IIRC, I believe that "buri buri" is the Japanese onomatopoeia for something buzzing or vibrating rapidly, so a more literal translation might be "Buzz Bugs". I prefer Oglop, lol.
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Let's Play Every Final Fantasy Game In Order Of Release [Now Playing: Final Fantasy IX]
- Thread starter Omicron
- Start date
- Users' Choice!
Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
IIRC, I believe that "buri buri" is the Japanese onomatopoeia for something buzzing or vibrating rapidly, so a more literal translation might be "Buzz Bugs". I prefer Oglop, lol.
Nachtprophet
Registered Lurker
- Location
- Germany
In German the Oglops are called Juckzirpen, literally "itch-chirpers". The reference to insect noises is clearly based on that "buri" onomatopoeia.
But the "itch" part makes them sound quite a bit more unpleasant and would definitely explain why so many characters seem to dislike the creatures.
But the "itch" part makes them sound quite a bit more unpleasant and would definitely explain why so many characters seem to dislike the creatures.
- Pronouns
- He
Midgar Culture
"I still can't believe that you thought wearing a cosplay outfit was the right choice for guiding us up Mt. Nibel," Cloud said, leaning on the ship's railing as he stared out at the sea. "I'd thought you'd outgrown that sort of thing by then."
"You can never outgrow true culture," Tifa said with a soft smile as she idly kicked at the rail's post. "Anyway, it could have been worse. You went into my bedroom, didn't you see my handmade replica of Texas Charlie's outfit? The assless chaps, the badge, all of it? Even the twin holsters? Something Dad bought for me off the rack wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been." Her smile was a bit larger this time. "And you could have explained to your friends how you knew this girl."
"I didn't go looking through your stuff," Cloud protested, making a face. "I just wanted to make sure you weren't around. Played on the piano and that was it." He paused. "Barret should be making you try to play it, not me."
"That piano was Grandpa's and Mom couldn't bring herself to get rid of it," Tifa said quickly, shaking her head back and forth. "I offered to put it in my room to keep her from playing it too often. You're the only one with musical talent around, Cloud."
And she wasn't just talking about their little group. Rather than linger on that, Cloud remembered something Tifa had said earlier.
"You're not still into that fantasy stuff, are you, Tifa?" Cloud asked, looking her up and down and then realizing what he was doing. "Those books were…" he couldn't possibly think of a non-insulting way to finish that thought. "And the movie…" ditto.
"Cloud, I named my bar after Texas Charlie's favorite saloon," Tifa said, sounding a bit surprised and a bit exasperated. "What do you think?"
"You just don't… wear that sort of stuff anymore," Cloud said lamely, feeling his cheeks heat, especially when Aerith made her appearance by giggling and leaning on the railing on Tifa's other side.
"You weren't in Midgar for very long, Cloud," Tifa shook her head, "but I didn't want to make Seventh Heaven into that kind of bar. One where pretty ladies dress up as feti-niche. Niche costumes." Okay, Cloud knew what she was getting at there and he was as embarrassed about it as Tifa was. "Just the sign was enough."
"I don't know," Aerith said, gripping Tifa's shoulder. "I saw some maid cafes when I was up-plate. You would look really cute in those outfits." She leaned in close to the other girl. "So would Cloud," she added in a stage whisper.
Cloud was going to pretend that he hadn't heard that. Pretend to himself as well as the giggling girls.
It might be a good thing they weren't going back to Midgar any time soon!
- Pronouns
- Him/He
I had to re-read that three times before I realized it didn't say what I quoted.
No, I see it too. I think that's canon?
- Location
- Brittany, France
- Pronouns
- He/Him
next update is reaching incredible levels of yapping about a forgotten mid-disc 1 rpg boss from the 2000s that i have never seen anyone talk about before
I'll look forward to it. How evil and/or buff is she?
Guile
Having a really great time right now
Forgotten boss. If this was some boss with the step-on-me energy of a FF8 Edea or Adel, the internet would remember.
If we're talking about what I think you're talking about, I've seen plenty of mid-2000's forum signature images that say otherwise.
Final Fantasy IX, Part 5.A: The Cargo Ship & Lindblum Castle
New
- Location
- Brittany, France
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[Lights up; deck of the airship. Storm outside. All stare in horror at the SHADOW. ZIDANE steps forward.]
ZIDANE
Just one epithet I muttered as inside
I gagged and shuddered,
When with manly flirt and flutter
In there flew a stately raven.
Sleek and ravenous as any foe,
Not the least obeisance made he,
Not a minute's gesture towards me,
Of recognition or politeness,
But perched above my chamber door.
This fowl and salivating visage,
Insinuating with its knowledge,
Perched above my chamber door,
Silent sat and staring,
Nothing more.
VIVI
Askance, askew,
The self's sad fancy smiles at you I swear,
At this savage viscous countenance it wears.
Though you show here shorn and shaven,
And I admit myself forlorn and craven,
Ghastly grim and ancient raven,
Wandering from the opiate shores,
Tell me what thy lordly name is!
That you are not nightmare sewage,
Some dire powder drink or inhalation,
Framed from flames of downtown lores!
SHADOW
Quoth the raven-
[Lights out; screaming; sound of thunder.]
I. The Silent Ship
Last time, our characters discovered the strange and ominous black mage factory under Dali, and hopped onto the cargo ship just as it was taking off. Now, they are aboard a ship headed right back to where Dagger fled from: Alexandria. Will they be able to divert the course? And what the hell is Steiner doing, anyway?
Oh, right, I forgot we left off on Zidane (accidentally?) grabbing Dagger's ass, so now she's (justifiably) mad at him.
Zidane: "Come on, it's not like I did it on purpose."
Dagger: "Please, enough."
Zidane: "There's that royal tone in your voice again." [He turns to Vivi, who is staring overboard.] "...Are you okay, Vivi?"
Vivi: "Feels like I'm going to get sucked into the sky…"
Dagger: "Let's go inside, Vivi." [She opens the door and guides Vivi into the ship, then turns to Zidane.] "I trust you, Zidane."
[Zidane takes a step towards the door, but Dagger turns around and closes it in his face.]
Zidane: "I get the feeling she doesn't quite trust me yet…" [He crosses his arms.] "Maybe she'll reward me with a kiss or two if I try hard enough."
Zidane, please. Absolute one-track mind on this boy.
It looks like Dagger put him in time-out, but moments later, she opens the door again, calling for him - but it's clear that she's now worried and something more serious is troubling her; it has to do with Vivi. They both enter the ship, and, well…
We saw the black mage "dolls" on the assembly line, but it turns out some of them are very much already active - in fact, they're the sole crew of the cargo ship, active black mages carrying the still inactive one.
So of course, Vivi tries to talk to them. Except… There is no reply. The black mage continues busying itself with the engine, completely ignoring the boy's attempts at greeting him. After a few fruitless attempt, Vivi walks back to Dagger and Zidane, head hanging low, visibly depressed.
Zidane: "Were you able to talk to any of them?"
Vivi: "No… It's like… they don't even… see me at all… I tried… again and again… but… they won't even turn around."
Ouch. Yeah, that's gotta sting. It looks like the dolls really are just automata - they can perform tasks they were assigned, but they have no autonomy, no initiative, to the point of not even noticing attempts to communicate.
Vivi sees himself reflected into these dolls, but they won't acknowledge his existence at all. That would sting. Zidane clearly sees he's distressed, too, but he doesn't really know what to say - what would you even say to someone in these circumstances? So instead, he decides to head up - they still have to turn the ship around, after all, so he asks Dagger to keep an eye on Vivi in the meantime.
We can examine the engine before we go, though, and Zidane has an interesting comment to make: The engine is very old, and Lindblum is the only place that sells Mist engine. Alexandria must have purchased this engine years ago, and if they're still using it, it's because they don't have anything better. Zidane notes that Alexandria "is not technologically advanced," which is a really interesting detail considering how prominent the place appears to be in the continent's politics and the plot of the story. And the factory under Dali is much more advanced than anything Alexandria is supposed to have access to. Strange things are afoot.
We can also look out the window, which prompts Zidane to say they'll fly over Evil Forest soon and wonder if the boss and the others made it to safety, before thinking, "the boss would tell me that it's none of my business!" I like that Zidane's concern for his comrades continues to show throughout the story instead of being dropped immediately.
So we head upstairs, where we find…
…Steiner, on his knees lamenting his plight.
If you'll remember, last update, Steiner headed to the ship to ask for passage, but then the ship started taking off nearly leaving everyone behind. Now we know why: There is no one to ask for passage to. The ship's doll crew simply ignored Steiner entirely and continued their task on schedule as ordered.
Which could be slightly problematic, given that this also means there is no one to ask to reroute the ship.
Funny thing is, though, because Steiner wasn't with the others, he's currently crying and lamenting his fate because he thinks the ship left without Dagger. What will he say to the queen? When Zidane asks him what the hell he was doing up there, Steiner starts explaining that the crew wouldn't listen to him for a few seconds before realizing, wait, Zidane is here, and that means so is Dagger! The day is saved! He breathes a sigh of relief, and then delivers this absolutely brutal line:
Steiner: "All is well, now. The ship is returning to the castle. You will be hanged for the kidnapping of a member of the royal family! Enjoy your freedom while you can."
[He positions himself in front of the hatch to keep Zidane from approaching Dagger again.]
Cold, Steiner. Cold. You know this guy saved your life several times already, right? Now, granted, without Zidane said life wouldn't have been in danger in the first place, but, well, details. But yeah, this has been Steiner's Villain Arc and him gloating to Zidane that he'll be executed is probably his most asshole move so far.
Interestingly, though, once Zidane leaves him to check out the bridge, Steiner has a slightly softer monologue to himself.
Steiner: "At last! Queen Brahne is sure to be pleased. However… The princess would have been left behind without the thief's aid. I shall petition for a life sentence on his behalf. Yes, that would be the honorable thing!"
Steiner: "But that was because the crew wouldn't listen! I must run a background check on them. Ah, yes. It is my duty as a knight!"
[Just then, the airship begins shaking.]
Steiner: [Staggering] "Wh-What the-!"
Steiner using anachronistic language like "background check" that doesn't fit the fantasy vibe is amusing because it really helps across that while his in-setting status is "knight," his narrative role is "cop." He sees himself entirely as a man of duty, a protector of the royal family, an enforcer of the law, opposed to thieves and scoundrels, whose duty it is to uphold the social order, whether that's by providing unasked for help to a teenage shopkeeper or threatening a man with execution for his crimes. Even his idea of repaying Zidane's help is to ask the queen for leniency by commuting his sentence to life in prison.
I honestly don't know how Steiner would feel if that actually happened. Or, as would be more likely, if Queen Brahne simply ignored his request and had Zidane executed. When Zidane's death by Steiner's own actions actually happens, rather than being an abstract idea of what ought to happen to criminals, will he experience regret or doubt? I'm not sure yet, at this stage.
Either way that's not going to happen.
Turns out, Zidane cut the Gordian knot in the simplest manner imaginable: He simply ousted the Black Mage at the helm and took commands himself, and turned the ship around towards Lindblum. Turns out, the black mage dolls aren't set up to react to hijacking attempts with offensive magic! Kind of an oversight, if you ask me.
Wait.
What's this in the distance, looking at the ship?
Oh. Oh fuck.
It's the coolest motherfucker alive.
There is exactly one boss I remember from playing FF9 as a kid, and it's this guy. This guy who gets the full CGI cutscene introduction. In which he is introduced doing the Gargoyle Crouch on at the helm of an airship with his wings folded and then dramatically stands up while spreading said wings before we get a close-up shot of his face with evil red eyes narrowing as lightning crackles around him.
This is Black Waltz N°3 and I wanna be him when I grow up.
Back on the airship, the pilot doll just stares blankly at Zidane while Steiner stammers in utter disbelief at the audacity of this bitch. He genuinely acts outraged, like it didn't even occur to him that Zidane could do that. That's Steiner's fundamental character flaw: He is completely trapped in a world of expectations, of the way things ought to be. Crime isn't just wrong, it's not supposed to happen. Zidane has been put on a ship to Alexandria Castle so now what he should be doing is sit calmly and await his punishment. He's not allowed to hijack the ship!
Of course, this enrages Steiner, who starts chasing after Zidane, who starts jumping all over the place to evade him, including suspending himself to the roof by his tail.
One thing that's hard to convey through still images alone is how much effort FF9 puts into the physicality of its characters. In VIII, I noted that Rinoa clearly had a lot of dev time spent giving her characterful custom animations that help make her feel more like a real person; in IX, this is true of every character so far. Every dialogue scene is punctuated by characters going through a number of individual stock poses and animations that give a real sense of acting to their dialogue. Steiner, for instance, peppers all his scenes with "angrily shaking fists," "jumping up and down angrily," or "slumping forward in defeat." Zidane has a number of "thoughtful" and "casual" poses, tilting his head up, folding his arm, scratching his butt. But the game also leans heavily on how nimble he is; he frequently jumps all around the place, even just to punctuate a conversation like in the inn with Dagger. And here, the game shows that his tail isn't just a visual quirk, it's functional and helps him in playing hell with poor Steiner, who can't put a hand on him.
This whole commotion, however, appears to have drawn the attention of some spectators.
More and more Black Mages are surrounding the cabin, wordlessly, without any overt threatening gesture, yet looming increasingly closer and in more numbers in a way that has Steiner and Zidane start to genuinely worry.
Zidane: "Hey, I think we upset them."
Steiner: "But they didn't respond to anything until now… You're the one who started this trouble!" [He turns to one of the dolls.] "I apologize! Please wait while I take this fool into custody and turn the ship around."
Then, all of a sudden, all the dolls turn around and leave towards the helm; even Steiner is confused.
At the helm's ship, Dagger and Vivi have come out from below deck, and Dagger appears to have been saying things to Vivi to reassure him; she turns around to go to the bridge, and Vivi, seemingly in slightly better spirits than before, adjusts his hat before following her.
And then.
II. The Last Waltz
Black Waltz N°3 enters, and his first action is to blast the shit out of Vivi with a lightning bolt.
That is definitely one way to make an entrance.
Dagger immediately turns around and crouches next to Vivi, asking if he's okay.
Black Waltz N°3: "So, N°2 was defeated by a small child! You are no match against my power!" [He points his staff at Dagger.] "Princess, stay there while I eliminate this child!"
But then, to everyone's surprise… The dolls come marching in.
Four Black Mage dolls silently file in and surround Dagger and Vivi. They turn to them, once, looking at them with their blank expressions; then they turn to face Black Waltz, making a shield of their bodies. Why? Do they recognize Vivi as one of their own? Are they obeying some directive to protect humans? We don't know. They do not speak. They simply stand, silent, as Dagger and Vivi withdraw.
Black Waltz N°3: "Get out of my way! Do you dare to fight a Black Waltz?" [The dolls hold up their hands, and fire spells light up in their palms, pointed at Black Waltz.] "I said, get out of my way!"
Black Waltz extends his hand, and a lightning blast sweeps one of the Black Mages off the deck.
It's only the beginning.
It's a slaughter. There is nothing the Black Mage dolls can do. Black Waltz's lightning sweeps the deck, turning wood to splinters, shattering the glass windows of the cockpit, tossing the dolls around like… Well, ragdolls.
And very quickly, the dramatic sounds of explosions and lightning fade, replaced by… Music.
Nothing but sad music.
And that's where the picture of Vivi in the intro montage comes from. "Sorrow" indeed.
Everyone stares on, powerless, as the Black Waltz's lightning ravages the ship and the Black Mages. It's not even directed - he merely unleashes power all around him, destroying the anchorings that kept the barrels attached to the hull. They fall, exploding, and the inactive dolls within them fall as well, the camera zooming briefly on their blank faces, dark voids with no eyes lit within them. And Vivi watches it all from the cockpit.
It's genuinely impressive how much expression they manage to wring out of a character who literally doesn't have a face. Vivi's shock and horror is obvious in his body language and the way he stares at it all happening. But not just horror… Grief. Even though these dolls did not answer him, did not acknowledge him at first, it was still clear that there is some connection between him and them. And then, they all came together to protect him from the Black Waltz, with no explanation, no words, yet seemingly total resolve in the face of impossible odds.
It's like he's losing family he never even knew he had.
Vivi takes a few step back, haggard, and Dagger steps closer to hold him and comfort him, but within seconds something else takes up all their attention. A shadow stretches out over the cabin.
There are no Black Mages left, neither crew nor cargo. The deck has been swept clean. There is only him.
Oh god he's doing the "slowly float down to the ground" flex, we're so fucked.
The sheer aura on this guy.
This entire cutscene lasts 45 seconds, less than a minute, and it's one of the most effective I've seen in any Final Fantasy game at selling the horror of this situation and the power of its villain. This doesn't feel like a random middle of the third act villain, this feels like the personal antagonist of one of the characters.
In the cockpit, the group stares in horror, and Steiner is the first to speak.
Steiner: "Wh-What cruelty!"
He shakes his fists and jumps in anger, and that's fascinating to me. Steiner didn't see the underground factory; the dolls were baffling to him because they looked like people who wouldn't speak to him, rather than mindless automata. To him, these are real people he just saw slaughtered, and no matter how sinister and unhelpful they were to him, he shakes with anger at this display.
But his anger is no match for the one who has spent this entire time taking everything upon himself, never knowing how to fight back, never knowing how to express his pain.
Vivi screams, and rushes out of the room.
Zidane runs after them, but then pauses and turns around to speak to Dagger, who is kneeling on the ground, seeming overwhelmed. He tells her they'll take care of the Black Waltz - but she has to steer the ship.
Zidane: "Things are gonna get even more dangerous from here on. It's not too late to turn back. You can go back to the castle or cross South Gate to Lindblum. Your choice! I'll be with you either way! But try not to crash the ship!"
[He runs off.]
Dagger: "Be careful, Zidane!"
Zidane: "I'll be fine!"
This is Zidane's first moment of real trust in Dagger. She wasn't there for Steiner's threat, but Zidane knows what "going back to the castle" means - facing imprisonment and likely execution. (Of course, he'd most likely try to escape before it reaches that point, but the risk is still significant.) Still, he entrusts Dagger with the choice to escape to Lindblum and the dangers ahead, or to return to the safety of the castle and the life she knew; and thereby, with his life.
On the deck, Vivi confronts the Black Waltz.
Note the Black Mage hat, stuck on the railing, sans its owner.
Vivi: "Why…? Why would you do such a thing!? Weren't they your friends!?"
Black Waltz N°3: "You fool. Do I look like some lowly black mage soldier?"
Steiner: "Even if they weren't your allies, what you did was reprehensible!"
Black Waltz N°3: "Kwahahaha! Worry not about them: many more are being produced even now!"
Zidane: [Entering the scene.] "What are you?"
Black Waltz N°3: "Ah, the princess's bodyguards have gathered! How very convenient!"
Zidane: "Answer me!"
Black Waltz N°3: "It wouldn't do you any good if I answered, since you're all going to die! Kwahahaha! I will eliminate any who stand in my way!"
[Battle begins.]
The first Black Waltz used a bell as his catalyst for magic, and wore brown (with snowflake patterns on his trousers, that was cute). The second one practiced magic with his bare hands, and wore green (or teal). But the third and final Black Waltz uses a staff as a catalyst, and wears blue. I don't think that's a coincidence. More than any of the others, he's meant to mirror Vivi. Only a Vivi that's fifteen years older and loaded up to the gills on magical steroids. The darkest take on a future Vivi.
Unlike the black mage dolls, Black Waltz can speak. It's just that he has nothing to say, beyond laughing at suffering and displaying his absolute contempt.
Only, there's one boy who has enough of this contempt.
Vivi enters Trance automatically at the beginning of battle.
(And there we have something I mentioned a while back - we get a major story beat for Zidane's Trance and for Vivi's Trance, which makes it weird that the mechanic is just unlocked by default for everyone after the Zidane cutscene and Steiner has already Tranced twice in battle without anyone remarking on it. It feels like at some point in development, Trance was supposed to unlock for each character based on a story beat, but they discontinued the idea at some point.)
In Trance, Vivi is no longer wearing the slightly shabby clothes he normally wears, his hat isn't patched up and bent. Instead he wears embroidered clothes, and they fit him - his normal clothing is kind of oversized for him (his very large trousers are probably part of the reason he keeps tripping), but these are perfectly suited for his shape. They're a light purple embroidered with gold, and while he does not have wings like the Black Waltzes do… There is a wing pattern on the front of his robe. And he has the tallest, pointiest hat you ever did see. This looks like a court mage, like someone in a position of honor, someone who has clothes made for him, rather than hand-me-downs.
Someone who belongs.
As for mechanics, it's exceedingly simple: in Trance, Vivi has access to Dualcast. It's called "Dbl Blk" (Double Black Magic, obv), and it allows him to cast two spells in succession. Dualcast is a classic FF mechanic, but usually it's a very late game one that's part of the final builds (special exception for VIII who made it an early game but rare spell). Dualcast with tier 1 spells isn't the most impressive, but it racks up some solid damage: at 100+ damage per cast, Vivi is dumping 200+ damage per turn into Black Waltz. Which is… Actually still less than Steiner's Sword Magic that hits for 260, so Vivi's big character moment isn't all that mechanically impressive, but I think it's suffering from the plot device: if I had time to use Focus before Vivi entered Trance, then casting two Focus-boosted spells per turn would be doing some severe damage.
The tricky part is that Dagger is sitting this one out, so our only healing is from Items. And as usual, Zidane is on Steal duty. Black Waltz carries three items: A Steepled Hat, a Linen Cuirass, and Silver Gloves. The Steepled Hat we get immediately, the Linen Cuirass requires a bit of save scumming, the Silver Gloves… Well, let's get to that in a bit.
So how tough is the third Black Waltz?
Like N°2, he has access to Tier 2 spells. Unlike N°2, he uses them freely from the start, hitting the whole party for… Okay damage. He also hits people with his staff, also for medium damage. Black Waltz N°3 doesn't spike very high, he just has the potential to distribute average damage over a sub-sized party that doesn't have a healer, but Potions are pretty efficient at this stage of the game. And he doesn't counter Vivi's magic the way Black Waltz N°2 did, which is another weight off our back.
Now, Black Waltz N°3 does have one special mechanic to his name which can trip you up severely: Flight. If, at any point, we attack Black Waltz with a normal attack, he does this:
He launches into the air, arms folded, and mocks us, "You think you can defeat me?" From this point on and until he gets back down to the ground, he will evade normal attacks while raining down Thundara spells. This is a neat way of making Vivi's contribution to the fight feels even more significant, because he can still cast spell at the flight Waltz.
The thing is… It's entirely possible to completely miss this mechanic. I thought Black Waltz N°3 three times in total to get the screenshots I wanted, and I only found out about the flight mechanic on the third time. This is because Steiner's Magic Sword attacks are strictly superior to his normal attacks as long as he has MP and Vivi always wants to be casting magic, so unless you have Zidane use a normal attack instead of Steal, you'll never know about that mechanic that only triggers on normal attacks. As happened to me.
The result is that, despite being on paper a pretty fearsome opponent that lacks the handicap of N°2 (who deliberately avoided hitting Dagger), Black Waltz N°3 is in the end an easier fight.
Fuck the Silver Gloves, though.
I spent perhaps ten minutes save scumming Steal attempts to get the last item off Black Waltz. I varied my timing on the Steals, I used the menus in case it might affect the RNG, but still, it did nothing. The chance of stealing the Silver Gloves is so low that I finally just gave up entirely, and finished the boss off with a Thunder Sword.
Black Waltz N°3 goes down.
III. The Black And The Waltz III: Lindblum Drift
Black Waltz N°3: "You… You scum…! I exist only to kill!"
[He flies away off the bridge; Steiner jumps up and down in anger.]
Steiner: "Just how many Black Waltzes do we have to fight!? This is becoming ridiculous!"
Zidane: "I think that was the last one."
Steiner: "How do you know!? Are you…!?"
Zidane: "He said 'Waltz,' right? Don't you think N°3 should be the last one?"
At first, this line confused the hell out of me. It felt like a reference going over my head. Interestingly, the same is true of Steiner, who says "?" and does a 'thinking' pose, so this is supposed to be somewhat obscure even in-character (though Steiner is established as kind of a dumbass, so that might not mean much). If they were called "Symphonies" and there were nine of them, I could see it as a reference to Beethoven, but there are innumerable numbers of waltzes. The Waltz is also meant for two dancers, so that can't be it either. I think the reference Zidane is making here is that the waltz is a dance in triple time, or triple meter, a dance which is primarily divided into three beats.
If that's the case, then Zidane is making a fairly technical reference to music, which shows his background in theatre/music, and it's no wonder the relatively rough Steiner is confused by it. It's also a dubious conclusion to draw… Except we know that Zidane already knew there were three Black Waltzes because Zorn and Thorn said "Number two and number three will get you!" back at the Ice Cavern, so he's just bullshitting an excuse.
Zidane looks out to the sky, and sees South Gate approaching; it looks like Dagger has made her choice, and it's towards Lindblum. Zidane hurries back to the bridge to help her.
But that's kind of forgetting someone, isn't it? After all, the Black Waltz isn't dead yet.
Zorn and Thorn are watching us from their own ship. Now we know how the Black Waltzes found us: these two dipshits were just observing us from the sky the entire time. They just parked themselves up in the sky like a drone, sending one Waltz after the other.
Now, I normally wouldn't really bother commenting about that, but since it was raised in the thread, fine, sure, let's ask: Why did Zorn and Thorn not send all three Black Waltzes together instead of conveniently one at a time for the party to defeat?
To which there's one answer, "It's a video game," bosses appear in sequence because the gameplay needs to escalate progressively from weaker to stronger. But I understand how that's not satisfying from a narrative perspective.
Except… The answer is obvious? Have you looked at the Black Waltzes? They're complete maniacs! Number two reacted to finding out there was a Queen Brahne loyalist in the party who wanted to help return Garnet to Alexandria with "do I look like I give a shit lmao" and casting Fira. Number Three nearly destroyed the airship is quarry is on as a flex! Put these three together on a mission and, first of all, Two and Three will relentlessly bully One who is a wimp who needs traps and summons to help him, and second of all they'll probably start fighting each other five minutes into the operation.
These guys don't have tons of dialogue but like, the game couldn't be clearer that they're homicidal psychopaths, not clear-headed and obedient soldiers of Queen Brahne.
As is about to be demonstrated now.
Zorn: "Did you see that?"
Thorn: "That, I did see!"
Zorn: "Our enhanced black mages!"
Thorn: "Our black mage enhancements!"
Zorn: "All defeated!"
Thorn: "Betrayed us, Steiner did! It is all his fault!"
Zorn: [He lets go of the steering wheel and stares to the side.] "Huh?"
Thorn: "Unstable, the ship becomes! Don't let go of the steering wheel!"
Zorn: "N°3 is coming back!"
Thorn: "True is it!? Hurray!"
Zorn: "But something is wrong…" [He tilts his head to the side; suddenly he starts flailing around wildly.] "It's broken!!!"
Thorn: "Made its magic too powerful, we did!"
Zorn: "There's nothing we can do now! We shall depart!"
Thorn: "Depart shall we!"
Zorn: "Run away!"
Thorn: "Run away!"
[They both jump off the ship.]
Black Waltz lands on the ship, one hand covering his face, and he repeats "I exist only to kill!" over and over like an insane mantra. His hand is shaking, as if he were crying, or laughing. Either way, he's lost it.
…
We'll talk about this more in a moment.
It's interesting that Zorn and Thorn imply that they were the one who experimented on the Black Waltzes, and that they are "enhanced black mages"; once again the "black mage" appears to be a specific race/template/construct that's being modified or copied by Alexandrians. Earlier I raised the question of what Zorn and Thorn's actual jobs were, because it seemed doubtful that they actually were court jesters, and well, we have our answer: Same as Kefka was a general in clown make-up, it looks like they're mad scientists in clown make-up.
Back on the cargo ship…
Zidane: "Do you see South Gate?"
Dagger: "Yes!"
Zidane: "South Gate is a huge gate built exclusively for airships, but… maneuvering through it could be tricky. Do you want me to do it, Dagger?"
Dagger: "I want to do it on my own…"
Zidane: "Alright…" [He touches his chin, thinking.] "We don't have clearance. They might close the gate on us. It should be okay, though. Security was totally lax when I came through here on a theater ship." [He does a 'hyping her up' pose.] "It'll be fine, Captain Dagger!"
Dagger: "Roger!"
Love this exchange and how focused and on-task Dagger is. This is her claiming her own freedom by literally taking the wheel of the airship.
Of course, then Steiner barges in in a total panic, pleading that they must turn back - except this time it's not about going back to Alexandria.*
The Black Waltz is coming straight at them, at ramming speed.
Zidane: "Dagger, Rusty's right! It's headed straight for us! Punch it! Go through South Gate!"
Steiner: "Don't be ridiculous! What if the gate closes on us!?"
Zidane: "There's no way we can outmaneuver him in this cargo ship! We'll slide in before the gate closes and shut him out! That's our only chance!" [He points to the machinery.] "Rusty! Turn the power up to max with that lever over there! Dagger, stay on course no matter what!"
Dagger: "Okay!"
[Steiner shakes his fist angrily, but does grab the lever and start pulling as hard as he can.]
Zidane: "I know we can make it!"
So now it's time for more sick FMVs.
Zidane looks out the broken window, to Vivi, who is staring at a black mage hat stuck on a broken piece of railing - the last reminder that there were even on the ship. The camera pulls in on Vivi, and it would be easy to miss the way his hand tightens into a fist.
Cut for image count.
ZIDANE
Just one epithet I muttered as inside
I gagged and shuddered,
When with manly flirt and flutter
In there flew a stately raven.
Sleek and ravenous as any foe,
Not the least obeisance made he,
Not a minute's gesture towards me,
Of recognition or politeness,
But perched above my chamber door.
This fowl and salivating visage,
Insinuating with its knowledge,
Perched above my chamber door,
Silent sat and staring,
Nothing more.
VIVI
Askance, askew,
The self's sad fancy smiles at you I swear,
At this savage viscous countenance it wears.
Though you show here shorn and shaven,
And I admit myself forlorn and craven,
Ghastly grim and ancient raven,
Wandering from the opiate shores,
Tell me what thy lordly name is!
That you are not nightmare sewage,
Some dire powder drink or inhalation,
Framed from flames of downtown lores!
SHADOW
Quoth the raven-
[Lights out; screaming; sound of thunder.]
I. The Silent Ship
Last time, our characters discovered the strange and ominous black mage factory under Dali, and hopped onto the cargo ship just as it was taking off. Now, they are aboard a ship headed right back to where Dagger fled from: Alexandria. Will they be able to divert the course? And what the hell is Steiner doing, anyway?
Oh, right, I forgot we left off on Zidane (accidentally?) grabbing Dagger's ass, so now she's (justifiably) mad at him.
Zidane: "Come on, it's not like I did it on purpose."
Dagger: "Please, enough."
Zidane: "There's that royal tone in your voice again." [He turns to Vivi, who is staring overboard.] "...Are you okay, Vivi?"
Vivi: "Feels like I'm going to get sucked into the sky…"
Dagger: "Let's go inside, Vivi." [She opens the door and guides Vivi into the ship, then turns to Zidane.] "I trust you, Zidane."
[Zidane takes a step towards the door, but Dagger turns around and closes it in his face.]
Zidane: "I get the feeling she doesn't quite trust me yet…" [He crosses his arms.] "Maybe she'll reward me with a kiss or two if I try hard enough."
Zidane, please. Absolute one-track mind on this boy.
It looks like Dagger put him in time-out, but moments later, she opens the door again, calling for him - but it's clear that she's now worried and something more serious is troubling her; it has to do with Vivi. They both enter the ship, and, well…
We saw the black mage "dolls" on the assembly line, but it turns out some of them are very much already active - in fact, they're the sole crew of the cargo ship, active black mages carrying the still inactive one.
So of course, Vivi tries to talk to them. Except… There is no reply. The black mage continues busying itself with the engine, completely ignoring the boy's attempts at greeting him. After a few fruitless attempt, Vivi walks back to Dagger and Zidane, head hanging low, visibly depressed.
Zidane: "Were you able to talk to any of them?"
Vivi: "No… It's like… they don't even… see me at all… I tried… again and again… but… they won't even turn around."
Ouch. Yeah, that's gotta sting. It looks like the dolls really are just automata - they can perform tasks they were assigned, but they have no autonomy, no initiative, to the point of not even noticing attempts to communicate.
Vivi sees himself reflected into these dolls, but they won't acknowledge his existence at all. That would sting. Zidane clearly sees he's distressed, too, but he doesn't really know what to say - what would you even say to someone in these circumstances? So instead, he decides to head up - they still have to turn the ship around, after all, so he asks Dagger to keep an eye on Vivi in the meantime.
We can examine the engine before we go, though, and Zidane has an interesting comment to make: The engine is very old, and Lindblum is the only place that sells Mist engine. Alexandria must have purchased this engine years ago, and if they're still using it, it's because they don't have anything better. Zidane notes that Alexandria "is not technologically advanced," which is a really interesting detail considering how prominent the place appears to be in the continent's politics and the plot of the story. And the factory under Dali is much more advanced than anything Alexandria is supposed to have access to. Strange things are afoot.
We can also look out the window, which prompts Zidane to say they'll fly over Evil Forest soon and wonder if the boss and the others made it to safety, before thinking, "the boss would tell me that it's none of my business!" I like that Zidane's concern for his comrades continues to show throughout the story instead of being dropped immediately.
So we head upstairs, where we find…
…Steiner, on his knees lamenting his plight.
If you'll remember, last update, Steiner headed to the ship to ask for passage, but then the ship started taking off nearly leaving everyone behind. Now we know why: There is no one to ask for passage to. The ship's doll crew simply ignored Steiner entirely and continued their task on schedule as ordered.
Which could be slightly problematic, given that this also means there is no one to ask to reroute the ship.
Funny thing is, though, because Steiner wasn't with the others, he's currently crying and lamenting his fate because he thinks the ship left without Dagger. What will he say to the queen? When Zidane asks him what the hell he was doing up there, Steiner starts explaining that the crew wouldn't listen to him for a few seconds before realizing, wait, Zidane is here, and that means so is Dagger! The day is saved! He breathes a sigh of relief, and then delivers this absolutely brutal line:
Steiner: "All is well, now. The ship is returning to the castle. You will be hanged for the kidnapping of a member of the royal family! Enjoy your freedom while you can."
[He positions himself in front of the hatch to keep Zidane from approaching Dagger again.]
Cold, Steiner. Cold. You know this guy saved your life several times already, right? Now, granted, without Zidane said life wouldn't have been in danger in the first place, but, well, details. But yeah, this has been Steiner's Villain Arc and him gloating to Zidane that he'll be executed is probably his most asshole move so far.
Interestingly, though, once Zidane leaves him to check out the bridge, Steiner has a slightly softer monologue to himself.
Steiner: "At last! Queen Brahne is sure to be pleased. However… The princess would have been left behind without the thief's aid. I shall petition for a life sentence on his behalf. Yes, that would be the honorable thing!"
Steiner: "But that was because the crew wouldn't listen! I must run a background check on them. Ah, yes. It is my duty as a knight!"
[Just then, the airship begins shaking.]
Steiner: [Staggering] "Wh-What the-!"
Steiner using anachronistic language like "background check" that doesn't fit the fantasy vibe is amusing because it really helps across that while his in-setting status is "knight," his narrative role is "cop." He sees himself entirely as a man of duty, a protector of the royal family, an enforcer of the law, opposed to thieves and scoundrels, whose duty it is to uphold the social order, whether that's by providing unasked for help to a teenage shopkeeper or threatening a man with execution for his crimes. Even his idea of repaying Zidane's help is to ask the queen for leniency by commuting his sentence to life in prison.
I honestly don't know how Steiner would feel if that actually happened. Or, as would be more likely, if Queen Brahne simply ignored his request and had Zidane executed. When Zidane's death by Steiner's own actions actually happens, rather than being an abstract idea of what ought to happen to criminals, will he experience regret or doubt? I'm not sure yet, at this stage.
Either way that's not going to happen.
Turns out, Zidane cut the Gordian knot in the simplest manner imaginable: He simply ousted the Black Mage at the helm and took commands himself, and turned the ship around towards Lindblum. Turns out, the black mage dolls aren't set up to react to hijacking attempts with offensive magic! Kind of an oversight, if you ask me.
Wait.
What's this in the distance, looking at the ship?
Oh. Oh fuck.
It's the coolest motherfucker alive.
There is exactly one boss I remember from playing FF9 as a kid, and it's this guy. This guy who gets the full CGI cutscene introduction. In which he is introduced doing the Gargoyle Crouch on at the helm of an airship with his wings folded and then dramatically stands up while spreading said wings before we get a close-up shot of his face with evil red eyes narrowing as lightning crackles around him.
This is Black Waltz N°3 and I wanna be him when I grow up.
Back on the airship, the pilot doll just stares blankly at Zidane while Steiner stammers in utter disbelief at the audacity of this bitch. He genuinely acts outraged, like it didn't even occur to him that Zidane could do that. That's Steiner's fundamental character flaw: He is completely trapped in a world of expectations, of the way things ought to be. Crime isn't just wrong, it's not supposed to happen. Zidane has been put on a ship to Alexandria Castle so now what he should be doing is sit calmly and await his punishment. He's not allowed to hijack the ship!
Of course, this enrages Steiner, who starts chasing after Zidane, who starts jumping all over the place to evade him, including suspending himself to the roof by his tail.
One thing that's hard to convey through still images alone is how much effort FF9 puts into the physicality of its characters. In VIII, I noted that Rinoa clearly had a lot of dev time spent giving her characterful custom animations that help make her feel more like a real person; in IX, this is true of every character so far. Every dialogue scene is punctuated by characters going through a number of individual stock poses and animations that give a real sense of acting to their dialogue. Steiner, for instance, peppers all his scenes with "angrily shaking fists," "jumping up and down angrily," or "slumping forward in defeat." Zidane has a number of "thoughtful" and "casual" poses, tilting his head up, folding his arm, scratching his butt. But the game also leans heavily on how nimble he is; he frequently jumps all around the place, even just to punctuate a conversation like in the inn with Dagger. And here, the game shows that his tail isn't just a visual quirk, it's functional and helps him in playing hell with poor Steiner, who can't put a hand on him.
This whole commotion, however, appears to have drawn the attention of some spectators.
More and more Black Mages are surrounding the cabin, wordlessly, without any overt threatening gesture, yet looming increasingly closer and in more numbers in a way that has Steiner and Zidane start to genuinely worry.
Zidane: "Hey, I think we upset them."
Steiner: "But they didn't respond to anything until now… You're the one who started this trouble!" [He turns to one of the dolls.] "I apologize! Please wait while I take this fool into custody and turn the ship around."
Then, all of a sudden, all the dolls turn around and leave towards the helm; even Steiner is confused.
At the helm's ship, Dagger and Vivi have come out from below deck, and Dagger appears to have been saying things to Vivi to reassure him; she turns around to go to the bridge, and Vivi, seemingly in slightly better spirits than before, adjusts his hat before following her.
And then.
II. The Last Waltz
Black Waltz N°3 enters, and his first action is to blast the shit out of Vivi with a lightning bolt.
That is definitely one way to make an entrance.
Dagger immediately turns around and crouches next to Vivi, asking if he's okay.
Black Waltz N°3: "So, N°2 was defeated by a small child! You are no match against my power!" [He points his staff at Dagger.] "Princess, stay there while I eliminate this child!"
But then, to everyone's surprise… The dolls come marching in.
Four Black Mage dolls silently file in and surround Dagger and Vivi. They turn to them, once, looking at them with their blank expressions; then they turn to face Black Waltz, making a shield of their bodies. Why? Do they recognize Vivi as one of their own? Are they obeying some directive to protect humans? We don't know. They do not speak. They simply stand, silent, as Dagger and Vivi withdraw.
Black Waltz N°3: "Get out of my way! Do you dare to fight a Black Waltz?" [The dolls hold up their hands, and fire spells light up in their palms, pointed at Black Waltz.] "I said, get out of my way!"
Black Waltz extends his hand, and a lightning blast sweeps one of the Black Mages off the deck.
It's only the beginning.
It's a slaughter. There is nothing the Black Mage dolls can do. Black Waltz's lightning sweeps the deck, turning wood to splinters, shattering the glass windows of the cockpit, tossing the dolls around like… Well, ragdolls.
And very quickly, the dramatic sounds of explosions and lightning fade, replaced by… Music.
Nothing but sad music.
And that's where the picture of Vivi in the intro montage comes from. "Sorrow" indeed.
Everyone stares on, powerless, as the Black Waltz's lightning ravages the ship and the Black Mages. It's not even directed - he merely unleashes power all around him, destroying the anchorings that kept the barrels attached to the hull. They fall, exploding, and the inactive dolls within them fall as well, the camera zooming briefly on their blank faces, dark voids with no eyes lit within them. And Vivi watches it all from the cockpit.
It's genuinely impressive how much expression they manage to wring out of a character who literally doesn't have a face. Vivi's shock and horror is obvious in his body language and the way he stares at it all happening. But not just horror… Grief. Even though these dolls did not answer him, did not acknowledge him at first, it was still clear that there is some connection between him and them. And then, they all came together to protect him from the Black Waltz, with no explanation, no words, yet seemingly total resolve in the face of impossible odds.
It's like he's losing family he never even knew he had.
Vivi takes a few step back, haggard, and Dagger steps closer to hold him and comfort him, but within seconds something else takes up all their attention. A shadow stretches out over the cabin.
There are no Black Mages left, neither crew nor cargo. The deck has been swept clean. There is only him.
Oh god he's doing the "slowly float down to the ground" flex, we're so fucked.
The sheer aura on this guy.
This entire cutscene lasts 45 seconds, less than a minute, and it's one of the most effective I've seen in any Final Fantasy game at selling the horror of this situation and the power of its villain. This doesn't feel like a random middle of the third act villain, this feels like the personal antagonist of one of the characters.
In the cockpit, the group stares in horror, and Steiner is the first to speak.
Steiner: "Wh-What cruelty!"
He shakes his fists and jumps in anger, and that's fascinating to me. Steiner didn't see the underground factory; the dolls were baffling to him because they looked like people who wouldn't speak to him, rather than mindless automata. To him, these are real people he just saw slaughtered, and no matter how sinister and unhelpful they were to him, he shakes with anger at this display.
But his anger is no match for the one who has spent this entire time taking everything upon himself, never knowing how to fight back, never knowing how to express his pain.
Vivi screams, and rushes out of the room.
Zidane runs after them, but then pauses and turns around to speak to Dagger, who is kneeling on the ground, seeming overwhelmed. He tells her they'll take care of the Black Waltz - but she has to steer the ship.
Zidane: "Things are gonna get even more dangerous from here on. It's not too late to turn back. You can go back to the castle or cross South Gate to Lindblum. Your choice! I'll be with you either way! But try not to crash the ship!"
[He runs off.]
Dagger: "Be careful, Zidane!"
Zidane: "I'll be fine!"
This is Zidane's first moment of real trust in Dagger. She wasn't there for Steiner's threat, but Zidane knows what "going back to the castle" means - facing imprisonment and likely execution. (Of course, he'd most likely try to escape before it reaches that point, but the risk is still significant.) Still, he entrusts Dagger with the choice to escape to Lindblum and the dangers ahead, or to return to the safety of the castle and the life she knew; and thereby, with his life.
On the deck, Vivi confronts the Black Waltz.
Note the Black Mage hat, stuck on the railing, sans its owner.
Vivi: "Why…? Why would you do such a thing!? Weren't they your friends!?"
Black Waltz N°3: "You fool. Do I look like some lowly black mage soldier?"
Steiner: "Even if they weren't your allies, what you did was reprehensible!"
Black Waltz N°3: "Kwahahaha! Worry not about them: many more are being produced even now!"
Zidane: [Entering the scene.] "What are you?"
Black Waltz N°3: "Ah, the princess's bodyguards have gathered! How very convenient!"
Zidane: "Answer me!"
Black Waltz N°3: "It wouldn't do you any good if I answered, since you're all going to die! Kwahahaha! I will eliminate any who stand in my way!"
[Battle begins.]
The first Black Waltz used a bell as his catalyst for magic, and wore brown (with snowflake patterns on his trousers, that was cute). The second one practiced magic with his bare hands, and wore green (or teal). But the third and final Black Waltz uses a staff as a catalyst, and wears blue. I don't think that's a coincidence. More than any of the others, he's meant to mirror Vivi. Only a Vivi that's fifteen years older and loaded up to the gills on magical steroids. The darkest take on a future Vivi.
Unlike the black mage dolls, Black Waltz can speak. It's just that he has nothing to say, beyond laughing at suffering and displaying his absolute contempt.
Only, there's one boy who has enough of this contempt.
Vivi enters Trance automatically at the beginning of battle.
(And there we have something I mentioned a while back - we get a major story beat for Zidane's Trance and for Vivi's Trance, which makes it weird that the mechanic is just unlocked by default for everyone after the Zidane cutscene and Steiner has already Tranced twice in battle without anyone remarking on it. It feels like at some point in development, Trance was supposed to unlock for each character based on a story beat, but they discontinued the idea at some point.)
In Trance, Vivi is no longer wearing the slightly shabby clothes he normally wears, his hat isn't patched up and bent. Instead he wears embroidered clothes, and they fit him - his normal clothing is kind of oversized for him (his very large trousers are probably part of the reason he keeps tripping), but these are perfectly suited for his shape. They're a light purple embroidered with gold, and while he does not have wings like the Black Waltzes do… There is a wing pattern on the front of his robe. And he has the tallest, pointiest hat you ever did see. This looks like a court mage, like someone in a position of honor, someone who has clothes made for him, rather than hand-me-downs.
Someone who belongs.
As for mechanics, it's exceedingly simple: in Trance, Vivi has access to Dualcast. It's called "Dbl Blk" (Double Black Magic, obv), and it allows him to cast two spells in succession. Dualcast is a classic FF mechanic, but usually it's a very late game one that's part of the final builds (special exception for VIII who made it an early game but rare spell). Dualcast with tier 1 spells isn't the most impressive, but it racks up some solid damage: at 100+ damage per cast, Vivi is dumping 200+ damage per turn into Black Waltz. Which is… Actually still less than Steiner's Sword Magic that hits for 260, so Vivi's big character moment isn't all that mechanically impressive, but I think it's suffering from the plot device: if I had time to use Focus before Vivi entered Trance, then casting two Focus-boosted spells per turn would be doing some severe damage.
The tricky part is that Dagger is sitting this one out, so our only healing is from Items. And as usual, Zidane is on Steal duty. Black Waltz carries three items: A Steepled Hat, a Linen Cuirass, and Silver Gloves. The Steepled Hat we get immediately, the Linen Cuirass requires a bit of save scumming, the Silver Gloves… Well, let's get to that in a bit.
So how tough is the third Black Waltz?
Like N°2, he has access to Tier 2 spells. Unlike N°2, he uses them freely from the start, hitting the whole party for… Okay damage. He also hits people with his staff, also for medium damage. Black Waltz N°3 doesn't spike very high, he just has the potential to distribute average damage over a sub-sized party that doesn't have a healer, but Potions are pretty efficient at this stage of the game. And he doesn't counter Vivi's magic the way Black Waltz N°2 did, which is another weight off our back.
Now, Black Waltz N°3 does have one special mechanic to his name which can trip you up severely: Flight. If, at any point, we attack Black Waltz with a normal attack, he does this:
He launches into the air, arms folded, and mocks us, "You think you can defeat me?" From this point on and until he gets back down to the ground, he will evade normal attacks while raining down Thundara spells. This is a neat way of making Vivi's contribution to the fight feels even more significant, because he can still cast spell at the flight Waltz.
The thing is… It's entirely possible to completely miss this mechanic. I thought Black Waltz N°3 three times in total to get the screenshots I wanted, and I only found out about the flight mechanic on the third time. This is because Steiner's Magic Sword attacks are strictly superior to his normal attacks as long as he has MP and Vivi always wants to be casting magic, so unless you have Zidane use a normal attack instead of Steal, you'll never know about that mechanic that only triggers on normal attacks. As happened to me.
The result is that, despite being on paper a pretty fearsome opponent that lacks the handicap of N°2 (who deliberately avoided hitting Dagger), Black Waltz N°3 is in the end an easier fight.
Fuck the Silver Gloves, though.
I spent perhaps ten minutes save scumming Steal attempts to get the last item off Black Waltz. I varied my timing on the Steals, I used the menus in case it might affect the RNG, but still, it did nothing. The chance of stealing the Silver Gloves is so low that I finally just gave up entirely, and finished the boss off with a Thunder Sword.
Black Waltz N°3 goes down.
III. The Black And The Waltz III: Lindblum Drift
Black Waltz N°3: "You… You scum…! I exist only to kill!"
[He flies away off the bridge; Steiner jumps up and down in anger.]
Steiner: "Just how many Black Waltzes do we have to fight!? This is becoming ridiculous!"
Zidane: "I think that was the last one."
Steiner: "How do you know!? Are you…!?"
Zidane: "He said 'Waltz,' right? Don't you think N°3 should be the last one?"
At first, this line confused the hell out of me. It felt like a reference going over my head. Interestingly, the same is true of Steiner, who says "?" and does a 'thinking' pose, so this is supposed to be somewhat obscure even in-character (though Steiner is established as kind of a dumbass, so that might not mean much). If they were called "Symphonies" and there were nine of them, I could see it as a reference to Beethoven, but there are innumerable numbers of waltzes. The Waltz is also meant for two dancers, so that can't be it either. I think the reference Zidane is making here is that the waltz is a dance in triple time, or triple meter, a dance which is primarily divided into three beats.
If that's the case, then Zidane is making a fairly technical reference to music, which shows his background in theatre/music, and it's no wonder the relatively rough Steiner is confused by it. It's also a dubious conclusion to draw… Except we know that Zidane already knew there were three Black Waltzes because Zorn and Thorn said "Number two and number three will get you!" back at the Ice Cavern, so he's just bullshitting an excuse.
Zidane looks out to the sky, and sees South Gate approaching; it looks like Dagger has made her choice, and it's towards Lindblum. Zidane hurries back to the bridge to help her.
But that's kind of forgetting someone, isn't it? After all, the Black Waltz isn't dead yet.
Zorn and Thorn are watching us from their own ship. Now we know how the Black Waltzes found us: these two dipshits were just observing us from the sky the entire time. They just parked themselves up in the sky like a drone, sending one Waltz after the other.
Now, I normally wouldn't really bother commenting about that, but since it was raised in the thread, fine, sure, let's ask: Why did Zorn and Thorn not send all three Black Waltzes together instead of conveniently one at a time for the party to defeat?
To which there's one answer, "It's a video game," bosses appear in sequence because the gameplay needs to escalate progressively from weaker to stronger. But I understand how that's not satisfying from a narrative perspective.
Except… The answer is obvious? Have you looked at the Black Waltzes? They're complete maniacs! Number two reacted to finding out there was a Queen Brahne loyalist in the party who wanted to help return Garnet to Alexandria with "do I look like I give a shit lmao" and casting Fira. Number Three nearly destroyed the airship is quarry is on as a flex! Put these three together on a mission and, first of all, Two and Three will relentlessly bully One who is a wimp who needs traps and summons to help him, and second of all they'll probably start fighting each other five minutes into the operation.
These guys don't have tons of dialogue but like, the game couldn't be clearer that they're homicidal psychopaths, not clear-headed and obedient soldiers of Queen Brahne.
As is about to be demonstrated now.
Zorn: "Did you see that?"
Thorn: "That, I did see!"
Zorn: "Our enhanced black mages!"
Thorn: "Our black mage enhancements!"
Zorn: "All defeated!"
Thorn: "Betrayed us, Steiner did! It is all his fault!"
Zorn: [He lets go of the steering wheel and stares to the side.] "Huh?"
Thorn: "Unstable, the ship becomes! Don't let go of the steering wheel!"
Zorn: "N°3 is coming back!"
Thorn: "True is it!? Hurray!"
Zorn: "But something is wrong…" [He tilts his head to the side; suddenly he starts flailing around wildly.] "It's broken!!!"
Thorn: "Made its magic too powerful, we did!"
Zorn: "There's nothing we can do now! We shall depart!"
Thorn: "Depart shall we!"
Zorn: "Run away!"
Thorn: "Run away!"
[They both jump off the ship.]
…
We'll talk about this more in a moment.
It's interesting that Zorn and Thorn imply that they were the one who experimented on the Black Waltzes, and that they are "enhanced black mages"; once again the "black mage" appears to be a specific race/template/construct that's being modified or copied by Alexandrians. Earlier I raised the question of what Zorn and Thorn's actual jobs were, because it seemed doubtful that they actually were court jesters, and well, we have our answer: Same as Kefka was a general in clown make-up, it looks like they're mad scientists in clown make-up.
Back on the cargo ship…
Zidane: "Do you see South Gate?"
Dagger: "Yes!"
Zidane: "South Gate is a huge gate built exclusively for airships, but… maneuvering through it could be tricky. Do you want me to do it, Dagger?"
Dagger: "I want to do it on my own…"
Zidane: "Alright…" [He touches his chin, thinking.] "We don't have clearance. They might close the gate on us. It should be okay, though. Security was totally lax when I came through here on a theater ship." [He does a 'hyping her up' pose.] "It'll be fine, Captain Dagger!"
Dagger: "Roger!"
Love this exchange and how focused and on-task Dagger is. This is her claiming her own freedom by literally taking the wheel of the airship.
Of course, then Steiner barges in in a total panic, pleading that they must turn back - except this time it's not about going back to Alexandria.*
The Black Waltz is coming straight at them, at ramming speed.
Zidane: "Dagger, Rusty's right! It's headed straight for us! Punch it! Go through South Gate!"
Steiner: "Don't be ridiculous! What if the gate closes on us!?"
Zidane: "There's no way we can outmaneuver him in this cargo ship! We'll slide in before the gate closes and shut him out! That's our only chance!" [He points to the machinery.] "Rusty! Turn the power up to max with that lever over there! Dagger, stay on course no matter what!"
Dagger: "Okay!"
[Steiner shakes his fist angrily, but does grab the lever and start pulling as hard as he can.]
Zidane: "I know we can make it!"
So now it's time for more sick FMVs.
Zidane looks out the broken window, to Vivi, who is staring at a black mage hat stuck on a broken piece of railing - the last reminder that there were even on the ship. The camera pulls in on Vivi, and it would be easy to miss the way his hand tightens into a fist.
Cut for image count.
Final Fantasy IX, Part 5.B: The Cargo Ship & Lindblum Castle
New
- Location
- Brittany, France
- Pronouns
- He/Him
The Black Waltz approaches, and though his airship is smaller, it's very obvious it's a much more advanced model. If the Prima Vista evoked 19th century ships of the line, beautiful and massive like floating castles, and the cargo ship evokes an aging, shabby dirigible, then Black Waltz's ship is quite simply a fighter jet, darting through the sky, without airbags or auxiliary rotors, pure speed and agility (the bat-like fins at its back even give it the air of a dragon, evoking the Ragnarok from the last game). There is absolutely no way for the cargo ship to escape it in a contest of speed and agility; if anything, Black Waltz's ship must slow down to actually pull up to the cargo ship's side and attack. Its speed is so great that in passing, it blows the black mage hat off its piece of railing.
The Black Waltz's ship has no onboard weapons, but it doesn't need them: it has the creature itself. It raises its hand, and in its palm, a Thundara spell glows, then spreads out its lightning.
Then Vivi looks up, and raises his hand, and meets it with a fire spell.
Look how his eyes glow.
The two spells clash, lightning against fire, and incredibly, Vivi wins. His fire spell punches through Black Waltz's lightning, striking his airship and sending it veering off wildly with a plume of smoke. It's not destroyed, but it's giving the cargo ship a small window to escape.
Vivi, his strength exhausted by this incredible feat of magic, collapses onto the deck. Which, considering that they're on an airship pushing forward at high speed and rocking every which way with broken railing, is incredibly dangerous. Zidane shouts what's probably Vivi's name (we still, of course, lack voice acting, but FMVs do use lip sync) and hurries after him, picking him up off the deck to drag him to some semblance of safety.
Ahead, South Gate is already closing before them.
"South Gate" is a giant airlock, with two massive doors at each end and a wide space within, likely used to hold ships during inspection.
Dagger holds firm at the wheel. They manage to pull into the airlock before the gates close - but it's not over. The gates are also closing on the other end. They have to run the entire distance to the next gate, or risk being trapped inside the airlock - with the Black Waltz.
Because he's back on their heels, and manages to slip in just before the gates close.
Their flight is so fast and rocky, Zidane and Vivi are nearly knocked off board. Zidane barely manages to grab Vivi by the scruff off his neck, the poor black mage dangling in the void.
Without Vivi, they have no defense. Dagger knows magic, but she's at the steering wheel. There's nothing they can do against the Black Waltz as he pulls up, and raises his hand again.
Vivi is actually conscious in that scene, there's a very brief frame where we see his eyes open while dangling overboard.
But unbeknownst to him, Vivi has already won this fight. I've mentioned before that Black Waltz N°3's magic is sweeping, devastating the deck of the airship; his lightning runs wild, destroying all around him.
And it hits the engine damaged by the fire spell.
Absolutely outstanding "uh oh" face.
Yeah, he just blew up his own engine. Now the ship's on fire! It goes careening off wildly through the air, just as the cargo ship manages to slip by the second set of gates at the last moment, and…
Exit Black Waltz N°3.
This was a wild sequence, and frankly, one of my favorite sets of FMVs in all of Final Fantasy. The action is just thrilling, the emotional angle of Vivi's drama is really compelling, and the Black Waltz is just… Disappointing boss fight aside, he's so fucking cool.
I've tried to do my usual breakdown, but as a result I've blown a massive chunk of wordcount and picture count on just describing, like, at most two minutes of visual, so I frankly recommend you check out this compilation of all three FMVs featuring Black Waltz N°3:
It's exceptional.
…
So. Let's briefly talk translation.
Like I said, Black Waltz N°3 is clearly a homicidal maniac. He's evil, in that he has no concern for human life and delights in crushing others with his power. He also… Clearly has an emotional range, feelings, full language skills. He's a person. He can engage in conversation, he just doesn't care enough about other people to do so.
From the moment of his defeat onwards, he says only two lines: "You… You scum…!" and then "I exist only to kill!" repeated ad nauseam. He's clearly obsessing over his nature as an artificial being designed for power and violence. He's having an obvious mental breakdown.
When I played that scene as a kid, though, in its French version, it took a slightly different tack. Black Waltz's lines after his defeat are:
Valseur 3: "Mi… Misérables! Mizérabl!"
Valseur 3: "Je suis fé pour gagné!"
These translate more or less to "You scum, I was made to win!" with the latter being less punchy than "I exist only to kill."
The thing is… These two sentences are misspelled. "Mizerabl" is a misspelling of "Misérables." "Je suis fé pour gagné" is an incorrect spelling of "Je suis fait pour gagner." They're the kind of misspelling that would slightly alter the phonetics of each sentence, but that's not really what they're doing. More specifically, they're childish misspellings. They are phonetic spellings of each words, the kind a child who is only learning to write would make. Even as a ten years old - especially as a ten years old - this was obvious to me.
These are the dialogue lines of a being whose self-conception has been so thoroughly broken that he is regressing to a childlike state even as he is overcome with destructive fury.
This was, I think, the first time that I saw a fictional character experience a genuine mental breakdown into full-on madness. The first time I saw a representation the loss of reason, of self-control. Of the idea that you could somehow lose the ability to think as an adult. This made a profound impact on me - in no small part likely because I had undiagnosed ADHD and other related issues, and so I was familiar with the experience of being overwhelmed by stimuli in a way that led to me acting erratically, and that other people thought that was abnormal and troublesome.
Twenty years after playing this game for the first time, if you'd told me "Final Fantasy IX," I'd think about, in roughly this order: A couple of cutscenes we haven't gotten to yet, Blank being petrified in Evil Forest, and Black Waltz N°3 shouting "Je suis fé pour gagné!!" over and over as he broke down.
I guess I feel strangely sympathetic towards this evil bastard with no redeeming qualities.
IV. "A Bug?" "That's President-General Emperor Bug To You, Peasant!"
The airship sails over the mist, crossing multiple other airships on the way, until finally reaching this massive looking castle town.
(At some point we'll probably dig into the implications of how the Mist's existence means civilization can only be built up, on mountains, plateaus, and elevated, fortified towns.)
On the bridge, Zidane examines the smoking machinery while everyone else looks somber.
Zidane: "I think we pushed it a little too hard." [He turns around to everyone else.] "Why so silent, people?" [No reply.] "We made it! Come on, cheer up!"
Genuinely impressive how everyone but Zidane looks miserable.
Dagger: "South Gate was badly damaged… It was my fault, wasn't it?"
Zidane: "Don't worry about it! They'll fix it up in no time."
Steiner: [He turns around to Zidane] "You idiot! The cargo ship was wrecked, we lost all the cargo, and South Gate was destroyed! I can't believe I played a part in this debacle!"
Dagger: "Steiner."
Steiner: "Yes, Princess!"
Dagger: "I didn't mean to get you involved… But you saved us. I thank you."
Steiner: [He goes down on one knee.] "Such kind words! I am not worthy!" [He stands back up.] "Well, now I've made up my mind!" [He does a military salute.] "I vow to protect you, Princess, until we return to the castle!"
Zidane: "How do you feel about that, Dagger? He'll follow you to the end of the world."
Dagger: "It's okay, Zidane. Hey, I can see the main gate of Lindblum!"
Steiner: "That's Lindblum Castle!? How gigantic…!"
Dagger: "The city of Lindblum is inside the castle."
Zidane: "(I guess Dagger and I will go our separate ways once we reach Lindblum…)"
Steiner: "I see…"
Zidane: "(Just when we were beginning to get close…)"
Steiner is honestly getting off a little easy for his betrayal, but, well, frankly he was incompetent about it enough that I don't mind too much; it'd be one thing if he'd actually successfully conspired with a Black Waltz or managed to trick everyone to get back to Alexandria Castle, but his half-baked plan was seen through immediately and easily diverted, and then he got smacked around by Black Waltzes a bunch while Zidane and Dagger just hijacked the airship and got it back on track. I think it's fine for a character to dodge a major comeuppance when their villainy was also completely ineffectual. And now it looks like he's finally committed himself fully to the party and to whatever course Dagger sees through.
Maybe the fact that Queen Brahne is sending psychotic enhanced supermages after them has somewhat knocked a little sense into him regarding his loyalties? No, that's too much to hope for.
Also, make a note of Zidane saying that Dagger and he will probably go their separate ways. We still don't know the full truth behind Tantalus's kidnapping plans, but this is foreshadowing/a hint. Also a neat bit of characterization that Zidane doesn't know he's in a JRPG and that he and Dagger are basically mandated to stick together for the majority of the next thirty-plus hours, so of course he doesn't really see any reason why this runaway princess would stick with a random bandit like him long term. What are Zidane's plans for the future, now that he's been separated from Tantalus? I suppose we'll find out later.
Then, Vivi speaks.
Vivi: "...Zidane. Those… black mages and I… Are we… the same…?"
Zidane: [He raises his hand as if he's about to say something, then lowers them.]
Zidane: [He moves to another place in the cabin.]
Zidane: "....."
Dagger: "....."
Steiner: "I don't understand, Master Vivi." [He crosses his arms, looking disturbed.] "Just what seems to be the problem…?"
Vivi: "...I don't know."
Steiner: "Master Vivi, why would those mages be the same as you? And why would it matter if they were…?" [Steiner pinches his chin and looks up thoughtfully.]
Zidane: "Rusty's right! You're an individual, no matter what happens, Vivi!"
Vivi: "R-Right!"
Look at him. Look at Steiner's sincere, genuine confusion. He has no fucking clue.
Zidane tells Vivi they gotta go on the deck to see the view and takes him out and the whole time Steiner is stuck in his "thinking man" pose, completely lost to the world.
The three criteria of the himbo are "broad of chest," "dumb of ass," and "kind of heart." When Vivi looks at the group full of distress and sorrow and confusion, unsure of what he even is, of whether he's even human, Zidane and Dagger don't know how to answer. They don't know because, obviously something is up with Vivi and his connection to the black mage dolls. Obviously there's something strange and unnatural at work here. Obviously Vivi himself is a curious entity with a mysterious background.
It's only Steiner who is genuinely enough of a dumbass to completely fail to notice that fact and genuinely tell Vivi why even worry, obviously this is nothing at all, which Zidane then bounces off to tell Vivi about individuality and whatever. But this wouldn't work without Steiner being enough of a good-hearted idiot who respects Vivi to obviously say that the extremely real and obvious mystery hanging over them doesn't actually exist.
I love him so much.
I wish I had high-res versions of the entry into Lindblum, because god it's gorgeous.
This city is immense. We saw an aerial shot of Alexandria - check out the first post if you forgot - and it was clearly a fairly large city, with a beautiful, strong castle overlooking it. But that's nothing in comparison to Lindblum; houses and streets crawl up the inner walls of the castle, factories belch out smoke through 19th-century style smokestacks, airships come out of the gates of hangars hundreds of feet high, they teem through the skies like flocks of birds. The urban density and size of the place is overwhelming, the central castle a city unto itself.
No wonder Alexandria is massing an army of artificial mages, if they're preparing to fight this place. Lindblum looks a century ahead of Alexandria, in terms of both technology and urbanization.
And so our characters enter the central castle, and park their airship in front of a literal red carpet.
Alexandria Castle was just "Castle." Lindblum gets to be Grand Castle.
Vivi: "Wow! This castle is huge! It's even bigger than Alexandria Castle!"
Zidane: "Yeah. They don't call it Lindblum Grand Castle for nothing."
Steiner: "An indoor airship dock! This is truly amazing…! Even her majesty's Red Rose would easily fit in here."
Zidane: "Dagger, you don't look too impressed. Have you been here before?"
Dagger: "Yes, I came here a few times when I was little… I haven't been here since my father passed away."
Zidane was so excited to wow the literal princess only to find out she's already familiar with the place and just thinks it's kinda cool, love this for her. Also is this the first mention of her having lost her father? Interesting.
The guards approach to check out this unscheduled arrival, commenting on how fucking old this ship they flew in is. Dagger immediately introduces herself as Princess Garnet til Alexandros, here to request an audience with… Regent Cid.
Well, that's an early name check! Neat!
The guard laugh off the very idea of a princess flying in this piece of junk, especially with company this obviously untrustworthy. Steiner rages, of course, but Dagger simply presents her royal pendant as proof of her claim. The guards immediately call for a Minister Artania, while Zidane and Steiner yell at each other about the other one obviously being the reason everyone is suspicious of them.
Finally, a man in an incredible 18th century hairdo shows up asking what's going on, and the Elite Guard tells him an unknown visitor comes in bearing a pendant resembling the Falcon Claw, whatever that is. Artania immediately dismisses the guard and approaches us.
Dagger: "Uncle Artania!"
Minister Artania: "It's good to see you, Princess. Please follow me. The regent is waiting."
Dagger: "?"
Did you catch it? Dagger's surprise?
Minister Artania did not know these visitors' alleged identity, or about the pendant, until he was told just now.
So why would Regent Cid be already waiting for her?
We can actually check out a few screens before heading on to the audience with Cid. They're mostly just ambient conversations and I'm not going to go into depth there here, this update will already be covering enough as it is, so we'll just move-
Oh, come on.
No, I can't pass up that one.
Okay. Look:
In one of the side rooms, we can meet this girl in a female airship crew uniform, and have this amazing conversation.
Just, for context, please remember that Dagger is right now waiting for Zidane to catch up to the party so they can go visit Cid, yeah?
Zidane: "You're an airman, right? Seems like a lot of girls are joining the crew these days."
Female Crew Member: "Oh, hello…"
Zidane: "So what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the airship docks or something?"
FCM: "...I passed the flight test for the new model. I was really looking forward to flying N°1, but it's gone now… Who knows when they'll finish N°2, with the regent's current condition…"
Zidane: "Don't worry. You'll get your chance someday, and you'll be the first pilot ever to fly the new model." [He scratches his hair.] "By the way, what's your name?"
FCM: "Thank you! I feel much better now."
Zidane: "Good. I'm Zidane and you're…"
FCM: "My name is Erin."
Zidane: "Hey, that's a really nice name. Erin, I'm gonna go get something to eat now. Do you wanna-"
Erin: "I have to get back now. Goodbye."
[She runs off-screen. Zidane stares and slumps in defeat.]
THEY CALL HIM 003. 0 MAIDENS. 0 SUCCESSFUL STEALS. 3 BLACK WALTZES ON HIS ASS.
Absolutely incredible. This is the pose of total defeat. This man has been once again utterly destroyed. This is what you get for trying to flirt with an airman girl while Dagger is waiting for you in the goddamned elevator one screen over.
Anyway. We steal a bunch of stuff from a large bedroom where we also find a moogle and save, and we're on.
Minister Artania is on the right.
Minister Artania: "Lindblum Castle has three levels, all connected by this lift. From the Base Level, which lies below the Mist, you can take a trolley to the harbor and the back gate. Ships hardly arrive at the harbor anymore, since travel by air has become so popular. The Mist poses great danger, so we've sealed off everything."
Minister Artania: "Just above the Base Level is the Mid Level. You can ride the air cab from the Mid Level to go to town."
Minister Artania: "The Upper Level contains the royal chamber and conference room. Access to that level is restricted, because the regent himself resides there."
Zidane: "Hey, Dagger, what's Regent Cid like? I lived in Lindblum for a while, but I've never met him."
Dagger: "Regent Cid is very wise. He always thinks ahead. He may seem a bit odd at times, but he is very dependable. He and my father were best friends…" [She turns around, looking sadly out the elevator.] "...I wonder if he will even listen to what I have to say…"
Zidane: "Don't worry. We're not leaving until he does."
And there it is. The throne room of Lindblum Castle. Minister Artania approaches, declaring that Princess Garnet of Alexandria is here to see Cid. Dagger approaches the throne and bows, and Steiner arrives behind her. Only… The throne is empty. There's no one there to greet them.
Then, they look closer in baffled surprise, as… Something… Peeks up from behind the throne.
Lacking, perhaps, proper respect for the graphical limitations of the PSX, the game makes the choice to introduce this character at the far end of the screen, and thus in its smallest resolution, which makes it hard to actually discern what is happening here; I know that as a child, it took me a couple more scenes before I understood what I was looking at and what had everyone so disturbed. So allow me to show you a close-up.
An oglop.
An oglop with a moustache.
CID THE OGLOP.
Outstanding work here. Nothing could prepare anyone for this.
The moustache'd oglop hops onto the throne, cheerfully calls out "Greetings!" And then casually approaches Dagger, with predictable results.
Steiner panics, steps in, and punches the oglop clean across the room, smashing it against the back of the throne.
It's a miracle he survived.
Minister Artania: "Sire!"
Regent Cid: "What!?"
Steiner: "!?"
Dagger: "Wh…!?"
[Zidane enters.]
Zidane: "Dagger, what's wrong? Why aren't you talking to- GEEZ! That's an oglop!"
[Vivi enters.]
Vivi: "Wow… Even the oglops are big in Lindblum."
Steiner: "What is the meaning of this!? How dare you greet the princess like this!? Get that repulsive bug off the throne immediately, and call the regent!"
Minister Artania: "Please, settle down! You ARE before the regent!"
Steiner: "What!? Enough of your nonsense!"
Dagger: "Steiner, stand down." [Steiner reluctantly steps back and falls quiet.] "I remember that moustache. Is that really you, Uncle Cid?"
Regent Cid: "Yes. Greetings, all <gwok>. I am Cid Fabool, Regent of Lindblum. I knew it was you - I recognized your pendant's description; it's so much like my 'Falcon Claw.' I'm delighted to see you again, Garnet. You have truly <gwok> become a fine lady. I, on the other hand…"
Minister Artania: "Allow me to explain."
Minister Artania: "About six months ago, someone snuck into the castle and attacked the regent in his sleep. Unfortunately, we were too late… The regent had been transformed into an oglop, and his wife, Lady Hilda, was abducted."
Dagger: "My goodness…"
Zidane: "Whoever pulled this off had to be highly skilled, like me."
Steiner: "Hmph! I'll bet it was you!"
Regent Cid: "That's not possible."
Zidane: "How can you be so sure? Do you know who we are?"
Regent Cid: "Of course. I may be a bug <gwok>, but I am still the ruler of Lindblum."
Dagger: "Uncle Cid, I appreciate you seeing me on such short notice. I desperately need to speak to you about my mother."
Regent Cid: "That's what I figured. But I'm sure it can wait 'til tomorrow. Why don't you all get some rest for today?"
Dagger: "Thank you."
Minister Artania: "It is time for lunch. Please follow me."
Love Zidane taking the opportunity to somehow make the tragedy of Cid being turned into a bug and his wife abducted into how cool and badass and the best thief ever he is despite no one asking. The ego on this kid is out of this world.
Now… We could stop there. The "it's time for lunch" transition would be, like, fine. Buuuut…
Let's at least keep going until everyone goes to rest. Because there is, in fact, more to see before that point.
V. The Legend Of The Boy Who Thought He Had Game
Turns out, Zidane can't stand fancy food, and much prefer the cheap, hearty food of a lower class tavern. Thus he has decided to abscond from the proceedings (how must Dagger feel!) to instead head out to a place he knows in town - today's special, it says, is "Soup du Silence." Now I'm actually curious what that dish might look like!
Hm. That sure is a distinctive outfit worn by that person at the counter…
Zidane: "Yo, Pops. I'll have the stupid special."
[The moustached innkeeper behind the counter starts angrily.]
Bobo: "Who said that!? Zidane… I figured it was you."
Zidane: "How've you been?"
Bobo: "Alright, I guess… Have a seat. Your soup'll be ready in a minute."
[A waitress approaches and pauses, Zidane being in her way.]
Lilian: "Do you mind? You're standing in everyone's way."
Zidane, that's a whole adult woman. Please cool it-
Zidane: "Wow…"
[Zidane moves out of the way, and the waitress moves past him; he immediately nudges closer to her.]
Zidane: [Scratching his hair] "Hey."
Lilian: "Yeah? Do you want a drink?"
Zidane: "How about you and me go for a cruise on an airship?"
Lilian: "Really!? An airship!?"
Zidane: "Sounds like you've never been on one. You know, Lindblum is quite a sight from above."
Oh my fucking god. Zidane. You left Dagger five minutes ago. You were hitting on that airman LESS THAN AN HOUR AGO. Wait, "Lindblum is quite a sight from above"? That's basically what you said to Vivi earlier! Do you just have stock lines that you recycle across conversations!? Also you're underage and I'm pretty sure that waitress is an adult!
But then, one heroic customer intervenes - the woman in red.
Woman at the Counter: "Hey, monkey-tail, you're disturbing the other customers."
Zidane: "What the - you've got a tail, too, rat-face!"
Woman at the Counter: "Rat-face… After I finish my drink, I'm gonna kick your butt."
[Zidane steps forward with an aggressive stance.]
Bobo: "Hey, Zidane, take it outside."
Zidane: "!!!"
[The woman turns to him, and his stance relaxes, surprised.]
Woman at the Counter: "Long time, Zidane."
Insults aside, I'm pretty sure that she is, in fact, a rat-woman.
Zidane: "Hey! What's up! Wait a minute…"
Woman: [Pointing at her chest] "You forgot my name?"
Zidane: "No, I remember. You're Helga, right?"
Woman: "Wrong."
Zidane: [Touching his chin, tilting his head up] "...Christine?"
Woman: "No!"
Zidane: "...Oh yeah! You used to live next door to me. How's it going… Ratchel? Man, you've really gotten… big."
Woman: [Angrily] "You nasty little-"
Zidane: "Come on. I'm just kiddin'. You know I never forget a pretty girl's name."
What an incredible way to introduce our next party member, goddamn. Zidane's dipshit energy is just… Off the charts. Did he actually forget her name and cycle through multiple attempts until he could remember it, or was it really just a joke? I have no idea.
Still. Him remembering Freya's actual name (and also probably him calling her a 'pretty girl') is enough to mollify her.
Zidane: "So, how've you been, Freya?"
[She turns back to the counter and her drink.]
Freya: "...Same old Zidane."
Zidane: "How long has it been?"
Freya: "About 3 years."
Zidane: "Hey, did you ever find out anything about your boyfriend?"
Freya: "No…"
Zidane: "So.. .What brings you to Lindblum?"
Freya: "The Festival of the Hunt. What else? It's a good opportunity to test my skills."
Zidane: "Oh… Well, I'm sure you'll find him someday."
Freya: "Aren't you participating?"
Zidane: "...Nah. I think I'll pass."
Freya: "Lazy bum."
Zidane: "...Are you ever gonna go back?"
Freya: "I have no reason to return to Brumecia. There is nothing there for me anymore."
[The scene fades to black as the two drink together.
And that was our brief introduction to Freya. She is some kind of huntress from Brumecia (the last of the three cities that kept getting into big wars, along with Alexandria and Lindblum), and it seems like she had a boyfriend who somehow disappeared and that she's been searching for for at least three years.
Man. Three years ago Zidane would have been thirteen. Absolutely insane to imagine him going around hitting on girls and asking people's backstory. That kid should have been in school.
Freya's red outfit suggests, at first glance, a Red Mage. But those little wings on her hat? Dragon wings. So… Dragoon? We'll find out soon.
For now, there is just one small scene left to cover.
VI. I'll Have You Know My Uncle Was A Bug!
Dagger and Cid are walking through the castle together - alone, this time; no Zidane, no Minister Artania, no Steiner. These two already know one another, Dagger speaks to Cid as if to a relative, and the things they have to share with one another are not for the ears of loyal but bumbling knights, or daring thieves who have no place in such royal business.
Regent Cid: "So, how is the queen? Is she still as vibrant as ever?"
Dagger: "Yes, but… Since Father died, Mother has been acting very strangely…"
Regent Cid: "I'm not surprised <gwok-gwok>. They loved each other so much…"
Dagger: "We haven't spoken much lately. Also, a suspicious man has been prowling around the castle."
Dagger: "I don't know what's going on anymore… I fear that she might be planning something terrible. I've brought this matter to everybody's attention, but no one has taken me seriously. They all think I'm distraught over losing Father…"
Regent Cid: "I understand why you are so eager. I'm happy that you came to me for help."
Dagger: "At this point, I think you're the only person Mother will listen to… When I heard that Lindblum's theatre ship was coming to Alexandria, I decided to sneak on board and come here no matter what. I just never expected the crew to kidnap me…"
Regent Cid: [He turns around away from her.] "It was me… I was the one who ordered Tantalus to kidnap you."
Dagger: "!?"
There it is. That's why I wanted to push this as far as this scene. So the foreshadowing earlier wouldn't just dangle unresolved. Cid was the one who hired Tantalus to abduct Dagger. That explains why they never mentioned a ransom, why Zidane immediately went along with Dagger wanting to go to Lindblum, why he thought once she would be there they'd part ways, why Cid was already waiting for her. Getting Dagger to this point was their job the whole time, and now Tantalus's job is done. Whatever Cid wanted with Dagger is not Zidane's business and out of his hands now.
The regent of Lindblum orchestrated the kidnapping of the princess of Alexandria. This is an obvious casus belli. If Queen Brahne catches so much as a whiff of Dagger's location, it'll be war. That was an extremely bold move on Cid's part. So… What could have justified it?
There's a brief fade to black here, though the scene remains the same, just now Dagger is sitting on the stairs to the throne while Bug!Cid paces in front of her, some portion of their "catching up" dialogue have been skipped.
Cid: "I once promised your father <gwok> that should anything happen, I would protect you. We've known about the disturbances in Alexandria for some time. But had we acted directly, it would've started a war. So, I asked Baku for help. He and I go way back."
Cid: "The play was the perfect cover to enter Alexandria and get you out. No one would suspect Lindblum was behind it. We were <gwok> forced to take action, because we knew Alexandria would never seek our help. I'm relieved we were able to get you here."
Dagger: [She climbs the stairs towards Cid.] "At the Village of Dali, we saw numerous black mages. They looked like golems, controlled by some powerful magic. On top of that, they were being created under Alexandria's supervision. I don't know how they're related to Vivi, but if Mother is planning to use them for war…"
Cid: "We won't let that happen. Even if she were to command an army of black mages, she won't make a move as long as we have our airship fleet. Don't worry <gwok-gwok>. Everything will be fine."
[Dagger kneels in front of the throne.]
Dagger: "I'm so sorry, Uncle."
Cid: "Now, now. Don't worry. I'm helping you because I am your Uncle Cid, not because I am the regent of Lindblum."
Dagger: "Thank you so much."
I'd initially assumed that "Uncle Cid" was merely a term of endearment (Dagger also calls Minister Artania "Uncle"), but from this dialogue it sounds like he might actually be her uncle, most likely her late father's brother.
From almost the first moment of the game, Dagger struggles with disempowerment; she makes the kidnapping her own, but then is abducted again in the forest, and then she's stranded in the Mist, in Ice Caverns and a strange village. In all these moments, her status as "princess" is a vulnerability, something that others are trying to protect or exploit. She is, herself, a White Mage of some power and a potential summoner, but she's largely been dragged around by people with more understanding of what was going on than she was, mainly Zidane. Now I'm not saying that's bad - it's very clearly intentional, and well-executed, how Dagger slowly manages to affirm her agency in what are difficult and unfamiliar circumstances, culminating in her taking the helm of the airship and taking everyone safely through South Gate.
But the moment they touch ground in Lindblum, everything changes. Dagger is now longer a lost girl trying to hide her princess status and avoid capture. She is Princess Garnet Til Alexandros, welcome into Lindblum Grand Castle with open arms. She is immediately trusted by the ruler of the city-state, reveals to him things that she did not share with Zidane or Steiner (such as the mysterious man who has been hanging around her mother lately), she speaks of weighty matters of war and the fate of nations, and is promised the safety of a fleet of airships. This is Dagger's world, this is where she holds power - not white magic, but political power, the power of nobility, of connection, of blood.
We have a clearer idea of the broader picture here - Alexandria is technologically backwards, but has been using secret new technology to create black mage dolls; yet Lindblum remains larger, more advanced, and it has an airship fleet, by all signs an overwhelming force advantage in any war. The advantage remains on their side.
Cid takes Dagger with him to a new room, one she is unfamiliar with.
This is the airship dock, the "heart and soul" of Lindblum. More specifically, this is Dock N°1, the research dock: This is where Cid conducts airship design. Because yes! We are in fact back to Cid the Airship Engineer. He is not just the regent of Lindblum (incidentally, one wonders what happened to the royals, if the regent is ruling and they're nowhere to be seen or heard of), he's their chief airship engineer. He, personally, undersaw the design of their newest and most modern airship model, a scant 6 months ago. A ship that did not require Mist to fly.
But now, as Dagger notes, the docks are empty. The ship is gone. Dagger asks if it was the same man who attacked Cid and cursed him into this form who also stole the ship. And of course - the connection is obvious here. If a mysterious man has been hanging around Queen Brahne as her behavior changed for the worse, and a mysterious man abducted Cid's wife and turned him into an oglop… The same man, trying to affect the fate of kingdoms behind the scenes…?
And then. Fuck. Amazing.
Regent Cid: "Good guess, but no… Actually… I met a lovely lady at the pub…"
Dagger: "...Um?"
Regent Cid: "When Hilda found out about my little affair, she used her magic and turned me into an oglop. Then she stormed off in the new airship, which I named Hilda Garde. Pretty ironic, eh?"
THE RULER OF LINDBLUM. WAS SLUMMING IT AT THE PUB. AND CHEATED ON HIS WIFE WITH A RANDOM GIRL. SO HIS WIFE TURNED HIM INTO A BUG AND STOLE THE LATEST AIRSHIP.
HE MADE UP THE WHOLE STORY ABOUT THE MYSTERIOUS NIGHTTIME ASSAILLANT.
Immaculate. I was already cooking up a new theory about the hidden bad guy and he shot me the fuck down.
Cid's been working on a second Hilda Garde ship, but unfortunately, his mind isn't the same an oglop and he's been making no progress.
And then Dagger and Cid makes one of the most amazing bad decisions of all time.
Remember when Dagger said she thought Cid was one of the only people her mother would listen to?
Regent Cid: "I'm hopeless… but that doesn't mean I can't help you. I'll do my best for Alexandria."
Dagger: "Thank you… But with South Gate badly damaged, I don't know how we can get to Alexandria…"
Regent Cid: "Don't worry. South Gate is being repaired as we speak. Once the repairs are finished, we'll go to Alexandria."
Dagger: "Yes. I'm sure Mother will finally open her eyes to see the truth."
…
They're going. Back. To Alexandria.
I don't think it's. Like. A stupid decision in-character. Cid hasn't seen Brahne in years, he's only heard rumors of her behavior changing. Dagger saw it first hand, but she's been shielded from much of her worst decisions, like approving the Black Waltz project, so she still harbors hope that her mother is just in some kind of grief-driven depressive pit after her father died. If the head of state of a more powerful nation, his safety guaranteed by the threat of his airship fleet, shows up with full diplomatic fanfare accompanied by her daughter, it's impossible that Queen Brahne wouldn't listen to them and make wise decisions with their counsel.
But we saw Brahne fire all the artillery of Alexandria Castle at an airship that had her daughter on it. We saw her order Zorn and Thorn to send the Black Waltzes after Garnet.
There is no way this diplomatic mission ends in anything but Brahne ordering Dagger and Cid seized at once, and then producing some more magiscience monstrosity to deal with the airship fleet. Even should this lay waste to half of Alexandria in the process.
…
But maybe I'm being pessimistic. Like I said, it's a bad decision from our OOC perspective, but I don't think it's reasonable for Cid and Dagger to expect this outcome at this stage.
Cid grows quiet, thoughtful, and Dagger asks him if something's wrong - but he's only thinking about the Prima Vista crashing into the forest, and how Baku must have had good men working for him, to steal get Dagger to safety.
And that's our cue to the next morning.
It took longer than I'd planned or expected, but I didn't want this update to cover only the third Black Waltz encounter, and once we were in Lindblum, I figured we might as well push through to the end of the first evening.
And that sure was a lot to cover! I'm kind of tapped out actually, so let's keep this short.
I know it's likely the nostalgia talking. But for a mid-disc 1 boss with an altogether not exactly impressive boss battle and scarce dialogue, Black Waltz N°3 is somehow hanging up there with some of the series' most iconic bosses in terms of sheer cool factor. Part of it is just that they gave him the budget for three separate FMVs, that he directly connects to Vivi's arc who's one of the most poignant of the game so far, that he's allowed to wreak high-impact SFX destruction set to sad music to sell his threat, and his total mental breakdown after his defeat had a profound effect on me as a kid. He is one of these villains who defeat himself - in the end, the party was just trying to escape; it was his own reckless anger that blew up and crashed his ship. Just deserts, ironic punishment, etc. But not just that - all that aura is set-up for Vivi finally snapping in justified anger and going into Trance, kicking his ass, and then managing a feat of magic and beating Black Waltz in a straight spell clash before collapsing from the effort. Anime shit. I mean this as the highest compliment.
We haven't seen much of Lindblum yet, but I really like the amazing vista we get at the entrance, the sense of scale it has. It's obvious that Alexandria is set up as an antagonist and that means they will most likely do some very, very bad things to Lindblum, but a bad guy is only as good as the opposition he overcomes. Establishing just how superior Lindblum looks in size and technology to Alexandria, clearly signaling "there's no way a city like this could lose to Alexandria," will most likely serve to build heat for Alexandria when they drop a Vantablack Symphony on their central castle or something.
It's also instantly funny to get a look at Zidane instantly turning into an uncontrollable horndog gremlin the moment he's out of sight of Dagger. Dude told Vivi he's popular with "ALL the ladies in Lindblum" and this seems extremely fake but like it's definitely something that he believes about himself.
It's not like Squall wasn't a hormonal teenager in his own way but he channeled it into murder and social anxiety. Zidane, unfortunately, is unabashedly Himself. God save any woman who has to run into him.
I'm really looking forward to finding out more about Freya and what her deal is, though - that was a tantalizing introduction that only lasted long enough to raise questions without answering them.
Hopefully, next time we'll begin to have some.
Thank you for reading.
Next Time: Exploring Lindblum?
(I promise the next intro quotes will be shorter, I just had that one in my pocket since like Update 2)
The Black Waltz's ship has no onboard weapons, but it doesn't need them: it has the creature itself. It raises its hand, and in its palm, a Thundara spell glows, then spreads out its lightning.
Then Vivi looks up, and raises his hand, and meets it with a fire spell.
Look how his eyes glow.
The two spells clash, lightning against fire, and incredibly, Vivi wins. His fire spell punches through Black Waltz's lightning, striking his airship and sending it veering off wildly with a plume of smoke. It's not destroyed, but it's giving the cargo ship a small window to escape.
Vivi, his strength exhausted by this incredible feat of magic, collapses onto the deck. Which, considering that they're on an airship pushing forward at high speed and rocking every which way with broken railing, is incredibly dangerous. Zidane shouts what's probably Vivi's name (we still, of course, lack voice acting, but FMVs do use lip sync) and hurries after him, picking him up off the deck to drag him to some semblance of safety.
Ahead, South Gate is already closing before them.
"South Gate" is a giant airlock, with two massive doors at each end and a wide space within, likely used to hold ships during inspection.
Dagger holds firm at the wheel. They manage to pull into the airlock before the gates close - but it's not over. The gates are also closing on the other end. They have to run the entire distance to the next gate, or risk being trapped inside the airlock - with the Black Waltz.
Because he's back on their heels, and manages to slip in just before the gates close.
Their flight is so fast and rocky, Zidane and Vivi are nearly knocked off board. Zidane barely manages to grab Vivi by the scruff off his neck, the poor black mage dangling in the void.
Without Vivi, they have no defense. Dagger knows magic, but she's at the steering wheel. There's nothing they can do against the Black Waltz as he pulls up, and raises his hand again.
Vivi is actually conscious in that scene, there's a very brief frame where we see his eyes open while dangling overboard.
But unbeknownst to him, Vivi has already won this fight. I've mentioned before that Black Waltz N°3's magic is sweeping, devastating the deck of the airship; his lightning runs wild, destroying all around him.
And it hits the engine damaged by the fire spell.
Absolutely outstanding "uh oh" face.
Yeah, he just blew up his own engine. Now the ship's on fire! It goes careening off wildly through the air, just as the cargo ship manages to slip by the second set of gates at the last moment, and…
Exit Black Waltz N°3.
This was a wild sequence, and frankly, one of my favorite sets of FMVs in all of Final Fantasy. The action is just thrilling, the emotional angle of Vivi's drama is really compelling, and the Black Waltz is just… Disappointing boss fight aside, he's so fucking cool.
I've tried to do my usual breakdown, but as a result I've blown a massive chunk of wordcount and picture count on just describing, like, at most two minutes of visual, so I frankly recommend you check out this compilation of all three FMVs featuring Black Waltz N°3:
It's exceptional.
…
So. Let's briefly talk translation.
Like I said, Black Waltz N°3 is clearly a homicidal maniac. He's evil, in that he has no concern for human life and delights in crushing others with his power. He also… Clearly has an emotional range, feelings, full language skills. He's a person. He can engage in conversation, he just doesn't care enough about other people to do so.
From the moment of his defeat onwards, he says only two lines: "You… You scum…!" and then "I exist only to kill!" repeated ad nauseam. He's clearly obsessing over his nature as an artificial being designed for power and violence. He's having an obvious mental breakdown.
When I played that scene as a kid, though, in its French version, it took a slightly different tack. Black Waltz's lines after his defeat are:
Valseur 3: "Mi… Misérables! Mizérabl!"
Valseur 3: "Je suis fé pour gagné!"
These translate more or less to "You scum, I was made to win!" with the latter being less punchy than "I exist only to kill."
The thing is… These two sentences are misspelled. "Mizerabl" is a misspelling of "Misérables." "Je suis fé pour gagné" is an incorrect spelling of "Je suis fait pour gagner." They're the kind of misspelling that would slightly alter the phonetics of each sentence, but that's not really what they're doing. More specifically, they're childish misspellings. They are phonetic spellings of each words, the kind a child who is only learning to write would make. Even as a ten years old - especially as a ten years old - this was obvious to me.
These are the dialogue lines of a being whose self-conception has been so thoroughly broken that he is regressing to a childlike state even as he is overcome with destructive fury.
This was, I think, the first time that I saw a fictional character experience a genuine mental breakdown into full-on madness. The first time I saw a representation the loss of reason, of self-control. Of the idea that you could somehow lose the ability to think as an adult. This made a profound impact on me - in no small part likely because I had undiagnosed ADHD and other related issues, and so I was familiar with the experience of being overwhelmed by stimuli in a way that led to me acting erratically, and that other people thought that was abnormal and troublesome.
Twenty years after playing this game for the first time, if you'd told me "Final Fantasy IX," I'd think about, in roughly this order: A couple of cutscenes we haven't gotten to yet, Blank being petrified in Evil Forest, and Black Waltz N°3 shouting "Je suis fé pour gagné!!" over and over as he broke down.
I guess I feel strangely sympathetic towards this evil bastard with no redeeming qualities.
IV. "A Bug?" "That's President-General Emperor Bug To You, Peasant!"
The airship sails over the mist, crossing multiple other airships on the way, until finally reaching this massive looking castle town.
(At some point we'll probably dig into the implications of how the Mist's existence means civilization can only be built up, on mountains, plateaus, and elevated, fortified towns.)
On the bridge, Zidane examines the smoking machinery while everyone else looks somber.
Zidane: "I think we pushed it a little too hard." [He turns around to everyone else.] "Why so silent, people?" [No reply.] "We made it! Come on, cheer up!"
Genuinely impressive how everyone but Zidane looks miserable.
Dagger: "South Gate was badly damaged… It was my fault, wasn't it?"
Zidane: "Don't worry about it! They'll fix it up in no time."
Steiner: [He turns around to Zidane] "You idiot! The cargo ship was wrecked, we lost all the cargo, and South Gate was destroyed! I can't believe I played a part in this debacle!"
Dagger: "Steiner."
Steiner: "Yes, Princess!"
Dagger: "I didn't mean to get you involved… But you saved us. I thank you."
Steiner: [He goes down on one knee.] "Such kind words! I am not worthy!" [He stands back up.] "Well, now I've made up my mind!" [He does a military salute.] "I vow to protect you, Princess, until we return to the castle!"
Zidane: "How do you feel about that, Dagger? He'll follow you to the end of the world."
Dagger: "It's okay, Zidane. Hey, I can see the main gate of Lindblum!"
Steiner: "That's Lindblum Castle!? How gigantic…!"
Dagger: "The city of Lindblum is inside the castle."
Zidane: "(I guess Dagger and I will go our separate ways once we reach Lindblum…)"
Steiner: "I see…"
Zidane: "(Just when we were beginning to get close…)"
Steiner is honestly getting off a little easy for his betrayal, but, well, frankly he was incompetent about it enough that I don't mind too much; it'd be one thing if he'd actually successfully conspired with a Black Waltz or managed to trick everyone to get back to Alexandria Castle, but his half-baked plan was seen through immediately and easily diverted, and then he got smacked around by Black Waltzes a bunch while Zidane and Dagger just hijacked the airship and got it back on track. I think it's fine for a character to dodge a major comeuppance when their villainy was also completely ineffectual. And now it looks like he's finally committed himself fully to the party and to whatever course Dagger sees through.
Maybe the fact that Queen Brahne is sending psychotic enhanced supermages after them has somewhat knocked a little sense into him regarding his loyalties? No, that's too much to hope for.
Also, make a note of Zidane saying that Dagger and he will probably go their separate ways. We still don't know the full truth behind Tantalus's kidnapping plans, but this is foreshadowing/a hint. Also a neat bit of characterization that Zidane doesn't know he's in a JRPG and that he and Dagger are basically mandated to stick together for the majority of the next thirty-plus hours, so of course he doesn't really see any reason why this runaway princess would stick with a random bandit like him long term. What are Zidane's plans for the future, now that he's been separated from Tantalus? I suppose we'll find out later.
Then, Vivi speaks.
Vivi: "...Zidane. Those… black mages and I… Are we… the same…?"
Zidane: [He raises his hand as if he's about to say something, then lowers them.]
Zidane: [He moves to another place in the cabin.]
Zidane: "....."
Dagger: "....."
Steiner: "I don't understand, Master Vivi." [He crosses his arms, looking disturbed.] "Just what seems to be the problem…?"
Vivi: "...I don't know."
Steiner: "Master Vivi, why would those mages be the same as you? And why would it matter if they were…?" [Steiner pinches his chin and looks up thoughtfully.]
Zidane: "Rusty's right! You're an individual, no matter what happens, Vivi!"
Vivi: "R-Right!"
Look at him. Look at Steiner's sincere, genuine confusion. He has no fucking clue.
Zidane tells Vivi they gotta go on the deck to see the view and takes him out and the whole time Steiner is stuck in his "thinking man" pose, completely lost to the world.
The three criteria of the himbo are "broad of chest," "dumb of ass," and "kind of heart." When Vivi looks at the group full of distress and sorrow and confusion, unsure of what he even is, of whether he's even human, Zidane and Dagger don't know how to answer. They don't know because, obviously something is up with Vivi and his connection to the black mage dolls. Obviously there's something strange and unnatural at work here. Obviously Vivi himself is a curious entity with a mysterious background.
It's only Steiner who is genuinely enough of a dumbass to completely fail to notice that fact and genuinely tell Vivi why even worry, obviously this is nothing at all, which Zidane then bounces off to tell Vivi about individuality and whatever. But this wouldn't work without Steiner being enough of a good-hearted idiot who respects Vivi to obviously say that the extremely real and obvious mystery hanging over them doesn't actually exist.
I love him so much.
I wish I had high-res versions of the entry into Lindblum, because god it's gorgeous.
This city is immense. We saw an aerial shot of Alexandria - check out the first post if you forgot - and it was clearly a fairly large city, with a beautiful, strong castle overlooking it. But that's nothing in comparison to Lindblum; houses and streets crawl up the inner walls of the castle, factories belch out smoke through 19th-century style smokestacks, airships come out of the gates of hangars hundreds of feet high, they teem through the skies like flocks of birds. The urban density and size of the place is overwhelming, the central castle a city unto itself.
No wonder Alexandria is massing an army of artificial mages, if they're preparing to fight this place. Lindblum looks a century ahead of Alexandria, in terms of both technology and urbanization.
And so our characters enter the central castle, and park their airship in front of a literal red carpet.
Alexandria Castle was just "Castle." Lindblum gets to be Grand Castle.
Vivi: "Wow! This castle is huge! It's even bigger than Alexandria Castle!"
Zidane: "Yeah. They don't call it Lindblum Grand Castle for nothing."
Steiner: "An indoor airship dock! This is truly amazing…! Even her majesty's Red Rose would easily fit in here."
Zidane: "Dagger, you don't look too impressed. Have you been here before?"
Dagger: "Yes, I came here a few times when I was little… I haven't been here since my father passed away."
Zidane was so excited to wow the literal princess only to find out she's already familiar with the place and just thinks it's kinda cool, love this for her. Also is this the first mention of her having lost her father? Interesting.
The guards approach to check out this unscheduled arrival, commenting on how fucking old this ship they flew in is. Dagger immediately introduces herself as Princess Garnet til Alexandros, here to request an audience with… Regent Cid.
Well, that's an early name check! Neat!
The guard laugh off the very idea of a princess flying in this piece of junk, especially with company this obviously untrustworthy. Steiner rages, of course, but Dagger simply presents her royal pendant as proof of her claim. The guards immediately call for a Minister Artania, while Zidane and Steiner yell at each other about the other one obviously being the reason everyone is suspicious of them.
Finally, a man in an incredible 18th century hairdo shows up asking what's going on, and the Elite Guard tells him an unknown visitor comes in bearing a pendant resembling the Falcon Claw, whatever that is. Artania immediately dismisses the guard and approaches us.
Dagger: "Uncle Artania!"
Minister Artania: "It's good to see you, Princess. Please follow me. The regent is waiting."
Dagger: "?"
Did you catch it? Dagger's surprise?
Minister Artania did not know these visitors' alleged identity, or about the pendant, until he was told just now.
So why would Regent Cid be already waiting for her?
We can actually check out a few screens before heading on to the audience with Cid. They're mostly just ambient conversations and I'm not going to go into depth there here, this update will already be covering enough as it is, so we'll just move-
Oh, come on.
No, I can't pass up that one.
Okay. Look:
In one of the side rooms, we can meet this girl in a female airship crew uniform, and have this amazing conversation.
Just, for context, please remember that Dagger is right now waiting for Zidane to catch up to the party so they can go visit Cid, yeah?
Zidane: "You're an airman, right? Seems like a lot of girls are joining the crew these days."
Female Crew Member: "Oh, hello…"
Zidane: "So what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the airship docks or something?"
FCM: "...I passed the flight test for the new model. I was really looking forward to flying N°1, but it's gone now… Who knows when they'll finish N°2, with the regent's current condition…"
Zidane: "Don't worry. You'll get your chance someday, and you'll be the first pilot ever to fly the new model." [He scratches his hair.] "By the way, what's your name?"
FCM: "Thank you! I feel much better now."
Zidane: "Good. I'm Zidane and you're…"
FCM: "My name is Erin."
Zidane: "Hey, that's a really nice name. Erin, I'm gonna go get something to eat now. Do you wanna-"
Erin: "I have to get back now. Goodbye."
[She runs off-screen. Zidane stares and slumps in defeat.]
THEY CALL HIM 003. 0 MAIDENS. 0 SUCCESSFUL STEALS. 3 BLACK WALTZES ON HIS ASS.
Absolutely incredible. This is the pose of total defeat. This man has been once again utterly destroyed. This is what you get for trying to flirt with an airman girl while Dagger is waiting for you in the goddamned elevator one screen over.
Anyway. We steal a bunch of stuff from a large bedroom where we also find a moogle and save, and we're on.
Minister Artania is on the right.
Minister Artania: "Lindblum Castle has three levels, all connected by this lift. From the Base Level, which lies below the Mist, you can take a trolley to the harbor and the back gate. Ships hardly arrive at the harbor anymore, since travel by air has become so popular. The Mist poses great danger, so we've sealed off everything."
Minister Artania: "Just above the Base Level is the Mid Level. You can ride the air cab from the Mid Level to go to town."
Minister Artania: "The Upper Level contains the royal chamber and conference room. Access to that level is restricted, because the regent himself resides there."
Zidane: "Hey, Dagger, what's Regent Cid like? I lived in Lindblum for a while, but I've never met him."
Dagger: "Regent Cid is very wise. He always thinks ahead. He may seem a bit odd at times, but he is very dependable. He and my father were best friends…" [She turns around, looking sadly out the elevator.] "...I wonder if he will even listen to what I have to say…"
Zidane: "Don't worry. We're not leaving until he does."
And there it is. The throne room of Lindblum Castle. Minister Artania approaches, declaring that Princess Garnet of Alexandria is here to see Cid. Dagger approaches the throne and bows, and Steiner arrives behind her. Only… The throne is empty. There's no one there to greet them.
Then, they look closer in baffled surprise, as… Something… Peeks up from behind the throne.
Lacking, perhaps, proper respect for the graphical limitations of the PSX, the game makes the choice to introduce this character at the far end of the screen, and thus in its smallest resolution, which makes it hard to actually discern what is happening here; I know that as a child, it took me a couple more scenes before I understood what I was looking at and what had everyone so disturbed. So allow me to show you a close-up.
An oglop.
An oglop with a moustache.
CID THE OGLOP.
Outstanding work here. Nothing could prepare anyone for this.
The moustache'd oglop hops onto the throne, cheerfully calls out "Greetings!" And then casually approaches Dagger, with predictable results.
Steiner panics, steps in, and punches the oglop clean across the room, smashing it against the back of the throne.
It's a miracle he survived.
Minister Artania: "Sire!"
Regent Cid: "What!?"
Steiner: "!?"
Dagger: "Wh…!?"
[Zidane enters.]
Zidane: "Dagger, what's wrong? Why aren't you talking to- GEEZ! That's an oglop!"
[Vivi enters.]
Vivi: "Wow… Even the oglops are big in Lindblum."
Steiner: "What is the meaning of this!? How dare you greet the princess like this!? Get that repulsive bug off the throne immediately, and call the regent!"
Minister Artania: "Please, settle down! You ARE before the regent!"
Steiner: "What!? Enough of your nonsense!"
Dagger: "Steiner, stand down." [Steiner reluctantly steps back and falls quiet.] "I remember that moustache. Is that really you, Uncle Cid?"
Regent Cid: "Yes. Greetings, all <gwok>. I am Cid Fabool, Regent of Lindblum. I knew it was you - I recognized your pendant's description; it's so much like my 'Falcon Claw.' I'm delighted to see you again, Garnet. You have truly <gwok> become a fine lady. I, on the other hand…"
Minister Artania: "Allow me to explain."
Minister Artania: "About six months ago, someone snuck into the castle and attacked the regent in his sleep. Unfortunately, we were too late… The regent had been transformed into an oglop, and his wife, Lady Hilda, was abducted."
Dagger: "My goodness…"
Zidane: "Whoever pulled this off had to be highly skilled, like me."
Steiner: "Hmph! I'll bet it was you!"
Regent Cid: "That's not possible."
Zidane: "How can you be so sure? Do you know who we are?"
Regent Cid: "Of course. I may be a bug <gwok>, but I am still the ruler of Lindblum."
Dagger: "Uncle Cid, I appreciate you seeing me on such short notice. I desperately need to speak to you about my mother."
Regent Cid: "That's what I figured. But I'm sure it can wait 'til tomorrow. Why don't you all get some rest for today?"
Dagger: "Thank you."
Minister Artania: "It is time for lunch. Please follow me."
Love Zidane taking the opportunity to somehow make the tragedy of Cid being turned into a bug and his wife abducted into how cool and badass and the best thief ever he is despite no one asking. The ego on this kid is out of this world.
Now… We could stop there. The "it's time for lunch" transition would be, like, fine. Buuuut…
Let's at least keep going until everyone goes to rest. Because there is, in fact, more to see before that point.
V. The Legend Of The Boy Who Thought He Had Game
Turns out, Zidane can't stand fancy food, and much prefer the cheap, hearty food of a lower class tavern. Thus he has decided to abscond from the proceedings (how must Dagger feel!) to instead head out to a place he knows in town - today's special, it says, is "Soup du Silence." Now I'm actually curious what that dish might look like!
Hm. That sure is a distinctive outfit worn by that person at the counter…
Zidane: "Yo, Pops. I'll have the stupid special."
[The moustached innkeeper behind the counter starts angrily.]
Bobo: "Who said that!? Zidane… I figured it was you."
Zidane: "How've you been?"
Bobo: "Alright, I guess… Have a seat. Your soup'll be ready in a minute."
[A waitress approaches and pauses, Zidane being in her way.]
Lilian: "Do you mind? You're standing in everyone's way."
Zidane, that's a whole adult woman. Please cool it-
Zidane: "Wow…"
[Zidane moves out of the way, and the waitress moves past him; he immediately nudges closer to her.]
Zidane: [Scratching his hair] "Hey."
Lilian: "Yeah? Do you want a drink?"
Zidane: "How about you and me go for a cruise on an airship?"
Lilian: "Really!? An airship!?"
Zidane: "Sounds like you've never been on one. You know, Lindblum is quite a sight from above."
Oh my fucking god. Zidane. You left Dagger five minutes ago. You were hitting on that airman LESS THAN AN HOUR AGO. Wait, "Lindblum is quite a sight from above"? That's basically what you said to Vivi earlier! Do you just have stock lines that you recycle across conversations!? Also you're underage and I'm pretty sure that waitress is an adult!
But then, one heroic customer intervenes - the woman in red.
Woman at the Counter: "Hey, monkey-tail, you're disturbing the other customers."
Zidane: "What the - you've got a tail, too, rat-face!"
Woman at the Counter: "Rat-face… After I finish my drink, I'm gonna kick your butt."
[Zidane steps forward with an aggressive stance.]
Bobo: "Hey, Zidane, take it outside."
Zidane: "!!!"
[The woman turns to him, and his stance relaxes, surprised.]
Woman at the Counter: "Long time, Zidane."
Insults aside, I'm pretty sure that she is, in fact, a rat-woman.
Zidane: "Hey! What's up! Wait a minute…"
Woman: [Pointing at her chest] "You forgot my name?"
Zidane: "No, I remember. You're Helga, right?"
Woman: "Wrong."
Zidane: [Touching his chin, tilting his head up] "...Christine?"
Woman: "No!"
Zidane: "...Oh yeah! You used to live next door to me. How's it going… Ratchel? Man, you've really gotten… big."
Woman: [Angrily] "You nasty little-"
Zidane: "Come on. I'm just kiddin'. You know I never forget a pretty girl's name."
What an incredible way to introduce our next party member, goddamn. Zidane's dipshit energy is just… Off the charts. Did he actually forget her name and cycle through multiple attempts until he could remember it, or was it really just a joke? I have no idea.
Still. Him remembering Freya's actual name (and also probably him calling her a 'pretty girl') is enough to mollify her.
Zidane: "So, how've you been, Freya?"
[She turns back to the counter and her drink.]
Freya: "...Same old Zidane."
Zidane: "How long has it been?"
Freya: "About 3 years."
Zidane: "Hey, did you ever find out anything about your boyfriend?"
Freya: "No…"
Zidane: "So.. .What brings you to Lindblum?"
Freya: "The Festival of the Hunt. What else? It's a good opportunity to test my skills."
Zidane: "Oh… Well, I'm sure you'll find him someday."
Freya: "Aren't you participating?"
Zidane: "...Nah. I think I'll pass."
Freya: "Lazy bum."
Zidane: "...Are you ever gonna go back?"
Freya: "I have no reason to return to Brumecia. There is nothing there for me anymore."
[The scene fades to black as the two drink together.
And that was our brief introduction to Freya. She is some kind of huntress from Brumecia (the last of the three cities that kept getting into big wars, along with Alexandria and Lindblum), and it seems like she had a boyfriend who somehow disappeared and that she's been searching for for at least three years.
Man. Three years ago Zidane would have been thirteen. Absolutely insane to imagine him going around hitting on girls and asking people's backstory. That kid should have been in school.
Freya's red outfit suggests, at first glance, a Red Mage. But those little wings on her hat? Dragon wings. So… Dragoon? We'll find out soon.
For now, there is just one small scene left to cover.
VI. I'll Have You Know My Uncle Was A Bug!
Dagger and Cid are walking through the castle together - alone, this time; no Zidane, no Minister Artania, no Steiner. These two already know one another, Dagger speaks to Cid as if to a relative, and the things they have to share with one another are not for the ears of loyal but bumbling knights, or daring thieves who have no place in such royal business.
Regent Cid: "So, how is the queen? Is she still as vibrant as ever?"
Dagger: "Yes, but… Since Father died, Mother has been acting very strangely…"
Regent Cid: "I'm not surprised <gwok-gwok>. They loved each other so much…"
Dagger: "We haven't spoken much lately. Also, a suspicious man has been prowling around the castle."
Dagger: "I don't know what's going on anymore… I fear that she might be planning something terrible. I've brought this matter to everybody's attention, but no one has taken me seriously. They all think I'm distraught over losing Father…"
Regent Cid: "I understand why you are so eager. I'm happy that you came to me for help."
Dagger: "At this point, I think you're the only person Mother will listen to… When I heard that Lindblum's theatre ship was coming to Alexandria, I decided to sneak on board and come here no matter what. I just never expected the crew to kidnap me…"
Regent Cid: [He turns around away from her.] "It was me… I was the one who ordered Tantalus to kidnap you."
Dagger: "!?"
There it is. That's why I wanted to push this as far as this scene. So the foreshadowing earlier wouldn't just dangle unresolved. Cid was the one who hired Tantalus to abduct Dagger. That explains why they never mentioned a ransom, why Zidane immediately went along with Dagger wanting to go to Lindblum, why he thought once she would be there they'd part ways, why Cid was already waiting for her. Getting Dagger to this point was their job the whole time, and now Tantalus's job is done. Whatever Cid wanted with Dagger is not Zidane's business and out of his hands now.
The regent of Lindblum orchestrated the kidnapping of the princess of Alexandria. This is an obvious casus belli. If Queen Brahne catches so much as a whiff of Dagger's location, it'll be war. That was an extremely bold move on Cid's part. So… What could have justified it?
There's a brief fade to black here, though the scene remains the same, just now Dagger is sitting on the stairs to the throne while Bug!Cid paces in front of her, some portion of their "catching up" dialogue have been skipped.
Cid: "I once promised your father <gwok> that should anything happen, I would protect you. We've known about the disturbances in Alexandria for some time. But had we acted directly, it would've started a war. So, I asked Baku for help. He and I go way back."
Cid: "The play was the perfect cover to enter Alexandria and get you out. No one would suspect Lindblum was behind it. We were <gwok> forced to take action, because we knew Alexandria would never seek our help. I'm relieved we were able to get you here."
Dagger: [She climbs the stairs towards Cid.] "At the Village of Dali, we saw numerous black mages. They looked like golems, controlled by some powerful magic. On top of that, they were being created under Alexandria's supervision. I don't know how they're related to Vivi, but if Mother is planning to use them for war…"
Cid: "We won't let that happen. Even if she were to command an army of black mages, she won't make a move as long as we have our airship fleet. Don't worry <gwok-gwok>. Everything will be fine."
[Dagger kneels in front of the throne.]
Dagger: "I'm so sorry, Uncle."
Cid: "Now, now. Don't worry. I'm helping you because I am your Uncle Cid, not because I am the regent of Lindblum."
Dagger: "Thank you so much."
I'd initially assumed that "Uncle Cid" was merely a term of endearment (Dagger also calls Minister Artania "Uncle"), but from this dialogue it sounds like he might actually be her uncle, most likely her late father's brother.
From almost the first moment of the game, Dagger struggles with disempowerment; she makes the kidnapping her own, but then is abducted again in the forest, and then she's stranded in the Mist, in Ice Caverns and a strange village. In all these moments, her status as "princess" is a vulnerability, something that others are trying to protect or exploit. She is, herself, a White Mage of some power and a potential summoner, but she's largely been dragged around by people with more understanding of what was going on than she was, mainly Zidane. Now I'm not saying that's bad - it's very clearly intentional, and well-executed, how Dagger slowly manages to affirm her agency in what are difficult and unfamiliar circumstances, culminating in her taking the helm of the airship and taking everyone safely through South Gate.
But the moment they touch ground in Lindblum, everything changes. Dagger is now longer a lost girl trying to hide her princess status and avoid capture. She is Princess Garnet Til Alexandros, welcome into Lindblum Grand Castle with open arms. She is immediately trusted by the ruler of the city-state, reveals to him things that she did not share with Zidane or Steiner (such as the mysterious man who has been hanging around her mother lately), she speaks of weighty matters of war and the fate of nations, and is promised the safety of a fleet of airships. This is Dagger's world, this is where she holds power - not white magic, but political power, the power of nobility, of connection, of blood.
We have a clearer idea of the broader picture here - Alexandria is technologically backwards, but has been using secret new technology to create black mage dolls; yet Lindblum remains larger, more advanced, and it has an airship fleet, by all signs an overwhelming force advantage in any war. The advantage remains on their side.
Cid takes Dagger with him to a new room, one she is unfamiliar with.
This is the airship dock, the "heart and soul" of Lindblum. More specifically, this is Dock N°1, the research dock: This is where Cid conducts airship design. Because yes! We are in fact back to Cid the Airship Engineer. He is not just the regent of Lindblum (incidentally, one wonders what happened to the royals, if the regent is ruling and they're nowhere to be seen or heard of), he's their chief airship engineer. He, personally, undersaw the design of their newest and most modern airship model, a scant 6 months ago. A ship that did not require Mist to fly.
But now, as Dagger notes, the docks are empty. The ship is gone. Dagger asks if it was the same man who attacked Cid and cursed him into this form who also stole the ship. And of course - the connection is obvious here. If a mysterious man has been hanging around Queen Brahne as her behavior changed for the worse, and a mysterious man abducted Cid's wife and turned him into an oglop… The same man, trying to affect the fate of kingdoms behind the scenes…?
And then. Fuck. Amazing.
Regent Cid: "Good guess, but no… Actually… I met a lovely lady at the pub…"
Dagger: "...Um?"
Regent Cid: "When Hilda found out about my little affair, she used her magic and turned me into an oglop. Then she stormed off in the new airship, which I named Hilda Garde. Pretty ironic, eh?"
THE RULER OF LINDBLUM. WAS SLUMMING IT AT THE PUB. AND CHEATED ON HIS WIFE WITH A RANDOM GIRL. SO HIS WIFE TURNED HIM INTO A BUG AND STOLE THE LATEST AIRSHIP.
HE MADE UP THE WHOLE STORY ABOUT THE MYSTERIOUS NIGHTTIME ASSAILLANT.
Immaculate. I was already cooking up a new theory about the hidden bad guy and he shot me the fuck down.
Cid's been working on a second Hilda Garde ship, but unfortunately, his mind isn't the same an oglop and he's been making no progress.
And then Dagger and Cid makes one of the most amazing bad decisions of all time.
Remember when Dagger said she thought Cid was one of the only people her mother would listen to?
Regent Cid: "I'm hopeless… but that doesn't mean I can't help you. I'll do my best for Alexandria."
Dagger: "Thank you… But with South Gate badly damaged, I don't know how we can get to Alexandria…"
Regent Cid: "Don't worry. South Gate is being repaired as we speak. Once the repairs are finished, we'll go to Alexandria."
Dagger: "Yes. I'm sure Mother will finally open her eyes to see the truth."
…
They're going. Back. To Alexandria.
I don't think it's. Like. A stupid decision in-character. Cid hasn't seen Brahne in years, he's only heard rumors of her behavior changing. Dagger saw it first hand, but she's been shielded from much of her worst decisions, like approving the Black Waltz project, so she still harbors hope that her mother is just in some kind of grief-driven depressive pit after her father died. If the head of state of a more powerful nation, his safety guaranteed by the threat of his airship fleet, shows up with full diplomatic fanfare accompanied by her daughter, it's impossible that Queen Brahne wouldn't listen to them and make wise decisions with their counsel.
But we saw Brahne fire all the artillery of Alexandria Castle at an airship that had her daughter on it. We saw her order Zorn and Thorn to send the Black Waltzes after Garnet.
There is no way this diplomatic mission ends in anything but Brahne ordering Dagger and Cid seized at once, and then producing some more magiscience monstrosity to deal with the airship fleet. Even should this lay waste to half of Alexandria in the process.
…
But maybe I'm being pessimistic. Like I said, it's a bad decision from our OOC perspective, but I don't think it's reasonable for Cid and Dagger to expect this outcome at this stage.
Cid grows quiet, thoughtful, and Dagger asks him if something's wrong - but he's only thinking about the Prima Vista crashing into the forest, and how Baku must have had good men working for him, to steal get Dagger to safety.
And that's our cue to the next morning.
It took longer than I'd planned or expected, but I didn't want this update to cover only the third Black Waltz encounter, and once we were in Lindblum, I figured we might as well push through to the end of the first evening.
And that sure was a lot to cover! I'm kind of tapped out actually, so let's keep this short.
I know it's likely the nostalgia talking. But for a mid-disc 1 boss with an altogether not exactly impressive boss battle and scarce dialogue, Black Waltz N°3 is somehow hanging up there with some of the series' most iconic bosses in terms of sheer cool factor. Part of it is just that they gave him the budget for three separate FMVs, that he directly connects to Vivi's arc who's one of the most poignant of the game so far, that he's allowed to wreak high-impact SFX destruction set to sad music to sell his threat, and his total mental breakdown after his defeat had a profound effect on me as a kid. He is one of these villains who defeat himself - in the end, the party was just trying to escape; it was his own reckless anger that blew up and crashed his ship. Just deserts, ironic punishment, etc. But not just that - all that aura is set-up for Vivi finally snapping in justified anger and going into Trance, kicking his ass, and then managing a feat of magic and beating Black Waltz in a straight spell clash before collapsing from the effort. Anime shit. I mean this as the highest compliment.
We haven't seen much of Lindblum yet, but I really like the amazing vista we get at the entrance, the sense of scale it has. It's obvious that Alexandria is set up as an antagonist and that means they will most likely do some very, very bad things to Lindblum, but a bad guy is only as good as the opposition he overcomes. Establishing just how superior Lindblum looks in size and technology to Alexandria, clearly signaling "there's no way a city like this could lose to Alexandria," will most likely serve to build heat for Alexandria when they drop a Vantablack Symphony on their central castle or something.
It's also instantly funny to get a look at Zidane instantly turning into an uncontrollable horndog gremlin the moment he's out of sight of Dagger. Dude told Vivi he's popular with "ALL the ladies in Lindblum" and this seems extremely fake but like it's definitely something that he believes about himself.
It's not like Squall wasn't a hormonal teenager in his own way but he channeled it into murder and social anxiety. Zidane, unfortunately, is unabashedly Himself. God save any woman who has to run into him.
I'm really looking forward to finding out more about Freya and what her deal is, though - that was a tantalizing introduction that only lasted long enough to raise questions without answering them.
Hopefully, next time we'll begin to have some.
Thank you for reading.
Next Time: Exploring Lindblum?
(I promise the next intro quotes will be shorter, I just had that one in my pocket since like Update 2)
- Location
- the Republic
- Pronouns
- He/They
Black Waltz No. 3 is indeed the coolest. He has an air motorcycle!!
I do like the analysis that Steiner's brain is so fixed that he literally cannot comprehend things not going to plan. It put me in mind of a particularly loyal but dim dog that, when confronted with a partially ajar door, just stands there and waits for someone to open it all the way.
I do like the analysis that Steiner's brain is so fixed that he literally cannot comprehend things not going to plan. It put me in mind of a particularly loyal but dim dog that, when confronted with a partially ajar door, just stands there and waits for someone to open it all the way.
The Black Waltzes and in particular no. 3 are proper examples of monsters, in that they were made monstrous by the cruelty of the powerful.
Oh yeah. On this front, being an evil and unstable murder golem(?) is generally in my strike zone but I'm giving Black Waltz no. 3 specifically a pass given his personal circumstances.
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somewhatLazy
Serial Procrastinator
- Location
- lurking
This whole casual catching-up between two distant friends was actually one of my hypest moments during my whole FF9 playthrough, because, like. I was expecting Zidane's past as an adventuring thief to not really matter to the main plot again unless it turned out to be needed for some setpiece, like a break-in or whatever. But here, Zidane and Freya are just shooting the shit, showing you that Zidane is an experienced adventurer who's already had many cool tales of his own even before FF9's start, while also showing how he's an easy-going and likable guy at his core, while also also showing that he likes being annoying. And all the while naturally showing us Freya's deal and setting up a mystery to be answered.
It's an incredibly efficient way of establishing their characters and making the world feel alive, though it did leave me with the impression that Zidane was closer to his 20s than he actually was for a while.
Also Freya's design is just peak and I'm not even a furry.
- Location
- Between dreams and reality
Today's recitation is The Raven but not the one you might think. It is the Lou Reed version from the album of the same name.
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daniel_gudman
KING (in land of blind)
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Damn FF9 seems super cool and charming so far.
Godspeed, my comrade in arms. Godspeed.
E.I.G.
Robo-Bird
- Pronouns
- It/They
Right, images are working for me now, and I can comment on this bit here:
I know this person, I know that outfit, and I know now why this is "the furry Final Fantasy".
... but I can clearly say I also had no idea about this character's gender prior to having her shown to me in the spoiler thread. Because out of all the furry waifus I've seen, this is the one where the clothes tend to stay on, because furries love great outfits almost as much as the lack of them.
Or maybe that is just part of the specific artworks I've seen that feature the character.
Oh Zidane, I'm sure she trusts you
But also bro you just shoved your face in her butt and complimented how soft it is, I suspect most girls would be less than thrilled with that. Just a hunch.
Steiner really managing to hit the lowest point of his character arc (at least, morally) in the first three hours of the game, truly incredible.
At this point in the plot? I think he would feel at least somewhat bad, but quickly bury it under "I was just doing my DUTY" mentalities and try not to think about it anymore.
Everyone should want to be Black Waltz N°3 when they grow up, I mean look at him! Wings, magical power, and just looking dope as fuck!
One more point in the "Literally Just Goku" book, since I'm pretty sure child Goku could pull off similar tricks with his tail.
Bro really looks at Dagger being there with only Vivi and instantly assumes "this literal child beat up N°2 what a fucking loser", doesn't even consider that there might be others involved in the "kidnapping" lmaoBlack Waltz N°3 enters, and his first action is to blast the shit out of Vivi with a lightning bolt.
That is definitely one way to make an entrance.
Dagger immediately turns around and crouches next to Vivi, asking if he's okay.
Black Waltz N°3: "So, N°2 was defeated by a small child! You are no match against my power!" [He points his staff at Dagger.] "Princess, stay there while I eliminate this child!"
Oh my god he's so cool
Really, a progressively crazier and crazier as the game goes on N°3 could have made a decent "rival" character for Vivi, I bet. Pretty sure he didn't survive exploding in an airlock though.
Yeah, with how unstable the Waltzes are, I don't think Zorn and Thorn really had the option to gather all three together and send them at the same time. Try to tell any of them to wait for their brothers and they'll go "NO I AM STRONKEST" and rush in to capture Garnet. Also, still supports my theory that they were split up to search the area, then when called in they charged immediately instead of waiting for reinforcement which is why we get them one by one by one.
Yeah, it really helps to be okay with the party member betrayal when the betrayer is... kind of an incompetent moron that didn't actually accomplish anything.
And of course, when you add this in, I'm all the more fine with Steiner getting off scott free. He may be an idiot, but he's our idiot with a heart of gold.
...Somewhere down there anyways, that gold does get covered up in rusty iron at times.
And yet
You know he'll try it again
Honestly it's kind of funny having that occasional flirty dipshit character we get in Final Fantasy being the actual main character. I suppose it's a bit better than cases like Edge or Edgar because with more screentime we do get to see a lot more of Zidane's character other than "outrageous flirt", the fact that he gets shot down almost every time, and also the fact that he's the teenager instead of a full grown adult hitting on young girls for once (Edgar please allow me to memor bleach your meeting with Relm).
Truly, one of the Cids of all time we're getting here, literally a giant bug.
Beware, Omi, for they are coming to this thread, rapidly reaching your location.
Yes, that's right. The Furries.
SHOCKING PLOT TWIST EMERGES
I mean, maybe not completely unpredictable, but still a twist for Garnet to find out. The real plot twist is the one that comes two minutes later about the airship theft.
Okay so
We are absolutely, 100% going to run into Pirate Queen Hilda later in the game, and she's going to be our Airship pilot, isn't she? We're all in agreement that this is going to happen?
No, don't worry it isn't just you, I'm pretty sure everybody who played FFIX back in the day looked at this boss with barely 10 minutes of screentime and went "best, absolute coolest and most favoritest". If you did a poll ranking the FFIX bosses, I would be completely unsurprised if Black Waltz N°3 was in like... the top five or top three, probably only beaten out by actual main/major villains like Sir Not Yet Appearing In This Let's Play and Master Spoilers Because We Haven't Met Them Yet.
- Pronouns
- Him/He
In the numbered games this is the fourth Cid in a row who is broadly helpful and on your side, but also kinda a fucking shithead.
And it's always a different way! We had Medical War Crimes Cid, we had Misogyny asshole Cid, we had Child Soldier training-and-then-fleeing-for-them-to-clean-up-his-mess Cid, and now we have 'Cheated on his wife while slumming' Cid.
I will say the plot and pacing has been exquisite. We've had about 2 dungeons (Evil Forest and Underground Factory are kinda only half a dungeon each I feel), two towns, and a fucking lot of character work. It's pretty tightly plotted.