Chateau Carmin application

[copesetic]

Player Information
Player Name: Reiko
Player Contact: reikofanel
Are you over 18? Yes
Current Characters: N/A

Character Information
Name: Albert Heinrich (004)
Canon: Cyborg 009 (2001 anime continuity)
Reference Link: The wiki is terrible but here
Canon Point:
Several months after Jet and Joe fall through the atmosphere.

Age: ~73

Appearance: (Written because there are no good quality images of him as a full body shot. here is a vector of a screen from the series)
Looking around 33 and standing at 5'10", Albert is a broad-shouldered man with closely cropped steel grey hair and eyes so pale blue they seem to blend into the sclera. He looks as if his frame should weigh roughly 160 lbs but he's curiously much heaver, his metal parts bringing him in at well over 250 lbs. His face is somewhat gaunt but not unhealthily so, with pronounced cheekbones and a chiseled jawline. Under his clothes, his physique is blocky and unnatural, his entire torso having been plated with metal during his remodeling. His right arm is entirely metal in appearance from elbow to fingertips, as are his legs from mid-thigh to just below the knee. The rest of his body is covered in synthetic skin (save for his head and neck and his waist to mid-thigh) and he even carries his fingerprints on synthetic skin gloves. Because of this, he usually wears thick clothing and gloves at all times, not allowing the general public to see his metallic appearance.

Orientation:
Dominant.

When he was a young teen, the loss of his father (the dominent in their household) during the war put Albert in a position where he needed to care for his mother. He fit the role quite well and continued to do so until he turned 18. Though shy as a child, Albert has always had a streak of leadership and diplomacy, able to judge intent and motivation of the people around him handily. He sees the world as it is and knows what to do in order to protect himself and more importantly his loved ones from harm. For example, in the episode "The City of Wind" he's the first to voice doubts about whether staying around in the ruined city after finding dead and dying members of an archeological expidition is wise. When the rest of the group stays, he stays as well, making certain he's there to protect them. When the threat finally is revealed in full, he wastes no time in making himself the main target by attacking first, but in an intelligent way that's conducive to everyone making it out in one piece.

He's very confident in his abilities, even the ones he was given as a cyborg and so hates because they make him question his humanity. While he struggles with that dilemma, he's still seen using said weapons to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves and in defense of the world at large. He doesn't believe he can shoulder all that alone, he is a realist after all, but it takes a confidence and a healthy (but not over-inflated) ego to believe you can even help to save the entire planet, which he has done on more than one occasion.

When interacting with others, Albert is generally quiet and somewhat reserved, but that is more because he gets the measure of who he's speaking with before engaging fully, making sure he knows exactly how to interact with someone so that the encounter is mutually beneficial and pleasant. He knows when to be polite but also when to take a firm hand, and that all of these approaches vary from person to person that he may be interacting with.

All of these traits combined are what makes Albert a good Dominant, but he's not exactly perfect either. His dissatisfaction with his cybernetic enhancments lead to questions of his worth as a human being and he can fall prey to depression in regards to the issue. He tries very hard to hide this, but it still sometimes will bleed into his actions or sap his confidence. His history also causes him to occasionally wish to relinquish control every so often as the rigors of being in a position of power in most, if not all, facets of life sometimes becomes too much and he would prefer to be taken care of instead of doing the caring for. Generally these feelings are triggered when he's reminded of his life with his former (deceased) sub and how he feels he failed her or how he feels he failed Jet when he'd nearly died falling through the atmosphere, and give way to doubts about Albert's orientation. These periods of questioning, however, are kept entirely private, though he has given serious thought to engaging in a role reversal at least in the bedroom.

AU History:
Albert Heinrich’s backstory begins when he’s already in his 30’s and living in soviet-controlled East Germany. Based on this and through a little math, it’s safe to assume that he grew up during the Nazi regime and WWII. He was likely a member of the Jungvolk, a division of the Hitler Youth for 10-14 year olds. His family was also probably very poor, as was most of Germany at the time.

At some point after the war, Albert was involved with a sub named Hilda and they made plans to escape to the other side of the Berlin Wall sometime around 1963 (date based on when the original Cyborg 009 manga was released), due to the extremely poor conditions in the communist controlled East Berlin. In order to do so, Albert posed as a circus worker and had Hilda hide in the back of the truck. Everything seemed to go smoothly as Hilda wasn’t discovered and the forged papers seemed to be in order to the border guard. Unfortunately, Albert started to drive off without his papers and when the guard attempted to flag him down to return them, he assumed they’d been found out and slammed on the gas, careening through the checkpoint and forcing the guards to fire upon the truck. The vehicle spun out of control, cashed, and caught fire. Hilda died in the event, having been shot by the border guards on accident as she hid in the back of the truck. Albert held her as she died, having been riddled with bullets and crash injuries himself so severe that he passed out soon after.

When he came to, Albert was more machine than man. Given the designation “004,” Albert found he had been taken and experimented on by the criminal organization Black Ghost. They replaced his right arm with a machine gun, his left with a laser combat knife he can flip out at will, and his upper legs and knees with missile launchers. His entire torso, because of the damage from the crash, was also replaced with cybernetic parts in order to keep him alive. During this time, Albert became incredibly cynical and hopeless. If it weren’t for the other two cyborgs created at the same time as he was, he likely would have simply allowed himself to be used for Black Ghost’s schemes and looked for an opportunity to die easy, but Jet and Francoise helped him to regain some of his will to live.

Unfortunately, during a battle exercise, Albert’s body began to reject some of the cybernetic implants, causing him extreme pain. Because the technology at the time was not advanced enough and the other 00 series cyborgs were also at risk for rejection, cyborgs 001 through 004 were placed in cryogenic sleep until such a time as the technology advanced enough to repair them.

Flash forward to 2001 and the first four are unfrozen by Doctor Gilmore, formerly the head of the cyborg soldier project who’d worked on them all and had a change of heart while the original four had been in stasis. Since then, five other 00 series cyborgs had been created and Gilmore convinced them all to escape together. Their freedom was hard won however, and the cyborg team remained under constant siege for quite some time before managing to infiltrate the Black Ghost’s main facility and do away with what they thought was the organization’s leader.

After Black Ghost’s defeat, there are still remnants of the cyborg soldier project to mop up. One of these remnants is the Mythos cyborgs, created by Doctor Gaia, who’s approach towards cybernetic augmentation differs theologically from Doctor Gilmore’s. While Gilmore sought to enhance and improve existing abilities and allow the cyborgs as people to determine how best to use these, Gaia thought a person’s past experiences would hinder their abilities as cyborgs and so wiped the memories of each subject in his experiments, instead leading them to believe they were the Grecian pantheon of gods. The truth is eventually discovered and the Mythos cyborgs die tragically.

For a time after that, the 00 cyborgs’ lives are relatively peaceful, some going back to their home countries and some staying together with Doctor Gilmore. Albert is one of the ones to go home. He works various blue-collar jobs, trucking and the like, and keeps a shabby but serviceable apartment without many creature comforts.

During this period Albert receives a call from who he thinks is Doctor Gilmore asking him to investigate some strange goings on in an old castle in the German countryside. Once there, Albert is forced to fight a robotic version of himself, a tireless juggernaut with all of the same weaponry and physical capabilities as Albert. It’s a long and hard battle, but Albert finally wins not through overwhelming strength, but because he had the compassion to save a falling owl’s nest instead of dodging to where the robot thought he would be. The robot’s brain hiccupped and Albert was able to use the opening to destroy it. Standing over the sparking mess, Albert was confronted by Doctor Gilmore, who said he’d constructed the robot to prove to Albert that he could not compete with modern technology and that he should upgrade himself into a more powerful weapon. Convinced Gilmore would never do such a thing, Albert similarly executed the Doctor, which turned out to be a robot double as well.

Some time later, after several other adventures, the zero zero cyborgs uncover a plot by the Black Ghost cyborg commander Von Bagoot to utilize the giant creatures possessed of hypersonic abilities of the underground empire of Yomi to cause wars all over the world and profit from them. Two (out of five) princesses of the Yomi people, after escaping from Black Ghost and Von Bagoot's control, ask the zero zero cyborgs for their aid. Albert expresses some major mistrust but Joe and many of the others don't back him up, and so the two princesses - Helen and Bina - lead the cyborgs down to Yomi. On the way they're betrayed by one of the princesses still under Von Bagoot's control and are ambushed, causing the party to be split into groups. Albert escapes with Bina after several others are captured and they make their way to Yomi in order to rescue everyone he and Bina coming to an understanding and Bina even developing feelings for the stoic cyborg. Meanwhile, the other group of their friends had been captured by another faction known as the Sa'tans who possess the ability to control minds. Albert and Joe end up fighting, Joe forcing Albert into retreat before they all hurry on to Yomi.

Unfortunately, in trying to rescue the others, Albert and Bina are captured and sentenced to be executed. Luckily the other cyborgs break free of their respective imprisonments and come to rescue the pair at the last moment, leading up to a confrontation between the heroes and Von Bagoot. Unfortunately, Von Bagoot still had possession of Doctor Gilmore and so set up a prisoner exchange; Helen and Bina for the Doctor. The exchange is made, Bina and Helen deciding for the group, and the treacherous Von Bagoot kills all five of the princesses in retaliation and begins to fight Joe, both cyborgs moving at speeds too fast for the human eye to follow.

Albert, deeply upset at the loss of Bina who he'd come to respect and care for, outwits Von Bagoot by listening to he and Joe duke it out. Albert recognizes the sound of Joe's accelerator and so he fires at the other sound, able to land the fatal blow without seeing his target.

Without much time to grieve, the resurrected Skull immediately puts his plan into action, firing a statue/space ship weapon into space in order to topple the dominoes and plunge the Earth into another world war. As Yomi crumbles around them, Ivan transports the cyborgs to safety - all but Joe, whom he sends to the ship in order to stop it, leaving the rest of the group to wonder where he's been sent. Ivan explains he's trying to limit casualties, but Jet (impulsive as he is) flies off to join Joe, Albert calling after him unheeded.

The ship is stopped, Joe successful in destroying it before it could fulfill its purpose, and Jet stays with him as they both plummet back through the atmosphere as a falling star.

Canon has nothing to say officially about the gap between the series and the next arc, but based on the original manga source, Ivan uses the last of his power to help Jet and Joe fall to Earth relatively safely, though the strain of falling through the atmosphere left them damaged. They were repaired by Doctor Gilmore and based on the 009 RE: Cyborg movie where Joe was sent to have a normal life with his memories left dorment, in this AU Jet undergoes the same thing. The group of cyborgs and their surrogate father collectively agree that Jet, having been taken by Black Ghost at 18, deserves a chance at a real life, so his memories are locked away and he's sent back to New York with a revised history and memories.

Albert, in order to protect Jet and because he can't quite let go of someone he cares about so deeply and still feels responsible for, opts to follow. He knows Jet has no memory of him, but he stays around anyway, securing a job as an ethics and philosophy professor at NYU and offering music tutoring on weekends. Not only is he able to watch over Jet from that position, but he's also able to retire from heroics with the cyborg team with the world at relative peace and pursue the intellectual and artistic avenues he's always wanted.



Personality:
Albert is the third oldest member of the cyborg team (though the oldest if you count being frozen for 40 years) and he’s had a fairly harsh life, which all serves to make him somewhat taciturn. He’s not the most talkative or the most warm and cuddly person, but that doesn’t mean he’s standoffish or rude. In fact, Albert simply reserves his words for when they’re most needed and keeps an eye on most things in order to keep everyone safe. Despite his own beliefs, he has a big heart and really does want to see the world at peace even if he’s more of a realist and doesn’t believe it will ever actually happen. He reads people well and is a good judge of character, catching on to certain things - such as Biina's hiding things during the Yomi arc - very quickly, even before the rest of the group.

The biggest hurdles for Albert to overcome in his life are the loss of his first sub and what he percieved to be the loss of his humanity. The first he comes to terms with during a battle with another 00 series cyborg, 0011, that was sent after the group. This cyborg was manipulated through the use of his wife and child to do Black Ghost’s bidding and when that came to light, Albert hesitated in shooting him. Because of that hesitation, 0011 was able to escape and was short circuited by Black Ghost to go after the cyborg team again, a fact which Jet reminds Albert of in typical blunt fashion. With most of the team down due to a paralyzing poison and Albert slowly succumbing to it himself, Albert ends up finally destroying 0011 by hooking his engagement ring (which he still wore on a chain around his neck) onto the trigger of his gun and being able to fire it that way, protecting his team. Or, more accurately, protecting his new family.

During a break between fights with 0011, Albert has a short conversation with Joe concerning trying to bring the other 00 series cyborgs that had been coming after them to their side, away from Black Ghost. When Joe says he’s not sure they should bother trying at all, Albert agrees and cites that the enemy could kill them while they’re trying to convince them to switch sides, but that he wants to believe it could work. Saying that he wants to believe the best but accepts the worst is a defining personality trait for Albert and the way that he works within the world.

His second biggest issue, that of being human or a machine, is addressed in several episodes and he has the same dichotomic view of it as he does of optimism and pessimism, only here it causes him more problems than that view does. On the one hand, he still feels, and he acknowledges that he has emotions like anyone else and clings to the fact that robots cannot do the same in his estimation. On the other, he’s more metal than flesh and even his own reflection reminds him of that on a daily basis. He has to cover himself neck to toe in order to pass in ordinary society and even has to keep the fingerprints for his gun hand on a synthetic flesh glove. That is decidedly abnormal and makes him feel isolated at times. Because of this he has issues sharing his name even while he’s somewhat uncomfortable with his number. He doesn’t feel much like Albert Heinrich anymore and so if someone must call him something, unless he trusts them or has some sort of strong positive feelings for them, he’ll give his cyborg number instead.

That being said, Albert is quite likely to make sardonic jokes about any topic at hand. He is not without a sense of humor and he keeps watch over the rest of the group in a surprisingly caring way. For instance, during an alien invasion, when Jet is staying behind with Geronimo Jr. to watch over their alien ally charges and Jet has been going a bit off the reservation, Albert asks Geronimo Jr. to keep an eye on Jet not only for the sake of the aliens but also for Jet’s own sake so he doesn’t do anything he regrets later. He’s also the first person to comfort Francoise at the end of the series after Joe’s apparent death, knowing that she has deep feelings for the other cyborg.

In fact, he shares a special sort of camaraderie with the first three cyborgs, the four of them having all been experimented on and then cryogenically frozen, so they’re all out of their times. Jet especially he works very well with, their powers complimenting each other nicely. Albert proves himself to be fairly fearless in letting Jet pick him up and fly him around at superhuman speeds in order to take out areal opponents with his machine gun or knee rockets, and even being chucked at targets midair and subsequently caught by Jet mid-descent.

Abilities:
Albert is a one man arsenal. He has a machine gun in his right arm with the fingers as barrels, a combat knife he can flip out and retract at will in his left hand, mini rockets in each knee, and his upper body from shoulders to waist is metal plated. He’s got a brilliant tactical mind as well, able to sort out opponents next moves or theorize on what will happen next in a given scenario. Because of his predominantly mechanical body, he is resistant to most toxins, poisons, and disease and on certain areas of his body – namely the ones housing weaponry – he can feel pressure but no pain. Lastly, his brain has been enhanced with a translator that can process any language so he can understand it. (I would say just Earth language, but they encounter aliens and can communicate just fine so it could be more akin to the Star Trek universal translator.)

Writing Samples
D/s Sample:
Sample here in a musebox.

Non-Specific Sample:
To say Jet's prowess in the kitchen was legendary wouldn't be a misnomer, per se, but it would definitely give the wrong impression. Uncanny still doesn't have quite the right ring. Infamous is most accurate, though even that doesn't quite encompass the sheer disaster. What comes to mind for Albert, albeit in a fanciful way, is one of those cartoon characters, the type that come on in the early mornings on Saturdays. In particular, the Tazmanian Devil; a whirlwind of destruction and mayhem. Thus why Albert has been doing all the cooking the entire time Jet's stayed with him despite that being one of the ‘old fashioned’ duties of a Dom.

It's not that he doesn't like to. It is within his prevue, but more than that, he enjoys making food so long as it doesn't take all his time to prepare. He's often marveled at Chang's willingness to spend all his time in the kitchen doing the most menial and tedious of tasks. Albert tends to prefer getting already half prepared meals - pre-cut chicken, pre-shredded vegetables, pre-mixed batter and so on. The microwave had revolutionized his life when he could finally afford one (an old 70's model with dials and no computer chip; let's not get crazy).

Really he doesn't mind being the one to do all the cooking, especially when Jet is appreciative, but there should be at least a little give and take. Jet could stand to help with other chores once in awhile. After all, he's not really a guest so much as something more... well. Permanent. Not that Albert had said that explicitly, but he'd thought it clear what with them finally having the room and time to settle down and breathe and really find out if they can coexist.

There have been some... hiccups.

Even so, it's easy to put it all from his mind when he's standing there in his apron, hand rolling dumplings to go with the soup on the stove. He has a little bit of trouble keeping them light enough to float, but at least they'll still taste good. He thinks. He hopes. He even hums a little bit, some classical song that's been stuck in his head since that morning. Brahms or Vivaldi, he can't think of whose it is right now, only the violin concerto that wafts softly through his pursed lips as he tries to make sure the dumplings are all rolled into roughly the same shape.