Fanfic Recs / Mass Effect - Shipping

Stories focused on the romantic relationships between the cast.

---

Ark/Angel by ZirconaWorks

• Recommended by: Heirofapophis
• Status: Complete
• Pairings: Garrus/Female Shepard.
• Synopsis: Set after Mass Effect 3 (destroy ending with a Paragon Shep). Garrus and the rest of the Normandy crew are stranded up until Garrus' past as Archangel catches up with him in the form of an Asari commando. Kind of noir-ish.
• Comments: Satisfying and action packed, with cool illustrations to help your imagination along.

Clearly A Mistake by Metal Dragon Kiryu

• Recommended by: Ethan Miller, Spark Moon
• Status: Complete
• Pairings: Jack/Miranda, Female Shepard/Liara, Kelly > Shepard.
• Synopsis: Set during the second game, the story focuses on the relationship between Miranda and Jack. It contains f/f sex, albeit not explicit, and a moderate amount of swearing.
• Comments: It's a well written story that takes itself seriously. The characters are in character, the pairing is well developed. This editor thinks it's an interesting story.
  • An interesting story, to say the least. Unlike most Jack/Miranda fics that throw them together to cheaply titillate readers, this one takes a more mature approach to it. Worth the time to read and some of the follow-ups to this are quite fun too, in this troper's opinion.

Escaping the Past by RetailAvenger85

• Recommended by: Bbg1129
• Status: Complete
• Synopsis: Lt Kaidan Alenko learns to let go of the things that haunt his past with the help of his odd new Commander. His overwhelming urge to protect everyone is derailed by a woman who can protect herself. The author's "headcanon", expanding on games.
• Pairing(s): Fem!Shep/Kaidan
• Comments: Basically goes through Mass Effect 1 from the point of view of Kaidan. Author does a great job inserting game dialog, and adding their own. Funny and adorable, The author really gets inside Kaidan's head, and fleshes out his character. Followed by ME2 sequel Repairing the Present and ME3 Creating the future (currently a WIP) The series is definitely worth a read. Takes a few chapters for the author to hit their stride, but settles in nicely.

First Love by DRWPJT

• Recommended by: ronnambi
• Pairing(s): Fem!Shep/OC
• Status: In Progress
• Synopsis: "Some people spend their whole lives searching for love, others stumble into it completely by chance. Nicola "Nikki" Shepard was devastated when her childhood sweetheart left Mindoir, but fate is a fickle creature and in the long run it was probably for the best. Starting with brief snapshots on Mindoir and other events pre-ME1 then hopefully continuing throughout the trilogy." —Official summary by the author.
• Comments: A very sweet, fluffy OC/Fem!Shep childhood romance to marriage fic, where the plot heavy elements of the canon have a nice shot of sweetness and light created by Nikki and Trish’s interactions. The story starts pre-ME: 1, with a colonist fem!Shep and the cute girl who she spots from her history class, rolls through her years as a private in the Alliance Marines and how she becomes Commander Shepard, with all the highs and lows that come with the role. The start of the ME: 2 timeline is a bit depressing and is a case of assumptions made by Nikki, but all and all a nice, sweet and funny fic that I would recommend everyone give a shot. I also loved how organic all the characters are, with the inter team interactions making the fic well worth the wait when the author puts up the new chapter.

For Such Loss, Abundant Recompense by kalenel

• Recommended by: Mad_Alice
• Status: Complete
• Pairings: Femshep/Thane
• Synopsis: And here we have a series of scenes exploring different facets of a developing relationship between Femshep and Thane. It's not love at first sight for these two, and like any two people they have to work at understanding each other.
• Comments: Despite Thane being specifically engineered by Bioware as Mr. Fanservice, there's surprisingly few truly decent Thane/Femshep fics out there. This is one of them. The author's style is eloquent, coherent, and she effortlessly keeps everyone in character whilst fully fleshing out one of the more rushed romances in the game. Lovely and thoroughly enjoyable, you won't want to stop reading!

The Fourth Option by commandocucumber

• Recommended by: [LooksAwesome]
• Status: Complete
• Pairing: M!Shepard/Miranda Lawson
• Synopsis: "John Shepard and Miranda Lawson have survived the Reaper War, now all they have to do is square away the galaxy's problems before they can move on with their own lives. Together."
• Comments: The writer began typing this out almost immediately after they finished their first playthrough of Mass Effect 3 in response to, well, you know... The Reapers are defeated (sort of), but Shepard is now forced to confront what exactly the events of his life and the choices he has made along the way have cost him as a human being. In addition to his own personal crisis, Shepard has to deal with a galaxy on the edge of (another) war, a treacherous Alliance brass — including his own mother, no less, a grieving Quarian mechanic, a (duh!) useless Council, and, of course, his paranoid, neurotic girlfriend. Stands as one of the best Miranda/Shepard fics out there.
  • Miranda has her own spot in the limelight; including the opportunity to explain key events from her perspective, interact with Hannah Shepard and Tali, and share her deepest insecurities with Shepard.

Gabby and Ken by JoeLaTurkey

• Recommended: by chankljp
• Status: Dead
• Pairings: Gabby/Ken, Shepard/Kelly
• Synopsis: A story that take place during the events of Mass Effect 2, starting with Kelly and Kasumi getting into a wager to get everyone's favorite engineering duo into admitting their feeling for each other. Things get interesting as the Normandy crew got some shore leave on Illium, with large number of crew members trying to ship the two of them.
• Comments: As of the writing of this recommendation, this is the only story on Gabby and Ken that is available on Fan Fiction.net. Everyone in the story fits their characterization in the game, with the trademark sarcastic humor from the duo and all other characters. Includes some minor shipping between Kelly and Shepard.

Geth Infiltrator by DiChromate

• Recommended by: Meat Wisdom
• Status: Complete
• Pairings: Tali/Legion
• Synopsis: In preparation for the Suicide Mission, Shepard calls on Tali and Legion to accompany him on a mission, in order to get the two to get along both on and off of the battlefield. Tali learns that there is more to Legion than your average Geth, and is more than surprised when she starts developing feelings for it.
• Comments: This story is quite entertaining, managing to seamlessly meld both action and romance. The author even showcases several gameplay elements, such as ammo/weapon switching, Suicide Mission mechanics (the second half of the story takes place during it and gives it a new angle), and having Legion do things that only a synthetic could. Tali's relationship with Legion is also well done, going from barely hiding her contempt for it to falling in love. Don't worry, the story addresses how that would even be possible (namely the fact that Tali can rarely leave her suit and Legion being a robot and all).
  • Night: Entertaining, and it captures Legion's mannerisms both vocal and physical very well. Tali is also quite convincing in both action and thoughts. (Even Shepard, Gabby, and Ken talk and act like themselves, which considering the number of Shepards In Name Only is pretty impressive.) Where the story falls down is in portraying Legion's own thoughts. This is entirely forgivable, I think, because a human author is always going to have trouble describing how a collective machine consciousness thinks.
  • Iaculus: I'm afraid the speed at which Tali's feelings for Legion developed kind of snapped my Willing Suspension of Disbelief. There should have been a bit more of an intermediary stage between 'mutual tolerance' and 'wants to get into the walking death-machine's metaphorical pants', in my opinion. If it hadn't been for that, though, I think I might have rather enjoyed it.

Ghost Ghost I Know You Live Within Me By ''theherocomplex.

• MassKink link. Archive of our own link.
• Recommended by: Maymei
• Status: Dormant; last updated January 2018
• Synopsis: After Shepard dies over Alchera, Garrus goes to Omega to bury his grief. But when she comes back to him as a ghost, neither of them are sure of what's happening. All they know is that they have work to do.
• Pairing: Fem!Shep/Garrus
• Comments: A rather unusual fic with supernatural elements that will hook you right at the start. Aside from our main characters, we also get to know and bond with the Archangels' squad, following their two years of story until the inevitable end happens.

GT Snap Shots and GT Snap Shots: Reboot by LockDown

• Recommended by: Firebert
• Status: Complete
• Pairing: Garrus/Tali
• Synopsis: A series of one-shots about the Garrus and Tali pairing.
• Comments: Very nice fanfics of this pairing, with correctly guessed examples of events in Mass Effect 2 in the first fic. It features great character development, as well.

Iunctio by Sinvraal

• Recommended by: Damsel Of Distress, Joysweeper, Tropulastic
• Status: Complete
• Pairing: Female Shepard/Kaidan, mild Joker/Ashley
• Synopsis: Explorations, variations and off-camera moments from the main storyline. Multiple character POVs.
• Comments: Tempted to put this in general fics as lots of other character interactions is explored than just Shenko. Utter brilliant attention to narrative detail and is easily one of the best Mass Effect fics.
  • Joysweeper: ...Wow. This is really good fic. I love the level of detail, the exploration of quiet moments, the action, the occasional Humans Through Alien Eyes...
  • As an addendum to that, Leliel would like to say that where this fic isn't a Moment of Awesome, it's Heartwarming. While the alien characters are Out of Focus, the few chapters from their point of view manage to pack a lot of Character Development despite being as short as the others are. As for the couple themselves...Geniune is too one-dimensional a word to describe them.

Lights in the Sky by Vorcha Girl

• Recommended by: JasonThursday
• Status: Complete
• Pairing: Female Shepard/James Vega + some Kaidan Alenko/Jack
• Synopsis: "James Vega had dreamed about Rennah Shepard for years and always hoped to meet her, but when he's tasked with keeping her safe on Earth he gets more than he bargained for; she's argumentative, stubborn and sexy as sin. Joining the crew of the Normandy, fighting the Reapers and falling in love was never part of the plan..."
• Comments: What started out a good FemShep/Vega fic has become one of my favourite Mass Effect fics. Highly worth checking out as it's original, clever and well written. It starts prior to Mass Effect 3 and has so far followed the characters through most of ME3, staying canon and telling the story through the eyes of Vega and Shepard. There is a focus on Cerberus as the main antagonists and they are the catalyst for some of the most original plot twists I've seen in a romance. (Mainly romance but contains elements of science fiction, horror and action.)
  • Jumps POV from Vega to Shepard, and sometimes to Kaidan, who serves to give the audience a really unique perspective on the main characters.
  • This author doesn't stray away from some brutal moments and as well as containing in depth descriptions of violence and gore, it also contains a very graphic torture scene in the later chapters.

Learning Experiences by inthefadeforever

• Recommended by: Ghastdream
• Status: Complete
• Synopsis: AU with no reapers, Shepard as a Spectre candidate and Saren as her instructor.
• Pairing: Saren/Shepard
• Comments: Best completed fanfic of this pairing I can find, excellent plot and character development.

Manipulations by akg.writes

• Recommended by: Tropulastic
• Status: Dead
• Pairing: Female Shepard/Kaidan Alenko, Ship Tease of Garrus and Kasumi
• Warnings: Out of 87+ chapters, a few of them have explicit content
• Synopsis: Shepard has newfound biotic powers, thanks to the Lazarus Project. She doesn't know how to use them though, so a certain L2 biotic is hired to be her teacher. But things won't be easy: Shepard and Kaidan aren't on good terms, and neither are Alliance and Cerberus officers. They'll all have to work together, as there are bigger interests in play. And why was Shepard turned into a biotic, anyway?
• Comments: There's some good technical explanations of the Mass Effect lore, and the plot is Original Flavour of good quality. Just for that it's worth checking, even if the story moves slowly. However, the fic's true strength is characterization: most characters make an appearance, they're all very good at their jobs, and they're all consistent with their in-game versions. Of all of them, Shepard, Kaidan and Miranda are the most fleshed out: their behaviors and actions are carefully examined, compared, contrasted, and their points of view make for an entertaining read of the fic's events, as well as give access to their hidden depths. As for the romance, their relationship compares their past and their present, which makes it kind of bittersweet... but deep down, they still care for each other. Overall, it's a sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes heartwarming, mostly fun ride, and if you like snarky writing and long fanfics, you'll love every second of it.

Mass Mayhem by Universitas

• Recommended by: Spark Moon
• Vanished from the internet. Please post a link if found.
• Pairing(s): M!Shepard/Joker (ergo, slash)
• Synopsis: Quoted from the summary itself: 100 drabbles in 20 weeks exploring Victor Shepard and his crew. Spans the first game and is now entering into Mass Effect 2.
• Comments: Drabbles themselves can be hit or miss, what with having to cram part of a story into 100-500 words or less. This anthology does it with flying colors, hitting on key parts of the characters' personalities in such a small space. (This troper's personal favorites are #'s 72 and 90) YMMV on the slash component, but even this troper-who dislikes Joker-admits the writer does a very good job of writing the sarcastic helmsman, keeping him very much in character while writing a relationship with a male Shepard. Speaking of Shepard, the one in this story is one of the more interesting takes on the male version of the player character.
  • There is now a non-drabble-based sequel, Chessboard, focusing on Victor Shepard's Mysterious Past told in flashback at the beginning of each chapter (sometimes with its own cliffhanger) and the crew's attempts to find him when he goes missing because of it.
  • Now has its own article.

Memoirs By: Sharrukin

• Recommended by: Avenger09
• Status: Complete
• Pairing: Male Shepard/Liara
• Synopsis: Centuries after the end of the Reaper War, a respected asari scientist and political leader tells the story of her youthful adventures with the legendary Shepard. Fighting to save the galaxy is one thing, but figuring out human motivations can be much harder. Science fiction, action-adventure, and a romance on slow burn.
• Comments: A series telling the events of Mass Effect from the perspective of Liara T'Soni revealing the part she played in the Reaper war, while also telling her own personal story that history has yet to learn. Continued with The Illium Years (Complete) and The Reaper War (Complete)

Modus Operandi by Pereprin

• Recommended by: Tolgron
• Status: Complete
• Pairing: Garrus/Shepard
• Synopsis: Starting just after Shepard receives command of the Normandy, Modus Operandi flits back and forth between Shepard's current missions and interactions with her crew, and the story of how she came to be the woman capable of being the first human Spectre. All the while, increasingly towards the ending chapters, Shepard forms a rather complicated relationship with her Turian squadmate, Garrus Vakarian. Rated M for adult language and rather steamy romance scenes.
• Comments: Easily one of the best Mass Effect fanfics out there, the narrative is approached maturely and with utmost respect for the source it draws from. The dialogue is so believable that you can quite easily hear the characters speaking as you read it, and the narrative is very skillfully woven together such that you can't help but keep reading. Top class stuff.

Never Let You Go by Kate_Shepard

• Recommended by: Operation Overlord
• Status: Complete
• Synopsis: What if Garrus was aboard the Normandy when the Collectors attacked? What if Shepard didn't get spaced alone?
• Pairing(s): Shepard/Garrus Vakarian

Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained by ghost.713

• Recommended by: Salty Wound, Pyrotorch246, Nuti
• Status: Dead
• Pairings: Kolyat/Oriana
• Synopsis: Guardian angels have never been perfect creatures, but a one-time hitman might be stretching things. After his assassination attempt is foiled, Kolyat Krios begins working for Captain Bailey on Zakera Ward, reluctantly and irritably attempting to repent for his crime. At the same time, Oriana Solheim, now attending multiple schools on the Citadel, moves into the apartment next door to Koylat. An incredibly awkward, yet terribly cute relationship inevitably forms.
• Comments: On first glance, this may sound like a desperate attempt to pair up two side-characters for the hell of it. The two characters are brought together realistically and their interactions feel genuine. Also happens to feature some of the best Captain Bailey writing I've ever seen. You can easily hear Michael Hogan delivering the lines.
  • Seconded once again by Pyrotorch246. It's a fun read that shows that life goes on while Shepard is out saving the galaxy. The writing and characterizations are excellent, as is the plot.
  • Yep, great read that fleshes out the wides universe and characters very well.
  • Thirded (fourth-ed?) by Nuti. I could say that while this is a shipping fic, most of the time it was actually an Odd Friendship fic, and it was brilliant. I also liked how Kolyat's personality and behavior was played for both comedy and drama, as well as portraying the galaxy from the point of view of a drell.

Our Love Is Problematic by Finn Solomon

• Recommended by: Dutch Warlord, Sithking Zero
• Status: Complete
• Pairings: Male Shepard/Subject Zero
• Synopsis: From the opening Chapter "A Mass Effect 2 fic detailing the growing relationship between Commander John Shepard and the mysterious, violent biotic known only as Jack." Exactly what it says, starts from Purgatory and continues onwards. Ongoing.
• Comments: There's more Shepard/Tali romance fics than anyone can shake a stick at, and this happens not only to put Jack in a prominent role but happens to be well written. It covers as mentioned from the Purgatory Mission to Suicide Run and goes past. Rather humorous, especially since Shepard isnt played as a stereotypical Do-Good Hero Jesus type, but a person with flaws. Strongly Recommended.
  • If for no other reason, the scene between Shepard and Morinth is terrifying and amazing in its own right. I love the story, but that has to be one of my favorite parts.
  • This Troper found the story to be largely underwhelming. Shepard has inconsistent characterisation and came across as a singularly ineffective individual instead of the best living human soldier. The relationship between Jack and Shepard felt very underdeveloped through the ME2 portion, sticking to the canon beats to the detriment of the story. It's also dialog heavy and lacking in descriptions.

The Parting Glass by spicyshimmy

• Recommended by: Katseester
• Status: Complete
• Synopsis: Post ME3 fic. Highly speculative. SPOILERS! In the aftermath of Shepard's choice, Steve Cortez and James Vega figure out what it means to be alive in London, Kaidan Alenko figures out what it means to be alive at all, and Garrus Vakarian figures out someone else might just be alive, too.
• Pairings: James/Steve, M!Shep/Kaidan
• Comments: Poignant and thoughtful, this fic ponders the effects Shepard's decision has on civilization from several points of view over the course of 18 chapters. Written before the release of the Extended Cut. Highly recommended. The rest of this author's works are definitely worth a look too.

Persephone Rising by ansinna (A shared account belonging to Evil Sapphyre, jillyfae, and SiaLater)

• Recommended by: Lady Demonique, Pyrotorch246
• Status: Dead
• Pairing: fem!Shepard/Joker, fem!Shepard/Kaidan, fem!Shepard/Garrus.
• Synopsis: From the summary: Three Shepards were born, instead of just one. Alexis Shepard, the Spacer and War Hero, as beautiful as she is driven. Ella Shepard, the Mindoir-born, Butcher of Torfan with a heart of gold. Meghan Shepard, Earthborn reformed criminal and the Sole Survivor of Akuze. They've all been assigned to the Normandy SR-1 for her shake-down cruise. But no one ever sends these marines out together for just a shake-down cruise...
• Comments: A single Commander Shepard is already pretty damn badass, but putting three different combinations of Shepard's backgrounds together just takes the awesome up to eleven. The three authors who co-write this fanfic work together very well, and manage to make their respective Shepards believable. The action sequences are brilliant, the pacing fast but not rushed, and the exploration of the Shepards' relationship with their Love Interests are handled sensitively. All in all, a very entertaining read.
  • The story is reasonably well written (I'm a little tough to please in that department), and what Lady Demonique said holds true in my opinion too. What caught my eye is the attention to detail with the more military part of the fic-how the crew and the Shepards interact, and how things are dealt with, plus certain bits of terminology. It's enough to convince me (if it isn't clear by now, I like seeing that sort of thing done right) that at least one of the authors is or was either a marine or a sailor, which makes it that much more interesting.
  • While the story is well written, the fact that the three protagonists are named Shepard can make it quite confusing as to whom they are talking about. Also, I had the impression Kaidan's butt (all of his body) kept coming up in every discussion the three Shepards have for the 20 first chapters. While not plot relevant or important, it can be quite irritating. cricri3007.

Queen's Gambit Accepted by fahRENheit2006

• Recommended by: pistachioinfernal
• Status: Dead
• Synopsis: Specialist Samantha Traynor, one of the Alliance's best and brightest, was relatively content working in Alliance R&D. But then... the Reapers came. Full of action, profanity, sarcasm, friendship, and gripping chess matches that will leave you breathless.
• Pairing: Fem!Shep/Samantha Traynor
• Comments:: There aren't a lot of fics exploring the Femshep/Traynor relationship, but even if there were, this one would stick out. Humour, pathos, conspiracy theories, chess games that are about flirting, and eavesdropping on diplomats is only scratching the surface. I really don't do it justice, check it out and see for yourself!

Razor's Edge by Tairis Deamhan

• Recommended by: Herr Wozzeck, Sigge, Bustamouse, nitewind, Crimson Shogun, midorigreen
• Status: Complete
• Pairings: Tali/Shepard
• Synopsis: Life is all about finding something worth living for, the question is what is that when you're a spectre that has already died once? John Shepard seeks to find this out as he begins to realize the extent of his feelings to a certain Quarian engineer...
• Comments: Possibly the single finest example of Tali/Shepard I can find anywhere on the internet. Tairis Deamhan has a real eye for character development; everything flows incredibly naturally in terms of character actions, and when we finally begin to get Tali and Shepard's romance after a very slow build-up, it's astoundingly beautiful. It's also a great read given how he manages to treat all of the missions/assignments in the fic, giving so much more emotional edge to each one (of particular note is his treatment of Samara's loyalty mission).
  • Seconded, sure it contains some misspellings and faulty grammars but is really well done and is a very good read.
    • Fortunately, the author is currently (while also writing Requiem) in the process of correcting the grammatical errors of the prior stories.
  • The sequel, Dark Witness, is also complete. It covers the events of Lair of the Shadow Broker, still with plenty of Shep/Tali goodness.
  • The third installment in the series, Requiem, has begun, and will follow the events of Mass Effect 3, with many creative liberties taken. Such as Shepard struggling with indoctrination while a Reaper avatar in the form of a ghostly Saren haunts his dreams.
    • The whole trilogy is complete.

The Robot by punishandenslavesuckers

• Recommended by: Jonn
• Status: Complete
• Synopsis: "If the Geth have a soul then it is a strange one, but if the soul exists then so too do all the sorrows that comes with it."
• Pairing(s): Tali/Legion

Rock Steady by Gagged Cenobite

• Recommended by: Herr Wozzeck, pcy623, Oracle, USA Bobcat
• Status: Complete
• Pairing: Thane/Jack
• Synopsis: Nobody's really whole, we're just broken in different ways from each other. Jack learns this as her friendship with a certain Drell assassin slowly intensifies.
• Comments: One would think pairing a violent, manic-depressive, and overall bitchy character like Jack with a character who is pretty much her exact opposite would be impossible. And yet, Gagged Cenobite makes such a relationship work beautifully here, bringing Jack and Thane together in ways that are quite unexpected and yet work so well. The scenes before the Omega 4 relay especially make this pairing work; it could almost be a canon pairing the way it is handled so respectfully and delicately. Definitely a recommended read based on the strength of the character development on Jack's end throughout, too.
  • Also there's a lovely cameo of Kasumi that's very in character. This is important because the author wrote this BEFORE Kasumi was released as DLC.

Something That'll Last by Popehippo

• Recommended by: Spark Moon, Salty Wound, Ultrayellow, Sithking Zero, Bustamouse, St Clair
• Status: Complete
• Pairings: Background characters, specifically a salarian and an asari.
• Synopsis: From the summary A small glimpse into the life of those outside of Commander Shepard's story; based on the interactions of two NPCs in Illium. That is to say, the unnamed salarian and his asari step-daughter you overhear on Illium.
• Comments: This short, but extremely beautiful one-shot takes a glimpse not at Shepard or any of his/her crew, but two one-off characters you pass by on one of the main worlds of the sequel: a salarian searching for a gift for his significant other with his asari step-daughter. To say any more than that would be a spoiler, but I will leave you with this: have at least one tissue handy, because if you have a heart, you'll be misty-eyed at the end.
  • *Sniff*...those two characters always got me when I passed by them in the game. Having now read this, I may never be able to walk by them again without crying my eyes out.
  • This is excellent. Understated, simple, but absolutely beautiful. It's nice to see someone who writes such great stories about characters who don't get any interactions with Shepard at all.
  • Nthing. Very well-written one-shot.
  • It takes a lot to get me to cry, but I did feel a little bit of tightness in my chest and some prickling in my eyes when I read this. For a character who has maybe ten lines total, and you probably never hear all of them unless you're staying to listen, this is a very powerful story.
  • All the Manly Tears.

Spare Parts by MsWikit

• Recommended by: Starshone
• Status: Complete
• Synopsis: Shepard's clone awakens in a hospital eight months after the end of the Reaper War (Control ending), and to her surprise everyone seems to think she's Shepard. She feigns amnesia in order to fool people into thinking she's the real deal, and begins to learn what it means to be the real Commander.
• Pairings: Female Shepard/Garrus Vakarian, Female Clone Shepard/Garrus Vakarian, Javik/Liara T'soni

A Star to Steer Her By

• Recommended by: DealsWithFate3
• Status: Complete
• After being revived by Cerberus, Shepard is not quite the stable commander that Joker remembers, and he's surprised to find himself helping her pick up the pieces. Follows ME2 with a focus on the interstitial non-mission bits.
• Pairings: Fem!Shep/Joker
• Comments: It's a nice slow build Joker/Shep romance, starting with ME2. He has survivor's guilt. She's dealing with a new body and allegiance. It's quite good. Friends to lovers thing, with focus on other characters, a very fleshed out Shep, etc.

Strange Bedfellows by Phoenike

• Recommended by: LoganLee88
• Status: Complete
• Synopsis: An alternate take to the love scene between Garrus and Shepard before the Omega-4 Relay and a post-Suicide Mission chapter as well.
• Pairing: Garrus/Shepard
• Comments: Unlike majority of Garrus/Shep fics this troper has read, this fic isn't all fluffy and stuff. It can be quite explicit in parts but what fascinates is how the pair are incompatible in some physical ways. Additionally, (not to give away any spoilers) this fiction reminds players that not everyone gets perfect playthroughs.

Supernova by Echo Alexia

• Recommended by: Ghastdream
• Status: Complete
• Synopsis: Nihlus meets Femshep prior to boarding the Normandy. They duke it out with lots of mercs.
• Pairing: Nihlus/Shepard
• Comments: A brilliant action packed romantic comedy, despite the canonical tragic ending.

Taking Back Yesterday by Gagged Cenobite

• Recommended by: JackInqu
• Status: Dead
• Pairing: Thane/Jack
• Synopsis: An exercise in getting rid of unwanted tenants. Is it worth it to plan, organize, and execute a full-on assault on the biggest arms dealer in Citadel space, just to get some alone-time? You bet your ass it is.
• Comments: A sequel/side-story to Rock Steady, Jack and Thane help Kasumi with her mission to retrieve her partner's graybox from Donovan Hock. Only two chapters at this time, but it looks like it will be up to the standards of it's preceding story. Jack continues to go through Character Development while Thane deals with some loose ends of his own. Oh, and Liara T'Soni makes an appearance. Spoilers for Kasumi's mission and "The Lair of the Shadow Broker."

The Thane Krios Experience by littleblackdog

• Recommended by: Joysweeper
• Status: Complete
• Pairings: Garrus/Shepard, Garrus/Thane.
• Synopsis: Nervous about the mechanics of blowing off steam with a human, Garrus seeks advice about the bane of xeno-loving Turians throughout the galaxy— how is this kissing thing supposed to work, especially when you've got no lips?
• Comments: It actually might fit better in the Humor section, but eh. The title's a reference to The Jimi Hendrix Experience, and despite an awkward line or two it's just fun.

A Thessian's Whisper by PMC65

• Recommended by: Shakduhn, Bustamouse
• Status: Complete
• Pairing: Liara/Female Shepard
• Synopsis: The separate lives of E.W. Shepard (Elizabeth Whisper Shepard) and Liara T'Soni: Starting in 2164 when Shepard is 10 and Liara is 87 the story reveals how they grow up to become the individuals that meet on Therum. Their families, friends, lovers and life experiences.
• Comments: One of the finest works of fiction I've ever read. Unlike most romance fics, this one focuses on the personal lives of Shepard and L Iara BEFORE they ever met. Each chapter takes turns narrating a segment on Shepard's life, followed by Liara's and so on. What makes this fic stand from so many others, is how much the authoress goes into detail. Ample background is given for Shepard's family, and friends, as well as Liara's family and friends. Each and every single one of the characters, from Shepard's dad, to Shep's mom, to her friends, to her grandparents, is a multi-layered well developed well focused personality. It focuses on the "Colonial" background of shepard (Lived on Mindoir, till it was attacked when she was 16). It has a healthy dose of humor, drama, well written dialog, a small dose of pop culture references, and plenty of shot-outs to future events that end up happening in the first game, it does a great job in fleshing out characters that don't get so much limelight on the actual game (Like Benezia, or Shiala). This fanfic is complete, starts from when Shepard was 10, and ends just before she is selected as Nhilus's disciple as the first human spectre. It has a sequel in the form of The Shepherdess and the Questing Beast which covers the events depicted in the first game, and its currently a work in progress. Most definitely a MUST-READ for any fem!shep fan out there.
  • Its of particular note how much detail goes into asari Culture in general, with well defined, well researched exposure to their customs, rituals, culture, and more. So if you also happen to be an asari fan, this is the one fic you CANT afford to miss.
  • Extremely well written and really had me through almost the entire story. But nearing the end and nearly unbearable in the sequel is how EVERYONE wants a piece of Shepherd, although YMMV. You can't go two sentences without someone talking about how incredible Shepherd is and how badly they want her. That comment aside this fic is VERY good with believable characters that you really fall in love with, and yes plenty of goodies for all the asari fans out there.
  • Though being fair, everyone wanting a piece of Shepard is kinda canon in the game itself. Not for nothing, in the list of tropes on the page dedicated for Shepard is "Memetic Sex God/Goddess" due to the overwhelming amount of people that seem to want a piece of Shep, be them gay, straight, male, female, human, or alien. I do have to admit the fic kinda takes it a little bit too far, but its not that much of a stretch from what can be observed in the game.

Tiger By My Side by Introjection

• Recommended by: Cass
• Status: Dead
• Pairing: Joker/Shepard
• Synopsis: Commander Shepard isn't one to be confused. However, after the events on the remote colony of Horizon, she has no choice but to accept the things she does not want to face, and have the courage to start life anew.
• Comments: I was a little wary of this one going in, since from the first chapter it seems like the story is going to contain pointless Jacob-bashing for the sake of the pairing and like it might rush the relationship. But I kept going and was so glad that I did because instead I got a great, natural, build-up with all the snark you'd want in a Joker-centric fic, and even Shep's unease with Jacob turns out to have actual character-based reasons. It also stands out among many long-fics I've read set during ME2 for not spending a lot of time regurgitating conversations and scene-by-scene descriptions of situations we already saw in the game, filling in the spaces between cutscenes instead. And even when it delves into missions that we've all played through Introjection isn't afraid to make (minor) changes to keep things fresh.

The Translation in Blood by NothingTame (link)

• Recommended by: StarSword
• Status: Complete
• Synopsis: In the ruins of occupied Shanxi, an Alliance soldier and a Turian scout discover that they have more in common than is readily apparent. This leads to a story of a Secret Relationship across species (and government) boundaries and all that entails, stretching from the First Contact War to a little after the Destroy ending of Mass Effect 3, and resulting in Commander Shepard having a mentor and supporter she never knew about.
• Pairings: Rear Admiral Hannah Shepard^note Shepard's mother with the Spacer background and Councilor Sparatus (no, seriously), with FemShep/Garrus in the background of the later chapters.
• Tags: Not Safe for Work due to M/F Explicit Content, Interspecies Romance, Completed
• Comments: Radm. Shepard x Sparatus would seem to be a Crack Pairing at first glance, but not only does the author make it work, it also casts a completely different interpretation on Sparatus' actions in the trilogy. It also allows for an absolutely hilarious reaction from FemShep to the air-quotes thing.

Weightless by Alex_Scrye

• Recommended by: Maymei
• Status: Active (Was a dead fic, but the author recently came back on AO3, posting an updated and rewritten version after nearly 10 years away.)
• Synopsis: A wise Krogan once said that the only stories worth telling are those of love, sex, and war. This has all three. A story of provocateurs, confidants, and unhealthy attraction. Mass Effect Noir. Rated MA. Original content and a touch of AU pre & post ME1-ME3 concerning the secrets, origins, and lives of Jane Shepard and Garrus Vakarian.
• Pairing(s): Fem!Shep/Garrus
• Comments: This Noir-fic focusing mainly on Shepard and Garrus relationship with each other while gradually uncovering Shepard's past and her relation to Kai Leng and Nihlus. The writing may turns some people off with its purple prose and metaphors, but once you get past those things, it gives you many new insights for several characters. The author's ability to delivery moods and emotions is quite excellent and you can particularly feels the characters coming to life.

Where Angels Fear to Tread (completed'').Sequel: Closer to Home (incompleted, maybe a Deadfic now) by WarlordFil.

• Recommended by: Maymei
• Synopsis: Death changes things. When Commander Shepard tries to tell her old friend what he means to her, she finds out that her own thoughts about him have changed. ME1 and 2 spoilers.
• Pairing(s): Fem!Shep/Garrus
• Comments: The first fic shows what happened off-scene during ME2 to explain why Shepard suddenly asked Garrus to ‘blow off steam’ with her and why Garrus agreed (as in the author’s words “how Shepard went from "my buddy Garrus" in ME1 to "want to ease some tension?" in ME2”). The second fic was written before ME3 so it didn't follow canon, this story let us see more about the Turian tradition and point of views including an exploration about Garrus’s background. Both are very well written with a healthy dose of sweetness and angst with the OCs are quite believable and interesting. Pity that the sequel stopped right at a cliffhanger.

Like it's Hallelujah (complete)

• Recommended by: readerdreamer
• Pairing: Fem!Shep/Liara
• Comments: This is an absolutely beautiful fic, one of my favorites ever. It's short, but every word is a gut-punch.
• Synopsis: At the end of the world, a woman walks into a bar. Stop me if you've heard this one before.
  • After the end of ME3 (spoilers for the whole trilogy), Shepard and Liara find each other.

Variations on a Theme, With Tank and Gun Fire

• Recommended by: Polaris
• Synopsis: Shepard finds herself reliving the last few years, from finding the beacon on Eden Prime to the battle for Earth. Again, and again, and again. How much can she change? How much should she change?
• Pairings: Fem!Shep/Garrus
• Comments: A "Groundhog Day" Loop fic where Shepard keeps reliving the events of the games, starting with Eden Prime and ending with the catalyst. The Shepard/Garrus pairing is the backbone of the fic, but Shepard's relationships with the whole crew are important. It's not precisely Fix Fic, because as Shepard learns there are some outcomes you can't avoid, but everyone is extremely competent and fully in character in a very cathartic way, and some hearbreaks are avoided in the end.