Quistis.
SEED's accounting department is a well-oiled machine. Neither sleet nor snow nor glom of nit will stop them from carrying out their sacred task.So, uh, if Squall now has Cid's job, and NORG is busy metamorphosing... who's paying the salary Squall keeps getting? Shouldn't he be the one making salary decisions (and taking in the contract money, and paying his subordinates) now?
Did NORG set up an auto-pay system and forget to turn it off when the civil war kicked in?
I mean, it's not that hard to guess, I don't think. The Iron Clad also survived the explosion. Selphie's team surfaced after it fell into the water. It was said to be 'out of control.' So the most likely scenario is that everyone jumped into the Iron Clad at the last moment in hope it might serve as a shelter, and then the vehicle locked up and ran on automatic with everyone trapped inside until we blew it up a second time. I'd just like to… Be told that. Well, we'll find Selphie's diary eventually, I suppose.
From what I've read, it's not that they swam across the ocean, it's that they hitchhiked in good ol' Iron Clad. Basically, they managed to get inside or under Iron Clad before the base blew up, and the mech's incredibly sturdy build sheltered them. However, they couldn't actually control the mech, so they just rode along (maybe drove it) until you destroyed it finally. That's why they pop up in the water after you knock it into the water.The Iron Clad, the same machine we fought in the Galbadian missile base, looking wrecked to shit, has somehow made its way to us. This is explicitly the same vehicle Selphie's team fought, now 'out of control after being destroyed.' Did it… Did it literally drive all the way from the ruins of the missile base to here on a rampage? Damn, I have to respect the hater energy.
Anyway, we hit it with lightning magic and buffed punches until it explodes. It's not a hard fight. In the cutscene that follows, the Iron Clad slowly slides back away on a stretch of broken plaza… And falls into the water below.
Then three familiar figure emerge from that same water.
Wait. What?
How the fuck did they-
They were at GROUND ZERO of a NUCLEAR EXPLOSION an ENTIRE CONTINENT AWAY. We are in the middle of the ocean! Did they swim all the way?? How did they get into the water???
You should have gone back there after talking to Irvine; a scene will play out and you'll get a Mega Phoenix.He's got a Moomba figuring and a giant flag, country unclear. And the flag is sitting behind a desk on a raised stage - some kind of political activist? Organizer? He's apparently an artisan who trades with the Shumi Village; there is another Timber Maniacs issue to pick up there.
I choose to believe that the other option besides 'play along' is 'resist the inevitable'.Treating Squall like he is royalty who needs to be placated by his dutiful handmaiden is just such a good way of poking fun at his overly serious affect. Choosing to 'play along' has Rinoa saying "thank you, your highness!" and we're off.
This is actually a really interesting, non-obvious train of thought for Squall to have at this point. You'd expect him to be worrying about the object level- how he was never trained for this job, he doesn't know how to succeed- but that's not on his mind at all. He's thinking first of taking care of himself (this job is stressful, maybe I should quit), then everyone he's now responsible for, then specifically Cid's emotions. He's got a surprisingly nurturing personality, under all that edge.Squall: "(I don't mind fighting the sorceress. It's unavoidable as long as I'm a SeeD member."
Squall: "(What? As long as I am a SeeD member? What if I quit?)"
Squall: "(Quit… Then what? What do I have left?)"
Squall: "(Don't even want to think about it. Just stop thinking…)"
Squall: "(I'll just have to do as I was told… Command the Garden and kill the sorceress.)"
Squall: "(How does Headmaster Cid expect me to take care of everyone?)"
Squall: "(It'd be best to go fight the sorceress soon, and end this nonsense.)"
Squall: "(...!? But isn't she the headmaster's wife? He wants us to kill his wife?)"
Squall: "(What does it feel like to give an order like that?)"
So I guess Selphie isn't a member of the Shumi Tribe after all, as they don't appear to be humans but rather weird monster people with multiple evolutionary stages. Which I guess also means we know why that weird sphere formed around NORG's pod after we defeated him. He didn't die, he merely went into some kind of coma state and formed a cocoon from which he will emerge like a beautiful butterfly. Probably for a second boss fight.
It's extremely funny to me that Squall isn't actually challenging their position on the merits; he literally says 'no argument' to the idea that if you can reach a mutual understanding there is no need to fight, he just thinks that's boring.
I mean, it's not that hard to guess, I don't think. The Iron Clad also survived the explosion. Selphie's team surfaced after it fell into the water. It was said to be 'out of control.' So the most likely scenario is that everyone jumped into the Iron Clad at the last moment in hope it might serve as a shelter, and then the vehicle locked up and ran on automatic with everyone trapped inside until we blew it up a second time. I'd just like to… Be told that. Well, we'll find Selphie's diary eventually, I suppose.
And Cid makes what is simultaneously the only possible choice, and the funniest possible choice.
Why do you think he didn't choose her?Nah, Selphie would've been funnier. Also very effective at killing the sorceress and the continent she was standing on.
In any case, I did find some important information in the codex.
The information on the nature of Balamb Garden's original architecture was just there in plain sight. Except, it was hidden behind an additional page tab in one of the informational menu; Page 2 cuts off midway through, and you have to actually tab to Page 3 anyway to find the Shelter entry, so I missed it this whole time.
Turns outy? The Lunar Cry destroyed the ancient Centra civilization and used mobile shelters to move around the world, many of which now lie around the world in ruins. The Gardens are the remnants of these Centra Shelters, renovated into modern buildings. The 'MD Level' is the original Centra construction.
Those Centra people (whose name sounds a lot like 'Cetra') sure sound important to the plot!
SEED's accounting department is a well-oiled machine. Neither sleet nor snow nor glom of nit will stop them from carrying out their sacred task.
It's for when they catch a really big fish.
As other mentioned, this is in the classroom terminal, but more specifically: the section about the Garden Festival committee. It has been updating the whole game, and it will keep updating going forwards after every new significant plot development.Whatever Selphie's diary is, it's not available in the menu. I am left, once again, with no idea how Selphie's team survived a point blank nuke.
Now that I'm thinking about it, this is actually more than a little amusing--Selphie's blogging before weblog culture became A Thing in real life. Sure, she simply calls it the "Garden Culture Festival" webpage, but that's totally what she's doing.As other mentioned, this is in the classroom terminal, but more specifically: the section about the Garden Festival committee. It has been updating the whole game, and it will keep updating going forwards after every new significant plot development.
Rinoa: "It would be my honor… to have your company, your highness, in hope that I may get your mind off things. How about it, your highness?"
Treating Squall like he is royalty who needs to be placated by his dutiful handmaiden is just such a good way of poking fun at his overly serious affect. Choosing to 'play along' has Rinoa saying "thank you, your highness!" and we're off.
A poor, unfortunate fisherman gets first row to Garden crashing into his town's harbour, just as a fish finally bites on his line and he has to struggle against it and, eventually, drop his fishing rod and the fish with it so he can run for his life. Peak comedy.
One of the FH locals asks us if we're going to Esthar, the 'hi-tech city' beyond the train tracks; FH is apparently a common stopping point for people traveling towards Esthar.
Our next step is Mayor Dobe's house, where we meet him and his wife(?) Flo.
Squall, mentally: "(No argument there. Trite, and dull as hell, though.)"
Irvine: "Wow. I didn't expect all this heavy machinery."
Squall: "How else are they going to repair it? With hammers and nails?"
Irvine: "Hey, hey, hey, this isn't my department."
Squall: "Then what is?"
Irvine: "...Guns and women of course."
Okay. I cannot be certain that this is the case without poring over every single line Cid has had in the game so far, but I believe that while Squall says "the sorceress Edea is behind this," Cid never says the words 'Sorceress Edea.' He only and exclusively refers to 'The sorceress' as the one the Garden must defeat, the one who planned to burn down the city, the one who is hunting for Ellone. Cid does use the name Edea - but only in sentences like 'Edea began talking about building the Garden' and 'SeeD might one day fight Edea.' The closest he comes to using the words 'Sorceress Edea' is when he says, 'She had been a sorceress since childhood.'
近代 can also refer to "modernism" or "modernist", which is slightly separate from plain "modern." While I don't dispute Deling City is a modern urban center, I've pointed out that aesthetics-wise, it's very Art Deco and retro-looking. Modernist architecture looks very, very different from it.I might be missing some nuance in the Japanese text, but the way Esthar is described is a little odd: it's called 近代国家 ("kindai kokka"), which translates more or less to "modern nation". As in a nation that's in "modern times", probably meaning in its design or architecture.
Which is weird, because surely most of the settlements we've seen in FFVIII are "modern", with the only exceptions being places like Winhill being "rustic". Fisherman's Horizon itself is pretty modern, and Deling City is definitely modern.
近代 can also refer to "modernism" or "modernist", which is slightly separate from plain "modern." While I don't dispute Deling City is a modern urban center, I've pointed out that aesthetics-wise, it's very Art Deco and retro-looking. Modernist architecture looks very, very different from it.
As I mentioned, the Italian translation doesn't have the "gun and women" line either, and goes with "you're never surprised by anything, are you?" instead (continuing the line of discussion on the construction equipment).The last bit is an invention of the English translation. In Japanese, after Irvine says "this isn't my department", Squall just says "Let's go", and Irvine praises him for being "so reliable" in a playful way, which makes him sound like he's being a little sarcastic. I might be reading too much into that, though.
If it helps, the line where you're told that the easiest way to reach Esthar is to follow the railway on foot from FH identifies the city as "Hi-tech" in Italian. So, that's a pretty big change from "modern", but also a lot less ambiguous.It's one of those things I might be thinking too hard about. Primarily, what does "modernist" (or 近代) mean in the setting? Would Deling City call themselves "retro"? What would it be a "retro" of, and is Esthar's design sufficiently "modern" (as opposed to "futuristic" or "post-modern") that it is now the standard for "modernism"?
From a narrative structure perspective, what I find fascinating is that Squall is experiencing character development, but his responsibilities are outpacing his growth.
He just realized that he cares about fucking up and getting someone under his command killed, and he has to send Selphie's team on a possible suicide mission. He just discovered that he cares about his friends on a genuine emotional level, and he is tasked with the entire Garden. At every step that Squall betters himself, improves his attitude, forges meaningful emotional connections, he sees something even heavier, something he isn't psychologically ready for, foisted upon him. It's a fascinating way to keep the character in a state of constant tension and struggle even as he is taking real steps towards being a better person.
Squall tries to explain the way he sees the world.
Squall: "You don't have to. It's just that…"
Squall, mentally: "(Just what? What am I trying to say?)"
Squall, mentally: ["(I want him to understand us)"] // "(Forget it)"
Squall: "I wish you could be a little more understanding about us. We're not just a bunch of warmongers."
Mayor Dobe: "Oh?"
Squall, mentally: "(I don't know what more to say…)"
Squall, mentally: "(Stop)" // ["(Try to continue)"]
Squall: "It's hard for me to explain… I wish… everything could be settled without resorting to violence… and there would be no need for battles."
Squall: "Like you've been preaching, it would be wonderful if things could be settled by discussions. The only problem with that is that it often takes too much time. Especially if the others are not willing to listen. So I believe that fighting is inevitable at times. It's really sad. That's all I have to say. I hope you understand someday."
Squall: "I think the world needs both people like you and people like us. Thank you for your help. Goodbye."
This is so fascinating. Squall does seem to believe that in some sense, peace and negotiations are desirable, just that they're not always achievable, and that when they aren't, people like him - people who are willing to cut to the chase, to end the talks, willing to kill - are necessary. But they're not ideal. It would be terrible, if problems could only be solved his way. He's a… necessary evil, I guess.
But 'the problem is that it takes too much time' is such a wild root cause to identify. The problem isn't competing over resources, incompatible interests, national security, it's time. The time it takes to hash things out. And others' unwillingness to listen.
What this seems to suggest is that, contra his previous discussion with Irvine, Squall believes that everyone could potentially be on the same page and cooperate to make the world a better place. It's just hard, and not everyone is willing to cooperate, and it takes too long. But it's not inherently impossible. Just impractical. It's a… nicer worldview than he's previously let on.
The fact that the first thing Squall does, totally unprompted, on being caught sleeping in his own bed is to claim he wasn't asleep is so… Perfect. Squall simply cannot show any vulnerability, even completely normal, non-emotional vulnerability that everyone has like 'sometimes being asleep around another human being.' And, you know, I've been there.
Rinoa: "It would be my honor… to have your company, your highness, in hope that I may get your mind off things. How about it, your highness?"
Treating Squall like he is royalty who needs to be placated by his dutiful handmaiden is just such a good way of poking fun at his overly serious affect. Choosing to 'play along' has Rinoa saying "thank you, your highness!" and we're off.
A poor, unfortunate fisherman gets first row to Garden crashing into his town's harbour, just as a fish finally bites on his line and he has to struggle against it and, eventually, drop his fishing rod and the fish with it so he can run for his life. Peak comedy.
There's a weird beat where two of the FH locals are labeled in dialogue boxes as "Familiar Face" and "Familiar Face #2," and one of them berates Squall for not recognizing him, then tells him that he was one of the guys who greeted us at the Garden entrance. Which was… less than a minute ago in real time? I know Squall is bad with faces, but that's just baffling.
There's a Timber Maniacs issue we pick up at the inn, and I still have no idea what purpose those serve beyond minor alterations to Laguna's flashbacks that are impossible to tell without a guide.
It's extremely funny to me that Squall isn't actually challenging their position on the merits; he literally says 'no argument' to the idea that if you can reach a mutual understanding there is no need to fight, he just thinks that's boring.
New Galbadian mech just dropped, btw. You know, it's funny - it's the second time I've seen a direct reference to the M61 Vulcan rotary cannon in a Japanese game of that era, the other being MGS1's Vulcan Raven. And funnily enough, while Scan tells us it is using a Vulcan cannon… The name of its attack using its central mouth-mounted gun is Gatling.
Pacifism, while laudable in general, is not an effective defense against fascism.
What this seems to suggest is that, contra his previous discussion with Irvine, Squall believes that everyone could potentially be on the same page and cooperate to make the world a better place. It's just hard, and not everyone is willing to cooperate, and it takes too long. But it's not inherently impossible. Just impractical. It's a… nicer worldview than he's previously let on.
Squall: "Come on. I'm sure you can still do something."
Selphie: "...Squall…being sensitive? That's weird. You're the last person I expected to cheer me up. I must look really depressed."
Squall: "(I don't mind fighting the sorceress. It's unavoidable as long as I'm a SeeD member."
Squall: "(What? As long as I am a SeeD member? What if I quit?)"
Squall: "(Quit… Then what? What do I have left?)"
Squall: "(Don't even want to think about it. Just stop thinking…)"
Squall: "(I'll just have to do as I was told… Command the Garden and kill the sorceress.)"
Next Time: I was going to make a gag here but now I'm remembering the 'God Knows' performance from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and I need to go lie down
I blame Gundam. In American pop-culture, any rotary cannon tends to be called a 'minigun' these days because that's the recognizable movie/game weapon, or maybe sometimes a 'chaingun' because of Doom (though a chaingun has a different meaning). People with a more historical outlook often insist on 'Gatling gun' but it's not really any more correct, it was just the first, and arguably not quite the same thing. The Gundam franchise frequently refers to headmounted autocannon as 'vulcans' (though I'm not sure we ever see multiple barrels), so I assume it's a Japanese pop-culture thing that either started with Gundam or is even older than that. For whatever reason, the names Equalizer and Avenger never caught on, and the dozen or so other models of rotary gun never had a name.You know, it's funny - it's the second time I've seen a direct reference to the M61 Vulcan rotary cannon in a Japanese game of that era, the other being MGS1's Vulcan Raven.
I'm reminded here of what you said about Materia in FF7, about how it has such an inconsistent connection between gameplay and story. Like, how materia are part of important plot points, but are so rarely mentioned otherwise that it's hard to understand how they affect everyday life.I also check the mayor's house to see if he or Flo have new dialogue, but neither is here. However, I find something perhaps even more interesting: a Draw point I missed the first time.
It contains Ultima.
The steal mechanic always seemed to me like a really bad idea that somehow never sees much improvement across multiple games. Mechanically, you give up some combat rounds for the chance of extra loot. It's almost never worth it on field enemies (except certain special snowflakes), so you're encouraged not to equip it unless you expect a boss, but then you fight surprise bosses. So now you have two different reasons you might want to reload from a save: equipping Steal, and savescumming the drop chance. If you want more challenging fights to give better loot, there are better ways to go about it.Unfortunately, I entirely forgot to equip Squall with Mug for this, so we do not get the rare stat-raising item. It's a shame but I'm not reloading a third time