livvyplaysfinalfantasy:

ronsenboobi:

RESISTANCE*

the snappy way in which ashe corrects balthier probably makes some people ready to dislike her from the get-go, but her insistence is more than understandable.

in this case, the semantics are very significant: referring to the resistance as “insurgents” frames them into something negative–much like social activists currently tend to get referred to as “SJWs” by people who don’t regard them in a positive light. it undermines them and delegitimizes them, while “resistance” is something with much more of a positive connotation; they are not a small group pettily refusing a new government. they are a people fighting to free themselves from imperialism.

still, balthier’s commentary in the first screencap is really depressing. after two years of fighting against a power as great as the archadian empire with their already broken nation, they’re at their wits’ and their forces’ end.

This is exactly why I’ve never found much humor in Ashe’s “Resistance” corrections at all; to me, they’ve never come off as a joke, given the remarks’ textual context. Much to the contrary, this is literally a matter of life or death for Ashe’s country and the people who fight for it, and Ashe’s desire to give legitimacy to Dalmasca’s only apparent hope for freedom doesn’t sit well as a punchline for that reason.

I can’t help but remember that Balthier is from Archades. He may have become a sky pirate looking for his own freedom, and he may be part of the main group, the “nice” characters along with Ashe and the others, but he’s not from Dalmasca or Nabradia. He’s not emotionally connected to those resistants fighting for their nation.