Sorceress Selphie? (possible spoilers)

[Tokimadoushi]

Okay, the game makes it pretty clear that the difference between a sorceress and a regular woman is that a sorceress need not junction a GF nor draw magic to use magic. This point is emphasized when Rinoa develops the Angel Wing limit break after becoming a sorceress. So why the hell can Selphie use random, undrawn magic even without a GF equipped with her limit break, Slots? Is there something she's been hiding from the party? Perhaps, Selphie=Ultimecia?

[Rostum]

Just what this forum needs, another one...

As for your 'theory' I wouldn't think too much about it. The developers didn't.

[MJN SEIFER]

Okay, the game makes it pretty clear that the difference between a sorceress and a regular woman is that a sorceress need not junction a GF nor draw magic to use magic. This point is emphasized when Rinoa develops the Angel Wing limit break after becoming a sorceress. So why the hell can Selphie use random, undrawn magic even without a GF equipped with her limit break, Slots? Is there something she's been hiding from the party? Perhaps, Selphie=Ultimecia?

Limit Breaks are just natural abbilities used by the characters. There is no link between them and sorcery. Also, battle based skills very rarley relate to storyline aside from a few exceptions, such as Terra's Morph in FFVI, Garnet suddenly getting a lot weaker for a short time in FFIX, and as you mentioned Angel Wing.

Also no one is Ultimecia, the only person I can think of her being is now dissproved (not an FFVIII charcter) bottom line - Ultimecia is Ultimecia.

[Mirage]

holy crap, quistis can use magic too, i bet she's actually edea

[Roogle]

In the world of Final Fantasy VIII, ordinary humans can possess special powers and abilities akin to those of the sorceress. Ellone, for example, has her unique ability, Connect, that allows Squall and his party to link to Laguna and his party.

[Jessweeee♪]

It's non-canon of course, but my personal theory is that sorceresses can have babies and those babies can have sorceress powers and that's why sorceresses usually don't have babies. Selphie is a descendant!

[Wolf Kanno]

Not to mention that if you look at it, magic is not exclusive to Sorceress' as much as it's the scale of the power. Galbadian soldiers can use limited magic, the whole process of drawing spells comes from removing magic potential from the world around you.

I would argue that magic is not exclusive to the Sorceress though it's obvious that the Sorceress power is on a much greater scale, and she has access to abilities that are not possible through Junction, such as physical manifestations of immaterial substance and making inanimate objects into living beings.

I'm more curious about Ellone's plot device powers.

[Clo]

Yeah, seriously, what was Ellone's deal?

[MJN SEIFER]

I always figured that Ellone was either a sorceress, or was in someway decended from them. On a side note, the R=E makes more sense than the R=U - at least the "evidence" for R=E isn't flimsy like R=U, even if it turns out to be false.

[Depression Moon]

Ellone's a mutant.

[Roogle]

The Final Fantasy Wiki has a great article about Ellone and her powers.

[Laddy]

Oh my god! You're so right! The annoying-as-hell woman-child kawaii nightmare with little significance to the plot that is Selphie is CLEARLY able to wield powers that can part oceans and level continents! This is truly a great discovery! What's nest? Vivi being a genome? Rosa being Cecil's third form? Gogo is actually Kefka in disguise?

[MJN SEIFER]

Selphie does have a baring on the plot, she's not one of the main two, but she is insturmental in the Missile Section, and is the reason the team go to Trabia.

[Roogle]

Nearly all characters in Final Fantasy VIII act as secondary characters in the narrative due to the commanding presence of Squall, Rinoa, and Ultimecia in the story.

Ellone, too, acts as more of a plot device than a character, unfortunately.

[MJN SEIFER]

Nearly all characters in Final Fantasy VIII act as secondary characters in the narrative due to the commanding presence of Squall, Rinoa, and Ultimecia in the story.

Ellone, too, acts as more of a plot device than a character, unfortunately.

Not really. I get that Squall (Main Character) and Rinoa (Interest) are featured the most because it is a love story so obviously those two types of characters are the most important. Ultimecia is a Villain, so obviously she's important to the plot too, seeing as the Villain is "the main obstacle for the Main Character to overcome" - Seifer (who you haven't mentioned) is probably a step or two below Ultimecia in terms of important character types, because, although he's not a villain hearsay, he is an enemy of the Main Character.

This game is basically FFVII done in a different angle. In VII every character, including the two extras had their own storyline, and background, and all of which can be resolved (and in many cases, the game actually tells you to resolve it - take Barret for example; even though he remains your character his storyline ends when Coral is saved, because that's his personal storyline closed.) In FFVIII the other characters have their pasts, and their history, but unlike VII the game doesn't force you to do it, so you won't always notice it (you can learn things about characters by finding out what places know them, and talking to people - for instance, most people in Balamb have met Zell, and most people in Trabia know Seplphie, so you get pieces of their background from them.) It's not a bad way to develop characters, it's just an alternative.

I suppose Ellone could be seen as a plot device, but she is an important one, she helps us understand Squall better, even though I pretty much got him anyway, because I was going through a Squall-ish phase at the time (even though what was happening to me wasn't as bad as what was happening to Squall, I had lost many friends but Squall had of course lost his family as well. However, I understood Squall's "If everyone just leaves you, why should I even care" type attitude because I felt the same way, but at the same time the game helped me realize how much I actually had, like I said my problems paled into comparison with his.) I do think Ellone makes it as an actual character though, because I get her as an actual person. Most of the characters backgrounds are just optional, you look for them if you want to.
But, hey! If that's the price I have to pay to see my two favorite FF characters (Squall and Rinoa) get center spotlight, then I have to live with it .