pocketbrows jesus christ it's the second time i forget to ping this week. side note: was so happy to see Vetinari mentioned as his initial inspo! i can definitely feel the vibes, yet Audemus is still very much his own man with his own unique allure :) you've done a remarkable work w him, I'm a fan. what a cool senior citizen
A2, A13, B2, B5, B7, B13!
v ty for these!! it was fun to dwell on :)
A3 - what it takes to make them cry: it takes a whole lot. aside from his... issues, Arkadiy got a pretty strong psyche. it's not easy to shake this man, let alone make him crack like that. he hates being and feeling vulnerable, hence why he makes sure to maintain his stern, seemingly unbreakable facade. he's doing it in order to fool himself first and foremost. he also taught himself to repress any kind of strong emotional response when it comes to sorrow and grief; and to bottle it up. needless to say, it all comes crushing down on him with twice the force in the end. your typical scenario would be him spontaneously getting drunk, - because he was already depressed to begin with and tried to... unwind, - then eventually going through the "i miss my wife and regret most of my life decisions" phase, and inevitably having a prolonged session of silent crying while gripping his revolver really hard. this dude is pathetic.
A10 - what gets them flustered/embarrassed: your best bet would be calling him "cute", "adorable", or anything of the same caliber. yes, people have done that. yes, he dies inside each time. while he tends to just laugh it off, it still rubs him the wrong way because he kinda likes it. deep inside this man craves some legitimate affection and care, because he's tired of being his "wall of intimidation" self 24/7. also he's getting old and sentimental. /hj yet he's also putting so much effort in his Tough Guy act; he's a masculine manly man overflowing with testosterone. how dare you sabotage his hard work like that. he'd keep thinking about it for the next few days. he'd still be in denial. he has issues alright.
B3 - personality traits they like in others: Arkadiy can and will respect a bold, strong-willed individual - one like himself. it doesn't matter much to him whether his newfound acquaintance would end up as his friend or his rival; he's always glad to engage with an equal. he may be a stuck-up asshole, but he's perfectly capable of acknowledging and even admiring another's wit and confidence - if there's enough evidence to back their claims, that is. Arkadiy also values honesty, because he wouldn't sugarcoat even the most bitter truth himself; and he can't stand hypocrites - at least not in the long run. he doesn't have that kind of patience.
B10 - comfort food: ha, i'd say "comfort" is a bit far-fetched. he doesn't necessarily find any food nor drink comforting per se, but he does like to indulge on some salmon and caviar from time to time. reminds him of home; tastes real good, too.