Alisandra

Introduction The best way to predict the future is to invent it. - Alan Kay The greatest achievements of the human mind are generally received with distrust. - Arthur Schopenhauer [ edit ] Stereotypes "Am I in favor of science? This is a trick question, right?" "We're not telling people what to think; we're only trying to show them how." "Are you familiar with the term 'cargo cult'?" "irony, n.: Making a science out of irrationality." "Partial acceptance of the scientific method is better than no acceptance at all." "The Ophiocordyceps unilateralis to the Traditions' ant colony." "A difference of degree from the other superstitionists, not one of kind. But ... what a degree." "You're all so much alike, and yet every one of you is different." "Stephanie who?" "Haven't we devoted enough study to the medieval Christians' re-interpretation of the Iron Age warrior ethos?" "Um ... I'm a psychologist, not a psychiatrist, but I can refer you to someone who's good with delusional disorders." "Shifting blame for one's actions onto a mythical Other is among humankind's oldest and most common habits." "If you mean that our remembered perceptions of the dead influence our own actions, then of course." "Please, think about what you're doing. I understand you're upset, but hurting someone won't solve anything. Why don't you put that down so we can talk about what's bothering you?" [ edit ] Contacts Apple I thought genuinely nice people were extinct. Brandon Ani's keeping you busy! Brandy Miss ya, BFF. Erzsebet Oh Em Gee! Dr. Klaussenburg, could you please sign my copy of your dissertation? Liesl I'm kind of intimidated by your sheer confidence. Trekome Happy engagement! [ edit ] Logs 2014-07-20:TheRising 2014.12.14:The Flooded Lab Disclaimer [ edit ]

Alisandra Study for the head of Venus. John William Waterhouse, around 1900. [ edit ] Overview Full name: Alisandra L. Moorcroft Date of Birth: May 1, 1995 Nationality: American Occupation: Postdoctoral scholar Demeanor: Perfectionist Apparent Age: Just out of high school Height: 5'8" Weight: Slender Eyes: Pale green Hair: Reddish black [ edit ] RP Hooks Alisandra is a postdoctoral scholar at the UCP Department of Psychology, doing research on human behavior modeling. She recently completed a successful defense of a well-received dissertation in Mathematics, and is occasionally shanghaied into teaching introductory sections for either department. If you attend, work at, or teach at the University, you may have met her, or at least heard of her. She bears a striking resemblance to an idealized version of the late Dr. Alison Beaumarys, a promising researcher in human biology and genetics who died in an auto accident about eighteen years ago. Anyone who remembers Dr. Beaumarys is likely to notice. When not at the University, she spends a lot of time haunting libraries, bookstores, coffee shops, and other quiet places to sit and read. Thanks to her unusual looks, it's quite rare for Alisandra to go out in public without being noticed -- maybe you've encountered her before, in which case it's probable you'd remember. If you're a practicing physician, you may have prescribed -- or refused to prescribe -- pain medication for her. Alisandra is fluent in Mandarin and Spanish and is happy to assist in overcoming language barriers. She is currently studying Arabic in her copious free time. Thanks to a somewhat sheltered childhood, Alisandra has relatively little experience of the outside world, and is therefore intensely curious about it. If you look, sound, or act in a way that she finds exotic, she might be interested enough to inquire further. Members of the Technocracy may know somewhat more about her, her father (retired cognitive scientist Dr. John Moorcroft) or her late mother. [ edit ]

Gallery I know it's a cheat to use paintings rather than photos, but that's sort of the point: Alisandra is a character who looks like she's used a cheat code for Appearance. And there's really no good way to deal with that visually, because any image I pick is not going to look like that to someone, probably a large portion of someones. This is just the least bad option. You can get a much better idea of Alisandra's looks by thinking of whatever dark-haired young woman you, personally, find most attractive, and then imagining that person painted in idealized soft focus by Waterhouse or Alma-Tadema or Frederic Leighton or some other late-Victorian era pre-Raphaelite stylist. (For those with more Renaissance tastes, consider Botticelli or Fra Lippi.) Is it any wonder she wears sunglasses and cowls and shawls whenever she can get away with it? [ edit ]