"You aren’t going to make me work, are you?"[ALEX STARK ⫻ IMPERIUM ⫻ 18 ⫻ CHAOTIC GOOD]
▼ APPEARANCE ▼
"I’m not a beauty, I’m quite normal for the XXV century."Have you ever realized the “ideal” Vitruvian Man is made with the proportions of a male that’s smaller than the majority of today’s average heights for a man? Well, that’s something that would continue as a trend into the future. Alex measuring 197cm. (6’6’’) means that actually the hermaphrodite is on the lower end of the curve of stature. Mankind has become increasingly taller as a whole. Of course, genetic engineering had nothing to do with that, nothing at all.
The young Stark has pale skin and piercing grey eyes, denoting the intelligence that lies behind them. S/he’s thin and nimble, as most herms are, and very strong for his physique, thanks again to genetic engineering. Both hips and shoulders are almost the same width, with his/her shoulders being more feminine than masculine.
▼ PERSONALITY ▼
"I’m lazy, so? That means I’m predisposed to discover more efficient solutions to common problems by thinking outside the oval."Alex was raised by seven very doting parents, that likely has had the impact of making him/her extremely lazy... Or it is equally likely s/he was born that way, it’s anyone’s guess really. That has expanded to various aspects of his/her life, such as being extremely unobservant when not focused, having a poor will and emotional control, even though his emotions are somewhat muted, and finally lacking some empathy when s/he’s not putting effort into it.
The lack of skill in reading his/her environment has made a great dent on the perception of Alex’s intelligence, at least from the outside for people not familiarized with the young Stark. While this is much more pronounced than his/her own perception of intelligence, one must not forget that a person is seen through the others and therefore Alex has had a low self-esteem for most of his/her life. It has also meant that Alex perception of his/her intelligence is lower than it should be.
The young herm’s lack of will to start and follow through with concrete things has resulted in a complete lack of ability with magic; “A zero to the left” would be an appropriate expression. What isn’t lacking in him/her is imagination and the ability to turn an idea on its head and inside out several dozen times until s/he has created an innovative solution. If it’s present at the moment, at the right time and not in the shower and/or at four a.m., well, that’s another story.
▼ BACKSTORY ▼
"I guess I could pass for a prince…"As most people in the XXV century in Imperium, Alex has been heavily altered from the baseline human from the moment of conception. Having all your sexual chromosomes replaced, most of your DNA modified and nanomachines inserted in your body that grow along with you it’s much easier when the fertilized egg isn’t even a morula. Also, remember that by this point in time you can have as many “parents” as people have given you DNA to exist in the first place, it’s pretty rare that someone has carried you in his and/or her person and you finally have as real parents those who either; a, are the ones who raised you or; b, are the (likely many) that appear in your certificate of birth.
Alex has seven parents, all who happily raised the hermaphrodite as an only child in a world of luxury and opportunities. While s/he wasn’t in the highest social class, nor close, Imperium is a rich universe with all the raw materials and products flowing from other universes. A consequence of this is that mankind is mostly concentrated on intellectual, administrative, political and artistic pursuits since most of the physical and repetitive work is automated. There is almost no poverty in Imperium, with people living at the standards of the high middle class at the lowest. The mind is the tool of the XXV century and Alex is quite good with his/her.
Noted from an early age as very intelligent, Alex had his/her education specially adapted to suit his/her needs like most people on Earth-1. By the time s/he was 14, s/he had already completed the equivalent of three university careers, postgraduate included, of our time. However, the intense study disconnected him/her from his/her age group, not really because s/he needed all the time and effort present in the day, but because s/he was too lazy to work on creating friendships and bonds of trust outside his/her circle of prodigies.
Through all his/her life, Alex had modifications installed in his/her body and central nervous system to enhance his/her performance. From brain upgrades that granted eidetic memory and absolute pitch to modifications to his/her muscles that allow XXI century Olympic-level performance. While that might seem excessive for a person that isn’t trained at all for combat and doesn’t practice sports, it must be remembered that people in the current date consider that the bare minimum. Alex isn’t an athlete nor someone that can be highlighted for anything but his/her intellect in the XXV century.
However, his/her mind has been enough to be fought over by the military and diverse universities across the different Earths and their nations. By this point in time though, at fifteen years of age, Alex had no real accomplishment to his/her name outside of being a brilliant student. That changed when s/he was called by the military, to which s/he accepted.
After two years in the officers’ academy though, which now meant only mental and not physical exercise, s/he quitted, leaving behind the possibility of a brilliant career though still as a brilliant military strategist. At seventeen, s/he started his/her fourth and fifth careers in university at the same time, not worried too much and hoping s/he could make up for the “lost time”. Still, while his discharge was almost dishonourable, Alex learned a few lessons from his/her time in the military… Except for not being lazy.
▼ ABILITIES & EQUIPMENT ▼
"I haven’t thrown a punch in my life to defend myself. Still I suppose I could kill you. Hopeful- -Oh! – Humph - Damn! That was fast! I… I wasn’t ready!"- Genius-level intellect:
Alex has a tremendous ability to solve intellectual problems and think outside the oval when s/he applies him/herself to it. Added to that is a degree in Physics, Chemistry and Math. - Peak physical condition:
The alterations and genetic engineering done to all members of the Imperium-worlds are a guarantee that his/her abilities are far beyond what can be expected of someone of such a nimble and unimpressive physique. S/he has Olympic level physical conditioning as a basal state and it won’t decay in muscles mass, reaction times and such due to lack of training or until very advanced old age. - Brilliant strategist:
Even when Alex didn’t complete nor advance too far into the military, s/he still managed to get an impressive amount of experience in terms of tactics, supplies and strategy.
▼ LIMITS-WEAKNESSES ▼
"It’s awesome until you hit your crotch in a septuple jump while on your period..."- Lazy to the extreme:
Alex is lazy to the point of being slothful. S/he might have several well-developed abilities, but s/he must focus to put them into action since s/he has completely foregone the training to have them active or at least not dormant at almost all times. - Unobservant:
A direct consequence of his/her natural laziness, lack of observation and attention towards the environment. Quite pronounced in his/her case, s/he is the kind of person that falls into a puddle of mud or crashed face-first into a post while walking on the street. More than that, s/he is the kind of person who hits him/herself in the face with the door s/he is opening.
That also applies to social situations or perceiving other people’s emotions. - Lowered self-esteem:
"I’m not the sharpest tool on the shed..."
Quite the opposite actually. But s/he doesn’t believe it. - Has never fought a battle:
Despite the multiple extremely violent entertainment mediums that exist in the worlds of Imperium, Alex has never fought a battle, a real battle… Where fear of death is in the air and tension is crushing. There is nothing to prepare him/her for the first real battle s/he is going to fight. - Has never had to defend him/herself:
Alex has never thrown a punch in his/her life, period. S/he doesn't know how to fight. S/he might be in a quite strong body, the problem lies in that s/he doesn't know how to use it.
▼ OTHER ▼
Alex doesn’t speak English as modern English doesn’t and has never existed on Imperium. Instead, s/he speaks the classic mixture of German and English that’s the Lingua Franca of Imperium. Because of this is the fact that there are structures such as “s/he” and “him/her” on the description, as in Imperial there is a neutral pronoun.