What Does Casefic Mean?
Fic TypeA fic structured around a case or mission of the kind the canon characters professionally handle — a murder to solve, a monster to hunt, a heist to run. Essentially an original episode in prose form.
Casefic in Practice
Casefic flourishes in procedural, detective, and monster-of-the-week fandoms, where the canon format provides a ready-made plot engine. Writing one is widely regarded as genuinely hard: the author must construct an actual mystery or mission with clues, suspects, and a resolution, on top of the characterization that fic usually centers. For that reason good casefic earns particular respect, and the tag is often a draw for readers craving plot alongside or instead of romance. Many casefics braid a relationship arc through the case, using the investigation's forced proximity and danger to advance the emotional story.
Example usage
"It reads like a lost episode — proper casefic with an actual solvable mystery and the banter to match."
Related Terms
Gen
Fic without a romantic or sexual focus — stories centered on friendship, family, adventure, or character work. One of AO3's relationship categories, alongside F/M, M/M, F/F, Multi, and Other.
Definition →
Canon Compliant
A fic that fits within canon without contradicting it — filling gaps, expanding scenes, or exploring time the source material skipped. Everything canon says happened still happens.
Definition →
Fusion
An AU that pours one canon's characters into another canon's world — the crew reimagined inside the Hogwarts system, the detectives in the Pacific Rim universe. One cast, another world's rules.
Definition →
Read fanfiction 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 stories today.