Board 8 > SaveEstelle/LeonhartFour in Different Houses: Remastered Edition [SELF]

(+) Yeah! (+)

Sure, we're concerned about Cid and we have all sorts of questions for him, but the CC Group takes priority! I beat Club, Diamond, and Joker (and snatch the Leviathan card while I'm at it), and then we visit the infirmary. Squall tries to make a report, but Cid says it isn't necessary since he can guess what must have happened. Then he asks about the real meaning of SeeD. Cid gives the canned response that they're the elite mercenary force of Balamb Garden. Then he adds that Garden's ultimate goal is to train SeeDs to defeat the sorceress. The many missions they undergo are only preparation for the final battle. Now that the sorceress has become a major threat, their true mission has begun.

Then Squall asks about Cid's relationship with Edea. He admits that they are married. She's been a sorceress since childhood, and he married her with the full knowledge of that. They worked together for a long time and were very happy (He doesn't mention that it was at the orphanage they were raised at, but yeah). Then one day, Edea began talking about building the Garden and training SeeD (because she heard about it from time traveling Squall in the ending, naturally. Once again, FFVIII seems to operate on a closed time loop, but it also creates a paradox if Edea only learned about SeeD because Squall told her about it but he could only become a SeeD because she started Garden). Naturally, Cid's greatest concern is that one day SeeD might have to fight Edea herself, but she said that would never happen. And yet here we are!

Next, Squall asks about NORG. Cid says that he's a black sheep from the Shumi tribe. They met while Cid was trying to start Garden, and NORG took an interest in the project. However, they needed a lot of money to keep it going. It was NORG's idea to dispatch SeeDs on missions to support Garden. While it was an enormous success, at the same time, Garden began to lose sight of their ideals and their true nature was covered up. Cid blames himself for giving up too much control to NORG.

After we leave, Xu comes down in a panic, saying that there's a ship approaching, paranoid that it might be the Galbadians, perhaps even with the sorceress aboard.
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Squall goes out to the deck to investigate the ship, and the people aboard proclaim themselves to be Sorceress Edea's SeeD. Then they announce that they are coming aboard, but they are unarmed. They make an impressive somersault leap up to the deck, gotta say! Cid shows up to greet them, and they inform him that they've come for Ellone because it's too dangerous for her to remain at the Garden now. I imagine they left Ellone at Garden once Edea became possessed by Ultimecia in order to protect her, but now that Edea/Ultimecia is targeting the Garden itself, that plan is now counterproductive.

The name "Ellone" certainly strikes a chord with Squall from Laguna's dream sequence. Cid tasks them with finding her, since they should know who she is. Part of me wonders if Cid realizes they've forgotten so much of their past because of GF usage or not, at least at this point in the game. Like I said before, he doesn't specifically mention the orphanage when Squall asks him about Edea, but I imagine he had to at least suspect it when they didn't remember who their Matron was. Or perhaps he chalked it up to them being too young, as well as the fact that they may not have known her real name. Cid had to know the potential risks of GF usage, although whether he believed the rumors or not is uncertain. I guess it's a matter of whether he considered the risk worth it.

Cid is honestly kind of a fascinating character study, and the game doesn't ever really delve into deep detail with him. He always seems to have the endgame goal of defeating Ultimecia in mind with all of his decisions, and he seems determined to defeat her at any cost, even at the cost of his wife or whatever risk or danger the SeeDs themselves might incur. Should Cid be considered irresponsible? Wise? Pragmatic? All of the above and more? Who knows!

Rinoa naturally has no idea who Ellone is, so Squall explains that she's someone from the "dream world." Of course, even as we search for Ellone, there's always time for cards! We come full circle as we learn that the guy who gave us our first set of cards at the very beginning of the game is a member of the CC Group! With him defeated, there's only the top two members left, but that'll have to wait a bit. Also, if you challenge Dr. Kadowaki now, she'll inform you that she used to be the King of the CC group, but she passed the position to another girl 4 years ago.

Oh right, as a quick aside, if you go to the Info Corner now, there will be a blurb on the truth about the Garden. It was intended to be a haven for orphans founded by Cid and Edea. It was named such to express their wish to raise the seeds of the future in their garden. I only keep mentioning these because I feel like a lot of people never checked the Info Corner on a regular basis!

Another lesser known aspect of FFVIII is what's known as Zell's Love Quest! If you pay attention to details around Garden (especially in the Library, naturally), it becomes pretty clear that the girl on the Library Committee with the pigtails has a crush on Zell. There are several scenes you have to view at various times under various circumstances in order to reap the full benefits of the quest. I only mention this because I encountered one of them here. It's mostly just going to the library at the right time with the right people (some require Zell to be in the party and some require him not to be in the party, for instance).
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Anyway, Ellone is still in the library where we left her, and this scene is the first time one of my favorite songs in the game occurs. I feel like this is one of the more underrated gems of the FFVIII OST because I never hear anyone else say it's one of their favorites, or maybe it means I'm just weird! Either way, the song is called "Drifting." It actually reminds me a lot of "Prisoners of Fate" (or whatever of the million translations of that song title you prefer) from Chrono Cross.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hH9bLJI-mHM" data-time="

The fact that Ellone is clearly much older now than she was in the Laguna dream sequence should immediately clue you in that we've been viewing the past. Squall doesn't miss out on that connection either, obviously. He also makes the connection that she's the one responsible for those dream sequences, so he asks her what exactly they've been experiencing this whole time. She says it's hard to explain (and she's not wrong!), but she tells him that it's about the past. Specifically, Ellone wants to change the past. It may be impossible to change the past, but if there's even a slight possibility, it'd be worth a try, in her opinion.

As I've mentioned before, Final Fantasy VIII seems to operate on a closed time loop, so along with the game's theme of "Fate," you really can't change the past. Things that happened in the past happen as if whatever influence from the future was always there. Laguna, Kiros, and Ward notice Squall and company's "presence" in the past, and that was always the case. Edea encountered time traveling Squall and the dying Ultimecia in the past, getting the idea for SeeD and Garden in the process, and that was always the case. Time in the world of FFVIII is all connected and almost predetermined in a way. Ultimecia wants to compress time to escape her fate, but that very act ends up sealing her fate. Past, present, and future all can influence each other, but they can't change each other. It's like an unbroken chain.

For the record, the game only lightly touches on this, but the specific event Ellone is trying to change is when Laguna left Raine after they married and got pregnant with Squall to go rescue Ellone from Esthar. As a result of all that transpired, Laguna never came back, Raine died (presumably from complications in childbirth, but perhaps it was something preventable. Ellone must believe so, in any case), and both Squall and Ellone ended up in an orphanage. This speaks to how much she loves Laguna, Raine, and Squall that she's willing to change a past where she gets rescued from the clutches of Adel just so the three of them can live happily ever after together (or so she thinks).

Anyway, getting back to the scene itself, Squall asks the million dollar question: Why him? Of course, if you've played the game before, you know the answer. He's Laguna's son, and Ellone sees him as a little brother (I've seen people mistakenly assume Squall and Ellone are actually blood related because child Squall calls her "Sis," but that's impossible. They all called her "Sis," for one thing, but Ellone's parents are confirmed to be dead and she was already a young child by the time Laguna arrived in Winhill. In that dream sequence, he had only been there for a year).
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We get a rare emotional outburst from Squall as he tells Ellone that he has enough problems as it is without her getting him involved in all of this. All she can do is apologize, and he stumbles backward into a seat as he tells her not to count on him. That's the last thing Squall wants, to have other people rely on him for anything. This was at the root of why he rejected Quistis back in the Secret Area. He doesn't want the burden of responsibility for anyone but himself, especially if he were to fail. And he knows if they start depending on each other, he'll get attached to them (and in his mind, eventually lose them and the cycle of pain and heartbreak will start over).

Xu comes in to retrieve Ellone, but before she goes, she makes a Star Wars reference as she whispers in Squall's ear, "You're my only hope," which was probably the last thing he wanted to hear. This leads to another great Squall monologue, as he wonders why people depend on each other because in the end, you're on your own. He declares that he's made it this far by himself. He admits he couldn't do a thing as a kid and had to depend on others back then, so he knows he's only where he is right now because of other people. Yet now he believes he's fine by himself because he's not a child anymore and he has all the skills he needs to survive on his own.

For Disc 1 Squall, that's where it would have ended, full of self-confidence and self-reliance. For Disc 2 Squall, he quickly backpedals and admits that he isn't sure of anything anymore. He starts to wonder how he can actually go through life without depending on anyone at all. He wants someone to tell him the answer before realizing the irony that it would mean depending on someone else after all.

Then we get our first flashback to child Squall standing in the rain (in a squall, some might say), calling out for his Sis. He says that he's all alone, but he's doing his best, so he'll be okay without her. He'll figure out how to take care of himself.

Squall wakes up to Rinoa in his room again (Seriously, lock your door, dude. Learn from your own JRPG habit of entering into other people's houses unannounced and uninvited!). This time, she asks to go for a walk together. Not another guided tour, just a walk. Squall says she can just go by herself. It's safe at Garden. She replies that it's not that she wants a guard. She adds that Squall is always too deep in thought and needs to lighten up a little. With that said, she feigns honoring a member of royalty by requesting his company in hopes of getting his mind off of things. You can agree to play along or tell her to go away, but it's more fun to play along!

They don't get very far before Headmaster Cid announces that the intercom is working again. And he doesn't get very deep into his announcement before he starts panicking because they're about to crash into Fisherman's Horizon. He quickly calls for Squall and orders him to go ashore, find the local mayor, and officially apologize for the accident. Squall wonders why he of all people has to go. Cid seems to be able to read his mind, as he tells him that SeeD isn't just meant to be a special force for combat. He wants them to see the world and broaden their own horizons. He adds that he has high expectations for Squall (considering he probably knows he's the SeeD fated to take down Ultimecia, I imagine he does!).
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Kingsglaive beated. I enjoyed it a lot. But I could have done without that long battle in the ruins at the end. Everything else made me excited for the game.
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Yeah, I think it overstayed its welcome a bit, but other than that, pretty solid movie. Are you playing the Royal Edition?
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Yes. Still downloading Episode Ignis, Comrades, and also Episode Ardyn. Had to delete a bunch of games and had to keep deleting more. It's huge.
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Yeah, all that stuff together is humongous. I want to replay the game with all the Royal Edition stuff one of these days, but I'm still not sure I can bring myself to do it. It still hurts the way they dumped the game out of nowhere when it was so close to being complete.
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Whee Trails of Cold Steel 3 demo. I'm all for games making it so demo progress is carried over into the main game.
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Eh, I'd rather just wait and experience it all at once. I've got enough to keep me busy until CS3 drops anyway...!
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As we disembark, we meet a group of FH citizens, who tell us not to engage in any type of armed conflict while they're here because they don't tolerate violence and belligerence. With that, they welcome us aboard as one of the greatest town themes in the series plays. I actually really love the orchestral version of this song as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoeXaRo6Yy0" data-time="

The people urge us to pay a visit to the mayor, who lives in the center of the city. One of the NPCs will recognize this particular Garden as Balamb's because they painted the patterns on the exterior a long time ago. I imagine this was back before NORG came up with the idea of having SeeDs be mercenaries, or FH wouldn't have cooperated.

There's a small sidequest you can initiate involving the Master Fisherman if you climb down a ladder (that's easily to overlook and miss because it kind of blends into the background) on the screen before the elevator. He'll give you an Occult Fan magazine the first time for going out of your way to talk to him. When you board the elevator, the NPC will ask if you're going to Esthar because it's on the other end of the train tracks.

There are a set of NPCs in FH all labeled as "Familiar Face," and they're #1, #2, and #3. They're the people Squall met when they first arrived, and the game implies they're all brothers. Yet Squall can't tell them apart, and some have suggested that it's the effects of the GF on his mind, but the game doesn't say one way or the other. The third one will ask if they're happy being mercenaries who do anything for money, before saying it's really none of his business how they live their lives. In a moment of self-awareness, Squall says this guy sounds just like him and realizes it doesn't sound very nice. The NPC himself adds that he hopes he didn't offend them.

Another NPC will ask if NORG has evolved yet, but of course, Squall has no clue what he means. If you go off to the right before you enter the mayor's house, you'll find Martine sitting there pondering his life after being banished from Galbadia Garden. When we arrive at the mayor's house, he wastes no time in asking when we plan to leave. Squall answers that they'll leave as soon as the Garden is capable of moving, but they're still in the process of trying to figure out how everything works. The mayor offers to have his technicians aid them because they should be able to repair and service everything. Squall realizes he doesn't have the authority to make that decision, so they have to go back to Cid for approval first.

As Squall stands to leave, Rinoa asks why they want them all to leave so badly, which elicits a facepalm because he doesn't care what their reasons are. Mayor Dobe (is his name one or two syllables? I have no idea) says that they don't want military organizations that rely on force to solve problems in FH. They believe any problem can be settled by discussion. If everyone can reach a mutual understanding, there's no need to fight. Squall agrees that they're technically correct before stating how trite it all sounds. We take off, but not before taking the Quetzacotl card from the mayor!
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On the way back, Zell asks why Squall didn't tell him off. Zell still lives by his emotions first and foremost, while Squall logically realizes that they can't expect everyone to welcome them with open arms. Before they can get far, word comes that the Galbadian Army is in town. Naturally, the mayor and his wife blame the SeeDs for this and tell them to take full responsibility, but they won't let them resolve the situation since they can't fix any problem without fighting. As such, Mayor Dobe decides to try to talk this through peacefully. Squall recognizes this won't end well and follows after him.

Instead of rushing in, they elect to stay back and eavesdrop on the conversation. Their ears perk up when they hear Ellone's name. Mayor Dobe says they have no clue who she is, but the Galbadian soldier says they're going to burn the place to the ground anyway because it reduces the number of places she could hide. At that point, Squall realizes it's probably about time to charge in to help, and we have to fight the tank from the missile base again, although it's definitely seen better days! Before the battle begins, Squall apologizes to the mayor and says they have no choice.

After doing enough damage to the tank, Selphie and company are able to crawl out, having hidden in there to take shelter from the blast. That's quite the armor on that thing! Now if you're wondering why they were attacking Squall, Selphie actually addresses this on her diary page on the computer in Garden! She says that because the sensors were busted, they couldn't tell what they were doing and Selphie was just pressing buttons like mad! In his mind, Squall is greatly relieved to see them again as the song "Ami" plays for the first time.

Their first question is what happened to the Garden, and Squall realizes a lot has happened since they left. He informs them that the Garden is safe. They realize that they should probably head back to the Garden to catch up instead of standing around out there. Squall asks Zell and Rinoa to escort them back, and he says he'll meet up with them after he's had a look around town. Rinoa waits around to have a conversation with Squall, saying that he really surprised her by how happy he looked and sounded to see them. She says that it's the first time she's seen him be so openly honest about his feelings.

There's actually three possible permutations of how this scene can go based on your choice. There's a good, neutral, and bad option. Obviously, the more honest you are with Rinoa, the more favorably the scene goes. If you choose that you really were just happy to see them, Squall will wonder if there's something wrong with that. Rinoa will say that it only makes sense because they aren't just his comrades; they're his friends, too. For the first time, it kind of sinks in for Squall that he really does see them that way. Then Rinoa asks if Squall would have been worried if she had gone to the missile base instead. Thankfully, you can find out for yourself if you send her! In that version, it takes him a while, but he does eventually admit that he was really glad to see her again. In this version, Squall is clearly flustered by the question and doesn't know what to say, which delights Rinoa to know he's actually taking the question seriously. She gives him a coy wave before she runs off.
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Afterwards, you can talk to the mayor, who reluctantly admits that Squall saved his life. He apologizes for butting in, and Dobe says that he isn't thanking him for doing it. Squall says he isn't looking for thanks. He just wants him to understand them. They're not just a bunch of warmongers. Squall admits that he wishes everything could be settled without resorting to violence, but the problem is that it often takes too much time, especially if the other side isn't willing to listen. He says that fighting is inevitable at times, so he thinks the world needs both people like Mayor Dobe and people like SeeD. Before taking off, Squall thanks him for the help and salutes him. The mayor has nothing else to say from this point on. No, seriously, even if you come back later in the game, he and his wife will only greet you with ellipses for the rest of the game! Regardless, I like this speech from Squall because it shows a lot of nuance in his way of thinking, as well as respect and deference to those who think differently from him, even when they don't show him that same respect.

If you leave the area and come back, you'll run into an NPC who is the runaway son of the lady in the cafeteria. If you listened to her long story near the beginning of the game, you'll have the option of recalling who he is and telling him that Balamb Garden is here so they can be reunited. On the way back to the Garden, Irvine will start tagging along. At this point, you can complete the Master Fisherman quest you started when you first got into town, and Irvine will follow you all over town as you do. However, it's not until you nearly get all the way back to Garden that Squall will stop to ask why he's following him! Just a funny disconnect there.
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LeonhartFour posted...

For all of NORG's big talk, he's kind of a wimp

excuse me

he will not go down so easily
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doesnt norg not actually say that
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probably not

i was actually wondering that myself. so what was it? a board 8 meme from some user?
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I think it was some dude named NORG that had a perfect or almost perfect bracket during the...series contest?
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Yeah, he never actually says that in the game. I'm pretty sure Kleenex has it right.

and just like the character he was named for he actually did go down easily because he didn't end up winning, if I recall correctly

I wish I knew how to find old leaderboards to confirm this for sure
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LeonhartFour posted...

I wish I knew how to find old leaderboards to confirm this for sure

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/features/contest

Pick the contest you want and the leaderboard should be there. NORG was tied for first with 80 in series but was apparently not a prize entry.
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Oh yeah, I knew there was a place, but I always forget it's under Features.

Good job, NORG!
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Oh yeah. Sean Bean always dies even in animation.
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BK_Sheikah00 posted...

Oh yeah. Sean Bean always dies even in animation.

Yep, not even CGI can save him from death.
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Oh hey, I don't talk about non-video game music often (largely because I don't listen to a lot of mainstream music anymore), but I was a huge fan of the Goo Goo Dolls growing up. I haven't followed them much for years, but I'll listen to their older stuff every now and then. Anyway, their latest album, "Miracle Pill," came out last week, so one of the songs from it popped up in my recommendations this morning. I decided to give it a listen for old time's sake, and it was pretty good!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_j_FYM2oME" data-time="

Also, I'm guessing based on the fact that the pill on the album cover is heart-shaped, the miracle pill is love...!
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Alright finally started FFXV. At the title screen and I can feel the Yoko already and *KH3 spoilers* that's definitely a very similar song to the one when Verum Rex guy shows up in the secret movie.
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Loading times sure are something
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Holy shit Stand by Me. This game is amazing.
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heck yeah I love that song

FFXV OST is pretty great in general
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Mob Psycho 100 Episode 7 complete

Yeah, this is definitely building up to something big. I am intrigued.
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I am actually liking the game so far. Really just doing quests and picking up the treasure markers. Not gonna go and explore a lot and if I miss something oh well. Battle system is a bit messy but I'm having fun.
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I usually tried to do every quest I could do before I progressed the story. You can sink a lot of time into those things, but they're fun.
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Anyway, once we get back to the Garden, Irvine asks Squall to go by the quad and help cheer Selphie up. Apparently, she's feeling pretty down about all her hard work for the Garden Festival being wrecked by all that's happened. Irvine says he knows Squall isn't good at this stuff, so he volunteers to go as backup. Pulling the reverse wingman, eh? We all know what Irvine is really after...!

When you get there, you can try to cheer her up yourself or just cut out the middleman and let Irvine handle it. If you choose the former, Selphie will comment that she must really look depressed if Squall of all people is being sensitive and trying to cheer her up. Oddly enough, he'll take it personally and think that he cares just like everybody else. Perhaps it's the realization that he does consider these people his friends now. Either way, while some things have changed, Squall is still the same in others. He thinks that there's no point in talking about things that can't be helped. Selphie realizes he's gone into his own little world and doesn't intend to share anything with them, which elicits the expected "Whatever" response. He doesn't understand why she's teasing him when he was only trying to help.

With that, Squall leaves the rest to Irvine. However, even if he wanted to stay, Cid calls for him over the intercom, so he's outta there either way. Now it's time for Irvine to put his "brilliant" plan into action. He says they can ask the FH technicians to repair the damage to the stage, so Selphie's dream of a concert is still in play. With that, she makes a full recovery and is back to her usual bubbly self.

Cutting to Squall, he informs Cid that the Galbadians' main objective in FH was to find Ellone. He thinks Edea must be after Ellone's special ability to allow people to experience the past. Cid realizes that the sorceress will likely do the same thing in other places until Ellone is found, so they can't afford to wait any longer. Over the intercom, Cid announces that once the Garden is repaired, they're going on a journey to defeat the sorceress. They'll be using Garden as a mobile base from now on. The day to day administration inside Garden would continue to be run by Cid and the staff as usual, but they now need a well qualified leader to fight the battles that lie ahead. As such, he chooses Squall to be that leader, and he'll decide the destination and battle plan. I like that it pans around Garden to the other party members to gauge their reactions to the news, and they're all pretty excited.

Squall, on the other hand, can't believe what he's hearing. Worst of all, he doesn't even get a say in the matter. Cid tells him that this is his fate. It's his destiny to lead the way in defeating the sorceress, which really sets Squall off and he tells him not to talk about this like it's been decided since his birth. Well, not since your birth, but since you were about, what, 4 or 5? But like I said before during the infamous "I won't have anyone talk about me in the past tense" scene, the one thing that will actually get an emotional outburst from him is when someone or something suggests that he isn't the master of his own fate, that he has no control over his own life. Ironically enough, since "Fate" is one of the game's big themes, Squall essentially is a child of fate (For the record, the song title "Liberi Fatali" means "Fated children").
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Question for the topic: when picking a restaurant for a group lunch order when one person is a vegetarian, how extensive do vegetarian options have to be for you not to be kind of an asshole?
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Now we get another glorious monologue of Squall in his room ruminating on life. He says that he doesn't mind fighting the sorceress, and it's essentially unavoidable as long as he's a member of SeeD. Then he realizes something he's never thought about before: What if he quit? That's something Disc 1 Squall would have never considered for even a second. Even so, he realizes that he has no clue what he would do or what would remain of his life were he to quit, so it's really not an option.

That means Squall will just have to do as he's told, which is command the Garden and kill the sorceress. At the same time, he wonders how Cid expects him to take care of everyone. As such, he thinks it'd be best to get this nonsense over with as soon as possible. Sorry, Squall! We're only on Disc 2, so there's still plenty of nonsense left to go! Then it occurs to Squall that Cid is ordering them to kill his wife, and he wonders what it must feel like to have to give an order like that.

Then we cut to the rest of the party as they prepare to host the Garden Festival and perform the concert. They want this event to be a way to congratulate Squall on his recent promotion. When Irvine suggests that they're the ones who will be performing, Zell and Quistis are not enthusiastic about their prospects. It's okay though! It takes no time at all to become musically proficient in a JRPG!

Rinoa, on the other hand, is excited to give this thing a try, but Selphie says they've got a more important job for her to do. Also, there's one little problem. She had two compositions she was pondering using for the concert, but with all the ruckus with the Garden, they got mixed up, so she's not sure which sheet goes to which song. That means they've got to play all 8 scores to figure out which ones go with which song. Fortunately, Irvine knows the composition, so he'll know which ones are the right ones.

Which song you choose to play determines how the scene between Squall and Rinoa during the concert plays out, but more on that later. You also get a slight variation of one of the scenes if you screw up and mix the two compositions together. One song is a version of "Eyes On Me," and the other is an Irish jig remix of FFV's town theme. Anyway, even if you've got no ear for music like I do, the two songs sound so drastically different that it's pretty easy to tell which instruments go with which song.

Fun Fact: While one of the characters is playing an instrument, you can actually leave the area in control of Irvine and run around FH and Garden. You can get several unique scenes and pieces of dialogue this way. Also, I like to leave Quistis tap dancing for hours until I get back! For instance, if you inspect the terminal in the hotel, you'll see a bulletin warning people to be on the lookout for a man wearing a long coat and carrying a rifle. Irvine has a complete lack of self-awareness and thinks they might be talking about some sort of hardcore assassin.

If you talk to the Familiar Face #3 who criticized Squall and company's way of life, he'll say that Irvine doesn't look like one of "them" and wonders why he's with them. He goes on his soliloquy about how he was a loner sniper who faced all of his battles alone, and they were the ones who saved him from that life. The Familiar Face says he's just like the rest of them, after all, and Irvine doesn't bother to argue the point. He just wonders who this guy is to judge them like that, to which he has no reply.
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LordoftheMorons posted...

Question for the topic: when picking a restaurant for a group lunch order when one person is a vegetarian, how extensive do vegetarian options have to be for you not to be kind of an asshole?

I'd say it depends on whether it's just for one person or if there are multiple people who want it. If it's just one person, I'd say just make sure there's enough there that the person can actually eat something of substance.
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Yeah I ended up deciding that picking a restaurant with only salads as a vegetarian option was probably a dick move and going with something else, but I was tempted...
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Coming to the realization that I may just not actually finish Fire Emblem. Not sure what happened, just kinda fell off at the end there real hard. Haven't played in like a week and Zelda comes out tomorrow, so it'll get put even further on the back burner.
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Yeah, I think the day to day grind becomes less fun after the timeskip, for whatever the reason. I can see how it would wear someone out.
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There's definitely less incentive to do things on free days after the time skip. Explore time is literally just 1) eat food to make sure everyone's motivation is maxed and 2) desperately try to figure out how to waste the rest of my points so I can move on.
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I'm just glad the biggest lesson everyone learned after the timeskip is how to stop losing items!
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This is the only time you really get to explore the Garden as someone other than Squall, so it's pretty neat. Selphie's page on the computer is updated with info about her escapades, as well as Sir Laguna's page, where she talks about the article he wrote in the issues of Timber Maniacs you've found. You can even go into Squall's room, but he'll be sleeping (Lock your door, dude!). There's even a part of the aforementioned Zell's Love Quest that you can only do as Irvine if you go to the library and talk to the girl with pigtails.

After all that exploring, we finally tell Quistis she can stop tap dancing, and we skip ahead to the night of the concert. Squall leaves his room to find Rinoa wearing the same dress she wore on the night of the ball. She talks about how he looks so down and how he needs to have fun for a change because he's still a teenager. In his mind, however, Squall is clearly an old man because the only thing he can think is, "Tired...Just tired."

Rinoa invites Squall to go to the concert with her, and while you're given a "choice" to turn her down, eventually she says that if he doesn't go, she'll just follow him around shouting, "Concert! Concert! Concert!" Squall will realize it's a losing battle and gives in. When push comes to shove, he really is no match for a persistent Rinoa.

When we arrive, Irvine says he found the perfect hangout spot for the two of them, and he left an old magazine there to mark it for them. In his mind, Squall shows how far the localization has improved from FFVII when he thinks, "This guy is sick." Irvine expresses hope that he might show up with a special someone of his own later, but Selphie dashes those expectations in short order.

The concert scene is pretty cool. It'd be fun to see this one remade should FFVIII ever get a remake someday (not likely!). Naturally, the magazine Irvine referred to was a "naughty" magazine because he's utterly incapable of subtlety. Rinoa wants to talk to Squall about his promotion. She understands that there will be a lot of difficult choices he's going to have to make, and they were all talking about how he'll probably try to handle that on his own. In his mind, Squall concedes that's probably true.

Rinoa says they all know him too well, including her, even though she hasn't been around him that long yet. To demonstrate, she says that when Squall starts thinking, he tends to make a certain gesture while frowning, perfectly mimicking him right as he does it himself. He swats at her, and Rinoa does a perfect backward roll despite wearing a dress and heels.

Squall is about ready to take off, but Rinoa says he can't handle everything on his own. With that, she pushes him off the ledge onto the...glass paneling below? I guess that's what it is? Squall is clearly upset but doesn't say a word. Rinoa urges him to just let out anything. All they want is for him to just talk to them a little more. She knows it's not easy, but she wishes he would trust them and rely on them a little more.

In his mind, Squall wonders if he really is that untrusting, thinking that maybe he's this way because he's scared. After all, nothing in this world lasts forever. Sure, it feels great to have friends who believe in you and adults you can rely on. However, that's why it's so dangerous if you let yourself become used to it. Someday you're bound to lose everything and everyone, and then you're left in misery with nothing. The worst part is that it's inevitable, and it's so hard to recover from that. Squall says he never wants to deal with that again. He just can't, even if it means being alone for the rest of his life.
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Should I make a topic for FFXV playthrough?
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BK_Sheikah00 posted...

Should I make a topic for FFXV playthrough?

I'd follow it! You probably won't get a ton of enthusiastic followers though!
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I exclusively follow FFXIV playthrough topic sorry
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For the first time, Squall spells out what his main issue really is. He's afraid of letting himself get attached to someone knowing that he'll eventually lose them someday. He does not adhere to the adage, "It's better to have loved and lost than never loved at all." He says that he can't do that again, implying that there was a past trauma that caused him to retreat into the emotional shell he currently occupies. The sad thing is that, because of GF usage, he's largely forgotten the details of it, but the pain is still there.

At this point, the scene changes depending on which song you chose. If you chose the "Eyes On Me" song, there will be a misunderstanding when Rinoa complains about how poorly they're playing the song. Squall will think she's complaining about him, and it'll escalate into an argument. Of course, when you realize that Rinoa is Julia's daughter, it makes sense that she'd have high standards when it comes to the playing of that song!

If you picked the Irish jig, it plays out much more romantically. Rinoa will coyly walk around talking about what a great night this is with the music and the good-looking guy. Then she adds that he's such a great listener, and she knows he's seriously thinking about what she said. He might be too shy to say so, but she knows. Now she asks Squall what he thinks, predicting that he'll say that it's none of their business. He doesn't disappoint, as he begins to say, "I appreciate your concern, but..." before Rinoa interrupts him. She says this might be the last time they'll all be together like this, so as long as they're together, they might as enjoy each other's company. Contrary to Squall, Rinoa likes to live in the moment and enjoy where she is right now, not worrying about what might happen tomorrow.

Squall says he isn't interested in friends who won't be around tomorrow, and she laughs at his pessimistic attitude. She says there are no guarantees in the future (Squall will remember this later), which is why today, the time they have now, is so important. Rinoa declares that they all want to help him as much as they can and for as long as they can because they all love him. They just want to share their lives together with him. She tells him to keep all of this in the back of his mind and call on them if the time comes because they'll all be waiting. Nobody knows what the future holds, but she has a feeling they'll be together for a while.

Then Rinoa asks Squall if he has any dreams or goals in life. He says he's never really thought about it, hearkening back to his conversation with Seifer near the beginning of the game. Then he asks her if she has any dreams or goals, and she says she's not sure herself either. Right now, she's perfectly happy to stay here like this.

That night, Squall has another dream about him standing in the rain calling out for "Sis." He's awoken in the morning by a call over the intercom to report to the bridge. When he arrives, Quistis greets him as "Commander," which he naturally isn't a fan of. Xu said they felt he needed a title, so that's what they settled on. She added that she'll take care of all the supplies needed in the Garden, and Quistis will help take care of the students with Dr. Kadowaki, which will let him just focus on their destination and battle plans. Quistis also asks Squall to let Selphie rest for a little while. She's pretty exhausted by recent events.
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Nida (the "other" guy from the SeeD exam) is the new pilot and he informs Squall that the Garden's repairs are finished and they can take off anytime. Xu suggests that they head back to Balamb to check up on things there. She thinks that could be their next target since it's a harbor town like FH.

Quistis wonders what the sorceress wants because it doesn't seem as simple as world domination. She also hopes Selphie will be okay because she's more sensitive than she lets on. If you talk to Xu, she'll inform you that she's the CC Group Queen. After you defeat her (and take her Carbuncle card, for good measure), only the King remains. If you go back to your room and ask your party members to leave you alone before you take a nap, there's a random chance the King will appear in your room (Lock your door, dude!). The King turns out to be...Quistis, dressed in full SeeD uniform. If you defeat her (and take the Gilgamesh card), the CC Group quest is complete!

Nida announces that they're taking off and tries to hand over the mic to Squall to make a speech, but he ain't havin' none of that. This is your first real chance to explore the map in the game, so we're in no hurry to get to Balamb!
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LeonhartFour posted...

Quistis wonders what the sorceress wants because it doesn't seem as simple as world domination

Even though it is essentially

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Well, it isn't as simple as "She wants to rule all space and time." She mostly wants to destroy Garden and SeeD rather than rule the world. And then, failing that, compress time in order to escape her fate.
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Started playing AI: The Somnium Files

Nothing too crazy yet, but it seems promising
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I'm semi-interested in that game but I'm mostly waiting for other people's thoughts. Generally speaking I'd say I'm a fan of Uchikoshi, but I was also not all that thrilled with Zero Time Dilemma, so I'm not totally sure where my opinion of his games stands now.
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I liked the Zero Escape games, but VLR is the only one I would honestly say I loved. They created enough goodwill that I'd like to try the game out eventually, but I'm in no hurry to do so.
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