Reader reviews

Grading Scale (by d_Galloway):
*****: Perfection. The end.
****: Great, but not perfect.
***: Okay.
**: Average or lacking.
*: I printed this so I could burn it.

Note that you don't have to rate the fic like that if you don't want to.

While 'Castles in the Sky' didn't possess the scope of 'Crimson Lies', it certainly holds the depth. If you don't like heavy romance stories, steer clear of this one, 'cause that's what your going to get. It was a compelling tale of renewed love, and never descends into the needlessly mushy.

It is written in third person, and penned in the talented style that is uniquely Ashbear. It was vitually free of spelling and grammar errors, a unfortunate rarity in fanfiction.

Overall, this is one of the webs best, and I urge anyone interested in Final Fantasy VIII fanfiction to give it a go. Don't be daunted by its length, it will hold you all the way through.

According to StarStorm:

**** 1/2
I've never played FF8, but I have read enough FF8 fanfiction to understand.

This is very good, and if Ashbear has any other stories like this, I want them. She touches on Rinoa's problems quite sensitively (for a lack of a better word), and gives a serious moral in the story. That said, she has a blend of romance and naughty humor that I like.



The Clock Tower by d_Galloway

According to Starstorm:

****
Now, I've never played Clock Tower (And I should from the looks of this), outside of the fact that horror tends to seriously repel me.

This is actually pretty good, all considering. A massive spoiler, but anyways... I do like d_Galloway's writing style, and this makes for an interesting read.



Don't come into this Coffee Shop by Akuo

According to d_Galloway:

***
REALLY stupid, but in a good way. I always knew villains couldn't stand to be around each other for more than a few minutes anyway. That, and the last sentence is so, so true.



Death Beyond Death by LunarCry

According to CalebNova:

****
This is a beautifully written FFVIII fanfic, centring around Rinoa, and putting an imaginative slant on the whole battle at the end of the game. It's almost poetic in structure, and well worth taking time out to read it through.



Enter A Warmage by StarStorm:

According to Pokefreak_85:

****½
(It's better than great, but not really perfect (and that's good because when the perfect fic arrive, it will really be THE END))



Final Fantasy III: The Movie by Nell:

According to Samwise Gamgee:

I liked it, and the basic idea was good, except I didn't like where the charecters ended up. :( Cyan would not have become king of Doma. People like him do not become kings. I think, if anything--No, I won't share that, since i am working on a fanfic with that subject..........But he would have either found a new master or drifted.........I can't think of what he is called...........And Celes at the Opera house? Just my ideas. Great fic, though!



The Game by Mr. Saturn

According to d_Galloway:

**
Take an old idea of the bad guy's coming back. Now take the old idea of the heroes from different games going to slay the villains. Mix them together, and you have this fic. Although a few moments made me smile, it wasn't really that good all-around.



How Ironic by Ersatz Sobriquet

According to Neb:

****1/2
My favourite out of all fanfics- gripping, well-written, easy on the brain.



The Janus Saga (i.e. Magus Quest, Another Life, A Look On Another One (not yet posted, but soon)) by Weiila

According to Pokefreak_85:

****½
(It's better than great, but not really perfect (and that's good because when the perfect fic arrive, it will really be THE END))



Magus's Quest by Weiila

According to d_Galloway:

****
It's great how Weiila didn't end with Magus finding Schala, like so many other fics. However, sometimes it seemed to be rambling on, and the whole "Birth of a Magus" is too common nowadays. All in all, a great read. (Note: This was also the first fanfic I ever read at RPGClassics!)



Misunderstanding by Lady Aliena

According to Neb:

***1/2
Another odd couple one- interesting and well written, but not quite 4-star material. 3.5's not bad, though.



The Mox saga by d_Galloway

According to Valkyrie Esker:

****
It's a great story, but sometimes it gets a little nhard to follow.



PuPu's Saga by Jeremy Chapter

According to LunarCry:

****1/2
The innovative ideas in this fic really blew me away! The whole idea of the GFs being sentient and not just over-extravagant 'spells' is one I'll carry with me to the grave. The whole thing is really well-written and each character is explored fully. My only problem with the fic is that sometimes it tends to drag on a little, and though I'm usually an attentive reader, my attention began to wander a little through some chapters. Most of it, however, is shaping up to be an excellent story.





Scenes from a Parallel Universe by KaiserVonAlmasy
According to Heather G:

****
I just started reading "PuPu's Saga" (I'm on Chapter 8), but thus far I'm enjoying this tale so much more than I even expected. I bonded with these characters during the course of game-play, and having a follow-up story explore their personalities and lives on an even deeper level satisfies the part of me that plays RPGs solely for character-driven story. I was sad to leave the SeeDs I'd grown to love after the battle with Ultimecia, and Jeremy's story has let me return for an extended visit.
The only downside at this point are the chapters focusing on PuPu. They're written in a rather dry format, and I find myself skipping right past them to get back to the chapters written in prose. However, there're enough of the latter to make this story well worth the time. It's even piqued my interest in Irvine, who was my least favorite character! Now that's a feat!

According to Ersatz Sobriquet:

*****
One of THE best "comedie's" I've ever read in my LIFE! Well, yeah.. umm, yeah, life. This story is simply great. I could NOT stop laughing as all the characters were introduced and I immedially understood why he choose to have the characters act the way that they did. Either exploiting what was already mentioned, or going completely opposite of what was done. If only some characters would go into solioquey's.

Did I mention that this is a scirpt story? And FINALLY, one that's actually written LIKE a script is suppose to be, and does it very well. From the rants to Rinoa about THE MAN oppressing people, to Squall bustin' out some ill rhymes, you can not stop laughing. And even when the story does slow down a bit to catch up with the story, it last for, what, two minutes. VERY fine read, and HIGHLY encoraged, though it is unfinished.


According to LunarCry:

A definite ***** ^__^
I think all the ideas in here are really original. You can almost imagine it being a sort of soap opera, and the changes of the characters' personalities are great. I'm a huuuuge Squall fan, and after reading the first few lines of his entrance into the fic, I was crying with laughter. Perhaps it's the shock factor? I don't know, but if ain't broke, don't fix it! A brilliantly entertaining read overall. All it needs is for one of the characters to break out in song, and KaiserVonAlmasy has a classic play/musical on his hands ^^


According to Neb:

****
The ultimate headtrip. Gone completely barmy. Daft.



So I Pulled by Ersatz Sobriquet

According to Neb:

****
Same as How Ironic ("My favourite out of all fanfics- gripping, well-written, easy on the brain.") only slightly less so (don't know why)



The Strangest of Friends and To Absent Friends... by LunarCry

According to Neb:

****
These are very well written, usually, in fanfics, Selphie is portrayed as just the hyperactive teenager bouncing up and down randomly in the background, but these fics do a great job of really fleshing out her character and getting deep into her. "To Absent Friends" is probably my favourite of the two, very bittersweet in places, but throughly enjoyable throughout.



Ties of Blood by scott baird

According to Izlude:

*****
This fic enthralles me by first, of course, by adding a new page into my favorite epic, Final Fantasy Tactics. The main character, Candon Oaks, is an excellent character as he is going against Ramza, the protagonist in the game, for his heresy. It is quite an interesting twist to add in a new character who can be both antagonistic and protagonistic at the same time. It makes it very hard to choose sides in this story. The plotline is also spectacular. It fits so nicely into the flow of the game that it could be flawlessly been incorporated into the original gameplay and provide an amazing twist to the story. Also, the story tells the events from the game perfectly, and makes it easy to understand even if you did not play the game. The story shows tips of suspense, with the beginnings of villianous characters that promote an ominous feel. Also, probably the biggest reason of all I am a fan of this fic, is that even when there isn't any battle action, I am still compelled to read further. Most fanfics I have read that take part of a Final Fantasy or other rpg just simply get tiring. But scott has made it so intruiging and stunning that I cannot stop reading. I do hope everyone will read this enticing story and feel the same way about it as I do. And scott, keep up the good work, your writing is masterful.



Val's Bedtime Story by Jo the Mighty

According to Valkyrie Esker:

****
I can't believe someone submitted a bedtime story I told them to tell me! It's nicely written, and a different story than most.



What about Nida? and Where You'll Be by Lady Aliena

According to Lunarcry:

A collective ****
Nida's one of my favourite minor characters, and it was so nice to see him actually getting somewhere. The fics struck a perfect balance between the humour and the reality of the situation, so you could still sympathise with the characters and the storyline was believable. I really enjoyed them both (I'm on a companion-fic-trip at the moment ^^).



The World Goes to Hell and it's All Locke's Fault by Cody and Charles Farone

According to d_Galloway:

*
Well, I actually liked this for the most part. It's brand of silliness was rather familiar, yet somehow good enough to make you roll around laughing. Basically, Locke comes to conclusion that he is the hand of God, and soon degenerates into complete insanity. So, it's up to the heroes to save the day.

Now why did it recieve one star? There was one single line that ruined it for me, as well as creating a deep, personal hatred for the author:

"Damn Sierra!" Ultros cursed. "Not only are 99% of their games crap, but you can't even dump them to fire a superlaser!"

Anyone who says Sierra is crap deserves to die a slow, painful death. Especially when you consider that they were talking about the King's Quest series. Now, I won't turn this into a defense for Sierra: I'm just simply showing how easily I am angered. Be careful in the future.


According to Robo_Hobo:

*****
I dissagree with Gallo, it was funny. VERY. "I am the hand of god!"

Maintained by:

TrkJac

d Galloway