β'The Phoenix and Bahamut would look regal amid the stars,' Joshua offers. 'In a world where the gods didnβt curse us, we would be the Moon and Metiaβbeacons in the darkness.β' - From A Break (From The Weight of My Mind)
Joshua Rosfield & Dion Lesage in Final Fantasy XVI
Part II of a Not So Secret Santa Gift for @ringoshiba
+ Part I: A Break (From the Weight of My Mind)
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So The official Lyrics forΒ βAscensionβ just dropped...
β¦and itβs time for a musical analysis. A.k.a. I lost it because this song is juicy and the interpretation and analysis dragged me through a spin, and if I had to lose my mind, you all should too.Β
Time for some interesting tidbits Iβve found with The lyrics of ascension, its musical cues, and phoenixflare (because bias, but I actually make good arguments for it! The song pretty much does it for me, to be quite honest.)
Watching the scene where Joshua meets Dion again. Some thoughts. Anything I missed? Thoughts below cut.
- I love Terence and Dion - but the power imbalance is undeniable. Dion is Terence's commander and prince, above all else. I believe Dion is saddened by this, wish as he might to be on equal footing with Terence... he simply cannot.
- In their tender moment in the tent, Dion tries to let his guard down, to tell Terence he wishes that he were his master instead. Dion in this moment desperately wants a brief respite, a small escape from his titles and duties, HE initiates with Terence... but Terence earnestly says he will always be Dion's loyal servant.
- Dion's demeanor changes INSTANTLY. He is reminded of their military propriety, and the gulf that will always exist between them. He lowers Terence's hand, his face hardens, and he harkens back to strategy.
- Dion's upset, though. Terence also immediately realizes his misstep - however earnest he may want the prince to know he follows him because he truly loves him, and would do so regardless of their stations in life, the fact is those barriers exist, and he unintentionally reminded Dion of them.
- The moment is over, and Dion's rage is simmering at the surface - not at Terence, but at the world, the war, everything preventing him from loving as fiercly and freely as he truly feels himself capable, everything endangering his people, everything going so wrong in his father's court. The reminder of these barriers causes Dion to flare up against them...
- And then the messenger arrives. Dion is uncharacteristically harsh with the man, shoves him, lashes out and hits the table, knocking his wyverntail to the ground, and then again, uncharacterically, insists on abandoning his men to go to the palace.
- Then, an interruption. Dion again lashes out in anger, but Joshua and Jote beat the shit out of his guards most expeditiously, and Dion's shocked face is like a freezing splash of water to his rage. It's quelled, immediately, as he stares at Joshua, trying to remember...
- "We stand in the presence of the Phoenix ..." said reverently, in awe.
- "You wouldn't want to get your fingers burned." This sounds like banter, something so informal and disconnected from Dion's anger moments prior, that it almost feels like a secret between the two of them, between Joshua and Dion. A small memory or a joke of their younger years.
- Joshua's eyes immediately go to the wyverntail, and before anything else, he picks it up. He knows the importance of this flower to Dion, knows Dion would not let it lay on the ground unless something were terribly amiss, with this prince he has not seen for twenty years.
- This feels to me like symbolic of the way in which the Phoenix can heal, not just physical wounds, but posseses empathy and care for emotional wounds as well - especially as it will pertain to Dion in particular.
- Dion's voice in this entire scene is so soft, slightly shaking at parts. I can imagine his heart is pounding, his mind racing in utter confusion and joy to see someone he thought long dead. He stays formal though, calling Joshua a distinguished guest.
- Joshua picks up the flower, reverently, looking at it as Dion talks. He is quiet for a moment, seeming to have many thoughts or memories. He harkens back to the Rememberance Ceremony, recalling a time before their titles and formalities truly meant anything. A time when they were potentially fast friends instantly.
- Dion's voice is soft, emotional, yet somehow playful when he says "I thought you long dead. Do I address a ghost?"
- From the MOMENT Joshua enters the tent, Dion never ONCE takes his eyes off Joshua, or exchanges confused glances with Terence or Jote, even when he yells "At ease!" At Terence. He's forgotten anyone else in the room except for the Phoenix.
- Joshua banters right back, "Many have told me I look like one..."
---
- The Rememberance Ceremony was 20 years ago, 2 years prior to what happened at Phoenix Gate. Joshua would have been 8 years old, and it's possible that there were more meetings between the princes before that time, as well as correspondence exchanged in between...
When Jill, Gav, and Dion come to the rescue, Jill and Clive immediately hug - but we see Dion and Joshua highlighted in the background, distant and looking away from each other.
When they move to meet, Dion strides quickly toward Joshua... but stops himself, reigning in his eagerness. Dion is frequently rebuffed of his humanity and affections, intentionally or unintentionally, and he opts to keep a respectful distance and maintain his princely composure.
Joshua, for his part, gives no fucks and bodily throws himself at Dion, company be damned.
Who in Dion's life would ever have thrown their arms around him in affection as a true equal of his? Nobody, likely. In the tent, his demeanor instantly changes from tenderness to aloofness when Terence inadvertently reminds him that he is Dion's servant. Despite Terence being the second in command of "hundreds of legions", despite being the person closest to Dion in the kingdom in age, station, experience, authority - there is still such a gulf.
Dion has always been very, very alone.
Joshua throwing his arms around Dion so carelessly probably completely shocked Dion, in a way he had always wanted to feel - devotion and loyalty given utterly freely, with no question of the reason, no implication of the obligations of country or rank.
We see this issue rise moments later when Clive approaches and refers to Prince Dion by title - the swiftness with which Dion drops his hand from Joshua's shoulder is both hilarious and yet devastatingly sad to me - the walls and courtesies come up as a reflex.
Joshua falls back into this as well, bowing his head and referring to Dion as Your Highness..
But Dion is having NONE of it, and reaches out to grasp Joshua's shoulder again, trying to rekindle that connection, both physical and emotional, from moments before. He so very earnestly bids Joshua call him Dion. He's smiling and casual but his eyes look just the slightest bit desperate to convey his feelings, for SOMEONE to understand him.
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