Final Fantasy Fanfic Recommendations List

[bard_linn]

Final Fantasy Rec List

These are organized under their main focus. Advent Children, AU (of the changing game material/pre game material) and Kingdom Hearts over rule pairings.

These are the stories I read over and over again and can help brighten up my day.

Seph/Cloud (aka, the pairing that dragged Linn into BUYING the game and playing it)

A Long Hard Road by twigcollins [Complete]
What to say about this fic that hasn’t been said before?

ALHR is a must read for any Seph/Cloud fan. It is very, very, angst ridden. It’s also very long. It takes 20+ chapters before the pairing really even begins to come together.

I think ALHR’s main strength is that even though it is a pairing fic, it doesn’t leave the other characters in the dust. Everyone’s there and everyone is involved. They’re all doing something and contributing to an overall storyline. There’s a good plot too.

It’s also the fic that first made me really appreciate Aeris, as she really, REALLY ticked me off in the game. However, this Aeris made me love the character.

Teaser: It’s five years after then end of the game. Hojo is still alive; Jenova is still a threat and humanity is quickly falling in their race to save the planet. Cloud strife has taken on the title of “General” and has become a legend amongst the soldiers. And now that Shinra science has brought the first bearer of that title back to life, will Cloud’s secret be bared for all the world to see?

twigcollins has done some side stories for this. She’s also working on a new fic called exegesis that looks VERY intriguing.

Fusion by knowing_shadows [In progress]
This is probably my favorite final fantasy VII fic ever. I adore the concept and the way the author is carrying it off is amazing. Nothing can make my day like an update of Fusion.

Teaser: Ten years after the events of FFVII, Cloud finds himself back in the past via the Cetra, during his days training for SOLDIER. Swearing to prevent the events of Nibelheim, Cloud pushes himself harder than ever before. But what is happening in the present? And for what purpose did the Cetra send Cloud into the past?

Xehorista Tora by asprosdrakos [In progress]
Take ALHR and Fusion and twist them together with two Zacks and you get this fic. I really like this one a lot and I think it has a lot of potential.

Teaser: Jenova is rampaging, the land is dying and hope seems to be lost. Sephiroth has fallen under her sway once more and Cloud seems unable to stop her. In an effort to break the stalemate between sides, Jenova travels back to the past in order to stop the creation of her greatest enemy. Cloud follows, but what happens next does not go as plan and suddenly there are two Zacks, a pair of sane and insane Sephiroths and a whole lot of explaining to do.

Chi to Ase to Namida and All You can Know by Akuma no Tsubasa [CAN: Complete] [AYCK: In progress]

All you can know is the sequal to Chi to Ase to Namida. CAN takes place pre-game, AYCK takes place afterwards. I particularly like how Cloud is characterized here. The background the she develops for the Turks is also interesting. CAN follows the developing relationship between Zack, Seph and Cloud while AYCK deals with the events post game. CAN also has some interesting thoughts about the time Zack and Cloud had with Hojo.

CAN Teaser: Cloud’s application for SOLDIER has been rejected. Ticked off, he makes his way to the gym where he impresses one SOLDIER Zackary. Before Cloud knows it he’s deeply involved in the SOLDIER compound. But why was Cloud’s application rejected in the first place?

AYCK: Jenova has been beaten back, Hojo is dead and the world is attempting to pull itself back together. Meanwhile Cloud seeks to solidify his memory as he is confronted with numerous former friends. What secrets lie in his past? And why is Sephiroth’s spirit coming to visit him?

There’s more to add to this list, but I want to wait for some of these to develop before I add ‘em .The beginning chapters look good though!

Seph/Cloud/Zack (Aka, the pretty OT3)

“Maze of Worlds,” “Maze of Worlds Epilogue,” “Change” and “Thursdays” By thorne_scratch. [All complete]
Love all of Thorne’s work actually, but these are my favorites. Maze of Worlds and its epilogue are a bit on the strange side, but they give you a wonderful feeling at the end. I have NO idea how to summarize them other than that. Change is a cute fic about Cloud growing up. And Thursdays is just too, damn, funny. I <3 this fic so much. It’s definitely one that I read when I’m down because it makes me smile every time.

Life by enchanting_muse (Clarity/Karasu) [Complete]
This fic is worth reading for the description of Sephiroth’s emotions in the very beginning, in my humble opinion. Also, this fic has a nice, strong Cloud, who in his own way is stronger than Zack. Always a plus. It is one of those short pregame fics that is wonderfully done. Very simple, rather direct and totally acknowledges the relationship starts strictly on sex at first but later moves to something more. Wonderful little fic. And, it's SephirothxCloudxZack! Never enough of those. XD;;

Teaser: There's something different about that blond....

AU (aka, Linn’s absolute love)

Bound by quelarts [In progress]
Ahhh, Bound. Apparently the second in a trilogy (though the first hasn’t been posted, to my knowledge. Several side stories have though), Bound is a wonderful example of what an AU should be. Some of the twists and turns in this are more than a bit insane, but hey, that’s part of the fun! Quelarts also makes excellent original characters and fleshes out established ones magnificently. This fic is Seph/Cloud with a back dash of Seph/Zack, but it isn’t as important to the story as it is in say, ALHR.

(From the try_this_ficrec) I am something of an Alternate Universe (aka AU) fanatic. This story takes an excellent “what if” question and explores it. Here the universe diverges at the critical Nibelheim incident, where instead of surviving Cloud falls into the mako pit with Sephiroth. The pair are later combined into one form by Gaia, the spirit of the Planet, in hopes that Cloud will be able to control Sephiroth’s madness.

Quela is absolutely amazing in this story. Every character is explored from different angles. She doesn’t leave any single person out completely –with the number of characters in FFVII that can be very hard! – and looks at them all from different points of view. No one is pure evil; most aren’t purely good either. She also has one of my favorite characterizations of Cloud. He’s a strong person in his own right, mentally and spiritually speaking, able to handle the load he’s been given. Finally, Quela manages to do one of the hardest things for fanfic writers. She creates believable original characters that add to the story yet do not distract from the main characters

Teaser: The events at Nibelheim defined the events of the Final Fantasy VII world. In a surprise twist, Sephiroth and Cloud find themselves sharing one body due to the interference of Gaia. When they awake five years later, they find themselves quickly embroiled in the actions of the mysterious “circle,” Hojo’s creations and Shinra’s actions. The line between friends and foes blurs as the pair begin the painful road towards the truth.

Advent Children

Coming Soon!

Kingdom Hearts

Coming Soon!

General FFVII Fiction

Conflicts of Interests by madamhydra [In progress]

This fic dragged me in, left me crying for more, and pouting when there wasn’t any. Madam Hydra is excellent at writing in general but this has to be my favorite of her universes, her Rurouni Kenshin a close second. There are no actual pairings established yet in this fic (I have no idea if there will be) but I <3333 this fic.

Teaser: Cloud Strife became a hero after he escaped from Hojo’s lab with Zack’s help. But who exactly was Cloud before Hojo and his minions interfered? Inconsistencies in Cloud’s behavior begin to worry his friends. Meanwhile, Hojo moves to resurrect Sephiroth and reconstruct the creature known as Jenova. But the key to preventing Sephiroth repeating the past may be hidden right in front of them. The question is, are they willing to discover it, and what will it mean if they do?

Aspects by kiraya [Complete]
I love this fic to pieces, and it’s not just because Kiraya is someone I know IRL and is a good friend. This is an incredible Sephiroth POV.

Teaser: Madness, Rage, Grief, Terror and Strife.

The Legend by Jeffery Synn [Complete]
Final Fantasy VII has many, many well written fics for pairings. On the other hand, there is something of a dearth concerning gen fic. This is a fic I found a long time ago, back when I first entered the fandom and I still love it. In “The Legend,” we learn what people know about the events of FFVII thirty years after the fact via a story Marlene tells her son. Marlene’s son then encounters a stranger on the hill top. It’s a very simple story, yet one that is very powerful in my mind. I just can’t do this fic justice. Go and read it yourself.

Teaser: Who is this weary stranger?

Recommended Sites

The Lemonade Café Want some fic a bit lighter on the angst? Need something with a bit more lemon? (If you get my meaning. ^_~) Check this place out. A different feel for Final Fantasy Pairings in general. [Multiple pairings]

Rood Awakenings Some of the best Zack fic I’ve ever read here. I love the play on Sephiroth and Zack’s relationship. [Seph/Zack]

I’ll add more another time. *falls over dead*

Comments

[arete.livejournal.com]

*sigh* Looking forward to your other recs, because I've read everything you have listed. *le sigh* *smile* But it's the good stuff, so it's good for those who haven't read them yet.

[bard-linn.livejournal.com]

Sorry, this was just to get my absolute favs off my list..there are quite a few more. <3 You read Aspects already?

Er, and where did you pop in from? o.O

[psi-neko.livejournal.com]

This will help a great deal.

Thank you for the recs!

[bard-linn.livejournal.com]

You're welcome! Glad I could help.

[mimi-sardinia.livejournal.com]

You know? I've read most of these! I also completed CoI only last night and am mentally whining at it being so long since the last definate date - soemthing that leaves me with no confidence it will ever be finished.

Akuma also has a side-story to CAN and AYCK on her personal website, though it centres on Reno and frankly I consider the writing quality to be less than great - it uses far too much game mechanics (something that happened a little in CAN as well) to tell such thing like Reno's persuit of fighting skills (I mean, really! When a fic says something along the lines of "He wanted to hunt monsters to get more EXP." it does make one cringe!).

Bound was my hook, though I read Xehorista Tora before it. ALHR came after when I tracked it down (I had a short list from ship_manifesto I was looking up but the ALHR link went to FF.net).

The ones I haven't read that you've given... well they'll probably end up being read within a week.

[bard-linn.livejournal.com]

Madam Hydra's got a side story on her LJ for it that was recently written. ;)

I'm not surprise you've read most of these. They're the classics in the fandom so to say.

I read ALHR back when it was on FF.net. :)

I will be tossing some more up here in a while though.

Bound is AWESOME. *HEARTS*

[mimi-sardinia.livejournal.com]

They're such monumental icons of the fandom one can't hang around even for as short a time as me (it's been something like 9 months I've been in the fandom) without at least hearing of them.

[bard-linn.livejournal.com]

Yup!

[bard-linn.livejournal.com]

SPEAKING OF WHICH, NEW DRABBLE UP ON HER JOURNAL. *runs*

[mimi-sardinia.livejournal.com]

What's her ID?

[bard-linn.livejournal.com]

[Bad username or unknown identity: madamhydra"]. XD;;

[mimi-sardinia.livejournal.com]

*Prods*

[bard-linn.livejournal.com]

Bloody hell, look at my in ability to type.

madamhydra

It's up IN the post if you'd look too.

[mimi-sardinia.livejournal.com]

Thankye.

[mimi-sardinia.livejournal.com]

And, I am officially blind.

Slap me with an OOC stick and call me Elena, I was blinded by the italics (RP joke).

[bard-linn.livejournal.com]

*doesn't get it* :(

[mimi-sardinia.livejournal.com]

omg_ac has a Mary Sue Elena as it's OOC version. She seems to think italics will prevent people from seeing what she's saying.

[bard-linn.livejournal.com]

Ahhhh

[celes-grant.livejournal.com]

djkfiashdrawlersjhd thank you much. OMG yay~! FF7 stuff for my insatiable obsession to digest and keep quiet XD

[bard-linn.livejournal.com]

You're welcome! ^_^

[rain-of-mind.livejournal.com]

You should list A Welcome Burden (http://www.goldenyaoihuggle.com/awb.asp)! That fic will eat your brain, especially if you're into uke!Sephiroth. O_o

I'll put this entry into my memories, because I just can't save the fics you recommended that I haven't read yet. x_x I'll have to get back to them once I am back on my own computer.

[bard-linn.livejournal.com]

Hm...some of the characterization of that felt a bit off to me. Didn't like that fic as much as I liked these and I'm listing my absolute favs.

Mem away! I'm glad it's of use.

[rain-of-mind.livejournal.com]

Hey no sweat... XD Don't have to agree on all! ^^ I liked A Welcome Burden even though it isn't perfect, far from it. But I still love that fic. XD

[nashidesei.livejournal.com]

...I feel so loved. And special. And...like...

*sigh* THANK YOU FOR RECOMMENDING BOUND!

[bard-linn.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you do. ^_^ Bound is an EXCELLENT fanfic. I love it to PIECES. <3333333333333333333333333333333333^infinety.

'sides, its a REALLY REALLY COOL AU. Which is one of my addictions. XD;;

[lorein-1325.livejournal.com]

has anyone read Unrequited Desires? this the link:

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2223049/1/

has S/C and Z/C...very goooooooooooood...I absolutely love this fic...it made me laugh and it made me cry..a must read...

"Cloud gets taken by Sephiroth when he looks for him in the mountains. Leads to a relationship, but the past can never truly be forgotten. dark themes sc zc"

[bard-linn.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah! I remember reading some of that. It never really drew me in, I'm afraid. ^^;

[scifiroots.livejournal.com]

*blinks* I feel so loved! *wipes away tears* >^,,^< I'm so honored you recommended Life! =D Made my day!

[bard-linn.livejournal.com]

Life is definitely one of my favorites! ^____________^ Thank you for writing it.

*goes off to reread it*

[scifiroots.livejournal.com]

*chuckles* Here I am again searching for more ff7 fic and I come across your list and go: "Wha?! I'm on here?!" Just wanted to thank you again =3 It's an encouragement to try my hand again in the fandom.