Angst
Stories focused on emotional pain, drama, and intense feelings.
What is Angst in fanfiction?
Stories focused on emotional pain, drama, and intense feelings. With over 980,000 works on Archive of Our Own, Angst is one of the most beloved tropes in fanfiction.
Why readers love Angst
Sometimes you want to feel deeply - angst delivers emotional catharsis and meaningful character exploration.
Examples of Angst
Unrequited love, misunderstandings, tragic backstories, emotional confrontations.
Best Angst Fanfics
The highest-rated Angst stories across all fandoms on AO3.
All the Young Dudes
Completeby MsKingBean89
LONG fic charting the marauders' time at Hogwarts (and beyond) from Remus' PoV - diversion from canon in that Remus's father died and he was raised in a children's home, and is a bit rough around the edges. Otherwise canon-compliant.1971 - 1995This IS a wolfstar fic, but incredibly slow burn. Litera
you took my heart (i was sleeping)
Completeby lameparties
It’s winter in Hawkins, and Mike and Will aren’t speaking anymore. Living in Mike’s house, Will tries to be invisible, spending most of his time in the basement. Then the power goes out — and if there’s one thing he dreads more than facing Mike, it’s the cold. or Seven nights in which Mike and Will
Dark Matter
Completeby mysterycyclone
The last thing Peter sees is Tony's horrified, heartbroken expression leaning over him. The guilt in his eyes is almost worse than the burning pain that's taking Peter apart piece by piece. The world starts to go dark.There's a flash of gold and green. For one moment, he finds himself standing among
In Another Life
Completeby LittleLuxray
Sleeping didn't come as easy as it used to. Bokuto knew this, and now Akaashi did, too.The hospital AU that no body asked for, but that I took upon myself to write.
Viridian: The Green Guide
Completeby Clouds (myheadinthecoudsnotcomingdown)
After his dream is finally crushed, Izuku isn’t quite sure there’s anything left for him to live for, but...he can’t exactly kill himself either, not without hurting the people he cares the most about. So, when he realizes that the quirkless can’t technically be vigilantes, it seems like the best of
The Way You Used To Do
Completeby edema_ruh
"We're really sorry," his father says, in a teary-eyed, wobbly way. "But your friend, Izuku, he's... He's gone, son."Katsuki can do nothing but blink up at them for moments that feel like an eternity, eyes darting between both his parents in obvious confusion, disbelief, and, more than anything, ind
The Standard You Walk Past
Completeby bafflinghaze
On returning to Hogwarts for their Eighth Year, Headmistress McGonagall decided to room Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter together. She may have hoped for a leading example of house unity; the other students fully expected insults and fights. But nothing happened.That was, until Harry sleepwalked into D
tommyinnit's clinic for supervillains
Completeby bonesandthebees (bonesandcacti)
“W-What do you- I mean can I- are you here to rob us?” The person managed to stammer out. Siren snorted. “No. I’m just here to order some food.” “Wh-What about him?” The cashier asked, glancing at Tommy. “Did you- did you kidnap him?” “I mean… yeah, let’s go with that in case this ends up on
you've got the antidote for me
Completeby Kandakicksass
When Harry Potter unintentionally severs their soulbond before it can fully form, Draco Malfoy resigns himself to a slow death and decides not to burden Harry with a soulmate he's made it very clear he doesn't want.He's never been selfless before, but for Harry, he can try.
count your blessings, not your flaws
Completeby PitViperOfDoom
Midoriya Izuku has never been asked out, confessed to, or flirted with, except as a joke.
The Cadence of Part-time Poets
Completeby motswolo
“They’re… chaos,” Remus said firmly. “And chaos is—”“Rock and roll.”He looked at Sirius sharply, and for once, matched his grin. “Yeah.”“Maybe that’s my excuse then,” Sirius said. “I cause a bit of chaos now, and maybe one day, it’ll turn into rock and roll.”After losing his mother at age eleven, Re
Tea and No Sympathy
Completeby who_la_hoop
It's Potter's fault, of course, that Draco finds himself trapped in the same twenty-four-hour period, repeating itself over and over again. It's been nearly a year since the unpleasant business at Hogwarts, and Draco's getting on with his life quite nicely, thank you, until Harry sodding Potter step
True Love
Completeby platonic_boner
AU where soulmates can’t lie to each other.(That’s okay, Merlin wasn’t planning to lie to Arthur anyways! Haha.. ha.. ha…)
What The Fuck Did You Just Call Me?
Completeby reading_raindrop
“A-ah B-Bakugou! You dropped some pencils!”Katsuki stiffened. Kirishima and Kaminari froze. Basically, everyone within earshot stopped what they were doing to look at Izuku like he sprouted a second head. What did he just call him? “What the fuck did you just say to me?”Katsuki whipped his head towa
I'm Reading Your Lips (You're Speaking My Language)
Completeby some1_around
Rozanov cocked his head. “You speak Russian? Or just the curse words?” “Yes, I speak Russian,” he snapped, defensive and angry. He knew that it had been a mistake to even try to be friendly with Rozanov. “Why? Do I not look Russian to you?” He scoffed. “No, not really,” Rozanov said. Some of his tea
I'll be Jane
Completeby gurlsrool
It’s not going viral because Jane’s true identity was exposed—or even because Ilya was blatantly sexting in public. That part’s as expected as Shane doing yoga or any human being on earth breathing. No, the texts are going viral because no one can believe how bad this “Jane” is at sexting. The women
Choices
Completeby MesserMoon
People make mistakes, but they also make choices. It’s important to James, that difference. He does his best not to confuse the two.
Astronomy In Reverse
Completeby pansley
A year after the Winter Soldier failed his mission in DC, Bucky Barnes is doing his best to stay under the radar from both Hydra and Steve Rogers. His hope for a peaceful day-to-day life in limbo goes awry, however, when he meets Queens’ newest hero; a pure-hearted kid with a death wish and a ridicu
that’s the art of getting by
Completeby sarewolf
“What do you want me to do?” Remus says, tiredly. All he wants is to curl up on his bed. Smoke a pack of cigarettes. Get drunk. He can’t stop looking at Harry. “Remus...” Dumbledore is gentle. Remus hates when he has that tone. Hates that he knows it will hurt. “There is no one else left.” A bitter
The Shape of Me Will Always be You
Completeby MissDisoriental
A post-canon Hannigram fix-it fic.Fan videos here and hereAnimations hereFanart masterpost herePodfics here, here and hereFan playlist hereTranslations in Deutsch | 中文 | Ελληνικά | Magyar | ไทย | Русский | Polski | Cymraeg | Español | Українська
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Related Tropes
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Angst fics are on AO3?
There are over 980,000 works tagged with Angst on Archive of Our Own.
What fandoms have the most Angst stories?
Popular fandoms for Angst include Supernatural, Good Omens, Attack on Titan.
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