They said that a FOCUS was the fate of no escape. 
Complete it, or go Cie’th.
We beat the odds.
We proved that a FOCUS could be broken and we could change it.
We made the impossible, possible.

Fang and Vanille decided to sacrifice everything, in exchange for the freedom of their friends. Their happiness is a bitter one, knowing that their two saviors will sleep for long beyond this lifetime. The resolve for this decision was a heavy burden, and must not be forgotten by those who can live freely upon their gift.

The relationship between these two is proven strong from the very beginning. Neither wants to leave the other’s side, and you’d imagine they keep nothing back. When Fang finds out Vanille has been keeping the truth from her, the reason they spent 500 years in crystal stasis, she responds with immediate forgiveness and reassurance. The older of the two realizes the reasoning behind Vanille’s actions; she only wanted to protect Fang from falling down the same destructive path once more. But she only reminds the younger that they are in this together, and if they’ve survived before, they’ll survive through it again.

The start of character growth, both through solace and struggle. In this moment, Lightning is falling back on her soldier ways, the fact that she is working with an inept child sometimes slipping her mind.

Knowing he is incapable, and letting fear take over, Hope chooses instead to lead the way, so that his own back might be protected. A selfish, childish and fearful desire, but the soldier complies regardless. After all, at this point the boy is useless.

Guilt. Contempt. Helplessness.

The cause of everything, a failure with her first focus, Vanille now struggles with the fact, and the lives, of those she’s dragged into this, the lives that have been both lost and sacrificed under her actions.

She can offer nothing but empty condolences to Hope.

(Source: hidden-kiss)

Irony: when the one who is destined to be the destruction of mankind preserves the lives of those who must stop her. Fang is a beautiful, incredibly strong and stoic character. To have lost her memory of the destruction of Pulse on her hands, and to unknowingly be walking into the same fate once again-

Her redemption is sought through crystal stasis.

(Source: vegabondgamer)

No longer does she need to keep Snow at a distant. His faithfulness is strong and true, his devotion determined, his trust maintained.

Lightning allows herself to feel small around him, because he’ll always be right there next to her side, keeping their family safe. Together.

(Source: fuckyeahlightningfarron)

Oh man this part was so emotional. To finally overcome her fear of Snow in order to gain his worth as an ally. To understand he doesn’t want to take Serah away from her, but wants to make her sister, as well as herself, happy, his family.

The words she tells him now are not so much for him, as for herself; she cannot break until they rescue Serah and the rest of Cocoon from the Fal’Cie. The pain she cannot withhold escapes as a single tear.

And Snow understands this.

(Source: fuckyeahlightningfarron)

With Cocoon and its citizens successfully placed into safely, the party can rest at ease, reunite with their loved ones, settle back into life once again.

Except for Hope. With uncertainty whether Bartholomew is still alive or not, whether PSICOM found out he was housing l’Cie and executed him, he was caught up in a riot, or didn’t survive the partial fall of Cocoon; all is unclear. With this reality weighing in on his shoulders, the depression that envelopes him is unavoidable.

It happened all those years ago, when their parents were taken from them. Lightning - Claire - now plays the part of whomever it would’ve been who tried to offer comfort to her and Serah after the untimely death of their own guardians. To try and blunt the pain she knows all too well, Lightning cannot and will not stand by as a loved one suffers the same pain as her own.

Cid Raines. Brigadier General of the Guardian Corps.

Lightning. Sergeant of the Guardian Corps.

Upon learning that the man she was working under for all this time has been lying, keeping his l’Cie status from them in secrecy, that through everything she and her party had been working alongside the enemy, Lightning erupts with anger and resentment.

She will stop at nothing to tear down those who stand in the way of her mission to save Serah, even if it means attacking a former official with ranking above hers. The betrayal and distrust is eminent in her unrelenting assault.

(Source: areyousrs)

Sazh is such a strong character, but is often overlooked. Out of the 6 of them, he has the most wisdom, has experienced more of life, and knows both pain and fear.

He lost his wife, and then he lost his son. He winds up in the company of a young, brash soldier who shares his determination, but acts so carelessly in comparison. While Lightning is fighting to restore Serah from her crystal stasis, Sazh is pushing forward, unsure of what will become of Dajh, but willing to lay down his life if he can ensure his safety, and his future, even if it scares him half to death on the way there.

Wouldn’t you be proud to have a father as strong as this man?

Trials and tribulations.

• Lightning overcomes the fact that she doesn’t need to do everything alone in solitude in order to keep her loved ones safe. This acknowledgement awakens a greater power within herself, one that allows her to rely on others to cover her back when it’s turned.
• Snow. The hero. He wants to save everyone, leaving not a single person behind, friend or foe. Unconditional regards upon human beings, Cocoon citizen, Pulsian, l’cie alike. When he lost Serah, there was nothing that could stop him from throwing himself into the front lines. He had strength; what he needed was wisdom and self-restraint to slow down and analyze the situation before bounding in headlong.
• Sazh draws from within himself the wisdom he preaches, accepting that some things in the past can’t be changed, but that shouldn’t control how people approach their future. Forgiveness is a greater strength than hatred and resentment could ever amount to. Even if the people he’s fighting for exile him, he’s resolved to protect them with his life.
• Hope accepts the friends around them, realizing if they should place themselves in danger for him, he should work his hardest to not become a burden. To become not one who needs protection, but one who can provide it to his friends laying down their lives for the survival of Cocoon, and humanity as a race.
• Fang’s anger drives her to pull strength from a darkened part of herself, one tainted with sin and regret. Ragnarok herself, she unknowingly twists this power for the sake of Vanille and her fellow l’cie. Damned as she is, why not?
• Vanille wants nothing more to protect those whom she’s doomed. She would gladly sacrifice herself for their safety, but only when she realizes that what they want is not her death, but to survive alongside them and overcome this together, does she pull herself together and face the enemy beside them, the desire to live fueling her determination.

(Source: zackthepuppy)

Lightning is a strong character, yes, but her motivation is and has always been Serah. With the death of her parents, she gave up everything, for her sister. If it hadn’t been for Serah, Lightning may have lost hope altogether; found nothing worth living for. She’s spent her whole life working to build a safe, stable future for her sister, and this man comes in out of nowhere to take that from her. To take the one person that keeps her going; the one constant in her life.

She may take lives, and she may be cold, but she cannot deal with being alone.

(Source: birdie-brain)

caitlyn479 asked: 8D Ahha I'm more than satisfied! I hope you didn't do all that for me lolol, but they were so great to read. The way you look into it not only gives a deeper appreciation for the characters, but it also shows how in-depth the development of the stories and characters are, a true indicator of what makes a Final Fantasy. Thoroughly enjoyed it!

Ahhh yay! Well more or less it’s good practice from when I was majoring in English, I just want to emphasize and reiterate the good parts and hard work/effort that went into the game that so many people overlook with “it’s too linear.” In hindsight, the plot required a very linear game. Everyone had doom cast on them! Think about it! Would you dawdle around in a town if every day that passed you were closer to death? I’d be running like hell.

But those are just my two cents on FFXIII.

The thought of leaving Lightning behind to possibly suffer the same fate as his mother, while he escapes, useless and helpless, is Hope’s reassurance. He realizes that he needs to grow up. The l’cie are in this together, and even if he can’t fight, he’ll do his best to support the group instead of being a hindrance and a burden.

(Source: fantaji)

Several phrases she recites are more or less to remind herself to stay strong, stand tall. She threw away human emotion when she enlisted into the military, in order to protect Serah from enduring a similar fate. If she couldn’t have a normal life with parents and a roof over head, she’d be damned if she couldn’t provide those for her sister. The sacrifices she made prior to the game’s plot are immeasurable.

(Source: birdie-brain)