[ Bleach, Chuck, DGM, FF7, FF12, FMA, GW, Harutoki, House, IY, Naruto, Reborn!, Tenipuri, ToA, X/TB]
Notes: * wriggles around in glee* Omigod yesss. HARUTOKI4 THIS MARCH. EXCELLENT. *rubs hands together gleefully*
Holy shit, Vampire Knight is getting an anime! Between this and Bus Gamer, I... anime is going to make me cry again, just as I was starting to like it again, I just know it.
Series:
Bleach - 1 Fanfic
Chuck - 1 Fanfic
Final Fantasy VII - 1 Fanfic
Final Fantasy XII - 1 Fanfic
Fullmetal Alchemist - 1 Fanfic
Gundam Wing - 2 Fanfics
House - 1 Fanfic
Katekyou Hitman Reborn! - 7 Fanfics
Prince of Tennis - 1 Fanfic
Tales of the Abyss - 1 Fanfics
X/Tokyo Babylon - 1 Fanfic
D.Gray-man - 5 Fanart
D.Gray-man/Inuyasha - 1 Fanart
Harukanaru Toki no Nakade - 1 Fanart
Inuyasha - 1 Fanart
Katekyou Hitman Reborn! - 2 Fanart
Katekyou Hitman Reborn!/D.Gray-man - 1 Fanart
Naruto - 1 Fanart
- Bleach - Always Have, Always Will by shinigamikender - This was a really sweet Isshin fic, as he talks to Masaki's grave about the kids and how Ichigo is growing up. I like that it's almost subdued in tone, at least for Isshin, yet you could still see how very Isshin he is. He's still crazy, but there's an actual person in there who obviously loved Masaki a lot and misses her, but still loves his family a great deal. It was a nice read, especially since I haven't seen Isshin/Masaki fic in ages. ♥ (Isshin/Masaki.)
- Chuck - Easy Listening by Eleanor K. - Killing Chuck is not an option. Not. An. Option. He has that written on a post-it stuck to his bathroom mirror, so it must be true. I was totally just journalhopping and happened to stumble over this fic and I've kind of been wanting Chuck fic, but the fandom kinda makes me wary since I'm not sure I know what I want yet, except it was the promising lure of Casey and Chuck interaction and, oh my god, I practically had to stuff my fist into my mouth to keep from laughing at this fic. The author is utterly fantastic at nailing both Casey's thought patterns and Chuck's voice, to the point where I could just picture every little thing while Casey tried to remind himself not to kill Chuck as he listened in on him through the headphones. Just. Yes. (No warnings/pairings.)
- Final Fantasy VII - High-Tech Equipment by geekerypokery - So, I was journalhopping and stumbled over this link and, oh, hey, Cloud/Tifa on a porn meme. I was all over that. It's not actually porn, it's more of an implication of porn, but that's all right, I like Cloud/Tifa however. And this was fun, despite that it was a shortfic, there was something they were actually doing and Tifa was just so delightful and full of life, there were so many fun little details throughout the fic, and then the ending was hilarious, with Reeve being a total cheerful wet blanket and I may have lol'd a lot. ....man, this is a terrible rec, but the fic is cute, go read it. (Cloud/Tifa.)
- Final Fantasy XII - Improvise by sheffiesharpe - This was a fun little Vaan/Penelo piece, just a quiet moment in between what's likely an exciting sky pirate lifestyle, just Vaan tinkering with the engine and Penelo watching him, just the two of them in a fun, light-hearted romp in the engine room. The kink was light enough that I don't think it really even needs a warning, instead the use of the engine room was really kinda hot and it was fun to see these two just having fun after the game. (Vaan/Penelo, maybe a light R rating, not quite SFW.)
- Fullmetal Alchemist - All This Aggravation by sister_coyote - Even more than the porn of this fic (which was some damn fine het porn, yes), I think I actually liked the way the relationship dynamic came off between these two, the way Havoc is kind of nervous and awkward around her while still being such a stand-up guy, the way Hawkeye can be unreadable and so sharp but still there's a very real, very human person underneath. They're both still Havoc and Hawkeye even when you (and the characters) see past the surface a little, it was just so easy to see the entire thing in my head. Right down to the way Hawkeye spoke, the dialogue for her is direct and to the point, yet not cold or cruel or dismissive. It's something as simple as the two of them having dinner and deciding to have sex that night, it's brilliantly in character, it shows how this pairing could truly work like this, and it's really, really hot. Just. Mmmmm. Lovely writing. (Havoc/Hawkeye, a light NC-17 content.)
- Gundam Wing - You do realize that we know nothing about water rescue. by Jagged5 - After a fandomsecrets secret about Relena (which I didn't exactly agree with and then the comments were even more aggravating to me), I decided I wanted to seek out Relena stuff to soothe myself. After randomly doing LJ searches, I stumbled over a result that was labelled with Duo and Relena and a;sdfljaslda hell yes I clicked on that link. It's not actually a pairing or anything, it's a moment between the frames of canon in episode 02, after Heero is floating face down in the water and they never quite show how he gets to the hospital. The author has obviously put some thought into this and it shows, it fits perfectly with what I remember of canon and fits wonderfully with both characters. His Duo rather sparkles and so does his Relena. I just sort of marvel at how much such a short fic could renew my faith in the GundamW fandom. (No warnings/pairings.)
- Gundam Wing - Waiting for Autumn by Misanagi - Speaking of GundamW fic that I've been wanting to read for ages, this might have been a simple letter-style fic that was less than 400 words, but it's rather perfect. The voice for Dorothy is lovely, it's polite and gracious and you can just feel the viciousness underneath the words and the certain something that's genuine underneath even that. Her letter to Relena is not quite condescending, it's not quite harsh, it's more jaded than anything, but it's the perfect tone. I loved this. (Dorothy/Relena.)
- House - untitled by Laura Smith - This is a very short piece on Cuddy, but it does a lovely job of tying together the strong woman she is with a lot of the things that have happened in canon, like wanting a baby or wanting something more from life. I really like this Cuddy here, I really like the use of language and the insights into her character. I especially love the last few lines, not because I ship House/Cuddy, but because it's something I could really see and makes sense to me and makes me like her again, because she's so human while not being a total doormat. It might have been a very short fic, but it was nice. (....I'm going to count this as gen, it's nothing more than you'd see in canon.)
- Katekyou Hitman Reborn! - Five Minutes in Heaven by Scuttlebutt Inc X - To be honest, I never expected to find much fic for Gokudera and Tsuna in the fandom that I actually liked (aside from the stuff I made people write myself ^_~), but this was utterly delightful. I'm not sure what I love more, Gokudera being such a total fangirl over Tsuna, especially when he's popped ten years into the future by accident and finds himself in bed with Tsuna, or when he's attempting to beat the shit out of Lambo. The Gokudera - Lambo interaction is perfect, it's genuinely funny and clever and could have come right out of the manga itself, right down to the tone and language used. Plus, it was a great use of the 10-years-later Bazooka and I really liked the take on an older Tsuna when Gokudera was with him, it struck me as being very much like how the Tsuna/Gokudera relationship would turn out. Also, did I mention that this fic is hilarious? Because it was. ♥ (Gokudera/Tsuna.)
- Katekyou Hitman Reborn! - Motivated Grocery Shopping by Vikki - So. This is one of those fics where it's a relatively simple concept--Tsuna runs into Hibari at the grocery store--but it's so full of that Reborn!-style humor that I just... I think I cracked the hell up two or three times because it's just so perfect. Hibari is so... Hibari, even when Tsuna only runs into him for a minute. And Tsuna is delightful here, the whole cast is delightful, really, and crazy. Mustn't forget that they're all so very, very crazy. Plus, the item Hibari was shopping for totally made me LOL when it dawned on me why he was buying it. That's. That's beautiful. (No real warnings/pairings.)
- Katekyou Hitman Reborn! - The Legend of Hibari Kyouya by shinigamikender - The gang muses on Hibari's origins and... as;dflkajslkjlakjsdflaj AHAHAHAHAHA, it was as great as the summary made it sound, it totally lived up to the potential of the idea. It's not just the idea behind Hibari's origins (that I must now take as being true until otherwise directly contradicted), it's in the execution of the fic, the way the little details lend themselves so perfect to the Reborn! universe, the way the little details of the way they sit and talk or people make gestures that had me picturing it perfectly. It could so easily slip between the pages of canon. And just. So hilarious. (No warnings/pairings.)
- Katekyou Hitman Reborn! - Twenty Facts About Hibari Kyouya by kasugai_gummie - When I started with Reborn! fanfic, I wanted certain pairings and I was largely uninterested in expanding beyond that. And it didn't really seem like there was a whole lot of gen in the fandom, so I might as well stay with my pairings, right? But slowly I've found pieces that I liked that aren't about pairings, especially as I grow to love the characters even more just for themselves. And these little snippets on Hibari that may or may not be true, some hilarious and some kind of creepy, are delightful. They're so... almost light-hearted in that violent sort of way that Hibari has. This was a delight to read. (No warnings/pairings.)
- Katekyou Hitman Reborn! - Ten Shots (or more) by kasugai_gummie - I love stories set in the format of ten little snippets on various characters that contribute to a greater whole, that paint a picture of the Reborn! universe future where things are just as hilarious and cracky and awesome as ever. I can't count the number of times that this fic got me to grin or even just outright laugh aloud because they were perfect. I honestly wouldn't pick a favorite, I couldn't pick between what Mukuro does to a dinner party or the betting pool on what Yamamoto's next scar is going to look like or Ryouhei's attitude on life or the way I-Pin's come out of her shell in the future or the absolutely killer last line. I still giggle thinking about it. Awesome Reborn! fic, one of those that defines the fandom, I suspect. (No warnings/pairings.)
- Katekyou Hitman Reborn! - untitled by lawnmowerpants - I'm not sure how the idea of Hibari smoking a joint really sits with me, even after reading the fic, but... well, if I were going to believe it, it would be in a fic like this. Which is less of a backhanded compliment than I mean it to be, simply that we have different fundamental views, but that I thought the fic's writing was lovely and pulled off what the author was achieving, especially since it seems to have had the structure that would work well in doujin form. (And I do think this would work well as a doujinshi.) The writing is really lovely, there's an almost lazy sense to it, something almost languid in the writing and the imagery and the way they flow together. Dino and Hibari's interaction is fantastic. (Dino/Hibari, somewhere around an R rating, NSFW for drugs/sex implications.)
- Katekyou Hitman Reborn! - I, the Conqueror is Conquered! by Enkidu - I've been kind of wanting something to be done with Lambo and I-Pin, because they would be so cute together and their early interaction was so adorable and they both grew up to be so hot. After awhile, I kind of lost track of the thought as other stuff started happening in the manga, but then I found this fic and... as;dljalskj yes it'd be so great. And this fic was adorable, Lambo trying to remain calm and yet still being so nervous and childish even though he's a lot older now and I just-- The ending-- The ending was perfect. The ending was perfect for the Reborn! series. (Lambo/I-Pin.)
- Prince of Tennis - About Tennis by Misanagi - After reading the author's GundamW fic, I decided to give her Tenipuri fic a shot, since I'd liked her writing so much and maybe her TezuFuji fic might catch me. And it did, it has the same lovely quality to the writing, something that's a light tough on the surface, but only makes the impact of what's going on beneath the surface all the more interesting. Fuji is enigmatic, even when the fic is set from his POV, you don't find out for the longest time why he's not playing tennis in college, even though Tezuka has no idea why and still would like him to. I like it because, even when they're older and they've changed a little, they still feel very much like Tezuka and Fuji, they still have that same quiet, subtle dynamic where it's not so much about words but the little gestures. I love that the author set up a future for them, I liked the little details with Yuuta and Oshitari and Tachibana in the background, it made it that much more plausible a fic to read. ....dammit, now I kind of want more Tenipuri fic again. (Tezuka/Fuji.)
- Tales of the Abyss - Anxiety by Mouko - I'm always wary of trying to find ToA fic (or any fic, really) on FFNET, but sometimes I find little delights, like this fic set when the Keterburg people were kids going to school together for the first time and it's just... so cute! I delightedly grinned or had the urge to clap my hands at the adorableness of this fic at least two or three times while reading and I love what the author did with Saphir, his little robot is darling and utterly perfect. The characterizations are very nice and, hell, I didn't even think of the switching POVs in this fic, which normally bugs the crap out of me. Here, the scene the author sets is delightful enough that it just won me over. And I had fun with the way the adults treated Jade and the way Nephry treated Jade. And the way the kids treated each other. It's cute! I want more of it! (No real warnings/pairings.)
- Tales of the Abyss - Warmth by Saica - This is a really short piece, probably shorter than I could justify recommending, but... it's a really sweet, simple, and lovely Asch/Natalia piece. It's a lovely image, a cold, stormy winter night and a warm fireplace and the author doesn't try to oversell it, instead it's just a light, lovely scene. Plus, it includes the two of them being utterly stupid over each other in that cute way they have. ♥ (Asch/Natalia.)
- Tales of the Abyss - Voice by Saica - I'm not sure if this kind of story would have worked for me with another pairing, something so simple as two people sitting together in the grass while one of them sings, but for a game and a couple like Luke/Tear, it was sweet, adorable, and lovely. It's a quiet moment of connection, the kind that could have easily taken place in the game itself, the kind that is just right for these two. Again, it's short, but it didn't need to be any longer, it was just the right length for the idea. (Luke/Tear.)
- X/Tokyo Babylon - Static Equations by Sophia - It's been awhile since I've read much XTB fic, but... if there were more stories like this one, ones that took a concept and spun a gorgeous fic out of it, even if it wasn't the take on the characters that I was used to, but something that felt so incredibly plausible for them and so very IC... I would probably be lured back to the fandom far more often. Sophia's writing is gorgeous, she creates this lovely, haunting, almost wistful tone throughout the entire piece, the way Subaru is so calm and almost like he's drifting through life now, it's all the most quietly disturbing when more of the pieces are revealed. The details in the fic, the mechanics and magics of CLAMP's world, the use of flowers and the numbers Subaru uses, the flashes of memory from the past, all of it is woven into a beautiful story. (Some Seishirou/Subaru, some mentions of Fuuma/Subaru, neither are entirely the point.)
- D.Gray-man - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I was a bit hesitant about this site at first, it had potential, but the first couple of illustrations made me think it was more cute than anything else. Then I got to the third one or so and it was this really, really pretty fanart of Anita and I was just totally charmed. The art on the site is still more cute than anything, but it's an adorable sort of cute and a nice stop on a fanart hunt spree. Plus, you know, the cute chibi-esque Ravi/Rinali doesn't hurt my feelings at all. There's even an adorable one of Allen and Rinali holding hands and looking up at the snow falling down on them. I'd label the site primarly a Rinali-friendly site, but occasionally some nice Kanda or group illustrations would show up as well, so it's potentially worth it for the gen as well. (Some Allen/Rinali, some Ravi/Rinali, a lot of gen.)
- D.Gray-man - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - Half of what I wound up really liking about this site is the way in which the artist displayed her art as much as I liked the actual art itself. So many of the images were set to a full background and were just the right size to make that look really cool. But I also really like the sharp, crisp black & white, clean illustrations she often does, it works for characters like DGM and some of the detail in the background is really kind of amazing. The one of Ravi sitting at a small table in a brick-walled room looks fantastic for all the detail put into it, that's the kind of thing that makes me love sites like this one. (No real warnings/pairings.)
- D.Gray-man - MIRACOM ON!! [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - Kanda/Miranda is not a pairing I ever really thought about, much less expected to find art for that I really liked, but... well, she draws both characters so lovely that I couldn't help going through the entire gallery. I did get a little frustrated with the layout constantly resizing itself (I hate not having my browser maximized), but I was willing to forgive the site for it because the layout is really kind of cool and I'd love to design something like that myself. There are some gorgeous stand-alone illustrations, mostly of Miranda (you can tell how much the artist really likes the character), but occasionally some of the other characters as well. Miranda dressed up like Ravi was a particular favorite of mine, but so many of them are really fantastic and worth visiting the site for. (Some Kanda/Miranda, some Ravi/Miranda, some other het, some gen.)
- D.Gray-man - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I almost gave this site a pass, not because it wasn't pretty (it's got some really lovely art!), but because there were only six links in the gallery proper at the time of this rec. And while they were very nice, I couldn't quite justify it. Until I got to the log/sketches pages and there were several on each page, but they were so well done that they could have almost been in the gallery proper itself. The illustrations of the Noah family especially were very detailed and often times really gorgeous to look at. And even the actual sketches/scribbles were very nice, making it just satisfying enough for me to have really had fun here. <3 (No real warnings/pairings.)
- D.Gray-man - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - The art on this site starts out shakey, but about halfway through each section, it gets kind of really good. The Rinali illustrations get just pretty and kinda hot, the Ravi/Rinali is really sweet/cute, and there's even Kanda/Rinali, too. I never tire of artists liking both pairings. ♥ There's also some Tiki/Rinali has a couple that were surprisingly nice. It's not a huge site, but the artist has a lot of potential to get really good and I'd love to see more from her in the future. ♥ (Ravi/Rinali, Tiki/Rinali, Kanda/Rinali, some gen.)
- D.Gray-man/Inuyasha - STAN [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I really sort of debated on this site for a bit, I wasn't quite sure it was hitting me right since I'm strange about the Noah family art I like. But I kept going through the gallery and, the further I got, the more I was quietly won over to the site, the artist really does a good job of keeping that slightly Halloween-esque/Tim Burton-ish style of the characters, which is something I really like with DGM art. Plus, Tiki and Rhode did look pretty good in a lot of the images, I'm also weak to that sort of thing. It's not really my pairing, but if I squint I could probably pretend it was gen or familial type stuff and that's worth it to me for some good Tiki fanart. And then, when you add in the Inuyasha fanart, it's much in the same style, and maybe it's just that I haven't looked at Inuyasha fanart in ages, but I really had fun with the Shichi'nintai fanart here, especially the Bankotsu/Jakotsu ones. (....possible Tiki/Rhode, possible gen Some Bankotsu/Jakotsu.)
- Harukanaru Toki no Nakade - milca [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - There's some really pretty art here, very light and airy pastel colors a lot of times which works for the Harutoki series really well. Plus, the artist draws a really cute Nozomi The further I got into the gallery, the more detail there was on the characters' clothes and in their hair, there's a page of Kurou/Nozomi where their clothes especially just look gorgeous. It was a nice little site to stumble over almost by accident. ♥ (Some Kurou/Nozomi, some Isato/Karin, some other het, some gen.)
- Inuyasha - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - After the last site had Inuyasha fanart, it's not that I meant to get pulled into looking for more Inuyasha fanart sites, but I was browsing the links page and there just happened to be a couple that looked really interesting... it's been a very long time since I went looking for Inuyasha art, but I remember that the fandom really had some of the most incredible art. And I did always enjoy looking for Bankotsu and/or Jakotsu art, they got some really lovely stuff. And this artist is no exception, there's a very canon-esque feel to the more recent illustrations here, but also some really cute stuff. Jakotsu as a little kid is adorable and the artist draws a damn good Bankotsu. Even the oekaki is really solidly done, very impressive overall! (Some Bankotsu/Jakotsu, but the site is mostly gen.)
- Katekyou Hitman Reborn! - goccos! [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - Oh, man, the Gokudera/Tsuna art on this site is so cute sometimes! It's not always my cup of tea, but when the artist draws them in this cute little chibi-esque style and uses these warm, soft pastel colors, they're just so adorable that I can't help grinning and wanting to scoop them up to snuggle them for an hour or so. And, really, for as chibi-esque and cute as they are, there's often a surprising amount of detail put into the illustrations, so... it's not necessarily going to be for everyone, but if you like cute stuff once in awhile, you'll probably enjoy this site. And, hell, I thought the site was worth visiting for the one of Gokudera and Tsuna lying together in the pond, the soft pretty blues and tans working for this pairing. (Gokudera/Tsuna.)
- Katekyou Hitman Reborn! - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - This site has some very nice CG-style coloring and designs, which the artist is pretty good at. Maybe not perfect, but I liked the art right from the beginning and it only helped when I got into the Gokudera/Tsuna art, the artist does an especially canon-style Tsuna. However, her group art, especially the one of Hyper Dying Will Tsuna with the Varia in the background looks fantastic. The art only gets better with time and it wound up being a really nice, solid site for the pairing and for Reborn! in general. (Gokudera/Tsuna, Xanxus/Squalo, a smidge of gen.)
- Katekyou Hitman Reborn/D.Gray-man - HYS [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - Oh, now, this site is just cool, I love the style that's almost messy, where the illustrations almost look indestinct a lot of the time, but it creates this really kinda cool stylized feel to the images. Plus, you know, it helped that one of the first images I saw was Chrome and Tsuna leaning against each other and I... it's not that I ship them so much as I thought the idea would be cute for a couple of seconds. Then the site followed that up with some fantastic Hyper Dying Will mode Tsuna illustrations and then with some pretty Gokudera/Tsuna. The style is slightly rough, but it just makes the art look hotter, I felt and the comics are especially hot, especially the Gokudera/Tsuna moments. The DGM fanart is in much the same style, it starts out with some really cool, slick, almost glowing colors in these really intriguing concepts, almost like paintings of the characters and reflections of themselves, and the followed it up with some lovely shippy stuff and Lee siblings art. ♥ A cool little site. (Some Gokudera/Tsuna, some Mukuro/Chrome, some gen for KHR. Some Allen/Rinali, some Kanda/Rinali, some gen for DGM.)
- Naruto - MarineBlue [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I wasn't sure I was going to recommend this site. The art was cute and some of the better Naruto stuff I'd seen lately (that I hadn't already been to), but it wasn't until the illustration of Yondaime's team in school gym uniforms at a race track that I was just won over. God knows why that image did it for me, but it made me smile and seemed like the artist was having fun with the whole thing. Plus, it's a Team Yondaime-friendly site--including fanart of Rin, you guys--and I almost hardly ever run into those! The colors are bright and slick, the lines are solid, and the concepts are cute. It's a nice site. Plus, it has a kinda hot Jiraiya + Yondaime + Kakashi illustration in the gallery. You know how I am about those. *__*<3 Oh, and some really good team7 art and there is a hot ninja!Naruko illustration and I'm usually not a fan of that sort of thing, but that one was kinda awesome. (No warnings/pairings.)
NEW GOAL: 1024/1500
Holy shit, Vampire Knight is getting an anime! Between this and Bus Gamer, I... anime is going to make me cry again, just as I was starting to like it again, I just know it.
Series:
Bleach - 1 Fanfic
Chuck - 1 Fanfic
Final Fantasy VII - 1 Fanfic
Final Fantasy XII - 1 Fanfic
Fullmetal Alchemist - 1 Fanfic
Gundam Wing - 2 Fanfics
House - 1 Fanfic
Katekyou Hitman Reborn! - 7 Fanfics
Prince of Tennis - 1 Fanfic
Tales of the Abyss - 1 Fanfics
X/Tokyo Babylon - 1 Fanfic
D.Gray-man - 5 Fanart
D.Gray-man/Inuyasha - 1 Fanart
Harukanaru Toki no Nakade - 1 Fanart
Inuyasha - 1 Fanart
Katekyou Hitman Reborn! - 2 Fanart
Katekyou Hitman Reborn!/D.Gray-man - 1 Fanart
Naruto - 1 Fanart
- Bleach - Always Have, Always Will by shinigamikender - This was a really sweet Isshin fic, as he talks to Masaki's grave about the kids and how Ichigo is growing up. I like that it's almost subdued in tone, at least for Isshin, yet you could still see how very Isshin he is. He's still crazy, but there's an actual person in there who obviously loved Masaki a lot and misses her, but still loves his family a great deal. It was a nice read, especially since I haven't seen Isshin/Masaki fic in ages. ♥ (Isshin/Masaki.)
- Chuck - Easy Listening by Eleanor K. - Killing Chuck is not an option. Not. An. Option. He has that written on a post-it stuck to his bathroom mirror, so it must be true. I was totally just journalhopping and happened to stumble over this fic and I've kind of been wanting Chuck fic, but the fandom kinda makes me wary since I'm not sure I know what I want yet, except it was the promising lure of Casey and Chuck interaction and, oh my god, I practically had to stuff my fist into my mouth to keep from laughing at this fic. The author is utterly fantastic at nailing both Casey's thought patterns and Chuck's voice, to the point where I could just picture every little thing while Casey tried to remind himself not to kill Chuck as he listened in on him through the headphones. Just. Yes. (No warnings/pairings.)
- Final Fantasy VII - High-Tech Equipment by geekerypokery - So, I was journalhopping and stumbled over this link and, oh, hey, Cloud/Tifa on a porn meme. I was all over that. It's not actually porn, it's more of an implication of porn, but that's all right, I like Cloud/Tifa however. And this was fun, despite that it was a shortfic, there was something they were actually doing and Tifa was just so delightful and full of life, there were so many fun little details throughout the fic, and then the ending was hilarious, with Reeve being a total cheerful wet blanket and I may have lol'd a lot. ....man, this is a terrible rec, but the fic is cute, go read it. (Cloud/Tifa.)
- Final Fantasy XII - Improvise by sheffiesharpe - This was a fun little Vaan/Penelo piece, just a quiet moment in between what's likely an exciting sky pirate lifestyle, just Vaan tinkering with the engine and Penelo watching him, just the two of them in a fun, light-hearted romp in the engine room. The kink was light enough that I don't think it really even needs a warning, instead the use of the engine room was really kinda hot and it was fun to see these two just having fun after the game. (Vaan/Penelo, maybe a light R rating, not quite SFW.)
- Fullmetal Alchemist - All This Aggravation by sister_coyote - Even more than the porn of this fic (which was some damn fine het porn, yes), I think I actually liked the way the relationship dynamic came off between these two, the way Havoc is kind of nervous and awkward around her while still being such a stand-up guy, the way Hawkeye can be unreadable and so sharp but still there's a very real, very human person underneath. They're both still Havoc and Hawkeye even when you (and the characters) see past the surface a little, it was just so easy to see the entire thing in my head. Right down to the way Hawkeye spoke, the dialogue for her is direct and to the point, yet not cold or cruel or dismissive. It's something as simple as the two of them having dinner and deciding to have sex that night, it's brilliantly in character, it shows how this pairing could truly work like this, and it's really, really hot. Just. Mmmmm. Lovely writing. (Havoc/Hawkeye, a light NC-17 content.)
- Gundam Wing - You do realize that we know nothing about water rescue. by Jagged5 - After a fandomsecrets secret about Relena (which I didn't exactly agree with and then the comments were even more aggravating to me), I decided I wanted to seek out Relena stuff to soothe myself. After randomly doing LJ searches, I stumbled over a result that was labelled with Duo and Relena and a;sdfljaslda hell yes I clicked on that link. It's not actually a pairing or anything, it's a moment between the frames of canon in episode 02, after Heero is floating face down in the water and they never quite show how he gets to the hospital. The author has obviously put some thought into this and it shows, it fits perfectly with what I remember of canon and fits wonderfully with both characters. His Duo rather sparkles and so does his Relena. I just sort of marvel at how much such a short fic could renew my faith in the GundamW fandom. (No warnings/pairings.)
- Gundam Wing - Waiting for Autumn by Misanagi - Speaking of GundamW fic that I've been wanting to read for ages, this might have been a simple letter-style fic that was less than 400 words, but it's rather perfect. The voice for Dorothy is lovely, it's polite and gracious and you can just feel the viciousness underneath the words and the certain something that's genuine underneath even that. Her letter to Relena is not quite condescending, it's not quite harsh, it's more jaded than anything, but it's the perfect tone. I loved this. (Dorothy/Relena.)
- House - untitled by Laura Smith - This is a very short piece on Cuddy, but it does a lovely job of tying together the strong woman she is with a lot of the things that have happened in canon, like wanting a baby or wanting something more from life. I really like this Cuddy here, I really like the use of language and the insights into her character. I especially love the last few lines, not because I ship House/Cuddy, but because it's something I could really see and makes sense to me and makes me like her again, because she's so human while not being a total doormat. It might have been a very short fic, but it was nice. (....I'm going to count this as gen, it's nothing more than you'd see in canon.)
- Katekyou Hitman Reborn! - Five Minutes in Heaven by Scuttlebutt Inc X - To be honest, I never expected to find much fic for Gokudera and Tsuna in the fandom that I actually liked (aside from the stuff I made people write myself ^_~), but this was utterly delightful. I'm not sure what I love more, Gokudera being such a total fangirl over Tsuna, especially when he's popped ten years into the future by accident and finds himself in bed with Tsuna, or when he's attempting to beat the shit out of Lambo. The Gokudera - Lambo interaction is perfect, it's genuinely funny and clever and could have come right out of the manga itself, right down to the tone and language used. Plus, it was a great use of the 10-years-later Bazooka and I really liked the take on an older Tsuna when Gokudera was with him, it struck me as being very much like how the Tsuna/Gokudera relationship would turn out. Also, did I mention that this fic is hilarious? Because it was. ♥ (Gokudera/Tsuna.)
- Katekyou Hitman Reborn! - Motivated Grocery Shopping by Vikki - So. This is one of those fics where it's a relatively simple concept--Tsuna runs into Hibari at the grocery store--but it's so full of that Reborn!-style humor that I just... I think I cracked the hell up two or three times because it's just so perfect. Hibari is so... Hibari, even when Tsuna only runs into him for a minute. And Tsuna is delightful here, the whole cast is delightful, really, and crazy. Mustn't forget that they're all so very, very crazy. Plus, the item Hibari was shopping for totally made me LOL when it dawned on me why he was buying it. That's. That's beautiful. (No real warnings/pairings.)
- Katekyou Hitman Reborn! - The Legend of Hibari Kyouya by shinigamikender - The gang muses on Hibari's origins and... as;dflkajslkjlakjsdflaj AHAHAHAHAHA, it was as great as the summary made it sound, it totally lived up to the potential of the idea. It's not just the idea behind Hibari's origins (that I must now take as being true until otherwise directly contradicted), it's in the execution of the fic, the way the little details lend themselves so perfect to the Reborn! universe, the way the little details of the way they sit and talk or people make gestures that had me picturing it perfectly. It could so easily slip between the pages of canon. And just. So hilarious. (No warnings/pairings.)
- Katekyou Hitman Reborn! - Twenty Facts About Hibari Kyouya by kasugai_gummie - When I started with Reborn! fanfic, I wanted certain pairings and I was largely uninterested in expanding beyond that. And it didn't really seem like there was a whole lot of gen in the fandom, so I might as well stay with my pairings, right? But slowly I've found pieces that I liked that aren't about pairings, especially as I grow to love the characters even more just for themselves. And these little snippets on Hibari that may or may not be true, some hilarious and some kind of creepy, are delightful. They're so... almost light-hearted in that violent sort of way that Hibari has. This was a delight to read. (No warnings/pairings.)
- Katekyou Hitman Reborn! - Ten Shots (or more) by kasugai_gummie - I love stories set in the format of ten little snippets on various characters that contribute to a greater whole, that paint a picture of the Reborn! universe future where things are just as hilarious and cracky and awesome as ever. I can't count the number of times that this fic got me to grin or even just outright laugh aloud because they were perfect. I honestly wouldn't pick a favorite, I couldn't pick between what Mukuro does to a dinner party or the betting pool on what Yamamoto's next scar is going to look like or Ryouhei's attitude on life or the way I-Pin's come out of her shell in the future or the absolutely killer last line. I still giggle thinking about it. Awesome Reborn! fic, one of those that defines the fandom, I suspect. (No warnings/pairings.)
- Katekyou Hitman Reborn! - untitled by lawnmowerpants - I'm not sure how the idea of Hibari smoking a joint really sits with me, even after reading the fic, but... well, if I were going to believe it, it would be in a fic like this. Which is less of a backhanded compliment than I mean it to be, simply that we have different fundamental views, but that I thought the fic's writing was lovely and pulled off what the author was achieving, especially since it seems to have had the structure that would work well in doujin form. (And I do think this would work well as a doujinshi.) The writing is really lovely, there's an almost lazy sense to it, something almost languid in the writing and the imagery and the way they flow together. Dino and Hibari's interaction is fantastic. (Dino/Hibari, somewhere around an R rating, NSFW for drugs/sex implications.)
- Katekyou Hitman Reborn! - I, the Conqueror is Conquered! by Enkidu - I've been kind of wanting something to be done with Lambo and I-Pin, because they would be so cute together and their early interaction was so adorable and they both grew up to be so hot. After awhile, I kind of lost track of the thought as other stuff started happening in the manga, but then I found this fic and... as;dljalskj yes it'd be so great. And this fic was adorable, Lambo trying to remain calm and yet still being so nervous and childish even though he's a lot older now and I just-- The ending-- The ending was perfect. The ending was perfect for the Reborn! series. (Lambo/I-Pin.)
- Prince of Tennis - About Tennis by Misanagi - After reading the author's GundamW fic, I decided to give her Tenipuri fic a shot, since I'd liked her writing so much and maybe her TezuFuji fic might catch me. And it did, it has the same lovely quality to the writing, something that's a light tough on the surface, but only makes the impact of what's going on beneath the surface all the more interesting. Fuji is enigmatic, even when the fic is set from his POV, you don't find out for the longest time why he's not playing tennis in college, even though Tezuka has no idea why and still would like him to. I like it because, even when they're older and they've changed a little, they still feel very much like Tezuka and Fuji, they still have that same quiet, subtle dynamic where it's not so much about words but the little gestures. I love that the author set up a future for them, I liked the little details with Yuuta and Oshitari and Tachibana in the background, it made it that much more plausible a fic to read. ....dammit, now I kind of want more Tenipuri fic again. (Tezuka/Fuji.)
- Tales of the Abyss - Anxiety by Mouko - I'm always wary of trying to find ToA fic (or any fic, really) on FFNET, but sometimes I find little delights, like this fic set when the Keterburg people were kids going to school together for the first time and it's just... so cute! I delightedly grinned or had the urge to clap my hands at the adorableness of this fic at least two or three times while reading and I love what the author did with Saphir, his little robot is darling and utterly perfect. The characterizations are very nice and, hell, I didn't even think of the switching POVs in this fic, which normally bugs the crap out of me. Here, the scene the author sets is delightful enough that it just won me over. And I had fun with the way the adults treated Jade and the way Nephry treated Jade. And the way the kids treated each other. It's cute! I want more of it! (No real warnings/pairings.)
- Tales of the Abyss - Warmth by Saica - This is a really short piece, probably shorter than I could justify recommending, but... it's a really sweet, simple, and lovely Asch/Natalia piece. It's a lovely image, a cold, stormy winter night and a warm fireplace and the author doesn't try to oversell it, instead it's just a light, lovely scene. Plus, it includes the two of them being utterly stupid over each other in that cute way they have. ♥ (Asch/Natalia.)
- Tales of the Abyss - Voice by Saica - I'm not sure if this kind of story would have worked for me with another pairing, something so simple as two people sitting together in the grass while one of them sings, but for a game and a couple like Luke/Tear, it was sweet, adorable, and lovely. It's a quiet moment of connection, the kind that could have easily taken place in the game itself, the kind that is just right for these two. Again, it's short, but it didn't need to be any longer, it was just the right length for the idea. (Luke/Tear.)
- X/Tokyo Babylon - Static Equations by Sophia - It's been awhile since I've read much XTB fic, but... if there were more stories like this one, ones that took a concept and spun a gorgeous fic out of it, even if it wasn't the take on the characters that I was used to, but something that felt so incredibly plausible for them and so very IC... I would probably be lured back to the fandom far more often. Sophia's writing is gorgeous, she creates this lovely, haunting, almost wistful tone throughout the entire piece, the way Subaru is so calm and almost like he's drifting through life now, it's all the most quietly disturbing when more of the pieces are revealed. The details in the fic, the mechanics and magics of CLAMP's world, the use of flowers and the numbers Subaru uses, the flashes of memory from the past, all of it is woven into a beautiful story. (Some Seishirou/Subaru, some mentions of Fuuma/Subaru, neither are entirely the point.)
- D.Gray-man - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I was a bit hesitant about this site at first, it had potential, but the first couple of illustrations made me think it was more cute than anything else. Then I got to the third one or so and it was this really, really pretty fanart of Anita and I was just totally charmed. The art on the site is still more cute than anything, but it's an adorable sort of cute and a nice stop on a fanart hunt spree. Plus, you know, the cute chibi-esque Ravi/Rinali doesn't hurt my feelings at all. There's even an adorable one of Allen and Rinali holding hands and looking up at the snow falling down on them. I'd label the site primarly a Rinali-friendly site, but occasionally some nice Kanda or group illustrations would show up as well, so it's potentially worth it for the gen as well. (Some Allen/Rinali, some Ravi/Rinali, a lot of gen.)
- D.Gray-man - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - Half of what I wound up really liking about this site is the way in which the artist displayed her art as much as I liked the actual art itself. So many of the images were set to a full background and were just the right size to make that look really cool. But I also really like the sharp, crisp black & white, clean illustrations she often does, it works for characters like DGM and some of the detail in the background is really kind of amazing. The one of Ravi sitting at a small table in a brick-walled room looks fantastic for all the detail put into it, that's the kind of thing that makes me love sites like this one. (No real warnings/pairings.)
- D.Gray-man - MIRACOM ON!! [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - Kanda/Miranda is not a pairing I ever really thought about, much less expected to find art for that I really liked, but... well, she draws both characters so lovely that I couldn't help going through the entire gallery. I did get a little frustrated with the layout constantly resizing itself (I hate not having my browser maximized), but I was willing to forgive the site for it because the layout is really kind of cool and I'd love to design something like that myself. There are some gorgeous stand-alone illustrations, mostly of Miranda (you can tell how much the artist really likes the character), but occasionally some of the other characters as well. Miranda dressed up like Ravi was a particular favorite of mine, but so many of them are really fantastic and worth visiting the site for. (Some Kanda/Miranda, some Ravi/Miranda, some other het, some gen.)
- D.Gray-man - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I almost gave this site a pass, not because it wasn't pretty (it's got some really lovely art!), but because there were only six links in the gallery proper at the time of this rec. And while they were very nice, I couldn't quite justify it. Until I got to the log/sketches pages and there were several on each page, but they were so well done that they could have almost been in the gallery proper itself. The illustrations of the Noah family especially were very detailed and often times really gorgeous to look at. And even the actual sketches/scribbles were very nice, making it just satisfying enough for me to have really had fun here. <3 (No real warnings/pairings.)
- D.Gray-man - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - The art on this site starts out shakey, but about halfway through each section, it gets kind of really good. The Rinali illustrations get just pretty and kinda hot, the Ravi/Rinali is really sweet/cute, and there's even Kanda/Rinali, too. I never tire of artists liking both pairings. ♥ There's also some Tiki/Rinali has a couple that were surprisingly nice. It's not a huge site, but the artist has a lot of potential to get really good and I'd love to see more from her in the future. ♥ (Ravi/Rinali, Tiki/Rinali, Kanda/Rinali, some gen.)
- D.Gray-man/Inuyasha - STAN [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I really sort of debated on this site for a bit, I wasn't quite sure it was hitting me right since I'm strange about the Noah family art I like. But I kept going through the gallery and, the further I got, the more I was quietly won over to the site, the artist really does a good job of keeping that slightly Halloween-esque/Tim Burton-ish style of the characters, which is something I really like with DGM art. Plus, Tiki and Rhode did look pretty good in a lot of the images, I'm also weak to that sort of thing. It's not really my pairing, but if I squint I could probably pretend it was gen or familial type stuff and that's worth it to me for some good Tiki fanart. And then, when you add in the Inuyasha fanart, it's much in the same style, and maybe it's just that I haven't looked at Inuyasha fanart in ages, but I really had fun with the Shichi'nintai fanart here, especially the Bankotsu/Jakotsu ones. (....possible Tiki/Rhode, possible gen Some Bankotsu/Jakotsu.)
- Harukanaru Toki no Nakade - milca [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - There's some really pretty art here, very light and airy pastel colors a lot of times which works for the Harutoki series really well. Plus, the artist draws a really cute Nozomi The further I got into the gallery, the more detail there was on the characters' clothes and in their hair, there's a page of Kurou/Nozomi where their clothes especially just look gorgeous. It was a nice little site to stumble over almost by accident. ♥ (Some Kurou/Nozomi, some Isato/Karin, some other het, some gen.)
- Inuyasha - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - After the last site had Inuyasha fanart, it's not that I meant to get pulled into looking for more Inuyasha fanart sites, but I was browsing the links page and there just happened to be a couple that looked really interesting... it's been a very long time since I went looking for Inuyasha art, but I remember that the fandom really had some of the most incredible art. And I did always enjoy looking for Bankotsu and/or Jakotsu art, they got some really lovely stuff. And this artist is no exception, there's a very canon-esque feel to the more recent illustrations here, but also some really cute stuff. Jakotsu as a little kid is adorable and the artist draws a damn good Bankotsu. Even the oekaki is really solidly done, very impressive overall! (Some Bankotsu/Jakotsu, but the site is mostly gen.)
- Katekyou Hitman Reborn! - goccos! [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - Oh, man, the Gokudera/Tsuna art on this site is so cute sometimes! It's not always my cup of tea, but when the artist draws them in this cute little chibi-esque style and uses these warm, soft pastel colors, they're just so adorable that I can't help grinning and wanting to scoop them up to snuggle them for an hour or so. And, really, for as chibi-esque and cute as they are, there's often a surprising amount of detail put into the illustrations, so... it's not necessarily going to be for everyone, but if you like cute stuff once in awhile, you'll probably enjoy this site. And, hell, I thought the site was worth visiting for the one of Gokudera and Tsuna lying together in the pond, the soft pretty blues and tans working for this pairing. (Gokudera/Tsuna.)
- Katekyou Hitman Reborn! - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - This site has some very nice CG-style coloring and designs, which the artist is pretty good at. Maybe not perfect, but I liked the art right from the beginning and it only helped when I got into the Gokudera/Tsuna art, the artist does an especially canon-style Tsuna. However, her group art, especially the one of Hyper Dying Will Tsuna with the Varia in the background looks fantastic. The art only gets better with time and it wound up being a really nice, solid site for the pairing and for Reborn! in general. (Gokudera/Tsuna, Xanxus/Squalo, a smidge of gen.)
- Katekyou Hitman Reborn/D.Gray-man - HYS [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - Oh, now, this site is just cool, I love the style that's almost messy, where the illustrations almost look indestinct a lot of the time, but it creates this really kinda cool stylized feel to the images. Plus, you know, it helped that one of the first images I saw was Chrome and Tsuna leaning against each other and I... it's not that I ship them so much as I thought the idea would be cute for a couple of seconds. Then the site followed that up with some fantastic Hyper Dying Will mode Tsuna illustrations and then with some pretty Gokudera/Tsuna. The style is slightly rough, but it just makes the art look hotter, I felt and the comics are especially hot, especially the Gokudera/Tsuna moments. The DGM fanart is in much the same style, it starts out with some really cool, slick, almost glowing colors in these really intriguing concepts, almost like paintings of the characters and reflections of themselves, and the followed it up with some lovely shippy stuff and Lee siblings art. ♥ A cool little site. (Some Gokudera/Tsuna, some Mukuro/Chrome, some gen for KHR. Some Allen/Rinali, some Kanda/Rinali, some gen for DGM.)
- Naruto - MarineBlue [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I wasn't sure I was going to recommend this site. The art was cute and some of the better Naruto stuff I'd seen lately (that I hadn't already been to), but it wasn't until the illustration of Yondaime's team in school gym uniforms at a race track that I was just won over. God knows why that image did it for me, but it made me smile and seemed like the artist was having fun with the whole thing. Plus, it's a Team Yondaime-friendly site--including fanart of Rin, you guys--and I almost hardly ever run into those! The colors are bright and slick, the lines are solid, and the concepts are cute. It's a nice site. Plus, it has a kinda hot Jiraiya + Yondaime + Kakashi illustration in the gallery. You know how I am about those. *__*<3 Oh, and some really good team7 art and there is a hot ninja!Naruko illustration and I'm usually not a fan of that sort of thing, but that one was kinda awesome. (No warnings/pairings.)
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