Lavi (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
papertrail) wrote2011-12-24 09:22 am
papertrail) wrote2011-12-24 09:22 am
Entry tags:
✎Essay: Personality
On the surface, Lavi is a chipper and friendly character, nosy, quirky and easy-going with a nice helping of playful (and a bit of a fail!womanizer) and being a bookworm. But it really only scratches the surface of a person who's really just playing an act, struggling with the conflicts between his role and that act slowly becoming a reality.
"Lavi" is a member of the Bookman Clan--a mysterious organization whose goal is to record the secret history of the world. At the early age of 6 he threw away his name and joined the older Bookman on an apprenticeship to take over his role (taking on a new name for every record, the current one being "Lavi"), traveling from battlefield to battlefield. Their purpose is to be impartial observers, and as such Lavi has had so shut off his emotions and isn't allowed to feel attachments--he makes an effort to keep a distance both to the things he sees and the people he meets. He became emotionally cold from this, and years of watching human conflict made him jaded and bitter to them. He figured humanity was of little worth for their constant fighting, always nagged by the question of "why".
But for the purposes of his records, he puts on a very different display. He acts friendly and energetic, always smiling and taking most things lightly. He fights the Akuma with a grin and teasing words, and seems to get an actual thrill out of kicking them around and being in the action.
Lavi has been at the Order for roughly 3 years now, which is the longest he's spent on a single record. And it shows. Gradually, Lavi's fake, cheerful demeanor began to become more genuine the longer he spent time as an Exorcist (referred to by fans and in the series as him having a "heart"). The hatred he initially held for humanity began to diminish, and he became genuinely attached to various Exorcists and finders and support among the organization. A finder named Doug even comments that after a year of having not seen each other Lavi's cheerful expression has become more genuine, and finally reaches his eyes. Lavi notes how the Order has begun to even feel like home to him. And as much as Lavi constantly reminds himself he's a Bookman and these people shouldn't mean anything to him, he recognizes that they do. And even though there's a bit of bitterness at his own role as a Bookman due to the conflicts of his attachments, he's still dedicated to his duty.
However, there is definitely still that Bookman nature to him. He's naturally curious, and pays close attention to the events and people around him to later record, and temporarily distancing himself during serious events (such as Lenalee's Innocence first crystallizing around her) to take note of what is going on to later put into his logs. He can still be cold and analytical, especially if a situation has become intense and he needs to think logically, dropping his cheerful mask.
Over the course of the series itself, though, we see a slight shift in Lavi's behavior. His initial bubbly and carefree attitude becomes a little more grounded and snarky. His distantly-peppy behavior is now more mature, and he's become more intimately aware of the people around him rather than just the events going on. It could be said he's slipping a bit more back into his original Bookman role, less jaded but still serious, and still attached to the members of the Order.
This part of him is generally what Lavi sees himself to be. He's an impartial observer, not meant to get mixed up in history beyond what's necessary to record it. He exists only to take note of everyone else's lives and move on, not even including himself in it. Simply a figure meant to be forgotten with time, only succeeded by the records he isn't included in (his favorite saying is "one encounter, one chance"). Conversely, Lavi's mask makes it so everyone else just sees him as a friendly, charming little goofball. Curious and a bit of a troublemaker, but overall likeable and even trustworthy. That trust is something he needs for his recording, after all.
As for Lavi's act, it very well is likely what his personality would be without the internal conflict of his role as a Bookman. Energetic, supportive, laid-back, blunt, a bit dramatic, teasing (even snarking with the enemy), and a prankster who enjoys pushing people's buttons for a reaction (he considers Kanda's short temper to be what's fun about him). As someone who plucks out Bookman's hairs one by one when he can't sleep (who does that) and gives most of the people he meets irritating nicknames, he can be kind of a jerk. The things he does for a rise can be genuinely frustrating, which he just brushes off with a whimsy smile and teasing words. It's not enough to make other people hate him, but it does establish him a reputation as being a troublemaker. He's also flirtatious, if badly, becoming stricken (even calling out the word "strike") with beautiful women and rather obviously (and obnoxiously) expressing his attraction. And he's not at all suave about it, or really about anything else. He can be clumsy in both the physical and emotional sense, at times reacting poorly to situations (and either upsetting people or just making an idiot of himself) as well as easily caught by surprise.
Lavi has a number of strengths to his personality. He can be logical and focused in serious and heated situations (provided it hasn't set off his temper in some way). He's very sociable and a people person, able to work with groups and different personalities very easily and flexibly. He can be supportive and encouraging as part of his friendly demeanor. He holds his smile and doesn't run from hard situations, standing by his allies even at risk of his own life despite his title. He nearly kills himself on the Ark to save Allen's life while Rhode was puppeting his body around.
One weakness of Lavi's is his poor handling of his emotions, especially anger. He can fly off the handle when he's been genuinely enraged, blowing up at people verbally and physically (yelling at Lenalee for her guilt over not helping Allen, attacking Tyki in a rage for thinking he killed Allen, etc). It can make him impulsive when he loses control of his emotions, in contrast to being more analytical and thoughtful when he can distance himself or work past them. He can also be a bit insensitive, either from his temper or his playful demeanor and genuinely upsetting and angering people without meaning to.
Lavi has a strong fondness for sleeping, taking naps and dozing all day on his days off, and using it as his ideal way to deal with stress. He likes reading enough it's listed as a hobby, and is most comfortable in his room surrounded by books.
Lavi's goal is to become the next Bookman, and continue to record the secret history of the world, and a lot of his motivation revolves around reaching his goal. His curiosity and logging push him to ask questions and get involved and nosy about the world around him, and to do what it takes to complete his task. But he also has drives developed from the growth of his heart. Protecting or helping his friends is just as much a motivator for him to get up and get involved, even if it catches him between his duties and desires at times.
"Lavi" is a member of the Bookman Clan--a mysterious organization whose goal is to record the secret history of the world. At the early age of 6 he threw away his name and joined the older Bookman on an apprenticeship to take over his role (taking on a new name for every record, the current one being "Lavi"), traveling from battlefield to battlefield. Their purpose is to be impartial observers, and as such Lavi has had so shut off his emotions and isn't allowed to feel attachments--he makes an effort to keep a distance both to the things he sees and the people he meets. He became emotionally cold from this, and years of watching human conflict made him jaded and bitter to them. He figured humanity was of little worth for their constant fighting, always nagged by the question of "why".
But for the purposes of his records, he puts on a very different display. He acts friendly and energetic, always smiling and taking most things lightly. He fights the Akuma with a grin and teasing words, and seems to get an actual thrill out of kicking them around and being in the action.
Lavi has been at the Order for roughly 3 years now, which is the longest he's spent on a single record. And it shows. Gradually, Lavi's fake, cheerful demeanor began to become more genuine the longer he spent time as an Exorcist (referred to by fans and in the series as him having a "heart"). The hatred he initially held for humanity began to diminish, and he became genuinely attached to various Exorcists and finders and support among the organization. A finder named Doug even comments that after a year of having not seen each other Lavi's cheerful expression has become more genuine, and finally reaches his eyes. Lavi notes how the Order has begun to even feel like home to him. And as much as Lavi constantly reminds himself he's a Bookman and these people shouldn't mean anything to him, he recognizes that they do. And even though there's a bit of bitterness at his own role as a Bookman due to the conflicts of his attachments, he's still dedicated to his duty.
However, there is definitely still that Bookman nature to him. He's naturally curious, and pays close attention to the events and people around him to later record, and temporarily distancing himself during serious events (such as Lenalee's Innocence first crystallizing around her) to take note of what is going on to later put into his logs. He can still be cold and analytical, especially if a situation has become intense and he needs to think logically, dropping his cheerful mask.
Over the course of the series itself, though, we see a slight shift in Lavi's behavior. His initial bubbly and carefree attitude becomes a little more grounded and snarky. His distantly-peppy behavior is now more mature, and he's become more intimately aware of the people around him rather than just the events going on. It could be said he's slipping a bit more back into his original Bookman role, less jaded but still serious, and still attached to the members of the Order.
This part of him is generally what Lavi sees himself to be. He's an impartial observer, not meant to get mixed up in history beyond what's necessary to record it. He exists only to take note of everyone else's lives and move on, not even including himself in it. Simply a figure meant to be forgotten with time, only succeeded by the records he isn't included in (his favorite saying is "one encounter, one chance"). Conversely, Lavi's mask makes it so everyone else just sees him as a friendly, charming little goofball. Curious and a bit of a troublemaker, but overall likeable and even trustworthy. That trust is something he needs for his recording, after all.
As for Lavi's act, it very well is likely what his personality would be without the internal conflict of his role as a Bookman. Energetic, supportive, laid-back, blunt, a bit dramatic, teasing (even snarking with the enemy), and a prankster who enjoys pushing people's buttons for a reaction (he considers Kanda's short temper to be what's fun about him). As someone who plucks out Bookman's hairs one by one when he can't sleep (who does that) and gives most of the people he meets irritating nicknames, he can be kind of a jerk. The things he does for a rise can be genuinely frustrating, which he just brushes off with a whimsy smile and teasing words. It's not enough to make other people hate him, but it does establish him a reputation as being a troublemaker. He's also flirtatious, if badly, becoming stricken (even calling out the word "strike") with beautiful women and rather obviously (and obnoxiously) expressing his attraction. And he's not at all suave about it, or really about anything else. He can be clumsy in both the physical and emotional sense, at times reacting poorly to situations (and either upsetting people or just making an idiot of himself) as well as easily caught by surprise.
Lavi has a number of strengths to his personality. He can be logical and focused in serious and heated situations (provided it hasn't set off his temper in some way). He's very sociable and a people person, able to work with groups and different personalities very easily and flexibly. He can be supportive and encouraging as part of his friendly demeanor. He holds his smile and doesn't run from hard situations, standing by his allies even at risk of his own life despite his title. He nearly kills himself on the Ark to save Allen's life while Rhode was puppeting his body around.
One weakness of Lavi's is his poor handling of his emotions, especially anger. He can fly off the handle when he's been genuinely enraged, blowing up at people verbally and physically (yelling at Lenalee for her guilt over not helping Allen, attacking Tyki in a rage for thinking he killed Allen, etc). It can make him impulsive when he loses control of his emotions, in contrast to being more analytical and thoughtful when he can distance himself or work past them. He can also be a bit insensitive, either from his temper or his playful demeanor and genuinely upsetting and angering people without meaning to.
Lavi has a strong fondness for sleeping, taking naps and dozing all day on his days off, and using it as his ideal way to deal with stress. He likes reading enough it's listed as a hobby, and is most comfortable in his room surrounded by books.
Lavi's goal is to become the next Bookman, and continue to record the secret history of the world, and a lot of his motivation revolves around reaching his goal. His curiosity and logging push him to ask questions and get involved and nosy about the world around him, and to do what it takes to complete his task. But he also has drives developed from the growth of his heart. Protecting or helping his friends is just as much a motivator for him to get up and get involved, even if it catches him between his duties and desires at times.