FINAL FANTASY IV
RYDIA (ADULT) PROJECT #526 CREATED: 2014 "Leviatan swallowed me and took me to the Land of the Summoned Monsters. I can't use white magic anymore, but I increased my powers as a Caller and user of black magic." Poor little Rydia had only accompanied Cecil on his quest for a short time when their ship was suddenly caught in a whirlpool, and Rydia was apparently eaten alive by the great monster, Leviatan. Although she was presumed killed, she actually wound up in the underground Land of the Summoned Monsters. This couldn't have been more idea for a practicing Caller like Rydia. She quickly befriended the monsters. Time passed at an accelerated rate during her stay; although she was only missing for a short while, she returned to the party as a full-grown woman. She was now well-versed in the art of black magic, earning her place as one of the party's most valuable members—as well as the unrequited admiration of the Eblan prince, Edge. I was collecting toys to turn into characters from Final Fantasy IV as early as 1999, and the Trixie action figure from the Speed Racer toy line seemed as good a starting point for Rydia as any. She needed long, flowing sleeves, so I borrowed parts from a Darth Sidious figure from Star Wars: Episode I, plugging Trixie's hands into the original wrist sockets. Rydia needed some high heeled boots, so I took the feet from a Posh Spice figure from Spice Girls and grafted them onto Trixie's legs. Her hair is from a TMNT April O'Neil figure that I bought specifically so I could chop her head off. Based on the admittedly abstract game sprites, it's difficult to tell what that thing is in Rydia's hair. In modern CGI interpretations, it's usually a flower, but her original control art shows it to be a heart-shaped jewel. I made two identical hearts, one for child Rydia and one for adult Rydia (I figure she continued to wear the same one from when she was a kid). |
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