METTLEBORN
Mettle /mɛt(ə)l/ (noun)** ** - a person's ability to cope well with difficulties; spirit and resilience.Indie multi-muse blog, (est. Feb 2021) where you will find a mixture of OCs and canon characters.
GUIDELINES
- NSFW content present. Muns / followers 21 or older only, thanks;
- This blog is multi-ship and multi-verse, any ships will have their own individual verse;
- General content warning: sex, gore, blood, violence, language, alcohol and drug use, and various NSFW themes.
- Tagging: I will tag nsfw, gore and blood, but my tags are usually no more detailed than that so if there is a specific tag you’d like me to use, please let me know.
- Interaction: This blog is selective (mutuals only). Please read my character’s bio and verses before interaction.
- Under 18 muses: If your muse is under 18 it is especially important that we thoroughly plot any threads to make them appropriate and meaningful.
- Roleplay / ask memes: open to mutuals only.
- This blog is crossover friendly and will interact with OCs. If we’re mutuals, please hit me up via messenger to discuss/plot.
- Style: I prefer paragraph style RP and always do my best to text match. One liner-RP is fine if it is shitposting. I do not format my text, although I will use a smaller font for long posts. I can use icons or go iconless. If you choose to screenshot your replies and they are too difficult / small to read, I will unfollow and softblock.
- Communication: I love to plot so please jump into my IMs if we’re mutuals. Also, if there is ever anything you want me to change in a thread, you only need to ask. Communication between muns is so important in RP and I want to do everything I can to make sure my mutuals are comfortable and know they can come to me at any time to discuss our threads/characters/ships etc. Misunderstandings can happen and it’s important to discuss them mun to mun and work things out if/when they occur.
- Response time: I have a busy home life and day job so sometimes my activity will be sporadic because of this. Please understand that if I take a while to respond this doesn’t mean I don’t care about our thread /interactions. I usually post updates about my activity levels to keep my partners informed.
- Portrayal: I am a firm believer that mun and muse are completely separate. The muse and their actions are not a reflection of me personally. I expect the muns I roleplay with to fully understand this distinction and share it. For this reason I will not RP with self-insert characters.
- Culture: This blog is a mun drama free zone. This blog is where I come to be creative and relax. As a result you will never encounter any mun drama posted here. This also means that if you do post call-outs, make vague posts or regularly post mun negativity I’m likely to unfollow/block.
- Shipping: I am open to shipping, however in the main this applies where there is a natural chemistry between muses and ideally mun communication. I am always open to discussing shipping and the potential to ship, I love shipping! Also, shipping will only happen with age appropriate muses.
- Exclusives: Generally, when it comes to canon muses, I don’t do ‘exclusives’. Whilst it is fairly uncommon that I RP with the same canon muse, in future, if I feel pressurised into such an ‘exclusive’ arrangement, I will likely, on reflection, re-consider the partnership entirely and unfollow / block.
- Smut: For the time being, in general, I won’t be writing full on smut scenes for my muse. I would prefer (with my ship partner’s consent of course) to write up to the very moment of things getting extremely graphic and then fade to black and maybe pick the scene back up later into it, near the end.
MUSE LIST
Samuel Silas
Duncan Vizla
Nicholai Volkov
Nathan Bateman
Igor Bortsov
William Cavendish
Frankie Artino
Adelia Lennox
Hannibal Lecter
DUNCAN VIZLA
Canon: Polar (Assassin / Modern Crime);Full name: Duncan Vizla (The Black Keizer);Faceclaim: Mads Mikkelsen;Age: 50;Gender: Cis Male;Height: 6 foot;Ethnicity: Danish;Occupation: Retired Assassin;Location: Montana, USA;Orientation: Bisexual;Preference: Switch / Verse;
Duncan Vizla (aka the Black Keiser) is an international hit man and former employee of Damocles; an organization of assassins. Upon approaching his retirement, Mr Blut, the owner of Damocles, made multiple attempts on Vizla's life, in order to avoid paying out a retirement fee of 8 million dollars. After killing the assassins sent to take him down, Vizla was eventually captured by Blut and tortured. He escaped the ordeal, eventually returning to behead Blut, though the whole nasty affair did cost him his eye.These days Duncan lives alone in a wooden cabin positioned in the remotest part of a small town in Montana. He’s trying to live a quiet life, to lead a normal kind of existence, in an attempt to finally put the past behind him, but it always seems to catch up with him and very seldom do old habits die easily.(Plots can take place before or after the fall of Damocles.)
NICHOLAI VOLKOV
OC: Modern crime / mafia (linked to OC: Igor Bortsov);Full name: Nicholai Volkov (The Wolf);Faceclaim: Peter Stormare;Age: 62;Gender: Cis Male;Height: 6 3";Ethnicity: Russian;Occupation: Solntsevskaya Bratva (Russian Mafia) Brigadier;Location: International - Moscow based;Orientation: Bisexual;Preference: Top / Dominant;
In this new information age, many high-ranking members of Solntsevskaya Bratva have found themselves the subject of intense scrutiny. This interest in the Russian mafia has come from all quarters – from international law enforcement agencies, politicians, the media and the general public. Indeed, the Pakhan; Igor Bortsov, has an entire Wikipedia page dedicated to him which documents the tragic death of his parents, his time in prison and provides a brief synopsis regarding his rise to power in Bratva. The same, however, cannot be said of his right-hand man, his Brigadier; Nicholai Volkov (the wolf). Nicholai is old school, he doesn’t talk his life and definitely not his past, he has no online presence to speak of, no social media at all and those that know him, know better than to speak to others about him. To most, Nicholai is a ghost.Nicholai joined Bratva after leaving home at 18 and painstakingly worked his way through the ranks of the organisation to eventually lead one of the most brutal and violent cells in all of Bratva, a cell tasked with a singular purpose; assassination of high-value targets. He worked with Igor Bortsov for many years before Bortsov was promoted to the rank of Pakhan (boss). As one of Igor’s most trusted men, he remains a Brigadier, but no longer runs a cell of Bratva soldiers. He is now responsible for the Pakhan himself, acting as his right-hand man, acting in defence and offence when required – he is the only security Igor truly needs. Following the code of the Vor v Zakone, he is true Vory through and through. Like Igor, he wears Vor stars, tattooed on his knees and chest.Nicholai is a man with very few moral scruples, one that many would easily deem a villain. He is an intelligent and astute man who hides that fact very well. He takes pride in his work, enjoys violence (especially using his hands) and is known for having a deadly temper. In his 60’s, he is notably less chaotic now than in his youth, but he remains unpredictable and deadly – he is not a man you want to get on the wrong side of.Nicholai has a dark and perverse sense of humour and at times, a foul mouth. He is abrasive, with a demeanour that can often put people immediately on edge. He is a high-functioning alcoholic and a chain smoker. He is greatly respected within and out with Bratva and values loyalty above all. Men like Volkov are truly a dying breed.
NATHAN BATEMAN
Canon: Ex Machina (Sci-fi / Tech Villain);Full name: Nathan Bateman;Faceclaim: Oscar Isaac;Age: 35;Gender: Cis Male;Height: 6 foot;Ethnicity: American (Cuban heritage);Occupation: Tech Genius / AI Engineer;Location: Undisclosed location - USA;Orientation: Pansexual;Preference: Top / Dominant;
LOW ACTIVITY -Nathan Bateman is the multi-billionaire CEO of the search engine company ‘The Blue Book.’ He is a scientist and pioneer in the field of Artificial Intelligence.Nathan is a notoriously reclusive man who lives in a house deep in the woods, near a glacier, in an area that can only be accessed via helicopter. Part of his dwelling exists above ground while the remainder is subterranean for added security. His house is not a home it is a secure facility. Despite being a programming genius from an exceptionally young age, Nathan’s manner is naturally very casual and informal, however his friendliness serves only as social camouflage aimed at disarming others.He is a manipulative individual, a sociopath and an excellent liar. While he can often be heard expounding the importance of exercise and diet and tends to eat well and work out regularly, he is also an alcoholic and when he is drunk it only serves to bring out his arrogance and narcissism. His controlling nature is most obvious when it comes to the androids he is building and how sadistically he often treats them; as aesthetically pleasing disposable toys - the creations that fuel his God complex. It is his ultimate goal to create artificially intelligent androids, which possess artificial consciousness. He does not view his androids as living beings however, only as objects. He thinks of their value only in terms of their utility and his own success.(This version of Nathan is canon divergent in the sense that he was not killed by his android Ava, but instead moved on to a newer, more complex form of android design after destroying Ava during her attack.)
WILLIAM CAVENDISH
OC: 1800's Victorian muse;Full name: Lord William James Cavendish, Earl of Cornwall;Faceclaim: Michael Fassbender;Age: 34;Gender: Cis Male;Height: 5 11’’;Ethnicity: EnglishOccupation: English AristocracyLocation: Trematon Castle, Cornwall, England (visual ref: Culzean Castle);Orientation: Closeted Bisexual;Preference: Dominant / Top;
William grew up within the grounds and halls of Trematon, a clifftop castle overlooking the sea. Raised by his Mother; Lady Elizabeth Cavendish, his Nanny and his Governess, he saw very little of his Father, Lord Charles Cavendish, Earl of Cornwall, who spent most of his time in London, servicing his interest in politics and satisfying his vices. When William was fourteen years old, he lost his Mother due to unexpected heart failure, a loss that left him staggeringly bereft. The next few years were spent in the company of his Father who had returned to Trematon, but the relationship was a distant one, with his Father frequently spending months at a time away, leaving him in the care of his Governess, a young woman named Mary Gladstone, who clearly despised his Father greatly.At the age of seventeen, William attended Oxford University, to study history, Latin and philosophy living in a dormitory with two other boys; the son of the Earl of Hastings and the son of the Marquiss of Clyde. Due to the high quality of his private tuition at Trematon, William excelled at his education, though his attendance was more of a social venture as opposed to academic.At the age of twenty, having returned to Trematon, word was sent to William confirming the death of his Father, who had died fairly instantly after being struck in the street by a horse drawn carriage. As sole heir, William inherited the entirety of his Father’s estate and title. During the legal acquisition William learned that his Father’s will had been unsuccessfully contested by two of Lord Charles ‘illegitimate children’ and that he had accumulated a great deal of unpaid debt. This scandal did not, however, become public knowledge due to the power and influence of Lord Charles political allies, who could not allow it to sully the Whig party, for whom he was a great and very public advocate.One year later, William agreed to marry a young woman from a wealthy family, by the name of Catherine de Beaumont. The union however was not one built of love, but instead was an arrangement agreed with her two Uncles; Catherine would acquire a title of nobility and a dutiful husband and in return William would be bequeathed the large sums of money left for Catherine, by her late Father. The marriage, built on nothing more than desperate commerce, was a cold and hesitant affair with both William and Catherine quickly determining that they were not an ideal match, with each having little interest in the other and even less interest in raising a family together. Such distance inevitably led to very bitter arguments and periods of estrangement, as William, much like his Father did, fled to the city of London to discover himself in ways the walls of Trematon Castle would never allow; through politics and vice.They had only been married just over three years when Catherine passed, succumbing to consumption, that saw her banished to the West Wing of the castle, due to the virulence of the infection, though William visited every day, at distance, to ensure her care needs were met by the servants, despite their differences. Following her death, all the soft furnishings in the wing were promptly burned and Trematon Castle renovated to William’s taste.It has been ten years since his wife’s death and in that time, despite many obvious courtship approaches, William has never remarried, but rather has turned his attentions to developing and maintaining Trematon Castle and its grounds, whilst also travelling frequently to London, to continue his Father’s political work, as a member of the ‘Reform Club’ supporting the Whig party.Temperament / Personality:William is a headstrong and uncompromising man, who has a tendency to be abrupt and curt when frustrated or tired. He is gruffly stubborn by nature and very particular with regard to his preferences. He is an educated and commanding master, who cannot stand complacency and does not tolerate the idle. He has grown up entitled and that sense of entitlement is deeply ingrained in him; he understands well his place in society and who exists above and below it.He is a passionate man, well argued with an inquisitive mind, attributes that are respected in political circles and considered valuable given his position and title. He has a great fear of abandonment, and that fear presents a substantial barrier to him both in trusting other people and allowing himself to become attached to them. He is known to be fickle and manipulative, holding no real loyalty to anyone but himself, though his company is enjoyed by his peers, who adore his social, hedonistic side; which arises mostly when he has been drinking. It is usually then that he takes a lover, though he considers this a trifle and nothing of a serious nature.
At home, in Trematon, he is a man who spends much of his time alone, in his own company, reading, writing, painting and horse riding, though he does host the odd social occasion at the castle, where he employs a full complement of servants, all directed by his aging Housekeeper, Mrs Mary Frances, who has worked at Trematon Castle since William was a boy.
ADELIA LENNOX
OC: 1800's Victorian muse;Full name: Lady Adelia Adilene Lennox;Faceclaim: Keira Knightley;Age: 24;Gender: Cis Female;Height: 5 7’’;Ethnicity: English / Belgian;Occupation: English Aristocracy;Location: Drumlanrig Castle in / London townhouse overlooking St James’ Park;Orientation: Closeted Bisexual;
Main Verse:Lady Adelia Lennox is the daughter of Edward Lennox, the Duke of Dumfries and the Dutchess of Dumfries, Lady Margaux Lennox, Daughter of the Marquess de Lannoy, originally hailing from Belgium. Edward was a Colonel in the First (Royal) Regiment of Foot (Royal Scots) and fought during the Napoleonic War. It was during his tour of duty in Belgium that he met his wife. He is considered a good friend of the royal family and was particularly close to the late Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, the fourth son of King George III and Father to Queen Victoria.Adelia’s family are royalists and members of the Scottish Presbyterian Church. Adelia was raised within the grounds of Drumlanrig Castle by her Mother and her Governess. She was schooled to read and write in English French and Dutch, to judge the merits of poetry, to sing, dance and to play violin as well as being instructed on manners and courtesy. As a child, she developed a keen interest in literature and in fashion, interests which have persisted from her teens all the way into adulthood.As Adelia came of age, her beauty, grace and poise were often remarked upon, resulting in a steady stream of suitors approaching her father, with intentions to marry. None, however, met with her liking and therefore his approval. Edward, having experienced first-hand his Mother’s misery caused by her own arranged marriage, was keen to stress to Adelia from a young age that she would be free to chose her own suitor, though what remained unspoken was that such a suitor should be of appropriate nobility, naturally.Granting her such freedom has allowed Adelia to pursue her passions, instead of a husband, and it is this reason, at the age of 24 she remains unmarried. Such passions extend to reading about philosophy, science, the natural world and politics, though she is unable to put her intelligence to use academically or in industry given the limitations imposed by her gender. Adelia is not cruel nor cold hearted but she does suffer frustration in trying to accept her position in society; as a noblewoman thought to be an excellent proposition for marriage. It is a fate she has not yet resigned herself too, though it is one she remains open to, if, of course, she were to fall in love; something she is yet to experience. Though she has been linked to many noblemen who have tried to court her, she has never settled with one. What is not know is that a large number of her affectionate encounters have been with woman, whom she better entrusts to keep secret such liaisons. She is acutely aware of the importance of reputation, and has, in the past, sought the assistance of close friends to ensure hers remains utterly untarnished. While still possessing her beauty and youth, she remains a prospect of interest to men of importance in London.Overall Adelia is an astute woman, with great wit and political acumen, one who enjoys the social scene in London, the only real opportunity she is afforded to play games that satisfy her mischievous soul and natural sense of playfulness. Adelia enjoys being perused, engaging in games of cat and mouse, though the disguise of mouse is meant only to play the part society expects her to, and if used, it is only ever a manipulation towards a grander plan, as a way to exert influence or simply to meet with her amusement, London can be such a terrible bore after all.WW1 verse - 1914:"Death was written large everywhere."Mere days before Britain declares war on Germany, Adelia’s Father, the Duke of Dumfries, a former Colonel in the Royal Regiment of Foot is called to London by King George V to act as a royal advisor. Adelia’s Mother, bereft over the situation in Europe insists on travelling with him, in the hope that her presence might provide the influence required to ensure successful extraction of Adelia’s grandparents from Belgium.Upon her father’s request, Adelia agrees to stay at Drumlanrig, to oversee its transformation; like so many of Britain’s castles and stately homes, it is soon decreed Drumlanrig will be re-purposed for the war effort; the castle and its expansive grounds serving as a military hospital, base and training camp, with plans to establish a recruitment and transit centre.The family’s paintings, tapestries, antiques and finery are soon packed away and moved into the upper floors of the castle, kept under lock and key, while most remaining furniture, save for pieces still kept in Adelia’s room, are moved into smaller rooms and covered in sheets to prevent degradation.Despite having no formalised medical training to speak of, besides what knowledge the other nurses and military doctors have passed onto her during the first two weeks of transition, Adelia, as an intelligent and resilient woman, upon request, takes up the position of nurse within the complement now present at Drumlanrig.During the day Lady Lennox spends her time tending to her patients, while in the evenings she devotes much of her time to studying medical books and journals in an attempt to further qualify herself. When unable to concentrate, most often due to fear and worry, she frequently finds herself drinking with some of the soldiers, in an effort to calm her fraying nerves.Spy Verse - 1913Loose lips sink shipsName: Adelheid Zeitzler
Nationality: German
Age: 24
Alias: Lady Adelia LennoxDuring the first Balkan war, at the end of 1912, at the age of 23, following instruction from her brother and Spymaster; Friedrich Zeitzler, Adelheid travels to England, under the alias ‘Adelia Lennox’ with papers that identify her as an English National of noble heritage who has been travelling throughout Europe to undertake benevolent activity.The mission is her most significant to date and one she has prepared for since turning twenty-one, having completed lessons in espionage, combat training, weapons training and communications, all under the auspices of her Brother Herr Zeitzler. Throughout her training Adelheid has spent time and effort perfecting her knowledge of British history, her mannerisms and accent, in order to blend in seamless with her surroundings. Despite this, she is very inexperienced; this will be her first fieldwork assignment.Her assignment begins at St Thomas’ hospital, to provide her cover as a nurse working in London, based on a false background of work undertaken in Europe. Her real role of course is much more insidious, as she is responsible for intercepting coded messages between Britain and its allies, sending the communications to her brother in Berlin. For eight months she tirelessly undertakes this work, until she is contacted by Friedrich with an unexpected request. Adelheid is informed that Sebastian Reed, one of Zeitzler’s best operatives has gone rogue, having seemingly abandoned his mission and disappeared.Sebastian’s mission is one of critical importance; the assassination of Emir Adem; heir to the Prime Ministership of the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP); a notorious anglophile, who will likely lead the CUP triumvirate to support Britain in the oncoming war, entirely undermining Germany’s position. The Germans have been furnished with intelligence that Emir Adem is due to visit the Warren Place racing estate in Newmarket, Suffolk, due to his keen interest in breeding Anglo Arab race horses. Warren Place is easily considered the most glamourous racing yard in all of Europe. It is here Adelheid has been instructed to meet with the heir, so as to ingratiate herself with him and ultimately dispatch him, in a manner which will not draw suspicion. After completing Sebastian Reed’s mission, in his absence, she has been instructed to find the rogue agent and bring him back to Germany, so that Herr Zeitzler, his spymaster, may deal with his desertion personally.(Exclusive verse with @pupil-of-law)V: RuinmakerJames Bond VerseAdelia Adilene Lennox was born in St Thomas’ hospital in London, in a private room assigned to Lady Margaux Lennox and her husband, Lord Edward Lennox, the Duke of Salisbury. Margaux was Edward’s second wife, a Barrister, well respected in her field, while Edward, some ten years her senior, had excelled in politics, having obtained a hereditary peerage in the House of Lords following the death of his Father.
Adelia was only two when her Mother Margaux died in that same hospital, after suffering a severe brain aneurysm, one Edward was told no one could have predicted. Within a year Edward had remarried, having met Anya Sokolov, the beautiful daughter of a Russian diplomat, during a business trip to Moscow. For three years the pair lived together in Kensington, Anya settling into the role of homemaker and raising Adelia while her father attended to business at Parliament and the House of Lords.
One chilly night in November, Edward stumbled upon a prowler in the kitchen, who he mistakenly assumed to be a common burglar. He was struck violently across the head and in the midst of the commotion, watched from the floor as his wife Anya dispatched the man with terrifyingly quick precision. That was the night everything changed. What followed was a tearful confession from Anya, one that confirmed their meeting had not been by chance and that she had been tasked to seduce Edward and use their union to settle into Britain as a foreign agent, charged with manipulating him and obtaining government secrets. The worst thing of all, was not that she had failed in obtaining such secrets, but rather that in the process of her mission, she had, in spite of herself, fallen deeply in love with him.
Edward, unable to see past his love for his Anya, did not choose fight or flight but instead agreed to furnish her with the information she required, in order to keep her safe; this was how Lord Edward Lennox began to work for the Spectre Organisation, without even knowing its name.
For four years Edward followed instructions given to him by Anya, lobbying particular causes, voting particular ways in the House of Lords and trading confidential secrets. When The Organisation deemed he had served his purpose and would only draw suspicion if he continued, Spectre unceremoniously executed him, making his brutal death looking like a car-jacking on the M25 gone terribly wrong.
Immediately Anya, mourning the loss of her husband and fearing for her life, fled England, taking Adelia, who had only recently turned ten, with her. For six years the pair moved from country to country, city to city, Adelia growing adept at mastering new languages, at assuming new identities and learning to blend into her surroundings, becoming skilled at living an untraceable life in the shadows with Anya, the only Mother she’d ever truly known.
While briefly living in Myshkin, a small village on the outskirts of St Petersburg in Russian, the two were eventually caught, but rather than being executed, they were brought to Moscow, to meet with members of Spectre, who agreed to welcome Anya back into the fold, on the condition that Adelia, now sixteen, began specialist training to prepare her to return to England as a sleeper agent.
Adelia’s training lasted four years, equipping her with more foreign languages and developing her intellect and knowledge of strategy, whilst also furnishing her with combat skills, weaponry and espionage expertise, demolition capability and advanced interpersonal skills, making her adept at manipulation and exploiting relationships. She was taught to master interrogation, endure torture and survive in extreme climates and of course, how to kill. Having newly turned twenty one, she was sent on her first set of missions, many at first, of minor importance, but eventually progressing to undercover work involving blackmail, extortion and assassination, drawing the admiring attention of Blofeld himself, who had commented that her work was undeniably impeccable.
Adelia worked for Spectre for three years, travelling internationally, completing many missions, all in preparation for her eventual return to England. During that third year however, while undertaking a mission in Minsk, by no more than a conversational accident, she unwittingly discovered the man she had been sent to meet, her accomplice; Dominic Greene, was actually the man responsible for ordering her father’s death. Greene’s murder; Adelia’s vengeance, was met with cruel revenge – her Step-Mother Anya’s death at the hands of Spectre - Adela’s punishment for straying from her mission. The act itself was a dangerous miscalculation and rather than bringing Adelia into line, instead it incited her, causing her to abandon Spectre and immediately travel to London, to meet with former friends of her Father who would arrange an introduction with senior members of the British Secret Service. Eventually, a deal was struck Adelia’s intelligence provided in return for protecting the good name of her Father, despite his treason, orchestrating a betrayal of Spectre, served as punishment for the death of her family.That is why Lady Adelia Lennox now works as a British intelligence agent for MI6 in London.
FRANKIE ARTINO
OC: Modern Crime with Gotham Variation;Full name: Frankie Artino;Faceclaim: Luca Marinelli;Age: 37;Gender: Cis Male;Height: 5 11’’;Ethnicity: Italian American;Occupation: Crime scene clean-up;Location: Brooklyn / Gotham;Orientation: Bisexual;Preference: Bottom / Submissive;Disability: Tourette’s Syndrome;
LOW ACTIVITYIf you ask Frankie’s Mother what Frank was like as a child, she’ll say at heart, he was a good kid, just lacked follow-through sometimes, just fell in with the wrong crowd. If you ask Frankie’s Father, however, he’ll say Frankie was never a kid, no, Frankie was a fire that was set. Throughout kindergarten and high school, many people tried to put out that fire, some attempting to smother it, others determining it needed stomped straight into the ground. Neither approach ever worked mind you; Frankie has always been self-igniting. It was little wonder then, that he never graduated and instead turned to a life of petty crime, where the risks were high and the rewards instant. He was a tough kid, a street bawler, kind of kid that knew when to keep his mouth shut and when to sing; street smart.Only thing that ever changed him; tempered him, was the death of his Brother, Vincent; killed in a car accident that left Frankie with the kind of head trauma he can’t hide, can’t hide because it spills out his mouth and makes his limbs tighten and visibly jerk. Frankie has Tourette’s, had it since he was 22, since his Brother passed and his parents disowned him, blaming Vincent’s death on Frankie’s drunk driving, despite him being acquitted by a court judge.Frankie’s 35 now and while he still has that same mischievous grin, the kind that marks him out as an accelerant; both the fire and the fuel, he’s wiser now and a little more cautious too, though only a little. For the past four years Frankie’s been earning money as the fourth member of a four man ‘clean-up’ crew in Brooklyn (or Gotham), the kind you call when things go bad, the kind you call when the bodies can’t be buried, they need to be burned. Frankie has connections all over the city, all eager to help with the disposal aspects of the business, for the right price of course.Over the years Frank has got better at controlling his tics, and often they can appear as if he is only stretching out his neck, or fidgeting nervously, maybe even just repeating a few random words. Spend enough time in his company however and you will see that this control is mainly down to suppression, something that exhausts him by the end of every day. When Frankie is frightened, confused, emotional or stressed, in truth, he struggles to control the ferocity of his verbal and physical tics and should he be met with anything less than empathy and understanding, there is the chance he will become violent. Frankie is still a fire after all.(Tourette's portrayal based on the character of Lionel Essrog in the novel/film Motherless Brooklyn written by Jonathan Lethem.)Derelict Youth (Younger verse)At the age of 20, Frankie’s entering the twilight of his youth, and while strangers might still refer to him as ‘kid’, the truth is that Frankie hasn’t felt like a kid for a long time now. Two years ago, he faced criminal prosecution as an adult, for the death of his Brother in a drunk driving car accident. Frankie still believes the collision was his fault, even if the court did end up acquitting him and while he didn’t end up serving any time in prison, he has been punished for it. Thrown out of the family home, blamed for the death of his parents ‘golden boy’, Frankie has had to fend for himself while dealing with the aftermath of the accident. There’s not just the grief and guilt to contend with, no; there’s also the injuries he sustained himself, all neurological. The specialists that attended to him for the weeks following the accident, all paid for by his parents’ medical insurance, have deemed his condition to be a form of Tourette’s, one that they have estimated will gradually worsen as he gets older. The condition itself has made it downright impossible for a kid who didn’t graduate High School to hold down a decent paying job, the kind that will put both food in his belly and pay the rent.It’s little wonder then that Frankie has fallen back on what he knows; petty crime – the kind that keeps him fed and keeps a roof over his head, even if that roof is not his own and has to be vacated before the real owner returns. Right now, he is living on the streets, living on his wits and little else. His condition is getting worse admittedly, but he can’t afford medical care, so he perseveres, holds his tics in when he can and releases them when alone, though that is becoming harder and harder. He still dreams of that one big score; the one that will change his life for good, but in a city like this, with a mouth like his, such opportunities are hard to come by, so for now he’s just concentrating on getting by; living day to day.
IGOR BORTSOV
OC: Modern Crime / MafiaFull name: Igor Bortsov;Faceclaim: Viggo Mortensen;Age: 49;Gender: Cis Male;Height: 5 11’’;Ethnicity: Russian;Occupation: Pakhan / boss within Solntsevskaya Bratva;Location: International - Moscow based;Orientation: Bisexual, switch / verse;
Igor Bortsov was born out of wedlock, to a young woman called Elina, a former prostitute who was forced to hand over her child for adoption, a standard practice in those days for unmarried Mothers. Igor, remaining unaware of his true origins, was raised in a home of modest means, by Anna and Piotr Bortsov, who both owned a small home on the outskirts of the Chertanovo District in Moscow, an impoverished area with a high crime rate. The couple had experienced great difficulty in bearing a child and were delighted to be given Igor to raise as their own. Anna was a homemaker and local seamstress, while Piotr worked for the government as a mechanic, repairing cars. They were decent, doting parents who always ensured Igor was respectably dressed and that he attended school every day. After school, Igor would help his Father with his work, tending to the cars of government officials.Shortly after his 12th Birthday, during a car robbery gone wrong, Igor lost both of his parents, who were hauled out of their car, dragged through the snow and unceremoniously executed on the side of the road, right in front of him. Igor, understandably traumatised by the violence and devastated by their loss, was afforded little time to mourn them, after being instantly packed off to live with his Uncle; Konstantin Bortsov. Konstantin, a widower, with no children of his own, worked for the KGB at their headquarters in the heart of the wealthy Meshchansky Distinct in Moscow and had little interest in children and even littler interest in raising them. A gruff man and an alcoholic, Konstantin did his best to raise the boy to fast become a man, though his care and attention sadly did not extend far beyond feeding and clothing Igor and teaching him to fight. Konstantin, a man severely lacking in empathy, wasted no time at all in telling the boy about his real Mother and the actual circumstances of his birth. Without the loving influence of his parents, in no time at all, Igor soon turned from a studious, smart boy, into a boy who cared less for school and more for playground fighting and thievery. With only a first name to go on, any attempts to find his real Mother Elina, consistently ended in failure.At 13 he was running with gangs of boys in the distinct, pick-pocketing, stealing cars and running scams and by 14, his Uncle had pulled him out of school and now had him running errands for him to earn his keep. These errands usually took the form of deliveries, starting with messages and letters and soon gravitating to larger packages. Having just turned 16, Igor delivered a package to an apartment in Moscow one sunny afternoon, on behalf of his Uncle, only to see the same apartment on a news bulletin only a few hours later, the entire building now engulfed in flames and blown to pieces. This terrible act resulting in a significant death toll. It was only then that Igor realised he had been undertaking work for his Uncle on behalf of the KGB. Refusing to do anymore of this kind of work, Igor grew increasingly distant from his Uncle, as he continued to spend more of his time on the streets, sleeping in abandoned buildings and earning money by street brawling and stealing.It was only a matter of time before he would be caught, having held up a rich man at knife point, Igor had been forced to fight him and in the midst of the altercation had ended up stabbing the local business owner in the leg, who had nearly died due to a major artery being struck. Igor was sentenced to two years in juvenile prison for assault and theft and it is here his life both ended and began.Within the juvenile prison, Igor thrived and soon had the other inmates well organised and orchestrated to form the biggest drug ring the prison had ever seen, with Igor sat at the very top of it. Having served his two years, Igor was not released but was instead tried as an adult for drug offences and for attempted murder, having nearly beaten his cellmate to death for threatening to rat him out. Something Igor unashamedly told the jury he considered to be a ‘dick move’. He was given 10 years.Unsurprisingly, Igor also thrived in prison, though at the age of only 18, it was much harder to earn the respect of the rival gangs and he was forced to commit many brutal and violent acts of supremacy in order to prove himself and gain a degree of power. Many of these acts resulted in an increased sentence, resulting in an extra 7 years added. In was in prison that Igor was given most of his tattoos, of huge importance in establishing himself; inked symbology giving him a distinct identity through visually detailing his life; his prostitute Mother, his dual imprisonment and his crimes, those known and unknown to the law. A language to read and ultimately a mark of trust, displayed through religious imagery that in truth, has very little to do with religion.Within 6 years Igor found he had ingratiated himself with several members of Solntsevskaya Bratva, a faction of the Russian Mafia; an affiliation Igor’s Uncle seemed to take great interest in during his visits. Eventually Konstantin brokered a deal, securing Igor’s early release in return for his agreement to work for the KGB undercover within Solntsevskaya Bratva. Igor agreed, securing his release after only serving 7 years of a now 17-year sentence.Igor however, was no fool and used the agreement with the KGB to climb the ranks of Bratva, offering government information and state secrets in exchange for power, for the six years he worked for the KGB, effectively orchestrating a double cross that lasted for years, requiring him to live dual lives. During those six years Igor became increasing loyal to Bratva, becoming indoctrinated into their way of life, structures and order, following the code of the Vor v Zakone. On the same day he was crowned with the status of ‘Vor’ and granted his Vor star tattoos, across his heart and on his knees, he was promoted to Brigadier, responsible for running a cell of his own men. It was on this day that he finally defected from the KGB to Bratva. One of his first tasks he was asked to arrange in this position, was the assassination of his Uncle Konstantin, which he did by delivering a package to the man’s apartment building, one containing a bomb, an act that to this day, Igor feels was a form of poetic justice.For ten years, Igor acted as Brigadier, running a cell of men, undertaking work in a large variety of areas; extortion, murder, money laundering, drug trafficking, arms dealing, corruption and bribery. It was only following the assassination of the group’s Pakhan (boss) that Igor was finally promoted and it is in this position he sits today, in charge of multiple Brigadiers and cells of men.Igor is fiercely loyal to the organisation and is not known to share power easily and whilst most men of his position would rarely need to get their hands dirty, Igor likes to take a hands-on approach to business; especially when it comes to dealing with disloyalty and dissention in the Bratva ranks. In terms of his position within the Russian Mafia as a whole, Igor is the man you call in when a cell isn’t working effectively or when parts of the organisation need to grow. He can sniff out fear, hesitation and disloyalty like a bloodhound and news of his visit, whether this is in Moscow, Poland, London, Amsterdam, New York or any other city for that matter, is rarely welcomed, as it is normally the mark of something gone wrong that Igor intends to fix, by whatever means he deems necessary.In general terms, he is a man of few words, who knows how to expresses himself well, given that he is smart, intuitive and quick witted. He is likeable and manipulative and commands an air of respect, not only because of his status in the organisation, but because he has the look of a man who wouldn’t hesitate to rip your throat out with his bare hands, unless it’s bad for business. He has many friendships and alliances, all established for the singular purpose of maintaining knowledge, power and control. He enjoys mentoring younger Bratva associates, preparing them for higher positions, so he can pick and choose those that will keep him in his position as boss and one day ultimately succeed him.He smokes Ziganov brand cigarettes, drinks a lot of black tea and regularly indulges in Vodka, and Ararat brandy. He rarely takes drugs, despite his history and success in trafficking them. His main residence is a large penthouse apartment with roof garden in the Khamovniki distinct of Moscow, overlooking the river. He owns the whole building and allows other Vor to use the apartments below, when they are visiting Moscow. He owns a garage near by where he likes to go to fix up cars, something he does on those nights when he has trouble sleeping, fulfilling a passion he’s had ever since he was a boy, working with his Father.His private life remains so; utterly private and he likes to keep it that way. He has no wife or a family, and his love life consists mainly of affairs with married men and woman and one-night stands. He is more interested in conquest than love, but enjoys feeling loved and adored, even if it isn’t truly reciprocal - he'll gladly play 'husband' if it's only for the weekend. He particularly appreciates lovers that cook for him and a hearty bowl of borscht, just like his Mother Anna used to make, has been known to bring a tear to his eye in more tender moments.
HANNIBAL LECTER
Canon: Hannibal (NBC Television Series)Full name: Hannibal Lecter;Faceclaim: Mads Mikkelsen;Age: 48;Gender: cis male;Height: 6 0’’;Ethnicity: Lithuanian;Occupation: Psychiatrist / Serial Killer;Location: Baltimore, Maryland, USA ;Orientation: Pansexual;
Hannibal Lecter is a canon character from the NBC series Hannibal. He is a highly respected psychiatrist and a serial killer, one who eats his victims (cannibal).(Please note that mun is absolutely a Hannigram fan and willing to ship Hannibal and Will Graham)My portrayal is based on established canon, please view the link below for further information: