🌭 It's always gonna be funny to me that Edea Kramer, temporary antagonist and temporary playable character in Final Fantasy 8, has a really high compatibility rate with Shiva - the ice summon of the series. You find this out [after] the experience of her pinning Squall to the wall with an ice spike

{ @ehrgeizofbalamb.bsky.social } ●●○○○ — trust ●●●○○ — interest ●●○○○ — affection ●●●●○ — respect ●●●○○ — loyalty ○○○○○ — annoyance ●○○○○ — fighting likelihood - a little spar could be fun~

More than a few cadets at Garden asked what his personal workout is like. And in answer, Zell points to this routine. Never misses a day of it!

🌭 To this day, I think it's really cute that if you challenge Zell's mom to a game of Triple Triad, she has Zell's card in her deck.

"A few recognizable faces, here. No idea they threw down in a fighting tournament -- that's rad!"

At a compatibility rate of 0, summoning a Guardian Force takes about seventeen seconds. At 500, ten seconds. At 1000 - maximum compatibility - about three seconds. Zell's compatibility with Ifrit is 630 - highest on the team. Before you have a chance to move, it's already too late.

🌭 Even saying that, his compatibility with Eden is 400, so it would still likely be just shy of ten seconds to bring her out for a battle.

🌭 Barring the exception of Eden, Zell's compatibility rate with the majority of FF8's Guardian Forces is either close to or above 600. Meaning it only takes a few seconds to bring them out. The boy is a really good summoner.

Throwback to the Dollet mission exam. SeeD senior operative Xu debriefing Squad B, inside the assault boat.

"Sometimes I think about how Selphie got the Garden message board active again, plus helped us out big with the radio tower in Dollet, and it totally makes sense that she was originally part of the communications unit. Girl is damn good with that kinda stuff."

ＳＥＲＶＡＮＴ ＣＡＬＬ 「 ⠀Fate verse servant muses⠀ 」 If the idea of your muse becoming one of Zell's servants sounds good to you, give this tweet a like ♡, please and thanks! Repost ↻ to spread this around!

The flag of Balamb, the tiny island that Zell calls home.

🌭 More FF8 thoughts. If Laguna hadn't gotten injured and spent six months in recovery with Raine caring for him in Winhill, either Squall or Rinoa might never have been born. Laguna was a Galbadian soldier when he met Julia, a lounge singer in Deling City. They clicked right off the bat. Then we

🌭 I genuinely like that Zell is canonically the "hometown hero" character in the group. He's well-regarded by pretty much everyone in Balamb Town, the kids especially like him. I can picture him on a weekend, leaving Garden to go home and take the local kids fishing at the harbor.

"Super macho?" Words repeated, with a laugh as he brushes fingers through blond hair. "Nah, not really. But that's the first impression a lot of people get. I'm sorta all-around; I get solid grades, participate in school events sometimes. Bit of everything." And humble on top of the rest, too.

Valentine's day upcoming. No, he doesn't have plans.

Highly. From the first field mission in Dollet to facing down Ultimecia with the looming threat of time compression, Zell was right there on the frontlines, ready to throw hands. If things have to get done, coming to him is always a good call.

🌭 Sometimes I think about how Rinoa is the only member of the SeeD team that isn't an orphan due to the Sorceress War.

"I'm Zell!" he grinned brightly, sticking out a fingerless-gloved hand in greeting. Finally, an official meeting between them. "And well, it's only like that sometimes. The usual group I'm in is three girls and three guys. We kinda all grew up together." Minus one member, anyway. "When I am around

"I usually have lunch with a bunch of people. So, no - not even for that." Frankly, he has no clue whether he's on many girls' radar, beyond the one outside his team that he has a pretty solid rapport with. By no means a ladies' man.

"I'm just gonna say it like this: I hope things stay as peaceful as they can get for you. You seem like a nice guy and I get a feeling you'd rather do other stuff besides having to fight. Unless you're not given much choice about doing it, anyway."

"I meant in general." He can take it, it's fine. "But um, no... my school's co-ed. Kind of a military deal. I just mainly spend a lot of my time training, so I'm not really one-on-one with girls too often." Did that make sense? He hoped so. "You seem like you're pretty okay, so far, though."

Zell playing the guitar he kept from the Garden Festival like: youtu.be/maRICSE_FHY

"I met her out of the blue one day, when she was talking about beating her dad in a one-on-one fight."

Right. Deep breath. "Okay. For staring, blank or not, I'm sorry - didn't mean to do that. I, um... Talking to girls isn't too easy for me, outside of like, super casual stuff. I guess?"

"To be honest, I didn't mean to do that, either. Sorry. Um -- not that I'm saying you aren't cute! I just... Yeah. I'm sorry for that."

"I, um... I wasn't trying to be over the top or anything!" He's honestly just a punchboy with very little experience with girls.

Finally noticing her stare. Oh, no - she's cute and looking directly at him. "Uh... hey."

Pardon him as he struggles with not looking.

"I get that, too. Doing what you're capable of isn't sloppy; when it's a person on the other side, they're doing what they're capable of in the same moment." Sigh. "It's never easy when it's another person, I know."

"I mean, I kinda get that. But honestly?" A pause, thinking of how to word this thought the right way. "If you're putting your life on the line in a fight, your enemies are, too. And they're not gonna be concerned about honor as much as you are. Exploiting an opening is strategy, it's smart."

"Being able to pull something off just once is a cheap trick. Doing it on command, when it really counts - that's a battle tactic. Don't sell yourself short, man."

⠀ nessie. Ooooh you should commission meeeeee

"In some cases, not all. We've gone up against some monsters that can tank a LOT of basic stuff. 's why we've got a gun specialist on the team and all of us have magic training, too."

"Hard to think about overkill when you're facing down a monster looking to eat you." Which he and the SeeD team deal with often enough to matter.

"Nah. He's a specialist with it. And as for how it works, it doesn't fire any rounds, but pulling the trigger adds a vibration that deals extra damage to slashing with the blade."

"My buddy Squall uses a gunblade; big sword with the firing mechanism of a gun as the entire hilt."

🌭 I want it to be hype af

To some degree. An understated fact about him is that he often spends time in the Balamb Town junk shop, tinkering with and reassembling broken things like old radios, clocks, etc.

"Damn, that DOES sound good. You got some great ideas, Rex!"

"Nice! Man, I hope the weather is super nice on both days. I wanna spend mine outside for sure!"

"Yup!"

March 17th inches closer, day by day.

"Well, that's why it makes sense for you to be that guy!"

@ehrgeizofbalamb.bsky.social You should probably play a former sidekick. Really plays on the drive to be better. Nightwing, Wally West Flash, or even Red Arrow/Arsenal. Alternatively someone like Laura Kinney Wolverine or Rose Wilson Ravager.

🌭 Damn, that's a solid suggestion. Makes me wish I had the time (god, do I wish I had the time) to get really into comics.

"John Star Wars, the protagonist. Obviously."

Zell thought for a moment, then shrugged. A detailed way of putting it had eluded the blond mercenary, at least for now. "Yeah, there's absolutely similarities that I caught, too. That makes it pretty easy for us to relate, which is always good. And it helps that we got a friend in common."