"Just another stupid story by a boring adult."

[lowkey]

Like I mentioned in the FF Meme Challenge, I'm playing these Final Fantasy games all backwards. I've done XII, then X, then XIII, and now I've begun FFVIII.

Last night, I got a few more hours into the VIII's second disk (a certain place did a certain thing, and it was awesome), so my spoilery thoughts below!

• I just defeated NORG, and hot damn, I'm really glad that Squall, Rinoa, and Irvine are all like "WTF just happened?" I mean, apparently Cid is married to Edea?* And also: we just murdered the patron of the Garden, and that's alright? And, uh, SeeD has some sort of secret mission, outside of deploying child soldiers professional mercenaries around the world? God, if only African warlords were so lucky as to say "but my country's children must be trained to defend the world against THE SORCERESS."
  
  
• Meta-plot critique: SeeD has multiple bases in multiple countries, and runs missions for the governing bodies of said countries. Alright, fine, EXCEPT FOR THAT WHOLE CONFLICT OF INTEREST THING.
  
  
• Well, I GUESS we got to see that conflict of interest in action: one of the Gardens has been obliterated (apparently), the Galbadian Garden has almost certainly been occupied, and the Balamb Garden is now A FUCKIN' AIRSHIP that doesn't need to respect your territorial sovereignty, bitch.
  
  
• Cid is captaining an airship. All is right with the world.
  
  
• Seifer** has a dream, and he's following it. I respect that. Too bad I think he looks like a total idiot.
  
  
• Man, I'm crushing on Rinoa, hard. Too bad she comes across as a total idiot.
  
  
• Man, Quistis is crushing on Squall hard. It doesn't help that one of the first things I did in the game, when I had only Squall and Quistis in my party, was to go to Balamb Town and, uh, check into a hotel? whoops. This scene didn't help out much. I was sorta creeped out by the "teacher infatuated with student" thing, until I figured out that Quistis is only a year older than Squall. BUT SRSLY QUISTIS, stop coming onto Squall so obviously! I mean, I know our protagonist is fated to get with Rinoa, but you're not helping your case any! Can't you see he totally resents how you finish his sentences and cling to him? GOSH
  
  
• On that note: my good friend M. recommended that I keep in mind that everyone in my party is a teenager, and that their emotional maturity is similarly stunted. This one piece of advice has immensely bolstered my enjoyment of the game.
  
  
• So when Irvine is cocky and then can't make the shot against Edea... you know what, 17-year-olds don't succeed in the clutch. And when Squall has his doubts and his internal monologue... well, he's a 17-year-old mercenary who only just saw his first real battle, so tough guy persona be damned, he's actually quite insecure. And God, Zell gets on every last one of my nerves... but he's immensely believable as a character, insofar as I know people just like him, who are loud and annoying and also happen to be the pride of their hometown.
  
  
• Yes, yes, the ballroom scene deserves all of the praise it gets.
  
  
• Laguna is the coolest FF character EVAR. I will brook no discussion on this matter.
  

* Or was; I suspect that some sort of possession is in play, given that the Help-->Information part of the game explicitly discusses that.

** Which I have chosen to pronounce SEE-FER, and not CIPHER.

Comments

[lowkey]

Hey, that's close enough! And I'm certain Youtube can supply any post-boss footage you might have missed.

Yeah, the drawing is starting to get a little tiring. But: Laguna! LAGUNA