Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
Welcome to Survival of the Fittest, a RPing board loosely based off of Koshun Takami's Battle Royale, with its own unique plot and spin on the 'deadly game'. We've been around quite a while, and are now in our thirteenth year, so don't worry about us going anywhere any time soon!

If you're a newcomer and interested in joining, then please make sure you check out the rules. You may also want to read the FAQ, introduce yourself and stop by the chat to meet some of our members. If you're still not quite sure where to start, then we have a great New Member's Guide with a lot of useful information about getting going. Don't hesitate to PM a member of staff (they have purple usernames) if you have any questions about SOTF and how to get started!

Let the games begin!

Username:   Password:
Locked Topic
Alexei "Alex" Zherdev
Topic Started: Apr 13 2013, 08:16 PM (511 Views)
Ron
Member Avatar
Cannon Fodder
[ * ]
Name: Alexei "Alex" Zherdev
Gender: Male
Age: 17
Grade: 12
School: Aurora High School
Hobbies and Interests: Pathology/medicine, the horror genre, indie music.

Appearance: Alexei stands at 5'11 and 140 lbs. Despite his height, his disposition and proclivity to avoid taking up much space make him seem small. His skin is pale, mostly a testament to his northern heritage. He has faint freckles on his cheeks, shoulders, and arms. Alexei's has a thin, diamond-shaped face with a pointed jaw and prominent cheekbones. In this sense, his features are stereotypically Slavic. His hair is dirty blonde and wavy. It is perpetually tousled and only reaches the top of his neck in the back. His sideswept fringe barely touches his eyebrows.

His features are boyish, almost to the point of femininity. His eyes are large and round, tilted downward on their outside corners. They are heavily-lidded, often making his expression look tired. Alexei's irises are a pale grey-blue, surrounded by light lashes. His nose is small, a bit thin, and slightly upturned at the tip. As for his jaw, there is rarely any hair in sight. This is partially because of his light hair color, but also because of a near-inability to grow facial hair and a propensity to shave it if it appears. As for Alexei's teeth, he wears braces on only the top row. They are still marginally crooked, but he looks as if his braces will be off soon. The braces are not that noticeable, a simple thin band of metal across his otherwise off-white teeth.

Alexei prefers to wear sweaters or jackets and sweatshirts along with jeans. In warmer weather, he wears t-shirts for indie bands or plain shirts with pictures or words that he likes. On the day of the trip, Alexei is wearing a blue shirt with an ornate white key on the front and 'Bon Iver' in sloppy cursive above it, along with a similarly ornate white keyhole on the back. He is also wearing dark blue straight-leg jeans and scuffed black Vans.

Biography: Alexei was born an only child on July 15, 1994 in Magadan, a city on the far eastern shore of Russia. His mother, Liliya Zherdev, was unmarried at the time. Because of this, Alexei kept her surname. His father is named Ivan Bekhterev and was 22 at the time of his son's birth, though that and his appearance from a few photos are all Alexei really knows about him. Liliya was quite young at the time, only 19, and was starting nursing school. The relationship between Alexei's parents only lasted a year after his birth. The couple then broke off and only occasionally saw each other in person until Ivan finally moved out of the city. He was interested in the life of his son, but did not have enough of a sense of responsibility to take care of him and maintain a relationship with Liliya. He wanted to start a new life.

For most of Alexei's years in Russia he lived with both his mother and his grandparents, who began calling him 'Alex'. From that point onward, he was known primarily by that nickname, though today he still introduces himself with both. Because Liliya was in nursing school, Alexei spent a lot of time around his grandparents and in their care. Liliya was unable to move to a new house, having little money and living in Russia during the economic tumult and financial crash in 1998. As the years passed Liliya's sights were set on the United States, as extended family who might assist them financially had moved there in 2000, but for the time she stayed put in hopes that things would improve.

Alexei was a good student, his behavioral infractions only consisting of the occasional talkative outbursts in class. He was not shy at a young age, so being around friends and even children he barely knew in school made him very sociable. School was also his first exposure to rudimentary knowledge of the English language, as it was a mandatory subject.

In 2001, it was discovered that Alexei's grandfather had brain cancer. Thinking he had a stroke, he went to the hospital to discover that the cancerous tumor was inoperable. This placed him in the hospital and got rid of family funds that Liliya had been using to support the family. Alexei's grandfather died in 2003. This deeply affected the 9-year-old, and he became more closed-off to socializing. He didn't fully understand what had happened to his grandfather, but was upset by it as well as by the reactions from his family. Not wanting to put Alexei under even more stress, Liliya put off her plans to move to the United States for a bit longer. Alexei's grandmother had already decided to use some of her retirement money combined with Liliya's savings to move the three of them over to the United States. Finally, in late 2004, the three of them moved to Seattle. Housing was funded by both the extended family as well as any remaining savings.

Alexei was ten at the time. His language was a definite barrier for him as he began his life in America. He found himself frequently mocked by students when the teachers were not looking. Although he could not understand most of the language-related jokes, the laughter and jeers from his classmates permeated the language barrier. He frequently vacillated between wanting to learn the language fluently and wanting to give up on it. It seemed as though the progress he made would wind up shattered every time his teachers or classmates mentioned some kind of rudimentary grammatical mistake. However, ESL programs at school as well as omnipresent English improved his skills quickly. His mannerisms were permanently affected, however, as he became more introverted after the teasing he experienced. Eventually, he learned how to fit in among his classmates as he grew more fluent. He would frequently try to find and enjoy the same music, movies, and general interests of his friends. It was inauthentic, but it won some classmates over.

In 2008, Liliya married Eric Benton, a surgeon at the hospital where she worked as a nurse. Liliya and Alexei moved into Eric's house, bringing along Alexei's grandmother. Initially hesitant and unsure of what to think about this new father figure, Alexei eventually decided that he quite liked his step-father. This acceptance did not come until after a little difficulty, as he found it difficult to get used to calling Eric 'Dad' instead of 'Mr. Benton' as his mother had originally instructed. Eventually Alexei found Eric to be humorous and interesting, if a little boisterous. He became gradually more fascinated with medicine over the years from the stories and explanations given by both of his parents, who often told him about strange stories about daily life in the medical field. Not only was it fascinating, he liked the idea of being able to be a well-loved hero and save someone's life from disease. Diseases seemed to be the focus. He took up an interest in pathology, delighting in telling his friends frightening stories about bubonic plague or cholera. Today, Alexei maintains this interest, though he is not sure if he'd like to be a pathologist or just a general practitioner. He has several books about the topic and is particularly interested in how epidemics affect culture and populations.

Developing simultaneously was an interest in horror media. Be it books, movies, or video games, Alexei was eager to explore the horror genre. This originally begun with the 2006 film 'Silent Hill', which led him to the video game series. The films and games became his favorites, and he enjoyed playing and watching similar things. Eventually he also enjoyed some horror novels, although he largely found them badly written. His favorite books today are Lovecraft's works, as he enjoys the outlandish storylines and frightening improbability of the cosmic horror genre. As for horror films, his favorite is The Silence of the Lambs. Silent Hill games are still his favorites. He prefers psychological horror, but he finds every subgenre of horror interesting except slashers. He believes that slasher films are pointless and rely on shock rather than substance.

Alexei likes to listen to indie music, particularly pop and rock or alternative. His favorite artists include Bon Iver, The Shins, Purity Ring, and Ellie Goulding. He considers this a large improvement from his early teen years. At 13 and 14, Alexei believed he was emo, wearing uniformly dark clothing and considering himself 'misunderstood' while preferring music like My Chemical Romance. This phase is something he prefers to try and forget, and any mention of it from someone who knew him at the time tends to incite embarrassment. His musical taste developed naturally from there, as looking up his favorite and more 'mainstream' bands led to the discovery of more unknown ones. Today, he finds it difficult not to look at popular music- and popular culture as a whole- with disdain. However, he would never openly mock someone for enjoying those things.

About a year ago, Alexei got braces. Throughout his life he had been a bit bothered by his teeth, which were quite crooked on the top row. He was a bit hesitant about getting braces as he thought that having them at his age would be too late, but was more comfortable with it when he realized it would look like a simple thin band of metal. It is almost time for the braces to be off, but he still notices how they remain just slightly crooked.

Now, Alexei still lives with his mother, step-father, and grandmother. His accent remains moderately thick, as he often uses Russian with his grandmother, extended family, and occasionally his mother. However, it has reduced a bit over the years. While it is a prominent accent, his words are never difficult to understand for a native English speaker, though they used to be. His Russian is still fluent, but he has a little more basic word choice than if he had never moved to the USA. At home, he has a pretty good relationship with his parents. There are rarely any upsets or fights. As for his grandmother, she is more of a demanding and obstreperous woman. She frequently yells and orders people- even strangers- around. However, Alexei has found that if he just quietly tolerates her yelling and does what she asks of him, there are no problems.

In school, he is a B student overall. His mother insists that effort is what is separating him from having all As, but Alexei is satisfied by his grades. At the beginning of high school, he had all As because he believed a complete focus and devotion his studies was necessary. However, he soon realized that 'sliding by' was possible and even preferable- Alexei is not a fan of hard work. Therefore, the insistence that he needs effort is true. Alexei's grades are sometimes As in his favorite classes such as biology and anything relating to humanities, while in more disliked classes such as math or chemistry he typically acquires low 80s. Socially, he enjoys the company of others. Rather than trying to develop friendships with a few select people, Alexei attempts to satisfy everyone and have a lot of acquaintances. He believes that he can find something he likes about everyone he meets. Unlike people who sit in their own groups of friends in the lunchroom or only talk with a certain few people, Alexei moves from one group to the next on a day to day basis. It is the thought of being well-liked that he adores, and he really doesn't see himself as having anything innate that someone would enjoy. This is why he prefers to change how others perceive him. Socialization isn't his strongpoint, but he feels as though having people know and at least like him is a path to self-fulfillment.

As far as relationships go, he has been in a few- probably about 5 or 6. One or two of them are so short that Alexei hesitates on counting them as a relationship. Barely any of them were very serious, the longest being in 10th grade and lasting about a year and a half. Only two were with girls, and those only succeeded in bolstering his confusion about sexual orientation when he noticed he didn't find them- or any girl- attractive. His confusion increased when, after dating males, he was not attracted to them either. After a long time of confusion, Alexei realized he was asexual, though it took him some time to find out there was actually a term for it. The idea of being in a relationship is appealing to him, but he does not find himself sexually attracted to anyone. So far, he hasn't told anyone about this, and sometimes he still gets confused about it all.

Alexei is very nervous about criticism. The students who mocked his English skills and accent made him feel as though he would never be proficient with the language and would never be accepted by his peers. That attitude remains today, though no longer for the same reasons. Any criticism against Alexei will be taken personally, even if it's something minor, and he is able to misinterpret even the smallest nuances of speech and behavior as a slight against him. It's easy to tell when he's doing this: his demeanor becomes considerably more nervous, he chews on his lip frequently, he talks less or more quietly, and averts his gaze. This nervousness is partially the reason for his cordial nature toward anyone and everyone. Despite his distaste for popular things, he is quick to adopt an attitude that he believes will make him seem more likable and more able to 'fit in'. He even attempted to get rid of his accent and speak with an American one when he was younger, but found that it sounded awkward to him. Alexei carefully considers everything about his social interactions- whether he is talking too much or too little, whether he is taking up too much space or is too close to someone. This often ends up distracting him from the actually important and valuable aspects of his conversations.

Advantages: Alexei has some knowledge of medicine thanks to his mother's occupation and his own interest. He is aware of some ways to prevent infection, stop bleeding, and so on. He is happy to try and get on someone's good side to try and present himself as a friend or ally.
Disadvantages: Alexei is not very athletic at all. He is not able to run for very long distances or engage in other physical exertion without getting winded very easily. He doesn't have a lot of strong friendships and is unlikely to try and forge them, instead preferring to have many acquaintances.
Edited by Ron, Apr 17 2013, 12:03 AM.
Offline Profile Goto Top
 
Ruggahissy
Member Avatar
i'm not upset
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
Howdy! Sorry that took so long. >_<

Alrighty. We've got a number of sticky things.

-First, why isn't Alex's dad contributing any child support? Due to the fact that I don't know Russian I was unable to find out what child support unmarried couples are entitled to, but divorcing Russians, the party with the kids is entitled to a hefty amount of child support.

- I could not find English being mandatory in Russia or the city of Magadan. If he goes to a private school, chances are he'd start learning it early on, but it looks like the family is poor. Internet had this to say:

Q: How many people in Magadan can speak English?
A: Majority doesn’t speak English very much, but there are enough English-speaking people, especially among young ones.

"Finally, in late 2004, the three of them moved to Seattle. Housing was funded by both the extended family as well as any remaining savings."

Does Liliya know English? Who are these extended family members who are just being mentioned now? Why Seattle?

-So, how did Alex feel about the decision to move to the US? It seems like Liliya has been planning this for awhile.

"It seemed as though the progress he made would wind up shattered every time his teachers or classmates mentioned some kind of rudimentary grammatical mistake."

Kid is in an ESL class until he tests to a level where he can be put in the regular class. How is it that he feels bad, or ashamed or sad over these mistakes since EVERYONE in the ESL class is trying to improve their English?

"In 2008, Liliya married Eric Benton"

So....woud his name not be Alexei Benton now?

" This originally begun with the 2006 film 'Silent Hill', which led him to the video game series. The films and games became his favorites"

Time thing. Silent Hill Revelations (which is god awful) came out in October 2012 when the school trip is in the summer of 2012. So this movie hasn't come out yet, thus there is only one Silent Hill film.

" Socially, he enjoys the company of others"

"Socialization isn't his strongpoint,.."

Eh??

Alex's nervous attitude towards his classmates making fun of his English gaffs is odd to me. He's been going to school with these people for 9 years. That seems like a pretty long time for them to get to know him and for him to clean up his English.

On that, I am told it takes a kid 6 months to one year to become proficient in a language in social settings. He shouldn't be having a problem after age 10 with any of his daily grammar. 12 tops for him to be working out the kinks. Where he might still be having problems is in complex academic writing.

That's pretty much it. Post when the edits are made!
things
Offline Profile Goto Top
 
Ruggahissy
Member Avatar
i'm not upset
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
This character biography has had no alterations for more than two weeks and has been put in the abandoned characters forum. This profile is eligible for resubmission by the handler upon alterations requested from the staff.
things
Offline Profile Goto Top
 
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
ZetaBoards - Free Forum Hosting
Join the millions that use us for their forum communities. Create your own forum today.
Learn More · Register Now
« Previous Topic · Forfeited and Abandoned Characters · Next Topic »
Locked Topic