Teamwork Means Staying Out Of My Way.
I seem to have fallen very suddenly and sharply back in love with Final Fantasy VIII. The plot may be completely incoherent, the love story may be awkwardly told, but oh, that cast. Particularly Squall, who I think may actually be my favourite Final Fantasy character of all. Probably one of my top ten fictional characters of all time, in fact.
I think Squall was the first character I really fell for. Before, I'd fallen in love with concepts and worlds: I loved Pokémon and Animorphs and Harry Potter, but I didn't really love any of them for their characters. And then along came Squall Leonhart, the first character with whom my thirteen-year-old self really identified and empathised, and I discovered that the best thing about fiction could be the characters populating it. Rather an appropriate lesson to take from a game in which the main character slowly learns to care about the people around him.
I blew the dust off my PS2 today and started up my most recent VIII save, which I'd left off... probably about three years ago, actually. It was just before the clash between Balamb and Galbadia Gardens. I felt bizarrely proud as I watched Squall running around, giving instructions, keeping the situation under control, and as I saw the respect that his fellow students obviously had for him. And then Dr Kadowaki told him, 'You probably don't know, but everyone in Garden looks up to you. They like you', which... really hit home, for some reason. I've always had a hard time believing people like me.
That and Squall's later (Everyone is trying to get us together. It's so obvious even I can tell) - he's both completely oblivious in the field of human interaction and uncomfortably aware that he's oblivious - made me realise Squall is still the single fictional character I most identify with, although I'm considerably more socially competent than I was when I first encountered him. I'm very glad he was created, because otherwise the title of 'single fictional character with whom I most identify' would probably be held by Mark Corrigan of Peep Show. Nobody wants that.
(I even still use his surname online!)
Possibly because of said massive overidentification with Squall, Irvine managed to tick me off. Galbadia Garden is attacking from all sides! Soldiers are coming through the windows of the room in which the junior classmen are hiding! It's an overwhelming situation, and Zell tells Squall that Rinoa is in trouble, and Squall points out that she's not the only one, which is true - he's going to have to make a decision here - and Irvine calls him heartless. GOSH, IRVINE, SORRY SQUALL CAN'T SPLIT HIMSELF IN TWO AND SAVE RINOA AND THE CHILDREN SIMULTANEOUSLY. YOU'RE THE ONE WHO BASICALLY JUST LEFT HER DANGLING THERE SO YOU COULD GO TO SQUALL AND SAY 'ONLY YOU CAN SAVE HER SQUALL!!' AS PART OF SOME BIZARRE MATCHMAKING SCHEME.
This is probably just lingering resentment from when I was thirteen. The first time I played the game, I took against Irvine for no particular reason. I think it was just because I'd become attached to all the characters already and he was the last to join the party by some way. Who is this new guy trying to muscle in on my perfect party? I thought indignantly. Although what I actually thought was Who is this new girl trying to muscle in on my perfect party?, because it took me some time after Irvine's first appearance to realise he wasn't a woman. (Wouldn't that be a great design for a female character, though?) His exaggerated confidence and womanising also didn't sit well with me at first. We're friends now, but he still annoys me at times. Like when he calls Squall heartless for not immediately going 'SCREW THE KIDS, THEY CAN DIE' when presented with a difficult decision.
All that said, I suppose I can't really expect Irvine to be rational and compassionate when his friend is in danger, so perhaps I'm being just as unfair to him as he was being to Squall. Sorry, Irvine. I'm just hurt that you called me heartless by proxy.
Of course, Rinoa has the most incredible upper body strength, so there was no need to worry. Perhaps that's why Rinoa's natural Strength stat is higher by far than everyone else's: it's to explain how she managed to cling onto the side of Garden whilst Squall saved the junior classmen, gave a rousing speech and had a fistfight whilst dangling from a jetpack.
This game is ridiculous. I love it.
I think Squall was the first character I really fell for. Before, I'd fallen in love with concepts and worlds: I loved Pokémon and Animorphs and Harry Potter, but I didn't really love any of them for their characters. And then along came Squall Leonhart, the first character with whom my thirteen-year-old self really identified and empathised, and I discovered that the best thing about fiction could be the characters populating it. Rather an appropriate lesson to take from a game in which the main character slowly learns to care about the people around him.
I blew the dust off my PS2 today and started up my most recent VIII save, which I'd left off... probably about three years ago, actually. It was just before the clash between Balamb and Galbadia Gardens. I felt bizarrely proud as I watched Squall running around, giving instructions, keeping the situation under control, and as I saw the respect that his fellow students obviously had for him. And then Dr Kadowaki told him, 'You probably don't know, but everyone in Garden looks up to you. They like you', which... really hit home, for some reason. I've always had a hard time believing people like me.
That and Squall's later (Everyone is trying to get us together. It's so obvious even I can tell) - he's both completely oblivious in the field of human interaction and uncomfortably aware that he's oblivious - made me realise Squall is still the single fictional character I most identify with, although I'm considerably more socially competent than I was when I first encountered him. I'm very glad he was created, because otherwise the title of 'single fictional character with whom I most identify' would probably be held by Mark Corrigan of Peep Show. Nobody wants that.
(I even still use his surname online!)
Possibly because of said massive overidentification with Squall, Irvine managed to tick me off. Galbadia Garden is attacking from all sides! Soldiers are coming through the windows of the room in which the junior classmen are hiding! It's an overwhelming situation, and Zell tells Squall that Rinoa is in trouble, and Squall points out that she's not the only one, which is true - he's going to have to make a decision here - and Irvine calls him heartless. GOSH, IRVINE, SORRY SQUALL CAN'T SPLIT HIMSELF IN TWO AND SAVE RINOA AND THE CHILDREN SIMULTANEOUSLY. YOU'RE THE ONE WHO BASICALLY JUST LEFT HER DANGLING THERE SO YOU COULD GO TO SQUALL AND SAY 'ONLY YOU CAN SAVE HER SQUALL!!' AS PART OF SOME BIZARRE MATCHMAKING SCHEME.
This is probably just lingering resentment from when I was thirteen. The first time I played the game, I took against Irvine for no particular reason. I think it was just because I'd become attached to all the characters already and he was the last to join the party by some way. Who is this new guy trying to muscle in on my perfect party? I thought indignantly. Although what I actually thought was Who is this new girl trying to muscle in on my perfect party?, because it took me some time after Irvine's first appearance to realise he wasn't a woman. (Wouldn't that be a great design for a female character, though?) His exaggerated confidence and womanising also didn't sit well with me at first. We're friends now, but he still annoys me at times. Like when he calls Squall heartless for not immediately going 'SCREW THE KIDS, THEY CAN DIE' when presented with a difficult decision.
All that said, I suppose I can't really expect Irvine to be rational and compassionate when his friend is in danger, so perhaps I'm being just as unfair to him as he was being to Squall. Sorry, Irvine. I'm just hurt that you called me heartless by proxy.
Of course, Rinoa has the most incredible upper body strength, so there was no need to worry. Perhaps that's why Rinoa's natural Strength stat is higher by far than everyone else's: it's to explain how she managed to cling onto the side of Garden whilst Squall saved the junior classmen, gave a rousing speech and had a fistfight whilst dangling from a jetpack.
This game is ridiculous. I love it.