Columbia

Columbia is a handsome man in his mid-thirties, with a physics degree, practical experience with laser cannons, and two decades of Coliseum experience to his name. He began training as a Light mage in middle school in his free time. He kept training seriously through high school, and enlisted in the Lightweaver's Imperial Navy afterwards.

He served during a war over a border dispute with the Tangled Wood. It was there that he helped scientists perfect the art of laser cannons and manned the primary cannon on the battleship LWV James Clerk Maxwell. Unfortunately, the James Clerk Maxwell ended up sinking a few years later in an air raid. Columbia was terrifyingly close as a bomb detonated on the top deck of the ship, and he lost his right back leg. He was honorably discharged after his injury, but he wasn't satisfied sitting at home all day just because one of his three legs was gone. He attended university throughout the rest of his twenties, and now holds a master's in physics from an institution back in the Sunbeam Ruins.

Despite his accomplished past, Columbia hides a deep secret: he has Dissociative Identity Disorder, and is actually part of a group of multiple alters who work together to live a happy and successful life. While he does struggle with memory loss, he's grateful for his alters, because they've helped him in more ways than they've hurt him by far. He didn't really grow up in the best clan; doesn't remember much about it, though since most of the alters from his childhood didn't front much anymore after he moved out in middle school. All he and his system want are a happy, active life, and, like anyone else, they work hard to achieve that.

Currently, Columbia works at BAHQ on developing trajectories for interplanetary spacecraft. He uses a peg leg to get around, and so far he hasn't let his lack of a hind leg stop him from being one of the most fearsome Coliseum fighters in the entire Baikonur Agency.

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Columbia is the "host" of the system, meaning he's the one controlling his body most of the time. He's a quiet man, and mostly keeps to himself. He opens up more when he's around friends to reveal an opinionated but respectful demeanor. He used to be much more open about the fact that he's gay, but eventually was forced to hide it to look professional. The pressure of keeping his system and sexuality a secret isn't easy, but he takes it out in the coli so he doesn't lash out at his friends. He's the most strongly aligned with the element of Light, and is the most powerful coli fighter out of the system.

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Nauka is the second most prominent alter, and spends about a third of the time talking into Columbia's ear about whatever nerdy subject he's been into the most lately. He's got the brain and heart of an engineer, but uses it all making contraptions that roll marbles around and showing them to Columbia's friends. When he fronts, he's a dizzying mix of flamboyant and argumentative. Very much aligned with lightning, and upset that he can't actually weild it.

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Zvezda isn't around very often, but when she is, her other alters are always at least somewhat grateful. Internally, Zvezda is a motherly young woman who makes sure her alters and their body are healthy, mentally and physically. Unfortunately, Zvezda formed while Columbia was going through a nasty breakup, so externally, she can be brash and even a bit paranoid that other dragons want to harm her alters. She's aligned with the element of Nature, but can convince herself she likes Light enough to wield it.

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Uzlovoy was present throughout their time in the Navy. He's a smart guy, better with a gun than Columbia, and really the system's only decent non-meditator in the Coliseum. He helped Columbia out with his work on lasers, and would front whenever he had to man the laser cannon. The rest of his unit had a feeling something was off about Columbia, but never quite noticed Uzlovoy was a separate person, and a better shooter! Unfortunately, Uzlovoy was fronting when their leg was blown off, and throughout the entire process of getting airlifted to a hospital and having what was left sawed off. The trauma made him extra dissociative. He hasn't fronted much since, and his absence became part of how Columbia was able to shrug off his injury. Columbia still misses him, though.

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Zarya is much older than most of her other alters. By all logic, she should remember Columbia's childhood, but her memories all feel distant, like she's watching them from another person's eyes. It's a door, however, which she prefers not to open. She spends most of her time drawing, and she's gotten good at it over the course of many years. She used to leave little doodles for Columbia to find during their childhood, but she's moved on enough that she creates professional-level work that she sells for a profit. She'll hold a conversation if you start one, but keeps to herself otherwise. She used to be much more Water-aligned, but these days she's fairly neutral.

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Cupola is only around very rarely. They were a much more prominent alter in Columbia's childhood, but they slowly stopped fronting as much and now only make themselves known once every few months or years. They're very spiritual, and they're the only alter to think of Columbia's system in terms of having more than one soul, instead of just a medical condition. They don't talk much, but they're very respectful when they do. They believe all life came from the stars and shall eventually return there. Strongly Arcane-aligned.

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Dextre, throughout high school, was Columbia's voice of reason. He was a new guy then, and wasn't as trauma-hardened as the other alters which had been present. He forced Columbia to work through his depression and get decent grades. After high school, he got in an argument with his other alters about joining the Navy, and was mostly absent until Columbia continued his education after being discharged. He has high standards for the system, and sometimes Columbia wonders if he's a remnant of a punisher alter! But his ambition pulled them all through grad school, and they all know he just wants to prove that having DID can't make them any less successful. Very fire aligned.

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Kibo is one of Columbia's most talkative alters. They just kind of don't have much of a filter. They can stop theirself from talking smack, but that's about it. It's honestly a bit of a problem when they front right after someone quiet, and they worry that the change is too obvious for Columbia's singlet peers to handle. Thankfully, Kibo's talkativeness makes them a skilled teacher. They're the best with kids out of the whole system and can break down complicated subjects into bite-sized ideas that people of any age can digest. Pretty Wind-aligned but entirely capable of using Light.

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No one knows very much about Leonardo. He's very laid back when he fronts, and prefers to leave no trace of his presence. Because of this, it's difficult to tell when he fronted, what he did when he fronted, and what he's like, because he makes his best effort to imitate whoever was there last. As a side effect, it makes it fairly easy to tell he was the last person to front, because no one has any recollection of who it was; it must have been Leonardo. He seems to enjoy baking, seeing how many times other alters have heard timers go off and found surprise treats in the oven. Strongly Earth-aligned; has to force himself to wield Light.