#dignidada

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starter for @dignidada | +1 any weapon

When a student from Adrestia had approached him, both curious about the Golden Deer and his status as a foreigner to Fodlan (something that they had in common, he later realized), Salem couldn’t refuse her invitation to join her on an expedition to Enbarr. It was not simply some sightseeing tour - though the opportunity to see the Empire’s capital was certainly a plus - but a call to arms to protect the merchants who made their livelihood in the ports along the coast. Though this was a land separate and distant from Jugdral, Salem felt that it was still some duty of his to lend his assistance to repent for the past, even if those he was helping were not even his own countrymen.

He hadn’t thought that the mission would land him on a boat, however. With eyes locked firmly to the line where the ocean met the mercifully clear sky, Salem tried to send his focus to his feet instead. The water was rough near the shore, where waves crashed and broke against the stones that jutted up through the sea spray, and the rocking and dipping beneath his feet was quite unlike the shifting sands of the desert. A bell sounded from the captain’s platform and Salem turned his eyes away from the horizon to gauge the meaning of it from the behavior of the rest of their small crew. The sailors who had been supplied to them gathered at one side, leaning against the thin railing to search for the ship that had been spotted in the distance, but not yet calling the group to arms. Slowly, Salem released his white-knuckled grip on the column he had braced against until now, and tested his balance with his staff in his other hand. It was now or never, and if the ship approaching them carried the pirates they were defending against, then he needed to find his sea legs fast.

[[  ❖ describe their hands

~ The first noticeable features are his long, slender fingers. Pale skin that grows rosy as it nears his fingertips, his nails always perfectly filed, cut and clean. His ring fingers on each hand are slightly crooked inwards, which can only be noticed if his hand is flexed and his fingers, alligned.

His palm is warm and rosy, but not the softest. Patches of slightly rougher skin that indicate old callus from handling lances and swords can be easily felt if one were to hold his hands without gloves. His knuckles, from the constant friction against his armored glove, have also developed sores- although not as obvious as the ones in his palms. They are, however, scarred from battle.

Character Development “Hard Mode” Meme: send a number & character to my ask box  and I’ll write an answer/headcanon in reply

6. Does your character have recurring themes in their dreams?

his parents and childhood home

a freshly completed, or an upcoming mission - Klein can sometimes come up with strategies while asleep

serving Prince Myrrdin

receiving some sort of title or honor from Prince Myrrdin - probably the most self-indulgent (and embarrassing) type of dream Klein has

7. Does your character have recurring themes in their nightmares?

his sister dying in front of him

his men dying in front of him

Prince Myrrdin dying in front of him

his dead body being brought back home - particularly after difficult battles and close calls

❧ : describe their usual sleeping position

before bed;

Truly depends on when she has the luxury of falling asleep, and how. On her better nights, she is meticulous in taking off her face, brushing her hair, running a bath, and occasionally grading something from the comfort of her bed before she starts squinting by candlelight and ultimately falling asleep.

On her worse nights, it’s significantly different. She is lucky to make it out of any clothes—although it does happen; even intoxicated, she’s become quite adept at shrugging everything off and collapsing on top of her comforter. There, no such self-care happens: makeup stays smudged, drink dulls the senses until she falls into slumber, and she’s left to worry about the rest in the morning.

Character Development Questions | accepting

33. In the face of criticism, is your character defensive, self-deprecating, or willing to improve?

Depends on what is being criticized. Even after leaving the church, Salem is still incredibly defensive of his faith, but he’s also conflicted about it. He doesn’t agree with the violence and the cruelty that was carried out during his lifetime, but the church of Loptous is all he’s ever known. He found a home in it, and part of him still believes that it wasn’t all bad. Sweeping statements about Loptyrians and their faith tend to make him bristle, but he keeps his thoughts to himself, usually.

When it comes to his own behavior, knowledge (or lack thereof), or involvement in the downfall of Jugdral, Salem is more likely to be self-deprecating. He feels guilty about his past, both for what he did as a member of the church, and for abandoning them, and will be quick to call himself a reprehensible sinner. But he’s also willing to change and be a better person. After running away, he realized how very little he knew about the world and seeks to learn all he can about it now.

40. How does your character treat people in service jobs?

character development “hard mode”  / accepting

5. on an average day, what can be found in your character’s pockets?

ACADEMY. first, his handkerchief. l.v.h. is monogrammed into it on one corner and the crest of cethleann on another. he also carries a pocket journal and writing utensil to accompany his spontaneous bursts of writing energy and/or knowledge. he sometimes carries a light sum of gold, though not usually since he very rarely hits up the markets. his dormitory keys, but that’s obvious.

WAR. not much changes from the academy, though now the pocket journal is also dotted with tasks  and chores that linhardt…. well, unfortunately ends up forgetting to complete more often than not. with magic used as his main defense, linhardt doesn’t actually arm himself with any type of weaponry.

MODERN AU. linhardt’s phone is his ultimate utility device. his phone is more for practical purposes than entertainment: he makes great use of the notes app to itch whatever writing bug is scratching inside him, he uses apple pay as his primary source of money exchange, his phone gives him the time and date, etc. he carries a wallet though he doesn’t have paper cash on him, just cards. his wallet also stores his house keys and other tinier personal effects.

linhardt does carry a bag more than he relies on his wallet. the bag includes: sanitary wipes, hand sanitizer, tissues, hand cream,  a mini first-aid kit, a portable toothbrush and bottle of toothpaste, a portable comb, an eye mask, a portable spritz bottle, a pocket mirror, a digital camera, pens, some swiss army knife that’s most likely not his, a number of hair ties (though the ribbon is his favorite and most frequently worn), a powerbank / portable charger, and a proper journal for thorough research logs.

20. In what ways does your character compare themselves to others? Do they do this for the sake of self-validation, or self-criticism?

academy. linhardt’s never been the type to compare himself to others at face value. he knows he’s a genius, he won’t deny that he’s grossly self-focused, he acknowledges that he’s lazy, he cares little about being looked down upon on a regular day. however, the greatest disparity between him and his peers that disturbs linhardt is his reaction to violence. linhardt holds no negative bias against his housemates for being immune to the atrocities of battle but, with his extreme hemophobia, linhardt feels particularly alienated. pathetic, to put bluntly, since bloodshed shouldn’t be so shocking to him when it’s an inevitable occurrence for those born within this time and in his status, hence why the academy exists. it isn’t something that fazes his peers, nevertheless something that possesses them in an intense bout of nausea as it does to him, and it makes linhardt feel absolutely miserable. it’s entirely self-critical, coming from a background where linhardt has always been criticized as the softhearted heir of hevring, childish for yearning to utilize magic and his crestology pursuits for means above enforcing violence, and pathetic for not fitting into the mold of nobility. frankly, linhardt feels that his hemophobia drives in the narrative of how weak he is as a person, as much as he hates subscribing into the narrative. there’s a sense of hopelessness when linhardt starts comparing his reaction to violence to his peers, if only because he knows it’s only a matter of time until he becomes numb to it as well.

war. overwhelmingly prominent in azure moon and verdant wind due to his past affiliation with the empire, linhardt is self-conscious about how he’s not entirely committed to the cause in comparison to the rest of his peers. it becomes glaringly obvious, in his eyes, how much he has to catch up to them. he never cared about being a liability in the academy, but now the situation is dire during war. he’s self-critical about how others might see him as wasting resources or that he’s just fucking around and not taking their cause seriously. as much as he jests that the lack of trust the soldiers have in him for being adrestian gives him less responsibility, it makes him uneasy. he doesn’t want to be the weak link in the army that could do their entire operations in.