Proof that the remaining 10% is worth dying for here.
These are recommendations made by Tropers for Team Fortress 2 fanfics, all of which have to be signed to stay on the page. Feel free to add a fanfic of your own to the list, but remember to use the template found here.
You can also add to the current recommendations if you want. Refrain from posting Conversation in the Main Page though; that goes in the discussion page.
Comments: TF2. Zombies. That is all that you need to know.
Aside the slash, you mean.
Glidergun: Seconded. Cat Bountry is a scholar and a gentlewoman, and this fic should suffice to prove it to anybody who cares to read it. (Medic/Heavy warning)
Joysweeper: Neither do I. And I don't usually like zombie stories. But I enjoyed this quite a bit, not least for the complexities of the character interactions.
Comments: This is heavily based on I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream, and somehow manages to be even more Nightmare Fuel than the original. It's also downright heartbreaking in the end. (Contains Medic/Heavy.)
Crowley: Utterly demented in the best sense of the word.
Squander: This was so sad...A must read for anyone who gets pleasure out of depressing things. Also Scout is incredibly cute, cute in a broken, sad way. Like a cat with one limb, who lives with a hoarder. That kinda cute.
Comments: Sequel to the above and this fanart◊. To say anything more would spoil it.
The Comment: Let me just say that this bought me to tears within first 2 minutes of reading. Well worth a look, even if, like me, you haven't read the above.
Probably counts more as a Troper Tale than anything else, but as I was reading this I was also listening to some music on Youtube. Unfortunately it just so happened that the end where Engie dies I was listening to of all things Brenner's theme from Advance Wars Days of Ruin... FUCK
This fanfic suceeds in stirring emotions in the emotionless, it seems. The minimal descriptions allow the story to be guided by the dialogue within it, and tell a moving tale.
Comments: A response to a Mary Sue fic found on fanfiction.net, Cat Bountry manages to deconstruct the idea of "favorite character appears out of nowhere and has adventures with the author" wish fulfillment in the most horrific way possible.
Belle-Mage: Utterly heartbreaking. Miss Cat Bountry has a way of making you laugh and hope for the best, then quashing that hope at the last minute.
Maniette: Amazing, it honestly is, but so, so cruel.
The original fic the response was written for can be found here, but be warned - it really is thatbad.
Jack Mackerel - Just to point out, there was an endless shitstorm over the original, but Cat Bountry eventually apologized(!) and encouraged the author to make better stuff. Also, of note, the fiction that Cat was responding to is... mediocre.
Comments: The Heavy's beloved minigun Sasha is destroyed in battle, so he tries out for all the other classes. Hilarity Ensues, and an unfortunate amount of (mostly) accidental pain for the Scout.
Comments: Someone on the WMG page made the guess that the game took place in the The Incredibles universe... someone else wrote a fic about it. Gives a very nice look into the personalities of the characters, even if some of it has been Jossed.
Another case of Exactly What It Says on the Tin. A series of posts from 4chan that detail one poster's opinions on the serious psychological defects inherent in the TF2 characters, reading like a psychiatrist's notes. Short, yet insightful and clever.
Comments: A Deconstruction of Mpreg. Beautifully written, yet utterly horrifying. Not safe for the faint of heart, bladder, stomach, or work.
Seconded by tetronix, who doesn't play TF2 much. It's seriously disturbing. The characters are captured perfectly, if you close one eye in regards of the slash (contains Heavy/Medic), which is commendable given what the characters have to go through.
Comments: This fic manages to portray a possible "end" to TF2 with a surprising amount of poignancy considering the subject matter. Interesting character studies, heartwarming moments, and somerealtearjerkers round out the package. A fantastic read.
Comments: It should be noted that while this fic is pretty much distilled funny, it DOES cross several lines, and is rampant with Dead Baby Comedy. It exists somewhere on the Sliding Scale of Comedy and Horror, and contains some slash. If none of that bothers you, definitely worth a read.
Summary: A Sniper/Spy story which relies heavily on Character Development and the pair's insecurities. Better Than It Sounds, trust me on this one! It's just me failing with words here.
Meg The Maggot: Just read this. Seriously, just do it. This is a little slow to get started, but is so well-written and researched. Socks WILL be blown off.
Freya Crescent: As someone who rarely reads TF2 fanfics, I especially love this one for it's realistic and in-character portrayal of Sniper and Spy. Truely a rare gem in this fandom.
Summary: The Engineer talks to the Spy about his new hand.
Comments: A gory and chilling monologue from the Engie's point of view. Very well written, and an interesting view into what the Engie might actually be like.
Summary: A young woman joins RED and BLU as part of of an experimental tenth class...wait, come back! It's good, I swear!
Comments: A Sailor Earth done right? Miracles can happen!
Dominus Temporis says: Strong disagree on that one. While the class was a semi-interesting concept, it pretty quickly devolved into a pointless romance fic so the author could live out her obvious fantasy of boinking (excuse the pun) her favorite character. And when she leaves, oh, the whole team knew all along but loved her anyway. Edged a little too close to Mary Sue territory for my tastes. If it hadn't been for that- say, had the character's gender been merely incidental, or had it just been male in the first place- it would have turned out much better, I believe.
Summary: How the Medic fell in love...with Science. Oh, and one of his students has also started to take an interest in him.
Comments: Amazingly well-researched period piece set in Nazi Germany, lady versions of our favorite classes who aren't Mary Sues, the Medic being Crazy Awesome...what more do you want?
Summary: A mysterious woman in blue recruits the original nine classes. So far she's recruited Medic (before the story), Pyro, Engie, Soldier, Heavy and Demo.
Comments: This is a great look into the characters. The backstories Amp writes are amazing, and this is only four chapters in!
In Heavy's story it's revealed she is Scout's Ma, but an astute reader might pick it up, or have guessed, earlier.
Summary: The unlikely story of a forming friendship between a Red Sniper and Spy on a team where no one expects to live long enough to sustain one. A bit of fluff, humor and drama. Feel-good reading. Rated M for language, violence, and suggestive/sensitive themes.
Comments: This story and its sequel are completed, but the third story in the series hasn't been updated in over a year.
Summary: What BLU team did after the war, the letters they sent—or didn't send—and where they are now. Slash warning.
Comments: Recommended for its spot-on characterization and general ability to slot right into canon. There's a Sniper/Spy storyline going on, while the Heavy and Medic interactions can be interpreted either as shippy or gen.
Summary: Newsflash! The Medic switches sides. Its... probably fairly obvious that that's where this story is going. I tell you so in the title. But, the fact that he does isn't important. The how, the why, and more importantly the *consequences* of it... is.
Comments: The summary does not do this fic justice. The author focuses on the BLU Medic and RED Spy, but writes from the point of view of almost every character in the fic at least once. Mostly gen, and the only hints at any pairing don't come until the last few chapters.
Achyfi: Seconded. I read the entire thing in a single sitting and was thoroughly impressed. Definitely worth a read.
YMMV. There are a lot of spelling mistakes in this, and it annoyed me quite a bit while reading.
Summary: Female? Who cares? Burning stuff is more important. Now a series of ficlets, based around the BLU Pyro and various teammates. Adventure/Friendship 'fic, no pairings.
Comments: A rather believable look into the life of a female pyro.
Summary: Also called "The Indiana Jones" by the creator. It's about the BLU Scout and the RED Sniper. It's very beautifully written, especially the dialogue and emotions of the characters. It's a long read, but well worth it.
fruitstripegum: Agreed! It's so good, in fact, it needs its own page.
Squander: Though it sometimes delves into melodrama, everything that can be interpreted as cliché is woven so nicely together that it's still very pleasant. The characterization is awesome, and a hundred different things happen over the span of Scout and Sniper's tumultuous and rather believable relationship. If you like this pairing...seriously. It isn't perfect, but it's probably worth the 40 chapters.
danknukkuh: The characterization is stunning. You can always tell who is speaking, and they retain their ingame identities without being cumbersome, unrealistic, or annoying. It's pretty cool. Definitely one of the few good fics in the TF 2 fandom, if not the best. Which is surprising, considering it's Sniper/Scout. Definitely worth a read.
Summary: One act of mercy from Red Sniper leads to a shift in the relationship between him and Blu Spy.
Comments: There have been many jokes about the Blu Spy's head in the Red Medic's fridge. This is not one of them. It's a beautifully sweet and sensual story about what might happen if someone did kill the Spy's head. Red Spy's a supporting character too, in a threatening but ultimately understanding role. To say anymore would spoil the whole thing, so my best advice to you is to read it for yourself.
GingerSnaps: I was just about to add this one myself, so seconded. It's an interesting concept that builds up to a surprisingly unique story, and the wonderfully rational way the author and characters handle drama is immensely refreshing in comparison to the vast amounts of fanfics in which characters suffer breakdowns over the smallest of setbacks. Well worth a read.
There is now a sequel, as told through Blu Spy's view here.
Summary: What are the limitations of the Spy's disguise kit? He can disguise as other people, so why couldn't he disguise as inanimate objects? And even if he could...should he? These questions and more are answered as the RED Spy attempts to do the unthinkable: to disguise as Sasha.
Comments: Provides a surprisingly detailed deconstruction of some of the more perplexing technologies in Team Fortress 2, as well as accurate characterizations of the team. It's also funny as hell.
GingerSnaps: Seconded, I laughed so damn hard while reading this that I was literally gasping for air by the fourth chapter.
Summary: Based off of Law + Order: BLU - The Stakeout, this fanfic is a hypothetical live-action TV script for an episode of Law & Order with the Team Fortress 2 characters in the main roles. After the mercenaries were done fighting against each other, the BLU Spy and RED Sniper end up as detectives in San Francisco, investigating the scene of a crime with the RED Scout as the victim. As they uncover the crime's story, the two find out more than expected about the members of both teams.
Comments:: A remarkably well-organized and well-characterized story, without resorting to the expected stereotypes of the teams. The setting and dialogue are impeccable and realistic. ~Quanyails
Summary: "It ain't fuckin' funny, so quit fuckin' laughin' about it — you don' know what happened."
Pairings: None.
Comments: WARNING! What Scout says above is very, very true. This fic gives an interesting explanation behind Spy's taunt... and it makes an eerie amount of sense, connecting various canon resources together into an unbelievably complex network, all told without any breaks in character or implausible events. And so, I only have one more thing to say: being a Karma Houdini was never this sad.
Summary: One Scout gets to know his team better during the war.
Comments: This fic manages to make the "Team" part of Team Fortress really stand out, in a heartwarming way. The fic is written in a gritty way so that it feels like an actual war. Also really fleshes out each character in a fresh way, especially the Medic and Pyro.
Summary: An unfortunate accident sets the stage for a tale of deceit, secrets and passionate love. When the RED Sniper wrecks his van, the BLU Spy makes the decision to help him. From this single act of kindness, a relationship blossoms.
Comments: A beautifully heartwarming, dramatic, and at times sad, story that's more than just a typical "member of one team falls in love with someone from the other side" story - for one thing, there's Second Love on both sides, and for another all team members who become aware of the feelings between the 2 try to help them get together. Highly recommended.
Summary: A reluctant Sniper refuses to admit a long harboured crush on a certain, BLU Spy. In a random encounter that only the RED Engineer could concoct, the Sniper must face killing an enemy or confessing to a lover.
Comments: Don't be fooled by the summary - this is not just some sweet, fluffy little romance. There's slavery, and torture, and TearJerkers abound, but it all ultimately results in a happy (or at least bittersweet) ending. It's impossible to comment any further without going into spoiler territory, so my best advice is to read this highly recommended fanfic yourself.
Summary: The BLU Sniper keeps a close eye on everything on the battlefield. When he witnesses an event involving his BLU Scout and the RED Spy during a cease fire, the Sniper may have more to deal with than a rogue RED Spy.
Comments: A sweet yet at the same time sensual Hurt/Comfort Fic which, amazingly, does NOT resort to Wimpification. There's a different backstory for the Scout, a good helping of Laser-Guided Karma, and tender-fuzziness mixed with hot, passionate sex all mixed together to make this one of the best hurt-comforts ever written. Highly recommended, even if you aren't a fan of hurt-comfort.
Synopsis: "Luna's nightmares herald the arrival of nine soldiers from another world: the nine mercenaries of Builders League United. When they arrive, they are turned into ponies! As they adjust to life in Equestria and investigate the strange goings-on, Celestia is haunted by a terrible force..."
Comments: TF2. I came across this fanfiction thinking it was terrible. I was VERY wrong! Since it's title is terribly misleading, this story hasn't gotten even 1% of the attention I think it deserves! Slight violence, Spy-centric, no pairings (so far). Story still in progress!
Comments: About the journey of three "associates" (they just game together and are totally not friends) spanning multiple PC gaming worlds. Picks up by Ep. 03.
Commments: Spy/PyromeetsLooney Tunes meets... you'll see. Words are not sufficient to describe how awesome, heartwarming, and flat-out hilarious it is.
Seconded, then seconded again. Also it manages to stuff in a spectacular amount of references to other games.
Also recommended by the official TF2 blog: "We've decided this is final proof that TF2 fans are smarter, more creative, and much better looking than fans of all other video games."
The sheer number of in-jokes, fluid animation, and OH GOD THE ENDING. I seriously don't know if Kepple is ever going to top this.
Also Seconded by Jia Mekare. Somehow, True One More User got more emotional, nuanced facial expressions out of the TF2 models than were given by the actual actors. This is astounding.
Crowley: When watching this, the two prevailing thoughts in my head were "ALL THIS FOR A TURRET JOKE?" and "WHY IS IT SO GOOD?"
Comments: TrueOneMoreUser made another movie trailer in the above's style, this time for The Dark Knight. Only time will see if it gets the amount of reclaim Law Abiding Engineer gets.
Sgt Frog 1: Thirding. When you read "narrated by ze Spy", you might think "Oh, the creator just edited together lines from Team Fortress 2. Nothing special.". You might think that, but you'd be wrong. The narrator (if he isn't Dennis Bateman, the Spy's voice actor) literally narrates with his impressive imitation of the Spy's voice.
For those of you who aren't watchers of Homestar Runner, here's the original video: Everyone is Different.
Comments: A disturbing animation centered around the Engineer, the Soldier and the Tom Waits song of the same name. If the Engineer update teaser vid and comic didn't make you believe that the Engineer is a goddamn creepy dude, thisWILL.
Comments: A follow-up to the creator's previous project, A Heavy's 2fort Adventure, this isn't actually one video, but rather a bunch of videos strung together to make an interactive story, based around precise timing and careful decision-making. Epic in scale, with decent gameplay, and an honestly touching ending. Go watch it...I mean, play it...I mean...just click on the link, will you?
Horriblefilm: This Troper, mistakenly assuming it hadn't been recommended yet, rushed right over here to suggest it himself only to find it had already been recognized well before. It is honestly among the best Team Fortress 2 machinima made by a fan; endearingly funny, delightfully Troperiffic, with loads of references to popular video games (especially Nintendo) and an actually pretty entertaining story. Mann-ly tears were shed.
Comments: Hands down one of the best fan-made animations this troper has ever seen. The animation is fluid and detailed, and the personalities of the various characters are captured perfectly in their movements. You'll end up watching several times to catch everything you missed.
Agreed verily. The interactions between the characters and their style of dance are all unique and very well animated. ~Quanyails
Comments: A fan-made version of the missing "Meet the Team" movies that isn't a rickroll or two-frame flipbook? Especially with custom animation and a twist on the speculation of the Pyro's identity? Excellent!
So We Ate Them Sez: There have been multiple comments on the page stating that it was confused with an official product. That alone is testament. It stays true to TF2's humor and style, giving a very valid interpretation of the Pyro's character.
Comments: The RED Scout becomes a superhero, Pancake Man, and fights crime with the help of his three best buds, RED Engy, RED Soldier, and RED Medic. There's four or five real episodes of the series, and the trailer for a movie that was never to be released. BlueChameleon01 has stated after their 5000th subscriber that they would actually produce the movie if the trailer gets 100,000 views.
Comments: Possibly inspired by the special Halloween-only taunt that mimics the famous Thriller dance, this is an extremely well-animated video of all 18 characters (9 from RED, 9 from BLU) dancing to Michael Jackson's "Beat It". Watch it and be amazed!
Comments: It's the (abridged) first episode of Yu-Gi-Oh! using only sound clips of the TF2 characters! Coming from LK, of course it's hilarious! :D I've watched it many times, and I highly recommend giving it a look.
Comments: A hilarious adventure where the titular ape tries to retrieve his banana hoard from the BLU team. This video features fairly decent animation, but the main draw is the various antics DK gets into. Filled with quite a number of Shout Outs.
Summary: Tired of the seemingly puny stature of his team, the Heavy decides to go solo. The Spy tries to convince him not to leave, but the Heavy decides that he no longer needs them.
Comments: A surprisingly touching tale, this video shows why the game is called Team Fortress 2 as the classes show how teamwork can beat any foe. The video uses voice clips from the game itself as well as Poker Night At The Inventory, but the editing causes them to mesh surprisingly well together.
Summary:It's the Heavy's Birthday and he gets a very special gift. Better Than It Sounds.
Comments: A hilarious G Mod short that's not only packed with Shout Outs and Internet Memes but also gives them an original twist and parodies classic Cliches of G Mod videos.
Summary: An animated version of a scene from Meet The Director.
Comments: Short, but still impressive. MaxOfS2D does an excellent job of making videos with actual depth, rather than taking the easy route of cheap and low-brow humor.
Comments:Warning: If you click that link, you'd better be prepared for 17 straight minutes of bizarre faces, slapstick insanity, and a complete lack of rhyme or reason in general. There are many of Team Fabulous 2's ilk on Youtube, but Fabulous takes reigns supreme over all of its cousins in terms of production values and genuinely hilarious crack. Also, there's some plot stuff about a cat dropping the moon on a Mario Kart map, but that makes about as much sense as the rest of the video.
Comments: An extremely well-done Gmod rendition of a scene from The Green Mile. Possibly the most "serious" Gmod video ever made, except maybe the aforementioned Heavy's Revelation. Has just as much Tear-Jerking potential as the actual scene from the movie. Ever since the upload of this video, it's maker has been bombarded with requests for more "serious" TF 2 videos.
Surreal and amazing, Gzero has stated that he bases his Gmod work on dreams that he has had. Each of them feel like a small part of a much greater, more epic story. Sadly, Gzero has stated his retirement from Gmod-making, due to his recent acceptance into film school.
Comments: Using such a goofy, cartoony game and using it as a way to show the horrors of war sounds like a straight-up silly idea, but this is almost shocking in how touching it is. It puts Charlie Chaplin's speech from The Great Dictator into the Medic's mouth and mashes it against loving and horrifying shots of the team palling around and killing each other. It's actually so good, it makes you want to stop playing the game.
Comments: A sort-of animation using the song "There! Right There!" from Legally Blonde: The Musical. It is well-drawn and funny and I have no better words for it right now. The user has a deviantART account too, which is worth checking out.
Modception by MegaGFilms and several other Youtube G Mod video users.
Comments: A collaboration by many, many Youtube users, this 23 minute G Mod film is a pretty interesting, and perhaps accurate representation of the randomness and oddities of dreams, even if a lot of them are humorous (and sometimes rely on lowbrow humor), I recommend at least a watch.
Comments: Some very well-mixed mashups, most involving the Heavy voicing Pinkie Pie's songs. The best-known of these is the Cupcakes song... only involving Sandviches (eventually used in Zeurel's excellent animation). Definitely recommended for brony TF2 fans.
Comments: Arguably the best TF2 voice-music edit, "Mmph the Way You Mmph" imitates "Love the Way You Lie", except with the Scout and Pyro filling the lines. The lyrics are exceptionally well-mixed, with proper timing, flow, and rhyme. This goes the same for mymapagainstyourcash's other mixes.
Comments: Despite being saturated with Ho Yay, Cuanta Vida is not a shipping comic. Well, not just a shipping comic. Excellent writing, excellent art, excellent story, just all-around excellent.
Gancena: All sentiments are seconded. I've been attached to all sorts of works in the past, but I haven't felt a magnitude of attachment like this in years. It's Just. That. Awesome.
Bobo The Talking Clown: Even if you aren't a fan of Ho Yay, check it out just for it's status as a deconstruction of TF 2. Most excellent, may be in the 10% of great webcomics.
Mandemo: Excellent comic, with both funny, dramatic and heartwarming moments. Definitely worth of reading.
Quanyails: Well, I don't give the same approval as the previous people; while it's an adequate comic in of itself, it does not seem like a Team Fortress 2 comic but rather, an original comic set in the world of TF2.
Not actually a series so much as a collection of drawing and comics by the author of the Niels Series and Scandinavia and the World. There's not a whole lot there, but what is there is pants-wettingly funny.
Comments: A BLU Scout gets auto-balanced to RED, and ends up getting his views of the other team challenged, with a twist at the end. Much Better Than It Sounds.
Quanyails: This is pretty dang deep for a comic like this; amazing story, and agreed, quite a bit of a twist at the end. Note that the artist also does some more humorous comics, so take a look at those, too!
(Part 2)
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