The Tunnel of TC

[Serapy]

The whole tunnel was covered by billions (or infinite?) of black birds, they went into counter-clockwise mode instantly during the TC process. Meaning, the whole thing goes backward, representing by black birds, nothing else.

Black birds obviously represent evil, because they resemble black feathers, right?

Before the tunnel event was being initialized, there was a small amount of black birds at first, then that amount changes to infinite following by the process (it's like expanding everything). It's also like the whole process of the universe being expanded and then being shrinked (due to counter-clockwise).

When TC starts in the first place, it will absorb things first, then the process of the tunnel will happen.

If Rinoa recognizes the significance of black/white feathers, then I'm pretty sure she would recognize black birds as well.

It's a bit confusing I know, it'd make more sense if the tunnel was covered by black feathers among billions of other things, but it wasn't... it was only black birds..

near the end of the tunnel, the black birds have disappeared. first, the interface of the tunnel was filled with black birds, then it became grey... that grey interface is exactly the same as the interface behind Squall standing alone on the rock island, but at that extact part... the time isn't moving at all - anticlockwise, this is what made Squall pass out easily.

What's your interception on this?

[Namelessfengir]

what?

[blackmage_nuke]

Black birds obviously represent evil, because they resemble black feathers, right?

RACISM!!!!

[NeoCracker]

Basically, the short version is that the way things are presented around you is an indication of what time is doing at that moment. Basically as some sort of symbolism.

Am I close to what you meant?

[Serapy]

Basically, the short version is that the way things are presented around you is an indication of what time is doing at that moment. Basically as some sort of symbolism.

Am I close to what you meant?

Probably, I don't know. I just couldn't figure it out WHY the tunnel was filled with black birds, why black birds? Why can't it be something else? I have never seen black birds other than the tunnel event in the game :/ So not sure if it's supposed to be a symbolism.

Ok, the tunnel turns counter-clockwise, that must be an indication of time going back or being mixed, I think going back would be more logical, though.


RACISM!!!!

:p I'm just using FF8's standards. As explained in the game, black represents evil, white represents goood. TC is kind of on the evil side, so it's understandable that it uses black birds, but why black birds? That's the problem.

Actually, now I think it makes better sense if I think this way:
The tunnel starts in the air (above clouds), not on the ground, right?
So basically, that means the tunnel needs something fly-able to help starting the TC tunnel easier. If it was like bricks, instead of black birds, then the starting process of the tunnel will become more difficult.
I dunno :p

Out of my speculation, maybe when the tunnel starts aborsbing things, then birds comes first because they are above other heavy things like buildings/people/stuff on the ground? Actually, maybe not.

Oh yeah, that's it! Black birds drop black feathers! Why didn't I think of that earlier? :rolleyes:



what?

Have you seen the TC fmv in the game?

[blackmage_nuke]

RACISM!!!!

:p I'm just using FF8's standards. As explained in the game, black represents evil, white represents white.


Take a look at what Squall is wearing, and then take a look at what Seifer is wearing

[Serapy]

I'm assuming you don't know the aspects of black and white feathers?
The feather Rinoa represents is white (good). You see it in the beginning, also she displays the symbol on her back only when she was possessed. The white feather also shows up at the end (revival for squall)
The feather Ulti represents is black (evil)
Ulti is responsible for TC
TC displays black birds = black feathers (evil).
Those feathers are incomparable to other things in the game because the feathers have the significance whereas the colours of squall/Seifer clothes don't.

According to my other thread (ulti's plan).
The white feather drops Squall's sword in the beginning.

---

Before the tunnel process, those are black birds:

http://img505.imageshack.us/img505/2263/blackbirdwa6.gif

Those black birds becomes together and forms a huge tunnel

http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/4849/blackbirdtunnelrq3.gif

Evil represents black feather. TC is evil, that's why it uses black birds to form the tunnel.

I found something else:

White birds from Squall's flashbacks:

http://img505.imageshack.us/img505/909/whitebirdru9.gif

They look different than black birds, but I don't know for sure, it could be due to the reflection from the sun. But if it's true that this bird type is really white, then...

White feather represents good.
So white birds represents good.
Squall saw white birds in his flashblack, it helps him maintain the friendship better.

[Big D]

This isn't a hugely relevant contribution to the thread... but it's interesting that Rinoa's dress has white wings, and she gains ethereal white wings during Angel Wing. Also, when time compression is ending and Squall is trapped, with Rinoa frantically trying to find him, she uses her powers to turn a wind-blown red feather into a white one, before sending it to him as a message or guide to help him get back.

Ultimecia, on the other hand, has ornamental black wings on her dress.

[Serapy]

The ultimate weapon of Rinoa's (Shooting Star) also has white wings on it.


she uses her powers to turn a wind-blown red feather into a white one, before sending it to him as a message or guide to help him get back.

Now, that's interesting, the bold part reminds me one of the Ulti paintings: Viator (Messenger). I'm sorry I don't have a camera to take a shot of it but it looks like a bird (I can't tell what colour is it) holding the wooden bucket with something inside.

I wonder where has Viator gone?

[Big D]

"Vivdarium et intervigilium et viator" - "In the garden sleeps a messenger" and all that... yeah, there's been quite a lot of fan speculation about whether that has deeper meaning.

[Serapy]

Ok, so Rinoa...

http://img174.imageshack.us/img174/1824/rinoausesherpoweras1.gif

... uses her powers (by holding Squall's ring on her necklace). Let's assume, the message get sent via a bird.

Then

http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/1586/whitefeatherdropsiy7.gif

The bird drops the feather from high sky (above the heavy cloud), awaiting for a bond activation when Squall touches it. I can't see the bird, it's probably because of the heavy cloud that's blocking the view.

http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/3545/bondactivatedke7.gif

When Squall saw the feather dropping from the sky, he then touches it and the bond has become activated.

... his flashbacks have just started.

Squall then passes out

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/5464/facefq0.gifp

Then he sees Rinoa in the space as she's almost dying (broke her helmet's glass)

After that, another white feather drops, now I don't know what's the meaning of another white feather, any clue?

http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/4739/anotheroneeq0.gif

[Aerith's Knight]

i actually see merit in this thread

the feather does seem to have a deeper meaning. A connection or something. The fact that its showed in the beginning of the game, when the oath is also displayed, should mean that it has some meaning to it.

[Big D]

The feather wasn't sent by a bird, Rinoa did it herself. It's shown in the intro FMV at the start of the game: she empowers the feather somehow (not by touching Squall's ring, but with her sorceress powers) and it flies up into the air.

Squall was still trapped in the reality of his own making. Time Compression is a magical phenomenon, controlled by the mind of the person casting it. So it's not just governed by (meta)phsyical laws, but can be influenced by human thought. Hence why the team had to "believe in each others' existence" in order to reach Ultimecia's castle, which was in a totally different era where none of them should exist. When Ultimecia was defeated, Squall got separated. Instead of believing in his friends and trying to reach them, he focussed on his isolation, and got trapped in a reality of his own making - an empty, diminishing world where he was entirely alone. Rinoa managed to get through to him, via that feather, but when he tried to speak to her he couldn't get through - perhaps his 'world' was already too far away - so he started to obsess over losing Rinoa, hence all the flashbacks and hallucinations about her dyring or transforming. Eventually, everything fades to white as Squall blacks out and his 'world' is gone altogether.
Rinoa, however, has been busy. Remember the scene at the orphanage, where she described a dream of running across the world, trying to find Squall but not knowing where he was? Well, that's what she was doing while he was trapped in compressed time. She traversed compressed time, starting at the flower field where they'd promised to meet, and eventually found him (or brought him to herself).

A lot of this is fairly speculatory, but it's my preferred theory for understanding the imagery and events in the FMV at the start of the game, Rinoa's dream, and the ending.

[Serapy]

Hm, interesting.

What about the black birds that were forming the tunnel? What about the display of the white birds that Rinoa were enjoying at the garden?

Maybe during lost in time, she sends her feather, and while it's up the sky, the feather then changes into a white bird and travels to the location of Squall, then changes into a feather and drops it.

I'm not sure because at the start of the game as you have said. She sends a feather and it flies to the sky (I see no bird) and then all of a sudden, Squall's Gunblade has dropped from the same position as the feather. Does that have to do with anything, or that was just a fancy display?

[Big D]

The part with the gunblade was probably more symbolic than anything else... a sign of Rinoa and Squall being linked by fate, perhaps, or showing the connection between 'Rinoa the sorceress' and 'Squall the warrior/knight'.

Or maybe just a neat visual segue from the scene with Rinoa to the scene with Squall and Seifer.

[Serapy]

If the bird and the flood paintings have meanings, then the other paintings should have meanings as well.

[Aerith's Knight]

omg one stayed open :)

and prob the only important thing about that tunnel was that it was all screwed up

[Big D]

The 'mysterious tunnel of light' sequence is a minor recurring image in the 3D FF games, starting with the end of FFVII, so it probably needn't be analysed too far. It's a method of portraying a supernatural journey or transition of some kind, and it's meant to be surreal.

[Roogle]

I agree with Big D. I think that you should be wary of overanalysis. Many motifs are captured and realized by players on a first playthrough and generally require little thought if one has experience in analyzing classical or modern literature; there are recurring themes, settings, and plot points that are hinted at through the use of various imagery.

[Serapy]

Actually Big D, why feathers? Where did Rinoa get white feathers from? I still believe that they came from birds.

if Rinoa actually did it herself (made white feathers fly). Those feathers were white.

Rinoa = white feathers
Ultimecia = black feathers

You see the tunnel FMV, the tunnel was formed by black feathers. I think Ultimecia did it herself (made black feathers fly and formed the tunnel).