#haura

Great example of how men traditional kimono fashion is all about hidden features: this most formal black haori (see the crests) has a lining depicting a nozarashi (weather beaten bones in a field, here a skull) with lovely snake.

me: what thing???

adhd brain: YOURE RUNNING OUT OF TIME

me: i don’t understand???

adhd brain: YOU FOOL! IT’S OVER!

name lockscreens: haura - requested by @hauraknsa

my brain:

Cats! Cats everywhere :D (outfit seen on)

Pick a character I’ve written and I will explain the top ~three to five ideas/concepts/etc I keep in mind while writing that character that I believe are essential to accurately depicting them.

I have to say, this was kind of really hard. I realize I’m really bad at describing characters, ahaha. Haura is tricky to write because she plays a lot of roles, war tactician, avatar of a god, lover, mother, comrade, so what she would want as a mother often comes into conflict with what she wants as a tactician and so forth. Balancing all of those is key to understanding how she makes her decisions and how those shape her. 

1. Aggressive and Assertive

Haura was born and grew up amidst war. Even as an amnesiac, she instinctively distrusts the world and believes anything good in her life must be protected. To her, surviving and defeating the enemy is the manner in which to "win" in the world. She always plays to win. She's unafraid to use various methods to dominate her opposition, be it physical violence or mental intimidation. I try to keep her goal-oriented and forceful mindset at the forefront when I write her. Even her seduction methods are somewhat aggressive. Overall, Haura is very aware of her value as an agent of violence. She may not delight in murder but she takes pleasure in being damn good at it.

2. Absolute Loyalty

In contrast to that martial mindset, Haura holds a lot of absolute loyalty in her heart. She makes her decisions for people, not for nations or ideals, unlike Emmeryn. While she is aware her friends and lovers and children are not flawless people, that doesn't stop her from putting everything on the line to protect and do right by them. She is always thinking of others, partially because it's her job as a tactician and partially because she sees little value in her life otherwise. She spends so much energy on affirming and reaffirming her alliances so that she can believe in herself.

3. Chessmaster

This one is key. Haura thinks highly of her own judgments. Many times, too highly. She might be incredibly loyal but she also thinks she knows best for you. This might mean her going behind your back or withholding information from you because she thinks you won't handle it well. While this has its benefits in wartime, withdrawn or sensitive people find it hard to relate or intimate with Haura. She does not always treat people with the delicacy or nuance they deserve. This backfires on her a lot when she also suffers from her own compartmentalization and her roles on the game board.  

I try to write Haura as someone who doesn't always make correct or sympathetic decisions and, due to her natural gifts and role in the army, often ends up justifying her 'acts for the greater good'. Not many people find her a desirable confidante because of this.

4. Affectionate and Honest

Haura genuinely enjoys people despite her main occupation is using and destroying other people. She both gives and takes teasing, she likes to take the time to build stable and trusting relationships, and, while she is naive about romance, she grows to care for people easily. Giving praise and receiving praise comes naturally to her and her love for people tends to takes the edge off her more calculated decisions. In situations where it doesn't cost her anything, then Haura would prefer to be kind rather than cruel. Sometimes that honesty ends up doing both. This is almost 100% Chrom’s influence. 

5. Equality and Meritocracy

Haura seeks equality and treats people equally. This is a big part of her character and one of her great internal contradictions. It is both a positive and a negative. She lets her role as a mother slide into her role as a tactician and so and so, she treats kings and peasants the same, and she hates being thought of as less because of her Plegian blood or as a woman. Because she tries to preserve an equality in a hierarchal society, it causes her to mix her personal and professional life. This above all else kickstarts her relationship with Lon’qu.