application; SPOILERS AHEAD;
Aug. 29th, 2013 03:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hellfryerhere!
Appearance: here!
Personality:
Honest. Trustworthy. Reliable.
These are all words most people wouldn’t use to describe Alvin, once they’ve gotten to know him well.
A product of his situation growing up, Alvin is the sort of person who has been completely twisted by circumstance. As his life and his family fell apart while trapped in what was essentially another world, he was forced to also become a member of the group Exodus -- one dedicated to finding a way out of Rieze Maxia and back to Elympios. He was betrayed time and time again by his own family members, sometimes in ways that would be unfathomable to a child. As that happened, he closed off his heart -- for the most part -- and did the things he had to in order to make the best of it.
Essentially, much of his life was spent doing the dirty work, with his uncle, Gilland (the leader of Exodus) holding much over his head, including the medicine needed to keep his ill mother alive. When push comes to shove, helping his mother came above all else; even his reasoning for wanting to return to Elympios seemed mostly based in the fact that Leticia wanted it most. Even within the context of the game, when the other party members learn about his mother’s illness, and much of why he did the things he did, he says “It was all for Mommy.” Sure, a bit sarcastic as means of trying to avoid sympathy, but no less true. Alvin is a mama’s boy through and through in that regard. But because of that, he went from being a shy and kind-hearted heir of Elympios' Svent family, who could hardly speak to strangers without crying to one who could backstab people who considered him friend and lover. As far as Alvin was concerned, it was all part of the job. Keep a smile on his face and play the nice guy, take mercenary jobs, get what he needed and leave. Betrayal was a meaningless word to him; he was just doing all he needed to in order to help his mother. Even if it meant hurting people who had grown to care for him. Presa, member of Gaius’ Chimeriad and Alvin’s ex-girlfriend said it best -- he keeps people around while they’re useful, and when it’s over, he throws them away and moves on. A drifter at best, and one who can’t be trusted, because he’ll sell anyone out for a paycheck. And it’s true, because to Alvin, if things got too difficult, he would just leave and move on. It was easier to him than trying to work through problems and do the right thing.
It all comes back to haunt him, though. Try as Alvin might to not form emotional bonds with people, he’s still very human. Rowen states very clearly that he doesn’t think that Alvin will be able to live the way he does much longer partway through the story -- and he’s right, because of that humanity that runs deep in him. He cares very deeply for Presa, despite having betrayed her in a pretty ugly way (and on more than one occasion; even up until her death); when he reads her final letter to him and sees how she knew she would be betrayed by him because of his ties to Milla, Jude and the others, he makes it clear to the player how important she was, going as far as to say that of all her names and aliases, her true name was his favorite. But further than that, it is the main party that completely rocks him to his core. Though he betrays them multiple times, they always find room to let him back into their lives. His perception becomes a bit skewed though -- he assumes that they all completely hate him, which isn’t the case. Even if it should be. They make it clear that they lack trust in him, and that keeping him where they can see him is often a matter of convenience (to keep an eye on him), but even then, their feelings do way. It’s because of those things he changes, and that he strives to make himself a better person. He learns that he can’t keep living in a way of betraying the people who care for him, and that his life has absolutely no meaning when all those aspects are taken away. Following his mother’s death, everything around him begins to fall apart -- then they lose Milla, Jude becomes a shell of himself, and even in his attempt to kill them, he can’t do it. When he does shoot someone, he finds himself completely horrified at his own actions. His own breakdown signifies a huge change in his personality -- no longer can he truly let himself be the type of person who betrays others, but one who needs friends to support him. It’s difficult for him to understand, but it’s a near twenty year backup of emotions and feelings that flood out from that point, completely deconstructing everything about the darker side of him.
In realizing how much he cares about and wants to stand by the side of the ones who once called him friend also comes the realization that they may never call him that again. With how many bridges he burned in the past, he can’t place blame for them if they do hate him, and Alvin knows that. But he cares enough for the entire party that he does legitimately want to apologize, make amends, and try to truly rebuild the bonds he screwed up royally. It’s not easy, and it becomes one of the first true signs of Alvin growing up and taking responsibility for his actions. It becomes one of the first times he acts on his own convictions -- where they don’t waver, which is part of the game’s overarching theme.
But that’s the darker side of his personality. Not everything is all doom, gloom and betrayal with Alvin, and everything else that’s left is pretty… well, light-hearted. Knowing that he’s better to get information and have success with his mercenary jobs when he’s friendly, he tends to be just that. Maybe a little too much so at times. But he tends to act as if he’s looking on the bright side of things and casually going with the flow, and he’s got a sense of humor about things. Sometimes, that sense of humor can be on the more perverse side (topics like bondage and breasts have come up on many, many occasions with him), and sometimes it’s just a little more playing to pseudo-bullying (like telling Elize that wyverns eat the souls of children when they get hungry), but he does all he can to make it seem like even the worst of remarks is just rolling off his back.
He spends much of the game keeping his distance from others -- even in cutscenes, it’s made very clear that he has a different stance on things, and that he’s generally more detached from things. But as the story progresses and he makes a conscious effort to change, all those little things become very genuine from Alvin. At his core, he has a good heart. But so many years of having to suppress his feelings makes him bad at expressing emotions well, or letting others know how he really feels about things. He still views himself as rotten -- so much so that he completely abandoned his birth name, because all of the terrible things he did made him unworthy. He supposes it’s for the best though, since his very affluent and influential family on Elympios spent twenty years fighting for his inheritance -- Alfred Vint Svent has no place in the world, but by the end of Tales of Xillia, Alvin does, alongside the friends he’s made.
It’s a long road, and even by the end of the game, he’s not where he wants to be. He hasn’t completely let go of all his hang-ups. His issues run very deep, and he knows that no matter how hard he tries, he may never fully regain the trust of Jude and the others. He really wants to, which does ultimately culminate in him going on the straight and narrow once and for all… But even then, even if he’s trying, he still has a lot of work to do. He knows he’s capable of betrayal again, even if he’s determined not to do that, and he also knows he has to keep trying to better himself. All along, he was a good person -- just one who got broken, beaten and twisted by the very difficult and trying life he was leading.
Abilities:
As a mercenary, Alvin’s a pretty skilled guy. With his left hand, he wields a gun (one he’s been using since he was a kid -- a testament to his skill is in part how many years he’s been doing this). In his right hand, he wields and a broadsword, with which his attacks are much less finessed, but very powerful due to his strength and the size of the weapon itself.
Like most other player characters in Tales games, Alvin is also capable of using artes, though unlike the vast majority of other Xillia characters, he doesn’t use “spirit artes,” a type that uses the mana lobe to channel spirits. His artes are all of the non-spirit variety, meaning they’re fast use and don’t have any cast times. When using his artes, Alvin is able to use the “Charge” ability, which charges his sword and allows him to perform an altered, more powerful form of his artes. In addition, when linked to another character, he uses the “Breaker” skill, which allows him to cut through an enemy’s guard with ease using the strength of his blade.
A list of his artes.
Other: he likes bazongas. and he’s a lefty, which is pretty damn awesome.
SAMPLES
First Person: dear mun thread; additional test drive thread
Third Person:
Fate sure had a funny way of playing with Alvin. Spending so long trying to get back to where he came from, only to realize that he’d taken for granted what Rieze Maxia had to offer all along. There had finally reached that point where it didn’t matter, because he finally had other things to fall back on. Other people and opportunities to grab hold of, make his own, and change his own future.
Instead? He’s standing in the front yard of his new home, staring up at the sky, and wondering just what the hell had happened. Married? Kids? Sure, he knew who they were, but it’s definitely not what he had in mind -- especially not while being trapped in another world.
“If it’s not Maxwell, it’s someone else keeping me from going home, huh…” Alvin uttered the words quietly to himself, a touch of sarcasm and cynicism shining through the laughter it tried to mask. At the very least, he was no stranger to the situation, but the stakes were so much different this time. There was a lack of urgency, no driving factor to leave, aside from not wanting to be tied down in that way to people he was already trying to repair bonds with. It was messy, every last bit of it. He clasped his hands over the back of his neck, crossed one foot over the other, and began to sway as he mulled over his options. He could walk back in that house, make a joke, and play it off like it was nothing. He could try to find this landlord and make demands. He could just… leave, find somewhere else to stay in the interim. The latter decision sounded easy. Familiar, even.
But rather than run from it just because it was tough? He found himself sitting on the steps outside the house. He wouldn’t run, and not just because there weren’t many place to go; it was because taking the easy way out was part of him he needed to leave in his shady past. This wouldn’t be easy, but he would do it… somehow.
Appearance: here!
Personality:
These are all words most people wouldn’t use to describe Alvin, once they’ve gotten to know him well.
A product of his situation growing up, Alvin is the sort of person who has been completely twisted by circumstance. As his life and his family fell apart while trapped in what was essentially another world, he was forced to also become a member of the group Exodus -- one dedicated to finding a way out of Rieze Maxia and back to Elympios. He was betrayed time and time again by his own family members, sometimes in ways that would be unfathomable to a child. As that happened, he closed off his heart -- for the most part -- and did the things he had to in order to make the best of it.
Essentially, much of his life was spent doing the dirty work, with his uncle, Gilland (the leader of Exodus) holding much over his head, including the medicine needed to keep his ill mother alive. When push comes to shove, helping his mother came above all else; even his reasoning for wanting to return to Elympios seemed mostly based in the fact that Leticia wanted it most. Even within the context of the game, when the other party members learn about his mother’s illness, and much of why he did the things he did, he says “It was all for Mommy.” Sure, a bit sarcastic as means of trying to avoid sympathy, but no less true. Alvin is a mama’s boy through and through in that regard. But because of that, he went from being a shy and kind-hearted heir of Elympios' Svent family, who could hardly speak to strangers without crying to one who could backstab people who considered him friend and lover. As far as Alvin was concerned, it was all part of the job. Keep a smile on his face and play the nice guy, take mercenary jobs, get what he needed and leave. Betrayal was a meaningless word to him; he was just doing all he needed to in order to help his mother. Even if it meant hurting people who had grown to care for him. Presa, member of Gaius’ Chimeriad and Alvin’s ex-girlfriend said it best -- he keeps people around while they’re useful, and when it’s over, he throws them away and moves on. A drifter at best, and one who can’t be trusted, because he’ll sell anyone out for a paycheck. And it’s true, because to Alvin, if things got too difficult, he would just leave and move on. It was easier to him than trying to work through problems and do the right thing.
It all comes back to haunt him, though. Try as Alvin might to not form emotional bonds with people, he’s still very human. Rowen states very clearly that he doesn’t think that Alvin will be able to live the way he does much longer partway through the story -- and he’s right, because of that humanity that runs deep in him. He cares very deeply for Presa, despite having betrayed her in a pretty ugly way (and on more than one occasion; even up until her death); when he reads her final letter to him and sees how she knew she would be betrayed by him because of his ties to Milla, Jude and the others, he makes it clear to the player how important she was, going as far as to say that of all her names and aliases, her true name was his favorite. But further than that, it is the main party that completely rocks him to his core. Though he betrays them multiple times, they always find room to let him back into their lives. His perception becomes a bit skewed though -- he assumes that they all completely hate him, which isn’t the case. Even if it should be. They make it clear that they lack trust in him, and that keeping him where they can see him is often a matter of convenience (to keep an eye on him), but even then, their feelings do way. It’s because of those things he changes, and that he strives to make himself a better person. He learns that he can’t keep living in a way of betraying the people who care for him, and that his life has absolutely no meaning when all those aspects are taken away. Following his mother’s death, everything around him begins to fall apart -- then they lose Milla, Jude becomes a shell of himself, and even in his attempt to kill them, he can’t do it. When he does shoot someone, he finds himself completely horrified at his own actions. His own breakdown signifies a huge change in his personality -- no longer can he truly let himself be the type of person who betrays others, but one who needs friends to support him. It’s difficult for him to understand, but it’s a near twenty year backup of emotions and feelings that flood out from that point, completely deconstructing everything about the darker side of him.
In realizing how much he cares about and wants to stand by the side of the ones who once called him friend also comes the realization that they may never call him that again. With how many bridges he burned in the past, he can’t place blame for them if they do hate him, and Alvin knows that. But he cares enough for the entire party that he does legitimately want to apologize, make amends, and try to truly rebuild the bonds he screwed up royally. It’s not easy, and it becomes one of the first true signs of Alvin growing up and taking responsibility for his actions. It becomes one of the first times he acts on his own convictions -- where they don’t waver, which is part of the game’s overarching theme.
But that’s the darker side of his personality. Not everything is all doom, gloom and betrayal with Alvin, and everything else that’s left is pretty… well, light-hearted. Knowing that he’s better to get information and have success with his mercenary jobs when he’s friendly, he tends to be just that. Maybe a little too much so at times. But he tends to act as if he’s looking on the bright side of things and casually going with the flow, and he’s got a sense of humor about things. Sometimes, that sense of humor can be on the more perverse side (topics like bondage and breasts have come up on many, many occasions with him), and sometimes it’s just a little more playing to pseudo-bullying (like telling Elize that wyverns eat the souls of children when they get hungry), but he does all he can to make it seem like even the worst of remarks is just rolling off his back.
He spends much of the game keeping his distance from others -- even in cutscenes, it’s made very clear that he has a different stance on things, and that he’s generally more detached from things. But as the story progresses and he makes a conscious effort to change, all those little things become very genuine from Alvin. At his core, he has a good heart. But so many years of having to suppress his feelings makes him bad at expressing emotions well, or letting others know how he really feels about things. He still views himself as rotten -- so much so that he completely abandoned his birth name, because all of the terrible things he did made him unworthy. He supposes it’s for the best though, since his very affluent and influential family on Elympios spent twenty years fighting for his inheritance -- Alfred Vint Svent has no place in the world, but by the end of Tales of Xillia, Alvin does, alongside the friends he’s made.
It’s a long road, and even by the end of the game, he’s not where he wants to be. He hasn’t completely let go of all his hang-ups. His issues run very deep, and he knows that no matter how hard he tries, he may never fully regain the trust of Jude and the others. He really wants to, which does ultimately culminate in him going on the straight and narrow once and for all… But even then, even if he’s trying, he still has a lot of work to do. He knows he’s capable of betrayal again, even if he’s determined not to do that, and he also knows he has to keep trying to better himself. All along, he was a good person -- just one who got broken, beaten and twisted by the very difficult and trying life he was leading.
Abilities:
Like most other player characters in Tales games, Alvin is also capable of using artes, though unlike the vast majority of other Xillia characters, he doesn’t use “spirit artes,” a type that uses the mana lobe to channel spirits. His artes are all of the non-spirit variety, meaning they’re fast use and don’t have any cast times. When using his artes, Alvin is able to use the “Charge” ability, which charges his sword and allows him to perform an altered, more powerful form of his artes. In addition, when linked to another character, he uses the “Breaker” skill, which allows him to cut through an enemy’s guard with ease using the strength of his blade.
A list of his artes.
Other: he likes bazongas. and he’s a lefty, which is pretty damn awesome.
SAMPLES
First Person: dear mun thread; additional test drive thread
Third Person:
Instead? He’s standing in the front yard of his new home, staring up at the sky, and wondering just what the hell had happened. Married? Kids? Sure, he knew who they were, but it’s definitely not what he had in mind -- especially not while being trapped in another world.
“If it’s not Maxwell, it’s someone else keeping me from going home, huh…” Alvin uttered the words quietly to himself, a touch of sarcasm and cynicism shining through the laughter it tried to mask. At the very least, he was no stranger to the situation, but the stakes were so much different this time. There was a lack of urgency, no driving factor to leave, aside from not wanting to be tied down in that way to people he was already trying to repair bonds with. It was messy, every last bit of it. He clasped his hands over the back of his neck, crossed one foot over the other, and began to sway as he mulled over his options. He could walk back in that house, make a joke, and play it off like it was nothing. He could try to find this landlord and make demands. He could just… leave, find somewhere else to stay in the interim. The latter decision sounded easy. Familiar, even.
But rather than run from it just because it was tough? He found himself sitting on the steps outside the house. He wouldn’t run, and not just because there weren’t many place to go; it was because taking the easy way out was part of him he needed to leave in his shady past. This wouldn’t be easy, but he would do it… somehow.
