Fandoms: UNCHARTED
Characters/Pairings: Nathan Drake/Elena Fisher
Length: 2164 words
Author on LJ: croik
Author Website: on Ao3
Why this must be read:

Now there's nothing wrong with imagining Nate/Elena having wonderful fluffy romantic moments, and I expect there is a large share of those fics hanging about, but this fic and its amusing turning over of that whole traditional idea onto its head was very fun to read. This version of their kind of 'romance' seems pretty fitting with their interactions in UC1, the banter so like the style you could get in game, and made it feel quite plausible a scenario.

Somewhere Between an 8 and a 12

Fandoms: UNCHARTED
Characters/Pairings: Nathan Drake, Victor Sullivan, Nathan Drake/Elena Fisher
Length: 1106 words
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: on Ao3
Why this must be read:

I think all too many people perhaps miss the fact that Nathan Drake is an artist. I don't think it is every said in the game, attention not really drawn to it, but his in-game journal used for puzzle hints primarily is beautifully done and an extra lovely way they insert more character into the game. It being his journal the implication is of course that he sketches down all these mottos and statues and anything that could be helpful that he sees in his travels.

This fic is the first and only fic I've read that actually relates his drawing to him as a character, that talks about how he started, why he continues to, past the obvious usefulness in his profession and as a plot device - which is why I highly recommend this fic for an non-standard view into who Nate is.

Sketches

Fandoms: UNCHARTED
Characters/Pairings: Elena Fisher, Chloe Frazer, Original Characters, background Nathan Drake/Elena Fisher
Length: 7985 words
Author on LJ: starshone_storm & unknown
Author Website: Caryl/Starshone on Ao3 & Rhiannon87 on Ao3
Why this must be read:

It's rare for Uncharted fics to pass the Bechdel test. To be fair I don't believe the games do either necessarily - there's not a lot of female characters in the source, though the fact there's not tonnes of characters full stop with spoken lines in the games is certainly part of that, combined with almost everything centering around Nathan Drake. I would have thought the fandom might manage to do better and it does on occasion, but it is still all very Drake centric.

So, this fic with Elena and Chloe teaming up and using both their respective sets of talents feels like striking fannish gold. Ignoring how rare it is to get both of them working together, this is an intriguing story, with mystery, action and a touch of humour. It felt atmospheric, set in urban California if I'm not mistaken, making for a nice change of scenery for an Uncharted fic too. For those all about far flung places and treasure hunting then this may not be a fic for you, but if you like your fic scenarios a touch more diverse than the source material does and showing off relationships that get downplayed in canon like with these two ladies then this will probably go down well.

Other Lines of Work

Fandoms: UNCHARTED
Characters/Pairings: Nathan Drake/Elena Fisher, Nathan Drake/Chloe Frazer
Length: ~9700 words
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: on FanFiction.net
Why this must be read:

A series of 11 ficlets set over the course of the first two games, what I liked about this was it traversed the ups and downs of their relationship, filling in gaps in canon, without either drawing out the angst too much nor oversimplifying it. A lot of the time troubles with Nate/Elena as written in fic boil down to a notion she'd ask him to give up his dangerous escapades, ignoring the taste of adventure she clearly seemed up for in UC1. Here it recognises Elena doesn't shy away from danger either, with the reverse of him worrying over her getting herself in a tricky situation as one of their issues, alongside a different complication from his profession causing a rift.

One Foot behind the Other

Fandoms: UNCHARTED
Characters/Pairings: Harry Flynn/Chloe Frazer, Charlie Cutter
Length: 1114 words
Author on LJ: starshone_storm
Author Website: on Ao3
Why this must be read:

There are a good number of fics dealing with what happens to Harry Flynn post-UC2. This is not the most action packed or the longest one of those I've read but the most believable of them hence the recommendation. It has the added bonus of both parties who are accidentally meeting in it behaving more maturely than a lot of the other fics portray - managing a good dose of tension and anger without delving into purely vengeful reactions, ending up more mellow with some angst which feels suitable after the time passed from it all here.

Queen Street

Fandoms: UNCHARTED
Characters/Pairings: Nathan Drake & Victor Sullivan
Length: 933 words
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: on Ao3
Why this must be read:

Short but well focused, this fic deals with one of the things the game leaves hanging at the end of UC3, just how affected Nate is by what he sees in Ubar. It's a lovely show of hurt/comfort and friendship, how well Sully knows Nate to know something is subtly wrong. Painful as it is to be reminded of Nate's anguish, it's also quite heart warming too.

Just to See You Smile

Fandoms: UNCHARTED
Characters/Pairings: Victor Sullivan & Nathan Drake, Chloe Frazer, Nathan Drake/Elena Fisher
Length: ~2800 words
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: on FanFiction.net
Why this must be read:

In UC2 we never get any details of who asked him to come/how Sully turns up in Tibet, just that he is there, and this fic nicely fills in those gaps as well as really showing the friendship between him and Nate, that he could get through to Nate where others couldn't. It also has added bonus of showing a bit of Nate whump that the game glosses over, though he's been through a lot by the time Sully arrives and we get to see that directly in this too.

A Helping Hand

Fandoms: UNCHARTED
Characters/Pairings: Nathan Drake/Elena Fisher
Length: ~2000 words
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: on FanFiction.net
Why this must be read:

This caught my eye as a chill and sweet yet still bantery look at the start of their downtime post UC1. The sense of atmosphere, that the adventure isn't really over, is appealing as a nice start of their romance piece.

Down By the Water

Fandoms: UNCHARTED
Characters/Pairings: Nathan Drake/Elena Fisher, Jeff/Elena Fisher
Length: ~6000 words
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: on FanFiction.net
Why this must be read:

Primarily I liked this story because it gave us the POV of the not often seen Jeff. I wasn't sure if the Jeff/Elena angle was one I liked initially but given she is almost always shipped with Nate that too was interesting to read, one sided as it appears to be here. Despite that it is a Nate/Elena story but I liked getting an outsider view on both them and some of the events during UC2, as well as a peek of how life had been for Elena between games.

Just the Cameraman

Fandoms: UNCHARTED
Characters/Pairings: Original Characters
Length: 3273 words
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: unknown
Why this must be read:

Several game levels in UC1 have an implied story about only vague characters in the 1940's that is important to the present game story but we get not much on it because exact details aren't all that relevant to the main game past the key plot points it implies. Hence I enjoyed this little action look at what might have been for the mostly last terrified moments of their lives, as well as an explanation of how past events progressed as they did to the scenes you see laid out in game.

The fic in question was a competition entry on a long page. The exact post in question is 2/3rds down posted at June 19, 2009 3:51PM and does have formatting issues but if you can get over that problem I think it's worth a read if the past plot it deals with interests you.

Untitled

Fandoms: UNCHARTED
Characters/Pairings: Nathan Drake/Elena Fisher
Length: ~3019 words
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: unknown
Why this must be read:

In this anonymous kinkmeme story we get a reminder that Nate's actions do have consequences, ala nightmares here, and, it features good smut too, as well as a bonus bit of sweetness. Those two themes do not necessarily go together because one could trivialise or unsexy the other but here they very much do work, buffered by a relaxing massage.

I'll Be The Light In The Dark If You Lose Your Way Part 1 and Part 2

Fandoms: UNCHARTED
Characters/Pairings: Nathan Drake/Chloe Frazer
Length: ~1300 words
Author on LJ: starshone_storm
Author Website: on Ao3
Why this must be read:

Because it is a beautifully complex look at what Nate/Chloe could have been like. It's a little fun, a little sweet but quite a bit heartbreaking too. I love how the author takes what could be a throwaway line and a tiny detail in Nate's journal, both from UC2, and has built that into such a nuanced representation of them together to fill in canon gaps set before that game for parts of their history we'll probably never know any more for. I felt like this really enhanced what we know of the characters in game without any subversion of canon at all, just slotting in there.

Chocolate and Flowers

Fandoms: UNCHARTED
Characters/Pairings: Harry Flynn/Chloe Frazer
Length: ~2500 words
Author on LJ: reedybeanz
Author Website: unknown
Why this must be read:

Among the characters in Uncharted there is always one thing - banter. There is absolutely no shortage of banter and wise cracks, sarcasm and teasing, in the source material. Not every fic can get that done well, nor is it always appropriate in every fic. For the little attention that this pairing gets we're not usually treated to banter for them, more commonly it is angst driven, which is why this fic set before events in UC2 stood out as such a fun piece where we get to see more of these two interacting as you might imagine they would.

Mostly Professional

Fandoms: UNCHARTED
Characters/Pairings: Nathan Drake, Harry Flynn
Length: 817 words
Author on LJ: shugo_krad
Author Website: on FanFiction.net
Why this must be read:

This is a short simple piece but I'm reccing it as one of the few fics that have Nate's reactions post-UC2 regarding what happened with Harry. Most post-UC2 fics from Nate's POV have at best a line or two about it between what is usually focused on a Nate/Elena or Nate/Chloe resolution, and any more detailed fics looking at Harry's actions tend to be from the viewpoint of Chloe instead. So, I found this refreshing to get Nate's thoughts on it in this and his remembrance of their previous friendship.

Reflections

Vidder: Lindsey/LadyofRohan87
Musical artist: Daughtry
Pairing: Nathan Drake/Elena Fisher
Vidder on LJ: blonde_leia
Vidder's website: on YouTube
Why this vid kicks ass:

I found it really hard to rec only 1 vid for this fandom but I eventually settled on this vid because I liked seeing a good self contained vid about only the first game and thought it might serve as a nice introduction for anyone new to the fandom.

The quality could be better, and the vidding is nothing flashy, but I think this vid got to the core of the action and the building sense of trust + danger in the game, and has the bonus of definitely showcasing Elena's role in it all. The song choice is pretty apt and if you've also seen the later games the lyrics have - probably accidentally given when the vid was made - added depth for the pairing.

Crashed

Fandoms: UNCHARTED
Characters/Pairings: Victor Sullivan/Original Female Character, Nathan Drake/Elena Fisher
Length: ~24000 words
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: on FanFiction.net
Why this must be read:

There are a lot of multi-chaptered adventure fics out there in the sea of Uncharted fics, or I should say, lots of them that are started but not an awful lot get finished as it is all too common to find a chapter or two of a promising story that never truly went anywhere.

I picked this one to rec because not only is it finished, but it is well enough plotted and making good use of mythology to feel in the same vein as the games. That is especially true because things never go quite to plan in this either. It also has much more of a Sully focus which I liked seeing. In this Sully gets much more page time than in most fics and perhaps even more than in some of the games too - he's pretty in on the action, plus has a love interest who is also a fairly fun additional character to their team on the adventure.

The Eye Of Odin

Fandoms: UNCHARTED
Characters/Pairings: Katherine Marlowe/Talbot
Length: 2641 words (44005 for the series)
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: on Ao3
Why this must be read:

Marlowe and Talbot of UC3 are intriguing villains, though for a lot of people in fandom they simply fall under the 'love to hate' category. I can't say when I played the games that I shipped them but I certainly wanted to know more about their motivations and history than the game provided. Lady_of_Rohan appears to be the person in UC fandom who has written the most in depth about them, fleshing them out wonderfully in this series which starts off with this mostly gen fic about them that leads up to the UC3 story.

Later fics in this series do have UST/romantic in them but as I read - as someone who hadn't considered them together until I saw this small fandom ship about - I found it believable, not to mention an interestingly different ship with its dynamics of older woman/younger man, who seem to be mentor/protege as well as employer/employee. Even if you don't ship this pairing I'd urge you to give this series a go if you want to know more about these two as like me you might be pleasantly surprised to like them together.

Without You (the Tallowe series here with rating up to Mature for some fics in it)

Fandoms: UNCHARTED
Characters/Pairings: Nathan Drake/Elene Fisher, Chloe Frazer
Length: 1781 words
Author on LJ: emtardis
Author Website: on FanFiction.net
Why this must be read:

In this we get a fic showing internally what Nate was going through at the rather dramatic almost end of UC2, keeping very much in character with what we saw there, and one that also explains nicely a plot point that got hazed over in canon - making it a pretty good missing scene fic for anyone who wanted more of what the game had there.

Won't Let Her Go

Fandoms: UNCHARTED
Characters/Pairings: Chloe Frazer/Harry Flynn
Length: 2200 words
Author on LJ: spiralunbound
Author Website: on DreamWidth
Why this must be read:

Not only is this a good look into aspects of Chloe's life, but it has a nice mix of her feelings as you'd expect under the circumstances it presents post UC2. The path the fic takes unfolds slowly but surely, gathering a sense of how she deals with the situation making it feel well considered, if more than a little heart breaking at times.

Fixed

Fandoms: UNCHARTED
Characters/Pairings: Nathan Drake/Harry Flynn, Nathan Drake/Talbot
Length: 2657 words
Author on LJ: alexb49
Author Website: on Ao3
Why this must be read:

Slash is particularly rare in this fandom, as is fic featuring anything much of UC3 antagonist Talbot. This fic combines both, with some oh so angsty parts regarding Nate/Harry, that you wouldn't expect given the setting of this within UC3 as essentially a missing scene, which are very well teased out using in-game character appropriate explanations that also make for dubious and yet intriguing Nate/Talbot interaction. The interplay of Talbot's mind games with the intense smut makes for a very well done scenario.

blankeyed in the rain

Fandoms: UNCHARTED
Characters/Pairings: Nathan Drake/Elena Fisher
Length: ~2200 words
Author on LJ: rionaleonhart
Author Website: unknown
Why this must be read:

This is a simple but fun story about Nate and Elena's tendency to get into adventures/trouble no matter what. A bit of action and a bit of comedy, with requisite banter, make this an amusing read.

It's All There in the Relationship Contract

Fandoms: UNCHARTED
Characters/Pairings: Nathan Drake, Harry Flynn, Harry Flynn/Chloe Frazer, Nathan Drake/Chloe Frazer
Length: ~2200 words
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: on FanFiction.net
Why this must be read:

There's scant fics for either pairing, let alone one that explores the tension between both going on without all people knowing it is so, making this an interesting piece with Nate's unease underlying most of it. I also liked that it tackled showing the guys relaxing pre-heist as their sort of friendship isn't something most care to write.

Participation Sensations

Fandoms: UNCHARTED
Characters/Pairings: Nathan Drake/Elena Fisher
Length: 722 words
Author on LJ: unruhe_
Author Website: on FanFiction.net
Why this must be read:

Most Nate/Elena fics are full of banter and danger, or maybe banter and angst, or just the angst. Sweet is a hard find for this pairing so this is a nice change, especially since it isn't too fluffy either and manages to frame the situation (pregnancy test) in terms of another possible adventure.

Not Quite There Yet

Fandoms: UNCHARTED
Characters/Pairings: Nathan Drake/Elena Fisher
Length: ~3700 words
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: on FanFiction.net and on Ao3
Why this must be read:

Set during UC1, this fic has a fab mix of banter that plays up the tension of these two only really just knowing each other, consideration for action elements and a hint of shippiness. It really gets the elements right for where the characters are in the first game, not going too far, just flirting with the romance as they do a tad and filling in the rest with a nice bit about them each helping the other and teaching the benefit of teamwork that they do get the hang of in the end.

Keeping Count

Fandoms: UNCHARTED
Characters/Pairings: Nathan Drake, Victor Sullivan
Length: 942 words
Author on LJ: n/a
Author Website: n/a
Why this must be read:

The whole area of younger Nate and Sully's adventures is one that doesn't get written much, even though there were juicy details to generally fill in the outline of it in UC3. This piece written by a generous anon to fill in a prompt over on the Uncharted kink meme is a lovely, sort of sweet but still very much in theme with the action, look at one of Nate's birthdays back then that is a very good gen ficlet.

Only Most of Your Presents Are Bruises

Fandoms: UNCHARTED
Characters/Pairings: Elena Fisher, Nathan Drake
Length: 215 words
Author on LJ: starshone_storm
Author Website: on Ao3
Why this must be read:

A short but poignant ficlet that points out the trauma of UC2 events would not go away quickly. I liked it for the reminder that these things won't come easy for Elena after what she's been through and puts UC3 gameplay with her in another perspective.

Countdown

Fandoms: UNCHARTED
Characters/Pairings: Victor Sullivan & Nathan Drake, Elena Fisher
Length: ~ 7800 words
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: on FanFiction.net
Why this must be read:

This story is a great look at the friendship between Sully and Nate, that delves into a familial relationship at times too, via a combination of Sully's POV on events near the mid to end of UC3 and also a flashback that nicely fills in a part of their history too.

Never a Dull Moment

Fandoms: UNCHARTED
Characters/Pairings: Tenzin, Karl Schäfer, Original Character
Length: ~ 1000 words
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: on FanFiction.net
Why this must be read:

This caught my eye because it is as far as I can see the only story to approach (some of the) events from UC2 from the perspective of the Tibetan villagers involved. It brings up the symbolism of the phurba that seems largely ignored in canon except as a plot/puzzle point and manages to broach a sense of spiritualism appropriate to the story/characters involved, while still addressing that they do in fact have modern medical knowledge too, that fills in a bit of a gaping plot hole about how Nate survives there with the injuries sustained.

My Life Extra

Fandoms: UNCHARTED
Characters/Pairings: Elena Fisher/Nathan Drake
Length: ~ 1700 words
Author on LJ: trysts
Author Website: unknown
Why this must be read:

As much as Nate/Elena is the big pairing in this fandom, the kind who seem made for each other by a lot of people's standards, it doesn't usually come easy and this story typifies the trouble they have. Here it recognises the conflict Elena could feel about the pull of Nate and adventuring versus real life and a meaningful, long lasting, existence. The parallels they draw in this about growing up/not growing up and it being rather like a fairytale work particularly well.

our last days as children