Weapon Upgrade (chapter 23 of 49, 9531 words)
During a trip to the beach, Braska finds himself joining in with the islanders’ blitzball practice. Jecht is given a new sword, and asks Auron to help him test it. An evening gathering allows Braska to become more acquainted with Ginnem.
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Braska deserves praise for not traumadumping in too much detail to a random blitzball player he’s just met.
The “can I shake your hand” scene is obviously similar to one of Barthello’s most relatable moments in the game itself.
How old are children when they learn about the Final Summoning? On Besaid, perhaps about twelve, but Yuna clearly knows what’s going to happen to her father. Perhaps the children of Bevelle receive a superior education so they’re deemed mature enough to learn the truth (or part of the truth, I suppose) earlier. In the game, Calli is eleven and doesn’t seem to know and she must be living in the Luca region; on the other hand, Pacce is ten and must have some awareness of what it means. Perhaps Yevonites try to cover it up but Braska decided to be upfront about it with Yuna as part of his general disdain for the teachings.
Jecht would probably appreciate it if Braska actually told him he was proud of him, but Braska doesn’t feel the need to say so out loud.
I think Braska’s idea that playing landball with the islanders will convince them all to reject Yevon is a bit unrealistic, but I also think he hasn’t quite grasped how devout they all are, given his continued belief that they should be raising his daughter.
Jecht seems to have a slight desire to be kind to Auron here … just a tiny one. Progress!
Jecht’s conversation with Chappu allows him to speak to someone who talks in a way much more similar to how he does than is the case for most people in Spira. It’s kind of funny how the person who speaks the most like him is a twelve-year-old boy.
I’m not sure Besaid really gets many tourists when, as Auron explained to Jecht several chapters ago, people don’t tend to travel very much for leisure purposes. I guess wealthy people from Bevelle occasionally visit the island to learn what the “primitive” cultures of Spira are like and take back a souvenir or two … not unlike Braska, although not gaining the local aeon means they don’t end up in everyone’s favour like he does.
I’ve included this idea that Wakka is more religious than Chappu as a way of laying the foundations for their later career decisions, although it would also have been fun to portray Chappu as the more religious one at this point and imply that he would change a lot over the coming years.
Having Jecht’s iconic sword come from Chappu creates a sort of interlinked sword genealogy:
Jecht and Auron’s interaction at the lodge is pretty friendly, even if Auron wouldn’t admit it; they’ve come a long way! As we saw earlier when Jecht watched Auron using his whetstone, he seems to find Auron particularly attractive when Auron is doing careful things with his hands (as it were).
Auron’s arranged marriages remark is a way of suggesting that a young man shouldn’t get too friendly with a young woman, or their elders will start considering whether it will be advantageous to have the two of them marry without considering the actual extent of their interest in each other. Jecht just doesn’t have this concept in his culture so it passes him by completely.
Sarcastic, competent Auron is my fave … Jecht clearly thinks the same.
Auron just really loves fighting.
“If you keep waving it around like that, you’re going to take someone’s eye out.”
I apologise for this.
Speed and surprise were still Jecht’s two main advantages
Amongst our weaponry …
It’s the old “sexually charged fight” trope, but the twist is that the sexual tension is entirely one-sided. Jecht really thinks Auron might be on the same page as him for a moment, but Auron is just having a great time engaging in his favourite activity.
Jecht is very highly attuned to notions of consent, despite his tendency towards toxic masculinity; that’s what his Zanarkand is like. This is, er, not the case for certain Spiran characters in this story … more on that much later.
Braska would undoubtedly have healed Auron first if Auron hadn’t let Jecht go ahead of him.
Auron and Jecht’s fascination with their swords was something he would never understand.
My partner/long-suffering alpha reader wondered if this was a metaphor for their respective sexualities, and tbh, why not. Although perhaps there is one particular “sword” Braska may have some interest in, hmm.
I like the idea of “one-hit fiends” as a common military slang term.
I enjoy depicting Auron as very intelligent but supremely uncultured.
Braska is generally quite bad at remembering people’s names, but I suspect he learnt Auron’s as soon as they first met.
I have to say I loved being able to depict my least favourite FFX party member as a sulky preteen. I’m sure when she meets Auron again on Yuna’s pilgrimage, she looks back on that interaction and cringes.
I didn’t specify the instrument Braska had learnt as a boy because anything that exists in our world seemed anachronistic to include; if I had to pin it down I’d go for some kind of flute or lyre.
The reference to “extended verse sections contributed by a soloist” is inspired by early Anglican choral music and particularly This is the record of John, which made a huge impression on me as a teenager for some reason.
Auron sat quietly, too distracted by the number of conversations around him to succeed in joining any particular one of them.
Neurology Moment.
“This is me,” said Ginnem,
A slight touch of the Ulster there. Actually, now I think about it, my depiction of Besaid kind of makes it the Northern Ireland of Spira: more religious than average, two ethnic groups who don’t always mix easily, neglected and misunderstood by mainlanders, a tradition of textile production … hmm.
What are the odds that when Braska goes off to take Yuna’s sphere, he’s like, “Now Yuna, if you ever meet a nice young man …”
I think I said somewhere before that the “he sure is pissed” exchange is one of my favourite moments in the whole fic. Earlier in this week’s notes I said competent Auron was my fave, but I could say the same about jealous Auron too … really I should have known better and acknowledged that I love him in all his forms.