Absorption

Absorption was the process by which the Abzorbaloff, an Abzorbalovian, ingested his victims. (TV: Love & Monsters ^[+]Loading...["Love & Monsters (TV story)"])

Nature[[edit] | [edit source]]

Abzorbalovians had the ability to absorb life forms by touching them. Historians who had been allowed access to the "Monster Vaults" of the databanks in the Doctor's TARDIS observed that every part of an Abzorbaloff's body "from head to toe" was in a constant state of suction, thus consuming any living thing upon contact. This ability was compared to a bacterium or a tapeworm, all essentially parasitic in nature, and to the Krillitanes acquisition of physical abilities from other species. (PROSE: The Monster Vault ^[+]Loading...["The Monster Vault (novel)"])

Upon touching a victim, the Abzorbaloff immediately started to absorb them, slowly at first, with whatever body part was touched being the first to melt into the Abzorbaloff. Within seconds, the victim would disappear as they were sucked into the Abzorbaloff's body before their faces popped out. (PROSE: The Monster Vault ^[+]Loading...["The Monster Vault (novel)"], Tales from the TARDIS 56 ^[+]Loading...["Tales from the TARDIS (DWA 56 short story)"], TV: Love & Monsters ^[+]Loading...["Love & Monsters (TV story)"]) Whilst humans were absorbed within seconds, (TV: Love & Monsters ^[+]Loading...["Love & Monsters (TV story)"]) one source claimed that the time it took varied according to the size of the target, with large creatures taking up to a day. (GAME: Love & Monsters ^[+]Loading...["Love & Monsters (game)"])

The heads of the Abzorbaloffs' absorbed victims remained alive and conscious within its digestive tract and only when it had completely drained their brains were their heads fully assimilated into its "greenish", living calcium "fleshy corpulence". Absorbed victims would retain their consciousness and appear as faces embedded into the Abzorbaloff's skin for several weeks at least. (PROSE: The Monster Vault ^[+]Loading...["The Monster Vault (novel)"], The Time Traveller's Almanac ^[+]Loading...["The Time Traveller's Almanac (reference book)"])

Positions ranged from the stomach, shoulders, waist, thighs, chest, back and even buttocks. (TV: Love & Monsters ^[+]Loading...["Love & Monsters (TV story)"]) Facial accessories such as glasses would be retained, as well as hair such as eyebrows or, (TV: Love & Monsters ^[+]Loading...["Love & Monsters (TV story)"]) in the case of Yvonne Hartman, hair protruding over the forehead. (GAME: Tastes Like Chicken ^[+]Loading...["Tastes Like Chicken (game)"]) Some victim's faces appeared to be missing one of their eyes, as had befallen deceased victims (TV: Love & Monsters ^[+]Loading...["Love & Monsters (TV story)"]) and a conscious Donna Noble. (GAME: Tummy Trouble ^[+]Loading...["Tummy Trouble (game)"]) Once fully digested, the faces of said victims, while clearly deceased, were still somewhat visible. Abzorbalovians could fart due to their digestion, similar to humans and the gas exchange of the Raxacoricofallapatorians. When a being was absorbed, their knowledge and experiences were also absorbed, which apparently affected how they tasted. (TV: Love & Monsters ^[+]Loading...["Love & Monsters (TV story)"])

Historians claimed that Abzorbaloffs sought the thoughts and experiences of other lifeforms as their own thoughts and experiences were "profoundly dreary". Abzorbaloffs liked to pride themselves on being gourmets. Their greed was so great that they often could not help blowing their cover by absorbing too many victims, which was identified as a major weakness. (PROSE: The Monster Vault ^[+]Loading...["The Monster Vault (novel)"]) Indeed, "Victor Kennedy", after joining LINDA, absorbed Bliss and Bridget Sinclair before absorbing Colin Skinner, after which he was exposed as an Abzorbaloff by Ursula Blake and Elton Pope. (TV: Love & Monsters ^[+]Loading...["Love & Monsters (TV story)"])

As the Abzorbaloffs were constantly drawing sustenance through their skin, they naturally wore little more clothing than a thong, sharing a predilection towards needing to be naked with the Slitheen family of Raxacoricofallapatorius. However, as the Abzorbaloffs absorbed other creatures into their body, the Slitheen tactic of hiding inside other creatures was beneath contempt. Whilst in the form of "Victor Kennedy", the Abzorbaloff claimed to suffer from eczema so as to avoid being touched; historians believed that the Abzorbaloff's appearance was concealed by a type of morphic illusion, and that he only appeared to be a wearing a suit whilst in disguise. (PROSE: The Monster Vault ^[+]Loading...["The Monster Vault (novel)"], TV: Love & Monsters ^[+]Loading...["Love & Monsters (TV story)"]) According to another source, Abzorbaloffs wore heavy clothing to muffle the cries of their victims. (GAME: Love & Monsters ^[+]Loading...["Love & Monsters (game)"])

Whilst an Abzorbaloff had access to its victims' experience and knowledge, they could also read its thoughts. By attempting to "pull" their faces outwards, victims could inflict pain on an Abzorbaloff, which could lose its balance were there enough of them. A limitation-field creator served to keep an Abzorbaloff compressed after it had absorbed its victims, and stop it from stretching its physical form too far. Should the device be broken, the Abzorbaloff's body would dissolve, its remains being absorbed by whatever surface it was standing on (TV: Love & Monsters ^[+]Loading...["Love & Monsters (TV story)"]) Alternatively, one source claimed that the absorbed members of LINDA had exerted enough pressure internally or "bloated" the Abzorbaloff to the point that it exploded. (PROSE: Doctor Who: The Encyclopedia ^[+]Loading...["Doctor Who: The Encyclopedia (2007 reference book)"])

After such an event, a device such as the Tenth Doctor's sonic screwdriver could key into the absorption matrix and restore the life essence of the last victim from what remained, though only as a partial reconstruction. When the Abzorbaloff was absorbed by the Earth beneath the concrete paving stones of London, Ursula was retrieved as a face embedded into a concrete slab from the pavement, now apparently no longer aging and feeling "quite peaceful". (TV: Love & Monsters ^[+]Loading...["Love & Monsters (TV story)"])

History[[edit] | [edit source]]

In 2007, the Abzorbaloff, disguised as a human named "Victor Kennedy", absorbed his secretary after finding LINDA's website in his office. (WC: Tardisode 10 ^[+]Loading...["Tardisode 10 (webcast)"], PROSE: The Time Traveller's Almanac ^[+]Loading...["The Time Traveller's Almanac (reference book)"]) If not killed there and then, she was when the Abzorbaloff was later destroyed. (PROSE: Doctor Who: The Encyclopedia ^[+]Loading...["Doctor Who: The Encyclopedia (reference book)"])

Appearing at LINDA's base on Maccateer Street, Victor joined the group and absorbed Bliss after asking her for a word in private; her face ended up embedded into his posterior at the right buttock, leaving her subject to him farting on her and leaving her barely able to breathe or speak. Some weeks later, Victor used the same ploy to absorb Bridget Sinclair, whose face ended up on his back right shoulder.

At least one week later, Victor absorbed Colin Skinner after convincing him to remain to track down Bridget with him as Ursula Blake and Elton Pope left the group; his face ended up in the left side of the Abzorbaloff's lower abdomen. When Ursula and Elton returned, they discovered the Abzorbaloff, who revealed his absorption abilities and his victims. By threatening to absorb Jackie Tyler to get to the Doctor he tricked Ursula into being absorbed and went to absorb Elton as well. The absorbed LINDA members were encouraged by the Tenth Doctor to fight back and pull at the Abzorbaloff's stomach. Elton then broke his limitation field, causing his absorption abilities to go out of control and melt him into the Earth. His absorbed victims, except Ursula, died with him. The Doctor had his sonic screwdriver to key into the absorption matrix and separate Ursula from his remains. Though, as the Doctor noted, it was too late for total reconstruction, Ursula was salvaged as a face embedded in a slab of concrete. (TV: Love & Monsters ^[+]Loading...["Love & Monsters (TV story)"])

In one outcome, the Abzorbaloff had absorbed a Slitheen, an Ood, a Krillitane and Mrs Pakoo into his torso in addition to faces which he had absorbed prior to joining LINDA. (GAME: Absorb-A-Lot of Monsters ^[+]Loading...["Absorb-A-Lot of Monsters (game)"])

In another outcome, the Abzorbaloff was seated within basement unit 4b after absorbing Captain Jack Harkness, Mickey Smith, Yvonne Hartman and Lynda Moss into his torso, with Lynda's face appearing in the place of Mr Skinner who, along with Ursula, was not visible. (GAME: Tastes Like Chicken ^[+]Loading...["Tastes Like Chicken (game)"])

In another outcome, the Abzorbaloff was running in the vicinity of Maccateer Street after absorbing Luke Rattigan, the Tenth Doctor, Miss Hartigan, Donna Noble and Sarah Jane Smith into his torso in addition to Ursula and Mr Skinner. (GAME: Tummy Trouble ^[+]Loading...["Tummy Trouble (game)"])

In another outcome, after absorbing Mr Skinner and Ursula, the Abzorbaloff may have returned to posing as Victor Kennedy and had become involved in the Children of Skaro's Master Plan, aiding one of the warring factions. By this point, the Abzorbaloff's thong covered the spot where Bliss's face had been. (GAME: Exterminate! ^[+]Loading...["Exterminate! (game)"])

The Abzorbaloff was survived by his father who, in 2009, confronted the Doctor. Having already absorbed three human victims, it was this Abzorbaloff's intention to "guzzle up [his] smushed up remains" after leaving him to the Krakanord, after which he would absorb "every little meatbag" on Earth, only to be melted by the Krakanord. (WC: The Genuine Article ^[+]Loading...["The Genuine Article (webcast)"])

The Thirteenth Doctor observed an Abzorbaloff who had absorbed a Sea Devil, a Monoid and a couple of Slitheen. (PROSE: The Wonderful Doctor of Oz ^[+]Loading...["The Wonderful Doctor of Oz (novel)"])

Other references[[edit] | [edit source]]

In the midst of the Planetary Relocation Incident, Davros asked the Tenth Doctor, "How many have died in your name?". The Abzorbaloff's victims were among those he remembered. (TV: Journey's End ^[+]Loading...["Journey's End (TV story)"])

Behind the scenes[[edit] | [edit source]]

Lines from the script of Love & Monsters ^[+]Loading...["Love & Monsters (TV story)"] which are not present in the finished episode shed a light on the experience of those absorbed by the Abzorbaloff; Ursula says that she feels "sort of... calm", Skinner says it feels "strangely peaceful" and Bridget claims that there is no pain, whilst Bliss' response is muffled.

The script also described Ursula's absorption after being sucked into the Abzorbaloff's arm as "a great big lump - like a snake swallowing a cat - quickly travels up the Abzorbaloff's arm, into its body" before her face rises up as a bulge in the Abzorbaloff's chest.

Though the script uses an s in the spelling of the process, later sources such as DWM 371 and TEDW 5 use a z, distinguishing "abzorption" from forms of absorption both in the Doctor Who universe and the real world.