Alexander Brooke

[dmboogie]

Name: Alexander Brooke
Gender: Male
Age: 18
Grade: 12
School: George Hunter High School
Hobbies and Interests: Literature, Podcasts, Electro-Industrial Music, Singing

Appearance: Alexander is a tall and slim boy of Caucasian descent at 6'2" and 165 lbs. He has medium-length, sandy blond hair which is parted in the middle. His face is long and thin, with prominent cheekbones and pale blue eyes. His eyebrows are thin and angular. He wears dark sunglasses to mitigate his photophobia.

Alexander prefers to dress semi-formally, as in his mind this suits his preferred image of looking dignified and respectable. He usually wears various varieties of dark vests over light dress shirts, along with black khakis. When performing with his band, Alex wears a black leather jacket to fit in with its Depeche Mode-esque aesthetic.

On the day he was abducted, Alexander was wearing a black suit vest, a white button-down dress shirt, a purple tie, black dress pants, black oxfords, and he was carrying his straight white metal-tipped navigational cane.

Biography: On May 5th, 1999, Alexander was born in Chattanooga as the second child of Sophia and Benjamin Brooke. Benjamin works as a teacher, while Sophia is a high-ranking member of an automotive company. As a result of her position, the Brooke family is rather well-off.

Several months after Alexander's birth it was discovered that he had been born blind, though he could still perceive light. This was caused by the genetic disorder Leber Congenital Amaurosis. Due to the disorder's characteristics, medical science was unable to alleviate his symptoms, despite his family's wealth. As a result Benjamin took a leave of absence from his job as a teacher to help with his son's early upbringing and education.

When Alexander was old enough to begin formal schooling, he was enrolled in a local public elementary school, where he attended regular classes with some support from an itinerant teacher specialized in working with visual impairments.

Though Alexander didn't have many difficulties with his classmates, he had few friends. His lack of sight was a barrier that not many of his classmates were willing to understand, and Alexander was a solitary child by nature.

He thus spent much of his childhood working through whatever braille books his family could get a hold of, as well as a large selection of audiobooks. The Harry Potter series in particular caught his interest, and sparked a lifelong fondness for fantasy literature, enjoying the vast, richly described worlds filled with deep backstory and history. Though as Alexander grew older he began to branch out into other genres, he still considers fantasy to be his favorite.

This interest in reading connected Alexander to the few friends he did make in his youth, most of whom were similarly quiet but desperate to discuss their favorite books. In fifth grade, one of these friends introduced him to an online forum he was a member of, which was trying to drum up membership.

Before that point, Alexander had often used the internet; but he had never really engaged with any of its community aspects. He marvelled at the new network of people the forum allowed him to meet, and he enjoyed hotly debating aspects of his favorite novels; along with picking up recommendations for new ones to read along the way. While the forum eventually dwindled into inactivity over the course of the next few years, the community was tightly-knit while it lasted; and Alexander still keeps in touch with many of its members, considering them to be close friends.

Another internet-based hobby that occupies much of Alexander's time is podcasts. He appreciates that they are a solely audio-based medium; and he enjoys the wide variety of genres they cover. Some of his favorite shows are Welcome to Night Vale, for its surreal yet soothing ambience; My Brother, My Brother, and Me for its uplifting comedy, and a variety of shows that focus on introducing the listener to new music.

Alexander has a good relationship with his family. His parents raised him strictly but supportively, emphasising treating them and others with respect, while still doing their best to assist Alexander in whatever he set his mind on doing. His relationship with his two-year-older sister, Maria, is somewhat less cordial, and they have spent the vast majority of their time together bickering over one inconsequential feud or another. Despite this, they never held much legitimate anger at each other, and did their best to support each other when either had problems.

Maria inadvertently introduced him to a genre of music that would become a defining part of his interests, as well. She is a fan of Synthpop and Electro-Industrial bands such as Depeche Mode and Assemblage 23, and often played songs of theirs at loud volumes. This irritated Alexander until he realized that he quite liked those bands for their harsh, electronic beats that were contrasted by emotional melodies, and after a while he took to singing along with them.

Eventually, Maria teasingly commented that he actually did a half-decent job at sending like Depeche Mode's vocalist, and while this embarrassed Alexander, he found that he legitimately enjoyed singing. He began to practice for the fun of it, trying to strike a balance between sounding like he suited the genre while still keeping his own identity.

Currently, Maria is attending a liberal arts college to major in art, a decision that her parents privately disapprove of; wishing that she had chosen a more practical career, but accept, taking the stance that she can do whatever she wants as long she legitimately has a passion for it and does it well. She and Alexander still speak and swap music recommendations often.

In high school, Alexander was recruited by three friends, Beryl Mahelona, Isra Khalili, and Marceline Carlson, that were looking to form an 80s style synthpop band called "Beyond Human". While he was initially hesitant on entering a creative venture with people that he didn't know very well, Alexander eventually decided that it was worth giving it a shot; becoming its permanent vocalist. He soon recruited Roxanne Herbert to be the band's bassist; bringing it to its final lineup.

While the founding members of Beyond Human envisioned a lighthearted sound, Alexander and Roxy drove it towards a more gloomy, melancholic feeling. In regards to the band's creative direction, Alexander is opinionated and not very fond of compromising once he's made up his mind, but he's still willing to hear other people out if they are sufficiently passionate about their arguments. In the present, Alexander considers the four other members of the band to be his best friends; though he wouldn't go so far as to say that out loud.

Academically, Alexander has always done fairly well. His parents, though not incredibly demanding, do expect him to make a good effort, and Alexander does his best to meet their expectations. He studies often, and has managed to maintain an "A" average throughout his high school career. Alexander does not particularly mind school, and enjoys most of his classes, especially electives concerning business. Alexander aspires to follow in his mother's footsteps and have a career in the business world, and plans on majoring in business once he graduates from high school and attends college.

Alexander rarely gives much thought on the subject of his blindness, as it something he has dealt with since the day he was born. With the aid of a cane, he can get around well on his own, and once he was a teenager his family obtained a guide dog for him, a German Shepherd named Montague, who Alexander adores. He gets very irritated when people condescend to or pity him due to his disability, even unintentionally.

While Alexander doesn't consider himself to be unemotional, he is an outwardly stoic individual; rarely allowing his feelings to influence his tone of voice. Due to his upbringing he typically attempts to maintain at least a veneer of politeness, and as such he prefers to resort to sarcasm and barbed remarks if he is irritated. His general outlook towards others is highly influenced by his parents' standards; he has little patience for those that he believes are not making an earnest effort to succeed, no matter how trivial the task. This sometimes causes friction with his bandmates, as Alexander believes they should do their utmost to remain focused and serious during rehearsal sessions.

As he considers it important for someone in the world of business to communicate clearly, Alexander enrolled himself into a public speaking class, and as a result he takes great care with his words, making sure to speak clearly and enunciate properly. This has a side effect of often making him seem distant or guarded.

Advantages: Alexander is intelligent and well spoken. If he keeps a clear head, he could likely find an effective group of allies, even outside of his friends. This may also allow him to effectively construct long-term plans regarding island survival; along with having possible use in any escape attempts.
Disadvantages: Alexander is blind and photophobic. He is physically unfit and lacks deep connections with the greater student body. He will likely react negatively and unproductively to students who break down or give up - partially due to his high standards for others, partially due to a fear of breaking under the pressure, as well.