denotes art!Final Fantasy XII recs
I'm still warming up to FFXII. I've played it once, but it's such an epic game that I really think I need more time and another play-through or two to really get all the little details the writers slipped in. It's an incredibly rich world with this story line that encompasses so much. I'm still wavering on where I'll end up settling as far as favorites go, but I know I'm already completely charmed by Larsa, Vaan and Basch, so much of my initial peeks into the fandom will be about those characters while I find my place and get more comfortable in the world of Ivalice.
--------------------------------------------------
The Three Phases by shira syndrome
I think I'm mostly cursed to end up liking the pairings no one else does, or taking some of the most popular pairings in the fandom and creating two new ones out of it. Balthier/Vaan is that pairing (and at least it's not as cracked out as Balthier/Al-Cid, and let me just say...that last one would be hot). I'm not sure if I even know how to talk about this story, I have love for it that's likely inappropriate to talk much about publicly. Originally I flailed over FFXII fic because I thought, "The language! The language!" and how lyrical it was and how I so wanted to find authors who could bend it over and make it their bitch. I found that with this story, and, canonical or not, am still taken with it weeks after the fact. I don't read much FFXII fic right now, because I'm planning on replaying the game and am trying to forget as much as possible, so this story is a combination of all the things I love: the beat is amazing (oh, can this author make text sing), it reads exactly like Balthier and Vaan, and it took me longer than fifteen minutes to read it. Basically: win. (Balthier/Vaan)
--------------------
Keep the Change by cupcakemonster
Somehow I feel I should have expected this when I saw the theme announced. Vaan, not written off! ♥ Penelo left with Larsa! ♥ A cute drabble, indeed. (Vaan, Balthier)
--------------------
Mirror Must Judge by delladella
The layers here in this snapshot scene of Basch and Gabranth are marvelous. There is material to unpack here in a short 300 words. The voices and the language all ring true, and the look we're given inside Gabranth's head is fascinating and rich. I have a feeling this theme will resonate in fandom for awhile, but in this piece it was perfectly carried off with precision. Really lovely. (Basch, Gabranth, also, beware of spoilers!)
