Russia | Ivan Braginsky

[Jen]

Ivan Vasilyevich Braginsky

Gender: Male

Age: 21

Ethnicity: Russian

Sexuality: Homosexual

Occupation: Psychology Student at Blackpool Uni

True Name: Dauntless. He is powered by determination. There is no detaching him once he's set his mind on something, and he will do everything in his power to achieve what he wants. He might be stubborn about it, but there isn't any use getting him to back down or give up on what he wants. That determination is run by a lack of fear. The only fears he has are mental fears evolved from his loneliness, which can be subdued once he finds his other half. So until then, he won't let inner fears get him down either. The Dauntless mark appears on the lower right side of his neck.

Role: Fighter

Appearance: 6'4, just over two hundred pounds. His face is rounded in complexion, skin pale and with facial features that are both well-formed and with childlike expression. What stands out are plush rounded cheeks and an overgrown nose. The silvery paleness of blond hair brings out the violet light of his eyes, which are wide and curious and appear a little less than stable. His figure is robust, shoulders broad and limbs bearing a noticeable definition of muscle - and although there is a hint of fat to his stomach and his thighs, all of that sheer size is owed to what he prefers to call being "big-boned."

He's always fully covered from the chin down, which makes it hard to judge what lies underneath all his bulk. He isn't keen on showing much skin, nor does he try to make himself look all that large. In an effort of self-consciousness and preservation of heat, Ivan dresses in several layers no matter the temperature. He likes to wear clothing of various designs and fabrics, usually all bearing light colors. Petticoats of tan, red or violet, perhaps; a scarf of pink or lavender. Scarves bear heavy importance to him, always worn to wrap a sensitive neck.

His ears and tail are both heavily furred, with a smoky blue-grey color that resembles a Russian Blue.

Personality: Ivan appears to wear a mask of one solid expression: content. Gentle features and a soft smile carry it through on a plush and rounded face so unbecoming of his hulking size. And a mask is exactly what it is – a thin sheet of false happiness made to hide what all lies underneath. His smiles are usually forced or not at all what they seem to be. They might be misleading, or in some instances they might be perfectly genuine. The fact that Ivan is always smiling is not a sign of everyday well being, nor does it ever properly convey what’s going through his head. Not only does this make him unpredictable, but it also contributes to his overall unsettling aura – and because his smile is intended to come off as positive and friendly, he can’t ever understand why he’s thought out to be frightening or strange. Even if he can’t commit to feeling it himself, he hopes to spread a sense of warmth and happiness for others to pick up on, as well as lead them to believe that there aren’t any reasons to worry about him.

That doesn’t go to say that his behaviors aren’t odd, but he just doesn’t realize it himself. He has a tendency to be quiet at first, either lurking somewhere in the background or closely watching those around him with absorbed fascination. He seems to have little boundaries regarding personal space, and it comforts him to be in close proximity of people (while taking minimum notice of how uncomfortable they might be). His general actions usually betray what he’s actually feeling, instead acting upon the optimism that he likes to omit. While he is capable of sensing the atmosphere of any given room, he often doesn’t know how to properly react to it – even at the worst of times will he try to lighten the mood with his own positivity. He does like to try and make everyone smile, after all, even if his advances are based on impulse.

By the time he’s made his first impression, it’s evident that some things about him are off. Ivan’s youth fell quite short of a proper childhood, leading him into a life of little nourishment without any positive experiences to look back on. His childish behavior through adulthood is his way of obtaining the childhood that he never had, though in reality it’s something he can’t quite control either way. He most often speaks in a light voice, laced with a singsong tone and boyish laughter. He has difficulty seeing right from wrong, and so long as he isn’t scolded or punished for his actions, he’ll continue to do things his own way under the impression that there won’t be any consequences. Even if someone does happen to reprimand him, there’s the possibility that he’ll be stubborn and choose not to listen. His perspective on things is different, wherein things that seem odd to others will feel completely normal to him.

Not only does he speak with a thick native accent, but he has a peculiar style of speech when talking. He prefers to stay away from profanity, substituting himself with a cleaner vocabulary (not that his vocabulary is very expansive, given his lack of skill in English). He doesn’t seem to react when someone else swears when speaking, though it always surprises him to hear any such language around him. He also doesn’t use any vulgarity, nor does he seem very capable of picking it up from anyone else – innuendos and things of the like seem to go right over his head, imitating a sense of naivety about him on the subject. He won’t like to share anything that’s personal about him, and of course talking about anything of sexual context tends to fluster him – on the other hand, however, he can be very blunt. If there is something he has to share, he won’t refrain from telling anyone who’s around to listen.

Even if he likes to talk, he isn’t exactly the best person to seek advice from. He thinks he’s good at offering advice and reassurance, but most often than not he ends up saying something that makes the situation even worse. He’s never been too sure on how to console people, though through observation he’s managed to learn that affection is the key. Depending on who it is that needs the reassurance, he might be amused to see despair in another person – and should he feel the need to make them feel better, he’ll use as much affection and positive words as he possibly can. In other cases, he’s the one that will need to seek personal advice from another – though he prefers to be secretive about such things.

While a relatively social person, he suppresses shyness and self-consciousness unless triggered by certain situations. He has low self esteem in regards to how he looks, which is fortunately out of mind only until someone happens to bring it to his attention. As a fault of excessive eating and alcohol consumption, extra weight is packed especially around his stomach and his cheeks (not to mention the size of his nose and the blemishes that mark his neck) all of which can impair his pride. Attention in general is mostly always welcomed, though he won’t appreciate any such assets of his being put on the spotlight. If he’s ever outwardly taunted or teased, expect that he’ll make convenient use of his scarf to hide behind – only if the provoking continues will he try and lash back with his own comment, though comebacks were never his specialty. He has to think hard first, which is why they either sound pathetic or he doesn’t even bother.

It isn’t only his physical attributes that embarrass him. Just about anything can catch him off guard and have him flustered, even compliments and words of affection that he always hopes to hear. Friendly speech with another can come naturally to him, though he’s grown used enough to receiving words below friendly banter that any returned kindness is both a surprise and a wonder to hear. Of course, there are some things that are a risk to his pride and therefore he will do his best to calmly reject them – if ever he hears words such as "cute" directed toward him, he’ll proceed with relentless denial until it’s vowed never to call him something like that again. However, he does like to throw the most endearing (or degrading) names on others as often as he can – as jerky a quality as it is about him, he loves to make people feel better about themselves as well as embarrass them and cause them to blush, so long as no one tries to do the same to him. With a little determination, though, one might get him to tolerate it.

Despite his childish antics, Ivan does hate it if he’s ever outwardly treated like a child. Being babied is something that’s easier to pick up on, and in this case his demeanor can turn sour when trying to convince someone that he doesn’t need to be treated in any such manner. He will like to argue and bring up his maturity, though his methods of protest – becoming irritated and grumpy and the like – don’t always prove in favor of what he’s trying to argue. Other times, however, he does crave certain attention from people. Loneliness has always been a lingering problem, though if desperation happens to hit and he seeks the company of another, he’ll want close contact and attention so that he may feel secure.

With years passed of keeping his emotions bottled up inside, he's grown skilled in keeping it so that no one can tell what it is he’s going through. He’s a man that runs on the fantastical dreams that run through his mind, well situated with using those to mask the darker desires that live deeper down – the strongest of them being his desire to find companionship, to feel needed, to no longer feel so lonely. Due to an inability to maintain relationships and friends in general, he’s lived nearly all his life without someone who stays close. While he might not put this fact about him out on display, it isn’t something that’s difficult to notice about him. The prospect and feeling of loneliness is something he usually tries to keep out of mind, though he can only go so long without succumbing to desperation – a desperation which, never with his full control, drives him to do most of the bizarre things that he does, not to mention his untraditional ways of trying to make friends.

Having gone so long without a single friend to stay, he’s never really touched upon how exactly he’s supposed to make friends. All he has to rely on is his social behavior and what he’s observed of other people. Upon first meeting someone, he isn’t one to judge by the cover. He sees potential goodness in everyone he meets, if only because it helps him think that they’ll be the perfect person for him. Once introductions and initial interactions have gone underway, then his opinion on someone might waver based on how they behave toward him – even if they’re rude and the first meeting doesn’t go as expected, that likely won’t stop him from trying again the next several times. He can be a little irritated when faced with the less courteous of people, though he hates having to give up on befriending someone.

Driven by his aforementioned desperation, his attempts on making friends are often very forward and forceful. Most of the time, he’s the one who decides for himself who will and will not be his friend, thus leading to one-sided relationships – and not to mention deciding for the other person as well that he is their friend. He’ll often be following the person of interest around, asking as many questions as possible to start getting to know them. And if someone does happen to return the attention to him and strive for friendship, at that point it will be near impossible to get him to leave them alone. Achieving his goal of making friends always spurs confidence, which can turn to overconfidence over time. Since his respect for personal space is so low, he can be awfully clingy once he’s become attached to someone, putting forth his most affectionate tendencies under the assumption that the other person is perfectly accepting of it.

With this confidence comes another rooted fear of losing a friend, which is why he tends to be so attached to anyone he becomes acquainted with. He’s always been afraid of making anyone upset with or mad at him, which is why he strives so much to make everyone else happy; if it so happens that someone becomes upset with him, he’ll turn to a wreck trying to make it up to them. Since he is a very hopeful individual, he won’t give up on his efforts until he is forgiven for whatever he’s done – and in all honesty, it isn’t hard for him to make a mistake that upsets company. Relating to his clinginess and affection toward friends, there are definite occasions where he can become too overbearing. He tends to forget his own size and strength, which can cause unintentional harm to any smaller body. It’s embarrassing for him when he realizes the damage he might have done in his excitement, though it doesn’t deter his efforts to fix and make everything better again.

One of the most debilitating aspects of Ivan’s personality is his greedy and possessive nature. This is so even with inanimate objects, perhaps driven by just two reasons: he fears anything being taken away from him, and, if only temporarily, anything can be used to fill that lonely void inside him. When he has nobody around to keep him company, the only things he can turn to for comfort are... well, anything nearby that he can find. Various things can keep him occupied for a good portion of time, just long enough to take his mind off of his current situation. He’s easily entertained by the little things, finding importance in them that most other people would overlook. And when he does want something, he’ll make sure to show it; even if it means taking something for himself without any prior permission. He’s usually iffy when it comes to sharing, and prefers not to have to resort to that – unless he’s in a rare generous mood to do so.

Coinciding with those two traits is his jealousy. He’s jealous of other people more than anything, always under the assumption that everyone he meets has had a better childhood than he, a higher chance of having received the childhood and the nourishment that he needed. While this does make him envious, another part of him can be glad that someone else didn’t have to go through anything that he did. And when it comes to people, his protective nature can easily become overprotective. He does everything to please people he likes, always wanting to prove to them that he can be the good person that they need – and when he becomes attached to someone, that is where his separation anxiety begins to settle. At that point he might seem more like an overbearing shadow, though it’s all in his faulty attempt to keep loved ones safe and make sure that they don’t plan on leaving him behind. Especially when it comes to family does he have an overprotective brother complex, always minding over what they’re doing and who they’re spending time with. While he wants them to be happy, he also wants to prove that even if he can’t obtain any friends, he can learn to be a good brother.

Ivan isn’t picky when it comes to romantic partners, usually being the one who pursues and insinuates the relationship himself. It isn’t difficult for him to become easily attached to someone, and when he’s decided that he wants them as something more than friend, he won’t be afraid to take the chance. Someone he takes interest in will become victim to frequent unexpected visits and possible stalking, and however reluctant they are to accept him, they hopefully shouldn’t be too disappointed by how he can actually be in a romantic relationship. Naturally he’s very protective and caring to his best ability, in hopes of keeping that person with him, and he loves to spoil his partners with abundant attention, gifts and cheesy terms of endearment. It might come as a surprise, though he’s rather experienced when it comes to physical romance. He chooses to overlook the flaws in someone and focus instead on what makes them a better person – and he’ll be so proud of himself for finding a special someone that he’ll probably want to show their relationship off to the public. He doesn’t mind being affectionate in public either, just as much as he is anywhere else. After all, people like affection and will stay with you that way, right? That’s what he’ll tell himself.

His fascination over people can border obsession, though it’s all based around an interest he has for both the psychology and the cultures of others. He likes to know how the mind works, hence why he can usually be found staring at others and being lost in thought – and whenever he meets someone, he’ll be avidly interested in finding out all about them; where they come from, what are their interests, and things of that nature. He is an intelligent man, taking a much broader liking for various sciences and the stars above; though this intellect doesn’t quite go the same for modern technology. He much prefers old-fashioned things, since he isn’t up to date with most of the things that go on today – which also goes for modern speech. The way people talk often confuses him, and only occasionally will he try and repeat terms and phrases he doesn’t understand, only pretending that he does. He tends to take everything he hears literally, which can be risky if he takes it the wrong way. He can be gullible and fall easily for things, giving lead to the more experimental side of him to do something as he sees fit.

And since he can find happiness in even the smallest of things, he can be very appreciative of common things that others wouldn’t find as interesting. He likes to make collections of whatever makes him content, since they can act as fuel for the far-fetched dreams he tends to have. Not only will he be easily fascinated, but he’ll be easily distracted by most things as well, which often leads to an intentional distraction from any duties he might have. He prefers leisure over any work he has to do, after all.

Having grown up in the conditions that he did, Ivan never got a grasp on what it means to be normal. He went through a number of traumatic things in his youth, whether they were something he physically experienced or only witnessed, which have taken a strong toll on him up to today. The fears he has are primarily mental terrors, and they never seem to leave him alone – above all of them, he fears death and having to experience any more pain. If any of his behavior is ever considered crazed, he won’t realize what’s wrong about it, nor will he know why he’s inflicting fear on anybody. That isn’t his intention in most situations, but sometimes he can’t help himself and his impulses.

Impulses are based off of the short temper he has. Anger erupts in bursts of violence, which he will take out on anything that’s in his way. There are many things that can set him off, even when they’re least expected, so he is certainly susceptible to mood swings. He’ll experience sudden urges to possibly destroy something or hurt someone else, which he cannot quite control until after he’s done it. If he hurts someone he does really care about, he’ll feel guilt afterward – otherwise he doesn’t often feel guilt for his actions. He doesn’t show much sympathy for others either, and sometimes he can even enjoy the damage he inflicts on others. It’s easy for him to get carried away with these things after all, and usually this can lead to him feeling a sense of control. He has both a cruel sense of humor and a hidden yearn for power, so the actions he takes can be rather brutal. It’s only during the aftermath that he wonders why everyone seems so afraid of him.

No matter what he does, he’s under the impression that he has a good heart. He tries his hardest to show everyone that he has good will and his life isn’t always ruled by violence – though nothing he does ever seems to earn him any respect. He does attempt to prevent others from fighting one another, if only to keep him and them under control. He knows very well that provoking violence and pursuing bad relationships doesn’t help his goal of making friends, after all, so that is something he can consciously avoid. He isn’t the type of person for vengeance or holding grudges, so it’s easy to get him to forgive and accept someone for their wrongdoing.

In summary, Ivan is unstable. There are past demons in him that are easily triggered, but he has no choice but to live with them. The best option is to try and forget them, move on and pretend he has not been weakened.

Likes:

Sunflowers | These remind him of the sun with their shape and shades of yellow, and he's always found comfort in that. He grew an attachment to them for their providing him with warm thoughts and good hopes. He likes to try and grow them himself, though he isn’t skilled in keeping them alive. He might as well just stick with eating the seeds.

Vodka | Russian made, because he’s firm on the belief that it originated there and not in Poland. While the brand doesn’t always matter, he’ll gorge on the stuff whenever he so feels. He might be called an alcoholic, but he knows very well how to handle what he drinks.

Warmth | Although he always dresses as if it were winter and refuses to show much skin, he prefers warm temperatures over all else. With his pale skin he does burn easily under the sun, but that doesn't stop his yearning for it. Not to mention it’s much more suitable for growing flowers.

Scars | Seeing imperfections on the body fascinates him. Scars and the like on another person make him feel better about his own blemishes, since it lets him know he’s not the only one. If someone else has one or a few scars, he won't refrain from touching and practically fawning over them.

Food | It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he can eat almost anything. His portions are often plentiful and he enjoys dishes from both his own culture and others, with a strong stomach that can handle whatever he is given.

Dolls | He loves dolls, almost as if they're a guilty pleasure - no matter whether they're porcelain, wooden, or plush. He's always wanted to start a collection,and has gathered up a favorable amount of matryoshka and Cheburashka plushies, his favorite above all.

Aquariums | He will be distracted like a young child if you ever take him to an aquarium. It's an effective way to keep him occupied if he's becoming too much to handle, as long as you don't mind being dragged around.

Space | He takes any moment he can get to stargaze and watch the sky, seeing what he is missing out on. He loves astronomy and general and can't help but imagine what it would be like if he were up there in space.

Bright Colors | Colors for him are particularly eye-catching when they are of bright, lighter shades. He enjoys looking at anything that is adorned in such coats of color, as well as dressing up in clothing of the like. Yellow and pink are his favorite colors.

Small Animals | Little companions are always nice to have, and to him that particularly includes felines, weasels and rabbits. He will snatch them up as he pleases, provided that they don't reject him first.

Beaches | Even if he won't enjoy actually going into the water, he loves sitting on the sand underneath the warm sun, listening to the waves crash and the sounds of people and creatures around him.

People | He is a social butterfly and just wants to make a lot of friends. Usually it is he who will decide to approach and strike conversation - no matter the level of courtesy that the other person expresses, he will love the company.

Competition | He is a sore loser at heart and likes to make competition out of silly things. His efforts to win what he wants might be a little relentless.

Music | From the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, songs of war and patriotism that flowed melodiously with the strumming of the balalaika; Russian music is what he’s always loved. Though, he doesn't hate modern music either and will enjoy songs of rock and pop variety.

Winter Sports | Despite his ill feelings toward winter and its brutal components, he's grown to admire the sports that are popular in his country. Though he may not be equally adept at every one of them, they are something he would watch or participate in.

Horror | Anything macabre that is found scary or unsettling to others is entertaining to him. He likes to listen to scary stories for the comedy of it and, if he isn't too busy giggling at them, horror movies might put him to sleep.

Theatre | As far as ballets and plays go, they are timeless things that he couldn't ever get sick of watching. It is essential that you go and see one if you are ever in Russia, after all. He is rather proud of the classics that have become well known to the rest of the world outside of their homeland.

Embroidery | One of the skills he had picked up at a younger age, he began using it for making gloves and scarves for his family and later made embroidered patches for the leisure of it. It keeps him quiet and content, especially if he can make something for someone else.

Chess | An activity with enormous importance and popularity in his country. More often than not, he's just playing a game by himself.

Painting | He hasn't any interest in really becoming an artist, though the only thing he likes to devote in skill in painting is on matryoshka dolls - as often seen, they can usually be coated in intricate designs that are fancily decorated and then spray polished once finished. Along with flowers, he believes these are the absolute perfect gift for anyone, and will willingly devote time to painting one if he finds the right idea for it.

Reading | He enjoys to read classical writes such as novels and poetry from writers including Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Chekhov and Pushkin. This also goes for poetry and folktales.

Dance | He can do ballet, waltz, and other traditional dances. And he will not be ashamed of it.

Dressing Up | He genuinely likes wearing his different outfits, especially those of more colorful shades. As long as they aren't feminine.. well, not while out in public.

Gardening | He adores having a garden of some sort around his house, and will enjoy starting them himself.. but he's really not good at keeping the flowers alive. Sometimes he goes overboard and plants too many to keep up with, or he feeds them vodka rather than water and things never quite work out.

Dislikes:

Winter/Cold | Russia wasn't always cold everywhere, but any warm summer day couldn't make up for the harshness of its winters. Snow is a delight to look at, but he'd rather stay away from the frigid air. Though the cold can be helpful in some situations, it is enough of a burden and a thorn in his past that he has simply come to hate it.

Feeling Pain | Low pain tolerance. Emotional pain has taken enough of a toll on his mind that he's honestly weak when it comes to physical pain; it's difficult for him to endure. Even the smallest of damage can have him crying out, though in the face of enemies he tries not to let this weakness show.

His Body | Although his self esteem is low in regards to his image, he'll still be defensive if someone else happens to point fingers at him. He tries to forget about his body size as a whole until it is brought up.

Accusations | A book shouldn't be judged by its cover. He doesn't like stereotypes and false accusations made toward himself or others of his nationality; there's more to a person than silly misleading judgments. And please, don't make any communist jokes.

Vulgarity | Innuendos all go over his head, anyway, but sometimes he will actually realize when someone's being outwardly dirty toward him and that will make him awfully flustered.

Sleeping | Due to unrelenting childhood nightmares that come back to him more often than he'd like to admit, his nights are usually restless and lacking in healthy amounts of sleep. His features can appear very worn down and exhausted during the day, no matter how differently his actions depict.

Cell phones | He hates using them for conversations of any sort, though will if it is absolutely necessary for business or so - seeing and speaking to someone is person is much preferred. The buttons are also always too small for his big fingers.

Being told what to do | He never liked having to listen to those that are older than him (or think they are superior to him), and only makes a few reluctant exceptions if he must (such as people he really cares for and does not want to upset).

Being disobeyed | He is more adamant when it comes to commanding others to do things for him - bossy and manipulative as he can be, he usually lashes out and thrown an unnecessary fit when someone doesn't do something as he'd like them to.

Fast Food | That is not real food. Home-cooked meals not mechanically altered and caked with grease are favored, as well as eating at a real restaurant where pleasant music drifts and course after course of delectable dishes are served.

Beer | Perhaps the only alcohol he won't willingly drink. He hates the taste and considers it to be only a weak alcohol.

Smoking | Though it has been tried, he never took a liking to smoking and can't see how people could ever prefer it to drinking. He'd just rather stick to his bottle of vodka, as if his health needs to be deteriorated any further.

Losing | In another childish aspect, yes, he doesn't fare well with losing and showing submission. It's more of an emotional pain to him than anything, especially if he's put his all into trying to win.

Big Words | With such a limited vocabulary and difficulty in pronouncing words he hasn't been introduced to yet, he just tries to avoid them. His pronunciation usually comes out ridiculous and someone will laugh at him, which leads to immediate irritation and fluster.

Secrets | It's advised to never tell him a secret, because he'll always be the one to blurt it out to the next person who happens to come by him. He doesn't understand the concept of keeping secrets.

Tattoos/Piercings | While he will find them interesting on another person, he has never desired to get one (or feel the pain of them) himself.

Name mispronunciation | A common thing that tends to irritate him (especially if it is done on purpose), as insignificant of a mistake it might be. The same, of course, would go for any word in his beloved native language.

Fears:

Going On Alone | His drive to find his other half has become desperate. Other half or not, it's always been a desire of his to feel needed and to find someone who can properly show him how it feels to be loved. Not only does he fear going on without that who shares his True Name, he fears never finding someone who can even replace that gap at all. He's already got everything planned out for when he meets his other half, so he'd hate to find himself disappointed.

Loss | Since going through separation from his family, he'll grow increasingly protective and clingy to people he becomes close to, doing everything he can to keep them from being taken away from him. Once someone is with him, letting them go is out of the question.

Death | There's a cowardly panic in him at the thought of dying, and he usually just pushes away the thought that it's going to happen one day. If a fight with him ever becomes to brutal, he might just go out of his way to make sure that he isn't the one who ends up losing his life.

Natalia | Being stalked by your younger sibling is by no means settling. Seeing the tall Russian cowering in the presence of the Belorussian is not a regular sight either, and the very thought of her can send him into a panic. He hasn't any wish to hurt her, for underneath he does care a deal for his siblings, though he can not bring himself to accept how forward she is.

Strengths:

Physical Strength | Water pipes aside, his hands alone can also deal a good amount of damage. He does not opt away from using his hands as a weapon if it is necessary (or not necessary, really) and uses the strength in his limbs to his advantage. Exercise is always put to good use and the labor he has practiced is also a factor well worth the struggle.

Faking | He has a skill in misleading his emotions to seem different than what he is really feeling - his unnerving smile may be present more often than not, though it isn't always easy to tell, except for those who might know him well enough, whether or not it is truly a genuine smile. His actions don't always depict what he is really feeling, either, as he may seem all sunny and calm during a time in which things are exactly the opposite, possibly leading to confusion and discomfort to those who aren't able to tell.

Resistance to Cold | He feels he is more accustomed to the cold than most others would be - perhaps it may be due to his ancestry. The cold can be his ally at times and he has learned to become used to it, but he just can't quite bring himself to like it. Though he certainly isn't resistant to receiving frostbite or other cold-related damages, his choice of warm, bulky clothing always helps.

High Tolerance | He is capable of consuming large quantities of alcohol without getting drunk, usually two or three bottles will have to do until their effects begin to take him over.

Apathy | Sometimes his lack of feeling sympathy can help when it comes to dealing with someone else. He can do harm or perform an attack as necessary without relent.

Optimism | In the worst of situations, Ivan will always have something positive to make of it. If ever everyone else is in despair, he'll spur words of positivity that he believes will lighten everyone's mood. The dreams and scenarios that play out in his head might seen unrealistic and far-fetched to others, though they're one of the few things he has to rely on to keep himself together.

Guile | For someone his size, it's common to assume that he can't possibly be all that quiet. However, Ivan can become so quiet in a group that his presence might be forgotten. He tends not to announce his presence first when he approaches people - so long as he doesn't take a clumsy step, he can be sneaky.

Weaknesses:

Neck | It’s the most sensitive (and scarred) area upon his body, for reasons kept to himself. Scarves are worn for protection and for the fact that they're important to him, most of them having been gifted to him by his mother. He dislikes anyone touching his scarf and will refuse to take it off in public.

Temper | There are many small factors that can set his temper off, causing a drastic change in his usual friendly demeanor. His anger is most often taken out on whatever is in range, or sometimes it can be left bottled up inside of him. Either way, he has no effective way to manage it and will likely end up drowning his troubles in alcohol.

Size | He is not very flexible and cannot always fit through small or tight spaces without getting stuck. While he isn't completely incapable of running or climbing obstacles, there are only so many things that can hold his weight for so long.

Accent | It's heavy and susceptible to being hard to understand for others. He'll have difficulty trying to think of words or phrases, though in all honesty he'd prefer not to have it otherwise. Sometimes he will pick up phrases and words that he hears off of the street from foreigners, even if he doesn't know what they mean. Just trying to fit in, usually.

History:  Although born to an unhealthy economy around the collapse of the Union, Ivan had a healthy birth and start to life. He was born in the summer when the sun was more relenting, but that provided little reassurance for the conditions that he would later grow up in. His first interest seemed to lie with being outside, not that he had much of a choice - there was nothing much he could do in a lonesome neighborhood other than play in the snow, and that's what he did. He was attached to his mother, Klavdiya, who had a kind heart. He wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father, Vasily, who had a stone heart akin to the cold ice of Russia. At least, he only admired his father before he knew what he was really like.

Klavdiya was indeed warm and loving in treating her first and second born. Vasily was a stricter parent, having been disappointed that his first child was female. When Ivan came along, he made sure that the young boy wouldn't bask in leisure for too long. He had plans to raise a strong boy fit for the military, just as he had been raised. The aged man took too strong a liking to fighting and combat, perhaps even borderline obsessive. His favorite method of training and showing off his strength was in street fights, putting himself up against some of the toughest men he could find. There was little Klavdiya could do to control this aspect of him, but to keep herself out of harm, she simply stayed out of the way and let him do as he wish. She was only heavily disapproving when Vasily decided to take Ivan to see these fights.

Vasily often dragged his family around to other countries to participate in all sorts of different fights, which made it hard for Ivan to feel like he could fit in in one place. If he were to try and make any friends, chances were he wouldn't see them again because of how often he moved around. His sisters were both born in different countries, after all, and young Natalya was the last to arrive. Still, Vasily treated his children with little care - he was so wrapped up in training his son to face the cruelest aspects of the world ahead of him. Ivan didn't understand anything he saw. He didn't know why these men were so keen on hitting each other, but soon all his vision contained day in and day out were images of his father fighting, people losing blood and breaking things. Mother's protests were practically useless.

When Ivan was nearing adolescence, his father forced him to participate in one of these fights. Ivan tried his best but didn't end up winning, and upon seeing his injuries was when his mother lost it. She broke off her relationship with the man and, after having left him behind, went on to live with her children back in Russia. Ivan continued to grow in cold, lonely conditions, but they weren't as violent as they had been. He had trouble making and/or keeping friends and didn't have many neighbors, but he at least had his sisters to keep him company. He suffered terrible nightmares and night terrors up until his teenage years, which was when it became most noticeable that his mind wasn't so stable.

Throughout school, Ivan often ended up making other students feel uncomfortable or start to cry - but on the brighter side, he was an intelligent student. He got in trouble often for his behavior, but he managed to do all of his work even with a few detentions. His behavior can easily be traced back to his childhood development - he watched his father fight so often, but never saw any of those men be reprimanded for their actions. Therefore he believed that violence could go without punishment. That's all apart of psychological behavior, which was something that Ivan ironically became interested in in school. Along with all science, physics and astronomy studies, his favorite subject was psychology.

That was what he went to studiously study the next few years, wanting to apply to a college that offered a good program for it. Ivan had a patriotic love for many Russian staples, but the cold and the snow itself always reminded him of bloody fights taking place in the winter.. so it could do little for him other than trigger daunting memories on him. So he aspired to live in another country, even if it only meant studying abroad for a while. With his mother's assistance obtaining him some financial aid, he ended up at Blackpool University in England. Blackpool is where he now makes his home, as well as where he, upon first arrival, first began to experience strong longing for finding someone. His Name appeared on his neck shortly after he had begun high school, though it wasn't until he moved to Blackpool that it felt so familiar yet so severe. He wasn't sure who that other Dauntless was or whether he'll ever even find them, but being away from his family suddenly amplified that anxiety within him to find his other half. It's been a very long search and wait, but he's vowed to save himself and his purity for when that one person is found. If anything has been keeping him sane, it's his alcohol.

RP Sample:

Ivan leaned back again in surprise, taken back by how suddenly loud and verbal the man was being. But he didn't mind, considering that his conversation was accepted and he didn't seem at risk of being abandoned here. He listened to the American ramble, smiling all the while, taking in the man's features and the way he spoke which hinted that he might indeed be American. He was smaller than him, though Ivan was used to that being the case, and rather handsome to look at. Pleased to meet someone of another different nationality, Ivan lifted his hand to grasp Alfred's with good strength and give him a firm shake, eye contact and all. "I am Ivan Braginsky," he offered in return, "I do not know everyone either yet, bot it is nice to be meetink you."

He broke the contact and returned his hands to his cup, glancing down into its warm contents. Confusion broke onto his expression once he heard that unfamiliar term, looking back up to Alfred with a curious blink. "I jost got black tea.. that most be borink comparet to your.. er, macch..iyato." He was just going to assume that that's a very American type of coffee, yes. And before that could worry him too much, he's already distracted by the delightful sound of Alfred's laugh.

Ivan took another long sip of his tea, continuing to watch the blond across the table; now with a more comfortable distance between them, at least. "You most be from Amerika? I haff not been anywhere very far except for here, so I do not know what many foreign places are like."

OOC Alias: Jen
Contact: DauntlessSunflower (cbox), Skype
Time Zone: EST
Favorite Pairings: RusAme, RusFra, RusEng, RusRo, RusBela, RoChu, RusLiet, RusSpa
Rule Check: You say you want a revolution, well you know we all want to change the world

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