Proof that the remaining 10% is worth shooting yourself into space for here:
These are recommendations made by Tropers for Fan Fics, all of which have been signed. After a few samples, you will be able to judge whether you might be interested in the 'fic, based on who recommended it. No-name recommendations will be zapped. Nobody would back up the rec. Discussion of the recommendation is welcome on the discussion page. As such discussion is important, do remember to add the discussion page to the watchlist, if need be.
Do warn when a fanfic may head into sexually explicit or non-canon territory. Some people just don't like it, and as we all know, Shipping is Serious Business.
Authors, and Websites
- Recommended by bluedragonx
- This author has written 8 stories and going onto a 9th one, ranging from lemony and fluffy to serious to humourous, all of which excel at well written and compelling Character Development. A great series of writing for any FF8 fans.
DB2020
- Recommended by Mismoree
- All of the FF8 stories by this author are incredibly well-written and engrossing. The majority are M-rated Seifer/Squall fics, yet most of them are easy to picture happening in the game. Protecting the Lion remains my favorite FF8 story to date.
Roschelle Templar
- Recommended by Rebochan
- This author tends to focus almost exclusively on storylines that revolve around the unexplored father-son relationship between Squall and Laguna post-game. Kiros Seagill is also usually a focal character in many of the stories (and the main character of one of them.) While aside from the one-shots, most of the serial stories aren't finished aside from Long Shadows Before Dawn (the most "epic" of them), even the incomplete stories are good at nailing the complexity of both characters and the expected difficulties they would have trying to reconcile the immense amount of lost time. Of the unfinished stories, Revisions is easily the strongest for being able to come up with a plausible way for Laguna and Seifer to have to rely on each other in a life-or-death scenario and succeeding at drilling deeply into both of their heads as they try to make sense of their lives given the events that transpired in the game.
Final Fantasy VIII: The Altimate Rewrite
by Albert (TV Tropes entry can be found here).- Recommended by Sky Blue, Chaotic Brain
- Status: Dormant
- Synopsis: A retelling of the game's main plot, with changes to characterization that range from minor to significant.
- Comments: As of now when I'm writing this recommendation, the rewrite is only up to the start of disc two (the game came on four discs, though it's more like three and a half since the fourth is pretty short), but the writing has been of consistently high quality so far. For anyone who thought FF8's plot had potential but was spoiled by bad writing, this is what FF8 should have been. Even if you liked FF8 as is, it's still worth reading.
- Be forewarned, this is a very divisive adaptation due to the extensive changes to setting, backstory, characterization, plot details, and even the main character's name. Some readers enjoy these changes very much, while others don't. See the archived discussion for further details.
- Lately a really good reason for the name change is revealed. Anyway, the amount of work and dedication the author puts into it really shines through, with him slipping in information about how the wider culture works, as well as setting up plan upon plan from every direction. While the characterization has turned some readers off, it nevertheless stands as a proud achievement for the FFVIII fandom.
- Be forewarned, this is a very divisive adaptation due to the extensive changes to setting, backstory, characterization, plot details, and even the main character's name. Some readers enjoy these changes very much, while others don't. See the archived discussion for further details.
Penultima
by magistrate- Recommended by Joie De Combat
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Sometimes, the only way to save something is to destroy yourself. A look at the ramifications of fighting the climactic battle in a place where time is no longer exactly linear.
- Comments: Magistrate presents a scenario in which Squall's team loses the battle against Ultimecia, and Squall must deal with that fact and try to work out a way to salvage the situation. His solution is both in character and horrifying, and the story makes an impressive exploration into Squall's thought processes and the nature of time compression.
Sowing the SeeDs
by Greenbeans- Recommended by Xshu
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Before they were SeeDs, they were students. Before they were cadets, they were children. The story begins 8 years before the events of Final Fantasy VIII, primarily from Xu's point of view.
- Comments: A look at the life of minor character Xu, as she finds herself the mentor of ten-year-old child prodigy Quistis Trepe. It continues from this point on to right before the events of the game. The longest Final Fantasy VIII fanfic out there. Contains a homosexual character.
- No longer the longest out there, but at 21 chapters is still pretty hefty.
The Gunblade Saga
by Peptuck- Recommended by Piekage, corin
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Fate's game has ended. A hero has risen to save existence, and now only the future lies ahead of him and his comrades. A complete, written chronicle of Final Fantasy VIII.
- Comments: The author takes everything good about Final Fantasy VIII and makes it better. The character development for all the characters is top notch, the action is intense and never dull, and the amount of detail is incredible, especially the description of the gunblade itself. There are quite a few changes, which are for the better in my opinion. For example, Squall doesn't complain when he's handed leadership, Rinoa has knowledge of guerrilla tactics thanks to her days as a resistance member, and the Dollet Dukedom allies itself with Garden and fights alongside SeeD in the battle with Galbadia Garden. And of course, Squall/Rinoa is a given. It should also be noted that the author also wrote Tiberium Wars, so anyone familiar with it knows what to expect as far as quality.
- corin: It's worth pointing out that this is actually one of the first fanfics the author wrote seriously, and as a result, the quality is lower than that of his more recent works. The author actually considers it something of an Old Shame and started writing an aborted reboot of the story, even if the general consensus is that it is better most other FFVIII fanfiction.
- corin: It's worth pointing out that this is actually one of the first fanfics the author wrote seriously, and as a result, the quality is lower than that of his more recent works. The author actually considers it something of an Old Shame and started writing an aborted reboot
Retribution
by Undeniable Mystique- Recommended by The Girl Red
- Status: Dormant
- Synopsis: A different spin on the whole OC gets sucked into the game. I don't want to give too much away, but the OC gets body swapped with someone who already exists in the game universe. This story is in the beginning stages still but is quite intriguing.
- Warnings: OC, but the author has avoided the Mary Sue pitfall wonderfully so far.
The Stalker's Log
by Traingham- Recommended by Tropers/Firemagnet
- Status: Dormant
- Pairings: N/A (or every woman for herself with Squall)
- Synopsis: The hilarious and absolutely self-effacing tale of what takes place after FFVIII ends; "The Stalker's Log" is the tale of Fuujin as she scales walls, hides under beds, and fights off hordes of female ninjas, people who have been stabbed through the stomach and others, all just to get her love to notice her.
- Comments: A very good story, with plenty of well-placed humor, mostly derived from other games by Squaresoft/Square Enix. Traingham is also a master of using plot holes from the original game for situational humor (such as the character named "Zell's girlfriend"). All in all, I'd give this a 9/10, with the 10 dropped because of his ludicrously slow update rate (roughly once every 4-5 months).
Story
by DK- Recommended by Lavanya Six
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: The old man is full of stories, but the ones he won't tell are the most important of all...
- Comments: The author, DK, writes fanfiction for Final Fantasy VIII that deconstructs a lot of the background of the game, parsing out the story threads of what it means for Garden to be a mercenary company and for them to be raising child soldiers. Never is this more tragically done than in Story, which shows Zell in the twilight of his life as he tells a young girl censored stories of the horrors of his life after the end of the game.
That Which Devours
by DK- Recommended by Razor Smile
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: To regain the life he once knew, Squall Leonhart must face a foe impossibly alien... and as familiar as the back of his hand. Parodies don't always have to be funny.
- Comments: To describe this story in any more detail than the synopsis does would ruin the surprise. Suffice it to say it is a horror take on a type of fic usually played for laughs or played painfully seriously and is really really excellent.
Not Dead But Dying Slowly
by Hojo- Recommended by Joie De Combat
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: After sending the SeeDs to kill the sorceress, Cid considers his actions.
- Comments: This fic provides a look into the thought processes of a character not ordinarily given much attention, showing the situation from his point of view and filling in a bit of what his relationship with Edea might have been like.
yes
By seventhe- Recommended by Bee 123
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: "She’ll never tell them she said yes. And she’ll never tell them why. Rinoa has always wanted to be more than she is. Magic, and the Draw of the Sorceress."
- Characters: Rinoa Heartilly
- Comments: This is a great character piece that really shows Rionas recklessness, her inpatience, her want to prove herself/her fear of being helpless and with this paint a very 3dimensional picture of her.
Or From That Sea of Time
By SummonerLuna- Recommended by Bee 123
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: "He holds himself together by holding onto her. [Squall, and witches at the end of the world.]"
- Characters: Squall Leonhart, Rinoa Heartilly, Ellone, Edea Kramer
- Comments: The atmosphere in this is really great. I love the mix of mystic and ordinary.
Discarded
By Lassarina- Recommended by Bee 123
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: "It is time for Quistis to walk away."
- Characters: Quistis Trepe, Zell Dincht
- Comments: Quitting something that hurts you/doesn´t make you happy anymore can be very therapeutic. The main characters of the game are still very young and have gone through lots of pain, for me it is very hopeful (inspiring) and freeing to see (one of) them get out of it.
Said and Done
by runicmagitek- Recommended by: Starshone
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Squall lived his life without a father until the man he encountered in dreams claims to be just that. With the threat of Ultimecia banished and time restored, maybe now they can mend wounds once inflicted by absence.
Ascension of Witches
by Jpnh- Recommended by: Sydhighwind
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Twenty years after the defeat of Ultimecia, Nexi, Atrop, and Fable are about to become SeeDs, following in the footsteps of their adoptive parents Squall and Rinoa. But they soon discover that not everyone is comfortable with the state of the world, particularly in their feelings toward Rinoa: the last known Sorceress.
- Comments: One of the best portrayals of the Rinoa=Ultimecia theory out there, and despite being only 14 chapters the story wraps up everything pretty neatly.
Sorted Laundry
by Wayward Tempest- Recommended by madame_newbie
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: The Balamb Garden laundry room, a place feared by her inhabitants. Everyone has their stories.(Chapter four, dried in the sunshine) COMPLETE
- Comments: A rather cute slice of life fic, featuring Quistis and Seifer, stuck in a cursed laundry room. While it does have some mild romance, it's not the focus of the fic.
Frozen
by Chendzeea Li- Recommended by Xshu and Alexlayer
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: A Yuri romance drama, focusing on Quistis and Fujin, with the other major characters getting full time also. Along with the stated content, the story also contains a mix of horror, action, and humor.
- Comments: Contains homosexuality and non-canon. While the writing in the first half is generally regarded as sub-par, those who have finished this story generally agree that its sheer charm is well worth the light beating English takes every so often. At 423,488 words, it is the second longest Final Fantasy VIII fic out there.
- The Author is currently in rewriting this at Frozen Remastered (Dormant)
- The Author is currently in rewriting this at Frozen Remastered
Crimson Lies
by Ashbear- Recommended by Leonhart and Xshu
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Squall/Rinoa, Seifer/Quistis. Set 5 years after the events of the game. Rinoa fled from Garden 2 years ago, charged with Ellone's murder and of treason to Garden. Squall, now Quistis' parody of a "husband", has the task of hunting and killing the sorceress he still loves. Seifer, his rival, will help him in his quest for truth and redemption.
- Comments: Full of romance and angst... Not usually my taste in fiction, but this one made me feel for the characters and has a good plot. Not for the faint of heart.
After the Fall
by Ashbear- Recommended by Sydhighwind
- Status: Dormant, possibly discontinued.
- Synopsis: After a near-death experience and a breakup that happened two years before, Squall finds himself doing everything he can to right his wrongs, win back the woman he loves, mend bridges, and find himself—all while trying to find the man who shot him. Squall/Rinoa, of course, with some Selphie/Irvine and Zell/OC.
- Comments: Clocking in at a whopping 90 chapters and nearly 615,000 words, it’s well worth the read. Despite this it’s currently all but abandoned, and according to the author’s Facebook updates she may not be ever coming back to it due to issues within her personal life, concerns with her mental health and generally outgrowing the fandom.
A World of Difference
and its sequels Worldly Secrets and Worldly Prisoners- Recommended by Milarqui
- Status:
- A World of Difference: Complete
- Worldly Secrets: Complete
- Worldly Prisoners: Dead
- Crossover with Harry Potter
- Synopsis: Harry Potter is a 5-year-old kid that, after his Aunt insults him, runs away from home and wishes to be sent to some other place. An eclipse happens in that moment, and he is whisked away to a new world, where he will become a great soldier.
- Comments: Follows the storylines of both the Harry Potter (up to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) and Final Fantasy VIII. Odin appears as a sort of wizard that travels between worlds. Harry becomes a warrior that is able to use both FFVIII magic and wizard magic. It features a very interesting story, one that even adds to the game.
- Sadly, the series has been declared dead/discontinued, the author citing "lack of inspiration" - though what is up is surprisingly good. Said author also currently has a very active Bleach fanfic updating as well.
Mercenaries
by Pied Flycatcher- Recommended by The Tambourine Man
- Status: Complete
- Pairings: Squall/Rinoa, Seifer/Yuffie, Cloud/Tifa, One-sided Wedge/Tifa
- Synopsis: A crossover with VII. When Cloud Strife is taken to Galbadia, he is forced into a job he swore never to do again. His mission? To assassinate Sorceress Rinoa. Squall won't be pleased about that…
- Comments: A very good story with an engrossing plot. The characterization is mostly good, though Seifer gets the leather pants treatment.
