Fanfiction Recommendations (other fandoms edition) · 7:31pm Sep 25th, 2013
The other day, I was thinking about how I got interested in fanfiction in the first place. Before ponies, I hadn't really read fanfic for at least four years or so, but before that, I read the occasional fic. It's been a few years, but these still stick in my mind as the finest stories I read back then. When I can still recall them, years after the fact (in many cases edging out actual books I read at the time in my memory), they've obviously done something well. There are no stories about small horses here, but you still might find something to like.
[Disclaimer: it's been years since I read any of these, so don't go into any expecting superb writing quality. I was well-read in original fiction in school, but I really didn't understand grammar, best dialogue tagging practices, characterization techniques, etc. until high school or so. These recommendations simply mean that these stories entertained me years ago, and they might do something for you, too.]
Story: Level Up! Love!
Fanfiction of: The anime Lucky Star
Genre: Shipping of the lesbian variety/Slice of Life/Comedy
So, we start this with what's pretty much my favorite thing: slice-of-life comedy with a hint of romance thrown in. The two characters being shipped here have a hint of a relationship in the show, but this story expands upon it, keeping characterization perfect as they show a natural development from friendship to relationship, like good shipfics should. It's funny, it's sweet, and it turned me into a rabid shipper of this pairing when before I had just been of the opinion of "aw, that's cute."
Story: Fail to the King
Fanfiction of: The video game Disgaea 3
Genre: Adventure/Comedy
This one is a fic of a bit of a lesser-known game, but it's written by a fella some of you on this site know as Varanus, author of Composure. In this, Var takes a weird alternate ending of the game and runs with it, showing one of the most hapless characters suddenly thrust into a position of authority and having no idea what to do. The story intersperses effective comedy with backstory and headcanon of surprising depth and effectiveness, making the story make sense almost on its own. I'm a fan of the series, but didn't like this particular game and quit a few hours in, yet this story mostly makes sense to me. The characterization here is particularly nice.
Story: Darkness Falls
Fanfiction of: the video game Final Fantasy X
Genre: What If?/Dark/Crackshipping
This story runs with a basic premise of "What if one of the characters had died before meeting everyone else?" Since death works a little differently in this universe, she still goes on the adventure with them, freaking out as she gains the ability to do such things as live without breathing and talk to monsters (who are dead people who stuck around the world too long). This leads to a surprising amount of high drama and provides a neat explanation for a few moments in the game that don't make a whole lot of sense when examined, which is always neat to see in fanfiction. In example, at one point in the game, the party is going to pay a quick visit to the setting's afterlife to consult with dead friends. Since an already dead person who goes there can't come back, the poor dead girl refuses to go, just like she does in the game. Little moments like that pop up from time to time, and they never fail to impress.
Story: My Dearest Enemy
Fanfiction of: The Legend of Zelda (mostly the NES ones, but anyone familiar with the basic series should be able to read it)
Genre: Dark
This story has Link ruling over Hyrule, but everyone keeps pushing him around. He saved the land but has no idea how to rule. Suddenly, Ganondorf comes back, and the two form a weird bromance that leads to Link bucking up and taking control of his life again. I don't remember much about this story, but the sheer idea of Link and Ganondorf teaming up and discussing politics and life philosophy is too bizarre for this not to stick in my mind.
Story: Shining Force: Behind the Screen
Fanfiction of: The video game Shining Force
Genre: Novelization/Adventure
Yes, this story is just a retelling of the game, but the author adds surprising depth to a game that has a straightforward plot. The author knows a thing or two about actual fighting as well, and I remember the fight scenes in this being of high quality.
Story: Eternal Arcadia
Fanfiction of: Skies of Arcadia
Genre: Novelization/Adventure/Motherfucking Sky Pirates
Skies of Arcadia is basically the best RPG ever made, combining interesting gameplay with a stunning world design and a tone that knows when not to take itself too seriously. Also sky pirates. This story aims to make the game feel more "realistic," eschewing some of the sorcery in favor of the sword (like good players do in the game anyway) and attempting to enrich the backstory of the world significantly. And y'know what? Largely, it works. The game already features solid worldbuilding, and this epic only makes that better (save for a few missteps that can be easily overlooked). And did I mention sky pirates?
Story: Scenes from a paralell universe: FF8
Fanfiction of: the video game Final Fantasy VIII
Genre: AU/Comedy/Random/Script Fic
How do you make one of the worst Final Fantasy games better? Why, by completely disregarding everything canon ever said and mashing everything into a parody that is a delightful abomination of the original. This fic turns the emo main character into a wannabe white rapper, the bland love interest into a propaganda-spewing Communist, and the end results are delightful to behold. There's nothing here that will change your life, but if you like stupid comedy and hated how terrible pretty much everything about FF8's plot/characters was, this will make you laugh.
...Isn't that the premise of the actual game as well?
Nope, EarthBound.
Haha, why did you mention my Disgaea fic? I haven't touched it since taking a brief break to write Composure (lol), and realistically I can never update it...
I appreciate that you remember it, though. One of these days I need to write up a synopsis of what my plans were to give the tale some closure.
Oldest fanfiction I ever got into was Space Ghost Coast to Coast... in that I wrote it. Nobody else had shiet up on the Internet. F'naaaa.
Then there was Batman the Animated Series.
And then there was Zelda. Ohhhhhhhh Zelda.
Overall, it's been about 15 years of wasting my life away.
I almost once wrote FF8 fanfiction, but I was almost lazier in those days than I am now. Almost.
I'll add my recommendation here :
Story : Dungeon Keeper Ami
Crossover of: Dungeon Keeper (both games) and Sailor Moon.
Genre : AU / Comedy / Adventure
Ami Mizuno (Sailor Mercury) is sent to the Dungeon Keeper world by a portal from Jadeite, right to the feet of a trapped Horned Demon. She must learn the rules of this new world, defend against various threats, and salvage her reputation while searching for a way back home.
It's pretty well written, with many plots and surprises, very funny at times, and still active since 2009. Since it's an "addventure", follow the story written by Pusakuronu for maximum cohesion.
Has its own TVTropes page.
Seriously, it's awesome, read it. If you don't know Sailor Moon, it's not a problem. If you don't know Dungeon Keeper, you might have to search for some info sometimes, but it's usually pretty self-explanatory.
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Eh, Earthbound is good, but Skies edges it out, I feel.
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Because I liked it!
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I have a passing knowledge of Sailor Moon, but none of Dungeon Keeper. Might have to have a look.
Vimbert, this journal confuses me.
...Where are the ponies, Vimbert? :(
Was Darkness Falls that RikuxAuron one? You're not the first to recommend it, but I never was a fan of May-December romances.
And why would anyone need to make Skies better? The optimism tempered the setting, but it was hardly unrealistic. And the sense of mystery and discovery is part of the charm; not getting much backstory on a giant space whale with ice powers or a inexplicably co-op clockpunk dungeon preserves the sense of awe and mystery.
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Yeah, it's the RikkuxAuron one. I generally don't like pairings like that either, but this one won me over. Somehow.
The Skies fic doesn't really go too much darker and edgier with it. I guess I just liked seeing more to the world of Arcadia, since I've been waiting for a sequel or just... anything more from that universe for almost a decade. Chalk it up to withdrawal?
In the interests of
whiningoperating with appropriate transparency, I just thought you should know that I havelost all respectslightly lowered my opinion of you in light of yourirrational hatredstated dislike of20% of my childhoodFinal Fantasy VIII.You stupid assface.This is great--I've been looking for recommendations in other fandoms. Almost missed it due to not having followed you.
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Actually, I really like FF8's gameplay. The Junction system is hilariously exploitable, and I enjoy bending the game over backwards with outrageously unbalanced power.
The plot really does suck, though. Two words: time compression.
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Meh. Meh at you I say.
I freely admit that I am biased because I first played the game when I was like... four? Anyway, I played the game when I was so young that I couldn't even properly hold the controller. I read the Prima Games strategy guide like it was my favorite bedtime story.
The story could be the worst shit in the universe but I would be physically incapable of acknowledging it so I'm saying right here that maybe my opinion doesn't have a lot of weight here... but I still think FF8's story was pretty great. "Eyes on Me" is still one of my favorite songs ever for its romantic sentiment and place in the two-generation romance of the game.
And the cinematics... those defined the experience to me. From the incredible opening, storming the beach, Quistis gunning down X-ATMO92, the time Squall gets impaled by Sorceress Edea's limit break, getting propelled into space via magnetic cannon, the space walk and retaking the Ragnarok, the Luna Cry, breaching Lunatic Pandora, the home movie feel of the ending... I could list literally every cutscene in order and rant for five minutes about why I think that specific one was amazing.
You say the Time Compression was a silly story element, but I can never get over how much fun that entire castle was. All your abilities sealed away in the different locations, the sort of gothic/baroque feel everything had to it, the music...
I could rant about any aspect of the game for hours, because it's really like 'my' Final Fantasy game, the one I grew up playing and always go back to. I tried playing Final Fantasy VII years later and could never really get into it, but I never get tired of running back to VIII.
I even like the card game. It's certainly a hell of a lot more fun than breeding chocobos or freaking BlitzBall... to me, at least.
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The card game was pretty awesome, and the final dungeon was a lot of fun.
Basically, everything about the gameplay except the Chocobo Forests I liked. It was just the "pretty much everything else" that I disliked.
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Which is something I can't really understand, in the way a film critic might have trouble listening to someone give a completely fair explanation of why they think Citizen Kane is the worst movie ever made.
Then again, I suppose I get the same result whenever I admit that I could never get into Final Fantasy VII. First time I go to another continent and there's no directions, just 'wander around and get lost' mode for four hours and so I gave up.
The story was alright, but so much of the gameplay seemed boring.