Mostly Harmless App

[beseriousannie]

OOC:

Name: Nica
Are you over 16?: Yes
Personal LJ: kurainoyume
Email: kuraikun@blackopalproductions.com
Timezone: PST
Other contact: Yume no Kakyou
Characters already in the game: Shiki Eiki nothing_is_grey, Fai notyuui
How did you find us?: Been in the game.

IC:

Character name: Hans Arlens
Fandom: Atelier Annie: Alchemist of Sera Island
Timeline: End of game Best Ending.

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Additional background

[beseriousannie]

When Annie first arrives to the island she is assigned a supervisor, all alchemist are given one which are in charge of managing them and being their liaison to the development committee. Hans happens to be Annie's supervisor as well as a member of the committee. To accommodate her slacker nature he becomes more rigid and stern with her. From the very first assignment he will make several visits to make reminders of how much time is left, the closer the deadline the more forceful he becomes until eventually he begins yelling. This is not a side that is seen very often though, as those at the committee office rarely see him being anything but calm and in control of his situation.

In one instance when Annie visits the committee office a junior member states how much they wish they were like Hans as he keeps the office flow smooth. We see him in a different light from when he comes to see Annie (which is usually filled with frustration). He calmly deals with all the paperwork, handing out assignments and consoling villagers concerns. Behind the desk it was as if without him everything would fall apart.

In truth things are only like that because Hans is an over achiever, he takes on all the responsibility because he is trying to prove himself. His father hand intended him to become a Royal Administrator the same as him and work at the administration office. Hans on the other hand wanted to find his own path and not simply follow in his fathers foot steps. The minute it was announced he had signed up for the development project on Sera Island. This angered his father feeling that Hans was just throwing away his future. About two and a half years into the project Hans' father sends him a message requesting him to go home. He assumes that Hans has waisted enough time and is ready to take him back by force. At that time Hans is starting to feel conflicted on whether to stay or go. In the end he decides to stay and orders his fathers servant to leave. This is a great step for him as he had never tried to stand up for himself before, and never honestly tried to take his own path. He explains how he has worked hard the past few years and has come a long way. Most of his reason for staying is no doubt Annie though.

At the end of the game is when we really start to see that Hans has a crush on Annie and it is best confirmed in the best ending. When her prize is about to be announced and her engagement to the prince declared Hans cries out in objection. Later he tries to pass it off as it would be unfair to the prince and an impractical decision on the kings part but it's fairly obvious to everyone (but Annie and Kilbert) that he did it because he didn't want to see her get married. He also chooses to stay on the island with her and continue to watch over her. (In most the endings he will either stay on the island if she does [even the bad ending where she needs to redo her efforts] or go back to the castle such as when she becomes the royal alchemist.)

He is the only character to not demand items from Annie, which reflects a great deal on his personality. He is not the time to request things of people he feels are not necessary or something he should be able to overcome. All of his quests are started by him mentioning something that has been bothering him off hand, and Annie attempting to make it for him to help. He is always greatly appreciative and surprised when she does so. These do not start coming up until a bit later in the game as this is when he starts being more open and casual around her.

A good example of his sheltered upbringing is when he tries to purchase clothing for the first time. Unsure of where to go as he has never bought it for himself before he heads to the weapon shop. They more or less laugh at him. He was concerned about his clothes being out of date and getting made fun of because of it, the shop owner has a fit at how ridiculous he is for coming into a place that sells weapons and armor instead of a proper clothing store. He gets extremely embarrassed and leaves deciding to just always wear his uniform as to not deal with the mistake again.