Excellent. We may begin stripping away some of the lesser material with slightly greater efficiency. Prepare for emotional rejection and oblivion, half of you beauteous contenders. ^_^

Bracket A

1. Alright, Rikku, time to say “die”; Sialeeds earns my vote. I previously called the woman’s character design on an unprecedented level of sluthood, but you know, with additional focus in the eyes, a slight smirk, and decidedly without her pelvis thrust in your face, she is quite alright, in her way. I have an enormous affinity for trenchcoats, and though her variation is a half-trench at best, the new pose draws quite a sexy parallel between the relative lengths of her hair and coat.

2. Sheena Fujibayashi; the woman cannot be threatened by her competition in the least. Just a crazily alluring synthesis of softness and sharpness (better showcased in the original concept art of her introduction to the tournament, but captured sufficiently here *Shrug*). Crazy beautiful, Sheena.

3. KOS-MOS. Give it up, Yukiko; blue hair and a sleek character design (skintight black in certain places, reflective white and blue in others) rule you utterly.

4. Lyndis; the katana-wielding woman done properly. Not a great deal to say about Talim; if there is a nonchalant vote in this round, this is it.


Bracket B

1. Samus Aran, although not necessarily due to the newest pair of images. In the end, I am convinced that Samus is the far more useful woman. Unlike Zelda, whose fragility (up until the introduction of Sheik, I understand) has historically marked her as helpless victim and trophy, Samus needs no one. At least as far as her early-platform titles are concerned, she has invariably operated solo, surviving entirely on her own grit. That she should be quite an attractive female beneath that imposing suit of armor is irrelevant to her overall character, as the skintight Zero Suit is certainly not for anyone else’s benefit, but can certainly impress the rest of us. In general, she does not need you, and it makes her all the more attractive. You may feel free to desire her, and she you, but do not fool yourself into believing that dependence will ever cross her mind. Samus, the fates salivate for thee.

2. Mm; the lone difficult choice to be made here. ‘Tis a shame to let go of Elly, but Rydia was a stunning enough surprise in the previous round that she still retains the benefit of my unquestioning admiration. Elly may be a physical beauty, what with the dark tights and immodest uniform, but Rydia (particularly given the new artwork) is a goddess in both physical and ethereal terms. That melancholy gaze is at once captivating and daunting, causing you to wonder what you have done to warrant it.

3. Tifa Lockheart. Why in hell is von Karma still here? :laugh: I have yet to see the image in which the bow-tied, blandly uniformed woman is attractive in a minor sense, let alone to the extent of an Advent Children-quality Tifa.

4. Celes Chere. Although Wolf’s image was not necessary for the victory (Ayla has no business being in the running this long, frankly), it certainly gives the eyes cause to open slightly wider. The extravagant, vaguely Old French motif works wonders for the woman’s wraithlike pallor, and she certainly seems at home in rich shades of crimson and subdued shades of blue.