An Idea

[crankyoldman]

Real Entry to follow.

Alright, it has occurred to me that I have a lot of writers on my f-list who I've never really read much from. Part of this has to do with The Job, and all the sorts of life rearranging I've been doing, and that couldn't be helped. I attempted to watch some of the fic streams for a while, but let's face it, time is precious, and well, I'm a bit of a canon deviant who gets easily bored with conventional topics.

So, in order to facilitate my understanding of ya'll, think of this as a meme of sorts.

I know we all have stories we'd like people to read. Ones that we spent a lot of time on, and inevitably, no one does, because we either didn't pick the Fandom Sweetheart, or the Pairing Flavor of the Week, or it was Gen or something other Unpopular Thing. So, comment with links to three different stories (keep them to one-shots or chaptered fic under 5 chapters, please), and I promise to read and review at least one of them. Maybe two. Or all of them! Who knows.

And it doesn't matter what fandom. If it's a fandom I don't know, I'll state that in my review and just look at the story itself. Actually, some of the best authors I know can write a fandom I don't know and I'll be able to follow it. If you've got original fiction, even better. Since I dabble in it myself.

So. Here's my three, if anyone was curious:



1. Aviator: A Historical Context
Basically explains why Cid Highwind is probably my favorite "good guy" of all time. Seriously. I wish I could pull out stories like that all the time.

2. Perfect Color Me (also here in my archive)
Because Fuujin and Xu are overlooked a lot, and FF8 needs more femmeslash. I'd call it AU, but anything after that game could happen, so nyah. I'm still ridiculously intimidated by that fandom, too.

3. Of Rooks And Knights
Just something original I spent a bit of time on for some e-mag and it didn't fit the theme enough for them (the theme was "fairytales", and in some countries, they tell theirs like that, but meh).

~Cendri

Comments

[rienna-the-red.livejournal.com]

1. There Is a User and He Is Me (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4028471/1/There_Is_a_User_and_He_Is_Me)
Little something I wrote for the Revival (http://rebootcomic.zeros2heroes.com/) crew. Got a T-shirt out of it. ^^ I'm dying for some further discussion on it.

2. Till Death Do We Part (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3095042/1/Till_Death_Do_We_Part)
Corpse Bride piece that I'm still working on. It seems to be popular with the younger Burton fans. Would love to hear some +18 commentary on it. ^^;

3. War Stories (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2950868/1/War_Stories)
Incredibles AU. Because of that, I haven't gotten more than a handful of reviews. I researched the SNOT out of this before I wrote it and tried to be extra-careful of the historical details, such as they are. Would love to have the opinion of somebody who's at least passingly familiar with my particular Incredibles universe.

[rienna-the-red.livejournal.com]

Can I post just one more? It's original fic which makes it even HARDER to get critiques on. Posted it to my LJ a while back, but didn't get a ton of response. Here it is again; just for kicks.

Ward Below (http://ficwad.com/story/15511)
Possibly one of the oddest things I've written. You may remember Ward from the Broken Carnival.
One day, the world ends around him. The thing is, he isn't sure if it really has or if it's just in his head. I'm not sure either.

[venefica-aura.livejournal.com]

I'll be sure to hit up one of the fanfics and Ward, since you seem so fond of it.

~Cendri

[wallwalker.livejournal.com]

All right... let's see. I went back and looked at a lot of my old fic for this... it's scattered to the four winds, these days. It's hard rereading my old stuff, because I keep seeing so many errors. It's as if at some point around '02 or '03 I lost the ability to turn a phrase without editing it over and over and over again. Not sure what happened there.

Anyway. I found two for now. They're probably both in fandoms you don't know, but spoilers are minimal. I haven't posted any of my originals in years, although that'll probably change once I write something I feel like sharing. (I'm too self-conscious. I know this.)

Any Other Night (http://www.ficwad.com/story/538) - Star Ocean 2. I guess it's a spoiler if you're really picky about spoilers, although it's hard to explain just why it's a spoiler if you don't know the fandom. I rather like this one because it is experimental, and because the relationship between the two characters went in directions I never intended and seemed to work anyway.

You Never Know (http://www.ficwad.com/story/1784) - Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth. I'm rather sentimental about this one; it's the fic that convinced me that yes, I really do like all of the VP characters, since Badrach had, at the time, been the only one that I disliked. Another story about an almost-but-not-quite-relationship. Minimal spoilers.

[venefica-aura.livejournal.com]

EEEEE. I think I want to play Valkyrie Profile, because I keep hearing good things about it.

And I know enough about SO2 that I don't mind. I might just read both. Thanks for participating~!

~Cendri

[gonetoarcadia.livejournal.com]

I really like this idea. I intend to read those three stories, and I hope to get the chance tomorrow.

1. Waiting For You (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1995129/1/Waiting_For_You)
I'm not claiming this is one of my best, but it makes me giggle now and few people will ever understand why. A little story about Elena and Vincent after the End Of It All, long before Advent Children came about to resurrect Tseng.

2. These Bitter Days (http://community.livejournal.com/ci_slash/195784.html)
My Idol boys, but written in the days when I hated. The best things I've ever written have, without exception, come out of one strong emotion or another. This one happened to be intense, simmering anger. (It's in the past now, but this particular story still means something to me.)

3. Just a Thank You Note (http://community.livejournal.com/ci_slash/199588.html)
Idol boys again, although one of them is different. XD This isn't big or important. (I almost regret not putting other things here, but you know? I don't.) And so much has changed since I wrote this. It's short and sappy but I was so madly in love when I wrote it that it's the best testament there is to my involvement with this fandom.

[venefica-aura.livejournal.com]

Regret nothing! I mean, the point is, things you wish people would read.

~Cendri

[venefica-aura.livejournal.com]

I was all excited to read your CI BOY DRAMANATION and I couldn't! I had to join ci_slash first! SO I WAIT.

CENDRI DOES NOT APPROVE OF WAITING AND GETTING HER HOPES DASHED.

Ok, I"ll live, I just found that funny. And dammit if your FF7 story didn't make me want to pick up a couple of WIPs that I have. Then again, I have a RIDICULOUS number of WIPs. I've almost considered opening a poll on them, I have so many.

~Cendri

[gonetoarcadia.livejournal.com]

I unlocked everything I have over there so it should now be readable. ^^ Sorry about that... I completely forgot. There was a journal deletion scare last year and most of us locked everything up. (Only you, LJ. Only you.)

[tijuana-pirate.livejournal.com]

I remember that Vin.Elena story! It prompted me to write a Vin.Elena story years later (though with a very different slant). Perhaps worth a giggle or two but it still makes me smile. ;)

*sniffle*! I also couldn't read the two Idol Boys fic. Should TP join Idol Slash? Shouldn't she? Oh, the epic debate.

-T. pirate

[gonetoarcadia.livejournal.com]

*points to comment above* ;)

[lassarina]

Three that I really really wish people would read:

Every Light Casts A Shadow
Final Fantasy IV, starring Kain but with appearances (either real or memory/ghostly) by the entire rest of the cast. I've only got one chapter posted so far, but oh my God, I have seriously worked my ass off with this story and I want people to look at it, and appreciate it, and see how much I've put into it! (Spoilers for the game entire.)

Rain
Final Fantasy VI Leo and Celes. The thing I love the most about it is the perspective; I tried to write it as visual-audio only. I was very careful not to write from inside their heads. Also, I really like how much is said and how much remains unsaid but understood between them.

The Good Fight
Final Fantasy IV, Kain-centric. This piece is very much about Kain's transition and how the way that the way his honour drives him can work with what's done to him after Mist. I like the struggle, and I like the eventual breaking down. (It's one of my favourite things about Kain: he is a constant internal struggle.)

And one for the road, because this one did get some comments but I sort of want people to look at it anyway: On Easy Terms, Final Fantasy XII, Drace/Gabranth. Chess and politicking and layers of meaning. FF12 fic is SO HARD TO WRITE. Oh God.

[tijuana-pirate.livejournal.com]

You've read and commented on all of these. Really, I'm just doing this for the fun of figuring out which of my stories I think are my best ones. Funny how there isn't a single Vin.Tifa in the mix. I wonder what that tells you.

Sans (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2727533/1/Sans): Really, this should've been a given. I love writing this story. I love the hints of the supernatural, the violence that sneaks in, Veld, and the fact that it's as close to something 'original' as you can get in fanfiction. It's probably the best story I have for that particular style of writing I use (first person, present tense, unreliable narrator).

Life 2: The Unhappy Ending (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3822283/1/Life_2_The_Unhappy_Ending): I really, really love this story. I've tried to make that narrative voice work a thousand times before and this was the only story where I feel that I managed to get it right. It's a throwback to my Reffie roots (which is always a good thing) but it's so much better than anything I wrote for those two originally. I also love that hint of 'something else' that pervades it. And the repetitive imagery. Really, it's the thing in recent memory that I'm most proud of (and I don't even really mind that I only got 3 reviews for it. At least you and Heather liked it. ;)).

Restitution (prologue, pt 1 (http://www.greatestjournal.com/users/tj_terranova/13591.html), pt 2 (http://www.greatestjournal.com/users/tj_terranova/14690.html), pt 3 (http://www.greatestjournal.com/users/tj_terranova/17192.html#cutid1), pt 4 (http://www.greatestjournal.com/users/tj_terranova/28353.html)): I really enjoy writing this story. It forces me to do things I don't normally do when writing. It's a very concrete story with a lot of description, something that isn't very typical for the way I write. I really love my Tifa in this too. My early Tifas were always a tiny bit, well, emo. This one's just a tiny bit lost. I like how I sneak Cloud and Yuffie in (because those two need love) but I mostly enjoy writing Veld here. He's such a wonderful character. This story forces me to walk a line that says 'Two steps North, TP, and you're over the line'. Plus, Veld and Tifa make a delicious couple. As soon as the silly old man realizes this, it'll be magic.

(Hrm, so my three top stories are the three different writing styles I use. First person, a sparse 3rd person, and a concrete 3rd person. Isn't that something? XD)

-T. pirate