Junction System
Final Fantasy VIII introduce the junction system, which is basically a very intricate, customizable way of modifying your character's stats. Although it may seem alien to you at first, you will soon understand it very well and find yourself spending a lot of time perfecting your characters attributes. This type of freedom to customize your character is again what makes Final Fantasy such an innovative RPG.
Junction refers to equipping characters with things other than physical objects such as armors. Basically, this involves Gaurdian Forces. It also allows the player to equip characters with magic.
Draw
Characters are able to draw certain elements and possess those drawn elements as magic. IN Final Fantasy VIII, since magic cannot be bought in shops, a commonly used method to obtain magic is to draw it directly from enemies. It is also possible to obtain magic through draw points and be refining magic from items.