[ PLAYER INFORMATION ]
Player Name: Thia
Age: 19
Timezone: EST
Personal Journal: wintersong
Contact Information: aelethia [gmail] - valar m0rghulis [AIM] - gofightwin [plurk]

[ CHARACTER INFORMATION ]
Name: Prince Aleksandar of Hohenburg
Age: Given as fifteen at the beginning of the series, but by this point, he would be sixteen.
Gender: Male
Canon: Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan trilogy
Timeline: From the beginning of Goliath, after assembling Tesla's machine, but before he reads the newspaper article about Dylan/Deryn.

Character History:
http://leviathanscottwesterfeld.wikia.com/wiki/Prince_Aleksandar_of_Hohenberg

Character Personality:
Alek is by nature a serious and focused young man, who does not tend to laugh or joke. Part of this is likely due to his sheltered childhood -- he grew up in relative isolation, surrounded by few people, mostly his tutors or his parents. As a result of this, he is highly disciplined, thanks to years of demanding study and tutoring in a variety of arts, from fencing to languages.

Opening up to others is sometimes difficult for him; he is somewhat uptight, preferring not to discuss his emotions. Over the course of the series, he does become slightly more relaxed among those he grows close to. Becoming attached to others isn't something that happens easily with Alek, either, but when he does develop closer relationships with people (such as Klopp, Volger, and Deryn), he becomes very close to them and trusts them implicitly. He develops these relationships on a mutual basis of trust and respect; they are the people who he is willing to fight for, and who he even comes to thinks of as family.

Initially, Alek finds very difficult to adapt to new situations, and is frustrated with his inability to be useful to others. He dislikes feeling useless and foolish, and tries to help in some way. Despite this relative naivete about the world, he is intelligent and focused. He enjoys planning and prefers to approach problems strategically. Though he shows political promise and is a skilled negotiator, he seems to be uncomfortable in the spotlight, not wanting his face to appear in the newspaper (though part of that may also be due to the fact that he is a sought-after fugitive). Because of his noble upbringing and his limited experience with others, he can come off as rude or arrogant, such as when he tells Lilit that boys are better with machines. However, he learns from these mistakes -- Lilit proves him wrong by demonstrating her skill, and he quickly gains respect for her.

Alek is accustomed to having loyal men by his side -- Klopp, Volger, Bauer, and Hoffman -- who he can rely on and confide in, but the same time, like any teenage boy, he has a desire to assert himself and make his own decisions. He possesses a strong sense of duty and responsibility, likely fostered in part by a combination of his noble status and his educated upbringing. Because of this, will do what he believes to be 'right', such as when he brings aid to the crashed Leviathan in the first book, despite the possibility of discovery and exposure. He also feels that it is his duty to end the war, despite his limited involvement and ability.

As a prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Alek believes strongly in his own destiny, or 'providence' as he likes to refer to it -- a remnant of the concept of 'divine right' ingrained in his Habsburg upbringing. His status as a noble is something he is acutely aware of. He takes pride in his heritage, certainly, but also feels the bitterness of having been looked down upon and excluded his entire life -- as his mother was only a lady-in-waiting, he was denied the status of a full heir to the Habsburg throne -- and thus it is somewhat of a double-edged topic for him. The weight of this aspect of his identity is further exacerbated by the fact that he currently carries a document, signed by the Pope, that legitimizes his inheritance and names him as the true heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. He grapples with his noble status throughout the course of series, yet it's something that he simply accepts as part of him and something that he must deal with as part of his 'duty'; at this point, the concept of denying it is not something that has even crossed his mind.


Character Abilities you would like to expand on further:
As a prince of the Austro-Hungarian empire, which relies upon complex mechanical -- "Clanker" -- technology, Alek has been trained from a young age in both the technical aspects of these "mechaniks" and the piloting of mechanikal vehicles. He has somewhat of a knack for this that goes beyond simple skill, as seen when he quickly becomes accustomed to piloting the Stormwalker in the first book. Additionally, he's able to pilot or operate foreign machines at several points during the series with relative ease, notably during the Ottoman revolution in Istanbul, and aids in the assembly of Nikolai Tesla's mysterious magnetic device without any sort of instructions. Aside from his mechanikal ability, Alek is also proficient in swordfighting, having been trained since a young age, and speaks multiple languages -- he is fluent in German, Hungarian, English, and French, and knows some Latin, Greek, and Italian.


Character Weaknesses you would like to expand on further:
Being removed from the comfort of his isolated castle home at the beginning of the series throws Alek into a completely new world -- he had never even handled money before. Though he gains a substantial amount of experience in the real world, he can still be awkward and unsure in new or foreign situations. In general, while he is able to focus, adapt, and make the best of new environments, it takes him slightly more time to do so, unlike his companion Deryn who does so in a snap. For example, he is uneasy around the Darwinists' fabricated animals for quite some time, despite his best efforts to become accustomed to them, and completely botches his first attempt to pass as a commoner -- he is a terrible liar, and not good at pretending to be someone who he is not.


[ SOUL CAMPAIGN SECTION ]

What abilities will your character retain in Soul Campaign? Bullet-form is fine.
Alek doesn't have any supernatural abilities -- he's an ordinary human -- so he'll be more or less unchanged in Soul Campaign.

What weaknesses will your character lose or gain in Soul Campaign? He's a normal teenage human in good health, so there shouldn't need to be any modification to in regards supernatural ability/illness/etc.

The wish Death the Kid made to the BREW in 2009 was to “rescue Death City and stop the waves of Madness from overtaking the world.” By whatever means necessary. Pretend you are the BREW. Why would you choose to bring this character to Death City?
Alek's goal in-canon is very similar to Death the Kid's wish -- as a young noble caught up in an alternate-steampunk World War I, he's trying to stop the madness of war from taking over Europe and beyond, and salvage his own homeland and birthright in the process. However, he's also sensitive to others' causes and politically savvy, and willing to help others with their own goals, such as when he aids Zaven and Lilit in the Ottoman Revolution. These canonical goals, combined with his discipline and sense of responsibility, make him an excellent choice for the BREW.

If your character has difficulty verbally communicating or can’t verbally communicate at all (mute or non-humanoid), elaborate on how this will be treated in the game. N/A

[ WEAPON ONLY SECTION ]

Why is your character a Weapon and not a Meister?
In the world of Leviathan, there are two major factions, the Clankers, masters of mechanical machines, and the Darwinists, who genetically engineer new species of animals. It's fitting that Alek, as the prince of the Clanker Austro-Hungarian empire, would become a literal weapon -- it would embody his cultural link to the usage of mechanical weapons and reflect his status as an important 'playing piece', so to speak, in the political struggle he finds himself caught in. Additionally, though Alek is proficient in swordfighting in canon, throughout the series he shows a desire to fit in among the crew of the Leviathan and be useful to others, which the ability to transform into a weapon would fulfill.

What is your character’s Weapon Form? Why?
Alek's weapon form will be a gunblade extremely similar to in appearance to this one (http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110519022153/finalfantasy/images/5/51/FFXIVGunBlade.png) -- featuring a slim, saber-like design that can be wielded one-handedly as opposed to a heavier broadsword-type model. The hilt will follow a similar crimson-and-gold color scheme, but with more gold detailing, featuring the Habsburgs' double-headed eagle crest.

I'd like to ask for a partial form as well -- I know the weapon specifications say that projectile weapons aren't permitted partial forms, but I saw that Germany has a partial form in which the gun component isn't involved. I'd like to do something similar with Alek (i.e. have his arm turn into the saber blade only as his partial form).

What is your character’s Weapon Ability?
Alek's weapon ability will basically be enhanced focus -- he will grant his wielder increased concentration and discipline, allowing them to focus on and become clearly attuned to their precise movements and surroundings. Obviously, as resonance grows, so too will the meister's level of focus.

[ SOUL INFORMATION ]

Describe your character’s soul with six adjectives.
Serious, loyal, focused, diplomatic, determined, brave.

What does your character’s soul look like? Be creative.
Alek's soul will be a dull maroon color, and its defining feature will be a pair of ears.

[ SAMPLES ]

Provide a First Person style sample in the form of a post to the DEMISE network.

[voice]

[There's the sound of someone clearing their throat, and then a young man's voice begins to speak. It's shaky at first, but grows clearer and more confident as he continues.]

Good afternoon. I'm not sure to whom I happen to be addressing, but if it's not too much of an inconvenience, I'd like to request a bit of information.

I've been told that there's a war happening, but I'm still not clear on the circumstances. Who exactly are the parties involved? Er... that is, in what country are we located?

And what is this about humans taking the shape of weapons? Surely the Darwinists do not possess technology capable of fabricating... [He breaks off; the idea is absurd, and he's said too much.]

...I apologize for the interruption. If anyone is out there, please respond.

Provide a Third Person sample set during the last minutes on their world and/or their first few moments in the Kishin Chamber (http://soul-mods.livejournal.com/5916.html).

Alek blinked, his surroundings swimming into focus in the semidarkness. Chains, rubble -- had there been some sort of battle? What had happened? He didn't recall blacking out; in fact, the last thing he remembered was being aboard the Leviathan...

Panic jolted suddenly through his body as he realized this place was completely unfamiliar, and he scrambled to his feet.

"Dylan?" His friend's name slipped out immediately, his voice shaky and echoing. Immediately, he cursed himself for his foolishness. If anyone else was around, they'd now been alerted to his presence. Furthermore, there was no way of knowing whether they would be friendly or not, and a quick, cursory inspection of his person revealed that he'd been stripped of any weapons, and--

The scroll! A fresh wave of panic seized him, and he fumbled swiftly in his jacket pockets, relief flooding over him instantly when his fingers closed around the rolled leather of the decree signed by the Pope himself. The decision he'd made in Constantinople to keep it on his person at all times had been a wise one. Whoever his kidnappers were, they had not robbed him of his identity, at least.

The screens flickered to life, and Alek jumped, startled by their sudden appearance. Stay calm, he told himself, tightening one hand into a fist. If he was indeed in the hands of an enemy, he could not afford to give into any sort of trick they might play.

All thoughts of potential enemies, however, left his head as the man on-screen began to speak. Alek's disbelief grew with each word that reached his ears. Witches? Humans transforming into weapons? A war? It all seemed ridiculous. It seemed almost like an elaborate joke -- but who would put in this kind of effort for a mere joke? Yet he couldn't help but remain fixated on the screen as the red-haired man continued to talk, absorbing as much of the information as he could.

When the man was finished speaking, Alek remained standing for a moment, silent.

So they expected him to fight their war. Aleksandar of Hohenburg lifted his chin and clenched his teeth. He had his own war to fight, and it was not this one.

[ NOTES ]
None!