My Top 10 Favorite KS Fanfics

[Breaker deGodot]

It strikes me that no one else has ever given a list like this, so I might as well be the first. All of the fanfics in my top 10 are finished. Unfinished fics might get an honorable mention, but they can't be considered complete, so to place them in the top ten would be premature. As always, please keep in mind that this list is purely subjective, and you are free to agree or disagree as you wish.

In no particular order, here are some Honorable Mentions:

Renaissance (by Thanatos02):
Rika Story (by Rikabro): http://ks.renai.us/viewtopic.php?f=52&t ... rika+route
Agoraphobia (by Doomish): http://ks.renai.us/viewtopic.php?f=52&t=6096
Of Hisao and Jigoro (byMrFictioneer):
Some Nights (by Doomish): http://ks.renai.us/viewtopic.php?f=52&t ... ome+nights
With Apologies to Team Silent (by Doomish): http://ks.renai.us/viewtopic.php?f=52&t=6009
Saki Pseudo-Route (by Themocaw): http://ks.renai.us/viewtopic.php?f=52&t=5923&hilit=saki
Mendacium (by Brogurt): http://ks.renai.us/viewtopic.php?f=52&t ... =mendacium
Breaking the Rules (by Eprlide): http://ks.renai.us/viewtopic.php?f=52&t ... les#p88759



10. Whiskey, Saki, and Other Spirits (by FluffandCrunch): http://ks.renai.us/viewtopic.php?f=52&t ... its#p92568
This story was interesting to me because of how it twists your expectations. At first it comes across as a rather creepy story about a girl trying to screw her teacher. Then it becomes apparent that this is actually Saki, not some random girl. I won't spoil what happens, but the fic goes into some pretty unexpected directions.

9. Katawa Kijo (by Mirage_GSM): http://ks.renai.us/viewtopic.php?f=52&t=2792
I'm tempted to call Mirage the most experienced KS fanfic writer on the site, and he certainly is one of the best. This story of his is undoubtedly my favorite however. It's premise is genius: what if the characters of Katawa Shoujo were mages? I suppose when I say it like that it sounds ridiculous, but it develops quite well. My only complaint is that the story is rather old, back from 2010, and as a result some of the characterizations are a bit off. Since the game had not yet been released in a completed form, it was impossible for Mirage to know that Misha was a lesbian. Still, it's justified perfectly well in the story, so I'm really just nitpicking.

8. Compromised (by CrossRook): http://ks.renai.us/viewtopic.php?f=52&t ... ompromised
I usually remain wary of OC stories in general, but “Compromised” is one of the better examples. The story concerns Koji Kawamori, who suffers from a missing eye, and residual scarring from a bad case of MRSA. He starts off acting like a genderflipped version of Hanako, but he develops into a very likeable character by the end. I was especially surprised by this since at the beginning of the story he comes off as an irritating twat. His romance with Jessica (also an OC) is well written, and comes across almost as well as the finished game. My main complaint is that the ending comes too quickly, and with a bit of an anticlimax. That being said, it is a very good piece of fanfiction.

7. Greater Than the Sum (by BlackWaltztheThird): http://ks.renai.us/viewtopic.php?f=52&t ... an+the+sum
Another OC story, this one is even better than the last. This time the entire cast is new, with little to know connection to the main characters. Katsuro, the protagonist, is a musically gifted young man who comes across as a completely normal guy. For me, this is the basis of the story's success; the protagonist is much more relateable than most other OC fanfics. It also finds time for a nice romance between the two leads, and an occasional bit of epic rocking. Like “Compromised”, the ending comes a bit quickly, and I think the epilogue is a tad unnecessary, but the positives vastly outweigh the negatives.

6. Closure (by WetCrate): http://ks.renai.us/viewtopic.php?f=52&t=4955
You know how people constantly get on Doomish's case for his fanfics being so depressing? Well this story gives Doomish a run for his money! In fact, the only fic I can think of that depressed me more than this was MAYBE “With Apologies to Harlan Ellison”. Anyway, “Closure”. The premise is that eight years after KS ended, Hisao has become a cold hearted and bitter person after the death of his wife Shizune. I wouldn't dare say any more than that for the sake of spoilers, but needless to say things get really dark REALLY fast.

5. Weekend at Hisao's (by themocaw): http://ks.renai.us/viewtopic.php?f=52&t=5361
This is perhaps the most popular Shizune fanfic around, and for good reason. I've always thought of this story as a sort of “Act 5” for Shizune (in my head canon, anyway). It finds a good balance of romance and comedy, and the characterization is spot on. It does a fantastic job of fleshing out Shizune's character and making her more sympathetic, while simultaneously keeping her as the same old Shiccan we know and (hopefully) love. The only complaint I can think of is the sex scenes, which are a bit too much for my taste. It wouldn't bother me normally, but since three chapters in a row are straight up smut, it seems rather excessive.

4. A three-way tie (all written by Mehkanik):
Two Plus Two:
L-look at Me!:
A Touch of White:
I'm lumping these three stories together because I don't see them as three separate entities, but instead as three (very long) chapters of the same fic. They all share a common story of depicting Hisao and Hanako living together. The stories are quite heartwarming, but never cross the line into glurge or overdone sentimentality. Instead they are well-crafted, pleasant stories to read. For the record, “L-look at Me!” is by far my favorite of the three, but all of them are great.

3. Family Matters – Lilly Epilogue (written anonymously): http://ks.renai.us/viewtopic.php?f=52&t ... ly+matters
Up until recently this was my favorite Katawa Shoujo fanfic, in no small part because Lilly is by far my favorite KS character (as you can tell from my signature). This story is unashamedly melodramatic, which works since Lilly's canon route itself was also shamelessly melodramatic. In this way the story captures the feels of Lilly's route extremely well, which is the main reason why I love it so much. The characterization of Lilly's dad is... interesting to say the least. I thought he was a one-dimensional asshole at first, but by the end he shows off considerable depth and symphathy as a character. Like with “Weekend at Hisao's” this story is pretty much head-canon for Lilly's route in my mind.

2. Reconciliation (by Robnonymous): http://ks.renai.us/viewtopic.php?f=52&t=5600
I was seriously considering placing this at number one, but I declined to do so for reasons I'll expound upon in a moment. Where to begin with this one? For one thing, this story is perhaps the most expertly written Katawa Shoujo fanfic I've ever read. Big props to Robnonymous for crafting such a great story. This story walks the thin line between genuine heartfelt emotion and melodrama so well that it's amazing how nicely it all turned out. I was at first wary of Sho's characterization (as an OC) because I thought he was a bit of a Gary Stu. However, as the plot continues he ends up being my favorite character in the story. Or at least he would be, if not for the epilogue. This is my only complaint with the story; the epilogue moves from Hanako's POV to Sho's, and he comes off as a bit of a dunce as a result, which is a real shame since he acted so confidently in the rest of the story. Still, while it may be enough to knock it out of the number one spot, it still is one of the best Katawa Shoujo fanfics there is.

1. Ascent – An Emilogue (by Mountaineer): http://ks.renai.us/viewtopic.php?f=52&t=5911
This story is way better than I ever would have expected. I'm no Emi hater, but she was never my favorite of the girls, so it was a real shock just how great this story came out. The reasons for it being my favorite fic are twofold; firstly, the story fits Katawa Shoujo perfectly. I could easily see this story as an “Act 5” for Emi, with perfect characterization and just enough of the feels. Secondly is the plot itself, which is a genuinely fascinating “What-if” story. It's also pleasantly long, but never outstays its welcome. The ending of the story is absolutely perfect, with no plot threads dangling, and no time or space wasted. It's basically flawless in every respect, with little to no noticable flaws at all. Hats off to Mountaineer for writing such an excellent story!


So those are my top 10 favorite KS fanfics! Feel free to agree, disagree, or recommend your own stories! (Sorry about the long post, BTW).

[WorldlyWiseman]

Hate to make a non-related reply, but...

How is Weekend at Hisao's not a play on Weekend at Bernie's?!

okay, I'll actually go read them now.

[FluffandCrunch]

How is Weekend at Hisao's not a play on Weekend at Bernie's?!

I would read this.

[Mahorfeus]

How is Weekend at Hisao's not a play on Weekend at Bernie's?!

I would read this.

StuCo dragging Hisao around after he has a fatal heart attack.

Cannot unsee.