LogFAQs > #957862092

Xavier_On_High posted...

The orphanage plot point makes perfect sense and that is a hill I will die on.

The fact that they all grew up together is the only reason they don't dissolve or get scattered through time during time compression. And that bond is the reason Squall is able to manifest there and pass on information from the future after Ultimecia's defeat, which is why they're all trained as elite sorceress killers without knowing it, which is why they're able to even survive long enough to reach her. Everything follows.

I think people have an automatic reaction to silly JRPG contrivances like the orphanage, but FFVIII is one of the few examples that bothers to explain it.

That's a fair enough explanation. It might have been more effective if the bond was developed more throughout the game so that resonated a bit more. Zell, Selphie, Quistis and Irvine just didn't seem to have enough to do for them to develop a bond with Squall so we just have to assume it's from them being childhood friends. I think those characters talk about Squall more than actually talking to Squall thinking about it.

Squall, Ellone and Edea definitely need to be at the orphanage for all that to work. Just dunno about the rest really. Ultimately Squall found Rinoa who wasn't even at the orphanage but I guess we can assume the bond between the rest were stronger.

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Kind Regards,
Darmik