Cristiano Visconti

in-game information

basic information

name — cristiano visconti
age — 30
gender — male
birthday — may 1
sexuality — heterosexual
religion — roman catholic
marital status — single

height — 5'10"
weight — 155 lbs.
hair color — brown
eye color — brown

languages — Italian (native), English (fluent), Latin (advanced), French (conversational)
likes — horses, fencing, savory foods, the smell of irises, what he believes is right and fair, attending opera, the people, American comics, genuine people
dislikes — tabloids, corruption, seeing blood, cold environments, uncomfortable shoes, people who lie, tribal music
theme — "Waitin' For A Superman" by The Flaming Lips

post-pulse

2010

6/09: Joined the community.

6/13: Attended International Classical Music Night.

6/23: Received the vaccine against the zombie virus.

7/20: Defended Rome, Italy from attack. Ran into someone interesting.

8/10: His powers aren't prepared for hail and fire rain, but he goes around doing what he can.

9/05: Due to Cupid, fell in love with Lorenzo for 24 hours.

2011

1/1: His New Year is spent in Rome, where Cristiano holds a brief press conference.

background information

history

Renowned throughout Italy for their power, the Visconti family is one that goes back generations in the upper classes of Rome. Although today the family is closely tied with the fashion industry, the Viscontis have played in the corrupt games of politics for years and thus are essentially untouchable by the law. With their power and wealth, it is hard not to know any of the Visconti children, who have been featured in tabloids since the day they began puberty.

Cristiano was born the second of three children, after his brother Benigno and before his little sister Giachetta. Their father was a distant person, occupied with his work and their label, the illustrious Visconti brand that had been dominating Milan Fashion Week for the past few seasons; his mother was the one who played a hand in raising three of them. Without a nanny, all three children grew to be extremely close with their mother, until tragedy struck.

Around the time Cristiano was six or so, a member of the Scaligeri family hit a Visconti car - at the time, containing Benigno and Giachetta. When both of Cristiano's siblings died from injuries suffered in the crash, that was the final straw. Although the incident was clearly an accident, the Scaligeris and the Viscontis had had an age's old quarrel between their two families. The head of the Visconti family, Cristiano's father, had been plotting the demise of the Scaligeris; now, it had been the final straw. He arranged for a hit on the Scaligeris, and in one night, the entire family was gone, along with their assets (willingly bought by the Viscontis and their allies).

Cristiano remained blissfully unaware of this. His father left the fashion industry to pursue a career in politics, rising up to be a statesmen and taking advantage of the new power he wielded. As Cristiano grew up, he became more and more exposed to the world around him, seeing for the first time poverty and the atrocities that seemingly went beneath his father's nose. When he tried to bring these issues up with his father, he turned down Cristiano's ideals, claiming he did not understand. It was these experiences that explained Cristiano's choices later in life.

It was easy to assume that Cristiano would follow in his father's footsteps. He did well in school, being a rather studious person, and spent most of his time either riding his horse or with his best friends Adriano and Lorenzo (Lorenzo was the shy, quiet one; Adriano was loud and boisterous). Come university, Cristiano had done fairly well for himself concerning school, and he was able to graduate at the top of his class upon completion of his bachelor's degree in political science. It was a no-brainer that he would pursue a master's, eager to become a politician like his father and make some real changes. Once he obtained that last degree, he was able to obtain a job in the Italian government while slowly learning the ropes.

The corruption of the system shocked him. Raised on idealism, Cristiano was horrified at the state of the government. When he confronted his father, his father coolly replied that was how things got done. What Cristiano had been hoping for was a way to fx things; now, he knew that they were the ones screwing things up. Still unaware of his own family's tie in foul play, Cristiano began to advocate for political reform, changing the media's perception of the Visconti boy merely riding on the tail of his illustrious family.

When the pulse hit, Cristiano took the lead. By this point, he had managed to convince people that the man they had watched grow up in tabloids, the awkward son, was a capable man who would get things done, and he was elected to his first post in the senate (the over-forty rule was removed due to a smaller population). With his new power, Cristiano worked to represent the complaints of the peole in his district in Rome and what he felt was necessary and right to rectify the situation. After working closely with the Revival Project afterwards, Cristiano only solidified his reputation as a man for the people - much to his father's chagrin.

But his newfound popularity came with other prices. Suddenly, Cristiano has found himself in the spotlight of tabloids yet again. What everyone in Italy wants to know is this: when did the Visconti son become handsome, and why isn't he married yet?

personality

Cristiano is a very gentle boy. It is not to be mistaken for being effeminate or weak or anything; it is just that Cristiano lacks the want to create chaos, to cause damage, or any other ill thing. His gentle and good nature make him the perfect example of the classic hero, especially in combination with a type of selflessness not typically found by people in his class. Though his family may be involved in cut-throat politics, Cristiano is more interested in creating a bridge to the people and attending to their needs. He is an advocate for the people.

Because of his interest in other peoples' well-being, Cristiano has a tendency to put himself through difficult situations in order to learn how to properly empathize, especially if he feels that he is not on equal footing with someone else. If he cannot raise them to his level, he will lower himself to theirs. He believes in a fair fight, and while Cristiano understands that in this time and day and age, that there is a necessity for fighting and the like, he would like to avoid it as much as he possibly can.

Some people might decide that his nonconfrontational nature is similar to timidity; this is not the case. Although Cristiano does not like confronting people, he will do it when he feels it is necessary, and his quietness is not to be mistaken for shyness. In fact, he is usually polite and friendly when approached, and he is not above going up to someone to speak to them. However, because of his money and class, people often make assumptions about him and assume he is as snobby as his other family members.

Sometimes Cristiano can act without thinking though, and when he acts, he always acts on emotion. Because he does this, sometimes he ends up in bad situations where he is in between a rock and a hard place. Additionally, because of his sensitive and selfless nature, Cristiano can become so fixated on the hardships of another person that he forgets his own personal responsibilities. He's been known to abandon projects just so he can think of ways to help someone who he's met once. People are also known to take advantage of him, because he can be a tad gullible as well.

He is highly idealistic and will fight for his beliefs. If he thinks something is not right, he will try to fix it; if he thinks that there is a flaw in the system, he will not hesitate to point it out. If he were aware of the connections his family wielded and the corruption present in them, he would be horrified. In Cristiano's eyes, everyone deserves to be put on a level playing field, which is why he never pays attention to matters of money. To him, people are people, and this last characteristic is the one that defines him the most.

powers

animal omnilingualism — Cristiano is able to communicate directly with animals. He has the ability to not only understand their speech, but mimic it as well. They can also understand him if he were to speak in Italian directly to them.

sublimation — Cristiano is able to control his body to where he can shift from a solid to a gas at will. While in this state, Cristiano can scatter his particles in any which way he chooses and is basically impervious to physical attacks. It is also incredibly handy for squeezing in tight areas, such as under doors or in places a man his size normally couldn't go. However, he is still susceptible to things like psychic or elemental attacks, and while in this state, it is difficult to attack back.

excruciation — Once able to establish contact through touch once, Cristiano creates a mental link with his foe and can psychically induce or increase feelings of pain. He can control the amount of pain felt by his enemy, anything from slight twitches to extreme, crippling pain. If abused, Cristiano's power can induce insanity when used repeatedly. Because of its extreme nature, Cristiano tries to avoid the use of it when possible.

relationships

family

Father — A famous politician in Rome, formerly a fashion designer. While the house is still under the Visconti name, Cristiano's father is more concerned with exerting his power over the Italian people than really helping anyone.
Mother — A quiet woman who manages the household. She is the one who raised Cristiano, but after the death of his siblings, she has been a little bit defeated. She is something of a broken woman and does not disagree with Cristiano's father. Ever.
Benigno Visconti — His older brother. Deceased.
Giachetta Visconti — His younger sister. Deceased.

friends

Lorenzo — Cristiano's closest childhood friend. While Cristiano sometimes showcases a heroic streak, Lorenzo prefers to stick to following his friend around. He is practical and wary of Cristiano's idealism, if only because he does not want his good friend to get disappointed with the political game.
Adriano — Actually Cristiano's cousin and a Visconti himself (Cristiano's father's sister is Adriano's mother). He has always been the playboy of them all with an attitude to match, and it was often Adriano who pulled the strings to get the boys into some real trouble. When he's in the tabloids, you know it is never for something good.
Alexandrine — Cristiano's father and Alexandrine's father had several business dealings with each other, and the families go way back with one another. She was a constant and familiar presence in family parties, so they were acquainted like that. Naturally, he would befriend her; and of course, she was one of the women the media thought he was engaged to. Sigh. He might have had a crush on her for a little bit, around the time she was twenty, but he grew out of that. Now, she's more like a sister than anything else.
Valeria — After years circulating in the same social circles, it would be impossible for the two not to strike up some type of friendship. Cristiano appreciates Valeria's vivacious, outgoing nature, though he himself is a bit more reserved. He finds her a very admirable woman.

other

The Girl — Cristiano met her on August 10, 2010, when Rome was burning. After saving her from a collapsing building, Cristiano rather instantly fell in love at first sight. He does not know anything about her besides her hair and that she smelled like irises.
Catherine Hargreaves — An interesting sort of woman who made a bit of a strong impression. Certainly someone to keep his eye on.
Dees den Adelle — His assistant's cousin. Met her once, and was pleased to find she was just as cheery and polite as his assistant said she was.
Francesco — Defended Rome with him. Beyond that, he does not know him very well, besides that he is a capable man.
Giada Chiavenna — The famous and beautiful Monica Belluci - or as Cristiano is now calling her, Giada. He met her online, and he was pleased to find out she was a thoughtful, polite woman. They are on the road to being friends, in Cristiano's eyes.
Kingone — After replying to one of Cristiano's entries, Kingone established himself as a thoughtful person capable of holding his own intelligence with Cristiano. He thinks well of him and would probably speak to him again, given the chance.
Isabel Grey — She does not exactly capture his attention in the way he suspects other men have theirs, but she seems to be a polite, if a bit distant, woman.
Noemi Cavallo — A very talented and charming opera singer. Cristiano has been a fan since her career started. He was pleased to finally meet her on the community.

trivia

• He is quite skilled at tactical fighting, partially because he took up fencing as a child. Physical chess, very much so!
• While he is an avid reader, he has never been very fond of Shakespeare.
• If he had not been a politician, Cristiano is fairly sure he would have been some sort of professor.
• He has a wicked weakness for citrus fruits.
• His favorite smell is the iris flower. It reminds him of his mother.
• His horse is a bay Arabian named Cielo. He is very fond of him.
• Cristiano tends to favor blue clothing and looking professional for his personal style.
• When he was nineteen, he did go through a brief period of having a soul patch but has abandoned that look for being clean-shaven.
• In the past ten years, he has been engaged a record fourteen times, according to the tabloids.
• Unfortunately, none of these were ever true, much to his parents' chagrin.
• His biggest scandal had to be one time he got drunk with Adriano when he was twenty-four and broke a paparazzi's camera when they got to close. He apologized and paid for damages.
• He has had girlfriends, but he is quite good at keeping them from the public eye.
• He lies very still when he sleeps; some friends say it's unnerving because he looks dead.
• When it comes to music, he prefers classical because he finds it soothing.
• Cristiano's birthmark is relatively small and located on his left side, near his armpit. It's shaped like a clover, if you squint.
• His English has always been good, but it was really strengthened when he left Italy for schooling.
• Cristiano was also criticized by the media for choosing not to attend Italian universities while he was attending school.
• He currently has his M.A. in Political Science and may be contemplating trying to get his doctorate, maybe.
• A bit of a philanthropist; he has worked with Amnesty International, UNESCO, and SOS Children's Villages.

philanthropic undertakings

Since Cristiano is an activist for human rights, he has been to visit several countries in general on the basis of bringing attention to issues he feels are important. However, these visits are not reserved for specific cities, so here is a list of countries Cristiano has visited on philanthropic expeditions.

Nepal

Kenya

China

Rwanda

Uganda

Belarus

Nigeria

Nicaragua

Afghanistan

Saudi Arabia

places he's been

• Rome, Italy ▬ birthplace, current residence
• Florence, Italy ▬ vacation
• Milan, Italy ▬ vacation
• Palermo, Italy ▬ vacation
• The Vatican ▬ vacation, work
• Cambridge, England ▬ attended university
• New Haven, Connecticut ▬ attended graduate school
• Paris, France ▬ work, vacation, attended International Classical Music Night
• Los Angeles, California ▬ work, vacation
• Madrid, Spain ▬ work, vacation

Categories: Rome, Italy | Characters