Proof that the remaining 10% is worth stealing the Krabby Patty formula for here.
These are recommendations made by Tropers for SpongeBob SquarePants 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.
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Authors and Websites
- Recommended by: TrueBlue170.
- Comments: Seriously, check their work out. I was NOT expecting to find anything worth reading in the SpongeBob SquarePants section while I casually browsed fanfiction.net, until I came across this guy. You can just imagine all of them happening in the show (pre-Movie, I may add) - even The Wrong Impression
, which deals with that whole "SpongeBob is gay" controversy in a humorous, in-character way, and GratingBob ShrillPants, which has Squidward wondering whether or not sponges go through puberty, without any Squick involved and SpongeBob accidently Breaking the Fourth Wall, which is lampshaded by Squidward at the end. One of them, Mortal Man, is sadder than the usual, because it is a tribute to the late Ernest Borgnine - dealing with the death of Mermaid Man and SpongeBob's reaction to it. If you're a fan of the show, then take a look at their profile. You'll regret nothing.
- Recommended by: Hayley Williams Fanboy
- Comments: Well, most of the stuff on ths page is by her. That must say something.
- Recommended by: Hayley Williams Fanboy
- Comments: He's one of the more well-known Trolls in the SpongeBob SquarePants fandom, and both his fanfics are on this list as well. In actuality, he is a very friendly person with a twisted sense of humor. He has his own TV Tropes page as well.
- Recommended by: N8han11
- Comments: This writer's fics might actually work as actual episodes. She's also got a keen sense for character interaction, nailing each character's personality pretty well.
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.
Keeper of the Spatula by SOLMaster
- Recommended by: Golden Football Player
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: SpongeBob and friends journey to the Arctic Ocean to throw a possessed golden spatula into a volcano to destroy it. Will they make it before Plankton gets it or will its curse overcome SpongeBob?
- Comments: A The Lord of the Rings parody with SpongeBob characters. It's Better Than It Sounds.
The Christmas Party by DeterminedX2
- Recommended by: E350
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Not to give away a spoiler, but this is my version of a certain something referenced at the end of the episode, "The Secret Box."
- Comments: The story behind the embarrassing snapshot in Patrick's secret box. In short, SpongeBob gets drunk. Hilarity Ensues.
SpongeBob's Christmas Coral by Sgt. Reynol
- Recommended by: E350
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: SpongeBob and friends retell Charles Dickens' classic novel when Ebenezer Krabs is visited by three ghosts to learn the true meaning of Christmas.
- Comments: It's A Christmas Carol. With SpongeBob characters.
- Recommended by: MemebaAmoeba
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: A full-length tribute album to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Ween's The Mollusk.
- Comments: A mad, merry, melodious labor of love as eclectic as the music that inspired it.
In the Bathroom by DeterminedX2
- Recommended by: E350
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: SpongeBob and Squidward are accidentally locked in the Krusty Krab bathroom overnight.
- Comments: It feels just like a real episode, of the old pre-movie variety. Be warned, though - Squidward suffers a lot.
Plankton's Eye View by Monica Gilbey-Bieb- er, Jimmy.
- Recommended by: Twoey Pie
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: After ten years in prison, Plankton has been given a second chance to redeem himself and turn his life around, which is something that is almost impossible at his current bitter state, but he will take the chance.
- Comments: Don't let this author's first fanfic fool you; this author shows great promise with a story that shows how Plankton tries to live his life and redeem himself after finding out the sort of impact his actions from The Movie had on his life as well as Karen's. It's very well-written and surprisingly deep for a SpongeBob story. Though it does start out referring to said "first fanfic" in the first chapter, one doesn't really have to read it in order to understand what's happening throughout the rest of it; you can pretty much skip it if you want. That is, unless you really want to know the truth about "C'ren". It now has its own page and is also a Completed Fic.
Cyberpunk: An Underwater Dystopia by Jicem977
- Recommended by: Jjsthekid
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: The year is 4014. Humans have been long extinct, but their legacy remains not only on our lands but in our waters. Centuries of chemical pollution has created thousands of mutated races of fish. Landfill run-off has covered the seas and plunged their inhabitants into an eternal darkness. SpongeBryan is one of these inhabitants, and he roughs it daily in a futuristic Bikini Bottom.
- Comments: A very intriguing story. Although it may start off odd and rushed to the viewers at first, it grows to be a very complex tale with lots of interesting development.
A Pal For Gary: Alternate Ending by AvatarCat13
- Recommended by fruitstripegum
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: You know how SpongeBob kept scolding Gary for his "treatment" towards Puffy Fluffy in "A Pal For Gary"? Well, what would happen if he reacted in a different way? And will Gary get that alone time he needed so much?
- Comments: Pretty much Exactly What It Says on the Tin: a Fix Fic for "A Pal For Gary". It may be short, but considering how hated the original episode was, this really does make it all better.
One Coarse Meal: Alternate Ending by AvatarCat13
- Recommended by Loekman3
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: You all hated it when Mr. Krabs got away with almost driving Plankton to suicide in "One Coarse Meal"? Well, in this alternate ending, it shows what should've happened if Plankton finally gives him what he deserves. Inspired by A Pal For Gary: Alternate Ending.
- Comments: Done by the same author who did the Pal for Gary alternate ending, this is the what the true ending of the worst episode "One Coarse Meal" should be.
Under The Sea by 999nomead
- Recommended by N8han11
- Status: Incomplete; Formerly deleted but reuploaded in 2023 by the same person.
- Synopsis: A novelization of the SpongeBob SquarePants TV show.
- Comments: Ever wonder what SpongeBob SquarePants would be like if all the episodes were part of a continuous canon? This fanfiction shows what it would be like pretty interestingly. The episodes all flow together quite well, and you'll never be bored when reading it.
Trendy by Mortal Anonymous
- Recommended by fruitstripegum
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: An incident at the grocery store leaves Spongebob feeling out of style, and so he begins questing for fashion...but what happens when he finds it?
- Comments: If I didn't know any better, I'd swear this really WAS an episode.
- Recommended by: fruitstripegum
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Squidward goes to strange lengths to keep SpongeBob and Patrick out of his new hot tub.
Potty in Bikini Bottom by DeterminedX2
- Recommended by: fruitstripegum
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: After Potty insults him, Patchy the Pirate accidentally sends the parrot undersea. But Potty's not too popular there either.
Pages from the Nuthouse by DeterminedX2
- Recommended by: fruitstripegum
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Squidward goes to an insane asylum and is forced to keep a diary. This fic consists of his daily entries.
Why Squidward No Longer Has an Elevator DeterminedX2
- Recommended by: fruitstripegum
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: In the episode "Squidward the Unfriendly Ghost", there is an elevator in Squidward's house. But it never shows up again. Did SpongeBob have something to do with that? Of course.
Physically Possible DeterminedX2
- Recommended by: fruitstripegum
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: SpongeBob and Patrick find a strange list at the Treedome. Now they must convince Sandy that some things are best left unexplained.
- Recommended by: fruitstripegum
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Plankton visits SpongeBob's house on a rainy day, with an idiotic plan he mistakenly thinks is good. But the pineapple is a deathtrap for someone Plankton's size.
SpongeBob, Sandy, and Something in Between by DeterminedX2
- Recommended by: fruitstripegum
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: SpongeBob suffers a head injury after playing some extreme board games. When he wakes up, he's not exactly acting himself ...
Plankton and Karen, Sitting in a Tree by DeterminedX2
- Recommended by: fruitstripegum
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Plankton and his computer wife Karen converse as they spy on SpongeBob from a tree.
SpongeBob Writes a Story by DeterminedX2
- Recommended by: fruitstripegum
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: SpongeBob decides to write a story after an unpleasant viewing experience. However, Squidward's critique is brutally honest.
Drive Me Up a Wall by Commander
- Recommended by: fruitstripegum
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: SpongeBob FINALLY gets his driver's license... no loopholes, no special terms, nothing! So why does he keep getting into accidents... in the exact same place each time?
The Brother I Always Had by tere moto the sentry
- Recommended by: fruitstripegum
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: SpongeBob finally gets his license from Mrs. Puff, but one accident proves he wasn't ready. How will this affect Squidward? Don't worry, there's a happy ending.
- Recommended by: N8han11
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: So what if SpongeBob's most infamous episodes made some semblance of sense?
- Comments: Some of SpongeBob's most hated episodes are mocked, deconstructed and rewritten to be more in-character for the series as a whole. Check it out - you'll feel vindicated if you hated the likes of "The Splinter" or "A Pal for Gary".
Dark Fics
Felony by Third Kind
by Third Kind- Recommended by: Twoey Pie
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Sure, loads of fish have been going missing every weekend night in Bikini Bottom for years. Surely those disappearances weren't linked to The Chum Bucket... right?
- Comments: One usually doesn't expect anything good to come out of a SpongeBob story that uses the term "Dark Fic" to describe it, but this one does rather well, despite the occasional Out of Character moments (which are usually justified due to the situations). It also brings up a bit of Fridge Horror that's in the actual show that rarely ever gets touched upon. If you know what Chum is really made out of, then you can pretty much get the idea of what this fic is implying.
A Million Little Pieces by Abraxas (Qlippoth)
- Recommended by: N8han11
- Status: Complete
- Pairing: Squidward/Don the Whale
- Synopsis: Squidward, fed up with SpongeBob, conspires with Plankton to steal the formula and kill the sponge. But what happens after Squidward gets everything he wanted? Does he find peace and happiness? And is SpongeBob dead?
The Bikini Bottom Horror by u/stillinthesimulation
- Recommended by: AustinDR
- Status: Complete
- Comments: What do you get when you take the cartoon series and reimagine it as a Lovecraftian-styled Kaiju adventure? The art style is amazing, especially when the characters transform into giant monsters, and the storytelling is tight. Has its own page.
Shipping Fics
Stories focused on the romantic relationships between the cast.
Future Shock and Future Shock 2 by SOLMaster
- Recommended by E350
- Status: Complete
- Pairing: Hinting of SpongeBob/Sandy (it goes right past hinting in the sequel)
- Synopsis: After getting fired from the Krusty Krab, SpongeBob accidentally gets teleported to the future and sees that the future is not as he expected and must face his most dangerous enemy of all time.
- Comments: A sight better than most things you'll find in the SpongeBob section. It's also a partial parody on Star Wars.
Night of the Weresnail by SOLMaster
- Recommended by Nausicaa of the Spirits
- Status: Complete
- Pairing: Hints of SpongeBob/Sandy here and there.
- Synopsis: While SpongeBob was walking home, he gets bit by a mysterious creature, and soon starts to act very snaily. Can SpongeBob's friends get him back to normal before the Krusty Krab Dance Party and before he turns into a vicious weresnail forever?
- Comments: A good read, especially around Halloween. Pays homage to Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman, and the transformation scene towards the end of Chapter 6, including a scene in Chapter 5, especially pays homage to Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.
- Recommended by pennypincher101
- Status: Complete
- Pairing: Plankton/Karen
- Synopsis: When Karen and Plankton decide to have kids, they realize that making babies is a cinch compared to having them.
- Comments: Well written. A juicy read.
One Less Lonely Gurl and its remake by Monica Gilbey-Bieber
- Recommended by: Hayley Williams Fanboy
- Status: Complete
- Pairing: C'ren/Justin Bieber, Karen/Plankton, implied C'ren/Plankton
- Synopsis: In the depths of the sea, a landlubber shall discover her true self.
- Comments: Considered one of the best SpongeBob trollfics of all time, this story deserves to be on this list. As another troper mentioned in a review of this fanfic, future Troll Fic writers can learn from this one. As a matter of fact, I actually flamed this story back when I didn't know it was a brilliant trollfic. Despite its seemingly horrible plot and offensive author's notes, I have found out after carefully reading the story and piecing together facts about the author, that it is actually a satire as a product of one's dreams and insecurities. I am also recommending the hilarious, in-depth commentary the author has of this fanfic in his official blog. The story itself is not actually meant to be taken literally. Read between the lines and you'll see. I especially thought it was awesome to find out about the true motive of C'ren's half-brother. Not to mention, this fanfic actually inspired the very idea of Plankton's Eye View, another fanfic in this list by the same author. The remake gets better, as well.
Sixty Spandy Shots by Purpela Vanilla
- Recommended by: Tropeicalparadise
- Status: Complete
- Pairing: SpongeBob/Sandy
- Synopsis: 60 is the answer to the equation Spandy; meaning the love and relationship between SpongeBob SquarePants and Sandy Cheeks. Click and read the 60 chapters as the story goes along and you just might understand. C'mon, you want to understand.
- Comments: Personally, I find most Spandy fics to be dull and repetitive. This one, however, was different to me. Instead of immediately jumping to SpongeBob and Sandy already being in love at the beginning, it actually builds up to their relationship, as well as each other's thoughts. I love this fanfic because of this. It provides some suspense to when SpongeBob will confess his love, while, again, others take one chapter before they already start kissing. Probably one of the better Spandy fics on the site.
Cinderella Squirrel by Strange Writes Things
- Recommended by fruitstripegum
- Status: Complete
- Pairing: SpongeBob/Sandy
- Synopsis: Pretty much Exactly What It Says on the Tin - SpongeBob given the Cinderella treatment.
Surfaces of Love by DeterminedX2
- Recommended by: fruitstripegum
- Status: Complete
- Pairing: SpongeBob/Sandy
- Synopsis: SpongeBob and Sandy get trapped in the bubble dome at the top of the ocean, and it's going to be a long time before they get back to the bottom.
This Kiss by toochipanda
- Recommended by: fruitstripegum
- Status: Complete
- Pairing: SpongeBob/Sandy
- Synopsis: They thought it was impossible...they thought wrong. SpongeBob/Sandy ONESHOT!
The Yellow Avenger by SOLmaster
- Recommended by: DiamondDust11
- Status: Complete
- Pairing: SpongeBob/Sandy
- Synopsis: SpongeBob decides to become a superhero to protect Bikini Bottom from crime and a new evil plot that Plankton has devised.
- Comments: Not to be confused with the Video Game of the same name. It's a fun little superhero fic that almost feels like an actual episode with some cute Spandy moments that feel natural.
The Yellow Avenger 2: The Square Knight Returns by SOLmaster
- Recommended by: DiamondDust11
- Status: Complete
- Pairing: SpongeBob/Sandy
- Synopsis: SpongeBob returns as the Masked Sponge to save Bikini Bottom from strange mutations that are being blamed on krabby patties.
- Comments: A great sequel that amps up the action, drama, and suspense from the first story while still keeping in spirit with the actual show.
Crossover Fics
The Invasion of Bikini bottom by Linda J
- Recommended by: fruitstripegum
- Status: Complete
- Crossover with: Invader Zim
- Synopsis: Zim will search the world over to find his antigravitation apparatus, even to the bottom of the sea.
GarfBob SquareField by garfieldodie
- Recommended by fruitstripegum
- Status: Complete
- Crossover with: Garfield
- Synopsis: Garfield meets SpongeBob in this whimsical tale. Jon has purchased SpongeBob, and we all know what Garfield does when Jon brings a fish home. Uh oh.
The Ugly Barnacle
The Ugly Barnacle by 3theCaptain
by 3theCaptain- Recommended by: Games Of The Video
- Status: Dormant
- Synopsis: That's right, someone is actually writing a full-length The Ugly Barnacle! We're going to learn who the titular barnacle is, how he came to be so ugly, and how his disgusting visage heralded the apocalypse and the death of every living creature in the world. Word of God says here that "the barnacle's ugliness [will cause] nothing less than the Metaphysical Annihilation of the Universe."
- Tags: VERY likely to become a Dark Fic, due to its Foregone Conclusion. We know everyone is going to die; really the only reason we're reading the story is to find out how.
- Comments: This troper started reading it to expect some dramatic narmtastic tragic account of the Ugly Barnacle, but was pleasantly surprised with the light, satirical tone of the piece. It really affectionately parodies both the source material, and common literary tropes of fairy tales and just the genre of fantasy in general. This has the potential to be a very, very funny and clever satire of... the universe. Before it... you know... Is completely and utterly destroyed by the Barnacle.
The Verbose Barnacle by WoofMichelle
- Recommended by: abcdef-no
- Status: Dormant
- Synopsis: This story technically is a longer Ugly Barnacle, only it retells the original story in a verbose fashion. The barnacle is even given a title as long as the original story was (A Marine Crusteacean of the Subclass Cirripedia Which, To Its Own Misfortune, Was Quite Repugnant). Now, this story changes the plot a little bit, with the barnacle only killing those who see its face. Other than that, most of the plot is the same, the barnacle is so ugly that people die, although in an "agonizingly lengthful and tormenting" way.
- Comments: This story made me laugh for weeks. It makes the original Ugly Barnacle, one of the funniest jokes in SpongeBob, look lame and stupid. The great thing is, there is actually a direction to the story, giving fans less vague ways to imagine the story's future (what happened to the people who survived).
