Alexandra Rossen

## Biography

### Early Life (1997-2009)

Alex lived a simple and charmed life growing up in Jackson Heights, embracing her Latino culture. From birth until the age of thirteen, Alex was your typical tomboy. Skateboarding, leather jackets, messy hair, casually one of the guys. She often found herself getting mixed into trouble, or sometimes trouble found her and often roughed her up. Frequently coming home with cuts and bruises, she was ever diligent in making sure to avoid the life that most others urged her to have.

### Moving Along without Mom (2010-2011)

When she was fourteen, Alex's mother passed away from ovarian cancer. Losing the one person in her life that never told her to change for others or be somebody different was hard on her and drove a wedge firmly between her and her father. Constantly bickering with her father and never seeming to want to talk to others anymore, she shut herself off from the world.

### Power Development (2012)

In the winter of 2012 during a bad blizzard, Alex was on her way home from a friend's house trying to make it back before curfew. As a result of the rush to get home, she decided to take the shortcut through an alleyway and managed to stumble into the middle of a drug deal. Horrified, she couldn't make herself run and was grabbed by her shoulders and slammed into the side of the apartment building. Screaming out for help, she began panicking and before she knew it, the man in front of her was being pulled down harshly to the ground by what seemed like nothing. Taking the chance, Alex ran and later found out the man's dead body was still in the alley the next day. She learned what power she possessed and was afraid of what she was becoming.

### Meeting Amara (2013)

In the midst of the sea of confusion that was her small high school just outside of Jackson Heights, Alex was managing her new powers and navigating the storm that was high school. Like any other teen, she was dealing with crushes and figuring out her sexuality. (!!) By a twist of fate, she managed to meet Amara. Initially off-put by the fact that Amara was the only girl in school that had enough guts to shit talk her and say she wasn't all that Alex confronted her. They eventually settled it that they'd fight it out and really see, but Alex quickly realized the scales were tipped in Amara's favor when she had abnormal strength in their quarrel. Eventually approaching her after her loss, with a bruised ego and all, she learned that Amara was a meta just like her, and the two grew incredibly close. Inevitably, they started dating and Alex finally felt like there was somebody else in the world that wasn't going to ask her to change.

### Being the Hero (2014)

After a long period of Amara asking if they could, Alex and Amara became a hero duo, helping out the people in their community with their powers. Eventually, they moved to a larger scale by helping out the city and even had short-lived fame amongst the people from their community. Even though it was all under a mask, Alex couldn't help but feel more loved in her own skin.

### Losing Amara (2015)

On a routine mission throughout the city, after Alex and Amara had partnered themselves up with S.H.I.E.L.D. to protect the city they love, they encountered a villain they'd never come across before. Believing they were more than capable, they called for backup but didn't bother waiting long. But, right as Amara was about to strike the fiend, she was struck in the heart with an ice dagger. Alex went to her side, but she was already dead. It was easy after that for Alex to allow her emotions to get the better of her and completely distort and rip apart the villain with her powers, and she was left weak and sobbing with Amara's body in her arms once S.H.I.E.L.D. arrived. And, as if it wasn't enough, they added insult to injury by covering up Amara's death and keeping the public in the dark about it, throwing Alex into a fit of rage. She quickly left S.H.I.E.L.D. and didn't look back.

### Gray Zone (2016)

After a few months in misery, Alex reached the conclusion that she did need money due to her lack of occupation. Conflicted with her past experiences and what to do, she turned to her cousin, Estelle. While her cousins occupation was unclear at the time, she quickly learned of Estelle's plans that she arranged with her friends to rise up amongst the ranks of the Mafia. Knowing no other place to turn, Alex decided to work in small dealings for her cousin, but never felt right doing it. So, in exchange for her wrongdoings in her job, she decided to do little cleanups here and there, or screw around with her cousin's plans sometimes. In the end, she was still confused and ultimately left in the gray zone.

### Gross Times (2017)

Today, Alex still finds herself dabbling between good and bad, helping out Mare sometimes, and other times doing things for her cousin and friend, Estelle and Allegra. She has offered her home to share with Beth Watts, is best friends with Quentin Lydnes, and is on friendly terms with Zara Watts and Nox Dysley. She also has found herself climbing out of the gray zone after meeting Hina Kraus, her latest romantic interest. Yet, she still has resentment towards S.H.I.E.L.D. as she constantly clashes with Valeriya Khalturina and Val's creation, Orion.

### Hina Era (2018)

Alex finally managed to open back up after she met Hina, somebody who brought light and laughter back into her life after dwelling on the past. She was still afraid of losing her, but luckily Hina was pretty much immortal and Alex didn't have to worry about losing her so quickly. She stopped working for her little cousin and took up a job as a kickboxing instructor. She became friends with Val and even got to go to her and Lillie's wedding eventually. It was a blessing in disguise for her, but the bliss didn't last too long. Even though her year with Hina had been sweet when Hina had to leave for Vancouver because of a government request, she was left brokenhearted when her girlfriend decided to end things between them.

### Present (2019)

Alex has been on a bit of a bender in the UK as of late, using her cousin's money and resources to help fund her long vacation to try and make some distance from her last relationship and it's memories. She tried flirting with her new friend, Jezebel, but it hadn't really worked out since Jeze wasn't gay. However, she's having a pretty awesome time over in the UK anyway!

## Characteristics

### Physical Appearance

Alex is roughly 5'8" and has an about average weight of 140 Ibs. She has a pale white complexion, and a few freckles are spotted over her nose and cheeks. Her hair is a dark brown and is constantly pulled up or out of her face. Typically half of her hair is dyed a red-ish orange shade to match her calico eyes, which are brown and a tinted orange. Yet, recently she has stopped dying her hair as much and has been allowing her hair coloring to grow out. She also normally wears muted tones with splashes of reds and blues here and there, but sticks to a basic pair of jeans, boots, and a t-shirt.

### Personality

Alex possesses a mostly, "I don't give a shit," attitude these days. While she never was one to try and fit into the crowds, she recently took it to more extremes by just becoming an all around rude and sorrowful person. But, most recently she has been seen happier and overall more sarcastic and quippy than rude and snarky. She will always fiercely protect what she has because she knows time is short, and things must be cherished and protected while they can be.

### Powers

#### Power

Alex's power is gravity manipulation. She can either increase or decrease the pressure exerted upon things, and can also push them along distances. This often gives people the impression she has telekinesis however, this is not the case. She typically refrains from using her power, but she can do many things with it such as changing the pressure inside a persons body as well. In extreme cases, which there have only been two, Alex has been able to distort gravity so that it both exerted and inverted pressure on a subject, simply causing it to both implode and explode in different parts of the subject.

#### Weaknesses

Alex's powers are incredibly powerful which also means that they draw a lot of energy out of her. From just a short and simple battle, she can be left fatigued and famished. She often times doesn't use her powers to extreme extents because of these cases. In the two times where she let her emotions get the best of her, she was left close to dead with her bodies conditions after using so much power.

## Relationships

### Family

#### Lucille Graves

Alex and her mother, Lucille, were not the closest of mothers and daughters but, they certainly shared a special relationship. Alex appreciated her mothers caring and nurturing ways, despite her own abrasive and irritating actions, and she especially admired her mother for always allowing her to be herself.

#### Robert Rossen

Alex once had a stable and normal relationship with her father however, after her mothers death, she found herself distancing from her father. They barely spoke, got into constant arguments, and didn't seem to share anything with each other unless it was something of importance. Now she barely speaks to her father as she finds no need.

#### Estelle Graves

Estelle and Alex have a distanced relationship but, Alex in general respects her. While she doesn't completely agree with her cousins plans, she doesn't intend on stopping them. She knows what bad experiences can do to a person, and she knows Estelle has been through her fair share. In general, she stays on neutral terms with her cousin as long as they each stay out of each others business.

### Amara Lain

Amara was special to Alex. A first love, and only love at that point after her mothers death, Alex was completely infatuated. While they did seem to have clashing personalities at times, Amara accepted Alex for who she was, and Alex did the same. They had a deeper understanding for each other and Alex will never forget the feeling of what it was like to be so in love that she would give her life for Amara's over and over again, and wishes she could, even to this day.

### Hina Kraus

While Hina is not Amara to Alex, Alex does have a strong feeling towards Hina. Despite being in the gray zone of what she may become to Hina, Hina gives Alex some hope. Alex sees Hina as her chance to do better and be better than what she has been, not to mention she gives Alex butterflies she hasn't felt in ages.

## Etymology

* Alexandra is the feminine form of the Greek name, Alexander.
* Alexandra is composed of the greek words, ἀλέξειν (*alexein*), "to defend," and ἀνήρ (*anēr*) "man." In total meaning, "defender of man."
* Rossen is an English last name, most likely to have been associated with those that had a rosie complexion, or had an occupation related to roses and flowers. It has no specific meaning.