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phoenyBefore I begin, there will be spoilers. I repeat, THERE WILL BE SPOILERS. ESPECIALLY FOR THE ENDING OF FINAL FANTASY XIII. I'm only focusing on the Playable Characters plus Serah.
{TL;DR MATERIAL. BUT GREAT FOR FICS!}
Notes: SORRY FOR THE DELAY. It's hard to write about Snow and Hope, at least in my opinion. That and I was being lazy as always.
Part I (Serah and Lightning) is over here.
Part II (Fang, Vanille, and Sazh) are over here.
Snow. At the beginning of the game, he was (and to an extent still is) the most annoying character I've ever come across in a Final Fantasy game. And that was saying a lot since this is also the same series which spawned Tidus and Vaan. However, Snow redeemed himself a little in my eyes starting with chapter 7. Hope made him see that there were consequences to being the Big Damned Hero and constantly pursuing the archetype will eventually hurt others in that path (which did happen, all the way in chapter 1). It was the reason I practically squee'd out loud when Lightning punched Snow. Because I honestly thought at that point, Snow was delusional, and something had to be done to put a chink in the proverbial HERO ARMOR of his.
Snow isn't infallible. He isn't impenetrable. No one is. Especially in this game. Snow's idea of a hero however, IS, and that was his greatest flaw up till Palumpolum at the earliest. His close second is acting rash, especially when it comes to Serah.
I find that Snow is insecure, about the same as Lightning, but if you mentioned it to Snow, there's less of a chance you'll get punched in the face for saying so. To me, Snow embodies the "Hero Archetype", in Carl Jung's definition. The Hero is someone who has a lot of "spiritual power", but doesn't really see the ways of the "collective unconscious", AKA some inherent part in an individual that shares ties with all other members of the same group/race, etc. In short, the Hero does his own thing, without worrying what others deemed an idiotic endeavor.
Or as Sazh would say, "That's right. Just charge in, guns blazing!" (Pulse Vestige).
Being the so-called Hero he is, Snow grates on everybody's nerves, especially Lightning and Hope, for...the first seven chapters. Then the development is further explored in the beginning of the Fifth Ark. In here, we see that Snow realizes...he was wrong. As stated, Snow didn't cared about how others view him or his reasoning, because he absolutely thought he was somehow right. However, when faced with a fundamental fact that contradicts what he was reasoning, he breaks down. So Dysley revealed the true nature of Serah's focus, so Snow doubted his integrity in what he believed was true all along. Because it absolutely sucked when we give it 100%, and it was all for naught. When Shiva was summoned, it was to test his ability to protect, hence why in-game he was the lone party member and the key was to DEFEND, not to attack like in other Eidolon battles. In a way, Shiva was reminding Snow that if you can dish it out, then you can better well take it as well. Both literally and figuratively.
I say that Snow is insecure because of how high he values being a "hero". Hero inherently means accomplishing big things, such a sufficient title for someone with big dreams. Snow dreams of a family, dreams of taking down The Sanctum, dreams to belong and to be accepted somewhere in the world, not unlike Fang, who was displaced by circumstances of time and events. His dreams took a nasty dent in the Ark, but it was good for him. Instead of treating his dreams like it was an absolute and on a pedestal, I think Snow perceived them afterwards as relevant, a more realistic angle to it. And trust me, that was refreshing to watch, as he becomes the morale indicator/maintainer of the group.
Shipping/Major Character Interaction:
Serah: HURP DERP LOVE. As I've said in Serah's section that Snow was basically an emotional outlet for her feelings to be loved and comforted, so is Snow doing something similar. Besides Serah, Snow hangs out with NORA, his ragtag paramilitary group. Besides NORA, there really isn't anyone else. Snow has also mentioned "family" when referring to Serah, so I foresee children in the future? :3b Anyways, as much as Lightning would never admit it, I think Snow would make a good father. Yet Snow really is in secure about "family" as he barely has his own. There are no mom or dad to speak of in NORA (stray cat), so the group's pretty much implied to be made up of orphans. I swear there is an orphan theme in this game like another previous installment.
When Serah reveals she is a l'cie, suddenly the dream family Snow wanted isn't so stable, and obviously giving 100% into what he wants, he decided on marriage. Because in his head, that was logical. They both love each other, and marriage is about love and commitment, so why not? It was a way of showing themselves this relationship can work.
I find some parallels with "Romeo and Juliet", only that Juliet wasn't a rebound. While it's canon, it's whirlwind romance, something I can see it working only based on situational consequences. As I said, if she didn't become l'cie and worried about Lightning's reaction, she might not have said yes to his proposal. Or at least, not this soon.
Lightning: I've outlined that Snow was Light's foil yet both similar at the same time in Light's section. From Snow's POV, he really does try hard to win her approval, and by doing or saying what's natural to him. In Day 2, Lightning wrote him off as an arrogant jerk, a worthless bum. In his defense, he wasn't trying to be someone else; just himself, and he believes his honesty would win her approval, instead of tailoring himself to what kind of man she would like (her sister to date, let alone marry). Snow sees the good in people too, and he probably knew Lightning appreciated honesty, even if she was standoffish in her reaction.
That's why it shames him to ask for help, especially from Lightning. He wants to prove to her he's strong enough, and I'm sure Lightning saw it by chapter 7 at least. But Snow does rash things when it concerns Serah and the only one who can make him snap out of it IS Lightning, because since Serah's not here, Snow needed to work that much harder to convince Lightning of anything. So when Lightning comforts him when he showed doubt, it was definitely a huge moral/ego boost. He was one step closer to having her finally approve of him.
Fang/Sazh: HAHA I BET HIS FIRST REACTION WAS "WTF IS THIS LADY SMOKING? AND WHAT'S WITH HER BRAND?" Yes, a very good first impression. Again, outlined in other characters' sections, Fang, Sazh and him would be the Jokers Three. Pulling off pranks or whatnot for the lulz. I really don't see any romantic subtext, only fraternal ones. Yes, the three of them would join a frat ala Animal House for the parties, lulz, shits and giggles, etc.No, no such thing as college fic bunnies.
Hope: YOU DID HIM WRONG SNOW. Because of Snow's tendency for said rash action, it got Hope's mom killed. But with Snow's eternal spiritedness, he doesn't let the burden show; it could probably be a coping mechanism, or an incentive to not make the same mistakes again. After all, he already had Lightning on his back and that's difficult enough, since she seemed to disapprove just about everything that came out of his mouth, including "SAVE COCOON, SERAH, HERO".
Snow had a chance to "fix" his mistake in Palumpolum and actually honor his mother's last request. With broken ribs, and despite Hope's attempt on his life minutes earlier, he dragged Hope to Hope's house. In a way, it was only a small atonement, as he can't bring his mother back, but Hope couldn't die in some random street either. Secretly, I'm hoping he adopts Hope, if Bartholomew didn't make it out. It means that Snow is going beyond the last request and taking care of Hope, raising him (Lightning has done enough mothering; it's Snow's turn! XD) instead.
And last, but not least, Hope! Now before we go into all sort of jokes about his name, yes, I'm willing to admit it was a load-bearing name. Just as Snow was made fun of being a "hero" by the other characters, so is Hope's name a running gag. At least for me, when every time someone said "hope", I wondered if the boy would actually look up to the speaker, and then back down because they weren't calling him. I can totally see it.
For such a boy with an optimistic name, it was unbelievable how much I put up with his whining. Granted, his mother died, but I thought it was funny at the scene at Lake Bresha when he backed up into Lightning's leg. LOL BOY YOU GONNA GET CUT. Around the Gapra Whitewood chapter, I started to become concerned for Hope as well. Especially when he took Lightning's philosophy pretty much face value, his words, particularly about Snow, were increasingly vitriolic. At the end of the chapter, it was like Hope was possessed by those same words he spat out. I think that's when it started to unnerve Lightning.
From the beginning, Snow and Hope were my least favorite characters, but they have their character development throughout the game, and now I don't hate them as much. But I do like to rag on them, that has not changed. Most of their character development came from Palumpolum, because it took the Vile Peaks, the rest of Lake Bresha, and Gapra Whitewood to make revelations happen, in this game at least.
As the youngest of the party, Hope probably underwent the most character development, from losing his mother, resolving Operation NORA, growing under Light's wing, and to mature in general now that he lost that nurturing source in his mother. When Alexander was summoned, the only flaw left was "lack of confidence". He was scared that he was a burden. He's a young boy, physically not as strong, not as tall, and usually supports the other party members as Synergist or Medic, with Ravenger as offensive. His true power is magic-based. Yet look at Alexander: he's a fortress, the Bringer of Divine Justice. Hope always looked towards other authority figures like Light for approval; one of the reasons why Light is an anchor to this group. I've seen this in-game, where Hope generally retells the current events, and then reiterates the plan of action--not only because he wants to make it clear-- but it is like seeking approval (especially if your party leader is Lightning).
Shipping/Major Character Interaction:
Lightning:Hope's mother-figure/mentor/future schoolboy crush. It's no secret that Light saw enough of "Claire" in Hope that she took a liking to him and decided to teach him the art of war. They both lost their mothers about the same age (14 for Hope, 15 for Light), and while it's easy to project the mother-figure in Light, it's also because of some twisted co-dependence on Light's part. In Light's case, not only does she see "Claire", she also sees "Serah" in Hope. Mostly as someone to protect.
In Hope's case, if this ever becomes romantic, I would more or less attribute it as a crush. Hope crushes on Light, because she becomes a major feminine figure, after Mother. /JENOVA
I kid, I kid. Anyways, Hope would probably be confused by this crush, because on the one hand, it's Light, who's like his big sister/mom, but on the other hand, it's Light, some sexy twenty-something year old ex-soldier and she cares for him. What's a teenager just hitting puberty to do?
Snow: Unfortunately for Snow (and he became the butt of the joke when Hope looked as if he went Super Saiyan), Hope wanted to kill him, and almost did when Hope took out the survival knife, but failed because some building blew up behind. Other than the attempted murder, I think they're buddies now. If these two were to become more than friends though, there will be serious consequences. Mainly because of Serah. And because of Serah, Lightning will always be involved (like a 2-for-1 deal). And if Lightning's involved, Hope...would try to get her approval on anything, too. Hope may not like that, but...to him, Light is an authority figure, his most important one too.
Vanille:
From the beginning, I can see why people would ship it. Vanille is always optimistic, at least on the outside, and she knows when people need a push to point them in the right direction. However, Vanille was the one who decided hitching a velocycle into the Pulse Vestige, trying to chase after Snow was a good idea in the first place. But he couldn't stay mad at her, partly because he was still upset at Mom's death, angry at Snow as he was deemed responsible, and Vanille's bright smile always caught him off guard. Plus Hope likes it when she smiles. After Hope matures a little, their interaction gets less and less, and then I see them having a sibling relationship too.
Yea, I'm doing the shipping for Hope later. >.>
ETA: FINISHED. Umm, if anyone actually read all of this...rambling, then congrats! No seriously, you win an internet for sticking it out. I have a tendency to ramble on and on, so any questions: just leave a comment and I'll try to explain if it wasn't clear enough. As always, I appreciate differing stances, because that is what analysis and interpretation's all about! XD
-Phoeny
{TL;DR MATERIAL. BUT GREAT FOR FICS!}
Notes: SORRY FOR THE DELAY. It's hard to write about Snow and Hope, at least in my opinion. That and I was being lazy as always.
Part I (Serah and Lightning) is over here.
Part II (Fang, Vanille, and Sazh) are over here.
Snow. At the beginning of the game, he was (and to an extent still is) the most annoying character I've ever come across in a Final Fantasy game. And that was saying a lot since this is also the same series which spawned Tidus and Vaan. However, Snow redeemed himself a little in my eyes starting with chapter 7. Hope made him see that there were consequences to being the Big Damned Hero and constantly pursuing the archetype will eventually hurt others in that path (which did happen, all the way in chapter 1). It was the reason I practically squee'd out loud when Lightning punched Snow. Because I honestly thought at that point, Snow was delusional, and something had to be done to put a chink in the proverbial HERO ARMOR of his.
Snow isn't infallible. He isn't impenetrable. No one is. Especially in this game. Snow's idea of a hero however, IS, and that was his greatest flaw up till Palumpolum at the earliest. His close second is acting rash, especially when it comes to Serah.
I find that Snow is insecure, about the same as Lightning, but if you mentioned it to Snow, there's less of a chance you'll get punched in the face for saying so. To me, Snow embodies the "Hero Archetype", in Carl Jung's definition. The Hero is someone who has a lot of "spiritual power", but doesn't really see the ways of the "collective unconscious", AKA some inherent part in an individual that shares ties with all other members of the same group/race, etc. In short, the Hero does his own thing, without worrying what others deemed an idiotic endeavor.
Or as Sazh would say, "That's right. Just charge in, guns blazing!" (Pulse Vestige).
Being the so-called Hero he is, Snow grates on everybody's nerves, especially Lightning and Hope, for...the first seven chapters. Then the development is further explored in the beginning of the Fifth Ark. In here, we see that Snow realizes...he was wrong. As stated, Snow didn't cared about how others view him or his reasoning, because he absolutely thought he was somehow right. However, when faced with a fundamental fact that contradicts what he was reasoning, he breaks down. So Dysley revealed the true nature of Serah's focus, so Snow doubted his integrity in what he believed was true all along. Because it absolutely sucked when we give it 100%, and it was all for naught. When Shiva was summoned, it was to test his ability to protect, hence why in-game he was the lone party member and the key was to DEFEND, not to attack like in other Eidolon battles. In a way, Shiva was reminding Snow that if you can dish it out, then you can better well take it as well. Both literally and figuratively.
I say that Snow is insecure because of how high he values being a "hero". Hero inherently means accomplishing big things, such a sufficient title for someone with big dreams. Snow dreams of a family, dreams of taking down The Sanctum, dreams to belong and to be accepted somewhere in the world, not unlike Fang, who was displaced by circumstances of time and events. His dreams took a nasty dent in the Ark, but it was good for him. Instead of treating his dreams like it was an absolute and on a pedestal, I think Snow perceived them afterwards as relevant, a more realistic angle to it. And trust me, that was refreshing to watch, as he becomes the morale indicator/maintainer of the group.
Shipping/Major Character Interaction:
Serah: HURP DERP LOVE. As I've said in Serah's section that Snow was basically an emotional outlet for her feelings to be loved and comforted, so is Snow doing something similar. Besides Serah, Snow hangs out with NORA, his ragtag paramilitary group. Besides NORA, there really isn't anyone else. Snow has also mentioned "family" when referring to Serah, so I foresee children in the future? :3b Anyways, as much as Lightning would never admit it, I think Snow would make a good father. Yet Snow really is in secure about "family" as he barely has his own. There are no mom or dad to speak of in NORA (stray cat), so the group's pretty much implied to be made up of orphans. I swear there is an orphan theme in this game like another previous installment.
When Serah reveals she is a l'cie, suddenly the dream family Snow wanted isn't so stable, and obviously giving 100% into what he wants, he decided on marriage. Because in his head, that was logical. They both love each other, and marriage is about love and commitment, so why not? It was a way of showing themselves this relationship can work.
I find some parallels with "Romeo and Juliet", only that Juliet wasn't a rebound. While it's canon, it's whirlwind romance, something I can see it working only based on situational consequences. As I said, if she didn't become l'cie and worried about Lightning's reaction, she might not have said yes to his proposal. Or at least, not this soon.
Lightning: I've outlined that Snow was Light's foil yet both similar at the same time in Light's section. From Snow's POV, he really does try hard to win her approval, and by doing or saying what's natural to him. In Day 2, Lightning wrote him off as an arrogant jerk, a worthless bum. In his defense, he wasn't trying to be someone else; just himself, and he believes his honesty would win her approval, instead of tailoring himself to what kind of man she would like (her sister to date, let alone marry). Snow sees the good in people too, and he probably knew Lightning appreciated honesty, even if she was standoffish in her reaction.
That's why it shames him to ask for help, especially from Lightning. He wants to prove to her he's strong enough, and I'm sure Lightning saw it by chapter 7 at least. But Snow does rash things when it concerns Serah and the only one who can make him snap out of it IS Lightning, because since Serah's not here, Snow needed to work that much harder to convince Lightning of anything. So when Lightning comforts him when he showed doubt, it was definitely a huge moral/ego boost. He was one step closer to having her finally approve of him.
Fang/Sazh: HAHA I BET HIS FIRST REACTION WAS "WTF IS THIS LADY SMOKING? AND WHAT'S WITH HER BRAND?" Yes, a very good first impression. Again, outlined in other characters' sections, Fang, Sazh and him would be the Jokers Three. Pulling off pranks or whatnot for the lulz. I really don't see any romantic subtext, only fraternal ones. Yes, the three of them would join a frat ala Animal House for the parties, lulz, shits and giggles, etc.
Hope: YOU DID HIM WRONG SNOW. Because of Snow's tendency for said rash action, it got Hope's mom killed. But with Snow's eternal spiritedness, he doesn't let the burden show; it could probably be a coping mechanism, or an incentive to not make the same mistakes again. After all, he already had Lightning on his back and that's difficult enough, since she seemed to disapprove just about everything that came out of his mouth, including "SAVE COCOON, SERAH, HERO".
Snow had a chance to "fix" his mistake in Palumpolum and actually honor his mother's last request. With broken ribs, and despite Hope's attempt on his life minutes earlier, he dragged Hope to Hope's house. In a way, it was only a small atonement, as he can't bring his mother back, but Hope couldn't die in some random street either. Secretly, I'm hoping he adopts Hope, if Bartholomew didn't make it out. It means that Snow is going beyond the last request and taking care of Hope, raising him (Lightning has done enough mothering; it's Snow's turn! XD) instead.
And last, but not least, Hope! Now before we go into all sort of jokes about his name, yes, I'm willing to admit it was a load-bearing name. Just as Snow was made fun of being a "hero" by the other characters, so is Hope's name a running gag. At least for me, when every time someone said "hope", I wondered if the boy would actually look up to the speaker, and then back down because they weren't calling him. I can totally see it.
For such a boy with an optimistic name, it was unbelievable how much I put up with his whining. Granted, his mother died, but I thought it was funny at the scene at Lake Bresha when he backed up into Lightning's leg. LOL BOY YOU GONNA GET CUT. Around the Gapra Whitewood chapter, I started to become concerned for Hope as well. Especially when he took Lightning's philosophy pretty much face value, his words, particularly about Snow, were increasingly vitriolic. At the end of the chapter, it was like Hope was possessed by those same words he spat out. I think that's when it started to unnerve Lightning.
From the beginning, Snow and Hope were my least favorite characters, but they have their character development throughout the game, and now I don't hate them as much. But I do like to rag on them, that has not changed. Most of their character development came from Palumpolum, because it took the Vile Peaks, the rest of Lake Bresha, and Gapra Whitewood to make revelations happen, in this game at least.
As the youngest of the party, Hope probably underwent the most character development, from losing his mother, resolving Operation NORA, growing under Light's wing, and to mature in general now that he lost that nurturing source in his mother. When Alexander was summoned, the only flaw left was "lack of confidence". He was scared that he was a burden. He's a young boy, physically not as strong, not as tall, and usually supports the other party members as Synergist or Medic, with Ravenger as offensive. His true power is magic-based. Yet look at Alexander: he's a fortress, the Bringer of Divine Justice. Hope always looked towards other authority figures like Light for approval; one of the reasons why Light is an anchor to this group. I've seen this in-game, where Hope generally retells the current events, and then reiterates the plan of action--not only because he wants to make it clear-- but it is like seeking approval (especially if your party leader is Lightning).
Shipping/Major Character Interaction:
Lightning:Hope's mother-figure/mentor/future schoolboy crush. It's no secret that Light saw enough of "Claire" in Hope that she took a liking to him and decided to teach him the art of war. They both lost their mothers about the same age (14 for Hope, 15 for Light), and while it's easy to project the mother-figure in Light, it's also because of some twisted co-dependence on Light's part. In Light's case, not only does she see "Claire", she also sees "Serah" in Hope. Mostly as someone to protect.
In Hope's case, if this ever becomes romantic, I would more or less attribute it as a crush. Hope crushes on Light, because she becomes a major feminine figure, after Mother. /JENOVA
I kid, I kid. Anyways, Hope would probably be confused by this crush, because on the one hand, it's Light, who's like his big sister/mom, but on the other hand, it's Light, some sexy twenty-something year old ex-soldier and she cares for him. What's a teenager just hitting puberty to do?
Snow: Unfortunately for Snow (and he became the butt of the joke when Hope looked as if he went Super Saiyan), Hope wanted to kill him, and almost did when Hope took out the survival knife, but failed because some building blew up behind. Other than the attempted murder, I think they're buddies now. If these two were to become more than friends though, there will be serious consequences. Mainly because of Serah. And because of Serah, Lightning will always be involved (like a 2-for-1 deal). And if Lightning's involved, Hope...would try to get her approval on anything, too. Hope may not like that, but...to him, Light is an authority figure, his most important one too.
Vanille:
From the beginning, I can see why people would ship it. Vanille is always optimistic, at least on the outside, and she knows when people need a push to point them in the right direction. However, Vanille was the one who decided hitching a velocycle into the Pulse Vestige, trying to chase after Snow was a good idea in the first place. But he couldn't stay mad at her, partly because he was still upset at Mom's death, angry at Snow as he was deemed responsible, and Vanille's bright smile always caught him off guard. Plus Hope likes it when she smiles. After Hope matures a little, their interaction gets less and less, and then I see them having a sibling relationship too.
Yea, I'm doing the shipping for Hope later. >.>
ETA: FINISHED. Umm, if anyone actually read all of this...rambling, then congrats! No seriously, you win an internet for sticking it out. I have a tendency to ramble on and on, so any questions: just leave a comment and I'll try to explain if it wasn't clear enough. As always, I appreciate differing stances, because that is what analysis and interpretation's all about! XD
-Phoeny
