Okay but here’s the thing about Jaime. Of course he wouldn’t betray Cersei just like that. He might be morally ambiguous (and used to be a downright twat if we’re gonna be particular), but he is Loyal™. He pushed a kid off of a window for Cersei and killed and did all kinds of horrible stuff for her ffs. He loves her in his sick kind of way and even though he knows she is wrong and makes that clear in front of her, he takes her side because he is goddamn loyal to her. Say what you want about Jaime Lannister, but he can’t be easily swindled which is ironically his saving grace.
That being said, I think they’re dragging his going against Cersei for poetic justice but also because the only way to strip his loyalty to Cersei away is for him to be lead to a crossroad where he has to choose carefully. He protected the mad King until the very moment he knew there was no other way to save Westeros. He will protect the mad Queen, the love of his life, until the very moment he realises her death is the only thing that can bring peace. D&D aren’t holding Jaime’s character development back, they are making it believable and epic, guys. So let’s enjoy the shitshow that’s about to come cause I’m telling you we’ll need snorkels by the end of it.
CAN WE JUST TALK ABOUT THIS PANEL BECAUSE TBH I LOVE IT
(under a cut because this got sO MUCH LONGER THAN I WAS EXPECTING WOW)
So first we have Gray fighting Doriate, who resurfaced all of his past trauma. In particular, Gray overpowering his fear and attacking Doriate. His past has such a strong hold on him, and all of his trauma was resurfacing at once. He was only able to snap out of it and defeat the enemy in front of him when Ultear, whose sacrifice is the only reason he’s alive, managed to calm him down.
In the one directly to the left, Gray is confronting a literal demon from his past. The monster that killed his family and took away his master, who was likely a mother figure to him, was alive and animated in front of him. He was nowhere near Ur’s strength, and she couldn’t take him down. What could he and Lyon do? Nothing.
Now the second row, I feel personally, is more about the people pictured than the events.
Juvia. Juvia is the only person Gray has been able to open up to fully. He trusts her and he is glad to have someone that he can trust so much (he has literally stated this in canon). Their relationship has grown so much from the beginning of the series, from enemies to such close friends (possibly even mutual romantic feelings, but that is not canon, so it’s only a speculation).
His father. Gray’s fight with his father was SO IMPORTANT TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF HIS CHARACTER. Gray’s father clearly had a large influence on him as a person from before he died, as shown during their fight when Gray has a flashback of his father from when he was young. Then, DURING their fight, Silver tries to help Gray overcome the demons that are still plaguing him by saying that he’s “Deliora”. By killing him, Silver wholeheartedly believes that Gray will be a stronger person than when he came into the fight, and he is, both mentally and physically (Demon Slayer Magic), when the fight is finished. Other than Juvia, Silver is the only character that Gray has shown weakness to, which says a lot about how Gray values them.
Natsu. Natsu is Gray’s rival, but he’s also his best friend. Their bond is just like that of brothers. Natsu told Gray (not in the gentlest way of course) to treasure his own life, to not throw it away for no reason. Natsu made Gray aware that there are people who would miss him if he threw his life away.
Ultear. As I said earlier, Gray wouldn’t be alive if not for Ultear’s sacrifice. In the GMG he would have died, sacrificing himself for a friend. He will always remember that she sacrificed herself, because her mother did the same thing for him.
Gray’s character development from the beginning has been huge, probably one of the (definitely not the most) largest developments, and all of this contributed to his development.
In FF13-2, I wasn't upset that the game didn't focus on her. I really liked Noel and Serah and was glad they had some spotlight time.
FF13 LR is when I fell in love with Lightning's character. I swear she had so much personality in this game, it's crazy. But she was still "cool and edgy." She went from my least favorite character to one of my favorites. I liked how they discussed how she had to bottle up her feelings but she was free to let them out. THEN THAT SMILE DURING THE SECRET ENDING.
This is why I'm such a big believer in character development. Take Riku from KH, for example. He was a dick in the first game but by Dream Drop Distance, his heart was as pure as Sora's.
