sonoftenebrae: (Default)
Ravus Nox Fleuret ([personal profile] sonoftenebrae) wrote2018-05-30 11:37 pm
Entry tags:

Melodies of Eternity App

Player
Name: Lisa
Age: 30
Contact: [plurk.com profile] demonrubberducky
Other In-Game Characters: none

Character
Name: Ravus Nox Fleuret
Age: 28
Gender: Male
Canon: Final Fantasy XV
Canon Point: Post Episode Ignis/Post Chapter 9

History: Wiki Link

Personality:
Ravus was greatly shaped by the invasion of his home by the Niflheim Empire when he was 16. The devastating loss of his mother and his country’s freedom, and the perceived betrayal by King Regis left the young Ravus angry and terrified of losing his only remaining family, Lunafreya. He devotes twelve years to a plot that appears to stem purely from a desire for revenge.

To those around him, Ravus’s grudge against Regis seemed misplaced. General Glauca murdered his mother, yet Ravus placed the blame entirely on Regis. However, there are several reasons for Ravus to direct his rage toward the Lucian King alone, rather than at the responsible parties. First off, because Tenebrae falls under Imperial Rule, to oppose the Empire would mean placing himself, his sister, and his country in danger. It is seen later in the game what opposing the Empire costs, when Tenebrae is bombed and Fenestala Manor burned in retaliation for Ravus’ defection. Ravus, though shown to be reckless with his own life, is not stupid, and he plays a much longer game in terms of taking his revenge on Niflheim. He only openly defies the Emperor when he has nothing left to lose. Secondly, although Regis does not strike the killing blow on Queen Sylva, he violates the alliance between them by abandoning the Fleurets and Tenebrae. For Ravus, who values duty above all else, this sin is unforgivable. Regis was willing to accept Tenebraen hospitality and healing for his son, but abandoned them in their time of need to retreat to his walled city. In Ravus’s mind, this means he failed in his duty as king and is therefore unworthy of Ravus’ allegiance. He cannot reconcile this act of cowardice with a bloodline that is meant to act as their world's savior, and this loss of faith in the Lucis Caelums is what drives Ravus to try to seize the royal power himself and to discourage Lunafreya from supporting Noctis.

Ravus considers his primary duty to protect Lunafreya. As both the Oracle of their star and his sister, Lunafreya is the most important person to Ravus, and he is willing to sacrifice anything to keep her safe. He joins the Imperial Army, his enemy, and rises in their ranks to gain the power and position that will allow him to enact his plan. The first effort he makes is to take the Ring of Lucii, which obviously fails. Then, he uses his rank as Imperial High Commander to keep Lunafreya from being captured, and even plans to kill one of the 6 Astrals so that Luna cannot form a life-draining covenant with her. In order for his plans to succeed, the Empire has to think him completely loyal and driven by his hatred of Lucis, which meant convincing even his beloved sister that his desire for power outweighs all else. Their relationship suffers, and they are not able to reconcile their differences until Lunafreya is dying. Though he loves her more than anyone else in his life, Ravus judges the price of his sister’s affection worth paying in vain hope of shielding her from harm. When he loses her, he falls into despair, asking “What hope is there in a future my sister will never see?”

This is not to say that Ravus’s driving emotion is not anger. It absolutely is. Ravus legitimately hates Regis and wants to see him dead for the king’s perceived sins against him. He is only able to accept Noctis as king after Noctis proves himself by winning the approval of three Astrals, justifying the faith he has seen Lunafreya and Ignis place in Noctis. When Lunafreya is killed, Ravus flies into a rage and tries to kill Noctis, which is counterproductive to Luna’s sacrifice to say the least. It is only Ignis’ intervention that keeps him from ending the line of Lucii for good. His temper is seen in smaller ways in earlier cut scenes as well; when Ardyn intervenes in Duscae and later in Altissia, Ravus is helpless to act against him, so he physically turns away from the Chancellor in disgust rather than have to look at him. Finally, shortly before he is killed, Ravus antagonizes the Emperor by proclaiming his allegiance to Noctis, knowing that he will be punished for doing so. Since he has nothing left to lose, he can finally speak his mind about how much he hates the Emperor. Ravus uses his anger for strength, and is absolutely brutal to face in battle because of it.

A foil for Noctis, Ravus readily accepts his duty constantly acts on his own. Because he feels that the line of the Lucians is unworthy, he hopes that the line of the Oracle can serve as a substitute for the savior of the world. The attempt to take up fill Noctis’ role by wearing the Ring of the Lucii is an act of arrogance, and also of desperation. As Blood of the Oracle, Ravus has been raised to know the cost of an alliance with the gods, and is willing to risk it because he believes Noctis is unfit and unwilling to do his job. (His lack of faith in Noctis similarly leads him to push Lunafreya to abandon her prophesied role, not wanting her to sacrifice her life to no purpose.) Partially out of necessity, and partially from his own hubris, Ravus thinks he alone can defy the empire, protect Lunafreya, and avenge his mother. His plans depend on secrecy, but he also does not make attempts to befriend others or let his sister know what he is plotting (even though he has no reason to believe Lunafreya would betray him). Having lost so much and seen a trusted ally turn tail when he was 16, Ravus has issues trusting anyone, and so isolates himself. Teaming up with Ignis in the DLC was a major turning point for Ravus because he finally had to accept he could not reach Lunafreya in time on his own. At his current canon point, he is only just starting to place his faith in Noctis as the Chosen King of Eos.

Ravus is not without positive qualities. He is highly competent, as showcased by the fact that he has risen to the rank of High Commander despite being a foreigner. He is a powerful warrior, and survives in spite of the other Imperial Officers vying for his spot. Once Ravus’ loyalty is won, it does not waver. When he finally pledges to help Noctis, he does so to his dying breath, and in the alternate ending, he helps the party infiltrate Niflheim and spends the 10 year time skip helping the survivors of the scourge until he can fulfill his duty by returning the Sword of the Father to the rightful king. Ravus’ caring side is shown in his interactions with Lunafreya. His main problem with Noctis is that he does not think him a worthy recipient of Lunafreya’s affections or her sacrifice, but when Luna convinces him that she will not be swayed, he supports her in his own way. Though he is not good at conveying his (non-anger) emotions, he is able to encourage her not to give up by acknowledging her duty as Oracle and reminding her of her own strength of will. Ravus does not coddle, nor does he turn away from a task that must be done, even though the more compassionate option would have been to deliver the Ring to Noctis in his sister’s place. Understanding the pride of his bloodline, he knows that once Lunafreya resolves to support Noctis, ‘failing’ by passing her burden to her brother would be more painful to her than pressing on and dying for her cause.

There is a sense of drama in all of Ravus’s appearances. In a world that blends modern and archaic, he maintains the flowery speech pattern of the Tenebraens, and he shuns the magitek armor units that his fellow officers rely on, preferring to use his sword and magitek arm in battle. He will turn and physically walk away from a conversation he does not wish to have, and kicks down doors when he could just as easily open them. Ravus aims for a powerful and untouchable reputation, which serves to isolate him from his peers. In spite of his alliance with the Empire, which most Lucians interpret as betrayal to his family and country, he cannot stand for anyone to imply that he serves them. He sacrifices his reputation for the sake of his plans, but it obviously wounds his pride (and stokes his temper) that people perceive him as disloyal.

TL;DR Version: Ravus is the proud son of an ancient lineage who seeks to oppose the prophesied events of the game in order to protect his sister from those incompetent Lucians and the daemon-loving Imperials. He is too angry for his own good, but tries to put his anger to good use; however, because this is Final Fantasy XV, he tries so hard and got so far, but in the end, it doesn’t even matter.

Samples:
Bakerstreet Meme (from an earlier canon point)
TDM Top Level
TDM thread

Vaikuntha
Moogle Name: Estoc
Moogle Gender: Female

First Job: Swordmaster
Second Job: Summoner