Mass Effect Fanfiction
Commander Shepard's mission to save the galaxy from the Reapers.
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What is Mass Effect fanfiction?
Mass Effect fanfiction is fan-created stories set in the Mass Effect universe. With over 35,000 works on Archive of Our Own, Mass Effect is one of the most popular fandoms in the fanfiction community.
These stories explore beloved characters like Commander Shepard, Garrus Vakarian, Tali'Zorah, Liara T'Soni, and many more. Writers create everything from short one-shots to epic novel-length adventures, exploring relationships, alternate universes, and "what if" scenarios.
Most Popular Mass Effect Fanfics
These are the highest-rated Mass Effect stories on AO3, ranked by kudos from readers.
Mattress Dancin'
by Garfbin
Shepard and Vakarian try an unusual tactic to escape their pursuers. It works, but causes a new set of problems.
The ABCs Of Lust
by PJTheAwesome354
Kink profiles for various fictional females.
A Brief Detour
by bjrit92
Shepard and her Suicide Squad are gearing up for their trip though the Omega-4 Relay when they're attacked by a collector ship and take an unexpected trip that changes, well, everything. And some things? Some things have changed more than others.
Void-Born
by SimonDanzel
The Reaper War has made monsters of everyone. Some were born that way. Kroven Daz escaped slavery by being crueller than his captors. For fifteen years, he's survived the Terminus through violence and absolute self-interest. When Alliance irregulars need a guide, he takes the job because their human
Paradigms
by The_Writerz_Bloque
A story about what happened after the war. Kolyat Krios survives the Reapers’ final annihilation, the blast that broke apart the Citadel and damaged the mass relays, along with most technology…but the rebuild begins. Left behind by his father’s death, he has returned to his former skills of survival
The Two Commanders: Remastered
by Katieee
Fresh off destroying the Reapers, Commander Shepard falls into a strange, medieval world where people mistake her biotics for magic. No-one knows who she is anymore; beyond her title, neither does she. Knight-Captain Cullen has been a good templar for too long; being a good man feels far beyond reac
Mass Effect 1: Sole Survivor
by KyraVail
The colony of Mindoir burned when Khaleesi Shepard was sixteen years old. Slavers took everything from her. Her home, her family, and the future she had imagined. Years later, a disastrous mission on Akuze left her the sole survivor of an entire unit. Since then, Shepard has lived by one simple trut
proof of life.
by thychesters
You are: Commander Shepard (in name).You are: human (mostly).You are: real (enough). Commander Shepard storms back into the galaxy; Cerberus just keeps a closer eye on her than she thought. She finds herself a little more hyperaware of the moving pieces, the ones of her left to string back together.
First Light
by acupoftea
The Normandy SR-2 has landed on Earth. The universe is in shambles. So is her crew. Shepard isn't doing much better. But everyone is looking to her - to the Great Commander Shepard, twice dead, twice resurrected, Destroyer of the Reapers and almost the entire universe - to save them, one last time.T
Argo Effect
by mirzael
The galaxy is vast, as is its population and their problems, and each faction fights for their own interests while exploiting others. And in this turmoil of power struggles and attempts to control others, the lives of individuals or even entire races are often forgotten. However, what happens when a
Margin of Error
by USSExplorer
Marcus Sinclair carries memories of a future no one else can see: humanity's first contact, its wars, its extinction. Reborn in 2130, he has decades to prepare Earth for threats lurking beyond the Mass Relays. Scientist, strategist, prophet unheeded. He builds from the shadows, knowing the price of
Moving
by AllieN7
Lying in bed on shore leave, Shepard shares a childhood memory with Kaidan. (for a Tumblr kiss prompt)
Dishonorable Discharge
by AllieN7
Inspired by a Tumblr post: "writing your fave having sex with with their love interest is OUT writing your fave shamefully jerking off and coming pathetically fast at just the idea of fucking their love interest is IN" Originally written to be Kaidan thinking about Shepard (male or female, it's ambi
The Chopstick Conspiracy
by AllieN7
Shepard tries to convince Kaidan to relax and enjoy a relaxing dinner in bed. Kaidan tries to convince Shepard that chopsticks are really a thing. (for a Tumblr kiss prompt)
An Inconvenient Meeting
by EratoHayden
A chance encounter on the Citadel following the events of the Skyllian Blitz in 2180, leads Kara Shepard and Garrus Vakarian to meet earlier than the canon Mass Effect timeline. Kara is freshly promoted, completed her N7 training, and ready to take the next step in her five year plan. C-Sec Officer
Burning Dreams for Galactic Peace
by dragon_a_ghost
Pax Shepard has carried the scars of losing his family on Mindoir his whole life. It drove him to save the human colony on Elysium, hell, it was what drove him to join the Alliance military in the first place. When he was assigned to the SSV Normandy, he never could have imagined that he would take
Fragments of a Fallen Star
by veil_dagger
Marieke "Mari" Shepard earned her stripes at rock bottom, enacting her vengeance through the events of Torfan, and then vowed she would never become that type of person again. Saren's plan and the shadow of the reapers put that to the test.
[质量效应]第二次复活
by desertbai
官设女薛帕德X克隆人，GL伪水仙HE mod结局，三代薛姐重生到二代复活非常慢热
Call Me
by piesafterdark
At the same time, she mouths something from her spot down the bar. Fuck. Because for all of the efforts made so that different species could understand each other, it was all completely useless when no sounds were made. All Garrus understands is the moving of lips, which might just be her telling hi
ME1 My Way
by Skywalker0095
This is my Shepard going through the events of ME1. Lilith Jane Shepard is female, spacer, and sentinel. Mostly follows Paragon path with occasional renegade action. Got a couple OCs and a few plot tweaks.
Mass Effect Fanfics by Length
Pick a reading commitment — from one-sitting one-shots to 100k+ epics:
Best Mass Effect Fanfic Rec Lists
Popular Mass Effect Ships
Shakarian
Garrus Vakarian/Shepard
Commander Shepard and Garrus Vakarian, whose partnership evolves from professional respect to deep romantic love across the galaxy-spanning trilogy.
45,000 works →
Shrios
Thane Krios/Shepard
Commander Shepard and Thane Krios, the drell assassin whose terminal illness adds tragic urgency to their romance.
22,000 works →
Garrus/Shepard
Garrus Vakarian/Shepard
Commander Shepard and Garrus Vakarian, the turian sniper whose calibrations and loyalty won over fans throughout the Mass Effect trilogy.
45,000 works →
Talizorah
Tali'Zorah/Shepard
Commander Shepard and Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, the brilliant quarian engineer whose romance involves literal trust with her life.
28,000 works →
Shenko
Kaidan Alenko/Shepard
The biotic lieutenant from the original Normandy crew is one of Mass Effect's first romances and its most fraught: Horizon's confrontation, the accusation on Mars, and the gunpoint standoff at the Citadel coup all test the bond before it can heal. Kaidan's trilogy-long arc from subordinate to equal gives the romance real scar tissue. His male Shepard option in ME3 made Shenko an M/M cornerstone too.
5,000 works →
Shiara
Liara T'Soni/Shepard
The shy asari archaeologist Shepard pulls out of a Prothean ruin becomes the Shadow Broker by trilogy's end, and her romance spans every game, every death, and the literal resurrection she made possible. Liara is the one who gave Shepard's body to Cerberus and the one recording messages for the next cycle in case they fail. No other Mass Effect romance carries that continuity.
3,000 works →
Common Mass Effect Tropes
Popular Characters
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Mass Effect fanfics are on AO3?
There are over 35,000 Mass Effect fanfiction works on Archive of Our Own, making it one of the platform's largest fandoms.
What are the best Mass Effect ships?
Popular Mass Effect pairings include Shakarian, Shrios, Garrus/Shepard. Each ship has thousands of dedicated stories exploring their relationship.
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