The same person. The same family. A slightly different beginning.
Alternative Timeline
This version of Clio belongs to an alternative timeline.
The major events surrounding her family and RAOLAX remain broadly the same, but Clio was born slightly later. This seemingly small change alters the circumstances of her childhood and the person she becomes.
Her mother dies when Clio is still too young to form meaningful memories of her. As a result, she grows up knowing her mother primarily through other people’s stories, records and the memories of her father.
This also changes her relationship with the Captain.
In the main timeline, Kusum’s childhood and memories of both parents form part of her identity. In this timeline, the Captain raises her without that shared foundation, and their relationship becomes more complicated. His attempts to protect her, compensate for what she lost and control the risks around her do not necessarily bring them closer.
At the time of the RAOLAX incident, this version of Clio is 17 years old.
She should not be treated simply as a younger version of the original character. The purpose of this timeline is to explore how a relatively small change in the beginning of someone’s life can gradually produce a noticeably different person.
What Is Confirmed
- This is an alternative version of Clio, not simply a different costume.
- The main events of the world remain broadly unchanged.
- Clio is born later than in the primary timeline.
- Her mother dies when Clio is too young to meaningfully remember her.
- Clio grows up primarily with her father, the Captain.
- Her relationship with the Captain is more complicated than in the primary timeline.
- She is 17 years old during the RAOLAX incident.
- Her different childhood should influence her personality, behaviour, relationships and later development.
What Needs to Be Developed
Childhood
- What was it like to grow up without memories of her mother?
- What did the Captain tell her about her?
- Did Clio idealise a woman she never actually knew?
- What information about her mother was hidden from her?
Relationship with the Captain
- Why is their relationship more difficult?
- Is the Captain overprotective?
- Does guilt affect the way he raises her?
- What does Clio resent him for?
- What does she misunderstand about him?
- What can they discuss openly, and what can they never talk about?
Personality & Behaviour
- How does this upbringing change Clio?
- Is she more rebellious or independent?
- How does she react to authority?
- How does she behave when the Captain tries to protect her?
- What characteristics remain recognisably Kusum in both timelines?
Social Field
- Who is closest to her aboard RAOLAX?
- Does she deliberately seek relationships outside her father’s influence?
- Who does the Captain dislike seeing around his daughter?
- Who understands her better than her father does?
Habits & Emotional Triggers
- What reminds her of her mother?
- What subjects immediately create conflict with the Captain?
- What does she do when angry?
- Where does she go when she wants to be alone?
- What behaviour reveals that she is still only seventeen?
Secrets
- What does Clio hide from her father?
- What does the Captain hide from her?
- Has she discovered something about her mother that the Captain does not know she knows?
- What happened shortly before the RAOLAX journey?
Speech
- How does she speak to her father?
- How does her speech change around friends or strangers?
- Does she use humour, sarcasm, silence or confrontation as a defence?
Character Arc
- How does the RAOLAX incident change their relationship?
- Does separation from her father give her the freedom she wanted?
- Does she discover that some of his fears were justified?
- Does the catastrophe bring them closer or finally break the relationship?
- How does this alternative Clio develop differently after reaching MUTERRA?
Development Principle
Do not simply rewrite Kusum with a different age or outfit.
The purpose of this character version is to explore a butterfly effect:
a small change in the timing of her birth changes what she remembers, how her father raises her, how they relate to each other, and eventually who Clio becomes.
Contributors should preserve the recognisable core of Kusum while developing the consequences of this altered childhood.
Open Projects
- #Character story — Develop the alternative childhood and personality.
- #Father–daughter relationship — Develop her relationship with the Captain.
- #Character design — Develop the visual identity of 17-year-old Clio.
- #Character skin — Develop clothing and alternative-timeline appearance.
- #Reels script — Write scenes showing the differences between the two timelines.
- #Cinematic reels — Create moments between Clio, the Captain and other RAOLAX passengers.
- #Character arc — Develop what happens to this Clio after the RAOLAX incident.
Canon Status
Character: Clio
Version: Alternative Timeline
Status: In Development
Canon: Alternative Timeline / Partial
Co-creation: Open
