Let's Rework... Final Fantasy VIII - Part Seven

 My sleeping pattern has been a total mess over the last week or so, which has severely affected my work schedule.

 So, here's a quick post re-exploring the problems with Squall's scar and how these problems could be fixed.

As you may remember from the very first part of the Let's Play Log, Squall's scar is pretty much never mentioned at all after he gets it. Neither is Seifer's.

 Which is really odd, if you think about it.

 Heck, I'm going to highlight how weird it is by presenting an example of how you do a large facial scar in fiction:

This asshole

 Okay, you can't see it from this angle, but Francis York Morgan does have a large scar on his face.

Observe

 Numerous characters bring this up. Not every character talks to him about it, but it is stated by one of the other characters that his scar is the object of rumour and gossip. Even if they aren't talking to him about it, they are talking to each other.

 This is something that Final Fantasy VIII sorely lacks. After the initial admonishment from Dr Kadowaki, there is not one mention of Squall's scar ever again.

 Look at it, it's in the middle of his goddamn face, there is no way that anyone with fully functioning vision would ever miss that.

Gosh, he has a tiny mouth

 This is equally true of Seifer.

 For both of them, this is a defining design feature.

 Think about it, in Kingdom Hearts, that series' version of these characters both have the scars that you see here on the original versions.

 Except, there's one big problem with that.

 If these two don't know each other, how the hell did those versions of them end up with the matching scars?

 Remember, they got them at the same time in a stupid fight they had where Seifer inexplicably tried to kill Squall.

In Kingdom Hearts, Seifer is a child who lives in a world far away from those Squall has been known to inhabit and ther was no hint as to how he got his scar.

 Returning from that tangent, the method of these two getting their scars is ridiculous.

 Seifer and Squall don't like each other, they've been at loggerheads for some time. So it is rather baffling that they'd be sparring together in the first place.

 After the fact, we only see Squall in the infirmary getting his cut treated. No one mentions Seifer's and after this point, no one mentions Seifer's either.

 There are a handful of people who would bring these things up for certain.

 One, Edea. She was their caretaker, if one of your wards came to you with a massive facial scar after you hadn't seen them for years, wouldn't you ask what had happened or show concern?

 Two, Ellone. This is a woman who considers herself Squall's sister, yet she never asks what happened to his face either.

 Three, Rinoa. She comes up to Squall and says he's the hottest guy in the room, but doesn't bring up his scar even once. Not even a 'cool scar'. Additionally, she never brings up Seifer's scar either. This is even more ridiculous as she used to date this guy, so she clearly cares about him and knows what he's supposed to look like.

 Four, Irvine. He was raised with Squall and Seifer and yet shows no concern at all over his pseudo-family members showing up years later with clear facial injuries.

 Five, Seifer. At no point has he shown anger at Squall for scarring him, neither has he mocked Squall for his scar. Seifer is a bully, I can't believe that he wouldn't use this against someone he does not like.

 Aside from these five, there are a handful of named characters who would likely bring it up and background characters who probably would mention it at some point.

 In the world of VIII, scars like that are demonstrably rare, which would make Squall and Seifer's scars a point of interest.

 Although, that said, the fact that facial scars are rare in this world is confusing in its own right. There are wars, resistance movements, monsters wandering around... why aren't there more people with facial scars around?

 Which is the clear explanation for how Squall got his scar.

 He got it while fighting a monster.

 Heck, you could even make it part of the story by having him be cut in the scripted battle with  Ifrit.

 His scar may look cool, but part of what makes scars cool is the stories behind them.

 'I got this scar in a fight against a demon' is a better story than 'I got this scar in a cock measuring contest with a childhood rival'.