justira

@ff_press: [FFVI] justira: Edgar portrait (G)

Daily Doodle: Thank you all for your awesome feedback on Larsa! Really helping me figure this likeness business out =D

Today! Today I decided to torture myself. I am actually really, really terrible at getting an exact likeness out of my head and into a drawing (read: look forward to more attempts). And I don't think I've ever before attempted a realistic-ish version of an established character that doesn't already have a realistic-ish render or something like. So this was an adventure. This doesn't really look like I imagine him in my head, but I'm hoping it's at least identifiable.

I'm putting up both versions, just for fun. Please feel free to share your own interpretations and/or make suggestions! =D Thanks to lassarina for catching a problem and for suggestions after my first version!
Time: ~30 mins for the first version, then about 3-4 mins of adjustments

( Daily Doodle: FFVI - Edgar )

@ff_press: [Recs] justira: 5 fics, 2 arts (FFI, FFIV, FFVI, FFVIII, FFX-2, FFXII)

I'm having a terrible week and DOINK! signups are on! SO what time is it? That's right! FFEX reccing time! Behold the amazing things FFEX has brought forth! DOES IT MAKE YOU WANT TO JOIN THE PARTY OR WHAT. You can learn about the exchange at ff_exchange or ff_exchange /shameless plug

But seriously, I never cease to be delighted by the amazing things people have made. Have some recs =)


[Art] FFI - Sunset hobbies (Red Mage, Black Mage, White Mage) by tlc010
Rating | Warnings: G, no warnings
Notes: FFEX 2007 Gift for admiral_j — Red Mage/Black Mage/White Mage. Mixed genders, please, and avoid 8-Bit Theater as inspiration. Beyond that, go nuts
Squee: Straight up: One of my favourite pieces of FF art EVER. And it's for an early, underloved game, no less! This thing has probably been recced all over the place and seen by everyone but I DON'T CARE because it deserves the attention and if anyone missed it they need to see it immediately. Besides the incredible quality of the art, I love that the artist flipped the usual genders for white and black mages — male white mage! female black mage! LITTLE BABY CHICOBO. The costume designs are excellent; they really feel like something people might actually wear and travel and go adventuring in. The lighting is amazing, and I adore the red mage doing his wood-carvy thing in the background. Not enough hearts in the world.


[Fic] FFIV - Under Fire (Rydia) by stealth_noodle
Rating | Warnings: PG, spoilers through the Feymarch
Notes: FFEX 2009 Gift for sister_coyote — Rydia. Rydia delights me with her strength, her courage and her spirit. Anything that highlights her personality would make me very happy, whether it was Rydia on an adventure or just a slice-of-life piece. I'm a sucker for Rydia/Edge, but pairing is not necessary; gen would also be fine, or friendship-fic with just about anyone. 6,940 words
Summary: With the aid of her Eidolons, Rydia makes a perilous journey across the Underworld to reunite with her friends.
Squee: This is all Rydia, Rydia and eidolons, and the Rydia is perfect; exactly as I could imagine her being at this point in her life. Young but full of arcane knowledge, a little uncertain but endlessly brave, stubborn and smart and surer of the eidolons than she is of people. The prose here rolls comfortably along with a great voice and really amazing little pearls of simile and imagery; there are individual personalities and quirks for each of the eidolons; and as a bonus there is even some meta! But mostly it is the story of Rydia re-emerging, and it is wonderful.


[Fic] FFVI - Dissolution (Edgar/Sabin) by seventhe
Rating | Warnings: NC17. Spoilers for Figaro and twin storyline. Twincest, questionable consent, sex between minors (they're 17). As the aithor says, this story rolled in a pile of wrong. And it's glorious.
Notes: FFEX 2009 Gift for wounded_melody — Edgar x Sabin; first time, perhaps a bit of dub con or very heavy persuasion. 27,000 words
Summary: The death of a king, the future of a country, and the bond between two brothers: the story of how Edgar let Sabin go.
Squee: Okay, uh. I am pretty much guaranteed to re-rec this thing a million times because it's JUST THAT AWESOME. The author has done an AMAZING job fleshing out these characters and their history. This is undoubtedly a shipping story, but it's also a story about grief, and growing up, and it's one of those rare shiptastic stories that I'd happily push on anyone (who's not squicked by the warnings) because it stands on its own as an amazing story, period. Both Edgar and Sabin are handled excellently here, complex and whole and so painfully young and angry. They both feel real and three-dimensional and complicated — and funny. Watching Edgar try to logic his way out of the mess is... kind of heartbreaking and hilarious at once. The various warned-for things are handled so well, too — the twincest is some of the finest I've read, ever, with all the wrong wrong wrong intact and delicious. The punch at the end is satisfying and sad and a perfect ending-that's-also-a-beginning.


[Art] FFVIII - Sunset (Quistis) by darthneko
Rating | Warnings: G, no warnings or spoilers.
Notes: FFEX 2009 Chocobo Down — FFVIII: Quistis, and the ocean, with her feet in the sand. Happy, calm and still, with or without company (Xu, Seifer, Irvine or, perhaps, Rinoa) in the background. Either alone or being watched, from her perspective or the watcher's. Additional Prompts: Coral shells, homecoming, wind in her hair, seeing the dawn and/or seeing sunsets (figurative or literal in either case).
Summary: Surf, sand, wind and the scent of home
Squee: There are so many things I love about this! The mood, atmosphere, colours — peaceful without being delicate; serene and lovely and strong. The strength is really what gets me here — Quistis looks tough and competent just standing there; I love her powerful shoulders and the gently emphasized musculature — she's a soldier and it shows. And yet there's something slightly vulnerable and far-away in her stance, her face. I love it.


[Fic] FFVIII - Colour Coded (Ellone/Quistis, Ellone/Rinoa) by temples
Rating | Warnings: PG for dark imagery, spoilers through late in the game
Notes: FFEX 2009 Moogle Fluff — FFVIII, Ellone, Rinoa, and/or Quistis, meta about magic, blue magic, and their connection to each other in the grand scheme. 670 words
Summary: She'd never admit it, but darkness calls louder than light.
Squee: I love the quiet intensity here, the strength of the imagery and how much comes across in such a short piece. It's dark and I love it, how Quistis and Rinoa's magics are presented differently, how each is viewed through the lens of Ellone's own abilities. The meta here is great, too, without overwhelming Ellone's presence. And, of course, I will love a story if it's Bechdel Central. This is rich without being overpowering, short but substantial.


[Fic] FFX-2 - Persistence of Memory (Paine/Nooj) by renay
Rating | Warnings: G, spoilers left right and centre
Notes: FFEX 2009 Gift for owlmoose — Paine/Nooj, their first kiss. Funny and awkward, or thoughtful and angsty, or leaping on each other like crazed voles, or a little bit of all three: it's all good. 24,000 words
Summary: Paine and Nooj went their separate ways, but when a mutual friend and shared industry bring them back together, they must work side by side and face their respective truths of an unfriendly parting.
Squee: Okay so, I don't really care if you like the main pairing (Paine/Nooj) at all — this needs to be read for the meta alone. Spheres! Spheres spheres spheres, pyrefly meta everywhere. This is possibly the most unique take on spheres I've yet seen. Well, okay, I lied earlier — there is also excellently drawn-out UST, and politics— politics aplenty. I really love Paine here, prickly but vulnerable, smart and capable and slowly opening up. I love how everyone was affected by Shuyin, what traces that leaves for all of them, how Nooj deals with it, how Paine deals with Nooj dealing with it. And man, when all of it comes to a head in the end, Paine and Nooj's conversation/encounter just kind of took my breath away. Hearts.


[Fic] FFXII - Necrohol (Basch, Fran) by alimond
Rating | Warnings: G, many many spoilers
Notes: FFEX 2009 Gift for gunshou — Fran and Basch. Outsiders, running away, sibling issues. Maybe awkward campfire conversations - both tend to be silent if not spoken to or offering guidance. Definitely a fascination with physical appearance. 1,181 words
Summary: We all carry secrets in our hearts. In some cases, those secrets are other people.
Squee: I love this series of short vignettes — the imagery here, the writing is powerful without being flowery or overwhelming. It's a kind of very direct and unadorned poetry; there are a number of phrases here that just punched me right in the gut. Simple but so, so effective. I love the insights into Fran and Basch here, their similarities, their differences. The mention of Fran and consumption versus discovery hit me especially hard, but I love all such moments in this story. Possibly one of my favourite takes on the two of them together.




=D

@ff_press: [FFVI] justira: Calm Before... (Cyan) (G)

Daily Doodle: Guys, I like this one enough that I not only gave it a NAME but I am also posting a CLOSE-UP of my favourite part as the preview.

HO HO.

It's still totally a doodle and very rough, but I actually really like how his face especially came out. I seem to be kicking off another potential theme week -- something about underloved characters or old dudes or something. I was looking at various katana-related pose refs and there were plenty with more movement but this pose caught my eye -- I felt like it could fit Cyan, in a moment of just calm determination. I really like Cyan, and I wanted to show him... ready but still.

I still can't draw katanas (or weapons in general) for balls, though.

Anyway, my favourite part is definitely his face. I made up his armour (I am told this is just what one DOES with older, Amano-only FFs). And um. That's that? Crit's always welcome, I promise I'm working on my replies!
Time: lost track -- 1 hour maybe? less, I think. Call it 45 mins.





( Daily Doodle: FFVI - Calm Before... (Cyan) (G) )