Name: Irinei Valentinevich Lazarev
Nickname: Irisha
Age: 24
Birthday: 4 July
Sign: Cancer
Gemstone: Garnet
Blood Type: O-
Fav. Food: Potato pierogi, oranges, artisanal breads
Hated Food: Garlicy foods
Occupation: Artist in residence at the Rackham Estate
Hobbies: Painting - Irinei is, as you might have guessed from his occupation, a professional painter. Known in Russia and much of Europe as a bright up-and-comer, he has been selling his work in gallery shows since he was fifteen years old. He works in oils, mostly, although only in the studio; if traveling, he tends to choose acrylics, which dry a lot faster. He likes making multiple, fastidious and particular sketches before he starts working on a piece. His preferred genre is, well, Old World genre painting with a twist of bright colors and somewhat morbid or obscene imagery. He also does portraiture, for a fee. (Or for a good conversation. He is well off enough to accept either.) As an artist in residence at the Rackham Estate, a public museum of Destiny City history and artwork located in the high end area of the city, he is also responsible for giving public presentations and workshops to the public.
Literature - Nothing settles Irinei like a quick read through a book, and nothing gives him ideas like one, either. He likes to imagine that, in a world where he never took an art class, he would have become a writer or an editor of some kind. It is his practice to join a book club and spend a lot of time in libraries, but he also listens to audiobooks. He goes through books at an alarming rate, sometimes as many as three or four a day when he's not actively painting. He has an occasionally-updated Russian language blog where he writes book reviews. It has enough followers than he has decided to continue updating it in English while he is in America.
Creepypasta/Horror - It's not something you'd expect from someone as erudite and cultured as Irinei. He's almost used to a state of mild anxiety and paranoia, so reading things that seem to justify his nervousness is a relief. He also likes knowing that there are other people coming from the same point of view as he does--that his strange and unnerving paintings are not as deviant as he sometimes feels they are.
Virtues: Independent - Irinei has always been bright, but having his first gallery show gross more than six figures of profit brought a lot of changes into his life. It required him to learn how to manage his own time and money, for instance, since the money was in his name and not his parents'. By now, he's well used to making his own decisions, and has considered himself an adult for almost a decade. He's self-motivating and largely self-reliant, finds answers to his own questions and largely handles much of his own PR.
Cultured - Growing up in St Petersburg as the son of a fairly well-to-do but mid-level government official, Irinei has always had access to museums, plays, and the orchestra. He's seen a lot of cultural touchstones, has traveled widely, and generally has an impressive curriculum vitae, including a turn as a Hermitage volunteer interpreter and tour guide--since he speaks multiple Romance languages, including English. Pretty much anything you propose to do, he's done at least once or twice. Because of his expansive but ad hoc education, he appreciates the finer things in life and often knows exactly how valuable those things are.
Empathetic - Despite, and perhaps because of, his rarefied education and experience, Irinei is still eminently capable of identifying with others. If you take the time to get to know him, he proves an interesting person rather than the boring one seen at first blush. In fact, he identifies this as one of his greatest strengths; he has a calming presence and generally seems to have exactly the right advice for the situation at hand. He's willing to go beyond the common courtesies if he thinks it will help someone, and can be tremendously giving. Irinei gives amazing pep talks, as might be expected, and is a great shoulder to cry on.
Flaws: Solitary - The downside to Irinei's independence is that he really enjoys being alone, and actually prefers it. He's incredibly used to people not really having much input on his life, and doesn't enjoy being tied down to people or sharing space. A lot of his life choices have been influenced by formative years spent traveling to different art schools and residencies--having close friends or ties to an establishment or a routine would completely disrupt his life. He makes it incredibly hard to get ahold of him for this reason, derails plans with barely a moment's notice, and gets nervous around displays of affection towards himself.
Arrogant - As a firm believer in the concept of noblesse oblige, he thinks that he is responsible for the people around him, even when he's not. He believes his experiences make him much more capable than others of making decisions, and that he has better sense than everyone around him. When he offers advice and it's not taken, he gets offended; when someone questions his choices, he gets offended and outright confrontational. Irinei expects people to listen to his life advice and will not listen to the advice of others, even if they're four times his age and have relevant experience. It is not unusual for him to condescend to someone he feels is wrong, or someone he perceives as having been easily tricked.
(Obviously, as a painter, he is familiar with critique, and he accepts constructive comments on his work with grace--as long as he thinks you know what you're talking about, which is a tough prospect.)
Stoic - Speaking to Irinei is like speaking to an unusually articulate brick wall. He gives few, if any, clues to how he's feeling at any time, usually because he believes the people he's conversing with to be far below his level both intellectually and culturally; he never shouts, never even raises his voice, and his expression never varies far from the starting point of polite interest. He has a tremendously reassuring presence simply because he always seems to be detached from his surroundings, but it's also incredibly difficult to tell what he actually thinks about something. A lot of people think he's boring.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
Eyes: Black
Hair: Use
General Avalon's color and
this hairstyle, but with less sideburn.
Face: Really ********' angular.
Clothes: Turtlenecks and slacks.
Please put him on the older male base (the one with his hands on his hips!)
Reply
