Tales of the Abyss/Fanfic Recs

Proof that the remaining 10% is worth dying for here:

These are recommendations made by Tropers for Tales of the Abyss, 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 homosexual or non-canon territory. Some people just don't like it, and as we all know, Shipping is Serious Business.

Authors, and Websites
Laryna6
 * Recommended by bluradic
 * This writer has quite a few Tales of the Abyss storied under their belt. Their writing consists of stories or oneshots exploring "what ifs" of the storyline. Laryna6 portrays all of the characters very well and never once did I feel that story was ridiculous or the characters ooc. These stories are possibly some of the best fanfiction I've ever read. They explore the implications of the plot in a logical yet creative manner. Another plus would be that Laryna6 tends to finish their fics even if it takes a while to update.

General Fics
''Stories focused on the family and the friendly relationships of the cast. Plot-focused stories or light day-in-the-life stories. Pretty much anything that isn't focused on romance.''

Reflections by darkangel_mya(AU)
 * Recommended by Tru Reader
 * Synopsis: A Tales of the Abyss fic about how things could have turned out if someone else had been present in Luke's life growing up.
 * Comments: Pitch perfect writing and wonderfully written tale for not only fans of the game and anime, but for newcomers as well. Expertly re-writes the story as if it were her own. Highly recommended. Now complete.
 * Now has a starving trope page

Nezach by Meimi no Kage(AU)
 * Recommended by Tru Reader
 * Synopsis: When one man's insanity goes too far, our heroes find themselves left picking up the pieces.
 * Comments: Written in less than a month, this story was definitely one of the most ambitious title to grace the site; fortunately this was done to perfection.

Phasis by Omniflyer(AU)
 * Recommended by Tru Reader
 * Synopsis: Jade decided to call it "duplicosis phasis." Luke decided he was tired of having it, but didn't know how to go about getting rid of it. The whole group decided to come together one more time to save both the world and their friend.
 * Comments: One of the best stories written with spot-on characterizations. Completed.

Solace by JereduLevenin
 * Recommended by Keltena
 * Synopsis: The night before Eldrant. Luke is near his breaking point. It looks like some soul-searching and a little heart-to-heart is in order, and Jade is ever the insightful one despite an evening at the bar.
 * Comments: Sad or even heartbreaking, but full of character development for both Jade and Luke; possibly the best fic exploring their relationship.

Tales of the Abyss - Warriors Under the Sun by MR_Leach
 * Recommended by Hollow_Ninja, Keltena
 * Synopsis: Takes place after the events of Tales of the Abyss. It takes place several years later, and focuses on new characters (the children of Abyss's cast). One of the major themes involves the treatment of the replicas and the replica spawn (children of replicas).
 * Comments: It's a comic, drawn manga-style. The dialogue is very well-written. The art is pretty good too. It's highly recommended, and honestly better than a lot of commercial manga I've read.
 * Keltena: Seconded wholeheartedly. Not only is the art of professional quality, but the story is well-written and does a great job of expanding on the original game's world and relationships post-game. The author's attention to detail is astonishing; it's a pity that the comic has been discontinued.

A List Of Hazardous Things by Mikomi's Pen
 * Recommended by Sylvia Viridian
 * Synopsis: A spoiler-free postgame one-shot involving a simple request from Anise and Jade's subsequent analysis of the situation at hand.
 * Comments: Really sweet and very IC, this fic shows off Jade and Anise's unique family-ish dynamic to great effect, and gives some nice perspective on what goes on inside Jade's head, and the difference between the things he feels internally and the way he expresses those feelings. Anise's mood-swinging and oddly innocent manipulative behaviors are also very well portrayed.

Shipping Fics
Stories focused on the romantic relationships between the cast.

Forested Situations by Picup
 * Recommended by Tru Reader
 * Synopsis: While making their way through a forest, Natalia falls ill. When the group splits up to gather materials for camp, they come to realize that they were closer to each other then expected.
 * Comments: Nicely written trilogy of stories, each focusing on a specific couple; two are romantic, and one is touching in the non-romantic sense. A good read.

A Missive to Him by Picup
 * Recommended by Tru Reader
 * Synopsis: She needed to tell him every thing before she left. All her life and emotion was going to be poured into this single piece of paper to him. And it wasn't just going to be a simple good bye...
 * Comments: For a Downer Ending story, this sure is written pretty well. Very engaging.

Untitled by http://sinestrated.livejournal.com/
 * Recommended by Axelseru
 * Synopsis: Ten years later, it's time to let go. Post Game, but without spoilers. Jade is slowly dying of an illness and Guy copes as best as he can.
 * Comments: A beatifully written tearjerking story featuring Jade/Guy. This story from Guy's POV in the second person, but it is very effective.