Ali'sen Dera
Tinker: An alias he goes by when he doesn't want to use his real name, in reference to his habit of tinkering with his tools and machines. Later, his call sign.
In the Tal'lesan language, Ali'sen means "bright many moons", and the last name Dera means "worker".
17 - 18 (birthday happens during story)
9/14/2136
Unlabeled
He/him pronouns
Gay
6'6"
Thick, tight locs at the top of his head. Naturally black, but he likes to dye it bright colors.
Black with bright gray irises, giving him an eerie, distant look.
Dark brown
Hesini Tal'lesan
A humanoid race from the Tal'lesa system with dark skin, black eyes and bright colored irises (ranging between gray, blue, and green), and pointed ears. Each subspecies has their own distinct skin markings. The Hesini have freckles, pointier ears, and darker skin than the others.
Tall and lanky, easily foldable like a lawn chair so he can squeeze into small spaces.
On his upper left arm, he has the moon phases in descending order (full, half, crescent), the Roman numeral ten on his shoulder blade. A full sleeve on his right arm of geometric circuitry designs.
An ugly burn scar on his upper left arm, which the moon tattoo covers. Various scars across the rest of his body, including on his face and a slight tear in his left ear.
Black tanktop or cropped top and combat pants, along with sturdy hiking boots to help him climb. He also tends to steal Lybra's flight jacket when he gets cold.
His working clothes are a black shirt and cargo pants, with a pair of short sleeves coveralls. It also includes his red-tinted goggles and a pair of fingerless leather gloves. His boots are the same.
He wears a Tal'lesan dress called a ji'lo, which consists of a cropped white sleeveless shirt, white pants, and a blue transparent half-cape. Ali's ji'lo includes golden patterns of moons and constellations scattered across the top and cape.
Not necessarily an accessory, but he wears advanced hearing aids called APUs (auditory processing units) to help his hearing. He only wears one earring, a silver one on his left ear. When he's working, he wears a tool belt with pretty much anything he needs in it, including his gun.
Ali'sen is a bright and curious soul and often jumps at the chance to take something apart and see how it works. This goes for people as well--he will not rest until he's picked apart someone's entire personality and figured out exactly how they work. He's clever with both mechanics and social situations, although he isn't always sure how to navigate the latter. While he can accurately determine a person's emotions and true meanings, he's not as good at actually putting those observations to use. This means he ends up people-watching, but rarely speaking unless he deems it necessary. Strangers often perceive him as a careful and calculated person; unless he's enraged.
He is very quick to anger and even quicker to act on it. He's usually the one to swing first, and he's taught himself to hit fast and hit hard if he wants to survive. Oftentimes, comments about him, his heritage, or his people are what get him riled up. The idea of "pick your battles" is not a thing to him.
Around familiar people, Ali'sen is more blunt and careless with his words. He will fire insults and sarcastic replies whenever he feels like it, and his friends know him as a loud, brash person. Many of his actions towards strangers are due to his severe trust issues from past trauma, so when he finally feels comfortable around someone, he opens up immensely.
ISTP
Known as the Virtuosos, these people look at the world in a rational and curious way. They live to pull things apart and assemble them again, to see how they work. They explore ideas through creating, trial and error, and first-hand experience. They embrace failure with the idea that it helps make them better. They're rather introverted individuals, who prefer to surround themselves with only a select group.
Chaotic Neutral
The CN alignment is individualist. They will do what they like when they like it. All they concern themselves with is their own freedom, and what it will take to reach it.
Virgo
Virgos are analytical, hardworking people with a practical outlook on life. They pay attention to small details, and despite their determined attitude, they can be overly critical of themselves and others.
They prefer stability to spontaneity, and their tendency to worry about the future makes sure of that. Virgos are excellent advisors, dedicated to their loved ones, and highly protective.
The desire to find a solution to any problem presented.
He holds grudges very easily, and is therefore not quick to forgive.
An expert when it comes to mechanics and engineering. This also translates to him being a brilliant problem solver, due to his ability to take in small details to see the big picture.
Severe hearing loss/tinnitus from an explosion, causing him to rely on hearing aids and sign language.
PTSD, which manifests in the way he acts around others, panic attacks when triggers are mentioned, and nightmares when he's stressed out.
- Ears alert, but not aggressive
- Quiet unless prompted to speak
- Tinkers with his projects and tools
- Tries not to sit normally, if he can help it--Tal'lesan instinct is to be as far above the ground as possible, which usually results in him sitting on tables and shelves.
- Ears pricked up
- Laughs a lot more, often to the point where he cries
- Often mixes up his languages because he isn't focusing
- Resorts to using nicknames if he's addressing a person
- Extremely fidgety, messing with tools and old projects
- Takes up as much space as possible to assert himself as a leader
- Clicks his tongue when thinking
- Ears pinned flat against his head
- Voice becomes quieter
- Accent becomes more prominent in his anger
- Distances himself physically to protect himself
- Rarely cries out of sadness, but can do so if he's truly that upset
- Drooping ears
- Shuts up considerably more than usual and doesn't speak
- Folds his arms in a protective stance.
Ali's voice is described as "quiet, high-pitched," with "a ringing accent to it."
His voice sounds very androgynous and his accent is very unique. The Tal'lesan accent sounds a little like a mix between a Russian and Arabic accent - the t's and d's are softer on the tongue, r's are rolled when before a vowel or at the end of a word, and pretty much nonexistent if at the beginning of a word or before a consonant. The k's are spoken more in the back of the throat, and the sh's are a little hissier.
Tal'lesan (First language)
Terran (Second language)
Universal Sign Language (Third language)
8/10
He's small and agile, which lends itself to speed as well. Especially when it comes to rooftop chases, he knows his way above ground and is comfortable high above the ground.
5/10
Just about strong enough to lift up his own body weight, but not much more. He was built for climbing and running, not necessarily lifting.
10/10
Like everyone else on the crew, Ali'sen is a genius in his own right: in his case, mechanics and problem-solving, proving him to be clever and evasive.
Sight: 8/10
Tal'lesan's eyes were built to see in both dark nights and bright days, meaning he can see excellently in darkness and adjusts well in light.
Hearing: 1/10
While most Tal'lesans should have incredible hearing due to their pointed ears, his hearing was damaged in an explosion, leaving him with lingering tinnitus. His hearing aids help, but he still doesn't trust them totally.
Votia, a spiced cake typically eaten on Hesini holidays.
Bright, obnoxious bubblegum pink.
His MPAW pistol that he built himself.
Hesini, Tal'lesa
Ali'sen was "home-schooled" for his first nine years, then attended a military school after he was orphaned, where he learned everything he knows about engineering, mechanics, and math.
Born in a small Hesini-occupied village, he grew up with his parents and younger brother, aware of the civil war but it had never touched him. Not until he was nine years old, when the Byojhi army raided their village and, after slaughtering most of the civilians, set the village ablaze. Ali'sen escaped the fire with major burns, but he was the sole survivor.
As an orphan, he was immediately shipped to an Interplanetary Military Alliance Juvenile Academy, where he met Lybra San Disu. The two immediately became close friends, and stayed close throughout their years at the academy. Lybra went into the pilot track and Ali'sen apprenticed as a mechanic. The final exam was a full supervised flight with a professor onboard. The flight went fine until something minor sparked the wires. Ali'sen had a panic attack at the idea of a fire and in his panic, made the wire problem worse and exploded the ship. He lost most of his hearing, Lybra lost his right arm, and the professor was killed. It was listed as an unfortunate incident, but Ali'sen was expelled and cast on the streets with no where to go.
He got APUs implanted, and the doctor's daughter, Elidi, taught him sign language. For the next five years, Ali'sen worked as a mechanic on a tiny outpost and fought in bars on weekends. Elidi became the closest thing to a friend he had, often visiting him on days off from university.
Dea'ji Dera (Father, deceased)
Ire'non Dera (Mother, deceased)
Ten'uel Dera (younger brother, deceased)
Lybra San Disu
"Your man tried to stab me. I just broke a bone. You tell me which sounds more illegal."
"Call me that again, and I'll leave you worse than your friend you so stupidly bet on."
Very 70s punk
Robin Luez
Magpie Prier
Lt. Spence Trinam + the entirety of the DOGS.
Senator Torhis
General Mica
Elidi Nassaj
Cpt. Lybra San Disu