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Shin Ghost NoteAlexander Karamazov Vanburen
"The truth will set you free."
 _______________________________________________ Alexander Karamazov Vanburen Him/He | 28 | Russian-American | 5'8" | 165 lbs _______________________________________________ Inquisitive _______________________________________________ Skills & Talents "What I have here is a symphony of melancholy sorrow and a crescendo of madness." ___________________________________ High Intellect Musician ⫻ Alexander is a skilled musician and composer, having been a first chair violinist, the pianist of his church, and an occasional singer. He has also composed multiple works, most of which are orchestral pieces, though he also plays covers of famous songs on his YouTube channel. Unarmed Combatant ⫻ His late paranoid mother had him trained in self defense classes after a bout of school bullying. Thus, Alexander has been trained in a Krav Maga program. While by no means a master of it, he can hold well on his own. | Appearance ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "Bozhe moi. I look good." Alexander considers himself humble and does not say it aloud, but there is no denying that he has an attractive look. He possesses blue eyes, though they seem to be grey from a different angle. To add to that, he has chestnut colored hair that he usually styles with a sideward wipe, though sometimes he just lets it grow long enough to cover his ears. At times, he would dye them white or grey, though his co workers usually disapprove of it, and he has thus usually refrained from doing so. Much of the time, he seems to be grumpy as he will not smile at strangers, but this is only because of his Russian upbringing, and could be noted to be rather boisterous when in the company of friends and family. He dresses well, usually having a black or grey jacket over a t-shirt of a color of his choosing. He is slightly below average in terms of height, though he likes it that way. Alexander wears a necklace with a silver cross around his neck all of the time, and often keeps a pair of black leather gloves on his hands. On his wrists are a pair of segmented platinum bracelets. |
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"What did I do to deserve this fate?"
MAIN GOAL ⫻ To be honest, Alexander is not sure what his goals are anymore. Sure, he does everything to help anyone that asks for his aid, but what does he want for himself? Maybe he'd like to finally find the love of his life.
PHILOSOPHY ⫻ Alexander is an honest man, one that will not hesitate the truth even if it hurts. He believes that lies will always continue to fester as long as they are kept, and the results of their unraveling will become worse and worse. In addition, he is rather sentimental, and has indomitable loyalty to friends and family. Alex is quite devout, and often does the sign of the cross when in distress.
Despite being unable to tell a white lie to make anyone else feel better, he does believe in comforting others in time of need, even if his ways are less on the talking side, and more on simple listening, and, well, touch.
SEXUALITY ⫻ Straight. Seeks for love but has always failed in it.
FEARS ⫻ Alexander fears clowns. And heights. Seriously, however, he fears that his nightmares of losing the function of his hands would come true, as his entire livelihood and career are built upon them. He also fears going deaf.
REPUTATION ⫻ As one of the first children to be sired by James Vanburen, Alexander commands some measure of respect from the rest of the family, at least from those that know he existed. He is known to spoil the younger ones with chocolates and candy, and is well liked. At least until he talks about how much he dislikes their father.
THOUGHTS ABOUT FATHER ⫻ The last time that Alexander has seen his father was when he was just ten years old, when James abandoned him and his mother for another of his uncountable affairs. Thus, they have a nonexistent relationship, having only come to the funeral just to see if the old man was really dead. He blames James for everything wrong with his life; his mother's drug addiction, his incapability of finding a girlfriend, and… well, everything.
FLAWS ⫻ Alexander is quite straightforward in both speech and thinking. As such, he usually won’t understand most idioms, and would go as far as break them by explaining how one cannot jump upon a gun. In addition, he is quite impulsive, and may end up in trouble because of it. He also has frequent bouts of depression, which holds him back from getting better at what he does, or just accepting that he is already good at things.
PHILOSOPHY ⫻ Alexander is an honest man, one that will not hesitate the truth even if it hurts. He believes that lies will always continue to fester as long as they are kept, and the results of their unraveling will become worse and worse. In addition, he is rather sentimental, and has indomitable loyalty to friends and family. Alex is quite devout, and often does the sign of the cross when in distress.
Despite being unable to tell a white lie to make anyone else feel better, he does believe in comforting others in time of need, even if his ways are less on the talking side, and more on simple listening, and, well, touch.
SEXUALITY ⫻ Straight. Seeks for love but has always failed in it.
FEARS ⫻ Alexander fears clowns. And heights. Seriously, however, he fears that his nightmares of losing the function of his hands would come true, as his entire livelihood and career are built upon them. He also fears going deaf.
REPUTATION ⫻ As one of the first children to be sired by James Vanburen, Alexander commands some measure of respect from the rest of the family, at least from those that know he existed. He is known to spoil the younger ones with chocolates and candy, and is well liked. At least until he talks about how much he dislikes their father.
THOUGHTS ABOUT FATHER ⫻ The last time that Alexander has seen his father was when he was just ten years old, when James abandoned him and his mother for another of his uncountable affairs. Thus, they have a nonexistent relationship, having only come to the funeral just to see if the old man was really dead. He blames James for everything wrong with his life; his mother's drug addiction, his incapability of finding a girlfriend, and… well, everything.
FLAWS ⫻ Alexander is quite straightforward in both speech and thinking. As such, he usually won’t understand most idioms, and would go as far as break them by explaining how one cannot jump upon a gun. In addition, he is quite impulsive, and may end up in trouble because of it. He also has frequent bouts of depression, which holds him back from getting better at what he does, or just accepting that he is already good at things.
Backstory
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"Oh, look. So many screwups."
Alexander Karamazov Vanburen was one of the first set of children that James Vanburen brought into existence. He was the child of a certain Svetlana Sergeyevna Karamazov, who met James while in a club. She was a Russian immigrant who had come to America right after the breakup of the Soviet Union, as the country had been thrown into civil and social unrest after the downfall of Communism. James’ charm was irresistible, and soon enough, she was pregnant. She gave birth to a boy, whom she named Alexander after her late father.
For all its worth, Alexander, most usually known by his Russian nickname of Sasha, knew James as his father. They had a decent dad-son relationship for the most part; it was nothing special, nor was there anything particularly terrible with it. That was, when James disappeared from their lives when Alexander was 10. He kept on asking where his dad went, only to be met with silence. Apparently, his mother did not know that she was not the first, or would she be the last. It didn’t take the boy long to realize that they had been abandoned, and over the years, he would grow to despise James Vanburen, going as far as using only his mother’s maiden surname in legal documents.
Since then, he would lead a mostly normal life in New York City, studying music in the university (it was in his high school days when he had those self defense classes). It was here that he found his passion for life; the keys of the piano, the strings of the violin, and the assembled voices of the choir. Eventually, he would become a professional musician, living an idyllic existence in a clean apartment. He was a violinist of the Chamber Orchestra of New York, the pianist of his church, and the owner of a YouTube channel that had garnered a moderate following of 120,000 subscribers. However, his mother had soon gone down the path of drug addiction. There was nothing more devastating for him than to see that the woman he loved the most go to rehab again and again. He blamed himself, as he hadn’t been a good son all these years, and then proceeded to blame James for leaving them. Then, she overdosed and died. This would be the driving force for Alexander to slide into a depressive state, though he was very good at hiding it from friends. After all, the pills that the psychiatrist had given him were doing their purpose well… for now.
Then he was informed by his half-siblings that their father was dead. Alexander had come to know that his father was one hell of a harem maker, and had met a few of his half brothers and sisters for some time before that. He had been on a lull of activity during that time; he had taken a few days of leave, and was just relaxing. He did not like his father at all, but he decided to come along anyway just to see if it was really true. It was.
For some reason, he was saddened by James’ passing, even if he told himself that he detested the old man. Sitting down on a couch with his anti-depressant pills on hand, he would find himself surrounded by shifting darkness, a cloud of black shrouding the entire room like a storm with no wind. Out of the shadows emerged a face; it was an Apparition. It fed upon sadness and guilt. It was a comforting presence, even if it was a dark entity, as it had good intentions. There and then, the Spectre promised one thing: he could see his mother again, and whenever he wanted. Ah, and he had this weird tattoo on his neck for some reason. Oh, no...
A year after the funeral, he found himself slowly being turned to stone, his movements beginning to slow down as his hands began to show signs of being turned to hard rock. Panicking, he spoke to the Spectre, asking what was happening to his body. The Apparition took a while to answer, but it concluded that the death of James Vanburen had triggered some kind of curse in everyone that bore his name, and the only solution was to stay in Araminta, or become a statue. Distraught that his father still screwed up other people's lives after death, Alexander hastily moved to Araminta, at which he found that the curse receded the closer he got to the city. He resigned from the New York Chamber Orchestra, instead opting to teach children and teenagers instruments. He didn't earn as much as before, and he had to live in the one place that reminded him of his father. Still, all of these were a small price to pay for not dying...
For all its worth, Alexander, most usually known by his Russian nickname of Sasha, knew James as his father. They had a decent dad-son relationship for the most part; it was nothing special, nor was there anything particularly terrible with it. That was, when James disappeared from their lives when Alexander was 10. He kept on asking where his dad went, only to be met with silence. Apparently, his mother did not know that she was not the first, or would she be the last. It didn’t take the boy long to realize that they had been abandoned, and over the years, he would grow to despise James Vanburen, going as far as using only his mother’s maiden surname in legal documents.
Since then, he would lead a mostly normal life in New York City, studying music in the university (it was in his high school days when he had those self defense classes). It was here that he found his passion for life; the keys of the piano, the strings of the violin, and the assembled voices of the choir. Eventually, he would become a professional musician, living an idyllic existence in a clean apartment. He was a violinist of the Chamber Orchestra of New York, the pianist of his church, and the owner of a YouTube channel that had garnered a moderate following of 120,000 subscribers. However, his mother had soon gone down the path of drug addiction. There was nothing more devastating for him than to see that the woman he loved the most go to rehab again and again. He blamed himself, as he hadn’t been a good son all these years, and then proceeded to blame James for leaving them. Then, she overdosed and died. This would be the driving force for Alexander to slide into a depressive state, though he was very good at hiding it from friends. After all, the pills that the psychiatrist had given him were doing their purpose well… for now.
Then he was informed by his half-siblings that their father was dead. Alexander had come to know that his father was one hell of a harem maker, and had met a few of his half brothers and sisters for some time before that. He had been on a lull of activity during that time; he had taken a few days of leave, and was just relaxing. He did not like his father at all, but he decided to come along anyway just to see if it was really true. It was.
For some reason, he was saddened by James’ passing, even if he told himself that he detested the old man. Sitting down on a couch with his anti-depressant pills on hand, he would find himself surrounded by shifting darkness, a cloud of black shrouding the entire room like a storm with no wind. Out of the shadows emerged a face; it was an Apparition. It fed upon sadness and guilt. It was a comforting presence, even if it was a dark entity, as it had good intentions. There and then, the Spectre promised one thing: he could see his mother again, and whenever he wanted. Ah, and he had this weird tattoo on his neck for some reason. Oh, no...
A year after the funeral, he found himself slowly being turned to stone, his movements beginning to slow down as his hands began to show signs of being turned to hard rock. Panicking, he spoke to the Spectre, asking what was happening to his body. The Apparition took a while to answer, but it concluded that the death of James Vanburen had triggered some kind of curse in everyone that bore his name, and the only solution was to stay in Araminta, or become a statue. Distraught that his father still screwed up other people's lives after death, Alexander hastily moved to Araminta, at which he found that the curse receded the closer he got to the city. He resigned from the New York Chamber Orchestra, instead opting to teach children and teenagers instruments. He didn't earn as much as before, and he had to live in the one place that reminded him of his father. Still, all of these were a small price to pay for not dying...
Abstraction
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"Hello darkness, my old friend."
TYPE ⫻ Aberration (Affixed)
ABSTRACTION ⫻ The Spectre; a ghost-like shadow that hangs around Alexander as a cloud of black and green. It seems to be nice...
ABSTRACTION DESCRIPTION ⫻ First and foremost, the Spectre allows Alexander to speak with the dead, summoning their ghosts from the afterlife in order for them to have a conversation. Secondly, it also allows him to become a ghost, granting him immunity against non-magic attacks and the ability to phase through solid objects. However, he is unable to breath while incorporeal, nor could he interact with the universe while in that state.
When Alexander is in a normal corporeal state, the Spectre also allows him to conjure a pair of chains made of magical metal, which are usually channeled through his bracelets.
AURA SENSING ⫻ None
LIMITS ⫻ Alexander can only summon one spirit at a time, and can only do it once an hour. He can keep a ghost summoned for a short amount of time, probably for like one insightful conversation! Afterward, the ghost will go back to the other side - however, it's possible for certain spirits who don't necessarily want to come back to resist it. Alexander's immune to physical attacks while in his ghost state but other magical attacks can still damage him. He can maintain his ghost state as long as he can hold his breath.
WEAKNESSES ⫻ While in his ghost state he is susceptible to non-physical magical attacks such as fire and electricity.
ABSTRACTION ⫻ The Spectre; a ghost-like shadow that hangs around Alexander as a cloud of black and green. It seems to be nice...
ABSTRACTION DESCRIPTION ⫻ First and foremost, the Spectre allows Alexander to speak with the dead, summoning their ghosts from the afterlife in order for them to have a conversation. Secondly, it also allows him to become a ghost, granting him immunity against non-magic attacks and the ability to phase through solid objects. However, he is unable to breath while incorporeal, nor could he interact with the universe while in that state.
When Alexander is in a normal corporeal state, the Spectre also allows him to conjure a pair of chains made of magical metal, which are usually channeled through his bracelets.
AURA SENSING ⫻ None
LIMITS ⫻ Alexander can only summon one spirit at a time, and can only do it once an hour. He can keep a ghost summoned for a short amount of time, probably for like one insightful conversation! Afterward, the ghost will go back to the other side - however, it's possible for certain spirits who don't necessarily want to come back to resist it. Alexander's immune to physical attacks while in his ghost state but other magical attacks can still damage him. He can maintain his ghost state as long as he can hold his breath.
WEAKNESSES ⫻ While in his ghost state he is susceptible to non-physical magical attacks such as fire and electricity.
Other
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"Hug me, bro."
