bethotted | [Fellden] Application

PLAYER

NAME: Laci
AGE: 23
PREFERRED CONTACT:

Lacilia or PM
OTHER CHARACTERS: N/A

CHARACTER

NAME: Sylvain Jose Gautier
AGE: 25
CANON & CANON POINT: Fire Emblem: Three Houses | Late Azure Moon route, just before the battle in Enbarr (Ch.21)
RESERVATION LINK: HERE.
HISTORY: Here!

PERSONALITY: Sylvain is the kind of guy whose reputation precedes him, for better or for worse. He's charming, he's funny, and he makes no significant effort to change the way he's seen in the public eye. He's like that one senior in a high school drama who's ridiculously popular, friendly with everyone, gets invited to every party, and wins the hearts of all the incoming freshmen against all the laughed off warnings of his own class that he'll break their hearts... and yet, except maybe one or two people he's known since they were kids, no one actually knows a damn thing about him. That is Sylvain in a nutshell, and the analogy is actually a lot more apt than a quick glance might suggest.

To start at the beginning: Sylvain was born into the House Gautier as the family's second son. He bore a Minor Crest, while their first, Miklan, had no Crest at all--and in a different world, that might have meant absolutely nothing! But in the world the two brothers were born into, inheriting a noble House was more than just a simple matter of age: a legitimate heir needed to have a Crest. This naturally knocked Miklan out of the running, which in turn sparked a deep-seated jealousy in him that only worsened as the pair got older.

While Sylvain's parents adored him, his older brother grew to despise him. He blamed Sylvain for not only his disinheritance, but for the way he was pushed aside after his birth, and in time this hatred began to take the form of thinly veiled (as in, not all that veiled at all)
attempts on his life. But hey--who doesn't remember fun family bonding times, like being pushed down a well? Or being left out in the mountains in the middle of winter? Am I right?? Anyone? No?

...Well. For all the hell his brother put him through, Sylvain never once blamed him for it. He'd had the worth of his blood hammered into him his entire childhood, and after all, what right did he have to complain when his existence alone was enough to take everything his brother had ever wanted away from him? There were countless others just like Miklan who would give anything to be as lucky as he was. He should be grateful.

Now, understandably, Sylvain's view of Crests is... a little bit jaded, and it's spilled some unfortunate color into his personality to be sure. He insists he isn't a good person, that he knows he isn't a good person; he even seems to genuinely believe he's going to hell. He's smart enough to know that it isn't his fault he was born into the situation he was! He is, but he still feels intense guilt and frustration for it all the same, and when given the chance to vent these feelings, they seem to all but burst out of him in a flare of real emotion. He states that his Crest has "ruined everything," and admittedly, it does seem to be a source of some insecurity in him. It's instilled a habitual suspicion of anyone who shows an interest in him, outright accusing the women he dates of being in it only for the sake of his status. He believes they only want to use him to marry into the nobility and use him as their "studhorse" until they, too, have a child with a Crest, thus perpetuating the vicious cycle he grew up in. This suspicion leads him to plunge himself into an endless cycle of bitterness and heartbreak under the guise of playful flirtation, claiming a disinterest in any serious commitment despite showing genuine disappointment in the rare occasions that his partner is the one to break up with him first.

Referred to as a notorious skirt-chaser even (and, in fact, especially) by his closest friends, Sylvain has spent years building up a confident, carefree persona that he can put on at any given moment. He's quick to crack a joke, often skips training in favor of flirting around, and generally comes off as the type of guy who's really just lucky to have passed the latest exam, let alone survive a real battle. Even his style of fighting is flashy and extravagant, personally tailored to suit his needs to show off rather than to maximize damage or efficiency. And to most... that's pretty much all he's seen as! Sylvain, the flirt. Sylvain, the slacker. Even Sylvain, the cheater, and likely other such unflattering titles if one were to ask the unending trail of girls he's left behind him. He seemingly drifts his way through life without so much as a glance back, and takes advantage of the fact his friends are willing to take care of any mess he might leave in his wake. Ingrid makes for a good example here: when asked why she should have to clean up his "casualties" if he supposedly considers her his friend, he laughs it off and says, "Heh, nobody asked you to do that. Heck, I thought you enjoyed it. Besides, you're real good at it. I'm excited to continue working with you." It isn't until a later conversation, when she brings up her concern for his carelessness and complete disregard for his own wellbeing, that he reconsiders his approach and promises to change.

It's actually a serious flaw of his, and Sylvain could easily be considered reckless to a fault--not only with the hearts of others, but with himself as a whole--and while some of this is likely due in part to some real, personal issues, and even some inherent desire to impress others on his own merits (literally, "The best way to impress people is to save them by diving into harm's way."), most of it does come from heartfelt good intent. In more than one instance, Sylvain has been known to rush to someone's aid in battle, regardless of the danger placed upon himself to do so--he's even proud when he gets hurt in their stead. "Besides," he says in one scene, "I got this scar fighting for you. It's almost like a medal or something." If it comes down to keeping himself safe or protecting someone he cares about, Sylvain will choose the latter without question. So what if he gets hurt? Wounds heal; injuries mend. Or, as he phrases it, "A little magic will take care of the wound. Some bed rest then I'm good to go out and do it all over again."

This intense loyalty is largely inspired by the Faerghus ideals that he grew up with, where striving to be a true knight, dedicated to serving one's homeland and their king above all else, is more than just commonplace. While he might not be as heavy-handed in it as some, Sylvain does still embody those ideals, for better or for worse. For example, even when Dimitri is at his worst, committing atrocities that Sylvain does admit are too awful to forget, all it takes is for him to own up to his past mistakes and show a sincere desire to move forward for Sylvain to give him that chance he asks for, stating, "We've been friends since we were kids. I'm gonna be there for him all the way to the end." He even made an attempt to reach out to Miklan, after everything he'd done to him. Before going into the battle in which his class is to fight his brother and his party of bandits, he pleads with the professor for his brother's sake: "He really is one of the worst people I've ever known, but we still... We share the same blood. We're still family."

But that level of dedication doesn't come easily! It's hard-won, and in fact, harder than he would have anyone expect even with how easily he flits from relationship to relationship. In playing the game, you'll find that Sylvain can earn supports--essentially, on-screen relationship building--with a whopping 17 other characters, including the protagonist. Some of these are serious, and most are some shade of silly, but the thing that stands out about this fact is that, of these 17 relationships? Only five progress past a B-level. In other words, only five people are able to get past the walls Sylvain has put up, earning enough trust that he would be willing to spend the rest of his life with them. Further, of those five--or four if you disregard the protag--only two of his childhood friends, two people who have known him for almost their entire lives already are able to reach an A+. This in and of itself shows how hesitant he is to let anyone any closer than he knowingly lets them, often only lowering his goofy mask at exactly the right moment for them to get a glimpse at his true self beneath, usually for their sake more so than his own. It's actually a bit contradictory, considering how often he so willingly throws women aside, but he does see great value in others' happiness...? It's often played off as a means to attract more ladies to flirt with, such as the opportunity during wartime, in which he complains that all the fighting has begun to weigh on them. His suggestion to throw a banquet to lift everyone's spirits can, of course, be taken to be pure frivolity... but isn't that exactly what's missing, during a war?

And that's the remaining piece, really! That keen observation, that innate awareness of everyone around him, which gets played down by not only others, but by himself as well. He's clever, both in wit and in ability, to a point in which he's able to understand complex magical formulas he's never seen before--and even go so far as to complain that the textbook has overcomplicated them. In this particular scene he actually seems pretty pleased with himself for a minute, especially when he can help his classmate, Annette, understand it all too. But the second she looks a bit too closely, he backtracks into his lackadaisical persona. Sylvain is far more competent in many ways than most will ever realize, and that's honestly just a tragedy of his own design. Because he doesn't want to stand out any further, to give others more reason to treat him like he's special, he consistently downplays how clever and talented he really, truly is.

But wait, you might ask, I thought he wanted to impress people! To which I say: yes! That's exactly right! But the difference is something as simple as expectation. If people expect him to impress, if they're always watching him and expecting something great, well. As he says, it's suffocating. But if no one expects anything? If everyone thinks he's just another good-for-nothing? That pressure magically disappears. Plus, when Annette presses further, with a, "You're strong and smart without even trying. It's not fair.", he seriously falters, defaults to more flirting, and then disengages after insisting that he'd only gotten lucky, and would normally never be able to outsmart her. He knows the game he's playing all too well, and he knows he's setting himself up to fail--"Guys like me who hate hard work and sorta get by on our wits? It all falls apart eventually. I'm smart enough to know that."--but that freedom to make mistakes without the shadow of his Crest or his status hanging over him easily wins out over the chance to become someone's new and shiny plaything... not to mention the risk of overshadowing someone else, who's trying twice as hard for something he just got lucky with.

ABILITIES/SKILLS:

Minor Crest of Gautier: A Crest inherited through blood, as a descendent of House Gautier. It's not exactly an 'ability', but rather an occasional source of added strength in battle--a kind of magical boost of sorts, as well as the link required to use the true power of his Relic, the Lance of Ruin. In canon, the Gautier Crest will occasionally increase the the strength of an attack when using combat arts, aka special skills learned through training. For the sake of translating this into a RP setting: essentially, his Crest will occasionally enhance an attack in battle, but only if Sylvain gets fancy with his weapons. He has no control over when it activates, however as his is only a Minor Crest, it would be considered infrequent at best.

Lance & Axe Proficiency: Although Sylvain's weapon of choice is undoubtedly a lance, he's also quite adept at wielding an axe as well. His training allows him to use a variety of combat arts... the majority of which, honestly, just translate to 'he can use these two weapons REALLY WELL and can adapt his use of them accordingly against a wide variety of enemies,' with one notable addition:
- Ruined Sky: Only usable while holding his Hero's Relic. Sylvain's Crest allows him to make use of the Lance of Ruin's true ability, a devastating lance attack most effective against flying units (and dragons, because apparently there's a distinction to be made there). It also increases evasion for the user. (Sylvain isn't likely to resort to using it often, but all the same I'll be limiting its use for the sake of NOT raining hell down every time a fight breaks out)
Riding Proficiency: Sylvain is the natural choice for a cavalry unit! He's as capable with his given weapons or magic from the back of a horse as he is from the ground, if not perhaps even more so with the additional mobility granted.

Knack for Black Magic: While Sylvain's strength admittedly lies in his skill with a lance, he does have a "budding talent" for Reason, aka Black Magic. This has allowed him to develop a proficiency with it--but only after some significant practice! Because of this, although he is able to wield magic, it will definitely take him some time (and even more practice...) before he's able to use it effectively in Fellden. He has access to the following spells:
- Fire: Basic fire magic; more appropriate to call it Fireball. Only used rarely, 10 uses before needing to recharge.
- Bolganone: Advanced fire magic. Used very rarely, 5 uses before needing to recharge.
- Ragnarok: Highest tier of fire magic. Used extremely rarely, 3 uses before needing to recharge.
- Sagittae: Magic arrows. Used very rarely, 10 uses before needing to recharge.

INVENTORY/COMPANIONS:

1x Lance of Ruin (Hero's Relic, allows for the use of Ruined Sky)
1x Steel Shield
3x Concoctions (Health Potions)

FACTION CHOICE: Court of Stars

REASON: Although Sylvain isn't the best example of an openly "idealistic" character by any means, his cynicism does often have roots in some inner idealism all the same. For example, he states at one point that war will always return, but then again so will peace--and that's what he's fighting for. He looks to and fights for the future, refuses to let himself dwell on the past, and focuses on what can be done in the moment rather than what might have been. He's willing to jump into harm's way for a friend, with several notable instances in which he reacted on instinct to save someone he cared about. Overall, for all he's been through personally, he's determined to keep his focus forward and strive for the best possible future he can reach, in which no one will have to go through what he or his brother did ever again.

TATTOO: Vulpecula in a dark pink color, centered on his back in-between his shoulder blades.

SAMPLES

NETWORK: +Marianne

LOG: TDM Top Level, +Dimitri

NOTES, QUESTIONS, COMMENTS: N/A