Someone put it in my head in the anon meme that the player character in HGSS comes from a poor family, and that's been my headcanon ever since. I think it fits especially well, the unstable financial circumstance and missing father, in a war AU. >: Buying mercenary services isn't rare, but it's always sad to think about as a last resort.

I love war literature too! *_* One of my favourite books is The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien~ I feel a little like I'm cheating since I've never actually been in a war myself, but there's something darkly romantic about it.