Board 8 > Save My Favorite Final Fantasy Characters XXV: Day 73 [smfffc]

(+) Yeah! (+)

One of FFVIII's themes is how destiny works even beyond your realization or control, so while the coincidences may be "contrived," they aren't inconsistent with the game's themes.

Lopen posted...

So the all playable characters being separated at birth is good story telling to you

They weren't separated at birth. They were all orphans who grew up together, and separated (only somewhat, cause Quistis, Squall, Seifer and Zell ended up at Garden, and Zell ended up adopted by Ma Dincht anyway)

Lopen posted...

Do you honestly think Edea matters much after mid disc 2? I don't.

More than some more popular playable characters mattered.

Also after he died Gandalf just flew the ring to Mount Doom on an eagle.

Lopen posted...

Do you honestly think Edea matters much after mid disc 2? I don't.

I mean she matters the whole game because she's Ultimecia

Also she's the climactic fight of Disc 2, so even if you're just talking Edea the character separate from Ultimecia, she absolutely keeps mattering until the Ultimecia reveal

Oh shit it's 6 out of 11 I forgot seifer

im here

Yeah all of Edea's good moments are actually Ultimecia.

pjbasis posted...

Technically 5 of the 11 playable characters!

But there that's not even the only "coincidence" of the series. Do you have a problem with how Squall and Rinoa's parents met? Or how Ellone has a magical gift and also happened to be connected to all these people?

Yes. FF8 has a lot of them yes.

Other FF games (and good stories) have way less bow tying in general

Anyway I'm not saying Squall is Dead is legitimate of course not just saying I think it improves FF8's story much like Crazy Selphie does.

pjbasis posted...

Technically 5 of the 11 playable characters!

But there that's not even the only "coincidence" of the series. Do you have a problem with how Squall and Rinoa's parents met? Or how Ellone has a magical gift and also happened to be connected to all these people?

If we're counting the guests it's 6.

I think bow tying is great, especially when you have a theme of Destiny and fate running rampant in the story.

If they didn't all come from the same orphanage I would be fine with it too, but it's a strange sticking point to me. And even stranger to try to warp an entire story because you don't like it's themes!

Mewtwo59 posted...

If we're counting the guests it's 6.

Ninja'd

pjbasis posted...

If they didn't all come from the same orphanage I would be fine with it too, but it's a strange sticking point to me. And even stranger to try to warp an entire story because you don't like it's themes!

I like Squall is Dead I didn't write it.

I just think it warps the story of FF8 about as much as FFD warps the character of Selphie. There is evidence in the script of both but yeah do I believe that's the intent of the plot or writing of Selphie respectively no not really even if I'd like it to be.

this whole discussion could have been avoided if ff8, like ffta, established everything was a lie in the first hour of the game

montblanc is clearly a part of the superior storytelling experience

Throw a snowball through the gaping hole in Squall's face

redrocket posted...

Also after he died Gandalf just flew the ring to Mount Doom on an eagle.

These lotr analogies just show you haven't read Squall is Dead with an open mind and/or played FF8. They're not anything alike.

how else do you explain her wanting to skin that moomba

that's deliberate!

His interpretation is exaggerated for sure but I think it's less of a stretch and also not super serious.

If anything it's just to remind people that she has a lot more personality that isn't as generic as cute spunky girl.

That theory isn't anywhere in the script. It only exists in the minds of people who reject the story FFVIII is trying to tell.

If you hate the story, that's fine. Just keep this dumb theory away from it and stick with theories that are merely misinterpretations of what the game says, like R = U.

Lopen posted...

These lotr analogies just show you haven't read Squall is Dead with an open mind and/or played FF8. They're not anything alike.

The main sticking point for me is that you feel that the game's plot doesn't make sense, and use it as evidence. It obviously does make sense though, even if you don't like it.

Perhaps the original theory wasn't written with such a bias, but as is presented here it feels born of spite and pettiness.

It's not even that big of a coincidence tbh.

They're all orphans who end up in a place that takes in orphans and trains them to be mercenaries. Irvine and Zell probably being the biggest coincidences. But Zell makes sense. He wanted to follow in his adopted grandfather's footsteps. So that really just leaves Irvine, who just happens to be the only one to have the sniper skills you need to take out the sorceress. And coincidences do happen.

FF8's story makes sense but it's extremely Squall centric to the point where it becomes plausible that it could be a fever dream taking place in his dying mind.

Ultimately the difference between the storytelling of other FF games is how much they feel like the main character is the only thing that matters or not.

I mean if we want to talk about final fantasy games where all the plot points make sense then we will probably not be talking about any

LiquidOshawott posted...

I mean if we want to talk about final fantasy games where all the plot points make sense then we will probably not be talking about any

kill your mom to re-paralyze your younger sibling still gets me every time

shit I'm experiencing board issues again, not the horrible lag but still - maybe it is for the best lefty's lagging on a round start today...

or lefty just start a new round now for maximum chaos imo

lefty do you see what happens when we don't have a round

we get savage

I am getting a bit restless. I need my smfffc fix.

Cyan actually died when Kefka poisoned Domas water, and the rest of the game is his dying etc.

Makes a lot more sense than how that scene went down in the game lollol

I actually died in 1992 and smfffc is my dying dream

Doma water poison truther get outta here

Ashethan posted...

It's not even that big of a coincidence tbh.

They're all orphans who end up in a place that takes in orphans and trains them to be mercenaries. Irvine and Zell probably being the biggest coincidences. But Zell makes sense. He wanted to follow in his adopted grandfather's footsteps. So that really just leaves Irvine, who just happens to be the only one to have the sniper skills you need to take out the sorceress. And coincidences do happen.

Honestly, Selphie was a big coincidence too. She just happens to be transferred to Balamb right before everything happens, and she also just happened to find a GF a long time ago that makes her forget everything. Though I guess that could be handwaved as Cid specifically picking Selphie to be transferred since he knows everything.

redrocket posted...

Cyan actually died when Kefka poisoned Domas water, and the reat of the game is his dying etc.

Makes a lot more sense than how that scene went down in the game lollol

This one actually can work because there's an entire sidequest of Cyan being trapped in a dream with the Three Stooges

Mewtwo59 posted...

Honestly, Selphie was a big coincidence too. She just happens to be transferred to Balamb right before everything happens, and she also just happened to find a GF a long time ago that makes her forget everything. Though I guess that could be handwaved as Cid specifically picking Selphie to be transferred since he knows everything.

She transferred so she could take the field examination test, which are only given at Balamb Garden. She also is about a month older than Squall. So them taking the examination test at the same time makes perfect sense. The GF she happened to equip is kind of silly I'll admit. Not sure why she didn't just have one as part of training in Trabia Garden. Would it really change anything?

Leonhart4 posted...

This one actually can work because there's an entire sidequest of Cyan being trapped in a dream with the Three Stooges

Cyan isn't involved in 90% of the plot of FF6

Yeah think of all the monsters you fight that have gfs. Even just Elvoret.

She killed one at 10.

Had to have been The End

Lopen posted...

Cyan isn't involved in 90% of the plot of FF6

He's a selfless dreamer

Ashethan posted...

She transferred so she could take the field examination test, which are only given at Balamb Garden. She also is about a month older than Squall. So them taking the examination test at the same time makes perfect sense. The GF she happened to equip is kind of silly I'll admit. Not sure why she didn't just have one as part of training in Trabia Garden. Would it really change anything?

They make it pretty clear that Balamb Garden is the only place that uses GFs because of the potential danger they pose

And they needed to have a reason for Selphie not remembering the orphanage, too, even though she wasn't raised at Balamb Garden, so her finding a GF as a kid is the way to do it.

Found after killing

Selphie: "...Yeah. I have a confession to make! When I was 12, I went on an outdoor training session. I found a GF inside one of the monsters I defeated... I junctioned that GF for a while.

Okay she was 12

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/2/0/5/AAAqtIAAEysN.jpg
lmao I'm not alone

Leonhart4 posted...

They make it pretty clear that Balamb Garden is the only place that uses GFs because of the potential danger they pose

Feels like just making it "SeeD field candidates" would fix that though.

Lopen posted...

FF8's story makes sense but it's extremely Squall centric to the point where it becomes plausible that it could be a fever dream taking place in his dying mind.

Ultimately the difference between the storytelling of other FF games is how much they feel like the main character is the only thing that matters or not.

Might be rare for Final Fantasy to be so focused on its protagonist, but these are dime a dozen in other media. I don't think I'd claim the main character might be dead the whole time just because they have a near death encounter they implausibly survive.

Mobilezoid posted...

I actually died in 1992 and smfffc is my dying dream

aw fuck

*jumps off my roof and fade outs of existence*

Ashethan posted...

Feels like just making it "SeeD field candidates" would fix that though.

But you're not considered a SeeD field candidate until you transfer to Balamb Garden. Galbadia and Trabia don't use GFs at all.

pjbasis posted...

Might be rare for Final Fantasy to be so focused on its protagonist, but these are dime a dozen in other media. I don't think I'd claim the main character might be dead the whole time just because they have a near death encounter they implausibly survive.

Right, "the game is inordinately focused on Squall" doesn't make the theory "plausible" in any sense of the word.

It being inordinately focused on Squall combined with all the other quirks does however

Oh my gosh, l3fty lock this dang topic!

where's the fun in that?

I had a bet with myself on whether Lopen would post in this topic or the live topic first

I had to pay myself $5

GenesisSaga posted...

Oh my gosh, l3fty lock this dang topic!

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/2/7/9/AAAqtIAAEytX.jpg

Lopen posted...

It being inordinately focused on Squall combined with all the other quirks does however

Nope.jpg

Ugh make it stooooop