APPEARANCE

By the virtue of being older than the other boys, Leon looks particularly adult-like compared to the rest: he is tall - yet still growing - and has wide shoulders and a somewhat long, mature face with a strong jawline. His general build is adult-like and strong, although still with a hint of adolescence that gives him a youthful charm. His hair is brown and usually somewhat messy, hair falling over his deep blue eyes. His eyes are somewhat narrow and watchful, with a slight case of sanpaku eyes, although nearly not as visible as they are with Claude.

Leon is usually seen covered in bandages and band-aids, most notably on his face, elbows and knees, although he is usually drawn only with facial band-aids. His expressions are lively, bright and generally very confident, and he has a tad wide mouth that gives him a very masculine look. He moves his arms a lot when talking and it's easy to read his emotions from his face.

SKILLS & ABILITIES

• Knows some sign language, and is trying his hardest to learn to read braille in order to connect with Jet and Walter
  
  
• Physically strong and flexible; has a sporty stature and good reflexes. He's very good at sports and it shows in his high PE grades.
  
  
• Beautiful singing voice and a naturally tuned ear for music. However, much to the dismay of the school choir, Leon is very disinterested in putting his talent in any use. He's also known to excel in creative arts as a whole, and considered the best artist out of the main Sinfonia cast. Perhaps it's there to make up with the fact his overall grades are poor, especially for someone who is redoing his third year. 
  
  
• A natural leader, albeit not necessarily the best at understanding or recognizing the feelings of the people around him. He can also be somewhat dense and slow to understand the reason to why people behave in certain ways, but usually receives the much-needed push to a right direction from Jet.
   
• Has a natural sensitivity to things considered paranormal, and as such is able see ghosts and occasionally even spirits. However, Leon personally isn't a big fan of the idea of seeing things others can't, and thus he almost never tells other people about the things he sees. As a child he was diagnosed to have "inherited his mother's hysterics" because of the things he saw and rightfully feared, and since then Leon has been extremely vary of letting other people know about his otherworldly experiences.

TRIVIA

• Treats Rick like a little brother, both by being extremely protective of him and by teasing him at any given opportunity. He usually keeps his teasing on a harmless level though, and is genuinely very concerned with Rick and tries to keep the boy from copying Leon's own, dangerous shenanigans. He doesn't always succeed, however, but at least he tries.
  
  
• Can sometimes get a little frustrated at being the oldest of the school, mostly because other boys can sometimes feel a tad childish to him. As a result he often wanders around the high school building a little further away from the middle school grounds, and oftentimes goes to hang out with his age group there.
  
  
• Has always been physically an early bloomer compared to his peers. This has caused him to partially assume more responsibility than he would like to take in his home environment, and as such he is trying really hard to act like a teenager at school while he still can.
  
  
• Knew the boy who disappeared: they used to be in the same room when Leon was a second grader. This is also the reason why Leon doesn't like Claude: he never approved of Chris taking Claude under his wing, and hated the way Claude seemed to disrespect Chris at every turn and argue with him whenever possible.
  
  
• Jet is practically his best friend and the two have an unbreakable bond and mutual respect for each other
  
  
• His character, when Sinfonia was still a parody, was inspired by the reoccurring theme of an older boy in a boarding school who is wiser and more mature looking than the rest due to being held back by a year (or more). Initially he was very brotherly and reliable, but as Sinfonia stopped being a parody I made Jet fill the role of the mature older boy, although Leon still does have a more protective side to him - it just doesn't show as often.
   
• His name as well as his relationship to Rick are a nod to Brothers Lionheart, a children's book by Astrid Lindgren that severely messed me up as a child. Similarly his relationship to Rick is close to what my relationship with my little brother was when we were younger.

PERSONALITY

A charismatic upperclassman, Leon is one of the more popular boys of the school, although pretends to be oblivious to the fact. He is known to be lively, brave and very bold but also stubborn, impulsive and a risk taker ready to do just about anything stupid if it entertains others. He is always ready to bend the rules of the school and often ends up in trouble, but is still well-mannered and cooperative when he just wants to be. Although sitting in the detention more often than not for his shenanigans, Leon is very liked by everyone - including the teachers.

Leon is the typical leader figure among the boys and does the best when he is in charge, but in turn doesn’t do well under the orders, possessing a strong need to rebel against rules set by others - especially those he doesn’t particularly like or respect. This makes Leon a bit hard to deal with at times, but in the hindsight most people usually more than gladly let him be the leader: the way he performs when he is in charge is efficient and seemingly natural.

Surprisingly, despite his rough attitude, Leon is not usually the one to start a fight, and he has a considerably calmer temperament than one might expect from him. However, he does have his own things he absolutely won't tolerate or is sensitive with, and might lose his patience if being tested with these subjects. With younger boys Leon usually doesn’t go all out, but with boys his own age and older he can be rather merciless if the injury is deep.

He was held back a year due to an accident he was in, but it doesn’t really seem to bother him. Leon is a trustworthy ally, but he is not above peer pressure and might sometimes act against his own morals and ideals to protect people he deeply cares about. Leon also holds grudges easily and he doesn’t forgive fast - a trait that shows he is still immature, even if he might be a bit older than others.

HISTORY

Very little is known about Leon's home circumstances, and there is even less he actually tells to people about himself. All he really seems to let out is that his parents have divorced and that he loves his mother but detests his father, although currently seems to be living with him. He also seems to have some roots in the north, Isnö, from his father's side.

During his second year in Lottenberg he roomed with Jet and Chris, forming a bond with the two of them, although being clearly closer to Jet than Chris. He never liked the way Claude treated Chris, thus creating a strong dislike for Claude and being less-than-subtle about it especially among his friends.

Although he doesn't show it, the disappearance of Chris has been a heavy blow to him - after all, they very much still were friends despite not being the closest.