#beclem

[mishyoona]

[ruvelli]

Castle Swimmer x Final Fantasy X-2 AU Update

Updated the list a bit and now have some background and plot. :3

WARNING: Little long~

(Probably gonna replay it before I plan anything else.)

Ships are:

KappaSiren

MonoGaloo

Not Yet Used Castle Swimmer Characters:

Silver

Fean, Finley, and Fizz

Herm

Ogo?

Roc and Reesha

Nee and Krilli

Skiff

Castle Swimmer FFX-2:

Yuna - Mono and Galoo

Paine - Neth

Rikku - Mucku

Shuyin -

Baralai -

Khimari -

Lenne - ?

Leblanc - Jengu

Gippal -

Nooj -

O’aka XXIII -

Wantz -

Yaibal - ?

Brother -

Shinra - Pagoon (still 13 versus 10, and very smart but prefers the ol’ whack’em dead method. Excellent strategist like his mom)

Donna - ?

Logos - Tunny

Ormi - Whisker

Buddy - Siren

Tidus - Kappa (FFX, but only technically)

Beclem -

Sin (dead) - Labbu

Characters Not Replacing Other Characters:

Pim (also a Gullwing)

Worm/Arp (sealed away with Kappa? Either way, he’s a good Axolotl doggo)

PLOT:

At some point Neth gives Siren +10 cool points since the other two girls are being annoying, and he mentions that makes him at -23 since she once said he was at -33.

Neth: “Congrats. Today you graduate to whole numbers.”

Siren: -half distracted- “I knew I’d get there if I only believed...”

“What are you looking at Siren?”

Siren: “Something strange is going on on the screen...” -all three octo crowd around him- “Do you guys always have to invade my personal space when I’m trying to share the screen??”

All 3: “hmmmm...” THEN

Mono: -nods yes-

Mucku: “Yep”

Neth: “Only way to read it, really.”

Al 3 practically squishing his face with theirs.

Siren gets or has a “Merman” dress sphere. May also be the experimental guinea pig for it which leads to a scene of them seeing Siren in a small pool on deck as a shark mer.

Galoo can read memories as in canon, but also see physical fragments of them when she’s close to or in the farplane. Kind of like what happens in X when following Tidus’s dad around in Zanarkand. She falls in the pit like Yuna did by accident somehow and in the pit sees “Shuyin’s” memories of Zanarkand, and then Shuyin attempts to possess her but she’s saved in time by Mono. Galoo follows a helpful memory out. When they get out, Galoo reveals what she can see and they realize the pits are connected to the farplane.

Kappa is from “another time or world” like Tidus, but isn’t a dream of the Fayth. He’s found trapped in stone and released? Or something similar? When Kappa is center, the audience learns what’s up with him.

Everyone is under a “Water Sign”.

Mono, Mucku, and Neth are still “Octalia” though they’re human bodies because their sign is an octopus, which gives them dark magic. Siren is under the shark, of course, which means he gets to keep his sharp teeth, etc.

Koi fish sign are supposed to be extinct, until Kappa. Holy magic carriers from a thousand years ago.

The Octalia defeated Labbu/Sin, but at a great cost. Before, a sacrifice would be chosen at random via a magic roulette that the Octalia refused to be apart of before as they felt sacrificing someone every ten years to keep Labbu happy before he goes on another rampage was the cowardly way out. They were despised for wanting to fight Labbu rather than appease him, and their people were spared from sacrifice (but not Labbu) for a century due to not joining the roulette.

(Don’t know what the roulette is yet)

Sacrificed persons are known as High Summoners and must still go through the whole shibang to get the final summon, which is the final offering.

Reason from the Octalia never worked and they finally decided to do something about it; they threw their hat in the ring, so to speak, and the new High Summoner was Mono. But the Octalia weren’t about to just sacrifice one of their own. Instead, they used it as an opportunity to get rid of Labbu for good, and succeeded... but now there’s only about a dozen of them left. Mono lost her voice, Mucku lost her memories, and Neth lost her arm per canon.

At some point Mono tosses whoever is Beclem into the ocean for being a piece of garbo, which is what Yuna should have done versus that stupid obstacle course. You have nothing to prove to that douchebag!

When Kappa is found by the Gullwings (keeping the name for now) he becomes part of their crew while trying to figure out this new era... doesn’t hurt that the Navigator is cute.

Like Yuna did for Brother, at some point Kappa overhears Siren very plainly confirming to someone else down at the bar he does have a crush on Kappa. Whoever “Brother” is is lamenting, part drunk, his crush on Mono and Siren reminds him Mono is gay. “Brother” suggests if only he was gay he could just date Siren, who pretends to gag. Siren reminds his friend gay doesn’t mean immediate attraction to every person of the same sex and he only puts up with “Brother” because he knows he’s a good guy who is willing to learn and grow. When “Brother” asks why Siren likes Kappa, Siren easily says “He’s cute, funny, sweet...”

Kappa likes seeing Siren as a mer-shark and makes terrible fishing pick-up lines at him.

[dresspheres]

This post contains screenshots for a few characters from Final Fantasy X-2 HD, including Last Mission. Please note that I haven’t gone through these with a fine tooth comb, so there might be some blurry or out of focus screenshots! Each character has their own folder and you’re free to use them as you please. Feel free to use them for whatever, all I ask is that you like or reblog this post! If you would like to support me, please consider buying me a Kofi or tipping me on PayPal.

Baralai

Barthello

Beclam

Brother

Buddy

Cid

Clasko

Dona

Elma

Garik Ronso

Gippal

Isaaru

Kimahri

Leblanc

Lenne

Logos

Lucil

Lulu

Maechen

Maroda

Nhadala

Nooj

O’aka

Ormi

Paine // Last Mission

Rikku // Last Mission

Rin

Shelinda

Shinra

Shuyin

Tobli

Tromell

Wakka

Yuna // Last Mission

[marlenadia]

Beclem is such a dick and I hate him 😂😂😂

#RIPBECLEM

[ethernalium]

went to besaid and oh, that beclem is sure a weirdo, I'm not even gonna touch that minigame since I'm pretty sure yuna don't need his approval lol "summoners are worthless" 1000 years of suffering to be reduced to a random npc opinion 😍🥰

[mysafewordisfire]

I'm replaying ffx-2 and am reminded how much of a saint Yuna is. If there was an option to kick Beclem in the balls I would choose it everytime. i would sacrifice percentage points to shut his face up.

[akimojo]

Beclem: *insults Yuna and summoners in general*

Me:

[mezzopurrloin]

Mezzo Plays Final Fantasy X-2: Part 12

With the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth situation cleaned up, it's back off to look for more things to do.

That sounds like it's worth a visit.

Seems the show is a flop. That's a shame.

Well, there's always the next one.

Yuna, are you sure you should be asking that?

Paine: "Yuna, run."

She's got the right idea. Let's get out of here.

There's still a distress call from Besaid to answer.

Actually, things seem to be going fine here. As Lulu explains, Wakka and the Youth League have the situation under control, and they're hunting down the last remaining fiends.

Lulu thinks Yuna should help out, and she agrees.

Outside, we find Shinra setting up another commsphere. He explains what they're used for: They can relay video back to the airship.

Seems to be working. Brother is quite pleased to see his crush, who is also his cousin.

Nearby, we find Wakka talking with a Youth League official.

That's a little extreme, don't you think?

They both head inside the temple, and Yuna follows.

"Praying to them never did anyone any good."

He claims to just be concerned about the safety of the village. Yuna heads inside.

This was the simplest Cloister of Trials in X-1, and it's still super easy to navigate. The fiends in here aren't much of an issue either.

There's Wakka. He looks hurt, but he'll be okay.

That's rather questionable, Paine. Wakka and the other Gullwings aren't going to go along with it. Not yet, at least.

Wakka has a better idea. If this is anything like the other temples, there should be an aeon near the chamber.

The Gullwings head down there.

Yep.

The Gullwings warn Wakka to keep his distance as they deal with the threat.

Valefor was the weakest aeon in X-1, and she more or less reprises that role here. Sonic Wings now drains MP rather than dealing damage.

That said, she's not completely harmless.

Compared to the other aeons we've fought, she isn't nearly as tough to deal with.

I beat her before she even had a chance to use Energy Blast.

"I grew up here in Besaid. This is my home. I became a summoner here."

"This is where I first met you."

With the threat taken care of, Yuna and her crew return to the entrance.

Beclem gives them a lecture, reminding Wakka that he's due to be a father soon.

A bit harsh, but he does have a point.

Still, they won't be burning any temples down today.

Mission complete.

Why, indeed. They weren't coming out of the temples, but the chambers of the fayth. Each had a hole where the fayth once was. And there was a similar hole in the room Vegnagun was stored in.

All this is connected, somehow.

Looks like Gippal couldn't handle the issue on his own after all. Brother wants to just leave him to his own fate.

But Yuna isn't backing down.

@bluemagedanny recommended I go to Bevelle before heading to Djose. Let's check out what's going on over there first.

Wait, Gippal's here? Is that why Djose sent out the distress signal?

The Gullwings follow him into the temple, and find him walking to the chamber of the fayth. What's going on?

He eventually returns to the room Vegnagun was stored in. The Gullwings spy on him from a safe distance.

The other hot guys are here too?

How mysterious.

Baralai explains that Vegnagun has the ability to sense hostile intent.

When Nooj came, it apparently activated on its own and destroyed the wall to escape.

"You probably think that's impossible. You've always been too naive to see. I wouldn't expect you to understand."

"I believed in you once."

That escalated quickly.

Paine? As in, the very same Paine traveling with us?

Pyreflies begin emitting from Nooj's body, and his voice sounds strange, as if two people are talking at once.

"He was too weak to resist me. I don't expect you to present any more of a challenge. Not now."

The pyreflies flow outward from Nooj and into Baralai.

Now he's the one that speaks with two voices.

"Two years ago, it was the same with you, Nooj. Seeking your own death. Now you can have it."

Nooj tells Paine to leave, and a fiend suddenly appears from the wall.

Oh no, it's one of these things. Bad Breath is still a massive pain, but there's the small consolation of it being able to be learned as a Blue Bullet.

Looks like the hot guys ran off while they were fighting.

Paine confirms that she used to be in a squad with them, and that Nooj did end up shooting her in the back. But it seems like she doesn't want to say anything else.

Yuna and Rikku aren't that pleased, but it's not like there's anything they can do.

We also find this sphere. It looks like those four survivors Ormi and Logos talked about on their sphere were the hot guys and Paine. The whole thing raises still more questions.

[mishyoona]

Nobody:

Beclem:

Yuna:

[atopearth]

Final Fantasy X-2 HD Remaster Part 4 - Chapter 5, Ending and Overall Impressions

I found it so funny when the commsphere Shinra dumped into the hole to the Farplane was fixed by Gippal and he asked Nooj what he’s gonna do about Leblanc since they’re risking their lives there to save Baralai from Shuyin and Vegnagun, and right when Nooj answers, the connection dies, so Leblanc doesn’t get to hear it hahahaha. Good thing is that Leblanc is a straightforward person though, so even if she didn’t get to hear it, then she’ll just go straight to the Farplane to ask him, gotta admire her spirit and her love for him! Hilarious when Brother was talking about his love for the Yuna that keeps facing forward and doesn’t mind that his feelings will never be reciprocated and then tells Barkeep that they’re cool bachelors and then Barkeep is like “Speak for yourself, sonny” in his Hypello way hahahhaha and then a female Hypello comes along LOL. Funniest thing was if you talk to Paine, she’s like, I think I saw two Barkeeps, then she thinks she needs more sleep hahahaha! Buddy talking about how he and Brother formed the Gullwings when they went all the way north to some ice place to find the Celsius (airship) and ended up being guided by a gull and also surviving by eating a gull too LOLL, I guess the gull sacrificed itself for a good cause, because without it, they wouldn’t have formed the Gullwings and then Yuna wouldn’t have joined and saved the world once again haha.

Visiting Zanarkand first since there was apparently a bug in the original game where you might not get the episode complete if you came here last, that would suck! Anyway, not surprised Maechen was an unsent considering him always popping up anywhere he wanted and knowing so many things, I wonder how it feels to live for 1000 years just to tell stories of the past to people and experience so many things. It’s crazy to think how important that handshake was in the beginning of the game, since he was actually the one in that sphere recording who was so happy to have been able to shake Lenne’s hand 1000 years ago! And now that he shook Yuna’s hand, it reminded him of the fact that he’s actually already dead. Glad to know he had a happy long life.

(I don’t know what I did wrong but I don’t think I’m getting 100% and at this point in time, I honestly don’t care anymore because I’ve spent more time being frustrated than playing this game so whatever lol) I still don’t like Beclem btw, so I don’t really care that he’s leaving Besaid lol, the only thing I agree with is that they really do need to work the Besaid Aurochs to the bone! They’re pretty bad lmao. Wakka thinking carefully about what he should name his son was nice, a name is very important, so I think taking your time is good, I’m glad Lulu really wanted him to be the one to name him. I’m surprised Wakka doesn’t think Lulu relies on him at all, like dude! She’s ready to have a baby with you, I doubt she’d do that if she didn’t think you were reliable at all! Have more confidence in yourself, Wakka! I guess everyone is getting back together, lol at Dona having practised her lines so many times for trying to get Barthello back to live with her, since he’s been at Kilika temple all this time as a New Yevon supporter. Your beliefs are important, but so is your partner, so it’s good that everyone has stopped fighting and people can come together again regardless of their beliefs, it’s about time they stopped fighting and whining lol.

Lolll at Rikku being the culprit for the hover crash at Mi'ihen highroad hahahaha! She legit didn’t even notice that the hover crashed because it was trying to dodge her and when she jumped down a ledge, she fell on a machina and that’s why it went crazy lol. She caused so much trouble on the highroad without even realising lolll. Guess it’s good that Rin only made her clean all the rubbish on the road haha. Luca…was really just Yuna walking around reminiscing the memories of spending time with Tidus here, which is nostalgic and nice. Who doesn’t miss Tidus? XD It was kinda cool that we got to fight Lucil, always thought she was pretty cool, I liked her speech and think that she’s a very strong and worthy leader. She knows how to unite and lead people. Even without Nooj, you can tell that the Youth League will be fine with her there.

That Djose machine experiment was very interesting, don’t wanna dig to repair and make it stronger though😢 Lmao at Tobli’s success now when he was in so much debt before, I guess Yuna’s influence can just make everything go well lol. Having Tromell lead the Guado is the best choice. Considering all that the Guado had done and all the reflection they’ve gone through most of the game, with the Ronsos looking forward instead of back as well, it’s for the best that we let go of the past and hope to improve the future instead. I feel like Cid had a very crappy role in this game lol, I liked him in FFX so I’m kinda disappointed that his character is rather…questionable now with the things he did to Zanarkand and not really playing a role to redeem all that. Seeing O'aka and Wantz bond again and take care of the Macalania agency together was heartwarming though, nice to see that these brothers are still doing well and are hopeful for the future!

After finding all the cactuars (lmao at the tenth one being with the “wrong crowd” aka the rogue cactuars that don’t want to fulfill their duties) and lolll, never thought I’d see a Jumbo Cactuar! Easy fight but nice to see it lol. If only it had a moustache hahaha. That boss you have to kill afterwards though, he had so much life! Luckily it was a simple fight and I earned so much AP from it lol. Legit just used two Dark Knights using the darkness skill alongside Yuna Curaga-ing haha, all I did was hold the ‘x’ button to win XD Good to see everyone respect Kimahri again and understand that he’s wise and caring. It’s nice to see that Yuna doesn’t need Kimahri to protect her anymore, so he can now protect his tribe, and although things were a bit rocky, it all worked out! Now on to some annoying sidequests! Accessing the secret chocobo ranch dungeon was easily the most tiring and annoying thing ever. It was SO time consuming. I spent so long looking and capturing chocobos in the Thunder Plains to get 4 that had a max level of 5 zzzz. Then, I had to level them and fight 7 random battles in between until they were all level 5 AND THEN the dungeon itself was annoying because it doesn’t have a map omg. I just googled a map because I couldn’t take it lol. The only good thing about it was getting the AP egg so now one of my characters can earn triple the AP yay! Otherwise, legit so tired lol. Especially since I did the Mi'ihen dungeon as well with all the wall bombing to proceed zzz.

Anyway, things just get more tedious. Was digging at the Central Expanse for the Desert key and to upgrade the machine experiment in Djose and gg, could not find the key at all so I gave up lol. I tried to fight the machine without being properly prepared using my crappy dresspheres and I died hahahaah. I learnt my lesson XD Needed the last two crimson spheres so went to the Via Infinito and dang am I getting motion sickness with all that jumping. My head hurts so much lol. Think I need to level and use my mascot dresspheres though, the elder drake kills me hahaha. Btw, the mascot dresspheres are so cute lmao, Yuna as a moogle, Rikku as a Cait Sith and Paine as a Tonberry is hilarious to look at, I’m going to enjoy using them in battle hahaha. Really cute to see Paine opening up and show her feelings and how much she appreciates Yuna and Rikku being her friends and trying their best to talk to her, it was a funny but nice scene. I never knew/remembered that when Yuna uses the warrior dressphere, her sword is the Brotherhood! That’s so sweet to see!

Kinda surprised that when you go to the Den of Woe, they figure out that Shuyin was the one controlling Nooj and that’s why he shot Paine, Baralai and Gippal when they escaped two years ago, and that now Shuyin is in Baralai’s body. Thought they established that already and that the den made people crazy because of his extreme depression and feelings of having to relive Lenne’s death with the pyreflies since they practically replay strong memories. Anyway, that’s done and dusted so time to finish levelling and go through the Via Infinito? XD Annnnd I gave up on the Via Infinito lol! Got to like level 60 (I think) but I cbb with the way stats work in this game and how you can’t max it etc, so you’re reliant on garment grids, switching dresspheres to get the most benefits such as going past 9999 HP and damage and the accessories, and the tower itself was tedious (and motion sickness inducing LOL, why am I weak) and you don’t even get much out of it (after defeating Penance in FFX and feeling no sense of accomplishment, it’s just so not worth my time lol), so yeah I can’t be bothered😬 Aaaand I spent so much time getting most dresspheres to 100%, I’m tired😖 And lol my characters are like level 99 or close to there because I was so tired of levelling myself….so I kinda cheated and stuck a rubber band on the analog stick to move it to the left and another rubber band with a battery on it to stay on the x button and voila! DIY levelling machine lmao. I just threw Yuna at the Thunder Plains and made someone constantly heal and the rest use skills to max the (annoying) Mascot dresspheres and others lol, yay.

Anyway, Vegnagun! Yes, Leblanc never was the type to just wait there quietly for Nooj to come back haha. And yes, Vegnagun is a machina created by humans so technically, it should be possible to be destroyed without it killing everyone in Spira. But anyway, the best thing was Yuna’s speech to everyone when Nooj suggested to sacrifice himself to kill Vegnagun and Shuyin. I was touched with her words tbh, because she’s right, it was so difficult to see all the fayth die in FFX because they had “no choice” and that they had to “accept” that this is what they had to do, and Yuna did accept it and do it, but in the end, she’s only left with regret, pain and the loss of people that should be beside her that aren’t. They need to stop sacrificing people in order to win, because it’s not really a win when you lose so many before it. And although it’s cheesy to have everyone combine their powers to take down each part of Vegnagun, it’s very sweet too because it feels like the spirit of the game, and it feels like we should get to finally have a happy ending. So weird to see Shuyin use all of Tidus’ skills but just with another name lmao. And as expected, Lenne comes out of the dressphere (pretty much) and so Shuyin finally gets to talk to her properly and fade together with her and rest in peace😊

And omggg the fayth appeared and asked Yuna at the flower field/farplane whether she really wants to see Tidus again! Guess I got 100% completion??? (Edit: I got 99% zzzz) I’m happy that New Yevon (Baralai), Youth League (Nooj) and the Machine Faction (Gippal) can finally unite together and understand that they’re all a part of Spira and really don’t need to fight, although I do think that the fighting between them was rather awkward? They had differing perspectives but they resulted in physical fighting and kinda like war so prematurely without really thinking about it, you really can’t blame Shuyin for being pissed that Spira is still like how it was 1000 years ago lol. Anyway, everyone’s happy now so yay. Yuna really did have another long journey in this game to save the world, so she really should and deserves to go back home to Besaid. Always great to see Yuna and Tidus get to reunite at Besaid just like how he first came about, and to reunite with everyone at Besaid too! That’s where they can both truly call home so yeah that was nice. I YouTubed the perfect ending scenes and yeah, I prefer the normal more, I don’t think it was necessary lol.

Overall, I still have mixed feelings over FFX-2. On one hand, it was nice to see Spira after the Calm and the problems that come with that alongside a new Yuna that has lost the chains of responsibility with the happy Rikku and stoic Paine that has a background that unfolds alongside the plot of this game, and just see them go on pretty carefree adventures and have fun. On the other hand, I wasn’t really a fan of the garment grids or the dresspheres but it was still okay, but I guess it just felt like since it’s supposed to be more of a fan service game, I should have enjoyed it more? But instead I thought it was kinda boring? And the 100% completion attempt (that failed) killed me lol. I guess the story wasn’t very appealing, it’s good that it was light hearted and it was fun to follow the girls around and see their perspective of things, but I guess it lacked the fun and adventure that a lot of games have, instead it was kinda just like a short story about nothing that wanted to talk about something (saving the world again) when the only thing that really resonated with me was the last bit with Yuna when she said she had enough of people sacrificing themselves for peace. Basically, all right game but not very satisfying if you wanted something more from FFX (until you see Tidus at the end I guess) and not very interesting as a standalone imo.

[party-of-rpg-muses]

Okay, so, I decided to pick up Final Fantasy X-2 again after so long.

As I mentioned before, I stopped at the Djose Highroad because I couldn’t beat Ormi and Logos. What I forgot was that I basically abandoned the quest to do some exploring. I had forgotten that I did a little sidequest for Tobli (who, as I’m sure you’re aware, is voiced by an amazing voice actor, and his name... is Robert Paulsen!) I honestly wasn’t expecting Rob Paulsen to appear in this game. Anyway, when I finally returned to the game, I followed the path to Guadosalam, which was being occupied by the Leblanc Syndicate. And it was there where I remembered where I left off; I had to find three uniforms to infiltrate the Leblanc Syndicate.

Though I continued forward and found myself in the Thunder Plains, which hasn’t changed all that much since FFX, apart from some new enemies and the Lightning Rods had a slight change. I actually fought a few enemies, allowing me to level up once or twice. But the biggest pain was an Armet I fought. It took SO MUCH DAMAGE before it died! But I got to see Rikku and Yuna wearing the Weapon Dressphere. And OH MY GOSH! Warrior Yuna uses Tidus’ Brotherhood sword, swings the sword like Tidus, and even does the same victory pose as Tidus!

In any case, when I reached Rin’s Travel Agency, I bought a few items, mainly a good amount of potions before returning to the Djose Highroad. The enemies there fell super easily and even though Logos and Ormi were still a pain, I was still able to defeat them. Though I had already switched Rikku back to the Thief prior to the fight, allowing Rikku to steal a Mega-Potion and X-Potion. I also took Ormi out before taking out Logos. After that, I went to Besaid because I saw there was a mission for me. And twice in a short span of time, Yuna surprised me! I’ve never seen Yuna get mad before and Beclem REALLY pushed her buttons by insulting Summoners and their Aeons! Though completing his minigame took some time to beat, mostly because of the fact that Yuna suddenly stops firing for a while after firing 4 or 5 shots (probably because of reloading) and the path in front of the dual waterfalls makes it hard to see enemies coming towards me. It because even harder because there would be two enemies and I wouldn’t realize until it was too late, causing Yuna to take damage. But I managed to beat his high score, enjoyed the choice words Yuna had for him, and got a new Grid.

After that, I went to Mt. Gagazet because I wanted to check on Kimahri. I also forgot about the Ronso’s desire to slaughter the Guado. So I wasn’t able to get the correct answers during Chapter 1, or even talk to them at all. Anyway, I ended up wandering the Mountain Cave mindlessly, searching for the Fayth Scar, and instead went in the opposite directions, going everywhere but south (I took the teleporter to enter the Mountain Cave), but I was mostly surprised to see the water drained. Still, I found where I was supposed to go and beat Ormi (he was especially easy on his own and I already changed Yuna back to Gunner) and just as he fell, I switched Rikku to Dancer. When I had to fight those Fem-Goons, who also fell easily. I mean, c’mon. They’re not bosses or even mini-bosses. Just normal mooks. But after that, I decided to call it a night.

[straane]

assorted tidus/yuna post x-2 headcanons.

pt. 2

pt. 3

- tidus takes up Wakka's old job as captain/coach for the Aurochs. I mean, WHY WOULDN'T HE. like on day one on Besaid he was already coaching them with all that ”victory!” pep talk; not to mention how he encourages them to practice the Jecht shot on S.S. Winno; the position's open (Beclem who?); he's young and talented with youthful new ideas so therefore a dream employee (GET IT? CUZ DREAM and yeah); blitz is pretty much his only area of expertise in Spira (as of yet); and he totally doesn't mind playing for a less-than-sovereign team; and he wants to do everything the opposite of what Jecht did so; asfgasfdjhgsah no one ever talks about Tidus's relationship with and general amazing attitude towards the Aurochs. plus he's like the only person on the planet (the world? the Spira?) Wakka would HAPPILY pass the mantle to, the nepotistic lil' shit

- it's not an easy road to the top tho; the Aurochs still pretty much suck oft to the frustration of their new boss; but he's ever-patient with them and this is actually the one aspect of his life where he shows patience lol

- somewhere along the road; they do take the Cup (again... depending on what you consider to be canon in FFX). that's when he steps down as captain/coach (mentally exhausted) to pursue new adventures. Wakka doesn't approve; he's like ‘quitting at the top, ya? way to copy me, man' BUT the team keeps him as occasional reserve and he never misses an Aurochs game and in fact kinda steps on the toes of the new coach at times (who's a total rando, but a nice and capable rando)

- he and Yuna study Al Bhed together. Rikku tries to help, but isn't really cut out for teaching (Rin does a better job, and so does Paine, even. Gippal tries to slip in indecencies, and at the beginning of their acquaintance does manage to trick Tidus into using them as openers) fool me once, and all that

- let's get this out of the way: Tidus DOES NOT DISAPPEAR AGAIN; prematurely at least (hello biased Tuna trash here *zuko wave*)…. or does he??? I mean, given the extremely questionable state of his existence, I could see it happening, even just kind of randomly one day (and heartbreakingly so); I mean it's even implied in the so-called Perfect Ending (the one in Zanarkand). BUT THIS IS MY HEADCANON IT'LL GO THE WAY I WANT IT OR I'LL END IT HERE. so yeah. for the first few months of his renewed existence, Tidus and Yuna both kinda fret about it actually, like not that they’re in an acute state of worry at all times but they just kinda do and they both have nightmares about it happening (which they don’t share with the other...... cuz they don’t want them worrying and aasgfdg those dorks learnt nothing) 

- and while I'm at it, TIDUS & YUNA STAY TOGETHER. yeah... I dunno about you guys but I didn't spend thousands upon thousands of hours falling in love with and producing content of my OTP to have Tidus end up with Rando and Yuna with… Andom, I guess. so yeah, same biased logic applies here

- plus I seriously think they just… would. Yuna's got like no character flaws (yes she does) and she wound up falling for his, so… AND AFTER EVERYTHING THEY'VE BEEN THROUGH TOGETHER??? AND NOT-TOGETHER??? pls they're like the healthiest couple ever to grace our hearts & souls just let them live

- I could see Yuna getting (warily at first) involved with politics at some point. after the whole corrupt maester-led government/religious indoctrination mess, AND then the New Yevon vs. Youth League fiasco, idk, I think Spirans would just kinda naturally gravitate towards her, the High Summoner and all-around heroic figure, for wisdom and guidance. I could see her gradually growing into the role of Spira's very own Padmé Amidala with soft yet firm values and an iron will. and without the dying + homicidal maniac boyfriend (ily, Anakin) and I think her title would just be High Summoner. (kinda like how any elected president of Finland will forever keep the 'president' title – but there's only one current 'President of the Republic of Finland'. wow didnt expect to make this completely relevant comparison) but yeah it's not like she'd be a ruler or anything… just an important political figure and consultant adssgdghj I haven't completely figured out the Spiran state system post-X-2

- at some point, Tidus and Yuna go visit their parents in the Farplane… and as they both try very hard not to think about a certain blue-haired menace, they end up getting quite the jump scare and completely embarrass themselves (or they would’ve if anyone saw) then they in perfect synchrony pull themselves together and defiantly look their former nemesis in the eye and say absolutely nothing

[localmagicalboi]

You spend a lot of time with the Youth League, don't you Vi? So what do you think of it's more prominent members? like Lucil, Elma, Yaibal, and Beclem?

❝Lucil is such an incredible lady, like. Wow. She’s really done it all, hasn’t she? Fierce and fantastic, I’m really glad she decided to lend her strength to the Youth League. She’s gonna help take Spira very far, I feel.❞ If he wasn’t annoying Nooj, he was definitely checking up on Lucil and what she was up to. ❝And, like, I admire Elma for similar reasons. She’s got that fire. But, even with all of her fire, her spirit is good and lovely. I really do think Lucil and Elma are two people that make the Youth League complete. Really! They’re nice to me. It makes me happy that they greet me with smiles and respect.❞

Now, for Yaibal and Beclem. They were unforgettable, too.❝I like Yaibal’s drive, his enthusiasm. I wish I was as hyped for something as he is for the Youth League. Like, I believe every great organization needs a hype man. He fills the role super well. Like, don’t you think? Everyone needs zest like he does. It’d make for a better world. Now, Beclem… Ah, he's— I can appreciate someone who’s no bullshit, I guess. I do think he can chill out, I mean. It’s not that serious. Though, I guess when you’ve seen as much shit as he has, you can’t help but to take everything super seriously. I just, uh. I dunno. It’s not that deep, and I hope he realizes that. Not entirely sure how he feels about me. I am an former server of Yevon, after all. Still loosely affiliated by being a sender, or whatever. Whatever. Anyway, I appreciate all of the members. They all bring something special and valuable.❞

[dankokaji]

[FFX -Will-] Quatervois (FF Kissing Battle 2017) (Baralai/Yuna)

Written for seventhe’s Final Fantasy Kissing Battle 2017 on livejournal.

Prompt: Baralai/Yuna, many paths to the same destination

@lifeofkj this is for you, 

as you continue to inspire me with your stories

Rating: PG

Warnings: Spoilers for FFX-2.5 novel

Word Count: 3647

Yuna’s hand hovers over his door, her knuckles just shy of the knock. She had woken up from a fitful nightmare no more than a couple of hours after she had decided to try at sleep. The events of last week still plague her mind, of Sin’s beckoned return and the inevitable shadow it casts.

Sighing, she drops her hand, and folds her arms. ‘What am I doing here…?’

Yuna left the comfort and safety of her home island to visit Bevelle on a fool’s errand, concerned by Tidus’s ailing health; in the end, she let herself be carried away by the Council’s plight. How Baralai manages to maintain his calm, even during moments of extreme stress, Yuna does not know, but she envies him for his initiative.

While everyone had been reduced to a mindless panic over Sin, Baralai acted quick to dispatch his Senders, banishing it within the first hour of its conception. Confidence and resolve raises his shoulders, instead of burdens them. Less people are calling upon the High Summoner now, hailing the Chancellor as their new hero. She can’t blame them, not when she sees how he throws himself into the heart of social media as the icon of progressive politics. Baralai shines so brilliantly in the limelight that it repels her, casting light over the shadows in her heart.

‘How can I face him?’

Yuna thought they had managed to come to an understanding, despite her persistent cold shoulder to his repeated summons. Their personal interests and private associations are always at conflict, and as always, Baralai never holds it against her, even while they stand at a crossroads, in which she had been the one to conjure it. Sometimes she wonders what that man sees in their fragile, complicated friendship; that being the least of her problems. Being here in Guadosalam, so far away from everything from the events of last week, makes it easy to forget it ever even happened. Pushing Tidus away by ending their relationship, surviving the invasion of Sin, hosting a vigil of all the lives lost― she thought that had been the end of it, at least for awhile.

But Baralai had to prove her wrong.

She bolted, at the high point of the meeting, right when he highlighted the primary causes of the Beckoning phenomena. He cited her actions, vanquishing Sin and then disassembling Vegnagun, as the two catalysts for the Farplane’s imbalance. After the dissolution of the Summoners, no one saw the point of continuing the Sending rites, therefore the pyreflies had no guide to usher them to the Farplane, thus overflowing the surface world with more fiends. Add Vegnagun and its leech of the Farplane’s energy to fuel its cannon, no wonder Spira wound up like this.

And then Baralai proceeds to flip that argument on its head, stressing the importance of Summoners and refuting the memory of Beclem’s cruel words.

“We need Summoners more than ever. They are responsible for recycling the energy that flows in our world, ushering the pyreflies of the deceased to rest within the Farplane. It was a grave mistake to believe Summoners are irrelevant then, and now we are paying for that ignorance in light of the Beckoning epidemic.”

Yuna felt shame, fear, and frustration all at the same time, the fact that she were to blame when she only did what she believed had been right. No one could have predicted this kind of turnout... not unless you were a suicidal psychopath the likes of Seymour. If Baralai’s statement were to leave that room, the people of Spira may turn on her, the leader of an unpopular organization of scapegoats. For that reason, she had been avoiding Baralai all day, brushing off Tromell and Kurgum's fretting concern, and Wakka and Paine's insufferable looks. But by the end of the day, she knew. Baralai never outright attacked her, only provided an objective thesis. His ability to separate his emotions from his profession, she wants to know his secret, because she can't do it, not anymore.

'Enough is enough. If I don't talk to him now, I'll never get around to it.' As much as she wants to avoid this, she must, and so she knocks, and she waits.

For a fleeting moment, she wonders: 'Is he asleep?' A part of her prays that he is, so she could use that as an excuse not to face him, but then she hears his voice answer, dashing her fickle, delirious hope to ashes.

“...come in.”

Yuna takes a deep breath, rewraps the cotton robe around her frame, and twists the doorknob, slipping inside. She finds him seated at a coffee table with his back turned to her, contemplating over the documents spread out before him, his hand busy with the pen.

“My apologies, Scisero. I meant to wrap this up earlier, but I happened to remember some things I wanted to write down…” Baralai does not even take a moment to fix the open collar of his silk bathrobe before he turns to face her, expecting her to be his Guado advisor. Now he stares at her in surprise, startled by her presence in his room. “Lady Yuna, good… Good evening.” He rises to stand, one hand on the edge of the table, where a thin stack of papers flutters to the floor. Embarrassed, Baralai stoops to recollect them. “Ah, sorry about that…”

“N-No, it's alright, I… it's me who should apologize…” Yuna manages a feeble reply, caught off guard by this rare moment of clumsiness from the most composed gentleman in Spira. She shouldn't find that cute, but she does, and so she stifles the smile.

Baralai straightens up on his feet, clearing his throat, setting the papers aside. “To what do I owe the visit?”

She watches him lean on the edge of the table, crossing his arms over his partially exposed chest, and she realizes how this must look. She came to his bedchambers in the dead of night, clothed in only a bathrobe and a sheer camisole. No wonder he acts so guarded.

She blushes, self-conscious.

“I… I wanted to apologize, for earlier… I ran out on your meeting, right when you reached the key point of your presentation. I'm sorry. You must be upset with me.”

“Upset? No…”

Yuna looks up at the sound of his chuckle, seeing his soft smile.

“I was worried. For some time, I thought I said something that upset you.”

“You did. I mean, I know you didn't mean to, but I― Did you really mean it? Did you… Do you honestly think… it's my fault, that we're in this current state…?”

“Lady Yuna, even the noblest of intentions can lead to negative consequences." His forthright words carry more impact than she ever expected they would, and she finds herself at a loss for words, uncertain of how she should feel. So adept at switching between the faces of friend and politician, that he often bewilders her. "I only stated the facts. I don't blame you or your actions; I praise you, in fact, for only you and your Guardians could have accomplished any of those feats. But it doesn't soften the truth, that we are all at fault for failing to notice sooner.”

His kind words render her speechless, and in the ensuing silence, Yuna catches him watching her, feeling self-conscious. She averts her eyes when he attempts to initiate eye contact, afraid that he can read her.

“We've come so far from where we used to be, and yet here we are, stuck at yet another impasse…” Baralai chuckles, thoughtful. “I abandon the Yevon name to start anew, and you go ahead and adopt it not long after. Coming from the woman who gave away a highly confidential and controversial sphere to the Youth League, I am quite surprised. What inspired this change of heart?”

Yuna remains silent on the matter, not ready to open that can of worms.

At her cold response, Baralai sighs. “...was that all you wished to talk to me about?”

“Ah, yes. Sorry to have bothered you… I… I, um, shall be going back to sleep now...”

He smiles, amicable. “It was not a bother. You can come to me anytime.”

His words make her pause. With one hand on the doorknob, she weighs her options.

She meant to walk out and never look back, but… They are alone, and she can ask him anything. When will there ever be another chance?

“...No. That wasn’t… everything...”

Dropping her arm, she scavenges the courage to turn around and face him. His posture has not changed; he still stands there, leaning on the table with his arms crossed. Only the expression on his face changed, regarding her his usual mild-mannered smile. “C-Can I ask you something? Your meeting today… it got me thinking…”

She walks forward, one tiny, timid step at a time, with her head bowed and her gaze glued to the floor, tracing the path of her feet. “Spira’s been thrown in a state of confusion, and you… somehow, you… You were able to make sense of everything.”

Now, Yuna raises her eyes, scavenging the courage to look him in the eye. “Could you help me understand something that happened in Besaid... one year ago?”

“Certainly.”

She blinks, startled by his immediate acquiesce. He accepted it without so much as a second thought that she wrings her hands, self-conscious. “I― I-I must warn you, it’s a long story… a-and, you must be tired―.”

“It’s quite alright.” Baralai smiles, appeasing her of her rapid, anxious thoughts. “I wouldn’t have said yes if I weren’t in the mood. Here. Why don’t you take a seat?”

He motions to the one other chair in the room, and she accepts his offer, sitting across from him as he follows suit. “Um, where do I start…”

“You can take as long as you need.”

She frowns. That’s just being far too gracious.

“...After we parted ways, I went back home after deciding to leave the Gullwings. I prepared myself to face the matrons, to speak with them about that day I felled Sin. I had been avoiding the truth over my victory against Sin, the dissolution of the Church, because…” She chokes up, sensing her throat constrict.

‘I was selfish. It was too personal for me to share... If I talked about it, I would have had to acknowledge that he―.’

“Lady Yuna?”

His concerned voice anchors her back to the present, and she swallows. “I-I couldn’t tell them. I wasn’t ready to tell them. For two years, I couldn’t… When I joined the Gullwings, even after I scoured every inch of Spira, I still couldn’t find… what I was looking for. I could have looked longer, I know I could. That thought crossed my mind many times, but… I felt that I looked enough. Our battle in the Farplane reinforced that feeling.”

Yuna stops to take a deep breath, losing the strength to continue. ‘I can’t stop here. I must…’ 

“But, the moment I arrived at Besaid, I… I found him. He was waiting for me. The person lost to me, my Guardian… The Fayth of Bahamut returned him to me, for one lifetime. It made me… so happy...” She trails off, sensing the tears well up in her eyes, and she hesitates to wipe them away, for fear that would expose her.

“Congratulations.” He smiles, reclining on the back of his chair with a casual cross of his arms.

To her relief, he spares her any comment on her tears, and she sniffles.

“Of course, I couldn’t... be happy for long. His return threw all of my priorities into question. I wanted a life with him, more than anything, but… I knew I couldn’t keep running away from my responsibilities either, so… While the dinner preparations for my homecoming were underway, I spent the entire night with them. I told the matrons everything, and they begged me to restore the idle clergy. I managed to avoid giving them a straight answer by telling them I needed time to think about it, and I…”

She pauses to giggle, overtaken by the fond memory. “I convinced the Besaid Aurochs to lend me their boat, The Ace, so I could be alone with… him…”

“Ah.”

His knowing smile makes her want to self-combust from mortification. “Y-Yes, I― I-It’s been so long, I― I just wanted to, erm…”

He laughs now, waving her off. “You don’t have to explain yourself."

“Yes, um… right.” Yuna clears her throat, composing herself. “Y-You can stop me anytime you want me to, in case you get bored or―.”

“No, no, continue. You have my undivided attention. After all, I want to believe there lies a point to all this gratuitous context.”

“...so, we, um, drifted out into sea, but not too far from Besaid, and we had… a long talk about everything. The passage of time between us, what I must do now that Spira has settled into the Eternal Calm. We ended up disagreeing… on a lot of things, actually. I shouldn’t be surprised. We always tend to disagree on things... The distance between us made it even worse... And then, a terrible squall hit Besaid overnight, and we were stranded somewhere farther out at sea where we couldn’t see any stretch of land. With our boat nowhere in sight, most likely destroyed due to the storm, we struggled to keep the aquatic fiends at bay, until eventually… I don’t know how, I passed out at some point, but we woke up on an island eerily similar to Besaid. We didn’t know where we were, and we couldn’t find any people, let alone a village, but... Little did we know at the time, we were marooned on an island summoned by an Unsent Summoner from a thousand years ago. A Dream version of Besaid, not unlike Yevon’s summoning of Zanarkand.

“As we continued to explore it, we found statues of old deities I never heard of. I don’t remember all their names, they were etched on the stone... Luchera, Guard, Kush… Ifarnal… to name a few. They were positioned in such strange ways that we couldn’t understand if they were meant to lead visitors astray or protect the children from getting lost.” Yuna stops there, becoming aware of her rambling. Because of that, she catches the rapt expression on his face, of him immersed in thought.

“Fascinating… To think there might have existed a completely different type of religion worshipped by the people who lived before Yevon’s time. Gods and deities separate from the Fayth we knew… How did their mythology come to exist…?”

She giggles, amused. "That’s something I never thought to ask. Maybe I should have...”

“Who?”

“Ifarnal. The Unsent Summoner I mentioned earlier. He inhabited the island with a woman he called his ‘Aeon Core,’ a different kind of Fayth. Not a stone statue, but a being who could exist after death. Like a fiend. She introduced herself to me, after I came in contact with her Summoner. He, Ifarnal… helped me restore Tidus to his original state, after he…” Yuna panics, cursing at herself for getting carried away with details.

‘Oh, no, I’m slipping… I shouldn’t have gone that far…’

“Tidus was… mortally wounded… by a bomb disguised as a blitzball…”

Baralai’s eyebrows rise at that. “Really?”

“Yes. Ah, one of Ifarnal’s other Aeon Cores, a human who was part machine… I think it was human… When it saw us, it probably confused us for hostiles trespassing on their territory. Its mind might have still been stuck in the time of the Machina War…”

“I am relieved you two made it out alive, then. But… What did you mean when you said, ah… Ifarnal, was it? He helped you restore Sir Tidus to his original state? You couldn’t have healed him with your magic?”

“I… didn’t have my staff! I was in a panic, and I couldn’t… put myself in a proper state of mind…”

“So, what did he do? This Unsent that felt compelled to help you?”

Baralai looks unconvinced, and she starts to sweat. She must divert him with another topic of interest.

“...ah, um… he bestowed upon me an ancient technique… of summoning, unique to Bevelle. Tidus is… not like the rest of us. He’s from Zanarkand, a dream version of Zanarkand that Yevon summoned with his city of devotees. He managed to exist outside this Zanarkand by riding Sin, and… because of the Fayth. They sustained his mortal life during his time in Spira.”

“...I see.”

He hums, thoughtful.

She doesn’t know if that’s a good thing, so she waits.

Even though Yuna only revealed a portion of the truth, would he be able to figure it out?

“Does that mean… His life is not his own, then? He can exist so long as the Fayth wishes him to, but even then… The Fayth departed from our world after you vanquished Sin. Why is that? They didn’t have to leave us, did they?”

“I only spoke to Bahamut at length, but they all seemed to say… That they were tired of dreaming. They wanted to sleep, after so many years…”

Back then, Yuna didn’t understand the depth of their suffering. Not an inkling. But now… She wishes she didn’t. She scorns them and criticizes them, even though she empathizes with them to avoid the glaring flaw in herself.

“That makes sense. I don’t blame them, honestly,” Baralai says with a wry smile, bringing her back to the present. “Hm... That begs the question, though...”

“What?”

“Is Sir Tidus a beckoning?”

Her breath stops, and she cradles her hand over her wavering heart.

“...No.”

“Did he die, then? In that explosion. You were being awfully vague about that part.”

As much as Yuna wants to flee from this room, she had been the one to dig this hole. Now she must lie in this bed that she made, hoping she can die in it. Anything to avoid his soul-piercing questions. “...Yes. But he is not a beckoning. I can assure you of that.”

“What is that, if not a beckoning?” He sounds more weary and annoyed than anything else, least of all condescending, but she can hear his sarcasm in the rhetoric. It evokes that feeling of guilt and shame, but most of all―

‘No. I don’t… regret anything…’

“He… is a dream. He’s my dream now, not the Fayth’s anymore. I’ve been… summoning him all this time. Ifarnal taught me how.”

“Lady Yuna.”

Baralai opens his mouth, about to say something, but then thinks better of it and sighs.

She senses he must be revising the words in his head. Soon, she will be wishing he never spoke at all.

“Lady Yuna… Why do you keep doing this to yourself?”

Ire rises in her throat, and she bites back the spiteful frown, incensed by his tone. “It’s my choice. I don’t expect you to understand.”

She knows she made a fatal mistake the moment those words flew out her mouth. The kind amber glow in his soft eyes darken to pitch black, and he looks away, propping his cheek on the end of his fist. The way he stares off into space frightens her, because she knows what kind of thoughts he tends to harbor. He once carried the shadow of Shuyin, after all, and she can see a trace of him now, of the rage outlined in the tension of his jaw, the intensity of his gaze.

“You love him, but you can’t find it within yourself to let go, can you?”

Something snaps within her, in which his words open the floodgates and she can’t hope to keep them shut any longer.  

Yuna crumbles into herself, allowing her tears to flow free.

~

Yuna dreams of the ocean.

She dreams of sleeping, feeling the waves rock the wooden, creaking walls of The Ace in its gentle, strong embrace. As the boat sinks for the last time and Yuna sinks further into the bed, she stirs, curious by the sudden loss of swaying. Inside this sparsely-decorated cabin, sunlight filters through the porthole, blanketing her in warmth. Darkness swathes her surroundings the moment she opens her eyes, blinded by the candlelight bleeding into her blurry vision, before someone’s hand reaches out to dowse the wick. She stares up at the broad back of her bedside companion, watching him brood in silence. The scent of sweet smoke fills the room, tickling her nose, and she sneezes.

Sensing him turn to look at her, she feels shy under his fond gaze. 

“Bless you.”

“Th-Thank you…”

“Did I wake you? If so, I apologize.”

“Ah, it’s alright… Um, I’m sorry… I fell asleep on you…”

“No worries. I assumed you were tired. You unloaded quite a lot of baggage there.”

She blushes, self-conscious, and before she can formulate a witty retort, he reaches out to stroke her head, brushing her long, messy hair out of her face. Her heartbeat races, and stills again when his hand begins to slow, projecting his timidity as well as her own. He lifts a lock of her hair between his fingers and touches the tail end of it to his lips, lingering on the gesture.

“Goodnight, milady. I shall see you in the morning.”

Scarlet heat blooms in her cheeks, and she squeaks in response. Thank the Fayth he cannot see her face in the dark.

Baralai smiles and drops his hand, standing to exit the room. In the quiet echo of the door’s close, another one opens, and she tries to deny it by burying her blushing red face into the pillow in vain.

‘I didn’t even finish telling him the full story. Oh, well… Maybe next time.’

[thedefiantgoddess]

Honestly, Beclem is pretty much the only video game character that I actively want to cause physical harm to. He makes me so mad.