The usual first impressions of Zidane are that of a laid-back skirt chaser. While certainly possessing a casual attitude, his flirtations are the result of both his upbringing and his deep-seeded need for a place in this world. He has never known anyone like himself, someone with a tail, and often wonders who he is and why he should exist.
Despite this, Zidane strives to live in the moment and enjoy himself as well as the company of others. He loves to make friends and finds that charm comes to him naturally. At least when he doesn't feel truly attracted to them. When he does, he gets too caught up in worrying about what they think and trying to impress them that all of his charm flies out the window.
Nickname: —
Birthday: 9/1
MBTI: ENFP
Gender: Male
Pronouns: He/Him
Orientation: Pansexual
Height: 5'6"
Hair: Blond
Eyes: Blue
Occupation: Thief
Language: Common
Residence: Lindblum
ADAPTIVE
trait
Whether the situation calls for tact, stealth, or humor, Zidane finds it easy to slip into whatever role he needs to. His adaptability serves him well in both life and battle.
INSECURE
trait
Just who is he? Why does he exist? Where does he come from? While many of his concerns have been figured out, he still has his moments of doubt about where he fits into this world.
EMPATHETIC
trait
Zidane finds it easy to think about situations from another's perspective. Once he knows what they've been through, he considers how someone might feel going through that and how it would affect their actions. In the end, he usually finds himself wanting to help that person, even if he hasn't agreed with their actions in the past.
PERSPECTIVE
trait
Spotting treasure is one thing, but Zidane also has a keen eye for any shift in mood or tone a conversation has.
FRIENDLY
trait
In Zidane's opinion, there's nothing a friendly smile, compliment, or action can't fix. Having friends and being close to people, even forming those brief bonds, helps him feel not so alone in the world.
LISTEN TO YOUR HEART
canon
Age: 16
The events of Final Fantasy IX.
MELDOIES OF LIFE
canon
Age: 17+
Post Final Fantasy IX. Thanks to his injuries and travel time, it took far longer for Zidane to return than he might have imagined. Now that he's back, it's all about picking up the pieces of where his life left off.
SLUM THIEF
final fantasy vii
Age: 17
Zidane is part of a theatre troupe that performs on the upper plate. At least, that’s the story. In truth, their members are busy stealing from the elite with each performance. Their hideout is said to be in Sector 7.
Tantalus Troupe
For the longest time, Zidane could not remember the first few years of his life. With no idea of where he came from, he only remembered one thing: a blue light. Starting at age four, his first memories are of being taken in by Baku, a leader of a group of thieves called Tantalus.
Despite being a band of thieves masquerading as performers, life with Tantalus wasn't bad. Raised in Lindblum, Zidane became versed in the art of stealth, the theater, and all things related to thievery. He was taught how to charm the gil off a target, how to change himself in order to blend in, and earning the patience to strike at the right opportunity. His vocabulary grew as quick as his wits until he could easily slip between roles at will. The charming rogue, the low born thief, the high class noble: he donned their masks effortlessly to accomplish any task.
Searching
His adopted father Baku looked after him as his own, but even so Zidane always found his thoughts drawn to his past. Who was he? Were there others like him? Seeking answers, at age 13 he left Lindblum and spent two years traveling, searching for clues to his past with nothing but the memory of the light to guide him. While he learned a lot and had adventures, he never found anything and was forced to return to Lindblum. Upon arriving, Baku beat him, and Zidane reasoned it as Baku's way of showing how worried he'd been.
Since then, Zidane has remained in Tantalus. That is, until the group was contracted to kidnap the princess of Alexandria.
GENERAL
This is my own interpretation of Zidane, please respect that.
CONTENT WARNINGS
Child abuse related to Baku beating him. Zidane rationalizes it but it's something I'd like to explore with him.
SHIPPING
While I ship zidagger and have a preference toward it, I will never force a ship and I am open to other ships.
However, Zidane is a minor and I will not be shipping him with muses that are too outside of his age range. 20+ would be out of the question.
SHIP BIAS
Dagger