LAI Start Date: 08.24.08 Nationality: Russian Rank: New Recruit
Please do not post in this thread without Ravina Loki's permission.
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 6:11 pm
.:Navigation:.
Shee's Post | Navigation | Rules | To LOTUS | About Lai | Pages Gone By | Interactions | Aspirations | Photographs and Watercolors | Impressions | Belongings | Space, Residence, Home | Holiday Presents | Reserved | Credits
Ravina Loki
Incredible Flatterer
Offline
Ravina Loki
Incredible Flatterer
Offline
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 6:12 pm
.:Rules:.
I only have one real rule for the journal and that would be respect and honor the rules laid down by Jyoti, LOTUS, and Gaia as a whole. Which in its own way branches off into many smaller rules that I believe you, the reader, can see for yourself clear as crystal and respect fully.
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 6:13 pm
.:To LOTUS:.
Prompt Question--The tiny, cold butterflies fall slowly, suspended on silver wings, down towards the earth as you look up into the light sky, tinged with a hint of blue.
Prompt Response--Lai paused. His breath, slow and steady, floated upwards in misty white clouds before his gentle blue-gray eyes. Slowly, he tilted his head up, shaggy brown hair falling about his face and neck with romantic grandeur. Falling from the overcast blue tinged sky were snowflakes.
Since he was small he had always referred to snowflakes as butterflies. So graceful, peaceful, and kind in a way. Just like butterflies in spring, these frozen water crystals amazed him. And not just that…They were friends. And he was lucky. In Russia, his friends visited often.
Lai shut his eyes and breathed in the cold, refreshing air deeply. It stung his lungs at first, but he relished it. The dancing, cold butterflies settled gently on his eyebrows and eyelashes as well as his pale, lightly freckled face and snug clothes. Oh was peace he was in. Oh how he wished he could just stand here like he was; face skyward, arms outstretched to embrace each and everyone of the butterflies, the snowflakes, his friends forever and ever. But, he knew change was coming.
Soon, he may just have to leave his friends. Not for good, no, no. Maybe, luckily, not at all. But if he had to…Something like that would kill him inside. Though he didn’t know what would change, he knew something would, and he would be apart of it. Someday…Somehow…Soon.
To the tinged sky, to his cold winged friends, he whispered in a voice so soft;
“Goodbye my friends.”
Ravina Loki
Incredible Flatterer
Offline
Ravina Loki
Incredible Flatterer
Offline
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 6:17 pm
.:About Lai:.
---------------General Information--------------- Name: (Niko?)Lai Ivanovich Gorgonroff Nickname(s): Lai-ai, Frivolo, The Kind Spirit Date of Birth: January 8th, 1904 Age: Twenty-two (Technically twenty-three) Gender: Male Marital Status: In a relationship Orientation: Homosexual Religion: Was baptized Christian (Russian Orthodox Church) but is not practicing and bordering on Agnostic Race: Human Heritage: Russian Nationality: Russian Occupation: LOTUS Member Home Address: LOTUS Work Address: LOTUS
---------------Appearance--------------- Height: 6’2” Weight: 150 lbs-155 lbs Hair Color: Brown with a reddish tint Hair Length: Base of neck, but some of his hair is cut longer than that. Hair Style: Shaggy and choppy (self cut), but well kept. He mostly keeps it down around his shoulders with a tress falling over his left one onto his chest but will put it up while cooking, doing a task, or on a whim. Eye Color: Pale blue-gray Skin Tone: Peach Physical Build: Lean, but also seen as ‘slight and effeminate of frame’ Distinguishing Marks: Thin, two inch long scar on the right side of his face just beneath his eye, heavy Russian accent, faintly effeminate features, birthmark on the inside of his left thigh. Clothing: Was most commonly seen in clothing given to all Russian’s by their government (see New Recruit image), but since acquiring clothing from his family back home he is now often seen in those garments. Accessories: None yet
Written Description of Appearance: Lai stands at six feet, two inches tall and weighs between one hundred fifty and one hundred fifty-five pounds. He has soft brown hair with a natural reddish tinting to it that is self cut and shaggy, and is styled so it falls about base of his neck length with some locks being longer. Commonly, his hair is left down, with a longer portion of his hair falling over his left shoulder and onto his chest. On occasion, though, he has been known to pull it up into a ponytail or slick it back and knot it, depending on what said occasion is.
The Russian has slightly pale but peach toned skin with very little distinguishing marks seen on it when he’s clothed. In outward appearances his face and body are slightly effeminate, with a soft, welcoming face and trusting blue-gray eyes that are amplified by his mostly docile personality. He has been called ‘beautiful’ before, but this beauty is marred by a two inch long, thin scar on his right cheek below yet very close to his right eye. This mark extends back towards his ear and despite his long, uneven bangs a person can easily see it if they look at him enough. Another feature about this man is his heavy Russian accent, and it distinguishes him from all the other recruits as their accents do for them. Unseen by all, since it is under his clothing, he has a birthmark on the inside of his left thigh, as well as usual freckling and other “beauty marks” seen on other people, though these are very few.
---------------Personality and Traits--------------- Written Description of Personality: Lai is quite gentle. He is awkward and studious but underneath that lies a strong heart and noble sense of justice. He also has a hidden temper that fades quickly and rarely appears. His scholarly attention lies with classical studies; his favorites being literature, arts, biological sciences, and music. The latter being made of classical due to cello lessons though he has a love in 1920's big band music ("swing music") and jazz, as well as traditional Russian folk songs. It is not often you don’t see Lai out and about just wandering around, astride his bicycle, or doing some sort of activity or task, though said tasks might not be personal. Lai is kind and will go out of his way to offer help to those in need and, if he feels the need to repay a person, will offer up any of his talents as payment (sewing something, cooking them a meal, etc). On a snowy day you can sometimes catch him standing perfectly still, arms outstretched, face skyward, and eyes closed, just letting the snow fall on him. He tolerates the cold, but during such weather he constantly seeks warmth, saying "since I was born in Russian winter I have that need to feel warm".
Being awkward he has a hard time around people at first, but after getting to know them he relaxes though he will still use formalities, calling men 'comrade' and women by their names but with either 'Miss' or 'Mrs.' before the name. The formal titles will drop if a person requests it or if there is a special connection with him and the person. He is intelligent as well, more nature than nurture it seems, and he puts it to good use, though to those ahead of his time he may seem a bit naive to things. He is curious, and enjoys spending time reading about things of the future among other things, some of which amaze him beyond all measure. Lai also loves a challenge especially if it has to do with some sort of creativity.
In his time he is considered worldly and some say beyond his years even though he has never left Russia before the time break. His sense of adventure is masked by his awkwardness but he would love to travel. Some would call him a ‘hopeless romantic’ but it seems more often than not they refer to Lai as 'an insightful young man'. Lai also has a fondness for Matryoshkas dolls and cats, wanting to get a kitten if he is able at some point.
Habits: Lai is a habitual worrier, which stems from his caring heart and personal philosophy to put others before himself. This means, if anyone is in need, Lai will readily aid them in their task whatever it may be. This belief could put him at risk or in danger and he knows that, but if the person is precious to him he will do anything he can within his power to help them (Example: ‘[META] For You - It’s Life and Death‘). Another habit is that he rarely gets angry as any annoyances are bottled up or cast aside. He will confront someone, but he doesn't lose his cool even if the argument escalates. This stems from his wanting to not be a bother or start conflicts with anyone; he's naturally mild mannered, causing him to more often than not let people walk over him. In some instances, though, he will not stand for something and/or take charge of a situation, proving that despite his docile and sweet exterior, he is quite the lion heart-ed one inside.
Hobbies: Badminton, bicycling, collecting Matryoshkas dolls, composing music, cooking, fishing (when able), gardening, listening to music, playing cello, reading, sewing, sleeping, snow-related activities, swimming, taking walks, tree climbing.
Philosophies: Others before oneself, chivalry
---------------Family:--------------- Father: Ivan Ivanovich Gorgonroff III Mother: Sof’ya Viktorovna Gorgonroffa Siblings: None Grandparents: Ivan Ivanovich Gorgonroff II (Deceased) *Note: Yes, Lai has another grandfather and two grandmothers, but they either died before he was born or he never met them at all. In any case, they’re all deceased too. Other: Franziska Viktorovna Kirillova (Aunt), Mikhail Vladimirovich Kirillova (Uncle), Sasha Mikhailovich Kirillov (Cousin), Nataliya Stefanova Kirillova (Cousin via marriage).
Pets: None yet.
---------------Other--------------- Likes: Animals, Archery, badminton, being helpful to others, bicycling, chocolate, coffee, color, cooking, fishing, gardens, his cello, music, parks, reading, sewing, snow, swimming, taking walks, travel, tree climbing, warm weather.
Dislikes: Alcohol, being ill, being stressed, children, cleaning, cold, conflicts, derogatory speech (to anyone), heavy perfumes/colognes, loud noises, tobacco products, seeing others injured, spicy food.
Skills: Lai's skills revolve around home economics, creativity, and music though he has branched out in various other things thanks to LOTUS members or non-members he has interacted with.
In the home economics area Lai is very skilled at cooking and sewing, offering up either of these skills to others to repay them for any acts of kindness they show him. For example, when Einar cleaned and bandaged up Lai's face near the end of 'Bows and Bicycles', the Russian offered to cook him dinner as a thank you for the help. Another example, this one about his sewing, would be when Lai told Shee that he would sew her the red sari she was wanting in return for her time and ear in 'Table for Two'. Both of these skills, and most any other skill that falls under "home economics" (minus knitting and embroidery, though he's trying to learn the latter) were taught to him by his aunt back in Russia. He does not think he can surpass her (Franziska would say otherwise), but he does think he is rising to her level of skill.
For the creativity category Lai is proficiently skilled. Give him a task that involves such a thing (with a rough outline of what you want) and he will readily hop to it. Creativity is a vast topic, so his cooking and sewing would fall under this as well, but so does music. In the music sub-category Lai plays cello. He has been since he was six years old and is above proficient. The Russian practices daily to keep his skill polished, though it is fairly rare for him to give a public performance (due to him being bashful about his talent), saying each piece would sound better when the entire orchestra was performing with his instrument.
On occasion, given his curious nature and interest in learning new things, Lai will readily agree to being taught skills from anyone he meets, LOTUS recruit or not. While moving around from Tomsk to St. Petersburg, he did pick up random skills from odd jobs, though most of them are somewhat lost to him now. Since being in LOTUS, the Russian has picked up skills from other recruits. In 'Bows and Bicycles', Lai made it known he knew a little bit of archery thanks to his older cousin Sasha. This skill was strengthened somewhat by watching Einar and then given the opportunity to fire arrows off as well. The lesson may have continued if the bowstring had not snapped and hit him in the face though. In the meta 'For You - It's Life and Death', during the flight to Kołobrzeg, Alberto taught Lai the basics of rifle marksmanship (how to hold the rifle, how to aim, how to fire, etc).
Font: Lai uses size 11 font with the #8c4722 shade of brown.
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 6:17 pm
.razzages Gone By:.
Lai was born in a large hospital in Moscow to wealthy parents with a massive political influence in the area. Even though he was their first and only child, Lai’s parents often pushed him off to the side in favor of galas and political events at which their attendance was “crucial”. This was half true because Lai's father never wanted children and therefore the boy did not exist to him and Lai's mother half wanted a daughter, so she only paid him mind when she wanted to dress him up in frilly things or felt like belittling him. In exchange for their absence in his life and to lead on the impression they were doting parents to the boy, his mother would buy him many extravagant gifts and presents. One would think this would cause him to become snobbish and rude, but in actuality he was a lonely little boy who just wanted love and affection. In the end he sought it from the hired help, who accepted the child with open arms, though he would have to learn hired hand duties for said attention when he wasn't layered down with tutoring. His grandfather was present somewhat in his life, but in that time his father deemed the old man 'senile' (this was not the case, he just didn't want anyone to show affection for Lai and if given the chance the elderly man would have doted on the boy) and kept him away from Lai up until his grandfather's death when Lai was ten.
Lai’s education was of the highest caliber bought by both of his parents (though recommended by Lai's grandfather) who wanted the best to uphold the family name, including the image, the power, and money behind it. He had tutors, scholars, professors, and instructors guiding him. And he flourished. In each of his classes Lai passed with flying colors, though tended to suffer in the mathematics and the physical sciences as well as physical education and sports. In a short amount of time he had became fluent in English, all be it with a prominent accent and some rare slight confusions with phrases. Though this quickness was not due to his own talent (he had it) but due to the militaristic instructor of the language who wanted progress done now and not over an expanse of time.
At age twelve his parents shipped him off to Tomsk to live with is mother’s kind (but poorer than they were) sister and her family. No reason was ever given to Lai, but he went without quarrel. At Tomsk his classy studies continued, with his parents sending tutors and the like so Lai could complete his education like they wanted him to. When the work was finally cleared for a while he also spent time with his relations. His aunt saw his talents for home economical tasks so she readily taught him all she knew. His cousin, when not busy, would teach him archery along with street brawling, though Lai could never come close to hitting his older, heavier relation.
By seventeen, a scholar from Moscow had determined he was learned enough where he could get into any college he extended his hand and applied to. With this, Lai began that quest but put it on hold not too long after. His relative’s house had burned in a fire that destroyed everything they owned. Lai, feeling indebted, returned to Moscow to ask for money to help the family. He was turned away. The reason was in his absence his parents, namely his father, had lost political power due to alleged money laundering accusations and other crimes, as well as the fall of the Romanov rule. When Lai returned to Tomsk, his aunt’s family had taken up with friends but had no room in their small budget to keep him.
Then Lai was a leaf in the wind; unable and unwilling to return to Moscow again and unable to stay where he wished due to unfortunate circumstances. Months of traveling and working odd jobs later he ended up at a bar in St. Petersburg with very little money in his pocket and only a few items to his name. Never one for alcohol, Lai drank juice and water amidst half drunken patrons while listening through the grapevine for available work. One night, he took to the men's lavatory and upon returning finished his drink, paid, and left to return to his hotel room for the night. En route he began to feel ill and, once at his temporary residence, blacked out.
When he awoke, he was aware of the air somehow not being quite right. Lai felt as though the world itself had shifted and by doing so had given him the migraine from Hell. What he didn't realize at that moment was the night before was the night that the sixth crystal had exploded far into the future and knocked out the balance of Time itself.
(More to come)
Timeline January 8th, 1904-Lai's date of birth February 10th, 1904-Start of the Russo-Japanese War
January 22nd, 1905-Bloody Sunday September 5th, 1905-End of the Russo-Japanese War; Russia loses
April 10th, 1912-RMS Titanic takes her maiden voyage April 15th, 1912-RMS Titanic sinks after colliding with an iceberg in the middle of the Atlantic
July 28th, 1914-Start of WW1 1914-Germany declares war on Russia
April 25th, 1916-Lai, age 12, is sent to live with his relatives in Tomsk
1917-Russian Revolution February 1917-February Revolution of 1917 Oct 1917-October Revolution November 7th, 1917-Russian SFSR Established
July 16th, 1918-Death of the Russian Imperial Family 1918-Russian Civil War breaks out November 11th, 1918-End of WW1
December 30th, 1922-Soviet Union Established
June 1923-End of the Russian Civil War
November 2nd, 1925-Lai's relative's house burns down in a fire; Lai goes to Moscow for aid from his parents but is turned away. November 4th, 1925-Lai packs his meager belongings and leaves for St. Petersburg, looking for work.
January 8th, 1926-Lai turns 22; his current age May 23rd, 1926-Time collapses while Lai is passed out from sudden illness in St. Petersburg.
To earn "Level Two" status: -Execute four (4) successful missions (o/4) or -Complete six (6) missions (o/6)
-Dedicatedly participate* in at least one "Crystal Retrieval" event. (These will be clearly announced.) (o/1)
-------
To earn "Elite" status: -Execute eight (8 ) successful missions (o/8 ) or -Complete eleven (11) missions (o/11)
-Dedicatedly participate* in at least one "Crystal Retrieval" event. (These will be clearly announce.) (o/1)
1 Mission = 2 Open RPs = 3 Private RPs = 6 solo RPs/journal entries NOTE: 1 NPC PRP that reaches 5-6 pages (or more) will be counted as 2 private RPs.
Trade Ins
-Seriously (PRP x1), Bows and Bicycles (PRP x1), and The Thoughtful Ones (PRP x1)--1/3 Missions to Level One -Table for Two (PRP x2) and Crash In To Me (PRP x1)--2/3 Missions to Level One -For You; It's Life and Death (META)--3/3 Missions to Level One -Aptitude Test - Lai (Aptitude Test x1)--1/1 to Level One
Recruits Abel- He has become close to Miss Hyo and gave his blood to Einar. Alberto: Taught me to fire a rifle. A good thing but...He is a good man, I like him. Aletta- Archer- Comrade was very supportive during the tough time. I will have to thank him. Asmadai- The Father is quite polite and very resourceful when wanting to know about LOTUS. Also, he plays piano which makes me glad there is another instrumentalist here. I am certain I will see the man again.
Bernardo:
Delgerdzaya-
Einar- Gave me the scare of my life, but I will stay by his side. Eponine- ...I am so sorry Miss. Estrelas- Loud. Very, very loud.
Faustus-
Hyo- A pleasant young girl who doesn't speak English. I helped her when she was afraid at the Masquerade and she did an embroidery of my person on my handkerchief. I hope to teach her English come Tuesday at ten in the morning.
Johannes-
Menefer-
Shane-
Vashan-
Staff Eknephias-
Lokiari-
Mokoyis- Midori-
Rodney-
Sebastian- Senzangakhona- Shee- A nice young woman. I was a bit nervous around her at first but she talked to me about many things; including cooking, bicycles, Halloween, fabrics, and what Einar might feel for me when I spilled everything that happened that day to her. I am grateful for her kindness and opinions.
Thasios- An odd-accented man I met at the Masquerade. He seems to be of a higher rank than me, though which one, I do not know.
Wraith-
Ravina Loki
Incredible Flatterer
Offline
Ravina Loki
Incredible Flatterer
Offline
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 6:25 pm
.:Belongings:.
When arriving at LOTUS -The clothes on his back -His cello (in its case) -A single novel; a dog-eared, worn binding copy of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte -A small sewing kit with several spools of thread -An old leather knapsack -A small coin purse -A Matryoshka doll that is missing the smallest doll -A red bicycle with a wide black leather seat, metal basket on the handlebars, rack over the back wheel, and handle brakes. The bicycle has those metal covers on both wheels and covering the top part of the chain. By today's standards this would be an old model.
Newly obtained things Package One -Two pairs of boots (black) -Two sets of formal wear -Long, dark gray button up coat -Sewing supplies (needles, pin cushions, many spools of thread, etc) -Large sewing case -Three hairbrushes -Three combs -Light jacket -Fleece jacket -Quilt ___________ Package Two -Multiple pairs of all assortments of clothing (pants, shirts, undergarments, socks, sleepwear, etc) -Two knit hats -A fur lined hat -Two scarves -Three pairs of gloves (Two fabric, one leather) -Two pairs of mittens -Shaving razor -Shaving lather mix, dish, and brush -Various toiletry items (Soap, washcloths, shampoo/conditioner, toothbrush/paste, etc) -Reading glasses -Letter from his aunt -Picture of his aunt's family taken just after his cousin's wedding ___________ Package Three -Blank recipe cards -Filled out recipe cards -Two square index card holder (empty) -Four square index card holders (full) -Several well used cook books (older and in Russian) -Several new cookbooks (in English and Russian with some being for cooking using things not found in the early 1900s. i.e. Crockpot) ___________ Package Four -Coat hangers -Box of mothballs -Wood cleaning products (new rags, polish, etc) -Bathroom cleaning products (brushes, soaps, glass cleaner, etc) -Can of grease for bicycle chains -Rust remover ___________ Package Five -Books (fill up the vast majority of the box which is luckily not large, various authors from Lai's time, the past, and the future. Think future authors as the likes of Stephen King and JK Rowling) -Music sheets (classical, jazz, folk songs, and swing) -Replacement cello strings -Extra cello bow ___________ Package Six -Another quilt -Five packages of sheets (colors: black (2x), white, light blue, cream-tan) -Five packages of pillowcases (match the sheets) -Dark green comforter -Goose down pillow ___________ Package Seven -Three small rugs (one for when you walk in the door, one by Lai's bed, and one by the bathtub) -Drapes (dark red color) -Picture album (brand new) -Camera -Ten packages of film -Empty picture frames (some for hanging, some for desks) -Picture wire -Matryoshka dolls ___________ Package Eight -Jarred preserves (strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, etc) -Home canned and jarred foods (vegetables, fruits, meats) -Bars of chocolate (solid and filled) -Two small jars of dry yeast -Tightly wrapped baked goods (bread, Russian desserts, cookies, etc) -Packing peanuts charged to max. with static electricity ____________ Sasha's Package -Kite -Claw hammer -Small tool kit (small screwdrivers, wrenches, etc) -Hand drawn diagram entitled "How to fend yourself from the ladies by use of this hammer now that I am off the market"
_________________________________________<--End of family packages -Embroidery in the image of Lai in his Masquerade outfit and with his mask in hand on a handkerchief done in black thread. (Also has some floral branches stitched in too) <--Given to him by Hyo
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 6:26 pm
.:Space, Residence, Home:.
Lai's room is a rectangle in shape that is roomy enough for him, but may seem small compared to other LOTUS member rooms. The floors, walls, and ceiling are all hardwood which is laid over the marble, though the way it was put it makes it seem like it is not hiding stone underneath. The walls are presently devoid of any sort of shelving or decoration, as Lai has no shelves which to put up and no photographs to put in the picture frames he was sent. Those frames are, for now, stored in the closet.
When a person walks into Lai's room they will notice that there are two other doors on either side of the room. The one on the left and closest to the bedroom door is the closet. The closet doesn't house much, just Lai's cello case, some coat hangers, his jackets, and any odds and ends that don't have any place at the moment (i.e. the picture frames). The light switch for the closet is outside the door, to the right, and the light is flat, circular, and on the ceiling. On the opposite (right) side of the room is another door which leads to the bathroom. The bathroom is a bit narrow and is a 'L' shape. On the right as a person walks in is the shower/bathtub. It is a white color and the shower curtains are darkblue. The toilet is also on the right and near the end of the room, spaced apart from the shower/bath. Across from the toilet is where the hook of the 'L' is and inside that hook is a single circular window on the left and the sink/medicine cabinet/mirror directly before a person. The mirror is flanked by two tube shaped lights and the switch for those is just beneath the lefthand light. The floor is also hardwood, but the walls are white-blue ceramic tile. There is a dark blue rug on the floor in front of the shower/bath to prevent slipping. The bathroom light switch is just inside the bathroom on the left and the light itself is similar to the one in the closet, hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the room.
Back to the main, living room. Standing in the doorway that leads to the hall a visitor will find that there is a dark blue rug, similar to the one in the bathroom, beneath their feet just inside the room. When the room's door is shut said visitor can see Lai's bicycle just behind the door in the corner. To the right is the bureau and there are more than a few knick knacks and odds-and-ends on it. The bureau has a wide mirror and four shelves that are packed with clothes. Also on the right is the light switch panel, but instead of a ceiling light like the closet and bathroom he has wall lamps.
The center of his room is bare save for center-right where there is a table, chair, and Lai's cello. The table is short and littered with music sheets and it is also turned on a diagonal. The chair is armless so it can provide Lai with plenty of room to move with his instrument. The cello is grand to look at, its bow is usually hidden beside it near the chair but will sometimes appear on the table if Lai sets it there in an afterthought. Behind the set up and on the same wall as the bathroom door is a heater that releases heat in via steam. It is very hot and since it is as such Lai keeps it clear of objects. On the other side of the wall and directly across from the heater is Lai's bed. Despite his mostly clean room Lai never seems to make the bed and leaves it the way it is when he woke up. If anything is neat about his bed it is the neatly folded quilt that lays either at the foot or on the side closest to the wall. Above his bedside is a large circular window with dark red drapes. Another window with the same color drapes is situated near the heater. Next to Lai's bed is a bedside table with a single drawer. Surrounding it are numerous books that don't have a place, and on top is a table lamp and a black and white photo of his family at his cousin's wedding. Finally, on the floor next to the bed is one more of the blue rugs, but it is partially hidden underneath the bed.
Reply
