Kain Highwind (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
dragonsgrasp) wrote2017-01-15 11:20 pm
dragonsgrasp) wrote2017-01-15 11:20 pm
character survey
Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is he heavyset, thin, short, rangy? Kain is tall at 6'0", with a lean but well-muscled build. In great physical shape overall.
2. How old is he? 21
3. Describe his posture. Does he carry himself well or does he slouch? Carries himself with extremely stiff posture, perhaps too much so at times. Has the look of someone who just can't relax.
4. How is his health? Is he fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities? Very physically healthy and fit. The constant training that he does keeps him in excellent condition.
5. How does he move? Is he clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid? Tense and stiff on the ground and in non-combat situations, as if he's always uncomfortable somehow. Yet get him on a battlefield or in the air and there's a powerful grace and fluidity to his movement. He's surprisingly light on his feet for someone who's so heavily armored. Comes along with the dragoon-ing.
6. How attractive is this character physically? How does he perceive himself in the mirror? Kain is highly attractive, with his strong and fit physique and his fine, long blond hair. However, looks aren't something that Kain spends much if any time bothering about. He has far more important concerns. The only thing he is concerned about is his physical strength... and he's convinced that he's not yet as strong as he ultimately wants to be.
7. Describe his complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred? Light-complexioned overall. No visible facial scars (but he definitely has a few from various battle injuries.
8. Describe his hair: color, texture, style. Long, blonde and perfect. He has hair that many women would probably kill to have. It's nice and soft, and in good overall condition. He wears it loose but usually it's held back by his helmet.
9. What color are his eyes? Blue
10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features? Nothing too unusual, since he covers a lot of himself up in the armor most of the time.
11. What are his chief tension centers? His head, when stress happens that's the first thing to ache.
12. What is the character's wardrobe like? Casual, dressy, utilitarian? Bright colors, pastels, neutrals? Is it varied, or does he have six of the same suit? ARMOR 24/7. Seriously, though, the guy is rarely seen without it. He wants to always be prepared for battle, and where he's from that's a legitimate concern. He also likes to distance himself from people and the helmet in particular lets him do that.
13. Do his clothes fit well? Does he seem comfortable in them? Yes, he has to be able to move around in them, after all.
14. Does he dress the same on the job as he does in his free time? If not, what are the differences? Kain doesn't know how to relax, so he's basically forever on the job. It's rare to catch him unarmored.
15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando? Commando. :|
Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse?
2. How does he normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does he talk easily, or does he hesitate? Generally evenly and with a great deal of purpose. When he speaks up, he usually has something important to say. If it's a matter he's confident on such as battle, he will talk much easier than when trying to make general conversation.
3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics? No weird accent or anything here. On his world, he'd be obviously identified as Baronian.
4. What language/s does he speak, and with how much fluency? The common language of his world.
5. Does he switch languages or dialects in certain situations? Nope!
6. Is he a good impromptu speaker, or does he have to think about his words? A little of both, it depends. In the heat of a combat situation he has no choice but to think on his feet, so insults toward his enemies just roll off his tongue. Same for instructions for allies and similar. Off the battlefield, it's a little harder for him; conversation isn't his strong suit and he has to think about it.
7. Is he eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change? Kain generally comes across as fairly straightforward... but he can in fact be rather eloquent, whether insulting someone or otherwise. (I mean who the hell shouts at an enemy with phrasing like, "Your levity is reprehensible!!!" Kain does, that's who). If he were especially messed up in the head fighting off a mental enemy, it might change.
Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is he book-smart or street-smart? A pretty fair balance of both, but leaning more... battle-smart, really. He was brought up in a fairly privileged background, so he has at least some book smarts... but a lot of his intelligence has to do with combat. He's more the sort who learns best by doing, not just reading about it. He's got a lot of battle experience under his belt as well, and has been Commander of the Dragoons, so he's learned a lot by firsthand action.
2. Does he think on his feet, or does he need time to deliberate? Another place where it depends! In battle, absolutely he thinks on his feet. Everywhere else, he needs to think about it for a long time before acting. Tends to be very deliberate in whatever he does.
3. Describe the character's thought process. Is he more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical? Definitely leans more logical and practical, to the point he seems very cold-hearted.
4. What kind of education has the character had? He was brought up by the Commander of the Dragoons and then the King himself, so he had the best education Baron could offer (for a medieval-ish culture). He's been especially well versed in war tactics/strategies, history of war, dragoons and their history, and everything to do with dragons ever (his "fun" reading were always dragon books). Other studies bored him but he got by ok-ish.
5. What are his areas of expertise? What, if anything, is he interested in learning more about? DRAGONS. Forever dragons. He knows a lot about them, whether fighting them or befriending them, dragoons are basically made to deal with dragons. He almost reveres them in a sense, and is always up for learning more. He'd probably just go live among dragons if he ever could. He's always up for learning things about fighting and likes finding out about his allies' fighting styles so that they can coordinate together.
6. Is he an introvert or an extrovert? Introvert, BIGTIME. Kain keeps a lot of his true feelings inside, and it's his default state to hide them, even from his best friends. He also has a hard time expressing his feelings, tending to prefer keeping things to himself than let it out. He rarely explains his reasons for any of his actions. He's a loner, and has no problem with long stretches not seeing anyone, needing isolation to recharge. Even others remark on these tendencies (Jecht, for instance, tries to get him to loosen up).
7. Describe the character's temperament. Is he even-tempered or does he have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven? Broody. Such a broody brood-face. Kain has a quiet sort of melancholy that overlays everything else of his moods. He's very hard on himself, which is a lot of the reason for his perpetual gloomy outlook. He isn't known to show strong emotions aside from that, seeming to be even-tempered rather than have mood swings. Certain situations may stir him up though.
8. How does he respond to new people or situations? Is he suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic? Suspicious like mad. It takes forever for anyone to earn his trust.
9. Is he more likely to act, or to react? Somewhere in between. When it comes to a possible danger, he's all for acting and dealing with it first. Once he learns the truth of the cycles from Golbez, he along with WOL takes steps to actively seek an end to the war. When it comes to social/emotional things, he's more of a reacting type. His darker self prefers to ACT even more than he does, and is the catalyst for a lot of FFIV's events, with his stealing crystals and Rosas.
10. Which is his default: fight or flight? FIIIIIIGHT. Usually. Again, there is a bit of a divide here when it comes to how he deals. He will fight anything that's a literal threat. He has a warrior's attitude above all else and this can sometimes come into play in regular things as well. He tends toward flight when it comes to emotions and dealing with those.
11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does he appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks? Such dark, bitter humor. Kain is all about the amusing insults when it comes to his enemies, and he's definitely into mockery and sarcasm in general. Pranks and more low-brow humor aren't all that funny to him. He is capable of laughing but don't expect to see it too often.
12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does he deal with them? BACKSTAB-ITIS? Uhh... where oh where to even begin. Kain represses things inside to the point where it's unhealthy. The mind control brought forth all of the nasty things he's held inside and let fester for a long time. He's super hard on himself, holding himself to impossibly high standards. Being susceptible to the control in itself is a mental issue (which in turn comes from his repressed feelings) that he has to deal with, and he has to fight off the feeling whenever some new outside influence compromises his will (in a game for instance). The darker part of him is another self in a twisted sense, so there's that too. (I wouldn't say "multiple personality" because this is just magical mind control and not a real world diagnosis, though that's the closest way of explaining it). He's also prone to obsession and not letting anything go, whether it's his own attitude toward himself... or his years-long crush on Rosa. He has a weird complex to always try and live up to what he thinks others want of him too, to an impossible extent... he tries to follow his father's footsteps, he constantly compares himself to Cecil, and of course, he becomes Golbez's minion. Kain also has a bad habit of pushing himself too far, sometimes well beyond his limits (he doesn't even bother to rest at all or stop for healing in 012).
13. What moments in this character's life have defined him as a person? Losing his father, falling in love with Rosa, first time being mind-controlled and letting his darker self to the surface, betraying his friends, being forgiven (undeserving he thinks), finding out the truth in the Gods' War, falling in battle in the Gods' War.
14. What does he fear? Mind control is the #1 on his list, being used in any way again is a fate worse than death to him. He fears his darker self, no question. It's still there, lurking in the back of his mind, undefeated. He also has a fear in general of confinement and restriction. It's not enough to stop him walking into caves, but if he were trapped with no way out, claustrophobia would set in fast: he's a creature of the air, and that separation from the sky is horrifying.
15. What are his hopes or aspirations? To surpass his father as a great dragoon, to redeem himself fully and rid himself of his darkness.
16. What is something he doesn't want anyone to find out about him? He... generally doesn't like talking about the unintentional semi-genocide thing to the summoners, that's not a great conversation starter. Kain in general clings hard to his secrets: he doesn't want anyone to know about his crush on Rosa, or about how deep his jealousy runs toward Cecil. In general, he really doesn't want people to see his insecurities. In a game setting, he doesn't like sharing his past, letting people know you have a backstabbing habit doesn't inspire confidence.
Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with his parents. Kain idolized his father, growing up, and wanted to be just like him. He never knew his mother, who died in childbirth, which meant he didn't have that maternal influence growing up. She was a white mage (HI oedipus complex!). He and his father both share something in common: they both suck at emotions. So it wasn't the warmest relationship ever, but there was a great deal of respect. His father was the one who first started teaching him dragooning lessons. Unfortunately, Kain's father died when he was young, rumored to be poisoned. That devastated Kain and motivated him even more to become a dragoon, to carrying on his father's legacy.
2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like? Although he doesn't have blood siblings, Cecil has been the closest thing to a brother he has. Growing up, they were both raised by the king. Kain used to be a bit antagonistic toward Cecil, always threatening to beat him up (Rosa would promptly intervene). It was just how he let out his jealousy at the time. They would grow up and develop into best friends over time.
3. Are there other blood relatives to whom he is close? Are there ones he can't stand? No living blood relatives, sadly.
4. Are there other, unrelated people whom he considers part of his family? What are his relationships with them? After his father's death, Kain was raised by the King, who did his best to instill his values in him (and turns out to be Odin, making Kain kind of the Loki to Cecil's Thor. Kind of.) Anyway, Kain respected the King greatly but he didn't always agree with him, choosing to be a dragoon instead of a dark knight as he'd wished of him.
I already mentioned Cecil, because he basically counts as Kain's brother. Rosa is the other part of this circle of BFFs: the three of them grew up from childhood together, so they go back a ways. Rosa would always be the one to heal Kain's injuries anytime he needed it, or offer her kindness and just be there for him whenever he needed it. Over time, he developed a crush on her.
5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet? Cecil is his best friend, and Rosa as well, he's known them since childhood.
6. Does he have other close friends? Yep, all the others to varying extents! There's Rydia who he owes a huge apology to for ruining her village and shares in common the dragon thing (she has Mist Dragon, after all!). There's Edge who... is more of a rival, but still he'll have his back whenever he needs it. Cid was there back in Baron and knows him well, he was kind of yet another fatherly figure. Edward is kind of a coward in Kain's eyes, but he's grown to appreciate him better. Yang has respectable fighting skills. Palom and Porom are... mere children yet they possess power that was helpful to the party. As for 012, all the Warriors of Chaos are friends to an extent too: Kain shares similar personality and views with Lightning, Jecht helps Kain to loosen up a bit, Kain enjoys making sarcastic commentary at/about Laguna, Warrior of Light is a steadfast friend who Kain trusts enough to make plans with, Tifa is kind enough to toss him a healing potion when he needs it and yet also stubborn enough to get through to him, Yuna likewise is always there with an
7. Does he make friends easily, or does he have trouble getting along with people? Kain is closed off and aloof, emotionally repressed, so he doesn't have the easiest time making new friends. Not to mention, he tends to spend a lot of time alone. He can also seem an intimidating figure in his armor. Once he does make friends, he's a loyal companion
8. Which does he consider more important: family or friends? Both are important. His blood relatives are gone, sadly, but he strives hard to carry his father's memory with him always. Cecil pretty much is both family/a friend. His friends overall become his family, in both IV and 012.
9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has he been married more than once? Single, never married. Has a tendency to skip the wedding of best friends, so really, like he's going to have one of his own. Ha!
10. Is he currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse? Nope. :( Only in his dreams. (This may vary depending on the game he's being played in of course!)
11. Who was his first crush? Who is his latest? Rosa. He fell for her so hard once he started getting old enough to develop feelings, though it was a cute boyish crush at first... later as they got to be teens, Kain realized what it all really meant. Rosa is still his main crush (this guy doesn't let things go). He can and will move on given the right person, though it's not easy and it takes a lot of development.
12. What does he look for in a romantic partner? ROSA. Rosa is what he looks for. :| Blonde hair, ample bosom, pretty smile, kind-heartedness... Seriously, though, he loves pretty ladies and is most attracted to those who show a lot of compassion.
13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does he relate to them? If no, does he want any? Nope. He has no interest or desire for them. They're a baffling species to him.
14. Does he have any rivals or enemies? YEP. Cecil, who is his best friend of all time ever... is also his favorite rival. It's a one-sided rivalry on Kain's part alone, though. Kain constantly compares himself to him, wanting to be somehow "better" than his friend. Kain and Edge also don't always get along, with Kain making snide commentary about Edge at times... and Edge making a cutting remark about Kain ("what if you get controlled again"... Kain is able to shut him up fast after that, though, telling Edge he can kill him if he loses his will again). Another major rival is Golbez, who controlled him... but even that's complicated since in turn Zemus was controlling them both. Zemus is a definite enemy, no question. Another intense rivalry for him are the Four Elemental Archfiends, who were kind of his allies in a weird way while under mind-control. Valvalis, Fiend of Wind, is the one he holds the strongest rivalry with, given that they're of the same element. In the Gods' War, his major enemy is Exdeath, who he doesn't hesitate to toss insults at and battle as well.
15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does he fall on the Kinsey scale? Such a hardcore zero. Rosa is his obsession and canonly, he really isn't interested in anyone else. He can move past her with IC development in a game, but even then his preferences are still strictly for women only.
16. How does he feel about sex? How important is it to him? He's a very horny guy. Unfortunately, he has nowhere to bring that high sex drive, so ends up with a lot of solo funtimes alone on his mountain. (Though I've headcanoned some on again/off again stuff with Valvalis before... it's nothing like a healthy relationship though, and she's just as likely to do mischievous things to him as to give him any pleasure).
17. What are his turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits? Kain is turned on by ROSA. Uhhh. He actually finds it pretty hot when the woman takes the lead in the bedroom (he never tops ever, really). Getting it on outdoors or high in the air somehow would also excite him. He's got a thing for rough sex too, and is all for being bitten/scratched and so on. Has sex with the fierceness of a dragon of course!! He's also repressing a super intense libido, so he's the sort who couldn't get enough (if he were getting any at all, alas for him).
Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does he fit type? So Scorpio it hurts. Jealousy, darker impulses, known to go to extremes, stubborn, secretly filled with very deep passion, secretive...
2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in his life? Kain has some kind of spiritual nature in him, given how seriously he takes concepts like redemption and sinfulness. He wants to purify himself, to let go of his darker side. He has a reverence for the sky and for dragons, holding these things sacred in a way. It also helps that he's literally fought a war for a goddess, so he knows such entities exist.
3. Does this character have a personal code of morals or ethics? If so, how did that begin? What would it take to compromise it? Ohgod. Welp. "Confused Neutral" is the best way to put his alignment. Kain does have a strong moral code and he wants very badly to follow it. He strives to be a good person and there really is a lot of good in him deep down. But at the same time, Kain has a hard time sticking to following even his own morals. He's very much an "end justifies the means" type, as seen in 012 he is willing to break rules and do seemingly bad things for an ultimate good cause. Then... there's his darkness. All the stuff he's afraid of becoming. Kain can be easily manipulated into letting go of his usual inhibitions to let out a side of him that will hurt, kidnap, and overall betray his closest friends. Even Kain admits that while some of it was the mind control, a lot was just this awful side of himself that was always there lurking inside. Yet when he's in this Evil mode, he still has a weird dark code of sorts... for instance, he challenges Cecil to single combat rather than just murder him outright in some other way, and although he kidnapped Rosa and threatened/made plenty of comments, he never violated her or anything. He even comments that he just wanted to "keep her close", to protect her even as he was under the influence of badness.
4. How does he regard beliefs that differ from his? Is he tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent? Mostly indifferent, it's not something he concerns himself with too much as long as no one is getting in his way.
5. What prejudices does he hold? Are they irrational or does he have a good reason for them? Maybe a full raging distrust of Chaos warriors? In that case it's with good reason, though obviously he's learned there are rare people who could be trusted. Back home, not really much in the way of prejudice as such, but he did sometimes think of Baron as superior in ways, in the past.
Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is he rich, poor, comfortable, in debt? Fairly comfortable, he's not struggling to get by but he's not insanely rich either. When off on his own he hunts monsters a lot so he usually gets by that way.
2. What is his social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected him? Kain became Commander of the Dragoons at a young age, proving himself capable when he cared for his father's dragon after his death. This was a Big Deal to him, a responsibility he faced with the utmost seriousness. He doesn't think he's as good as his father yet, but he's tried to keep the dragoons going, to honor his father and the Highwind name in general. After the events of IV and the mind control, he goes off alone, feeling that he needs to atone first before he can be deserving of ever again commanding the dragoons.
3. Where does he live? House, apartment, trailer? Is his home his castle or just a place to crash? What condition is it in? Does he share it with others? A TENT ON MOUNT ORDEALS. It is comfortable. So comfortable. Before that, he grew up living in Baron Castle, raised by the king alonside Cecil. Usually it's more of a place to crash to Kain, who's always doing something, on the go. He keeps things overall neat and orderly.
4. Besides the basic necessities, what does he spend his money on? Armor and weapon maintenance are top priorities. Also dragon-related things.
5. What does he do for a living? Is he good at it? Does he enjoy it, or would he rather be doing something else? Kain is a dragoon, and it's his EVERYTHING. When the King urged him to be a Dark Knight, he refused, wanting to follow in his father's footsteps. So yeah, it's a path he deliberately chose and something that's Meaningful to him. He's a deadly warrior, very effective with his dragoon skills. He will gladly devote all his free time to training his skills.
6. What are his interests or hobbies? How does he spend his free time? Training IS his time. Though close enough friends are able to do things like drag him out for drinks (or to watch dancing girls, thanks, Cecil).
7. What are his eating habits? Does he skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods? Kain eats because it's the practical thing to do, and he's usually regimented enough to remember to east regularly. He's not a great cook, but lives in the wilderness for long stretches so has to get by. His go-to meal are kebabs: just shove it all on a stick and cook it, usually does the trick. He'll partake in alcohol and though not a "partier" as such, he still can be generally coerced to join in on a round or several. There were plenty of drunken antics with Cecil back in Baron. Can on rare occasion be a type to drown his sorrows too, though that's not his go-to coping mechanism.
Associations
Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is his favorite:
1. Color? Sky blue, dark blue... all shades of blue, really, and black.
2. Smell? Whatever dragons smell like, obviously.
3. Time of day? Dusk and dawn
4. Season? Autumn, especially a really windy day with clear skies
5. Book? Anything related to war tactics etc, or dragons
6. Music? Ambient sounds of wind, clearly! Actually, he would go for more melancholy, slow songs typically.
7. Place? Baron, Mount Ordeals
8. Substance? Potions and elixirs because he definitely has need of them a lot.
9. Plant? Anything prickly... nettles, briars, etc... and ROSES for the association with Rosa.
10. Animal? DRAGON. Anything that resembles a dragon, so lizards ought to count. Birds of prey.
11. Food/Drink? Anything that can be hunted or foraged. A good dark ale.
12. Pets? Not canonly, though in games that permit it, he's known to adopt dragons (usually a girl dragon named Zephyr).
13. Weapons? Lances are his primary, with Abel's Lance as his go-to main one. He's been trained with swords and axes to a passable extent, though he obviously isn't as proficient with them. Can and will use his fists if the situation calls for it.
14. Items?
15. Myers-Briggs Type? ISTJ
16. Element? WIND.
END
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