Well, links to all my tumblr fics (Legacy (D&D fanfic), Dragon Age, and FFXIII) as well as my FFXIII meta discussions are now incorporated into my new theme. Hopefully, this will make it easier for people looking for something specific to find it.
Truly, any feedback on the page and the subpages—what works, what doesn’t, what can go, what should be added, etc—would be greatly appreciated.
Oh my freaking gods... I’m finally working on the Gran Pulse time and distances calculations to figure out how long the l’Cie were wandering around like damn fools in Ch 11 of FFXIII. I have the Subterra, Sulyya Springs, Taejin’s Tower, and Oerba to get through still, so I’m about halfway done.
So far, the l’Cie have been hanging out on Gran Pulse for a good 3 months just to get from Point A to Point B while learning enough of the land that they can camp, eat, and drink in relative safety.
I should have it ready to go over the weekend. *crosses fingers*
So here I am trying to write the next chapter in Dreams of Light, and it occurs to me...
There's a theme running through all my HopuRai fic. Interconnectedness. I don't think I could get away from this specific theme if I tried. It manifests in my writing as pining, extrasensory perception one for the other, mirroring of thoughts and actions between the two, the works.
People ask, albeit less frequently now that FFXV is coming out in less than 10 days, “How can you ship Hope and Lightning?” Usually, it's followed by how gross the ship inherently is because <insert bullshit reason or personal squick here> or how deluded the shipper is for even considering the relationship possible (because obviously HopuRai shippers have to be the delusional ones because <bullshit reason/squick>—it couldn't possibly be the other way around <no one owes anyone their compliance to others' likes/dislikes>). I believe I read somewhere someone had written something to the effect of “[Hope and Lightning] breathe the same air. That's all [these shippers] need.” Obviously derogatory and meant to bait an argument, and I'll admit that it got under my skin.
But it also caused me to really examine the characters and their relationships in the game and stories. (Hence the meta I've been doing off and on for years now… And this post.)
I'm not one to ship just because the couple/polyamorous group look good together. I don't think that specific pairing/grouping of traits are inherently more compatible than other combinations (think physical/physical vs mental/mental vs physical/mental). There has to be a connection beyond similar/opposite, and that's the only level upon which the “Ooh, you look GRAND together” or (worse in its way) the “<insert character here> deserves <insert personal character crush/character who can easily negate the cool factor of the first character here>” ships speak to me.
(Yes, @rainbowserenity, I saw your answer to an ask, and apparently it got me thinking, too. ;) )
Relationships are complicated. They're messy. They're filled with an abundance of contentment with spikes of joy and despair.
People are like puzzle pieces. We're jagged. We're smooth. We bend, tear, and/or break if the wrong kind of pressure or too much pressure is applied at a weak point or at the wrong time.
And those are the languages the HopuRai ship speaks in. The messy. The ecstatic. The unexpected. The sincere. The despairing. The hurtful. The healing.
And it leads back into a feeling of interconnectedness. They fit together like two puzzle pieces. Yeah, they may be taped or missing a corner. Pretty alone, they create a beautiful image together. This makes them integral to each other. And that… the ability to withstand the vagaries of fate and the winds of change while relying on each other no matter the obstacles is a net positive. (No matter how much angst some of us shippers might throw into our stories.)
It's the ultimate romance story. And no, it's not a case of “love conquers all” because it's not their emotions that get Hope and Light through their trials and tribulations. (I've argued that their emotions are what draws their trials and tribulations to them in the first place.) It's their character traits, their strengths and weaknesses, the values and skills learned from each other. The value they find within each other. They are better together because of the myriad ways they're interconnected with each other than they are apart.
I get that not everyone is into the messiness of Real Life intruding on their entertainment the way I am. I don't begrudge people shipping a couple/group I can't wrap my head around or getting into a fandom to something I don't enjoy. No skin off my nose.
For me, interconnectedness on a spiritual and emotional level, the feeling that another person/other people “get you” on a fundamental level, are more than enough reasons for a romantic relationship to develop between people regardless of age in real life. Ergo, it's definitely more than enough reason for a romantic take on a fictional relationship.
Anyway, that's my take on it (all my ships, really). It's why no matter what I write or how it ends, interconnectedness will remain a theme in everything I write.
