#Drace x Gabranth

[tarnishedxknight]

FFXII Week ~ Day 3 Prompt: Favorite Ship

{out of dalmasca} Disclaimer: This post may include canon-divergent interpretations of canon characters, info about OCs featured on this blog, and AUs that may not align with the canon plot/characters of FFXII and/or may contain triggering material.

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Oh, you can't ask me for my favorite ship in this game when there are sooo many good ones to choose from! So you're getting my top three instead, heh. Let's dive into these great ships! =)

1st Place OTP: Basch & Ashelia

Listen. I understand there's a significant age gap. I do. BUT. First of all, I will die on this hill and you can pry this ship from my cold dead fingers, haha. Second, this ship works so well in some ways, sadly enough, because it never happened. Third, it also works because of the kind of person Basch is. We all know he is a decent, moral, caring, honorable, protective, and completely non-creepy guy. Because we know he would never have any bad intentions with Ashe, the ship works despite the age gap.

I am such a sucker for the whole "knight & princess" shipping trope, so let's just get that out of the way. But I've also developed these two a lot, beyond what is shown in the game. Basch was around for Ashelia's whole life, and she grew up with him being a source of guidance, protecting, mentoring, and structure when her mother was dead, eventually all her brothers were too, her father was largely absent, and she didn't really have any friends. There was Rasler, but she saw him very infrequently. So Basch was a constant and a source of stability in her life, which is why his "betrayal" hurt her so badly. But I love the slow burn of this ship-that-never-was, with Ashe relying on Basch and growing to have feelings for him and Basch realizing after years that he felt more for her than just friendship.

In my interpretation of him, Basch first realized that he loved Ashelia beyond just a knight protecting his king's daughter when he saw her marry Rasler. He was surprised by an overwhelming feeling of loss and sadness that permeated the otherwise hopeful and joyous tone of the wedding. He was happy for her, to be sure, but a part of him felt he was losing something or someone he couldn't live without. That's when it occurred to him that he was in love with her, and he realized what he was feeling was the beginnings of a broken heart.

Now, in the FFXII main game (and in Revenant Wings, if you consider that canon, I do not), Basch never confesses his feelings to her, for a multitude of reasons. I'll list them (from his own point of view, so the truth of these may be biased in that way) to save space so I don't ramble on forever:

He's too old for her

He's not of Dalmascan blood

He's not of Dynast King lineage

He's half-Archadian, and Ashelia hates the Empire

He was a lesser noble in Landis and only a knight in Dalmasca, hardly fit for a princess

The timing to tell her was never appropriate

He could clearly see she loved Rasler, and developed a crush on Balthier

She needs to marry royalty, or at least someone more elevated than he

She needs to seriously choose carefully who is going to father her heirs

She's never shown any interest in him beyond a professional relationship and friendship

So for all these reasons, Basch never confessed his love to Ashelia. In canon, for most of us, he never ever did. If you take the storyboards for Fortress into account, Basch finally confesses that he loves her, ten years after the end of the FFXII main game, and Ashelia promptly says she doesn't feel the same. While it was good to get some loosely-canon-ish confirmation on Basch's end, there's a lot about Fortress that was problematic, and Ashelia's characterization (as well as Zargabaath's and Larsa's) was horrible in it, so... I take that with a grain of salt. But anyway, the upshot is that, for Basch, this ship never got past achingly pining away for a woman he believes he can never have... and maybe he's right.

For Ashelia, she didn't realize she had feelings for Basch beyond just valuing him as a former knight and a mentor to her... until it was already too late and he was in Archadia. Impersonating his brother, Basch was supposed to be dead. He also couldn't very well return to her when he had Larsa to protect. She found herself missing Basch, as Penelo wrote in her letter at the end of the game, and feeling a little jealous of Larsa for having Basch with him.

Just like Basch, Ashelia has a list of reasons why she can't be with him, though hers are from a bit different of a point of view. Whereas Basch's points are all about him falling short of what she deserves or needs, or about her not wanting to be with him, Ashelia's have to do more with the logistics and optics of how to be with Basch, given his duties in Archadia. Here are her reasons why she doesn't think she could ever be with him:

Usually royalty are arranged, and any choice of hers would have to be approved by her counsel

Her counsel will never approve a man convicted of killing her father to be her king consort

Basch is supposed to be dead

He's hated by a large portion of the Dalmascan public, so the optics of it would look very bad to her people

Even if Basch were to be accepted by Dalmascans again, he's half-Archadian, something they and her counsel will surely think is inappropriate for the production of future heirs

If Basch remained "Gabranth" and visited Ashelia, the optics of that would look even worse

And really, the logistics of him spending enough time in Dalmasca to be a husband to her, a father to any children that would have, and a partner to her both politically and emotionally... just doesn't work with him having to remain with Larsa in Archadia

And so, sadly enough, this is the greatest ship that will just never be, heh. But hey, there's always fics and rps, right? I've made it happen on my own blog in a few different ways, and there is always the idea of Basch maybe being free to return to Ashe at some point in the future, after the events of the main game... right? Just nod. XD

I love this ship, though. The dynamic they had with each other, the way he supported and wanted the best for her, the way they both care about Dalmasca, Ashe's home and Basch's adopted home... I think they could be such a power couple if life and they themselves could have just given them a chance.

Plus, they both deserve happiness, don't they? Basch has suffered so much and been so alone. I want to see him happy and loved, with cute babies. My version of Basch on this blog wants to be a father so badly, but doesn't think he's the sort of person who should be having kids or who would make a good father. Prove him wrong, Ashe! And on Ashe's side of things, her last marriage was decided for her for political reasons. I would love to see her fall in love organically, as she did with Basch with my versions of the characters, and choose her own king consort.

2nd Place OTP: Gabranth & Drace

I love these two so much, your honor. I also write these two character on this blog, and I've developed them far beyond the game. I won't go into a lot of it, because my Dark!Ivalice AU contains a lot of potentially triggering themes, but these two have a longstanding history of supporting each other and being close friends and lovers.

Drace was the one who first took notice of Noah, who helped him get into the military from living in Old Archades with his mother when he first arrived from Landis, and who pointed him out to Emperor Gramis. She later sponsored him for the rank of Judge Magister, a rank he would go on to achieve and break her record of "youngest person to attain the rank" by a few months. He has defended her against misogyny in their rank and elsewhere, supported her ideas politically, and valued her advice. She has helped comfort him through numerous traumas, loves and respects him, but also realizes that he's not to be held too tightly. They've kept grave secrets for each other, vouches for each other, and protected each other from various threats both domestic and foreign. Over the years, they have developed and unspoken understanding with each other, a deep love, and a emotional support system that has become critical to both of them.

This post said it perfectly, and it describes Gabranth's and Drace's dynamic so well. They could not be open with their relationship because of how it might come back to bite one or both of them in their cutthroat rank and political system. They had to be very careful, discreet, and restrained, which honestly for me only made their relationship more achingly sweet and poignant.

But... it also makes Gabranth being ordered to execute her even more painful, I realize, but... I am a glutton for angst, heh. But you better believe that not only Basch's betrayal, but losing Drace by his own hand, had Gabranth emotionally flailing at the Pharos and again on the Bahamut. Losing Basch broke a piece of him, and losing Drace broke an equally big piece. That combined with the nethicite poisoning screwing with his mind... and you have the emotionally volatile Gabranth we saw at the Pharos.

Another side note, combining some things from the manga and my own headcanons, Drace sought Basch out at the Battle of Nalbina Fortress in defense of Noah. Yes, there was an attempt to occupy the Dalmascan Knights to keep them away from the fortress, but Drace could have targeted anyone... and she chose Basch. Why? She's heard for years from Noah about the pain Basch's abandonment caused him and their mother. Being dedicated to both Noah and her own family, she could not let such injustice stand. Her emotional attacks against Basch were here undoing in that duel, however, and Basch was able to significantly injure her arm, causing her to need to retreat. She was just defending her man! =)

But anyway, I adore these two for their silent understanding and loving acceptance of each other just the way they are. They don't try to change each other, but rather work with what's already there to build something really special between them. I wish we had gotten to see more of them, particularly Drace. =(

3rd Place: Fran & Balthier

I don't write either of these characters myself, although I have dabbled a wee bit with Fran as a guest muse. But I just... *sigh* These two are completely adorable, totally bonkers, and an absolute hoot.

My favorite moment of theirs was when Balthier was trying not to show just how concerned he was for Fran having been cracked on the head by falling debris on the Bahamut. He goes to pick her up, princess-style, and carry her out, and he'd just told Ashelia over the radio that he's, of course, "...the leading man." To which Fran replies, "I'd say you're in more of a... supporting role." Balthier simply deadpans with, "Fran, please." I love it so much. I love the way they tease each other, and the way they effortlessly play off of one another.

I also love how neither Fran nor Balthier ever places labels on their relationship beyond... "partner." Is that... a business partner? A partner in crime? A romantic partner? A sexual one? Any? All? We don't know, because they never tell us, because it's none of our damn business. And that's great, honestly. They're so secure in their relationship dynamic that they just let it be what it will and they don't need to explain it to anyone else.

Plus they're exciting, funny, daring, interesting, and they break a lot of traditional story tropes. Gotta love a ship that can do all that. =)

[eirenare]

Been writing a depressive Gabranth x Drace (yep I ship them too) thing until very little ago tonight, until almost falling asleep because it was almost 4 AM. The thirst was indeed very real today.

When I saw the hour I thought “okay I guess it’s time to go to bed”...

... but somehow I wasn’t as much sleepy anymore and I ended up checking again said writing and listening to “Let her go” (Passenger), “Hallelujah” (the version of Rufus Wainwright) and “Cherry wine” (Hozier) because they fit so much.

... And it’s nearly freaking 5 AM now and I’m certainly falling asleep right now sooo bye laptop, hello bed.

Actually wishing my brain would stop giving me so much ideas so very often for my pairings when I’m already amidst other writings/drawings, because it just slows me down overall, but still I love getting new ideas AGH

EDIT: so, some time later after uploading this post I’ve decided to watch the official video of Hozier’s “Cherry wine” and now I’m like “uhmmmm okay I’m NOT using this song in the end for this pairing (or any of my pairings), the song doesn’t fit them AT ALL if it refers to the official video” :| I mean, I thought at first that the lyrics were meant to be lovely, but oh gods...

[5judgements]

body types of the judges ft. you’re welcome i guess?? this is what happens when i don’t have the brain energy to write.

bergan; X drace; X zargabaath; X ghis; X gabranth; X

[ffamran-archive]

iS THIS KRUSTY KRAB????????????????

yes hello welcome to the krusty krab we have a special today of a bacon cheesebergan with fries

[sarasa-cat]

Tagged by @fereldanwench​ and saving this until I had time with my laptop and brainspace. ;)

First ship you ever read fic for:  FFXII’s Ashe/Vossler + Vossler/Basch all in one story. Google served it up to me while I was searching for a game FAQ. Changed my mind about fanfic. Dove in. Never looked back.

First ship you ever wrote fic for: FFXII’s Basch/Penelo, writing it as a taboo fucked up mess. ;)

Ship you write the most now:  FFVII’s Vincent/Yuffie, with Vincent/Lucrecia + Lucrecia/Hojo playing the in the background.

Ship you read the most now: Hard call. I go through periods of reading everything for a ship and then I stop reading for a while unless I am specifically following a certain group of fic writers and then I’ll read most of what they write, regardless of the ship or fandom. Last night + today I read fanfic for the first time in a very long while (various Yuffentine stories). Have been feeling like reading some dragon age fanfic but not really picky about the ship...

Newest ship:  All of my ships are ooooooold ships. Idk. Maybe the upcoming Assassins Creed game: Kassandra and her female LI?

Rare ship you wanna read more of:  Dragon Age:  Isabela x Merrill.

Your taboo ship:  lolololololol. Which one? I only seem to write taboo ships. Or ships that raise controversy. Penelo and the Ronsentwins. Cullen and all those mages he keeps ending up with. Fenders. Yuffentine. Any Lucrecia ship.

They never met in canon ship: Well, Dissidia (or Record Keeper) sort of fixed that because everyone from any Final Fantasy game eventually meets up. But assuming Dissidia never happened: Gabranth x Terra. Oooh, wait, I have another one:  Solas x Merrill as a complete clusterfuck.

Your unexpected ship:  If you travelled backwards in time 20 years to tell me that I, 20 years later, would be in the middle of writing an EPIC Yuffentine novel, I would have laughed in your face for so many reasons. So. many. reasons.  (I did have a soft spot for Yuffie x Vincent but it wasn’t a ship obsession in any way, shape, or form).

The ship you always forget to give love to: Isabela x Merrill, although they occasionally show up in the background in some of my fic

Ship your OC with a canon character (if applicable): Uh... all my Wardens and Hawkes and Inquisitors? So many different ships with so many different LIs. The non-canonical ones include Inquisitor!Merrill x Solas, Cullen/Hawke, Hawke/Seneschal Bran, Cullen/Warden continuing post-prologue, Warden/Nathaniel Howe, and probably others I have forgotten... ;)

A ship you’re embarrassed to ship:  Most of them?  

Your most romantic ship:  Strangely, Yuffie x Vincent, despite the fact that neither of them are good at being romantic, between Vincent’s canonical weird poetic metaphoric way with words and Yuffie’s blundering randomness.

Your sexiest ship:  Isabela x fem!Hawke

Your most tragic ship:  DRACE x GABRANTH (!!!) which I’ve created as an affair because in my headcanon Drace x Bergan are married and its so messy and OH HOW I MISS THIS TRAINWRECK.

A ship you want more content for:  DA2′s Aveline in a variety of different ship configurations. I’d love to see more Aveline x Isabela.

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Tagging: if you read this and want to play, please do it -- consider yourself tagged. <3

[erlenwald]

Fandom: Final Fantasy XII!

Aw ye

The first character I first fell in love with: Balthier. I can’t use past tense because I never fell out of love with him. He is for sure my best party member and my leading man to this day.The character I never expected to love as much as I do now: Frigging Judge Ghis snuck up on me, I was playing through his part of the game and liking him, and then it fell on me like a ton of bricks: I love him, I adore him, give me more Ghis. Give me all the Ghis. And all the Ghis smut. Thank you.The character everyone else loves that I don’t: The guy that…did the thing…in that one part of the game where…things happened? I’m lying through my teeth, it’s a great cast. I don’t dislike anyone in it. I’m fairly neutral toward Vaan just because your typical shounen JRPG hero doesn’t appeal to me, but he’s a decent kid.The character I love that everyone else hates: Judge Ghis? I also love Judge Bergan. It hasn’t been easy hauling him out of the dumpster considering he’s twice my size, but you know.The character I used to love but don’t any longer: I’m drawing a blank.The character I would totally smooch: Ahem. *unrolls a list* Balthier, Gabranth, Drace, Ghis, Basch, Vayne, Reddas, Zargabaath, Ondore…The character I’d want to be like: Balthier. Confident and dashing, I’d like to be that.The character I’d slap: I wouldn’t mind slapping a few on the arse, but none in an aggressively angry kind of way. At most I’ll sit there and side-eye Vossler for being a little too controlling toward Ashe, but his cheeks are safe from me.A pairing that I love: I don’t have a few ships, I have a fleet. Ghis x Bergan, Ghis x Reddas, Ghis x Ashe, Ghis x Vayne, Ghis x Ondore, Gabranth x Drace, Basch x Ashe. They’re so good and yet so rare. I also like Ghis/Drace and Balthier/Fran as platonic duos.A pairing that I despise: None. At worst I just find them boring. (EDIT: Wait, crap, I forgot about the fact that some people ship Basch x Gabranth. That is a big nope.)

[tarnishedxknight]

"Without Saying," a Gabranth x Drace ficlet

{ I left it vague as to the point in their timeline during which this takes place, but that was the point. I wanted to show a moment in their relationship, one that's happened many times before, that could happen on any given day. My goal was simply to illustrate how they regard each other, the care with which they interact, and the unspoken understanding they have of each other. Enjoy! }

Drace hadn't seen Gabranth for the better part of the day. That would not have been unusual, had he been away tending to some duty or another, carrying out orders given him by His Excellency. But Drace knew he was not away at all, and so his absence was noticeably concerning. She made her way to his office with a hurried stride, for her years with him had gained her enough experience in deciphering his moods and behaviors. And if she was correct in her assumption, she would find him alone, brooding, perhaps drinking as well, in need of something he would never ask for.

He didn't have to ask her.

The knock she left upon the door was a special one, one that revealed the identity of the one knocking without saying as much. Just that, and then she waited for a response. After some time, she heard the lock on the door release, but even then she did not enter. She too, waited a bit, until she heard the footsteps that had approached the door walk back again, and cease. Then she entered.

The door was locked again behind her, and she turned to see Gabranth sitting at his desk, devoid of armor, his chin supported by a hand, his fingers obscuring his lips. His gaze moved to Drace only for a moment before it looked away again. Dismissively, uncaringly, to the untrained eye. But to Drace, she saw well what was going on. The elusiveness of his gaze, the open decanter of bourbon, the glass which sat nearby, the lack of armor that spoke volumes about how he'd had no intention of permitting anyone enter and glimpse him in this state...

...except her.

Without saying anything, Drace slipped off her helm and proceeded to remove the rest of her armor as well, piece by piece. This is where she would stay tonight, where she was needed. All the while, Gabranth sat silently, still brooding, still with such a look of darkness and anger that Drace knew was only the dam for an extensive flood not far behind it.

Once she was free of her armor, Drace slowly went to Gabranth and stood close to him, not at all offended by the way he didn't look at her. His gaze was distant, his mind elsewhere, but it was late and he needed to rest... and so she had to help him break free of his thoughts. Her hand lifted to gently lay against the back of his head, lingering there in stillness for a short time before she began to slowly stroke his short hair.

This prompted a sharp inhale through Gabranth's nose that was released the same way, in an audible puff. The vulnerability of the noise cracked his exterior, and his eyes turned sad, lost, before closing. His head bowed a little, and Drace kept stroking his hair, without saying a word. Her fingers curled as she did so, combing through his short locks while her palm caressed and cradled his head.

In time, Gabranth swiveled in his chair and reached out to draw Drace closer to him, holding her around her waist as he lay his head against the warmth of her body. With eyes closed, he felt an arm wrap around his shoulders as her hand continued to pet his hair with loving tenderness. Another puff of air escaped his nose, and hot, stinging tears flooded his eyes, forced out through their closed lids.

Drace made it a proper embrace a moment later, with both arms wrapped around him as she bent to kiss his hair on the top of his head. She felt his hold on her tighten for a moment, and it went without saying that today... had been a bad day for him. Whatever had upset him, whether specific or simply the last straw in a string of events, she knew not. Perhaps it had simply been past traumas rearing their head this day, reminding him of their existence so he would never forget. Perhaps... there was no reason, only pain without a name, of the sort that tended to build inside the heart of a soldier, a man who had been through so much. Drace did not know the reason for Gabranth's darkness this night.

She didn't need to know. That it was there at all was reason enough for her to want to help him.

That went without saying.

Before the hour grew too late, she'd eventually get him to part with the decanter and glass, leave the desk and chair, and retire with her. She'd hold him this night, as she had so many nights before. He'd know she loved him, even without her saying, and in his own silence, she'd know the same from him. In her arms, he would find the peace he just couldn't manage to grant himself, and she'd find her own in giving it to him.

And come the morn, they would carry on as they always have, as if none of this had happened, though they'd both be better for the fact that it had.

It went without saying.

[tarnishedxknight]

who do you ship basch with

{out of dalmasca} Basch and Ashelia will always be my OTP. I don't care how many people hate the ship, how impossible it is to get them together and have it make any kind of sense, or the fact that it never happened in canon... I will forever ship them so hard. If done right, it works, I just don't have any way of proving it other than writing a fanfic and I don't have that kind of time, heh.

Incidentally, my top 3 OTP pairings for FFXII are, in this order, 1) Basch x Ashelia, 2) Gabranth x Drace, and 3) Fran x Balthier. I will die on a hill defending any of them, haha.

But yeah, I ship Basch with Ashelia from canon and really not anybody else. I don't feel he has any chemistry with anybody else, although I guess most people would say he has no chemistry with Ashelia either but nope, not gonna listen to that. XD

However, I am enjoying all four of Basch's ships on this blog: Wanda, Nessa, Thor, and Carter. Lemme tag everybody (@illbringthechaosmagic, @the-beautiful-virtuosa, @starcchild) ... except for Thor, unfortunately I don't know who you are but I appreciate you too. =)

They are all uniquely interesting and moving ships in their own ways, and each one of them has really gotten through to Basch and touched him in their own unique way too. It takes a lot for this stoic, broody boi to open up to people, but each one has in their own way, and I love it, and I'm so here for all of them. And this is why I loving rping too, because people have these awesome OCs or their own detailed versions of a canon character and we get to play out these scenarios that otherwise never would have happened. It's like brain candy to me to explore all these different what-ifs with Basch. So yeah, I ship him with all his ships on this blog too because they're all great ships. (Also, I know I threw Nessa in there even though they haven't really gone into a full ship yet because... let's be real, there's something brewing there. XD)

[tarnishedxknight]

ROLEPLAY HISTORY !

the rules are simple! post characters you’d like to roleplay as, have roleplayed as, and might bring back . then tag others to do the same . please repost, don’t reblog !

{ out of dalmasca } I'm only going to do canon muses for this so it's not a crazy long list, haha. Below the cut for length.

ᴄᴜʀʀᴇɴᴛʟʏ ᴡʀɪᴛɪɴɢ

{ I'm including all canon muses that are currently open for threads, even if I haven't really been writing them due to a lack of activity for them. }

Luther Donovan (TV series Red Widow) Vincent (80s TV series Beauty and the Beast) Ardeth Bay (1999 movie The Mummy / 2001 movie The Mummy Returns) Wanda Maximoff (MCU) Pietro Maximoff (MCU) Red Vision / White Vision (MCU) Tony Stark (MCU) Natasha Romanoff (MCU) Stephen Strange (MCU) Clint Barton (MCU) Matt Addison / Nemesis (Resident Evil, Anderson films) Carlos Oliveira (Resident Evil, Anderson films) Chad Kaplan (Resident Evil, Anderson films) Basch fon Ronsenburg (Final Fantasy XII) Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca (Final Fantasy XII) Judge Magister Noah Gabranth (Final Fantasy XII) Judge Magister Drace (Final Fantasy XII) Nuada Bethmoora (2008 movie Hellboy II: The Golden Army) Gizmo (1984 movie Gremlins / 1990 movie Gremlins 2: The New Batch) Raiden (Metal Gear Solid / Rising game franchise) Jared Nomak (2002 movie Blade II) Carl Lucas (2010 movie Death Race 2 / 2013 movie Death Race 3: Inferno) Archangel Michael (2010 movie Legion) Priest (2011 movie Priest) Priestess (2011 movie Priest) Eric (2012 movie Snow White and the Huntsman / 2016 movie The Huntsman: Winter's War) Freya (2016 movie The Huntsman: Winter's War) Marie Sebastian (2013 remake of movie Oldboy) Martha Reynolds (2011 movie Martha Marcy May Marlene) Ben Leonard (2012 movie Savages) Leeloo (1997 movie The Fifth Element) Wade (2015 movie The Night Crew)

ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴡʀɪᴛᴇ (ᴀɴᴅ ᴡ��ʏ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇɴ'ᴛ ʏᴇᴛ)

Archangel Gabriel (2007 movie Gabriel) - His actor died tragically at a very young age. I thought his performance was amazing and I wouldn't want to use any other FC, but at the same time, I just feel it's inappropriate to use images of him, out of respect for his family. I actually had an OC that I used him for and have since changed to another actor because I felt uncomfortable using his images going forward.

Alice Abernathy (Resident Evil, Anderson films) - As much as I adore her, I don't feel I understand her well enough nor could I get her "voice" down well enough to write her to my own standards.

Fran (Final Fantasy XII) - I'm not sure I could write her well enough, but also she's in a totally different circle of characters than all my other FFXII muses, so she'd feel a bit isolated and extraneous if I added her to that blog. Also, she's kindof joined at the hip to Balthier, whom I know I could never write properly in a million years, heh.

Eyal Lavine (TV show Current Affairs) - I've wanted to write him for years now, but with certain things going on in the news, writing an Israeli Mossad agent just isn't the best thing to do right now, I feel. I would constantly worry about offending people or being dragged into political conversations relevant to real world events that I really don't want to get into on my blogs.

Yuna (Final Fantasy X) - To bring her to this site would be an impossible amount of new added activity for me. The FFX fandom is a lot larger than FFXII and I'd be afraid of too much activity or even those with muses from other FF games wanting to write with her. I just can't add a popular character right now. if anything, I need to be downsizing, heh.

The town of Silent Hill (Silent Hill game franchise, 2006 movie Silent Hill, 2012 movie Silent Hill: Revelation) - It's just too complicated and would require too much startup time and effort for me to manage right now. But I am keeping it in mind for the future!

ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴡʀɪᴛᴛᴇɴ ʙᴇғᴏʀᴇ, ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ᴡʀɪᴛᴇ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ (ᴀɴᴅ ᴡʜʏ)

Ned Stark (ASoIaF book series / GoT TV show) - Ned only survived Season 1 (actually, technically, he didn't even survive that). So much happened in subsequent Seasons, and now we've got HotD too. I stopped reading after the third book and stopped watching after the third Season, so... I'm way behind on the world, the lore, the characters, the countries, the Houses, etc. I wouldn't feel that I'm coming from enough of a place of knowledge to write Ned, even though I really adore him and would love to. And someone like him, who was in positions of power, would have that knowledge, he'd know about the major and minor Houses and the politics and the history, etc., so it would affect my portrayal of him to not know all of that myself.

Ygritte (ASoIaF book series / GoT TV show) - Kindof the same problem as Ned, although Ygritte survived a bit longer... but also I'm just not sure how relevant she'd be to most characters other people in the fandom would write. As a wildling, she was somewhat isolated from much of the plot and other characters of the world. Also, I'm afraid of Jon Snows everywhere just wanting to ship with her, heh, since I really hated that ship, personally.

The White Queen (Resident Evil, Anderson films) - Her FC is a child, and as much as I liked the character, the way I developed her was to add an OC origin muse for her that used the same actress as an FC. After a certain point, I just felt like I was doing something wrong by using a child FC and didn't feel comfortable doing it anymore.

ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴡʀɪᴛᴛᴇɴ ʙᴇғᴏʀᴇ, ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴡʀɪᴛᴇ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ (ᴀɴᴅ ᴡʜʏ)

Luther West (Resident Evil, Anderson films) - I liked Luther, he was pretty cool, and since I write a lot of other RE muses, he'd fit right in. The only reason I stopped writing him was because hardly anyone was interested in him, so it became too much to keep maintaining his blog if no one wanted to write with him.

The Creature (2004 mini-series Frankenstein) - I've always liked Adam, I read the original Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and I've seen various movies and mini-series on the subject. I like this specific version because the actor who played him is a favorite of mine, but also it was fairly faithful to the book as well. The reason I stopped was because I felt I wasn't writing him up to my own standards, but I'd be willing to give it another try.

Tagged by: I stole it! ^_^ Tagging: Anyone who wants to do this! =)

[sarasa-cat]

It wasn’t the 16-Aug I planned...

...But I’m okay with that.

Time to re-evaluate my Writing Queue!

Things about writing, other projects, and a long(ish) term health thinger beneath the read more. (will probably copypasta this to DW also x-posted to DW behind f-lock)

The way things have been for the past many years, 1 Jul thru 15 Aug is my prime time for writing purely for the fun of it. Or, well, for the ‘fun’ of it because writing becomes far less fun during editing and it downright sucks during the final passes required to create something I might actually want to post. >_<

As vaguely alluded to in a variety of posts for the past 6 weeks, my prime writing time this year was flushed down the drain because I was in far too much pain to use a laptop. AND, GUESS WHAT?! Today is the first day since July that I am mentally unaware of the pain that parts of my body have been in. 

*fistbumps the sky*

Yeah, things are still tweaky. Muscles still spasm at random moments. Lying down in certain positions is still an uncomfortable proposition. Certain joints, muscles, tendons, etc., need to be babied for a few more months while the healing continues. I cannot do anything vaguely athletic for a while longer else risk serious (re)injury, but all of that is okay with me. 

WHY?

I CAN FINALLY SIT IN FRONT OF MY LAPTOP AND TYPE ON IT AND ACTUALLY THINK WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS RATHER THAN omfffg kill my body now.  or, worse, as in, not even being able to sit, which was my life for a few weeks in July.

SO WRITTTTTTTTTTTTTTING.

Well, fuuuuuuuuuuuuuu..... It is nearing the end of August and my writing has been ***crickets***

Worse (???) -- hahahahahahahaha -- I have too many NEW ideas for fanfic as if I need more ideas because I don’t. But too late. TOOOOO LATE EVERYONE. TOOO DAMN LATE.

So, what do I plan on trying to do before the end of year (note: end of year for me is a bit earlier than Dec 31 b/c travel, varying levels of internet access/lack-there-of, varying levels of free time, etc.)

MUST DO:

-0- Various pro projects, fiction and non, various formats. blah blah bhakjfakj. Work. Wark. Thud.  *whistles*  *twirls thumbs*

MORALLY(?!) FEEL THAT I SHOULD DO:

-1-  Finally rewrite that mess of a novella I speed-barfed last year in July:  One Minute to Midnight. FFVII, between AC and DoC, Vincent/His_Epic_Issues, prior Vin/Lu, Vin&Yu with much ??? surrounding their thing. 

-->  Add the missing scenes that were cut b/c epic lack of time when writing new text up to the reveal deadline.

-->  Edit for characterization and headcanon consistency since this was written before I finished thinking through major things in Monsters.

-2-  Make a serious effort to spend 90 minutes (?) per week (??) cleaning up all of my fannish stuff so it is easier for myself to find my inspo stuff, easier for other people to find my fic, and so all of my online spaces don’t look like half abandoned dumps. This includes moving a lot of stuff to AO3 so it is archived in good faith, or, at least, archived in one place where I know it is and where other people can find things that have been missing or hard to find since LJ took a dive. (My Gabranth/Drace novella, early Basch?Penelo disaster fic, etc.). Epic amounts of 200-word exact drabble fiction. Lots of garbage words but some good stuff.

-->  Basic goal A: just restore the stuff and get it into an archive. Bonus goal: re-edit with time limits so it is a “just good enough” rewrite and consider it editing practice which is good for the mind, sort of like practicing scales.

-->  Basic goal B:  clean up my 99 different tumblrs, Make them more navigable.  Bonus goal:  use my HTML/CSS powers for good and play with a customizable theme. Beautify everything including my DW b/c that is very good for removing the rust from my programming brain. (actually, I miss programming...)

DEEPLY COMPELLED TO DO AGAINST ALL COMMON SENSE REASON:

-3-  A River in a Dry Land. P5, character exploration, pre/during/post-canon, chaotic-good!sweet-n-snarkyJoker!Akira/AnnTakamaki friends to lovers, fluff with angst, slice of life, buddy fic, STRAYCAT OF A TEEN BOY AND HIS TALKING MAGICAL CAT, FOUND FAMILY LIKE WHOOOOAAAAAA WHOOAAAAA FOUND FAMMILLLY EVERyWHERE (futaba little sis, makoto big sis, Ms. Kawakami substitute mum, etc.), EVERTYTHIGHNNG IS FLUFFERNUTTER SICKLy SWEEET GOOODNESS because this boy is really honest about things even when adults don’t believe him, although his friends totally see him for who he is because he rarely hides anything from them, except all of this thru the lens of my gender interrogating shitlit angst prose b/c that is how I write. Also, Akira (and any Protagonist) is, canonically, an M&M with a shell of calm control coating a center of burning rage. So, let’s be honest about where the fluff coating ends and the angst/rage choco+nuts center begins, k? But, honestly, A River may literally be the largest, fluffiest, wholesome goodness thing I have ever in my life conceived and I just don’t even know. but it wants to be written despite all common sense reason regarding my epic lack of time. So:

-->  Dump draft scenes to tumblr/dw as I write them, with the caveat that they are drafts with story facts and metaphors and allusions that may change once I have digested the entire canon in all three forms (game, anime, manga) and given it time to simmer in my head.

-->  Eventually say ENOUGH ENGOUGGHGHGHGH ENOUGH and fast-rewrite the whole thing as a coherent whole, dumping it chapter-by-chapter to AO3. (omfg I don’t need another project but it is too late b/c it already has a lot of words... shit shit shit shit.)

-4- Alleycat. P5, post-canon, future-fic. Follow-on short stories to A River in Dry Land. Akira as a laid-back dude, working odd jobs and half-assing college while becoming a novelist ...and watching his friends come into their own as they grow into the goals and lives they dreamed about some years ago, back when Akira was 16-going-on-17 during that fateful year in Tokyo. (Akira/Ann, other ships in backgrounded or foregrounded as needed).

DARK TEMPTATIONS I MIGHT PLAY WITH ON THE SIDE:

-5-  Masquerade. P5, chaotic-neutral!delinquent!emotionally-messed-upJoker!Ren in a series of one-shots that explore the mess that a poor self-control Protagonist can get himself into. Trainwreck relationships galore. (because... it’s what people expect from me?! ;)

--> Find some prompts. Prompts are great for inspiring me to write train wreck one-shots. ;)

THINGS I ABSOLUTELY MUST GET BACK TO BECAUSE FEEEELS + WRITERLY CHALLENGE == BRAINFOOD & SANITY: 

-6-  Even the Littlest Monsters Cast Shadows Long and Tall. FFVII, Vincent’s messed up present juxtaposed with Vincent’s train wreck past. Canon ships + a very slow burn Yuffentine that crashes and burns in an disastrous mess before later getting their act together. 

--> Start dumping 1st draft scenes to Tumblr/DW with warning that these may change in the final novel (destined for AO3)

--> Finish solving plot-weaving problems. This story has multiple plot lines across multiple time lines and ... so tricky and so brain-must-be-at-full-power to figure this out. But the challenge is worth it. It’s a level up for me if I manage to do this half way okay.

--> Get everything (such an epic mess) prepped and reorganized in scrivener such that the final draft can eventually occur ... and such that a production schedule for AO3 chapter release can happen. ;)

No Hurry, **NO PROMISES** --- THINGS FOR RAINY DAYS WHEN NEEDING A BREAK FROM ANY OF THE ABOVE:

-7-  Sunrise, Sunset, Supernova. FFVII, Vincent?Aerith, Chaos/Lifestream. Novella. ...The second ship says all that needs to be said...

-8-  Tinker, Tailor. FFVII, Reeve.  An interconnect series of missing-scenes short stories, mostly while Reeve serves as a spy.  

-9-  Urbanism. FFVII, Tseng. An collection of atmospheric flashfic stories about Tseng and Midgar. 

-10-  You Can Never Go Home Again, FFVII, Yuffie/Vincent is a very good, very healthy relationship whereas Yuffie/Wutai is a freaking trainwreck edging into unhealthy mess. A collection of short stories and/or novellas that take place 12 to 60+ years post-canon. 

OKAY. 10. LIST IS COMPLETELY FILLED. 

[eirenare]

FFXII: thank you Wikia for this info on certain characters *dies of feels*

[SPOILER ALERT]

MY

FUCKING

H  E  A  R  T

I think it was clear that Gabranth and Drace were close, but to read THIS just takes my feels for them to another whole new level of sadness 💔 (In fact, hell, the way it’s framed the scene in which he has to deliver the killing blow, and the atmosphere around them, just gives the impression that there’s more besides friendship)

[Interesting fact: this was on Vayne’s profile, while in Gabranth’s it’s mentioned his reluctance to kill Drace, and in Drace’s it’s mentioned said reluctance as well as that she’s closest to Gabranth when it comes to the Judges.]