OUAT Fanfiction
ABC's fairy-tale mashup strands storybook characters in Storybrooke, Maine, where the Evil Queen is the mayor and the Savior is a bail bondswoman. The fandom's twin engines are Captain Swan — Emma and Hook's canon pirate romance — and Swan Queen, the Emma/Regina pairing whose co-parenting subtext built one of femslash's largest bodies of work. Curse rewrites, Enchanted Forest AUs, and redemption arcs for every villain reflect a show that was always fanfiction-shaped to begin with.
Start Reading OUAT Fanfiction
Explore 40,000 OUAT stories on Archive of Our Own, sorted by popularity. Then enjoy the best reading experience with Fanfict Reader.
📱 Download Fanfict Reader for offline reading, custom themes, and seamless sync across devices.
What is OUAT fanfiction?
OUAT fanfiction is fan-created stories set in the Once Upon a Time universe. With over 40,000 works on Archive of Our Own, OUAT is one of the most popular fandoms in the fanfiction community.
These stories explore beloved characters like Emma Swan, Regina Mills, Killian Jones, Snow White, and many more. Writers create everything from short one-shots to epic novel-length adventures, exploring relationships, alternate universes, and "what if" scenarios.
Most Popular OUAT Fanfics
These are the highest-rated OUAT stories on AO3, ranked by kudos from readers.
Reassurance
by sithmarauder (fantasyrose)
Drabble. "Once upon a time, he might have owned the world." Prussia/Austria.
Broadway Baby
by Nyctic
She opened the door and sighed. “You can’t be serious. Just what the hell do you want with me?” I grabbed her arm before she could go back into the theatre. “We’re soulmates, Will. That’s what I want. You…”IMPORTANT: Okay... So I know it's not actually Supernatural fandom, but it's a dead fand
Where There Are No Mirrors
by SplinteredQuill
Post Curse/FTL (AU) - The curse has been broken and everyone has returned to Fairy Tale Land. Or have they? Emma and Henry are no where to be found. Who and what will it take to find them in this strange world?
Breathing
by queenoftheslayers
Emma. Could. Not. Breathe.
Grandfather Time
by BophadesKnuttsPhD
A man, once dubbed ‘The Oncoming Storm’, lives a quiet life as a clock repairman in the small town of Storybrook.
Valiance
by Ephemeral_Everlast
No one is born brave, everyone has to live with the choices they've made, the regrets they've willingly caused. But a vision of insight can change all of that. Nothing is ever truly lost, if one is willing to fight for it. RumBelle
A Samhain's night dream
by things_about
A Once Upon a Time Halloween fanfiction."Don't tell me you're afraid of the dark, Madam Mayor..." Emma said, teasingly, as she provocatively inched closer to Regina.
Places Yet to Find
by relaxovision
Aurora's journey has changed her. But after waking up from his curse Phillip isn't quite the same, either. Sometimes a journey makes you fall in love. Sometimes it makes you grow apart.
Finding Home
by agnes_stewart
"His hand curled into a fist, as if trying to pluck me out of the window and bring me to him. I didn't know who he was, but he was always there. As long as I could remember, he had lived next-door, watching me with broken eyes. I didn't know his name." This is Paige, as she discovers her past.
I Dreamed a Dream
by ForeThot
She threw herself off the tower. She died. In her last moments, Belle sings.
It is Love: It is Strength
by littlegreenfish
Everyone is crying out to Emma, but no one can reach her.
Doubt
by DoctorGold88
What if Emma believed August?
Another Tale To Be Told
by xxx_Ari_xxx
Emma and Mary-Margaret have returned to Storybrooke, leaving the Enchanted Forest behind. Unfortunatley, they have some unwelcome tag alongs. Cora and Hook have come to Storybrooke, and Hook is determined to take Mr. Gold out. Can Emma keep Mr. Gold safe while protecting herself?
Sickness Love
by brokenheartstillbeat
It's been seven years since the attempted murder of Emma Swan, and Regina Mills is safely behind bars. That is until someone begins stalking both of them. Now both under federal protection, will they continue this game between them or will a common threat bring them together? ( Swan Queen, completel
Three Incantations.
by orphan_account
Rumpelstiltskin realizes magic cannot fix this issue. For once in his life, it can truly make it worse.
Once Upon a Timepiece
by dracox_serdriel
Just outside New Orleans, a small town becomes home to fairy-tale miracles, drawing the attention of the supernatural world. The Winchesters investigate, but they could be dealing with something they've never dealt with before: a powerful curse on fairy tale characters.
Érase una vez
by SylviaMaria
Stevie y Stacy necesitan la ayuda de su madre para algo muy especial. / Samcedes AU. Regalo de cumpleaños para Rosa Elena.
Show Me Belle
by musingofmychoosing
Set during Skin Deep, when Rumplestiltskin tells Belle to fetch some straw, but really he is letting her go. Regina never shows up to change Belle's mind about leaving Rumplestiltskin. He decides to keep an eye on her throughout her journey.
Lost Forever
by agentcheeky
When Henry's family comes to rescue him, it's too late. A fic about Henry and how he became Lost and became known as The Believer. Hopefully you'll enjoy it, my first fanfic on this page.
Tribute
by insanityizgood
The Dark One is bored, which means it's time for tribute. Unwilling to ignite an intense rivalry, Regina decides to give Rumplestiltskin a gift he can't possibly refuse, although he may not know it himself. Belle of Avonlea is the perfect woman to sate the imp's mischievousness. Little does the Quee
OUAT Fanfics by Length
Pick a reading commitment — from one-sitting one-shots to 100k+ epics:
Popular OUAT Ships
SwanQueen
Emma Swan/Regina Mills
The savior and the Evil Queen, sworn enemies who co-parent the same son and keep sacrificing themselves for each other across cursed realms. Once Upon a Time never made it canon, but Swan Queen became one of femslash fandom's all-time powerhouses regardless.
17,000 works →
CaptainSwan
Killian Jones/Emma Swan
Captain Hook climbed a beanstalk with the savior, recognized a fellow lost soul, and spent the next five seasons proving a pirate could be worth believing in. Their canon wedding mid-musical-episode crowned Once Upon a Time's most popular het ship.
11,000 works →
Rumbelle
Rumplestiltskin/Belle French
Once Upon a Time's Beauty and the Beast riff: the Dark One takes a caretaker and gets the one person who sees the man beneath the curse. Their chipped teacup became the show's most famous prop, and their cycle of love and relapse fueled years of fic.
7,000 works →
Common OUAT Tropes
Popular Characters
Frequently Asked Questions
How many OUAT fanfics are on AO3?
There are over 40,000 OUAT fanfiction works on Archive of Our Own, making it one of the platform's largest fandoms.
What are the best OUAT ships?
Popular OUAT pairings include SwanQueen, CaptainSwan, Rumbelle. Each ship has thousands of dedicated stories exploring their relationship.
How can I read OUAT fanfiction on my phone?
Download Fanfict Reader for iOS to browse and read OUAT fanfiction with a beautiful mobile interface, offline reading, and custom themes.
Read OUAT on the go
Fanfict Reader is the best way to browse, search, and read AO3 fanfiction on your iPhone. Download for free and start reading your favorite OUAT fics today.