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eirenare · 7 years ago

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FFXII: The Zodiac Age — I finished it in New Year’s Eve, and...

... and, gods, my feels.

MY FEELS.

*screams into the void*

Feels-y demonic wall of text below “read more” because it’s not going to be spoiler-free at all.

[NOTE: the edition of the post is done! Changes made: corrected writing mistakes, highlighted words properly to make the text easier to read, and added some new text.]

First of all, I have to say I haven’t completed the game. I’m not close to it, I still have Espers to collect, preys to hunt, side missions to beat... but I just wanted SO badly to finish the story of the game.

I had accidentally spoiled myself of some things of the ending beforehand, and I have to say, I thought things would be predictable... I’m glad I was wrong because, even if I knew some things were going to happen, it wasn’t everything at all.

The ending is... quite impressive.

The first time I saw the Bahamut, FUCK, it was SCARY. All that mist and smoke around it, how humongous that airship was... Damn. Well, when the mist and smoke is no more he’s not that much scary, but it’s still SO impossing. I love its design.

I have to say I expected the Bahamut to be more maze-like, to be more complicated a dungeon that in reality was. In that sense, it was a bit of a letdown, because I expected more in that sense. But still, the design of the place was cool, and dealing with the runic/magic bishops was a bit of a hell (a welcomed one once I realized the place was little, though).

Seeing the Bahamut fire, by the way, that’s IMPRESSIVE. The battle between the two armies, and seeing Ondore in CG, man... I LOVED IT. I was agape at the battle scenes, and there were a lot of scenes in general, in this last part of the game, something I enjoyed very much.

Vaan faking to be Larsa was genius! To be honest, I thought it was weird that Larsa would let these mistakes slip, but I didn’t remember the device that changed the voices omg.

I loved that moment of “you have good friends”. It was SO heartwarming...! 💛 Vaan and Penelo are such sweethearts, damn. I want to hug them.

I also love and respect just how brave Larsa is. He’s but a kid, but he’s so pure and so courageous. I love him, really. He’s gold. Opposing someone like Vayne, that’s his brother as well, just adds bonus points. Larsa’s going to go far.

Gabranth... Ouh.

You see, I knew beforehand that he was going to die, and that Basch was going to take his place, and I heard something about Gabranth being stabbed, about him protecting Larsa, but I didn’t know the context ot anything. Although not knowing the context was a relief, it took part of the drama of the ending, which is sad.

But well, continuing on...

Gabranth, my boy. Gods, he just WANTS so badly to hate Basch. I mean, I’m sure there’s a part of him that’s really bitter about him, but I think the hate he’s spat like venom is just... him TRYING to hate his brother. To have a reason to go on, to not give in to sorrow. I don’t know the exact details of what happened in their past (maybe the manga shows it, or talks about it with more detail? I have to check it), but man... THE PAIN. I can understand why Gabranth would feel like that.

And Basch... Basch is so pure. Oh my goodness, is there even any trace of hate within him? His brother RUINED his life and his country, put in serious danger other people and killed many, yet he believes his brother can be saved and return to who he once was. Man... I love Basch with every fiber of my being. He’s the best thing ever to exist.

The talk between Basch and Gabranth is so angsty... I liked it a lot. Although, to be honest, the combat didn’t last long in my case.

[ADDITION EDIT: I’ve checked about Gabranth and Basch’s past just recently in the Wikia, and... Oh my goodness... That’s such a difficult situation to be in, for both twins. Such brutally heavy sorrow and guilt in both of them...

For what it seems, during the invasion of Landis 19 years ago Basch took the decision to flee to Dalmasca to serve in the military, leaving his brother and his mother (who was sick) behind. No mentions of their father, which means he either died or abandoned them. Gabranth moved with his mother to Archadia (her homeland), and it seems that “Gabranth” was the woman’s surname, which he took as his new name. He entered the military, like his brother... But Basch didn’t know about this, and he thought them either dead or enslaved to the Empire after Landis fell.

No wonder why the brothers (a detail: Basch was the older twin, something that’s mentioned in the Japanese version but not in the English one) focused on their militar careers. Their only ways to cope with all this were (asides from that), in Gabranth’s case, to redirect his hate and blame to Basch, and in Basch’s case, to devote himself wholly to serve and protect his new country and its royal family.

Heartbreaking story, no doubt... Big pity that we don’t get to know the details during the game and that this data comes from other sources.]

When Vayne and Ashe finally confront... Oh man, I’m SO proud of Ashe. She’s come a long way from hate and a desire from revenge, and that’s some serious progress. I liked that exchange, when Vayne asked her about who she is, and she just said “she’s herself, nothing more and nothing less”. That’s my badass queen-to-be!

And Larsa, again, showed serious balls when he just picked up his sword and stood against his brother.

It caught me by surprise, by the way, that Vayne would fight with fists and legs, rather than with swords or any other weapon, at first. The kicks he did were pretty cool.

What wasn’t very cool to me, however, was the design o Neo Vayne. I mean... Well, he’s imposing, and the swords swirling around him and obeying his every whim, along with the cool special attacks he performed, where quite the sight... but then I looked at his very own design, an I was a bit disappointed, like, I didn’t like it much, since more than imposing, he really just looked like a mountain of muscles. I really hoped that wasn’t his only transformation because, as much as it took me a bit to take him down, he wasn’t that much scary to deal with.

Gods... When Larsa got electrocuted, well, because I knew he would still be alive, but if I didn’t know? I would have suffered for my beautiful child there, I’m sure. And still it hurt to see the poor guy fall.

When Gabranth appeared and turned his back on Vayne, damn. What a man Noah is. I love that he’s SO loyal to Larsa, that he wants to protect him at all costs, it’s endearing. I mean, you can tell from time ago that he isn’t protecting him just because he’s the future of their country, but because he CARES for Larsa as much as Drace did.

[ADDITION EDIT: not to forget that Drace had been Larsa’s mentor, and that Larsa had been put under Noah’s charge... But seriously, poor kid, he lost SO much people he loved. His mother, his other 2 older brothers, his father, Drace, Vayne, and now Gabranth... So much tragedies in this game (and I didn’t know this until today, but it seems that Ashe had 8 older brothers and they all died either because of the war or from illness, omg).]

A moment I loved and whose screenshot I want to have as my PC’s background is when Noah’s helmet breaks and you can see half his face, his expression, his determination. That was SO stunning, damn. It hurt, though, when you see him get hurt so much for protecting the young lord...

And, again, Larsa showed himself swift in thought and ballsy and, with a smug expression, he just stopped Vayne from murdering Noah and Basch by using the same artificial nethicite that his brother had used on himself. Oh, the irony. Liked this twist a lot.

"Is he a good master?”

“Yes, he is”.

I LOVED THIS. Noah just went full proud older brother (or father, even?) with Larsa. He loves this kid a lot, and that’s endearing and makes me crave hard to know and see more about their relationship.

[ADDITION EDIT: I edited Noah’s phrase because it seems I either didn’t read it well or didn’t remember it well, but still, even corrected, I think it has that sense of pride for Larsa... And I would say it has as well a feeling of Noah being like, well... searching for validation of his choice?]

Oh, and Basch so protective around his brother when he’s on the ground... My feels.

Vayne is interesting, because he REALLY thought he was doing the best for his country, and for the world itself. He REALLY believed that fear was the way to rule, that any means were justified for his goals. And, well, if his older brothers’ deaths happened before Venat appeared in his life and Cid’s, I wonder just how much it was Vayne’s mentality a result of Archadia’s life... I mean, he may be a noble, but heck, that’s even worse, given the fact that the Senate is there, and there’s conspiracies, and war. I would say Archadia influenced him to be how he is now, but the thing is, on how much quantity...?

And Venat.

Venat, who appeared from nowhere, whose motivation to turn her back to the other Occuria we know not exactly... I mean, sure, she gave the man the knowledge to create the artificial nethicite and so on, but WHY?

[ADDITION EDIT: maybe I’m just reading too much and Venat just really wanted to give back the reins of history to the hands of men, though. But still, something HAD to trigger that... And I would have loved to know about it.]

It’s kind of interesting, though, that she looks genuinely attached to both Cid and Vayne, all the more Cid. It’s not like she’s using them, no, they all have a kind of a symbiotic relantionship that I think it’s quite unexpected. I mean, how many times have gods manipulated humans in stories? It’s something that often happens, yet this time it took a good twist. Venat is different, for what it seems; for some reason, she seems to have developed a bond with these humans whose lives are shorter than a sigh compared to an Occurian’s immortality.

[ADDITION EDIT: it’s kind of interesting, too, that Vayne and Cid really seem to regard each other as close friends, given their interactions and that even Vayne remembered him at the end (although I wonder if he knew about Cid wanting to become something akin to a god).]

I would love to know more about Venat and the Occuria, about Vayne, and so I’m hoping that the manga provides more insight, because I think the relationship between Vayne, Cid and Venat is fascinating.

[ADDITION EDIT: something I haven’t mentioned is the relationship between Vayne and Larsa... As much as Vayne has done so much wrong in all of his life, the way he seems to feel for Larsa is quite interesting.

I mean, at first I really thought he cherished his little brother, but as soon as I found out just some things he did I thought “oh my god he’s going to try to kill him”... Yet he didn’t. In fact, he really did what Emperor Gramis wanted and asked for to both Vayne and Noah: to not let Larsa stain his hands in blood.

I wonder if Vayne would have attempted to assassinate Larsa, though, if the kid had been chosen as Emperor... I think he wouldn’t have tried, in all honesty, but that instead he would have tried to influence him a lot and continue staining his hands so that his brother wouldn’t. The thing is, I’m a bit confused about that part when Larsa gets electrocuted... Was it accidental, or...?]

But well, going back to the action...

I like that moment when Vaan is stopped from chasing Vayne just because Venat shows herself in front of the boy’s sight. Venat does nothing, she just... stares, and buys Vayne time. Must be a bit of scary, having such a creature looking right at you like that.

I liked that conversation between Venat and Vayne and OH GOD THAT TRANSFORMATION. Now THAT is what I was waiting for, and not just Vayne on steroids! He looks AMAZING, like a mechanic version of the summon Bahamut! That design is something I loved, and it gave me goosebumps the sequence when the metal adheres to him to give him this appearence.

The battle was a bit long, but apart from a scare or two that involved his most powerful attacks (the animations are SO GOOD), I could take him with not much problems, just giving it time.

I loved this all.

And, gods, when you defeat Vayne... That was so relieving. Like, you see the guys looking at the sky, all relaxed, thinking “it’s all over now”. And you see Balthier and Fran doing that cute gesture with their fists, you see them all smiling, Basch looking at Ashe from behind, smiling...

It was so peaceful.

... Well, nevermind, though, the moment lasted so little.

It managed to make me nervous the fact that, even if I did know who would die and who wouldn’t, the Strahl couldn’t fly. Balthier and Fran have some serious balls and they’re SO amazing.

[ADDITION EDIT: Balthier is just such a smooth badass. I loved that interaction between him and Fran when he carries her...! I ship them a lot by the way, they’re too amazing together to my eyes ♥]

Between the scene of Noah dying, and Ashe screaming Balthier’s name in despair to the device as he carries Fran in his arms (because, yes, in Japanese Ashe literally screams his name, while in English it’s toned down so much it hurts)...

Ah, man, the feels.

To be honest, I see Ashe and Balthier more like very good friends, like, the kind of friend that knows all your shit because he tells his too? BROTP could be said, I guess? I see them like that, although I totally understand why a lot of people ships them.

About Noah... Gods, he seemed to go in peace and I liked so much that, if he had to go, he would go like that. It wouldn’t have been a good thing if he left the world full of hate (not just because of that fact itself, but because well, you know... Remember some of the hateful spirits you’ve sometimes fought? Exactly). The scene when he’s dying, with Basch is clinging to his dear brother like a lifeline with such pain, and Larsa looking so sad... Gods, it’s heartbreaking, they’re all in such sorrow. It gets even more sad when Larsa takes Noah’s hand between his, knowing it’ll be over soon.

It’s killing if you imagine Larsa could have had Noah around him for ALL of his life. I mean, imagine it... It wouldn’t be only that Basch had with Noah always, but Larsa would have been all of his own life with him around as well. And for Basch it would have been difficult as hell to deal with this, but Larsa? Larsa’s is just a kid... Still, even if he’s so little, he really is courageous and doesn’t crumble in front of Noah, which is what Basch is somehow managing to do as well. Noah didn’t deserve to die...

[ADDITION EDIT: I’ve been thinking about it, and... gods, just how much disturbing must be to see your own twin die? It probably must feel like... watching youself die...?]

And I have to say that I understand the motivation behind asking Basch to take care of Larsa, but... Again, Basch “The Martyr”. Again, his life is taken from him. His homeland, Landis? Destroyed. His life on Dalmasca? Taken. And now, his possibility of a future in which he can be free. It’s heartbreaking. All the more because Basch is such a pure soul...

But well, the good thing is that he would have Larsa by his side, and Larsa would have him, and they seem like they could be very good friends, which is a relief.

I still have to play Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings though (I’ll start soon becaue I want badly to play it), so I don’t know how things will be, but I know they could find comfort in one another in their kinda-fucked-up (in different degrees) lives.

I loved how the ending was portrayed, with a letter from Penelo (who looks absolutely gorgeous and amazing, by the way), showing that life goes on even if things didn’t quite end up in a happy ending (Ashe becoming distant and more lonely because of her position, Basch forced to sacrifice his freedom and more years of his life to take care of Larsa...).

The moment “Kiss me goodbye” started playing, I cried. I didn’t cry as much as I could have done a while ago (because it seems as if I’m kind of losing that “crybaby” side of me, or getting a bit “numb”), but I cried, and gods... I couldn’t stop grinning, and I continued doing so until the end.

I also think that seeing Rabanastre getting restored was amazing and precious.

Oh, and the Bahamut looks beautiful with the plants overrunning it, like a huge tower~

The thing is, the fact that Balthier and Fran were alive I knew, but if I didn’t, I’m pretty sure would have cried a lot more (which I think I would have done as well with the scenes of them at the Bahamut and Noah). I loved that Balthier gave Ashe her ring back, and that they “stole” the Strahl. That was a genius comeback.

But what probably made me all the more happy was the part of Penelo’s letter that involved Basch, and that Larsa, wearing that smug expression, gave it to Basch so that he himself could read it.

So Penelo asks how is Basch, and then literally prays that he can return soon to Rabanastre... AND TO ASHE. Oh, dear... But that’s not everything, no, no... Penelo says that and THEN she says (if I recall well) that Ashe wouldn’t be able to say it given the situation, but Penelo thinks she misses Basch.

OH GODS. FINISH ME.

Finish me, because I ship Basch and Ashe so much...! I just can help but love them, they’re precious to me and I cherish their pairing a lot 💛 But well, going back to what I was saying...

It’s obvious that Ashe misses her friends, but the way Penelo just worded that part of the letter... OMG. I mean, the way Penelo talked about the matter screamed that there was something going on, and the fact that Larsa gives that smug expression to Basch while giving him the letter, and then giving him space to read it?

There’s a lot implied there, and not only by words, but by gestures (*).

I feel that it is, as minimum, a confirmation that at least from Basch there’s more than duty and friendship for what he feels for Ashe. I thought I felt some of that coming from him, but this just looks like plain confirmation.

But still, even if it wouldn’t imply a romantic relationship, it would still be endearing. I mean, Ashe. Ashe, missing Basch. I wonder just how much closer were to each other before the events of the game, or during the game, since they traveled a lot. And by foot mostly, which makes the group spend a good amount of time together (I tried to make some calculations and, hold your horses... it probably takes like 1 week to reach Mt Bur-Omisace from Rabanastre), and thus, a lot of untold scenes could have taken place with the group, and between Basch and Ashe.

What can I say... This ending was so AMAZING and beautiful...! I loved it so much! 💛💛💛

[ADDITION EDIT: omg, that scene with Vaan giving a piggyback ride to Penelo. That was SO cute. I loved it, all the more because I ship them~]

Oh, and I almost forgot it, but... THE CREDITS, OH MY GOODNESS. That was a cuteness overload! Basch and Noah when they were younger; little Ashe embracing a chocobo (I saw that image some time ago and I thought it was just a very well done fanart, but I wished it was official — In the end it was, which is funny); Fran, Mjrn and Jote together; Cid with baby Balthier (I’M NOT CRYING YOU’RE CRYING); Fran and Basch in such a cute/funny pose... Not to mention other stunning artworks, but these were ones I’ve never seen before, and that was fantastic to watch!

Without a doubt, Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age has taken its place at my TOP 3 Final Fantasy games (but that’s a matter for another different time maybe).

Now, I guess I’ll just combine doing what I have left to do in FFXII with playing FFXII: Revenant Wings then~

I’m so excited to see what happens in the sequel...! 💛

(*) Gods, this game is FULL of body language and gestures that tell so much. I would love to analyze that aspect as much as I can, one day.

P.D.: I really hope I’m not forgetting to mention anything right now, but well, if I did, I’ll just add it later in a new paragraph. Although I think I hadn’t forgotten a thing, though.

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