🧊 » what does your character first notice about another individual ?
thought provoking character development || @reverdies (thank you!)
There's two things that F.antine firsts notices in an individual. One, is their clothing; two, is how they treat others.
Having been raised on the streets amongst throngs of poor, F.antine had to learn societal norms and rules through making mistakes, and most importantly, through visual cues. Unable to read, she could at least examine those around her and establish patterns of behaviour in correlation to the better quality clothes they wore. It wasn't fool proof, but it was enough to get by and understand where she stood with someone class wise based solely on the clothes they wore.
It aided her immensely while working the streets. Being able to identify those with more money meant she could prey on those richer men, however it was also a fine line. F.antine was not naive; while sailor and dock workers could cause immense harm, what separated them from middle and upper class men was the way in which the wealthy could wield the law against her should they wish to. Yes, loweclass men could too, but they were never as favoured as characters such as B.amatabois. Unlike their wealthier counterparts, the poorer men's efforts in utilising the law would usually be unsuccessful.
Judging someone by the cover of the book wasn't necessarily fair, but it meant keeping her safe. While poorer men could grow angry and violent, it never seemed to hurt as much as those wealthier men who provoked and hurt women like her for no other reason than for fun. They often had canes too which she came to find hurt more than a palm or fist.
If she should meet someone alone, then their clothing is a good indicator of the character of the individual and their treatment of others, but should she meet someone in a group setting then she usually tends to hang back and observe the others' interactions to gauge how she should respond. She may come across as cold and aloof, but she is merely trying to piece together someone's character and if they are worth her time. Sometimes she will go out of her way to avoid someone she believes to be untrustworthy or cruel, especially if their actions align with the category she has placed them in from appearance alone.
