Would you kindly recommend the 10% worth the sweat of your brow here?
These are recommendations made by Tropers for BioShock Fan Fics, 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.
After a few samples, you will be able to judge whether you might be interested in the fic, based on who recommended it. No-name recommendations will be whacked with a wrench. Nobody would back up the rec. Discussion of the recommendation is welcome on the discussion page. As such discussion is important, do remember to add the discussion page to the watch-list, if need be.
Do warn when a fanfic may head into sexually explicit or non-canon territory. Some people just don't like it, and as we all know, Shipping is Serious Business.
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.
Authors and Websites
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Stories focused on the family and the friendly relationships of the cast. Plot-focused stories or light day-in-the-life stories. Pretty much anything that isn't focused on romance.Weather Gauge
by TenfoldShields
- Recommended by: Guessmyname
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: A chillingly emotional little one-shot. Rapture is burning, and Rapture is sinking, and with the Bathyspheres locked away, two desperate men seek a way to reach the surface...
- Comments: A short, well-contained one-shot exploring the plight of Rapture's civilian population. Not aligned with Atlas, not aligned with Ryan, and just trying to survive, and live. A wonderful little story on what it means to be human.
Rapture Noir by Spartan067
- Recommended by: BenSoele
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Noir Episode set in Rapture starring Jack Martin Fontaine's right hand man and the leader of the smuggling ring. This fanfic follows the rise and fall of Martin's criminal empire, along with his disintegrating relationship with Frank Fontaine, and eventually, the disintegration of Rapture itself.
- Comments: Not a bad fanfic. Well-paced with good dialogue and an original plot. Straddles the line between "Noir" and "Criminal Procedural" though.
Sea Of Broken Dreams by jschneids
- Recommended by: KingSonnDeeDoo, kthecloud
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Following on after the 'good' end of BioShock 2'', it acts as if Subject Delta doesn't (permanently) die, and instead gets separated from Eleanor in their escape attempt, getting dragged back to Rapture. He then must enlist the help of some old faces in order to return to the surface again. Meanwhile, Eleanor turns to help from someone who has battled through Rapture before - Jack.
- Comments: Quite engaging, with some descriptions soing to Scenery Gorn level, and the author does a very good job at keeping everyone in character. Unfortunately for the first ten or so chapters, there is nothing to show when the POV changes to another character, so be prepared for it to change suddenly.
Saviour by Alphawolf69
- Recommended by: Mokyn
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: A loose adaption of the first game as seen by Bridgette Tenenbaum, it uses a writing style mimicking the short pieces of story like the audio diaries. The story allows a look at how Jack and Tenenbaum work to save the Little Sisters in their own way.
- Comments: It's hard to summarise this fic. I'm sure others could, but I don't think I could without going overboard. The story really shows how short vignettes can have just as much impact as an epic-length story, dealing with each event with a certain delicacy that allows the words to resonate with you. Because the story is being told by Tenenbaum, the writer captures her broken English while still showing her intelligence, and through her observations of Jack, he's even allowed a few moments to shine as well. Overall, the story is compelling, sweet and very memorable despite its short length.
Fatherhood by Faith Harris
- Recommended by: DepressedSalamander
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: A rather disturbing little work that looks into the mind of a Big Daddy both after and before his conversion. First linked to on a WMG for BioShock.
- Comments: I don't know, I just really like the writing style and storytelling of this one. The author nails the attitudes of pre-Fall Rapture citizens, and the use of period slang really helps the setting an story. Plus, the relationship between Denton and his Little Sister(s), explored in more depth than just protector/protected, is really sweet. Even if, towards the end, there is quite a lot of reference Body Horror and general-purpose creepiness.
Angel by Kusabi Makabe
- Recommended by: Ondarisa
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: A much darker take on what life after Rapture may be for a Little Sister. Focuses on Masha Lutz and her struggles to escape the mental conditioning that she has been subjected to.
- Comments: It's pretty well written and does a wonderful job of putting the reader in Masha's shoes. It's also a nice, perhaps more realistic insight into a Little Sister's future that pulls the game's sugary sweet ending down to earth a little. Oh, and it's quite the Tear Jerker. It needs some spacers for scene transitions, but Masha's dictation makes it pretty clear when that's happening and otherwise I have no real faults with it.
The Caged Bird's Song by molotov_cockroach
- Recommended by: Pistachio Infernal, kthecloud
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: A BioShock Infinite story. There's always a bird, there's always a cage—Songbird's life, in reverse.
- Comments: Seeing Songbirds life through his eyes. It's not a pretty sight. If you like horror stories and twist endings, then this one is for you.
- Recommended by: Ragnar The Semi Green
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: A brief one-shot describing the effects of the Possession vigor on a member of Colombia's finest, from his point of view with a coda from Booker's understanding. The effects of the vigor may not be entirely canon, but the author's interpretation is still fascinating in a disturbing way.
A Slave and a Prophet Walk into a Bar by ConsultingDoctorWinchester
- Recommended by: The Wild West Pyro
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Booker gets shoved through one of Elizabeth's tears and meets a new friend- Jack Ryan.
- Recommended by: Ragnar The Semi Green
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: "Spoiler for end-game. In an infinite set of multiverses, infinite possibilities await. But is change tied to the person, the world, or the hand of cards dealt by fate? A gamble sends Booker DeWitt back at the beginning of it all...but this time around, he knows, the Lutece Twins aren't there and...sometimes, a second chance is all it takes to make things right." A Peggy Sue fic that stars a post-drowning Booker returning to the Lighthouse, to once again try to wipe away the debt; also starring Rosalind Lutece, who's own demons rest on this last iteration of the experiment.
- Recommended by: SwirlySquirrely
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: "Booker DeWitt has a companion for back-up who isn't Elizabeth; maybe the Vigor called Possession should have had a familiar effect, but it hadn't; and other sundries."
Batya by grandSolovey
- Recommended by: Halfpint, kthecloud
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: This is a bit of an AU fic, where Andrew Ryan discovered who Jack was before he came down to Rapture, and was able to kill Fontaine before he could use Jack as an assassin.
- Pairing(s): Jack/Diane McClintock, Jack/Kyle Fitzpatrick minor Andrew Ryan/Diane McClintock
- Has a sequel by the name of Doch-moja, and a transition story between the two called. Batya Revolt
- Tags: None.
House of Upside Down byAngela Kip
- Recommended by: kthecloud
- Synopsis: "It's well-known that prolonged periods of isolation have unusual effects, especially when the specimen is a child. But what about when the child in question is able to rip open reality with her bare hands and easily meet someone sixty years in the future?"
- Comments: A beautifully and plausibly written friendship between Eleanor and Elizabeth.
- Status: complete
- Recommended by: Kthecloud
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: "You are my conscience, Father." An examination of three different endings of BioShock 2 and the relationship between Delta and Eleanor Lamb."
- Comments: A well-written perspective into different endings of BioShock 2.
The Prodigal Son by Malice_and_Macarons
- Recommended by: FelinaLain
- Status: Ongoing/Slight Hiatus
- Synopsis: Atlas wakes up. Death, he thinks, would have been kinder.
- Comments: One of the best fic I ever seen for the whole "Atlas-is-real" AU. Take place during an AU Bioshock 2, (and I recall seeing mentioned somewhere in author notes that it uses cut game content to fill in the story)
- The series (including prequels Getting Lost in the Con and Jackie's Cabaret) now has a trope page in progress here.
for which I can never atone by presidenthomewrecker
- Recommended by: TheLuckOfTheClaws
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Brigid Tenenbaum is one of the few people to escape Rapture, all with six Little Sisters and a two-year-old ace in the hole in tow. But can someone that's lived through Rapture ever really escape it?
- Comments: An alternate universe with good fluffy portions and good tense plot portions. All the little sisters and townsfolk get really interesting characterization as well.
Close Call by William de Warde
- Recommended by: Leliel
- Status: Complete
- Relationship: Booker/Elizabeth...almost.
- Synopsis: Elizabeth wants to 'thank' her savior. DeWitt is more than okay with the idea. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately...) they are interrupted by someone who is decidedly not happy about their coupling. [Heavy spoilers- watch out if you haven't finished the game]
- Comments: A non-squicky parody of all the shipfics that popped up before the authors finished the game, and thus unintentionally wrote a Parental Incest fic. Short, sweet, and hilarious.
The Chosen and the Beloved by Guilty Adonis
- Recommended by: Tropers/Chiyaa
- Status: Dormant
- Fandom: BioShock Infinite
- Relationship(s): Booker/Elizabeth, implied past Booker/Lady Comstock, Dead!Alternate!Booker/Daisy Fitzroy
- Synopsis: In which Booker Dewitt comes to the city of Columbia in an attempt to clear his name, only to find that his past is inextricably tied to that of the city, and that fate has a way of sneaking up at the worst possible times. Or, an AU rewrite in which questions are answered, underused characters are given their due, and the Lutece twins can't help snarking at everything Booker says.
- Comments: This fic (which is incomplete, but updates relatively regularly if a little slowly) starts out like a direct novelization of the game, though AU elements have been present since the beginning. It starts out a little slowly but is gaining its stride, and its grasp and usage of language is well-formed and compelling. Also, there are footnotes. The author assures us that all Parental Incest will be resolved by the end of the story; YMMV as to whether or not that makes the story worth it.
- ->Wholeheartedly second the rec, this fic has bright, funny moments mixed in with the novelization and gives glances towards Booker's past and other things that may've been overlooked during a playthrough. The scenery porn descriptions are absolutely beautiful and the pure snark the Lutece's ooze as they comment on Booker's internal monologuing is hilarious. Definitely worth checking out even though it's just getting started!~proserpina.sacra
- Thirded with great enthusiasm. Despite the fic still being in its infancy, it manages to perfectly balance breakneck-paced action, hilarious banter and touching moments of development between the characters without collapsing in on itself. The author has an incredible talent for getting into characters' heads and letting them tell the story. And I must say, the footnotes as told by the Luteces are so well done that it makes me wish the game proper had a similar feature.
- ->Wholeheartedly second the rec, this fic has bright, funny moments mixed in with the novelization and gives glances towards Booker's past and other things that may've been overlooked during a playthrough. The scenery porn descriptions are absolutely beautiful and the pure snark the Lutece's ooze as they comment on Booker's internal monologuing is hilarious. Definitely worth checking out even though it's just getting started!~proserpina.sacra
Derivations From Entirety by Souplog
- Recommended by: Nightshade1218
- Status: Complete
- Also a crossover with BioShock 2.
- Relationships: Elizabeth/Eleanor
- Synopsis: After drowning her father, Elizabeth tries to rationalize her existence with normal life, seeking a way to move on after the ordeals on Columbia. With the Luteces, she makes a new life in a different universe, and in the process meets the heroine of the previous BioShock, Eleanor.
- Comments: This troper's favorite BioShock fic, because not only is it good with the shipping aspect, but it explores upon the BioShock mythos (including Elizabeth's reality tear ability, Eleanor making peace with her past in Rapture, and the concept of alternate universes). Highly recommended, especially considering how rare this ship is.
Dangerous Woman and its sequel Dialectic by Atiaran
- Recommended by: Dragonmouth
- Status: Complete
- Fandom: BioShock and BioShock 2
- Relationships: Andrew Ryan/Sofia Lamb
- Synopsis: Audio diaries detailing Ryan's perception of Sophia Lamb in the days before the Rapture Civil War.
- Comments: This troper thinks that a reluctant romance between two polar opposite yet similar characters brings up many fascinating possibilities. The fic mostly takes place during Ryan and Lamb's public debates.
Infinite by Wraith002
- Recommended by: Agent_B
- Status: Dead (last updated January 2017)
- Relationship: Elizabeth/Male OC
- Synopsis: Through a series of unfortunate and bizarre events, Reece Vega has found himself in a world beyond comprehension. In a city with danger around every turn, sent on a mission to save someone he had never met by people who are more cryptic with each meeting. In the end, he'll need all of his skills and luck to survive if he hopes to ever see his home again.
Bioshock Infinite Hell in Heaven by The Incredible Muffin
- Recommended by: Crofty666
- Status: Complete with an ongoing sequel.
- Fandom: Bioshock Infinite
- Relationships: Elizabeth/Booker
- Synopsis: Rather marvellous AU where Booker is an older teen from the 2010s and ends up on Columbia by accident instead of design, he still gets drafted by the Lutece's to save Elizabeth but there are changes because of his situation, one of which is that he and Elizabeth are NOT related in this fic, includes all the snark you'd expect a teenager to use when dealing with the situation, and the surprise about how Elizabeth gets her powers in this fic flow quite well with the previous games canon.
A Train Car Fit For Two by wanderingoverthewords
- Recommended by: TheLuckOfTheClaws
- Status: Complete.
- Relationships: Subject Delta/Augustus Sinclair
- Synopsis: The journey between stations is ample time for communication and upkeep, and a train car beneath the ocean is somehow the ideal place for it - at least, Subject Delta and Augustus Sinclair make it work.
- Comments: A character study of Sinclair and his thought process during the travel time when the two of them are on the train car in between levels.
Crossover Fics
''Stories which crossover with other characters or works.Total Drama Raptured by Rufus T. Serenity
- Recommended by: CMR Rosa
- Crossover with: Total Drama
- Status: Dead; last updated July 2017
- Synopsis: The Total Drama Jumbo Jet is forced down over the Atlantic Ocean. Cody, Courtney, Gwen, and Noah get separated from the rest of the remaining contestants. They discover the gateway to something different. The gateway to the impossible. The gateway to…Rapture! The teens will struggle to not just survive but also keep their sanity and deepest beliefs intact in the first "BioShock"!
- It has its own tropes page, here
Into the Deep by Star Knight 2.0
- Recommended by: CMR Rosa
- Crossover with: 'Young Justice''
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: When a plane crashes in the Atlantic Ocean, Artemis and Wally are swept up into an adventure with a teenager named Jack. They must escape from the nightmarish city of Rapture with the help of a mysterious man named Atlas, or else they'll be trapped under the sea with the city's insane inhabitants.
Children of the Sea by Star Knight 2.0
- Recommended by: CMR Rosa
- Crossover with: 'Young Justice''
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Sequel to Into the Deep. Five years after the Rapture incident, Wally and Artemis are living in peace. But they soon find themselves on a rescue mission back to the undersea city. They find themselves allied with a Big Daddy and a strange girl named Eleanor. Unfortunately, they face an enemy that is even more twisted than Andrew Ryan and the Splicers.
Limitless by Star Knight 2.0
- Recommended by: CMR Rosa
- Crossover with: 'Young Justice''
- Status: Dead; last updated March 2016
- Synopsis: Finale in BioShock trilogy. The Reach have been defeated. Instead of dying, Wally finds himself in Columbia. He teams up with Booker DeWitt to rescue a woman named Elizabeth, all the while fighting a mad man named Comstock and a group called the Vox Populi. Meanwhile, Wally is being hunted by a mysterious man. Will Wally get home? Or will Columbia be his grave?
The Infinite Effect by Crowand Cackle
- Recommended by: CMR Rosa
- Crossover with: Mass Effect
- Status: Dormant
- Synopsis: A thought, dear brother; we have studied the girl and her abilities extensively, but have we ever considered what would happen if she lost control while opening the tear? what effects would it have on her and would she come out in one piece? We should have studied this when we had the chance, now I fear that we will never get the chance.
Infinite Galaxy by unity9
- Recommended by: CMR Rosa
- Crossover with: Mass Effect
- Status: Dormant
- Synopsis: After surviving everything Columbia could throw at Booker DeWitt, he wakes up only to find the Lutece twins are now offering him another assignment. With nothing to lose, he agrees to the terms, but this time the assignment requires Booker to travel 270 years into the future to a place called Eden Prime.
Halo Infinite by Nick Kap
- Recommended by: CMR Rosa
- Crossover with: Halo
- Status: Dead; last updated December 2016
- Synopsis: During the initial stages of the UNSC's Operation LAND GRAB during the beginning of the Second Battle of Requiem, Gunnery Sergeant Eddie Buck will experience a life-changing event. Meanwhile, in a city in the sky, Booker DeWitt tries to bring back the girl to wipe away the debt.
The Flower of Columbia by A. Kingsleigh
- Recommended by: CMR Rosa
- Crossover with: Tangled
- Status: Dormant
- Synopsis: There's always a man, a lighthouse, a city...and sometimes there's a girl with magic hair. A combination of Tangled and BioShock Infinite.
Possibilities in Rapture by John Macmillian
- Recommended by: CMR Rosa
- Crossover with: Kim Possible
- Status: Dormant
- Synopsis: Kim Possible is living happily in the city of Rapture, the underwater utopia. This is not to last however, come and read the story that promises to bring an adventure full circle starting at how she came to be there and what is to come from where she is now.
- Recommended by: GreyNoise
- Crossover with My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
- Status: Sequel Cancelled
- Synopsis: BioShock meets MLP in this psychological thriller, where Celestia's new faithful student, Siren Song, must discover the truth behind the city beneath the waves.
- Comments: A Fusion Fic of BioShock and MLP where the setting of BioShock 1 is constructed using Magitek from the MLP world and MLP characters. Much Better Than It Sounds. Notable for taking place in a Rapture analogue that's not quite as far gone, so while life there is still brutish and nasty, some of the people there still manage to live mostly ordinary lives outside their crippling magic drug addiction and the main character isn't all alone there. Characters manage to be complex and fully realized, and action is interspersed with political intrigue and espionage.
Goggles and the Tears by Machiner6
- Recommended by: Sark0TAG
- Crossover with System Shock 2, BioShock Infinite, Half-Life 2, Freeman's Mind, and Marathon
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: SHODAN's tampering with the Von Braun's Faster-than-Light drive has opened Tears all over history, leaking into each other and drawing people to it. Worse, the hostile AI has set her sights on Elizabeth as her new key to godhood, and intends to usurp Comstock from his throne to do so, by masquerading as his Archangel.
