salut-hurricane:

ffxiipics:

Reminder

It’s Vaan that saves Ashe at the beginning. It’s Vaan that garners attention in Bhujerba to get the Marquis to notice them after Balthier wonders aloud HOW CAN WE POSSIBLY GARNER THE MARQUIS’ ATTENTION. It’s Vaan that spearheads through the ancient village Eruyt and demands to find where Mjrn went when Balthier didn’t say a word. It’s Vaan whose anger and hatred rivaled Ashe’s so deeply that the Occuria were tempted to use him as their pawn before choosing her to manipulate.

And finally, hello, it’s Vaan that literally saves the entire rest of the party, flying the Strahl that carries oh, I don’t know, the future leaders of Archadia and Dalmasca inside of it to safety from a falling warship forged by a rogue god.

Vaan does a ton. I’m not sure where people get this idea he doesn’t do much. He does so, so much.

Get your head of of your ass and play the game

Love,

Riley

Incoming Rant I have a lot of feelings on this

May I also add that it’s Vaan who is one of the first (if not THE but I haven’t played in a couple months) person Ashe has a civil conversation with. You know, the conversation where it’s clear they both relate to their feelings of hatred of the Empire and seeing their deceased loved one’s Occuria ghost. The one where Ashe actually kinda smiles, and Vaan tells her he’s going to find his own answers in life, which include how he’ll deal with his grief.

If you really boil down every Matsuno game ever made including FFXII, it’s about examining two central characters that go through similar stuff or came from similar backgrounds. You have Basch and Gabranth, but there’s also the Ashe/Vaan dynamic. Both lost someone dear to them, to the extent that they see a loved one’s ghost by the Occuria, and are bound by their personal hatred and their sense of duty (Vaan to family, Ashe to country). Vaan is an optimist through and through that wanted freedom more than anything in the world, if it meant running from his problems. Ashe buried herself in obligation and duty so hard that it almost destroyed her. They help each other grow throughout the course of the game and balance each other out. Arguably, IMO, the most with each other than with anyone else.

Vaan is pivotal to preventing Ashe from becoming The Occuria’s Dynast Queen. From shaking off Occurian influence after the Tomb of Raithwall, to being one of the first people to openly talk to Ashe not as a subject (Basch) or too distant to commentate (Balthier), but as a friend. To later speaking to the heart of things when Ashe questions if her party sees her as someone so strong she was always meant to lead- Vaan humanizes her by saying she doesn’t have to be. She has great friends.

He may not be the man that stops a war by himself but Vaan’s emotional impact on the protagonist, Ashe, is vital to how the story ends up the way it does.

/rant

Maybe I’m being dumb but man nobody talks about how important of companions Vaan and Ashe end up becoming. It’s so much more organic than the stilted relations she has with anyone else.