Anime and manga fanfiction writers
Read anime, manga and video game fanfiction written by fans for fans, or post your own and get paid by your readers. Exclusive chapters and author’s notes from independent fanfiction writers who update on their own schedule.
What fanfiction is and why it matters so much in otaku culture
Fanfiction (fanfic, or just fic) is a new story written with the characters and world of something that already exists, whether that’s an anime, a manga, a video game, a light novel or a movie. Fanfic writers take whatever made them fall for a series and pull on that thread. It might be the scene canon skipped, the ending you wish you’d gotten, the relationship that was only ever hinted at, the impossible crossover, or what a side character gets up to when nobody’s watching.
In Japan, derivative fan work has had its own name for decades. Doujinshi, self-published fan works, are a respected form of expression with their own event circuit (if fan comics are your thing, check out the doujin manga category). Online, sites like Archive of Our Own, Wattpad and Pixiv’s novel section hold huge libraries written by fandoms all over the world. For a lot of fans, reading fic is how they stay inside a story after the anime is over.
On OtakuOshi, fanfiction writers publish for their own community of readers: exclusive chapters, ongoing series, one-shots, complete light novels, author’s notes and behind-the-scenes material from the writing process. You can read with a subscription or by buying a single story, and the earnings go straight to the writer.
Types of fic you can read and post
From a drabble you finish in five minutes to a series that keeps you company for months. These are the most common formats.
Multi-chapter series
Regular updates (weekly, biweekly or monthly), with early access for subscribers. This is the format for long plots, with arcs, characters who grow and that chapter-ending cliffhanger that has you counting the days until the next one.
One-shots and short stories
Self-contained stories in a single chapter. An ordinary day in the characters’ lives, the scene the series never showed, an alternate ending or a lost moment between two arcs. Perfect for when you want a complete story in one sitting.
Light novels and longfics
Long works with a novel’s structure, a big cast, careful worldbuilding and intertwining plots. They’re published in full or chapter by chapter. This is home turf for writers with the ambition and pacing of a Japanese light novel.
Alternate universes and crossovers
Familiar characters in new settings (AU, alternate universe), whether that’s a high school, a medieval kingdom, a starship or a present-day office. Or characters from different series sharing a plot (crossover). This is where fandom gets the most experimental.
Author’s notes and process
The writing behind the writing. How the idea was born, character profiles, maps, timelines, the playlist each chapter was written to, deleted scenes and thoughts on the plot. Exclusive content for subscribers who enjoy the craft as much as the story.
Commissioned stories
You pitch a scenario, a pairing, a prompt or a premise, and the writer turns it into a custom story, from a dedicated one-shot to a special chapter. Details are agreed through the platform’s messaging system.
For readers: how to read fanfic from your favorite writers
When you subscribe to a fanfiction writer on OtakuOshi, you get the exclusive content they publish for their readers. Depending on the writer and the tier you choose, that can include chapters before everyone else sees them, subscriber-only stories, author’s notes, character profiles, drafts, commission priority and polls where you vote on plotlines, ships or where the story goes next.
Before you start reading, check each story’s info page: what it’s about, which series it’s based on, its length, whether it’s ongoing or complete, and its rating and warnings. As soon as you subscribe or buy the story, you have access.
There’s fanfic in every genre and every mix of genres (you’ll find them listed below). Writers tag by genre, pairing (ship), universe, tone and warnings, so it’s easy to find what you want and skip what you don’t. Subscription and payment details are on the payouts page, and the full rundown is on the How it works page.
For fanfiction writers: post your fics and get paid
If you write fic for anime, manga, video games, light novels or any other corner of otaku culture, OtakuOshi gives you a professional space to publish it and get paid by readers who are looking for good storytelling (more on the creators page).
Publish in whatever format works best for you, from a standalone drabble to a complete light novel. You decide what stays free so new readers can find you and what you keep for each subscription tier.
Every post gets its own info page (detailed below), with the update schedule and estimated chapter count if the story is still in progress. Tags by series, genre, ship and tone help readers who share your tastes find you.
You choose how to get paid. You can offer monthly subscriptions with several tiers (say, one with the weekly chapter and a premium tier with early access, author’s notes and commission priority), sell individual chapters or stories with pay-to-unlock, and accept tips and custom commissions. To grow your reach, you can also join the affiliate program. The financial terms are on the payouts page.
How to write fanfiction, from idea to posting
Every writer has their own habits, but almost every story goes through these stages.
Fandom and premise
You pick the universe, the characters and the starting idea. You revisit the source material (timeline, personalities, relationships, lore) and decide what kind of story you want to tell, whether it’s canon-compliant, an AU, a crossover, a what-if or a continuation. What drives everything else is your connection to that series.
Plot and characters
You build the plot, whether it’s a simple vignette or a long arc with subplots and twists. And you dig deeper into the characters than the series did, with their motivations, inner conflicts, an expanded backstory and the way they relate to each other. If it’s an AU, you also have to build the new world.
First draft
Some writers plan chapter by chapter with a detailed outline, and others would rather let the characters lead. Either way, the goal is the same: every character should sound like themselves, and the universe, original or alternate, has to hold together.
Revising and editing
Time to go over spelling and grammar, consistency, dialogue, description, scene pacing and tone. It usually takes several passes before a chapter is done.
Beta reading
The next step is usually handing the draft to beta readers, people you trust who point out inconsistencies, suggest improvements and tell you when a character has slipped out of voice (the dreaded OOC). It’s the step that polishes a story the most before it goes up.
Posting and delivery
You fill in the info page, choose whether the update is public or exclusive, set a price if there is one and publish. Your subscribers get it right away. If it’s a series, it pays to set an update schedule and stick to it.
Genres, subgenres and tags
Fic covers almost every genre there is. These are the ones you’ll run into most on OtakuOshi.
Romance — The fandom staple, focused on the relationship between characters, with tropes like slow burn, enemies to lovers, friends to lovers and fake dating. Adventure — Quests, battles and exploring the world of the source material. Drama — Intense emotional conflict, moral dilemmas and characters who change along the way. Angst — Pain, loss and high-stakes situations, often with a comforting ending (hurt/comfort). Slice of life — The characters’ everyday lives, away from the main plot.
Comedy — Humor, absurd situations and group dynamics that write themselves. Fantasy — Magic, creatures and power systems, often as an AU. Sci-fi — Technology, space travel and dystopian or utopian futures. Horror and mystery — Tension, dread and puzzles to solve. Crossover — Characters and universes from different series in the same story.
Every story carries tags for genre, subgenre, ship (character pairing), warnings and tone. That way you find what you’re looking for and avoid what you’d rather not read.
Reading formats and story info
Here’s how fanfics are published and read on OtakuOshi.
Text (posted directly)
Stories are published right on the platform as rich text, with paragraphs, italics, bold, scene breaks and author’s notes. You read them on the web from any device, with nothing to download.
PDF and EPUB
For complete works or collections, the writer can offer a download as a laid-out PDF or as an EPUB for e-readers. It’s made for light novels, one-shot collections and finished fics you want to keep and read offline.
Metadata and tags
Each post shows the title, summary, genre, subgenre, main characters, source series, ship (if any), word and chapter count, status (ongoing or complete), rating, warnings and license type.
Content ratings and posting rules
Stories are rated with the same levels as the rest of the catalog, as set out in the Publishing Principles. All ages (全年齢) for stories suitable for any audience. R-15 for intense romance, suggestive situations or mature themes that stop short of explicit. R-18 for explicit sexual scenes, for readers 18 and over only, with reader age verification and writer identity verification in line with 18 U.S.C. § 2257.
Warnings are required whenever a story includes elements that could affect sensitive readers, such as graphic violence, major character death, explicit sexual content, sensitive topics or other specific triggers. Mis-rating a story or leaving out relevant warnings violates the Terms of Service.
Writers state whether a work is original or derivative and are responsible for following the applicable terms. At every rating, it is strictly prohibited to sexualize minors or childlike-looking characters, to depict sexual coercion or violence without tagging it, and to plagiarize other writers. The full rules are in the Ethics Policy.
Fanfiction FAQ
The most common questions about reading and posting fic on OtakuOshi.
Yes. You can write about any anime, manga, video game, light novel, movie or Japanese pop culture universe. Derivative fanfiction is published in the doujinshi tradition. You state whether the work is original or derivative, and you’re responsible for following the applicable terms.
Yes. OtakuOshi accepts both fan works and original fiction, as long as it connects to otaku and Japanese culture through its themes, style or aesthetic. An original light novel, a fantasy story with anime influences or a story with a manga feel all have a place here. And if you also illustrate your stories, take a look at the manga artists and fan art pages.
Whichever one you want. There are no language restrictions, so you can post in English, Spanish, Japanese or anything else. Writing in a less widely spoken language doesn’t affect your visibility or how your content is treated. The community is international, and some writers publish in more than one language to reach more readers.
Yes. R-15 stories (intense romance, suggestive content) are published with the correct rating. R-18 stories (explicit sexual content, adults only) require verifying the writer’s identity and the reader’s age. Warnings are mandatory, and the criteria are in the Publishing Principles.
Yes, many writers take commissions. That could be a one-shot with the characters and setting you choose, a special chapter, a dedicated story or another custom request. Message them through the messaging system to work out the details and price.
A beta reader is someone you trust who reads your draft before you post it and tells you what they see, from inconsistencies and typos to pacing problems or possible improvements. It’s a very common step in fandom writing, and it shows in the result.
Sign up for free at fans.otakuoshi.com, turn on your creator profile, set up your subscription tiers and upload your first chapter. Signup is instant. For R-18 content, you’ll need to complete identity verification. All the steps are on the How it works page.
Sexualizing minors or childlike-looking characters, plagiarizing other writers, mis-rating content and leaving out warnings when they’re needed are all prohibited. The full rules are in the Ethics Policy, the Publishing Principles and the Terms of Service.
If you spot plagiarism, a wrong rating, inappropriate content or any other violation, file a formal report on the complaints page. For general questions, use the contact page. Complaints that affect safety get top priority under the Active Response Policy.
Fandom glossary
Fanfiction (fanfic, fic) — A story written by fans using characters and worlds from existing works. · One-shot — A self-contained, single-chapter story. · Drabble — A very short story, traditionally 100 words. · AU (Alternate Universe) — Familiar characters in a universe different from the original. · Canon — The official events and continuity of the source material. · Canon-compliant — A story that sticks to that continuity. · OOC (out of character) — When a character acts in a way that doesn’t fit them. · Ship — A pairing of characters, canon or invented by the fandom. · Slow burn — A romance that builds slowly over many chapters. · Angst — A genre centered on the characters’ emotional suffering. · Hurt/comfort — One character suffers and another takes care of them, equal parts pain and tenderness. · Fluff — Light, sweet, feel-good content. · Lemon — An old-school term for fic with explicit sexual content (R-18). · Beta reader — A trusted reader who reviews the draft before it’s posted. · Crossover — A story that mixes characters from different series. · Commission — A paid request to a writer for a custom story. · Prompt — An idea, line or scenario used as a starting point. · WIP — Work in progress, a story that’s ongoing and not finished yet.
Related policies and documents
Every story on OtakuOshi is published and moderated under these policies.
Publishing Principles. The rating rules, mandatory tagging and the criteria for each age level. Your go-to reference for rating and tagging every story correctly.
Ethics Policy. The general ethical rules, with a focus on protecting minors, banning plagiarism and the hard lines that allow no exceptions.
Terms of Service. The general terms of use, including the rules on derivative works, copyright and what happens if they’re broken.
Complaints and reports. How to request the removal of content that infringes copyright or report any other violation. Worth knowing if someone has plagiarized your story or shared it without permission.
Privacy Policy. How writers’ and readers’ personal data is collected, stored and used.
Read exclusive fanfiction or publish your own stories
Follow your favorite writers chapter by chapter, or open your own space and get paid for your stories. Creating an account is free.