Proof of the remaining 10% of fanfics worth fighting your way through Black Mesa for.
These are recommendations made by tropers for Half-Life but the AI is Self-Aware fanfics, all of which have to be signed to stay on the page. After a few samples, you will be able to note the interests of the tropers recommending them, and judge whether you might be also interested in a certain 'fic.
Remember the rules - no self-recommendations. Find somebody else who agrees that your story is great to start the page! Use the template found herenote . Do warn when a fanfic may head into sexual territory or non-canon. Some people just don't like it, and as we all know, Shipping is Serious Business.
Reviews of fics are encouraged, but if you choose to write one, please make it substantive, and give specific details about what you liked / disliked in the fic. If you want to give a fic a thumbs-up without writing a full review, you can add your troper handle to the Recommendations Line. Please refrain from posting "Comments" or Conversation in the Main Page though; that goes in the discussion page.
Recommendations Template
Title of the Fanfic by Author OR Fic Trope Page, by Author (Link)Recommended by: Troper Name(s).
- Synopsis: What's the story about? Give here a brief summary of the plot. It would be also useful to point out in what moment of the series the story takes place. If it's a Gen Fic but it has some romantic elements, note here the characters involved too.
- Pairing(s): If it's a Shipping Fic, list here the pairings that feature in the fic (warn here if it's het, male slash or female slash). If it's a Gen Fic, remove this line. To tell the difference between the two, notice if the focus of the fic is on a romantic relationship or if it focuses on the other aspects of the story. In case of doubt, classify the story according to the genres it's been tagged: the Romance tag for Shipping, absence of that tag for Gen Fic.
- Tags: If any are known. This would be things like Lemon, Dark Fic, any known Crossovers etc.
General Fics
Stories focused on the family and the (un)friendly relationships of the cast. Plot-focused stories or light day-in-the-life stories. Pretty much anything that isn't focused on romance.Something New
by LadyLampblack, Liliflower137, and Phantomthief_fee
- Recommended by FireworkArcanist, Tailspatrol
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Gordon wasn't sad about his situation, per se. He was a bit lonely, sure, but he wasn't sad. This was what he was created to do, after all, he was made to lend his body to the player, so that was what he did. But this time, was different. This time the player was actually there.
- Comments: A very fun take on the "Player as an actual character" approach, with Chester trying to cope with being trapped in a video game he was initially just messing around in to test some AIs he created. It gets a bit heavy at times, so keep that in mind.
- Pairing: Benrey/Player OC
Takes a Village by Gusherbug
- Recommended by FireworkArcanist, Tailspatrol
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: A script style fanfic dealing with the slice-of-life adventures of Gordon, his son Joshua, and the Science Team.
- Pairings: Bubby/Coomer, Benrey/Gordon Freeman, Benrey/Tommy Coolatta, Benrey/Tommy Coolatta/Gordon Freeman
The Ocean Isn't So Scary by CrackheadMossMan
- Recommended by FireworkArcanist, Tailspatrol
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Gordon Freeman works in an undersea base that belongs to Black Mesa, with the job of observing what he sees and keeping the near-useless base stable. He’s used to the constant boredom of the dark ocean, but things start changing rapidly when something... or someone shows up. Angst with a happy ending.
- Pairings: Benrey/Gordon Freeman, Bubby/Dr. Coomer
Goodbye to a World by Adversarial
- Recommended by FireworkArcanist
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: A Coomer-centric character study that delves deeper into his character. A short but powerful read.
Half Life: Lunar Decay by Fruitloop1001 and cultrateCarnifex
- Recommended by FireworkArcanist
- Status: Dormant; last updated October 2020
- Synopsis: No Resonance Cascade AU. Gordon Freeman is hired by Black Mesa, unwittingly signing himself up as to -become test subject for some... lupine... experiments.
- Comments: Contains a lot of angst, graphic violence, and unethical science. May not have a happy ending, though that hasn't been confirmed. Still very good writing, and a fun read, but not for everyone.
Daisy, Daisy by Qr_code
- Recommended by FireworkArcanist
- Status: Dormant; last updated October 2020
- Synopsis: Gordon Freeman is caught in a Groundhog Day situation where he repeats the events of the Resonance Cascade, but not everything is as it seems.
- Pairings: Benrey/Gordon Freeman, Bubby/Dr. Coomer
Shifter by adamantorb
- Recommended by Tailspatrol, FireworkArcanist
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Days, nights, shapes, perspectives. Nothing stays the same forever. (Gordon finds that out the hard way.) After the Black Mesa incident, Gordon's trying to get used to life with the Science Team. It gets a lot harder when Benrey is suddenly 50 feet tall again. Or when his arm turns into a gun in a grocery store. Or when he discovers he can use the Black Mesa Sweet Voice.
- Pairing: Benrey/Gordon Freeman
No Crying Until The End by AceOfFours
- Recommended by Tailspatrol, FireworkArcanist
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: The player reflects on the time he spent with the Science Team. It's not uncommon for games to tug on your heartstrings... but it's something very different when the NPCs you grew close to are self-aware.
Human Resources Violation by Kogo Dogo
- Recommended by asinineAbbreviations,FireworkArcanist
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Gordon Freeman has spent three years trying to stabilize the AIs he befriended after a disastrous end to a military project. He's stolen company property, ignored his family, and neglected himself in hopes of success. Now that he's made progress, it's becoming increasingly apparent that one of the AIs in question may not be a program at all. No one can say for certain what this revelation will lead to, but one thing's for sure: HR is going to have a field day with this one.
- Notes: Horror comedy, with a good helping of eldritch monstrosities. Second in a series, but reading the first story isn't necessary to understand this one.
- Pairing: Benrey/Gordon Freeman
Y2kVR by Bimothra
- Recommended by FireworkArcanist,
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: A now-complete interactive story that combines sprites, still images, and text-based on HLVRAI that draws from the aesthetics and events of the early internet to tell a gripping story with a lot of heartfelt moments that will have you on the edge of your seat until the ending. Makes the most of its unusual medium- being a Tumblr ask blog- to deliver on story in a lot of interesting ways. Absolutely worth a read if you have the chance, and the pinned post at the top will let you read it in chronological order.
- Comments: A very fun read not despite the unusual format, but because of it. However, might not be for you if themes of loss of self/mind control bother you a lot.
Streamer Unconsciousness by Feelysonheelys
- Recommended by JoyFlameball,
- Status: Complete (oneshot)
- Synopsis: If your stressed, exhausted friend falls asleep on your couch during group movie night, the nice thing to do is get him to bed. However, that's a little hard when your friend's body is on another plane of being, and your world is on his computer.
- Comments: Sweet little fic that takes place in one of my personal favorite post-canon continuities, one where Gordon extracted the Science Team from the game, letting them live in his computer. There are silly little moments showing the Science Team's bond, and an interesting brief snippet of the Clone Fight from Dr Coomer's point of view. Highly recommend, check it out if you're in the need for feels.
Shipping fics
Stories focused on romantic relationships between two or more characters.i have 40,000 hours in skate 3 by Taak_os
- Recommended by FireworkArcanist,
- Status: Dormant; last updated June 2020
- Synopsis: A post-game slowburn fic where Gordon and Benrey are roommates, and Benrey isn't quite so invincible anymore. Not quite a not-a-game au. Contains a LOT of pining, domestic fluff, and Gordon denying his feelings. A deeply enjoyable read that explores both of their characters in interesting ways.
- Pairing: Benrey/Gordon
