Scribosaurus Recs! - FF7/FF8 Crossover (Epic fic of Epic-ness)
Bandages by Konitsu
VII/VIII crossover. Sephiroth is not a mess easily cleaned up. In their Garden, the SeeDs find themselves with two new problems on their hands: a psychotic, silver haired mass murderer, and Cloud Strife, determined to finish what Jenova started.
Rec!view: Written pre-Advent Children, Dirge of Cerberus or Crisis Core, though it’s being rewritten and the odd bit of fresh canon (like Fenrir the kick-ass but physically impossible motorbike) have made it in. Let me begin properly by saying that this was my first time reading FF8 fanfic. I ended up YouTubing some videos (which turned up a bloody good fandub, but that’s another story) and doing some research to explain a few things, but the fic does a brilliant job of explaining itself without sounding like a textbook. Never did I feel like I was lagging behind and the prose trips along at a pace that still leaves room for some lovely character moments. I found myself actually liking Seifer and feeling sorry for evil!bastard Sephiroth. This fic also began my love of Zell Dincht. The characterisations are flawless and crisp, like perfectly pressed cotton shirts. Squall makes sense in his role, and Cloud is both pitiful and frightening in that furious, baleful, beautiful way that doesn’t ignore what happened to him but doesn’t make him into a total wrist-cutting-emo-bunny-of-DOOM. He still emotes but it doesn’t feel gratuitous and even his relationship with Tifa is paid due attention, which isn’t always the case in fics not specifically dedicated to them. Every single character gets the spotlight at some point, and they use it to shine in their own individual way. Bloody good fanfic and the reason I’ve begun getting into FF8 even though I really can’t afford to spend my time on any more fandoms than I already have.
Excerpt:
Any sane SeeD in the Garden, especially Squall's team, knew there had to be a damn scary reason for their leader to shout things over the loudspeakers at two in the morning. The response would be almost instantaneous.
Hurry.
Squall swung his weapon up and over, and though Cloud dodged to avoid the blade he felt a bullet lodge itself in his side, felt the blood pour from the wound down his hip and leg. He howled like a trapped animal and swung the Ultima Weapon, the tip opening a gash in Squall's chest. No good, it was too shallow, the commander would survive.
Cloud raised his sword to strike again when something hit him from behind. Stronger than a human should have been, faster and quieter to have avoided Cloud's notice. The blond tumbled forward, flinging the Ultima Weapon away to avoid impaling himself on the huge sword. The thing that had knocked him over struggled with him for a moment, and Cloud managed to flip himself over to stare into red eyes and the barrel of a gun.
Vincent had the smaller man's arms pinned to the floor with one hand, a knee digging into Cloud's abdomen; confused and wounded, the blond wasn't in any state to fight back. Valentine clicked the safety back on the small peacemaker he usually carried.
"Sephiroth, let him go,” Vincent ordered.
There were SeeDs standing in the doorway now, and Cid and Tifa. Vincent didn't particularly want to splatter Cloud's brains across the floor in view of so many people, but…
"Let him go or I will kill him."
VII/VIII crossover. Sephiroth is not a mess easily cleaned up. In their Garden, the SeeDs find themselves with two new problems on their hands: a psychotic, silver haired mass murderer, and Cloud Strife, determined to finish what Jenova started.
Rec!view: Written pre-Advent Children, Dirge of Cerberus or Crisis Core, though it’s being rewritten and the odd bit of fresh canon (like Fenrir the kick-ass but physically impossible motorbike) have made it in. Let me begin properly by saying that this was my first time reading FF8 fanfic. I ended up YouTubing some videos (which turned up a bloody good fandub, but that’s another story) and doing some research to explain a few things, but the fic does a brilliant job of explaining itself without sounding like a textbook. Never did I feel like I was lagging behind and the prose trips along at a pace that still leaves room for some lovely character moments. I found myself actually liking Seifer and feeling sorry for evil!bastard Sephiroth. This fic also began my love of Zell Dincht. The characterisations are flawless and crisp, like perfectly pressed cotton shirts. Squall makes sense in his role, and Cloud is both pitiful and frightening in that furious, baleful, beautiful way that doesn’t ignore what happened to him but doesn’t make him into a total wrist-cutting-emo-bunny-of-DOOM. He still emotes but it doesn’t feel gratuitous and even his relationship with Tifa is paid due attention, which isn’t always the case in fics not specifically dedicated to them. Every single character gets the spotlight at some point, and they use it to shine in their own individual way. Bloody good fanfic and the reason I’ve begun getting into FF8 even though I really can’t afford to spend my time on any more fandoms than I already have.
Excerpt:
Any sane SeeD in the Garden, especially Squall's team, knew there had to be a damn scary reason for their leader to shout things over the loudspeakers at two in the morning. The response would be almost instantaneous.
Hurry.
Squall swung his weapon up and over, and though Cloud dodged to avoid the blade he felt a bullet lodge itself in his side, felt the blood pour from the wound down his hip and leg. He howled like a trapped animal and swung the Ultima Weapon, the tip opening a gash in Squall's chest. No good, it was too shallow, the commander would survive.
Cloud raised his sword to strike again when something hit him from behind. Stronger than a human should have been, faster and quieter to have avoided Cloud's notice. The blond tumbled forward, flinging the Ultima Weapon away to avoid impaling himself on the huge sword. The thing that had knocked him over struggled with him for a moment, and Cloud managed to flip himself over to stare into red eyes and the barrel of a gun.
Vincent had the smaller man's arms pinned to the floor with one hand, a knee digging into Cloud's abdomen; confused and wounded, the blond wasn't in any state to fight back. Valentine clicked the safety back on the small peacemaker he usually carried.
"Sephiroth, let him go,” Vincent ordered.
There were SeeDs standing in the doorway now, and Cid and Tifa. Vincent didn't particularly want to splatter Cloud's brains across the floor in view of so many people, but…
"Let him go or I will kill him."