Phoenix
Quote:
I see your point, and if we allow that the timing and translation are as strong as you suggest (again something I'll check later, but if you know, does she literally say it before the Griever fight, as in after you defeat her first form?), then very compelling. However I would suggest the analogy is slightly weaker than you suggest even in this case. It seems more akin to Ultimecia saying she will shoot Squall, aiming a gun at him, then a knife hitting Squall from the direction of the gun.
I admit I don't have a better explanation, and the isolation after the fight, though it fits better IMHO, does require quite a stretch, but the 'obvious' interpretation does have quite a gaping hole in it regarding the word 'feel', and given it was a final boss, you'd think that explanation should carry through a translation.
Although I can agree that "feel" is perhaps a somewhat ambiguous word in this context and not the most appropriate word ("mind" or something would have been better), it is far less a stretch to say that it really refers to Squall's minds/thoughts than to say that Griever came from somewhere completely different. And given the two choices, I'm rather prone to picking the one which is more reasonable and much less of a stretch (I wouldn't personally call it a stretch at all though).
As for the translation, well, we don't really know the first thing about that. Maybe there was confusion, or they thought the scan info was enough to convey the same meaning, or they were also puzzled by the word "feeling". Maybe it was a bit of bad writing by the Japanese scripters. Who knows? At the end of the day, we're better of sticking to the Japanese bit as far as I'm concerned.
Quote:
Well... I'm torn here. There are times when I agree with you, and times when it still just seems completely daft. I know Squall says lions are strong, and given the (Japanese) text, it kinda fits... But still, if you iignore that text and just consider the actual situation... Is Squall likely to be intimidated by a figment of his imagination (or any monster for that matter)? Is there any real indication that Squall ever imagined Griever to be anything other than a lion, and even then, as something scary? Why would Ultimecia only summon Squall's worst fear, and how could she junction herself to it (something vague regarding Tiamat is flashing in my head as a counter to that second part, but I'll leave it for now..) Does the slight mention of Griever two discs prior really justify its position as 'what Squall considers strongest'? Even if it did then, would it still by Disc 4?... I'm sure this list goes on, and I know the text adds weight (arguably) to your version, but without it, it just doesn't really seem to stand up that well.
As aisle said, and you agreed, the text IS important. Of course it wouldn't make much sense without the text because then Griever would come out of nowhere, but as it is, we have at least a reasonable case to make based on the text. You may think it's daft, and that it wasn't made a big enough deal of in the game to warrant it becoming a final boss (I agree on the latter), but hey, Square aren't always perfect (not nearly always really). They could have made it more clear, but were perhaps a bit sloppy. However, upon critical analysis, it is clear enough that the most plausible explanation is that Griever was summoned from Squalls mind because Squall considers it to be the strongest thing he knows of. If anything, the superiority of this explanation becomes apparent by the fact that there really aren't any alternate explanations which don't require huge baseless assumptions or simply are huge stretches.
As for why Ultimecia would only summon Squall's worst fear, well, he is the leader, and if you go by the idea that she was aware of her fate of dying at Squall's hand (a theory supported by the game and the Ultimania, as stated previously), it makes perfect sense to single him out. Even without that theory as a reference, it makes sense simply because Squall is the leader of the group. Finally, the question why she could junction herself to him isn't really relevant; she's a sorceress, she can do lots of strange things =P
Quote:
Oh no, not at all. The TC/story stuff was merely to show that R=U shouldn't be dismissed as too outlandish, because in this type of story it isn't.
I still have to disagree though. TC stuff makes some stuff not outlandish, but I can't see how it lessens the outlandishness of R=U in any way.
PAK:
Quote:
Some people see the ending as Squall seeing Time being Uncompressed.
Some see it as Squall dying and his life flashing before his eyes.
But this Rinoa is Ultimecia idea is the only one that get slammed with hatred. Why? No other view are disputed except this one? Why?
I don't know what experiences you have, but I "slam" the theory that Squall dies as much as R=U. Of course, the difference between interpretations on the ending and R=U is that the oddity of TC itself will always leave room for a certain amount of leeway. R=U however does not have that benefit as it is examined as something relevant throughout the ENTIRE game, instead of just the ending. Because of the fact that the theory then simply isn't implied throughout the game, it will thus be called invalid quicker than most theories examining only the ending.
EDIT: Of course, a lot of animosity has been built up against the theory because many less patient people start stereotyping all R=U defendants as being unwilling to see the facts and that they are blinded by their near religious belief in it. Unfortunately, that's true for some people, and has led to some unfortunate stereotpying.
Oh, and please, before posting your full essay here, I would strongly recommend reading the referred to FAQ. Not that it's the best thing since sliced bread or anything, but if your essay merely repeats what's in there without the counterarguments or ignores everything in there alltogether, then your essay will be pretty pointless and really just a waste of your time, because I'll only respond with "Read the FAQ".
Well... I'm torn here. There are times when I agree with you, and times when it still just seems completely daft. I know Squall says lions are strong, and given the (Japanese) text, it kinda fits... But still, if you iignore that text and just consider the actual situation... Is Squall likely to be intimidated by a figment of his imagination (or any monster for that matter)? Is there any real indication that Squall ever imagined Griever to be anything other than a lion, and even then, as something scary? Why would Ultimecia only summon Squall's worst fear, and how could she junction herself to it (something vague regarding Tiamat is flashing in my head as a counter to that second part, but I'll leave it for now..) Does the slight mention of Griever two discs prior really justify its position as 'what Squall considers strongest'? Even if it did then, would it still by Disc 4?... I'm sure this list goes on, and I know the text adds weight (arguably) to your version, but without it, it just doesn't really seem to stand up that well.Quote: