Annabel McAlistair

art by PixelWayve

Mrs. McAlistair (Mother)

Mr. McAlistair (Father)

Edgar McAlistair (Son)

Fay (Daughter-in-Law)

Byron McAlistair (Grandson)

Charlotte McAlistair (Granddaughter-in-Law)

Priscilla McAlistair (Great-Granddaughter)

Annabel McAlistair is the first protagonist in The Dolls of New Albion. The first act of the opera tells the story of her rise and fall, setting events into motion that would reach into the far future and affect countless lives. She is voiced by Lauren Osborn.

## Biography

Annabelle had a lonely childhood, as her parents strictly limited the number of friends she was allowed to have and encouraged her to spend all of her time studying. She went to college where she met Jasper, and the two shared a kiss one night. Soon after, Annabel was kicked out of school for stealing cadavers.

She continued with her research on her own, and succeeded in discovering a formula to bring back the dead. By this time, Jasper had passed away, and thus he was the first person that Annabell selected to bring back as a Doll.

Annabelle took Jasper around the city, bringing the Doll to shows, parades, and cabarets even though people stared at the odd pair. Once Annabel slowed down and properly listened to the song Jasper was playing, she realized that he was miserable and did not want to exist as a doll.

Annabel destroyed Jasper, vowed never to tell a soul, and hid her research in an old trunk in the attic. She later found a husband and had a son named Edgar, who would one day find Annabella's formula and use it to establish a business.

Her legacy is felt by the city long after her time. In the biopunk era The Mayor references Annabel during Bio4 市长: "That McAlistair bitch unleashed her plague of dolls, voodoo, and dead." Annabella is referred to as a "Merlin" who invented a powerful technology that ushered in a new era. The Mayor recalls that Annabelle's discovery led to riots, a military state, and a civil war, and thus is fearful of repeating history.

## Personality

Her parents had imposed upon Annabel very high standards that drives her to be brilliant and the best. As a child she was not allowed to have friends, being instead told to prioritize her studies. Annabel's feelings of self worth are inherently tied to her level of achievement: until she achieves some sort of notability, she remains worthless. While she does not necessarily agree with her parents’ philosophies, she is a product of them nonetheless.

Annabell was a proper genius and with commitment and motivation she was able to unlock the secrets of life and death. She locked herself away in her lab and dedicated her life to her work, but as a result she has had very few healthy friendships and relationships.

Annabel was awkward and exceedingly bookish throughout college, with few friends and no romantic relationships of any depth, aside from a few drunken hook ups which did little to alleviate her uncomfortably with social bonding.

However, she longed for companionship and a sense of acceptance and normality. When Annabel was bringing Jasper back from the dead she pleaded for him to "be my angel, rescue me." She hoped that Jasper would be able to ease her loneliness, which is why she was so eager to take him around the town and finally be able to engage in all social activities she had always wished to participate in.

Annabelle is selfless and empathetic, willing to put Jasper's needs before her own desires. With the successful creation of the Dolls, she had accomplished both of her lifelong goals: she had proven her own intellectual brilliance, and she had gained a friend. But upon discovering that Jasper did not wish to be here, she was willing to sacrifice her dreams in order for him to be happy.

## Relationships

While in college, Annabel was deeply in love from a distance with a boy named Jasper who was scarcely aware of her. After two years of this, through pure chance, she did spend an exquisite evening with him that ended in a wonderfully romantic kiss. He was already betrothed to another in an arranged marriage by his parents and quite upset about this and some of his and Annabelle’s conversation had revolved around his frustration with this. Annabella got kicked out of school shortly afterwards, but she kept tabs on Jasper, convinced that his marriage was a nightmare (and in actuality, it was very bad.) When Annabel read of his death she was shocked and heartbroken, as he had always been her one true love and played a key role as her imaginary husband in many of her daydreams.

After Jasper's deconstruction, Annabell eventually got married and had a son. Her husband was an intelligent and caring man, not very interesting or charismatic, but he could keep up generally with most of her conversation. He was kind in all the small ways that make home life pleasant, and was meek enough and able to get lost in his own bookish interests that he didn’t mind Annabel’s absences when she would lock herself in her lab for days on end.

Annabelle's son was named Edgar. Edgar was always enamored with his mother, who was loving and doting when it occurred to her to be, and so unusual, unpredictable and interesting that he all but worshiped her. While Annabel was a loving mother, she was distractable, moody, and capable of wandering off to work out a theory or locking herself in her lab for days on end. She was not always available, either mentally or physically. This made her almost like a drug to Edgar, for he never knew when she would disconnect again. Annabella died when Edgar was ten and he was raised from there on solely by his father. The loss was unbearable to Edgar.

## Trivia

* Throughout the libretto and bandcamp lyrics, there is no consistent spelling of her name, and she is referred to as Annabel, Annabelle, Annabella, and Annabell
* There is no canon appearance for Annabelle, however, it is very common for fan artists to depict her with frazzled red hair, goggles, and a long lab coat, often without being aware that other people have also drawn her in similar fashion
* Annabel took piano lessons but she's not that good