Quite a few of you (or maybe just one very persistent person) have sent me a link to a site called Squall’s Dead, which posits a fairly well-reasoned argument that, well, Squall dies when he attacks the Sorceress Edea on her parade float. In that scene, she impales him with a roughly four-foot long spear of ice through the chest– an injury it seems unlikely anyone could survive. Indeed, I raised the bullshit flag when, in the next scene, Squall awakens in some mobile, drill-shaped Galbadian prison hale, hearty, and with nary a scratch on him. At some point, I guess I just had to let it go, because we’re talking about a world where Curagas and Phoenix Downs exist specifically to raise the dead.
But anyway, the argument suggests that nearly everything following Squall’s mortal wound is a fevered dream as his consciousness slowly loses its grip on memory and reason. The first argument is that, from that scene on, the game doesn’t make any fucking sense whatsoever, from the Sorceress’ bullshit nonsense “time compression” plan, to the mass-amnesia that caused every main character to conveniently forget that they spent their entire childhoods together in the same orphanage. I have to admire the somewhat circular logic: the story is complete rambling, frothing-at-the-mouth idiocy, because it’s the product of a nightmare in Squall’s rapidly-deteriorating-to-braindead mind.
The major evidence is the balls-out trippy dream sequence at the very end, when Squall has killed Ultimecia and royally butt-fucked the space-time continuum. The literal interpretation is that the time-stream (which has been scrunched into a ball like so much aluminum foil) is rather messily re-straightening itself, and it probably doesn’t help that Squall’s entire plan centered on thinking really positively that everything will just work itself out. No, really. They decided to fix the completely-screwed timeline with optimism. Always seemed to me about as pointless as trying to clean used toilet paper. Baby, the damage is done.
The other interpretation is that Squall’s mind is in its final throes, and in its last moments is failing to recall faces, descending rapidly into chaos and jumbled, manic flashes of traumatic memory. Squall desperately tries to replay his memories, focusing ever-harder on the obscured faces, and only having them slip away. And in hindsight, it is rather evocative of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and if I gave the authors of this game the slightest amount of credit, I might have bought this theory. But I don’t.
Look, it’s cute. I’m proud that you came up with it, and really, it’s better than what was intended. I can appreciate you finally realizing that FF8’s plot is so bad, you’ve invented a better one as a coping mechanism. But it doesn’t really work. Other stories with “crackpot” theories like this (Minority Report, Total Recall) hold more water, and were likely pitched as alternate endings. But look at the story you’re telling if the “Squall’s Dead” theory is true: Squall attempts to assassinate the Sorceress, fails, gets impaled, dies, and…then what?
He’s dead. The dream is ultimately meaningless. Nothing really happens in it that impacts the “real” world. Maybe Squall gets some internal closure, but so what? The Sorceress wins, rules the world, has her would-be assassins summarily executed, and evil triumphs. Hardly a fulfilling close to the story, wouldn’t you say? Not much of a story; a bunch of untrained, untalented pissant mercenaries attack the most powerful, evil sorceress in history and get completely annihilated.
Huh. Okay, I’ll admit that does sound more likely.
{ 163 comments }
← Previous Comments
Didn't Spoony make a reference to that? There was an episode where the Sorceress left and Rinoa ran in and he said something like, “Hey! Rinoa just pulled a Clark Kent!”
I kind of like the idea, even if I'm not one who usually cares much for cynical, dark storylines. I mean, taking the power of positive thinking, which has a modicum of practicality to it, and making it the saving force in a D&D style game not only seems unnecessary, but also a little pathetic. Only in the mind can things gets so idiotically convoluted, imho.
I think its possible and was one of the things I think I felt as my brother played through it. I don't think much of the evidence has to even matter aside a few pieces as I understand this fictional world. Still, its hard to believe there was such a gap from FF7 and FF9. This is almost amateurish and if we think the FF creators all with the same talant in any FF it is sound.
Spoony's gives nothing more in evidence aside his take that it wont be ethical for a game to end this way (badly versus good), along with humor, as there is not one truly against or for it. Its just certain pieces are not enough as can be ruled out, but its usualy as silly as “its a game”. Well, look at Tenchu or any FF in that a single blow with a blade doesn't do the trick. Sephiroth could attack Aris in a game battle if ever occurred and wont do anything due to the context, but a cut scene would prove to be more realistic. Ditto with FF8, as we thought a Phoenix Down would bring Aris back and laughed our asses off at that FACT.
In the end, it is the intent of the makers that was clear from the start, that FF8 was more an artsy type story. This is something previews for it on the internet already gave us the impression of, more so then others today to think about it. The previews of 8 speak differently then the intent of other's previews, which are more so clear and able to understand (FF9-13). What is enough for me to give it credit is the ending and first part after the battle as he asks about his wound. He never concludes yet brings his personal thought into it, as Spoony also did, which is ok.
After that, it wasn't the story per say, I just hated how all of the systems worked. FF7 was easy to get into, but FF8 was too much for me as a child, like doing taxes or something. And having a card game I HAVE to do to play the game…no!
There isn't any point to bicker about it just due to it appearing to make it better as it really doesn't. It just lets us understand what is going on a little more, but all its flaws are still there, my major gripes with FF8. I thought the same thing too as I watched my brother play it and this was a common thought for me as a kid, wondering if he died there at the spot. So it isn't recent, its only now a second after thought coming to life. Again, no real strong evidence throughout aside its randomness, so any conclusion is likely upon an interview that I HOPE someone will make.
________________
_________________
First conversation between Squall and Rinoa to begin my opinion on Squall's Dead Theory with:
Rinoa: You're the best looking guy here. Dance with me? Let me guess… You'll only dance with someone you like. Ok then… Look into my eyes… You're-going-to-like-me… You're-going-to-like-me… Did it work?
Squall: …I can't dance.
Rinoa: You'll be fine.
_______________________________
_______________________________
Love transcends time. I pay tribute to the romance between Laguna and Raine, Rinoa and Squall, and, Edea and Cid.
Greetings Final Fantasy discussers, debaters, and fans, allow me to present my own idea of what I think about the game named Final Fantasy 8. I could be easily be wrong, be that is why we are: to discuss and maybe even to debate and argue LOL. Now I’m sure many of you guys who love the elements of romance and friendship in this story of FF8 were/are utterly heartbroken when we read bout this article conveying Squall’s dead theory are we not?? Me too!! Fthose of you who admire the element of romance of FF8’s story, it must have been really bad feelings for you guys to read Squall’s Dead Theory which define that Squall never win Rinoa’s heart, Rinoa never loves Squall, or as Rahul here has said in his reply to me saying, “it means that Squall had an unspoken crush on Rinoa, who was in love with Seifer (‘in love’ may be overreaching considering the nature of their relationship didn't go beyond a summer crush). He died before being able to tell her, although pre-Disc 2 Squall wasn't really the kind of guy to do that anyway.” I have the same tragic sad feeling about that too. However, very soon after you read my opinion, you will be compelled that rather than seeing Final Fantasy 8 as a story about “about a tragic sorrowful fate of a lone wolf who couldn’t win the heart of the woman he loves” or whatever you want to put it, you will soon realise the very beautiful and loving message and meaning and story of Final Fantasy 8 for it actually tells us that “love transcends time” =)
As you have read the Squall’s Dead Theory by Rahul and Diedra, there are many supporting evidences to prove its correctness, and as I have mentioned earlier, I will prove that the aforementioned Squall’s Dead Theory is wrong just like 1 plus 1 equals to 9. To do so, all I have to is to list down some facts from the game, (and I mean facts NOT opinions or self-proclaimed interpretative theory or whatsoever) and then argue ONLY one of the supporting evidences. Yes. You hear me. Only one of the supporting evidences is needed to be taken out to make all the Squall’s Dead Theory crumbles.
The evidence that I am going to take out to take out the entire Squall’s Dead Theory is the definitively arguably 2nd of the supporting evidence of the Squall’s Dead Theory. (Man, I keep saying the theory’s full name xD) Once you take out the 2nd of the supporting evidence, ALL the arguments of the Squall’s Dead Theory can be excused and the whole story of Final Fantasy 8 can be viewed in a whole NEW PERSPECTIVE. =)
As you have read, the 2nd of the supporting evidence of the theory states that, “Why go through all the effort of killing him just to bring him to full health when he’s obviously a threat to her?” which implies Edea, after impaling Squall with ice, she, in the manner of what-the-fuck-is-she-doing, healed Squall.
Yeah, why healed Squall? What the fuck is she doing is she mad?
The theory states that, “The attempted assassination of Edea by SeeD at Deling City at the end of Disc 1 is where everything starts (and ends).”
Sorry but I will prove that your statement is wrong. Let me spice up my argumentative opinion with the facts (and I mean facts NOT opinions or self-proclaimed interpretative theory or whatsoever).
_______________
Facts number one: Ultimecia is the main villain of the story. She is a sorceress from the future and seeks to compress time.
Read the following conversations between Edea, Irvine and Zell.
Edea: “Ultimecia's objective is to find Ellone.”
Edea: “Ellone's mysterious power… Sending one's consciousness back into the past.”
Zell: “So, Ultimecia wants to use Ellone's power, right?”
Irvine: “I get it. Ultimecia wants to send her consciousness from this period further into the past.”
Zell: “What's she going to do in the past?”
Edea: “Time compression.”
_____________
Facts number two: Edea was under possessed by Sorceress Ultimecia when first introduced in the game until Squall kicks the shit out of her(i mean, until Squall defeats her xDD)
Read the following saying by Edea taken from the game. Here, it is also again stated that Ultimecia is trying to find Ellone.
Edea: …I have been possessed all this time. I was at the mercy of Sorceress Ultimecia. Ultimecia is a sorceress from the future. A sorceress many generations ahead of our time. Ultimecia's objective is to find Ellone.
______________________
Facts number three: After Balamb defeats Galbadia, the player learns that Edea is merely an unwilling tool for Ultimecia, a powerful sorceress from the future who wishes to compress time into a single moment; it is for this reason she has sought Ellone. Edea loses a decisive battle against the SeeD, forcing Ultimecia to transfer her powers to Rinoa; Edea survives, but Rinoa enters a coma. Squall becomes obsessed with waking her and goes to Esthar to find Ellone, as he believes that she can help save Rinoa.
Here is what Rinoa says in the game:
“Rinoa: There was a sorceress inside me. Ultimecia, a sorceress from the future. She's trying to achieve time compression.”
Here is what Squall says in the game:
Squall: Let's go, Rinoa. Let's go meet Ellone. Ellone will bring us together.
_________
Facts number four: Squall became the leader of the Balamb Garden.
Here is what Cid saying in the game:
Headmaster Cid: Squall, we're under your command from now on. This is your fate. It is your destiny to lead the way in defeating the sorceress.”
____________________
Facts number five: I don’t know how to put this but i take it that you guys understand by reading what Doc Odine says bellow:
Doc Odine: There iz only one way to defeat Ultimecia. You must kill her in ze future. Ultimecia probably needs to go back further in time to achieve time compression. Only Ellone can take her back further into ze past. You will keep moving through ze time compression toward ze future. Once you're out of ze time compression, zat will be Ultimecia's world. It's all up to you after zat.
__________________
Facts number six: Ellone, Quistis, Zell, Selphie, Irvine, and Seifer were very close during their childhood
Read what Squall says in the game:
Squall: “Elle…Ellone. So, Ellone was 'Sis'. She was a bit older than us, and we all used to call her 'Sis'. Quistis, Zell, Selphie, Irvine, Seifer, Ellone and myself… Yeah… I'm not sure what the meaning behind all this is, but we were definitely together.
If you are going to ask why they seemed to forget about their memories in the orphanage, read the following conversation from the game:
Squall: …Why is it that we forgot? We grew up together as kids… How's that possible…?
Irvine: How about this? …The price we pay for using the GF. The GF provides us its power. But the GF makes its own place inside our brain…
Quistis: So you're saying that the area is where our memories are stored? No…! That's just a rumor the GF critics are spreading.
Zell: So if we keep relying on the GF, we won't be able to remember a lot of things?”
__________________
Facts number seven: If Seifer was a bad guy, a fucking goddamn sorceress knight, then why would he would be together with the others again in the ending fmv of the game?
Well, you will find that Seifer is not really a total asshole after you read the following:
Fujin: “You're being manipulated, Seifer. You've lost yourself and your dream. You're just eating out of someone's hand. We want the old you back! Since we can't get through to you, all we have now to rely on is Squall!”
________________
FACTS NUMBER EIGHT: Rinoa LOVES Squall and Squall LOVES Rinoa(man, how I love this part!!)
The best evidence for this is the final scene where Squall finally for the first time shows a smile in the whole entire game course, and then Squall kisses Rinoa <3 <3 <3
_______________
Edea loses a decisive battle against the SeeD, forcing Ultimecia to transfer her powers to Rinoa; Edea survives, but Rinoa enters a coma. Squall becomes obsessed with waking her and goes to Esthar to find Ellone, as he believes that she can help save Rinoa. While Rinoa is being treated on Esthar's space station, Ultimecia uses her to free Sorceress Adel from her orbital prison. Ultimecia then orders Seifer to activate the Lunatic Pandora facility, inciting a rain of creatures from the moon that sends Adel's containment device to the planet. Having selected Adel as her next host, Ultimecia abandons Rinoa in outer space.
Squall refuses to let Rinoa die in space, and puts on his own space suit to find her. Squall reaches her, but his oxygen is not enough to get back to the pod. He luckily stumbles across the Ragnarok, the dragon-ship used to carry Adel into space. The atmospheric controls still work, and he and Rinoa can breathe again. After clearing the spaceship of aliens, they start back towards Earth, sharing a romantic moment while in space. When they land on Earth, Rinoa is captured (albeit willingly) by the Estharians and taken to the Sorceress Memorial, a place to seal Rinoa, similar to Adel's (but without the necessity of being taken into space, since she isn't a full-fledged sorceress). Squall lets them take her, knowing it's best for the world. However, Quistis arrives and berates him for letting Rinoa go. He heads back to the Sorceress Memorial and saves Rinoa before she is put into her cryogenic chamber.
They travel to Edea in the ruins of her Orphanage. Squall resolves to defeat Ultimecia so that Rinoa won't be possessed again. While there, Squall receives a transmission from Esthar City: the President has a plan to defeat Ultimecia, and he wants SeeD to do it. They travel to Esthar City to be greeted by the President, who to Squall's total surprise is Laguna. He and Dr. Odine have hatched a complicated plan. To defeat Ultimecia they would have to actually travel to the future to fight her. But time travel is technically impossible…
The idea is that Ultimecia needs Ellone's powers to travel further back in time (the machine she's using, an advanced version of the Ellone Junction Machine, has limits as to how far back it can go), and a sorceress to possess. Right now Adel is the strongest of the two surviving sorceresses, so that's who Ultimecia wants to possess, which would be catastrophic. Squall needs to defeat Adel to force Ultimecia to possess Rinoa instead. Then Ellone would take both Ultimecia's and Rinoa's minds back in time using her powers, allowing Ultimecia to compress time. She would then return Rinoa and Ultimecia to their proper times. Once time is compressed, the SeeDs can travel down it to any point, including Ultimecia's future.
They take the Ragnarok and smash into the Lunatic Pandora, entering it from within. They find Raijin and Fujin protecting Seifer again. Squall defeats them, and they run inside to find Seifer. They defeat him(Seifer), and Raijin and Fujin come in one last time and try to dissuade him(Seifer) from his(Seifer’s) imaginary quest. Seifer doesn't listen to them, he steals Rinoa and rushes to Adel's room. Adel takes Rinoa hostage, but Squall manages to defeat her without harming Rinoa. Ellone then carries out Laguna's plan, Time Compression is thus initiated; Squall and his allies travel to Ultimecia's era to defeat her. Ultimecia's castle appears. Squall finds his way through it and confronts Ultimecia. She Junctions herself to Griever (the “ultimate GF”), but Squall finally manages to defeat both Griever and the sorceress.
After Squall defeats Ultimecia, the universe begins returning to normal; however, Squall is nearly lost in the flow of time as he witnesses the origins of the game's story. When a dying Ultimecia travels back in time to pass her powers to Edea, Squall informs Edea of the concepts of Garden and SeeD that she will create. This means that before the event that Edea impales Squall with the ice attack, and before the event of the game itself, Edea already met Squall about 17(or 16?not sure..) years ago that when Edea was little and was inheriting the dying Ultimecia’s power, Edea was told(by Squall!) about Balamb Garden and SeeD and Squall being the leader of the Balamb Garden in order to beat Ultimecia. THAT’S WHY Squal was healed after he was impaled by the ice by Edea.
Here is a conversation between Edea and Squall:
Edea: SeeD? Garden?
Squall: Both Garden and SeeD were your ideas. Garden trains SeeDs. SeeDs are trained to defeat the sorceress.
Edea: What are you saying? You're… that boy from the future?
Here is a saying by Cid. Cid was pondering about the roles of SeeD, he was worried and wonder why Edea would create SeeD:
Cid: She had been a sorceress since childhood. I married her, knowing that. We were happy. We worked together, the two of us. We were very happy. One day, Edea began talking about building the Garden and training SeeD. I became obsessed with that plan. But I was very concerned with SeeD's goal, that one day SeeD might fight Edea…
Here’s one of Edea’s sayings in the game:
Edea: …I have been possessed all this time. I was at the mercy of Sorceress Ultimecia. Ultimecia is a sorceress from the future. A sorceress many generations ahead of our time. Ultimecia's objective is to find Ellone.
Read the following conversations between Edea, Irvine and Zell.
Edea: “Ultimecia's objective is to find Ellone.”
Edea: “Ellone's mysterious power… Sending one's consciousness back into the past.”
Zell: “So, Ultimecia wants to use Ellone's power, right?”
Irvine: “I get it. Ultimecia wants to send her consciousness from this period further into the past.”
Zell: “What's she going to do in the past?”
Edea: “Time compression.”
So there you have it.
Oh wait, let me summarise the whole story in orderly manner:
(1)A girl named Ellone is born and she has the power to send her consciousness backwards in time. She's sent to the orphanage of Edea and Cid Kramer. The little Squall goes there as well.
(2) When a dying Ultimecia travels back in time to pass her powers to Edea, a guy(future Squall) informs Edea of the concepts of Garden and SeeD that she will create.
(3) Cid and Edea realize the evil she could cause. They come up with a plan for a military academy where students would be trained to fight the sorceress's forces. They call the school Garden, and its graduates SeeDs. (Possibly the future Squall tells Edea these things via a closed time loop, but the ending's a bit vague as to whether that scene is real or not.)
(4) Edea trains her own small section of SeeDs, called White SeeDs. She realizes Ellone's potential as a sorceress and her special time-spanning power, and gives them their mission: to protect Ellone at all costs. They are given their own ship and separate from the other SeeDs.
(5) At the present time, when the story of Final Fantasy 8 starts to take place, Ultimecia reaches her mind across time and finally begins controlling Sorceress Edea. Her goal is to compress time into a single state, a state in which only Ultimecia may survive. By this time Garden has become more or less a center for training mercenaries (the need arose due to financial concerns) and their true purpose has been forgotten.
(6) Regretfully Cid begins to prepare to fight against his wife, but delays, hoping she will prove stronger than the sorceress' will which pervades her.
(7) Edea schemes to take over Galbadia herself. She does so by ingratiating herself with Vinzer Deling, Galbadia's dictator of a president. He resolves to announce his new friendship with Edea via satellite dish, a technology not in use since the radio silence began 18 years back. However, the only remaining radio receiver/transmitter is in the city of Dollet.
(8) Rinoa runs away from her father in Deling City and travels to Timber, where she becomes embroiled in the Forest Owls, one of the many rebel factions hoping to gain independence from Galbadia.
(9) Continual Junctioning of a GF is found to have decaying effects on human memory. Soon, Squall and everyone else at Balamb and Trabia Gardens completely forget their childhood at the orphanage.
(10) Selphie is transferred from Trabia Garden to Balamb Garden.
(11) Ellone is also taken to Balamb Garden for an unspecified reason.
(12) In Balamb Garden, Seifer eventually is shown to be a brash and unpredictable student. He fails the SeeD field test twice through failure of following orders. Oddly enough, he is appointed head of the student disciplinary committee, aided by two cronies, Fujin and Raijin. Squall (the youngest of the orphanage children) proves to be a moody and introverted student with great skill in the gunblade, rivaling that of Seifer. Quistis is a prodigy and becomes a SeeD at age 17 and an instructor a year later
(13) Squall and Seifer (both students of Quistis) hurt each other in a fight with real gunblades; both bear facial scars for life.
(14) oh god this will take forever goddammit, why don’t you just go to http://www.ffcompendium.com/h/ff8story.shtml for more details =)
_________________________________________________
What about Squall?? After he defeated Ultimecia and then went to the past to tell Edea about Garden and SeeD, how did he return back to the future???
Answer: Only his yearning for Rinoa helps him to reach home again. This is it. This is the greatest romantic theme in the story. After being the hero who slays the sorceress, his yearning for Rinoa brings him back home!! That’s why you saw blurry pictures of Rinoa there. Now that you know that Squall never died(duh,..), you now have a whole new perspective on the whole story. Don’t worry about that faceless picture if Squall man, if u ask me my opinion on it, that could only mean that Squall does not know what is he feeling(thus he cant express anything, not even the usual solemn face of his, that’s why there is faceless picture of his there) when he was trapped in compression of time. However, he search for his strongest feelings so that he can go back home to his own time, and that feelings was – HIS PASSIONATE LOVE AND DESIRE FOR RINOA!! <3 in ending movie, you can see Rinoa leap forward to hug Squall as Squall manages to go back home to his own time <3
What about the future???
In the far future, Ultimecia, uses one of Dr. Odine's items to transfer her mind into the past. She can possess sorceresses of other times and force them to do her bidding. She plots to enter time compression, a state in which time is fused and only she can exist. She first takes over the mind of Sorceress Edea…
Well, you don’t have to worry about that you know why?? Cause Squall(again and again) will goes to the future and tells Edea to create Garden and SeeD ghahaha and then Squall and Rinoa can fall in love with each other, all over again~
_____________________
_____________________
“You were looking at me… You smiled when our eyes met. It made me feel calm, tranquil… Rinoa, give me another chance.”
“Even if you end up as the world's enemy, I'll… I'll be your knight.”
“Rinoa? I want to hear your voice. WHich way… do I go? I can't make it back… alone. Am I… all alone again? Where… am I?”
___________________
___________________
Here is what Rinoa(not others but the game character, Rinoa!!) says in the game:
Rinoa: There was a sorceress inside me. Ultimecia, a sorceress from the future. She's trying to achieve time compression.
This clears up everything =)
Here's an excerpt of some beaufitul scenes in Final Fantasy 8 :D Hope you guys love it ^^
_____________
32. Sorceress Memorial
[The party jumps out at the Memorial's blocked entrance.]
Sentry: “You want to see your comrade off…”
Sentry 2: “I'll make an exception. Go ahead.”
[The party runs into a control room filled with lab techs.]
Engineer: “What are you doing here!? This is a restricted area!”
Squall: “…To do what I should have done earlier. …I'll never
know unless I do it.”
Engineer: “What are you talking about?”
Squall: “…I know what I want and what I have to do. …There's
still a chance. I'm not gonna look back. I'm taking Rinoa
with me.”
Engineer: “What!? You must be joking. It's too late.”
[Squall's two teammates brandish their weapons.]
[*] Zell: “Go, Squall!”
[*] Quistis: “Now's your chance!”
[*] Selphie: “Go get her, Squall!”
[*] Irvine: “Squall, come on! Go!”
[Squall runs to Rinoa, whose encased in a transparent orb-room.]
Squall: “Rinoa, hold on! I'll get you out in a sec!”
[Squall punches the machinery.]
Squall: “What am I supposed to do!? Come on!”
[Squall gives the panel a taste of his gunblade. FMV. Rinoa falls
out into his open arms as the broken cables steam around.]
Rinoa: “Squall, don't! I'm a sorceress.”
Squall: “I don't care.”
[A teammate who hadn't spoken yet yells from the other room:]
[*] Zell: “Squall! Rinoa!”
[*] Irvine: “Squall! Rinoa!”
[*] Quistis: “Rinoa! Squall!”
[*] Selphie: “Rinoa! Squall!”
Squall: “Let's go.”
[Rinoa and Squall hightail it out, but the entrance is filled
with guards. A man walks up behind the guards...]
Man: “………”
[...and the guards back off.]
Squall: (That man… I've seen him before.)
[Squall leaves and the party gets on the Ragnarok.]
Quistis: “What's wrong, Rinoa?”
Rinoa: “I'm just a little…embarrassed.”
Zell: “Why?”
Rinoa: “I was so set on staying in Esthar. But then, when you guys
rescued me… It made me so happy, and…”
Irvine: “No need to be embarrassed!”
Selphie: “Yeah, happy is good.”
Rinoa: “Thanks…everybody.”
Zell: “Squall, you're awfully quiet. What's up?”
Squall: (I have a lot on my mind.)
Quistis: “As an expert Squall observer… He's thinking: what do we
do now? Blah blah blah… If you think and worry too much,
everything tends to turn bad. Squall. Why don't we just
picture a brighter future.”
Squall: “…Whatever.”
Zell: “But seriously, what do we do from here? I'm not really sure,
but… Don't we have to do something about that 'Lunatic
Pandora' in Esthar? After all, the Galbadians are controlling
it. Which means Seifer is behind all this too, right?”
Squall: “Seifer is…Ultimecia's puppet.”
Zell: “Yeah, and that Ultimecia! We can't let that sorceress from the
future mess up our world! Let's go kick her ass! We're SeeDs!
We're here to destroy sorceresses, right!!!?”
Squall: “ZELL!!!”
Zell: “…S-Sorry…”
Quistis: “So Squall…where we goin'?”
Rinoa: “Umm… Can we go to the orphanage you guys were talking about
in Trabia?”
Quistis: “That place is in shambles.”
Selphie: “There's nothing to see there.”
Rinoa: “I want to stay away from places where there are lots of
people… I'm a sorceress. If Ultimecia possesses me again…”
Squall: “Let's go. Head to [Edea's House].”
[The party jets to their old orphanage.]
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
33. Edea's House [WK33]
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
[Angelo runs to a spot near a field of flowers, leading Squall, Rinoa, and a
third party member. A conversation starts depending on which teammate you
bring (I'll list 'em):]
Selphie: “Hmm, I don't get it.”
Squall: “Get what?”
Selphie: “I never imagined you two would end up together. I mean…
you guys are complete opposites. So I didn't think Rinoa's
straight-forward approach would work. I'm glad I was wrong!”
Rinoa: “What about you, Selphie?”
Selphie: “Oh, me? I just like being surrounded by lots of friends.”
—
Irvine: “Ahh, this is good. This is very good!”
Squall: “What?”
Irvine: “See this bruise here? I had to put up with Rinoa's kicks
and punches for you. So, seeing you two like this makes it
all worth it.”
Rinoa: “I'm sorry, Irvine.”
Irvine: “Hey, don't worry about it. Okay, I'll leave you two alone
now.”
—
Quistis: “This place is beautiful.”
Squall: “Yeah, the flower field… I forgot all about this place.”
Quistis: “Rinoa forces herself into your world, no matter how many
walls you put around yourself, Squall. I knew I couldn't
compete with her. The only issue is whether you would make
a place for her… And you did, pretty quickly.”
Rinoa: “Who knows……”
Quistis: “You've changed, Squall. It's like Rinoa's the only one on
your mind. Good thing this wasn't before the exam. I'll
leave you two alone, now.”
—
Zell: “Oh… …Sorry.”
Squall: “About what?”
Zell: “I'm sure you want to be alone with her. So Squall… I never
thought you were the roma… Ah, you know…”
Rinoa: “What about you, Zell? That girl in the library…?”
Zell: “What!? I don't know what you're talking about!”
Rinoa: “All the girls in the Garden know about it. I noticed right
away, too.”
Zell: “Hey, this isn't about me!”
—
[The third teammate leaves.]
Rinoa: “What'll become of me?”
Squall: “Don't worry about it. There've been many good sorceresses.
Edea was one. You can be like her.”
Rinoa: “But Edea's still… I can't guarantee anything, either, if
Ultimecia possesses me again… You saw me. She controlled me
in outer space and made me break Adel's seal. What might happen
next time? What will I end up doing? Will I end up fighting
everyone? …Scary thought, isn't it?”
Squall: (Rinoa…… Even if you end up as the world's enemy, I'll…
I'll be your knight.)
Rinoa: “If I fall under Ultimecia's control again… SeeD will come
kill me, right? And the leader of SeeD is you, Squall…
Squall's sword will pierce my heart…… I guess it's ok if
it's you, Squall. Nobody else. Squall, if that ever happens…”
Squall: “That's enough! I'll never do anything like that. The
sorceress I'm after is not you, Rinoa. My enemy is the
sorceress from the future… Ultimecia.”
Rinoa: “Ultimecia lives in the future and possesses me. She uses my
body as her extension in this world. How? How will you save
me?”
Squall: “I'll come up with something… There's gotta be a way.”
Rinoa: “……”
Squall: “Don't worry. Trust me.”
Rinoa: “…I trust you. Well, until you find a way, maybe… Maybe I
should stay in Esthar, at that memorial? Wouldn't that be
better?”
Squall: “No… That'd be pointless. I'll just end up going after you
again. Rinoa… Just stay close to me.”
Rinoa: “Oh… Those words!”
Squall: “What?”
Rinoa: “That's what started everything.”
Squall: “What are you talking about?”
Rinoa: “You don't remember?”
Squall: “Something I said?”
Rinoa: “Oh, just forget it!”
Squall: “No, it's because of the GF. That's why I forgot.”
Rinoa: “That's just an excuse.”
Squall: “Feeling better?”
Rinoa: “Yeah. Can I tell you a story? I had a dream. It was a scary
dream. We make a promise. We promise to see shooting stars
together. I get dressed up an put on your ring. But the thing
is, I can't remember where I'm supposed to meet you. I start to
panic. I really want to see you, Squall, but I don't know where
to go. I start running through the mountains, the desert, the
plains… Through Timber, Balamb, and Galbadia… When I
realize I can't run any longer… I…I just want to see you so
badly… So I scream, Squall, where are you!? Then I woke up. I
was crying. I'm sorry. You don't have to say anything. I just
felt like I had to tell you.”
Squall: “It was just a dream… It doesn't mean anything. Don't worry
about it.”
Rinoa: “…I guess you're right.”
Squall: “How about this… I'll be here…”
Rinoa: “…Why?”
Squall: “The reason why you couldn't find me was because we haven't
promised yet.”
Rinoa: “Promised?”
Squall: “I'll be waiting for you. If you come here, you'll find me. I
promise.”
Rinoa: “I'll be here, too. It's a promise! Thanks, Squall! Next time,
we'll meet for sure!”
[Zell runs over.]
Zell: “Whoa! Sorry to interrupt! But it's an emergency. We got radio
contact from Esthar's Presidential Palace. They have a plan to
defeat Ultimecia. They want to hire SeeD to execute it.”
Squall: “Might be a trap to get Rinoa back in Esthar.”
Zell: “Oh, and ah… The guy we spoke to, his name's Kiros. Could he
be…that Kiros?”
Squall: “Kiros is in Esthar's Presidential Palace? He wants to hire
us? …Alright, let's go.”
[Edea shouts as the crew leaves.]
Edea: “Squall! There is something I must tell you. It is about me…
Yes… I believe it was 13 years ago… This is where my story
begins. I first became a sorceress when I was a child. And once
again…13 years ago. That day…right here, I encountered a
sorceress on the verge of death. I received her powers of my
own will. That sorceress was an entity of fear for my children.
I could not let her get to them. But… This turned out to be
the beginning of my painful story. At this very minute, my
bitter story has ended. I now understand that there is an end,
no matter how painful it may be. Therefore…Squall? You must
fight to the end! Even though it may bring tragedy to others!”
[The party gets in the Ragnarok and heads for the Palace in Esthar.]
All this theory is based on ONE WRONG FACT, that ICE-STRIKE can kill you….. Ok considering that it can kill, I remember when we accompany Edea to Esthar, we can control her for a while, and her LIMIT BREAK is ICE-STRIKE, but it doesnt kill any enemy/monster in one-shot either, nor it has death junctioned to it…… Lol… Even I casted it on the team member once, and revived it with a Phoneix Down….. As simple as that,
If Ice-Strike really killed Squall, then during the remainder of the dream, the ICE-STRIKE would have been a deadly move killing the monsters/enemies in one shot, having death junctioned to it or something better…. But thats not the case which disproves the theory….
All this theory is based on ONE WRONG FACT, that ICE-STRIKE can kill you….. Ok considering that it can kill, I remember when we accompany Edea to Esthar, we can control her for a while, and her LIMIT BREAK is ICE-STRIKE, but it doesnt kill any enemy/monster in one-shot either, nor it has death junctioned to it…… Lol… Even I casted it on the team member once, and revived it with a Phoneix Down….. As simple as that,
If Ice-Strike really killed Squall, then during the remainder of the dream, the ICE-STRIKE would have been a deadly move killing the monsters/enemies in one shot, having death junctioned to it or something better…. But thats not the case which disproves the theory….
The theory’s all well and good, but it never explains why Ellone comes to visit Squall at the opening scene of the game, saying something as obviously implicative as, “We meet again, Squall”. Obviously she knew him, and furthermore, Quistis, which was made blatantly clear when she yells out “Ah, help me Quistie” when you’re leaving from the “secret area” scene (ie the blue balls Squall pulls on Quistis). It’s about as subtle as a brick that she knows these people.
Hehe. I like it. Squall’s dead makes much more sense than the cannon storyline. It also makes the world seem like a much better place if Squall died in FF8. I don’t know why, it just does for some reason…
However, what I think is interesting is that you mentioned Minority Report and Total Recall. Both of those were based on two short stories by the awesome master of the mindfuck Philip K Dick: “Minority Report” (yeah, yeah, same name), and “We Can Remember It For You Wholesale.” And, spoilers for anyone who hasn’t read these two stories, in Minority Report, the protagonist actually does commit the crime based on 3 alternate minority reports presented by the government-trained mutant precogs in a multi-factorial spacetimeline, and in We Can Remember It For You, the protagonist is an ordinary office worker who is in fact a government undercover assassin who had his mind wiped to think he was an ordinary man, and HE in turn is the saviour of earth from what basically amounts to little green men who had his mind wiped to think he was an undercover assassin.
So seriously, the majority of the crackpot theories for Minority Report and Total Recall are actually tame compared to the source material. Which I think is pretty damn epic.
Now for anyone out there who happened to read this, if you REALLY want to doubt the very nature of your reality, read VALIS. And then read PKD’s Exegesis. PREPARE FOR YOUR MIND TO FORM A MOBIUS STRIP!
Beat the game tonight for the first time. Watched the ending. Played the last 20 min of FF7 to watch that ending. Remembered the ending from FF6.
The real problem with FF8 was that the story was uninvolving. So many theories keep coming up because not much really happens in the game and it’s almost like a blank slate. How many ways can you cover for bad writing? There are so many plotholes and problems it just makes no real sense. How about a villain who’s motivation is clear? What was the point of the Laguna flashbacks? Why does Adel look like a MAYUN when she is clearly referred to as a woman? If the audience has more questions than answers at the end of a story, something may be wrong with the story itself. Especially for the type of story the cannon was trying to tell. I can’t believe that out of all the main party members we don’t see hardly any background or development. FF7 had a third more characters, each with backgrounds, motivation, character arcs, and development. Remember Barret and Dyne? FF6 had much of the same (except for Gogo and Umero, but they’re extra’s so who really cares). Setzer anyone? FF8? The closest we get to something comperable is Laguna’s story, and he isn’t even a main character. No motivation. No involvement. Laguna’s story is better than the main story. The only part of the game which was actually interesting was the ending few hours once time compression starts. But I stress that these were still ideas without substance. (Something’s going on with people I don’t know hardly anything about. Dramatic.)
I felt really detached watching the ending play out. I had no interest in any of these characters. The whole “romance” tone of which the game was hyped about never really worked. You are basically told that the characters love each other without seeing real reasons or interactions to show why they do. Locke and Celes were way more believable than this, and that was 16 bit. FF8 is the Twilight of video games.
If I had to pick a word to describe FF8, it would be “empty”. Everything in the game is. It’s like an idea that hasn’t fully formed yet, with characters and a world and concepts, but no real way to draw the elements together in a cohesive manner. Laguna’s story could have made for an entire other game which would have made total sense. It would have been stupid, but it would have made sense.
It’s like the game had almost nothing really going on until the very end and said “oh crap well we better come up with something or else the fans are going to get pissed.” Compare as to why people like ff7 and 6. It’s all in the journey (and the gameplay), of traveling with, getting to know these characters as individuals instead of just randomly picking pictures of people with a “background.” which barely gives us anything to work with. Give us a reason to care.
FF7, 6, and 5 are all superior games in every way. Crisis Core was way better than this thing. I want my 30 hours back.
P.S. Squall’s dead is a nice idea, and I wish it was actually true. But it ain’t.
Nice review. Consider this: it doesn’t matter if Squall’s Dead is true or
not. It matters what you think. If you’ve seen Inception, consider how you
feel about the meaning of the last scene – does it matter what the director
intended? Or the ending to Final Fantasy VII (ignoring the Compilation crap
for a second): they don’t talk about whether Holy destroys humanity or not.
It’s left up to you. Squall’s Dead is merely commentary on that, but for
FFVIII.
I reread your theory for clarification. It is very well written and presents logical arguments to a game that excels in lacking logic. I think it’s a way better story than what the creators intended. I would much prefer that it was the story to the game. But like you said yourself, there is no real “proof” to this theory, and yes, the game really is that stupid.
Believe what you want is the moral of the story. I can dig it.
← Previous Comments
Comments on this entry are closed.