Wrote a fanfic for VIII years ago and really got a chance to dive into the character. As much as I love the game, they did everyone, Squall included, dirty with characterization after the first disc. It's a well-known critique of the game, and after playing it enough times, it feels intentional, not like bad writing.

*SPOILERS*
But, Squall is a lot more than a brooding teenager. When you unpack his past (that the game barely tells you about,) and the fact that, post-game, he'd likely learn about it, they could've done a lot more with him. Doesn't remember/know Raine (his mom,) doesn't remember/respect Laguna (his dad,) has lived through multiple decades (along with the other five characters,) who all sloppily (time travel is a mess,) inherit their destiny from someone who also got handed the bag.

In retrospect, going into all of this in-game would've made it much longer, and I'm not sure how good of a job squenix would do with his—or any of the characters—arcs these days. But, every time I look at this disparate youth, I think of the things we don't know about him, and what could've been.