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[heralding]

( CHARACTER ★ INFORMATION )

DOES THIS CHARACTER MEET SKELETAL BASICS? Yes.
NAME & AGE: Lightning (original name: Claire Farron), 521 is what the wiki puts her at, but the implication of her time in Valhalla is that it was timeless and she experienced numerous possible scenarios almost on repeat. As a result, I'd put her experiences at a bit older than even 521. (Technically, there is no hard canon on her exact age and how much time she experienced—or "time" she "experienced"—in Valhalla. This is because Valhalla is a timeless land, one that Lightning was cognizant of the entire time she was there. That said, while she is there, she witnesses countless timelines on their way to destruction, and this destruction typically happens 700 years into her future after she's drawn down into Valhalla.)
CANON & CANON POINT: Final Fantasy XIII: The Lightning Saga, end of series.
CANON INFORMATION: Lightning's wiki page, Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XIII-2, and Lightning Returns, the third and final installment. There are also the canonical novels: prequel , epilogue to the first game (though aspects are retconned for XIII-2), prequel novel to XIII-2, novel that fills in gaps between XIII and XIII-2, as well as during XIII-2, and the epilogue to the entire series, though I won't be playing from this point.

PERSONALITY: In every way, Lightning's identity is about taking on roles. As a young girl, her role had been just to be a daughter and sister, though she had always been a rash child. Naturally, "rash" with a tendency to be quick to fight is rather different from what she ultimately becomes, but it does explain why she took that path. She had been born into Cocoon, and like many others on Cocoon, she had been afforded the opportunity to live a life of privilege. After all, the citizens of Cocoon were given endless amounts of food, opportunities, and direction by the world they lived in; in every walk of life, god-like creatures called the fal'Cie would ensure that the citizens were taken care of all the time. But nothing always goes like it does on paper, and by time Lightning (then Claire) was in her mid-teens, she had lost both her mother and father. It was because of this that she took on her first role and most important role.

At her young age, Claire had a lot of ideas in her head about what it meant to be strong for her sister. Strength, to her, came without any weaknesses. She couldn't afford to be afraid, to care for others, or to let worries or doubt slow her down. Anything that would be a blemish on her strength would have to be excised away. She wanted to forge herself into a literal weapon. The first step would be to change her name to Lightning, and then join the Guardian Corps to become a soldier. In a lot of ways, these choices betrayed her youth, as she believed they would actually help. Later, she explained to Hope her decision: "My parents died. I had to be strong for Serah, so I thought I needed to forget my past. And I became Lightning. I thought by changing my name, I could change who I was. I was just a kid. Lightning. It flashes bright, then fades away. It can't protect. It only destroys" (Final Fantasy XIII). This choice represented two things: first, that she had become a person without weakness, tucking away everything that would weaken her, and second, it showed exactly what she believed she had to become for the person who was most important to her.

Above all else, Serah is at the heart of Lightning's identity. Lightning did everything she could to provide Serah a normal life, discarding any chance of normalcy for herself. In their peaceful world, becoming a soldier to be strong wasn't necessarily a logical mindset, but it provided income and a means for Serah to have "normal" dreams. Those dreams were what Lightning hoped for the most. They were dreams she didn't allow for herself. The Lightning that resulted who was an excellent soldier, though her youth still betrayed her in ways she couldn't predict. She was prone to pettiness and judgmental thoughts. Just before she turned twenty one, she ends up judging a rowdy group of people around the same age as her. It showed that she believed herself to be an adult compared to young adults like her, and that belief revealed how young she truly was. It also showed her to be socially awkward, rigid, and extremely uptight. She could dryly criticize someone in her head while not realizing that it may her seem a little too reserved (Episode Zero, chapter one).

Unfortunately, the thing holding this identity together was obstinance, and a direct refusal to accept anything that would conflict with her role as Lightning, the protector of Serah. In fact, obstinance is the key trait that lies at the heart of everything Lightning does. Along with being stubborn, Lightning is also extremely straightforward in her approach to life. If she's going to protect her sister, she'll become a soldier. If she's going to be someone without weaknesses, she'll take on a name to embody that. These ideas occur to her, and she holds to them without budging. But when she comes up against conflict early on, Lightning falters. When Serah dates an obnoxious boy in town (Snow), Lightning writes him off, saying he'll abandon her when things become too difficult. But at the end of the day, it's Lightning who does exactly that when her sister comes to tell her that she'd been made into a l'Cie, and also tells her she's engaged to Snow. The utter ridiculousness of what Serah tells Lightning flusters her and shakes her to her very core. Her reaction is harsh and irrational: "You became a l'Cie, so now you're gonna marry this idiot? And you think I'm gonna buy that. Full points for originality. But, don't forget. If you really are a l'Cie, it's my job to deal with you" (Final Fantasy XIII). The threat comes out in part because of Lightning's disbelief. Serah's new identities (as soon-to-be-monster l'Cie and Snow's fiancée) make Lightning falter; nothing Lightning had made herself into could prevent these things from happening. Furthermore, Snow seemed way more pliant and adaptable than her, which made her all the angrier. If he was so flexible, then it spoke to his poor character and naivety. Unfortunately, Lightning had to come to quickly accept that she had been in the wrong, and it was her rashness and quick temper, fueled by her stubbornness, that caused a great deal of problems.

Her decision to reject her sister in her time of need was a show of Lightning being unable to adhere to the identity she had developed for herself, and it led her down a new path to being someone more mature and grown up. The path itself was difficult, as Lightning found herself experiencing an emotional breakdown. Rejecting Serah meant that she lost her, and that she couldn't do anything to help her once she realized her mistake. It led to Lightning having to look at herself and examine her decisions, even if that was difficult. She became angry, both at the situation and especially at herself, and she did what she always did best: she made a decision, and she acted on it. Would it be the right decision? Yes and no, because Lightning had to adapt to many forks in the road, but she had to deal with her emotional instability to handle those first.

This period of Lightning's emotional instability highlighted the worst of her traits. Never a very talkative person, she doesn't seem to pay attention to those around her as she stubbornly storms forward. She only briefly explains to one of those people, Sazh, that she is looking for her sister, as she is the l'Cie that everyone is worried about. Otherwise, she shows herself to be taciturn and impatient, quietly frustrated with everyone around her for their actions. She's impatient and judgmental, revealing that her treatment of those around her age can be expanded outwardly. This is a trait that Lightning will always have, even if she doesn't mean for it. Becoming irrational, showing emotion, and growing impatient is something that is always at the heart of her behavior, even if it doesn't always show openly. It only becomes all the more obvious when she's in pain, as she is as she faces losing her sister. For all Lightning tries to stuff away her weaknesses, she very much wears her heart on her sleeve, especially when pushed—though as quickly as that heart can appear, she consciously shoves it away, not wanting anyone to know how she might be feeling. The others caught up in the mess notice this when Sazh tries to explain Serah's fate, as Lightning lashes out and yells at him: "Just say it! Any l'Cie … anyone who might even become a l'Cie ... should be wiped off the face of Cocoon! It's people like you that the started the Purge in the first place" (Final Fantasy XIII). What is apparent when she's yelling even here is that she's not angry with Sazh, Snow, or anyone else: her anger is completely with herself. In fact, Lightning is so angry that she can't comprehend Serah's final words: as she crystallizes, Serah asks that they save Cocoon.

Though it's not immediately apparent, the loss of Serah cements Lightning's budding guilt complex. Her overflow of emotions drive her until she realizes she's gone too far, but she doesn't completely allow her views of herself to change. Though she comes to realize she's been too angry and too harsh, she cannot risk for any shows of weakness. Even as she becomes less harsh, she tells Hope: "Control your emotions. If you want to survive, you forget about sympathy. How can I explain? Think of it like a strategy. Focus on your ultimate goal and shut out everything else. Still your mind. Move on instinct. Let doubt take over, and despair will cripple you" (Final Fantasy XIII). Though she eventually rescinds this advice, it comes with some difficulty. And by then, it's already too late. She's inspired Hope's revenge quest against Snow, and she can't turn him away from his desire to murder Snow in cold blood. For herself, control is at the heart of what she does originally, but it's obvious that it's a contradictory thing. She's out of control from the beginning of the game, and it's only a matter of following her instincts that pushes her forward.

But these difficulties help Lightning significant point of clarity, and she realizes the path that they must all take. Her anger eventually gives way to enlightenment, and she sees the truth of what is happening to everyone: they're being strung along by puppets, and their anger only fuels the goals of those leading them along (the fal'Cie). While she doesn't realize the full scale of the fal'Cie control, she does tell Hope:

Like pets. To them, we are just pets. That's it. Now it makes sense. I've been so blind. I was born into a fal'Cie world, raised on a fal'Cie leash. It was the only life I know how to live. When it was taken from me, I was completely lost. Without a master to follow—my life had no purpose. Hope, listen to me. This l'Cie curse, it took everything. My future. My dreams. I didn't want to think. So I fought instead. As long as I was fighting, nothing else was real I was running away. And you, Hope ... You got swept along with me. (Final Fantasy XIII)

This realization leads Lightning to realize that they have been living a life without hope, and they've been running a hopeless path as well. She adamantly tries to turn Hope away from his revenge yet again, and though she fails, she shows a distinct show of empathy. No longer trapped inside of her head and led along on a thread, she is determined to help others. This revelation leads to her being far less selfish and determined to be who she made herself to be, and instead, she's willing to put herself on the line for others.

As someone who would stop the fal'Cie from playing with humanity, Lightning took the final steps in easing into her own skin and feeling a lot more comfortable about who she happened to be: a leader and protector of the entirety of humanity. Unencumbered by her emotional instability and her belief that she has to be a literal blade cutting forward, Lightning reveals that she has a dry sense of humor, and that she has a huge heart that allows her to care for those around her. She promises Hope that she'll protect him no matter what, and she even apologizes to Snow for her behavior before. When he asks her to make it up to him by giving him her real name, she says to ask Serah when they find her, revealing a new optimism that she never had before. Though she never calls herself that, she drives the party forward and motivates them. This is rarely done by speeches or saying the right thing. No, it's done simply by acting, and through those actions she manages to inspire those around her. Lightning pushes everyone forward, denying that they're meant to destroy their world and that the inevitable will always come to pass. She grows further during this time, coming to see those around her as her family. One day, she hopes to be with them with Serah, smiling, and she hopes to ensure that Serah and Snow will be happy. Lightning comes to accept that she's not the only one who can make Serah happy (even if she always hopes to have a role in her life).

In the wake of all these changes and repeated questions about free will and what it means to fight, Lightning doesn't think twice before she leads her party toward the fal'Cie at the very end to free humanity, and gives her most rousing speech of all:

You don't believe in anything. You gave up on life before you were even born. Sat poisoning Cocoon from the inside, waiting for someone to come and destroy you. Sure, you think the end of the world is salvation. All you care about is death's release. So take it, and leave the rest of us alone. We don't think like that. When we think there's no hope left, we keep looking until we find some. Maybe Cocoon is past saving, but it's our home. And we'll protect it or die trying! We live to make the impossible possible! That is our Focus! (Final Fantasy XIII)

Free will is what lies at the heart of Lightning's development, after all. Though she had acted freely to reject her sister, they were always going to be strung along in some way. Realizing that, she allows her determination to drive everyone toward those final moments. Furthermore, Lightning would no longer be an obstacle against herself, and even faced by the fal'Cie, nothing would stop her and humanity. She would strive for a better future, and she would believe in it. She had truly surpassed her selfish ideas of identity at the beginning of her journey to fight for the entirety of humanity, and its right to control its future.

Humanity is at the heart of Lightning's beliefs at the end of her journey. She believes that people can accomplish just about anything if they set their minds to it. Part of this is largely because she's inspired by Serah, as Serah had always kept her grounded, had helped her remain empathetic, and had taught her how to truly care for someone. But the others around her (Fang, Snow, Vanille, Hope, and Sazh) had also done the same, as well as the various individuals they encounter along their perilous journey. Each of them had different experiences and dreams, and she learned that the fal'Cie had been manipulating humans against one another for their own purposes. Lightning's journey lit a compassionate fire within her, and she truly came to appreciate and believe in the possibility of all people (and their ability to hope). That had to stop—and so it did. At least, for a while.

Unfortunately, the miracles brought forth the day that Lightning and her friends release humanity from the control of the fal'Cie eventually lead to tragedy. The beginning of this is when Lightning is dragged down to a world called Valhalla, which is where all souls return before they are sent through the cycle of death and rebirth and born anew. This world has a distinct rule: if you meet someone, you must fight them for power. If you win, you gain control over the one (typically a monster) who lost to you. Lightning quickly adjusts to this world, even in the wake of what brings her there. Arriving in Valhalla is disorienting for Lightning, but the true reason for this is because her arrival heralds forward a new and more pronounced reason for her guilt to take hold and permanently exist in the forefront of her mind for the rest of her life. While traveling to Valhalla, Lightning hears the souls of all those she killed on her mission to bring down the fal'Cie. Lightning does not regret ending the fal'Cie's hold on the world. On the contrary, she will always know this is right for humanity to move forward. She does come to deeply, deeply regret the lives she has taken. These were people with family and lives of their own, and she mowed through them with the other l'Cie for their end goal. Hearing their voices is both a wake up call and disorienting for Lightning. For someone whose previous model and rousing speech had been to make the impossible possible, she knows that she needs to take on new responsibilities. She grows up even more, realizing that while some actions may seem necessary, that she has to be more conscious of what she accomplishes. Those people lost each had their own lives, and they were also ordered to fight. They didn't have a choice to face the l'Cie who strove to change the world. But in coming to realize this, Lightning fully comprehends the weight of her past and future decisions, and comes to bear the weight of the world on her shoulders.

Lightning carries she does it because she feels it's what she owes humanity. In Valhalla, she becomes the guardian for Valhalla's fal'Cie, Etro, and tries to do what she can to help save the various timelines outside of Valhalla. Understandably, this only adds to the weight on Lightning's shoulders, and where she had been dry and stiff before, she becomes somber and distant, thinking only of the various ways she can come to help the world outside. In order to accomplish her goals, she directs her sister to work with a man named Noel, fully believing that their actions can help the world while she works within Valhalla. She also contacts her other family from her previous journey via their dreams in order to call upon their help. She is doing anything she can to make sure that things work out outside, especially since the world itself is at stake.

Time in Valhalla brings about a lot of changes. Lightning is not only the guardian of Etro, but the guardian of her friends, watching all of their actions from a distance (as is frequently indicated throughout XIII-2 and in both of the novels). Though no one knows she is watching, they can frequently feel her presence. This involvement from Lightning actually leads to a greater deal of warmth on her part, but her active involvement also means that she's more willing to admit her guilt. When she meets Serah again in a version of the future she cannot save, she is quick to tell her sister, she tells her, "And it was my fault. I was responsible" (Final Fantasy XIII-2). At the same time, she shows a great degree of warmth toward Serah. Though she has always shown this warmth, she smiles quickly and admires how much Serah has grown up throughout her journey, seeing no point in hiding it. That she doesn't hide her feelings is important, as she always felt like showing her varying shades of emotion was a weakness. But Lightning cannot afford to be concerned with such things, and is growing as an individual. Part of her growth is naturally because of all Valhalla allows her to see. Valhalla is a world without time, after all, which means it is both infinite and nonexistent. A great deal of it passes for her, while it doesn't pass at all. These factors lead to a great deal of growth, but also makes it so that her guilt and responsibility also remains just as infinite.

No longer as absorbed with repressing her weaknesses, Lightning is also forced to examine herself more closely and see her significance to others. She is not someone who bears the weight of the world's future on her shoulders with a great deal of ego. In truth, her guilt makes her think even less of herself. Above all other things, Lightning is not an individual who does things with consideration for herself. She may feel guilt, but she feels this guilt because she's so absorbed in the pain and suffering of others. She becomes strong, suppressing her weaknesses for her sister. She drives forward to lead humanity into a future without fal'Cie because they would only remain as puppets otherwise. None of these decisions are made out of a self-righteous desire to do what she feels is best. She just acts, doing what she can to help others. Given her inability to really see herself as a factor in these things other than someone who just does things, she fails to see how others might see her. When she views Serah coming across others she used to be in the Guardian Corps with, she comes up with two points of examination toward herself:

This land will soon return to its original state. The shadow of a false Odin is not my burden to bear. But if the men had died, nothing could have erased my guilt. I fought alongside those six men years ago. I thought they would have forgotten my existence by now. I find comfort in the fact … that people can disappear, but still continue to live on in others' memories. So, Serah. If you keep me in your thoughts, one day I am certain I will find my way home again. (Final Fantasy XIII-2)

Though she relates this back to her sister (in part because she is speaking to her from afar), it's the beginning of Lightning truly understanding her role in the world. She goes on to add:

I remember the day I became a l'Cie. I turned the entire world against me and I fought alone for what I believed in. I thought that was the only way. But I was wrong. There were others who were burdened with the same fate. I realized that … that I wasn't alone. Valhalla is empty; there is no one here. But I carry the memories of you and my friends in my heart. As long as the memories are not forgotten, I will always have people with me, supporting me along the way. Even you, Serah. But I do miss you. What I wouldn't give for us to talk and laugh like we used to. I pray for the day that dream becomes a reality. And one day it will. Serah, I hope you can hear my words. I pray you can hear all I have to say. (Final Fantasy XIII-2)

These words show her appreciation for her friends, and more than that, an understanding of how important others are to her and how glad she is to have them. Again, she is speaking to her sister, but she refers to not only her Guardian Corps comrades, but also those who were l'Cie with her. It shows her optimism for the future, and more concern for herself.

One of the other consistent themes throughout these moments of thoughts that follows Lightning from this role to her next one is memory. Memory is important because it is, in some case, the only way that someone can remain alive. Memory is how someone perceives another person, and in a world where everything is so tumultuous, memory is what may or may not determine the future. Through her role in Valhalla, Lightning is trying to preserve the importance of the world, and give a reason for memories to continue on. The story itself narrows in on this, showing the significance of memory through the feelings that come between individuals. Memory, as the game refers to it, is the resonance of these relationships. It is also how Lightning thinks of the others, and it guides her as she stands guard over them.

More somberly, memory is what Lightning is forced to uphold when all her movements and actions from Valhalla come to a head. Even though she has done everything in her power to secure a better future, she fails. Worse, her sister dies because of a curse placed on her, making it so that no matter how many moves she does to change the future, she cannot escape her fate (for she is like a seeress, and when seeresses see the future change, it trims years off their life). Losing Serah, Lightning is distraught and aimless, and her guilt is only emphasized. But in Valhalla, after a great battle with her enemy Caius, Lightning forces herself to live on and comes across Serah. There, Serah makes a very simple request to Lightning: "Promise me, Lightning. Promise me you'll remember me" (Final Fantasy XIII-2). In the wake of her death, this is a simple request, but it drives Lightning into her next role: as someone who will stand guard over her sister for however long, and be prepared for whatever lies in the future. In her final monologue in this role, Lightning says,

I'll never forget. I promised you that. Even if I stand to lose everything, I'll preserve your memory for the tomorrows yet to be. Come what may. I could breathe my last breath, and the world be crumbling into oblivion. There are ways to keep a thought alive. And I know one that works for sure. Indestructible crystal. Even in the sea of chaos, it never loses its shine. I will become an eternal epitaph. Your memory will survive for an eternity within a crystal tomb. This shall be my legacy, and my atonement. But most of all ... my final hope. These thoughts that live within my heart, they will endure the passing of eons. If they can one day be the light that guides Serah's soul back to me ... If we can laugh together just one more time ... Well ... then I have nothing left to wish for. (Final Fantasy XIII-2)

Though it is Serah that Lightning spires to meet again in the future, there is something more to Lightning's words. She believes in the future still, and she will preserve Serah's memory as she heads on toward the future. To do that, she allows herself to be encased in crystal with Serah's soul kept close so that it is safe for whatever "tomorrow" shall bring.

Tomorrow, as it turns out, is a new role. It is a role that is not outlined as one about memories, but that is precisely what Lightning turns it into in the long run. After all, she wakes up five hundred years into a timeless future, where people have stopped ageing, and she learns quickly that in many cases, all that remains is memory. Memory is the resonance of a human's soul, and memory is what leads to the thing that Lightning values above all other things: hope. Additionally, holding on to the memory of someone means that they aren't forgotten, and that they always mattered—at least to someone. Throughout her journey, she frequently expounds upon the significance of hope when she's trying to motivate her comrades, and when Lightning awakens in the future, she realizes that above all else, she wants to provide people hope. If she needs to become the figure that represents hope—so be it. This is a world that's been swallowed up in chaos that makes it so that people cannot age, and that people cannot have children or change. But time always changes people, even if the element of time has been swallowed up and washed away. Years still pass no matter what.

To become the representative for hope, Lightning awakens to a dying world and sees that there is little hope; she chooses to take on the role as a savior after the God of all, Bhunivelze, dangles the return of her sister in her face. But Lightning doesn't only do this because her role will grant her the return of Serah. She chooses to do it because she wants to offer people hope. The irony, however, is that her role is one that seems to be without hope; as the savior, she is the literal harbinger of the end of the world as she needs to collect souls to bring them to the new world. When she awakens, Lightning finds herself missing something critically important: a piece of herself that contains all her feelings and emotions. Even without these emotions, Lightning still emphasizes the significance of hope in the world, and she willingly becomes God's savior. That she is willing to do this shows the changes she's made along the way. Although she does fight for the return of Serah, she understands that if necessary, she'll do a great deal for a whole number of people. There are moments when she frames it differently, originally stating: "A deal, huh? I scratch god's back, and he gives me what I want—my sister" (Final Fantasy XIII: Lightning Returns). But as she goes around the world as its savior, she comes to realize the significance of her role.

Absent of any emotions, Lightning is still raw and as ruthlessly driven as ever. Still, she carries the weight of her memories, and she allows them to drive her. Though she cannot feel the guilt she's accumulated throughout the years, she understands the necessity of what she does. Part of her journey requires her to save her friends, and she insists that she'll do it no matter what, even if she doesn't have the same sentiments attached to those feelings. She understands what they are going through, and in that way, her empathy from her memories allows her to help others no matter what. When she reflects on Snow, she understands his pain and that he needs help. When she does, she considers the fact that he might be becoming a monster, but she still sees him as the same man she knew before. Even without her emotions, nothing can change that: "Cie'th or not, nothing's changed. I am gonna save him. ... Well, after I beat some sense into that annoying thick head of his, that is" (Final Fantasy XIII: Lightning Returns). It bothers her that Snow becomes a man without hope, but she also understands it, too. Unlike her, he cannot live without all of his guilt cut away and banished. He has to live and feel that pain every day, and he has—for over five hundred years. Of course he's changed.

But as much as Snow has changed, Lightning has not; she is the same person from the beginning of her journey, just more honed and intelligent, able to see a path for what it is and understand that sometimes, she just has to do something about it. Being that same person makes her who she had always been. As Lightning goes around the world, she has to collect souls so they can be carried to a new world that God has created for them. To collect a soul, she has to carry out a final wish. But half the time, Lightning is just as she's always been: challenging, abrasive, and sometimes just a touch judgmental. She challenges people when she feels they require a challenge. If someone wishes to wallow, she'll point out the flaw in this way of thinking. At the same time, when someone requires empathy, she'll offer a helping hand and say what she feels is necessary. But she is still someone who doesn't mince her words. She's still socially awkward … with just a hint of dryness. Her approach to things sometimes leads her to joking or taunting someone. In one case, she gets caught up and tells a woman that her lost lover might fall in love with Lightning instead. When asked why she said such a thing, Lightning says that she's caught up in the atmosphere. She brushes it off, but it does show a playful side to her. At the same time, when asked on a date, she insists that she's only there for the food. She toes the line between normal and abnormal throughout the game.

One of the reasons why Lightning toes the line has always been present in her life: Serah. In many ways, Lightning relates many normal things to Serah. Her sister is the one who gets to experience romance. Her sister is the one who defines Lightning's favorite song when someone plays it for her. After all, Lightning doesn't have her own favorite song: long ago, she allowed Serah to choose it for her. Lightning is a different person, but Serah has so entirely defined her existence that she can't live without her. Even without her emotions, she's willing to do whatever it takes, even if that means she has to become like the gods she hates and give up her humanity. After all, it slowly becomes apparent that by becoming the savior so that she can save her sister, she is becoming something less than human. Before long, it's clear that she's the heir apparent for the goddess Etro. That would be her final role. But Lightning doesn't care about this, as she is willing to do whatever it takes, as she tells Noel:

I wish I knew, believe me. I've taken a lot of lives, more than I can count. If I had any humanity left, I would have been crushed by the guilt by now. Do I look crushed to you? I'm going to see Serah again. I'm going to fight for as long as it takes, give whatever it takes. Even if it's my humanity. (Final Fantasy XIII: Lightning Returns)

Her desperation to save her sister is clear, as she goes on to add: "That's right. To save Serah, I'll throw everything else away. I'll even be God's little pawn. No one's gonna stop me from trying. Not even you" (Final Fantasy XIII: Lightning Returns). Although at this point Noel had been given a vision where destroying Lightning would give everyone a better future, he comes to accept that he cannot stop her. He also accepts that it may be a false future. At the end, Noel comes to stand by Lightning's side, as he understands the significance of Serah, as well, and wants her back. He wants the better future that Lightning is doing everything she can to provide. Serah is at the heart of that, but Serah also inspires Lightning, too. Everything matters, and every fight should be taken up. That's something that Lightning has learned from Serah, and she'll do anything she can for her and because of her, even if it means making some rather ugly choices.

And even if it means that Lightning herself will be alone at the end of it.

Though she is inspired by her sister, the other thing that can define Lightning is her willingness to sacrifice everything for both humanity, as well as her sister. She is even willing to sacrifice her humanity. Over her journey, Lightning comes to understand that the God Bhunivelze, as well as all the fal'Cie that came before, could never truly understand what rested in people's hearts. Because of that, they never understood a world with memory and a world with hope. Bhunivelze had no desire to create a world where people could make mistakes or have bad days. Instead, he hoped to create a soulless existence, one where memories and hope didn't matter. Upon realizing this, Lightning realizes what she needs to do: she needs to complete her goals from the beginning of her journey. In order to do this, she has to willingly become the Goddess of Death. After all, people should live in a Godless world, free to make their own choices. But the cycle of life and death should be preserved, as well, and Lightning is ready and willing to take on that role. She has already worked tirelessly as Etro's protector in Valhalla to try to save humanity from chaos enveloping the lands, and she has already served as the savior, collecting souls so they might be heralded to the new world. Now, she's willing to take up her new role: she's willing to guide humanity into a Godless world, where the only God that remains is her, someone who understands and remembers the significance of a humanity with hope. She may have no emotions or feelings, like any other God, but she would do what is necessary. After all, the Goddess of Death would be able to interact with the natural chaos in each person's heart. In this world, each person is born out of chaos, and it is chaos that allows them to be reborn. She would guide that cycle, and she would ensure that a new world came to be that had no other metaphysical involvement. This would be her sacrifice, and though she no longer felt the weight of her guilt, her atonement—and it would be a sacrifice that was necessary because of what her sister had already sacrificed on her own journey. They had fought to save the future, and it was necessary to do everything possible to make that happen.

In order to make the sacrifice, however, Lightning had to turn her back on her weaknesses once more, and this proved to be the problem. After successfully beating Bhunivelze, Lightning's own choices throughout her life come and rear their head, and she learns that they've been there the entire time. Through her time as the savior, she had been taunted by a young girl who looked like a young Serah, Lumina. Lumina turned out to be her voice of reason and motivation, as she knew exactly what lied in Lightning's heart—even if Lightning herself hadn't realized that. As it turns out, Lumina is actually the manifestation of Lightning's weaknesses given life by the chaos. As Lightning comes to realize what she's done, shackling herself in her new role away from all the people she's saved, she cries out, asking not to be left alone. At that moment, those weaknesses return to her. All her emotions, all her guilt, all the weight of everything she has in her life—it floods back into her, and it makes her realize that becoming a God isn't what's necessary. No, Lightning requires the strength of others.

It is in those final moments of her journey where all the growth and maturity of Lightning's life comes to light. She doesn't only require her sister, but her friends, as well. Her interactions with people, her eidolon, Mog, and many others has taught her that she cannot finish what she started on her own. The memories and feelings of others are where her hope comes from, and she cannot lock herself away, sacrificing everything to be strong just because she feels that she must. Lightning realizes that sacrifice isn't the last answer, and instead, she has to work with the others to bring together their strength. Just before they defeat Bhunivelze, she gives one final statement about all of them: "We hope in the face of despair—that makes us strong!" Final Fantasy XIII: Lightning Returns). It is hope that allows them to feel, to wish for a future, and it is love that gives them the strength to deliver the world into its new future. She has also matured, too, in this moment. These final moments are not about just stubbornly and blindly making the impossible possible; no, Lightning realizes that while one world may be ending, another is beginning. She is determined to set the table properly for humanity's new beginning.

Lightning and her friends finish what they started, and they do it together. They are a family, and they realize that humanity needs to be allowed to have control over their own future. A lot of tragedy and heartache happened along the way, but as they try to explain to Bhunivelze, that's part of living. Hope doesn't only come from the happy moments. It comes from the most despairing of them, too, and the ability to overcome that despair. And while they all admit that the future for humanity may lead to another confrontation with God, they have hope there, too. Even in the absence of them, there would be others ready to rise up. After all, isn't that just another aspect of hope?

And though Lightning will always be somewhat abrasive and never quick to smile, she will always have hope, and she will do anything to bring it to others. That is her drive, and it began with her sister. From there, she learned to bring it to others.

COURT ALLIANCE & REASONING: At first glance, Lightning is someone who is utterly devoted to her sister, and she'll do anything for her. Because of her devotion to her sister, as well as her role as the savior, it might be tempting to define her as a Seelie. After all, she had literally proved to be the harbinger of the end of the world back home, and she had understood the importance of the cycle of death and rebirth—though in her opinion, it should be a literal cycle, rather than a wiped slate. She fights against that, too.

Still, at the end of the day, Lightning is Unseelie to her very core. While the values of the Unseelie court are actually extremely unfitting for her in a lot of ways, this thread here actually could be about Lightning and nothing would change. Her entire role in canon is to cause upheaval, to bring change, and to follow her passions (though her passions are ultimately selfless). Above all else, she wishes to protect free will, and free will is fostered by memory and hope. While she comes to accept that the world she awakens to is dying, she comes to realize that God, the maker of everything, was hoping to cause a hard reset in a really bad way. So, she breaks his system, and she breaks him, believing in her final words that this is necessary and that humanity would rise up again and beat him if necessary. Optimism lies at the very heart of what she does, but it is a rather chaotic optimism, honed in part by the many, many years she has been at what she does. She may not have been alive through all of the changes on Nova Chrysalia, but her time in Valhalla really changed her perspective and prepared her for her future as savior. Her adaptability makes her a fit for the court, even if Lightning herself doesn't fit the more underhanded aspects of being chaotic.

Of course, it helps that chaos is defined as a good thing in the final act of Final Fantasy XIII, and chaos itself is defined as a loose, undefined thing (so not defined at all). Chaos is what is in each and every person's soul. While in the game, this is a thing, it is a heavy handed word for a reason. People are unpredictable and they have their whims. They should be allowed to have their whims. Bhunivelze had been unable to understand those whims and tried to get rid of them (in part because he didn't understand that they existed in the first place).

On to the values:

Seelie Values

Death Before Dishonor: While Lightning holds her duty to Etro and to her sister as one of the greatest ideals, she has no problem turning her back on Bhunivelze when it turns out that he only hopes to give her a "fake" version of her sister, Serah. After all, it would not be a Serah who's experienced tragedy, and it would be a Serah who had no reason to have hope because she wouldn't have a true soul. As a result, Lightning is willing to dishonor an oath if it's necessary, even choosing to betray the God who's granted her with the power in order to bring about the future she desires. At the same time, her duty to Serah and Etro should not be easily forgotten. Her entire life is about Serah, and she's even willing to sacrifice herself to preserve Etro's natural cycle, a remnant of her willingness to be Etro's guardian. These are not roles she quickly abandons. It is a complicated thing.

Love Conquers All: As the final sequence of Lightning's journey reveals, love is absolutely what enables Lightning the ability to cut the puppet strings from the Gods and grant humanity a future without their involvement and intervention. She gains this love from her family, as well as all the other souls she's encountered along the way. Lightning loves a great deal many people, and because they will not leave her to be alone and distant, she is able to fight and remain strong. Her strength first comes from her love for her sister, and then everyone else. Indeed, this is probably Lightning's greatest value.

Beauty is Life: Beauty is a complicated thing, and by its most shallow of definitions, it is really insignificant to Lightning. She clearly doesn't care about her appearance, and she doesn't care about how she presents herself to others. That simply isn't a priority to her. But if you read into this value a little bit, you can actually link the significance of memory to beauty. Art is a way of preserving memory and a place in history, and isn't that what Lightning is fighting to preserve? As such, I don't think it's a stretch to say that Lightning believes in this value, even if she'd probably scoff at the idea at first.

Never Forget a Debt: To some degree, Lightning feels that she is indebted to humanity. She feels that she is a large part of why humanity was thrown into chaos and forced to experience so much misery throughout the years. As such, she both heralds their souls to a new world and does everything she can to preserve their memories so she isn't dismissing the weight of their experiences. She even makes it clear to everyone that their lives matter. Her guilt from the lives she's already taken guides her.

Unseelie Values

Change is Good: At the heart of everything that Lightning does is the desire for change. She will do anything to bring change if she feels that it is necessary. Everyone Lightning meets is mercurial and changing in their own right, and that should be preserved. She even comes to understand exactly why humans are made out of chaos, and what that means to their memory and importance in the world. She has no problem with change and even welcomes it.

Glamour is Free: This is one of the values that Lightning only begrudgingly accepts. In order to bring change, a person must be strong. In order to protect Etro, a person must be strong. She becomes less than human on multiple occasions for this strength, and she betters herself through it. However, it is a necessary evil in a lot of ways. Even if she might mentally accentuate the "evil," it never seems to keep her from doing it. If she needs to beat down the bad guy, bring on the power, and she'll even sacrifice herself in the process for that power (or her humanity, which is really the same thing).

Honour is a Lie: The fact that honour can guide someone is a rather complicated notion, because she definitely sees herself indebted to others on a regular basis. But she also believes that there are orders that lie to people because of some greater idea that controls them, and she fights against these things on multiple occasions. People should have a set of beliefs that they personally believe in to follow, rather than adhering to a strict set of codes that may not apply to every situation. As such, she'd be neutral on this idea. In fact, she'd wonder why it needs to be so negatively stated. To her, honour itself is something that varies from person to person, and what each individual person considers honourable.

Passion Before Duty: Lightning absolutely would be torn on this ideal, if only because her passion and drive fuels her often self-appointed duty. In the end, passion is what comes from free will and caring, and she does everything she can to sustain that throughout her journey.

ABILITIES:

I will put suggested caps at the end of these abilities.

Lightning Returns abilities. Not all of Lightning's abilities are available on this page, so the rest will be linked as necessary. As a note, all "passive" and equipment attached abilities will not be available unless listed as a part of the garbs she's coming in with in the first place.

God-Given Abilities

Goddess of Death: Against her will, Lightning was brought back and made into a vessel so that she could eventually become the Goddess of Death. Fueled by the souls of the world, she eventually became strong enough to defeat Bhunivelze, the most powerful god of all, and then sit to watch over the souls to ensure that the cycle of life and death continues. Ultimately, she rejects this role, but until her rebirth, she retains this power. She also has the ability to manipulate time and reality because of this status, which she does through her time slowing/stopping abilities. While an aspect of being the Goddess of Death is being emotionless, it's clear at the end that this isn't necessarily a condition to partaking in this role, and that it had just been Bhunivelze's goal for her. She retains this power as she and her friends strike down Bhunivelze once and for all, all of their power combined to do it (so even made into a God, she can't strike the finishing blow alone).

Savior of Souls: Before she takes on her role as the Goddess of Death (or on her way to becoming the Goddess of Death), Lightning is brought back as the pink-haired savior believed to be the harbinger for the end of the world. Part of this role leads to a few handy abilities: she doesn't seem to require extensive rest (though she does physically fatigue when she runs—more on that later), she is able to see the wishes and desires of others so that she can grant them, and she has the ability to change uniform quickly in battle (more on that later, as well).

Physical Boosts: One of the aspects of Lightning's new changes is that she actually doesn't have the ability to heal, so in place of that, she has a greater endurance, greater speed, and greater strength. She is able to withstand far more than she has ever been able to, and she has the health level to be able to take on god.

Run quickly: Absent a chocobo in most of the civilizations on Nova Chrysalia, Lightning is able to cross a great deal of terrain at a greater speed than the average human. She does tire if she runs at this speed too quickly, but she is able to recover quickly enough and pick up her speed again.

Schemata: Schema / Garbs. Essentially, this ability makes Lightning into a magical girl of sorts. She is able to change between three schema at once, and each version comes with a different sword, shield, and accessory. The different schema come with different abilities, as well (these will be located in the inventory, as they are not dominant/active abilities).

EP Abilities Lightning has the ability to access 9 EP a day. There are ways to restore EP via ethers, turbo ethers, and elixirs. Otherwise, the EP is renewed at the start of each new day. I will be keeping track of these. The abilities:

Curaga: At 2 EP, this completely heals Lightning.

Arise: At 3 EP, this revives Lightning from knockout and partly heals her.

Esunada: At 1 EP, this heals Lightning from all status ailments.

Decoy: At 1 EP, this summons a Moogle doll that can serve as a temporary decoy for enemies.

Quake: At 2 EP, this deals non-elemental damage to all enemies.

Overclock: At 2 EP, this slows everything around Lightning to a crawl so she can hit her enemies rapidly.

Army of One: At 1 EP, during Overlock, Lightning hits her enemy … a lot. A lot a lot.

Escape: At 0 EP, Lightning is able to flee from all battles easily.

Chronostasis: At 1 EP, Lightning is able to temporarily stop time around her for seventy five seconds to be able to traverse moreland and move quickly.

Teleport: At 3 EP, Lightning is able to head to any location she has visited before. If she is in battle, she is unable to use this ability (partly due to RPG mechanics, but in game, it will be because she's simply too involved to focus the energy to utilize this).

Swordplay/Physical Abilities

First and foremost, I won't be ranking these or going into detail since the name of her physical abilities are very obvious. They show her skill as a fighter, and are only given separate attack names due to the battle system in game.

As a trained soldier, Lightning is someone who can use a very difficult weapon called a blazefire saber (think a gunblade, which is the less fancy term for it). Her ability to utilize this in a fight shows that she is an extremely powerful warrior, even before she starts to experience the various changes along her journey. She is able to use her weapon for swordplay, but it can also channel certain elements.

Throughout Lightning Returns, Lightning has a vast array of different fighting abilities that are given a different amount of power to utilize, but this won't apply as practically in a role-playing setting. Most of the strikes vary according to the strength of hit and how many targets Lightning tries to hit at once. For instance, blitz takes up a lot more energy because she can hit multiple targets at once, while light strike allows her to hit rapidly.

When utilizing her magic in her attacks, she can use four different elements (which I will go into it later), and create attacks like flamestrike (one target, as all strike attacks are), heat blitz (multiple targets, takes more time, like all blitz attacks), frost strike, icy blitz, spark strike, electric blitz, gale strike, and aero blitz. On these attacks, the elemental magic is weakened because of its pairing with the physical magic, and it's therefore not as strong.

Guarding

Like it sounds, guarding is what Lightning accomplishes when she draws up her sword and uses it against her enemies. If she holds a light guard, the guarding doesn't guard her very well from physical attacks or magical attacks. If she holds a heavy guard, it really does guard her—but never 100% of the way (in fact, a heavy guard is only 50% protection from both kinds of attacks). The stronger and heavier the guard, the shorter amount of time she can hold it up.

The only kind of guard that is relevant is mediguard, as it provides a slight regenerative effect while used. (Slight because she can still lose health while holding it.)

Magical Abilities (Attacking)

Before I begin, a little bit of information about Lightning's magic and where it comes from would be helpful, I believe! Aside from her obvious boosts from God himself, Lightning lives in a world that has been changed. Lightning is one of the few l'Cie to live without a brand, however briefly, after finishing some kind of focus, and it was the miracle from this change that eventually spread magic throughout the lands. When someone becomes a l'Cie, it channels the crystal inside of them so that they can utilize their magic, and they power up and expand that crystal along the way. The implication is that magic is connected to the chaos and crystal in each and every individual, especially because of the links to Eidolon, who come from Valhalla, which is the land where chaos of the soul is brought and given the opportunity for rebirth. Only one person is reborn exactly the same way as before, mind you, but the idea is there. Basically, the fragments in Final Fantasy XIII-2 refer to magic as a way of channeling the crystals inside. There are theories inside of the fragments that dictate that it could be that the magic is in the soil, or people have just changed. By the future Noel comes from, magic is commonplace. No one blinks at it and it isn't special, and that's after the world has gone through some changes. (Fragments here.)

As a note, once the pattern of spells is obvious, I won't be as specific with the details! Final Fantasy likes their obvious systems, so all of the magic tends to go in increasing order of power. When an attack really needs clarification, I will give it!

Ruin/Ruinga: Ruin is a non-elemental magic attack. The game never specifies what it is beyond a blast of energy that is usually actually ranked under Lightning's physical attacks, so it likely feels like a long distance punch of some kind. Ruinga, naturally, allows the attack to hit multiple targets at once in what looks like a large "splash."

Fire/Fira/Firaga/Flare: These are fire elemental attacks. Fire is low level magic and does a minimal amount of damage. Fira is an increased amount of power, and takes more time to cast repeatedly. It can also hit multiple targets, but tends to focus on one target. Firaga takes a longer amount of time to cast, and it takes longer to recharge. It is incredibly powerful, and can hit all the targets in the area. Flare is the most powerful of all, and can seem to be a flash of fire over the screen. If an enemy is weak enough, it can be an instant kill. Finally, fire attacks can leave someone on fire, as you can imagine, so their health slowly depletes.

Blizzard/Blizzara/Blizzaga/Chill: These are ice-elemental attacks. Like with fire, they go in increasing order of strength and time it takes to cast and recover from casting each spell. Chill, like flare, hits all enemies in the area, and takes a great deal of time to cast. Ice, unlike flare, isn't something that provides Lightning with the ability to kill everything in her path. Instead, the more powerful attacks (blizzara and up) encase her enemies in a block of ice so she can chip away at them and weaken them. This … doesn't necessarily apply to real world logic, but eventually the ice will vanish and the enemy/monster/whatever can be set free. More powerful enemies are obviously unable to be caught up in this in the same way.

Thunder/Thundara/Thundaga/Surge: These are lightning-elemental attacks. Why Final Fantasy insists on using the word "thunder" for them after all these years is a mystery to me, too! Anyway, they also go in increasing order, and can leave a status effect of someone "sparking" from thundara and above. Surge sounds precisely what it sounds like. This is an element that doesn't strike its target as efficiently as the others, but it can be rather effective once it strikes true.

Aero/Aerora/Aeroga/Tornado: These are air-elemental attacks. While aero itself looks like nothing more than a gust of wind in an enemy's face, aerora and above can be rather effective as it engulfs an enemy in a tornado like attack, with "Tornado" naturally being the most powerful. Even with the casting time taken into account, the gust of wind can last for a while to provide cuts and bruises to an opponent.

Firespark/Firesparka: These are magic attacks that take in both fire and electricity at once. In practice, they are not as powerful as other elemental attacks. They look like a burst of the two elements at once, and increase in strength. They can also leave both status effects (sparking and burning), depending on the enemy and their resistances.

Firestorm/Firestorma: These are magic attacks that take in both fire and air at once. Unlike the air-elemental attacks, they do not come out as lasting bursts of air, and instead look like spinning fire whirling toward the enemy … only what's making it spinning is the fire itself. These can make someone acquire the status effect of burning.

Icespark/Icesparka: These are magic attacks that include both ice and electricity at the same time. In truth, it looks like a blast of sparking ice, and they only rarely are able to encase an enemy in ice (on the ice sparka attacks). They can leave the "sparking" effect.

Icestorm/Icestorma: These are magic attacks that include both ice and air at the same time. These also look like a cool blast of ice, only it looks like cool wind. Much like firestorma, it does not envelop enemies in air at any strength.

Element/Elementa/Elementaga: The "element" attack is exactly how it sounds: it contains all four elements. Like with the previous attacks, element hits one foe, elementa is a stronger version, but can hit multiple foes, and elementaga can hit a great number of foes at once.

Magnet: This is a low-level non-elemental magical ability that does exactly as it describes: it draws together the enemies in one place, even if they aren't wearing metal, and gives Lightning the ability to hit them all at once.

Magical Abilities (Debuffing)

Poison/Poisonga: These are magical attacks that inflict long-term damage on the enemy, making it so that they shed health progressively as a fight goes on. Poisonga hits multiple enemies at once.

Imperil/Imperilga: These are magical attacks that increase weakness to elemental magic, with the second of them hitting all enemies at once.

Slow/Slowga: These are magical attacks that temporarily slow the enemy's movement and speed, with the slowga attacks hitting multiple enemies at once.

Curse/Cursega: These are magical attacks that make it much easier to disrupt someone's attacks, with cursega hitting multiple enemies at once.

Debrave/Debravega: These are magical attacks that limit the enemy's physical strength, and debravega hits multiple enemies at once.

Deprotect/Deprotectga: These are magical attacks that decrease the enemy's ability to resist physical attacks, and deprotectga hits multiple enemies at once.

Defaith/Defaithga: These are magical attacks that decrease the enemy's magical strength, and defaithga hits multiple enemies at once.

Deshell/Deshellga: These are magical attacks that decrease the enemy's magical resistance, and deshellga hits multiple enemies at once.

Dispel/Dispelga: These are magical attacks that end any status boosts on an enemy, with dispelga hitting multiple enemies at once.

Disaster: This spell inflicts debrave, defaith, deprotect, deshell, and curse on an enemy. More so than even -ga spells, it is difficult to cast more magic or act after its casting.

Suggested Caps:

I will go down through the abilities and hopefully grab everything!

Goddess of Death and Savior
Above all else, I absolutely would like her to remain as the Goddess of Death. Although she rejects this role in canon because it would leave her alone like Etro, and alone like she had ultimately been for all that time in Valhalla, it doesn't change what she has been turned into along her journey. Only an absolute rebirth of her soul would remove this status, so that hasn't changed. As the Goddess of Death (or on her way to being the Goddess of Death, but it's clear it's connected to that role), she is able to manipulate time and space, and I am absolutely all right with her losing the ability to manipulate time around her, as well as space.

Additionally, as the Goddess of Death, she is able to sense the chaos in each person's heart and the nature of their soul. She is also able to guide the cycle of death and rebirth in each and every individual. Largely, these things apply to only her world, but it is up to you if you would like her to maintain any aspect of these things.

I do intend to have her explore her role as Goddess of Death in a world that may require someone who is willing to save souls and protect their memory, as well as what it means to be this thing with the upcoming Godswar. This is actually a big part of why I chose to app, so I would like her to at least maintain her status as the Goddess of Death, with the physical strength, durability, and relentlessness that comes with it. Lightning herself is not infallible and she can be struck down, and I'm genuinely not interested in her being a physical powerhouse. I'm more interested in the metaphysical aspect of these powers, and what goes along with that status in this current setting.

As Savior (and therefore, as the Goddess of Death), she also has the ability to sense a soul's final wish and grant it. I'd like to cap this entirely, as it's … way too powerful, and she can get to know people on her own. She also has the ability to not need sleep, which I'd like to keep. "Not needing sleep" is different from suffering from fatigue, which she'll do just like anyone if she exerts herself. She can sleep at inns in game to restore her HP, if needed! But she doesn't necessarily need to sleep, and it's a cool little thing to keep that doesn't affect much. Additionally, she has her ability to magically change between outfits. I would absolutely like to keep this for the same reason: it's cool and unique!

Physical Boosts
Lightning's boosts along with being a God are basically that she heals faster, that she can sleep and be healed, that she's more durable, faster, and so forth. I am basically asking that she maintain some of her physical strength and durability in the wake of the aforementioned Godhood. This is extremely difficult to quantify as she's literally made into being able to be a one-woman RPG party in Lightning Returns. For me as her player, she'll be stronger, faster, and more resilient, but she won't be a one woman army. I suggest having her strength, etc. halved?

Run Quickly
I would like to retain this, as it would just make her ability to move from location to location like that of a person riding a horse, rather than just a person on foot. Since she can't run quickly without tiring, the hours do still pass, but she can go fairly quickly on foot.

Schemata
I will only be bringing her in with three active schemata, but with the course of the game, I'd like her to be able to adopt in-game outfits as additional schemata to make into her main three (if she turns off one of her current ones, the clothing will literally be left in her home or wherever she chooses to keep her stuff). She also changes her outfits in game for certain situations, so having a dress, a set of native clothes, and a suit of armor are all things she could change into with the things in game. But she won't come in with these, and I'd like the ability to have her adapt to the setting via her schemata.

EP Abilities
Regardless, I would like to keep these capped at 9 EP a day. No matter what I do, I'll have to be conscious that she can't heal, teleport, teleport, teleport, because the math doesn't add up. The price of everything will remain the same. EP resets at the dawn of every new day!

That said, I'd like her to keep curaga for partial healing, but I'm not married to it. She will lose Arise because it's too much of a video game mechanic that doesn't work in role-play settings. I'd like for her to keep esunada for minor status effects: it'll heal minor status ailments, like other RPG poison, sleep, or anything like that. She can only use it on herself. Nothing serious, like Drabwurld curses from the Shuck. I'd like her to keep decoy because it's funny, but have it not actually work. So, if she throws a Moogle doll out in the middle of battle, people may see it as a decoy because they wonder why she's throwing a toy out, not because they're actually drawn to it. I'll gladly have her lose quake. As for overclock, Army of One, and chronostasis, all of these are dependent upon her Goddess of Death/Savior abilities to manipulate time and space. As such, I am cool with these being capped. As an aside, Army of One is something she is capable of as a fal'Cie, so she should be able to naturally pull off an extremely downgraded version of it just by being able to hit someone pretty fast (it's just fancy swordplay amped up with her ability to slow down time for someone while hitting the crap out of them). The ability is there, but in real time, it can definitely be disrupted without her altering reality. Escape is pretty much just an RPG mechanic, so I'm going to act like it doesn't exist.

Finally, for teleport, I would like her to keep this, but have her come in unable to teleport until she begins to travel. There is no reason to teleport two feet with the cost, and as she travels more, she'll be able to teleport to more places. This will require her to travel to gain new locations for her ability. As always, I'll keep her EP points in mind.

Physical Attacks
The only thing I can think of capping is her elemental attacks. Everything else comes from skill! That I will leave up to your discretion, because they aren't very powerful attacks.

Guarding
Again, only mediguard might be necessary for capping purposes. Again, I leave this up to your discretion. It actually slows battle to focus on it, and eventually it can get worn down, so it's effective but ineffective if someone is striking her too fast.

Magical Abilities (Attacking)
For all of the spells, cap them at the -ra spells, perhaps. There are limitations to using the more powerful spells, but they're still pretty damn powerful to use. With the fusions, I leave it up to your discretion, but I suggest just the first spell rather than the second. I am indifferent about element and magnet.

Magical Abilities (Debuffing)
Cap them all down to their original spell (example: poison only, rather than poisonga), and no Disaster.

INVENTORY:

Schemata
First, we'll begin with the Schematas. I am starting her off with the three she has from the end of my playthrough because it's significant to her storywise. Any additional garbs will have to be booned for or otherwise obtained through adapting to Eachdraidh world stuff. (So, she may make a schemata out of stuff as she goes along! I think that'd be fun.)

Schemata one:
Splendid Admiral
Abilities: Auto-bravery (when she switches to this uniform), this is more of a physical schemata.
Paired with: Ultima Weapon (a sword, its ability "Arsenal of One" makes "Army of One" more powerful, very strong hitting weapon with +2500 strength/+2500 magic, this is a gift from Serah after going through the four trials in preparation for defeating Bhunivelze); Ultima Shield (+8000 HP, received after going through the four trials, +800 defense, this is also a gift from Serah); Irondragon Scale (an accessory that boosts Lightning's HP by 10% and her ability to resist physical damage by 10%); Runic Ring (an accessory that allows Lightning to resist magic damage by 10%).

Schemata two:
Dragoon
Abilities: Soul of the Dragoon (boosts physical resistance by 20%)
Paired with: Demon Claw (a lance with +440 strength, the ability to give linking more spring in battle with Jump, and it has more ability to make enemies stagger within her own canon, though this will not apply to the Drabwurld in part because applying FFXIII video game staggering will be difficult); Guardian Corps Shield (a shield with +1000 HP, but little in the way of every guarding); Samurai's Comb (an accessory that boosts Lightning's magic and strength by 10%); Frostward Bangle (an accessory that boosts her resistance to ice magic by 25%).

Schemata three:
Equilibrium+
Abilities: Increased ability to recover after using attacks. Nothing else.
Paired with: Demon Claw (a lance with +440 strength, the ability to give linking more spring in battle with Jump, so yes, she would have two of these to pair with each Schemata and would not be able to just hand off the Demon Claw to someone else); Il Nome Della Rosa (a shield with additional +1500 HP with decent ability to guard, it's pretty and has roses on it); Fighter's Emblem (this is an accessory with an increased strength of 15%); Stormward Bangle (this is an accessory that boosts Lightning's resistance to wind magic by 25%).

Additional Weapons and Accessories
It is likely that Lightning will keep each of these items hidden. They are the items she acquires by finishing the main quests in Lightning Returns.

Shadow Hunter: This is a javelin that Noel Kreiss uses. It's what he uses to destroy the Oracle Drive. Lightning takes it after their fight. It boosts strength by +270 and allows her to jump in battle.
Ghostly Hood: While it grants its wearer resistance to physical attacks by 75%, it makes them completely incapable of fighting back. (It removes all magic and strength by 100%).
Chaos' Revenge: This is a very large sword with Bahamut's eye inset into it. It grants the use strength and magic +600, but it's large and unwieldy.
Preta Hood: While it grants its wearer resistance to magical attacks by 75%, it completely drops their magic and strength down to nothing.

Recovery Items
Ether (2): Restores some EP.
Crusader's Potion (1): Restores a small amount of HP, and casts Protect, Shell, Veil, and Regen.
Hi-Potion (3): Restores a great deal of HP.
Holy Water (2): Restores a small amount of HP, and casts Protect and Shell.
Hero's Potion: Restores a small amount of HP, and casts Bravery, Faith, Vigilance, and Haste.
Nektar of the Gods: Restores some HP and gives the drinker faith, bravery, and regen.

Key Items
These are other items she acquires through the course of her story—they seem like a lot, but they're largely pieces of paper she keeps close because of the memories associated with them. (As a note, all "name Notes" are about how to fight a certain monster and know its weakness, so it's essentially useless scrap.):

Bhakti's Oil (she has four uses of this left; it's likely that it'd be forgotten or used for fire or whatever)
Boss' Note (a note from the boss in Yusnaan who runs the firework show, it grants Lightning permission to take fireworks from the various sites)
Cactair Notes (a note on cactairs)
Cathedral sentry notes (a note on the sentry of the Cathedral in Luxerion)
Crest of Etro (a crest worn by the heretics who follow Etro in Luxerion)
Death Game Ticket (a ticket to participate in a long "death game" in Yusnaan)
Desert Flame (a special gemstone that has Chaos within it)
Desmond Notes (a detailed description on the Desmond)
Fanatic Notes (a detailed description on the fanatics)
Fireworks (acquired thanks to the boss' note, can be set off at any time)
Flanitor notes (a detailed description of the flanitor)
ID card (a card from a citizen of Yusnaan which gives her permission to reach the area just outside of the palace, the Augur's Quarter)
Key for the Gates (a key to open the land between two areas in Nova Chrysalia: Luxerion and the Wildlands)
Lackley's ring (from a side quest, she obtains it to bring Lackley and his fiancée back together)
Patron's Personal Guard Notes (notes for the guards in Snow's palace)
Pilgrim's Crux (a key that Lightning, as the savior, can only use to open mysterious places in the Dunes)
Prophecy of Apiration, Rebirth, and of the Future (three prophecies of three people)
Quill pen (a decorated quill that someone once cherished)
Seedhunter Membership Card (a card that identifies Lightning as a hunter of soul seeds; aka she fights monsters in chaos infusions)
Service Entrance Key (a key to the cathedral in Luxerion, but only to the service area)
Sneaking-in Special Ticket (a ticket that is meant to grant the user a secret path in to the Augur's Quarter)
Statue Fragment (a piece of the statue of Bhunivelze)
Study of the Depths (a study of the chaos/abyss/etc)
Study of the Savage (of "that which has run wild")
Talbot's Gratitude (a picture of a knight with rose-colored hair; it's a trading card with Lightning on it, essentially)

Other Items
Sunglasses (she wears these on and off throughout the game)
Communication device (the means through which she speaks to Hope; defunct)

( WRITING ★ SAMPLES )

NETWORK SAMPLE: [The idea of speaking over these to everyone at once is … it's not something that Lightning is accustomed to. Though she is familiar with times where she's had to have attention from others, it was largely because of her status as a l'Cie. And, in truth, that was a long time ago. After that, she had gone to Valhalla, and then slept for five hundred years. Oh, she once had a "public speaking" gig as the Savior, but it had been a means to an end.

One that, despite the necessity of it all, she wouldn't be quick to repeat again.

Still, she has to understand. She has to know what's happening here. Lumina can and will tell her some of what she has to know, but she won't cover everything. That's … just how she is.]

Right, [Lightning begins. It's her typical beginning, and though the word sounds like she's affirming something, it's her way of overcoming her discomfort.]

I've come from a world that isn't so different from this one. Wasn't, I guess, because now it's … gone. [Though they had succeeded, she still pauses. They had saved the souls. They would not be forgotten. But people had lived and suffered on that world. And it was a world that was a remnant of worlds, engulfed in chaos. All that remained was Yeul, and Caius would watch over her. That was how it'd always been.] I don't mean to speak out against our cause. The thought of saving multiple worlds … it definitely sounds preferable to what else they might have us buy. [And, in truth, she does understand the other side. She understands why there are followers of the Seelie way. After all, Luxerion had been the center of people like that. The Order had ensured that all of Bhunivelze's wishes had been carried out, and it'd been up to Lightning to stop them.]

But it isn't always possible. Back home, I learned that the hard way. [The way she speaks, it sounds like she isn't just speaking of one occasion.]

So, why don't you tell me how we're gonna save this one? If it's possible, tell me how. And don't tell me that … taking shards, or whatever they might have me believe, is the only way. If what those imps told me is right, I'd rather not weigh one life against another. That just sounds like a one-way street to everyone losing.

And I'm just not interested in going about it that way. If you ask me, that way sounds pretty hopeless. [Hope coming in death? It doesn't sound likely. On a large scale, maybe, with the loss of Bhunivelze and the fal'Cie, but this is different.

It sounds different, anyway. So, she'll remain skeptical.]
LOG SAMPLE: I did a lot of threads on the test drive, so here are some of them:

Her talk with Cole.
Speaking to Lumina.
Speaking to Medusa.
Gale from DDS meeting.