A to Z Challenge: Yuna (with Yunalesca and Yu Yevon) from FFX and FFX-2

One more day. Awww. We are on day 25 of the A to Z Challenge, and I once again thank you for obliging my Final Fantasy habit!

Today is the letter Y, and Y is for Final Fantasy X/X-2's great summoner Yuna!

The daughter of the summoner who last brought The Calm (a time of peace) by defeating Sin and named after the first summoner of Sin's time, Yuna has some huge shoes to fill. Her spirit keeps you going when you learn that Tidus's father is the thing that's been killing everyone for the past few years, and her resolve to continue her pilgrimage even after Tidus gives her a way out (because she must pay with her life to enact The Calm) gives the franchise its best moment of blossomed romance in the history of moments of blossomed romance. Spare 2 minutes if you can.

I mentioned the first summoner of Sin's time. Yunalesca is actually the daughter of the greatest summoner, Yu Yevon.

Should've known this naked b**** was up to no good.

Yu Yevon is the summoner who devised the endless cycle of pilgrimages to defeat Sin. He killed an entire city and made the others think it was because of their use of machina that they died, and then he created the religion of Yevon where the people pray to him for guidance to defeat Sin for small periods of peace (The Calm) until they've completely atoned for their wrongdoings (which will be never).

Yunalesca is the final stop on a summoner's pilgrimage, and when Yuna and team get to her, they learn Yuna has to choose one of her guardians to become the final aeon (summon) to defeat Sin. After a hearty Hell No from the team, Yunalesca is brought down, and then we go on to defeat Sin. BUT, because the bastard above possesses the final aeons to create the next Sin, Yuna has to not only defeat Sin but all of her aeons (Bahamut, Shiva, Ifrit, Ixion, etc.) once Yu Yevon possesses them, leaving him with nothing left so we can kill him.

And then, we lose Tidus (mentioned a few days ago).

God, this moment. T____T

And then, Yuna is the ultimate hero and has to move on with her life. So, she joins up with Rikku and Paine to become the sphere hunters YRP to headline FFX-2. She also gets a new, badass gunslinger look!

Yaaaas, slaaay.

Trivia: the design holding her shirt together was the tattoo on Jecht's chest and a symbol Tidus wore on his pants and as a necklace. *sniff*

FFX-2 is pretty bad, but in the end, if you do most of the main things right, you get Tidus back, so I'll take it.

Tomorrow, after one last honorable mention, we come to the perfect bookend for the A's: the Z's (not just because of the obvious, lol. Stick around!).

A to Z Challenge: Paine from Final Fantasy X-2

This A to Z Challenge, I'm geeking out on Final Fantasy characters and forcing y'all to read about them. (I'm getting tired of openings; can you tell?)

This day is for P, and P is for Paine!

This young lady showed up in FFX-2, a game I have mixed feelings about, but I appreciated its attempt. FFX was the first game in the franchise to get a sequel, but it was a pretty blah sequel. Paine, however, isn't a blah character.

She's the voice of sarcasm in the YRP troupe, but we start the game not knowing too much about her. During a side quest upon which I didn't embark, you learn she worked for the Crimson Guard, a group of elite soldiers for Yevon, who were sent into the Den of Woe to investigate a rumor about a ghost machina. The pyreflies (spirits of fiends, people, etc.) were affected by the main villain whose spirit was trapped there, and everyone in the Crimson Guard died but Paine's group. They got separated, and that was how she met up with Summoner Yuna.

Paine is a badass. Her gear is cosplay fame, and I do love her sarcastic moments, especially when Yuna and Rikku (more on her in a couple of letters) are hype over something.

Also, dress sphere slayage.

Maaaan, if my abs were ripped...

Tomorrow, I actually have something for Q: FFVIII's Quezacotl.