Etienne Tau (it/its) is a Nanotrasen employee and the current "main" character played by FREEMODEL. It is a non-binary vulpkanin that frequently takes up jobs as a Mime or Courier, or to a lesser extent, Cargo Technician, Chef, or Janitor.
Etienne is notably mute even when not working as a mime. On occasion, it may write short messages on pieces of paper, but generally prefers to use body gestures to convey a message. Despite this, Etienne is not particularly shy (just quiet) and is quite comfortable taking up jobs that involve face-to-face interaction.
In-game Detail
27, non-binary, it/its. Etienne is a 6'4" vulpkanin with pink fur, white highlights, and floppy, dog-like ears. Orange eyes and a reddish face. Its body and limbs appear to be very long.
Etienne is far quieter than a usual "shy" person, and pretty much never even barks or yips or grumbles. Spending any amount of time near it makes it obvious that it couldn't speak out loud even if it wanted to.
Biography
Etienne is implied to come from a troubled home life, but spares few details. As a young child, it showed signs of autism spectrum disorder that continues to go undiagnosed. Around its early teens, it developed symptoms of schizophrenia that would not go diagnosed until shortly before it was hired by Nanotrasen. In addition, Etienne struggles with a form of cognitive disability that make language processing incredibly difficult - rendering it mute, unable to learn other languages (including sign language), and struggling to read/write.
Etienne moved out of its parents' house very soon after turning into an adult, and ended up in an incredibly neglectful and unhygienic living situation; this living situation manifested into contamination-related delusions and abnormal, contradictory perspectives on hygiene. Etienne seems completely unfazed by the idea of eating maintenance rats, but becomes incredibly stressed by the proximity of small traces of mold. It eventually moved out to get a job with Nanotrasen.
At some point prior to being employed, Etienne underwent mime tutoring and received a performing arts certificate. Etienne intended to use this certificate to score a job that would not require verbal communication or heavy reading or writing, but eventually it discovered that after it got its foot in the door, it could manage other jobs on the station as well.
Stage Personas
Etienne has a variety of "stage persona" characters that it occasionally embodies during its Mime performances. Each of these personas has individual personality, backstory, and skills.
Dr. Ein Spectre
Dr. Ein Spectre (he/him) is an "inspector" who reviews locations (such as rooms and departments) to assess their overall quality. However, Dr. Ein Spectre is far more critical and "Anton Ego"-esque compared to its counterpart. In particular, Spectre only shows up when something is already very wrong, as if he has a magnetic gravitation for situations that should get someone fired.
Dr. Sillynames
Dr. Sillynames (he/it/they) is an "inspector" much like Dr. Ein Spectre, but he prefers to give locations good reviews and attract visitors to them. Dr. Sillynames does not have a real name, as his name changes depending on the location being reviewed.
Jethro "Hoss" Vespertine
Jethro "Hoss" Vespertine (she/her) is a busker who often plays the guitar, harmonica, or accordion. Poor and in need, Hoss sits in a folding chair to play her music and humbly requests donations from fellow crew members, giving members of the crew an opportunity to donate items they don't need (especially mail items) and feel good in the process.
Hoss is a devil with a heart of gold, originally enlisted in a band that stole people's souls. One day Hoss got tired of the scheme and left the band to live on her own, seeking the stars to play music for music's sake.
Trivia
- Etienne has the in-game traits Mute, Paracusia, and Lightweight drunk.
- Etienne has no idea what its orientation is and struggles to identify whether or not it can feel attraction.
- Etienne is averse to cheesy foods because it is convinced cheese tastes like mold.
- Etienne has a severe phobia of zombies and occasionally experiences delusions related to believing that it unknowingly harbors a zombie virus.
- Despite this, Etienne never seeks "confirmation" for this delusion unless there are actual zombies, as it is too scared of wasting doctors' time.
- Etienne has an unusually high pain tolerance and frequently does not notice when it is injured or bleeding.
- Etienne has abnormally long limbs.