Lightening Appears in Weird Interview
By Brad Jones 26 December 2015
Final Fantasy protagonist Lightning speaks to The Telegraph about her upcoming modeling gig with Louis Vuitton, and the results are weird and awkward.
Fans of Square Enix’s flagship RPG series will be quite familiar with Final Fantasy XIII protagonist Lightning at this point, after many have criticized the studio for shoehorning the character into a host of projects over the past several years. Now, it seems that Lightning has managed to break free from video games entirely and tackle a new realm of entertainment.
It was reported last month that Lightning was set to do some modelling work for internationally renowned fashion label Louis Vuitton. This week, the completely not-real, virtual character took part in a Q&A session for UK newspaper The Telegraph, discussing her thoughts on working with the label.
If the thought of a fictional character answering questions about a modelling job sounds like a pointless interview, you may be surprised by the level of insight being offered up by the piece. Take this extract, which details Lightning’s fascinating take on fashion in general:
My clothes were nothing more than armor to stay alive; “dressing up” was a concept I’ve never had. Perhaps that makes me an unseemly choice as ambassador. But this experience has opened my eyes. Fashion isn’t something you’re taught or given, it comes from your own taste and your own choices. It displays the essence of who you are to the people around you.
Riveting stuff, and certainly not nonsense cooked up by a beleaguered intern at Square Enix. In fact, this is among the more cogent sections of the interview, which all too often devolves into cringe-inducing references to the Final Fantasy series.
Lightning’s very first response sees her quip ‘one of my strengths is “experience”’ — and yes, those quote marks around “experience” are present in the original article, just so you know she’s making a clever reference to levelling up. However, the character’s budding comic talents do not end there.
In the very next question, she notes that seeing the collection felt like being ‘hit by a bolt of lightning’. Final Fantasy fans will realize that the character herself is in fact called Lightning, making this reply both very clever and really rather humorous.
Joking aside, the article perhaps does contain a nugget of information pertinent to fans; when asked about her upcoming projects, Lightning retorts with the following:
One day, not so far in the future, I will be out there again, in a world of strife.
This seems like a fairly heavy-handed hint that she will somehow play into the much-anticipated remake of Final Fantasy VII, directly referencing protagonist Cloud Strife. The question is, will Square-Enix be able to pull off the cameo without it seeming as forced and out-of-place as this interview.
Source: The Telegraph
