Small Fandoms Fest

Since we’re often asked how we define a small fandom, I thought it was about time that I made a reference post spelling out how we determine whether a fandom qualifies as a small fandom for purposes of this Fest.

Once upon a time (aka, back when we first started this Fest) we followed the we know it when we see it rule of qualifying small fandoms. Over the years, we’ve actually turned that nebulous definition into a number. That number is: 2,000.

Fandoms must have less than 2,000 fanfic to qualify for this Fest. (Please note that we are not suggesting that fandoms that have over 2,000 fanfic are ~large, only that they’re too large to qualify for this Fest.)

We are ~still not familiar with all of the small fandoms out there, not even a small percentage of them, so to determine whether a fandom is too large we rely on Google. My search keywords are [fandom name] fanfic, or [fandom name] archive. The three places I generally check are ff.net, livejournal, and AO3.

Beginning with Round 24 (Nov 2018), we now only use AO3 to qualify fandoms; this list has been updated to reflect that.

If we have disqualified a fandom that you believe should qualify (or in the opposite, have qualified a fandom that you believe is too large), you’re welcome to make a case for including the fandom.

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Additional Notes:

~We are strictly a fest for small fandoms; we don’t allow rare pairings from larger fandoms.

~We also do not allow fandoms that were once large, but have seen activity dwindle over the years.

~Upon occasion a fandom that qualified for one fest may grow large enough to be disqualified for a later fest (Star Trek 2009, for example), so please check this list before each round to see what fandoms may have been added.

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Current list of fandoms that have been deemed too large:

100, The Series (Kass Morgan)
100, The (tv)
9-1-1 (tv)
9-1-1: Lone Star (tv)
A Court of Thorns and Roses Series (Sarah J. Maas)
A Series of Unfortunate Events (Lemony Snicket) *
A Song of Ice and Fire (George R.R. Martin)
Ace of Diamonds | Daiya no A (manga)
Agent Carter (tv)
Agents of SHIELD (tv)
Alex Rider (Anthony Horowitz)
Alice in Borderland | Imawa no Kuni no Alice (tv)
Amazing Spider-Man, The (movies)
American Idol RPS (tv)
Angel the Series (tv)
Anne of Green Gables (L. M. Montgomery)
Ant-Man (movies)
Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist (anime/manga)
Arrow (tv)
Assassination Classroom (manga)
Assassin's Creed (All Media Types)
Attack on Titan | Shingeki no Kyojin (manga)
Avatar (Cameron movies)
Avatar: The Last Airbender (cartoon)
Avatar: Legend of Korra (cartoon)
Avengers, The (All Movies)
Babylon 5 (tv)
Baldur's Gate (games)
Banana Fish (manga)
Band of Brothers (tv)
BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (game)
Batman: Arkham (game)
Batman: The Animated Series (cartoon)
Batman Begins/Dark Knight (movies)
Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Batwoman (tv 2019)
Ben 10 Series (cartoon)
Big Bang Theory, The (tv)
BioShock 1 & 2 (game)
Black Clover (Tabati Yuki; anime/manga)
Black Panther (2018)
Black Sails (tv)
Blacklist, The (tv)
Bones (tv)
Borderlands (game)
Breaking Bad (tv)
Broadchurch (tv)
Brooklyn Nine-Nine (tv)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (tv)
Cabin Pressure (radio)
Call of Duty (game)
Call The Midwife (tv)
Captain America (comics)
Captain America (movies)
Captain Marvel (2019)
Captive Prince Trilogy (C. S. Pacat)
Carmen Sandiego (2019 cartoon)
Carmilla (webseries)
Carry On Series (Rainbow Rowell)
Case Study of Vanitas, The | Vanitas no Carte (Mochizuki Jun) (manga)
Castle (tv)
Castlevania (cartoon)
Charlie Countryman (2013)
Charmed (1998 tv)
Check Please! (webcomic)
Chicago Fire (tv)
Chicago Med (tv)
Chicago PD (tv)
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, The (tv 2018)
Chronicles of Narnia (C. S. Lewis)
Chronicles of Narnia (movies)
Chuck (tv)
Cobra Kai (web series)
Community (tv)
Criminal Minds (tv)
Critical Role (web series)
CSI (tv)
Dangan Ronpa Another (games)
Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc (game)
Danny Phantom (cartoon)
Daredevil (tv)
Dead Poets Society (1989)
Defenders, The (Marvel tv)
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (anime)
Descendants (Disney movies)
Dirk Gently (tv)
Disastrous Life of Saiki K, The | Saiki Kusuo no Sai-nan (anime)
Discworld (Terry Pratchett)
Dishonored (game)
Doctor Who (tv)
Doctor Who (Big Finish Audio)
Downton Abbey (tv)
Dr STONE (anime/manga)
Dracula (Bram Stoker)
Dragon Age: II (game)
Dragon Age: Inquisition (game)
Dragon Age: Origins (game)
Dragon Age: The Veilguard (game) *
Dramatical Murder (anime/manga & game)
DreamWorks Dragons (cartoon) [includes Riders of Berk, Defenders of Berk & Race to the Edge]
Dresden Files, The (Jim Butcher)
due South (tv)
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (game)
Elementary (tv)
Endeavour (tv)
EPIC (Jorge Rivera-Herrans) (Albums) | EPIC: The Musical *
Fallout 3 (game)
Fallout 4 (game)
Fallout: New Vegas (game)
Fast and the Furious, The (movies)
Fate: The Winx Saga (tv)
Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy XII (game) *
Final Fantasy XIV
Final Fantasy XV
Fire Emblem: Awakening | Fire Emblem: Kakusei (game)
Fire Emblem Engage (game)
Fire Emblem: Fates | Fire Emblem: If (game)
Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War | Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu (game)
Firefly (tv)
Five Nights at Freddy’s (game)
Flash, The (2014 tv)
Flash, The (comics)
Forgotten Realms (novels)
Fringe (tv)
Fullmetal Alchemist (anime/manga)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
General Hospital (tv)
Generation Kill (tv)
Ghostbusters (2016)
Gilmore Girls (tv)
Gintama (anime/manga)
Girl Meets World (tv)
Glee (tv)
Good Girls (tv)
Good Omens (Neil Gaiman & Terry Prachett)
Good Omens (tv)
Gossip Girl (tv 2007)
Gotham (tv)
Grave Robbers' Chronicles, The (Xu Lei)
Gravity Falls (cartoon)
Greek Mythology
Green Lantern (comics)
Grey’s Anatomy (tv)
Grimm (tv)
Guardian (tv)
Guardians of the Galaxy (movie)
Hamilton (musical)
Hannibal (tv)
Harry Potter (movies)
Harry Potter (J. K. Rowling)
Haven (tv)
Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Hawkeye (comic)
Hawkeye (tv)
Heathers (1989)
Hellsing (manga)
Heroes (tv)
Highlander (tv)
His Dark Materials (Philip Pullman)
Hobbit, The (J.R.R. Tolkien)
Hobbit, The (Jackson movies)
Holby City (tv)
Homestuck (webcomic)
Horizon (was Horizon Zero Dawn) (games)
How To Get Away With Murder (tv)
How To Train Your Dragon (movie)
House of Anubis (tv)
House M.D. (tv)
Hunger Games, The (movies)
Hunger Games Trilogy (Suzanne Collins)
Iliad, The (Homer)
Inception (2010)
Incredible Hulk, The (2008)
Iron Man (movies)
It (Stephen King)
James Bond (movies)
Jessica Jones (tv)
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure | JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken (anime/manga)
Julie and The Phantoms (tv 2020)
Jurassic World Trilogy (movies)
Justice League & Justice League Unlimited (cartoons)
Justified (tv)
K (anime)
King's Avatar, The | Quánzhí Gaoshou (Húdié Lán)
Kingsman movies
Kuroko no Basuke (anime)
Kuroshitsuji (anime)
Labyrinth (1986)
Law & Order: SVU (tv)
Lazytown (tv)
Legend of Heroes, The: Trails of Cold Steel | Sen no Kiseki (game)
Legend of Zelda, The: Breath of the Wild (game)
Legend of Zelda, The: Twilight Princess (game)
Legend of the Galactic Heroes | Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu (anime/manga)
Legends of Tomorrow (tv)
Leverage (tv)
Lewis (tv)
Librarians, The (2014 tv)
Life Is Strange (game)
Life on Mars (UK)
Link Click | Shi Guang Da Li Ren (cartoon)
Little Witch Academia (anime)
Lord of the Rings (J.R.R. Tolkien)
Lord of the Rings (movies)
Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (tv 2022)
Losers, The (2010)
Lost (tv)
Love in the Air (tv 2022)
Love Live! School Idol Project (anime)
Love Live! Sunshine!! (anime)
Lucifer (tv)
Lupin III (manga)
MacGyver (2016 tv)
Mad Max (movies; including Fury Road)
Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic (manga)
Magicians, The (tv)
Magnificent Seven, The (tv)
Magnus Archives, The (Podcast)
Malevolent (podcast)
Man from UNCLE, The (tv)
Man From UNCLE, The (2015)
Mandalorian, The (tv)
Marble Hornets (web series)
MASH (tv)
Mass Effect (game)
Maze Runner, The Series (James Dashner)
Mentalist, The (tv)
Merlin (tv)
Metal Gear (games)
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (tv)
Miraculous Ladybug (cartoon)
Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries (tv)
Mission: Impossible (movies)
Mob Psycho 100 (cartoon)
Mortal Instruments Series (Cassandra Clare)
Mortal Kombat (game)
Murderbot Diaries, The (Martha Wells)
Musketeers, The (BBC)
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (cartoon)
NCIS (tv)
NCIS: LA (tv)
Newsies (1992)
Newsies!: the Musical
Night at the Museum (movies)
Nightwing (comics)
Nirvana in Fire (tv)
Norse Mythology
Numb3rs (tv)
Old Guard, The (2020 movie)
Once Upon a Time (tv)
One-Punch Man (cartoon)
Onmyoji (game)
Originals, The (tv)
Orphan Black (tv)
Outlander (tv)
Outsiders, The. (S.E. Hinton)
Outsiders, The (1983)
Oz (tv)
Pacific Rim (movies)
Parks and Recreation (tv)
Percy Jackson & the Olympians (Rick Riordan)
Person of Interest (tv)
Phantom of the Opera (Andrew Lloyd Webber)
Phineas and Ferb (cartoon)
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (game)
Pirates of the Caribbean (movies)
Pokemon (game)
Power Rangers (2017 film)
Pretender, The
Pretty Cure Series (anime)
Pretty Little Liars (tv)
Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
Primeval (tv)
Prison Break (tv) *
Professionals, The (tv)
Professor Layton (game)
Psych (tv)
Psychonauts (games)
QAF US (tv)
Raven Cycle, The (Maggie Stiefvater)
Red Dwarf (UK tv)
Red Hood and the Outlaws (comics)
Red Robin (comics)
Red vs Blue (web series)
Red, White & Royal Blue (Casey McQuiston)
Red, White & Royal Blue (2023)
Resident Evil (games)
Revolution (tv)
Revolutionary Girl Utena | Shoujo Kakumei Utena (anime) *
Rick and Morty (cartoon)
Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Riverdale (tv)
Rizzoli & Isles (tv)
Romeo And Juliet (Shakespeare)
RWBY (anime webseries)
Saint Seiya (manga)
Saiyuki (anime)
Sanctuary (tv)
Sanditon (TV 2019)
Sandman, The (2022 tv)
Sandman, The (comics)
Schitt's Creek (tv)
SCP Foundation
Scream (movies)
Sentinel, The (tv)
Seraph of the End | Owari no Seraph (manga)
Seven Deadly Sins, The | Nanatsu no Taizai (anime/manga)
Shadowhunters (tv)
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018 cartoon)
Sherlock (BBC)
Sherlock Holmes (Arthur Conan Doyle)
Sherlock Holmes (2009 & 2011)
Shingeki no Kyojin (anime/manga)
Shrek (movies)
Silent Hill (Video Game Series)
Silmarillion, The (J.R.R. Tolkien)
Sleepy Hollow (tv)
Smallville (tv)
Social Network, The
Song of Achilles, The (Madeline Miller)
Sons of Anarchy (tv)
Southpark (cartoon)
Spartacus (STARZ)
Spider-man (Tom Holland movies)
Spider-Man (Raimi movies)
Stand Still. Stay Silent. (web comic)
Star Trek (AOS movies)
Star Trek: Discovery (tv)
Star Trek: DS9 (tv)
Star Trek: Enterprise (tv)
Star Trek: Picard (tv)
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (tv)
Star Trek: TNG (tv)
Star Trek: TOS (tv)
Star Trek: Voyager (tv)
Star Wars (original trilogy books)
Star Wars (prequel trilogy books)
Star Wars (original trilogy movies)
Star Wars (prequel trilogy movies)
Star Wars (sequel trilogy movies)
Star Wars: Clone Wars (cartoon)
Star Wars: Rebels (cartoon)
Stargate SG-1 (tv)
Stargate Atlantis (tv)
Starsky & Hutch (tv)
Steven Universe (cartoon)
Stormlight Archive (Brandon Sanderson)
Suits (tv)
Succession (tv)
Supernatural (tv)
Tangled (2010)
Ted Lasso (tv)
Teen Titans (cartoon)
Teen Titans (comics)
Teen Wolf (MTV)
Terror, The (tv)
Thor (movies)
Throne of Glass Series (Sarah J. Maas)
Thunderbolts (movie 2025) *
Tiger & Bunny (anime)
Tin Man (2007 tv)
Titans (tv 2018)
Top Gun (movies)
Torchwood (tv)
Tortall (Tamora Pierce)
Transformers (movies)
Transformers (G1 toys)
Trigun (anime/manga)
True Blood (tv)
Twilight Series (Stephanie Meyer)
Twilight (movies)
Twisted Wonderland (game)
Umbrella Academy, The (tv)
Uncharted (game)
Uta no Prince-sama (anime)
Vampire Diaries, The (tv)
Veronica Mars (tv)
Victorious (tv)
Vikings (History)
Vocaloid
Voltron: Legendary Defender (cartoon)
Vorkosigan Saga (Lois McMaster Bujold)
Walking Dead, The (tv)
Warcraft (games)
Warehouse 13 (tv)
Weiß Kreuz (anime)
Welcome to Night Vale (podcast)
Wentworth (tv)
West Wing, The (tv)
White Collar (tv)
Winx Club (cartoon)
Wolf 359 (podcast)
Wonder Woman (movies – Jenkins)
World Ends With You, The (game)
World of Darkness (game)
Wynonna Earp (tv)
X-Files (tv)
X-Men (original timeline movies)
X-Men (alternate timeline movies)
X-Men Evolution (cartoon)
Xena: Warrior Princess (tv)
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (game)
Young Avengers (comics)
Young Justice (cartoon)
Young Justice (comics)
Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V (anime)
Yu-Gi-Oh! Dual Monsters (anime)
Yuri!!! On Ice (anime)
Yuyu Hakusho: Ghost Files (anime/manga)

* indicated a fandom disqualified since the last round of SFFest

List updated: 11/21/25.

For Round 2 of smallfandombang I decided to create a list of qualified fandoms so that I didn't end up checking fandoms multiple times because I forgot I'd already approved it for that round. That list will also serve for this Fest.

List of Qualifying Fandoms

Please note that the small fandoms listed in our interests is not an exhaustive list of small fandoms that qualify. Dreamwidth only allows 150 interests, and therefore we were not allowed to include all the small fandoms that have been suggested, prompted or written for, or pimped here.

If you have a question about whether your fandom qualifies, please ask it here; if you have a question about the fest generally, please ask it at the Q&A Post. Thank you.