ღ - Same warnings as before! Pixiv needs an account, don't be an asshole about fanart.
ღ - ....so, I caught up on Glee. I have ~*feelings*~ about this show again. And a new ship that is only going to hurt me and yet I can't stop. Whyyyyyyy. orz
AND ONTO THE RECS:
Glee - 8 Fanfics
Fire Emblem - 2 Fanart
Final Fantasy XIII - 1 Fanart
Naruto - 2 Fanart
Sailor Moon - 1 Fanart
Tales of Vesperia - 1 Fanart
Glee: It Means No Worries by miggy - I was a little hesitant to click on this link, I'm not sure why, because I usually love oddball match-ups, maybe I just didn't think I was in the right headspace for Kurt and Brittany fic. But then I read it. And it's this gorgeous piece with the two of them and their odd sort of friendship, how the author plays with gender stereotypes just a little bit, but mostly writes two kids finding a connection with each other that you wouldn't maybe expect, which is one of the best things about this show, when it's on its game. But it's also how the author just nailed both their voices, how the serious moments were serious, how the funny moments were funny, how everything was perfectly timed. Fic like this is why I want to read more about Brittany forever. And why I want to read more about Kurt forever. And, also? A beautiful ending, which is the kind of ending that made me fall back in love with this whole show. And wish Kurt and Brittany's lasting friendship was totally real. ♥ (No real warnings/pairings.)
Glee: In Which Dave Karofsky Doesn't Come Out by SaltwaterGarden - I've been kind of teetering on the edge of what Kurt ship I land on, especially this one, because I'm not sure I trust the show, and yet... something kind of pulled at me a little. And then I stumbled over this fic. Which is a gorgeous look at Dave Karofsky that gives him this incredible depth of character without excusing his behavior, yet still taking him beyond it. It's a gorgeous look at his secret coming apart at the seams, no matter how hard he's tried to keep it together, and the people who are and aren't there for him as it happens. The voices are fantastic, they're spot-on to the characters and it's amazingly easy to see this playing out (if I trusted the show to do it this well, which I don't) and is that one fic that... you know how you can have that one fic that really convinces you of a ship and it kind of ruins you for any other take on the character that's not in that vague direction? This is one of those fics for me. I'm a little wary of how it's going to turn out (since it's only seven chapters so far) but it's so well-written and so gut-wrenching in all the right places and it's so damn engaging that I could not put it down this morning. Shit, I think this might be my ship. I am so doomed. And yet. This fic was totally, totally worth it. (This could be sort of gen, in a sense, but it could also be Karofsky/Kurt.)
Glee: Browser History by cruiscin_lan - I have missed Puck/Rachel (well, stealth Puck/Rachel) fic like this, even if it's a bit softer on Puck than maybe pre-series should have been, it's excellent for the way he shows that maybe he likes someone. By tormenting people who are kind of total creepers. I mean, any fic that has this line: He was, like, gay for Rachel Berry, or whatever. is automatically getting a gold star in my book. :Db (Puck/Rachel.)
Glee: living on lollipops and crisps by cruiscin_lan - This was a short piece, about Kurt getting the lead solo for once and practicing at home and the connection with his dad and his mother that's just. It's a beautiful little piece that says a lot without having to directly say it. It's a lovely look at Kurt and a snapshot of his every day life and his relationship with his father and music. It's just. A really nice little fic. (No warnings/pairings.)
Glee: FML by emocezi - So, I'm starting to fall for the Karofsky/Kurt ship (even when I know that canon is probably going to disappoint me on this) and then along comes this fic that's still a little awkward between them and hesitant and unsure of what precisely is going on here, but... there's potential between them. And Karofsky's kind of on the fence about it and wants to know if he has a shot and just. *handflail* I think this fic pushed me that much closer to wanting this. (Karofsky/Kurt.)
Glee: The Model Minority (Stereotype A) by lookninjas - So, I've been in love with the idea of Mike/Tina for ages. And then the show actually went there! And it was way more amazing and adorable than I could have ever hoped for! And then I read this fic! And it was pretty much the best thing ever. Mike Chang is a character that has only recently started getting some focus, so this fic adds even more depth to his character in a really fantastic way. I love the way it deals with him being an Asian kid at a school like WMHS and how hard he works to fit in and how the glee club sort of makes him want to be himself again. It's a brilliant look at the character on that level, but it's also a brilliant look at a normal teenager and a brilliant look at Mike Chang in particular, not to mention it's adorable and funny and, oh, the magic between Mike and Tina is amazing here. I actually had one of those kind of happy-flail moments at the end because they're so darling here and I love them so much and the writing was just so good. Each scene is lovely and perfect, each little moment of connection he has with various people (and I really liked the author's Matt as well) is fantastic. I can be happy with the state of Mike/Tina fic now. (Mike/Tina.)
Glee: untitled - part 1 + part 2 by anonmyous - Okay, I don't usually do anonfics for recs, but... well, I have a shiny new ship in this fandom and this was just too gorgeous a look at Dave Karofsky as a character and what I am pining for the show to do with him. It doesn't really make excuses for his behavior or have him be blind to how he knows Kurt will react or even why people react to him the way they do (which is especially lovely because it's not lingered on, but you get it) and yet also gives him depth and all these pent-up feelings and longing. And it kind of breaks my heart in the way it was designed to do so. (Karofsky/Kurt.)
Glee: Sing it Out by hoboshorts - I originally found this on the meme and, okay, so, apparently I'm still on the various memes because, goddammit, I'm deep enough into this ship that I needed porn. Or, well, I was willing to click on the link when I stumbled across it on delicious because porn sounded pretty good. And, boy, was it. (But then I found it on the comm! \o/) The image of Karofsky fucking Kurt at the ice rink while they both really want this and there's still that back and forth banter? That was something I never knew I needed as much as I did until I read this fic. And I love that it's about the hard porn, but it's also about how they interact as characters, and even a little about the potential for something deeper with Karofsky. But mostly it's about the super hot porn. And the one line that had me forced to pause in my reading because I was laughing too hard at its utter perfection. (Karofsky/Kurt, NC-17.)
- Fire Emblem - [ Pixiv Account ] - I admit, I had to go look up who Xane was after seeing art of him with Marth on this artist's account, but it wasn't hard to figure out and the art here is so pretty! The most current FE image of Xane and Marth is probably my favorite for those two, but the Abel/Cain image is pretty aces as well--the detail on it is kind of seriously amazing. *__* All of the art here is gorgeous, though, and reminds me just how much I loved that set of characters. ♥ (Maybe some Marth/Xane or Abel/Cain, but it could be pretty gen, too.) - Fire Emblem - [ Pixiv Account ] - I must admit that I've forgotten a lot of the names of the characters from this series/game, but, honestly, I mostly came here for the pretty Abel/Cain art. Seriously, there's even NSFW doujinshi samples and Abel/Cain in the grass and, okay, there's art of a lot of other characters as well, which is very nicely done as well. Hell, I wouldn't even say the focus is on either of them, just... they're what I came here for and what I was extremely happy to find here. I feel a little better about FE fandom after this. :D (Some Abel/Cain, some other.) - Final Fantasy XIII - [ Pixiv Account ] - I am frequently weak to a lot of things. Two of those are soft, almost pastel colors with the right characters and then adding adorable holiday art (Halloween in this case) on top of that. Sure, I came here for the super pretty Hope/Lightning art, which the artist provides very nicely, but I wound up liking absolutely everything here, pretty much. Even if I could have done without the pornier stuff of Vanille, there's also adorable Snow/Serah! I really enjoyed this artist's appreciation for the red/pink-haired characters, you can tell how much fun it was to color those images in particular, but, yeah. I'm totally going to be over the moon for the Hope/Lightning parts of the gallery. ♥ (Some Hope/Lightning, some gen. A little NSFW on some images.)
- Naruto - [ deviantART Account ] - I was browsing devART the other day and stumbled over this artist and their kind of amazing collection of Naruto Invince cards, which is a series of card images of the various characters (as well as an Akatsuki collection, too) all in various battle-ready poses and with some really amazing looking weapons, armor, and even summons/jutsu affects sometimes. The Kurenai one is one of my favorites for the really vivid, bright colors, but also the level of detail on it is kind of amazing. This artist... what I like is partly that each image looks fantastic, but as a collection of so many of them, it becomes even better. I love just HOW MANY this artist has done and how cool that makes it as an overall project! *___* (No real warnings/pairings.) - Naruto - [ Pixiv Account ] - I first came here for the gorgeous underwater Sasuke/Naruto image, but wound up staying for the awesome family art with Naruto and his parents, but also the fantastic Minato/Kushina art as well. Since I've been catching up on the manga, I've been falling back towards Naruto and Sasuke's dynamic and this artist provided me a nice fix for that, but also gave me a little variety on the other things I like in this fandom. It was one of those artist who might not have a lot of art in their gallery, but what's here is really interesting or really pretty and I would love to see more from them. *__* (Maybe some Sasuke/Naruto? Also some Minato/Kushina and some gen.) - Sailor Moon - [ Pixiv Account ] - I'm sure I've seen some of this artist's work before, I've followed the Sailor Moon art on Pixiv long enough to be aware of most major SM artists, but this one came to my attention all over again for the beautiful Sailor Venus image that's sort of an homage/reference to/parody of Panty from Panty & Stocking w/Garterbelt, which makes it kind of hilarious to go along with how beautiful it is. The rest of the artist's work is really cute, adorable stuff like Sailor Chibi Moon or cute little Hotaru or Chibi Moon and Black Lady, all of which is just really charming and really cute. The focus is definitely on Chibi-Usa with some bonus Minako and Hotaru, but there's occasionally other characters as well. But I like how the artist's use of lighter, almost pastel colors suits the characters she likes to draw, making for a really fun little artist to stumble over again. <3 (No real warnings/pairings.)&nbps; - Tales of Vesperia - [ Pixiv Account ] - Man, sometimes I'm a total sucker for Yuri/Estelle art. I mean, look how cute they are! And there's even one of Estelle wrapping a scarf around his neck and I am totally weak to cute stuff like that. The art might not be for everyone, but I really like the artist's soft colors, the pinks of Estelle's hair and dress especially work well with the artist's shiny coloring. Plus, there's cuteness and the kind of art that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, that's more than enough for me. ♥ (Yuri/Estelle.)