[Here is the revised personality section! If you want me to edit it into the original application, let me know.]
The important thing to understanding Zelos Wilder is that he's essentially a Stepford smiler. While on the surface he's pretty easy-going (and comes off like kind of an ass), it's actually a mask for deep insecurities that resulted from childhood trauma.
At first glance, Zelos gives the impression of being nothing more than an easy-going playboy He flirts with almost every woman he sees, and makes it his job to cause trouble for everyone around him, while seemingly not giving a shit about anything. This is partially because he was born into the life of a Chosen, and practically regarded as royalty. Despite the fact that he's the person whose responsibility it is to go on the Journey of Regeneration and save the world, his title has become nothing more than a mark of political power, because Tethe'Alla hasn't been in danger for centuries.
That being said, it still had a profound effect on him growing up, and It still binds him socially. Due to his fame, he was often seen as an object to move forward for others, and this resulted in a lack of real bonds with people, as well as an essential distrust of others.
However, it's exactly this fame status that spawned his "carefree personality." By his logic, if he was going to get everything he wanted and people were going to try to take advantage of him anyway, he might as well act like an idiot and ride it for all it was worth. Known around the kingdom as the carefree playboy, he spent most of his days flirting with women and living the high life. He doesn't seem to let anything affect him; rather, he shrugs his shoulders, and lets it pass over him. Despite his intelligence, he also wasn't over using his position to take advantage of others (thinking that others were always taking advantage of him, anyway). It's mentioned that back in school, he would bribe and cajole other people into doing his work.
Despite the nonchalant demeanor he puts on, however, he actually has very little love for himself. When he was a kid, he was bright-eyed and excited about the world, but eventually, being raised in a lavish environment became "harsh." His father, the previous Chosen, died when he was young, while his mother always remained cold and distant. Their marriage had been one of status, and not love, and that negatively affected his mother emotionally while his father escaped by having an affair. Because of this, Zelos has one half-sister, who he didn't meet until his father's funeral. Her mother believed that everything in their life would be better if she had been Chosen, so she makes an attempt on the Chosen's life, accidentally killing his mother instead. Her last words to him were "It would have been better if you had never been born," and this has gone on to have a profound affect on his life, and was the foundation for his lack of self-confidence, trust, and ability to build relationships. Because it happened at such a young age, he internalized it rather quickly and came to believe that he was useless and unloved. The lack of love from his parents and others around him helped to shape his personality, and eventually he grew to believe that all of his bonds were fake. He even believes his sister, his last living relative and one of the few people he almost cares about, would be better off and happier if he were dead.
However, despite this, he's very close, and very protective of his sister, and took her under his wing after her mother was executed. Although he keeps her "trapped" on a small island off the coast, this is really just a front. In actuality, he keeps her there because of both the combined dangers of her being the Chosen's sister, and a debilitating childhood illness that she's still struggling with. Another similar situation to this is the betrayal to the party at the Tower of Salvation, he plays it off that he doesn't care and he was in it to turn on them all along, while he actually uses the opportunity to help the party out. These situations mimic how he treats his relationship with most people he's close with on a larger scale; while he tries to play off that he doesn't care, everything he does with her best interest in mind, even if he doesn't understand what her bests interests actually are, or how much losing him would hurt her.
This gap of not truly understanding people carries into the rest of his relationships. As stated before, Because Zelos was raised in a position where he was essentially a celebrity, there are very few people he's actually "close" to. Most people he knows, he knows on a very superficial level (i.e. his hunnies), and doesn't get closer on the assumption that they're using him. Even th e people he spends a lot of time with, he still doesn't feel very close to. Even after travelling with the party for an undisclosed (but still long) amount of time, he still felt like they were only friends on the surface, and that they, like most people, would distrust him when it came down to it. This lack of bonds and close relationships plays into his fear and lack of trust. Not only does he feel like he can't trust others, he doesn't feel like he can be trusted himself (and acts accordingly). This is why him living or dying depends on one single line of dialogue; "I trust you." If Lloyd doesn't say this, Zelos' line of belief isn't changed; he still feels like he's better off dead and that the party believes he'll turn on them anyway, so he chooses to fight them. But, if Lloyd affirms that trust, Zelos begins to believe in his relationship with the party (and himself) just a little bit more, which is why he refuses to fight the party and instead actively help them. While this change and development doesn't solve his issues entirely, it does put them on a track where they can get better.
But, this side of Zelos isn't something that most characters in Crystallis are likely to see. At first glance, he'll appear like a playboy who does nothing but flirt with women and joke; to many, he'll appear like an idiot. Everything he's done is pretty carefully calculated, as pointed out in a skit shortly after Corrine dies. In addition to coming off as an idiot, part of the reason he acts as cheerful as he does is to keep the spirits of those with him, even during the bad times. Essentially, the carefree attitude is just an act; a very perceptive person might be able to see through it, but it's unlikely that anyone in Crystallis will grow close enough with him to let those barriers down.
REVISIONS REQUEST
The important thing to understanding Zelos Wilder is that he's essentially a Stepford smiler. While on the surface he's pretty easy-going (and comes off like kind of an ass), it's actually a mask for deep insecurities that resulted from childhood trauma.
At first glance, Zelos gives the impression of being nothing more than an easy-going playboy He flirts with almost every woman he sees, and makes it his job to cause trouble for everyone around him, while seemingly not giving a shit about anything. This is partially because he was born into the life of a Chosen, and practically regarded as royalty. Despite the fact that he's the person whose responsibility it is to go on the Journey of Regeneration and save the world, his title has become nothing more than a mark of political power, because Tethe'Alla hasn't been in danger for centuries.
That being said, it still had a profound effect on him growing up, and It still binds him socially. Due to his fame, he was often seen as an object to move forward for others, and this resulted in a lack of real bonds with people, as well as an essential distrust of others.
However, it's exactly this fame status that spawned his "carefree personality." By his logic, if he was going to get everything he wanted and people were going to try to take advantage of him anyway, he might as well act like an idiot and ride it for all it was worth. Known around the kingdom as the carefree playboy, he spent most of his days flirting with women and living the high life. He doesn't seem to let anything affect him; rather, he shrugs his shoulders, and lets it pass over him. Despite his intelligence, he also wasn't over using his position to take advantage of others (thinking that others were always taking advantage of him, anyway). It's mentioned that back in school, he would bribe and cajole other people into doing his work.
Despite the nonchalant demeanor he puts on, however, he actually has very little love for himself. When he was a kid, he was bright-eyed and excited about the world, but eventually, being raised in a lavish environment became "harsh." His father, the previous Chosen, died when he was young, while his mother always remained cold and distant. Their marriage had been one of status, and not love, and that negatively affected his mother emotionally while his father escaped by having an affair. Because of this, Zelos has one half-sister, who he didn't meet until his father's funeral. Her mother believed that everything in their life would be better if she had been Chosen, so she makes an attempt on the Chosen's life, accidentally killing his mother instead. Her last words to him were "It would have been better if you had never been born," and this has gone on to have a profound affect on his life, and was the foundation for his lack of self-confidence, trust, and ability to build relationships. Because it happened at such a young age, he internalized it rather quickly and came to believe that he was useless and unloved. The lack of love from his parents and others around him helped to shape his personality, and eventually he grew to believe that all of his bonds were fake. He even believes his sister, his last living relative and one of the few people he almost cares about, would be better off and happier if he were dead.
However, despite this, he's very close, and very protective of his sister, and took her under his wing after her mother was executed. Although he keeps her "trapped" on a small island off the coast, this is really just a front. In actuality, he keeps her there because of both the combined dangers of her being the Chosen's sister, and a debilitating childhood illness that she's still struggling with. Another similar situation to this is the betrayal to the party at the Tower of Salvation, he plays it off that he doesn't care and he was in it to turn on them all along, while he actually uses the opportunity to help the party out. These situations mimic how he treats his relationship with most people he's close with on a larger scale; while he tries to play off that he doesn't care, everything he does with her best interest in mind, even if he doesn't understand what her bests interests actually are, or how much losing him would hurt her.
This gap of not truly understanding people carries into the rest of his relationships. As stated before, Because Zelos was raised in a position where he was essentially a celebrity, there are very few people he's actually "close" to. Most people he knows, he knows on a very superficial level (i.e. his hunnies), and doesn't get closer on the assumption that they're using him. Even th
e people he spends a lot of time with, he still doesn't feel very close to. Even after travelling with the party for an undisclosed (but still long) amount of time, he still felt like they were only friends on the surface, and that they, like most people, would distrust him when it came down to it. This lack of bonds and close relationships plays into his fear and lack of trust. Not only does he feel like he can't trust others, he doesn't feel like he can be trusted himself (and acts accordingly). This is why him living or dying depends on one single line of dialogue; "I trust you." If Lloyd doesn't say this, Zelos' line of belief isn't changed; he still feels like he's better off dead and that the party believes he'll turn on them anyway, so he chooses to fight them. But, if Lloyd affirms that trust, Zelos begins to believe in his relationship with the party (and himself) just a little bit more, which is why he refuses to fight the party and instead actively help them. While this change and development doesn't solve his issues entirely, it does put them on a track where they can get better.
But, this side of Zelos isn't something that most characters in Crystallis are likely to see. At first glance, he'll appear like a playboy who does nothing but flirt with women and joke; to many, he'll appear like an idiot. Everything he's done is pretty carefully calculated, as pointed out in a skit shortly after Corrine dies. In addition to coming off as an idiot, part of the reason he acts as cheerful as he does is to keep the spirits of those with him, even during the bad times. Essentially, the carefree attitude is just an act; a very perceptive person might be able to see through it, but it's unlikely that anyone in Crystallis will grow close enough with him to let those barriers down.