Comments | springkink: Final Fantasy XII (Balthier/Fran)

puella_nerdii in springkink

Final Fantasy XII (Balthier/Fran)

Jul 30, 2007 00:22

Title: Not Fade Away
Author: puella_nerdii
Rating: PG-13
Wordcount: 1,108
Warnings: Nonsexual nudity, spoilers through the Pharos
Prompt: Passionate desperation/relief - "You know that I would not leave you." Post-Pharos.
Notes: Title shamelessly stolen from Joss Whedon.

( Not Fade Away )

puella_nerdii, final fantasy xii

Comments 9

mithrigil July 30 2007, 04:55:02 UTC

Beautiful. The way they treat each other, the anger of everything around them... It's this world of their own, just like it has to be for them.

puella_nerdii July 30 2007, 05:01:18 UTC

Thank you kindly. And the two of them really are an island unto themselves sometimes, which is rather touching. Aaw.

(The comment has been removed)

puella_nerdii July 30 2007, 16:38:45 UTC

Thank you!

The Mist is not kind to bunnies. Silly Mist.

mad_rex July 31 2007, 02:22:42 UTC

I really liked this one. ^^

Balthier's emotions dart back and forth wonderfully, caught between his usual self-consciousness and his endearing concern for his partner. Fran's spirit came through in just the right places and amounts. I also liked all the various remedies Balthier tried, particularly the magical ones. (Balthier knows magic? Who knew? ;)

I enjoy seeing Balthier and Fran together, as a partnership or a pairing. (In fact, that's really the main context in which I enjoy seeing Balthier....) But I like the relationship best when it's presented in a non-sexual fashion, and you've done that exceedingly well with this piece. Perhaps I'm missing some vital lines of narration, but I actually couldn't tell from the fic itself that Fran was nude, despite the fact that Balthier covered her in kisses and climbed on top of her at one point. That is a very good thing, and it made me very happy ( ... )

puella_nerdii July 31 2007, 06:04:53 UTC

Thanks!

Fran's nudity is briefly referenced when Balthier mentions undoing the clasps of her armor, but it's more of a "let's cool her down" thing than a "hot naked bunnygirl" thing, definitely. As for their relationship, I think it's a tamer kind of sexuality, simply because they're so accustomed to one another by now and know each other so well that they've dispensed with any real tension in the relationship. (Well, sexual tension.)

And I can't wait to see what you come up with for the two of them.

lassarina July 31 2007, 03:06:19 UTC

I like his feeling that despite the fact that he knows more of how viera work than most hume males (physically *and* psychologically), he feels helpless in the face of this, and that's not something Balthier wears well but you did it so nicely ♥

puella_nerdii July 31 2007, 06:06:03 UTC

Honestly, I really like writing Balthier when he's not being suave and in-control. His headspace is even more interesting when he's really being challenged.

Thank you!

threewalls August 1 2007, 05:09:38 UTC

There's a wonderfully consistent urgency throughout this. I love unorthodox/non-battle uses of magick like this (particularly that Blizzard, otherwise an offensive spell, requires much attention from the caster to be suitable for the purpose of comfort) and Balthier's mingled care and panic when tending to Fran. That's there's brief, but incidental sexual contact, that it's a part of their relationship, but just one of many things Balthier comes up with to soothe her.

puella_nerdii August 1 2007, 05:52:35 UTC

Thanks! I like playing with game mechanics and magicks more than is healthy, probably, because I keep on thinking of all these unorthodox uses for spells whenever I play FF12. (Or...most RPGs, really, including those of the tabletop variety.)

I do like how sexuality is part of Balthier and Fran's relationship but not the defining part, if that makes sense.