A Summoner's Pilgrimage

Hi there! I'm Numbers, and this is a liveblogging account for Final Fantasy X. Expect to see a great deal of over-analysing and screen capping. This is also a place for FFX discussion, so if you have anything to say, agree or disagree, bring it up! Thank you for your time.

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Hi Guys!

Really.... really long time no see. Ahaha, I really suck. But!  While my laptop is in the shop getting repaired, and therefore I will have lost all of my recordings, saves and data - I do want to come back to this. That means, provided my laptop does actually get fixed - in three weeks, I'll be back to blogging and and setting off again from Luca. I hope you've all had a good time and I apologize (once again) for taking so much time with this.  In the meantime... I want to promote mintywolf's playthrough of FFX, which is in-depth and very entertaining. Check it out! 

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Wakka really is trying his best. He's keeping the score equal and probably accepting the pummelling he's getting for the sake of Yuna. He would throw his last game for her, entirely willingly - but he's still trying to buy some time for her other guardians. I wonder why the ref isn't calling the foul? It's a weird little thing to put in here, as though alluding to some kind of corruption... Do you think the ref was paid off by the Al Bhed? Even then, it's weird to think that the kidnappers actually care about the blitzball game at all, so, hmm. Not sure on this one at all! 

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What happens as you reach Dock Number 4 is a series of battles against some salvaged Machina. Even when you kill a row, a second row runs in seamlessly to try and evoke the feeling that there is an endless stream.  Tidus asks why in the most eloquent and beautiful way. Wee special battle features like this are nice (albeit a little frustrating when you don't know how many of these guys you're going to have to take down) - it kind of spices up the gameplay a bit.

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Tidus' name and Besaid/Okinawa

I tend to say “Tie-dus” too, even though I know better. English speakers think of the word “tide.” But now that I know what Tee-dus, or rather,Tee-da, means in Japan, that makes it easier to grok.

Tida in Okinawan means “sun.”

Yuna in Okinawan means “night.” (it means “hibiscus” in Japanese, so she’s got hibiscus flowers on her kimono and necklace).

Yuna’s outfit is a modified Okinawan kimono.

Okinawa is an island at some distance from the rest of Japan, to the south and west. It has its own dialect, a blend of Japanese, Korean and Polynesian ethnicities (look at Wakka), a vibrant weaving tradition, and a rather laid-back culture. Some Okinawans find the rest of Japan “cold and somewhat condescending.” Sounds a lot like Besaid, doesn’t it?

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I notice this guy has no regard to guarding you, in fact, he's only concerned about guarding the maester's vessel, and is too arrogant to give any form of thanks. You'd think warrior monks would have a small ounce of duty to protecting civilian, but it seems not. Or this guy is just a dick. Or both. Who knows? 

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A journey full of laughter  Final Fantasy X - Liveblog & Analysis. 

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dame-mjrn replied to your post: Do you plan on liveblogging anything else after X?

I know you were talking to the anon, and chances are slim, but MAYBE FF XII?

Oh, no! I meant to open that to the floor in general. C: XII is a possibility! I admit, though, I've never thought very deeply about XII. I'm sure there's much there, but I find it difficult to just... get into. Still! No point not trying, I know a few friends who really love it and I'll start asking them about it.  

Cheers for the suggestion! 

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Do you plan on liveblogging anything else after X?

I don't want to get too ahead of myself since... It's going to take me ages to get through X, anyway. :P The remaster will have come and gone by the time I reach, idk, Bevelle, ahaha. But really, I have thought about it. I'd love to do this kind of heavy analysis on Final Fantasy IX - it is my favorite game of all time, even if I can barely stand the gameplay itself ahaha. I've considered doing X-2, as well - but I'm not wholly decided on it, yet. C: Is there any game you'd particularly like to see me cover?  

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Oh, huh. I wasn't expecting to hit my photo limit already, but c'est la vie!  Looks like I'm done for the night - but if anyone wants to ask me questions or just talk to me in general, don't be afraid to hit my ask/submit box. Any stories/analysis on FFX is appreciated, too. C: 

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It's pretty cool that the NPCs are all reacting to seeing the machina. At any rate, it emphasises Spira's anti-tech philosophy (at least when it comes to military purposes.) Kind of funny that those warrior monks there talk about how abhorrent machina is when I'm pretty fucking sure we fight those guys (or at least guys with the same texture) who use much, much more sophisticated and deadly machina. Yaayyy hypocrisy. 

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One of the things I quite liked in X that I wish they'd used a little more was when you killed some enemies, your party would blob around the remaining ones. It was a small touch, but it really helped you feel like you were moving on and clearing a path.

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You know, I'm not entirely sure - but are those pyreflies spining around Lulu before she casts magic?  It would make sense if magic was cast by using pyreflies. Pyreflies, after all, are everywhere in the atmosphere. It is only when they are highly concentrated that they all come together and can be seen - this is also why blitzers can breathe under water, by the way, pyreflies are particularly attracted to water.  Pyreflies make up the material body of aeons, and in a sense seem to be a kind of energy. Lulu is (possibly) manipulating the dead to her purpose, which is kind of interesting.  To give a little more evidence to this idea - Seymour and Yunalesca are both incredible and renowned summoners (and thus very talented in pyrefly manipulation) - and both seem to favor black magic. Yuna, too, naturally has very high magic (making her a powerhouse when you give her some black magic spells.) 

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That they are, Lulu. That they are.

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I really do wonder how Lulu knows so much about the Al Bhed. Perhaps she set to learning about them after discovering Yuna's heritage, perhaps it's just somewhat common knowledge. She may have taken it upon herself to learn about machina after Chappu's death (or learned about it from him, before he left.) Ignorance is not something Lulu tries to tout.

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Sorry little kid, but I'm going to just have to crush all your hopes and dreams. Hey, also notice the kid's dad going on about how "any Ronso" knows that the Ronso Fangs will win the cup. Supposedly, Blitz Ball is meant to encourage fidelity and brothership, it's meant to break down barriers of race under some grand noble banner. I can't help but feel that purposely dividing the teams up into races does nothing but the opposite of that - Ronso support Ronso, Guado support Guado. There's no real mixing, just an outlet for patriotic vehemence.  Nice. 

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The stores being closed around tournament time reminds me so much of Harvest Moon and all the shops being closed during the festivals, ahah. In that case, O'aka is clearly Won, it all comes together now. Also, O'aka, that is so immoral but god bless you.

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He turned away... AND THE BOXES APPEARED.

Holy shit it's a fucking invasion of those boxes. I dunno, I'm kind of too scared to go get Yuna now - I mean, those boxes are even stacked up. They're mounting an attack, we're all fucked!  Thankfully, though, this guy is stupid enough to think he can get this under control. He'll make a noble sacrifice while we turn and run the other way.