Ophiuchus - Claire "Lightning" Farron

[iamspark]

✖ PLAYER:
Name & DW Journal: Xae xaetel
Plurk: Tsukeru
Birthdate & Age: June 14, 1985 | 28
Characters played in Ophiuchus: N/A

✖ CHARACTER:
Name: Claire "Lightning" Farron
Canon: Final Fantasy XIII
PB/Image: "I control my fate!"
Info links: "Off to hell we go."
Canon Point: Chapter 13: The Cradle Will Fall - Just before fighting Orphan the final time.
Gender & Sex: Female
Age: 21
Birthdate/Sign: March 27th (non-canon)

It's easy to say that most of the positive attributes fits Lightning in some way or another - whether it be her leadership qualities or what she'd do for a loved one. Ever since she was fifteen, she's been taking care of her younger sister and even took a position with the Guardian Corps where she protects the citizens. When Serah disappeared, Lightning gave up everything to go save her. She even has risked her own life for those she had only just met, such as when she told Hope to run when they were met with an armed squad. To others, Lightning may even seem to have an endless supply of energy, able to go on when others are exhausted.

There are also a lot of the negative attributes which fit Lightning to a T. Most of the time she's analytic, choosing her strategy before taking action but when the life of someone she cares about is at stake, she won't hesitate to jump before she looks -- literally (as Sazh well knows). When told that she could not join the train for the Purge, she didn't hesitate to resign her position and hand over her weapon. There are also a lot of things she can't tolerate, Snow had been one of them, though Light has come around to him. It was escalated by her tendency to not listen when Serah told her about becoming a l'Cie and about her engagement to Snow. For a long time, Light didn't want to listen to what was being said and it took her whole life being uprooted for her to finally see all the places she went wrong in dealing with her sister. While it's not always necessary for her to be the boss, certain aspects of her life are things she attempts to control - mainly her personal life. Light could take orders in her professional life though generally that has to come from actually liking her superior. If someone should get on her wrong side then she won't be told what to do, no matter who it comes from. In an argument, Light is going to have the last word -- even if it means making the other person cry or upset.

Tattoo: Right hipbone, four inches wide, three inches tall
Suitability: N/A
Power:

Lightning uses a weapon known as a gunblade - as its name states it is capable of being both a sword and a gun, able to transform between one and the other. She's very skilled with it and uses her amazing reflexes to wield the weapon to its fullest potential. Also, there seems to be a never-ending limit to the bullets her gunblade can shoot. She has four devices that can be described as a gravity bomb that will allow her to jump from impossibly high places and land safely on the ground below. This can create a static electric field around her that pushes enemies away too or can be used on herself making her lighter and even float off the ground a little. These devices aren't good forever and at best, can only get two uses out of it before she has to use another one.

She was once a human but a being known as a Fal'Cie has turned her into a l'Cie. As a l'Cie, she's been granted the ability to use magic through a crystal. It should also be noted that if a l'Cie does not fulfill the Focus given to them by the Fal'Cie then they can become a Cie'th, which is essentially nothing more than a mindless monster. There are thirteen stages before the "eye" of the brand opens and Light becomes a Cie'th though currently her brand is in a White Stage. A focus can be overcome, it turns the brand white and stops the progression of the process. While the brand is inactive, a l'Cie can still use all of the abilities given to them.

Magic is separated into six roles, each role is given different abilities which each person could fill. Lightning is stronger in the Commander, Ravager and Medic roles. Below are the skills listed for all of the roles.

ϟ COMMANDO
Focus on doing as much damage as possible physically and sometimes magically attacking enemies straight on.

Attack -- Deal physical damage to one foe.
Blitz -- Deal physical damage to target and nearby foes.
Ruin -- Deal magical damage to one foe.
Ruinaga -- Deal magical damage to target and nearby foes.

ϟ RAVAGER
Offensive magical attacks, though Lightning is only able to use Thunder to the highest level.

Fire » Fira -- Fire-elemental magical attack.
Blizzard » Blizzara -- Ice-elemental magical attack.
Thunder » Thundara » Thundaga -- Lightning-elemental magical attack.
Water » Watera -- Water-elemental magical attack.
Aero » Aerora -- Wind-elemental magical attack.
Flamestrike -- Fire-elemental physical attack.
Sparkstrike -- Lightning-elemental physical attack.
Froststrike -- Ice-elemental physical attack.
Aquastrike -- Water-elemental physical attack.
Army of One -- A special skill unique to Lightning. Non-elemental combo physical attack.

ϟ MEDIC
This role focuses on healing and removing status ailments.

Cure -- Restores HP to a party member.
Cura -- Restores HP to a party member and those nearby.
Esuna -- Removes the last suffered negative status effect.
Raise -- Removes KO and recovers a small amount of HP.

ϟ SABOTEUR
Weakens foes by decreasing their resistance and defense to both physical and magical attacks. It also allows the caster to inflict negative status on the enemy.

Deprotect » Deprotega -- Decreases resistance to physical damage one class.
Deshell » Deshellga -- Decreases resistance to magical damage one class.
Poison » Poisonga -- Constantly damages the target's HP by draining a constant percentage of the target's total health.
Imperil » Imperilga -- Decreases the target's elemental weakness one class.

ϟ SENTINEL
Draws enemies away from allies and focuses on self-defense.

Provoke -- Makes the target and nearby opponents attack the defender.
Elude -- Becomes easier to evade attacks while guarding.

ϟ SYNERGIST
Focuses on supporting allies with a series of defensive magic that increases their resistance.

Bravery -- Increases physical power.
Faith -- Increases magical power.
Haste -- Increases physical and spell casting time.
Protect -- Increases resistance to physical damage.
Shell -- Increases resistance to magical damage.
Enfire | Enfrost | Enthunder | Enwater -- All physical attacks gain elemental attributes according to the spell cast.

ϟ EIDOLON -- ODIN
A l'Cie is also capable of gaining a summon and Lightning's is named Odin, a lightning-elemental. It is a mechanical being created by the goddess Etro and capable of various abilities and even transformation. Odin, in particular, can appear as a large humanoid warrior or an equally large horse called Sleipnir (also known as Gestalt Mode). He wields a large sword called Zantetsuken and while in Gestalt mode, it splits in two which allows Lightning to wield them both.

Flourish of Steel -- Inflicts multiple physical damage on opponents within a small radius.
Skyward Swing -- Inflicts physical damage on opponents within a small radius and launch them in the air.
Seismic Strike -- Inflicts physical damage on opponents within a large radius.
Crushing Blow -- Inflicts physical damage on one opponent. Only used on an enemy that is far away.
Thundara/Thundaga -- Inflicts lightning magic damage on opponents.
Curaga -- Restores major HP to one ally.
Arise -- Revive ally from KO with full HP. Instantly dismisses Eidolon.
Ullr's Shield -- Reduce damage inflicted on self by 10% while ATB gauge is charging.
Vahalla's Call -- Provokes enemies when attacking. The Provoke effect works 100% of the time.
Penetration -- Ignores target's Fire, Ice, Lightning and Water resistances when attacking.

ϟ GESTALT MODE
Stormblade -- Attack single target with Lightning's sword.
Lightning Strike -- Attack target with the blade, then with thunder.
Razor Gale -- Attack repeatedly with the blades then with non-elemental magic.
Thunderfall -- Deal lightning damage to all enemies and launch them into the air.
Zantetsuken -- Attack all enemies elevating Chain Bonuses, instantly slaying targets with low HP.

ϟ LIMITATIONS
All healing magic will only operate at 40% and can only be cast one a single person once in a day. (I've run into a similar problem in one of my other games when it comes to healing magic.) Odin will only be able to use his Flourish of Steel ability and as Sleipnir it will be Stormblade. She will also only be able to summon him on very rare occasions.

Personality:

”My parents died. I have 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.”
Lightning is a force to be reckoned with – not just on the battlefield but also off of it. At the beginning of the story it’s clear that Lightning appeared to be an independent person, not needing support from anyone else – especially not a clumsy, joking man. Of course, she had to be since she was responsible for taking care of her sister from the age of fifteen when they were left without parents. That was when she cast aside her name and became Lightning. It was meant to push aside her own feelings of pain in order to take care of the one important person in her life. Light grew up faster than most teenagers did and learned to stand on her own feet while looking after someone else. When it was ripped out from under her and Serah was gone, there was a time when she didn’t know what to do with her life. However, her world opened up and she learned that she could lean on other people. In the end, she may have come to rely on her newly-acquired friends but it also means that Light can entrust the safety of her sister to those people and keep her independence.

Take one look at Light and it’s clear that this is one serious woman who doesn’t take crap from anyone. Some might even think that she’s a cold person and it is true to some extent. She had to grow up after the death of her mother at an early age and take on the role of guardian to her sister. That meant she had little time for anything but that role and threw herself into it. Yet it’s not the only layer there is to Lightning, it just means that it takes a lot to see anything underneath. Out of the group, Light is the blunt one. She may not be a woman of many words but when she does speak then it’s straight to the point. That can simply add on to the sense of coldness she gives off as Light isn’t one to mince words or even lie. Instead, she cuts straight to the point and tends to say what’s on everyone’s mind that they can’t bring themselves to say or points out the worst part of a person. Of course, this makes her seem downright standoffish at times and someone people would avoid after a first initial conversation.

It really doesn’t help that there’s an aggressive side to Lightning that shows itself on occasion. Sometimes it’s simply easier to just attack than it is to talk about emotions so she can lead with her fist – or end with it. She doesn’t even attempt to hide this part of herself and can let go when she feels the need. Though some of this aggression can be misdirected towards the people she dislikes the most, such as Snow. At times Light would rather blame other people than taking on her own share of it. She also isn’t the sort to shy away from a fight, especially if it’s a physical one though her fits of rage are rare. Instead she’s the sort to bottle it up until it emerges in the form of an outright attack both physical and emotionally. After these outbursts, Light is the sort to clam up and turn a cold shoulder towards the target. She’s perfectly fine not having the final word just so long as they still feel the sting of her rage.

At first she has no interest in the other l’Cie and abandons them without so much as batting an eye but one person stuck with her anyway. They both had different feelings towards each other and Light even tried to get the young boy named Hope to go back to the others. It was part of the doubt she had in herself – the one job she had – and wanted to do well – to protect Serah had failed. If she couldn’t protect the person she loved the most, then it seemed impossible to protect anyone else; even herself. It was that self-doubt that brought Odin to her. Clearly the Eidolon was completely focused on attacking the young boy she had attempted to push away and forced Lightning to protect him and show her that she could protect someone else. It’s through Hope that Lightning is able to come to care for the rest of their companions. Suddenly her world no longer consists of just her and her sister; instead she’s become part of this weird family. She had more people to not just care for but who also cared for her in return. While it didn’t turn her into a soft person, it did allow people to see past her cold exterior to the part of her that could care for another person.

Hope: Wait, but I don't get it. If you're not PSICOM, then why did you board the train?
Lightning: For Serah. I had to rescue Serah before they transported the Vestige to Pulse, and out of my reach. My only chance to save her was to join the Purge.
Hope: You're telling me that you got on that train so you can save your sister? That's crazy. I could never do something like that.
Lightning: It's not a question of can or can't. There are some things in life you just do.
That being said – Lightning is fiercely protective of the people she does care for. She may not always truly listen when they talk, especially when terrible things happen but there is one thing they can count on her for: trust. It may take her a little time to realize that the other person was right but even when Serah had become a l’Cie and announced her engagement to a man Light despise, she did come to rescue her sister. Light would do this for anyone she comes to care for, even if it means throwing away everything she ever knew and had. Though apologizing is difficult for her and it’s rare to hear her actually say the words “I’m sorry”. Even when talking to Snow about her treatment of him and her attitude to Serah, she never uttered the words. Instead she simply gave her blessing and told him that he was right.

Sazh: You like to keep it simple, don't you?
Lightning: I stick to my goal
Hope: As long as you have a goal, you can fight?
Lightning: You can stay alive.
This protective nature can make her very impulsive and cause her to do things that she either regrets later or something dangerous. Combined with her forceful nature it always leads to trouble. When Lightning has a goal, there is absolutely nothing that can stop her and she will plow over anything that gets in her way. And Light always has a goal, no matter if it seems small or impossible like taking on an entire world. Some of her goals do come to her in snap decisions but it’s merely Lightning’s impatient side peeking through. Sitting around doing nothing just isn’t her style, especially when there trouble in the days to come. Even where there isn’t trouble, Light is the sort to put a lot of hard work into the things she wants. Most tasks she sets herself to do are done with every bit of her ability and it helps that she has the determination to see it through almost all of the time. That doesn’t mean Light doesn’t have the rare tendency to drift off-course or get distracted by something, though it takes a big something to derail her.

Lightning has sort of a realist point of view, often seeing the world for the way it is and not the way she thinks it should be. This can be temporarily changed by the people around her and Light can dream of a future where everyone is happy because of them or she can even become lost because of them too. When it comes right down to it she’s just pragmatic. She’s the most practical of the group and tends to do the things that need to be done even if others don’t agree. This sets her apart from the rest of her companions as they would rather stick together – especially at first. By the end, Light still holds true to this way but she’s no longer alone in her practical goals and stands together with her comrades.

Anyone who knows Lightning for even the briefest amounts of time would believe her to be fearless. There aren’t many who’d face down enemies three times their size or jump from heights that would kill a person normally. And it’s mostly true, she is pretty fearless. There is nothing that she wouldn’t face down in battle, or no being she would cower to and no danger she would not conquer. However everyone has something they’re afraid of and Lightning involves the people she cares for. Without them in her life and possibly not in her future, she can become lost and unsure of what to do with herself. This comes from a life of looking after her younger sister and having her life almost wholly tied into it. For Lightning, nearly everything revolved around the care of her sister at the beginning. That circle has widen to cover the rest of her companions as well but there will always be a hint of fear and a sense of loss if they were to ever disappear from her life. After her initial sudden shock of losing Serah, she has a better understanding of these feelings. However, Lightning does still need to gain the comprehension of how to put herself first rather than the care of others.

Lightning: Once we're home, what's you plan? You're getting married, right?
Snow: What’s that?
Lightning: Serah wants to know.
Snow: Don't scare me.
Lightning: You are getting married, aren't you? Don't let her down, you hear me?
It may be hard to believe this about Lightning but there is a sassy side to this very serious woman. She may not show it often and not always directed at people she knows well but it is there. Most of the time it’s a small remark such as telling an enemy that he has a nice gun while it’s pointed at her or even teasing Snow. The more she knows someone or dislikes them, the more likely they are to see this side of her. Light tends to save it for when it matters the most. Of course sometimes it’s more of a dry humor that nobody but her finds funny. It helps that she’s pretty confident in her own abilities, especially when facing down an enemy. Though when people she does like compliment her skills, she can lean towards the humble side.

There’s a side to Lightning that she’s completely aware of and it’s the charismatic side of her. Despite all of her coldness, Lightning seems to draw people towards her whether she likes it or not. Or perhaps that’s the reason why they’re drawn to her. The devil-may-care attitude and nonchalant way she handles certain situations can be seen as a good thing – especially if there’s trouble. Lightning always seems to give off these vibes that says that she knows what she’s doing when there’s something bad happening and most of the time, she does know. Fighting is something she can do without even putting too much effort into thinking about and people would rather have her on their side instead of against them. And Lightning is something of a natural-born leader when it comes to certain situations. From an early age she was looking after her sister and it kicked up a notch when they lost their remaining parent. This translates pretty well into leadership qualities, though Light might not want to accept it.

Lightning: Keep running—it's die or turn Cie'th. There's no place for l'Cie to hide. No…they want a fight? Let's take it to the Sanctum's door!
Sazh: This isn't a game!
Lightning: No. That's for damn sure. It started with Serah. The fal'Cie took her. Now I'm a l'Cie. And the Sanctum's hunting me, an enemy of the state. But who's pulling their strings? A fal'Cie. Eden. Cocoon's sustainer and guiding light. It probably ordered the Purge, too. Pulse and Sanctum fal'Cie? They're all the same. And we're all the same to them: expendable. I'm not dying a fal'Cie slave.
Her entire life, Lightning has been living off of the fal’Cie. All of Cocoon relies on them for food, water and even the very light to see and they have for hundreds of years. People stop seeing just how much the fal’Cie controlled their lives, even Lightning. It wasn’t until she became a l’Cie that she realized that. Before the events that took Serah away, Lightning was completely lost in this kept way of life. The Sanctum pointed to a target and she would kill it without question, they said jump and she would have done it. She may not have been happy about doing these sorts of things and done it with reluctance or internal sass but still it got done. After she lost everything and had the entire world against her, Lightning realized how life had been. It turned her against everything she had once done and believed in. She suddenly saw things from a different point of view and that created a rebel. Now Light is against everything the fal’Cie stand for, she fights the destiny that had been planned out for her and instead works to forge her own path. It’s one of the most major changes for Lightning in the game and something that will continue to carry over after all is said and done. She will make her own choices and live the way she wants to rather than the way someone else thinks she should, even if that means an early death.

✖ SAMPLES:
"Ophiuchus" First-Person Network Entry:

Test Drive Thread

Video

[Lightning had been living alone with Serah for years now and even spent several days with five traveling companions but sometimes she needed a little time to herself. She was glad that her sister had found some friends to live with - it was better that way. That way she'd always have someone looking out for her. Out of the two of them, Serah had been the outgoing, friendly sister. If it had just been them, Light wouldn't have hesitated to move in but for now she's found some space in an abandoned shack. In the last several days, Lightning has lived with more people than she ever had in her entire life.

It's out of the way, small and in desperate need of fixing if the large hole in the floor right by the front entrance was anything to go by. Not that the jump across is enough to put Lightning off of the building. That's where she's broadcasting from today, though there isn't much to be seen behind her.

Her expression is probably more interesting than her surroundings. There's a serious look upon her face, one that might say that she doesn't smile often.]

I'm going off to explore and search for supplies. If you want to come along you had better not slow me down. [Blunt and unfriendly, that's her.

She easily clears the large hole in the floor with agile grace and starts walking away from her claimed living space.] You have ten minutes to speak up or you'll get left behind. Should any of you be unable to fight, speak up now -- otherwise I won't be responsible for you. [Light is not a damn babysitter.] For those of you that can't, then stick close to someone who can.

Lightning out. [And just like that it abruptly cuts out.]

"Cebalrai (logs)" Third-Person Prose Entry:

She hadn’t noticed the note right away; in fact, she hadn’t noticed it at all. What Lightning did find was an odd mark on her body -- one she was sure hadn’t been there before. It was pale pink in color and if it were a shade darker it would match the color of her hair. Another mark had been branded onto her skin and like the other one; it had been put in a place where she had to undress to even see it. When she had felt the sharp stabbing pain upon waking in the cavern all she had done was ignore it and continue on. That kind of pain was something Light was used to so it hadn’t been all that important to worry about. As the pain faded during the next few hours, she’d pushed it even further back into her mind as there had been more essential things to focus on.

However, looking down at it now in the privacy of the old desolate shack she had silently claimed as her own spurned her into checking into her gear. Crumpled up in the back of her gunblade sheath was a piece of paper. Light smoothed it out in order to be able to read the note. It wasn’t her handwriting or Serah’s. It wasn’t handwriting at all and barely even legible at this point. By the time she reached the bottom of the paper it was being crushed in her hand once again. Another mark left on her body by a creature who sought out her assistance. She’d been made a slave of the Twelve just like the fal’Cie who had marked her only days ago in order to get her to do her bidding -- all of it for the sake of ‘good’.

Lightning refused to believe it. Never again would she allow herself to be blinded by the words of a ‘superior” being. Before she did any kind of worshiping Light would uncover the truth, she needed to know if the Twelve could be trusted. They claimed to be fighting against a terrible force for the sake of everything but so had Dysley. Like a fool, like the rest of the population of Cocoon, Light had fallen for his ploy and allowed herself to be manipulated as a tool for most of her life. That was one mistake she would not make again.

The crumpled paper died a horrible death by fire, ashes and sparks floating down around the ex-soldier as she turned her back on it. She shrugged back into her jacket and straightened her clothes out to look presentable. Not only did she have to worry about the white l’Cie brand above her heart but also the newly acquired one. Chances were that there was more to it than being marked by the Twelve – some sort of downside to it. She was going to find out what it was and Light wasn’t going to wait around thinking about it. Now it was time to find someone who knew something about this place.

As she walked, Lightning rummaged around in her pouch for the phone-like device one of the natives of the world had given to her. It wasn’t hard to figure out, nothing extremely like some of the technology on Cocoon. There was the option to call people individually or make an announcement to anyone who had such a device. So far Lightning hadn’t seen any familiar faces in the people who had ended up here and therefore wasn’t sure if there was anyone to call privately about this matter. Still, she scanned through the network posts to see if there was any information there. That was easier for her than it was for her to actually attempt to ask about the Twelve.

It was lucky that the device was tougher than it looked or else it too would have been crushed in her hand like the paper; even more so as she debated burning it too when she got the information she was seeking. “Tch, worship. Yeah, right. What sort of new hell is this world?”

Lightning would rather be back on Pulse with creatures that could crush her under a single foot or even in Orphan’s Cradle fighting Dysley for the fourth time. Hell, she’d even take on Orphan itself rather than be here. There were more important things to be doing than this so-called worshiping. Or at least more worthwhile ones and Light would even prefer family bonding with Snow and she still didn’t completely like him. Part of her wanted to ask if all of this was a joke but that was not something she was about to ask the entire population. So instead, Light turned on her heel and headed back to her hidey-hole. She wouldn’t cooperate; she would fight against it as long as she could just like she had after becoming l’Cie. They had managed to change their Focus, to change the destiny forced on them before and she would do it again.

No one controlled her future but her. Light hadn’t let a fal’Cie tell her what to do and she wasn’t about to let some beings she’d never even heard of change that. There had to be another way to survive this nightmare and she would find it.