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ddd_news2010-08-03 08:27 pm
tripled_mods) wrote in ddd_news2010-08-03 08:27 pmAPPLICATIONS -- 2010; 001
THIS APPLICATIONS POST IS CLOSED. Please direct your attention to the new one here!
tripled_mods) wrote in ddd_news2010-08-03 08:27 pm
Van Hohenheim | Fullmetal Alchemist (re-app)
Player LJ:
Way to contact you:
Email: masterofthepen19 [at] gmail [dot] com
AIM: masterofthepen OR glowybrows
Other: Plurk - NaotoCap
Are you at least 15?: Y
Current Characters: None
Character: Theophrastus Bombastus Van Hohenheim
Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist (manga)
Character Notes:
History: 400 years prior to the opening of the series, Hohenheim was a young slave called Number Twenty-Three who lived in the country of Xerxes. At the time, alchemy was in its infancy: mere theories bandied about by philosophers and scientists alike. Because the country existed in a time of relative peace, its people could devote their time to intellectual pursuits. Indeed, Xerxes was most likely experiencing its Golden Age, since it was an isolated desert civilization with no neighboring countries to make war with.
Hohenheim's master was a powerful alchemist who worked directly beneath the King of Xerxes. During one of his many experiments, he used some of Hohenheim's blood, and through sheer accident, managed to summon a being from beyond the Gate. This being, which resembled a faceless sphere of darkness, was called Homunculus, the Dwarf Inside the Flask. It possessed knowledge far surpassing that of mankind. Unable to leave the confines of its flask, lest it should perish, the Dwarf decided to make conversation with the slave whose blood had been used to summon it into our world. Grateful for being given life, the Dwarf decided to grant Number Twenty-Three a new name: Theophrastus Bombastus Van Hohenheim.
Until that time, Hohenheim never questioned his lot in life as a slave; that was simply the natural order of the world, and what right did he have to question that order? But the Dwarf, who longed for freedom outside his flask, convinced Hohenheim that they need not live as prisoners. With knowledge, both the slave and the Dwarf could experience all that life in the outside world had to offer...
So Hohenheim began to learn to read and write from the Dwarf, and to perform arithmetic and basic alchemy. The young slave freely shared his knowledge among his fellow slaves, much to the chagrin of his master. But Hohenheim's master saw promise in the young slave, and offered him a position as his apprentice. He was a brilliant student and learned very quickly from both his master and the Dwarf.
Hohenheim continued to grow close to the Dwarf, each of them confiding in the other, sharing their hopes and dreams for the future. In a sense, because they shared the same blood, the Dwarf considered himself Hohenheim's offspring.
Eventually, the Dwarf was brought before the King of Xerxes, who sought the secret to immortality. The Dwarf agreed to teach King Xerxes the ritual by which he could gain immortality, but unknown to the king and his subjects, the Dwarf was planning his own escape...
As the years passed and Hohenheim grew to adulthood, the King of Xerxes grew weaker and more desperate to prolong his lifespan. He forced his subjects to work night and day digging “canals” which served as a huge alchemical array that would encompass his entire kingdom. He then ordered his soldiers to wipe out several outlying villages in order to carve the Crests of Blood necessary for the ritual.
Van Hohenheim | Fullmetal Alchemist (re-app)
With no home or family, Hohenheim set out toward the East and the country of Xing, while the Dwarf headed West through the desert toward Amestris. Hohenheim would eventually develop the alkahestry—better known as the “purification arts”— used in the East, while the Dwarf would teach alchemy to the people of Amestris. He would eventually create seven “children,” each of them embodying a different sin, and call himself their Father. Having attained freedom from his flask, the Father now set his ambitions even higher and desired to become a “perfect being”... but his plans would take 400 years to reach fruition.
As the centuries passed, Hohenheim left Xing and made his way to Amestis. Along the way, he began conversing with the souls of the citizens of Xerxes within him, in the hopes of making peace with them. It was impossible for him to think of those people as mere energy forms to extend his lifespan. He felt he needed to make amends to his fellow countrymen... And that choice proved to be beneficial, once he learned of the Father's plans. Having made peace with them, he could rely on their aid in order to exact vengeance on the Father; not for himself, but for the people who were sacrificed for the Dwarf's selfish ambitions, and to save Amestris.
While living in Amestris, Hoheneim came to settle in the town of Risembool, and befriended a local automail mechanic by the name of Pinako Rockbell. He was later introduced to Trisha Elric, and Hohenheim fell madly in love with her. Though they never married, the two of them lived together happily, and eventually, Trisha gave birth to two sons: Edward and Alphonse. Both children inherited not only their father's golden hair and eyes (an ethic trait shared among the all the people of Xerxes), but they also inherited his talent at alchemy, too.
When both children were very young, Hohenheim decided to to leave his family in order to find a way to become mortal again. Now that he had found the love of his life, he wanted to be able to grow old and die with her. He made a promise that he would one day return to her and his children, once his work was completed. And Trisha, in turn, promised to wait for him...
But in a cruel twist of fate, she fell ill, and eventually died before Hohenheim could return. She told Pinako to pass a message along to her husband, when he returned, saying, “Tell him... That I couldn't keep my promise to him. I'll be passing on before him. And please tell him... that I'm sorry.”
Hohenheim did eventually return to Risembool, but he was five years too late... His own sons burned the family home to the ground, and Edward left his hometown in order to become a State Alchemist. The two share a painful reunion in front of Trisha's grave, with Hohenheim scolding his son for destroying their home, and they eventually part ways without either one truly opening up to the other.
Later that year, Hohenheim reunites with his other son, Alphonse, in the city of Lior, which is still currently undergoing construction due to the riots that took place earlier that year. He divulges the truth of his origins and his plans to put a stop to the Father and his insidious plot to create a nationwide transmutation circle, which would result in the deaths of everyone in Amestris...
Van Hohenheim | Fullmetal Alchemist (re-app)
In the end, Hohenheim returns to Risembool to visit his wife's grave one last time. Kneeling before it, he finally dies with a serene smile on his face. He is buried alongside Trisha.
Personality: In his younger years, Hohenheim was very much like his son, Edward: a brash youth who often acts without thinking, but who possesses a kind heart and puts the needs of others before himself. One would think that witnessing so much pain and suffering over the centuries would cause him to become jaded, but Hohenheim retains an unshakable faith in the inherent goodness of mankind. Experience has taught him patience, but despite his overflowing wisdom pertaining to alchemy, he still has some trouble learning to relate to others, especially his own flesh and blood...
Hohenheim never expected to father children. In fact, he was afraid of letting them come close to him, lest they should come to learn that their Father was a monster, undeserving of their love. Even so, he loved his children dearly, even if he wasn't capable of expressing it properly...
Due to his guilt at being the product of a cruel alchemical ritual, Hohenheim led a lonely existence, distancing himself from others for fear that they would learn his secret, and perhaps as a form of punishment for his indelible sin. He spent those centuries in service to others, spreading the teachings of alchemy, and basically helping others whenever possible. But he often finds himself relying on the kindness of strangers during his journey, which he often feels completely undeserving. For an alchemist who espouses the Law of Equivalent Exchange, Hohenheim must feel that he is forever receiving more than he gives... and which he spends his life trying to balance.
If “sacrifice” is a prevalent theme in the series, then Hohenheim is the embodiment of self-sacrifice. He willingly leaves his home and family behind in order to ensure the survival of the people of Amestris, denying himself the one small piece of happiness he has ever known in his 400 year existence. He claims that Trisha Elric was his “first and only love,” and he is devastated by news of her death. But his desire for atonement allows him to solider onward and to not be dragged down by despair. Though the weight of his sins is heavy, he still tries to live as best he can.
But Hohenheim is not a completely melancholy character. Before he met Trisha and fell in love, he didn't mind so much that he was granted an immortal body. He could still continue to learn and study alchemy, and he enjoyed traveling the world and helping others. He never let himself grow overly attached to people, though, since the only disadvantage to eternal youth is watching those you care about wither away and die. His demeanor is rather mild, having mellowed out over the years, and he's rather soft-spoken. A bit self-deprecating, he's prone to making an idiot of himself, and is apparently immune to embarrassment. He has a bad habit of talking out loud and often gets caught up in his own thoughts to the point of obliviousness to those around him. He can be a bit of a flirt, but it's all very innocent. Trisha was his one true love, but that doesn't mean he can't freely compliment a pretty girl, can he?
Van Hohenheim | Fullmetal Alchemist (re-app) DONE!
Additional Links:
Fullmetal Alchemist wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fullmetal_Alchemist)
Van Hohenheim character wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Hohenheim)
First Person (text entry):
Ah, what a curious book I found the other day. It appears to be a journal of some sort, though I can't imagine why so many people would all choose to write in the same book. It must have been passed between so many hands... I can only imagine the long and arduous journey this book must have taken in order to end up in my hands at this very moment in time.
But the strangest thing is that every time I open it, there are always new entries, penned by so many different people. And sometimes there are pictures that move, just like the ones in the cinema. I wonder how they got so small? What sort of alchemy could have produced such a book? I find myself filled with so many questions.
Just when I think I've learned all there is to know about the world, I realize that we've only just begun to scratch the surface. It is a comforting thought, to know that there are still mysteries as of yet unsolved... Truly, the world is a strange and wondrous place.
Third Person: Prompt: You've lost something, and have no idea where it is.
Risembool... How long had it been since he'd left his home behind? Five years? No, longer than that... Ten years, surely. The little children over at the neighboring farm were practically teenagers now. That meant that Edward and Alphonse...
That's right. Ten years had gone by. Edward would be fifteen years old, and Alphonse would be fourteen. Nearly grown men. Hohenheim continued down the familiar path, his thoughts turned deeply inward, so that he hardly noticed the landscape around him. What would they say to him? Would they even remember him? Al had been so little... barely a toddler. And Trisha...
Trisha. She would be so disappointed in him. He still hadn't discovered a way to return to being mortal. And now, he could no longer pursue that research, not when he knew what the Father was planning... He had need of the people of Xerxes, whose souls resided within his accursed body. Even now, he could hear them chattering softly deep within his consciousness. He'd learned over the centuries how to tune it out until it was nothing more than white noise. But not completely... Never completely.
Hohenheim paused in his musings, coming to a stop at the old oak tree that marked the beginning of his property. But... something was wrong. The upper half of the tree was charred black. And his house... only the ruined foundation and bits of wood overgrown with green moss and vines remained.
No, this wasn't right. Perhaps he'd taken a wrong turn somewhere back. It wasn't the first time he'd gotten lost while his mind was on other matters. No wonder so many people accused him of walking around with his head in the clouds!
But if this wasn't his house... then where had it gone? Had the sleepy rural town truly changed so much during his absence? Or was his memory just starting to fade? To think he might finally be going senile, after four hundred years...
Hohenheim looked left and right, feeling suddenly anxious. His wife and children. His home. They had to be around here, somewhere! They couldn't have just up and vanished! He made a promise to Trisha... He promised that he'd come back one day.
His eyes widened a bit as his gaze settled on a familiar yellow house in the distance. The Rockbell residence. Surely Pinako would know what happened to his house!
It wasn't long before he found himself at the front door. He could hear a dog barking inside. Since when did they have a—? Oh, right. That black and white puppy would have grown by now.
Without even bothering to knock on the door, Hohenheim stepped inside and announced, without preamble: “Pinako... I seem to have lost my house.”
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