Here are some of my favorite AUs (mostly canon divergent but a few are other sorts):
Chronicles of Narnia: The Stone Gryphon - rthstewart
A series of intriguing fics involving (to quote the author) "war, espionage, immoral acts done in service of moral ends, natural history, dinosaurs, Alice in Wonderland, cunning corvids, tequila, D-Day, theology, spirituality, love and sex". It's a massively canon divergent AU starting around The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, with a greatly fleshed-out time the Pevensies spent in Narnia (lots of worldbuilding!). My favorite fic is the second one, The Queen Susan in Tashbaan.
Law & Order: SVU: Inflection Point - jabyar
I toyed so hard with which of my favorite Lewis arc AUs to rec, but finally went with this one. If a fic could win an award for "most realistic take on this arc", I feel like this one should get that. It doesn't shy away from what might really have happened, digs into some of the dark recovery aspects, and even does a bit of worldbuilding with Olivia's backstory. All of it feels so much like the author took a good look at the Lewis arc and said, "I'm going to write something eminently more realistic", and proceeded to knock that out of the park. It's gritty but very, very good.
Leverage: A (Slightly) Dysfunctional Family - smthwallflower
An AU series wherein Nate finds kid!Parker and takes her home to the team. Never too fluffy/cutesy but honestly dealing with some of the issues both of them have, and building a family relationship that's really beautiful.
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman: Vagrant & Homecoming (both by Shayne Terry)
This pair of fics tells the story of an AU beginning to the Lois & Clark tale, where Clark is a homeless teenager when he meets a young Lois Lane. (Sorry for the off-site link; basically all my favorites for this fandom aren't on AO3!)
Lord of the Rings (books): A Queen For The King by urban_trekker
I know it is kind of splitting hairs to say this is different than movies-based LOTR given that it's a Modern AU - AND it's a perma-WIP (the author has made it very clear that it will NOT be finished) - BUT (hear me out!) it is hands-down one of the best AUs I've ever read, even with that. It's also nearly 900k, so be warned! I made the mistake of clicking on it at 2 p.m. one afternoon without looking at the size and was such a zombie the next day - but I couldn't regret it. My bookmark for it reads: A wildly inventive modern AU for LOTR with phrases like "Rohanese parliament", "Eryn Lasgalen banks", and "rode her motorcycle over the Ungol Pass". At turns hilarious, sweet, and complex (political shenanigans like you wouldn't believe), even unfinished this is well worth sitting down and reading. Just don't try to do it in one day!
Lord of the Rings (movies): The Long Road Home - Scribblesinink (Scribbler)
This is possibly my favorite Boromir Lives AU. A tale full of guilt and redemption, and the last line makes me want to CRY because of how beautiful it is and how wonderfully it ties into a line from the film. Every LOTR film fan should read this!
The Matrix: The Dream Chronicles - Trin303
A hilarious but good AU where Neo has dreamed of Trinity before he ever met her - with a wonderfully better ending than the film.
Rizzoli & Isles: The End of the World - romana2525
A lovely short apocalyptic AU with sadness but also beauty. The last line makes me sniff in that happy/sad way.
Rookie Blue: Deep - surreallis
What if Andy went with Sam when he went undercover in Best Laid Plans - and the op was different from the one on the show? This is a fantastic AU and well worth the read.
Protector of the Small Quartet - Tamora Pierce: Fallen - Confusedknight
Had to go to Ff.n for this one - but this is a fascinating canon divergence AU with a ton of worldbuilding, wherein Kel is not allowed to return after her probationary year, and she ends up a spy and warrior in Scanra. (That's as much as I dare tell you without spoiling the whole thing, but I can say I sat and read all 424k in one go when I discovered it, and could barely take my eyes off the screen in the process.)
I've read so many more fantastic ones but it's hard to think of them offhand. Most of my other fandoms are too tiny for a good one, and the one I can think of (for the Mary Russell series), the fic was long since deleted off Wattpad (though I have a copy and it is tremendously well-written). So these eleven will have to do. :)
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