OOC: Character Survey!

[distant_winterlands]

Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is he heavyset, thin, short, rangy?
I don't think it's gone past anyone that Ivan is tall, though this one is even taller than the average one. With his 196cm (6'4") and beefcake-ylicious boday, he is one majestic wall of meat. To give a better image of it, I could say that he fights bears on a mountain.

2. How old is he?
Appearance-wise he looks about 30-35 years old. Actual years, who knows..,.,.,,..,,.,....,,......,,......,,....

3. Describe his posture. Does he carry himself well or does he slouch?
His posture is very good, only making him appear even taller. He generally carries himself rather pridefully, and has made it a habit to always have a stable stance and being at the ready.

4. How is his health? Is he fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities?
Most people would think he's chubby or even overweight, although that's a big misconception. As mentioned earlier he's very well built, although with the functional type of muscles instead of "airbags" as I like to call it.
Also despite people's expectations, he is very flexible and swift in his movements. Growing up to learning Southern Chinese kung fu does that to people. Then being a master in several Russian combat styles does help a bit too, I guess.
And one must not forget the ballet!

5. How does he move? Is he clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid?
As mentioned above, despite what people expect, he is very graceful and precise in his movements. This doesn't always apply, of course. I mean if he is pissed off and feel like beating the shit out of someone he's not going to do so gracefully as a down feather on the wind. He's going to bash their fucking heads in.

6. How attractive is this character physically? How does he perceive himself in the mirror?
I suppose it depends on who you ask? Me personally, I think Ivan is the hottest piece of meat there is to find, I mean bow WOW, mama. Get those fine buns in the direction of my bedroom pronto, мальчик.
Ivan himself wouldn't think much of himself. I suppose he would take pride in his body strength from time to time, but in general he doesn't like himself much at all. He doesn't spend an awful lot of time looking in mirrors.

7. Describe his complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred?
_{I'm too tired for this, why am I writing? Why am I not sleeping? Much strive towards perfection, hnnng....}
His skin is generally quite pale, and although he doesn't have any visible scars on his face, most of the rest of his body is pretty much covered in them.

8. Describe his hair: color, texture, style.
I had this one icon which had my perfect headcanon hair, hang on.


There we go, just peek a gander at those voluptuous locks of hair. _{Face headcanon included for free.} 
It's very thick and soft.

9. What color are his eyes?


10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?
A nose.

11. What are his chief tension centers?
_PASS

12. What is the character's wardrobe like? Casual, dressy, utilitarian? Bright colors, pastels, neutrals? Is it varied, or does he have six of the same suit?
I'd say that his everyday-clothing is quite varied and would range from cozy-casual to somewhat dressy. (Remember that Moscow is one of the big fashion metropolitans of Europe?) Then besides that, he's also got a set of suits for more formal occasions.

13. Do his clothes fit well? Does he seem comfortable in them?
Yep and yep.

14. Does he dress the same on the job as he does in his free time? If not, what are the differences?
Well, depending on what the job of the day is, his clothing varies. He doesn't always do paperwork in the office, even though that's what the majority of it is. During those days however, he normally wears either something dressy-casual or his uniform. (Depending on eventual meetings during the day, etc. etc.)

15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando?



Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse?
His natural voice is rather deep, and kind of soft to the texture. However, when really pissed off or irritated (i.e. annoyed my an obnoxious American) his pitch raises just a bit, and he speaks in a rather mocking and melodic kind of way.

2. How does he normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does he talk easily, or does he hesitate?
Like I said before his voice is soft, and very low and humming. If he were to whisper in a person's ear, what would draw the line between being seductive and piss-your-pants-in-fear, would be that melodic element of it all. _{Then also the atmosphere obviously, but nevermind that, we're talking the voice now.}

In any socially interactive environment he's usually the one to sit back at observe the happenings, and not interact unless he feels the need to add something or correct someone. In private he's more open and talkative.

3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics?
Very heavy Russian accent, quite obviously. His English, grammar-wise, is very good though after have been using it so much in international associations for so long.
He tends to mix in Russian words here and there, mostly because it feels more comfortable than using some of the English equivalents. He does this even more if the person he's talking to happen to understand Russian.

4. What language/s does he speak, and with how much fluency?
Russian: Native language
English: Fluently
Chinese: Fluently
German: He knows a fair amount, but understands more than he can speak himself. He can understand most basic conversations.

Other than those mentioned, he understands many of the languages spoken in eastern Europe, but doesn't speak any of them. This goes for French as well.

5. Does he switch languages or dialects in certain situations?
As mentioned earlier he tends to mix in Russian words or expressions into his speech, and even more so the more the person he's talking to understand Russian. If they understand fluently he is most likely to only speak Russian.

6. Is he a good impromptu speaker, or does he have to think about his words?
He's rather skilled with words actually, and can be very swift in dropping vicious and/or sarcastic comments. When it comes to being genuinely kind or expressing his feelings, he usually need more time to think, though.

7. Is he eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change?
See #6; Very eloquent.



Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is he book-smart or street-smart?
He's smart alright, and I think I'd definitely say more street-smart than book-smart. Though he can sometimes be rather blind to seeing things from other people's perspective, and thus often comes forth as egoistic and self-centered.

2. Does he think on his feet, or does he need time to deliberate?
When it comes to defending himself in any way he's very swift and it comes quite naturally, though like I said earlier, when it comes to feelings he needs more time to think of what to do.

3. Describe the character's thought process. Is he more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?
He's very analyzing and logical, and tends to take the simplest route to achieve what he wants.

4. What kind of education has the character had?
I wouldn't say that much of education. A lot of what he knows are things he's learned through his life, other things are better categorized under "training" rather than "education". He probably has a degree in both bio-science and rocket science though.

5. What are his areas of expertise? What, if anything, is he interested in learning more about?
Oh god, uh... Well, science, as I said above. He's a master in Russian martial arts, but also in Southern Chinese kung fu. (Reason being Systema originating from there.) 
(If anyone wants a more complete list on the Russian martial arts, just contact me through a message or something.)

Aside from that he's also very skilled in the arts. Music (especially the piano), dancing, painting, and writing. He's also familiar with general farm work. 

He loves to learn about people and how they behave and why, though his ways to acquire that information has from time to time been rather inhumane to downright cruel...

6. Is he an introvert or an extrovert?
More of an introvert than an extrovert, being the kind to need his time alone to recharge. This doesn't mean he enjoys loneliness, though. He is most likely to choose company before no company in 9 times out of 10, and he's going to talk a lot in any company he feels comfortable with. Even though at the end of the day, he will need that time to reminisce in peace before he can go back to the others again.

7. Describe the character's temperament. Is he even-tempered or does he have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven?
Ivan has severe mood swings, and that is to no one's surprise, I would even go as far as to call him bipolar. On his good days he can be so forward and driven that people think it's genuinely freaky, the way he behaves. Then on his low days he will seek himself towards solitude, although desperately wanting attention. In that state he's normally very volatile and will slip over to rage and madness in a heart beat, if handled the wrong way.
Because of his temperament it's very hard for people to care about him, especially since he has a tendency to lose control and become really violent.

8. How does he respond to new people or situations? Is he suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?
He usually greets them in a very friendly manner, seeming overly kind and enthusiastic. He actually uses that time to analyze a person as much as he possibly can to find out your intentions as well finding out what makes you tick.


9. Is he more likely to act, or to react?
I don't... really understand the question, I think. In relative to what?

10. Which is his default: fight or flight?
Fight, any time.

11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does he appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?
They say that Russians have one of the world's strangest sense of humour. They tend to wrap their jokes into the conversations along with metaphors and sarcasm. A lot of grim humour goes into this as well.
Poop jokes brings absolutely no reaction at all. You could say that they, go down the toilet. _{BA-DUM-TSH! I'm sorry I'm leaving now.}

12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does he deal with them?
Well, if you ask me I'd say he has both bipolar disorder as well as being severely depressed. (But I don't think that counts as a disorder.)
And he doesn't deal. At all.

13. What moments in this character's life have defined him as a person?
All the times when he's been forced to grow stronger and keep on fighting harder. But I think what we're all thinking of here when relating to Ivan, is the uprising of the 22nd of january, 1905, which came to be known as Bloody Sunday. They say that is when he "cracked". 

Peaceful demonstrators approached the Winter Palace in Petrograd (Later St. Petersburg) to present a petition for the Tsar to sign, though they did of course didn't know that the Tsar wasn't even in the city at that moment. 
Ivan was located in the palace that day, as the head of the Imperial Guard. Upon seeing (and most of all feeling) the rage and anger among the people protesting outside he was upset and hurt beyond words. He had worked hard and long to become powerful and prosperous to make them happy and keep them safe, how could they not see this? Had he not always given his very best in an attempt to make things better? The madness drove him over the edge and he lead the Guard out to meet the masses, where hundreds were shot.
He killed a part of himself that day.

14. What does he fear?
I think many would believe I'd say "Belarus" here, but I won't. He actually loves his sister, he just finds her way of showing love really, really uncomfortable. If it was his only option to marry her or be left entirely alone forever, he'd choose the first one.

He also fear himself, in a way, for what he's done in the past and what he's capable of doing. He's afraid on losing control and repeating things from the past.

15. What are his hopes or aspirations?
To become strong and good, to not be hated, and for his people to be happy. Like most other nations.

16. What is something he doesn't want anyone to find out about him?
What he thinks of himself.



Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with his parents.
_{(Striking because nations don't have parents)}

2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like?
He has his two sisters Yekaterina (Ukraine) and Nataliya (Belarus).

He and Katya have a complicated relationship, which used to be so much stronger a long time ago. When they were young she was the 'mother' and took care of her younger siblings, and Ivan always looked up to her. Once Ivan became older he tried his best to take care of both of his sisters as well.
After the WWII Ukraine owes Russia a lot of money in debt for oil, which Ivan often presses her about. She doesn't have the money to pay off that debt though and keeps putting it off and ignoring his calls because of that. Katya feels guilty about it, wishing that their relations were better.

Ivan's relationship with his younger sister Nataliya is about just as complicated. After the USSR dissolved, her people voted to join up with Russia again, but Russia declined.
To keep it brief; She appreciates her older brother a lot, but has a hard time trying to show that love. Ivan understands her intentions, but not her methods.

3. Are there other blood relatives to whom he is close? Are there ones he can't stand?
Close, not anymore I'd say. Ones he can't stand? See above.

4. Are there other, unrelated people whom he considers part of his family? What are his relationships with them?
When Ivan was very young, he was in a union with Yao (China), and learned a lot from him. He became a father-figure and a mentor. Although history had it's highs and lows, they still share a bond of mutual understanding. Ivan comes over to his place occasionally for tea.

5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet?
I'd say his 'best friend', or closest to that definition, would be Yao. See above.

6. Does he have other close friends?
Not really, no. Toris (Lithuania) does understand his feelings and pains, but he can't stand Ivan personally due to all their history.

7. Does he make friends easily, or does he have trouble getting along with people?
He's got quite a hard time with that, due to history and reputation built thereof. Most people fear him and see him as a monster.

8. Which does he consider more important: family or friends?
Family, any time, though it's needed to say that a really close friend would be considered a brother/sister, and thus included in the family.

9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has he been married more than once?
_{(Aah, I don't feel like researching this, it's hard to find info and so much to go through...)}
He had a union with China when he was very young, though that would've been more of a mentor/student relationship.
He was also in a union with France for a while, during which French culture heavily influenced the Russian culture.
At the moment, he's alone.

10. Is he currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse?
There are two kinds of relations a nation can have, national/official and personal. Usually they don't have the opportunity to live out the personal ones, since their job always comes first. In the APH Dressing Room AU, though, Ivan and his love-interest has finally gotten that opportunity.

Ivan and Arthur have many things in common, and can understand more about each other than people at first think. I think I used this description to a friend once:"The bond between them is something old and familiar, a kind of understanding beyond words. They could speak nonsense in a starlit garden over a cup of tea, but the words left unspoken would weave novels upon novels of what they feel, what they know, and what they understand about each other."

11. Who was his first crush? Who is his latest?
Haven't researched enough to answer this, but possibly Yao. Latest, see above.

12. What does he look for in a romantic partner?
Understanding.

13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does he relate to them? If no, does he want any?
No, but he does want children. He loves children with all of his soul, and it's one of his life's sorrows that he may never have any.

14. Does he have any rivals or enemies?
He and Alfred, albeit being in peace, will always have their quarrels at big meetings. They're simply too much alike and aim to tease the other to the brink of destruction.

15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does he fall on the Kinsey scale?
Ivan would probably call himself bisexual, but considering he has a tendency to draw towards males a bit more, I'd say a number 4.

16. How does he feel about sex? How important is it to him?
It's not a thing he can't live without, but he does love sex, and is usually very passionate with his partner(s). Abstinence is not a problem for him, though if teased after a long period of abstinence, he will be quicker to react, as well as get more irritated/grumpy if turned down.

17. What are his turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits?
He likes it rough, and the isn't really a 'too rough' for him. He'll go all the way to hardcore BDSM, if that's what you're into, though he'll make sure he's always the one in control. Control, and making people beg is what turns him on.



Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does he fit type?
Scorpio in the Western zodiac, too lazy to read about the Chinese one, forgive me. :U

2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in his life?
He's an orthodox Christian. And it's quite important, as the religion has been with him for a long time, and made him feel like he "found his path in life".
He goes to church on holidays a similar events.

3. Does this character have a personal code of morals or ethics? If so, how did that begin? What would it take to compromise it?
Well, from the start, his aim was "anything for the motherland". He made everything to become stronger, as he figured that'd make his people happier. Once he saw that they had started to hate him and the government for turning too corrupt, he did what he though was the only solution. That solution broke him, and changed his perspective. 
After the whole madness of the war and the dissolution of the union, he has done his best to make the people happy in first hand, but his boss wants him to do otherwise. This situation has him split in decisions and confused. He just wants it all to end and be good.

4. How does he regard beliefs that differ from his? Is he tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent?
He is pretty much indifferent. His religion is private to him, so he finds no interest in dabbling into other people's religions.

5. What prejudices does he hold? Are they irrational or does he have a good reason for them?
He quickly looks down upon people who joke around a lot and either don't seem or aren't serious. If people don't act in a serious manner, he naturally assumes they're idiots.

Ivan also has a bad tendency towards sexism. (Not so much amongst fellow nations, though, since they're a category on their own.) He can crack jokes and comments in which the context or subtext is more or less misogynistic. 



Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is he rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?
His economy is somewhat stable, but more leaning towards the less good side of the scales.

2. What is his social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected him?
_{Duuhhrrr, I don't think I know what to answer to this, so, skipping!}

3. Where does he live? House, apartment, trailer? Is his home his castle or just a place to crash? What condition is it in? Does he share it with others?
His house is nothing less than a gigantic fucking mansion. It is, too, nothing less than a maze. Corridors upon corridors filled with doors. Some are fake, some are not, some are locked, some are not. Some lead to room, some lead to a staircase, which in their turn may lead up or down. Some lead to another part of the house. The house also has it's own library, a large sitting room (complete with a grand piano), stables, and almost anything you can think of.
As the Soviet Union grew, the house was extended with two wings, providing room for more nations. It's now empty as of Ivan and the servants and caretakers of the house. Ivan is the only one who know exactly what is in all of those rooms.
Behind the house is a grand garden, that too looked after by human caretakers, to look impeccable at all times. The whole manor is located in a small valley, with mountains in the north, and in between them and the house, is a thick and old forest. About a 30 minute car drive away lays a village with a train station. The train there is the easiest way to get to Moscow, on the other side of the Ural mountains. 

Next to that, he has got a big, two floor apartment in Moscow. It's in a modern style on the top floor in a building. He usually stays there when he has to travel to a meeting or do other international businesses within a near future, as it grants quicker access to the airport. It has at least three bedrooms.

4. Besides the basic necessities, what does he spend his money on?
Alcohol and cigarettes, mostly. Although to him, those are necessities.

5. What does he do for a living? Is he good at it? Does he enjoy it, or would he rather be doing something else?
He's a nation, so it involves a lot of paperwork, a lot of going to meetings. He'd rather not be a nation, not because of the work tasks, but what else comes with the title. He's excellent at his job, as he has pushed himself towards perfection for the best possible result for the nation. 

He does side jobs from time to time. They vary in tasks, but more often contain physical labor, as his skills socially (like in hospitals and alike) aren't the best. He may help with various farm work, construction-site work, moving firm work, etc.

6. What are his interests or hobbies? How does he spend his free time?
He has a vast spectrum of interests all from painting and composing music, to swimming and hiking up in the mountains even, from time to time. When he's in Moscow he often goes to visit museums, and sometimes he can just enjoy sitting at a café and listen to the stories and life troubles of the people around him.
He's quite a loner.

7. What are his eating habits? Does he skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods?
He loves food a lot, and eats for five men, when he does so. During bad times his appetite goes down though, but he never really loses it enough to stop eating all together.
When he's in Moscow he tends to eat out more often just to enjoy the atmosphere of the people and life around him.
He drinks waaay too much alcohol than what is normal, much because of a ridiculously high resistance. He only really drinks himself to a stupor when he feels like shit. 
He dislikes fast food greatly, and has never really liked it to begin with. It's hard for him to grasp why one wouldn't prefer homemade food before that.



Associations
Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is his favorite:

1. Color? 
I associate: Silver or a silver-y lavender-blue
His fav: Red
2. Smell?
I associate: Musk, alcohol and cigarettes. Also the smell of winter, cold and snow.
His fav: Smell of spring and summer, alcohol, cigarettes, and flowers.
3. Time of day?
The late hours on a sunny afternoon, or the small hours of a starry night.
4. Season?
I associate: Winter
His fav: Summer
5. Book?
He enjoys any novel by Russian famous authors like Tolstoy or Dostoyevsky
6. Music?
Classical music, mostly.
7. Place?
A public place in pretty much any larger city of his own, or far out in the wild somewhere.
8. Substance?
Substance?? You mean like alcohol?? If yes, then vodka.
9. Plant?
Sunflowers definitely, but most flowers make him happy anyhow.
10. Animal?
Bears!



END
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