Ivan Braginsky | Russia

[Ivan Braginsky]

♚ IVAN BRAGINSKY ♚

♕ THE YEARS START COMING AND THEY DON'T STOP COMING ♕

Name: Ivan Vasilyevich Braginsky
Age: 23
Gender: Male
Ethnicity: Russian

Function: Security Guard
Department:
How long have they worked here?: Two months

♕ FED TO THE RULES AND I HIT THE GROUND RUNNING ♕

Likes:

• Sunflowers | In his youth, these flowers were perhaps one of the first things he set eyes on that stood out with color among all the white. They reminded him immensely of the sun with their shape and their shades, and so he grew an attachment to them for providing him with warm thoughts and good hopes. He’s also taking a liking to eating the seeds, just as well as he likes planting them - though he isn’t skilled in keeping them alive at all.
• Vodka | Truly Russian made, of course, and he won’t believe any of the arguments that Poland was the first to produce the beverage. While the brand doesn’t matter, he’ll gorge on the stuff so long as it’s native to his home. Calling him an alcoholic would be an understatement, though he knows very well how to handle what he drinks. There’s always a bottle with him. His fuel, he’ll call it.
• Warmth | Picky, he doesn't enjoy it to be too hot nor too cold. And although he always dresses as if it were winter and refuses to show very much skin, he prefers warm temperatures to all else. Given how pale he is, he is an easy victim for burning under the sun, but that doesn't stop his yearning desire for it. And, of course, it's plenty more suitable for growing flowers.
• 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. Among his favorites are salmon, nuts/seeds and any type of berry.
• Dolls | They're almost like a guilty pleasure, as he loves dolls of all sorts - whether they're porcelain, wooden, or plushie. 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 | Something about them is so distracting and fascinating. He will be distracted like a young child if you ever take him to an aquarium; a way to keep him occupied for hours.
• Space | Taking moments to stargaze and watch the skies to try and see what he has been missing out on is something he loves to do, as well as study astronomy as a whole. He'd love to go up there one day.
• People | He can be a social butterfly most of the time, usually being the one to approach people and force an acquaintance onto them. He just enjoys the presence of all people, no matter how rude they might be.
• Music | From the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, songs of war and patriotism that flowed melodiously with the strumming of the balalaika; a type of music he had grown used to hearing, as it was still well embraced where he was from. They remind him of home, as do a small number of things he managed to keep and hold on to. 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, it was what he had grown used to and sports specified for winter were well known. Hockey, ice skating, skiing, snowboarding - though he may not be equally adept at every one of them, they are something he would absorbedly watch or participate in.
• Horror | Stories and films included, anything that strikes fear in others, he will find himself amused with. Horror in media is something that very rarely frightens him: though he likes to listen to scary stories for the comedy of it, horror films often put him to sleep, even he isn't too busy laughing at them.
• Dance | He can do ballet, waltz, and other traditional dances. And he will not be ashamed of it.
• Embroidery | One of the skills he had picked up at a younger age was the use of a needle and thread, knitting and creating decorations and designs on fabric. It's something that keeps him busy and he rather enjoys, making things to his liking or perhaps for someone else.
• Weapons | While his preference is handily tearing iron pipes off of walls, interest spreads to a wider ranging variety. Many things can become potential weapons, and it's always interesting to see just what they can do - though in retrospect, he feels more comfortable with pipes and they are easier to carry about.
• Bright Colors | Colors are particularly eye-catching when they are of brighter and 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 favorites.
• Teasing People | He can't help himself when he sees someone smaller than him, and generally, that will apply to everyone. He teases people by method of picking on and bullying them whether they're a friend or not, just adoring to see such flustered little reactions come from them.
• 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.
• Competition | A sore loser at heart who likes to take nearly everything into competition, and his efforts to win something will be relentless.
• Praise | He can be dependent on it, and sometimes his efforts to seek such attention can be desperate. When there's no one around to tell him what's good and what isn't, then those are choices he'll make for himself - it's when there's no one there to tell him right from wrong and commend him or not on his actions that he can get out of control.

Dislikes:

• Winter/Cold | Russia wasn't always cold everywhere, but any warm summer day couldn't make up for the harshness of its winters. The frigid air or the very site of snow bring back only the worst memories that he'd rather stray away from. 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. He'll try to get people to hibernate with him, but for some reason other people don't like that.
• 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 | He's terribly self-conscious about it and hates having the matter brought up. He'll be defensive over any comments made toward his tummy and overall size, though in the end it will only leave him heading for the mirror to brood over himself.
• Vulgarity | It all goes 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 the right amount of sleep. His features can appear very worn down and exhausted during the day, no matter how differently the rest of him acts.
• 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.
• 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 how weak it is, and doesn't even consider it to be true alcohol.
• Smoking | Though it has been tried, he never took a liking to smoking and couldn't see how people could ever prefer it to drinking. Simply put, he'd rather stick to his bottle of vodka, as if his health needs to be deteriorated any further.
• Soviet taunts | He's easily offended around the subject, since it seems that some people don't realize how long it's been since the fall.
• 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.
• Being called cute | Or any title that implies femininity. He may act childish and indeed feminine half the time, but he hates when someone else points it out. It's already evident how easily some things can make him blush. This thing in particular, he will try and deny.
• Being told what to do | He never liked having to listen to those that are older than him, reluctantly making only a few exceptions if he needs to.
• 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.
• Anger/Fighting | He's quick to break up any fight he might see between two people, always preferring to see others get along with each other. His initial attempts will be peaceful, though he will resort to violence himself if he feels he isn't being listened to.. which, of course, doesn't make the original issue any better.
• Tattoos/Piercings | There is of course the fact that they're painful, but he's never seen a reason in the first place to want to mutilate your body like that.
• Name mispronunciation | A common thing that tends to irritate him, especially if on purpose, as insignificant of a mistake it might be. The same, of course, would go for any word in his beloved native language.

Quirks:

• He has an unruly habit of patting people on their heads, regardless of their size and whether or not it bothers them.
• His accent is heavy, and he tends to end questions and phrases with "da?" as well as sounding ridiculous when trying to pronounce words he's never heard before.
• There is always a scarf around his neck. It's usually a pink one - because it's very masculine and he loves it the most - but sometimes it will vary in color and design. In addition to that, he tends to wear layers of clothing such as sweaters and long trench coats that don't differ even when it's hot and summery outside - he's just self-conscious about showing too much skin.
• 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.
• He will also be discovered humming to himself whenever he's alone, or simply just in a content enough mood.
  

Fears:

• Loneliness | Sitting alone in silence for too long with the thought that there is absolutely no one there is the last situation he would want; though he doesn't usually admit to his fear of being lonely. Spending too long without another presence leaves him susceptible to bad thoughts and memories regarding his past returning.
• Loss | Since going through separation from his family, he'll grow increasingly protective and clingy to people he becomes close to, doing everything in his power without quite realizing he's being overbearing in order to keep them from being taken away from him as well.
• No One Loving Him | It is perhaps the greatest of his wishes to know that he will not be spending the rest of his life in solitude, that others had more intentions than simply shunning him away. While of course he has what is left of his family, though he is not always comfortable around them, he refuses giving up his attempts on making companionship. He had spent his childhood with very little friends, and went the rest of years without very many more, and would rather not have to die while that fact remains the same.
• His Sister | 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.

Personality: What first entraps attention and strikes initial fear into the hearts of others is his size. He’s remarkably tall, broad, and questionably burly, yes; though sitting more peculiarly upon an otherwise calm face is his seemingly unchanging smile. While it’s uncommon in Russia to see smiles upon the faces of strangers, his is the last hopeful thing he can resort to — whether forced, false or hurt on the inside, it will always appear the same on the outside. It’s his feeble attempt to spread hope to those around him, to reassure them and to prove to them that he is capable of remaining optimistic and calm under any circumstance, though it’s also a mask worn to hide what he’s feeling beneath it. Even at the cost of this, he wants nothing more than to see genuine smiles on everyone else, no matter their relation to him. To him they are a sign of friendship and acceptance, that there is no reason to be down, and can have him feeling uplifted so long as he knows they truly mean it.

Hidden behind the happy façade is all that he has endured throughout his past: traces of depression lie underneath that usual smile, a sensitive touch that can be tapped easily if someone managed to irk it in a way - even if they don’t mean to. Sadness developed and built up from his mere childhood on, he’s grown effective in keeping bottled up inside of him. It is the bane of each false smile and why he usually has to force his sunny expressions, though for the sake of himself and others, he keeps those heavier feelings as far back in his mind as possible.

He’s terribly sensitive, which can make it easy for those true feelings to show through. There are plenty of touchy, delicate spots on him, be them physical or mental attributes, that can set off a trigger reaction in his mind. It’s a strange quality unknown to others that he is rather self-conscious over himself in regards to everything - he may seem to brush comments of insulting intent off, but really they are a weight on his mind that will only serve to lower his self-esteem. Remarks about his size, appearance, personality or his past are what will do the trick, and while he isn’t always violent in his response, he doesn’t shy away the opportunity to retaliate with some sort of verbal comeback… however, he isn’t always keen when it comes to thinking of comebacks. Receiving compliments, however, is something that will result in a bashful and flustered reaction. While he yearns for compliments and praise, the chance that he actually gets them is so rare that they tend to catch him off guard, leaving him too surprised and grateful for words.

His physical appearance contradicts entirely how his mind has developed. He’s a mentality unable to grasp the concepts that any other man could, a mind that didn’t age with the rest of him - despite his full age and growth, it can seem at times that his mindset hasn’t quite caught up yet. The conditions and events in which he spent his earlier years showed little promise for a bright future, no matter how much he yearned, and he hadn’t ever the chance to completely grow up. It was easily discernible to others in the childish tone of his voice, though certainly capable of lowering to unnervingly deep volume, and his cracked laughter. His perspective on things is different, and he is often unable to tell the different between right and wrong; things that would commonly be rendered as strange to others, he will find normal and therefore acceptable by him. He’ll often be caught staring at people, and his reasons for doing so can be vague. It’s something that can be worrying or not, but he just likes to watch people and consider them.

Even if he’s persistent in saying that he doesn’t mind being alone, considering it’s something he’s grown used to throughout his life, there’s an evident desperation for friendship in him. Knowing that someone is accepting of him gives him a sense of hope that he is capable of making a plentiful amount of friends, though being reminded of his lack in any such companion is an immediate wrench in his heart. Though, he doesn’t allow it to stop there. He is usually quite forward and blunt in his attempts of making one, putting forth his affectionate tendencies and his apparent incomprehension of the boundaries to personal space. He will take great interest in getting to know someone he has acquainted, and it is rare there is someone with whom he’d rather not. It’s why he doesn’t like when people are so easily judged and stereotyped, because he knows from experience that one shouldn’t be judged by appearances and first impression; and believes that there’s always someone special behind their visage. However, it is decided at his own rate whether or not he will allow someone to become close, preferring not to leave himself open to just anyone. He is unaware of whatever reasons may be as to why others can be frightened away by his forwardness, but it is easy for him to become attached to those he sees as considering him a potential friend. He may cause accidental harm in this clinginess to everyone, or perhaps make them uncomfortable or frightened in his forward attempts, though he’s unable to see why this is; occasionally he will forget just how strong and sizable he actually is. That’s the only way he knows how to make friends, after all, since that and every other method he’s used seems to get him nowhere.

Awfully possessive, jealousy comes naturally and if something or someone belongs to him, then he will make sure to show it. And he certainly does not like sharing anything, be them specific people, inanimate items or articles of clothing. It’s another childish aspect of him and certainly comes with his greediness, the need to claim and take anything that sparks interest and make sure that no one else takes it from him. It is in rare moods that he allows something of his possession to be shared or borrowed, though usually it is a concept of not quite trusting others with his things and that they will not be returned to him in the end. It’s the selfish result of having lost so many things dear to him in the past, that he prefers to hold onto these few things that have remained with him rather than have someone else take such a simple happiness from him. In terms of his family, his brother complex can come off as exceedingly overbearing - but it’s descent from his worry and fear of losing them that he’ll do anything in his power to keep them happy and away from harm. If anything sets him off, it’s to see his sisters off in the hands of partners. While he wants them to find love and happiness, he’ll crack down on anyone associated with them to make sure they don’t intend to treat them poorly.

Another aspect of that jealousy is that he can in fact be jealous of just about anyone he meets. He knows that there are a vast majority of those who have had a better childhood than he; who have gotten the chance to acquire everything he could ever want, people that can so easily make friends without having everyone run away from them these days. Even if he tries to act differently in his approach with the help and advice of others, things still don’t quite work out for him. He’ll never understand how he had to be the one to end up this way, to have everyone so terrified of him without explaining to him why, why he can’t even make a simple friend that will stay with him for good.. But he’s far too full of that feigned confidence to give up on it. Since things have yet to change for the better for him, he will simply go on being himself and fighting to realize the truth that this is how it will always be for him.

In his quick attachment to others, he often takes more forward jumps in romance. His mind isn’t always very intimate, and sexual things tend to go right over his head sometimes; though his more mature mind can come as a surprise in the right situations. And it isn’t unheard of to say that he’s entirely more experienced when it comes to actual intimacy. Gaining a close relationship is where his strongest fears come into place, for he’s always petrified on the inside that his antics will scare a potential interest away - while he hates when this happens with just anyone, he’d regret it the most were it to happen to someone most significant. It can occasionally be traced into a fear of himself, a fear that he will lose control as he so often does and cause harm when most unwanted.. though things like these, he deals with by completely ignoring them. He chooses not to see the flaws in his relationships, focusing only on the positives and doing what he can to keep people close to him. He showers affection and does his best to keep a smile on a beloved’s face, often resorting to measures that can be considered cheesy: saying ridiculous things, giving and making gifts for others, being as good a partner as he can be. He does know very well, however, when he is in love with someone, and no matter how overbearing, uncomfortable or awkward he can be, he does not give up easily on these feelings. In any companionship, he’s always terrified of making someone he likes upset with or mad at him. His initial reaction to such a thing can be tearing up and doing everything in his desperate reach to make this person forgive him.

Though he is intelligent and by no means incapable of recognizing modern technology and concepts under that category, he still prefers remaining in a more old-fashioned mindset. He had developed rather slowly in terms of technological advancements and catching up with the rest of the world over the past, growing up in much less urban places; yet he still enjoys imagining things as if they were still in the older times, where everything was easier without use of silly gadgets and the like. While he may know what they are, he often hasn’t any idea how to work specific electronics and therefore simply resorts to not using them. He has a very strong knowledge of and interest in astrophysics and other physical branches of science, though that doesn’t limit him to what other degrees his country has to offer.

However, he’s oblivious to an extent. In this slow development, his English is still rather poor and he hasn’t quite caught up to new expressions and slang. If there’s anything he’s unable to understand, it’s sarcasm; a type of speech that will surpass him directly and leave him to believe that everything everyone says is actually true. So in that sense, he’s quite gullible. He’ll fall for ridiculous beliefs and myths and will often want to try them out for himself; toying with an experimental side of him. He’s lead to question expressions when they don’t make sense to him, such as idioms and words spoken in code. He takes things literally and always winds up confused upon hearing modern day speech, though if he hears a new word or phrase spoken out in the open, he’ll repeat it and use it on unsuspecting people to try and sound like he fits in. It can sound silly coming from his accent and people often don’t understand him anyway. His own speech can be very blunt, and sometimes he’ll say things that can come off as surprising and crude to others, though he’ll find it perfectly normal.

He’s very simplistic and appreciative of simple things. He is very fond of rural areas, vast country sides and such that are more calm and in tune with nature, for example - things that can be passed off as common by everyone else, though a marvel to him. There are those that will see scenery such as the sun, beaches and gardens, that are apart of their everyday lives: though they are among things he didn’t often get to see growing up, so they are things that he will bask in and come to appreciate as if they are entirely new to him. He thinks people shouldn’t take such luxuries that they have for granted, especially since they can include things he’s been deprived of for most of his existence. Tying in with this, he’s very excitable. Receiving any such simple gifts can leave him brightened for ages, and he’ll harbor these gifts like they are meant to be preserved for eternity, acting as a reminder that there is someone who keeps him in mind. Since it’s most often him delivering acts of kindness, or so he likes to think they are, it’s a rarity to receive such a thing on his end.

He’s been attached to drinking as far as he can remember, and with this stretch of time and countless consumption of alcohol, his tolerance has grown sturdy. He can drink vodka in his waking hours and stay true to it the rest of the day without feeling intoxicated, though it isn’t always that these walls keep him at bay. He’s unpredictable when drunk, though once those effects do actually take him over - after three or more bottles or so - it’s easy to tell his condition and how much he’s had. Under this intoxication he’ll often spur a bout of slurred nonsense, sloppily rambling on about things he’d never be able to explain, doing things that he may regret if he remembers the next morning. He can become remarkably more sociable than usual, more clingy and affectionate, without even the little boundaries he has while sober. Though whatever becomes of him, the truth lies that he’s always felt he’s better able to cope with everything he’s gone through by means of drowning everything in alcohol.

He acts directly upon impulse, which can lead him into situations he doesn’t quite mean. His reactions to certain situations can come offhand and unsettling to others, and there are some simple aspects that can easily brew his temper. It’s like a bomb sensitive to defusal; though even when he is mildly irritated or growing on anger, that smile is still ever present on his features. That’s one thing that can be most offsetting about him, for his expression will detain that anger unless it’s really provoked, and in being unleashed his first course of action is often violence; he released anger by ways of taking it out on others, whether it be another body or an inanimate object. Once he eventually cools from this temper, his mood can swing entirely, returning to his usual calm and content demeanor within a matter of minutes, and he’ll seek close contact to further warm his mood and make sure it’s known that everything is alright again. He can struggle to feel guilt or sympathy for others after causing possible harm or damage to him, since that’s a concept his mind simply isn’t easy to wrap around, and he isn’t very skilled in actually treating wounds. If they’re someone he cares for, he’ll show apology by covering them in owed affection soon afterward, though the same can go for someone he’s less fond of. Whether an enemy or not, he doesn’t want anyone at all to think of him as a monster. He truly wants everyone to believe him that he’s a nice person, but this troubled side of him can take that privilege away.

He may seem sadistic at times, though he’s never one to forget that he still indeed has a heart and knows how to put it to good use on those who deserve a special part within it, has feelings and has his own sense of care, regardless of what’s so commonly opinionated of him. He’s endured such turmoil that has left him unstable against his will, and his actions reflect that and only that, in a way he can’t ever reverse or go about fixing. A rather complex being, in all, past intimidating appearances and mindsets that one may deem psychopathic; someone as warm as a sunflower yet unintentionally savage like the midst of winter.

♕ DIDN'T MAKE SENSE NOT TO LIVE FOR FUN ♕

Roleplay Sample:

It had now been a matter of days since the Senior student was enrolled, having set foot on the school campus - who's to know how far away from home it was - and met with a strikingly abrupt change of setting and of what he was used to. And those few days were well put to use, using whatever time allotted to get himself settled in and familiarized with where he needed to be; though without a doubt it would take much longer than that to really adjust to everything. He hadn't quite come across anyone more than just an acquaintance yet, though among so many students ranging ages and with a mesh of different nationalities and cultures, it was clear to see there would be those whom he would potentially get along with and those he would not. The Russian was not meant to play nice with everyone, after all, though with hope, he would not immediately be setting very many bad impressions.

A majority of what lies within the walls of the academy had been explored, its classrooms and clubs examined and its hallways meandered through upon a few occasions of getting lost; and now the moment was taken to branch off to what the school offered off campus. The island was impressive, stretching on vast with excessive buildings and structures and a further assortment of things to do. Plenty of them were still things Ivan hadn't yet discovered, and on account of deciding to stay away from the outlining shores for now, he found himself trailing along the courtyard park and its gardens.

It was inviting: the display of emerald grassy fields and outstretched trees, the assortment of flowers painting an aesthetic variety of colors, most of which took resort within the glass walls of the greenhouse. Nothing he was a stranger to, for many aspects of his home country were quite colorful and pleasing to the eye, but he wasn't as used to seeing a garden so lively. There at least wasn't a chance of anyone at home, parents or friends both of which he no longer had, trying to contact or being worried about him - though still, there was still that feeling of being a bit homesick, as would anyone else here experience.

While he made away along the path and the park, violet eyes kept a silent observance of those that passed by. A handful of students scattered throughout the park, talking in groups or scurrying off in separate directions. The lot of them were strangers, exempt from the few that he already knew prior to his new life at the academy, though that could easily be changed with a simple approaching and introduction; though for now, he kept occupied with admiring the flowers, basking in the sun that warmed the pale top of his head and the rest of him under the rather contradicting heavy clothing.

♕ YOUR BRAIN GETS SMART BUT YOUR HEAD GETS DUMB ♕

Name/Nickname: Jen
Timezone: EST
Contact: Skype, PMs
Anything else?: I've never tried a mango. HM.

[Stefan van Gent]

Let me just say that I love how elaborate your personality is. I haven't had the chance to roleplay with many Russia's yet, but yours is easily one of the best I've seen so far. Welcome to the store!