WIP

▶ PLAYER
HANDLE: Amanda
CONTACT: ravenclawed
OVER 18? Yes
CHARACTERS IN-GAME: Yosuke Hanamura and Miyabi Hanakouji

▶ CHARACTER
NAME: Vaan
CANON: Final Fantasy XII
CANON POINT: Post-Final Fantasy XII
AGE: 18
BACKGROUND: Final Fantasy XII

PERSONALITY: When we first see Vaan, he was merely a lowly thief hunting rats in a sewer, earning the name Vaan Ratsbane. Good thing that wasn’t his actual last name. Regardless, despite that fact that he has quick, sticky fingers and was self-taught with a sword (with a little help from his brother, no doubt), he didn’t desire to continue living like this. No, Vaan’s greatest desire was to be a sky pirate. Sure, he’d still be a thief, but he would get to travel the world, free as a bird. Literally. All he needed was an airship. But he couldn’t do it, not when Archadia was baring down Dalmasca. But still, despite all that he did whatever it took to try and get out there. Even going as far as to sneaking into the castle one fateful day and stealing the Goddess Magicite. It's here we also see a bit of his stubbornness and willingness to do what it took to try and start his journey towards finally being a Sky Pirate. He's willing to potentially get caught (with a severe punishment should he get caught) all to finally get out of his current status and situation as an orphan on the street.

Having had a rough life, Vaan is no stranger to the works on war and what it does to people’s hearts - including his own. However his journey throughout Final Fantasy XII changes him quite a bit from the rash, young child he was who fought rats in the sewers to the mature sky pirate he becomes by the time of the Tactics A2 game. A bit tactless at times (he once asked Fran for her age, just out a sheer curiosity. Clearly, no one told him that it is a universal rule that you never ask a woman her age) and sometimes rash; eager to jump into things before thinking things through. He really had no manners and was fairly impolite to others. However he is also a surprisingly insightful individual. Yes, insightful. There have been multiple instances where he can and will accurately guess how someone is feeling or work through his own feelings and come up with a solution that benefits not just himself but everyone as well. For example, his talk with Ashe about how he wanted revenge on the Empire and he would use being a Sky Pirate to do it, knowing full well they were just words and what he was really doing was running away. It let her realize when she was at the Sun-Cryst that she can also move past vengeance and move on to a new horizon rather than going forth with the Occuria's plans. Speaking of this scene, this also shows how much he's grown and becomes more polite to those around him. When he first started this quest, Vaan was shown to be brave and bold, but also impolite and brash. But time teaches him that patience and good manners will get him farther than before, both with people and with adventure.

Also, by the time said scene comes along, it's shown that Vaan had already begun to change. He started this journey with vengeance in mind. But he'd come to realize that he was just running away, that seeking revenge wasn't the answer. They needed peace, not war. It was this realization that also meant Vaan was no longer Plan B if their plan failed with Ashe, as he could no longer see Reks' ghost (both Ashe and Vaan could see a ghost, for Ashe it was Rasler, her fiance, and for Vaan it was Reks, his older brother). His mannerisms also show how much more polite and observant he'd become, mannerisms that were there but hadn't really surfaced until he'd had the experiences he had. But not everything changed! After all, he was still fairly sarcastic and he has a dry sense of humor. Teasing Larsa and Penelo quite often and even going so far as to taunt a Judge. His bold streak never quite leaves him, he dreams big and wants to be noticed, but he's not an attention seeker at the same time. Again, he notices and thinks a lot more than he lets on and this is perhaps part of why he eventually becomes the most famous sky pirate with a "flee on sight" order.

Growing up as an orphan for a better part of his life, along with his brother dying two years prior to the game’s events, Vaan had developed a protective streak that extends to anyone he cares about. But to be part of that group he needs to have your trust and that isn’t so easy to come by these days. Being on the streets taught him that not everyone can be trusted. But those who already have his trust? They were the lucky ones. Despite being one of the youngest of his friends, he has that protective streak that will make him want to protect his friends no matter what. This also means he's quite responsible for someone his age. The kids trust him and depend on him and he's stepped up to the plate.

By the end of the game (and throughout Revenant Wings and Tactics A2), he had matured quite a bit. Still a bit rash and reckless (but isn’t that how all sky pirates are?) Vaan had matured from his vengeful, somewhat angstful state once he realized that while the past cannot be changed, the future can be. He may not know what the future holds, but he likes it better that way. Arrogant, maybe, but isn’t that a quality that seemingly draws those around him to him? Only Vaan could make arrogance seem endearing. A quick learner and an apt pilot, Vaan lives his life as if every day was an adventure and that’s just how he likes it. After all, don’t all sky pirates live like that? Vaan certainly thought so. And that’s how he looked at life as he began to live his dream, once the war was over.

POWERS/ABILITIES: He's one of the fastest and agile characters out of the party and with the License board, he can learn how to use a variety of weapons and magicks, doing well in all across the board. While being the most balanced, his greatest are strength, vitality, and speed. He excels most with a sword, however and as his future class is Sky Pirate, his sword fighting abilities only continue to improve. Vaan has an amazing ability to adapt to new things. While this is a pretty big necessity to be a Sky Pirate anyway, it definitely helps for being in a place like this. Vaan had to go through losing his parents, then losing Penelo's parents, then losing his brother, then getting caught up in a war and politics much bigger than he thought possible and was able to do all this with the most unlikely of people. He adapts to all the situations pretty well, if a bit with his youthful exuberance. He learns fairly quick and suffers more from trial and error than simply being told how to do something though he will ask questions when the situation calls for it. He's also pretty good at making friends so he'll definitely be a good helper around here.

Vaan also has access to Quickenings, FFXII's version of limit breaks. Once enough magic is built up, he can use these Quickenings to deal great damage. They are Red Spiral, White Whorl, and Pyroclasm. Red Spiral deals more energy based damage, White Whorl is wind based, creating a tornado of sorts, and Pyroclasm, as the name suggests, is fire based where he thows two fireballs at the opponent which then cause an explosion.

He can also acquire Espers, malignant spirits that were sealed away by the Occuria for rising against them. Once the player defeats an Esper, they are given a brand on their body and are able to summon them to help in their battles. Because of Vaan's Quickenings and overall personality, I tend to give Vaan Belias the Gigas, the Esper of Fire and Chaos, Walker of the Wheel, the Esper of Wind. Belias is associated to the Ram and does, indeed, looks like a humanoid ram with great horns and hooved feet. Chaos is associated with Taurus and, as well, has great horns similar to a bull (see the pattern)


INVENTORY: Just the clothes on his back

MOONBLESSING: Iris

▶ SAMPLES

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