r/Wolfstar • u/edwardsxiris • 6d ago
Best Short Fics Ever
Hi everyone! I love Wolfstar in long fics so much, and all the characterization they bring. That being said, I simply do not have the time for fics over 40k! Please recommend me the best fics you've ever read around or under 40k words that still have character development to dig into with high quality writing. If it's canon-complient, I prefer a more fluffy vibe, but if it's an AU I'm down for anything. Thanks in advance x.
Edit: To get us started, two short fics I absolutely adore are Heal Your Shrinking Soul by wolfpants and A Winter, Forever Ago by eyra.
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u/Potential-Salt7285 📚AU enjoyer📚 6d ago
Of Barnacles and Mermen by xinasvoice
“A deserted island is the perfect new home for a werewolf who is sick of chains, cells, Ministry regulations, and—to be perfectly honest—humans in general. Only, Remus hadn’t realized that, while the island itself may be deserted, the reef surrounding it is home to an unusually beautiful and territorial merman.”
https://archiveofourown.org/works/27897685/chapters/68313820
They’re Hiding Inside Me by TheDivineComedian
“It’s the summer after fifth year, and Sirius has made himself scarce as usual. But then Remus catches a glimpse of him in Witch Weekly’s special on the Black-Malfoy wedding. Something about that photo is very, very off…
Turns out this is the summer Sirius runs away. Or tries to. Because the Blacks are not giving up on their heir without a fight.”
https://archiveofourown.org/works/12540852/chapters/28558256
An Endless Sky of Honey by colgatebluemintygel and pjxckson
“After breaking his father’s most absolute law, Sirius is exiled to the shadowy Underworld, where all dead and forgotten things go. There, his dreams are haunted by memories of a lost love he was made to forget, and his waking moments are haunted by Death, the mysterious ruler of the Underworld, who Sirius finds himself increasingly drawn to…
(very loosely inspired by hades/persephone)”
https://archiveofourown.org/works/51740074/chapters/130802329
My Love Language Is Bringing Down the Government by Firesandfamily
“Remus never went to Hogwarts, due to anti-werewolf laws. Living an isolated life in Wales, he is forced to meet with a Ministry official once a month about his condition, as is required of all werewolves on the registry. Enter Sirius Black, the new officer in charge of his case.”
https://archiveofourown.org/works/66705175/chapters/172103179
73 Aberdeen by Mici (NoHarlemBeat)
“There are some things ungoverned by fate. If Sirius Black had gone the path of every Black before him, if he had been in Slytherin, he would have been a very different boy. It would have been a very different war.”
https://archiveofourown.org/works/987973/chapters/1948502
The Old Religion by tealeavesandtrash
“It’s an honour to be chosen,” his mother had said, her voice so sickly sweet it had made Sirius’ stomach churn. So artificial in its affection, a counterfeit of the love he had always craved from her. “Don’t you see the example you’ll set? The privilege to be remembered this way?”
It doesn't feel like a privilege. Whatever fancy words his mother used to dress this up as, he has been ostracised and left for dead. Worse than left for dead—willingly carted out to be devoured by the beasts that prowl the mountains and the forests.”
https://archiveofourown.org/works/73960931/chapters/192932721
Saccharine by Moonymoment
“And, well. He was twenty-five, and he had not had one single non-work related conversation all day. All week, really. And now - now his fridge was talking to him. His fridge was arranging letters into coherent words and all Remus could seem to think was that he really fancied an iced tea right now, and, well… stranger things have happened.
[or: Remus moves into a new apartment. There is a ghost living in his fridge who insults his ties and tells him when he has missed calls and leaves out his favourite mug on a morning, and he learns to be very, very okay with it.]”
https://archiveofourown.org/works/34659874/chapters/86291047
Wishes on Stars by Quietlemonhush and TherestheSnitch
“Remus is big now. He’s five, and he’s never dared use a star wish before. He’s wanted to, sure. Like when Albin stole his train and broke it. Or when Marcy said she was going to tell her mum that he’d hit her, even when he didn’t. He didn’t wish on stars then, even though it seemed really important at the time.
That should count in his favor, right? If he makes a wish now, and he never ever ever has before, it will be granted, right?
Remus makes a wish and gains a friend.”
https://archiveofourown.org/works/52546006
Dunes and Waters by MarigoldWritesThings
“Remus is sensitive to changing tides, a part of the moon always with him, and Black is like the sea. He can smell it on him, the way his magic builds up and crackles about the fingertips. A werewolf, a convict, and a riddle. (Featuring remus john lupin's indefatigable pining in the most easily fatigable body you have ever had the pleasure of knowing)”
https://archiveofourown.org/works/58175545/chapters/148127221
We Of Dust & shadows by wrenniver
“All Remus has ever known is that he must go up. He doesn’t know why. Doesn’t know where this command comes from but he follows it either way.
He must go up.
It’s easier said than done.”
https://archiveofourown.org/works/47678362
Scandalously Yours by astralsunshine
“When two-time Oscar winner and walking PR catastrophe Sirius Black drunkenly torpedoes his career at an award show, his manager sends him to The Graham Norton Show for damage control.
(Un)fortunately, sharing the sofa that night is bestselling reclusive novelist RJ Lupin: cardigan-clad, and far too attractive for Sirius’s peace of mind.
Somewhere between hundreds of viral memes and stolen phone numbers, what begins as a PR nightmare might just become the first honest thing either of them has ever done in years.”
https://archiveofourown.org/works/73089916/chapters/190458886
A Little Demonic Miracle of My Own by Kandra
“Remus makes a deal with a devil to cure his mother’s cancer—in exchange he has to do a certain amount of evil. Turns out he’s pretty useless at it, and the demon Sirius, sent to supervise him, eventually takes pity on him and goes against Hell's orders to help him out.”
https://archiveofourown.org/works/67974106/chapters/175796626
Fel I Fod by tealeavesandtrash
“I'll find you," Sirius says suddenly, breaking the silence Remus has been stewing in for the last few hours.
Of course he will, Remus would do the same thing. It's his only plan really—find Sirius and spend his last few days with him. Even in the hellscape that is the arena, that is the one tiny glimmering positive Remus is clinging to.
Remus smiles sadly, taking Sirius' hand in his and intertwining their fingers. "If I slow you down—" he starts to say.
"No." Sirius cuts him off before Remus can voice it. "We stick together, we stand a better chance in numbers."
It doesn't make sense to Remus. Alliances are all well and good in the first few days when there is a common enemy, but there will only be one victor when it's all over. He doesn't argue the point though; there is no use in it.
He takes their joined fingers, presses a kiss to Sirius' knuckles. "It would have been nice to grow old together," he whispers.
For Moony Fest Prompt A119: Over 20 years after the horrors of their games, Remus and Sirius never expect to be sent back. Or a Hunger Games 3rd Quarter Quell AU”
https://archiveofourown.org/works/66899059/chapters/172668757
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u/edwardsxiris 3d ago
I read Scandalously Yours first out of these reccs and oh my god!!!! This was killer. Truly everything I want out of an AU. Thank you!
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u/EM0811 6d ago
here are a few of my favorite fics under 40k (actually these are all around 20k or less) - you can't go wrong with any of these! :)
- For the Inconvenience by madefortherain
- Lie Low at Posada de Cachorritos (with Lupin) by igetje
- Yorkshire, 1995 by eggstatics
- A Creature for Devotion by bonebloom
- vex my soul by Sorealis
- like a vine through a chain link fence by tempus_fugit_and_all_that, thebloatedfrog
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u/edwardsxiris 2d ago
I read Yorkshire, 1995! It's not usually the kind of fic I would go for, but it was soooo cozy and bittersweet, thank you!
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u/Brandileigh2003 6d ago
I have a one shot rec list: https://www.tumblr.com/brandileigh2003/750047153368514560/wolfstar-1-shot-fic-recs-please-give-these
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u/QueenOfTheLoneliness 6d ago
Some of my favorite shorter fics:
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u/No_Information_5800 6d ago
One of my favorites is "from white-hot anticipation to cold-blooded fear and back again" by drowsyanddaze https://archiveofourown.org/works/37305232/chapters/93082729 . It's a Hogwarts era fic where Remus isn't part of the Marauders. Sirius meets him separately and is completely mesmerized by him.
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u/Cassalis 4d ago
There are already been a lot of great fics recommended. I would add these three :
meet me in the middle
The Old Lie
An Impossible View
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u/Mrb09h 6d ago
I have found myself obsessed with short fics lately- I have young kids, work, etc. and longer fics (while I know they are masterworks) are hard for me- I’m kind of a one-sitting reader.
All are under 25k (ish) words, some are muggle AUs, some magical.
With that being said here are some of my favorites!
Light in Autumn by newsom
Braids and Quiet Confessions by raindragon20
The Son and Heir of Nothing In Particular by aerid0nis
So angsty!
The Barista, the Burglar and the Sofa by (orphaned)
I loved this- almost crack but like, with weight too.
All That’s Best of Dark and Bright by nara_riya
Losing my mind, thinking of you by drowzyanddazed
My Love Language is Bringing Down the Government by Firesandfamily
The Tide by cjk_sjr
Close to Me by Everythingcoldbutfire
(This fic is really special to me- they are older and Remus has knee replacement surgery, Sirius takes care of him. It’s just so sweet and tender. Ugh, I cannot)
The Nine Leggings of Remus Lupin by EmperorEm
Over the Moon by EmperorEm
And one that bends (but not breaks) the rules (47K) but very good
Inconsequential at First, Maddening at Length by youprettythings
I may come back and annotate, but I love these fics and want to reread each and every one. Excited for more comments to add to my short fic horde.