Author Topic: I'm creeped out by the book, but I think it's actually GOOD. Spoilers ahead  (Read 2061 times)

Danko Kaji

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You make a very good point about Seymour. Thank you.

I think it's entirely possible that the Flan Azul beckoned Seymour. But I highly doubt Seymour beckoned Sin. Reason being, it's very dubious whether or not a "beckoned" incarnate spirit can beckon as well. Going from the behavior of Maelu's mother in -Will-, and to an unclear extent Tidus, those who have been beckoned do not seem to possess a full independent will of their own; they are a constant, interchanging reflection of the person's thoughts, feelings, and perceptions of whoever beckoned them. Maelu's mother spoke and behave exactly how the daughter wanted (or expected) her to be, and the mother's spirit (although not entirely solid, because Yuna and Kurgum could tell) retained enough semblance of consciousness where she resisted Maelu's father's attempts to reject her presence. Compared to a young girl's will to beckon, Yuna's beckoning must be ten times stronger, so naturally Tidus would be harder to pinpoint as a spirit. Although I'm starting to suspect her feelings for Tidus are deteriorating (or maybe because of physical distance?), because he's definitely a lot weaker after a year.

Anyway, my initial point was, Seymour couldn't have beckoned Sin due to his own (possible) beckoned status; plus, I honestly don't think he has that ambition anymore. Unlike the Via Infinito bosses who refused to rest in the Farplane (Yo Mika, Kinoc, Jyscal, Zaon, and Yunalesca; some of them were sent!), Seymour was curiously absent from the events of FFX-2. You'd think that if he still wished to end Spira through a mass genocide of misplaced sympathy, he'd make himself known. I believe that, despite the fact he fought to win, Seymour didn't suffer an unclean defeat by Yuna's hand. Not only did she finally Send him, he didn't forcibly reemerge from the Farplane like his father. I think winding up in the Farplane stripped him of his regret and hatred. There's a wonderful Seymour/Yuna one-shot that explores that concept.

Perhaps to us, Summoning is unnatural. It's an ancient art that "tames" or weaponizes magical beasts to fight for us. It's too much power for any one person capable of even channeling such mystical beings, using your own body and life force to anchor them. However, I actually believe there's a positive, self-sacrificing aspect to them (that does not include literally killing the Summoner). It's entirely possible that many a millennia before the start of advanced civilizations, the Fayth were willing advocates of maintaining the world order - that once they become spirits infused within statue, they had shrines built for them (until maybe later where the volunteers were dwindling and the rising power of humanity began to use those who were "a crime against nature" such as children of inbreeding between different races to provide Fayth for the world). Perhaps Carbuncle had always stood as the spirit presiding over Macalania Woods, until Shiva's reign over the land buried him beneath a prison of ice. Maybe Quazecotl dwells deep within the waters of the Thunder Plains, which could be the reason why that entire region suffers from never-ending thunder storms. Maybe that temple YRP found atop the highest peak of Mt. Gagazet used to serve as Leviathan's home (wouldn't it be really cool if Leviathan's spirit used to be a wise, old Hypello?). And maybe the 'voice of the mountain' the Ronso often refer to could be Fenrir communicating with them.

Sure, there's the unfortunate implication that living beings used to serve the Fayth, worshipping them and channeling out their will unto the planet out of sense of innate obligation. And then humans rose to further their intelligent, seeking purpose for themselves, eventually inventing man-made technology and opening new path ways for alternate living (that does show they can function in a world without them). This gradual, slow change through the generations drew people away from traditional worship. I believe the Summoning art had been exclusive to the Guado, or ancestors of the Guado, because of what their initial roles are - gatekeepers of the Farplane, masters of pyrefly manipulation. Aside from a minority of humans, Guados are the only ones sensitive to pyreflies (which serves as the basis for all magic and phenomenon). And I also don't believe those statues that the Fayth reside in are made up of any normal stone. Normally I would have thought the souls used to become Fayth transform into the stone, until I remembered seeing the souls vacate their statues. So maybe the Ronso were masons who provided the material and sculpted the statues for the Guado to use. What if the stone they used had been soaked in mountain water seeped with stardust from the constant meteor showers that rained over the highest peak (that temple, perhaps?), which could explain why the pyreflies, or a person's soul, is able to stay anchored in such a statue. After all, pyreflies are attracted to other pyreflies and water. Pyreflies are shown to traverse the universe as rivers of energy similar to the Lifestream in FFVII (thanks to Seymour's recording), so it wouldn't be all too strange if some portions of that energy condensed and fell from the streams to become "shooting stars."

I don't know. I'm just mass speculating at this point.  8)

It seems like the Spiran Council's whole stance on the beckoning epidemic is 'the dead should be allowed to rest.' That even casts a dark light on Yuna's act of intercepting Kurgum's duties as something entirely intrusive, if not a violation of some sacred philosophy. No wonder the Yevoner hunters think the Yevoners' stance on living are profane (not that I'm justifying them or anything).
Lost in the winds of change~

"There's some things you can't do alone,
but they become easy with friends beside you."

Consider me a wandering 'Maechen' of FFX/X-2 lore.