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"That's a secret between you and me. Got that?"![]() Ahh, the guy you either hate or love, depending on your point of view. I for one am in the 'love' part of the camp. Just why do I like this guy? Could it be his scar? Or maybe his good looks? Maybe it's because he's so darn sexy? Or maybe it's his clothes? Or maybe, just maybe, I like his personality? Or maybe it's all of the above? So here goes my indepth (if you can call it indepth...) analysis of what makes him great...or a jerk, if you absolutely don't agree with me, but oh well. At least I tried! Now, before I get into my little indepth discussion, I am sure you have heard (or read) comments from people saying how mean/evil/whatever he is. Well, maybe that is true. However, most of the stuff he says makes perfect sense, and even logical, even though they weren't exactly the right words to use in light of the situation. To me, that's not being mean. It's being realistic, not mean. I never encountered one instance when he was being intentionally mean. When I mean that, I mean something like this, 'geezus, you're such a dumbass. A monkey is better than you!' That is what I believe is being mean. The 'talk to a wall' line was probably the closest you can get to being mean, but even that was logical, given the context of the game at that particular point. Okay, enough about my rant. Here's my indepth (there goes that word again...) discussion, on why I like this person. I hope you like it, but then again, if you don't, then that's okay too. Or not...I may bash you first. Oh, no reason. ^_^ Oh, by the way, the stuff in here contains MASSIVE SPOILING! If you do not want to get spoiled, DO NOT READ!!!! A long time ago, when our hero was a little kid and not hero-like whatsoever, he lived in an orphanage with several other little kids. Unlike other kids his age, he usually stayed apart from everyone else. He did have one friend, though, and that was this older girl named Ellone. In fact, it was commented later that he pretty much hogged her all to himself. ^_^ However, one day, she left the orphanage, and he spent most of his days at the door waiting for her to come back. Of course, she never did come back, and that left him pretty lonely. She was the only one he really cared for, and now that she left, he thought that nobody wanted him. If there was one thing he learned, it was that he couldn't depend on anyone but himself, that if you liked someone a lot, he/she would eventually leave forever. The fact that she left gave him a total personality change that stayed with him. Now 17 and a student at Balamb Garden, our soon-to-be hero is known by everyone as silent, non-social, but also one of the best in his class, having chosen a career as a gunblade specialist. These weapons takes lots of skill, and there aren't many specialists around. The only people studying such a career currently are Seifer and our hero. During this time, if someone were to come up and ask him a question, he would answer with either his classic 'whatever' line, or nothing at all. The only people he talks normally to are the faculty members: Quistis, his instructor, Dr. Kadowaki, the nurse, and Cid, the headmaster. Interestingly enough though, he also talked to Selphie normally, as she was new and wanted him to show her around the place. If someone was being mean, would he/she even bother showing a newbie around Garden? Of course not. A mean person would probably tell her to go 'take a hike,' but our hero was kind enough to tell her about all the facilities and answering all her questions! This scene out of several shows his softer side. ^_^ Stuff happens, and voila! There is a graduation dance! Wow! Everyone loves dances!! So that must mean our hero would be happy to go to a dance! Unfortunately, that was not the case, as he didn't know how to dance and he had no date. All he did was drink something and lean against a pillar beside the window. He probably would have stayed there the entire time too if a certain person hadn't noticed him and asked if he would want to dance with her. Although she asked him a question, he didn't have much of a choice in the matter, as she literally dragged him over to the floor anyway. ^_^ After a couple of mishaps, he finally got it right and he sure seemed to be enjoying it, but unfortunately, before he could get really happy, she left him hanging without a single word. Oh, so much for that idea!! If she had stayed longer, maybe he would've done something more social, but she didn't, so oh well! Anyway, he looked pretty disappointed that she had to go. :( After the dance, Quistis and our hero meet together in a secret place beyond the training center, where he basically tells her to talk to a wall. Sure, you can say that is mean of him to say such a thing, but as the scene occured at such an early point in the game, it is only natural that he would say that as he -is- supposed to be anti-social. Normal people wouldn't say that, obviously, but he wasn't normal then. He was still dwelling on his past. He didn't want to talk about her problems. It is basically at this point in the game where most people would have come to the conclusion that he is basically just a very mean person. Well, to me, that was pretty harsh to judge someone so quickly when you haven't even gotten to know him yet! Are people -that- shallow? Later in the story, he and several others are requested to help this secret organization in a town called Timber, and finds the person he had met at the dance. She is the total opposite of him. She always speaks her mind and is pretty optimistic about things, whereas he keeps all his feelings to himself and knows the truth about reality. Nevertheless, he is fascinated by her and her personality, about why she acts like she does. He even shook hands with her (someone on the boards said that. I can't remember), which is very surprising, since he didn't bother shaking hands with the other members in her little organization. Maybe he shook hands because he knew her previously, or because the guys outside were too idiotic to bother shaking hands with. It is later found out that she obviously doesn't really know anything about operating such a 'high-tech' organization, and tells her so a little while later. To some people, that was also considered mean, but to take his defense, what could he do in that situation? She was way in over her head. If he hadn't told her, even worse things could have happened later. Yeah, I dunno what else to say here. ^_^ "How serious are you...? Really...? The 3 of you plop down on the floor to discuss strategy? On top of that, you can't make a decision without our input, right? How do you think we feel, working for such an organisation?" So one thing led to another and Zell blurted out something he shouldn't have and asked our hero if they could stop it. It is noted that during the time of the story, Balamb Garden was mostly full of people still in training. There weren't many experienced people yet. Our hero certainly knew this, and told Zell that their army probably wouldn't be able to handle the situation, which made Zell feel even worse. Rinoa got mad at him (the hero) for being so callous to his team, and he's supposed to be a leader. He had no idea what got her so upset, and he did have a good reason to. Should he have lied and let everyone fight out later? Who knows. Most people would say he was being mean to everyone in this scene, but to me, that didn't not look mean to me. This was his first time as a squad leader. Is he expected to know -everything- right off the bat? He didn't have any experience yet. Also, he was being realistic when he said what he said. To me, that's not mean. It's being truthful. Sure, maybe it isn't the right time to say such a thing, but people have to get used to disappointments sooner or later. "Oh, you're just a great leader, aren't you...Do you actually have fun acting so callous to your comrades?" (Think what you want...Reality isn't so kind. Everything doesn't work out the way you want it to. That's why...) Later on, when Seifer disappears, Rinoa wondered what happened to him. Our hero explained that he may be dead, and why he thought that way. She got mad and called him a meany. He didn't understand why she was acting that way and apologized. Now, if he was truly mean, would he have said 'sorry?' Why would he apologize if he was mean? Does it mean he cared about her feelings and said he was sorry, or was he mean and said he was sorry for no reason whatsoever? Am I confusing you? ^_^
(What's with her...?) Later on, the team split up into two groups to prevent a disaster from happening. During the scenario where our hero is in, Headmaster Cid explained that there could be a way to save Garden, and our hero wanted to handle whatever it is he was supposed to do. Cid asks why he wanted to. His answer?
(...I don't know...Because you might screw up.) Is this the way a mean person would act? He sure loves Garden. After all, it is his home. He wanted to save Garden. Not because he was forced to do it, but because he actually wanted to. This is yet another good example of his soft side. Much later, the two teams reunite at Fisherman's Horizon, a small fishing town. What was our hero's reaction to the other team?
(Yes! They're alright!) Notice how genuinely happy he was to find them all safe? That sounds like a caring guy to me, not some mean, cold, heartless bastard. This whole scenes shows his other side yet again, and that's not all, as the following passages indicates. -----
Rinoa
Squall
Rinoa
Squall -----
Rinoa
Squall
Rinoa
Squall
Rinoa -----
Rinoa
Squall ----- There's a reason why he's denying it. I will explain it later. ^_^ After that scene, he met up with Irvine who told him that Selphie was depressed, and thought that since he was the leader and stuff, he should cheer her up. Of course, not being good at that kind of stuff, our hero screwed up, but that wasn't the point. The point is, he was nice enough to attempt to cheer her up. Mean people wouldn't have done that. Sure, he messed up, but at least he -tried-. That scene was yet another example of his soft side.
Squall
Selphie
Squall
Selphie
Squall
Selphie Is the above an example of a mean person? I think not... There is another scene where he supposedly acts mean (according to people), but I didn't find it mean at all either. Later on in the game, two Gardens engage in battle. Earlier, Cid appointed him to be the leader of Garden, something that he didn't want at all, for several reasons which I'm not going to say here. Now in the midst of battle, his friends are all telling him to rescue Rinoa, who had fallen off the side when the two Gardens collided. People have said he was pretty uncaring at this point, due to his reluctance to save her. Jumping to his defense once again, I would have done the same thing if I was in his shoes. He had to take responsiblity. What is more important to you, the lives of over a hundred people in Garden, or the life of ONE person? I know it is obvious that his 'friends' wanted him and her to get together, but, really, he had an entire Garden to run. It is more important. Okay, there's lots more scenes where you see how caring he is, but obviously, I'm not about to point them ALL out. That'd take too long! I'll just state some odds and ends. As mentioned before, he never had done anything intentionally mean, which says a lot about his character. All his life, he has been alone, doing whatever he wanted, until suddenly, he was thrust into a team where he had to get along with the other members. This was problematic for him, as it was something he was not yet used to. This creates conflicts of interests. By himself, he is fine,but when people start pressuring him and not giving him any room, he snaps back in a way that most people would consider 'mean.' It's not something he does on purpose, but a natural reaction, considering his background. However, most people [real people, not the people in the game] don't perceive it that way. After Ellone left him at the orphange, he learned not to rely on other people. He didn't want to go through the pain of having someone close to him leave, never to be seen again. In order to prevent that from happening, he refused to make friends by acting unsocial so that they would leave him alone. That ploy pretty much worked, and he knew about it, as he spilled the beans to Rinoa on the bridge. However, she wasn't awake at the time, so she never knew. ^_^
(I wonder what everyone's doing...? They're probably laughing at me. Or maybe they're angry...?) Also, when they were at Fisherman's Horizon earlier...
Familiar Face #3
Squall
Familiar Face #3
Squall Rinoa pretty much figured that part out later on. ^_^
Rinoa
Squall
Rinoa
Squall
Rinoa
Squall
Rinoa
Squall Before this part, there was another scene where people thought our hero was a moron. NOOOO!!!! HOW COULD THEY?! EVILLLLL!!! The scene in question occured after the two boarded the Ragnarok, and Rinoa held her arms out to indicate she wanted him to hug her. However, he had no clue what she meant, and because of that, people have been saying he is too dense to realize that. Huh? Did I miss something here?
SQUALL
RINOA
SQUALL
RINOA
SQUALL
RINOA
Jumping to his defense (yet again...), if you were him, would you go jumping around hugging people if all your life you haven't been hugged before? Why would you go around hugging people, particularly when you don't feel comfortable with the idea yourself? Although he felt for her at that point, he was still struggling with his feelings and didn't know what to do. Hugging was still much alien to him, as well as other more um, physical interactions.
Of course, there was the whole rescuing bit. You remember the way he acted when she was floating in space? Did that sound like a jerk to you?
SQUALL
ELLONE
SQUALL
QUISTIS
PIET
And here's another scene:
RINOA
[Life Support Has Terminated]
RINOA
SQUALL
RINOA
SQUALL
Okay, only someone in love would be idiotic enough to try to rescue someone even knowing they both may not come back alive. Isn't that like, so sweeeet? ^_^ Yeah, so he's really evil, huh?
Oh, yes, and there is yet another scene where he was deemed too dense and mean and stuff. It occured after the Ragnarok landed and the people came to take her away to be sealed...forever. People have been saying that if he really truly cared for her then, he wouldn't have let them take her away. Gee, they act as if this was an easy decision to make.
Yes, of course he cared for her then, but also, this was something she had to do, for the sake of the world. She knew if she went with them, the world will be safe, and he had to abide by her decision. This was not an easy decision to make.
SQUALL
RINOA
SQUALL
RINOA
SQUALL
RINOA
SQUALL
SQUALL
See his last thoughts? Even he didn't know if he was making the right decision. People pointed out that it was only when his friends told him he was an idiot to let her go that he realized he made a crappy decision and acted on it. I don't really see how this scene could make him stupid, as people put it. He was still dwelling on the subject when everyone came in and pretty much opened his eyes:
QUISTIS
SQUALL
QUISTIS
SQUALL
QUISTIS
ZELL
SQUALL
Of course, another motive was because he didn't want to lose her again, like he lost Ellone years ago. Awww, isn't that sweet????? ^_^
Another scene displaying his soft side:
SENTRY
SQUALL
His feelings for her really clinched at the Sorceress Memorial.
ENGINEER
SQUALL
ENGINEER
SQUALL
ENGINEER
QUISTIS
SELPHIE
ZELL
SQUALL
SQUALL
RINOA
SQUALL
If this is how mean people act, then they're crazy. ^_^
At the very end of the game, he SMILES for the first time, and people say he looked pretty dorky doing that. Well, could it be because he had NEVER smiled before and obviously isn't used to it yet? GIVE THE GUY A FRICKIN' BREAK, YOU LOSERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Scenes where our hero showed he cared ^_^
1. At the beginning of the game, he offered to show Selphie around the place. ^_^
2. When he found out Seifer was executed, he actually felt sad about it. ^_^
3. When he was reunited with the other team at Fisherman's Horizon, he was genuinely happy that they were alive and well. ^_^
4. He told Rinoa that he missed her too in the same scene, if she was with the other team. ^_^
5. When Selphie requested to go to Trabia Garden, he went out of his way to go there.
6. When asked why he wanted to help during the Garden fiasco, he responded that he truly cared for Garden. Well, he didn't say it, but he thought it.
7. He -does- say 'sorry' to people. If he was really mean, he wouldn't have said that. As far as I can recall, he said 'sorry' to Rinoa and Zone & Watts.
8. He never 'whatevers' anything, even if he says it a lot. He questions the decisions he makes, and hope it is the best thing to do. He didn't like it when he was appointed to be leader, but he went ahead and took command anyway. Guess what? He -was- a good leader. He doesn't just shrug stuff off like a true 'whatever' person. So what did that have to do about caring? Well, Seifer ran off without thinking about the others during the SeeD exam. That was pretty mean. ^_^
9. When someone mentioned that Dr. Odine didn't care about his test subjects, Squall thought of killing him if he hurt Rinoa. ^_^
10. The entire 'rescue Rinoa in space' scene proves he cared about her very much. ^_^
11. After freeing her from the Sorceress Memorial, they hugged. Awwwwww. ^_^
12. After the Fisherman's Horizon's fiasco, he attempted to cheer Selphie up from her depressing funk. ^_^
13. During the Garden battle, although he never wanted to be leader, he sure did a darn good job leading. Also, he made a cool speech and cared about everyone. ^_^
14. In the flower fields at the orphanage, he made a promise to Rinoa that he would find her, no matter what. Awwww, how sweet! ^_^
15. At the end of the game, when he was stuck in Time Compression, it was his love for her that got him out of it. ^_^
16. In the Desert Prison, he ran on ahead just so he could save Zell. ^_^
Selphie
17. When they went down to the basement, he told everyone to be careful. ^_^
18. In the Training Center, he saved Ellone from monsters. ^_^
19. During the Garden battle, he went out of his way to find a lost boy. ^_^
20. He saved a cadet and some kids from the soldiers. ^_^
The big turning point in the game occurred during the whole orphanage flashback scene, where Irvine basically pointed out how they were all connected.
It was also the time when our hero suddenly realized that maybe he couldn't rely on himself after all, and how messed up his life really is:
Squall
Young Squall
Squall
21. When Selphie asked him if he'd like to join the Garden Festival Committee, he agreed.
Anyway, the whole point of this silly article is to show you he is NOT the evil person that most people say he is. He has a caring side too, and most of the time, he keeps it tucked inside without sharing it with anyone else.
To end this, here are some quotes about his feelings towards other people:
About Seifer:
[Dr. Kadowaki
Squall
--
About Seifer: (I liked him...wasn't really a bad guy...He was one of us...)
--
About Zell: "Lively? He's just loud. Can I switch members?"
--
About Zell: "(Zell...Why do you always have to overreact to everything?)"
--
About Zell: "...I don't know about that. Perhaps anyone but the Chicken-wuss can make it." [in regards to jumping off a cliff]
--
[Rinoa
Squall
--
About Quistis: "Then go talk to a wall."
--
About Zell: "............Thank you, Mr. Know-It-All-Zell."
--
(Quistis...I think you were difficult to deal with.)
--
(Zell...Always crying and screaming.)
--
(Selphie...Always full of energy.)
--
(...I don't see how these wackos keep surviving.)
--
Seifer
Squall
--
Squall
--
Squall
--
Squall
--
The following are several quotes about what the teammates think about our hero.
ZELL
--
QUISTIS
--
QUISTIS
--
XU
--
XU (to Squall)
QUISTIS
--
Rinoa
Irvine
Selphie
--
Selphie
--
Zell
(Squall runs inside.)
Zell
--
Nida
Squall
Nida
Squall
Nida
--
Selphie
"...Squall...being sensitive? That's weird. You're the last person I expected to cheer me up. I must really look depressed."
--
Headmaster Cid
--
Rinoa
--
Rinoa
Squall
Rinoa
--
Rinoa
--
Rinoa
--
Rinoa
--
Quistis
--
Another reason why I like him is because I can relate! Yeah!
While I am not -that- cold, I do tend to be that way sometimes, and I am pretty much a loner. Even around people, there are always times when I feel like leaving, so that I can be by myself. Weird, huh?
He can't dance, and I can't dance too. He has a hard time expressing his feelings. I have the exact same problem, and if I try to, I end up coming across as something completely different, just like him. He's not used to anything like hugging, and that is just like me. In fact, he gets the girl at the end and I don't have anyone yet, so he's not -totally- like me. ^_^.
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