Skyblade
01-08-2013, 12:48 AM
I was considering once again the ending Ragnarok deus-ex-machina, and I came up with an interesting idea.
What if fal'Cie don't control l'Cie at all?
I mean, a fal'Cie brands a l'Cie, and they get all sorts of nifty progress and a goal, but that's it.
The progress of the brand, slowly getting bigger and bigger, occurs with changes in mental status and emotions, not at the whim of the fal'Cie. We see this numerous times in the game.
So what if the transformations of l'Cie are actually controlled by them as well?
When a l'Cie "fails" in their task, they get overwhelmed by despair, and trigger a transformation to a Cie'th. A hopeless, shambling creature of misery.
When they complete their task, they are overwhelmed with satisfaction and contentment, triggering a transformation to crystal. This is also why Cid transformed, even though his task wasn't completed, because in his defeat he was completely satisfied by the outcome. Just as the Cie'th is an entity of despair, so to is the crystal symbolic of its trigger. The person sleeps in crystal stasis because it is a form that simply continues unchanging for eternity.
Ragnarok is simly another transformation, triggered by the buildup of hatred and anger. Unlike both Cie'th and crystals, this form is an active one, because hatred is a more active emotion. It becomes the embodiment of the l'Cie's destructive force, striking out with fury.
And this would explain the ending. Fang and Vanille never became Ragnarok, they endured another change, one triggered by love and the desire to protect. This emotion, greater even than rage, transformed them into a new, different creature, giving them a heretofore unseen power. Which they used to protect those they cared about, and, with their objective achieved, lapsed into a contented crystal sleep.
Thus, the fal'Cie don't directly control the l'Cie at all. They merely unlock a power and point them towards a goal. After people see the first few failures give up and become Cie'th, the rules start to write themselves, and are self-reinforcing. The transformation to Cie'th is, ironically enough, fueled by the belief that becoming a Cie'th is what awaits one, as it leaves no path but despair.
What if fal'Cie don't control l'Cie at all?
I mean, a fal'Cie brands a l'Cie, and they get all sorts of nifty progress and a goal, but that's it.
The progress of the brand, slowly getting bigger and bigger, occurs with changes in mental status and emotions, not at the whim of the fal'Cie. We see this numerous times in the game.
So what if the transformations of l'Cie are actually controlled by them as well?
When a l'Cie "fails" in their task, they get overwhelmed by despair, and trigger a transformation to a Cie'th. A hopeless, shambling creature of misery.
When they complete their task, they are overwhelmed with satisfaction and contentment, triggering a transformation to crystal. This is also why Cid transformed, even though his task wasn't completed, because in his defeat he was completely satisfied by the outcome. Just as the Cie'th is an entity of despair, so to is the crystal symbolic of its trigger. The person sleeps in crystal stasis because it is a form that simply continues unchanging for eternity.
Ragnarok is simly another transformation, triggered by the buildup of hatred and anger. Unlike both Cie'th and crystals, this form is an active one, because hatred is a more active emotion. It becomes the embodiment of the l'Cie's destructive force, striking out with fury.
And this would explain the ending. Fang and Vanille never became Ragnarok, they endured another change, one triggered by love and the desire to protect. This emotion, greater even than rage, transformed them into a new, different creature, giving them a heretofore unseen power. Which they used to protect those they cared about, and, with their objective achieved, lapsed into a contented crystal sleep.
Thus, the fal'Cie don't directly control the l'Cie at all. They merely unlock a power and point them towards a goal. After people see the first few failures give up and become Cie'th, the rules start to write themselves, and are self-reinforcing. The transformation to Cie'th is, ironically enough, fueled by the belief that becoming a Cie'th is what awaits one, as it leaves no path but despair.