Application
IC INFORMATION
NAME: Balthier
SERIES: Final Fantasy XII
CANON POINT: Post original game.
HISTORY: (This isn't the version from the app; it's an edited version with spoilers removed and the game plot glossed over so people don't need to worry about reading it. It's also a mix of canon and my own embellishments, so for those of you who are familiar with the canon, yes, I made up some of the details from his childhood.)
He was born by the name of Ffamran, third son of a scientist in the Archadian aristocracy. Of the members of his immediate family, the only one Ffamran really knew was his father. His oldest brother, who was quite significantly older, joined the Archadian military and died in service not long after becoming a soldier. The other, along with their mother, succumbed to a deadly disease when Ffamran was still very young. Thus, Ffamran was raised more or less solely by his father and the more-than-occasional babysitter. His father always had a tendency to throw himself into his work and perhaps was never around quite as much as he should have been while trying to raise a child, but young Ffamran understood well the importance of his father’s job, and he had quite a good deal of respect for the man. He even sometimes thought about going into research himself one day.
He was, however, always a rather independent and adventuresome boy, and as he grew older he became a bit more rebellious. Despite his aristocratic heritage, he spent a fair amount of free time in the slums of Old Archades, finding it an intriguing change of pace. He made acquaintance with a boy named Jules, who was adept at finding his way around the city and fancied himself to be a good information broker. No doubt Ffamran learned a few tricks from this erstwhile friend.
Even so, the relationship he had with his father remained a good one up until he was 16. His father went on a research trip and returned something of a different man. Where his work had been important to him before, it was suddenly all-consuming, to the point where it seemed he never had even a second to spare for his son. Even more concerning, his sanity was clearly wavering; if Ffamran stood in the doorway a moment after his father unthinkingly dismissed him, he would hear the man begin to conduct rather elaborate conversations, apparently with no one but himself.
Ffamran tried, both by simply trying to force his father to spend time with him and by several more openly rebellious acts, to remedy the situation, but to no avail. His pleas for attention earned him nothing more than an appointment as a Judge (a prestigious job that should do well to occupy the boy’s time), a job which he had little to no taste for and resigned from in a matter of days. Thoroughly frustrated, he gave up the life he had known and ran away from home. By a stroke of luck, he caught wind of an airship known as the YPA-G847, which was scheduled to be scrapped. He saved it from its fate (flying it away without permission, and with a terrified moogle or two stuck inside) and renamed it the Strahl. He also took the opportunity to rename himself, and thus the sky pirate Balthier was born. Not long after, he befriended a Viera named Fran, who became both his copilot and a close companion. They made a name for themselves as pirates, and with it developed a significant price on their heads, attracting the attention of bounty hunters. One in particular, a Bangaa by the name of Ba’Gamnan, became a notable thorn in his side.
In the process of attempting to steal a valuable stone from the Dalmascan palace, Balthier found himself involved in a series of events that tied him into world politics considerably more than he would have imagined. He expected just a trinket for his troubles, but instead ended up undertaking a long adventure with the dethroned Princess Ashe of Dalmasca, the disgraced knight Basch, and a couple of orphans named Vaan and Penelo, who likewise became involved by a matter of chance. As it turned out, the stone was a piece of Nethicite, the very same material that his father had gone insane researching. That research had yielded a way to manufacture Nethicite where previously it was extremely rare and considered a god-given item. The ever-growing Archadian empire planned to use the stones for their destructive powers, as weapons of conquest. Balthier had never precisely intended to find himself directly fighting against such a thing, but it seemed a fitting role for one who fancies himself a leading man.
Eventually the bad guys were defeated, but in the process (and in a rather heroic and dangerous endeavor) he and Fran became separated from the group. He left the Strahl in the care of Vaan and Penelo until he managed to get back to it himself, some months later.
PERSONALITY: Balthier is a dashing young man with a strong sense of adventure. He’s almost unfailingly confident, easily referring to himself as “the leading man” without any particular context other than a general taste for theatrics. He likes excitement, and is perfectly happy for his daily life to involve some level of danger.
Despite leading a life of crime, he would be quick to point out that he is a sky pirate, not a thug. He knows how to be polite and does see the value in it. Between that and his impeccable taste in clothing horribly uncomfortable-looking pants aside he is more than capable of coming across as a perfect gentleman if he wants to. He can also be quite charming and is a bit of a ladies’ man. Between his looks and manner it’s not unlikely for people to swoon, an effect he rather enjoys having. He walks a fine line between wit and snark much of the time, but he’s likable nonetheless. He’s social to a certain extent by nature, and he would typically prefer having some kind of company to being completely alone. That said, it takes him a bit to become very close to people, and he’ll only truly trust people as far as they’ve proven themselves trustworthy.
While “caring” isn’t necessarily the first word that would come to mind when trying to describe him, it would nevertheless be a fitting label. He’s unlikely to go too far out of his way to help someone unless he has some reason to, but neither will he go out of his way to do harm without a reason, and he’s likely to be relatively kind to the average passerby. That does not, however, obligate him to be nice to everyone he comes across, and he has no qualms with being rather selfish and demanding when the situation happens to involve something he wants.
As a sky pirate he lives something of a fantasy life, born out of frustration with the life he had been living, and for all his confidence, that’s left him just a little bit broken. He’s far from insane, but he does occasionally have his moments, particularly on the rare occasion when he gives too much thought to whatever part of himself might still readily respond to the name “Ffamran.”
WEAPONS/ABILITIES/ETC: He has no special powers, but he is skilled in the use of a gun and carries one in canon. He’s also capable of using other weapons, though they aren’t his specialty and he doesn’t generally carry them (...unless you end up giving him a greatsword like I did >.>)
His symbol is ♠.