Profile - Ada Vessalius @ paradisa
[CHARACTER NAME] Ada Vessalius
[FANDOM] Pandora Hearts
[CANON] Post chapter 45
[WHAT THEY LOST] Her memories of Elliot Nightray, who is both a friend and schoolmate to her and whose ‘friendship’ she cherishes. She seems to be able to see the good in him when all others define him as a rebel, despite his constant efforts to push her away.
[PERSONALITY]
On the surface, Ada Vessalius seems like the token rich girl born of a high-class family of prestigious name. She seems naïve, adoring and utterly doting, going as far as to bursting in tears when reunited with her brother, who fell into the abyss ten years prior and whom she had once looked up to dearly as her shining prince. Indeed, she seems to view the world through a rose-tinted glass, as further emphasized by her conversation with Vincent Nightray in chapter 45, in which he notes in a personal monologue that she’s a very privileged girl, born to a privileged family and is someone was brought up surrounded by beautiful things.
Despite various family problems and the obvious difficulties that come with being the brother of Oz Vessalius, the child whose existence was branded as ‘sin’, she’s had quite an easy and comfortable life by many people’s standards. Coddled and loved by everyone around her, she was brought up to love the world almost as much as it loves her, and her naïve eyes can see the beauty in each and every individual, in which she does not hesitate to point out at any and all given chances.
She’s sweet, helpful, easily flustered, quick to apologize and right wrongs, almost child-like in her adoration for those around her, and has only the purest of intentions towards almost everything. Also because of this, she has the tendency to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, and is ever-cheerful in her presentation towards others. Ever smiling, ever adoring, she’s the perfect picture of innocence.
From the surface, that is.
Underneath, she’s hardly anymore sinister as she makes herself out to be. However, well-intentioned and adoring as she is, she harbors some very real and very serious insecurities about herself. While she may seem like somewhat of a pansy from all points of view, it should be established that she attends Latowidge, which is a school catering towards the children of the upper-class and is considered to be one of the most prestigious schools of their country. And to top it off, she’s the prefect. All things considered, this is a very prestigious position in a very prestigious school, and to achieve this feat, Ada has to be pretty outstanding, even amongst blue bloods.
We see a little of her prefect-like personality when we first see her in the manga. Upon detecting the presence of a smoker within the school, she sets her attack cats upon them, dictating that it was against the rules to do such things within school premises and that it’s impossible for them to hide from the smoke-detecting abilities of her cats. Not only that, during a letter that she addresses to her uncle, she dictates that she ‘made a boy cry’, which is hardly something you would expect of a sweet, devoted little girl like Ada, but it definitely fits her prefect personality.
From this, we can gather that Ada separates private life from school life, and while it’s not a complete 180 in terms of her personality, she does act in different ways depending on who she is addressing and how she is addressed. However, this also implies that she is a highly capable young woman who is capable of acting in leadership positions and is able to assert herself before others, as well as make decisions in an unbiased manner. Also from this, we can tell that she’s hardly as naïve as she may seem at first.
Also adding to her personality is the fact that she knows she is being coddled by those around her. She is perfectly aware that things are being kept from her because of her gender, her status and because of her generally out-going personality, specifically by her uncle and to a lesser extent, Gilbert. She feels a certain degree of resentment towards this treatment of her, though resentment itself is a word that’s far too heavy for this situation, since she understands just why they are keeping certain facts away from her. She understands that it’s for her benefit, and that what they do now is out of love for her.
She doesn’t generally put up pretenses, being honest and sincere to the very core of her being, but for the sake of her loved ones, she’s willing to turn a blind eye.
… She also harbors a crush on a certain Vincent Nightray, so her judgment might be a little questionable. But all in all, she has nothing but the best of intentions and adores to a fault. But that’s what’s expected of her, so we’re all good.
Addendum: Ada Vessalius also has an extreme love for the occult, to the point where she is more than capable of ranting for hours on end about that particular subject, and seems to see a certain beauty in the iron maiden. In fact, she's practically a fangirl. Weird but true.
[THIRD-PERSON WRITING SAMPLE]
'What if brother looks at me, and says ‘this isn’t Ada’?'
It’s nighttime, and she’s taking supper in her dorm. A cold supper, not because she was in any way being slighted by the school founded by her forefathers, but simply because the council meeting had run late, and she hadn’t wanted to rouse the kitchen staff from their slumber for something as trivial as a late-night snack. A meal certainly wasn’t something particularly urgent, nor is the cold chicken and the bit of rice left over from today’s mealtime any less edible, and that’s good enough for her.
She was also composing a letter, between bites. It was hardly lady-like of her, nor would she ever admit to such behavior, given that those who knew her on a personal level would certainly have a heart attack at her conduct. But within the relative privacy of her dorm with her dorm mates slumbering peacefully on their bunks - she had insisted on sharing her room with others, because surely within a school of a limited size, it would be difficult to accommodate everyone and it simply wouldn’t be fair of her to accept such preferential treatment - she could allow herself a bit of slack, and besides, speed is of the essence. She wouldn’t want the light that illuminated her composition to disturb the rest of her friends. It had been a long day, and tomorrow would be of a similar state.
‘What if brother does not remember me at all?’
It was not the first time that she’s had such thoughts. Ever since word had traveled to within the walled gardens of Latowidge that a certain Oz Vessalius had made his triumphant return after ten years of near dormancy, the little inklings manifested themselves in the strangest of times. In the dark, perhaps, or when she’s diligently working away at an assignment. Perhaps during a council meeting or underneath the large oak tree in the courtyard that she favored as a reading spot when time allowed itself for her petty indulgences.
Her fingers trembled, slightly, and the ink of her quill splattered itself onto the page, wrecking her letter. The first words blurred beneath the ink smudge, ‘To my dearest Uncle Oscar;’ -- He would like to know how she was faring, she knew. She had promised him a letter weekly. A mere seven hours before the letterman was due to collect the week’s letters, and she intended to keep her promise, not to mention sleep.
With a sigh, she folded the sullied paper and slips it into the trash receptacle, before drawing out a new sheet of paper. She stared at it for a moment, drawing her finger across the white of its surface, momentarily recalling the snowy gardens of the Vessalius mainhouse, and the small footprints that had once overlapped large ones as they ran across the courtyard. Brother and servant. Sister and cat.
She smoothed out the paper upon her writing desk, and began her letter anew.
[FIRST-PERSON WRITING SAMPLE]
[An excerpt of Ada’s journal-diary.]
Today-
[The ink smudges, as though the writer herself were flustered. A quick dabbing of sand, and the entry continues.]
Mister Vincent and I found ourselves upon a walk, and we discussed many things, such as the situation of the Nightrays and their plight with the head-hunters.
It’s a frightening situation, fraught with danger, and I fear for Gilbert's safety dearly… I hadn’t know that he had been poisoned in the fray, but I cannot expect that Uncle would have found such a topic to be a fitting discussion around the dinner table. I rarely come home as it is, and I’m sure his intention was not to frighten me.
But I am grateful that Mister Vincent was able to take the time and tell me of these things, for as frightening as they are… knowledge of it is necessary. I understand that Uncle is doing this out of love and care for my well-being, but I am also a member of this family, and such things concern me greatly.
Mister Vincent was very kind to tell me of these things and… I feel as though he treats me like an equal, at times. I am not a child to be coddled, and he tells me things. Wondrous things. Frightening things.
I-
[the ink drips]
I am very grateful…
[another ink drop]
Oh, diary. He leaned so close, and my heart fluttered. How honest my heart is, I think-
Oh, diary. I do believe I may be in love.
[FANDOM] Pandora Hearts
[CANON] Post chapter 45
[WHAT THEY LOST] Her memories of Elliot Nightray, who is both a friend and schoolmate to her and whose ‘friendship’ she cherishes. She seems to be able to see the good in him when all others define him as a rebel, despite his constant efforts to push her away.
[PERSONALITY]
On the surface, Ada Vessalius seems like the token rich girl born of a high-class family of prestigious name. She seems naïve, adoring and utterly doting, going as far as to bursting in tears when reunited with her brother, who fell into the abyss ten years prior and whom she had once looked up to dearly as her shining prince. Indeed, she seems to view the world through a rose-tinted glass, as further emphasized by her conversation with Vincent Nightray in chapter 45, in which he notes in a personal monologue that she’s a very privileged girl, born to a privileged family and is someone was brought up surrounded by beautiful things.
Despite various family problems and the obvious difficulties that come with being the brother of Oz Vessalius, the child whose existence was branded as ‘sin’, she’s had quite an easy and comfortable life by many people’s standards. Coddled and loved by everyone around her, she was brought up to love the world almost as much as it loves her, and her naïve eyes can see the beauty in each and every individual, in which she does not hesitate to point out at any and all given chances.
She’s sweet, helpful, easily flustered, quick to apologize and right wrongs, almost child-like in her adoration for those around her, and has only the purest of intentions towards almost everything. Also because of this, she has the tendency to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, and is ever-cheerful in her presentation towards others. Ever smiling, ever adoring, she’s the perfect picture of innocence.
From the surface, that is.
Underneath, she’s hardly anymore sinister as she makes herself out to be. However, well-intentioned and adoring as she is, she harbors some very real and very serious insecurities about herself. While she may seem like somewhat of a pansy from all points of view, it should be established that she attends Latowidge, which is a school catering towards the children of the upper-class and is considered to be one of the most prestigious schools of their country. And to top it off, she’s the prefect. All things considered, this is a very prestigious position in a very prestigious school, and to achieve this feat, Ada has to be pretty outstanding, even amongst blue bloods.
We see a little of her prefect-like personality when we first see her in the manga. Upon detecting the presence of a smoker within the school, she sets her attack cats upon them, dictating that it was against the rules to do such things within school premises and that it’s impossible for them to hide from the smoke-detecting abilities of her cats. Not only that, during a letter that she addresses to her uncle, she dictates that she ‘made a boy cry’, which is hardly something you would expect of a sweet, devoted little girl like Ada, but it definitely fits her prefect personality.
From this, we can gather that Ada separates private life from school life, and while it’s not a complete 180 in terms of her personality, she does act in different ways depending on who she is addressing and how she is addressed. However, this also implies that she is a highly capable young woman who is capable of acting in leadership positions and is able to assert herself before others, as well as make decisions in an unbiased manner. Also from this, we can tell that she’s hardly as naïve as she may seem at first.
Also adding to her personality is the fact that she knows she is being coddled by those around her. She is perfectly aware that things are being kept from her because of her gender, her status and because of her generally out-going personality, specifically by her uncle and to a lesser extent, Gilbert. She feels a certain degree of resentment towards this treatment of her, though resentment itself is a word that’s far too heavy for this situation, since she understands just why they are keeping certain facts away from her. She understands that it’s for her benefit, and that what they do now is out of love for her.
She doesn’t generally put up pretenses, being honest and sincere to the very core of her being, but for the sake of her loved ones, she’s willing to turn a blind eye.
… She also harbors a crush on a certain Vincent Nightray, so her judgment might be a little questionable. But all in all, she has nothing but the best of intentions and adores to a fault. But that’s what’s expected of her, so we’re all good.
Addendum: Ada Vessalius also has an extreme love for the occult, to the point where she is more than capable of ranting for hours on end about that particular subject, and seems to see a certain beauty in the iron maiden. In fact, she's practically a fangirl. Weird but true.
[THIRD-PERSON WRITING SAMPLE]
'What if brother looks at me, and says ‘this isn’t Ada’?'
It’s nighttime, and she’s taking supper in her dorm. A cold supper, not because she was in any way being slighted by the school founded by her forefathers, but simply because the council meeting had run late, and she hadn’t wanted to rouse the kitchen staff from their slumber for something as trivial as a late-night snack. A meal certainly wasn’t something particularly urgent, nor is the cold chicken and the bit of rice left over from today’s mealtime any less edible, and that’s good enough for her.
She was also composing a letter, between bites. It was hardly lady-like of her, nor would she ever admit to such behavior, given that those who knew her on a personal level would certainly have a heart attack at her conduct. But within the relative privacy of her dorm with her dorm mates slumbering peacefully on their bunks - she had insisted on sharing her room with others, because surely within a school of a limited size, it would be difficult to accommodate everyone and it simply wouldn’t be fair of her to accept such preferential treatment - she could allow herself a bit of slack, and besides, speed is of the essence. She wouldn’t want the light that illuminated her composition to disturb the rest of her friends. It had been a long day, and tomorrow would be of a similar state.
‘What if brother does not remember me at all?’
It was not the first time that she’s had such thoughts. Ever since word had traveled to within the walled gardens of Latowidge that a certain Oz Vessalius had made his triumphant return after ten years of near dormancy, the little inklings manifested themselves in the strangest of times. In the dark, perhaps, or when she’s diligently working away at an assignment. Perhaps during a council meeting or underneath the large oak tree in the courtyard that she favored as a reading spot when time allowed itself for her petty indulgences.
Her fingers trembled, slightly, and the ink of her quill splattered itself onto the page, wrecking her letter. The first words blurred beneath the ink smudge, ‘To my dearest Uncle Oscar;’ -- He would like to know how she was faring, she knew. She had promised him a letter weekly. A mere seven hours before the letterman was due to collect the week’s letters, and she intended to keep her promise, not to mention sleep.
With a sigh, she folded the sullied paper and slips it into the trash receptacle, before drawing out a new sheet of paper. She stared at it for a moment, drawing her finger across the white of its surface, momentarily recalling the snowy gardens of the Vessalius mainhouse, and the small footprints that had once overlapped large ones as they ran across the courtyard. Brother and servant. Sister and cat.
She smoothed out the paper upon her writing desk, and began her letter anew.
[FIRST-PERSON WRITING SAMPLE]
[An excerpt of Ada’s journal-diary.]
Today-
[The ink smudges, as though the writer herself were flustered. A quick dabbing of sand, and the entry continues.]
Mister Vincent and I found ourselves upon a walk, and we discussed many things, such as the situation of the Nightrays and their plight with the head-hunters.
It’s a frightening situation, fraught with danger, and I fear for Gilbert's safety dearly… I hadn’t know that he had been poisoned in the fray, but I cannot expect that Uncle would have found such a topic to be a fitting discussion around the dinner table. I rarely come home as it is, and I’m sure his intention was not to frighten me.
But I am grateful that Mister Vincent was able to take the time and tell me of these things, for as frightening as they are… knowledge of it is necessary. I understand that Uncle is doing this out of love and care for my well-being, but I am also a member of this family, and such things concern me greatly.
Mister Vincent was very kind to tell me of these things and… I feel as though he treats me like an equal, at times. I am not a child to be coddled, and he tells me things. Wondrous things. Frightening things.
I-
[the ink drips]
I am very grateful…
[another ink drop]
Oh, diary. He leaned so close, and my heart fluttered. How honest my heart is, I think-
Oh, diary. I do believe I may be in love.