Footnotes
your concern is duly noted
Originally this was to be the "Frequently Asked Questions" section , the introduction to which read "this is admittedly less of a FAQ than a giant footnote". But then I thought, "well that's stupid. Why not just call it 'footnotes'?"
And here we are today.
Here you will find small explanations, observations, and other notes pertaining to this site and its stance on all things Balthier and Fran.
Balthier, Balthier, Balthier!
Any self-respecting leading man would do the same.
One thing I noticed while putting my opinion on paper -- and no doubt you noticed while reading through the current draft -- is how much of my view of the sky pirates' role in the story is seen as "Fran in reaction to Balthier" rather than "Fran and Balthier". That reading suggests that she is lower on the protagonist hierarchy than Balthier. ...Which is kind of true. Balthier's father is in the center of the war; it is inevitable that Balthier is pulled to the forefront.
Although I was troubled by this at first, I realized that Balthier's broader influence over the story did not impede on the two's image as a team--the core of their character that I loved the most. As far as their partnership is concerned, they're equal; this relationship is pre-established and there's no shaking it.
After examining the characters, I believe Fran's big pay-off -- the reason she is introduced to Final Fantasy XII's story -- is the exchange in the lighthouse discussed in both Romance and Family (psst! Read Family!). To oversimplify things to the max, her purpose is to pose a question not unlike Dr. Cid's and essentially make Balthier put his foot down. Cut the crap, Bunansa; what side are you on?
Something about the characters bothered me during my initial play through; I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but it just felt like a whirlwind. All these characters were coming and going and backstabbing... It wasn't until I belatedly watched Gametrailer's review that the light bulb came on. They're totally right; Final Fantasy XII isn't as much about the characters as it is about the nations they represent. We really shouldn't be trying to unravel the individual characters lest we want to poke holes in the narrative (wait, wait, Balthier has siblings?! Why isn't the doctor badgering them?). The best way to approach this without hurting ourselves is to simplify it in terms of the aforementioned "pay-off". What will doing this action at this specific time do for the story--for the future of Ivalice?
I think a lot of us -- myself included -- have taken the wrong approach to these characters. Although they have Heart (they're protagonists, after all!), at the end of the day, Fran is the Warrior Woman from Another World, while Balthier is the Cheeky Bastard with a Past. They aren't meant to be like FFVII's Cloud or Tifa; they aren't the normal boy and girl stuck in the wrong place at the wrong time. It's not their struggle to retain normalcy -- to have a family, as it eventually boils down to -- that is chronicled blah blah blah. Balthier and Fran are charming players in a much bigger picture, and it's the big picture that's ultimately important.
But Stacey Anne, you say, this makes no sense!
I say, shhh!
He said, She said
"history is built by our hands." that's his favorite line
When I started this site, I thought it'd be really clever to use Balthier and Fran quotations as sub-headings. However, Fran is amazingly on-task, and Balthier's cheeky showmanship can only get you so far, so I often find myself grasping for new quotations whenever I write a new section. Thus, other characters have been introduced and are responsible for the following:
- "Your location map for this area is now complete" -....
- "Pirate scum of the skies; What brings you here?" - Dr. Cid
- "A pirate should know that words are worth gil uncountable" - Jules
- "who are you? an angel of vengeance? Or perchance a saint of salvation?" - Vayne
- "So much for peaceful negotiations" - Vayne
- "Every good sky pirate needs a partner, right?" - Penelo
- "I found it. it's mine." - Vaan
- "...don't get any ideas. I said it's mine!" - Vaan
- "A friend of master balthier's is a friend of mine" - Jules
- "Come on! I'm talking over here!" - Vaan
- "Your concern is duly noted" - Rikken
This as-of-right-now-nameless site designed and maintained by Stacey Anne and is not to be duplicated in any way. Final Fantasy XII , Itadaki Street, Balthier, and Fran are copyright Square Enix and Sony; no infringement is intended in the making of this site.