do garen's emotions or personal ties effect his training or motivation? or how he acts in battle?
garen tries very, very hard to be a practical and lawful man. he is a person of absolutes, after all. there is no room for doubt or ‘gray’ within his conscious and his world. garen operates with this mentality as a means of survival; it is necessary for the position of power and leadership that he holds. demacia cannot afford hesitation, doubt, or fault; therefore, as their might, he cannot either. garen believes himself to be a person ruled by what he considers to be morally right ( his sense of morality is damn near unshakable ). however, despite how much he considers himself to be logical and just, that does not change the fact that in truth he very much is influenced by his emotions and personal ties.
his motivation is rooted in his sense of devotion, which is in measures of absolutes as well ( there are no half measures from garen crownguard; he is either nothingness or totality ). garen is devoted to his nation, and most importantly, to his people. he adores them, he serves them, and he will die defending them from the evils that threaten them. this sense of loyalty to his nation fuels him to continue to strive to be a symbol of perfection, the embodiment of their ideals, and their greatest defender. while garen does not consider his adoration and devotion to be emotional motivations, they very much are emotional in nature ( in truth, garen considers his loyalty to his nation and people to be akin to lawful fact; it is a necessary motivation to have in order to continue to serve with as much fervor as he does ).
while garen is incredibly formal and reserved, what few personal ties he does hold are incredibly intense. he is not the most socially apt man, and even with those he does develop a personal connection with, he is still rather guarded. he can be quite impersonal in how he interacts with people, but in truth, once his loyalty is won it is a very deep sense of devotion. with this in mind, he expresses this sense of love and loyalty through action— by doing things for them, serving them, or try to be the best possible version of himself he can be for them. these people typically include lovers, his sister, people he manages to build a friendship with, and his two childhood friends, taric and jarvan iv.
these things very much influence how garen fights, both in training and on the battlefield. he is determined, he is unshakable, and all things considered, he is a rather level headed leader. garen believes very adamantly in leading by example, which is another reason why he holds himself to such a high moral standard. his sense of devotion to his nation, people, and his loved ones motivates him to keep fighting, to keep improving, to never stop ( garen will never waver; only in death will the might finally fall ). garen feels as if his nation and his people have continued to hold him up at his lowest points, and so he feels he owes them everything he can possibly give to protect them, so that they may live out their lives peaceful and happily. garen knows war and battle are part of life, but he will shoulder as much burden as he possibly can; demacia is a nation who gives and protects one another, so he will protect it until his dying breath.
