denotes art!Final Fantasy X/X-2 recs
I was a late bloomer on Final Fantasy X. I didn't finish until 2006 and then I was really sad because I had missed the heyday of a really awesome game. Plus it had a sequel and I know I'm in the minority of absolutely loving X-2, which I just finished recently as well. I'm all over the place with what I like in my fic for X and X-2, although I really do like fic that messes around with divergent time lines where things happen differently than as presented to us in X-2. Stories like that are bound to appear here quite a bit. I have a lot of pet pairings but I'm really open to everything, especially gen (♥) which I never see enough of in any fandom, ever, and which really interests me in this fandom for some reason.
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Baralai/Gippal Recs I am really not sure how this came to be my number one OTP for FFX-2, but here we are. I think I blame not_cynical somehow, for the first Baralai/Gippal story I ever wrote to apologize for something that wasn't even my fault. Everything spiraled out from there, and I'm fairly sure the amount of words I've written for this pairing is approaching obscene. I just love the dynamic of it; two men growing up on the opposite sides of a spiritual line, thrown together for an experience that changes their lives forever — the potential is just so great. ♥
Rikku/Wakka Recs The problem with being late to FFX-2 is that I played FFX not realizing there was a sequel. So I developed all this love and fondess for two characters that is absolutely jossed three seconds into FFX-2, with no way out unless I want to leave Wakka a widower (lame) or Vidana a child from a broken home (not as lame, but still makes me feel weird). While I love X-2 I can think of one canonical pairing I could do without, and not just for the sexist reasons, either. Rikku/Wakka sparkled for me in FFX — it really had everything I like in a pairing, everything was there. So I love to see how that thread can be followed, either canonically or otherwise (hence me being a big fan of AU stories).
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Clarion by justira
This story is the one Ira wrote for FFEX last year. It's long and came late, so I think a lot of people were burnt out and didn't want to invest in a 9000 word FFX story. But oh, if you haven't read Clarion yet, you really, really need to. I'm biased; I helped edit it and slashed some adverbs and had a teeny part in making it more awesome than it was, but not by much. I am convinced that no one who was touched by Braska's story or the story of the fayth can come away from this story without chills, because it is really that amazing. So amazing that I could probably just sit here and lump superlatives on it all day, but will stop now since it is 9000 words. (Braska)
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Aftermath (2) by owlmoose
KJ continues fleshing out Beclem's backstory. In del.icio.us I had this saved with the following phrase: "The chapter featuring lube."
I really think that says it all. (Beclem, Nooj)
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The Moon by kokanshu
Well, all the clever words I could use to describe this story or my reaction to it get lost when I reread it. I think it really depends on how much you love Tidus and Yuna and their romance and discovery of each other. I am very fond it it, so this really worked for me. ♥ (Tidus/Yuna, 305 words)
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Dreams and Nightmares by kokanshu
There are two stories here. They really enrich each other, though the second holds together better for me (I'm not sure of the time lime on the first one). The second explores at of interesting ideas about Tidus returning to Spira, and some of the phrases are pretty amazing. (Tidus, Yuna, 689 words)
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The More Things Change by not_cynical
There is always room for Auron/Jecht porn, I say! Really, Jecht's voice here is spot on for me, and Auron being just as grumpy as before is so well-done. Hee! (Auron/Jecht, 260 words)
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Into the Unseen City by hallowd
I am really unsure what to say about this piece. It's got a very quiet, but striking atmosphere. I suck at being thinky and artsy with my recs, though, when it comes to explaining how a piece made me feel. But this does an amazing job of collecting the solemnity that Tidus must have gone through when coming into Spira. I wouldn't quite call it romantic, either, although it does ping that way a little for me. There's a lot going on in this piece, and the author does it well. (Tidus, Yuna, 964 words)
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Dark by owlmoose
This is an interesting metafic about dressspheres, which of course makes me roll around in glee. Neat to see the gameplay bits take a realistic turn. Thumbs up! (Yuna, Rikku, Paine, 400 words)
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One Thing at a Time by not_cynical
Fic playing with the different reactions after the end of X-2 are hard to come by, and this one just mashes all my Baralai buttons. Hearts! (Baralai, 244 words)
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Aftermath (1) by owlmoose
I heart Beclem and his nasty attitude 100%, so when KJ started writing this I was really intriguied to see what she did with him to get him to the place we see in X-2. There is also bonus Nooj, and references to X-2 events that still makes me wriggle. It's not filled with action, as it's the first part of the story, but if the sneak previews I've gotten from my chats with KJ are any indication, it's going to be pretty amazing. ♥ (Beclem, Nooj, gen)
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Saw You Dancing by marmaladecat
There's not much that can be said about this piece without ruining the reading of it for someone else—it's very short, but it says so much in just a few hundred words. Really pretty. (Braska)
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Thinking-Not-Thinking by not_cynical
I'm very picky with Auron/Rikku fic, mostly because I would rather see a dynamic like this one, subtle and tracing the edges of too-late and what-if. Oh, what was done here was just really amazing, because you can feel that they're truly fond of each other. Some of the lines here, though—the insights offered into both Auron and Rikku are really what gives this story its kick, makes the idea of feeling past what they have seem plausible, but reminds us why, in the end, they're really not. It's so bittersweet and beautiful. So much love for Auron and Rikku here. ♥ (Auron, Rikku)
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Shades of Red by marmaladecat
Oh, wow. What do I even say about this piece? I didn't expect what I got, to be honest, and what I got was one of the most touching pieces of fanwork I've read in a really, really long time. All the imagery and the tone carry this piece along beautifully, and it just rips at you in how true it rings. I don't really want to give too much away, but oh. There's a reason why I love Braska and Auron and I think this pieces sort of defines that for me. This really, really shines. (Auron, Braska)
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Sunrise by not_cynical
Oh, yes. A short 100 words, with really sharp dialogue, and the welcome punch I love in drabbles at the end. Any piece that explores Jecht and Auron is a winner to me. ♥ (Kinoc, Auron, Jecht)
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SPACE ADVENTURES by justira
This was total AU, for the IN SPACE challenge that
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Untitled by kytha
This is actually a comment fic I stumbled across, because um. It's Rin. And Nooj. And I know, I KNOW, but it's so crazy, my mind likes it. It goes, "huh, their temperaments would be interesting together, wouldn't they?" And these I find these little things and explode in JOY because it can work. Everything about this little piece is perfect. I CAN SEE KJ LAUGHING AT ME FOR THIS ALREADY. DON'T JUDGE ME, KJ. ;___; (Rin/Nooj)
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five shades of white by cyrnelle
It's unfortunate that Yati and I are having fic-marital problems because she refuses to believe she can write anything lengthy (note to audience: she is WRONG and in this case, I should definitely be trusted). She does everything she writes so well, and her Final Fantasy X work is no different. If I had to pick one person that does drabbles the best, this is who I choose, because she works so well with the word count and the format every time she posts. What I love about this is at first, you think, "well, there's no punch!" and at this point most people are readying the rocks to cast at the hypocrite reccing "drabbles" she says are good examples of the genre. But good drabbles require thinking. That's what makes them excellent; that's what makes them work. Because you read them and then you can read over them again and if you're paying attention, get even more out of them. This is the power of drabbles composed properly. Yati can rip your heart out with them and she could probably crunch the pieces under her foot, expect in how she's entirely too kind to do so. There's imagery here, what Tidus sees when he tries to look at Yuna, what happens when the page is blank—what's left? And I find the piece ironic in a sense, too, full of white and it being Tidus who is thinking these things. Oh so brief is the life of a summoner, oh so brief are dreams.
Then again, I only understand irony three days out of the week—is today really one of those days? (Tidus, Yuna)
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A Professional Acquaintance by kytha
This I stumbled across almost by accident and I was immediately charmed by Nooj's voice and characterization, and how the author sneaks in awesome, spot-on Rin characterization even though he's not actually present. Even though there's a lack of physical presence his character comes through loud and clear through Nooj's thoughts and actions, which isn't easy to do. Here, though, it's amazing how well the author did this. Although short, this piece really packs a neat little punch. (Nooj, Rin)
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Soup by hinikuish
This piece was really cute. I enjoy how Kinoc frets over Auron, when what he's really doing is worrying about himself. Auron remains stubborn, Kinoc remains decidedly self-focused. There are neat bits of this that give a lot of insight into how Kinoc might see Auron, as well. The reader has to unpack them, though. The last line, too, was cute. My only issue was with the amount of unnecessary adverbs. (Auron, Kinoc)
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Sovereign Heart by muggy_mountain
When I first read this story my reaction was pretty much qw;ekfslhdfowuefasfnda;kehfo2GLEE. My thoughts about it continued in that vein for a few days. Although it's Beclem and that pretty much gives it an FFX-2 label, it's mostly about FFX pre-game events any Chappu/Lulu fan would want to check out. I mean, I love everything about this, Chappu's thoughts about Lulu and Beclem in the background being all, "LOOK, TOYS!" with the guns (like a big kid). Really, this was all around pretty fabulous. ♥ ♥ ♥ (Chappu, Lulu, Wakka, Beclem, Luzzu)
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Moments of Regret: Ascending Spiral, Heavy Shit, Old Friends by justira
This is like a 3-for-1 deal, like with boxes of ramen, except this deal offers more hints of porn. It is a pairing drabble, but anyone that's a fan of the characters will want to give it a shot because the pairing isn't the point; just a tasty bonus. These pieces can be read alone, I think, but they're better when sampled together as one unit. Each drabble offers a distinct voice for each man; there's really no mistaking them because it was pulled off so flawlessly, the tone each of them has.
The best part for me was the theme: regret. I loved how it was woven into the pieces. Each of them will think about regret and how it does or does not relate when really, it's the exact opposite. That's the most startling thing for me about all there of them, and the fact that Auron is the only one to eventually correct himself, at the end. Which, when I think about it, is actually pretty fitting. He had time and the chance to fix things; Braska and Jecht didn't. If the theme had also been denial I think all three of these would have been able to fit that, as well, perfectly. ♥ (Auron/Braska/Jecht)
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The Fondest Irony by justira
I pine so hard for well done fic with Jecht, Auron and Braska because their dynamic is just so interesting to me; I really wish fic dealt more with their story, fleshing it and them out. This story totally meets my desire for these three. Braska is amazing, the author takes what the game gave us and continues the thread in the most believable way. I really believe in his (and Auron's) hurt and guilt over the way that Jecht learned the truth. The author weaves the ironies of Spira so well into the story—I really don't have words to say how amazing this is, how well it was done, it just flows right a long and tugs the reader into one after another. Some are little revelations and some are painful but the theme really comes across wonderfully. This story is all the more heartbreaking because the reader knows what's coming even as Braska is thinking about the future he won't be a part of. It's a slow ache, that sneaks up toward the end.
She also included footnotes, and I really thought that was interesting, too, because the reader gets too learn a little more about Spira than they might have known before reading. It's so clever how the author works so many tiny threads from the game canon into the story to make it feel like it happened just like this. (Auron, Braska, Jecht)
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Hornless by cupcakemonster
I'll probably go to fanfic hell for wishing this was a longer piece. Less with the arousing and more with the crazy amusement. The details, oh my god. (Kimahri/Rikku)
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Sink, Snap, and Echo by cupcakemonster
This takes the premise of the journey to Zanarkand and sees it through to the end that might have happened--a scene that had been happening decades before Yuna and her Guardians came through and might have continued. It's subtle in its horror, the small things making it terrible, the anguish felt by Auron and Rikku is just all over this piece. The part with Lulu is just heart-breaking in its perfection, Rikku hanging onto Lulu even in death. I knew the end was coming, and I knew what Auron was going to say, and it was still painful to read it. Really good work. (Rikku, Auron)
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Darkness, Dawn by owlmoose
I love Paine. I know a lot about FFX-2 bothers me, but I do like the characters they created for it, and Paine is one of my favorites to read about, possibly because in game she says so little, what she does say matters and the fans that write her have this excellent slate to write on. This was done so well here. Paine's a loner; so she works out to be alone to enjoy the airship for herself. It feels a little like rebirth—her first sunrise from the airship, a new path for her life. I loved the traces back to her past, the hints of what tight control she keeps herself under. The descriptions are amazing and I thought this piece was just beautiful. (Paine)
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Red and Black by muggy_mountain
This is a look at younger versions of Auron and Lulu—their pasts, how they touched each other before they came together on Yuna's journey, and events that happen to them to shape who they are when we meet them in the game. The characterization is solid and continues this way throughout the piece, and the author manages to weave them into a Spira that, while sometimes harsh and less than perfect, is believeable. I really loved the small details about their lives as teenagers, the things they did the put them on the path we eventually see. The author drew me into Auron's story especially, because I can just see her Auron turning into the adult Auron we later meet. I think this will be one of the better Auron/Lulu pieces in the fandom as it continues. (Cast)
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An Exercise In Thinking Hard by cupcakemonster
Simply put: this story made me hurt, deep down, that good hurt where you just know that story is going to stay with you and never leave? This is one of those stories for me, and I absolutely love when people explore the connection between Yuna and Rikku and she does it so well. Not enough people touch on the issue in fic that I've found. I pine for more stories like this, clever little character studies where there aren't that many words but so much is said. (Yuna, Rikku)
