equivalent of 78/87 tasks, hard mode only, along with the previous requirement of 80% of the regular mode tasks being completed.

~~~ Extreme Mode: Complete at least 95% of the extreme mode tasks, which is the equivalent of 62/65 tasks, extreme mode only, along with the previous requirements of 80% of the regular mode tasks and 90% of the hard mode tasks being completed. (Grand total of at least 240/277 task completions.) … it's easier than it sounds. *snorts*

~~~ and some secret prizes you can unlock with no clue that you did just that until the end of the year!

Please help signal boost this post, as I only have so much reach into so many fandoms, and it's a rather small number! I will be encouraging friends of mine to reblog this, and I would love it if you could as well. Everyone deserves a distraction this year (wasn't it just 2019 last year???), especially if it keeps you happy, occupied, and away from those who sit just a wee bit too close to you!

That's about it for the Year Two Opening Post! I need a nap now...

But...…

The most important thing of all, in the end..... is to have a frickin' blast, my loves! <3

[fanfic-reading-challenge]

Oo heck yeah! It’s never too late! The Regular Mode is certainly within your grasp, if not more. 😁

i know we’re already more than halfway through the year but i just discovered @fanfic-reading-challenge and i just needed to participate so \o/

who’s joining me???

[jandjsalmon]

2022 Fanfiction Reading Challenge

October Stats 🎃

Happy November, my friends! We managed to wait until today to get our first real dusting of snow - so that’s fun for us. Halloween is one of my favourite holidays - my daughter dressed as Princess Peach and her friends were various Mario characters. They were a hit! We just moved into a new neighbourhood - and literally only had 34 little trick-or-treaters. VERY different from our last house where we’d have steady kids from 4pm-10pm and go through several boxes of treats... now I have two big bowls left over. Whatever shall we do? 😏

Fandom-wise, I’m two tasks away from completing the @fanfic-reading-challenge​​ - in fact, I’m only waiting on the month requirement tasks (fics that have to be read in Nov and Dec) and then I’m completely done the Regular, Hard, AND Extreme challenges. Thank you all for joining me on this journey - for the messages with fic suggestions and for being patient with my monthly run-downs. What started as my comfort!fic rundowns in April 2020 (after the infamous leak™️) has become something fun for me anyway - even if no one else is reading these. lol. 

The last few weeks were pretty challenging as far as doing the fic challenge - because I had to read several longer-ish stories from fandoms I am not part of and don’t really know much about. It gave me an appreciation for some new fandoms and pairings - and it also made me miss the Golden Era of my own fandom and the quality of the fics profoundly. I think I’m going to spend my November rereading those stories. Suggestions for your faves would be welcome.

I started reading Daemon/Rhaenyra this month and have been SO pleased with the stories - there is one that is currently a WIP that is absolutely glorious and I drop everything when it’s updated to read it right then! I legit read 46 different fandoms in this one month - most were because of the challenge, but I know I’ll return to many of them in the future. If you were to read one fandom outside of your norm - what is it?

–  

Anyway - as per usual, here are a few recs for the month (and if you’re still into SPOOKY READS - you should check out my Bughead Halloween Fic Rec Post) - and as always, if you have any favourite stories (that you loved reading or even that you wrote - in any fandom), please let me know. I’d love to know what you’ve been reading and I never complain about new stories to read. 👻

foolish hearts (series) by @catthecoder​​ (5 fics - Bughead)

Summary:  When a federal agent Betty Cooper gets assigned a case featuring an art thief and forger Jughead Jones, she doesn’t really think much of it. But as months pass, alongside the irritation caused by both the lack of progress in the case and the criminal himself, other feelings start to blossom as well; particularly the ones of respect and admiration. And the fact that Jughead is more intrigued by the agent on his case than terrified of her certainly doesn’t help much with keeping their relationship strictly professional. In their lines of work, pleasure and business certainly shouldn’t mix, but who’s there to stop their foolish hearts?

Why you should read it: HOW DID I MISS THIS THE FIRST TIME?! This is wonderful. THE WHOLE SERIES. Glorious. I was stuck in my feels the whole time. I legitimately LOVED each character - flaws and all - and I FELT for them. And the writing is beautiful. I was physically sad when I reached the end and there was no more to read in this universe. What a gift.

-

Hold the Rock by @avocadomooon (1/1 - Tyrion/Sansa)

Summary: "Nag? No. A bad wife nags. A good wife advises," Tyrion said. "And you are a very good wife." "Thank you, my lord," Sansa said. "Now comes the part where you tell me I'm a very good husband." "You are passable, my lord," she said, and Tyrion laughed.

Why you should read it: Okay - so I know you’re skeptical because it’s not a pairing people generally think “oooh that sounds good” - BUT TRUST ME - this was REALLY good. Alternate universe a bit - where Ned doesn’t go down to KL. It’s arranged marriage - but I promise, the depth of these characters is just TOP NOTCH. It’s a one-shot but it’s a long one - and you’re love these two by the end of it.

-

Let Her Own Works Praise Her in the Gates by @chronicbookworm​ (1/1 - Mary Bennet/Mr. Collins)

Summary:  Circumstances (and Mary) conspire to make Mr Collins propose to Mary instead of Charlotte Lucas. The new Mrs Collins finds a place for herself in Hunsford, finds a cause to champion, and finds more courage than she knew she had.

Why you should read it: OKAY OKAY - So I know you’re going to give me the side eye and say “Jandy, why are we reading about very well boiled potatoes?” - but I have to tell you, this is how Austen should have written the Mr. Collins storyline. Mary is FANTASTIC here. A bit manipulative, but for the good of everyone. Honestly - if you like Austen or Austen fics at all, please give this one shot a try. It was very very well written and the characters are really likeable (even Collins) - well, except Lady Catherine (BUT - Mary tells her off, so it’s fabulous). Anyway - read it. It was a joy for me this month.

I hope you enjoy the recs and I hope you have a wonderful week.❤️

[fanfic-reading-challenge]

Hi found a website that tells you how many words a book has and figured you could post the link for ppl who have a hard time figuring it out like I did the website is called how long to read

An excellent website! Now you're going to have me spending all day tomorrow counting the total words of the 165+ books I've read so far this year.... thanks. xP (Actually, that sounds really soothing to do as I listen to an audiobook -- currently The Witcher series, woo!)

Website: How Long to Read?

Example of a book's page: The Wheel of Time #1: The Eye of the World (one of my favourites, so I may as well plug it with the advent of the Prime TV show out this past year! woooo!)

If you want to count books towards your word count in the Extreme tasks (18 million words I believe) you could do so, I suppose! Nicer to do with fics alone but I know that some people just aren't wired that way or gravitate towards shorter fics in general. :)

Have fun, all! I know what I'm doing tomorrow... lmao

[jandjsalmon]

2022 Fanfiction Reading Challenge

August Stats

Hello everybody! What an August, eh? I have a love/hate relationship with August. It’s my birthday month and it’s warm (I live where there is snow 7 months a year) but this year was just kinda blah. I hate lingering on the blah - so let’s talk of better things. Like when you find a piece of media and it’s so perfect that you DON’T have to seek fanfiction to make it better. It’s rare, but there were a couple shows this summer that felt that way to me. 

What about all of you? I feel a bit disconnected with you during the summer because we’re all off doing our own things. Have any of you being doing exciting non-fandom things? We are getting our grass (finally) this weekend and it’s been cause for much celebration at our house. What is something you’re celebrating lately?

Fandom-wise, I’m still working on my Hard (78/88) and Extreme(39/65) challenges at the @fanfic-reading-challenge​​ - has anyone heard of a ���relay’ fic? If you have, please enlighten the rest of us. What about a single fic written by five different people? Does that happen? If you have any suggestions, I would appreciate it.

--

Also - as per usual, here are a few recs for the month. If you have any favourite stories (that you loved reading or even that you wrote - in any fandom), please let me know. I’d love to know what you’ve been reading and I never complain about new stories to read.

Love Keeps Her in the Air (series) by @bywayofmemory​​​ (2 Fics - T)

Summary: "Having no choice but to feel, River cherishes all the more deeply the ability to act. If only she knew what action to take." A study of River, working her way through the complications of falling in love, and Mal, trying very hard to avoid them. (Mal/River Post-Serenity) 

Why you should read it: We went to see Serenity on the big screen at our local theatre last weekend and it sucked me right back into my love of Mal/River. In this series, the character voices are just perfect and the plot is so plotty. So good.

- 

Sneakers and Saddle Shoes (series)  by @mistressofmalplaquet​​​ (3 fics - E) 

Summary: 1. Lingerie-inspired erotica. 2. Jughead plans a daytrip for his girl (ie. activities as extended seduction). 3. "Do not seek to tell your love, love that is not told can be..." Except Jughead can't help it, especially when Reggie threatens to make a move on Betty Cooper. (Bughead)

Why you should read it: If the summaries don’t grab you, then I don’t know what else I can say. Mistress is a fantastic writer - and this overly dramatic Jughead is really one of my faves. Add in MM’s lingerie kink and it’s a series you desperately need to revisit.

-

On the Observation of Trifles (series)  by @thepointoftheneedle​​ (2 fics - T)

Summary: 1. Bughead mystery story set in 1898 on board a transatlantic liner 2.  A prequel to the first story - How Jughead Jones and Betty Cooper met and fell in love while investigating a mystery involving Betty's sister and brother in law. (Bughead)

Why you should read it: Sleuthing Soulmates. Seriously. Also - Needle is one of the best Historical AU writers (and writers in general - no need to be specific). These are fun. Bughead is devoted. They’re clever. The mysteries are creative and not half-done. I reread all of Needle’s work several times a year - and this was a delightful revisit. If you haven’t read it - or even if you have - give yourself a gift today and reread. 

-

I hope you enjoy the recs and I hope you all have a wonderful long weekend.❤️ 

[fanfic-reading-challenge]

I’m so happy you’ve found a great blog for finding new fics to read! Blogs like that are the best. Makes me want to read every single fic rec’d on said blog haha. :D

Hii I just want to say thank you for all you do I’m doing a fanfic reading challenge and you blog has been a lifesaver finding fics that fit the tasks and I’ve read so many fics I would have never been able to find thanks to you

Aw thanks! That sounds like fun. Tell me more.

[jandjsalmon]

2022 Fanfiction Reading Challenge

June 2022 Stats  

Well, my friends. June was as crazy as I thought it would be. Aside from the whole horrible state of *gestures at everything*, the Salmon fam moved out of our house and into a hotel for a MONTH - right in time for the HS graduation of my middle son (and our fun impromptu grad trip to Los Angeles and my sunburn from hell). Thankfully, there are only SIX more sleeps until I’m in my brand new house. I have missed my own bed and I never thought I would say this - but I miss eating food I made myself in my own kitchen. You know how they say that adulthood is basically complaining about what to make for dinner every night until you die? Well eating out every night doesn’t change the fact that you still have to decide at which restaurant to eat... it’s a never ending problem (and an expensive one).

ANYWAY - enough about my real life. Let’s talk fic because we all need a little brightness in our lives right now because *gestures at everything* I’m JUST shy of 10 million words read and I’m just over halfway through the year. My goal of +20 mill for the year *might* be within reach.

Pairings were fun this month. I read 10 new ships (some highlights were Eddie/Chrissy from Stranger Things, Phoenix/Bob from Top Gun: Maverick, and even a Ted/Rebecca from Ted Lasso), I also read some of YOUR favourites (from your bookmarks on Ao3) - how else would I have found a heartbreakingly angsty Stevie/Alexis (Schitt’s Creek) fic if it weren’t for you? So thank you!

I’m still working on my Hard (72/88) and Extreme(35/65) challenges. There are several tasks at the @fanfic-reading-challenge​ that deal with minorities. Do any of you currently have favourite stories with a minority (any minority) as a main character that you can direct me to? 

Here are some of my favourite reads and rereads for this month. I hope you will read them and leave lots of loving reviews to let these awesome authors know how much you appreciate them.

-

Tumblr Meet Cute (2 fic series - T) by Toryb - Tory wrote this one several years ago and it was SO fun to revisit. Betty meets Jughead on tumblr - and they fall in love and then meet in person and it’s the sweetest thing ever. I was feeling nostalgic for Bughead fandom fluffiness and this fit the bit. Fellow Buggies - if you haven’t read these two one-shots yet, you need to. DO IT!

let's make some music (fuck all of the bullshit) by @feelavalanche​ (2/2 - E) - My girl wrote this one - and I am a SUCKER for Musician AUs. Fez and Lexi are both singers with grammy nominated albums and they are SO CUTE together. 

only good things happen here by @sweetsoundsofignorance​ (6/6 - E) - HELLO DARKNESS MY OLD FRIEND! Okay, so I had a lot of feelings while I read this one. It was dark. SO dark. But the final chapter was SO FREAKING cathartic! This fic is canon-divergent at the 'Key Party’ and includes a very dark Betty who does dark things for good reasons? It was both hard and wonderful to read. I don’t know how to explain it - but I think you should read it if you like morally grey (or morally black) characters and character motivation. 

Postcode Envy by @bewitchingredhead36​ (33/33 - E) - I started reading this Veronica Mars fic in 2014 on ff.net - and there was a big break and then the lovely author started posting chapters again 2022 (thankfully I was subscribed so I got the notification) and it was finally finished in June. The premise is - Cindy Mackenzie is hit in the head with a baseball and wakes up back in high school - but not as Cindy Mackenzie, but as Madison Sinclair (as if she wasn’t switched at birth at all) - but she remembers Veronica and Cassidy and Dick and Logan and everyone. 

-

Enjoy the recs - and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and happy July. 

[fanfic-reading-challenge]

I’ve started working on 2023’s challenge and I can already say that it will be a bit less confusing and visually busy along with reducing numbers of tasks and/or sub-tasks (i.e. 5 fics instead of 10 for one task).

I am open to any and all suggestions and concrit, what you like and don’t, things you’d like to see, etc! Private or public, here or @juuls or on Discord (Juulna#0508) or email (juulna.writes@gmail.com). I collaborated for 2022 and am more than open to collaborating/getting assistance (and credit for you!) from anyone, same people too, if you like. ❤️

We still have until early to mid-January though, so think about it! Any little bit helps.

Good news too! @saganarojanaolt is doing the badges again for 2022 and has already started/planning! I’m so excited for what I know of the project so far……. 😍😁

Take care of yourselves, dear ones!

~Juulna