Steiner
Steiner is an interesting character. At first, I didn’t much care for him. I thought he was annoying, arrogant, and blindly loyal. He attempts to stop the Princess from doing what she is trying to do by constantly scheming (poorly) to get her back to the Castle. He listens to Queen Brahne no matter what and trusts her to a fault, but he refuses to even try to listen to Zidane and what he has to say, because as far as he is concerned, Zidane is nothing but a no-good thief and a kidnapper. But that is also the brilliance of his development. He is all of those things, at first. But he grows, changes and adapts. That is how Steiner inspires me. It’s easy to blindly follow what you think is right, and to be loyal to what you know. But you also need to be able to recognize when something isn’t right, and to stand up for what is. It’s easy when you think you’re right to be arrogant and ignore things from the other side, but Steiner eventually shakes this bad habit.
His arrogance falls, leading way for confusion and insecurity, which he then uses to think for himself and find out the truth. When Queen Brahne first imprisons him and takes the Princess, he at first assumes it is a big misunderstanding. But when he sees what the Queen had done to Garnet, he finally realizes that he was on the wrong side. He stops making excuses and makes a difficult choice to stand up against the Queen and say no. He stays loyal to the Princess for the rest of the game, but in a much more supportive way. He is there for her when she needs him, but he trusts her judgement and supports her in any way he can, as is shown when Alexandria is under attack. He forms his own opinions about what he should do, and what he thinks is right. And he stands up for it, acknowledging and accepting that he was wrong. And in the end, he becomes a much better person for it.
Freya
Freya is a strong character, and I admire the person she is. She watches the destruction of her home, sees what is basically a second home face a similar defeat, and is reunited with her lost lover just to find he has forgotten who she is, after she searched for him for so long. How she manages to stay so strong after that is a huge inspiration. I would have been crying in a little ball in the corner for months after just one of those, let alone all of them happening one after the other. But she keeps going, keeps pressing forward.
When she find out Sir Fratley has forgotten her, she is obviously sad, but she does her best to move past it, to not dwell on it. Her lover, who she left her home in search for, can't even remember her name. She had begged him not to leave, but he did. She heard rumors of his death, but she still searched for him. She never gave up hope. And when she finally finds him, he doesn't remember any of it. He doesn't remember any of those times she has held so dearly in her heart. I dwell on things much more than I should, and I can certainly take a lesson from Freya, who remains just as strong as she was before it all began, if not stronger. She doesn’t hold on to the bad, she lets it go and she moves forward. Her home in Bermecia was destroyed. She had left, and went to their rescue when hearing that they were under attack. She witnesses some of her friends dying. She comes face to face with those responsible, including the woman Sir Fratley left to find. Then she moves on to Cleyra. She tries to help and protect its people, only to witness its destruction. Many of the people she knew and cared about have died. Her lover has forgotten her. It is a true testament to Freya's strength of character that she was able to move past this, and remain a strong, confident ally.
Quina
Quina serves as a different source of inspiration than most of the characters. Quina is the comic relief of Final Fantasy IX. S/he is silly, clumsy, awkward, and naïve. But s/he is positive and happy and curious, which are all good qualities. It’s easy for me to find myself being negative and sad.
Quina’s attitude is an inspiration to me. Quina goes out to learn and try new things. His/her adventure starts with traveling the world to try new foods. You can scoff at that if you want, but I would love to be able to do that. S/he also obviously cares about his/her friends, and shows his/her encouragement when s/he can, even if it comes out a bit awkwardly. When Vivi questions if he is like the mindless Black Mage soldiers attacking Bermecia, Quina stands up for him. When Zidane goes through a hard time in Terra, Quina is there with words of support. When Vivi and Quina get married to pass through Madain Sari, Quina expresses great joy. When Zidane and Quina get paired up for the Earth Shrine, s.he is overjoyed. S/he cares in his/her own way. S/he isn’t afraid to learn, grow, explore, and speak his/her mind.
Vivi
And now we come to Vivi. Vivi is probably the greatest source of inspiration to me. He starts off lost and confused. Not knowing who (or what) he is or where he fits in the world. I don’t know where I fit in the world, either. I especially didn’t when I was little. Vivi resonated with me since the first time I played the game. He is shy, quiet, afraid of being an inconvenience. He is alone and confused. We first see him alone in Alexandria, excited to see a play. The ticket turns out to be a fake, sadly. However, a young man named Puck comes along and finds a way for Vivi to see the play after all. Vivi is happy, he finally made a friend. You can tell he cares for Puck when Puck is in trouble with the Antlion in Cleyra. As he travels with his friends, he slowly learns to connect with them. He trusts them and wants to find a home with them. When he was nabbed in Dali, he is too afraid to speak up for himself. When he sees the Black Mage soldiers in Dali, and again in Bermecia, he wonders who he is. Is he like them? What does his existence mean? Where does he belong? All of those things sounded familiar to me. So I latched on to him as a character.
As the story develops, we get to see him grow, mature, learn. He makes new friends and he questions the world around him and he stands up for himself. He treats others with respect and kindness, as a good friend, and he learns to come in to his own. When the Black Mages are destroyed by Black Waltz #3, he stands up for them in an impressive display of strength, fighting back. When he goes to Black Mage Village, he questions his life and faces the possibility of his death head on. He learns to accept his fate, no matter how scary. Vivi has showed me that it’s okay to be confused, scared, and feel alone. But I can learn to accept what I can’t control and become a stronger person. He gave me faith as a little girl that one day, I would grow in to my own, and become a strong, confident, caring person. Just like he was.
I hope you enjoyed. What lessons did you take from the characters of Final Fantasy IX? Were there characters in other games in the series that you felt you could identify with, or who inspired you or picked you up when times were tough?
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