Liminality is the state of being between two states, of being between one and the other. According to Victor Turner, there are three permanent states of liminality and transition in a large society: the monastic state, the courtly state, and the Bolshevist state. In the monastic state, rituals prepare the society for separation from the old ways. In the courtly state, people go about the business of facilitating transition automatically and without reference to the past or future. In the bolshevist state, society is stuck in the final stage of transition with an emphasis on the future.
Yuna represents the monastic state, at least in X. Her role in society was to help the spirits of the dead move to the next world and to destroy Sin, a physical representation of the evils of the old superpowers of Zanarkand and Bevelle. This explains why she settles down with Tidus, her role is to discipline and suppress the excesses of the modern, of which Tidus is the ultimate symbol.
Rikku represents court society; in X-2, she's completely unchanged from her role in X, and in fact, any trace of character development are erased in the transition. In the Last Mission, it's revealed that she's been going on missions exactly as she did in the body of X-2, in essence carrying out the rituals of transition automatically and independently from the group.
Paine represents the Bolshevist stage. She is the one who has the most experience with the three radical faction leaders, and the most significant moment from her past is that of the revolution being postponed indefinitely by Nooj's betrayal. Her dress is the most divergent from that of Spira Proper, somewhat futuristic, but it seems to represent not someone living in the future state but someone anticipating or fighting for it.
Together, the Gullwings represent a stage of endless transition; unlike Tidus or Shuyin, they do not represent any ideology or fixed social state, rather they are formed so that the protagonists may navigate all states of transition.
Yuna represents the monastic state, at least in X. Her role in society was to help the spirits of the dead move to the next world and to destroy Sin, a physical representation of the evils of the old superpowers of Zanarkand and Bevelle. This explains why she settles down with Tidus, her role is to discipline and suppress the excesses of the modern, of which Tidus is the ultimate symbol.
Rikku represents court society; in X-2, she's completely unchanged from her role in X, and in fact, any trace of character development are erased in the transition. In the Last Mission, it's revealed that she's been going on missions exactly as she did in the body of X-2, in essence carrying out the rituals of transition automatically and independently from the group.
Paine represents the Bolshevist stage. She is the one who has the most experience with the three radical faction leaders, and the most significant moment from her past is that of the revolution being postponed indefinitely by Nooj's betrayal. Her dress is the most divergent from that of Spira Proper, somewhat futuristic, but it seems to represent not someone living in the future state but someone anticipating or fighting for it.
Together, the Gullwings represent a stage of endless transition; unlike Tidus or Shuyin, they do not represent any ideology or fixed social state, rather they are formed so that the protagonists may navigate all states of transition.