AT App.
⌦ the basics
჻ CHARACTER Albedo
჻ CANON SERIES Xenosaga
჻ TIMELINE Fourteen years before the first game, after the Militian Conflict, and subsequent trauma.
჻ WIKI LINK FOR BIO/HISTORY here, though only the first bit is relevant, re: the time I'm taking him from. (and my history is more complete anyway.)
⌦ the details
▐ ELABORATE
- ჻ HISTORY
Albedo is a URTV (U-DO Retro-Virus) unit, a weapon made to counter U-DO; an entity that that no human could possibly hope to control. U-DO appeared in the UMN (the network that allowed for all things from cell phones to teleportation to happen), and when the reigning governments at the time expressed interest in it, Doctor Dmitri Yuriev told them that U-DO was a hostile entity with dangerous waveforms and the ability to create time and space distortions. A fallacy, only in the way that it was not actively hostile. Regardless, the governments agreed that U-DO was a threat, and commissioned Yuriev to counter its power, which was exactly what he wanted.
He created the URTVs. URTVs are designer children that are U-DO's anti-existence, and together can form a spiritual link that counters U-DO's power with their waves. They are telepathically linked to one another, and are a collective consciousness--excluding the Variants, units 666-669, who were modified before birth and exist as individuals. They are all clones of Dmitri Yuriev, and all look the same (blond and blue eyed), except again, for the Variants.
Units 666 and 667 were conjoined twins, connected at the back, that were separated in the twenty-eighth week from each other. Both of their main abilities stem from the same attribute, but in different directions. Albedo's ability sped up his cell division, while unit 666, Rubedo’s, cells could slow to a stop. Both felt like they were part of each other’s body, even after being separated. Albedo grew up at the Yuriev Institute, where they trained every day in U-DO simulations and learned the skills necessary to fight it.
Albedo was completely dependant on his twin, Rubedo; never willingly leaving his side, and clinging to him as much as possible. He was a sensitive child, and cried easily over anything that bothered him. His two brothers tried to take care of him, but got annoyed at times of his clinging so. And even though he was very fearful, he retaliated swiftly to anyone that went against Rubedo; protective of the very thing that his world centered upon. Either way, life continued around them, the three of them living in their own little world.
This continued until around the time the units turned twelve. Around this time, Juli Mizrahi came to Yuriev about her daughter's sickness. Connection to the UMN had created a sort of autism in the girl, making her unable to communicate to the outside world but for playing music on the piano. The three male Variants, Rubedo, Albedo, and Nigredo (units 666, 667, and 669 respectively), using a simulator were sent to her subconscious domain (an internal world) in order to find out what was limiting her, and if there was any way to repair it.
The trio entered her mind's domain, which resembled her house in the real world. They got stuck in the girl's closet for a while before tumbling out, waking her. They tried to leave, apologizing for the way they had entered, before the girl stopped them, asking if they could hear her. When they nodded, she broke into tears of relief.
The girl was Sakura, and she was the changing point in Albedo's life.
The URTVs had training missions, increasingly, inside of Sakura's domain; attempting to destroy what was influencing her. The boys got to know her, especially Rubedo, who spent more and more time alone with the girl. Albedo was not only extremely jealous of this, but severely hurt that his twin would pick anyone over him. He grew to obsessing over the fact, and watching when they thought he wasn’t around. He made himself hate Sakura, as she was the thing standing in-between him and his brother.
Around that time, the three Variants were sent into her unconscious domain with a group of Standard units to attempt to complete the mission. Before they were even sent in, the Standards started mentally abusing Rubedo, asking why he should be the leader, and calling him a monster because he was a Variant. Albedo responded hostilely; mentally yelling at the others to leave Rubedo alone and telling them that they were the monsters. Nigredo calmed down Albedo and the two reassured Rubedo that they were behind him.
Once inside the domain, U-DO appeared within, much to Albedo’s shock, since they weren’t inside the simulator. It struck out at the group, and while the Variants could defend themselves, the mental forms of the Standards became tainted, ruining the mission prematurely. After things were sorted out, Albedo hunted down Unit 623, the Standard who had been the one to taunt Rubedo first, and beat him to the point of death, yelling at him to leave Rubedo alone. Rubedo and Nigredo arrived on the scene to stop Albedo, who literally didn’t understand why his twin was so upset. After Rubedo gave him a look of apathetic disappointment, Albedo screamed his twin’s name, and demanded that he not look at him that way, as Rubedo and Nigredo walked away.
Later on, the two confronted Albedo, asking him why he had abused 623. Albedo, seemingly uncaring, responded that the other could just regenerate. When the other two became confused, Albedo simply pulled out an issued gun, put it to his head, and pulled the trigger. The two screamed as his body stumbled, but soon his head was whole again, completely regenerated. Rubedo’s panic gave way to anger, and he hit Albedo, commanding him never to do that again. Finally understanding that he was the only one that could regenerate like that, Albedo broke into tears and rushed into his twin’s arms, stating that he didn’t want to be alone. That if they died, Albedo wanted to die, too.
That was the second defining point in Albedo’s life.
He became quickly and severely obsessed with death. He was still the same jealous and insecure little boy, but he started to be alone more and more often, to think about life and death, and to teach himself not to be affected by it. He began to dig graves as a hobby, pretending that they were for Rubedo and Nigredo, so that he wouldn’t cry when they actually died. As for his brothers themselves, both seemed inadequate with knowing how to deal with Albedo after that. This can't be faulted against them: weapons or not, soldiers or not, there's not much that can be said to comfort your immortal brother when you're twelve. So Albedo struggled alone with the fact of having eternal life when everything you loved around you would die.
This continued on for awhile until the Variants attempted to again heal Sakura. The next time they went, U-DO wasn’t present, and Rubedo tried to get Sakura to move past this place in her mind, so it’d be possible for her to heal. The girl shook her head, scared, and pointed at Rubedo’s shadow. Instead of a normal human shadow, it was a demonic shadow that wavered in the half-light. Albedo was delighted by this, laughing and stating that Rubedo was a monster, too--that they both were. Rubedo became increasingly upset until he activated his Red Dragon Mode, the perfect anti-U-DO wave. And with this, the formings of a plan were seated in Albedo’s mind.
If his brothers had to die, they would leave him. So Albedo would die, too, so when they finally died, the three of them would be together again. This was simple in his mind. The only question was how. He had tested his limits with his regeneration, and found none. Nothing could kill him or take his life. But if he became tainted by U-DO, his twin would have to kill him, and with Rubedo’s power, would have the means to cancel out his life.
He went alone to Sakura’s unconscious domain to seek out the bit of U-DO that had attacked before. It showed up and surrounded him, but before anything could happen, Sakura appeared to shove Albedo out of the way of the mounting attack. It hit her instead and she fell to the ground. Shocked, he asked her why she had done so, and if she had did it for Rubedo. The girl answered softly, no, that she had did it for him. He couldn't comprehend the girl's actions, and even though he went on outwardly hating her, she had become something cherished subconsciously. Something that had loved him and saved him, for no reason he could understand. This would never be conscious to Albedo, but it would show later on in his dealings with certain Realians, or artificial humans.
With her death, Albedo learned guilt, not out of remorse for his own actions, but for the sadness that enveloped Rubedo afterward. He didn’t try to take his own life again after that, and wouldn’t try again for a long time. Albedo would harbor feelings of isolation and loneliness for a good while after that--still the insecure brother outwardly, but a great deal more distant, and quiet, than before.
The Militian Conflict occurred than, a civil war of sorts--the Federation government against the U-TIC terrorist organization, over a planet and the information that one man (incidentally, Sakura’s father) held there--secrets that would supposedly make one as God. Using some of that power and knowledge, the man created a ship, the Song of Nephilim, which created madness in all who heard it; specifically, Realians. The Song drew U-DO to that place, which brought the URTVs to be sent there in a third reich type formation.
In the center of the chaos, the Variants and the Standards formed a spiritual link to combat the rising forces of U-DO. Outside of the simulator, Albedo found an intense fear of U-DO, trembling and clinging to Rubedo, and stating repeatedly that he was afraid. Seeing Sakura killed by it, and facing it, even by his own design, had created a fear of losing everything that he had ever cared about... and a primal fear. He had seen it, felt it; something larger than himself, a fear later described as the kind of fear that shackles one to the human realm. A fear of a power that would consume you.
No matter how he felt however, the link was formed; Rubedo forcing Albedo’s hand to add his own power to it. But not long after it was created, Rubedo had a vision of destruction. That while they were the anti-existence of U-DO, and were able to cancel out its effects in people and places, they could not cancel the actual entity, and the result of their clashing waves would mean the destruction of the planet. Rubedo backed away, his hand down, and Albedo’s fear intensified. He pleaded with Rubedo to not let go, and not leave him behind, but his brother pulled away from his hand, and broke the link. Without the protection of the link, U-DO rose to destroy or infect every URTV except for Nigredo--and Rubedo, who ran away.
A large amount of U-DO went straight into the screaming Albedo, and while it did not destroy him, it shattered most of his mind, and Rubedo leaving him alone did the rest. It drove him partially mad, yes, but didn't consume him like it did the others. He sat by himself in that room, giggling about revelations he was having about himself--no longer believing himself incomplete and worthless, but instead something of a higher existence. The power he had so feared had touched him, and his fractured psyche had accepted it, and drew it into himself, to become seduced by the power that it held. U-DO found a resonating point within the boy, and adapted, giving him more abilities.
Outside the infected URTVs turned on the people, gunning them down. Nigredo tried to stop most of them in his search for Rubedo, and eventually came back to the room in which everything started. Albedo, who was still there, levitated with his new power down to where Nigredo was, and proceeded to beat him to the point of death--which forced Nigredo to use his own power, waveforms that were a failsafe towards URTVs that went out of control (specifically, Rubedo, and in that line, his other half). This showed Albedo the true secret form of Nigredo--the Executioner, the one who could counter the Red Dragon's power and nullify it. And with that, his hatred grew for his younger brother. The two, both half dead, separated; Nigredo to be found by Rubedo soon after.
Albedo snuck aboard the Song, to be found later, unconscious, by the Chief Inquisitor of U-TIC. Aboard the Song, he found the 99-Series Realians, based on the features of Sakura, who he called his Kirschwassers, and obsessively collected them as his own, wanting to possess them. They would become infatuated with him, and continue loving him even as he killed them years later. After this point, he will become a free-lance agent of U-TIC. In the fourteen years with them, he’ll embrace his insanity and revel in it, while still keeping his obsession with his twin healthy and alive, though tainted with abandonment and resentment, and make himself a set of beliefs to live by based around the idea that humanity is a disease, and that as a higher life form, he has the responsibility to provide the means to ascend to a higher plane of existence, even if it kills everyone. He’ll kidnap a Realian called MOMO, the exact duplicate of Sakura, and mind-rape her for the information that her father held so he can put his beliefs into action. And yet still, he will challenge his other, force Rubedo to destroy him, and even come back again to lend a hand to his siblings in the end, before eventually combining with Rubedo and existing the way they were meant to--together.
But all that hasn’t happened quite yet.
჻ PERSONALITY
There are three specific areas of Albedo's psyche that must be explained in complete depth. It must be taken into consideration that Albedo is the perfect example of a walking contradiction; ruled by both pride and fear, pain and love.
Albedo, first, is a little boy. A very lonely and needy little boy that was completely dependent on his older brother, Rubedo. His existence was an accident, and no one ever saw fit to hide that fact from him. His timid ways and oversensitivity was seen as a weakness, and he was treated as if he was worthless by everyone except for Rubedo; his other half, his other heart. But his intense emotions were sometimes overwhelming to his sibling, and he was sometimes ignored. Albedo felt separate, and cut off from everything and everyone around him from as long as he could remember.
The deep loneliness he felt showed itself in many negative ways. He became completely obsessed with Rubedo, and territorial towards anyone that would attempt to become close to his brother. To say Albedo was jealous was be an overwhelming understatement. Rubedo should be his, and other people should not be involved in their private world. This would again be accented by extremes in various degrees. He would be overly protective of Rubedo when the Standards would verbally attack him; attacking them to the point of death in return. With others, such as Nigredo and Sakura, people who Rubedo chose to spend more time with, he would become withdrawn and hostile. He couldn't resent Rubedo, who was Albedo's life, for his choices, so he forced himself to hate the others instead.
Nigredo became something of a contradiction in Albedo's existence, like much else that would come later. As children, the three of them were entirely close, and as they grew, Nigredo was the one that would move to comfort Albedo before Rubedo. Despite this, Albedo would start to hate his younger brother superficially, who Rubedo chose to bring along to their games and would talk to, and that worsened when he found out that Nigredo was the Executioner, created to kill Rubedo if he ever lost control of the Red Dragon. In Albedo's mind, their father favored the dark haired child, and Albedo hated how Nigredo seemed to want to please him at every turn, where Albedo was seen as nothing but a worthless failure. It was straightforward, and yet, Nigredo was someone that he never cut off, and even in later years, would allow him to find him, and contact him. Nigredo was someone real, not placed on a pedestal far above.
And Rubedo truly was the only one that Albedo held in any regard. Whether by a chemical disturbance or just a chance of fate, Albedo was a very sociopathic being. Others' feelings and pain held no hold for him, and he was extremely self-serving--except for, of course, his twin, which he would have done anything for if he was able. Albedo was selfish and sadistic, even while he was still a fearful and timid little boy. His fears were centered around loss, and when that fear would fade into the background of his mind for awhile, he would become very aggressive in turn.
All of this worsened during the Militian Conflict, when his twin abandoned him.
When his fears became a reality, a multitude of emotions came to the surface within him. His hurt and pain consumed him on a dangerous level; it became all he was. That only lasted a short while though, before he covered it up with anger--anger being far potent than sorrow, especially to fuel a new power that he had acquired. The abandonment caused a tearing within him. Be it from his own pain, or U-DO's power, he was cut off from his brothers, and even more so his twin, which made a new emptiness to be fed within him.
He was quick to fill that hole with a bitter resentment for the ones that abandoned him. He would take on an avenger role for a time, saying his hate came from the Standards who had been killed, but that was nothing more than a farce, seeing as how he didn't even see them as real people, and his world was already full with another. His hate would grow as large as the love he still held for his twin, bringing destructive habits and more sadistic pleasures. He was abusive to everything around him, but even in his resentment he held on to a tiny hope subconsciously. It existed like a wish within him; that his twin would either save or destroy him.
Destruction seemed more likely. While Albedo had not been fully contaminated by that brief touch of U-DO, he had been tainted, and that taint spread through him, bringing power that no human should have. It seduced the young boy, and bent his mind further, allowing the insanity within him to have a better hold. His weaknesses were cast off, or buried deep down, and he started to develop a god-complex, to the point of believing himself higher than all others. In the future, he would act on this, attempting to shift the entire plane of existence into a higher domain because he believed he should. And, in that act, he would attempt to counter his remaining fear of U-DO, which can only be transcended by becoming a god, and if he failed at this, his twin would kill him, which would bring about his hidden wish.
But, at this point, everything is only half-realized. Albedo is both the lonely little boy who loves his brother, and the crazed manic who loves creating pain in himself and others as he searches for a kind of enlightenment. Change does not happen overnight, and there will be times when all he wants is his siblings to comfort, just as there will be times when his only desire is to strangle the life from each one around him. The loss and resentment, and the insanity magnified by U-DO, will eventually eat away at him without outside influence, but for now he exists in a half-state; encompassed by a pain he can't yet ignore, and a love he can't quite shut down.
Because of this, Albedo is at the crux of his evolution of sorts. With effort, he can touch on kindness. With influence, he can wage war and tear asunder others with cruelty. U-DO has allowed most weaknesses to be set aside, and with that, it's far easier to move freely--to play games and toy with others without a care. Despite all of this, Albedo has goals and motivations--the priority being finding Rubedo, and deciding what to do with him. And finding his sibling, and forcing him to carry out Albedo's hidden want. His mind is shifting slowly towards his adult mentality--a contempt for humanity and all that they have built, allowed from the collective consciousness's information, and the desire to reach a higher plane of existence--most notably by creating a space and time continuum and destroying the lower dimension where humanity dwells.
However, he has time. More so because not all places run on the same time. He is something that absorbs information, and will take any new outlet or venue as something to be gathered for experience. Impatience is only known with blood relations; for everything else, Albedo exists as he will, with patience and amusement, and with the boredom of a child.
჻ ABILITIES
As a URTV, Albedo has access to the spiritual link, that when formed with other URTVs, cancels out the effects of U-DO's waves. URTVs can also control energy for attacking in the form of energy balls, energy waves, and telekinesis, to state a few. From the abilities shown and spoke of, the uses are not limited--only by individual strengths.
Albedo has the infinite telomerase, also known as regeneration. There is no limit whatsoever to this, and he can heal from anything, no matter how extreme, making him virtually immortal. Virtually is included, because as stated in his history, he can be killed only by Rubedo.
He also has a mental bond with his fellow URTVs, allowing them to contact each other telepathically. They're connected by their spiritual link. They're aware of each other, as well as feel their emotions and mental/emotional condition, and speak to each other if necessary. With Rubedo specifically, he can feel his twin's heartbeat, having once been part of each other. This allows him to know where Rubedo is at all times.
One thing to note specifically is the URTV Variant ability to reverse a spiritual link. This is frowned upon, much like the thought of murder, though it is shown Albedo has no qualms about it later on in the series, and likely doesn't now if the need arises. The process is relatively simple; he connects to a URTV or human's individual wavelength, and separates the mind body connection that exists there. This can elude to several things, depending on severity--unconsciousness, a comatose state, or a kind of spiritual death results in a shell of a person. This is not detailed, but canon points to the fact that it can be reversed from another character's remark.
Albedo has also come into contact with U-DO, which allows him to do all sorts of stuff--throwing power balls, levitating, turning his own will into pure power, to state a very select few. Being tainted by U-DO also gives insanity, and odd knowledges from a myriad and many things throughout history (be it that he's basically linking with a collective consciousness).
To add, each Variant also has a color they glow, like an aura, if they're using their power or their emotions are high--Albedo is purple, or a mix of violet and magenta (U-DO's "color").
Other than his powers and abilities, Albedo has both military training and tactics ingrained in him from over a decade of practice as well as basic combat and advanced weapons training. He has some mental defenses that he’s formed from the telepathy, and being around constant users. Nothing to extreme levels, more of an awareness of it being used on him, as well as being able to push back. URTVs are also learned in most sciences and general strategy, and they are also genetically enhanced, to the point of his strength being more attuned to an adult as he is currently, rather than a child of his age.
Albedo is also a tactical genius, able to set things in motion multiple steps in advance. He's on his way to becoming a master manipulator, able to fit the part necessary and switch roles at whim. He has a tendency to read people, and read them well; picking up on the details and reading between the lines. He can also magically switch between emotions in a rapid, nonsensical manner that defies logic.
On the offset, he sometimes has a tendency to get distracted or bored easily depending on his mindset. Also, social strengths are found to be lacking in the genuine area--he's not one to have many friends, if at all. The unstable areas in his mind are a giant weakness once activated--taking over everything to consume his being until a stable point is reached or it somehow evens out.
He also knows how long it takes for people to die from certain injuries. =D
჻ ON RELATIONSHIPS
These are just summaries.
Brothers. - Siblings hold an extreme basis with Albedo. With his twin, Albedo loves and hates him more than anything else, and when Rubedo is around, all that Albedo does, plots, and acts has to do with his twin. Nigredo has less of an effect, due to both his own personality and the lack of the bond the twins share, but it still holds far over anyone else. With both brothers, Albedo will prioritize them over everything else--if in a negative way, he will work to bring them down, and if a positive, he will do all he can to protect them, which also translates as coming off as an extremely jealous lover. Gay incest is not so much a joke with this one.
Friends. - Are seldom if any. Friends generally fall into a category like family. He will treat them much the same as siblings, except for the fact that blood will always come first, and he won't be quite as possessive with them.
General people. - Are seen as amusement. Humankind in general is but a faulty species, so watching them move and fight is something amusing in nature. Just as well, though, if he bores of them, he's likely to make his own games and have them dance to his tune. For that, he can fit any number of parts, but he usually just maintains a version of himself. It doesn't take that much to call to another's soul.
Toys. - Are those seen as more than fun. Ones that are self-righteous, stubborn, close-minded, delicate, and far too breakable. These he takes a close interest in, and will go out of his way to make games for them.
Hated. - For those Albedo truly hates, which aren't as many as you would think, there is seldom any other option than death. And as he cannot die, that only leaves one who can. When he hates people, it is normally not for him, and rather for the sin of being too close to his siblings. And as well--for those said siblings abandoning him in turn.
⌦ nuadoria specific
▐ WHAT ARE THEY BRINGING TO NUADORIA?: Nothing.
▐ YOUR CHARACTER'S ELEMENT: Fire.
▐ WHAT IS THEIR GESTALT?: His familiar is a reddish-brown cabbit (here & here), and its gestalt is a horse-sized kitsune (here).
▐ HOW WILL THIS CHARACTER FIT INTO THE ENVIRONMENT OF THE GAME?: Albedo, in particular, is a good fit for this game because he is a character that accepts and understands the different ways reality can move. He's intimately familiar with some aspects, and through his connection with U-DO, he's more willing to learn about what he doesn't know. To add, he has a tendency to think in things as games or things to be beaten and overcome, so he's able to adapt and adjust well.
⌦ samples
OPTION I
- ✔ PREVIOUS/LINKED SAMPLES :