how does the image your character tries to project differ from the image they actually project?
Actually, a fair bit. When Hanwell first came to Dalaran, he had just spent years bored out of his mind in Lakeshire, remedying this by devouring every book on magic he could get his hands on (which was not a terrible lot, given his fatherâs disinterest and sometimes outright distain for anything that wasnât related the familyâs blacksmithing business). He was extremely capable despite his non magical, non scholarly background and he has proven this in the time he has spent in Dalaran living and working alongside the magi there. I must divulge a little of my headcanon to answer this question now, and that headcanon being that mages of Dalaran are very frequently members of aristocracy (of course if one is capable one is welcome, as proven in Hanwellâs case, but amongst those who study in the prestigious academies of the magical city have been princes and ladies of high birth, and I assume a whole host of others born of nobility).In Hanwellâs case, he worked quite hard to cultivate an image that would be at odds with his humble beginnings in Lakeshire. He worked to improve his manner of speaking to match those who had enjoyed a lordâs education and were taught the proper way of speaking, and perhaps even more so, he worked very hard at improving his writing.Hanwell is a person who is quite gifted in that he can latch into concepts very easily, had little difficulty learning the fundamental concepts of magic and went on from there flourishing (he probably has a photographic memory). It doesnât change the fact that he was never taught formally how to write, and as such his writing (at least when he first came to Dalaran) had a peculiar, untidy, scrawl like manner to it that seemed very much at odds with the sophisticated, non peasant image he was trying to cultivate. So he worked very hard to improve that, as well as his way of speaking. Nowadays he writes and speaks perfectly well, although those who know about his background and were privy to being instructed in the correct manner of speaking and writing can pick up on the occasional peculiarity in his script.That was a very long explanation! The short answer (at least to this one particular facet Iâve honed in on) is that Hanwell strives to portray himself as someone who is completely at home amongst any given member of the Dalaran elite set. He certainly looks the part. In fact, now that he has a decent income, he absolutely relishes in spending his money on fine and beautiful clothes. Occasionally though, his incomplete knowledge regarding every intricacy regarding the quality of such finery may result in him choosing a garment not quite up to par, something which would be an instant giveaway to any image of gentle born aristocrat he might hope to convey.
