FFXII Replay Chronicles: part 11
A more serious strip this time. This scene was so sweet, I loved Vaan taking a sort of big brotherly role with her and seeing her not as the princess but just Ashe, another fellow Dalmascan war orphan who has also lost everyone she loved.
PS. I am so gay for Ashe like you have no idea, she was my fave during my first playthrough when the game first came out.
It’s our home. It belongs to us all
In the previous post I’ve analyzed how they are separated, in quite an official way. And one minute later everything changes. They are one family, wishing for a peaceful world. Basch will always behind her tho. That won’t change.
But look how.they.smile
Ashe knows she made the right choice. She is grateful to everyone and she can feel hope.
[564/?]
It’s interesting to (over) analyze their position. Ashe of course is one step ahead of everyone. She is the leader here. Al-cid’s political peer. Vaan and Penelo are behind her, the people of Dalmasca supporting her.
Basch is in the middle, always one step behind Ashe. Ashe is the leader but Basch is her advisor. He should strive to be unbiased. Even if he is a Dalmascan at heart, he comes from the Republic of Landis, he is alone in the middle because he’s not from Rabanastre.
And then, as usual, the two stateless pirates Balthier and Fran stay two steps away from the main discussion. But this time they’re not in the far back where they usually stay. They are on the same line as the others. They are involved.
[563/?]
[560/?]
[542/?]
Please don’t talk to me if you think Vaan is useless after watching this scene. Ashe ponders one last time between the Occuria’s hateful proposal and Vaan’s peaceful wish.
Vaan, the boy who hated the Empire, is the very one who screams PEACE the moment he heard the Occuria in Giruvegan. Yes, he is not alone. Fran does, Penelo does, they all do. But Vaan is Ashe’s mirror. They both hate the Empire, they both lost one very special someone. They both were the Occuria’s candidate. But Vaan grew up faster than Ashe. And if Ashe will be their guide once she is queen, Vaan is her guide at this very moment.
During my game, I pay attention to the landscape a lot in order to take all my screenshots. And I was amazed by this area at the center of the Cerobi Steppe in particular :
@giza-rabbit and @trickstercandy you also thought it was suspicious and that it looked like a boss arena. You know what ? we were right
This is the place where we fight Slyt, the second guardian of the Pharos.
Now this is so best screenshot I could take of the location of the fight against the third guardian Fenrir :
We can see the Paramina Rift way down below, and it is more exactly the Silverflow’s end area. But the boss location is too high above to see anything from down there. We can recognize the triangular shape and the almond-shaped rock.
And my favorite, the location of the first guardian, the Pandemonium
Here is a cap from the view I had before the fight. It is clearly Nam-Yensa so I looked for the place.
This is the platform where we are before the Pandemonium fight, above the
Withering Shores. Turn around and you see this :
You can recognize the tree with the pink flowers, the two rocks in the sea, the small shore, the three trees in front of the structure, and that rounded rock on the left.
and YES the structure is missing when we are looking for the Pandemonium. I like to think this means the projection we are sent into during each fight are not simple hidden areas, but also a projection from the past.
So, Ashe is the ~chosen one~ in the end, the scene here makes sense as Fran tells the ancient story of Raithwall and how he left those words for her.
But we know Vaan was a candidate. Those words were meant to whoever the Occuria wanted, and being Raithwall’s heir(ess) has nothing to do with the trial that awaits them. The door would have open for Vaan too.
True, the current stones react to Ashe’s presence, her blood or her anger. But all of this is merely the will of the Occuria. For them, being a royalty or the lowest of commoners matters not. What matter is how useful you are for their own benefit.
[512/?]
The war began with Gabranth impersonating Basch and ended with Basch impersonating Gabranth.
(And then Basch continued impersonating Gabranth for the rest of his life.)
But it’s also so poignant that Basch of all people is the one to proclaim Ashe’s existence to the public for the first time in two years.
THIS IS SO RAD
Sometimes I think about video games too hard… In FFXII Ashe’s marriage was arranged for political reasons, but was she able to say no? I mean how much choice did she have in the matter? If she said “no” would there be any consequences, or would everyone around guilt her about “not doing her duty to her country” and pressure her into consenting. She did love her husband and they were happy and whatnot, but they didn’t decide to marry on their own volition. I wonder if either of them resented their parents for taking that choice away, or if they just accepted it as a fact of life. Even if you want something it still sucks to be unable to say “no.”
I agree with you. I’m sure they were not ready to marry and they didn’t have a choice.
Rasler was likely to be more prepared. Nabradia was on the front line between Rozarria and Archades. They asked Rozarria to move their troops at Nabradia’s borders (or so it was written in the bestiary). Rasler certainly anticipated the official proposal. Al-cid could have sisters, but it is implied that Al-cid is not the heir, so his potential sisters’ position is not the best marriage material. Ashe is. Rasler knew it was the best option to marry the daughter of King Raminas.
Ashe, I think, was not naive. She knew she would marry a prince someday. But she wouldn’t know which one (she’s the only girl in all this political scene) and not that soon. Luckily she fell in love with Rasler, but their live together was too short.
I’m finally taking the time to read and listen to the lyrics and I’m even more in love with the song. I prefer to listen to the Japanese version, even though the lyrics in English are more powerful in my opinion.
Hane o ageru kara shinjite tobeba ii
I’ll give you wings, so believe and take flightAnata wo ushinatte mo aishita kioku ga tsuyosa ni kawaru kara
Even if I should lose you, my beloved memories will be my strength
Two lines of the English version I l really like :
Go– if you must move on alone. I’m gonna make it on my own.
[…]I loved you enough to let you go free
During the game, Ashe is held back by her desire of revenge. She won’t let go of the past and she won’t let Rasler rest in peace. That’s why she is so disturbed by ghost!Rasler. She is afraid his soul is tormented.
But at the end, she is ready to let Rasler go and I’m crying.
Final fantasy XII &co 