Shiva, the Empress of Ice

"The empress of ice, wreathed in frost. She is known for her signature move, "Diamond Dust," which freezes everything in an instant." -Final Fantasy wiki.

The great has made another breathtaking cosplay, and she has given me permission to use it for another cosplay manipulation! Go check out her cosplays! She's all kinds of amazing! If you don't, I'll have her use Diamond Dust on you!

My kingdom was under attack by fire-based enemies. Water wasn't enough to take them out, and fire extinguishers did too little damage to be too reliable. Our weapons and armor were not doing anything either. Our swords were melting with the extreme heat, and wearing our metal armor would eventually get too hot to keep wearing. My queen sent me to look for the ice queen Shiva and plead for her assistance. I knew it would be a long and perilous journey. Shiva made her home in the Ice Temple deep in the frozen Ice Lands. But I'd endure anything to save my kingdom. Let Shiva bring her harshest blizzards! You can't freeze the fire burning in my heart!

I flew to the Ice Lands in my airship, but landing near the temple was impossible. Jagged mountains surrounded it. I had no choice but to land in a nearby village and walk to the temple in a violent blizzard. I made it to the temple within the hour, but it felt like an eternity. Ice shards pelting me from all sides, icy winds piercing my skin, and snow hindering my view and my footsteps does not make a good day. But it would all be worth it seeing my kingdom saved.

The Ice Temple lives up to its name. It's ice cold in there, and appears to be carved out of a glacier. Everything looked very pretty. Despite being frozen over, the floor was not too slippery. I entered the main room, finding Shiva in a meditated state. She knew I entered the room, and began speaking to me.

"Greetings, traveler. What brings you to my sacred temple?"

I got down on my knees. "O mighty empress of ice, my kingdom is under attack by fire creatures. Our weapons have no effect on them. Will you help us drive these creatures away?"

Shiva rose to her feet and approached me. She placed a hand on my head.

"You are a brave young man enduring my blizzards to come this far. There is much fire in your heart. Your love for your nation brought you here, and I will reward you. I will help you fight off these creatures invading your land. Call upon me if you need me."

Shiva then transformed into an ice-colored opal and fell to the floor. I clutched the opal in my hand. "Thank you, Shiva." I put the opal in my pocket and made my way back down the mountain. There was no blizzard this time around. Go figure ¬_¬

I returned to my kingdom with Shiva in tow. The fire creatures burned down half the town, and were making their way toward the castle. I jumped from the airship and landed in front of the monsters, raising the opal in the air.

"I summon the Empress of Ice, Shiva!"

Shiva emerged from the Opal and stared down at the
monsters, raising her hands toward them.

"Diamond Dust!"

Large ice shards began forming in the air, piercing the enemies and destroying them instantly. It didn't take her long to wipe out every single fire creature in the town. She then returned to the opal from when she came. "It is done."

Shiva is one of many summons you acquire in nearly every Final Fantasy game, and often near the beginning. She also teaches characters how to use ice magic. In the ninth installment, she actually draws power from the Opal gemstone, which you can make combining the Ore and a Potion in the final dungeon. The more you have, the stronger her Diamond Dust attack becomes. Its power is 36 plus the number of opals you have. At full strength, anyone with an ice weakness is pretty much a goner. I nicknamed the Froslass I'm training in Pokémon Platinum after her.

Credits:
Model:
Background: CGTextures.com (ice and shards), my own photo (snow, clouds), (archway)
Shiva: Final Fantasy series