Penny X Sherman Novels & Stories

Honestly, it took me forever to find Penny x Sherman fics that aren't just about the initial crush or comedic bickering. The emotional growth arcs are surprisingly sparse. I'd point you toward a longfic called 'Static and Signal.' It's a post-series story where Sherman struggles with the reality of a civilian, non-hero life, and Penny has to navigate her feelings without her usual confidence. It's less about grand declarations and more about small, painful steps—like Sherman learning to accept help, or Penny realizing love isn't something you can 'win' like a mission. The character voices are spot-on, especially Penny's internal monologue when she's overthinking.

There's another one, 'Circuit Breaker,' that's darker but worth it. It deals with Penny coping with the trauma from the finale and Sherman's guilt over not being able to physically protect her. The growth is messy; they both say the wrong thing and have to rebuild. It doesn't have a neatly happy ending, but it feels earned. I remember tearing up when Sherman finally admits he's scared of her getting hurt because of him, not for him.

Man, that's a deep-cut pairing. Honestly, I rarely see 'Muppets Most Wanted' fics crossing over with anything else. The search is basically its own weird little treasure hunt, but that's kind of the fun.

My first stop is always Archive of Our Own. Use the character tags for Penny Patterson and the Sherman, but you'll have to get creative with the fandom tag. Try filtering for 'The Muppets' or 'Muppets Most Wanted' fandom, then sort by kudos or comments. Sometimes people tag crossovers under both fandoms, but often it's just under the more dominant one. The Sherlock Holmes fandom tags might also yield something if someone wrote the Sherman as a proper detective 'verse story.

If AO3 is a bust, fanfiction.net might have older crossovers. The search function is a nightmare, though. You might have better luck on smaller, specific fandom forums if they still exist. Tumblr could be a source for links or prompts, but finding actual finished stories there is harder.

I actually found a short one last year where Penny and the Sherman team up to solve a mystery in the 'BBC Sherlock' universe. It was weirdly in-character for both. The author had them riffing off each other's obsessions perfectly.

I'm so glad somebody else ships Penny and Sherman! Their dynamic has so much untapped potential for adventure, way more than just classroom scenes. Most fics lean into the 'awkward crush' angle, which is cute, but I get a bigger kick out of stories that throw them into a crisis together. One I keep rereading is 'Signal Lost' on AO3, where a school trip to the natural history museum goes sideways—think power outage, escaped exhibit specimens, the whole deal. It's them navigating dark halls, Sherman using his encyclopedic knowledge to identify threats, and Penny's practical, stubborn bravery keeping them moving.

It's not just about danger, though. The teamwork comes from them compensating for each other's weaknesses. Sherman overthinking a plan while Penny just grabs his hand and says 'Run now, think later.' That friction turning into a solid rhythm is the core of it for me. I've seen a few crossovers too, like a 'Stranger Things' AU where they're the party members stuck in the Upside Down, which hits that same note of relying on each other in a weird, hostile environment.

Honestly, the best adventure fics for them feel like a modern-day 'Goonies' but with more brainy banter.