Throughout Final Fantasy XVI, the Moon and Metia feature prominently and serve to inform the audience of romantic bonds. Through their imagery, we are shown the romantic links between Clive and Jill, Benedikta and Cid, and finally, Dion and Joshua.
The Moon and Metia’s romantic symbolism is established from the beginning when we see a young Jill checking in on Clive and asking Metia to bring him back safely to her. Her feelings for him, even at this young age, are apparent. When Clive hesitates to take her shoulder after her prayer, the audience is told that these feelings are likely reciprocated. As audience members, we are trained to understand the Moon and Metia as romantic symbols, and that Clive and Jill are destined to orbit each other. When they reunite, we understand that their romantic attachment is just a matter of time. This foreshadowing is further assisted by their color schemes - a silver and white Jill is the color of the moon and stars while Clive is reunited with his Rosfield black and red, the color of Metia in the night sky. Together they are the Moon and Metia personified.
We see the Moon and Metia being used again to show us the love between Benedikta and Cid, though with them it is more a dream of what could have been. It was clear that the two cared deeply for each other and regretted/felt anger at their separation. When Benedikta awaits battle atop Caer Norvent, she is thinking of and expecting Cid (because as far as she is concerned at that point, Clive is a nothing bearer). She gazes at the Moon and Metia while awaiting him, in contemplation, maybe wondering if she will have what it takes to finally kill him. But unlike Clive and Jill, Cid and Benedikta are not the Moon and Metia, not destined to forever orbit each other. This separation is also alluded to in their colors - green and purple - which are never symbolically united in the game.
Which brings us to the third Moon and Metia parallel in this game - Dion and Joshua. When Joshua first talks about Dion, he looks to the night sky while extolling Dion's many virtues. A decidedly odd thing to do from the audience perspective (and Jote helps express that surprise), since Dion is the Crown Prince of the nation that attacked and annexed Joshua's home, killed his father in front of him, and enslaved his brother. And yet despite all of this, Joshua decides to risk trusting in Dion's strength of character and chivalry, and recruit him in the fight against Ultima to save Clive. At this point in the game we do not know if Dion is “good” or “bad” (in over simplistic terms). We see him in the flashback of the Battle at Belenus Tor which mostly establishes that he is the Dominant of Bahamut; and we hear of him from his father. It is Joshua’s trust in him that establishes him as a character to root for so that we are sympathetic to him when we later discover the depth of his father’s corruption.
Looking at the sky and thinking of someone of course, is not necessarily indicative of an active romantic flame, as we saw with Benedikta and Cid. In fact, Dion does not join in the stargazing for some time, distracted as he is by war, his father's corruption, and Terence. If any romantic feelings exist at this point of the game between these two characters, it is only a one-sided affair from Joshua. After all, Dion is convinced that Joshua is dead.
Where Dion and Joshua become strongly linked to the Moon and Metia, is the fight at Twinside.
BAHAMUT VERSUS THE PHOENIX
It is evening when Bahamut begins his rage over Twinside. When the Phoenix attempts to placate him and get him to stand down, Bahamut lures the Phoenix high above the clouds where all we see are the moon, Metia, and the stars. Joshua doesn't quite know what's going on, yelling "where is he going?!" before following. We are then treated to this scene of Bahamut and Phoenix exactly mirroring the crescent Moon and Metia twinkling next to it. The curved Bahamut is much larger than the Phoenix, who appears as a red dot. This moment passes quickly before we need to start concentrating on the fight, but the association is made.
The fight over Twinside is the climax of the game, but oddly, not for Clive. The climax of his story occurred in Oriflamme when he fights Ultima for the first time, loses Cid, and discovers that Joshua is alive. Although Clive is the protagonist, the overall story is very much one about both Rosfield brothers. The Twinside fight is more the climax of Joshua’s story and we experience it through his perspective - knowing that something has gone horribly wrong and the destruction is not Dion’s intent. Like Jill praying to Metia to bring Clive back to her, Joshua sets out to return Dion to himself under the light of the Moon and Metia - reaching out desperately, until finally with Clive's help, he saves Dion from destroying the world.
The next time we see the Moon and Metia, it is from Dion’s eyes. After leaving Kihel, the wind distracts him, causing him to look up at the sky at the clearing in the clouds. Likely remembering their fight and his promise, he says "Well Phoenix, it would seem that I owe you my wings."
This is partially referring to the promise that Dion already made to Joshua before his coup, but he did not need to be staring at the game's romantic symbols while thinking of Joshua if he were not supposed to be the Moon to Joshua's Metia. It is at this point perhaps, after Dion feels he has lost everything (including himself), that he looks to Joshua and seeks him out.
The next time we see Joshua and Dion together, is at Stonhyrr where Gav, Jill, and Dion come to the Rosfield brothers' rescue. Here Jill and Dion's parallels are made obvious. Jill is there for Clive, Dion is there for Joshua. Both Jill and Dion (in white and silver) are Moon colored while Clive and Joshua (in red and black) are Metia colored. They embrace in parallel, and Dion and Jill move to open the doors to Ultima for Joshua and Clive respectively - Jill on the left of the screen where Clive stands, and Dion on the right with Joshua.
In the end, Jill looks to Metia and it winks out of the sky. Despite the seeming finality of this though, it feels like the story has not ended and Metia's disappearance is temporary.
Joshua and Dion moon-gazing while thinking about each other. Dion promises Joshua his wings.
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