Building Character: Raven

For this issue of Building Character, we are going to keep up our theme of looking at a character from a different angle. April is the month of silliness and having fun, and we here at oprainfall certainly embrace that. Last time, we gave you Luigi: the villain. This time, you get Raven: my hero. Is he really a lazy old dude who constantly complains or is he a crafty genius who knows how to make the most out of life? Sure, he complains a lot and constantly brings up his age but all of these things are done meticulously so he can portray just the right things about his personality. I have to admit that he has a lot of qualities that I wish I could pull off.

Raven:

Sex: Male
Age: 35 years old
Height: 170 cm
Weapons: Bow and short blade
Attitude: Happy and carefree

Raven from Tales of Vesperia is an intriguing character who always acts as if he has to do everything. Without him, things would just not get done. Plus, he has all of this going on while being sooooo very old. Dude is shady as all get out and constantly gets the group into trouble yet we still love him. Don’t we all look up to him? I know I do.

Raven has many attributes that we can identify with, but not out in the open! Most of us won’t admit to our distaste for hard work while he always reminds you and takes pride in his views on hard work. Raven owns every part of his personality and finds a way to put a positive spin on the negative aspects. He spends his time thinking up crazy alibis and getting his friends into all sorts of trouble while I spend mine working, which still counts even if my work is to play video games and bring you guys cool news. I know we all wish that we could be just a bit more like him.

Raven bringing up his age every two seconds is not simply the act of complaining. Oh no, it also serves as a reminder to people that he is managing to get so much done while being so old and worn down. The poor guy is dealing with the hefty burden of having to be soooo old while keeping up with, and often times over-shadowing, the youngsters of the group. See, he isn’t complaining; he is simply reminding you of how mobile and awesome he is, even at the ripe ole age of 35. Brilliant!

His carefree attitude is something else that I envy. I can never quite manage to pull off that carefree attitude that he has no matter how hard I try. He can be in a terrible situation — which he may or may not have caused, created or been a part of — and he still acts like he has no worries in the entire world. Things are just great for him. How bad ass would that be? Never having to worry about anything, or at least not have that outward appearance to the world.

What about those times he shows up as if by magic? Just when you have given up on him… BAM! There he is to bail you out. While he might be a shyster who always seems to be hiding key information that could have saved you from this fate to begin with, he comes through in the end. That is what true friendship is all about. Wonderful!

Love him or hate him, I think Raven is the perfect embodiment of what we all secretly wish we could be. His constant complaining about doing more than his fair share makes him appear to others as giving and always willing to do what needs done. He is hardly working all the while appearing to be hard working. Genius!

I quite enjoyed his character and I will leave it for you to decide – is Raven a crafty, sly genius or just a lazy lackluster old dude who needs to find friends his own age?