FFXII Update

[owlmoose]

Got to Jahara today. Auuugh elementals. I had forgotten how much trouble they are. At least I can still avoid them at this point. Also, were the Ozmone Plains always this hard, or did I just not level up enough?

So I have a question! Do we know for sure that Vossler is dead, or do we consider it a safe assumption because he was still on board the Shiva when the Leviathan blew? Certainly he didn't seem to be making any attempt to escape, but isn't there a slim chance that he could have survived? (It's also possible that he shows up later and I'm just forgetting!)

I wonder about Vossler. Did he truly believe that Vayne would honor the deal, or did he just talk himself into believing it? Would Ashe have been more likely to go along with it at something other than swordpoint if Vossler had actually brought her into negotiations, rather than doing it all on his own without consulting her? It's a fine thing for him to get all high-and-mighty about Balthier's lust for treasure, given what he was doing behind the scenes. Lots of questions about that sequence. Ondore bothers me, too. Was he always hoping to organize a resistance against the empire? Or has he thrown his lot in with the rebels because he sees what way the wind is blowing? He strikes me as the ultimate opportunist. But maybe I'm not giving him enough credit.

Still having a lot of fun with this replay. This is such an enjoyable game. I should have restarted it ages ago.

Comments

[lassarina]

It's totally a comic book death; we're never explicitly and fully told that he died. (mithrigil has a freaking fantastic piece called "Of Reconstruction" that addresses that exact issue; I highly recommend it.)

I think Vossler probably talked himself into believing that the deal he cut was ultimately the best for Dalmasca, and I think it plays into the two biggest blind spots of his character. Blind Spot A is, of course, patriotism. Everything in Vossler's life is subordinate to the weal of Dalmasca. Blind Spot B is that, to him, Ashe has never grown up. She may wield a sword, she may say she is making her own decisions, but I think in Vossler's head she is still the innocent angel in white on her wedding day. He would never think to consult her on this, because he is older and knows better. There's a song that I find truly encapsulates them, which is Assemblage 23's "Let Me Be Your Armour," and it goes thusly:

Let me be your armour
Let me be your shield
Let me take away the pain you feel (your armour)
Let me be the light that guides your way through darkest night
Let me be your armour

Let me keep you from experience you need
Let me bind you with my selfishness and greed
Let me stifle you
Let me have control
Let me smother every aspect of your soul

Now, I'm not arguing that Vossler didn't have good intentions - he did. And I'm sure that he saw temporary submission to Archades as an opportunity to rebuild Dalmasca, to make her strong enough to truly throw off the Imperial yoke later--and even if she didn't, she would survive, which is better than she could ever hope for if Ashe just went crashing ahead making Dalmasca independent (see above: to him, Ashe hasn't grown up, can't make hard choices about rulership--and to be fair, most of her character growth, and her adult reactions to the realities of politics, come after the Shiva incident.)

Uh, I also am replaying FF12 (just headed to the Stilshrine of Miriam), so all of this is VERY FRESH in my mind! I am totally willing to tl;dr forever about this game, honestly.

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