To Deliverance Or Doom.
A Final Fantasy XII Fran-backstory fic rec for you: Which Way Home, by Alorian. The summary is Fran leaves the Wood, and finds the Sky, and it is short and so beautiful, and it has a perfect, perfect Fran and Balthier. Fran in particular is so perfectly not human, and I was very impressed by the way the narrative captured her distinctive and difficult voice. This is one of those stories that leaves me sitting there and wishing I could write like that.
Something that really struck me about the introduction of Kingdom Hearts II in this playthrough: sometimes, when Roxas is particularly disoriented and upset, he'll stop and shout, 'Hayner! Pence! Olette!' And it's not as if he expects them to answer, but as if he's trying to ground himself. As if he's saying, 'I'm not going to lose myself in all this. This is who I am, and this is who my friends are.'
And he's wrong.
And it's heartbreaking.
HAYNER IS COLD TO SORA AT FIRST BECAUSE SOMETHING IS BUGGING HIM AND HE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT.
ROXAS' FRIENDS COME TO SEE SORA OFF AT THE STATION AND THEY DON'T KNOW WHY.
SORA CRIES WHEN HE'S SAYING GOODBYE TO THEM AND HE DOESN'T KNOW WHY.
THIS IS THE MOST UPSETTING GAME EVER CREATED.
Is there fanfiction set in the 'real' Twilight Town in which Hayner is constantly feeling vaguely dissatisfied, as if, say, he had a beloved friend in another reality who never actually existed? It would break my heart, but I want it anyway. And eventually he confides in Pence and Olette and discovers that he's not the only one who feels that their group is somehow incomplete, and in a way that's reassuring and in a way it just makes it worse.
Seriously, this is a game about the most cheerful boy in the universe running around the brightly-coloured settings of Disney films with Donald Duck and Goofy. It should not be this distressing. It should not make me feel more and more convinced that I am a horrible person with every step I force Roxas to take towards his ultimate fate. It shouldn't introduce beings that clearly have thoughts and feelings (look at Roxas! Look at Naminé! Look at Axel!), then brainwash the (adorable, cheerful, optimistic, determined-to-do-good) main character into believing they're empty shells and killing them without remorse. THIS IS THE DARKEST 'HAPPIEST GAME EVER' EVER.
One thing that did make me smile, though:
Pete: I AM GOING AROUND ALL THE WORLDS AND TURNING PEOPLE INTO MINDLESS SHADOW CREATURES FOR MY MISTRESS.
Goofy: You oughta find something nicer to do.
Oh, Goofy.
I appear to have a bizarre desire to read (or possibly write?) Seifer/Hayner fanfiction. I shouldn't, but I do. Perhaps it is because Hayner sort of vaguely reminds me of Zell? Perhaps it is just because they would be fighty and cute.
Something that really struck me about the introduction of Kingdom Hearts II in this playthrough: sometimes, when Roxas is particularly disoriented and upset, he'll stop and shout, 'Hayner! Pence! Olette!' And it's not as if he expects them to answer, but as if he's trying to ground himself. As if he's saying, 'I'm not going to lose myself in all this. This is who I am, and this is who my friends are.'
And he's wrong.
And it's heartbreaking.
HAYNER IS COLD TO SORA AT FIRST BECAUSE SOMETHING IS BUGGING HIM AND HE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT.
ROXAS' FRIENDS COME TO SEE SORA OFF AT THE STATION AND THEY DON'T KNOW WHY.
SORA CRIES WHEN HE'S SAYING GOODBYE TO THEM AND HE DOESN'T KNOW WHY.
THIS IS THE MOST UPSETTING GAME EVER CREATED.
Is there fanfiction set in the 'real' Twilight Town in which Hayner is constantly feeling vaguely dissatisfied, as if, say, he had a beloved friend in another reality who never actually existed? It would break my heart, but I want it anyway. And eventually he confides in Pence and Olette and discovers that he's not the only one who feels that their group is somehow incomplete, and in a way that's reassuring and in a way it just makes it worse.
Seriously, this is a game about the most cheerful boy in the universe running around the brightly-coloured settings of Disney films with Donald Duck and Goofy. It should not be this distressing. It should not make me feel more and more convinced that I am a horrible person with every step I force Roxas to take towards his ultimate fate. It shouldn't introduce beings that clearly have thoughts and feelings (look at Roxas! Look at Naminé! Look at Axel!), then brainwash the (adorable, cheerful, optimistic, determined-to-do-good) main character into believing they're empty shells and killing them without remorse. THIS IS THE DARKEST 'HAPPIEST GAME EVER' EVER.
One thing that did make me smile, though:
Pete: I AM GOING AROUND ALL THE WORLDS AND TURNING PEOPLE INTO MINDLESS SHADOW CREATURES FOR MY MISTRESS.
Goofy: You oughta find something nicer to do.
Oh, Goofy.
I appear to have a bizarre desire to read (or possibly write?) Seifer/Hayner fanfiction. I shouldn't, but I do. Perhaps it is because Hayner sort of vaguely reminds me of Zell? Perhaps it is just because they would be fighty and cute.