Wednesday, September 21, 2016

FFX – Part 27: Suddenly Seymour

Summary: The beginning of blitzball’s second league season. The tale of Lady Yunalesca. Seymour’s proposal.




Guadosalam

-I can explore the city a bit before heading into the mansion.

-One of the Glories is running around, training.

-Guados seem to prioritize respect for the dead. They guard the Farplane.

-O’aka is here. He respects the Guado merchants for “ripping off the pilgrims visiting the Farplane.”

-There’s (again) way more items than I can afford to buy. I don’t think “grind for everything” is a viable strategy in the long-term. Lots of lightning resist.

-Seymour acts as a teacher for many Guado youth.

-Elders in Guadosalam won’t give up “the old tongue.” It was used pre-Yevon.



-Al Bhed Primer vol XIII. S -> M.

-Now Zazi Guado… that’s an interesting pick-up. Just what I want in a forward. Getting rid of Letty.

-It’s so cool that I can see all the Glories wandering around the city, and talk to them. Makes blitzball feel like an integrated part of the world.

-Feeling a bit at sea with my blitzball team given my new pick-ups. Trying things out in an exhibition game.

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Blitzball Exhibition: vs. Guado Glories

-At forwards, Tidus, Zazi Guado, and Datto. (I like Datto’s high endurance for midfield. Helps on tipoffs bringing the ball up the middle.)

-Ropp and Jassu on defense. Miyu as keeper. Let’s try her out for a game.

-Played and won 2-0, but mostly discovered that I think I want to keep the team mostly from Besaid. Final team going into the next league season will be: Tidus, Zazi Guado, Datto, Jassu, Ropp, and Keepa.



Sorry Botta and Miyu.

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Season #2, Game #1: vs. Guado Glories

-GAH lol, I’m SO BAD at remembering to techcopy opposing goalies.

-1-0 early on a Jecht Shot. Datto also got a great shot on goal that the opposing keeper, Noy Guado (see you back in town!), stopped, but Keepa successfully techcopied something. Worth it.

-At halftime, found out it was Grip Gloves that Keepa got. Something about seeing a player grow and gain new abilities when I doubted him before is really satisfying.

-To tell the truth, I regret getting rid of Letty a bit. But c’est la vie.

-lolol, Zazi Guado was nap-tackled. Keepa saved a shot, threw it at the sleeping Zazi Guado, and it hit him and woke him up. XD

-Won 1-0. Reasonable start to the next season.

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Guadosalam Mansion

-Can’t help but think of this place as a woodsy version of the Shinra Mansion.



-VERY interesting. There are portraits of all the past Guado leaders, and they all look the same as each other – and different from Maester Seymour. The last leader, Maester Jyscal, wed a human woman. Seymour’s mother.

WAKKA: “I don’t like the smell of this one, eh?” Right there with you.

-Rikku mentions that something smells nice. Maybe there’s a literal smell then.

-Kimahri doesn’t like Seymour, and I trust the hell out of Kimahri’s instincts. Even if everything about Seymour up until now felt right, this alone would raise my hackles.

-The butler Tromell leads us into the main room and lets Seymour know we’re here.

-Huh. There’s no temple here. Summoners just usually pass through on the way elsewhere.

-Auron reeeeally doesn’t like Seymour.

AURON: “Those with power use that power. Maesters have power.”

-lol Rikku is the only one diving into the food.

-Tidus sees something that entrances him in the ceiling. What is that?

-God, Tromell is SO SKETCHY.



He starts praising Seymour as this savior of all Spira before Seymour interrupts him.

-he invites us on.

-WTFFFFFF



-IT’S ZANARKAND



-A RECREATION BUILT FROM THE DEAD

-“She once lived in this metropolis.” Who? His mother? Another time traveler?

-No, Lady Yunalesca. The first person to defeat Sin.

-He says that Yunalesca didn’t do it alone. She needed… THE POWER OF LOVE. *power chord*



Ok, NOW I think he is propositioning her.

-Definitely.

-Yuna looks uncomfortable.

-Seymour and Yuna have a whispered conversation. We don’t hear. Whatever he tells her has a devastating impact on Yuna.

-OH SHIT HE ASKED YUNA TO MARRY HIM

-Auron fights back. Thinks Seymour is doing this just as a diversion to Spira.

-No response to the proposal now. None required just yet.

-Seymour suddenly asks why Auron is here, scenting something from the Farplane. Meaning… wait, did Auron die and come back?

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Outside the Mansion

-The marriage idea appeals to Lulu.



-Rikku reads Tidus like a book, seeing he’s jealous.

-Yuna’s open, if it helps Spira. Yuna… you don’t need to marry to make others happy, even the nation. She’ll wait.

-Yuna will go to the Farplane, and see her father.

-Tidus internal-monlogues his shock that it never even comes up whether she likes or loves Seymour. It’s good he didn’t. He’s new to this culture. So am I. I don’t know what goes into deciding a regular marriage. Let alone a politically key Spiran marriage.

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Season #2, Game #2: vs. Ronso Fangs

-Finishing this session off with one more game of blitzball before I log off.

-Their keeper is pretty weak.

-The Fangs are my least favorite team to play against. The Aurochs’ weakest point is their tackling, and the Fangs are basically impossible to tackle with their endurance. They’re not the toughest team, but the one that feels the least interactive to me.



-2-0 lead at the half. Zazi Guado is really close to being a strong forward. I think he just needs a special shot, like a Spin Shot or Sphere Shot, to push him over into real usefulness.

-Goal for Zazi Guado! His first on the team. Just got him into open space and shot from close range.



-Won 5-0.

-You know what? Screw it. One more game.

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Season #2, Game #3: vs. Kilika Beasts

-Datto draws first blood with a Nap Shot that scoots by the Kilika keeper.

-Tidus scores like 30 seconds later on a regular shot against two defenders. Lol the beasts are so bad.

-Even Zazi Guado gets in on the fun.

-A small graphical thing I really like about blitzball is how players catch passes. The do a sort of backward somersault to absorb the pass’s momentum.

-I think the blitzball equivalent of getting dunked on in basketball is being the person that Tidus bounces a Jecht Shot off of.



-5-0 win. For the first time this late in a season, the Aurochs are in first place. 3-0. Luca Goers in second at 2-0-1. And… the Psyches are 0-1-2? Wtf?

-Yay! Our team is now level 4, and we learned “All-Out Defense.” Going to try that next game.

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Next time: the Farplains.