VG Ladies : Terra

Second in my series of women that have been my favorites in the video games I've played since I was a kid.

Terra from Final Fantasy VI
(In both her usual and Esper form~)

When I was little, I lived with my dad and my younger brother. Our dad had a friend who was so close to us we just called him 'Uncle Bill.' One day, for some reason I've never discovered, Uncle Bill gave my dad his Super Nintendo and a handful of games. Uncle Bill had even started playing some of the games and his saves were still there. That's how my brother and I first played Final Fantasy.

It was called Final Fantasy III at the time, and Uncle Bill's saved game was right in the middle of the Veldt. Our party consisted of two fairly normal guys, one lady, and some wacky dude that Uncle Bill had called 'U-Geek' (this was Gau, for anyone familiar with the game). Once we were sure that we were utterly and completely lost (we had to have been about 9 and 5 years old), we started a new game, and then I got to see Terra.

My dad started playing the game and named her after me. Because of that, she became very special to me, and when she first turned into the wild pink Esper, I was almost proud. Having been a big fan of magical girl shows, I was already well-tuned into the idea of transforming into something cooler than I was. That Terra struggled with her transformation, and that it was pink but kind of terrifying, really enchanted me. Around that time, things that were beautiful and scary were starting their lifelong hold on me.

I was so angry when I saw the party come back and find Terra in a domestic 'taking care of babies' situation. When she did eventually figure her Esper shit out and re-join, I was so incredibly happy.

I liked that Terra was sort of messed up, and she wasn't a bubbly happy healer girl like in most of the other games my dad had lying around. Not that I didn't enjoy my share of those, but at 9 years old, Terra was a bizarre sort of elegance and awkward uncertainty that I really enjoyed.


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Other Video Game Ladies:
Tao - Shining Force
Terra - Final Fantasy VI - you are here
Sarah - Shining Force II
Relm - Final Fantasy VI
May - Shining Force II
Harle - Chrono Cross
Faris - Final Fantasy V
Ayla - Chrono Trigger
Freya - Final Fantasy IX
Rydia - Final Fantasy IV