...In Characters

laurel "the gentle" stokes

a strong, passionate, and driven man who seems stoic but is easily moved by stories of romance. you can get him to do pretty much anything by telling him a love story, happy or not, yours or not - "oh, my late husband did so love pillbugs..." and laurel is already off to find you one in their honour. he doesn't seem to have good luck in his own affairs, but it doesn't get him down for very long.

laurel is a bit stubborn in his view that love is the most important thing in the world, but he does feel that any love is the best kind; familial, platonic, romantic, unlabelable... as long as that feeling is there, you have to hold onto it, foster it, keep it close... this has lead him to some unfortunate times in his past though, as he's always a little too reluctant to let go. he's gotten burnt, no one can deny that, but he's as optimistic as he is hopelessly romantic.

that's not all there is too him though, of course. no, not by any means. laurel is a reliable man, one who takes his job seriously and hates cutting corners. brave, steadfast, and courteous, but as if he's realized he's not cut out for the leading role. well, the supportive best friend is just as good...

personality

• confident - he's strong and good-looking and oh, does he know it... he didn't put all that work into his looks just for it to go unnoticed, after all
• sappy - he can get a little too involved and moved by the stories people tell him...
• optimistic - but not naive, no... he always looks on the positive side, but he knows that not everyone goes through life kindly
• chivalrous - he's not a knight by any means, but had he been born in another time or place he could've been; he always looks out for those who need extra help and does anything he can to help them feel dignified and empowered
• ...well - now don't get me wrong, he is really well-learned and well-read, but... there's no two ways about it, this guy can be a real knucklehead sometimes!! he's a little clumsy, he's overly excitable, he sometimes jumps in without thinking, there's no end to his shenanigans... but he's really well meaning, so it's fine?!

design notes

• his left eye (your right side) is completely scarred over; his right eye is a bright, warm green colour with thick eyelashes
• he's quite muscular and has a large chest
• his hair is wavy and fluffy, but he likes to keep it in a bun
• he likes wearing jewelry and subtle yet glittery makeup, just a little bit to accentuate his features
• he wears flashy patterned shirts a lot, and mostly owns clothes in warm reddish-pink shades; very cowboy-like in style

motifs

• love letters
• hearts
• gold jewelry
• deserts
• horses

trivia

• he's very good at cat's cradle type puzzles and often teaches them to people during his travels
• he has a thing for single parents, but it never works out
• he's pretty good at singing, but he's shy about it
• he has a white horse with a faint speckled pattern; her name is lucy
• the incident that resulted in his eye injury is a bit of a sore topic for him, so to respect his privacy, that's all i'll say

inventory

item	item info
	letters ★★★
	cargo of the utmost importance; guards with his life. there are things in here more important than food or water.
	locket ★★★
	a locket containing faded photos completely lacking in detail. laurel has had this since he was a child, and doesn't know who the pictures show, but it feels important.
	flask ★☆☆
	a standard metal flask. it's not put aside for any specific use; laurel will put just about anything in here as long as it tastes good.

gallery

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