rusted_flowers

PLAYER

NAME: Merlin
CONTACT: glassaxolotl#2594 on discord (*David Lynch pointing meme* “That’s him! That’s the guy who didn’t understand that usernames on here are for the characters! Kill him, girls!”)
ACTIVE TIMES/PACE: Oof I am new to dreamwidth so I don’t know exactly, but I do obsessively check my rp’s and tend to be awake and capable of accessing a computer from like 10 am to midnight EST.
BRACKETS/PROSE: Prose is what I am used to, but I often do shorter paragraphs rather than that really long multi paragraph style.
OFFENSIVE SUBJECTS & TRIGGERS: Forced hospitalization, dieting/weight loss, cancer, and detailed parental death (especially via sickness) are definitely my big ones. I can still read about them but I need a heads-up. Also, transphobia and fatphobia.

IN CHARACTER

PHYSICAL AFFECTION: Dedue has no idea how to react to physical affection. There was a time when he first met Dimitri where there was much more physical affection between them, including times where they shared a bed to cope with nightmares. But the prejudiced world of Faerghus has drilled all that out of him, and he considers any personal reciprocation of physical intimacy on his part to be a moment of weakness. He is also terrified that anyone who is too physically close to him - especially those with lighter complexions and/or from upper-class backgrounds - could be harmed by being associated with him. This fear has calmed somewhat since his time at Garreg Mach, but it is still there somewhere in the back of his brain. Once you break through all these many layers he has built, he is profoundly touch-starved.
PHYSICAL VIOLENCE: He often has to carry out violence as a part of his role as vassal. He tries to cut off all emotion from what he does, because he does it for the man he swore to protect. But deep down he hates violence. It reminds him of his childhood. And he would rather be crafting and helping things grow and feeding people. His natural inclination is towards talents that are all about life, but he lives in a world of war.
RELATIONSHIPS: I’m a multishipper by nature. Dedue of course is absolutely obsessed with Dimitri, who is just as obsessed with him. I always say, if you try to romance him, you are probably by nature gonna get Dimitri involved in some way too. They’re too tangled.
PSYCHIC & PSIONIC INFORMATION: None.
MAGICAL INFORMATION: He’s built up a tiny amount of faith (healing) magic from his interactions with Mercedes. She taught him some of the basics and also has encouraged him to rekindle his connection to Duscur spirituality, which helps channel the magic a bit better. He isn’t really much of a magic user by nature though, and he can only really close up tiny scrapes and bruises.
MEDICAL INFORMATION: He was severely beaten before waking up on the ship. I’m gonna handwave and say that he woke up in relatively better shape than he would have if he hadn’t been transported here. In his own timeline, depending on whether or not you did his paralogue, he either gets rescued and nursed back to health by nearby Duscur refugees, or… a very frustrating and sad alternative happens. The Dedue of this rp doesn’t know any of that. He has no idea what would’ve happened to him in his timeline.
In any case, the main injuries that he still has when he awoke include large cuts on his face and mouth, as well as a broken leg and ribs. He isn’t going to need years to recover the way he did in the base game, but he’s still not going to be able to do anywhere near as much as he’s used to doing. It is going to really frustrate him.
OFFENSIVE SUBJECTS & TRIGGERS: The genocide of Duscur is probably his biggest trigger. Especially when he thinks about his family. He still gets nightmares about that day sometimes. He also has a lot of trauma from his time living with Dimitri in Fhirdiad Castle after the Tragedy of Duscur. Dedue was treated horribly while he was there, and he also protected Dimitri through assassination attempts. He is terrified of being forcibly separated from Dimitri, and he is terrified of the idea of Dimitri dying. Dimitri was the one thing he could hold onto after his whole way of life ended. Now it's happening all over again.
In general, themes of racism, genocide, and eugenics would be triggering for him. Also, watching someone struggle with mental illness and knowing he can't help them.

OUT OF CHARACTER

BACKTAGGING: Sure
THREADHOPPING: Yep
FOURTHWALLING: Totally fine
NOT INTERESTED IN: Idk, I’m good for most things

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

VISUAL: Dedue is 6’8 with a broad muscular build and a bit of fat on his belly and chest. He has dark skin, sea-green eyes, and straight white hair with an undercut on both sides. He typically ties his hair into a manbun. He tends to wear heavy armor, and he always wears an earring that used to be part of a set that belonged to his sister. He either wears this on his ear or as a brooch. He enjoys wearing teals and dark blues, greens, or reds with hints of gold or silver. He also doesn’t make much eye contact with people.
AURAL: Dedue’s voice is a deep baritone. He probably actually has a beautiful singing voice, but the chronic social anxiety has nerfed him from ever actually doing anything with that. He speaks in a very Spock-like, matter-of-fact manner, without much inflection. He also does not talk much. With people he doesn’t trust, he can be completely silent. When letting his guard down, he talks more but still not a lot. He speaks the Fodlan language fluently enough that some people don’t realize it isn’t his first language. He spent a lot of time getting rid of any trace of a Duscur accent. Fumbling on pronunciation really embarrasses him, so he doesn’t talk unless he is sure of the words he is going to use.
OLFACTORY: Dedue has some woody colognes from plants harvested in the greenhouse. He also spends a lot of time cooking. So what I am saying is he probably smells incredible.
DEMEANOUR: The general impression you’d get is that he is an extremely quiet, reserved, and practical person. He is also deeply warm and caring in his own way - his love language is definitely acts of service and not words. He is characterized by an immense sense of patience, and he goes at a slower pace than most people are used to. He is more at home with plants than he is interacting with other people.

☆ code by kimmiserate ☆