Final Fantasy Recs
After playing Final Fantasy VI way back in 1994, I started looking online for any information I could find. In the process I found Final Fantasy 3: The Novella on the Squaresoft Archieves (Now RPGamer). It wasn't the best piece of work I've ever read, and it has a lot of pointless character deaths, but it was the first fanfic I read. And from there on, I scanned the net for any fanfiction I could find.
I'm mostly familiar with FFVI fanfic, since that was my target, but sometimes, I stumble across some gems in the other Final Fantasy section. Also note, it's very rare that I'll recommend stories that are unfinished.
Final Fantasy IV
The second FF game I played if you count the very first. Final Fantasy IV holds a special place in my heart and was the game that got me into RPGs in general. I tried it out at a game store one day and rented it for a few days. I instantly fell in love with it.
For the most part, most fanfiction you find here is very Kain centric, since I was always fond of him (And who wasn't!?). I'm also very fond of our mage twin duo, Palom and Porom, but sadly, you don't find a lot of fics on them or featuring them in a large role.
Please note, a lot of these fics pre-dates The After Years and some even pre-date the DS version of the game, so if you see something about Cecil's past and notice it doesn't match up with the DS version, it's usually because at the time of release, there was little to no information about his past.
Legend by Jenneh T - (Cecil/Rosa/Kain) I don't know why the author said this story fared poorly because it's so well written and it's not often you see a story with this scenario. Basically, it deals with the Cecil/Rosa/Kain love triangle with a little twist to it, Cecil being out of the picture. It's an interesting read, if not, a very sad one. Obviously, there's character death in it so be warned.
Themes of Love by TobyKikami T - A short, but interesting piece featuring the summons from the game and Kain. Basically, a certain dragon summon ponders the way things panned out during the game and his own decendants. Which is really what I loved about this story and how it links Dragoons and him together. It's short, but it gets to the heart of the matter and doesn't drag.
Thy Brother's Keeper by Daryl Falchion K+ - Not too long, but interesting. Bascially, Kain and Cecil have the same dreams about something on Mount Ordeals. So Cecil goes to investigate, finding his lost friend. As it turns out, there is something up there, but not what they expected. I upped the rating on this, since there's some violence in it, so be warned. The ending is a nice twist too.
What I Can Be by Katmillia T (Kain/Rydia, some Edge/Rydia) - Out of all the works besides her AU, this one I liked the best. Like the above story, Cecil is having strange dreams about something happening on Mount Ordeals. Unlike the above story though, it turns out that because of the disappearance of the second moon, a balance was set off. In order to right things, Cecil needs to gather the power of the light crystals to make things right. Only things are far from being easy, especially when a certain summoner is caught between a certain Ninja King and a certain Dragoon. This story features an unusual pairing, Kain/Rydia. It's sad because there's some indirect Edge bashing going on in the piece, but overall, it doesn't destroy the story and is probably the best Kain/Rydia fic I managed to find. It can get a bit angsty, boardering melodramatic sometimes, so be warned.
Quick and Nimble by Katmillia T (Kain/Edge, some Edge/Rydia, mentions of Cecil/Rosa) - Probably the first and last slash fic I'll ever recommend for FFIV. Not to mention, unlike the above story, Edge is remarkably in character, and with the situation they're in, it was inevidable for the two to get into a fight. Short, but it's definitely worth the read, just because the pairing made me lift an eyebrow.
The Faraxhae Family Circus by Freida Right K+ (Cecil/Rosa, Edge/Rydia) - Finding a story that features the twins is beyond rare. I was very happy when I found a fanfic featuring Palom and Porom along with throwing Tellah into the mix. What you have is exactly as the title says. Sadly, the story is far from perfect though, especially the author's treatment of Kain (There was one part where he seemed totally disinterested in taking back the crystals, which contradicts his bubble thoughts in the DS version, and this story came out around the time the DS version came here), and the whole Edge and Rydia pairing just came too quickly for my taste. The writing is okay, nothing to go crazy about. But it's fanfic about the twins. Which is beyond rare, and there's some nice twists involving the Elder, Tellah, Tellah's wife, and the twin's mother and father. The story starts out really good, but ends up falling downward mainly when a certain character dies and the twins leave the picture, simply because it's hard to involve them back into game canon after a certain event in the game that happens to them. Nevertheless, it's still worth a read. A sequel is being written.
Final Fantasy 6
The fandom that I pretty much combed every edge of the internet for for fanfiction. The sad part about this is most fanfics for this series that I read long ago are long gone. I have two printed out fic that I can't seem to find, I mention them below, so if someone ever manages to find the link to these two fics, it would be greatly appreciated.
Most of what you'll find involves my only real OTP ever, Locke/Celes. You may find other pairings or gen fic, but for the most part, I read fic involving them or involving Celes and her backstory.
Anything by DK T - I for once am not going to recommend a single piece, but recommend a single author. DK's fics are creepy and leave off with a twist. The fics you're looking for that are FFVI related are MightHaveBeen, When The Bough Breaks, and Forever Rachel. I'm not going to recommend Dark Empress, since while it was a nice twist of the game, it remains unfinished and while there's summaries at the end, it's not like reading a fic. Be warned, all three stories can be kind of creepy, but in a very chilling and good way.
Xyris' Three FFVI pieces - Again, gonna go recommend an author instead. But unlike above, there's only really 3 pieces I have in mind. All of these stories have blatent or mild Locke/Celes hintings.
Final Fantasy: Oblivion K+ (implied Locke/Celes) - On their way to stop Kefka, Celes comes down with a strange virus. When they discover how and why she's been striken... Well, it all downfalls from there. Very creepy.
Reflections T (Locke/Celes) - Another creepy tale. I'm going to say just read it, saying what this story is about would give the entire thing away. I'll just hint: It has something to do with mirror images. The ending is both creepy and sad.
Phantom Train K+ (Locke/Celes) - Last story and probably the most interesting one. It reminded me of 'All Dogs Go to Heaven' in a way. Basically, Locke tries to stop the inevidable fate that will befall Celes. What happens is a nice and interesting twist in the end, if not sad.
Final Fantasy VI: The Novel by Celes Chere T (Locke/Celes and other various pairings) - One of the few novelizations that was actually finished and to this day is probably the best novelizations to FFVI. I can't really say much beyond that besides the author fleshing the characters out a lot better than how they originally were in the game. The story follows the game canon very well, although it skips on some sidequests, which is kinda disappointing, but understandable considering the length of this story.
Final Fantasy 3: Conspiracy of the Cult by ??? T (Locke/Celes, Setzer/Daryl, Terra/Kain, Edgar/OC) - I'd REALLY love to share this story with others, because it is the best Final Fantasy crossover I've ever read, if not, the best Final Fantasy VI fic I read. But the webpage is long gone and the only copy I have is an old printed out copy in my drawer. Goggle produces nothing, which makes me sad. Basically, the Cult of Kefka are up to something and in the process, pull a certain Dragoon from the past into the future. From there on, the FFVI cast is caught up in a big conspiracy and it's back to saving the world. The lovely thing about this fic is that it not only has my favorite FFIV character in it, but it connects the two FF worlds together and weaves a tale that's not only interesting, but very original. Yes, it's one of those 'saving the world!' things, but it also brings together FFIV and FFVI in a way that it seems like they're really in the same universe. I also love the father-son thing between Sabin and Gau, and the whole Paladin trial that Shadow has to undergo. I would say go and read right NOW, but until I find a link available for it...
Final Fantasy 7
The Final Fantasy that probably everyone and their damn dog knows about. I don't have much to say with this fandom, this is probably the fandom I least read fics for. I'm mostly a Cloud/Tifa fan, but you see some generic stuff and some Zack stuff, because Zack is so totally made of win. And for some reason, sometimes a Zack/Cloud fic, which is all Wolfpilot06's fault.
Note, most of these stories pre-dates all the FFVII prequels and sequels, so many of these stories follows game canon only. I'll probably say if a game follows like CC canon or AC canon.
Final Fantasy VII: The Forgotten Messiah by Eric Bakutis T (Cloud/Tifa, mild Cloud/Aeris) - The one thing I loved about this particular piece is that Cloud rarely appears and all the other characters play major roles in it, especially Vincent and Tifa. Basically, Cloud goes mental, gets his ass kidnapped, and it's up to the others to save him. There's a sequel to this story, but I've never read it. Please note, not only does this fic feature OC villians, but it also follows game canon only.
The Final Fantasy VII Internet Series by Frank Verderosa K+ (Cloud/Tifa, hints of Cloud/Aeris and Zack/Aeris, Aeris/Reeve, Vincent/Elena, Reno/Yuffie, and other various pairings) - If you never heard of 'A Search for Aeris' before, you've probably either been living under a rock or aren't familiar with old school FFVII fanfiction. This was the series back in the day that mostly everyone read. And it's one of the only fanfics that pulled up an Aeris revival well, not to mention it handled the love triangle issue wonderfully, and it had surprise pairings as well. Also note, this predates Crisis Core, so you'll notice Zack is so totally not the Zack we know in CC in one of the stories. I would not recommend reading 'Centra Destiny' though since it remains unfinished to this day, as Frank sort of vanished from the face of the net.
Cloud Cover by Junj M (Cloud/Aeris, Cloud/Tifa) - I'm bumping the rating up on this, cause I KNOW when I read it, it's not a K+ rating, it boarderlines the damn T rating. Basically, someone cloned a certain flower girl, but the personality we all know and loved is completely gone. Now all she wants to do is go to her Promised Land, and she's going to use a certain emo hero to do so. Pretty much, this is the darkest FFVII fic I came across and it's so well done. Warning for character deaths. It also follows game canon only.
Final Fantasy 8
Not much to say here either, FFVIII ended pretty well, so I felt no real need to search out fanfics for this game. So you won't see a lot here.
To be quite honest, I don't know why this FF gets so much hate. I loved all the characters in the game, I loved how the game went, and I even love Squall and his 'whatever' self. The game wasn't that hard either if you knew how to use the draw system. Shocking, though, is the fact this fandom is pretty big. Not as big as FFVII, but the second biggest FF fandom. Bad games don't get big fandoms like that so...
Also, I'm one of those rare Squall/Rinoa shippers. In fact, I favor pretty much all canon het pairings and prefer het pairings for this game, so you won't see any slash here.
Anything by DK M - Yep, gonna recommend DKs works again, mainly Devotion, That Which Devours, and Revelation. All three work with very creepy and morbid ideas. And all of them end in one big pile of fucked-up-ness. Please note, unlike the FFVI stories, these all have a higher rating. All of them have mentions of sex, if not some raunchy scenes, in them, along with violence and character death/deaths.