>>5435502The reference sheet consists of mostly notes and bulletpoints I do that only make sense in my own head but I'll try to explain the characters I've used as a base for Vlad's.
Since I wanted someone who could work as a middle man between Guts' archetype of being a human and fighting causality at the cost of his own body and sanity and Griffith's ethereal, pure appearing presence and magical and otherworldly abilities, only actually coming from good intended origins. Since there was no real Paladin in the Berserkverse or a proper spear lancer, it was pretty easy to fit right in. I had no experience with spear welders since they were never the focus on the type of media I usually consume, so it was an interesting experience to write one all the way through here. I thought of giving Vlad the jack of all trades perk since he started out by sparring with Judeau, but just like in the canon story, the blonde boy didn't have that much significance to the plot.
That leaves us with the 3 main characters I based him off in terms of morality, backstory and personality.
>Kenzo TenmaA doctor, a lover of life, a guy who no matter how many times is pressured into doing deplorable things, he still finds a way to hold on to hope and not give in to his inner Monsters™, though since he is a bit of a pussy who never resorts to violence, it was hard for Vlad to continue using him as a base, thusly--
>KenshiroIf he worked as a good basis for Guts, there's bound to be some scraps that work on Vlad. More specifically, his ideas that good does not necessarily means nice. Guts still gets to be more sadistic with his enemies like Kenshiro, but Vlad prefers to shit done. I guess I'd put Kiryu there since they both come off as brooding and vicious in battle but in general are pretty down to earth and thoughtful characters, but Kiryu has never killed anyone so I'd put it more on Kenshiro. If only Vlad could make people explode...
>Yang WenliMight be a bit of a stretch on this one since democracy isn't a thing here or in Ilos, but imitation is the best form of flattery and I needed room for one more of my fav characters.
Deep down, it's not in Vlad's nature to find fighting fun, or to even be a smart ruler. He just happens to find himself in a position that no one else is able to do the job other than him. There's nothing more that he wants than to live in peace and give zero fucks about Griffith or his war, but duty calls, and he will answer, finding ways to empower his allies through and establishing good foundations instead of having him relying on him all the time.
I could do more for a few other characters but you get the idea.
