Originally Posted by Skyblade
Well, I've finally gotten sick enough of not having this thread around that I have decided to recreate it. I have also added some to my theory since the last time I presented it. While the argument between me and tailz over this topic may be over, I think I have seen some new faces since the last time I posted this thread who may enjoy contemplating the unique view of the world of FFTA that I am about to present. You should keep in mind that this will likely be one of the most spoiler ridden threads in existance, so if you haven't beaten the game and don't like spoilers STAY AWAY!!! If you are ready, strap yourselves in, ladies and gentlemen, because it is going to be a long ride, but, hopefully, it will be worth it.
In FFTA, Mewt (accidently) creates a world the is designed around the innermost desires of his heart. We witness this world's creation, and view the transformation of people from the "real" world into people of Ivalice, and yet the scene cannot help but raise questions in the minds of the curious. Why is it that the only inhabitants of Ivalice who remember anything about the other world are Mewt and the four others he brought with him? What is so important about this people that they not only remain seemingly unchanged by the journey (they even kept their own names and appearances), but they also keep their memories of the past? These questions are the first ones I will address, but I will raise more as we proceed further into the twisted depths of a game that is far more serious than it seems...
Firstly, after much consideration, I have come to the conclusion that Ivalice is a seperate world from the original, and that it is just as "real" as it's counterpart. Furthermore, I believe that it's inhabitants are also seperate from those of our world. I think that the opening scene, where we see the people transformed into different people in Ivalice is misleading. Rather than having their shape and memories changed, I believe that the people of the "real" world served as personality templates for the people of Ivalice. Since St. Ivalice is only a small country town, it would of course be impossible for it to contain enough people to populate an entire country, so the idea that Ivalice is based purely on St. Ivalice is inherently flawed anyway. The world Ivalice exists in would have to at least be based off of the entire world of St. Ivalice. However, I believe that every person in St. Ivalice (with the exception of our unique five, who I will get to in a moment) has a counterpart in Ivalice, but that there are also far more people in Ivalice, and that these people are totally unique, not based off of people from the "real" world at all. Each person in Ivalice has memories of a lifetime in that world, and none of them have any memories of our own world. If the world was brought into existance when Mewt read the book, as the game indicates, then it is only logical that its inhabitants were brought into existance at that time as well. Why then, are Mewt, Doned, Marche, Ritz, and Cid different? Why did they get pulled into this world directly, instead of simply having characters in Ivalice based off of them? Mewt is easily explained. He created the world, so he went along with it. I believe the other four came over to represent portions of Mewt's personality. Doned is the Child: All he wants is to play and have fun. Ritz is the Protector: As in the real world, she has a sense of responsibility that leads her to protect the innocent. Cid is (obviously) the Judge: Apart and aloof, his decisions are made not by emotions, but rather by reason. And, finally, Marche is the Crusader: He fights for what he believes is right, even if that fight results in his own unhappiness. These four were the closest to Mewt, and the ones who most represented the main aspects of his personality, so they were the ones selected. The few changes that do occur to these characters are consistent with Mewt's desires and views: Mewt always saw Ritz as having red hair, so her hair stayed red when she came to Ivalice. Doned's case is a little more complex. Mewt, a considerate and optimistic child by nature, sees a sick person as a person on the road to recovery, not as someone handicapped for life. So Doned is recovering when he comes through to Ivalice. Remember, even at the time you first meet him, Doned is still too weak to take part in an engagement. He was not healed: he was merely put on the road to recovery. Mewt always viewed Cid as having broken down when Remedi died, so when he brought her back (as per his own desires) Cid returned to his old self. As for Marche, his change is the least apparent. Marche never notices the change himself, but Shara puts it quite nicely: "No one picks on him anymore. Not here." Marche was the first one to stand up to the bullies, and despite the fact that he didn't do much, Mewt saw that as a major aspect of Marche's personality: He doesn't back down or give up. Mewt does not want to leave, nor does he really want to stay. The conflicts between Marche, Doned, Ritz, and Cid mirror Mewt's own inner conflict. The power that Marche obtains is symbolic of the power that the sense of what is right gains in Mewt's mind. As Marche continues to fight and convinces the others, the battle in Mewt's own mind draws closer to a conclusion.
Before I go on, I will embark on a small tangent to discuss the three anomalies: Lyle, Colin, and Guiness. While obviously not brought directly like the main five, they still retain their names. My belief is that they, like the other inhabitants of Ivalice who were based off of people from the "real" world, were a combination of the actual person and the way that person was viewed in Mewt's mind. In the case of Lyle, Colin, and Guiness, he viewed them as monsters. The reason they kept their names, is because without their names, they would be meaningless. Mewt's fears were not based around three faceless zombies, but around the three bullies who tortured him. By keeping their names, they kept their significance to Mewt.
Yet the four main characters were not all that existed as an aspect of Mewt. The crystals, Llednar Twem, and Remedi were also an important part of the formula that held Ivalice together. The crystals were embodiments of desire. It was Mewt's desires were the illusion that kept his mind locked in Ivalice, which was why destroying them was necessary to free Mewt. Llednar was an anomaly. Mewt himself didn't seem to change when he entered Ivalice. Nevertheless, he had always hated his old self: Always being picked on, never standing up for himself. Llednar was the embodiment of all the bottled up hatred and violence from all the years of torment he suffered. Mewt created Llednar in order to demonstrate to himself that he was capable of defending himself. While he actually abhorred violence, he still felt attached to Llednar, as Llednar was everything that Mewt was not. As Cid put it "he is a distillation of an aspect of Mewt. The most violent, dangerous aspect.": The aspect which, in the "real" world, never surfaced. So Llednar, too, was a symbol of Mewt's desires. The final key to Ivalice was Remedi. Remedi was not only a recreation of Mewt's mother, one of his primary desires, but also the embodiment of Ivalice itself. Remedi, as seen in her last form, was the manifestation of the book that caused the change. All of these desires had to be eliminated as well in order to free Mewt from the illusion of his own dreams.
Now, I will discuss the result of Ivalice's destruction. Cid comments that Ivalice came into being because people wished it, and that "perhaps if the people here wish it enough, it will endure". I think he stated this because he suspected the truth: Leaving Ivalice would destroy it, and everyone who lived there. Not wanting to participate in genocide, he rationalizes that it might be possible for Ivalice to continue to exist without the five of them. However, as viewed in the initial ending, his hopes are in vain, as Ivalice and everyone in it does indeed fade. Since everyone was a unique person, not merely a changed person from the "real" world, these people all died when Ivalice faded. Marche, in his desire to do what was best for him and his friends, wound up causing the death of an entire world. He thought of Ivalice as a "dream world", and in a way, it was. But he didn't stop to think about the truth. Montblanc, Ezel, Babus, Nono, his clan... Did he truly believe that none of them were real?! Montblanc, a friend who saved his butt and helped him throughout his entire journey, and who has a family, isn't real?! If confronted with such a question, I believe Marche would indeed admit their reality. But he never did think of things that way, and when the time came to leave, did he consider what would happen to everyone in Ivalice?! No. He simply discounted them as dreams and murdered them all. "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few". True, staying in Ivalice would be unhealthy for the five, especially for Mewt, but does that justify mass murder?!
Finally, I will discuss the game beyond the main ending, and why it fits my theory perfectly. In the original ending, the five left the world, and the world disappeared. I believe that the world would remain as long as either Mewt, or the other four, lived within it. Since the other four represented Mewt's personality, Ivalice could draw what it needed to survive from them. Likewise, without the other four, if Mewt remained, so would Ivalice. Given a choice between who to return and who would stay, Mewt is the obvious answer. Since Ivalice is based around his desires, he is the one in the most danger from staying in it. So, when he leaves, the other four remain, and Ivalice continues to exist.
Well, there it is, my theory as to the true nature of Ivalice. If parts of it don't make sense (since it is 7:17 as I'm finishing up, and I only got two hours or so of sleep last night, it might not be as clear as possible), or you wish to argue with me about it, feel free to post in here and I'll get back to you.
People say this is a light, silly, kid's game, yet the main character is a mass murdering, genocidal maniac...
