#ffx-3

[dankokaji]

Chancellor Baralai of the Spiran Council ✨ ✨ ✨

Commission drawn by the ever lovely Maestro @kingcael!!! 💕💖 💕 🥰

The Tibetan-inspired beads, the vibrant green and orange and yellow, the Phoenix crest on his golden brooch, his floofy hair, his warm brown eyes, everything's my favorite features! I just can't- 😭

Since he ditched the headband, Baralai uses coconut wax to style his hair. XD

[dankokaji]

omg, yeeeesss, your editing skills make me envious~

I shall signal boost this to oblivion! Fantastic work, my dear. The task was too daunting by myself. 😅

FINAL FANTASY X-2.5～永遠の代償～ The Price of Eternity

The story of Spira, following Final Fantasy X-2, is spun into a novel! Set two years and several months after Yuna defeated Sin, Spira has transitioned into a new era. Yuna's plan to unwind with Tidus, cherishing their long-awaited reunion, took an unforeseen turn when a storm battered their ship, casting them ashore on unfamiliar land. Removed from Besaid's vicinity, Yuna found herself confronting the hidden truths of this newfound island... —Japanese-to-English Back Cover Synopsis (~Eien no Daishō~, 2013)

A fan restoration project, entitled Rebirth ~ The Price of Eternity, started by Danko Kaji of ffx3chat.

Fan translation source here. Continuation of Rebirth by mishyoona here (ongoing).

Quick review: The portrayal of Yuna, as well as her relationship with Tidus, was (for the most part) lacking. I would still recommend it, but keep your expectations low when delving in.

Go in and just have fun with it.

I will say, the book excels in world-building and lore. I'd suggest exploring the marked chapters for those parts, at the very least!

[mcg777]

Yuna & Tidus + hands 💜

[ageofzero]

Yuna is the antagonist of a potential Final Fantasy X-3, thank you for coming to my TED Talk

edit: okay I'll put it under a read more since it'll be a long post (but not as long as my entire conversation was), but what's promised is due.

Now that I have to make the post for real I had to do some wiki reading on what the actual Things going on in the novella were, and… well, a lot of my theorycrafting was based on incomplete and kinda inaccurate information. BUT I can’t read Japanese, the book was never released here, and I am going to go with rule of cool for a little bit of this even as I keep the stuff that sounds kinda dumb on the surface. I’ll be the first to say that Tidus exploding from a bomb he thinks is a blitzball is dumb (true), and Chuami thinking she’s Auron’s daughter is a dumb plot beat (petty), but I’m weaving this bridge and I’m not going to rewrite those. I am going to change some contexts and make them exist in a narrative that I hope is compelling. That’s my disclaimer, now I’m gonna get into it.

SO.

The scenario from the novella and audio drama is thus: Tidus died again in an accident, and Yuna brings him back. But he’s not back in the same way that the Fayth gave this dream a real living body at the end of X-2. The official term for it is “beckoned”, but I probably won’t use that to describe him based on my previous understanding. No matter if he’s beckoned or not, or whatever terminology you want to use, the thing is that Yuna summoned him back. She’s holding him to life, and he can never know. It’s been a year since the moment Tidus died, and Yuna has seemingly regressed into patterns that put her into what was once Yevon’s circle. Tidus is looking injured/weakened (“Chuami: It wasn’t just [Tidus’s] words that felt hollow. When I shook his hand, his grip felt weak and lifeless... I think he’s injured. Or maybe he’s sick or something.”), and people are looking to Yuna for help or information regarding the strange not-quite Unsent (the beckoned) that are appearing in places in Spira. Help she is not capable of giving. Wakka and Lulu are protecting her as she prays in Besaid Temple. The world is seemingly acting out, with a second shoopuf appearing in the Moonflow and its energies overflowing and drawing more illusions into reality. (“Yuna: The Moonflow energy is responding to the will of the living. It’s as if… we’re in the Farplane.”) And it’s more vivid than what the Farplane is capable of, even breaking the rules of “beckoning”. This is something new, something worse. Something worse enough to bring back Sin (which I thought was just me extrapolating a potential, but they actually mention it in the audio drama that it happens). Yuna promises the people that she will defeat Sin, but Wakka tries to keep her from being made to promise such a thing at first, which is an interesting choice (“Wakka: Yuna, let’s go back to Besaid. They’ll push this all on you… Sin is for summoners, in their minds.”).

Where does the world go in this present circumstances? Why IS Yuna seemingly content to do what chafed her in the Eternal Calm short movie and stay praying in Besaid and helping the elders who are lost now that Yevon as they knew it is in shambles? Why are Lulu and Wakka enabling and protecting her in that? Why is Tidus looking injured and weak and why is Yuna keeping him at arm’s length? Why does she tell him that she’s fallen in love with someone else?

I know the typical story beat interpretation is “Yuna told him that and pushed him away so he wouldn’t be in danger for what she needs to do, bc defeating Sin caused his death last time”. But hear me out. Yuna knows Tidus isn’t alive. She knows that revealing that information to him will cause him to disappear again. She’s actively summoning him back to life and he has no idea (but he must suspect something is wrong, even before Yuna formally pulls away from him, he’s weakening and he probably doesn’t feel right in his own skin). I posit that her maintaining Tidus’s life is what she’s really doing praying in the Besaid Temple. She doesn’t want to get involved with the Moonflow situation, the shoopuf or the overflowing energy of the Moonflow itself. She doesn’t even really act when seeing all the ghosts in the crowd, and actively stops Kurgum from acting (plausible deniability: she and everyone else decide that sending them in that moment would be the wrong call and riots would break out, but that density of ghosts means that’s a significant amount of pyreflies that could become fiends at any moment).

I posit that Yuna’s powers are working, that people close to her think her powers aren’t working (Lulu and Wakka), and she’s hiding it from everyone else. That her powers aren’t working because she’s currently using them to maintain Tidus’s existence. And this maintaining is breaking the Farplane in half, because she’s powerful but has no idea what she’s doing. (Why would she really know what she’s doing or the consequences? Who has any information of what she’s doing and what will happen if she does it?) I posit that Yuna’s love for Tidus is so strong that it corrupts her sense of right and wrong. X-2 is Yuna largely going on a personal quest, and incidentally helping people but separating herself from the title of High Summoner and doing something she wants to do. Rikku encourages her to do something for herself for a change right before she agrees and runs off to become a sphere hunter. She still saves the world, this time from an ancient danger Old Yevon buried and an Unsent is threatening to use (for love, notably), but she did it in the course of looking for Tidus. Who the Fayth return to life, who she hugs and is so so relieved to have in her arms again.

She’s not going to let him go, she couldn’t let him die again so much that she called him back to life.

(side note: I never truly knew how this happened so I had to consult the wiki page on the novella, and I suspect what original information I was working with was misrepresented and misinterpreted. I openly admit that the wiki page doesn’t really help me fully understand what happened, aside from explaining how Tidus ended up in proximity to a bomb. My understanding from someone’s explanation was that an Unsent summoner on the island Yuna and Tidus got washed up on after a storm told her she could call back the dead if she wanted, as a summoner. They’re all made of pyreflies, Aeons and Fiends and People and Unsent alike, and summoners are in the business of manipulating pyreflies. Either calling them from the Fayth to form an Aeon, or Sending them to the Farplane so they do not become Fiends. A summoner with enough power could summon someone back from the dead, could they not? And this Unsent summoner knew how it worked, and told Yuna how to do it. But I don’t know how real that scene could be, or how accurate it is to what’s written in the book. It’s my rule of cool moment, though, and I worked with that as my understanding when I made this theory. We have to make our peace with that, if you’ll allow me this extrapolation of Spira’s rules and a summoner’s powers.)

(The meme is Tidus kicking a blitzball and it turned out it was a bomb and his head gets blown off, but wiki says they ended up on a vision of a Besaid from 1000 years ago, and the bomb was something neither Tidus or Yuna had seen before and to them it looked like a blitzball. So, Tidus approached what he thought was a blitzball, wondering who’s ball it was, and it exploded as he reached it. I still think that’s really dumb but I’m not editing it out bc Tidus’s death creates very interesting consequences.)

So, if Yuna is summoning Tidus back to life, and she desperately doesn’t want him to find this out so she avoids him and pushes him away through any means necessary, but he’s still weakening and fading enough to be noticeable by people… perhaps also himself… Yuna returning to Yevon in some capacity could just as likely be her looking for a means to keep feeding power to this summoning she’s doing so she doesn’t lose him. And what kind of consequences does it have to do this? He’s being summoned, but he’s not actually an Aeon. He’s not an Unsent, he’s not just being beckoned. He wasn’t even real, he was a dream in a summon held together by the raw power of Yu Yevon turning into Sin. The Moonflow overflowing and seeing a long-dead shoopuf is the least of the consequences. The Farplane is delicate, it requires careful maintenance, and here Yuna is shoving her foot in the door and holding it open for a solid year! And no one knows she’s doing this! Spira’s past is full of history, some of that long-buried secrets that no one was supposed to find again. Sin wasn’t supposed to be able to come back, but the ghosts aren’t staying ghosts anymore (“Lulu: I mean Sin came back, right? What’s to stop anything else from coming back?”).

Even people who only know her by reputation seem to think she’s acting strangely (“Kurgum: I thought Lady Yuna was… a righteous person.”), because something is wrong and no one can put their finger on what. Who would have the pieces to put any of this together, and who would even suspect Yuna in the first place? She’s actively not getting involved in politics, she’s locked herself in Besaid, she seems reluctant to answer someone she worked with and should be amicable with now (Baralai).

I think the story should follow down this path, I think it should find Yuna at the end of it, once savior and now destroyer. She’s willing to let the world rip apart in order to keep Tidus, and I think that’s a compelling premise for X-3. The past surging forward like ghosts, vengeful and lost and wanted and terrifying. Who sides with Yuna (Wakka, Lulu) and covers up the problem? Who bands together to face down the High Summoner (Tidus, Rikku)? Who doesn’t know where to place their allegiance, or who changes sides when they realize the extent of what Yuna’s hiding? What does she do when she’s faced with her friends, and the person she loves so much, telling her to stop?

There’s a line in Eternal Calm where Yaibal (named in X-2 but not in the movie itself), after asking about whether or not she’d be joining one of the factions, if she’d be making a faction of her own. And I think in this potential X-3, she’s making her own faction through the actions of becoming antagonist. She’s made Wakka cover for her, she acts in a way that make Lulu and Wakka both protect her regardless of whether or not they know what she’s doing. I think it would be so fascinating to make this a conscious decision on her part. Things have broken so utterly, and she’s desperate to hold them together, and becomes the antagonist in the process.

Squeenix would never do it, they’d never be so bold as to make Yuna the antagonist and follow through on this trajectory of her lying to people to hide that she’s the one breaking the world in half (up to returning the ghost of Sin itself to terrorize Spira). Sin isn’t the final boss in this one, it’d have to be Yuna, we have to stop her and fix what went wrong. It’s not ever gonna happen, but I still think Yuna should be the antagonist of X-3.

[tonyfinale]

love the simple honesty of old ass youtube videos n shit

[millenni-em-tauk]

Hi! My friend is working hard on charming, engaging video essays about video games from a unique perspective, where mechanics meet story. Please check out his channel if you have the chance! 💙

[rhinoyo]

our favorite blitzball player!!! <33 (@twink-fuery)

[cyazurai]

random, but half of Yak T'el in Dawntrail reminds me of a cross between the Macalania Wood in FFX and the Underdark in BG3 (specifically Dread Hollow with the Sussur tree) 🤷🏻‍♀️

[mister-e-muss]

[galarrapidash]

[emevergreen]

making a list of games i wanna play outside of ffxiv and. im noticing a trend

[dankokaji]

I'm buckling up, and here for the ride. >:3

I find your feelings on the subject of post FFX-2 quite refreshing and agreeable! I can't help but disappoint, bc I'm always on the consumer side of things. No matter if it's trash, or mid, or unexpectedly brilliant, I always want more material from the creative team behind the FFX universe even if the content can be polarizing. But I certainly enjoy the challenge!

However, I have to say, the ambiguous set-up they got going on for FFX-3 is very similar to an old anime/light novel series from the 2010 decade called Sunday Without God. It's not exactly unique in that sense, but there are lots of cool parallels and ideas that I find inspiring.

But honestly, what we fans call beating the dead horse, SQ sees milking the old cow. LOL

As for your Auron + Dream Zanarkand thoughts:

If you were to one day write that entire essay into a full-fledged fanfiction, I would binge read and review every single chapter of it. Auron and Tidus's father-son bond has always been one of my favorite aspects of FFX, esp in a game where father characters compete for the Worst Dad of the Year award and moms go nameless. Cid got the plot armor by his name alone. XD

You make such valid points that I can't really contribute anything! You pretty much collected all possible hints of what kind of world DZ was from the rare fiend sightings to contextual clues taken from Auron's character model throughout flashbacks. I remember Auron looking young, tho, in the scene where Tidus's mom is confirmed "gone"; I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. XD

I think the major hot take I have in regards to the audio drama is there's no way Auron sired an illegitimate child. It's obviously a dumb cash grab for shock value; no build up to the possibility whatsoever, so I like to think Chuami's mom is using Auron's name as a positive role model for a man who took care of her. Could be something dark or innocuous (of which I prefer the former, bc dark, gritty story-telling is my jam for breakfast), but c'mon, don't do this to me, SQ. XD

But anyway, your in-depth analysis and speculation pretty much lends credit to the implication that for the Farplane to be flooded by an unprecedented amount of souls (Zanarkand Fayth + Dream inhabitants) unintended to exist at once, let alone in the first place, I'd put my money in the pot that the DZ population are sentient and capable of existing in the material plane. Jecht and Tidus in particular are special, bc of Sin and Yevon's influence. What's really tragic about pyreform beings is that they can't exist by their own will. They need a Summoner, whether living or Unsent, to tether them using magic. For the former, that's like signing a death sentence.

I'm influenced by the idea that similar to Star Ocean rules where a character can be incapacitated by health and mana, I think the same could apply to FFX as well (but I feel that the effect is less severe bc the world itself is rich in mana). FFXVI has already proven that's how mana works in their universe as well, and I like that detail of "abusing magic comes with consequence."

But yeah, I'm already rambling in that subject. Here's Part 1/2 of my compressed thoughts. XD Seriously, though, I'm deeply honored by your passionate and intelligent response, and I honestly, I'm in awe of it. <3

Since the devs and creative minds behind the FFX -Will- have claimed they wrote the audio drama ambiguous on purpose in order for us to fill in the gaps using our imagination, I'd like to ask what your desire or vision of FFX-3 is! :D

Whether it be in fanfiction or fan art, speculations or whimsical thoughts, I'd love to hear about it!

Hi, Danko Kaji! Brace yourself lol:

I genuinely believe that the future of Spira, unless it's in a distant one, should be left alone. I think X-2 wrapped up the start of the Eternal Calm nicely, and there is no need to push it further. Continuing from where X-2 left off is an example of beating a dead horse.

Also, from what I've seen, going back to Braska's journey is a popular X-3 concept among fans, but that would be the worst, imo. I don't see how it would introduce fresh elements to the story. Essentially, it would be a rehash of X, but with no surprises. I think we should all appreciate how we learned about that time through Auron's recollections (from his personal stories and the memories we witnessed in the ruins), and I fear that a full game focusing on it would diminish that impact. It's an unpopular opinion, but I truly hope that never comes to fruition.

I have two ideas, and one of them is fairly stupid, but I'm sharing. In fact, let's start with that one:

01. Auron in Dream Zanarkand. Tidus once said that fiends were a rarity in DZ, and that it was a big deal when one showed up. It'd be incredible if we got to discover that Auron was the one responsible for keeping them at bay, and was also the one slaying them once they reached the city (a boss, even, which would indeed be a "big deal"). Not necessarily as a hero either, but specifically driven by his promise to ensure Tidus' safety. It's evident that he kept up with his combat skills during his 10 years there, since he wasn't at all rusty when the time for battle came. In fact, he was prepared. The Japanese dialogue hinted that Auron periodically checked in on Tidus. It's interesting to imagine him being away dealing with fiends during those intervals. Perhaps he even had some form of affiliation with a small group of people who learned to fight and are committed to protecting DZ and uncovering some truths. This group could have uncovered something odd that helped them understand there could be more to DZ than meets the eye. They'd be low profile to avoid being dismissed as wacko. Then comes Auron, a sensible man with a strong head on his shoulders, and his arrival in their lives would provide a sense of companionship. Yet he never says he believes them or knows something. Maybe he sees himself in these people who are driven by what they believe, and he knows their worlds would be shattered by the truth.

Since Sin was known to destroy anything/anyone who got too close to DZ, it's plausible that remnants from another world (Spira) would wash up on its shores. Maybr strange technology and trinkets, or unfamiliar clothing. Ideally something more creative than that, lol. Their group backstory would be that their discoveries presented a pattern that each of then began to notice at some point, thus rendering them "touched" by Spira. It would provide an opportunity to see how someone from a fayth's dream or summoning can transform into something more once they've been touched by Spira or Sin. Remember what Bahamut's fayth said:

"Both you and your father have been touched by Sin. Sin, the one whom all Spira—the spiral—revolves. You two are more than just dreams now. Just a little more."

Vague enough to have fun with, if you ask me. Exploring Auron's time in DZ (especially the period between his shattered beliefs and the end of his mortal life) could be awesome. It would allow for insight as to why he aged. Did he manifest it on his own, and if so, was it gradual or immediate? There's a scene in FFX where Tidus (talking to Yuna) revisits a memory that took place while he was still a kid, shortly before his mother's death. Auron was shown to have already aged by then. So, maybe the stress, heartache, fear, and grief (the immense emotional burden) manifested through his appearance, making him look as old and worn as he felt on the inside.

I can't see any of this being translated into a full-fledged game, though. Maybe a smaller game where the "big bad" is actually Auron's inner turmoil and dealing with his new reality—similar to Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 6, lol. But those are my unrefined thoughts on that jumble of dumb.

[digital-dulci]

Okay!!!!! As my first ever digital piece...I'm pretty proud of myself! The skin was soooo so much fun to do, it was a totally new experience for me. I'm glad I tried it, and I hope to get better :)

[astralarias]

"w/ol would win because of xyz, the commander doesn't stand a chance" no the commander would win because they are my favourite and i love them actually <3

[studioskorm]

[violetaeons]

Not sure if there's a trope name for it but the archetype of the conflicted and duty or oath-bound, priestess or avatar of some higher power is *chef's kiss*

I am a sucker for it every time.