salut-hurricane:

skystones:

vivisucre:

– 

You know what? I’m through with it. I’m through running.

– It’s time
to end this

—

cut my ties to the past.

[344/?]

Vaan – of a brighter disposition and optimistic outlook – coming to terms with his grief and deciding to no longer run away from his past while standing under the night sky, and Balthier – of a shuttered disposition and cynical outlook – coming to terms with what it really means to be a leading man and deciding to no longer run away from his past while under the sunny sky, further adds to the both timelessly classic and romantically tragic sun-moon( /shooting star) dichotomy of the BalVaan ship. In this essay I will

Hmm…I always interpreted Balthier breaking away from his past, while Vaan embraced his, came to peace with his. Maybe I just saw things funny.

I think you got a point ! Clearly Vaan accepts what happened two years ago and he is ready to live with it.

It’s more difficult to analyze Balthier because who he was in Archades is up to our subjective understanding of the character.

Him running away from Archades was his way to say No to his father. Like, he was physically away from him, but still highly ashamed and confused. He doesn’t want to face him. And he doesn’t want anyone to know who he was. He may live however he wants with Fran, but he avoids anything linked to Archadia and his father. He does say something like “if I knew what the stone was I wouldn’t have been so desperate to get my hands on it”

When he is finally ready to do so, he can show to Cid “this is who I am”. Not a Judge, not a puppet, I am Balthier. Of course Balthier’s feelings are still mixed, he still cares about his father, but he decides not to let his past guide his actions.