Fic, FFXII --Vayne/Ashe

[mithrigil]

Title: Goodwill to the Soldier, the Widow, the Child
Author: mithrigil
Fandom: Final Fantasy XII
Characters: Ashe and Vayne, with appearances from Raminas, Drace, and Gramis
Rating: NC-17 twice over.
Wordcount: 5700.
Prompt: Forced marriage.
Warnings: AU-The prologue happened but not the Prelude. Rasler is dead, and Nabudis is fallen-but the losses

Comments

[mariagoner]

You really are utterly brilliant at writing these utterly dysfunctional relationships, did you know that? Your depiction of these two is absolutely hellish... but the way you paint that hell almost makes it one that seems worth inhabiting... or at least watching from a remove. And your Ashe is so wonderful at refusing to be a victim and marching on despite whatever obstacles she faces. It's the most frighteningly badass things I've read so far in the fandom!

[mithrigil]

I would say, in terms of dysfucntion, that I write what I know, but then all we know these days is dysfunction. ::grins::

Thank you.

[lindenleaves]

Oh holy god.

Where do I start? Well, I'm pretty sure you know how I feel about your Vayne. And, goddammit, both Ashe/Drace and Ashe/Vayne were pairings that made me go, "Wait, what?" at first, and now I have major weaknesses to both, and that's pretty much all you.

And the references to Chrysalis oh god I love it so hard. (And Vossler as "my Captain," and that whole extended speech of hers at the end, and power dynamics and I want to take Ashe's rhetoric, make it a human being, and marry it.) And skirts and orchards and Archadian practicality and "None of these things will happen" and... just yes.

[mithrigil]

Well, yes, then!

I as thinking of this as Schwanengesang when I wrote it, the same way I thought of Of Reconstruction as Schwanengesang, just both with different outcomes. So, the references to Chrysalis and Vossler and past betrothals and Ashe's rings.

The chocobo-fucking, though, that's all .

I also think that Ashe refers to Vossler as my Vossler as much to piss Vayne off as anything else.

Not the usual response for a het_challenge comm? ;p

[zombie_fetus]

So, I'm reading this and I'm thinking: "She wouldn't actually write it...or maybe...could it be...YES, YES SWEET CUPCAKES OF HEAVEN-"

"Of becoming you."

And I kind of died a little at the swift undermining of the concept BUT. SO CLOSE, I AM SLAIN REGARDLESS! I'm not quite sure what I can offer to you to write Ashe/Drace, but I am just this side of trying. Hanging from the precipice with a knife at my neck!

Anyway, I'm going to read through this again later (properly and with less incoherent fangirling) and finish my poorly discarded lunch. XD

Re: Not the usual response for a het_challenge comm? ;p

[mithrigil]

Hee. If I'd done it, it might be one or two orgasms too many. Hee. But you're right, that was very manipulative of me.

I'll write it. Now that I have firmly established it as in fanon for this 'verse, I will write it.

Re: Not the usual response for a het_challenge comm? ;p

[shahrizai]

plz to have Drace/Ashe/Gabranth, or at least the repercussions of Drace doing Ashe and Gabranth at the same time? Or is she not with Gabranth in this fanon?

[lassarina]

*squeals*

I loved the snippet of this you had, and I love the expanded version even more. Also, Ashe/Drace wins. Also I love the imagery of heat and cold in here and I especially love their clothes in the first sex scene, and how they're wrapped not just in clothes but in expectations and politics and the weight of the mail and the gown equating to the baggage of years' worth of negotiations.

I also like the sandrat/darkhair insults, because it reminds me of that one battle in FF Tactics (which caused me to quit the game entirely the first two times...) And, maybe it's just the word southron, but this makes me think of what would happen when Martell weds Lannister.

So much awesome.

[mithrigil]

because it reminds me of the one battle in FF Tactics

Heee, precisely~

And yes, years worth of negotiations, wrapped around these two--one who wants everything for the world and another who only wants freedom and both of them bound up in everything else. Colonial rhet, yup yup.

[lassarina]

The re-release of Tactics is on Tuesday! That sound you hear is me squealing in anticipatory glee XD

Ashe reminds me a bit of Arya Stark, since I was on the subject of Ice & Fire.

[mithrigil]

If GRRM was cool with fic I would totally write the AU where Arya, not Sansa, wound up betrothed to Joffrey.

[shahrizai]

You are a goddess. You handled this cliche in a way that was realistic, that few fic writers get right. You handle the nuances and the truths of a historical arranged marriage perfectly and divide sex from love without having to use rape or physical abuse. That is so hard to get right in a fic, but you nailed it (*snerk*).

I really love the dysfunctional, fun-to-read-about-but-would-be-horrific-in-RL pairings, and you've made a little dream come true.

This was truly one of the highlights of my day - I started reading it in the morning but had to go to work halfway through it. :/

[mithrigil]

This compliment is flattering like you wouldn't believe. Thank you.