Archive of Our Own (BETA)

I really enjoy short but densely packed fics. Especially fics with a strong psychological narrative, or some sort of point. It could be a humorous point, or clever character insight, or a comment on canon, or any kind of point, really.

I bookmark fics with the tag "bitesize" when I find them satisfying and complete, and they're shorter than 2000 words. They're the sorts of fics that expand in your mind, quick to read, but filling and slowly digestible. Or quick to read and cute and funny, a light little snack for your brain.

I bookmark every single fic I read. If I have not bookmarked your fic, I have not read it. If I have bookmarked your fic, and didn't add the "bitesize" tag, that means I don't think the fic fits the criteria for this collection.

Please feel free to add your fics to this collection. I'm sorry that my criteria are so vague, maybe I'll be able to clarify them better later. I will approve any fics which I feel are a good fit.

Fics need to:

• be 2000 words or less


• have a story to tell, that is, not just be a slice of life or conveying an atmosphere


• be complete, that is, long enough to tell the story


• not have filler or unnecessary fluff, that is, be no longer than needed to tell the story, or in other words "densely written"


• connect with or comment on canon, that is, not be the same fic if the names were searched and replaced


• be in English


• make sense to me. Unfortunately, I may be unfamiliar with the fandom, or too dense to get the point of an excellent fic. Recs with explanations are welcome.

Fics do not need to:

• have a plot


• make sense to someone who is not familiar with canon

I added my fic. Why isn't it showing up on the list?

Due do its subjective criteria, this collection is moderated. I will have to manually approve each fic before it shows up.

How do I add my fic to this collection?

Go to edit your fic. In the field marked "Post to Collections/Challenges:" write "bitesize" (without the quotation marks). You can also go to your fic, and scroll down to the very bottom. There should be a button called "Add To Collection", to the left of the Bookmark and Add Comment buttons. Click the button, and type in "bitesize" (without the quotation marks) in the pop up.

What do you mean by "densely written"?

I mean that every sentence has a purpose and a meaning in the fic. If there is background color, it is because it sets a mood which is important for understanding the point. This style has the effect of making dramatic fic take a bit of time to unpack and process intellectually or emotionally, and it makes humor fic funnier and sharper.

This collection is not meant to be of all fics of 2000 words or less, or even all satisfying fics of 2000 words or less. Many very enjoyable and satisfying fics are written to be taken in at the same speed as you read them, and they often add a bit of filler to pace the reader; those fics are not the style I'm collecting here.

Does this collection have a theme?

Yes it does. The theme of this collection is not a particular type of content or a particular fandom. The theme of bitesize is a pared down style, where every element has its own purpose and place in the fic.

What do you mean by the fic having to connect with or comment on canon?

I mean that this collection is not for the type of fic which could have been an original short story. The way a fic cleverly fits into canon, and enters into dialogue with it, and the way a tiny fic can be much, much bigger on the inside because it has just the right allusions to canon fascinate me. You might say I'm looking for short fic that tells a bigger story than could be told in 2000 words or less if it were entirely self-contained. Fic which can be understood and enjoyed without knowing canon is welcome, as long as knowing canon adds a significant extra dimension.

Perhaps an exception to this is humor fic, where the comical situation is often self-contained and readily understandable, even if the characters are unknown to the reader; I think that situational comedy which plays on the personalities of the characters, rather than on their archetypes, is the kind of fic which canon-knowledge adds a significant extra dimension to, but I can see how others might feel differently.

Another way of saying it could be that I'm not looking for fic which conveys an experience in real time; I'm looking for fic which conveys an idea, an insight or a perspective.

Please add any fic you feel meets the criteria. Feel free to message me with recs. Until we get the ability to message each other directly, you may comment here. Only available to logged in users.