I like Lightning. It's a change to see an actual strong female character that doesn't need a man to fall back on. She's got damn good reason to be as she is, she basically raised her muppet sister from a young age after the death of their parents, and lost her childhood to doing that. She fights to provide for Serah, and then her sister turns around and not only plans to marry someone who Lightning can't stand without telling her sister, but she basically unloads all of this information on Lighting during her birthday.

Yeah, it's not Serah's fault that she became an l'cie, but she should used something called tact. It's part of why her character annoys me so much, she's painted to be this absolute angel who can do no wrong and is loved by all, but she's pretty selfish, and doesn't seem to have a voice of her own. Even her fiancée carries her around and treats her more like a doll than a person.

And Lightning does admit that she's wrong later on, and that her way of things was a coping mechanism for what she had to become. She got dealt an unlucky hand, like Hope, but dealt with it the wrong way. A big part of her turning around is her teaching him that it's not the right way to do it.

*starts the Serah hate club*