Talk:Sir Johan (LD Stories)/@comment-25762071-20170808043616/@comment-4165715-20170809020126

Thank you, THDG! Yeah, the side his sword is on indicates which hand is dominant, and it's seen in every type of media he appears in all the way back to the first comic editions Peyo worked on.

His birthday, however, is my headcanon, based on a particular time in my life when the date was most meaningful to me -- and happened to also be a period of time when I worked solely on Johan's development (I think it was almost through mid-July that year, maybe 2012? Anyways) -- and I recall liking July 9th because it would have made his horoscope sign Cancer.

Cancer (according to my research) has several key points that are defined best in the storyline for my series:
 * 1) The elemental alignment is water. Johan's adaptability and various strengths are based in his natural hero traits -- empathy, compassion, optimism, loyalty, and honesty -- many of which can be represented through water. It is fluid, steady and calm, stormy and destructive, and a force of death or a gift of renewed life depending on what part of the timeline you examine.
 * 2) The ruling planet is the moon. The moon is what delegates Johan's periodic "free nights" (starting in Season 2) from the curse Gargamel uses to control him in Story One. The full moon is when the lunar cycle is at its peak, which is why it effects Johan the way it does despite the power of the spell.

More about this sign (which I referenced) is right here.

Bonus information: the July birthstone is Ruby, which were considered the "King of Gems" by ancient Hindus and is generally believed to be a stone of protection, courage, and passion -- all of which describe Johan as he goes from Season 2 into Story Two (and I apologize that those have not yet been released. They will eventually, I swear!) because he exhibits protection over the people (and creatures) he cares most about, courage in the face of danger no matter what risk may hold for him, and his passions lie not only in romance, but also in his desires to return to the Good King's castle and put an end to Gargamel and Lord Balthazar's treachery.

This is a pretty good read for more info on this gem that I found.