Title: Roleplayer/Paradigm Heart
Series: Final Fantasy XIII
Rating: K+
By: Ssomsie
Summary: A analysis fic describing the change in Lightning's character from when she becomes a l'Cie to the final battle through the use of her three central paradigm roles. Lightning centric/spoilers
Pairings: Platonic Hope/Lightning, implied Serah/Snow and Fang/Vanille
A/N: When Lightning first got the "Medic" role, it seemed so out of character for her. I mean, she's supposed to be a "female Cloud", right? (Oh, wait. They deny that now. Convenient. -.-) Heck, in the beginning, even the "Ravager" role didn't quite fit. However, as I progressed through the game, I started seeing the parallel to her character development in the order that her primary branches were opened (Commando Ravager Medic) as a nice little symbolic device, thus the idea for this fic was born. (Hope it's not taken by like 1800 people already. XP) I hope I keep Lightning in character, at least mostly. She's… actually harder to write than I would have thought. XP (Plus, seeing as I'm still on my first playthrough, I'm going off of first playthrough memories/impressions plus a select few cutscenes rewatched on youtube.)
Disclaimer: …Not even commenting. Oh… I have to? Fine then. I don't own Final Fantasy XIII.
...Commando...
She works alone. Quick, lethal, and agile.
Not entirely selfish, she just knows that they would bring her down and she cannot afford that. Time has become limited- she does not know how many months-days-hours-minutes-seconds are left now.
She has become a loathed l'Cie. No… "l'Cie" can be good. What makes her "evil" is that she is a Pulse l'Cie… "doomed to condemn Cocoon to oblivion".
The people with her slowly diminish- it starts out with four others… The older man who had followed her into the Purge Train for some unknown reason (Lightning honestly wishes that he would quit acting like he is the adult babysitting children- she is not a child; by her own hand she demolished her weakness her childhood by changing her name from "Claire" to "Lightning".), the way too happy red-haired girl (There are times that Lightning wants to ask her if she was "on something".), the blonde-haired boy (His mumbling and hesitance irritates Lightning endlessly- he reminds her of herself when she was "still a child".), and then the there is the other.
Him. That guy who needs to stay away from her precious, innocent sister.
Irritatingly protesting "I can save her" and "I'll save the world"… Does the moron not realize that his "fiancée""… her sister… "Serah"… is gone?
"Eternal crystal sleep".
Yeah right.
That is just another way to say "dead".
At times, Snow's stupidity and arrogance gets to be too- much unable to help herself, Lightning is compelled to make him pay for his false promises and declarations.
"Save the world"? As if. He is not even responsible enough to take care of himself.
When it comes time for the first member to depart, thankfully, it is Snow that is left behind.
The old man, red-haired girl, and blonde-haired boy are still with her, but at least Snow is gone.
(At least she does not have to hear him and be constantly reminded why Serah is gone- because the cynic Lightning refused to listen.)
The weight of the world is on Lightning's shoulders… at least, the weight of Lightning's world.
Fear and hatred and disgust… all towards herself.
("If only I had listened…")
She wants to forget- anything to stop herself from remembering that her sister is gone.
A constant reminder of her sin is in the red pouch on her thigh- the survival knife that Serah gave her for her birthday. Lightning halfway wants to use the knife to end her own life.
(How ironic would it be if a survival knife causes her death?)
That will not do though.
She should suffer. After all, it is all her fault.
Instead, Lightning decides to attack the Sanctum- if they had not ordered the Purge, then there is a chance that she could have been with Serah for more than her final seconds.
Lightning is a Pulse l'Cie. A Pulse l'Cie's Focus is to bring about the end of Cocoon- calling that "common knowledge" is an understatement.
While she, in no way, shape, or form, wants to succumb to fal'Cie will (especially a Pulse fal'Cie), Lightning acknowledges that one can only run for so long- especially when on the ticking-timer that will end in a fate worse than death… becoming a Cie'th.
That is why she chooses to take the fight to the Sanctum's front door- to launch an attack on Eden.
Even if it is the last thing she does, she wants to make them pay for ruining her life and taking her sister (the only person she had left) away from her.
No one else should be involved in this fight- she would not dare force them into following her. On the contrary, she honestly wants to fight alone.
She acknowledges that it is nothing less than reckless suicide. However, what is the difference between dying at the hands of the Sanctum and becoming a Cie'th?
At least with the Sanctum, once she is dead, she is dead. As a Cie'th, one never truly dies -Cie'th live on in misery for all of eternity.
That is why she marches ahead- the remaining three people are too slow. There is no time to waste.
A few potions and her Blazefire Saber will allow her to accomplish her mission- if she must die, she will not go without taking down those who have placed her in this situation.