Post by Ivan Braginsky on Mar 22, 2010 13:46:13 GMT -5
Canon/OC Character Application
Character name: Ivan Braginsky [Russian Federation]
Age: 23
Gender: Male
Height: 182cm [About 6 ft]
Weight: Approx. 190lbs
Appearance:
For all intents and purposes, Ivan is like a very large child. His face never seemed to have lost all of it's baby fat, and so is rounder than he would like. He's a rather large man, as well--not only rather tall, but big boned as well. Though he looks at first to be chubby, most of what he has is muscle, gotten from the fighting he's done in his past. However, he still has some chub, as most people living with harsh winters have. Like many big boned people though, he does not appreciate being called fat and tends to get quite irritated when he is called such.
Due to his size, he can be quite intimidating, though he's generally quite unaware of it. His violet eyes are older than the rest of him, having seen things that most young men his age should not have, and tend to glimmer with the light of insanity every now and then. The childish smile he usually wears doesn't help him look all that sane either. His pale complexion, and pale, straw-colored hair make him look a little sickly and almost ghostly in appearance.
Typically he wears a heavy coat, and rarely takes it off even in warmer environments. His body temperature is generally colder than normal, causing his bear skin to be often cold to the touch, so his coat doesn't bother him too much. When he does take it off, he's usually wearing either a sweater or some other type of long-sleeved shirt. Though not noticeable at first because of his coat, he tends to wear thick pants, as well as a pair of dark boots. The thing that he never takes off, however, is his thick scarf--always staying wrapped around his neck, regardless of the activity or the weather. The only time he takes the scarf off is to bath and to sleep, and even then he doesn't really feel comfortable without it. This never changes, even in the hottest environments, and has been known to earn him an odd look from the people around him.
Underneath his layers of clothes, are layers of scars from the many fights he's had. The worst scars he have are around his neck and over his back, though they litter the rest of his body as well, like weeds in a garden. He doesn’t like talking about them, which might explain his clothing choice.
Personality:
Ivan is a generally calm man, it's not often that he's extremely happy or extremely angry, and when you see either it's usually a bad sign. To the people around him he generally looks relatively happy-- he usually has a childish smile plastered on his lips, even when things are turning sour.
He rarely shows what he's feeling on the inside, however. His normal reaction to anything upsetting is to act happy-- he's the type of person to laugh when he's scared or upset, smile when he's sad, and giggle when he's angry.
Most of the time, however, he is not particularly happy, but rather lonely. He desperately wants company (preferably in the form of friends), but at the same time doesn't want anyone to get too close to him. Because of his loneliness, he likes to watch people talk, and be a part of big groups--and the bigger the group the more exciting it is for him. He loves to see any sort of interaction--conversations, flirtations and fights not the least of them--and doesn't mind putting in his thoughts ever now and then. Because he doesn't understand people all the time, however, these thoughts are usually peppered with the questioning 'da?' at the end, a small bit of his homeland mixed in with his speech.
To many others Ivan seems very childish and even insane. He is generally cruel to the people around him, even though he thinks he's being kind. He is not quite aware of his own cruelty, and so others reactions because of it can be very misleading to him. And, though he is not cruel all of the time, the moments spike up rather quickly and without warning--almost as if a switch is flipped. And while he doesn't notice the change, other people tend to, and fear him because of it.
Ivan doesn’t tend to trust easily, which isn't surprising given his past. Though he may seem on your side, that may change with the flip of a coin, if you do something to harm him. Despite this, once he does trust you, he's a good ally to have. There are some people in the world that it is better to be friends with than enemies, and this is certainly the case with Ivan. If you're on his good side he will fight with you, and while his methods may not be the best, they certainly get the job done. However, if you're enemies with him he wouldn't help you even if you were being torn apart--hell, he'd probably laugh, if not help do the tearing.
Not surprising, Ivan is also prone to fits of anger every now and then when things aren't going his way, or when something irritates him enough--much like a temper tantrum by a rather large child who doesn't always know his strength. Sometimes he contains his anger, and lets it out in little bursts, or accidents--such as 'accidentally' nudging a table so the hot mug of coffee spills on your lap. But sometimes his anger is more apparent, and you could get a pipe in the face.
Class: Adventurer or Warrior
Likes:
-Vodka
-Sunflowers
-Warm/Cool weather
-Making friends
-Reading
-Faucets
Dislikes:
-Cold Weather (though it's one of his bigger strengths), or weather that is overly hot.
-Disobedience
-Being called fat
-Snow
-Failure
-Being told no
-Loneliness
Strengths:
-The Cold: While others may flounder in the cold and the ice, Ivan only gets stronger. He's very good at moving through the snow and ice, despite the fact that his coat and size should make it otherwise.
-Physical Strength: Physically, Ivan is very strong. He tends to be very good at things that involve more physical solutions, though he is not completely horrible with diplomacy either. He just prefers the old fashioned way of doing things. Because of his good physical strength, he's rather good at close-ranged combat.
-Defense: While he has a physically strong offense, he also has a pretty good defense. Because of the constant pain and attacks in his past, he he has grown more able to handle pain and take damage. Also, this makes him more impervious to physical attacks.
Weaknesses:
-Hot weather: Hot weather is like most people's cold weather for him. While he likes the warm, the hotter it gets the more he tends to slow down.
-Stability/Childishness: Ivan is not always mentally stable. This can lead to some bad decision making on his part, especially in his crazier times. It also can lead to him doing the opposite of what should be done: ie. going forward when he should back off, or hurting those who would be his friends.
-Lack of Allies: Because of his childish and sometimes crazy personality, Ivan doesn't have many people willing to help him out. This leaves him alone, and while it may not make him completely vulnerable, it certainly doesn't help him.
-His past: Ivan has a particularly bloody past, one that perhaps is the reason for why he is who he is today. He hates talking about his past, and when people mention things that happened, or remind him of it, he tends to either lash out physically and mindlessly, or crack mentally.
-Long Range Combat: While he is very good at close combat, he doesn't have much defense against a well placed arrow or spell. He has not had nearly as much experience in ranged combat--and so never learned how to defend against this sort of thing.
History:
Ivan Braginski was born in a small town in northern Russia. He was the middle child of three children, and the only boy. His parents were rather wealthy, and tended to dote on his sisters, though not so much on him. Perhaps it was because he was the middle child; perhaps it was his queer colored eyes; or perhaps it was the fact that he was a boy when all they wanted was girls--regardless of what 'it' was, it kept his parents at arms length with him, and so despite having a medium-sized family, he was pretty much alone.
However, he was not as alone as he could have been, and he realized this when he woke up one morning and his family was gone. It didn't take him long to figure out that he had been left behind, there was no need for his family to leave him a note--his house was never empty and then suddenly it was, with his family's favored items gone. The only thing that could be considered a good-bye was an over-sized scarf left behind for him, one token he had of his family's kindness.
Unfortunately this scarf didn't protect him against what his family had fled from. A small battle was brewing, and he was caught in the middle of it. His house was attacked and then ransacked by the enemy, who found him huddled in a closet. They didn't particularly care that he was a child, and kept him as a prisoner none-the-less, beating him and starving him both when they were winning or losing--it didn't matter much to them. Even as a child, they saw him as an enemy, and though they never killed him, they came pretty close.
He was in his early teens when he finally snapped and learned how to fight back. There was an easy and permanent solution to the problem of these foreigners, and he found that it suited him quite well. He was still a child after all and they never really noticed that he finally snapped until he attacked them, bringing them down one by one. Winter in the north was never a good thing to anyone who grew up there, and it was easy to take them down, especially outdoors, leading them to thin ice that they were too heavy for, or moving fast in the snow, while they were piled down with equipment and fat bellies.
Once the foreigners were gone from his home, he didn't put up with anyone being around it, killing anyone he found trespassing, including his own countrymen. He wasn't about to have any soldiers in his home ever again, and eventually the fighting ceased as the enemy was brought down. He stayed in his house for a number of years, refusing to move despite the harsh climate and the memories there.
However, it didn't take long for the solitude to get to him, and he became very lonely. He loved his country, but he hated the cold, and wanted to find someplace warm, some place where he could find people who weren't horrible and maybe even wanted to be his friend. He would protect them, of course--he was big and he knew it, and so taking his scarf and his heaviest jacket he left his home.
Sample Post:
It was… it was warm here. While Ivan wasn't sure where exactly 'here' was, he knew that it was warm and that was enough for him. A gentle breeze hit him, and he could practically taste the life in it, dust and pollen swirling on his senses. And it wasn't just the warmth that hit him. It was also the colors--green blue and all the shades in between. The only think he couldn't see was the all-over gray he was used to--which was fine by him. Maybe he was dead? That could be why it was so pleasant.
Ivan thought back, pulling the memories out of the little box he had stuffed them in. He sifted through blood-splattered memories, but he couldn't remember having died. He could remember almost dying and could even remember feeling dead, but there was no memory in that box with the act of him dying. Besides, if he was dead that ache wouldn't be there, he reasoned. The ache throbbed harshly between his ribs, perhaps in agreement.
With the certainty that he was indeed alive the memories were forced back into their box, and he smiled despite the ache that had decided it would be an opportune time to grow.
Another warm breeze drew him out of all thoughts of death and dying, tugging gently on the scarf wrapped tightly around his neck. The smile twitched further upwards. He could get used to gentle breezes and the warmth they gave, rather than the cold of the harsher breezes from home. It was definitely a welcome change.
But where exactly was here? Ivan fumbled through the pockets of his heavy coat, searching for a map of some sort. He could vaguely remember picking a map up before he had left his home. The only question was where he had put it. Leftover pierogi and tea cakes were placed together in a plastic bag, and crammed into one pocket with a thick book and a bottle of vodka. There was no sign of a map, however. The smile left his lips for a moment, as he searched the other pocket, but there was no luck there either. Maybe he had forgotten to pack the map after all? Ah, well, it didn't really matter where he was. It would all be his country eventually.
He looked over his shoulder, in the direction he had come, spotting snow-topped mountains vaguely in the distance. He was far enough away that the view was hazy, half-hidden behind trees and the vast expanse of grassy terrain. It was easy to turn his attention away from his homelands and begin walking again. Towards the warmth and the smell of spring. And perhaps as he went on--and he couldn't help a little giggle at the thought--there would be a field sprinkled with sunflowers.
Oh... and...
< ☆!~BRITANNIA BEAM~!☆>