It really says something when a fanfic writer has so many stories on his plate that he has enough of
a certain genre to warrant its own page.
- At least some of James' stories that involve romance are bound to give you warm fuzzies at some point. Special mention goes to...
- The Lockhart-Thorndyke series in its entirety. To elaborate, James made four stories that center around Tifa Lockhart adopting Chris Thorndyke as her son.
- The first story
has Tifa meeting Chris crying under a tree shortly after losing his parents to Sephiroth. Not only does she feel bad for the poor kid, not only does she want to adopt him, but when Sephiroth comes back to finish the job, Tifa goes full Mama Bear and fights Sephiroth off (as in, stabbing him with his own blade) before he could, which doubles as a Moment of Awesome. - In the second story, titled "The Search For Helen", Tifa introduces Chris to her boyfriend Cloud, with whom she shares some very romantic moments with. Shortly after, all three of them go on a quest to find Helen, Chris' friend and Implied Love Interest who went missing since the day his parents died. After a long journey, they eventually find her (walking just fine in this version), having narrowly escaped Sephiroth, and introduce her to Chris' new family.
- Released some time later was an Interquel "Tifa's Acrobatics Show For Chris". To cheer up Chris after he couldn't help but think about how much he misses his parents, Tifa shows off her gymnastic skills for him.
- Even "EXE's Game of Terror", arguably the scariest story of the bunch, has Tifa's motherly instincts as a major plot point yet again when Sonic.exe... invites them to a game, for lack of a better term, and has a... particular interest in Chris. Not having any of it, Tifa moves heaven and Earth to take the monster down and save her adopted son.
- There's also an Immediate Sequel, "Dolphin Riding at The Seaside", where Chris rides a dolphin after he and his adopted mother save another beached baby dolphin.
- "Happy Halloween Time" lives up to its name, as Tifa, Cloud, and Chris go trick-or-treating in their Halloween costumes with no monsters to bother them... and even when it seemed like EXE has come back, it was actually Aerith Gainsborough.
- "New Year's Fun and Rainbows" has Tifa and Chris reminisce about the times they had together throughout 2023. Then they do cartwheels together, and set off the fireworks with Cloud and Aerith.
- Chris and Tifa relax together in hot tub in "Steam Pool Bathtime", with Cloud later joining in.
- Chris and Tifa ride a motorcycle the latter bought in "Family Motorcycle Rides".
- In "Octopus Beach", Chris and Tifa have fun at the beach yet again, eventually encountering an octopus. Don't worry, though; the octopus ends up being friendly, and even though they can't keep it as a pet, they'll remember how friendly it was (Tifa's words, not ours).
- in "The Talking Lion Wolf", Chris and Tifa meet Red XIII, another character from the Final Fantasy franchise. He was nothing but amicable to them, and after the story's problem is taken care of, he basically becomes their pet, unlike the octopus from the last story.
- After Chris has a nightmare in "Midgar Nightmare" that involves a House Fire, monsters, and his adoptive parents dying as well, said parents comfort their child once he wakes up.
- The premise of "Where's Cloud?" is a nice, simple game of hide-and-seek as Chris and Tifa look for Cloud.
- Many people wished Axol didn't have to die in the Genesis Arc, and that Axol and Melony had excellent chemistry. To that end, James made "When Axol Proposed to Melony", where Axol not only survives the previously mentioned events thanks to Melony, but also... well, you know.
- If you didn't like how "If Mario Was The Last Man On Earth" ended, "After Mario Was The Last Man On Earth" follows it up with a proper reconciliation between both Mario and his friends.
- "Farewell, Meta Runner (& Theo)". As hinted by the title, this story serves as a conclusion to Meta Runner, released after the final episode. It puts heavy focus Tari and Theo's almost mother-son bond as they say goodbye to each other and promise to see each other again someday.
- The bond Scooby-Doo and Harley Quinn form in "Scooby Doo & Harley Quinn: Unlikely Prison Escape Allies". Scooby doesn't even hold any mistrust towards the long-suffering "girlfriend" of The Joker.
- "Alternate Destinies -Mario and Meggy's Victory" concludes with pretty much what you would expect, but the fond farewell between Mario, Meggy, and her old team is quite touching.
- "A Brand-New Day" serves as a story celebrating the SMG4 gang's victory over Lawyer Kong in The Lawsuit Arc, and it's as wholesome as you can imagine.
- Meggy's joyous reaction upon being told by the Squid Sisters that her team has what it takes to be in Splatfest in "SplatSquad vs Team Blue: One Legendary Turf Match-Up".
- One of the many Christmas stories James wrote for 2022 was "Santa Dedede Comes To Town", where King Dedede fulfills the role of Santa Claus and delivers toys to all the boys and girls. After the dark and gory Twisted Christmas story "Dedede's Santa Stew", it's definitely nice to see Dedede doing Santa's job in earnest. Doesn't hurt that he looks the part, for fairly obvious reasons.
- Another 2022 Christmas story worth noting is "Meggy and Desti: Penguin Hanukah", where Meggy and Desti get the lost penguin back to his mama. And unlike the penguin in "Little Penguin Lost", this one is not hostile to them.
- Basically what James does with Senbo in his fanfics and drawings, or at least the ones that take place after Saiko Rocks, where he was the main antagonist. After getting apprehended by the police and losing his girlfriend for his actions, several stories focus on him trying to leave the past behind and live a normal life... he's still just a kid, after all. Not only that, he was shown to be more sociable in James' stories than he ever was in Saiko Rocks. For just a few examples, he has a heart-to-heart conversation with the ever-motherly Karen in "Senbo's Starbucks Visit", gets an autograph from Captain Cuttlefish in "If Senbo Was In Splatoon", competes for his team (and wins) in "Senbo's Turf War", hangs out with the Mario Bros. in "Christmas Hangout with Senbo", and mourns the loss of Peach's Castle in "A Visit To The Ruins". The author of Saiko Rocks has voiced his approval of these stories.
- If you ever wondered what it would be like if Senbo and Aibo could have continued their relationship and were on good terms with the SMG4 crew, look no further than "Fireworks of Love".
- "Everybody Lives and Not Everyone Is Perfect" is pretty self-explanatory. Taking place very soon after the events of It’s Gotta Be Perfect, SMG4's friends give him some reassurance and comfort as he resolves to build a new castle for them, and SMG4 himself is relieved that, like with The Lawsuit Arc, no one died this time.note The fic leaves Peach's fate ambiguous, but we would later find out that she's still alive... though she does get turned into a monster much later on.
- "The Octo-Human From Another World" has Meggy meeting a human Desti from another universe; a universe where their roles as the one who turned human and the one who didn't make it are reversed. They are overjoyed to see each other and catch up on the adventures they had in their worlds. After defeating Dark Squid and the girls have to go back to their worlds, they promise to see each other again someday.
- Axol appearing as a ghost to congratulate Meggy on her graduation in "Meggy's Ghostly Post Graduation Reunion". And here's the drawing that goes with the story.
- Not only does Meggy get to meet her idol Oneshot Wren in "The Champion's Challenge", but he also congratulates her for beating him at the end, as well as giving her other encouraging words.
- Sally Acorn comforting Meggy in...well, "Comforting Meggy" after the traumatic events of the Anime Arc.
- Desti fighting on Meggy's team in "Our Splatfest Destiny" is sweet enough if you enjoy fans writing about a nicer version of the character (that's still alive in another universe, of course), but after they defeat DJ Octavio, he shares a moment with his daughter (at least in this continuity).
DJ Octavio: I suppose I’m being a little too harsh.
Desti: Don’t be, father. It’s just a game, and I still love you.
DJ Octavio: I still love you as well, daughter. Enjoy your time with your friends.
Desti: See you next weekend, dad.
- Most of "Planet of Teletubbies" is Susan and The Doctor bonding with the Teletubbies after landing in their world via the TARDIS; getting to know them and having tea with them. All of it is charming to read, and even the Last Note Nightmare doesn't seem too out of place.
- One of James' original stories, "The Hideous Lake Terror", has a sweet ending. After the monster is defeated by the brave teenage couple Mat and Trista, and the camp caretaker Bren, we get a surprising reveal. Bren is Mat's father, and Mat himself was born at the camp where the story takes place. Bren sent Mat and his mother away to protect them from the monster, and now that it's gone, they can have a nice campout and be a family once again.
- "Seaside Love" ends with Joel and Mina keeping a baby octopus company until they find its mother, with Mina convincing Joel to do so after some brief tension when it was touching her leg.
