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Information
Name/Nickname: Kolten Himmel (almost always known by only his first name); Kolten Himmel II; Subject Zero (a misnomer--although Jakob Wolfstein is the true Subject Zero, Dr. Kammler conflated his and Kolten's results in his report to conceal that the first success was a Jew)
Gender: Cisgender male
Birthdate/Age/Sign: NA; twenties; Pisces
Orientation: Unknown
Relationship Status: Single
Race/Ethnicity/Nationality: Caucasian; Germanic descent; German
Class: Lower (white-collar poor)
Religion: None
Profession: During the war--test subject for Project Doomsday; after the war--does farm chores
Birthplace/Residence: Germany (deceased after Ultima Thule)
Personality/Characteristics
[Coming soon.]
Appearance
Kolten is of tall height; with a very muscular/stocky body type; has light blue eyes; and has medium cold gray fur.
Kolten usually has a slightly hunched posture, due to his immense height and size, to better fit through low doorways and bring himself down closer to others. He dresses simply, with whatever others provide for him; as a test subject in Project Doomsday, he wears striped pajamas and a black triangle badge with the word "Blöd" (stupid), indicating his status as a mental defective. He has a hulking and intimidating appearance, and is capable of violent rages and immense destruction, but is generally docile if stiff and halting, keeping his head bowed and choosing his words carefully (when he does speak); his emotions and vocabulary are simple and childlike, though he can mimic others' tone and repeat complex conversations word for word, even if he doesn't understand them. He does make eye contact, though usually from the side, in a peering manner, and tends to stare a bit too long. When drawing or working with his building blocks, he tends to get lost in a world of his own, but reacts with rage and grief when his blocks are tampered with.
Family & Relationships
Otto Himmel (Father)
Kolten was forcibly removed from his custody as a toddler to be raised by the state in a psychiatric institution, and the head psychiatrist refused to allow Himmel to visit him, insisting it would "confuse" the boy. Upon the Third Reich's rise to power, when Himmel heard rumors of disabled children being targeted for euthanasia, he joined the SS in the hopes that the Nazi Party wouldn't go after the family of their own. Major Ludolf Jäger agreed to protect Kolten if Himmel worked for his office. Himmel has always been completely supportive of his son, insisting he can never disappoint him; all actions he takes during the war are with Kolten's best interests at heart. Despite Himmel not revealing their relationship until the war's end, Kolten has always known he must be his father, due to his unconditional love for him.
Dagmar Himmel-Kammler (Mother)
Died giving birth to Kolten, so he never got to know her. His memory is so acute, however, that he does have dim memories of glimpsing her, and of his widowed father holding him and crying shortly after.
Kolten Himmel (Grandfather/Namesake)
Otto Himmel's father, who is presumed lost at sea when Otto is young. As Dagmar's father was named Dietmar (same as her brother), she agrees with Himmel to name their child Kolten, after his father, if it's a boy. Kolten never knows him or his grandmother, Anna Maria.
Dietmar Kammler (Uncle/Guardian)
Dagmar's brother, he initially despises Kolten--along with Himmel--claiming that they killed Dagmar. When he discovers that Kolten possesses the extremely rare blood type mutation that makes him a prime candidate for Project Doomsday, however, he expresses interest in entering him in the project. Himmel of course objects, so Kammler attempts to have him killed, taking custody of Kolten in the meantime; by the time Himmel recovers, Kolten is a test subject. Dr. Kammler treats Kolten much better than his other subjects, not torturing him and punishing any guards who harm him, yet he still considers Kolten merely an experiment and a means to an end.
Johanna Wolfstein (Informal Adoptive Mother)
Sister of Kolten's fellow test subject, Jakob Wolfstein. She meets Himmel while her brother is bringing him food following the war, and the two begin a tentative relationship; Himmel is deeply touched by her concern for Kolten's welfare. They don't marry, though Johanna does serve as a sort of informal adoptive mother to Kolten, continuing to care for him after Himmel's death.
Simon Himmel (Adoptive Brother)
Oldest of Himmel's adopted children. Quiet and bookish, he and Kolten get along well. He comforts the grieving Kolten after Himmel's death and promises to continue looking after him as family.
Hugo Himmel (Adoptive Brother)
One of Himmel's adopted children, older biological brother of Monika and Alwin. He prefers helping Himmel and Johanna with chores over playing, though he sometimes helps Kolten with his chores too.
Elka Himmel (Adoptive Sister)
One of Himmel's adopted children, twin sister of Erna. She and Kolten sometimes play together.
Erna Himmel (Adoptive Sister)
One of Himmel's adopted children, twin sister of Elka. She and Kolten sometimes play together.
Monika Himmel (Adoptive Sister)
One of Himmel's adopted children, younger biological sister of Hugo and older biological sister of Alwin. Kolten shares his drawing materials and picture books with her.
Alwin Himmel (Adoptive Brother)
One of Himmel's adopted children, younger biological brother of Hugo and Monika. He has what's likely a moderate/severe form of autism, and is unable to speak, read/write, or care for himself; his intellectual and emotional developmental level is roughly that of an infant. Although generally well behaved, he can easily become overstimulated or stressed and responds by crying. Kolten, due to his own likely autism, has a soft spot for him, and lets him play with his blocks, as well as helps soothe him when he's upset.
Anneliese Himmel (Adoptive Sister)
One of Himmel's adopted children; the daughter of an SS officer, she mistakes Himmel for her father when he first visits the orphanage. She's the first child he adopts and she and Kolten are very close, enjoying playing together and giving each other hugs. She, along with Simon, helps console Kolten the most following Himmel's death.
History
[Coming soon.]
Kolten In Heaven
[Coming soon.]
Trivia
*Kolten appears to have a form of moderate autism, with certain savantlike abilities; he's unable to write, read, or live independently, and has a simple manner of speech and a straightforward manner incapable of elaborate lies, possessing the mental and emotional capacity of a child around five years old; yet he's capable of activities consisting of rote repetition, is very physically strong, and has an astonishing eidetic memory which allows him to make near-perfect drawings of people and locations after a few moments of observation, and to recall--and parrot--entire conversations he's overheard, down to accent and voice pitch, even if he doesn't fully understand everything being said. Basically, he can function as a human camera and audio recorder, which allows him to effectively spy for Capt. Himmel.
*He's painfully honest, and for the most part incapable of deliberately lying; he finds it uncomfortable and doesn't really understand the concept of deceit. Nonetheless, he's capable of lying by omission and feigning ignorance, especially when asked to by Himmel. Dr. Kammler is unaware of this fact, which works to Himmel's advantage.
*He feels intense distress when certain routines are interrupted, especially when people touch or move his building blocks; this results in destructive fits of rage, after which he sobs uncontrollably for a time, and then feels extreme remorse and fear of punishment. After Himmel adopts several children, he learns to modify his behavior enough to let them play with his blocks, though he still won't allow anyone but Himmel to touch his constructions or his keystone.
*He possesses an exceedingly rare blood type mutation as a result of inheriting a recessive gene from both parents. This makes him an ideal subject for Projekt Weltuntergang, as the experimental serum works only on this particular blood type/genetic mutation combination.
*Himmel is the only one Kolten allows to handle his building blocks without restriction. Himmel teaches him the meaning and importance of the keystone ("It holds everything together"), which Kolten adopts as his favorite block and often carries on his person, almost like a security blanket. If anyone else tries to touch or take it, he angrily yells, "Nein! Mine!"
*He reacts with similar vehemence regarding his black triangle badge ("Mein Winkel!"), which denotes him as "Blöd" (stupid); this is the only word he recognizes on sight, and mistakes as a source of pride. Gold Rat convinces him to exchange the badge for another bearing his own name, which Gold teaches him to recognize. Gold then gives the black triangle to Himmel.
*Godfrey Klemper, passing by Kolten's cell on a visit to Projekt Weltuntergang headquarters, gives him a small prism he stole from Dr. Kammler's office. Kolten mistakes it for a keystone and sets it in the window to admire its light. Himmel later explains to him what it actually is and that it refracts all the colors of the rainbow. Kolten asks why it doesn't refract the color black; when Himmel says black isn't a color, Kolten casts a puzzled look at his badge. Himmel then corrects himself, saying that black is a combination of all the colors mixed together, harking back to his late wife's painting hobby. Kolten replies, "So black holds everything together."
*[Coming soon.]
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