Ultimecia's Castle

Ultimecia's Castle

Ultimecia's Castle by far.

Ragnarok... Residents... yeah.

Ultimecia's Castle

Ragnorak
For Selphie and Ride On.

Ultimecia's Castle by a slight margin

Ragnarok

Ragnorak
For Selphie and Ride On.

Ragnarok

Right, sorry for the delay...

Ragnarok - 5
Ultimecia's Castle - 5


Started out as an early lead for Ultimecia's Castle, but ended up as a tie. So, we'll have to go to the tie-breaker...


Ragnarok - 9/10, 8/11, 5/8 = 90%, 73%, 62.5% = 75.2%
Ultimecia's Castle - 8/8, 7/9, 9/9 = 100%, 78%, 100% = 92.6%


Ultimecia's Castle easily takes the tie-breaker! And that takes us to the second semi-final battle...


Balamb Garden (GARDEN SQUARE - "Your opinions are important to make our Garden a better place. Write them down and place them in the drop box." "I got first! Trepies forever, baby. Man, I wanna go out with her." - Trepe Groupie #1 "Hey! Trepe Groupie #1, you gotta name, dumbass?" "I'm gonna kick your ass. What's your name?" "Oh I'm so scared. I'm sooo scared! Big loser." "I should kick both of your sorry asses. This is not for your silly games, got it?" - Xu)

vs.

Esthar City (Nida: "Have you decided on a destination?" Squall: "Esthar." Nida: "Oh man... Xenophobic Esthar. That area's terrain is not really suited for flying the Garden." Squall: "Anyway, set a course for Esthar.")

Balamb Garden

Balamb Garden

Balamb Garden

Balamb Garden

Esthar City

Balamb Garden

Balamb Garden

Esthar City... come on!

Esthar City :)

And we have...

Balamb Garden - 6
Esthar City - 5


Turned out to be a close one, but it's Balamb Garden on to the final battle of this edition. And here it is...


Balamb Garden (Headmaster Cid: "One day, Edea began talking about building the Garden and training SeeD. I became obsessed with that plan. But I was very concerned with SeeD's goal, that one day SeeD might fight Edea... She laughed and told me that would never happen. However...")

vs.

Ultimecia's Castle (Squall: "Ultimecia's reign...We have to end it now.")


This is to determine the winner... cast your votes!

Ultimecia's Castle

Ultimecia's Castle - if there was Esthar here, I could've voted different.

Ultimecia's Castle

Ultimecia's Castle - if there was Esthar here, I would've voted for it as well :p

Balamb Garden

Balamb Garden

Ultimecia's Castle - if there was Esthar here, I would've voted for it as well :p

Balamb Garden

Ultimecia's Castle - if there was Esthar here, I would've voted for it as well :p

Balamb Garden

Because the boards were out for quite a while yesterday, I'm going to let this run until tomorrow evening.

No more votes, so that looks like that's it then...

Balamb Garden - 4
Ultimecia's Castle - 6


Making our big winner...


<font color="red">Ultimecia's Castle</font>





Seems quite a few of the voters here are fans of the place-- its location theme was the winner of the first edition of this rumble.


And that's it for this edition. New edition will probably start in maybe a week or so. In the meantime, if anyone wants to post ideas for what should be done next, go ahead.

NPC's... are there enough notable ones in this game? Could probably come up with about 16...


Otherwise, ENEMIES...

Seems to me there are plenty of notable NPCs.

Let's do that then!

Yeah, sounds good to me-- I like the idea. All right, if anyone wants to start posting nominations, go ahead, though this probably still won't get started up again until mid to late next week, 'cause I want a break.

Alright

Cid Kramer
Xu
Julia
Raine
Raijin/Fujin
Biggs/Wedge
Zone/Watts
NORG
Martine
Library Girl with a Pigtail
Card Queen
Nida
Dr. Kadowaki
Dr. Odine
Ultimecia (well, she isn't playable alright, but if you won't use her I understand)
Adel
General Caraway
Vinzer Deling

Here are some other suggestions:

Ellone (Past/Present)
FH Mayor/Flo
Grease Monkey
Shumi Village Artisan
Selphie's friend from Trabia (she has a name, but I forget it at the moment)
President's Aide
Piet
Zell's Ma
Big Bad Rascal

Also, we should determine whether we should include characters from the past, too. For instance, Child Squall or Matron.

Master Fisherman and Fisher Kid
Moombas?
Galbadia Garden student who liked to do push ups, because of it's good view advantage:)

Edit: About Child Squall and Matron - I would be rather against it. They are still parts of one and the same Squall and Edea, who are not NPC's.

Weapons? Both NPC and player.

What about vehicles used in the game?

Weapons? Both NPC and player.

What about vehicles used in the game?

I think we already have decided on a category. Also, the two things you said, there aren't enough of them.

Indeed. As for Olde's question-- sure, I think the characters from the past could be worked in.

Also Selphie's friend doesn't have a name. Her dialogue bubbles call her "Selphie's friend".

Okay, I've decided to go ahead with this. As it turns out, we have just enough to make 32. In some cases I left the pairings as they were, so two characters will be included together. However, I decided to split up Raijin & Fujin and Zone & Watts because I felt they all had enough individual personality to merit listing separately. And I decided it wasn't worth muddying the waters by including "past" characters, so those aren't listed. With all of that in mind, here's who's in the rumble, in order (as best as I was able to determine) by when you first encounter the characters in the game...

Dr. Kadowaki
Ellone
Cid Kramer
Raijin
Fujin
Library Girl with a Pigtail
Ma Dincht
Big Bad Rascal
Queen of Cards
Xu
Biggs/Wedge
Nida
Julia
Zone
Watts
Galbadia Garden Push-Up Boy
Martine
General Caraway
Vinzer Deling
Raine
Moombas
NORG
Master Fisherman/Fisherkid
Mayor Dobe/Flo
Grease Monkey
Shumi Village Artisan
Selphie's Friend
Ultimecia
Presidential Aide
Dr. Odine
Piet
Adel


Let's get started, then! First battle...


Ma Dincht (Or "Zell's Ma." She lives in Balamb and looked after him before he started attending Balamb Garden. She carries Zell's Triple Triad card. She holds down the fort, provides the party with info and keeps people safe when the Galbadian soldiers come to Balamb to search for Ellone.)

vs.

General Caraway (Rinoa's father, but she's disassociated herself with him, as she's the leader of a rebel group and he's a general in the hated Galbadian government. Lives in a mansion in Deling City. He briefs the team in a mission to assassinate Sorceress Edea, but not before sending them on an errand to the Tomb of the Unknown King. Dismissed of his duties following the failed assassination attempt. He carries Rinoa's card, but will only play it under a certain condition.)

Ma Dincht

Ma Dincht

General Caraway.

Ma Dincht

Only five votes? Oh well, even with the forum outage, I think it's safe to end this one, the outcome is obvious...

Ma Dincht - 4
General Caraway - 1


The next battle...

Cid Kramer (Headmaster of Balamb Garden. You first meet in very early in the game when he gives the briefing on the exam. A lot of the time, he seems to come across as a bit of a doddering old fool. You eventually learn that he founded Garden with his wife, Edea, but his dream started to get lost when he turned to NORG for funding. He ends up putting Squall in command of Garden and, from Disc 3 onwards, spends his time in the orphanage by the sea.)

vs.

Dr. Odine (Genius scientist that resides in Esthar. Famous for research into the area of magic. He studied Ellone's power and created the prototype for the "Junction Machine Ellone." The party visits Esthar in Disc 3 to seek him out in the hope of removing Edea's sorceress powers, only to learn that they've already been transferred to someone else-- Rinoa. In the English language version, he speaks with a weird, German-like accent.)

Cid Kramer.

Cid Kramer

Dr. Odine

Dr. Odine

Cid Kramer

Hmm... good battle.

Okay... Dr. Odine.

Cid Kramer

Dr. Odine

Much better turnout this time, thanks everyone. Let's see where we ended up...

Cid Kramer - 4
Dr. Odine - 5


Very close, but Dr. Odine wins by one vote. Next battle is...


Dr. Kadowaki (The very first character you meet in the game-- she asks Squall how he's feeling following the fight with Seifer. She takes care of patients at Balamb Garden's infirmary. Kadowaki seems to be a reasonably caring doctor who is good at her job and also very dedicated. During the Garden conflict, she refuses to take any sides and refers to the "faction mumbo jumbo" as "ridiculous." When Squall warns her that there are missiles coming, she says that she definitely has to say. Kadowaki is a Triple Triad player and though she indicates that she hasn't played much recently, she carries some decent cards, though nothing rare. At one time, however, she was CC King.)

vs.

Moombas (Moomba is actually one of the "final forms" that can be taken by a Shumi. Many of them work in prisons, often treated poorly. Exactly how they ended up there, though, is unknown. The Shumi actually hold them in great respect, noting their many noble features. At a prison, Laguna took pity on one and freed it. He also found it upsetting that they didn't have the power of speech. Moombas identify people by their blood, hence they confused Squall with Laguna.)

Moombas

Moombas

Moombas

Moombas

Dr. Kadowaki

Dr. Kadowaki - 1
Moombas - 5


Interesting. I thought Dr. Kadowaki was more well-liked than that, or perhaps it's just that people are particularly fond of moombas. Okay, next up...


Nida (He passed the SeeD exam with Squall, but when Squall encounters him later during the inter-Garden conflict, he doesn't remember who he is. Later on he becomes the pilot of Balamb Garden. He's fairly decent at Triple Triad, though not a member of the CC group.)

vs.

Mayor Dobe/Flo (Mayor Dobe of Fisherman's Horizon and his wife Flo. Both are ardent pacifists and resent SeeD's presence in FH, but Squall ends up having to save Mayor Dobe anyway when he tries to have a reasoned discussion with the Galbadians. Dobe used to be a scientist in energy research before coming to Fisherman's Horizon. Flo carries Irvine's card once you lose Sacred to the Queen of Cards.)

Mayor Dobe/Flo

Nida

Mayor Dobe/Flo

Mayor Dobe/Flo

Also I thought it was the Quetzacotl card?

Mayor Dobe/Flo

Mayor Dobe/Flo

Nida - 2
Mayor Dobe/Flo - 5


About the card, yes, you're right, Mayor Dobe does have Quezacotl, but the other thing is true too, about Flo carrying Irvine's card.


Next battle...


Zone (The leader of the Forest Owls. His father, along with Watts's, was executed by the Galbadian government. Despite supposedly being the leader, he often lets Rinoa take control. He also fakes stomach pains when faced with pressure. He has a fondness for naughty magazines and on the White SeeD Ship, he will provide you with a Shiva card and a Rename Card if you give him the Girls Next Door.)

vs.

Adel (A sorceress who once ruled over Esthar. She has a ferocious appearance and some people think she looks like a guy. Laguna used trickery to seal her up and then send her into space. Ultimecia uses the possessed Rinoa to free her. Later, Rinoa is junctioned to her for the battle at the end of Disc 3. Attacks include Energy Bomber and Ultima and she will also draw on Rinoa to restore her health.)

Zone.

Zone

Adel

Zone and his gastric problems...

Adel.

How is it that there is not a card for her... seriously, minus Ultimecia EVERY other boss fight exists in some form of a card...

Adel

She had a lot of wasted potential but even the small bit we got on her was very well done.

Zone........I hated Adel >.>

Zone is just badass.

Zone - 5
Adel - 3


So it's Zone to the second round, but Adel has her supporters. She'll never let you forget about her, but as far as this rumble goes, she's out.


Next up...


Queen of Cards (She is the Queen of Cards and she travels all over the world to monitor and enforce the various card rules. If you talk with her, you can find out about the current rules of the region, learn about the trend of the trading rules and about how to pass the rules on. You can also actually pay her money to introduce a new rule to a region, though it's probably not advisable. Playing Triple Triad with her can alter the trade rules. By losing certain rare cards to her and getting her to travel to Dollet, you can participate in the Queen of Cards sidequest and earn new rare cards. On Disc 4, you can find her where Piet's escape pod was and earn any rare cards you may have missed, but she uses the Lunar Base ruleset, which can be tough.)

vs.

Selphie's Friend (Selphie's friend in Trabia Garden. They are very happy to see each other again. She will ask if Squall has been looking after Selphie-- you can answer either way. She tells you that at Trabia Garden, they call snow that floats down gently a gift from the faeries. She carries Selphie's Triple Triad card.)

Queen of Cards

Queen of Cards

Queen of Cards

Queen of Cards

Queen of Cards

Not a lot of votes, but let's go ahead and end this...

Queen of Cards - 5
Selphie's Friend - 0


No support for Selphie's Friend-- I guess she's just too minor (doesn't even have a name given) for anyone to care about her.


Okay, next up...


Raijin (Part of the duo of Raijin and Fujin. Together with Seifer, they make up the Disciplinary Committee. He wields a heavy staff. He often, though not always, ends his sentences with the phrase, "ya know." [Which can be annoying, though trust me, it's at least three times as annoying when spoken out loud in Kingdom Hearts II.] He, like Fujin, is loyal to Seifer, though when it comes to the very end, both realize that they just don't know what's gotten into Seifer and they can't support him anymore. Though, of course, they've patched things up at the end...)

vs.

NORG (Fushururu! He is the Garden Master-- a "black sheep" of the Shumi Tribe. He was the one who provided funding for Garden, but differing opinions led to the Garden conflict with factions supporting either the Garden Master or the headmaster. He sent the order for the sorceress assassination to Headmaster Martine, and Martine decided to use SeeD as a last resort. To try to appease Edea, NORG wanted to offer up the heads of both SeeD and Headmaster Cid, but Squall and co. take him on and send him to his doom.)

NORG

Raijin

Raijin

Hard choice!

NORG.

Raijin - 2
NORG - 3


So NORG moves on by one vote. We move on to this battle...

Biggs/Wedge (Characters by the names Biggs and Wedge have appeared in Final Fantasy games since Final Fantasy VI, one of the many references in the series to Star Wars. In this game, Biggs and Wedge are members of the Galbadian army and largely in the game for comedy. You first encounter them at the top of the communication tower in Dollet. Biggs is a major, but after the ass-kicking you give him, he ends up being demoted to lieutenant. He and Wedge show up again to terrorize Zell, Quistis and Selphie at the prison. They think that they're defenseless prisoners, but the group is fully armed and gives them another pounding, leading Biggs to wonder what's below lieutenant. In the end, you encounter them in Lunatic Pandora, where Biggs decides for the both of them to quit the army.)

vs.

Ultimecia (She's the big baddie, though you don't even found this out until Disc 3. She possesses sorceresses from the past, seeking to achieve the "ever-elusive time kompression." Lives in a kreepy kastle far in the future, where Squall and co. travel to put an end to her and save time. After she is killed, her spirit travels to the past, where she passes on her powers to Edea, beginning the whole cycle...)

Biggs/Wedge

Aww fuck. How did I miss NORG?
Well at least he won.

Biggs/Wedge

Ultimecia.

Was there ever any official confirmation from Square about her being Rinoa? I remember they had to confirm Laguna was Squall's father because it wasn't stated directly in the game.

Yeah, I'm going to give this an extra day because of the forum outage...


(Oh, and no, as far as I know, R=U has never been anything more than a fan theory.)

Actually I think because a lot of people started to think that, Square actually came and denied the theory. Also:

Biggs/Wedge

Ultimecia

Ultimecia

All right, the extra day netted four extra votes... which canceled each other out. :D So...


Biggs/Wedge - 4
Ultimecia - 3


Next up...


Library Girl with a Pigtail (A potential love interest of Zell's. When you first talk to her, she tells you a list of things that are prohibited in the library and says that she has to go over the rules with the children next period and she's nervous. Later, Zell asks her to try to find the book "Goodbye Pururun." During the internal Garden conflict, she gives you a Mega Phoenix. She gives Zell the Combat King 003. She plays Triple Triad, but she's not very good at it.)

vs.

Grease Monkey (A shopkeeper in Fisherman's Horizon. He's an artisan, like his friend in Shumi Village, and they share things with each other. He says his repair shop isn't ordinary and offers to repair your head or your personality. When Artisan doesn't want to help with the statue, Grease Monkey provides with a moomba doll that he built a message into.)

Hmm... Library Girl With a Pigtail.

Hmm... Library Girl With a Pigtail.

Grease Monkey

Grease Monkey

Was going to end this last night, but the forum kept acting up. So...

Library Girl with a Pigtail - 3
Grease Monkey - 2


Once again only five votes, seems like a lot of the regulars are missing lately. But four days is more than enough, so on we go...


Fujin (The other half of the Raijin/Fujin duo. Rajin already lost his battle, ya' know, but perhaps Fujin will be more successful. She is generally the more powerful fighter. Usually speaks using only one word, two at most, until she gives her speech in the Lunatic Pandora.)

vs.

Big Bad Rascal (A little boy in Balamb who's always up to mischief and who makes his mother "understand what Mrs. Dincht" went through. When Balamb is occupied by the Galbadian forces, he shows you a "special move" he's been practicing, his "SuuuPER-MIRACLE-KiiiCK." He checks on the parents of a girl that's a friend of his that have been trapped at the entrance and also distracts the soldiers if you like, so that you can leave town and return to the World Map.)

Fujin

Fujin

Fujin makes me lol.

DISTURBING

Fujin

Fujin super easy!

Fujin makes me lol.

DISTURBING

Fujin - 6
Big Bad Rascal - 0


No love for the Big Bad Rascal-- Fujin easily earns what her cohort Raijin could not-- a spot in the second round.


Xu (A senior member of SeeD. She provides the mission briefing for the field exam in Dollet. After the mission, she has harsh words for Seifer, telling him "calling yourself a captain is a joke." During the inter-Garden conflict, she comes up with the plan to split everyone into various areas and hide Cid, thus providing an effective means of holding off the Garden Master. Later, she assists in the evacuation. When Squall is appointed to head Balamb Garden, she and Quistis decide on the title of "commander" for him. She then takes charge of supplies. She is CC Card Group Queen Heart, the highest rank other CC Group King. On Disc 4, if you completed the CC group quest, she returns with the CC Group members to play Squall again.)

vs.

Master Fisherman/Fisherkid (The Master Fisherman is also known as "The Engineer" because he was a highly skilled hand in Esthar. You first seem him fishing in the FMV in which Balamb Garden crashes into Fisherman's Horizon. You don't ever actually have to meet him, but doing so is the key to gaining a lot of rewards and backstory. He forgives Squall for what happened with Balamb Garden, but not before joking around with him a bit, then provides him with the Occult Fan III magazine. If you continue with his story, you eventually learn that he was one of the original founders of Fisherman's Horizon and he even came up with the town's name, though he never does provide a satisfactory explanation for it. Later, he visits Shumi Village, compelled by an urge to come. He's a Triple Triad player, though he doesn't carry any rare cards. His pupil, Fisherkid, can be found at the docks. His scenes provide amusement as he keeps casting his line and it keeps getting all messed up, even entangling the shopkeeper there.)

Xu

Master Fisherman/Fisherkid

Master Fisherman/Fisherkid

Xu

Master Fisherman/Fisherkid

Poor shopkeeper, Fisherkid nearly killed him.

Xu

We are tied-- however, the boards were down most of the day for me, so I imagine that was probably the situation for everyone else too. Therefore, the next vote breaks the tie. If there is no next vote by tomorrow evening, then I'll just toss a coin.

Okay, it looks like nobody else is going to vote, so I'm just going to go to the coin toss. And the winner is... Xu.



We're getting close to the end of the first round, but we still have four battles left to go. Let's keep them going with this battle...


Julia (Laguna's early love interest. She played the piano in the bar of a hotel in Galbadia, but couldn't write lyrics, until Laguna's words inspired her to write the song "Eyes On Me." She eventually ended up marrying a Galbadian general, Caraway and gave birth to Rinoa Heartilly, but she was killed a car accident when Rinoa was still young.)

vs.

Vinzer Deling (The Galbadian president, though as far as most are concerned, he's a dictator. A scoundrel, not even liked by the people in Deling City, according to Watts and Zone. SeeD is dispatched to aid the Timber Owls in an attempt to assassinate him, but they end up targeting a vicious undead creature that has assumed the role of Deling's body double. The real Deling announces the arrival of the sorceress, Edea [secretly possessed by Ultimecia], who later murders him and then tosses him aside like so much trash.)

Julia

Julia

Julia

Julia as well.

Julia

All right, no votes for the scoundrel and I doubt he would get any, so let's keep this moving...

Julia - 5
Vinzer Deling - <font color="red">0</font>


Ellone (A key character in the game, she is the second character you meet, immediately following Dr. Kadowaki. However, you don't learn her identity until much later. Ellone was Squall's "sis" at Edea's orphanage. When she disappears from the orphanage, Squall is devastated. A girl adopted by Raine, Laguna becomes a sort of uncle to her. Ellone possesses a fantastic power-- the ability to send peoples' consciousnesses back in time. Using her ability, she tries to change the past, but eventually discovers that you can't -- what changes is you-- you may see some things differently in the present. Odine makes her the subject of research and from her, develops the Junction Machine Ellone, which becomes a fully-functioning device in the future. Eventually, Ellone uses her ability to allow Ultimecia to begin the time compression process, but the party travels forward to the future to defeat her.)

vs.

Watts (The other half of the Watts/Zone duo. He is known for generally speaking very politely and addressing people as "sir." Like Zone, his father was killed by the Galbadian government. He's the one who asks Squall and company for the password for the Forest Owls-- if you give the wrong password, he has to chase after the train. Apparently he's often getting left behind. On the White SeeD Ship, he's a good source of information. He is a Triple Triad player and carries the Level 8 GF card, Angelo.)


Oh, for those who follow it, I'm planning to start the next edition of the Gen FF Rumble in a couple evenings from now, so keep an eye out for that.

Ellone

Ellone

Ellone

All right, yeah, let's keep going...

Ellone - 4
Watts - <font color="red">0</font>


So Zone is in the second round, but Watts is out. Next battle...

Martine (Headmaster of Galbadia Garden. As you are leaving Galbadia Garden, he shows up and provides the briefing on the sorceress assassination mission and introduces Irvine Kinneas. Later, Garden Master NORG reveals that Martine is a subordinate of his, but "THAT-SLY-WEASEL-MARTINE-USED-YOU-AS-A-LAST-RESORT-FOR-THE-ASSASSINATION." Martine eventually wanders to Fisherman's Horizon. They take him with open arms, but he's a broken man, ashamed. There is one thing he's still proud of though-- his card-playing ability. "I confiscated all the cards from the students at Galbadia Garden. You're in for a challenge!" If you lose the Ifrit card to Caraway in order to gain the Rinoa card, it will end up in Martine's possession and you can win it back by playing him.)

vs.

Shumi Village Artisan (Or simply "Artisan." You meet him in a small house in Shumi village, where he's constructed a number of models. He says that he once met a group of artisans and found that the have the same souls as the Shumi. The water stone is found in his house-- he uses it for washing. He doesn't want to help with the Laguna statue, but is convinced by a message from his Grease Monkey friend in Fisherman's Horizon, who has already been eliminated from this rumble. Artisan always speaks of himself in the third person. He's a Triple Triad player, but not one of any particular note.)

Martine

Elemental rule or not, I have fond memories of playing him in FH.

Martine

Martine

Martine

Martine's pretty cool.

Shumi Village Artisan

Just cuz he's an artisan, lol.

Martine - 5
Shumi Village Artisan - 2


Presidential Aide (He has no other name. He tells you that they need time to prepare before you can go see Ellone. He suggests that Squall take a look around the city, noting that they've advanced much since the Sorceress War. He directs you to the Lunar Gate. If you talk with him as the Lunar Cry is starting, he notes that the city's about to have a major problem. He is a Triple Triad player and, as part of the Queen of Cards sidequest, he carries the Phoenix card.)

vs.

Piet (He works in the Med Lab of the space station. He gets Rinoa situated and then shows your party to the control room. When Rinoa escapes, he realizes what is happening and warns that she has to be stopped, but she can't be stopped. He orders an evacuation and you escape with him. Later, he can be found at the crash site. He is also a Triple Triad player and carries the Alexander card. His name is one of the many Star Wars references in the series, after Firmus Piett from The Empire Strikes Back.)

Piet

Alexander > Phoenix.

That's right, Rob. I said it. And, you'll probably never see it. Wheeeee~

Piet

Piet

Piet

Presidential Aide - <font color="red">0</font>
Piet - 5


And now, the final battle of the round...


Galbadia Garden Push-Up Boy (A.K.A. "Student C." One of several students being made to do pushups by a tough instructor from Galbadia Garden. When you talk with him, he says there's one good thing about having to do pushups and then looks up the skirt of a girl that's walking by.)

vs.

Raine Loire (A woman living in Winhill who adopted a little girl named Ellone following the Sorceress War. At some point afterward, she took in and cared for a man named Laguna. In return, Laguna helped to look after Ellone and patrol the town of Winhill for monsters. Raine liked Laguna, but also found him infuriating, with his dreams of being a journalist and traveling the world. Nevertheless, Laguna proposed to her and the two became married. She conceived a child, Squall Leonhart, but died shortly after the birth to complications. Unfortunately, Laguna was in Esthar at the time, having tracked down Ellone and decided to stay and help the people of Esthar. She died without seeing her husband again and Laguna did not meet his son until he was well into his teens.)



I have a feeling I know where this one is going, but regardless, this won't be ended until at least two evenings from now, as I intend to get things going on the Gen FF Rumble tomorrow evening.

Raine Loire

lol. Raine

Student C

For a badass name and a healthy attitude >_>
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Raine of course

LOL. Only three votes. I guess people must have considered this a bit of a joke battle, but the push-up boy was nominated, so I put him in. Anyways...


Galbadia Garden Push-Up Boy (Student C) - 0
Raine Loire - 3


And that's the end of the first round! Let's take a look at who's left for the second...



Ellone
Fujin
Library Girl with a Pigtail
Ma Dincht
Queen of Cards
Xu
Biggs/Wedge
Julia
Zone
Martine
Raine Loire
Moombas
NORG
Mayor Dobe/Flo
Dr. Odine
Piet


So there's that, and you can check the first post of the thread for the updated results. Let's do the first battle of the second round...


Xu (Xu: "Seifer, don't be so stuck up yourself. You'll take all responsibility for leaving the designated area." Seifer: "Isn't it the captain's duty to take the best possible action?" Xu: "Seifer, you'll never be a SeeD. Calling yourself a captain is a joke.")

vs.

Dr. Odine (Odine: Iz it my turn?" Laguna: "Yeah. Make it short and easy to understand." Odine: "I will talk however I vant!")

Dr. Odine

Dr. Odine

Doesn't Xu appear like 2 or 3 times in the entire game?

Dr. Odine.

Xu

dunno why

Xu - 1
Dr. Odine - 4


Dr. Odine easily moves to the quarter-finals. The next battle:

Ma Dincht (Ma Dincht: "Zell, what a surprise! Are these your friends?" Zell: "This is my house. But don't make yourselves too comfortable!" Ma Dincht: (if you speak to her again) "Take care of Zell for me.")

vs.

NORG (Garden Faculty: "It's about time. Master NORG has been waiting for you. Come. Whenever Master NORG calls you, be sure to be there within 3 seconds." NORG: "Fushururu...3-SECONDS-ARE-UP." Squall: (...This is the Garden master? The proprieter of Garden? ...He's not human? Come to think of it, we didn't know anything about him. .........What a shock.))

NORG

Ma Dincht. Fuck yeah!

Ma Dincht. Fuck yeah!
xD

NORG - 5
Ma Dincht - 2


So the "black sheep of the Shumi tribe" moves on once again. And we move on with this battle...


Fujin (Raijin: "Yo, it's Squall. Oh yeah. Fujin's gonna treat us, ya know? Want somethin'?" Fujin: "RAGE!" Raijin: "?" (Fujin directs a well-placed kick at Rajin's leg.) Raijin: "!!!!!!!!! Ahh...Ouuu...Ahh... ... ... Squall, psst...psst...psst... (Fujin's kinda harsh at times so you betta watch it too, ya know?)" Fujin: "WHAT?" Raijin: "O-Oh! I-It's nothin'!")

vs.

Julia (Julia: "I...I want to sing. Not just play the piano but sing, too." Laguna: "Oh, I'd really love to hear it." Julia: "But I can't. I'm no good at writing lyrics..." Laguna: "Hmm...That must be tough." Julia: "But, thanks to you, I think I can come up with something." Laguna: "Thanks to me...?" Julia: "Yes... The many faces you've shown me. Times when you were hurt, worried...Or felt pain deep inside you...Your smiles, your face, your eyes... You've shown me something...I think I can come up with a song.")

Fujin

Fujin

Julia

Fujin

cute and badass :3

Julia

Julia

Julia

Fujin!

Fujin - 4
Julia - 4


A surprise. Personally, I kinda thought that Fujin would win by at least a couple votes, but after something of a yo-yo battle, we end up with a tie. So let's go to the tie-breaker by looking at the votes from the first round...


Fujin - 6/6 - 100%
Julia - 5/5 - 100%


LOL, they both got 100% first time around, but Fujin got one more vote, so this one goes to Fujin. Next battle...


Martine (Martine: "Good day. I have official orders from Headmaster Cid addressed to you. Following regulations, I have gone over these orders. After careful consideration of our options, we have decided to fully assist and cooperate with Headmaster Cid. Actually, we too, have been planning for this quite some time now.")

vs.

Raine Loire (Laguna: "Alright! Our first patrol, complete! We're to report to the commander and asst. commander." Kiros: "Commander...You mean that woman at the pub?" Laguna: "Her name's Raine. Raine, OK!? She saved my life. And the asst. commander is Ellone." Kiros: "She seems like a really nice person. But easily taken in by a hotshot.")

Raine Loire

Martine

Raine Loire

Raine

Raine Loire

Raine

Raine

And I would have voted Fujin.

Martine - 1
Raine - 7


Raine easily moves to the quarter-finals. And the next battle is...

Zone (Watts: "It's the princess' nap time, sir." Zone: "Ahh, man... Hey, Squall, sorry, but could you go get the princess? She's in the [last room], up those stairs. Some of our other guys are in the room on the way. Ask'em if you get lost." Squall: "...Were we hired to run errands? Well?" Zone: "A-Are you angry!?" Squall: "(We're not gophers...We're SeeD...special forces.) This is the last time for this kinda thing. Zone: "OwOwOuccchhh. ... Ouuuchh...M-My stomach...")

vs.

Moombas (Squall: "You raise Moombas in this village?" Sculptor: "...Raise...? Moomba is one of many final forms that we Shumis take." Squall: "Final form?" Sculptor: "You don't know? Excluding the ones qualified to become Elders, all Shumis evolve at a certain stage of our lives. We become what is in our hearts. Often, those who fail to become honorable Elders turn into Moombas. The passionate ingenuity in their hearts gives rise to the red hair. It's common knowledge. Sculptor is surprised you didn't know." Zell: "That sucks. Turning into those beasts..." Sculptor: "B-B-BEASTS!!!? H-H-HOW DARE YOU CALL THEM BEASTS!!!? Yes, the ones who become Elders are remarkable people! But what did you call them again!? BEASTS! "Did you not see their noble features? Their gem-like eyes revealing innocence! Their bright red hair symbolizing passion! Their spectacular hair signifying power! Their soothing, adorable cries! Their mighty hands with incredible strength! Their proud posture demanding respect! Everything about them is great!" Squall: "Ok, alright. (Man, you and your big mouth.)")

Moombas

Zone

Naughty Magazine gloty

Zone

Zone

Moombas easily.

Student C was naughtier;P

Moombas

Zone

Naughty Magazine gloty

Zone - 4
Moombas - 3


Decent battle -- Zone wins by one vote. Three battles left in the current round. The next of those is...


Queen of Cards (Queen: "I am the Queen of Cards. I travel all over the world to monitor and enforce the various card rules. What do you wish to know?" Squall: "How are the rules passed on?" Queen of Cards: "Basically, each region has its own rules. The rules you're carrying are passed on as you travel to various regions. As for the trading rules, they gradually spread out from a region where the card game is most popular. Of course, this region can change constantly depending on your course and actions. Also, my presence in a region can change its trading rules at times.")

vs.

Biggs/Wedge (Biggs: "S-So we meet again! Now we'll teach you the lesson we should have taught you earlier! I know it might seem cowardly to fight unarmed prisoners... ...But I hope you appreciate our position. Hey, it's a dog eat do..." Wedge: "Uh, they are fully armed, sir..." Biggs: "W-WHAT!? H-Ho-How...? Ahh, hell with it! Let's go, Wedge!")

Biggs/Wedge

Biggs/Wedge

Biggs/Wedge

Hmm, only three votes, but I guess we'll move on...


Queen of Cards - 0
Biggs/Wedge - 3


Two battles left in the current round. Here's the first of those...


Ellone (Ellone: "I'm so sorry. I got you involved in so many things...so much hardship." Squall: "It's alright. I understand. I understand what you were trying to do. Were we of any help?" Ellone: "Of course! You were my eyes. Thanks to you guys, I was able to see how much I was loved. I couldn't change the past but just seeing it was more than enough. Thank you so much." Squall: "It's ok. I came here because I need your help. You said you can't change the past, right?" Ellone: "You can find out things about the past you never knew. And from what you've learned, you may see some things differently in the present. You're the one that changes. Not the past.")

vs.

Mayor Dobe/Flo (Mayor Dobe: "We don't want military organizations in FH. You rely on force to solve problems. That is in direct defiance of our principles." Flo: "We believe that any problems can be settled by discussion. If you reach a mutual understanding, there is no need to fight." Squall: (No argument there. Trite, and dull as hell, though.))

Ellone

Ellone



(I've been calling her Eleno all these years... :( WTH!?)

Was going to apologize for missing a round, but seems I was one of the three...

Ellone

Elone.

Just downloaded FF VIII from PSN and loving it.

Ellone

All right, I'm going to go ahead and end this...


Ellone - 5
Mayor Dobe/Flo - <font color="red">0</font>


Ellone wins this one without any competition from Mayor Dobe and Flo. Final battle of the first round...


Library Girl with a Pigtail ("The following acts are prohibited within the library: 1. Talking loudly. 2. Eating and drinking. 3. Running around. And also... 4. Avoid late returns. 5. No fighting over seats. I have to go over the library rules with the children, next period. I'm very nervous. I hope they understand...")

vs.

Piet (Squall: "It's overflowing with monsters." Piet: "It's finally starting..." Squall: "The Lunar Cry..." Piet: "If that's the case, we definitely have to stop her. If she plans to free Adel, she'll have to go out there. The Level 2 Seal is located on Adel's Tomb.")

I'd go and comfort that Library Girl with a Pigtail, if ya know wat I mean.

Piet

Only three votes again? Well, I guess neither of these NPCs really stir the passions...


Library Girl With a Pigtail - 1
Piet - 2


Oh yeah, and for some reason in my previous post, I wrote "final battle of the first round." It was actually the second. And so now we move on to the quarter-finals and hopefully some more thrilling battles. Here's who's left for the quarter-finals:



Ellone
Fujin
Biggs/Wedge
Zone
Raine Loire
NORG
Dr. Odine
Piet


As always, that list is just for reference, but you can take a look at the updated results in the first post of the thread, should you be so inclined. But now, let's get to some battling! Here's the first battle of the quarter-finals...


Fujin (Squall: "Ok...Understood. So you want nothing to do with Garden now? ...From now on, we're not gonna hold back." (...I guess that's how it goes. That's what comrades are all about...) Rinoa: "You're just gonna let them go? Squall?" Raijin: "Don't wanna...talk anymore, ya know......Kinda painful...ya know..." Fujin: "WIMP! RUN!")

vs.

Dr. Odine (Edea: "...That is the reason I am here. I seek the doctor's help. I wish to be free of Sorceress Ultimecia's control." Dr. Odine: "Zat will be easy. We just exorcise the sorceress. There iz nothing Odine cannot do." Edea: "I leave everything in your hands.")

FUJIN fo' da lulz

FUJIN fo' da lulz

Fujin

Fujin

Fujin

Keep it rollin' with Fujin.

How one-sided, lol.

Heh, nice pictures. Anyways, is obvious blowout, let's keep this moving...

Fujin - 7
Dr. Odine - <font color="red">0</font>


No love whatsoever this time around for Odine. Let's continue this battle:


Biggs/Wedge (Wedge: "Major Biggs! There has been a report of a monster-shaped shadow on top of the tower. Major Biggs!" Biggs: "Be quiet! I'm busy! This goes like this...and...Geez, what's with these crappy old tools? And...and...Why do I have to make all the repairs!? AHHH!!!" Wedge: "Sir, I'll check around while the repairs are being done.")

vs.

Raine Loire (Old Man: "There used to be a flower shop in the town square. It was owned by a woman named Raine. She lived there with a little girl named Ellone. Raine was so good with flowers. She made wreaths for our harvest festivals. Her wreaths of white flowers were most beautiful. We'll never see wreaths like that again. Ellone was so adorable... ...Wearing those wreaths over her head and prancing around like an angel. How long has it been since Raine passed away?...I hope Ellone is doing well.")

Raine

Raine Loire

If it was Biggs, Wedge from VII then maybe, but you would have to throw in Jessie

Raine Loire

Biggs/Wedge

Raine

Biggs/Wedge fo' da lulz, I shiz you not!

Raine Loire

Biggs/Wedge - 2
Raine Loire - 5

Raine becomes a semi-finalist. Next we have...


Ellone (Squall: "You're Ellone? THE Ellone?" (What is going on?) "You know...Laguna, don't you?" Ellone: "I do. I really love Uncle Laguna." Squall: "Then tell me! What is it that we experience!?" Ellone: "I'm sorry, Squall. It's hard to explain. But...one thing... It's about the past." Squall: (...So we were viewing the past?) Ellone: "People say you can't change the past. But even still, if there's a possibility, it's worth a try, right?" Squall: (Change the past? Is she serious? Give me a break...) "Are you the one responsible!? Are you the one taking us to that 'dream world'!?" Ellone: "I'm sorry." Squall: (...Not again. So much I don't understand.) "Why me!? I have enough problems as it is! Don't get me involved in this!" Ellone: "I'm sorry." Squall: "Don't...Don't count on me." Xu: "Squall, did you find Ellone?" Ellone: "Umm...I'm Ellone." Xu: "Are you all right?" Squall: (What Ellone said under her breath was... You're my only hope.))

vs.

NORG (Headmaster Cid: "You all see me in such an embarrassing state. What shall we talk about?" Squall: "Tell me about Master NORG." Headmaster Cid: "He is from the Shumi tribe. A black sheep of the tribe, one might say. We met while I was running around trying to raise funds to build the Garden. He became interested in building the Garden, and we hit it off. Thanks to his funding, it was completed. However, we needed an enormous amount of funds to run the Garden. So we began dispatching SeeDs around the world as a means of supporting the Garden. NORG's idea was right on the money. An enormous amount of capital began flowing into the Garden. And the Garden began to change. Lost sight of our high ideals, the truth was covered up... That's probably enough. In the end, it was my fault, for giving up control.")

Ellone

Ellone

NORG

Ellone

Ellone

Ellone - 4
NORG - 2


So Ellone joins Raine in the semi-finals.


Final battle of the round...


Zone (Zone: "Sometimes it gets dull out there. That's when I really start missing 'The Girl Next Door'. That book was so hot, man. What was I thinking selling that honey? I guess you should never sell what you cherish, no matter how much you need the money. ... ... ... ...HEY!" (That's 'The Girl Next Door'!!! How'd you get it!?) "Hey man...uh, listen...um...I was wonderin' if you can give it to me." (Give it to him for free.) "Serious!? Oh man! Thanks! You're awesome! Here! I want you to have this." Received [Rename Card]! Received [Shiva Card]!)


vs.

Piet (Quistis: "I'm home." Squall: "How did you get here?" Quistis: "Well...A lot of things happened. I was unconscious for a while after the escape pod touched down. When I came to, it was just me and Piet." Squall: (Piet? Oh, the guy who escaped with us. What happened to Ellone?))

Zone

Zone

Zone

Zone

Piet

Zone - 4
Piet - 1


No surprise there, I suppose. But now we're at the semi-finals. Just four left and likely the battles will be pretty tough. Here's who's left...



Ellone
Fujin
Zone
Raine Loire


And, as always, that list is just for reference, but you can check the updated results in the first post of the thread. The first battle of the semi-finals is...


Fujin (Raijin: "Fujin was sayin' that it'd be all your fault if Seifer doesn't become a SeeD. She can be pretty scary, ya know!" Fujin: "...RAGE.")

vs.

Raine Loire (Ellone: "You can't change the past. I just found that out. When I was kidnapped, Uncle Laguna went on a journey to find me... But because he did, Uncle Laguna wasn't able to be by Raine's side when she died. Raine wanted to show Laguna her new born baby... Raine kept calling out for Laguna. So no matter what, I wanted Laguna to stay in the village... But it didn't work. I can no longer make it back to that moment...")

Raine Loire

Raine Loire

FUJIN fo' da lulz

Well, I decided to leave this open an extra day because of the forum outage the other day, but it doesn't look like there's going to be anymore votes. So I guess I gotta end it with just four votes, and it's tie-breaker time...


Fujin - 2
Raine Loire - 2


Fujin - 6/6, 4/8 (previous tie), 7/7, 100, 50%, 100% = 83%
Raine Loire - 3/3, 7/8, 5/8 = 100%, 88%, 63% = 84%


Wow. That's about the closest of margins you can get, but Raine Loire takes the tie-breaker. Despite having won on two previous blowouts, that one previous tie really hurt Fujin. Our second semi-final is...


Ellone (Ellone: "Squall!!! Squall! Quisty?" ... ... White SeeDs: "It's not safe here. Please, let's go." Ellone: "...Alright." Quistis: "Who was that...?")

vs.

Zone (Zone: "After you guys left, the Galbadian buttheads came after us, and we barely escaped to this boat." Watts: "I was sure we were goners, sir! Zone went nuts and was thinking about swimming across the sea to escape!" Zone: "Hey, it was a plan. All you were doing was whining like a big baby. 'We're gonna die, we're gonna die!' And look who jumped in first! You, you numbnuts!" Squall: (...I don't see how these wackos keep surviving.))

Ellone

Ellone

Ellone

Ellone. How did Zone even get this far?