swanqueen fic classics and essential reading (a thread)

the great wide somewhere (also known as the squirrel room fic)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/3087020/chapters/6690929

a very endearing mix of tropes, best friends on a road trip, and gays who can’t communicate

send up a signal (that everything’s fine)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/4607199/chapters/10499592

thee most kudos’d swanqueen fic (AND ouat fic) ever.

to hear her voice in the silence (aka thhvits or tit shiv)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19450495/chapters/46294771

the longest swanqueen fic at a whopping 714k words (over 1 million if you include the sequels). a slightly angsty but overall fluffy romance piece

the art of being extraordinary (aka taobe)

https://m.fanfiction.net/s/10971727/1/The-Art-of-Being-Extraordinary

MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH WARNING!! one of the most hyped up sq sad fics for good reason

for love or money (aka flom)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/14092752/chapters/32470500

hands down one of the most talked about and well loved swanqueen fics around. the blueprint for millionaire mills

the secret’s in the telling

https://archiveofourown.org/works/583622/chapters/1048316

one of the more plotty fics out there but def a classic and must read. during october you can pretty easily find people to do a group reread with too!

down the rabbit hole

https://archiveofourown.org/works/2437955/chapters/5399234

a slow burn modern au featuring author regina and a bookstore. what’s not to love?

someone will remember us (aka swru)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16740598/chapters/39269995

one of the most influential student teacher aus. not my personal cup of tea but would highly recommend to anyone who likes them

take me home tonight

https://archiveofourown.org/works/6993820/chapters/15935149

ever heard “for your first lesson, when a woman puts her hand on your thigh… she’s interested”? that’s from this fic

a fine line

https://archiveofourown.org/works/719105/chapters/1332707

one of my most favorite “classic” fics. lots of angst and melancholic bonding at the townline with a happy ending

adventures with cora mills

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27331087/chapters/66776731

probably the most well known (and longest running) crack fics within sq fandom. each chapter can pretty much be read on its own

if the blazer fits

https://archiveofourown.org/works/1054211/chapters/2110535

an overall very sweet fic with some drama towards the end. has a cute spin off one shot too called “if the baby fits”

meet me halfway

https://archiveofourown.org/works/813426/chapters/1538000

this is def one of the first fics that comes to mind when I hear “classic swanqueen” fic. one of the first ones I read tbh

wicked games

https://archiveofourown.org/works/10954092/chapters/24380043

now this is a fic you hear abt a lot, esp if you like dom regina. a very memorable fic with stuff like “the mirror scene”

adrenalize me

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16631258/chapters/38989136

and to be fair to the dom emma lovers I list one of the most talked about dom emma fics

miss swan goes to storybrooke (aka msgts)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15000386/chapters/34766807

one of my top fics on this list. it isn’t really old enough for me to call it a classic but it’s such a good read. it is very popular for very good reason

the loudest silence

https://archiveofourown.org/works/3793918/chapters/8445976

a widely loved fic that was even turned into a novel !! very epic

colstead and remma

https://archiveofourown.org/works/5656066/chapters/13027483

did you know that swanqueen used to be called remma? dark times...

double trouble

https://archiveofourown.org/works/755870/chapters/1412813

I read this years ago but I can still remember it so vividly. such a little adventure with double the swanqueen

five years

https://archiveofourown.org/works/2822105 

this is one of those fics that you see pop up every christmas season without fail. deliciously angsty

safe

https://archiveofourown.org/works/851141/chapters/1627241

a heavy fic at times due to being based around healing from trauma so I encourage cation when reading

so does that make us both the other woman

https://archiveofourown.org/works/1465672/chapters/3088384

one of Thee classics in my humble opinions. instantly pops into my mind when I’m asked abt “classic” fics

right there all the time

https://archiveofourown.org/works/3290426/chapters/7180775

pls this is such a soft one. a very “omg they’re basically married but think they’re besties” classic

when magic collides

https://archiveofourown.org/works/3632313/chapters/8022750

this fic gives me such nostalgia bc i remember finding it from a tumblr fic recs list back around when it first finished. has a very cute spin off too called “henry saw mommy kissing santa clause”

the staircase

https://archiveofourown.org/works/662064/chapters/1207932

this is one of those classics that can be very hit or miss for people. deals with some triggering subject matter so be cautious

of love and loathing

https://archiveofourown.org/works/657101/chapters/1197598

a big classic for sq fandom. tho the sequel isn’t finished so be aware of that before diving in

lattes and lace

https://archiveofourown.org/works/5620858/chapters/12948058

not 100% sure if this really counts as a classic but it was also made into a book so it feels like it’s worth putting on here

the sun inside

https://archiveofourown.org/works/668000/chapters/1220167

this was probably one of the first magic baby fics I ever read and one of the oldest fics on here. very good read in my opinion

curse you and your dinner

https://archiveofourown.org/works/4108594/chapters/9258613

this is also one of those fics that gives me nostalgia and feels very Classic in my mind, you know? tackles regina absorbing the death curse incase that’s something that bugs u like it does me

love undefined

https://archiveofourown.org/works/8735854/chapters/20027767

all the way from supernova I. we have come such a ways gays. this is a kind of angsty but also cute fic of gays who are just very Human u know little bit stupid but lots of love

building windmills

https://archiveofourown.org/works/8232626/chapters/18867113

I don’t think I’ve added any juicecup fics on here yet which is a shame bc so many were formative to my swanqueen fic experience such as this one with its “little idiot gays have a romcom in a cabin” plot

that drunken night (I hardly remember)

https://m.fanfiction.net/s/10004568/1/That-Drunken-Night-I-Hardly-Remember

omg this is one of the first sq fics I read like Ever. it fits that vibe a lot of classics have of like storybrooke swanqueen post-neverland fall in love and r gay u know

educating emma

https://m.fanfiction.net/s/8596228/1/Educating-Emma

help this fic is always on my ef fic rec list bc I love it sm. one of the real oldies on this list but a real classic in my mind

a trail of destruction

https://m.fanfiction.net/s/9254493/1/A-Trail-Of-Destruction

hands down one of my favorite s1 rewrites. very good read. there’s also a rewrite in progress on a03 but it’s only at about chapter 15 rn

pointed

https://archiveofourown.org/works/1312777/chapters/2728363

(it says mcd but it’s not emma or regina, dw) vampires and werewolves plus a lil sum else for all lovers of the supernatural