To all my final fantasy friends, I have a question to ask of you. I have been busy with life and I've been working on the next chapter of "A Forgotten Requiem." Unfortunately, I hit a road block early on. I began wondering about the origins of Mateus, as my fic is Esper based. Mateus is bound to play a larger role, only based upon the answer to this question.

I also want to let everyone know that I have the advantage of having played up to chapter 8 of Revenant Wings. (I have not yet finished the game.)


Now while my story completely disregards Revenant Wings, there is a section that I found interesting. Looking at the game guide, Shiva had her role of Ice Empress usurped from Mateus. There he is referred to as being female. On that same note Shemhazai who was part horse and woman in FF 12, was referred to as male. I believe that could be a continuity error. After all, Mateus bound an Ice Goddess to him, giving him the form of a female, though he is intrinsically male. The same could be said of Shemhazai, though no creature is bound to her she is still female, despite being half horse. (A much better argument could be made for Zalera.)

From what we know Mateus stole an Ice Goddess from Demesne. Now here is the question, is that Ice Goddess none other than Shiva? If so, that would create another continuity error in RW. The first errors being that the sexes of both Mateus and Shemhazai were reversed. It would also mean that Shiva should not have been in RW if in fact she was the one bound to Mateus.

So my question is, if you were writing about Mateus would you identify the Ice Goddess as Shiva or as another distinct Ice Goddess?

(Oh and aside from the game guides I also went to Final Fantasy Wikia. Take a look and tell me what you think.

Mateus Article on Final Fantasy Wikia)

Basics
Characters - Basch, Fran, Balthier, Al-Cid, Vaan, Larsa, Penelo, and others
Pairings - Penelo/Larsa, Al-Cid/Ashe
Rating - PG-13 (I hate applying movie ratings to text sometimes. Don't you?)
Summary - Before the group can make a move against Haba, secrets are revealed, and others are yet to be discovered.
Title - A Forgotten Requiem
Chapter Four - Memories

( I have long waited... )

Thank you to everyone who has commented here or on fanfiction.net.

I love your support as it energizes me. I'm starting to see the strengths and the weaknesses of my work and I believe it's helping me as a writer. I am accustomed to mainly boring research papers and rpg format so writing long creative pieces is not something I usually do.

The last time I wrote a long creative piece it was a screenplay for a movie. It was perhaps the most horrendous script to have ever been created, though the idea was novel.

I am fortunate that I was not stupid enough to embarrass myself with that piece in a professional setting.

However, times have changed and so has my writing style. Continue writing, e-mailing, or suggesting things to do. As always, I learn so much from each of you!

Chapter 4 of "A Forgotten Requiem" will be up at worse in two days times. I have one particular scene with Fran that is being cleaned up. I like the role she plays in the story, and I didn't want her to belittle Basch's position, as he is the main protagonist. (I have to be very careful about Fran insertions as she is my favorite female character and can easily overpower a story.)

On another writing note, my friend is waiting on me to write this other fiction piece as a challenge/dare type scenario. We were at dinner and I told her I would do it, since I could not stand the possibility of being proven wrong. I told her that there has to be at least one good fanfic that she has encountered and she swore no such thing existed. After a rather interesting conversation about fandom, dealing with pairings and whether or not they take away from the original intention of the creators, we settled on what I would write about.

That made me think about one of the communities I belong to, concerning the Basch/Penelo pairing. It's not my favorite pairing by far, but I can say that I will read Basch/Penelo if the story is well written. One story in particular by rhiannon_aurora is especially interesting with her specific take on the matter.

You can find the entire installments up to this point here. The latest installment is found at this link here.

I like this story (I can't even recall if I've told her this) despite the fact that it's not considered "cannon" by some. Does it take away from the original? I would say no, as long as the author makes a convincing argument as to why these two unlikely characters would form a relationship be it romantic or otherwise. It reminds me of those stories in HP Fandom where Draco and Hermione are "BFF". Even without the added detriment of romance, the relationship simply cannot work if the author does not pull out the evidence or characterization needed to prove that such a paradox could ever exist! `

As for Bear, he is doing well. The weaning and housebreaking process so far is going well.

Well, tell me what you think of odd pairings.

I am close to finishing the next chapter of "A Forgotten Requiem". I am actually here to offer an explanation to why I have stalled this current fiction piece.

His name is Bear.

Usually, an entry like this I would friend-lock, but I feel that those who are interested in my current story might like to hear a real life story concerning a little polar bear of sorts.

The other day, my boyfriend and I were taking a walk, when he heard the pitiful moans of a little creature. Naturally, this being Texas, the first thing that comes to mind when I hear scary noises at night is the infamous chupacabra. However, the noise was not scary and on top of that we were close to an H-E-B.

Joe walks into the grassy area and finds a starving, sickly, abandoned puppy. No one is around, it has no collar on and it's freezing outside. (Another great thing about Texas is the wild shifts in weather.) Picking it up we try to take it inside H-E-B but are stopped. I suppose I understand, but if you consider the amount of times my cat Oreo has been inside H-E-B it was annoying to have to go to a PetCo.

Once we arrive the sales associate tells us he is probably no older than 4-5 weeks. He didn't even have any teeth at the time, so we bought him milk replacement. As soon as we take him home, we bathe the little thing and find massive amounts of fleas dropping off of him. To make things worse, he also had two ticks that needed to be pulled off. He's been getting daily Dawn baths, since his flea problem was absolutely horrendous.

I have offered him to a friend on my LJ list, extremely prematurely after her pet just died. I know, that is probably the last thing a grieving pet owner wants to hear, but in my defense, I wanted her to feel better. >.<

Bear gets along fine with the other pets. Oreo and Isis seem to think he's a mini dog and after Audrey the terrible, they can handle any dog. Audrey, my basset hound, was extremely hateful and jealous at first, but has succumbed to the cuteness that is Bear. Part of me wants to keep him so badly. If I can't find a good home for him, Joe and I decided we will make space for Bear.

The reason space is a priority is because he is a Labrador/Husky mix or as another friend pointed out last night a Labrador/Pit Bull mix and if that is the case, it will be even harder to find him a home. Our one friend Ben was so enamored with the little guy he offered to either take him or offer us a house for lease that he may acquire once our lease ends. I guess everyone really wants Bear to do ok.

He is finally starting to teethe and his flea problem has subsided. The cats like him, because he's small at the moment. Audrey likes Bear, because he loves to play rough. It's rather pathetic to see him play growl. This thing is far from vicious, but if he is a pit bull mix, well a lot of people won't see that.

After all the late nights waking up and feeding him, and having the next chapter delayed, I don't mind too much. I am ridiculously attached to Bear. >.< I wasn't expecting that. I thought, save him, wean him, find good home. I wasn't expecting to love the little guy so quickly. I guess once again, I prematurely mistook my abundant love for animals. For now he has a home in Texas, but who knows where he may be.

I think no matter what happens to my little Bear, he will have a good home in the end. And that's all that matters really.

( Pictures of my polar Bear! )

Basics
Characters - Basch, Fran, Balthier, Ashe, Al-Cid
Pairings - Penelo/Larsa, hints of Al-Cid/Ashe
Rating - PG-13
Summary - During the wedding reception to Penelo and Larsa's wedding, Basch encounters a new foe. Who is she and what are her intentions with "Judge Gabranth"?
Title - A Forgotten Requiem
Chapter Three - Protector

( Moments of extreme joy experienced by others always caused Basch to reflect on his own life. )

Quick Note: Does anyone on my friends list or otherwise use Google Documents? It seems that when I copy and past it to LiveJournal I get sentences that read like this:

I saw Google Documents pastecorrectly last time Iused the software.

I'm not sure where why the missed spacings occur. I could use Microsoft Word, but my current laptop is bound to crash any minute!

Fandom - Final Fantasy XII - No spoilers mid game.
Title - Nabudis' Treasure
Characters - Ashe, Vossler, Basch, Rasler
Rating - PG - 13
Summary - This is the story of the Zodiac Spear and Ashelia's connection to it.
Length - 3,713 words (No future chapters, but it was fun to write, while I try to hammer out chapter three of A Forgotten Requiem.)

( There is a certain annoyance at the repetition of one's role in life. )

Basics
Characters - Basch, Vaan, Fran, Balthier, Penelo
Pairings - hints of Al-Cid/Ashe
Rating - PG-13, Vaan does that, you know
Summary - Four years after the war, Basch has settled comfortably into his role of Judge Gabranth. Basch continues to put his duties and responsibilities ahead of his own desires, which has cost him dearly. Fate however, plays a dirty hand, now that Ultima and Zalera have escaped their prisons. Will he finally appease his desires or will he once again stay true to his role of Knight and protector?
Title - A Forgotten Requiem
Chapter Two - Battle

( And you're ok with this? )

ETA: On a similar note, my boyfriend bought me a Nintendo DS and a copy of Revenant Wings as a surprise gift today. I admit, my ff xii love has now gone to even more crazy lengths!!! It's even beginning to rival my love of X-Men and that right there is a scary thought!!!

Bashe, or the Basch/Ashe pairing of Final Fantasy XII has caught my eye and awaken my creative writing muse that has been mostly dormant for the past few years. There is a fan video on youtube by ladyearisu, which has sparked my imagination. Originally, I was more flexible and open to the options of Basch and Ashe pairing up with any of the various characters after the final events of Final Fantasy. Excellent arguments have been made about Ashe/Balthier, Penelo/Basch and various other combinations that many fans are well aware of.

However, if we think about the characters in question, then I think it is easily deducible to see that the only relationship that could work is in fact Ashe/Basch as their relationship extends beyond sexual chemistry. If we rearrange the characters to end up with another member of the group, the results would be quite sad. For now I will address the most common pairings I have seen in the FF XII fandom.

First, let's look at:

Penelo/Basch

This particular community of fans, are all endearing people and their fanfiction is of high caliber, as rhianna_aurora and sarasa_cat are two prime examples that come to mind. I believe that it is possible that Penelo can be attracted to Basch, after all he possesses many endearing qualities, such as his tendency to unquestionably devote himself to a person or cause. He is all or nothing and his physical features is just another positive, if she were to take it seriously.

However, if their age difference does not cause a rift, Penelo would have to wait for Basch to ultimately see her through the eyes of a man. It is quite possible that he acknowledges that she is a beautiful younger woman, but his love for her is familial. She fits the role of an adopted sister or daughter, who he feels the need to protect. Assuming she loved him, she would have to wait for the burgeoning relationship between Ashe and Basch to fail, which she herself acknowledged in her final letter to Larsa. She would also have to wait the time required for Basch to move on, take another chance at romance, and grow to see her as a woman.

Penelo is much too young, lively, and an emotional being for her to wait around for Basch to finally wake up and realize she's the one. By the time she moves on, should their have been a possibility that Basch could convert his feelings of familial love to romantic love for Penelo, she would have long since become attached to another male. Not only that, but Penelo would have to resolve the feelings she has for Vaan and address the adoration of Larsa. Larsa may indeed be younger, but maturity wise, he surpasses Vaan, and within one to five years, he could physically grow into the man that Penelo would want to develop a relationship with. Larsa has all of the personality traits she would want in a man, minus the physical, being that he still does have a boyish figure; which, an older girl such as Penelo would not be attracted to in the slightest. Thus, this relationship is doomed to fail at the start.

The most likely scenario would be unrequited love or puppy love on Penelo's part, which would be overcome once her true counterpart enters her line of sight.

Balthier & Fran Mixture

The pairing of Balthier and Ashe on some levels does make sense. There is a lot of sexual chemistry between the two, they share many private moments, and her pleas to Balthier at the end of the game does cause one to wonder what exactly was the extent of their relationship. For this couple to have worked out, they would have had to overcome the greatest obstacle of all, which would be Fran.

It can be argued that there was sexual tension between Balthier and Ashe. One can even go as far as arguing that the bond between Fran and Balthier is platonic. If we choose this route, that means that emotionally, though not romantically, the most significant figure in Balthier's life would be Fran. Yes, Balthier and Ashe could take on a physical relationship and they could start a romantic one, but Ashe does not come across as the type to allow herself to be a second prize. Most relationships in today's modern age have ended because of emotional affairs and this would be the most likely scenario to occur, should Fran and Balthier not have a romantic relationship. In many ways Ashe is demanding as is Balthier. For her to be in a relationship where she is not completely trusted and her persona alone cannot fulfill the emotional needs of Balthier, would be suicide. Also, when taking into accord Balthier's repugnance for rules and authorithy it would be difficult to tie him down. Even more vital, after all of the effort she exerted into reclaiming Dalmasca, she certainly would not give up a country for a sky pirate.

In the course of the game Fran speaks of Balthier's emotions becoming visible and the lengths that Balthier goes to save Fran over the others makes quite a statement. Now if we are of the camp that Balthier/Fran were either in a romantic relationship or possessed romantic feelings for one another, that would mean that Ashe would have to break up that union. Having been married to Rassler, Ashe has come to respect the union of marriage and other romantic relationships. It is not necessary to like Ashe, but for all her flaws, she does hold such feelings sacred. Otherwise, the haunting of Rassler would not have affected her on such a deep level. Had he been a constant vision, she could not have allowed herself to move on and experience love.

For Ashe to intervene she would not only break up a union, but ruin a friendship. Balthier would also have to forsake Fran for Ashe; the bond Balthier and Fran share is much too deep for their to be a reconciliation after such a betrayal. Everyone would lose in this situation as someone is being thrown aside for the guilty pleasures of another. This is not the foundation of a healthy relationship and such a beginning would leave a scar on their relationship. Furthermore, if Balthier had gotten in the way of Basch and Ashe's burgeoning relationship, that would be another bridge that was burned on the course for the Balthier/Ashe pairing. The chain could continue as high as Larsa, as he would find it despicable that two friends were backstabbed in such a way. Vaan and Penelo may try to stay neutral in this battle, but in the end Balthier and Ashe would lose the trust of the people who they have come to love. In other words, this relationship is sexy to think about, fun to write, but impossible to survive as both paths to this relationship would only lead to the end of their relationship.

Finally we reach BASHE.

Basch/Ashe

First let's look at the negatives this couple has to endure. Basch would be hesitant to leave Larsa after having sworn fealty to him. His responsibilities as a knight, judge, and brother could surpass his emotional responsibilities. His greatest flaw is that he puts his country ahead of him at the cost of his own personal happiness. If the country benefits from it, he shall lead the way.

Ashe, though demanding and rash also brings in certain negatives to this relationship. First, she would never be allowed to announce him as Basch Fon Rosenberg as taking on Noah's identity was a political move to appease two nations. It would not do for Ashe to admit that Basch is alive and that his crimes are forgiven. Politics are a tricky game to play and that could be a severe misstep for the peace between Archadia and Dalmasca. Her main priority would be Dalmasca at the end of the game and if she allowed it to, she would take on Basch's flaw and repeat the mistakes he has made. Should she come to such a decision her only logical pairing afterwards, would be Al-Cid of Rozzaria, for purely political reasons. It would be a union of politics as she is not swayed by his gregarious personality. Ashe is simply not attracted to such men, if you consider how quiet and serious of a character both Basch and Rassler were.

Al-Cid would want to conquer her, not love her, as he most likely has had several lovers and Ashe wold be a prize like any other; but in the end, Al-Cid would continue to play the field.

Basch, should they never admit their love to one another would more than likely continue his life as it is and love her from afar. Curiously enough, Ashe would go about the same. It is romantic to think that they continue their relationship in private, much like the suspected relationship between Fersen and Marie Antoinette. However, with this scenario, their is a hint of shame that would not satisfy the parties involved. They would not be ashamed of their relationship, so to hide it would harm their emotional well being.

The best scenario would be for Ashe to publicly marry "Gabranth" as Basch's identity could still upset the delicate political climate among Rozarria, Dalmasca, Bhujerbha, and Archadia. If they are able to distinguish their personal lives from their political lives then the two of them would be able to embark on a satisfying romantic relationship. They balance each other out by accepting the other's weakness and wanting to aid the other to grow and expand on their strengths. They each respect and need to serve their countries as such dedication is a life theme of theirs. To ask Basch or Ashe to forsake this chosen path would mean that the person requesting this favor knows little of their character.

Though we all want to see Ashe and Basch together in the end, whether their love for country separates or unites them as a couple, one thing that is certain, is that their love for the other will always be at the forefront of their existence.

Silly title aside, I was thinking about the importance or lack of importance of fans for fan-fiction writers. I believe most writers are acquainted with the adage, "I write for myself," or some variation of it. However, I wanted to know everyone's opinion on the matter.

For that reason this post will be public.

I have heard that many writers are simply satisfied with the accomplishment of having a piece of theirs published. I believe most writers aspire to see their work published, however the goals of the fan-fiction writer are much different.

The fan-fiction author wants to breathe life into a story arc that never ends. Fan-fiction authors tend to reveal snippets of information that the fan would not have known otherwise. These stories occur before, during, of after the initial plot, but the intent is the same to entertain and reveal information.

Now that said, fan-fiction writers obviously, cannot publish due to copyright laws, so that means that readers or "fans" become more important in this genre.

So, had your fan-fiction piece never received any praise or had your fan-fiction piece never caught the attention of anyone, would you have been able to continue? Logically, if there is no praise for the story, perhaps the story lacks editing from a careful eye, but even with careful editing and if you are one of the lucky souls to have a beta reader at your disposal, would you have trudged on with your work?

Or would you continue to write the story for yourself?

I think the importance of readers and how valued they are in the realm of fan-fiction to be interesting and wanted to hear your thoughts. Feel free to share this blog link to anyone who wishes to discuss.

Author's Note This is my first attempt at fanfiction after a very long hiatus, so if parts of it seems lacking, please forgive me. This is a learning process for me as I'm trying to build a rhythm and some believability in this particular story.

Basics
Fandom - Final Fantasy XII, 4-5 years after the end
Characters - Though the fab six do make an appearance, this is a Basch-centric work
Pairings - Larsa/Penelo
Rating - Quite tame, PG for now
Summary - Four years after the war, Basch has settled comfortably into his role of Judge Gabranth. Basch continues to put his duties and responsibilities ahead of his own desires, which has cost him dearly. Fate however, plays a dirty hand, now that Ultima and Zalera have escaped their prisons. Will he finally appease his desires or will he once again stay true to his role of Knight and protector?
Title - A Forgotten Requiem
Chapter One - Reunion

( Fabrics colored pearl, beige, white, and creme, were being pulled to and fro in front of him... )

ETA on 3/1/08 Out of respect to anyone who may have read this chapter, I have changed one crucial detail after observing a youtube video. I was inspired by the video as it caused me to truly analyze the relationship Basch would have had with Penelo and Ashe. I will speak further of this on another post, but I believe my conclusions to be much more accurate canon-wise then before.

This was done once long ago, but in a botched attempt to privatize certain entries, I have privatized my former LJ "Friends Only" post. After looking twice through years 2003 and up I have decided it was time to move on and create a new one.

All current friends need not apply- or comment for that matter. This is mainly for all the fun new people I may run across LJ.

If you're not a friend, comment below and I will let you know if you have been added or not. I'm really not that picky, I just like to know who is reading my journal and whether they can withstand the subject matter. You have been warned!

I promise I don't bite!

Unless cookies are involved.