For the character ask meme, how about Yuna and 14, 18, and/or 25?
Absolutely!
14: Assign a fashion aesthetic for her:
Hm, my first thought would be something like geisha core or flowercore, but I'm not sure those are actually aesthetics. A Google search tells me geisha core is more traditional, and while Yuna's canon outfit definitely takes inspiration from a kimono, I think it's too experimental for that.
And looking at a breakdown for flowercore/bloomcore on the Aesthetics Wiki (a thing!) that doesn't sound right at all. I think I'm also making a mistake if I only focus on her original canon outfit and neglect all the different dresspheres from FFX-2.
So one of the first things that strikes me when I look at it that way is that Yuna's outfits really exemplify the free-spirited, ethereal, 70's-inspired look of the early 2000s. It's a video game, so things are exaggerated, but when I look at her Gunner outfit, I see the soft peasanty blouses, the fringed leather belts, and the ruffles of 2002 or so. And let's not forget the low-rise jeans and tall boots. I'm not sure this is what most people think of when they say Y2K core (it's not a velour track suit), but to me, this is extremely Y2K.
Her Songstress outfit gives me a similar millennial vibe -- a ruffled 70s-ish blouse, the waterfall effect, the pleated miniskirt.
Her outfits also feel very flowing and organic, so I'm going to go with something like... Oceanic Y2Kcore.
18: A canon relationship with the character you admire:
One of the strongest elements of FF10 is the close bond the party shares, and that all centers on Yuna. And it's hard to pick a favorite there. I like how Rikku probably doesn't even know her cousin well, and she realizes she's always going to be in the minority when it comes to arguments about religion and philosophy, but she still leaves her home to try to save Yuna. I love Kimahri as the big stern, but loving, bodyguard. And I think Auron and Yuna have an intriguing dynamic; Yuna must have spent so many years imagining her father's journey with Auron, and she meets him with so much respect. But I wonder how it might have shaken her to see what he was like in reality. He's not antagonistic, he takes very good care of her, but I doubt he was what she expected.
But the first relationship that popped into my head was Yuna and Lulu. Lulu's just as stern and forbidding as Kimahri and Auron, but I like that the game takes time to show her being soft, sort of like a sister, but also very much like a mentor. I can imagine Yuna growing up looking up to Lulu so much, and while she doesn't try to imitate Lulu, I have to think Lulu had a huge role in forming her personality. The idea of Lulu loving Yuna so much, and then choosing to guide her to her death -- while Lulu herself has already failed at this on another pilgrimage -- is heartbreaking. They both must be so strong to undertake that, and to carry it out with a smile -- or, in Lulu's case, a slightly more neutral frown. Quiet strength like that (even if their choice is questionable) is something I really admire, as I'm much more likely to do something difficult kicking and complaining all the way.
25: What was your first impression of this character? How about now?
I can actually faintly remember the first time I saw a FF10 article in... PS2 Magazine, I think? And they had Yuna's classic character render pictured. I remember not liking her outfit, but I thought it was cool she had two-colored eyes. At that time, I'd only been playing JRPGs a few years, so I was pretty familiar with FF, but didn't have a huge pool of other heroines to judge her against -- Rosa, Terra, Aerith, Rinoa, Garnet. I think I was intrigued by her, but not very enthusiastic.
I came to really, really like Yuna after playing the first game, but being very disappointed by her evolution in FFX-2. I felt like they'd traded that quiet strength that had spoken so loudly to me for a shallower, more conventional action-based heroine. It soured my feelings on the character for a while.
But more recently, I'm over that. I understand what they were trying to do with FFX-2 -- show this character who had been utterly shaped by cultural expectations finally breaking free. It's not how I would have written her development, but I'm more at peace with it. And I still really like her from the original game. As for the post-FFX-2 canon, it honestly baffles me, the direction they've taken things in. I tend to just mentally stop things right at the best end of FFX-2 and just leave it there.
Also, now I love her original game outfit.
Thank you for the ask, this was fun!
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