Mega Man/Fanfic Recs

The following works have managed to absorb the power of Good-Writing Man.

These are recommendations made by Tropers for Fan Fics, all of which have been signed. 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 Zapped (wiki). 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 watchlist, if need be.

Do warn when a fanfic may head into homosexual or non-canon territory. Some people just don't like it, and as we all know, Shipping is Serious Business.

Authors, and Websites
Bob and George by Dave Anez
 * Recommended by The Tamborine Man, seconded by Shadow Darkman
 * Synopsis: Dave Anez wanted to make a superhero comic. But, when he couldn't keep up his schedule, he made some strips based on Mega Man to fill in the gap. The filler took off when the original idea flopped, and the rest is history.

Mega Man: The Series by Mandi Paugh
 * Recommended by Skrcha, seconded by Konkoa
 * Synopsis: A series of genfics spanning many episodic adventures in Mega Man's life, including a few novelizations of the games. It's hard to explain the whole thing as a whole -- plots from the different "books" include Mega Man switching bodies with Dr. Wily, a raygun that turns Mega Man into a coward afraid of his own shadow, and a Crossover with Sonic the Hedgehog. I'm no good at writing synopses, but it really is worth a look.
 * Comments: I'm really surprised no one's posted this yet. In the beginning, her writing style is pretty simple (though not bad by any means) and as the series goes on she gets much better at storytelling. The first few books draw from the canon of late 80's cartoon show Captain N: The Game Master, although in more recent years she's broken away from that and focused solely on Mega Man. There's also no shipping to be found here, which is always a bonus for this troper.

MS-Paint Masterpieces'' by Disgruntled Ferret
 * Recommended by Lavanya Six, seconded by Shadow Darkman
 * Synopsis: Proof that the remaining 10% of sprite comics is worth dying for. A retelling of the first six Mega Man NES games (of which we are mid-point in of Mega Man II now) that fuses their individual stories with the Game Boy Mega Man games.
 * Comments: While the first 90 strips are a bit wacky, afterward the story becomes a bit more serious (although not too serious). The fight scenes are worth mentioning, conveying motion and power that you wouldn't think possible in a sprite comic. Around the end of the MMI story, the author switches entirely to his own sprites. Well-written and beautiful to boot.

Iragination by IRA
 * Recommended by Mad Man X
 * Synopsis: A website full of Fan Comics, Fan Art, and even a Fan Game or two, majorly concerning the X Series.
 * Comments: Most of the content is Original Flavor, and aside from one Massive Multiplayer Crossover, he goes in-depth about the Wily arc, seen in Madness In Red. Original Character is also dealt with pretty reasonably, as they are mostly in the background and only serve the plot.

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 Cost of Unity: Rebellion, by Etero Narciss
 * Recommended by Lifescythed
 * Synopsis:The Maverick Hunters fight a force unlike any seen before. Led by the charismatic and idealistic Maverick Marduk, the RLF stand to challenge all that X believes in as they search for Unity; the era in which reploids and humans stand as one.
 * Comments:This is hands down the best X-series story in any medium. Get ready for an epic story that touches on everything from the racism between the humans and the roids, the political corruption of the 21XX government, and the most epic take on X3's prophetic warning concerning X and Zero I have ever read. Remember how the stages of every maverick base have complicated structures that make sense for a video game challenge but make no sense concerning realistic fortress design? This story explains why this is the case. This thing has quite a few original characters all of which are fully developed. The Mavericks in this story do more than just create fight scenes. Several of them Challenge X's Ideas at every turn. A Complete Monster challenges X's mercy. A religious maverick challenges him spiritually and on the equality of humans and reploids under God. Another maverick challenges him with the abuse of free will. The rebellion mastermind challenges him on the fundamental relationship between humans and reploids and what is necessary for unity. This story is slightly AU, but every change is at the very least necessary and at the most actually better.Everyone is in character. Zero is cold, but not a jerk. Axl is still the trigger happy wannabee kid we know and love. The theme of evolution is taken to new heights in this story. But perhaps one of the greatest accomplishments of this story is the portrayal of X himself. Fans cried bloody murder over X's uber pacifism in X7 and some were turned off by his 180 aggressive attitude in CM, but this is X as he was meant to be portrayed: the perfect warrior who hates war, an Alvin York who hates being the death of his enemies and would like nothing more than to see everyone beat their swords into plowshares, but when push comes to shove, boy will he push back!! The final battle of this story speaks to the character of X in a way I have not seen before or since.

Unwilling Partners, by Az The Dragon
 * Recommended by Chroma Colors
 * Synopsis: They have no idea on how it happened, only that Netto and Forte have somehow crossfused, despite the fact that they are about as different as they can be. This weird situation is only worsened by the fact that the fusion continues outside of a Dimensional Area and the effects cannot be reversed. Now the two must work together to solve this mystery, while keeping their identity secret from their friends and family and dodging the attempts at capture by the organization Dark Mu. Some of the biggest themes in this story are character development and repairing relationships.
 * Comments: This is one of my all-time favorite Mega Man Battle Network fanfictions for a very good reason. All of the characters are kept in character, that is until the development kicks in: Forte(Bass) starts off absolutely despising Netto(Lan) for the first couple of chapters before he starts getting used to the human who's wearing his skin and eventually even becomes his friend. Netto himself shows bouts of genius throughout the story, in fact, he seems smarter in general! What is also so interesting about this story is that it combines the plot elements of the games, anime, and manga to create a world where Cross Fusion is possible, and Forte has a grudge against his "father" Dr. Cossack, who wants to fix what went horribly wrong that fateful day many years ago. One of my favorite sub-plots is Enzan trying to prove that Forte is aware of where Netto is, and eventually trying to prove that Forte IS Netto.

Lost in the Land of Nod, by Bryon Nightshade
 * Recommended by Lifescythed
 * Synopsis: During the first Maverick War, X confronts Dr. Cain about the creation of the Reploids. Dr. Cain's response challenges X's most fundamental beliefs.
 * Comments: For years Fans of joked about Dr. Cain being too stupid to actually test the reploids he built as Dr. Light had done with X. This story provides the best defense of why he did not bother. But what really makes this fic good is how X is handled. Ever since X4, X has lived in mortal fear of the possibility that he might go maverick. But he never does anything to suggest that he would even remotely go down this path. He is too peaceful and the games have given us nothing to validate this fear. He couldn't go maverick if he tried. This fic changes all that. This piece not only makes you believe that he has it in him to go maverick, but also makes the temptation very real and very scary as X realizes that the allure of Maverick ideas is much stronger than he once thought. All of this is done keeping everyone in character.

Megaman ZX: Return to Zero, by Rice Krispie
 * Recommended by Comartemis; seconded by CRB Wildcat
 * Synopsis: It takes a lot more than a Colony Drop to keep a good reploid down. Zero's body didn't survive Ragnarok, but his cyber elf certainly did, and now he's back among the living to help Ashe, Aile, Vent, and the Guardians deal with the fallout of Master Albert's Game of Destiny, and the reappearance of a disturbingly familiar threat...
 * Comments: My very favorite Mega Man fanfic, very well-written and it does a good job of reversing Zero's death in a fairly believable fashion... not that you should care either way. Two things of note, however: first, this fic uses an alternate ZX continuity where Vent and Aile -- siblings here -- are both the Megamen of the Z, X, and ZX biometals, but the author hasn't written out his alternate ZX and ZX Advent storylines with this alteration, mostly because he says the story wouldn't be different enough to justify the work involved. Second, Model H/Harpuia is significantly OOC and has turned into a Well-Intentioned Extremist. His reasons for this are believable and fairly well-handled, but it deserves a warning nonetheless.

Mega Man X: Whispers In Time by Eric Lawson
 * Recommended by Shay Guy
 * Synopsis: Most of Eric Lawson's Fan Verse is good stuff, but the best might be Mega Man X: Whispers In Time. The gap between the original and X series is filled with every ounce of drama and tragedy the author can muster -- and it works. One character after another tells their story, focusing on August 2085, when Zero was awoken, but not limiting themselves to that by any means. The detail varies -- Treble skims over his early life with his master Bass, while Mega Man goes through basically every single game -- but it all adds up to a coherent whole.
 * Comments: This is truely a masterpiece, with only one or two possible typos throughout the whole story, chapters that makes one's eyes water, and detail that lets you see and nearly experience what each narrator is going through.

''Mega Man: Guiding Rainbow's Light by Eric 'Erico' Lawson
 * Recommended by Calahad, seconded by Shadow Darkman
 * Synopsis: Before Mega Man X, before Mega Man...There was a man with a dream. Before the age of robots, humanity faced one last struggle. Before he was tired and gray, he was young and bold. This is the unspoken tale. This is the story of Dr. Thomas X. Light. Complete.
 * Comments: Another Eric Lawson creation. A deep story about the men who started it all. A backstory involving Dr. Light and Dr. Wily before the creation of Protoman and Mega Man, and the trials they faced before they became bitter enemies.
 * Shadow Darkman: Very deep, indeed, Calahad. Very tragic, with Crowning Moments Of Awesome here and Crowning Moments Of Heartwarming there. It also seeps into a trilogy Erico wrote that is set between X4 and X5, namely the backstories of two OCs Eric introduced, as well as possible sequels to the third original story.

The MI 9 Trilogy (so far) by Eric Lawson
 * Recommended by Shadow Darkman
 * Synopsis for End Of A Dream: In the time between X4 and X5, a reckoning is reached, and as X and Zero confront their past, they must reach ahead...To seek the End of A Dream.
 * Synopsis for The Sound Of Mavericks: A year after the events of End Of A Dream, The Clock ticks down once more on chaos reborn...
 * Synopsis for Demons Of The Past: The fight never ends, and two weeks past the end of The Sound Of Mavericks, a new Chronicle is begun...
 * Comments: Sequel series (somewhat) to Guiding Rainbow's Light and very interesting stories, and I'm looking forward to how things will go for the Scion's Zenith (not spoiling the details on them) as they attempt to preserve their species' existence. "What is worse than a Maverick?"

Mega Man X: An Uncertain Future and Mega Man X: Island Of Awakening'' by Eric Lawson
 * Recommended by Shadow Darkman
 * Synopsis for An Uncertain Future: In the beginning years of 21XX, Doctor James Cain unearths a surprising find...A Capsule, containing a Prototype Robot known as Mega Man X...
 * Synopsis for Island Of Awakening: Six Months After The First Uprising, new events transpire in a place called Paradise...a place that will serve as The Island Of Awakening...
 * Comments: Even more works from Erico's Fan Verse. Personally, I would recommend all his Mega Man works so far, I haven't been fully able to stop reading them even for sleep! These two are novelizations of the first two games in the series, though An Uncertain Future does not take "Mega Man: Maverick Hunter X" into account. In my opinion, Inafune should hire Mr. Lawson to write the stories for further remakes of the X series so far.

Chronic Sigmatism by khaki knight
 * Recommended by Guy Smiley
 * Synopsis: A day that started out badly enough for Alia grows more and more frustrating - and ridiculous - as the remainder of the Maverick Hunters scramble to stop what they believe to be a Sigma attack - in actuality, an insignificant computer systems glitch.
 * Comments: A short, breezy humor piece which grows more and more absurd as it goes. Poor Communication Kills at its finest.

Rockman: The Robot War by Ben "Malegrim" Roberts
 * Recommended by Guy Smiley
 * Synopsis: Driven mad by brain defects caused by teleportation, Doctor Albert William Wily takes it upon himself to teach humanity not to rely upon robots...
 * Comments: An excellent novelization of the first game, full of all that wonderful character development everyone loves. Malegrim does shy away from trying to write Rock's underdeveloped sentience, explicitly breaking canon to make him (and Roll) androids like the leads of the successor series, but the story is still a great example of Adaptation Expansion, with all of the new characters filling out the 'verse nicely and Wily both a credible threat and utterly pitiable. Sets the table for the somewhat-famous Fan Verses of Erico and Magus523 as well.
 * I Like Crows: I remember reading this years ago when I first ventured into fandom. I was amazed by the writing and thought it was the best fanfic I had ever read. Rereading it now I still stand by that point, for the same reasons as Guy Smiley. Malegrim has done an amazing job with building the universe his fic takes place in, and all the characters feel very believable. The best thing? He's writing a sequel, and it's shaping up to be as good as The Robot War.

Rise Of The Chosen by Ainrhyr
 * Recommended by CRB Wildcat
 * Synopsis: "Aile was just an ordinary transporter, until she got chosen to wield the legendary Biometal Model X. Now she has to fight, just to protect her friends, her beliefs, her sanity, and her life against a force dead-set on the destruction of everything." A novelization of ZX that focuses on Aile, as opposed to Vent or both of the siblings.
 * Comments: "A novelization", you might be thinking. "So what?" It certainly starts reading like one, but several chapters in we start going down a slightly altered path. The Biometals become more than just plot devices. The Guardians, in particular Prairie and Cedre, get chances to shine. The doses of awesome become more and more frequent the farther in we get, particularly from . In short, the story frequently expands on the game's plot in ways that catch the reader off-guard, and still comes off the better for it.
 * Now has its own trope page.

Epilogue by Triad Onion and Griffinkhan
 * Recommended by CRB Wildcat
 * Synopsis: Dr. Wily equips Bass with Flash Man's Time Stopper, then sends him out to fight Mega Man. When it malfunctions and both of them are transported into the future, it has serious consequences for three separate timelines. Takes place during the Classic series, just after Mega Man and Bass; the X series, after X8; and the Zero series, after Zero 3. A Fix Fic, according to the introductory notes.
 * Comments: A Fix Fic it may be, but it's still a rather well done story that mixes humor ("Hey, who's the Boba Fett cosplayer?") with some nicely written action scenes and drama; Rock and X's interactions with Dr. Light are particularly touching. There are several instances where canon is toyed with, most noticeably during the chapters that take place in the midst of the Zero series; and it's starting to look more and more like a Dead Fic after 20 chapters, but the pluses outweigh the minuses enough to make reading it worthwhile.

Terrornova by Revokov
 * Recommended by Pramxnim
 * Synopsis: Shortly after the fall of Final Weapon, a decade old conspiracy surfaces that threatens to blow the entire Hunter organization out of the water. Set after the events of X4, and completely ignores the X5 in favour of an original storyline.
 * Comments: What can I say? It's the LONGEST X fic on Fanfiction.net, bar none. The writing starts off rough, but soon picks up and becomes incredibly polished. The story is also top-notch, and involves an enormous cast of OCs who actually have depth and personality! This is also one of the few fics I've seen that include Iris in a useful manner and not bashing her outright (trust me a lot of them bash her for no reason). If you're looking for conspiracies, multiple storylines that tie well together and just pure epic storytelling, this is the fic I'd recommend.
 * Seconding this one, although I would definitely not say it ignores X5 so much as it's set in between the two games; the entire supporting cast, introduced in the fifth game, appears, as does later Big Bad Gate.

Mistress Ciel by Archaon
 * Recommended by Comartemis, Laryna6, Kazeto
 * Synopsis: Following the conclusion of the Zero series, Ciel's despair over the state of the world leads her to take a shot at forging a new one with the assistance of a certain long-dead mad scientist.
 * Comments: "Ciel does Peggy Sue" sums this fic up very nicely. Unfortunately it's only a one-shot that summarizes Ciel's changes into a single chapter rather than a full-length story, so while the author obviously knows what he's doing and the story is a fun read (especially if you didn't like the conclusion to the Zero series), there isn't much material there to enjoy.
 * While good, it's not the author's best work: she has several other gems but the single best piece is probably Never Say Die, in which "Zero gradually realizes there is yet another difference separating him from the rest of the reploids. His apparent inability to stay dead."
 * It's a good story, and a pleasant one to read, though it is short (being a one-shot), and those who had access to the drama tracks from the soundtrack might be a little put off by it (some things, like, conflict with the backstory shown in them). Nevertheless, give it a try if you had enjoyed the story presented in Rockman Zero games.

Hikari Enzan by Atreyu452
 * Recommended by Liokae
 * Synopsis: Based in the MegaMan.EXE setting. Enzan wakes up to find he's traded places with Netto, and has to piece together what's going on in a world where everything he's remembered is wrong.
 * Comments: Although it took a bit to bet used to the use of the Japanese names instead of the English ones, the story itself is absolutely amazing. It's lengthy, involved, and entirely self-consistent; as well, the situation has reasons that work, rather than simply being magic. It's got a very dark tone to it.
 * Sithking Zero: This story got me into fanfiction writing, and writing in general. I personally consider it to be one of the best fanfictions, nay, works of fiction that I have ever read. Ever. Of all time. If you don't read this... you will regret it. A lot.

Stuffed Animals by Rice Krispie
 * Recommended by Guy Smiley
 * Synopsis: A ficlet set shortly before the events of ZX. Giro reminisces about his past and Prarie gets him a birthday present.
 * Comments: As one reviewer puts it, Giro in the games comes across as "a plotdevice with a beam saber" rather than a character - after all, he does get wiped out before we start fighting the Robot Master analogues. As such, seeing him not only at the center of a story, but one where nothing actually blows up is rather surprising. The characterization is the real draw here, of course; even the Mythology Gag right around the end is touching and doesn't feel out of place in the slightest.

Reploids by Dr. Facer
 * Recommended by The Tambourine Man
 * Synopsis: A short story. During the events of X5, a man reflects on how reploids have affected the world.
 * Comments: A thoughtful story that tackles an aspect of the X series the games didn't address: How do humans feel about all of this? Be forewarned it doesn't end well.

A Different Place By Aaron D
 * Pairings: Mega/Tron and Roll/Dantz
 * Recommended by: Sydin
 * Synopsis: An AU story where Mega Man ended up with a different family than the Casketts. He ends up joining the Bonnes as a pirate during the events of The Misadventures of Tron Bonne, and follows them through the events of Legends 1, though they're very different as a result.
 * Comments: At a massive 57 chapters long A Different Place doesn't waste a second. It keeps mostly everybody in character (Though Roll gets a little derailed, the author hand waves it as Dantz's influence on her.) Fleshes out the Bonnes, esspecially the Severbots who all get tons of characterization as they interact with Mega, and has tons of well written original content that fills out the universe. Overall it is a very well done AU story that manages to give very good reasons for a nice guy like Mega Man joining the Bonnes, and turns the Kattelox plot from stopping an impending genocide to a lighthearted comedy. The author started a sequel, but it has not been updated for years now.
 * Updated as of 10/9/10.

''Maverick X Files by Ysavvryl
 * Recommended by: Quotation Marx, Chimerical Errors, Brickman
 * Synopsis: A crackfic that looks at the outcome of Dr. Light not putting X through the 30 years of ethical training. Fast-paced and funny, with a surprising amount of character development throughout.
 * Comments: Ysavvryl is very good at writing strange A Us, particularly in the Mega Man series. She's definitely one of my favorite Mega Man fic writers (right up there with Erico). The story's already complete, and being reposted in updated chunks, so the odds of being left hanging are pretty low. I can personally attest (having read the full fic) that there's a good explanation for everything, and it actually dovetails into canon quite nicely.
 * I totally Rec this. It was lost in the Bn G Forum Clean up a long time ago, and finding it again made me almost cry in joy. It's a long, awesome, fic, and really strongly recommend it. I will admit that the much longer chapter formats are kind of nagging me a little, but that's cause I was originally reading it in "chunk a day" format. In any case, if you've got time, kill some of it with this fic.

''Child's Play by Ysavvryl
 * Recommended by: Chimerical Errors, Brickman
 * Synopsis: Having saved their world many times over, the legendary Maverick Hunters X and Zero are bored. Nothing seems to be a challenge anymore. Then they encounter a reploid child who asks them to defeat two monsters. Things get even stranger from there.
 * Comments: This is basically a Fantasy Verse take on the whole series, and while my memory of all the details might be suffering from nostalgia, it's definitely worth a look at.
 * Along with the story above by the same author, seeing this reposted on Fanfic.net after thinking it lost forever made my day. This story is a masterwork and well worth readig. That said, after chapter 1 most of the plot takes place in what can only be described as an extreme AU (including characters from classic, X and Zero in the same timeframe, magic, some very minor crossovers and what amounts to a ). The main characters are effectively their canon versions if that's a consolation, and the things I just listed weird them out too in a rather realistic fashion.

The Third Law by Lex1
 * Recommended by: Laryna6
 * Synopsis: "A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law." (Chapter 4) X and Zero make the happy discovery that some people just don't stay dead like sensible folk. There's one in every crowd.
 * Comments: Sadly dead, and with it the hinted-at plotline, but it's full of hilarious moments like the entire tank sequence and does a great job portraying X and Zero as veteran members of a paramilitary organization, so the chapters do a good job standing alone as a slice-of-life.

The Message by Lina Darkstar
 * Recommended by: Laryna6
 * Synopsis: X discovers a pod with more than just an armor upgrade. X1.
 * Comments: Four Words: Crowning Moment of Heartwarming.

MATHS by Lazer TH
 * Recommended by: Blitz Blast
 * Synopsis: [The author] love[s] X4 so much that [he] made a horrible mockery of it. This is intellectual insanity at its best, folks, have fun!
 * Comments: The first of a series covering X4 through 7 (as well as Z1), "M"adness "A"ttacking "T"he "H"ead "S"lowly is a three-fourths parody one-fourth serious novelization of the games that never fails to remind the reader that the main characters are machines. While MATHS is more parody than serious, the sequels eventually get the correct balance down, with perhaps the best example being the X7 Parody's chaper on Blazing Hyenard.

Mega Man Star Force: Zero by SapphireLibra3
 * Recommended by: GabrieliosP
 * Synopsis: Set after the third Star Force game. Geo and Omega-Xis go to planet FM to stop a powerful weapon from being fired at Earth but never come back. Four years later, a new crisis is approaching Earth in the form of an attack by Planet FM, and Luna, aided by the EM-being Xerox, have to find the hero inside of her and save the entire planet.
 * Comments: The first part of the Star Force: Zero trilogy with the two first parts finished and the final one in progress. It's simply amazing. Even tough the main pairing is GeoxLuna, there's no romance on it since Geo is missing and can be read and enjoyed by GeoxSonia fans. The story altough based on the Zero series manages to be original and only gets better as the times passes. It tells the story of a different and more mature Luna and brings back a lot of secondary characters like Pat. One of the best Star Force fanfics at Fanfiction.net and a must read to Star Force and Zero fans.

Mega Man Recut: Season 1 by BlackRussian
 * Recommended by: Lalalei 2001
 * Synopsis: A retelling of the Mega Man cartoon show as a more serious, continuity-laden work.
 * Comments: Loads of inside reference, lampshade hangings, and details to make even non-fans of the cartoon take notice, this is how to take a campy show and embrace it. There's some swearing, but given the higher rating it's understandable. The author appears to be going through the episodes in order, so every one will get a chance to be redone. Yes, even those episodes.
 * Gancena: Seconded a thousand times. I love this fic. I love it, I love it, I love it. The chapters are very well-paced, making reading the fic feel a lot like watching the cartoon. The fact that each episode is split up into three parts furthers that feeling by being reminiscent of how one would see an episode on TV or at least most YouTube channels that have the episodes. But my favorite thing about this fic is the author's attention to detail to the show, which is where we get very natural and very clever continuity. We also get, among other things, explanations for why Dr. Wily is able to attempt one plan after another and why/how he chooses his Robot Master Of The Week. The action is clearly character-driven, making for the occasional small-ish change in who does what and making the characters' actions feel more organic. I could go on, so just go! Just read this story!
 * It now has a trope page.

The Omega Chronicles:Rise of the Red Rebellion " by [Dark Shift Rising]
 * "Recommended by": James Crimson
 * "Synopsis": Omega,the God of Destruction.Defeated by Zero in 22XX,his name faded from history.Now,centuries later,the legendary crimson destroyer is back,and ready to raise a new kind of hell on a world that has all but forgotten him! BRING IT!
 * "Comments": Son of a Maverick, where to start? The author's OC, Celtis Gisborne Wingates Arcana, is a Hunter who's strapped for cash and has the bad habit of blowing all of her savings on things she doesn't really need. After discovering a map for Area N, which was previously deleted from local databases, she travels there to find Lost Technology, relics from previous Mega Man eras and gain a considerable amount of pocket money. Who knew said "Lost Tech" would be Omega Zero, who is obviously NOT blown to bits. Not to mention he's one heck of a ladies man? Omega's not the only one to make a come back, though. It is still in progress and is bein updated on a regular basis.
 * lhklan: Seconded. The story is very good, and the execution is even better. The OC is nicely developed and fits right in with the cast. Also, many familiar faces from old series return, even better than their first life. Be warned, this fic runs on Rule of Cool, Beyond the Impossible and Crazy Awesome, so expect overwhelming scenes of GAR.

Mega Man: Defender Of the Human Race by MegaBauer
 * Recommended by: Lalalei 2001
 * Synopsis: A retelling/continuation of the Mega Man cartoon, with original story arcs and characters. More serious than BlackRussian's story, but still has humorous moments. Starting with Episode 6, it also features original stories set after the end of the show.
 * Comments: I wasn't sure what to think of this story at first, but it really grows the beard around the second episode with an overarching plot and character development. Special mention goes to, which not only explains why the character never shows up again, but gives the Light family, Roll in particular, a personal reason to take the fight to Wily. Also has some original heroes and villains as well, with the latest chapters amping up the drama for everyone involved. Episode 5, based on cartoon episode "Bro Bots", has shaped up to be amazing.
 * Seconded by Gancena. At first glance, this story is deceptively simple, but it has a massive scale that manages to seamlessly merge the cartoon and game continuities. It manages to wring out a wide range of emotions for its readers. That spoiler up there? Hardest cry I've had in almost two years, and the entirety of Episode 4 had me on the edge of my seat. I even got frustrated at one point that I could not read fast enough to find out how the day was saved. Also, the original characters and their subplots don't overshadow the main arcs at all, but readers still care what happens to them. The author's also very friendly.
 * It now has a trope page.

Shipping Fics
Stories focused on the romantic relationships between the cast.

Past Prologue By Yamz X (Slash, AU)
 * Pairings: X/Zero
 * Recommended by: Future-Gamefreak
 * Synopsis: A story based on the Zero vs. Sigma cutscene in MMX 4, and how X came to know Zero.
 * Comments: THIS, is how to write a good X/Zero Fic! It takes place before The Day of Sigma OVA, and you know what? It actually fits in nicely with the canon. Everyone is in character, the way X and Zero meet is believable, and there's actual effort on keeping it true to canon. Despite some Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness and the occasional Schedule Slip, I can consider this to be one of the best X/Zero fics I've read and possibly one of the Best MMX fics I've read.

Legends: Love Heist By Traingham
 * Pairings: Mega Man/Sera
 * Recommended by: greygear
 * Synopsis: Post MML2, taking place a few months after the ending. Sera, Yuna and Mega Man must take drastic measures to return to earth; to do so Mega Man must sacrifice his memories. His only backup? His life as a purifier unit.
 * Comments: Although primarily a shipping fic, the story is written in a professional and extremely thoughtful manner to such a degree that the entire cast acts both realistically and true to canon. Mostly taking place in both the present and as flash backs in Elysium from Mega Man Trigger's POV. Even while the Elysium flash backs are effectively Traingham's own creation, the entire city and all of it's occupants are crafted carefully. All the while making use of the usual Expy Overload that takes place in the Mega Man Series. Naturally opinions on the parings may differ from reader to reader but the writer's prose makes it a much easier pill to swallow. Overall? It's not Legends 3 but it's damn close.

Birthday Girl by Necchan
 * Pairings: Blues/Kalinka (slight Blues/Rock)
 * Recommended by: Laryna6
 * Synopsis: Post-Classic Saga. Why, oh WHY, couldn't Wily ever kidnap somone who wasn't her? Having her birthday systematically ruined by a madman was usually frustrating. But some times... it's just a matter of perception.
 * Comments: Beautiful, funny, heartwarming and quietly tragic at the same time. Necchan does an amazingly good job of bringing the characters to life, especially Kalinka. Damage Control is another excellent one by her, Bass/Roll during Mega Man 10.