Personality

Altair may be an eccentric Yoshi, but an equally kind and loyal one like the rest. He is generally pleasant and easygoing with people, happy to have a chat with anyone. He has an edge of sarcasm and wittiness that may make him seem unapproachable, but he only uses it with those he knows and where appropriate. He always has a remark at hand, whether it is a funny one-liner or an interesting insight. He is also very logical and thrives in problem solving; he always sees a way through a dilemma even when it looks like there’s none. Despite this snarky side he tends to keep to himself; in large social situations he is not very talkative and sticks to pleasantries and talking if approached first.

His generally reserved nature sheds when in company of his loved ones, where he displays his full self and can often be the loudest voice in the room. He is incredibly compassionate, always there for his friends and willing to listen to their troubles and offer solutions. He is not the most physically oriented person; handshakes are the most you’ll get from him unless he considers you very close. Even with his closest friends, he is more sparing on physical affection, not wanting to be too overbearing. While he won’t decline going to a social outing, he has a very limited social battery that he prefers to not push too far.

His intelligence is his greatest asset; he is considered “gifted” or a genius by those around him for his extensive knowledge of the sciences and maths and very quick thinking. He is always thinking, planning and analyzing the world around him, an aspect Altair himself notes can be mentally taxing at times. This aspect is best seen when he is in the observatory, the only place he can confidently handle being around masses of people. He is happy to teach and educate and is rarely condescending of his smarts; he is extremely humble about it and politely handles or otherwise welcomes the different levels of knowledge and opinions that he comes across.

Despite all his positives his shyness remains a primary aspect of him. His troubled social past has made him very wary of other people and it takes a long time for him to take down his walls and let somebody into his real self. This past has also fostered many demons he battles with to this day.

While he is generally humble, his intelligence can occasionally inflate his ego and make him arrogant or overly sarcastic, especially when his knowledge or opinions are challenged. His aloof nature can also cause him to come across as insensitive to others’ thoughts or struggles. He is also very guarded of his feelings, owing to a pervasive loneliness growing up that makes it hard for him to open up to other people. He tends to push himself to the brink with high expectations and maintaining appearances, letting his emotions and health fall to the wayside. This has made him dangerously good at hiding his true state of mind; he may be falling apart but you won’t notice it in his face unless it has gotten bad enough. When it does, it will reflect in passive aggressive interactions, procrastination, depriving himself of proper rest and not showing up to places; he keeps his emotions bottled and if they explode, he prefers to make sure no one is witness to it. This often results in him closing down the observatory and staying inside alone, a habit that his closest friends and partner try constantly to break him out of. Since meeting Marie and Fantom he has become better at opening up about his feelings, but it’s not an easy fight for him.

His lonely upbringing has also made him a Yoshi that gets too easily attached to others when he finds he can trust them. He can be clingy at times and struggle to understand when space is needed. The high expectations he places on himself and a lack of a constant support group also mean he grapples with self-esteem issues, overthinking his achievements and relationships. As a result he frequently battles with fears of losing all that he has done and the people that he loves. He also suffers bouts of imposter syndrome due to his perfectionism and fears of failing at his tasks or those he loves; he sometimes believes that he does not deserve any of what he has achieved or the people that surround him.

Overall, Altair is a complicated individual; his past hardships have left him with demons that sometimes overtake him. However, he is anything but a quitter, and a general drive to move forward and a strong group of loved ones keep him going and make him a smart, steadfast and loyal friend to have on your side, willing to stay through the peaks and valleys of life.

Backstory

Altair is the only child of renowned astronomer couple Galactic and Alcyone, small-time celebrities in Diamond City for their contributions to science and their constant educational presentations around town. Due to this, it is no surprise that he lives and breathes astronomy; he grew up in a household all about it and thus it quickly became his choice subject matter as well. His parents wanted the best for him regardless of what career he eventually chose, so for his elementary years Altair was home-schooled. It worked out fairly well educationally, as his parents both boasted the highest levels of education possible, but it would become a barrier to socializing once he started middle school. As a child he was a quick learner; he understood topics fairly easily and burned through material faster than his parents could teach at times. Due to being home schooled, Altair was not very social; he went to public gatherings if his parents went and never strayed too far from them. He made a few friends with his neighbors but he wasn’t as present in these friendships, which caused them to drift apart as he grew up.

As he reached middle school, his parents found it difficult to keep up with his teaching, so he finally had to make the jump to a regular school. He excelled in his classes and was way ahead of his peers; many teachers even considered him a “gifted” Yoshi. This meant he was usually placed in much more challenging classes that were more to his speed and contributed to high expectations of him that only escalated as he grew up. While he was soaring high academically, his social side only suffered more; he found socializing extremely stressful and he was not well acclimated to the social norms of his fellow peers. Failed attempts at making friends and resulting in being the butt of jokes due to his smarts, attire, looks and his reserved nature ensured he kept strictly to himself and his studies all the way to graduation.

When his late teens rolled around it was time for high school, and a major development occurred in his life; his parents were chosen to partake in a planet-wide space research journey out into the Meteor Skies. This was an opportunity that they were both training and working hard at for years; their life-long dream was to go out and explore the cosmos. But there was a catch: Altair couldn’t go. Limitations of the project meant only Galactic and Alcyone could attend. It took a lot of talks and discussions with a nervous Altair, who couldn’t bear the thought of being entirely by himself, especially starting high school, which he was less than thrilled for. His parents made a few accommodations with the research company, only going for orbital trips to stay close to Altair. However, this still meant that Altair was very routinely on his own, with only occasional visits from his parents.

This event no doubt affected Altair; now he was alone against the world, a daunting task for a Yoshi with such a peculiar upbringing. He entered honor classes in high school to fast track his way through and reach college; he was well prepared and indeed, he aced his classes and finished high school roughly a year earlier than usual. However, it was these 3 years where his life would change rapidly.

In high school, he still kept to himself, but made a small friend group in his first year that would make him cross paths with who would be his first girlfriend, an up and coming racer named Rachel. It was one of those rare times his heart caught feelings; she was sweet, pretty, and talented. Rachel felt similarly about him, even if she thought he could be a dork at times. The two decided to start dating a while after meeting. What began as a sweet teenage relationship slowly became a living nightmare for the naive, not socially adept Altair; he had to constantly show up to parties, manage his time more properly, and try to understand the complexities of being with a partner; it wasn’t all about the butterflies of love. As Altair’s shortcomings came to the forefront Rachel only became harsher and meaner to him, berating him for always being so awkward and strange, in her own words. She would frequently stand him up for dates, force him into awkward social situations, and Altair’s attempts to stand up for himself would earn him yellings and bruised arms from how hard she held him as they argued. The relationship should have been a short-lived one, but neither side wanted to leave. Altair genuinely loved her and was dangerously attached to her company, having no one else in his life, while Rachel grew tired of his presence but figured he was useful enough for homework.

This relationship took a dangerous toll on Altair. The few friends he had drifted away as Rachel’s presence became overwhelming and she essentially controlled his life with threats of leaving him alone again. Combined with difficult classes, Altair fell into a spiral of self-destructive habits; he’d procrastinate tasks, sleep in and stay away from others; it got to the point that even waking up for school became something dreadful. By now he understood Rachel was ruining his life, but couldn’t afford to lose her; his parents were still constantly away and she was his only link to a normal social life. Breakdowns were frequent and his grades slipped; his only relief during this time was to scribble out his thoughts in a journal, thoughts that veered into extremely concerning at times. Things would have gotten worse, had he not met a particular Yoshi that would change his life for the better.

Despite his spiraling inner life Altair remained steadfast in his classes; the only thing he could still place some self-worth on. He showed up to one of the yearly science fairs with a project he worked tirelessly on, one that earned him first place and caught the attention of none other than the princess of Yostershire herself, Marie. Altair was shocked that the princess of all people would be looking his way. From that day they started talking, and quickly realized they were kindred spirits; unique upbringings, socially reserved and with a burning passion for astronomy. For the first time, Altair had found someone that accepted him for who he was, flaws and all. It was Marie who would also realize what the bruises on his arms meant, and helped him put an end to Rachel’s terror once and for all. It wasn’t easy, but with Marie’s help Altair finally cut her off, moving onto brighter days with Marie and her small but equally caring friend group.

From here on Altair’s life turned out for the better, finishing school early and speeding through college with great success on all fronts. He would go on to pick up the long stalled plans of his parents to build an observatory in Yostershire with the help of Marie and his friends, quickly becoming a renowned attraction around town. He would also go on to meet his current girlfriend, Fantom, whom he has a positive and uplifting relationship with. While he still struggles with many of his inner demons, Altair is in a much better spot, with a long list of successes and loved ones that stand by his side at all times.

Special Traits/Abilities

Quick Thinking: Altair has a sharp mind and works best when dealing with things on the fly. He can come up with answers and solutions quickly, and has some mildly quick physical reflexes to boot. This makes him an agile Yoshi that can read the room fairly accurately and analyze his way through it, whether it is a social situation or a battle.

Observational Skills: Pairing with his sharp smarts Altair is also highly observant of the world around him; he tends to notice details and quirks about objects, locations and people that others may not pick up on. His social observations are not always accurate owing to his aloof nature, but he can still rattle out a lie or contradiction based on logic and what he is seeing. In tense situations he can cut through the noise and focus on what matters, especially in a battle; where his body lacks in strength he makes up for in smarts and foresight.

Sky Navigation: It goes without saying but Altair knows Yostershire's night sky like the palm of his hand. He knows the precise position of all major stars, constellations and deep sky objects at all times, seasons and hemispheres. He is also familiar with many remote spots due to his hiking and stargazing, meaning he can easily find his way around Yostershire with the stars alone.

Starscope ALT-203: His flagship telescope is not only what it says on the tin, but also a powerful weapon! It is made of strong enough metal that it can be a deadly blunt weapon and its lens can switch to a laser gun with adjustable firepower, ranging from stun shots to a laser flash that burns through skin. He often keeps it on the lower end and simply does not use this capability unless his life is in immediate danger.

Super Dragon: A rarely seen ability of his, Altair is as capable as any Yoshi of powering up with a Super Star. While his emotions cannot trigger a transformation they can influence his behavior when powered up; his often dormant negative tendencies are prone to taking over and making him a dangerous and unfair fighter. For him being under the Super Dragon form is a large blur; once he turns back he can rarely remember what he did or said.

Trivia

• Altair is occasionally called a genius with how much of a quick learner and knowledgeable he is in his field. He often declines the term and insists he is simply very dedicated and that it’s all the hours of studying astronomy that got him there.
• He is somewhat skilled at putting machines together and taking them apart; it’s been an occasional hobby of his and is also how he ended up making his flagship telescope, the Starscope ALT-203.
• You may notice his saddle has some nails and a line running through it; it’s because it opens up! Altair replaced the saddle he grew up with for one with a small storage compartment and a more resilient build that allows him to carry slightly heavier things.
• Astronomy is no doubt his life’s work; he knows all there is to know about space from the theoretical to the cultural. He often goes on long explanations owing to his excitement on the topic.
• His home and business, the Observatory was built from the ground up by him and his friends! His parents had the blueprints prepared for years but kept putting off the plans, which Altair then realized on as he followed in their career footsteps.
• He is very self-conscious about the light purple of his underbelly also being present in his eyes; he has been made fun of because of it in the past.
• His iconic cap and vest were also fully designed by him, with help from Marie to make them a reality. It’s just about the only clothes he wears.
• He doesn’t drink coffee; he finds hot chocolate to be energizing enough to power through long nights.
• He tends to procrastinate often and is prone to poor time management; sometimes he is so consumed by work he sleeps in at his desk until late in the day. Fantom has been a huge help in kicking these bad habits.
• When brainstorming or in deep thought he tends to pace around the room.