SPOILERS So, is Tidus an Aeon then?

[Miko]

I'm not gonna spoiler mark everything in this thread/post, but there is a Spoiler tag on this thread, so just be aware if you've never played this game at this point.


Just beat FFX again since the first time in quite a few years. I'm realizing now that I didn't truly understand the plot quite like I did when I was younger, and still this game has a lot more questions than answers, some of which I'm not sure are actual plot holes or are just simply answered with a 'because of Pyreflies' reasoning.

So, here's the thing, we know that Tidus is from the 'Dream Zanarkand', which is described as being the summoning of the remaining Real-Zanarkand inhabitants, that were turned into fayth prior. This place is only accessible from the outside via Sin, which is how Tidus manages to leave and enter Spira.

Now, an Aeon is the physical realization of the fayth's dreams. This technically means that Dream-Zanarkand would be an Aeon, does it not? In which case, does this make Tidus an Aeon as well? Or a byproduct of one?


And then, if Tidus actually is an Aeon, why was he not possessed by Yu Yevon when your party confronts him with Yuna's Aeons?

I realize that Yu Yevon is helping in maintaining the Dream Zanarkand summoning, but surely this means he has some form of control over Tidus then? Or perhaps it means that the specific fayth that dreamed up Tidus would be possessed if Yu Yevon himself is too far gone to know what he is even doing?


I think the thought of Tidus being an Aeon and possessed by Yu Yevon would have been an interesting concept, especially if you faced him as a boss, perhaps in place of fighting Seymour again (though that song be slappin'!) Admittedly, even reading up on this while linking sources, I realize that there are some things I just didn't understand or fully get even during this most recent play-through, so it'd be great to get some feedback or other discussions on the topic


Let me know your thoughts!

 

[Dionysos]

I'm not as well-versed on Spiran lore as I'd like to be (at this stage).

I'll give this an attempt based off the top of my head, but I might return to this later.

Dream-Zanarkand could be, as you say, categorised as a form of Aeon. But I believe the Aeon itself should be considered to be the entire city and also the inhabitants. All as one entity, at first. When the inhabitants of Zanarkand are still in Dream-Zanarkand, they act and behave as part of the larger Aeon, for they are all part of the dream of the Fayth which is generating it. However, through Sin, it is possible for an individual (Jecht and Tidus) to leave Dream-Zanarkand and enter the real Spira. That is to say, it is possible to isolate and remove an individual dream character and make them exist in the real world. Once they have left the dream world, they have left the 'consciousness' of the dream.

That might explain why Yu Yevon had no control over Tidus. Either that, or perhaps Jecht (after becoming the new Sin) was countering any attempt to influence Tidus.

But if we think of Tidus in terms of being a rogue element of a larger Aeon, it could also be that he, as an individual, was considered to be of little consequence by Yu Yevon (if Yu Yevon was anything other than running on auto-pilot by this point anyway). Maybe Yu Yevon wouldn't miss one person (even if he was a Blitball star, and the son of another Blitzball star who had also vanished a generation earlier). The dream could be kept going because these dream characters could be 'written out' of the script of Dream-Zanarkand as probable drownings at sea (it's like The Truman Show meets Inception, The Matrix or The Sandman in a sense).

The Fayth, however, do appear to have kept some tabs on Tidus. The kid-Bahamut especially. He indicates that the Fayth are tired of running this dream simulation endlessly and want it all to stop so that they can rest.

I do like the idea of Tidus being possessed by Yu Yevon and being fought in a brief battle, but I don't think the ending would have been the place for that. It could have taken away from the game's beautiful, tragic and powerful ending. And, despite being an evil Winnie the Pooh, Seymour is an interesting character with interesting aims, and important philosophical questions which needed to be asked. Therefore, I think Tidus becoming possessed by Yu Yevon could have been better either earlier on (after Yunalsesca maybe?), or if Tidus becoming possessed did happen later, maybe it would be part of the summoning battle at the very end, but perhaps Tidus could have been defeated and restored to his senses (rather than vanishing with the other Aeons) so that the game's ending could remain intact.