FFXIII: the "Rec Me Fic" edition
So I said in a comment that I actually expect FFXIII to become a decent writing fandom for me because of the holes and confusion in said story. That's pretty true: I write more for fandoms that didn't necessarily feel complete or sensical to me (FFIV, what with the LUNAR WHALE and all; FFVIII's plot holes and weirdly focused storytelling) than I do
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But I'm on an ipad and work break, so just one thing.
This may help you find Snow less meh (not in the OMG snow rocks sense but simply 'does this help?" Both he and Vanille are classic ff and fantasy archetypes: the Hero(tm) big happy bruiser who saves the day, and Perky Chick who spreads sugar and rainbows (as sazh says sarcastically) and serves as a light element. except they're TOTALLY NOT, and the game is exploding both archetypes on purpose. Snow is clearly NOt the hero, only a hero in his own mind, using it as a crutch of self-denial to hide from his own awful screwups. There's a few times whem the hero facade cracks and he almost admits it, when Hope or Light force him briefly to admit it. Snow led NORA into danger and abandoned them. He failed Serah. He failed the civilians of Bodhum. He failed Hope and got the whole party turned into L'cie (okay, that's partly Light pissing it off, too, but it was Snow's bright idea to ask it to turn him into a L'cie in exchange for Serah, only then he gets everyone involved.) At one point when Hope is raging at him, asking how he can atone for all the people Snow's led into danger or death, Snow says there's nothing he can do, and he knows he sucks balls, so he just keeps trying. THIS IS WHO HE IS. Also when Snow tries to save the citizens of Palumpolum from the Purge by being the big evil L'Cie (when he's not, but it's partly HIS FAULT that Palumpolum is under martial law and in danger of Purge) -- we see how much it HURTS him inside to know he can't really be the hero: the more he tries, the more he's a menace. For a moment, he embraces that bitter fact. It's one of the few times Snow is dealing with reality. The rest of the time he's broken, trying to be a hero, trying to be a leader, but utterly, UTTERLY doomed to Fail, with Lightning being the actual charismatic leader (despite her wanting to be lone wolf) and competent, effective hero. Or Fang. Or Sazh. Or Hope. Or any of them. Snow tries, but he's a loser compared to their greater competence and coolness.
And Vanille is wonderfully sinister, despite the VA getting in the way. Every time she does a Perky Chick line, especially when she's luring poor Hope into that INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS Pulse remnant place -- clearly, she wanted to go there, and clearly, she was hiding something and using him as a free ride -- I was OH GODS ANYONE THAT CHEERFUL IN THIS SITUATION IS CLEARLY BADLY BROKEN IN THE HEAD OR EVIL OR BOTH WHAT IS SHE HIDING?!!!! I loved that aspect of the character, exploding the usual Perky Chick trope, because I picked up on it right at the very start when she took the gun from Maqui and playfully pointed it and said "Bang!" and I started getting creepy-vibes from her. I'm sorry that arc was never entirely settled -- and I see her as Sazh sees her, a young person who had no backbone (Fang had all of it for both of them) but was basically good at heart, except she'd lie and hide things and let her friends down because she was a coward. Until, at the very end, she finally wasn't, which I think was her arc.
And here I'm struggling with ipad to type reams on the characters who most annoyed me (well, Hope's EMO drove me bonkers for a while, especially because he kept...not...saying...anything so that the confrontation with Snow kept getting delayed and delayed and delayed, but Hope grew up in some nice ways.) The other three I came to adore, although like you I had trouble connecting to Lightning when she was just Token Badass Woman With Sword (SEE??) That whole thing with Hope, when she didn't realize just how fucked up he was and gave him the knife and then found out he intended murder with it was great, and I LOVE HER as party leader and Mama Bear. Mama Bear Badass is my favorite archetype (hello Lulu).
And Fang. OMG Fang. Rogue with sass. Who will tear down the sky for her best friend (friend or lover, doesn't matter) and to hell with the world. I love every bit of Fang, especially her blind spots.
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