(no subject)

Character
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

INFO.

ELHAYM VAN HOUTEN HOME HISTORY PERSONALITY ABILITIES

" NEVER FORGET THOSE FEELINGS. WHEN YOU ALL LIVED TOGETHER SIDE BY SIDE... " NAME. ELHAYM VAN HOUTEN. NICKNAME. ELLY. AGE. 18 RESIDENCE. B-13 MOOGLE NAME. RUFUS. MOOGLE GENDER. MALE. AGE. 18 ACTIVE JOB. RED MAGE. ACTIVE JOB(S). BLACK MAGE. HELD JOBS. N/A. EXP. HERE. PLAYER. PEARL. CONTACT. IMPEARLS @ PLURK. TIME ZONE. PACIFIC.

ELHAYM VAN HOUTEN HOME HISTORY PERSONALITY ABILITIES

" That long, long memory of a dream... That perhaps was the memory of my soul... " Elly was born the only daughter to a highly-decorated military family in Solarius, a city hovering above the world. Due to her extremely high potential, she was recruited into the Solarian military at a very young age, and through this was used as a test subject for the performance-enhancing drug -Drive-. Her exposure to this drug directly results in the deaths of many innocents when she goes psychotic as a result of its use. This happens rather early in her career with the Gebler forces, and since has been a ghost that has hounded her, resurfacing in flashbacks. After meeting Fei in the Blackmoon Forest, and while the two have a very rocky beginning, it is through this that she starts to deal at least somewhat with the guilt over the -DRIVE- incident. While this may seem like some random meeting, it is, in fact, very far from it. Elly herself is an interesting anomaly and has actually been around the block at least a few times. Much like Deus, Elly is a being created by the Wave Existence (think in-universe God, basically). While Fei may have been chosen by the Wave Existence as a vessel for its power, Elly was imbued with its will so to speak. Where one exists, the other will almost certainly show up, the two intrinsically linked through the Wave Existence. In actuality, while always known as "Elly", the Elly we see prominently in Xenogears is actually the fifth iteration, having manifested previously throughout the timeline (it's thought that the original creator of this canon intended there to be six games, of which Xenogears was number 5... also the only one actually released in some capacity. It's complicated). The first incarnation that we hear about is the second, the two brought together as Abel (Fei) and Elly (as she is always known in some way or another). This is where we run into the first reoccurring theme: Death. No matter what the circumstances, Elly is killed, usually through Deus using a vessel (in this case, Cain, one of the two entities it creates--Miang is also created in this incarnation, but we'll get back to her). Their third passing through the world is as Kim (Fei again) and Elly. Much like in previous iterations, Elly gets the short end of the stick, but of note is the fact that Kim manages to create Emeralda, a construct made entirely out of nanomachines able to change her form at will. Unfortunately, the two of them don't get a good end here, either, but at least they (presumably) die together. Their most notable passing, however, is as Sophia (her real name is still Elly) and Lacan. The world ravaged by Emperor Cain, the two were part of a resistance movement bent on making life better for the land-dwellers below Solaris. They create a city atop the Tower of Babel, and many of the old players present--or at least spoken of--in the game itself begin to come into their own at this time (e.g., the three gurus, of which at least one is still alive as of the beginning of the game). However, the people that helped the land-dwellers try to create a better life for themselves end up being their undoing, revealing the rebel group in order to keep themselves safe. In a last-ditch effort, Sophia sacrifices herself to keep the others safe, and as a result the rebels scatter; the act itself causes Lacan to go crazy and Krelian, another of the rebels, to ascend down the path of darkness. These events, set into motion by a simple theological consistency: Man must not want for the power of God. Deus, the crux of the issues with this world and all within it, was a man-made weapon, made in order to trap the Wave Existence--God, basically. Deus, transported on a ship originally, killed everyone and crash landed it on a planet, becoming a God in its own right there by managing to single-handedly populate it. Believing fully that man does not have the moral compass to be able to be trusted with such power, it contacted and chose Fei, the only survivor of said crash, and created Elly as a means to protect the boy. Elly herself is in many ways a safeguard, a catalyst to keep Fei, the Wave Existence's chosen one, safe, and such is true in every iteration. It is only in their fifth and (quite possibly) final reincarnation that they manage to break this cycle and finally defeat Deus, although not without almost repeating the cycle of death and rebirth once again (thanks, Krelian). Deus, through a series of events, ends up assimilating the people of the planet, using Miang, his vessel, to possess Elly. Deus and Fei fight, Fei given a power boost from the Wave Existence in the Xenogears. This causes issues and Elly, possessed by Deus yet still able to control herself somewhat, throws herself and by proxy Deus into space. Fei, using the Xenogears, goes into space and destroys Deus and brings Elly back safely.

ELHAYM VAN HOUTEN HOME HISTORY PERSONALITY ABILITIES

" I'M NOT A HOLY WOMAN OF ANY SORT. I'M JUST A REGULAR WOMAN. " MBTI ( ENFJ; THE PROTAGONIST ) ENFJs are natural-born leaders, full of passion and charisma. Forming around two percent of the population, they are oftentimes our politicians, our coaches and our teachers, reaching out and inspiring others to achieve and to do good in the world. With a natural confidence that begets influence, ENFJs take a great deal of pride and joy in guiding others to work together to improve themselves and their community. ENNEAGRAM ( THE GIVER ) Givers believe you must give fully to others to be loved. Consequently, Givers are caring, helpful, supportive and relationship-oriented; they also can be prideful, intrusive and demanding. 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.

ELHAYM VAN HOUTEN HOME HISTORY PERSONALITY ABILITIES

" THROW DOWN YOUR WEAPON! MAKE ONE WRONG MOVE AND I'LL SHOOT! " BRASIER, GLACIER, FOUDRE ( RED MAGE ) Weak elemental spells (fire, ice, electricity). COURTLY MANNERS ( RED MAGE ) Red Mages have deep knowledge of the courtly ways, no matter the situation. FIRE MASTERY ( BLACK MAGE ) Power to control the fire element and focus it into single-target attacks. Potency grows with experience. GLOWING EYES ( BLACK MAGE ) The Black Mage’s eyes glow faintly in low light. They are able to see in the dark without difficulty.

coding credit: proverbially