List of Headcanons
These are the current headcanons I have for Soren. They're based on both canon information and character development during RP. Headcanons containing sensitive topics will be marked with (TW) first.
1. (TW) Soren suffers from mild separation anxiety and attachment disorder due to his terrible childhood. This causes him to cling to certain people in what may be viewed as an "unhealthy" manner. While he still deals with his attachment disorder often (finding smiling to be difficult, having a hard time finding an appropriate balance of touch, social and emotional regulation, having the fearful-avoidant attachment style, etc.), his separation anxiety isn't as intense as it used to be.
2. While he is good at hiding it, he is afraid of thunderstorms because he is extremely prone to lightning damage. Since Dragon Laguz have a weakness to Thunder Magic, he has a slight weakness to it as well. It may also explain why he is adept in Wind Magic, as it beats Thunder in the Trinity of Magic.
3. Although he was certain he had feelings for Ike, he didn't necessarily develop physical attraction to him, or men in general, until after the Mad King's War when they had more time to spend together. This is possibly because he simply hadn't let himself focus on it during the war. His sexual attraction intensified as the years went on, allowing himself to fully delve into his feelings for the swordsman, and eventually others, after the Goddess War.
4. Soren is fluent in the Old Tongue of Tellius. Being forced to learn it in order to cast at a very young age, he continued his studies into his mid-teens until he knew enough to hold a casual conversation.
5. During his travels and upon meeting those from different universes, he has come hold a large dislike for firearms. He's mostly afraid of the loud sound they give off.
6. (TW) He used to suffer from suicidal thoughts and practice self-harm up until his mid-20s. Suffering through the physical abuse of his childhood, this propelled him into sadomasochism as a coping mechanism or a way to reclaim that kind of pain with his first partner who was heavily into it. His body still retains the scars, which he often keeps hidden under his robes.
7. He knows who his birth parents are and while he isn't fond of his lineage or his living mother, he has become more comfortable talking to others about it.
8. He isn't very good at cooking at all, but he still tries his hand at it.
9. Although he doesn't know his actual date of birth, he chose April 3rd because it was the day he and Ike first met.
10. This interpretation of Soren is based on both of his Japanese and localized personalities. While he can come across as very cold, mean, and angry, he also has a softer side that is merely aloof, formal, and blunt. If someone is willing to dig deep enough or catches his attention enough, he'll begin to display a deeper layer of himself that is very soft, loving, and subservient.
11. He hates the idea of having his own children, and this derives from the fear that he may be as apathetic towards that child as his caretakers were to him. But because of this very fear, if a child is ever in need, he will do everything in his power to properly assist them.
12. Soren is very good at ballroom dancing, learning how to do it as a child, though he rarely ever gets to do so.
13. He is not fond of Elincia specifically, for obvious reasons, but will not let his dislike of her get in the way of his and the Mercenaries' duties. This will be one of the hardest relationships for him to develop if she aims to have a friendship with him.
14. He goes off to Ike's room or to find him and fall asleep near him after he's had a terrible dream because the company helps him rest easier. Sometimes he sleeps in his bed, but he tries not to make a habit of it.
15. Having been away from Tellius for nearly a decade, his main goal is to find new suitable allies. His closest companionships are reflected in his Support Lists.
16. Due to his Goldoan background, he tans surprisingly well in the summer.
17. Soren didn't receive his name until the age of 8 or 9, found in one of his favorite books to read throughout his time at the monastery that took him in.
18. He is naturally up at the crack of dawn or right beforehand on a typical day.
19. His physical presentation is very important to him. His robes are always kept clean and wrinkle-free (when it can be helped), and each piece is chosen meticulously to bring his entire "look" together. His haircare routine is just as detailed, if not more, leaving his hair very soft to the touch.
20. Though he loves the cold, it's sometimes difficult for him to create body heat. He'll usually wrap or layer up, or if he's comfortable enough with someone, he'll cling to them subconsciously for more heat.
21. The items in his Major Acquired Items list hold some sort of memory or meaning to him. Since he is always on the go, and people come and go out of his life, the items serve as keepsakes. If ever necessary, he can let go of the smaller items (chopsticks, letters, calligraphy set) without batting an eye, but if he lost or damaged the bigger or more meaningful ones (Alastor, his Ike plush, Perda's journal), he wouldn't be able to forgive himself. A large majority of these items are located in his home, so no one would know about his collectables unless they came to visit.
22. Forehead kisses are his favorite type of kiss, especially those placed on his brand: the thing that his identity and self-esteem issues are directly tied to. It makes him feel loved in spite the terrible things he's been told as a Branded.
23. He has officially and completely retired his sage robes, opting to only wear his white archsage ones, signifying his shift in personality and to create more distinction for himself.
24. Though he appears and genuinely behaves more mild-mannered than he once was, he still uses it as a tactic to gain more allies and trust amongst those of interest. But no one is above his scrutiny and comments deriving from it.
25. He's quick to fluster when it comes to flirtateous conversations. Whether it be speaking on his personal romantic interests or someone trying to sway him, his natural response is to clam up, much to his chagrin. His expertise lies within his head, not his heart.
26. The magic in Tellius is based on the Ancient Language and requires a certain level of reading and understanding to be able to cast, unlike magicks outside of the continent (ie. other Fire Emblem games). The magic lies within the written spell and the tome is the conduit. Not only is Soren fluent in this language, his skill in magic is so high that he can cast at full power without speaking or reading the off spells. It begins with a thought of the words to build his energy and when he's in the zone, he can pull directly from the power of the words residing in the tome without thinking, and this is what makes his silent casting so dangerous. If he chooses to read off his spells, it's usually to create and maintain focus and spirit.
27. To add to the above, his silent casting can be still be affected by a Silence Staff if he's hit by one. He isn't very susceptible to it, but if he's hit, the same conditions apply to him as they do those who read their spells allowed, even if he recites the words in his head. The staff mainly serves as an inhibitor to mages to draw energy from their tomes.
28. After classing up to an Archsage, he decided to also learn to wield a knife but did not heavily focus on it until after the Goddess War. To this day, his isn't particularly skilled with a knife, throwing or direct (this especially), preferring to rely on magic and staves, but he can now do minor damage with it.
29. As someone with high magic, not only can he sense the disposition of magic within others, he is also attuned to some aspects of metaphysics. Particularly, he can sometimes hear spirits and has the ability to interact with the astral plane via dreams and meditation, though he isn't skilled in honing this ability. If he concentrates hard enough and the spirit wishes to be seen, he is able to see them.