Character Analysis: Lukas

[Res]

Hi! Right from the start Lukas emerged as a favourite character of mine in SoV, and not just for his voice. However, he seems to often be dismissed as a boring/’Nice’ character (he’s even been called stupid with regards to the Royal Sword revelation), so I thought I’d give some of my thoughts as to why I don’t think this is true.

(BTW, some of these thoughts are a mash-up of posts I’ve made on tumblr, so if you think you’ve read these before, it might be that you’ve come across my tumblr posts – and I’m not plagiarizing!)

I haven’t played Gaiden but I understand the dialogue is pretty sparse in that game, and I’m assuming a lot of the character writing in SoV was retrofitted to Gaiden’s story. It makes perfect sense to make Lukas, who acts as the player’s guide in the first chapter, the calm and experienced soldier, and I think a deal of care and consideration went into his backstory to give an explanation for why he is this way.

Firstly, let’s consider what we learn about his character early on in the game. His dialogue is not just explanatory for the sake of the reader; it also comes across as very measured and calculated, which is borne out by his English voice acting. He does not mince words and he says only what to need to at that time. Despite his role as tutor to the Ram villagers, he’s quite content to defer to Alm early on in the game, and he is not a leader; he prefers to work behind the scenes, a fact that is made more evident in the DLC, when he prepared a contingency plan that most of the Deliverance was not privy to. Both of these traits can cause him to be read as ‘cold’ or ‘dull’, however, I thought he came across as someone who’s been conditioned to suppress emotions to the extent that he struggles to recognize them in himself, and who takes himself by surprise when he does react strongly.

It was really interesting, then, to read his support with Clive, and to see his dialogue with Alm in Act 3, where Lukas talks of his family and upbringing. From the former we learn that Lukas does indeed feel detached and emotionless. From the latter we can deduce that Lukas had an abusive childhood – if not physically, then at least emotionally. He is not close to his family, he does not speak as if he misses them; his father forced him to train as a soldier, and his brother forced him to join the Deliverance in the hopes that Lukas might die. Incidentally one hallmark of childhood emotional abuse is the unconscious numbing of emotions as a preservation technique, resulting in a personality that presents as rather cold and unfeeling. It’s not the only possible explanation for Lukas’s personality but it’s probably the best assumption we can make given what details the writers have given us.

Here are some other consequences of childhood emotional abuse that fit with the information available to the player:

• Feelings can unconsciously bottle up until the pressure grows so great that they’re released at the slightest provocation. In the DLC we learn that Lukas can (and has) lose his temper; he beat up a former member of the Deliverance when the latter called him a ‘backwater buffoon’. Such an insult would be a flimsy excuse for any person to start a fight, unless it was the cherry on the icing for a man like Lukas.
• Victims are often very self-critical and prone to thinking more highly of others than of themselves. This fits perfectly with Lukas’s lack of leadership desires/tendencies, as well as with his introspection in his supports.
• Lukas really enjoys reading – and not just any old book, he prefers novels to, say, books on tactical warfare. For people with suppressed emotions, pastimes like reading are great because they allow for emotional output in a safe, controlled environment. I like to headcanon that despite how Lukas presents, he’s probably found himself having the occasional cry over a good story.

In short, I feel as if the writers were very deliberate in their choice of backstory for Lukas, and that they did a great job at presenting a character with minimal lines. I also don’t think it coincidental that we learn more about Lukas’s upbringing than is typical for a Fire Emblem character, since it seems key to his character.

Now, as to accusations of his stupidity in Chapter 3; here’s why I disagree, and think he’s actually displaying intelligence and caution:

Here’s the dialogue from the scene:

Tobin: Whooooooa! Check the sword! That is one impressive piece of hardware! I’m just gonna—
Tobin: Hng…! Whu… Huh? This thing weighs a ton! It won’t…budge…
Lukas: This must be the Royal Sword of Zofia.
Alm: What’s that?
Lukas: Long ago, Rigel presented this sword to Zofia as a symbol of friendship. It’s a very special treasure—only one of royal blood can lift it.
Alm: Hmm… Interesting. Here, Tobin—let me have a go at it.
Tobin: You?! Pfft, please. If I can’t lift it, there’s no way that— Huh?!
Alm: Sometimes I don’t get you, Tobin. This thing’s light as a feather. Was this all some kind of jape? Who put you up to this?
Tobin: But…but it wasn’t a jape! Zero japes! I thought my arms would snap just trying to lift it!
Alm: Hmm. But that means…
Lukas: By the gods… You can wield the Royal Sword! …Hmm, what DOES that mean? Alm, are you… (Note: This is one of Lukas’s most emotive lines in the entire game)
Alm: …… O-oh, come on. It’s just some legend. You don’t actually BELIEVE it, right? I’m sure everyone can use this thing! Well, except Tobin. And…um… Look, I’m sure the Zofian royals made up a story to keep folks from nicking it.
Lukas: …Well, that didn’t exactly work out now, did it? But perhaps you’re right. Tales do have a habit of getting taller with time. Either way, it seems clear the blade belongs with you. (Note: Lukas’s voice actor, here, returns to Lukas’s usual dry delivery; all hint of emotion is gone again).
Alm: Are you sure? I mean, we could have other people give it a shot.
Lukas: It wouldn’t work. You alone seem able to tame this legend. And we wouldn’t want to see so fine a treasure wasted, would we? Take it.

First of all, the choice of characters to include in this scene is worth noting. We have Lukas rather than Clive: Clive, who’s already be shown to be pondering Alm’s parentage, would be far more interested in the sword and whether or not the legend is true, which would ruin the story at this stage for the writers. It also adds to the knowledge we have (or will gain later in the DLC) of Lukas’s academic interests; I can imagine Lukas coming across this legend in a history book, perhaps at Zofia castle itself. We also have Tobin rather than the other Ram villagers: Tobin the joker, who’s more easily dismissed by the others, and who isn’t going to dwell on what it implicates for Alm.

Secondly, let’s look at Lukas’s dialogue in particular:

• Lukas is the one to introduce the legend to Alm and Tobin in the first place. He’s obviously very familiar with the legend, since it’s the first thing that comes to his mind, and he probably does believe in it, or else he wouldn’t bring it up once Tobin shows he can’t lift the sword. Lukas is shown to be judicious with his words and he doesn’t speak in haste.
• Lukas is genuinely astonished by Alm’s ability to lift the sword, displaying a rare showing of raw emotion. We know Lukas is not unintelligent and we can assume he is putting two-and-two together here (I also like to headcanon that Lukas was persuaded by Mycen to try and recruit Alm; it would fit with Lukas’s character that he would be tenacious, and he gives up rather too easily at trying to recruit Mycen at the beginning of the game).
• Immediately after Lukas is shown to be wondering whether Alm is of royal blood, he changes his tone and is more than happy to dismiss the legend – which he brought up in the first place, mind you – and agree that tales grow taller with time.
• This is the important part: Lukas dismisses the idea that anyone else should attempt to lift the sword. He doesn’t even try to lift it himself!

In fact, Lukas not only discourages Alm from giving other people a try, he says in particular that ‘it wouldn’t work’. But Lukas, you just agreed that the legend is probably untrue! ‘It wouldn’t work’ suggests that Lukas still believes that the legend IS true and that he believes no one other than Alm is able to lift the sword.

So, why doesn’t Lukas expound on the significance of the sword from there? In fact, why doesn’t Alm? Bad writing on the part of the writers? Not necessarily… think of what the consequences would be: Alm is already the leader of the Deliverance, so announcing Alm to be of royal blood couldn’t cause him to rise any further up in the ranks at this point. Additionally, Clive announced Alm as leader of the Deliverance precisely because of his ‘common’ blood – so far everyone minus Fernand has shown to be on board with this, so Alm being revealed to be of royal blood at this stage would only be detrimental to the Deliverance’s cause, especially since the reveal would be on the rather flimsy basis of a legendary sword. It fits perfectly with Lukas’s calculating, tactical mind that he’d think it better that Alm’s ability to wield the sword be kept from the rest of the army at this stage, hence why he’s quite happy to agree with Alm that the legend is probably false. As for Alm himself, it’s only natural that he dismisses the legend; accepting that everything you’ve known about your heritage could possibly be false is a huge deal at this stage, and most people would probably react the same way if they were in Alm’s shoes.

Of course, the real purpose of this scene is a) to give Alm a better and unique weapon at this stage, fitting to Fire Emblem lore and his status as the main character and b) to give yet another heavy hint to the player (in case we weren’t paying attention before) as to Alm’s true heritage. But all of that doesn’t mean that the writers didn’t also put some thought into the choice of characters and the dialogue.

[Anomalocaris]

That's an interesting perspective. Aside from the conversation about his brother, I never got the impression that his childhood was particularly abusive. Instead, to me, Lukas comes across very strongly as a born high-functioning sociopath who is only recently starting to realize how different and disconnected he is.

He does not experience emotions the same way other people do, and displays insecurity over that fact in his support with Clive. In his support with Python, he also mentions that he courted a woman for some time, but since leaving her for the Deliverance does not feel a strong desire to see her again, and questions if he ever even loved her to begin with, or if he's even capable of feeling love. This suggests that he tried to be "normal" by courting a woman, as is expected of him, but it didn't stick because that's just not who he is. He's most likely either asexual or simply can't develop romantic feelings due to an inability to emotionally connect, or both.

There's also the base conversation where he mentions that his elder brother basically sent him to die. It's a horrible, horrible thing that nearly any other character in the game would express righteous indignation over, but Lukas simply analyzes it. And similarly, his final map quote is just a very matter-of-fact "A battle between gods and mortals? Sounds exhilirating." where nearly everyone else has some kind of passion in their dialogue. And finally, of course, there's his actions in Rise of the Deliverance, which I'll avoid spoiling just in case but definitely showcase his detachment further.

All in all I think he's a very interesting character. I thought he was bland as bread when he was first introduced, but now that I know there's an in-universe reason for his lack of characterization he's become one of my favorites. It's also notable in that sociopaths are rarely depicted as anything either than a very callous villain or an absurdly-caricaturized ally, like Henry and Beruka. Lukas is much more "normal" and realistic by comparison, which fits Echoes' characterization trend.

Edited June 27, 2017 by Anomalocaris

[Tryhard]

2 hours ago, Res said:

I haven’t played Gaiden but I understand the dialogue is pretty sparse in that game, and I’m assuming a lot of the character writing in SoV was retrofitted to Gaiden’s story. It makes perfect sense to make Lukas, who acts as the player’s guide in the first chapter, the calm and experienced soldier, and I think a deal of care and consideration went into his backstory to give an explanation for why he is this way.

There wasn't much to go on apart from him being the first playable soldier. He wasn't even polite, considering the only real dialogue he had in Gaiden was at the beginning where he called Mycen cowardly in old age for not wanting to go to war. So he and almost all the other characters writing was completely new.

You could also call Gaiden Alm different from Echoes Alm in small amount of dialogue even main character Alm got, so it would be safe to judge them from a purely Echoes standpoint.

Edited June 27, 2017 by Tryhard

[Res]

13 minutes ago, Anomalocaris said:

He does not experience emotions the same way other people do, and displays insecurity over that fact in his support with Clive. In his support with Python, he also mentions that he courted a woman for some time, but since leaving her for the Deliverance does not feel a strong desire to see her again, and questions if he ever even loved her to begin with, or if he's even capable of feeling love. This suggests that he tried to be "normal" by courting a woman, as is expected of him, but it didn't stick because that's just not who he is. He's most likely either asexual or simply can't develop romantic feelings due to an inability to emotionally connect, or both.

There's also the base conversation where he mentions that his elder brother basically sent him to die. It's a horrible, horrible thing that nearly any other character in the game would express righteous indignation over, but Lukas simply analyzes it. And similarly, his final map quote is just a very matter-of-fact "A battle between gods and mortals? Sounds exhilirating." where nearly everyone else has some kind of passion in their dialogue. And finally, of course, there's his actions in Rise of the Deliverance, which I'll avoid spoiling just in case but definitely showcase his detachment further.

All in all I think he's a very interesting character. I thought he was bland as bread when he was first introduced, but now that I know there's an in-universe reason for his lack of characterization he's become one of my favorites. It's also notable in that sociopaths are rarely depicted as anything either than a very callous villain or an absurdly-caricaturized ally, like Henry and Beruka. Lukas is much more "normal" and realistic by comparison, which fits Echoes' characterization trend.

I don't disagree with anything you've said here; I definitely do agree that he reads as either asexual or aromantic or both. 

That being said, I disagree that he behaves as a sociopath, even given his DLC behaviour (which depicts cunning, but not cruelty, IMO). Sociopaths by any definition are typically manipulative, sometimes recklessly so, and are often ambitious (similarly so for psychopaths). Lukas displays cunning and intelligence but he bears no malice, nor does he manipulate others. He also doesn't display a lack of empathy or understanding (I also appreciate his sense of humour!).

However, his personality traits could certainly be innate and not as a result of childhood abuse. I prefer to headcanon the latter, but the former is also possible!

10 minutes ago, Tryhard said:

There wasn't much to go on apart from him being the first playable soldier. He wasn't even polite, considering the only real dialogue he had in Gaiden was at the beginning where he called Mycen cowardly in old age for not wanting to go to war. So he and almost all the other characters writing was completely new.

You could also call Gaiden Alm different from Echoes Alm in small amount of dialogue even main character Alm got, so it would be safe to judge them from a purely Echoes standpoint.

Thank you for the information!

I was looking up the game script today and yes, there certainly doesn't seem to be much. And it looks as if the whole Royal Sword bit is entirely new?

[Anomalocaris]

47 minutes ago, Res said:

That being said, I disagree that he behaves as a sociopath, even given his DLC behaviour (which depicts cunning, but not cruelty, IMO). Sociopaths by any definition are typically manipulative, sometimes recklessly so, and are often ambitious (similarly so for psychopaths). Lukas displays cunning and intelligence but he bears no malice, nor does he manipulate others. He also doesn't display a lack of empathy or understanding (I also appreciate his sense of humour!).

That's actually not true, that's just the Hollywood definition of sociopathy and its related forms. Sociopaths certainly can be manipulative, ambitious dastards (Like Desaix, if we're sticking with SoV characters), but it's by no means an absolute indicator of behavior. Many aren't, and many are much like Lukas in that they're genuinely pleasant people, they just have that emotive disconnect and low affective empathy that sets them apart from humanity.

In fact, Lukas being a good person and non-stereotypical example is a pretty welcome change of pace.

Edited June 27, 2017 by Anomalocaris

[Res]

Just now, Anomalocaris said:

That's actually not true, that's just the Hollywood definition of sociopathy and its related forms. Sociopaths certainly can be manipulative, ambitious dastards (Like Desaix, if we're sticking with SoV characters), but it's by no means an absolute indicator of behavior. Many aren't, and many are much like Lukas in that they're genuinely pleasant people, they just have that emotive disconnect and low affective empathy that sets them apart from humanity.

See, I agree that sociopaths often get shafted in media, so I was trying to draw from medical diagnosis criteria there. Thinking ambitious coworker rather than on-screen villain! And of course ambition doesn't necessarily mean to evil desires. 

One reason I love Lukas is because we share that emotive disconnect and low affect (as well as being mistaken for cold/uncaring, I've had almost identical conversations to Lukas's supports with Forsyth/Python/Clive with friends in the past), so, granted, I'm more likely to not want to apply the sociopath label as a result, but I also genuinely think it's not the best fit for him. 

[Anomalocaris]

15 minutes ago, Res said:

See, I agree that sociopaths often get shafted in media, so I was trying to draw from medical diagnosis criteria there. Thinking ambitious coworker rather than on-screen villain! And of course ambition doesn't necessarily mean to evil desires. 

One reason I love Lukas is because we share that emotive disconnect and low affect (as well as being mistaken for cold/uncaring, I've had almost identical conversations to Lukas's supports with Forsyth/Python/Clive with friends in the past), so, granted, I'm more likely to not want to apply the sociopath label as a result, but I also genuinely think it's not the best fit for him. 

It's a bit of a nebulous term, so it probably comes down to a difference in school of thought. Though I also specifically said "high-functioning", that's an important delineation.

I don't see the sociopath label as being inherently bad or insulting, so I'm probably less hesitant to apply it where I see fit, too.

Edited June 27, 2017 by Anomalocaris

[paladin21]

Maybe Lukas' cool calm and collected acting is just a means to survive just because his own emotions could destroy him. It's possible that he had a huge fight with his brother in the past in which he got the upper hand, almost killing his brother, something he really feels ashamed of. These feelings of guilt and shame would make him try to suppress any other feelings he may be having, both for his sake and that of the people around him. His brother would want him banished from their land for this reason as well.

This would also match with the idea he has of not having loved the woman. At first, he'd negate the feelings he had, eventually thinking everything was most likely a wish he had in his mind. The reason behind this could be, either his need of being near the woman he loved (he couldn't imagine his life without her), or he wanting to spare that woman of the sorrow of having her beloved in constant danger or even losing him. It's also possible that she didn't actually love him, and thinking that he didn't love her either, somewhat easies the pain. Like settling the score.

[Res]

Woah, that's somehow a darker take on his history than my suggestion of emotional child abuse, haha. Either way, he's definitely far from boring!

[Cymbalina's Revenge]

On June 27, 2017 at 5:58 PM, Res said:

I don't disagree with anything you've said here; I definitely do agree that he reads as either asexual or aromantic or both. 

That being said, I disagree that he behaves as a sociopath, even given his DLC behaviour (which depicts cunning, but not cruelty, IMO). Sociopaths by any definition are typically manipulative, sometimes recklessly so, and are often ambitious (similarly so for psychopaths). Lukas displays cunning and intelligence but he bears no malice, nor does he manipulate others. He also doesn't display a lack of empathy or understanding (I also appreciate his sense of humour!).

I think Lukas is a gift of a character and I don't know which camp I fall into of the "Why Lukas Is That Way" theories I've seen (child abuse vs sociopathy vs ASD) but I do want to point out that his retreat quote is something along the lines of "Was I too ambitious?" which struck me as weird when I got it mid-battle because ambition didn't, at the time, seem to be his hallmark. Still doesn't, really.

As far as manipulation goes... despite his own emotional disconnect he's able to handle other people with surprising deftness whether it's Alm & the other villagers (I agree 110% with your reading of the Royal Sword scene) or his suggestion that Alm proceed with a "good-hearted" invasion to gather public support in Rigel that's bound to have collateral damage but hey, just a suggestion. It's not malicious manipulation by any means, but there are things about his way of handling people that are... interesting. Also one (value-neutral) trait of the sociopath is seeking out stimulation... and Lukas is the one who looks to the prospect of killing a god with a little smile on his face and the thought it might be, well, stimulating. I don't know that the interpretation can be ruled out.

But then again, FE's had some pretty spectacular misfires when it comes to characters with mental illness or forms of neurodivergence and Lukas may not precisely map to anything but he's a hell of a lot more interesting to me than someone like Noire, whose presentation made me cringe. (Not saying it's not OK to like Noire but I personally don't.)

[Carter]

I really like Lukas. I think he's very nice and very handsome, and I love the sound of his voice. However, the lack of emotion Lukas displays is kinda off-putting to me. I still like Lukas for who he is, but I do think there are more interesting characters.

For example, Mae and Leon are two characters who show a wide range of emotions; excitement, sadness, sass. And this is great because you can really see how certain actions or events affect them. To me, that makes them more likable and friendly.

[Res]

1 hour ago, Cymbalina's Revenge said:

I think Lukas is a gift of a character and I don't know which camp I fall into of the "Why Lukas Is That Way" theories I've seen (child abuse vs sociopathy vs ASD) but I do want to point out that his retreat quote is something along the lines of "Was I too ambitious?" which struck me as weird when I got it mid-battle because ambition didn't, at the time, seem to be his hallmark. Still doesn't, really.

As far as manipulation goes... despite his own emotional disconnect he's able to handle other people with surprising deftness whether it's Alm & the other villagers (I agree 110% with your reading of the Royal Sword scene) or his suggestion that Alm proceed with a "good-hearted" invasion to gather public support in Rigel that's bound to have collateral damage but hey, just a suggestion. It's not malicious manipulation by any means, but there are things about his way of handling people that are... interesting. Also one (value-neutral) trait of the sociopath is seeking out stimulation... and Lukas is the one who looks to the prospect of killing a god with a little smile on his face and the thought it might be, well, stimulating. I don't know that the interpretation can be ruled out.

But then again, FE's had some pretty spectacular misfires when it comes to characters with mental illness or forms of neurodivergence and Lukas may not precisely map to anything but he's a hell of a lot more interesting to me than someone like Noire, whose presentation made me cringe. (Not saying it's not OK to like Noire but I personally don't.)

Those are some great points! I absolutely agree that he reads others very well and he obviously uses that ability to be able to blend in. I'm certainly not discounting other explanations and this is one example of where I really wish we could ask the writers what their intentions were! (Although a little ambiguity is always good; it causes a wider audience to resonate with the character).

And thank you for agreeing with my interpretation of that scene, it's always good to know I'm not alone.

11 minutes ago, Carter said:

I really like Lukas. I think he's very nice and very handsome, and I love the sound of his voice. However, the lack of emotion Lukas displays is kinda off-putting to me. I still like Lukas for who he is, but I do think there are more interesting characters.

For example, Mae and Leon are two characters who show a wide range of emotions; excitement, sadness, sass. And this is great because you can really see how certain actions or events affect them. To me, that makes them more likable and friendly.

Thank you for chiming in! I actually love that you find him a little off-putting; universally-liked characters are usually unrealistic, anyway. What you find off-putting is what endears me all the more to Lukas; I relate to not being able to display a wide range of emotions and I get rather uncomfortable around overly emotional people. 

It was pointed out to me elsewhere that Lukas seems to be really trying to reach out to Clive in their support, and that Clive doesn't see this and that frustrates Lukas immensely. I agree wholeheartedly with this interpretation and I think it's reflective of how some players see him, too.

[ChibiToastExplosion]

Lukas is the man! Although as a connoisseur of old Gaiden, I was at first put off by the fact he didn't follow in the "Mycen is a punk ass bitch" vein, because that's how I remembered him - that, and the fact that he had one of the few good portraits.

As the game progressed, however, I loved the new Lukas more and more, and he was definitely up there in the cast. The DLC really made him shine, however, and between him/clive/fernand, it really made the DLC worth every penny.

I personally like his calm, often pragmatic approach. I'm not quite as detached as he seems to be, but I'm often very pragmatic first before feeling and that's often strange for others.

[Cymbalina's Revenge]

1 hour ago, Res said:

It was pointed out to me elsewhere that Lukas seems to be really trying to reach out to Clive in their support, and that Clive doesn't see this and that frustrates Lukas immensely. I agree wholeheartedly with this interpretation and I think it's reflective of how some players see him, too.

Yeah, Lukas appears to want the emotional validation that you see in many senior knight/junior knight supports through FE and Clive is just... not good for that sort of thing. He's getting what he needs out of their relationship and that Lukas isn't getting reciprocation isn't on his radar.

Small wonder Forsyth ends up as Clive's deputy in the long run.

[Res]

13 hours ago, ChibiToastExplosion said:

I personally like his calm, often pragmatic approach. I'm not quite as detached as he seems to be, but I'm often very pragmatic first before feeling and that's often strange for others.

Yay for pragmatism! I've found it's not just strange for others but it sometimes actually scares others, and I've always found that to be sad/odd. 

And yes, the DLC was worth it - especially for Fernand, too!

13 hours ago, Cymbalina's Revenge said:

Small wonder Forsyth ends up as Clive's deputy in the long run.

I love to hate Clive, so this is just more fodder for my hatred, haha.

Lukas's epilogue is pretty great, I think! The role of a teacher suits him and I like that he's left single. 

[L9999]

On 2017-6-29 at 8:22 PM, ChibiToastExplosion said:

Lukas is the man! Although as a connoisseur of old Gaiden, I was at first put off by the fact he didn't follow in the "Mycen is a punk ass bitch" vein, because that's how I remembered him - that, and the fact that he had one of the few good portraits.

As the game progressed, however, I loved the new Lukas more and more, and he was definitely up there in the cast. The DLC really made him shine, however, and between him/clive/fernand, it really made the DLC worth every penny.

I personally like his calm, often pragmatic approach. I'm not quite as detached as he seems to be, but I'm often very pragmatic first before feeling and that's often strange for others.

1992 Lukas says "Sir Mycen has grown soft on his old age," not "Sir Mycen has grown cowardly on his old age." It fits 2017 Lukas.

[Alm(mond)]

Seeing this thread has made me happy since I am 1000% in love with Lukas and his character. Your perspective on his character has made some interesting points that I didn't even think about. However I didn't think of him having an abusive childhood. I saw it more along the lines of a strict noble upbringing have him being made to fit a certain role in the family. The part with his brother forcing him to join the delievernce to die could have been because he fears Lukas possibly one day could end up taking the head of the family due to how "cold and calculating" he is. 

[ChibiToastExplosion]

1 hour ago, L9999 said:

1992 Lukas says "Sir Mycen has grown soft on his old age," not "Sir Mycen has grown cowardly on his old age." It fits 2017 Lukas.

And that's literally his only line. The beauty of the NES cast was that you could take the one line and run with it - imagination filled the gaps that more text didn't fill.

In that sense, Mycen was indeed a punk ass and Lukas had the sprite of a rebellious albeit handsome soldier. I love it.

[Res]

2 hours ago, Alm(mond) said:

Seeing this thread has made me happy since I am 1000% in love with Lukas and his character. Your perspective on his character has made some interesting points that I didn't even think about. However I didn't think of him having an abusive childhood. I saw it more along the lines of a strict noble upbringing have him being made to fit a certain role in the family. The part with his brother forcing him to join the delievernce to die could have been because he fears Lukas possibly one day could end up taking the head of the family due to how "cold and calculating" he is. 

I'm glad you like the thread!

One thing I should note is that I was looking specifically at symptoms of emotional child abuse; this doesn't have to even be direct emotional abuse, but the product of an unhealthy environment (which could fit right in with a strict noble upbringing!). 

Even if Lukas was born that way, he evidently didn't get the support he needed at home.

[Anomalocaris]

I'm still in the "high-functioning sociopath" camp, but it's interesting to see other people's interpretations. The need for stimulation is an interesting point that I overlooked.

[Hero_Lucina]

On 6/30/2017 at 11:36 AM, Res said:

Lukas's epilogue is pretty great, I think! The role of a teacher suits him and I like that he's left single. 

This is why I headcanon him as asexual aromantic, and it's actually kind of nice to see that.

(Also I'm not sure if this counts as necroposting so...)

[Res]

6 hours ago, Hero_Lucina said:

This is why I headcanon him as asexual aromantic, and it's actually kind of nice to see that.

(Also I'm not sure if this counts as necroposting so...)

It's not necropostin; the last post in this thread before yours was only made last Saturday. :)

And it's really nice; he is probably the most explicitly ace/aro character I've come across!

[Hero_Lucina]

4 hours ago, Res said:

It's not necropostin; the last post in this thread before yours was only made last Saturday. :)

And it's really nice; he is probably the most explicitly ace/aro character I've come across!

And it honestly makes the most sense that he's single in the ending. 

[Rex Glacies]

I just got to the Royal Sword part, and I have a few things to say.

Firstly, I love Lukas. He's probably one of my favorites in this game so far, alongside Clair and Catria. He is a definitive "cold and calculating" character, but is on the good side, which is not often seen.

I like your analysis of him - his analytical and emotionless demeanor comes from abuse and neglect. If I might add something, I believe when he mentioned why he joined the Deliverance to Alm (his brother forced him basically to either be killed or make the brother look good) he says so simply as a fact. He has no contempt or scorn for his brother's actions; they simply happened.

Another thing I noted is that Lukas is immensely passive and would rather follow orders than make his own plans. For instance; in the Deliverance, Lukas doesn't try to spite his brother. He doesn't try to escape or sully his family's name - he simply does what he was told. This fits with his "behind the scenes" attitude. Lukas isn't willing to make decisions - he would rather follow and/or influence others. It also explains why he gave up on recruiting Mycen so easily. Lukas was just following orders, and when Mycen said no, Lukas didn't pursue it. Lukas was tasked with asking Mycen to join, not convince him.

This passiveness may also be why he was "stupid" in the Royal Sword scene. When I heard and read what Lukas was saying, I knew Lukas knew Alm was of royal blood. However, Lukas adhered to Alm's explanation because Lukas wasn't willing to "decide" that Alm was a royal. He would rather hide behind the scenes and wait for Alm's lineage to reveal itself, not be the one to reveal it himself.

Mind you, I haven't finished to game yet nor done the DLC, so I'm not certain if my thoughts are true in the later game. However, I still think it is a reasonable theory.