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Apr. 2nd, 2018 06:36 pmCharacter
Name: Elhaym Van Houten
Age: 18
Gender: Female
Canon: Xenogears
Canon Point: Post-canon
History: Full plot synopsis | Character history
Personality:
Samples: Here
Vaikuntha
Moogle Name: Rufus
Moogle Gender: Male
First Job: Red Mage
Second Job: Black Mage
Name: Elhaym Van Houten
Age: 18
Gender: Female
Canon: Xenogears
Canon Point: Post-canon
History: Full plot synopsis | Character history
Personality:
At her core, Elly is a kind, nurturing and very caring individual, who's sole purpose in the party is to act as a protector for not only Fei—the thing that she was originally created to do—but also act a bit as the team mom. Her compassion for people knows no bounds, going so far as to draw her toward self-sacrifice in the name of protecting the one or ones that find themselves under her wing without so much as a second glance. While it may not necessarily be hard to find oneself under Elly's protective eye, there is that bit of initial separation, keeping people at an arm's length as far as the woman she truly is; she does have a dark side, so to speak. Heavily critical of herself, prone to times of insecurity and, depending, instability, it's not too often that one sees this rock crumble, though it does happen given the right circumstances. Regardless, she is not one to stay in this dark place for too long, not with those that rely heavily upon the light she gives.
At first glance, the red-head may come off as distant and, depending upon first impressions, a bit cold and hard to deal with. She has very exacting standards for people when it comes to first meeting, and at times these can be hard for her to get past. This mostly concerns social status. Being a Solarian, she views land dwellers (called lambs by most Solarians as a call-back to their roles as superior guides to them—also heavy religious allegory is the name of this game, if you haven't noticed it beating you over the head already). This, while not initially intentional, can be viewed either as general norming or as a bit of a defense mechanism given both her upbringing as well as the events leading to her first use of the DRIVE drug. Used as a form of separation, it's a way to keep her one degree further from the people of the planet, although this does very easily fall away. It's also insinuated that she has this demeanor toward some of her fellow officers in the Gebler army as well.
Once this very icy outer peels away, we see her true nature, that of a very maternal woman who's desire is to care for those whom she has the honor (or have the honor) to call her friend. Without question, Elly will be there for you in any capacity that you may need her; be it emotional support—which there is definitely at least one person in the party who seems to need that quite often—social support in a conversation buddy; support in battle, where she is certainly no slouch; and in any other walk of life that one can think of. If there is something you need, she will find a way to make that happen, come Hell or high water. This has been known to cause trouble in some of her past lives, however.
While taking care of others is Elly's number one priority, her idea of self is very low. This does not necessarily mean that she looks down upon herself, but her value on her own life over the lives of others is severely skewed, especially as far as Fei is concerned. She is highly critical of herself and very aware of her own pitfalls, although she does try to run away from her flaws. She has a hard time approaching her own issues, such as the guilt for the people she killed in the lab, as well as those she indirectly killed in Lahan during the interception of Weltall, Fei's eventual Gear. Moreover, we see she has a history of putting herself over others to the very extreme, although this does not come up in this cycle. As Mother Sophia, the first holy mother of Nisan, she sacrifices herself in order to save not only the lives of the surface dwellers caught in the middle of this conflict but, most importantly (or at least what seemed like to her), Lacan.
While her love and compassion for people in general seems to know no real bounds, there is definitely that intrinsic link between her and Fei in every cycle, and this is definitely seen. However, her compassion for Fei does not only hold to him. When she sees others in pain, or if they are suffering, she can't help but act, placing their health (physical and emotional) and well-being at the forefront—often at her own expense. We see this most prominently with the Wels, and when Elly sees that they are suffering due to their insatiable need for meat and flesh, she offers her own blood to them in an effort of ease their suffering.
There are still those residual leavings of a militaristic upbringing and lifestyle—a clear structure to how she accords herself and goes about her day-to-day—but she is much more willing to learn about others and their ways of life, and does not judge as harshly based upon socially-constructed roles or expectations. She may not be as worldly as in her previous lifetimes, but she is still the charismatic light that she was as mother Sophia, and truly wants to help others in any way that she can.
This is the sort of woman that she is, and that holds true both in this timeline as well as any other previous iterations. Altruistic, selfless and fiercely loyal, she understands that there is much to life and the way that people live that she still needs to learn. And that is perhaps the most important thing. Elly is Elly, both a woman of her own making, and one influenced by the lives she lived.
Samples: Here
Vaikuntha
Moogle Name: Rufus
Moogle Gender: Male
First Job: Red Mage
Second Job: Black Mage