Post by molotov on Nov 19, 2011 3:32:57 GMT -5
N atalya Arlovskaya
° N-ame || Natalya Arlovskaya
° A-liases || Fekhto, Natasha, Molotov.
° A-ge || 23
° G-ender || Female
° F-amily || Ivan Braginsky, elder brother. Yekaterina Braginskaya, elder sister. Dmitri Braginsky, father. Maria Braginskaya, mother. Vasily Arlovski, ex-husband (MIA).
° E-ye color || Dark blue
° H-air color || Platinum blond
° H-eight || 170cm
° W-eight || 76kg
° D-efining features || Natalya's cold eyes are usually what captures the attention of others. Even if she's staring straight ahead, others get the feeling that she is still watching their every move. Her blond hair is usually pulled back into a practical braid, and she has many scars from training and a long one on her arm.
° A-dditional features || Under the right light, and if one gets close enough, the light dusting of freckles on her nose can be seen. She is also heavily armed, and she is almost never without her épée (a type of fencing blade). Under her military outfit, Natalya has a rapier and at least five knives strapped somewhere. Unless absolutely necessary, Natalya is always in uniform or a simple dark blue dress. Accessories and makeup are unheard of, and one has to wonder if she had twenty identical dresses tailored...
° J-ob || Military Officer
° R-eason for current profession || Natalya obtained her position because she wanted to be in control of not only her life, but of many others. The rest is explained in her history.
° D-istrict || Noble Residential District
° P-ersonality || Natalya is a disciplined, serious soldier. Despite her slender frame and gender, Natalya is an excellent fighter and possesses almost inhuman flexibility and fencing skills. The one thing she will allow herself to be picky about is her choice in weapons. Her blades must be polished till they shine, and the metal has to be of the best quality around. Only épées will do, no foils, no sabers. Natalya carries herself like any other male soldier, and always has a no-nonsense kind of look about her. She looks more like a mercenary than a commander. Even with her attitude and constant effort to hide her feminine assets, she still attracts the wrong kind of stares occasionally. She has an explosive personality, and woe betide whoever slighted her.
Natalya is a brilliant strategist and nothing she does is without reason. If no benefit will come from an acquaintance, then the other party won't even get a second glance. Natalya is also very persistent, and nothing, absolutely nothing, will stand in her way. Her heart is made of stone, and she is extremely intelligent and manipulative. She does things only for the benefit of herself and the troops she commands. As such, she is seen as a threat by the Draconians. Only her connections to the nobles stop them from completely getting rid of her. Her cunning and superior intelligence is a result of having to struggle to get to her position and the condescending attitudes of the men around her. Even her strange motto reflects this aspect of her: My duty is myself.
Natalya is a little OCD, especially about safety precautions. She's living in constant fear that something could go wrong, that it will all vanish. She felt that once before, and she doesn't want to feel that again. Everything must fit to a tee, and is that a secret operation going on? Then you'd better tell her if you don't want to not-so-mysteriously collapse after lunch.
Despite Natalya's sharp tongue, cynical personality and doubtful loyalty to the Draconians, most soldiers have come to accept this headstrong wisp of a woman as someone not to be trifled with, and most treat her with a sort of tentative respect.
° L-ikes ||
•Fencing
•Vodka
•Potatoes and draniki (pancakes made of potatoes)
*Being in control
*Mornings
*Reading
•Training alongside other soldiers
° D-islikes ||
•Crowds
*Cowards
*Any and all roadblocks in her way
•Insubordinate soldiers
•Being stared at and/or flirted with
° F-ears ||
•Having her position taken away from her
•Not knowing what to do on a battlefield
•Losing the respect of the military
•Affection beyond a comradeship between soldiers
° G-oals ||
•To one day lead and win a battle
•To break free of the Count Vasiliy
•To help the Ruthians...?
° H-istory ||
Born into a lower-class family of factory workers, Natalya was exposed to the cruelty of the government since young. Her mother, Maria, and her siblings quit school--which wasn't much help, anyway--at the ages of fifteen and went to work in the factories. Her father was an inventor, but he still worked hard in the factory as well to earn money for his inventing work. Natalya herself worked for free in the factory to lighten her family members' burdens, and would continue to do so until the age of fourteen. When she was fourteen, Draconians blew up the factory her father had been working in because they had "mistaken" it for a Ruthian hideout. In actual fact, they had not been far from the truth--majority of the workers were Ruthian sympathisers, with only a handful who refused to get themselves involved. With the breadwinner of the family gone, the family found it harder and harder to cope. Ivan stepped up in his father's place, but the debt he had chalked up in chasing after scientific perfection took any extra income. The Ruthians wanted the prototypes her father had left behind, but they made up most of the income for the family, and after the Ruthians had forcefully taken the inventions with only a small sum as compensation, their financial situation took a turn for the worst.
On Natalya's fourteenth birthday, Maria Braginskaya made the hardest decision of her life: to sell her young daughter. Natalya's looks and youth had attracted the attention of a noble a few months earlier, when her father had brought her along to negotiate with a noble about his latest invention. The noble, Count Vasily, became infatuated with her. He had offered to buy her multiple times, and with the family's predicament, Maria and Ivan eventually resorted to selling their Natasha. Natalya kicked and screamed and shouted about how she'd rather stay with them and starve to death than have to be wife of a man thirty years her senior. Yekaterina eventually persuaded her to make that sacrifice, and within a week, money and girl had changed hands.
Young as she was, Natalya still had the same intelligence which would later push her up the ranks. She learned to take advantage of her situation and had the self-proclaimed Count wrapped around her finger. She gradually came to realize that the Count had no intention of legally marrying her until she was sixteen... and she got to work plotting to get out of the household before then. After expressing interest in learning how to protect herself and destroying the naive little girl image the Count seemed to love so much, Natalya one day maneuvered an encounter with another young girl who was desperate for marriage. She had worked to prepare herself for a life within the military and, right till the very last moment, wheedled and pulled as much education and opportunities as she could from the Count. When he compared Natalya, who still retained her looks but none of the childish charm he'd fallen for, with his new interest, he swiftly agreed to sign Natalya up as a soldier-in-training. With the influence of the Count, Natalya managed to avoid the gender discrimination and any funny business from the men. She learned that a knife procured from some hidden fold within her uniform drove suitors away quickly enough, and she settled into her new life just fine. The problem was that it took three years for her plan to work... and by then, she was already a married woman and no longer a virgin.
After her surprisingly quick succession of promotions (the Count was still somehow infatuated with her and was willing to bribe when necessary, without her knowledge) Natalya tried to contact her family, but the area had been burned down in a fire months before. She had no access to the citizen records, and eventually gave up trying.
Draconians killed her father, but Ruthians sent them plunging into poverty afterwards. Natalya lets no one know if she supports the rebellion or not, but secretly she has been making monetary contributions of her own. If her father said they were what was good for Granor, then she would obey his wishes. However, her position matters more and the contributions are infrequent.
Two weeks after her third promotion and a few days after her divorce, Count Vasily disappeared. Nobody knew where he was, and his young newlywed wife disappeared soon after. Natalya would have been a major suspect, if not for the fact that her captain could attest for the fact that she had not left the Military District within that time period. The Arlovski manor's ownership was transferred to Vasily's brothers, but the mystery of his disappearance was never solved.
° R-oleplay example ||
If there was one thing Natalya hated about being one of the few females in the military, it was having to deal with the greenhorns. They were always male, always eager, and always puffed up with pride. Every time a new batch of recruits joined the military, she would get at least two requests for a duel. Natalya never understood why they did not understand that, female or no, a fencing match with a superior was never good news.
Natalya stood facing her opponent, a lanky young man who seemed to lack the proper knowledge on handling a singlestick. Fighting with a child's weapon was not a good idea in Natalya's world, but the soldier seemed to think otherwise.
"Alright! First person to make contact with their weapon is the victor. En garde. Prêt. Allez!"Their decided judge called out, waving emphatically to his friend. Natalya barely had time to roll her eyes at his use of French before her opponent tried catching her off guard with a sharp imbroccata. The blow was parried instantly and Natalya retaliated with a stoccata. To her surprise, her opponent caught the movement instantly and nearly disarmed her. She barely parried his attack. She withdrew immediately and tried again, only to strike his weapon instead of his person. The impact sent an unpleasant feeling shooting up her arm and she feigned another stoccata. As the soldier bent to defend the false blow, she dropped to the ground and delivered a passata, a move so familiar to any fencer that they could execute it blindfolded. The soldier gave a yell of pain as her singlestick struck him on his forearm and snapped in half. Natalya stood and dusted her uniform off, raising an eyebrow.
"Not bad, Dániel. You've got a quick reaction. Try watching the shoulder next time, it's easier to predict your opponent's move from the shoulder." And with that, Natalya strode off to continue her training where she left off, a fellowsuicidal soldier cheering his approval. Dániel stood bewildered, Natalya's broken singlestick at his feet.
One down, one to go.
((The periodical fencing terms are found here: www.cs.unc.edu/~hudson/saviolo/glossary.html))
° U-sername || KnifeInHand
° A-ge || 19
° T-ime zone || GMT +8
°W-hat is the secret phrase from the Rules? || Man Dark, Nephew
° N-ame || Natalya Arlovskaya
° A-liases || Fekhto, Natasha, Molotov.
° A-ge || 23
° G-ender || Female
° F-amily || Ivan Braginsky, elder brother. Yekaterina Braginskaya, elder sister. Dmitri Braginsky, father. Maria Braginskaya, mother. Vasily Arlovski, ex-husband (MIA).
\-|-°-|-/
° E-ye color || Dark blue
° H-air color || Platinum blond
° H-eight || 170cm
° W-eight || 76kg
° D-efining features || Natalya's cold eyes are usually what captures the attention of others. Even if she's staring straight ahead, others get the feeling that she is still watching their every move. Her blond hair is usually pulled back into a practical braid, and she has many scars from training and a long one on her arm.
° A-dditional features || Under the right light, and if one gets close enough, the light dusting of freckles on her nose can be seen. She is also heavily armed, and she is almost never without her épée (a type of fencing blade). Under her military outfit, Natalya has a rapier and at least five knives strapped somewhere. Unless absolutely necessary, Natalya is always in uniform or a simple dark blue dress. Accessories and makeup are unheard of, and one has to wonder if she had twenty identical dresses tailored...
\-|-°-|-/
° J-ob || Military Officer
° R-eason for current profession || Natalya obtained her position because she wanted to be in control of not only her life, but of many others. The rest is explained in her history.
° D-istrict || Noble Residential District
\-|-°-|-/
° P-ersonality || Natalya is a disciplined, serious soldier. Despite her slender frame and gender, Natalya is an excellent fighter and possesses almost inhuman flexibility and fencing skills. The one thing she will allow herself to be picky about is her choice in weapons. Her blades must be polished till they shine, and the metal has to be of the best quality around. Only épées will do, no foils, no sabers. Natalya carries herself like any other male soldier, and always has a no-nonsense kind of look about her. She looks more like a mercenary than a commander. Even with her attitude and constant effort to hide her feminine assets, she still attracts the wrong kind of stares occasionally. She has an explosive personality, and woe betide whoever slighted her.
Natalya is a brilliant strategist and nothing she does is without reason. If no benefit will come from an acquaintance, then the other party won't even get a second glance. Natalya is also very persistent, and nothing, absolutely nothing, will stand in her way. Her heart is made of stone, and she is extremely intelligent and manipulative. She does things only for the benefit of herself and the troops she commands. As such, she is seen as a threat by the Draconians. Only her connections to the nobles stop them from completely getting rid of her. Her cunning and superior intelligence is a result of having to struggle to get to her position and the condescending attitudes of the men around her. Even her strange motto reflects this aspect of her: My duty is myself.
Natalya is a little OCD, especially about safety precautions. She's living in constant fear that something could go wrong, that it will all vanish. She felt that once before, and she doesn't want to feel that again. Everything must fit to a tee, and is that a secret operation going on? Then you'd better tell her if you don't want to not-so-mysteriously collapse after lunch.
Despite Natalya's sharp tongue, cynical personality and doubtful loyalty to the Draconians, most soldiers have come to accept this headstrong wisp of a woman as someone not to be trifled with, and most treat her with a sort of tentative respect.
° L-ikes ||
•Fencing
•Vodka
•Potatoes and draniki (pancakes made of potatoes)
*Being in control
*Mornings
*Reading
•Training alongside other soldiers
° D-islikes ||
•Crowds
*Cowards
*Any and all roadblocks in her way
•Insubordinate soldiers
•Being stared at and/or flirted with
° F-ears ||
•Having her position taken away from her
•Not knowing what to do on a battlefield
•Losing the respect of the military
•Affection beyond a comradeship between soldiers
° G-oals ||
•To one day lead and win a battle
•To break free of the Count Vasiliy
•To help the Ruthians...?
\-|-°-|-/
° H-istory ||
Born into a lower-class family of factory workers, Natalya was exposed to the cruelty of the government since young. Her mother, Maria, and her siblings quit school--which wasn't much help, anyway--at the ages of fifteen and went to work in the factories. Her father was an inventor, but he still worked hard in the factory as well to earn money for his inventing work. Natalya herself worked for free in the factory to lighten her family members' burdens, and would continue to do so until the age of fourteen. When she was fourteen, Draconians blew up the factory her father had been working in because they had "mistaken" it for a Ruthian hideout. In actual fact, they had not been far from the truth--majority of the workers were Ruthian sympathisers, with only a handful who refused to get themselves involved. With the breadwinner of the family gone, the family found it harder and harder to cope. Ivan stepped up in his father's place, but the debt he had chalked up in chasing after scientific perfection took any extra income. The Ruthians wanted the prototypes her father had left behind, but they made up most of the income for the family, and after the Ruthians had forcefully taken the inventions with only a small sum as compensation, their financial situation took a turn for the worst.
On Natalya's fourteenth birthday, Maria Braginskaya made the hardest decision of her life: to sell her young daughter. Natalya's looks and youth had attracted the attention of a noble a few months earlier, when her father had brought her along to negotiate with a noble about his latest invention. The noble, Count Vasily, became infatuated with her. He had offered to buy her multiple times, and with the family's predicament, Maria and Ivan eventually resorted to selling their Natasha. Natalya kicked and screamed and shouted about how she'd rather stay with them and starve to death than have to be wife of a man thirty years her senior. Yekaterina eventually persuaded her to make that sacrifice, and within a week, money and girl had changed hands.
Young as she was, Natalya still had the same intelligence which would later push her up the ranks. She learned to take advantage of her situation and had the self-proclaimed Count wrapped around her finger. She gradually came to realize that the Count had no intention of legally marrying her until she was sixteen... and she got to work plotting to get out of the household before then. After expressing interest in learning how to protect herself and destroying the naive little girl image the Count seemed to love so much, Natalya one day maneuvered an encounter with another young girl who was desperate for marriage. She had worked to prepare herself for a life within the military and, right till the very last moment, wheedled and pulled as much education and opportunities as she could from the Count. When he compared Natalya, who still retained her looks but none of the childish charm he'd fallen for, with his new interest, he swiftly agreed to sign Natalya up as a soldier-in-training. With the influence of the Count, Natalya managed to avoid the gender discrimination and any funny business from the men. She learned that a knife procured from some hidden fold within her uniform drove suitors away quickly enough, and she settled into her new life just fine. The problem was that it took three years for her plan to work... and by then, she was already a married woman and no longer a virgin.
After her surprisingly quick succession of promotions (the Count was still somehow infatuated with her and was willing to bribe when necessary, without her knowledge) Natalya tried to contact her family, but the area had been burned down in a fire months before. She had no access to the citizen records, and eventually gave up trying.
Draconians killed her father, but Ruthians sent them plunging into poverty afterwards. Natalya lets no one know if she supports the rebellion or not, but secretly she has been making monetary contributions of her own. If her father said they were what was good for Granor, then she would obey his wishes. However, her position matters more and the contributions are infrequent.
Two weeks after her third promotion and a few days after her divorce, Count Vasily disappeared. Nobody knew where he was, and his young newlywed wife disappeared soon after. Natalya would have been a major suspect, if not for the fact that her captain could attest for the fact that she had not left the Military District within that time period. The Arlovski manor's ownership was transferred to Vasily's brothers, but the mystery of his disappearance was never solved.
\-|-°-|-/
° R-oleplay example ||
If there was one thing Natalya hated about being one of the few females in the military, it was having to deal with the greenhorns. They were always male, always eager, and always puffed up with pride. Every time a new batch of recruits joined the military, she would get at least two requests for a duel. Natalya never understood why they did not understand that, female or no, a fencing match with a superior was never good news.
Natalya stood facing her opponent, a lanky young man who seemed to lack the proper knowledge on handling a singlestick. Fighting with a child's weapon was not a good idea in Natalya's world, but the soldier seemed to think otherwise.
"Alright! First person to make contact with their weapon is the victor. En garde. Prêt. Allez!"Their decided judge called out, waving emphatically to his friend. Natalya barely had time to roll her eyes at his use of French before her opponent tried catching her off guard with a sharp imbroccata. The blow was parried instantly and Natalya retaliated with a stoccata. To her surprise, her opponent caught the movement instantly and nearly disarmed her. She barely parried his attack. She withdrew immediately and tried again, only to strike his weapon instead of his person. The impact sent an unpleasant feeling shooting up her arm and she feigned another stoccata. As the soldier bent to defend the false blow, she dropped to the ground and delivered a passata, a move so familiar to any fencer that they could execute it blindfolded. The soldier gave a yell of pain as her singlestick struck him on his forearm and snapped in half. Natalya stood and dusted her uniform off, raising an eyebrow.
"Not bad, Dániel. You've got a quick reaction. Try watching the shoulder next time, it's easier to predict your opponent's move from the shoulder." And with that, Natalya strode off to continue her training where she left off, a fellow
One down, one to go.
((The periodical fencing terms are found here: www.cs.unc.edu/~hudson/saviolo/glossary.html))
\-|-°-|-/
° U-sername || KnifeInHand
° A-ge || 19
° T-ime zone || GMT +8
°W-hat is the secret phrase from the Rules? || Man Dark, Nephew
