Fanfic Recs / Final Space

Proof that the remaining 10% is worth unlocking Final Space for.

These are recommendations made by Tropers for Final Space 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.Status guide:

• Complete: Exactly What It Says on the Tin.
• Ongoing: The fic is being updated on a regular basis or has received an update after a significant absence.
• Dormant: The fic has not been updated in a fairly long time (several months to a year or more) but the author has not pronounced it dead.
• Dead: The fic has not been updated in several years, or the author has specifically said that it will not be updated.

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Authors and Sites

• lightning bird
• Recommended by SubversionStation
• Comments: This author has a good grasp on the characters and a knack for translating the off-beat comedy of the show into writing form. They really like the Gary/Avacato ship, and many of their stories feature the pairing in some way.

General Fics

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.

The Legion of Murdering the Lord Commander into a Plethora of Butholes by Bunny Rock.

• Recommend by: De Vos
• Status: Dead
• Pairings: None
• Synopsis: The Legion of Murdering an Irritatingly Power-Thirsty Pintsized Imp into a Plethora of Buttholes! Because as difficult as that name is to say, it's even harder to *do* when the family-dynamics of the least functional crew in Space keeps needing a raw, high power man hug from their heroic captain to keep going in the face of serious action.
• Comments: Gary uses temporal worms to try and get Little Cato some closure about his dad.

Trust and Other Acquired Skills by lightning_bird

• Recommend by: SubversionStation
• Status: Complete
• Synopsis: Gary calls himself the captain, but does he even know what that means?
• Comments: A oneshot with Dadcato, Gary appreciation, and just a nice calm situation where the characters bounce off each other without angst.

Heuristic Unified Entity (AKA H.U.E.) by Spectral_Aspen

• Recommend by: SubversionStation
• Status: Complete
• Synopsis: H.U.E. is a program meant to keep watch over prisoners. Most prisoners are predictable. They've never had to deal with a prisoner like Gary before.
• Comments: The author manages to write pre-character development H.U.E. very well, which is difficult given that he's a computerized control system, and the interactions between H.U.E., Gary, and KVN are spot-on. Those looking for an Original Flavor fic will want to check this one out.

Final Space Short Stories and Drabbles by GalaxyDragon

• Recommend by: SubversionStation
• Status: Dead
• Synopsis: This is just a place where I'm going to be putting short stories related to Final Space.
• Comments: Exactly What It Says on the Tin. Particularly notable for the first two stories, which respectively focus on Gary before and after his father's death.

there is grace within forgiveness (but it's so hard for me to find) by chookity-dookity

• Recommend by: SubversionStation
• Status: Complete
• Synopsis: It seems stupid in retrospect, but a part of Gary really did believe that everything would just go back to the way it was before. But of course he's not the same person that he once was—even if Avocato is.
• Comments: A hard-hitting story that looks at Avacato's personality and his relationship with the past with brutal honesty. Fair warning: This story doesn't have a happy ending, and Avacato fans may not be pleased with how he's portrayed. However, the author has a knack for exploring character dynamics, and the analysis of Gary's friendship with Avacato compared to the others especially makes the fic worth a read.

toxic honey by unfoundedrevenge

• Recommend by: SubversionStation
• Status: Complete
• Synopsis: “Ah,” a croak of a voice whispers. “Goodspeed’s son.” — remember when gary got possessed? *john mulaney voice* i think about that every goddamn day.
• Comments: Oneshot exploring Gary's mind when Invictus was in it. It's short, but it hits hard.

Not Alone Anymore by GalaxyDragon

• Recommend by: SubversionStation
• Status: Complete
• Synopsis: Gary is alone...but not really. Not anymore.
• Comments: Short but sweet oneshot about Gary and his adopted family.

home is wherever I'm with you by chookity-dookity

• Recommend by: SubversionStation
• Status: Dead
• Synopsis: A family isn’t just the people you’re related to—it’s the people you love. A series of character drabbles exploring all the various relationships on the Crimson Light.
• Comments: While the author only posted a fraction of the planned stories, what's there is very good and worth a read.

Final Space Drabbles by RandomFandomJasper

• Recommended by: SubversionStation
• Status: Dead
• Summary: A series of prompt-based oneshots that were originally posted on Tumblr.
• Comments: You want some Dadspeed? Little Cato-centric stories? Fluffy friendship stories and angsty AUs? Maybe a handful of main characters dealing with the PTSD after their Trauma Conga Line? This story has it all. At 43 chapters, there's something for everyone, though the author focuses more strongly on Little Cato than any other character. Seriously, if you're a fan of the character dynamics in the show, you're going to want to read this one.
  • The author has also written a continuation of Chapter 31 (an AU where Little Cato dies instead of Avacato). It can be found here.

Scenes from a Small Planet by lightning bird

• Recommended by: SubversionStation
• Status: Ongoing
• Summary: They have no ship, no food, and if they didn't have each other, they'd have no hope. How will the Team Squad cope—not to mention survive—trapped in Final Space on a stupid planet?
• Comments: An in-between fic set when the gang was stranded on the Final Space planet. It has very in-character silliness, not to mention some cute fluff, though for some reason Gary and Avacato are married and apparently have been for some time.

The Night of Blood and Fire by lightning bird

• Recommended by: SubversionStation
• Status: Complete
• Summary: "For eternity! For Lord Commander!" Twelve shots rang out. Twelve sprays of blood and gore in shades of red and green and blue. Twelve bodies crumpled to the ground. Twelve loyal generals. What of the thirteenth?
• Comments: Holy hell, is this fic good. Focusing on the events leading up to Avacato’s rebellion against the Lord Commander, it weaves together a story where, thanks to the Team Squad traveling back in time, Avacato knows about the Lord Commander's plan and does his best to keep history on course while also making sure his son gets out alive. Not only does it have a riveting plot (despite you already knowing what's going to happen), it also has interesting insights on various characters' mindsets and an amazing take on what Avacato's life might have been like before betraying the Lord Commander. Do note that the story, like many of the author's other works, features a mind AU where Gary and Avacato have been married for several years by the events of the show, but even if you don't ship it, DON'T let that deter you from reading this stellar fic!

Gary gets a Phone: a Final Space chatfic by ThePinkButterfly

• Recommended by: SubversionStation
• Status: Ongoing
• Summary: Exactly What It Says on the Tin.
• Comments: Cute, stupid, and probably funnier than it should be.

The Voice Cometh by JeffTheRock

• Recommended by: SubversionStation
• Status: Complete
• Summary: What does it feel like to be questioned by a strange and ominous entity?
• Comments: Quinn and Invictus have a chat while she's in Final Space. It's...not pleasant. Notable for having a surprisingly well-written Invictus before he'd really stretched his manipulative tenticles in the show.

Before We Are Lost by Miss Lovelin

• Recommended by: SubversionStation
• Status: Dead
• Summary: Harp and other surrendered children share their stories before they are lost for good. CW for major character death and child death, as the blurb implies.
• Comments: A heartbreaking look at what might have happened to Harp after being devoured by Werthrent. There are several OCs, but they're well written and obviously necessary for the story. Also, a romance seems to be blossoming between Harp and a female OC, which can come off as squicky given that they're both six. However, the rest of the story is so tragic that I'll happily recommend this one anyway.

Nightfall's Wish by Azure Umbra

• Recommended by: SubversionStation
• Status: Complete
• Summary: Nightfall reflects on the experiences with everything that's happened in the universe she's recently visited and the ones before it, what her time with Gary has meant to her as long as she knew him and beyond.
• Comments: The summery is bad, the fic is not. A look into Nightfall's mind when she sacrifices herself to open Final Space.

Going forward is for people who deserve it by fictionisthebetterreality

• Recommended by: Sane_Spinster
• Status: Complete
• Summary: A oneshot that explores and makes the story elements within the Final Space storyline...arguably more tragic.

Twisted and Broken by dustin74941.

• Recommended by: Sane_Spinster
• Status: Dead
• Pairings: Quinn Airgone/Avocato/Gary Goodspeed
• Summary: A darker AU where Gary is rescued after the battle with the Lord Commander, but pays for his resurrection with something far more important than his life courtesy of an evil Titan.
• Comments: There's not much yet to be said about the story from the first chapter, but the reveal of the Titan's true colors feels like the true twist in the plot, and the actions Gary takes are absolutely horrifying.

The Hunter's Trap by pattersonfanbook

• Recommended by: wolvesarecool1
• Status: Ongoing
• Summary: Bounty Hunters bag kidnapped Little Cato to lure Gary into a trap.

Shipping Fics

Stories focused on the romantic relationships between the cast.

Dancing Lessons by Cartoonygirl

• Recommended by: Sane_Spinster
• Status: Complete
• Pairings: Gary/Avocato
• Summary: Set during the time between episodes 2-3 or so, and it's Exactly What It Says on the Tin, as HUE teaches Gary and Avocato how to dance with each other.
• Comment: The timeline could be stretched a bit longer to make the romantic development between Gary and Avocato a bit more organic, but this is overall nicely smutty and in-character.

A Perfect World by Kira_the_Cat

• Recommended by: an0mally1827
• Status: Complete
• Pairings: Quinn Airgone/Avocato/Gary Goodspeed
• Summary: In a perfect world, things would have been different. They would have closed the breach, completely thwarted the Lord Commander's plans, and saved Earth from the Titans. In a perfect world, they would have been together and happy. In a perfect world, he would have seen the bomb much earlier.
• Comments: A bittersweet yet heartwarming fic with an ambiguous ending. The way Avocato’s dying thoughts describe his relationships with Gary and Quinn are believable and in-character. Highly recommended for Polyspace fans!

keeping the stars apart by chookity-dookity

• Recommended by: SubversionStation
• Status: Complete
• Pairing: Quinn/Gary
• Synopsis: If you apply the principles of projective geometry to spacetime, then somewhere out there, beyond the edge of infinity, is a place where all times become one. Quinn thinks about that a lot when she’s trying to make sense out of two sets of impossible memories. Sorta AU-ish, Quinn-centric.
• Comments: Quinn starts recalling Nightfall's memories. Aside from the creative format, it's a lovely tribute to Gary and Quinn's relationship in any universe.

Cold Hands, Warm Heart by orphan_account

• Recommended by: SubversionStation
• Status: Complete
• Pairing: Quinn/Gary
• Synopsis: Gary copes with losing a part of himself after the Lord Commander cuts off his arm.

Time is a Blessing by QueenoftheAmazons

• Recommended by: SubversionStation
• Status: Complete
• Pairing: Quinn/Gary
• Synopsis: They say time is a blessing, and that you make it count. Every second, every minute, every hour. Every day. Quinn had been telling herself that ever since Gary took her away from the abyss. But now, even the brief respite she was owed was about to be ripped from her.
• Comments: After learning she has Final Space poisoning, Quinn reflects on her relationship with Gary. Though short, it shows why Quinn came to love Gary despite all his flaws.

And The Night Falls! by LizardScalesFairyTales

• Recommended by: SubversionStation
• Status: Complete
• Pairing: Quinn/Gary
• Synopsis: In episode 6 Nightfall mentions that Gary gives her her name. I kind of wondered if it was her Gary who gave her that name, or a Gary from another timeline.

Crossover Fics

Fanfiction that combines elements, characters, etc. from two or more different franchises.

Avocato's Visit by thx2God4U.S.A

• Recommend by: Sane_Spinster
• Status: Complete
• Crossover With: Various Western Animations
• Synopsis: One week after the Lord Commander's test of loyalty, Avocato attends a parent support group in the Animation Nexus (a cartoon dimension made up of various known Western animated series and their respective characters) to clear his head and learn to become a better father to Little Cato.
• Comment: An animation medley crossover featuring several other cartoons, each "parent" to their respective protagonists bounce off of each other nicely throughout the story, and Avocato's gradual openness to the group about his own conflict helps to add nuance to both the group dynamic, his own personal life, and the status quo of cartoon characters' moral gradients. I won't name names so you can read and recognize them for yourself, but the characters in the support group consist of a mix of 2010s cartoons and mid-to-late 2000s cartoons.

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