Saturday, May 26, 2012

30 Day Video Game Challenge: Day 14

Day 14:  Current (or most recent) gaming wallpaper. Favorite Non-pro/antagonist.

Yes, I made my own topic, because I don't think I've ever had a gaming wallpaper.  Even though I've taken nearly a month off of my blog due to a move and Diablo 3, mostly, this is actually a topic I've thought a lot about.

Not only because the character I picked is from a game with one of the most frustrating features ever (FFVIII and the piece of motherless shit junction system for magic), but because I'm almost positive there's at least ten other candidates that I could've easily written about instead.  Garrus from Mass Effect, or Paula from Earthbound.  Or even fuckface Fi from Skyward Sword.  So many good choices, such little time.

Zell Dincht - Easily my favorite non-protagonist character in the FF series


I literally took the bit below from the FFVII wiki - you can read the original article as well as some other additional tidbits here. 

Honorable and spirited, Zell is a consummate martial artist and his skills are unsurpassed by anyone in Garden. Not being one to think things through, Zell will not back down from any challenge or confrontation and will always stand up for what he believes is right. Another important feature of Zell's is that, in a military academy where most people use a certain weapon, Zell chooses to use only his hands and feet.

Zell is energetic, loud, overconfident in his abilities and possesses a tendency to overreact when teased. He attempts to make friends with everyone he meets. He is short in build (a fact that aggravates him somewhat) and has uniquely styled spiky blond hair, bright blue eyes, and is the complete opposite of the game's main character, Squall Leonhart, personality-wise.

Zell wears a black vest with red designing along the zipper, black beater, baggy jean shorts, and black and red tennis shoes. He has been shown wearing his SeeD uniform and the SeeD cadet uniform, though he wears it with the sleeves rolled up and the jacket halfway unzipped, revealing a white t-shirt underneath. He is distinguishable by a large black tribal tattoo on the left side of his face.

He is usually in some kind of trouble with either the Disciplinary Committee or the Garden Faculty for breaking the rules due to his energetic nature: running through the halls, riding T-Boards on Balamb Garden premises, etc. It is these characteristics that provide most of the game's comic relief, with some of the other characters mocking Zell's strength and abilities, most specifically Seifer Almasy, who insults him with the nickname "Chicken-Wuss".

An important factor in Zell's life is his adoptive (although he is unaware he is adopted) family. He seems to have a close and loving relationship with his mother and is a prominent figure among Balamb Town, as pretty much everyone there knows him. Zell expresses a deep respect and admiration for his (adoptive) grandfather, who used to be a soldier, and aspires to become just like him (it is hinted this is his main motivation for him wanting to become a SeeD). He even keeps his grandfather's old rifles in his neatly-ordered room.

Another trait of Zell's is his undying love for hot dogs from Balamb Garden's cafeteria. It is a running joke, however, reminiscent of many high school themed anime and manga series, that the demand for them is extreme, and there are never any left for Zell by the time he shows up. He does manage to finally get a surplus of them at the end of the game, and immediately starts choking on them from eating too quickly.

Contrary to what most believe, Zell is actually a model cadet and has a deep interest in history and factual events. When arriving at a key location, Zell will offer a quick explanation of the place's history.