Balence

Balence (or Broun/Valence) is a popular ship among fans of Friends at the Table's PARTIZAN season. It pairs two PCs, Kal'mera Broun and Valence, who become close friends during the season. 
==Canon==
In canon, Broun and Valence are coworkers-turned-friends who have a close relationship that is very important to both of them. They share a telepathic bond, discovered during a friendly trip to a bathhouse; they trust each other with secrets they would never disclose to anyone else; and they share multiple intimate scenes, including one in which Broun repairs Valence's (robotic) body. 
While Broun and Valence's players, Ali Acampora and Andrew Lee Swan, never intended for their characters' relationship to become overtly romantic, the tenor of the relationship was impacted by the fact that Austin Walker (Friends at the Table's GM) actively shipped it.In PARTIZAN's post-mortem episode, Ali said, "I think the thing that became difficult was that, um, the biggest Valence/Broun shipper on the podcast was Austin Walker? ... Whenever they were together on screen, [Austin] would be like, 'Yeah, I’m into this, because I ship them.' And me and Dre would be like, 'Yeah. We get it. It’s sexy and it’s good.'" 
==Fandom==
=== History ===
While some Balence fanworks existed early on,e.g., just to relax by angstandcaffeine, the first Balence fic posted to AO3. fan interest in the ship spiked in May 2020 following the episode featuring both the robotic-body-repair scene and the bathhouse telepathy scene. As one fan put it:
Fans also point to the interplay of the characters' relationship and their differing levels of loyalty to their nascent revolution as a source of ship fodder:
Mid-way through canon, Valence dies suddenly and unexpectedly. Fans were upset, but did not stop shipping it, and fic writers began to write fix-itse.g., i'll still wait for your call by kismetNemesis; Digging in Your Heels by theorangewitch and deathfic.e.g., and then, it is time to go by moonbeatblues; Loving Gaze by theorangewitch During the airing of PARTIZAN's sequel season, PALISADE, it became common for fans to comment that the spectre of Valence was haunting both the narrative and Broun's psyche:
===Popularity===
As far as Friends at the Table ships go, Balence is extremely popular. For example, in Secret Samol, the fandom's annual gift exchange, it was the single most-requested ship in both 2021 and 2022@secretsamol (Dec 4, 2022): Pickman and Balence hold their titles as most requested character and most requested ship two years in a row! (Tweet). (archive link) and it tied with Brnine/Gucci for most-requested ship in 2023.Post by secret-samol (Nov 13, 2023). Tumblr. (archive link)
===Common Tropes===
*Telepathy
*Robot body repair (erotic)
*Xeno
*Pre-relationship
*Fix-it
*Deathfic
===Creator Response===
As noted above, Austin Walker was an early and enthusiastic Balence shipper. He created,@austin_walker (Jul 23, 2020). Ali should never let me edit a @Friends_Table ep because I almost put a Taking Back Sunday song under this one scene, and that would've got us all the way sued. (It would've been worth it) (Tweet) (archived version) and later tweeted a link to,@Friends_Table (Jul 24, 2020). pzn 28 spoilers (please don't sue us) (Tweet) (archived version) his own Balence fan edit while he was editing an episode in which the characters had a shippy interaction. Broun's player, Ali Acampora—herself a long-time fic-reading fan—reacted to Valence's death with enthusiasm about what it meant for Broun. Her response has resonated with Balence fans, who sometimes quote her comment from the season's post-mortem episode that "Broun and Valence weren't in a relationship, but it doesn't matter for the rest of Broun's life."Again in PARTIZAN's post-mortem episode, Ali said: "But then I was like, oh my god, I’m going to play Broun for the rest of my life. I’m gonna have Broun in the greatest game ever, this is gonna be great. ... Just, like, the idea of playing Broun, like, post-losing Valence is the, like... Broun and Valence weren’t in a relationship, but it doesn’t matter for the rest of Broun’s life. Because it’s me sitting there being like, That cake looks delicious, and I am also tasting it while viewing it." She also agreed with fellow player Janine Hawkins that her response was one of a "long-time fanfiction-y shipper person." Responses from other members of the cast of Friends at the Table have also been positive.
==Example Fanworks==
===Fanfic===
*see you in the morning by imperialhare. Popular PWP fic featuring alien biology and the characters' telepathic bond.
*shipbuilding by volefriend. Good example of a fic focusing on Valence's promise to buy Broun a spaceship, a popular canon scene among the ship's fans.
*i'll still wait for your call by kismetNemesis. Fix-it fic written following Valence's death.
===Fanart===
File:Balence repairs by zroem.jpg|alt=A humanoid alien performs repairs on a mechanical person wearing a wolf mask. They sit almost on top of each other.|Fanart by zroem depicting the scene in which Broun repairs Valence's bodyPost by zroem (Aug 5, 2020). Tumblr. (Archived 2022-08-04)
File:Balence repairs by ahcoffeebeans.jpg|Fanart by ahcoffeebeans riffing on the same scene as the work by zroem, but to humorous effectPost by ahcoffeebeans (Jul 22, 2023). Tumblr. (Archived 2023-10-23)
File:Balence mundane situations by Arp.png|alt=A person wearing a wolf mask sits on a kitchen floor, looking up at a green-skinned humanoid alien who is pouring coffee, pantsless|Mundane situations :) by Arp, fanart depicting a domestic momentPost by wereshrew-admirer (Jul 30, 2023). Tumblr. (Archived 2023-10-23)
File:FATTBalenceArtSeafleece.jpg|alt=A person with shaggy hair holds a gun and is hugged by the ghost of a person wearing a wolf mask|Fanart by seafleece set during PALISADE, after Valence's deathPost by seafleece (Jun 15, 2023). Tumblr. (archive link)
==Other Fannish Resources==
*Kal'mera Broun/Valence tag on Archive of Our Own
*Mini Ship Manifesto by Anonymous on Fail-Fandomanon
==Notes==
==References==
Category:Non-Binary Pairings
Category:Friends at the Table Relationships