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CHARACTER NAME: Alvin CANON: Tales of Xillia 2 POINT TAKEN: year after true ending AGE: 28 DOB: May 21 (headcanon) GENDER: male HEIGHT: 182cm (6ft) SPECIES: human VISUAL: Link; Link VOICE: Eng: Matthew Mercer; JP: Tomokazu Sugita ESSENCE CHARACTER: Frog Prince STORY: The Frog Prince HAIR: Dark brown EYES: Orange brown FEATURES: None OUTFIT(S): He'll mix between suits and rugged mercenary look depending on what he's doing, but there will always be a green theme to it with some frog theme accessories or decorations. Will also always wear a scarf. QUIRKS: If there's a large enough body of water, he'll want to jump in and swim in it. This maybe also result in him transforming into a frog. It's something he'll be able to control the urge of over time, but it will definitely be more of an impulsive thing at first. JOURNAL: Link | Medallion and/or written description RESIDENCE: Key | Visual and/or written description POSSESSIONS SATCHEL: List of items that can be found in the bag (some examples below): Journal Potions Coins Weapon maintenance kits REWARDS: List of rewards from campaigns: N/A REGAINS: List of regains received: N/A PERMISSIONS BACKTAGGING: ✔ THREADHOPPING: ✔ FOURTHWALLING: ✔ ROMANCE: ✘ MINDREADING: ✘ MANIPULATION: ✘ INJURY: ✔ FIGHTING: ✔ KILLING: ✔ (contact first) PLAYER: Laena CONTACT: laenavesse; Discord: laena#7354 LINKS hmd

HISTORY IN-DEPTH: Link to big ol' write-up (contains link to write-up for the first game as well) Long story short cut really short, Alvin had a very rough life growing up that shaped him to be the iconic Tales traitor. He was a spy using the mercenary work as his cover and played pretty much everyone he met. Of course he knew he what he was doing and wasn't exactly proud of any of it, but he had his own reasons. Alvin's world compromises of two continents, Elympios and Rieze Maxia, and he hails from the former while trapped in the latter. Eventually he would meet Jude and Milla and after being involved and partying up with them, he finally begins to find a new path for him to walk as well as a new place to be, especially when his primary motivation for everything is tragically lost. After changing alignments for the last time to side with Jude and Milla, he helps them destroy the barrier between the two continents and starts working on finding his own path. This would lead to him becoming a businessman trying to get fruit trade going between the two countries. He would later be pulled back into the whole adventuring and saving the world gig after he meets Ludger and Elle, and everyone learns that their world comprises of fractured dimensions, or alternate dimensions based on their world. He would help see everything through before once again returning to his life as a businessman. PERSONALITY The friendly, casual, laid-back almost 30 yr-old who acts like he's still a college fratboy. Sometimes even 5. He likes to have fun joking around and teasing people, but behind that friendly smile is a man who has lived a rough life as a former spy and mercenary with a history of lying, cheating, and known as a traitor for pretty much everyone, even himself. Fortunately, the "history" is just that—history. After everything that transpired with Jude and Milla and the gang, he's been working hard on not so much as "redeeming" himself as he knows that's a tall order but trying to atone for his past while also moving forward with his life. He's determined to be a good and (mostly) honest guy, and while he might slip up every now and down, he really is more genuine and sincere in what he does. Most importantly, he is a steadfast and loyal friend. And while he has matured and will bunker down when things are serious, he's still the guy who likes to mess around and have fun. More details Okay, so first I shall link what I have written about his past personality and what he went through in the first game here. It's lengthy...just as this is. A lot of what I have written references back to his old self. But if you want the very short version, Alvin was the traitor of the series. So he lied, backstabbed, did everything for his own self interests. He did have reasons. Whether they were valid or not for him to do the things he did, that's up to you. But he was basically a guy who had the world shit on him and had to deal with that. He does begin to change toward the end of the game and vows to turn his life around—to no longer be the guy who always got his hands dirty. So with this is mind, here is how he is now—or at least trying to. A lot can happen in a year, but no one does a full 180, especially not when they've been through what he has. "I don't want any more relationships based on lies." The above is basically his most defining quote. At the end of the first game, he is ready to put all the lies and dirty past behind him. He's not going to pretend they didn't happen, but he doesn't want to be like that anymore. He really, truly, regrets all the things he's done. He wants to try and live an honest and good life—or at least as much as he can. He wants to have friends. He wants to be trusted. Joining with Yurgen is a big chance for him to do just that. The problem is he still has to deal with Elympion culture and if you add the natural sleazy underworld that plagues business in general... It's obvious that Alvin is a natural businessman, able to charm the clients and figure out the best opportunities for both sides. If you add his past of being able to "play the hand" and work out shady deals, he would be perfect. However, that's not what Alvin wants. He'll still charm and he'll still try to get the best deal, but he will not use underhanded methods. In fact, he will readily call anyone out on it and walk away from it. It's one thing to compromise and barter around, and another to do it at someone's expense. Does he still trick people? Depends on how you define "trick" and using legitimate business tactics. He is not above using the standard method of using friends to help bolster a sale. However, the key difference here is he's not trying to sell a faulty good. He believes their fruits are better than what Elympions can produce because it's natural. So there's no real misrepresentation by having some "random" taste testers say that his fruits are better than the current stock. Does he still lie to people? Again, depends on how you view lying, and in the context of business, that can definitely be a gray area. To get it out of the way, if he's "lying" in business, it's not so much for illegal misrepresentation so much throwing a few false concepts to improve the product. He's not trying to dupe anyone into buying something they shouldn't, but just kind of push them to consider the product and make it more appealing. It's legitimate and when done "honestly" it's an acceptable practice for business. In other words, these lies are harmless. Outside of business use, as in, in terms of morals and ethics, the concept of lying is very ambiguous in general, so it's very important to realize what makes a lie really bad and one that's a necessary evil. For Alvin, he dabbled in both, but now he's trying not to. Yes, he will still lie, especially when he's just trying to flatter or give them what they want to hear, but he's trying to do that less and to do it only if he has to. It's not because he's going to turn his back and do the complete opposite. These aren't lies of betrayal. Deception? A bit, yeah. Manipulation? If needed to be done, yeah. Protection? More likely. It is a lot less about the fact that he lied but why is he lying. What is the intent? In his new life, he would only lie if it's for the better and necessary thing to do. Otherwise, he will be upfront and honest. Does he still keep secrets? Of course. Everyone does. However, he is also more likely to open up and tell someone about his problems or misgivings than he would have in the past. He also would be more likely to tell more about himself than he would. There are still a lot of skeletons in that closet that he'd rather stay locked in the back, but he'll at least acknowledge that they exist. Might not say anything more about it, but it's out there. More importantly, he's not going to be keeping secrets at the expense of others or for his own self interests. There can be a bit of a gray area when it comes to those kinds of secrets that are supposed to help protect another person. In that case, he'd be a great secret keeper. Which is also to say that he's not suddenly going to be spouting out the truth all the time. Alvin will also volunteer himself to play the asshole villain or the fall guy. Compared to everyone else in the group, he's had the experience and the dirt to do it with. He's not exactly proud of it, and never feels good about it when he does. But he has long since accepted that that's how he used to be and that it will always be a part of him. However, he will only do this when necessity calls for it; otherwise he'd rather not. He will also deliberately joke to try and lighten the mood, making him seem like the insensitive jerk. However, it's all calculated because really he's just trying to help everyone by offering a distraction to help keep moving forward. All that said, his loyalty is something that is definitely there now. Before it would have been iffy, but now that he has a lot less self-interest, he is more than likely to stand by a friend's side through thick and thin. He'll offer his help and follow through with it. If he can't, he'll let you know. He's not going to outright bail on someone like he would have in the past. He wants to keep his word and he will do whatever he can to do so. However he also won't make any promises he knows he can't keep, because otherwise that would basically be a lie. He does not want to hurt anyone through that way again. Another few subtle change is his maturity level. Alvin had always been an adult, but he still acted more like a guy who just did whatever he wanted. It's not that he didn't know about consequences—he definitely did—but with his life as messed up as it was, it was hard to really "settle" and get his act together. Now he has that chance and he really has come a long way from where he used to be. He's taking his responsibilities seriously and owns up to his mistakes. Sure, he might play it off as something that can be fixed, but that's just appearances. In his mind he screwed up and he has to make sure it doesn't happen again. Alvin's always had that "real world" practical sense, and this continues to be a prevalent factor in how he goes about things. He's mostly an optimist, but he's more of a realist optimist. He knows that not everything is going to go as planned, and he knows how to handle when shit hits the fan. He knows that some things just can't be helped and you have to keep on pushing forward. He will say what needs to be said, even when that time may seem insensitive. Having been to the bottom of the pit many times (and managing to fall even deeper), he knows better than anyone that you can't just sit there. You have to keep moving on just like the world does. That all said, he still has that immaturity about him, too. He might not crack as many blatant innuendos, but he can still throw them out there, especially implied or hidden ones. He's still one to joke, to tease, and spin tales for the fun of it. He's also still very much the casual, laid-back, pal around type of guy that he has been, but there's more of an "older" feel to it. I am desperately trying to figure out how to word it, but it's one of those things that's easier seen than described. Regardless, Alvin seems more like a guy who at least knows what he's doing with his life, or at least putting more work to it. He's not drifting around. He also carries that confidence around, and in some ways he has more of it due to his growth. He still plays it cool and keeps up his appearance. But his weaker sides are also more exposed. In the past he would hide his uncertainty, but now he's more likely to show it or at least not try to hide it behind a mask. He knows it ruins his "cool" image, but there are more times when he appears vulnerable, especially when something is truly getting to him. His confidence isn't a complete charade, but when it gets shaken, it's shaken hard. This lends to how he can sometimes get a bit more broody than usual, but it doesn't take too much for him to get back on his feet. Either words of encouragement or direct comments about how he's getting worked up over nothing are enough. This also means he's grown a little softer and more genuine. The various masks he's had to keep up are no longer necessary so he can be more true to himself. He still has a lot of work to do, but he's taking a lot of the right steps to get to it. More importantly, Alvin does something that none of the other characters except Ludger do: he literally faces himself. Except for Ludger and briefly Milla, he is the only one who actually meets his fractured self in a fractured dimension. Again except for Ludger, he is also the only one who actually fights himself. This is not just part of a story for him, but it's also very symbolic. He argues against his old self, telling him what he's doing wrong. But there is a moment where he actually would have allowed his past self shoot and kill him. This is only stopped by Ludger, and with his and Leia's help, he kills his fractured self. By doing so, Alvin is also killing his past. Presa only slams the nail further. When she asks him if he regretted the time they spent together—any of it—and he says he doesn't, she asks when did he become a horrible liar. That could be interpreted a couple of ways, but here are two: one, he actually said the truth or two, he does regret and what he says is barely convincing. If he does regret, it's not the time they spent together—it's what he did to her in the end. In either case, it's clear that he's changed, and once again it's Presa who is pushing him forward and pointing out that he's found his place. It's also once again to Presa that he vows that he won't leave that place and that he will move on from his past. One final thing to note is that although Alvin comes from a highly influential family and is the legitimate successor as head, he declines it all. He keeps his name, but he doesn't go by "Alfred," opting to choose with his new name, "Alvin." That isn't to say he doesn't respond to it or denies it, but he would prefer "Alvin." In the first game, he acknowledges that he's too "feral" to make the cut with the noble prestige and he honestly prefers his more "commoner" life. He actually looks down at power flaunting individuals and be more than happy to bring them down a few levels. He might still like high brand fashion, but that doesn't mean he wants to live a high end, luxurious life. More importantly, he wants to work at getting back to the top and he's not focusing on the profit, either. However, that doesn't mean he's going to ignore his potential "power," either. He might no longer be associated with the family much, but he's still a Svent and he still has it in his back pocket. He'll make the connections when he has to, but only when he has to. And if anything, he'll use Balan to help since his cousin is pretty influential himself. But even when he does, he'll pay them back. He's not going to just blindly use his advantages—it's more like calling in a favor that he'll make due. QUIRK IN-DEPTH: If there's a large enough body of water, he'll want to jump in and swim in it. This maybe also result in him transforming into a frog. It's something he'll be able to control the urge of over time, but it will definitely be more of an impulsive thing at first. ABILITIES WEAPONS: Dual wields a giant sword and gun together, but is capable of dual wielding guns. STYLE: Primarily uses his weapons, but with his Essence he'll have some low grade magic attacks. He's both an excellent swordsman and gunsman, but if he had to choose one, it would be the gun. He's naturally fit and strong, with quite a bit endurance so he can take a lot of hits. SKILLS: As an ex-spy, Alvin is good at reading people and can weasel his way into learning information. He's also good at deceiving by saying just enough to get the foot in the door and make his way in. That also means he's good at deflecting or turning topics back around if it starts to head in a direction he doesn't really want. Applying this as a businessman, he'll read his customers and clients and be able to tell when a deal is going to work and when it's not. Even when it's not, he'll still try to turn it around, but he won't get bent out of shape if it doesn't. That also means he's also learned to read and play the market. He might not be the best there is yet, but he has the talent and makings for it. Handling money, accounting, managing, public speaking—these are all skills he'll have developed and will continue to develop. As for Essence gained abilities, thanks to his essence he'll be able to jump twice his own height with potential to get a little boost as time goes on (probably no higher than two and a half). Climbing things will also be easier. He won't have sticky hands, but he will be able to find hand and footholds easier and have the strength to pull himself up. He'll be strangely proficient and knowledgeable about poisons. Any elemental based abilities will be focused on water and poison. As a frog, he'll have the usual froggy skills, but if he eats certain foods he could create toxins and poisons. These can actually be collected to be used by himself and others. He will also have the fun ability of being able to communicate and understand frogs. It'll be basic things at first, but over time he could potentially command a frog army—okay maybe not, but he could at least ask and enlist some froggy friends for help. He'll also have that slime mucous thing going on that will probably be useful for something. In both forms, he'll feel quite at home in the water with improved swimming abilities and will be able to hold his breath for extended periods of time. A great help for anyone who might have accidentally dropped something down there! Side note, at some point Alvin will be able to transform out of a frog on his own, but in the early days he'll either need the assistance of the princess or someone else. Kisses are not required, either—yeeting him is perfectly valid. As to how he turns into a frog, at some point he will be able to do it at will but he'll always be vulnerable to one of these triggers: 1) Frog Princess (Leia) jealousy; 2) Frog Princess (Leia) water spells; 3) exposure to rain or pond water (not always but frequent and usually with bad timing); 4) girl frogs jumping him and kissing him. Not sure if this counts as an ability or better as a quirk, but if someone makes a promise with him, he will make sure that promise is kept. Owe him something? He'll be unable to resist and will keep tabs to make sure its repaid. Fortunately he'll be good-natured about it since he personally doesn't actually care that much, but alas—essence. On the flip side he will also uphold his end of any promise or bargain made. Something he would have done anyway, but it will be come a priority. HOUSING OPTIONAL! This is just a template for those who may want to do something more detailed about their character's housing instead of the quick blurb in the Possessions box. Based on the housing meme with image templates. Can also use this for businesses. (If you use this one, you can remove the Residence field in the Possessions box.) IF YOU DON'T WANT THIS BOX then delete the code starting from to KEY: Visual LOCATION: Where in the Index? In the city, outside of the city, in the woods, lake, sky, etc. APPEARANCE: What is it and what does it look like? If you want to use images, here's a template for you. Adjust dimensions as needed. EXTRA: Any other things you want to note about goes here! If you want to use the cuts, here is the code for it: More details Lengthy info here.