Post by romaniantrash on Jul 15, 2016 8:41:40 GMT
A War for the Heart of Our System has Begun
Character: Romania
Age: 22
Gender: Male
Occupation: Heir to a well-established brothel / actual sugar baby / seeker of good times
Home Planet: Venus
Sexuality: Asexual (panromantic)
Relationship Status: Single, with a penchant for the wealthy
Appearance
If ever there was a man who could be called ‘pretty’ as easily as he could be called ‘handsome,’ that man would be Fane Albescu. Standing at a slight height of 5’7” and built with a flexible, slender frame, he is far from the traditional idea of manliness, and the rest of his appearance only drives him further away from such ideals. His pale skin is smooth and soft, giving him the appearance of someone who rarely has to bother himself with manual labor; however, it is never surprising to see said skin tainted by little ‘love bites,’ as he calls them, or even the occasional rope marks and the like hinting at far more… interesting trysts. His face is a delicate heart shape, and his eyes and dainty nose make it what his mother would always call a "pixie face." But, despite his more feminine traits, it can be easy enough to acknowledge him as his true gender when he dresses the part, as well as recognize his masculine features when they're not being hidden away. These can be seen in how his shoulders are just barely too broad to be girlish, or his hips are as slender as any young man's should be.
His hair is a honeyed-blond color, bordering on pale brown, and always soft to the touch. It’s styling is something he seems to be particular about, even if the cut doesn’t look especially orderly. In the past, he met his mother’s expectations by wearing his hair long to keep a more girlish appearance, going so far as to keep it in hairstyles she approved of, and accessorized accordingly. But now that her guidance is no longer keeping him in line, he’s taken to cutting it just above his shoulders, with plenty of layers and fringe to frame his face -but keeps it just as accessorized as ever. His hair also serves to frame inquisitive, devilish eyes that are as unmistakably red as the synthetic wines he loves to drink when in finer company. The long, full eyelashes on the man are something girls once cooed about when he was a child, and something women grew to envy as he got older. His eyes always seem to be a feature that either draw curious people in, or cause them to avoid him entirely. But he wouldn’t chalk that all up to color; rather, it’s the way his eyes regard things, and people. There’s something hiding behind any warmth that red color may show, and that something is always plotting, thinking of the best way to fulfill his more selfish wants.
It may be true that money does not buy happiness, but it can buy designer shoes- which Fane counts as happiness. He has a taste for the things he can't always afford in life, and a wardrobe of pretty clothing and heaps of accessories are proof enough of that. Now, to put a name on his particular style preferences would be rather… impossible, or challenging at the very least. He has an eclectic wardrobe that ranges anywhere from respectable or cutesy, to downright lascivious. A great deal of his clothing is feminine in nature, so as to maintain the ruse he's been living under for the majority of his life, but he doesn't mind this at all. Clothes are just clothes, why fuss over placing gender roles on pieces of sewn together fabric when he can enjoy looking pretty instead? With that attitude, short dresses, pastel sweaters, and flouncy skirts take place as some of his favorite things to wear, and he does take care to draw eyes away from chest in order to avoid any questions or comments about "how a woman can be so boyishly flat." Now that he lives largely without his choices being supervised, he's been able to incorporate more masculine clothes into his wardrobe. Men's jeans are always so much more comfortable, he's realized, and wearing a suit makes him feel oh so refined. But regardless of how he's dressed each day, he loves to wear simple earrings and pretty silver bracelets or necklaces. As for his hat collection, it's almost embarrassing how many he owns, and how often he wears each one.
Personality
Ștefan -or Fane, as he prefers- is something of a complicated young man. At first glance, he seems to be a self-seeking hedonist with a propensity for tears and dramatics, and this isn't inaccurate. But, when all facets of his personality are accounted for, he becomes something of a paradox. He can be an angel in one breath, but desire to shake things up and turn the world sideways in another. He's a crybaby. He fights dirty. He wants to believe in the good of others. He doesn't know if there's really such a thing as 'good' anymore.
First and foremost, Fane is a liar. Well, that isn't the word he'd use. No, he much prefers storyteller. He sees himself as a weaver of dreams and fancies, and every grand gesture or dramatic line only serves to maintain this. He must be in the spotlight. He must mystify others. To keep this up, he's changed more things about himself than he can keep up with. Fane's done away with his days of being soft and meek. He refuses to play nervous, or to be shy anymore. Really, none would ever dream he was ever anything of the sort, unless they were to see him when he first wakes up in the afternoon.
Secondly, Fane is a charmer, and enjoys smooth-talking his way in and out of situations. Words are power, as his mother would say, and a storyteller is nothing without his words. He loves to enchant with pretty statements and beguile with coy remarks. However, while he seeks to sway others, he must be careful to never be swept up by his own flaming emotions and inspirations. Interestingly enough, it is indeed possible to catch him off guard and turn his smooth words into an awkward mess. Take it as a good thing, though; it just means he cares for you on some level.
He has a very addictive personality. That is to say, if he can become addicted to things, he will. Be it drugs, alcohol, or even people, he will greedily want it all. "Try everything once, and then do it again," seems to be his favorite motto when it comes to this. He doesn't really know what brought out this side of him, but a childhood of sitting obediently and teen years filled with following bad crowds has probably played a hand into it.
All of these grandiose observations would be nothing without examining what Fane is at his core level. Underneath every change, every lie, he's tired and quiet and unsure. Softness does still exist, but it's been whittled down by every choice he's made thus far. He's done it all, he's been through almost every song and dance, and he misses the days when he hadn't. He doesn't realize it, but he would love to live a simpler life, one where things stayed stable, and he didn't have to lie to feel impressive.
Likes
~Money: Fane knows that it is money that controls the world. Money decides who is elite, and who isn't worth the dirt on the ground. It also is what allows him to live comfortably, and he quite likes that. Now, if only he knew how to hold onto his wealth.
~His Vices: he has too many of these to count, and he'll tell anyone he can't live without them. He drinks, smokes anything that isn't tobacco, chases after anyone who catches his eye, and he's always ready to let the list grow.
~The Rebellion: He absolutely agrees with what the rebellion stands for, and honestly just loves the idea of a rebellion anyways. There's something about it, something that makes things feel more alive. Now, that being said, he probably wouldn't go out of his way to ally himself with their cause, unless they were able to make it worth his while.
~Children: Children are the only ones who are pure and good in this universe, he will swear this up and down. They're innocent, and they can still look on the brighter side of things in a way he almost envies. He says he would love to one day have children of his own, but he doubts it will ever happen.
~Technology: He loves to have the newest model of anything he can afford, it's just the person he is. He occasionally likes to tinker with older models of computers or phones to see what he can do, but he is by no means talented at this. If anything, his true talent shines in how he can accidentally hack into information holy shit Fane how the hell is this an accident?
~The Concept of Love and Romance: Call him a mushy sap, but he genuinely loves the idea of, well, love. He loves reading stories about love at first sight, and how a spark can grow into a passionate fire between two people. That being said, he doesn't believe it can happen for him. Or, at least, he wouldn't know what to do if it did.
~Magic and Superstition: According to his mother's stories, in the past magic and superstition were commonplace. The subjects have always fascinated him, and he often reads on them when he can. He's also taken to following a few superstitions himself, if only to keep things fun.
~Candles: His room is a literal fire hazard oh my god someone please tell him to stop buying candles.
~Touch: Fane is a physical person. He likes to hold hands, he loves to be held, and he's never seen the harm in kissing the hand or cheek of a pretty girl. His love of bodily contact even translates into platonic settings, as he's always ready to pat someone's shoulder, or lightly touch their arm. Anything to be in contact with others.
~Nighttime on Other Planets: While Eros may never sleep, his few trips to Earth or Mars have taught him that isn't the case for all cities. Away from home the night is peaceful, he thinks. Things become a bit more quiet, and just a little more mysterious. Maybe it's strange for a chaotic man to value the calm of the night, but he never claimed to be conventional.
~Stories: They capture his attention, which can often be hard to do. He has a preference for tales of the strange and horrific, but he will never say no to a funny anecdote or a happy fairy tale.
~Dancing: He loves to dance! Just a faint tune will send his foot tapping, and with little to no encouragement he'll be happy to show anyone just the kind of talent he has. Bonus? This flexible boy knows just about any popular dance, and is always quick to learn new ones.
~Gymnastics: Since he was a child his mother had him in and out of gymnastics classes, and he will not hesitate to let others know he's quite talented at the sport. A lot of his flexibility can be attributed to this, and it earned him one of the two scholarships he had while he was attending university.
~Mathematics: He's never understood how anyone can dislike the subject, and often found himself in accelerated courses for it while in school. It just clicks in his mind, far easier than things like science or the like. His second scholarship in university was for his mathematical skill.
~Variety in Clothing: There's no such thing as too much of a good thing, especially in terms of wardrobe. He loves to turn heads in a good suit or flattering jeans, and he has such a weakness for feeling beautiful in flashy dresses and trendy skirts. New and pretty shoes are always a must, and the number of hats he owns is baffling. Next to that, his jewelry collection is impressive, to say the least.
Dislikes
~Sleeping: You can't do anything when you're sleeping, how boring is that? Besides, with sleep comes dreams, and dreams can easily turn into nightmares.
~Mornings: If sleep is bad, then mornings are worse for this night owl. He isn't a person in the morning, and isn't good for much except staring blankly and mumbling.
~Being Ignored: Fane thrives on attention. He lives for the limelight. So nothing makes him more off-put and more likely to dislike someone than being brushed off like he's nothing interesting.
~Boredom: He may hate being bored more than he hates being ignored. Something has to always be going on, things have to stay relevant and interesting. And let's just never use the word 'routine' around him, shall we?
~Lack of Control: He may choose to be reckless, and make stupid choices, but outside of the bedroom he absolutely refuses to never have a way out of his actions. He can't be trapped, and he especially can't be trapped by another person.
~Being Outdone: If you take something he's good at and do it better, he will be nothing short of offended. And then he will spend God knows how much time working to outdo you to such a level that you can never hope to one up him again. He's kinda petty like that.
~Sex: It's not that he has strong feelings about the act either way, or outright hates it, he just has far less interest in it than people assume. To him, it's just some brief way to feel good, only to later wrinkle his nose at how dirty he feels. That being said, it doesn't mean he's opposed to going along with someone else's sexual requests, and he quite frequently initiates sexual encounters if that's what he thinks someone wants from him. This is also a fact very few people will ever find out; he figures no one would believe him anyway.
~His Father: Sure, he doesn't know who or where he is, but Fane feels nothing but contempt for the man. All he really knows is he's someone in the GMC, therefore probably some rich bastard living it up on Leto.
Backstory
For all intents and purposes, Ștefan’s story doesn’t truly begin with he himself. No, this little tale starts with a woman by the name of Zina and the man who’s name she carried to her grave. Of course, he would think it charming if this could have been some happy love story, the tale of a wealthy higher up in the Galilean Mining Company and some no name from Earth finding love despite the odds. He would love to be able to tell the story of his parents as proof that opposites could attract, and that a lively, fiery man could meet his match in someone who's heart was surely cut from ice. But to tell the story like that would be an egregious lie. Rather, the truth is the two came into contact by some unfortunate circumstance or the like -he was never told just how they met- and what followed was a heated affair that was doomed to end quickly. It didn't even take a few months before the truth came to light, ruining Zina's marriage and affecting the man's reputation. It never even helped that the two honestly came to despise each other, or at least there was hatred on Zina's part.
Ideally, they could have parted ways then and there, never needing to give a thought to each other's existences ever again. But there was one tiny, small complication: Zina was pregnant, and she wasn't about to raise her second child without some contribution from the nameless man, even if the thought of even keeping said child left her with a bitter taste in her mouth. Soon enough, an arrangement was reached; the man would send her more than enough money to live comfortably and support his bastard, and in exchange she and the child would never contact him again. Deal. When the money came, Zina packed up her and her daughter, Ileana, and they left for Venus. It took the woman little time at all to establish herself on the new planet, and she used her remaining funds to invest in a business venture in Eros.
Ștefan Albescu came into the picture on the first day of that following December. From day one, the boy proved to be a fussy babe who rarely slept through the night, never stopped crying, and never seemed satisfied unless he was held by his mother or elder sister. To make matters worse, in her eyes a good deal of his features were undeniably those of his father, which only served to make her bitter every time she looked at the newborn. Truly, he was vexing to his mother, and she would have been a liar if she ever denied that she considered dropping him on the closest doorstep of any home or business. She never hesitated to tell the infant as much during those long nights he kept her awake...even if he didn't understand her. As long as she spoke in that sweet tone and held him close, she could say anything at all about how much happier she'd be without him and he would never mind. All the same, something strange happened in those first few months. The hateful looks slowly stopped, the idle threats to abandon him came to an end, and when she spoke of the boy to others, she could actually smile. Zina set out to raise Ștefan with as much affection as someone as cold as her was capable of. As she did so, Ileana slowly came to an understanding that her mother had begun to treasure her new little brother. Somehow, the boy became her favorite child without even trying. In later years, she and her brother would theorize that perhaps it meant that deep down the woman did some have kind of a soft spot, one that perhaps held room for his absentee father.
Ștefan -called Fane by those around him, and 'Little Prince' by his mother- grew up in Venus' red light district under Zina's constant care, and was undoubtedly the apple of her eye. He was soft-spoken, gentle, and nothing at all like his mother or his mystery father. He was timid, he cried too easily at the smallest of things; yet, there was always something about him. Something searching, his nature said that much. Zina chose to ignore that, and ignore how some days his eyes were as hungry as that damned man's. Instead, she only saw what he presented on his most superficial level. She saw her sweet, defenseless son who so desperately needed to be protected from the universe and everyone in it. But how could she ensure he would always be taken care of, even if anything should ever happen to her? The answer to that came as her brothel grew in popularity.
Fane would become the heir to her business.
This would mean sidestepping her own firstborn, though that seemed to be of little issue to her. Ileana was capable, Zina could count on her daughter being able to do anything she set her mind to. But her Fane? He was clever and smart, often smarter than she gave him credit for, but she didn't dare chance his future by leaving it in his hands. The fact that Venusian culture dictated her assets should be passed on to a daughter was no concern, either. If Fane needed to be a girl, so be it. By the time he was ready to start school, she had replaced his entire wardrobe and had even had a new birth certificate drawn up for him. Officially he was now Ana, Zina's precociously precious second daughter, while at home he remained Fane. It was a lie that he had little trouble adjusting to; rather, he just considered himself to now be prettier than any of the other boys at school, and most of the girls for that matter. He loved all the cute outfits and dresses he was dressed in, and when his hair grew out he liked to keep it in pretty braids or any style that pleased his mother.
As far as his academic career went, he was neither a terrible student, nor a star pupil. He had his own strengths, and more than his fair share of weak subjects. It took little time at all to prove he was brilliant when it came to mathematics, and even less time to realize English wold never be one of his strong subjects. Interestingly enough, it seemed he also had quite bizarre skills when it came to computers; Fane could figure out how to use any computer or device he came across in little time at all, as well as navigate his way into information he shouldn't have been privy to; but, it seemed it his skill was always accidental at best. He also excelled when his mother enrolled him in various dance and gymnastic classes, however this came at the price of him getting just a bit too competitive when it came to the latter sport. More than one gymnastics class ended with him inadvertently making girls cry after he less than tactfully informed them of their every mistake and misstep -in his defense, he thought he was helping them.
Life continued on for the boy in repetitive monotony for a number of years. Go to school, be the best in extracurricular classes, help around at home, make his mother proud. The cycle continued all the way to first year in college, at the age of seventeen. The idea of college seemed a bit... pointless to him, he couldn't lie. Why bother expending effort on something as useless as a degree when he was already guaranteed a lifelong commitment? But, being the good son his mother had groomed him to be, he willingly enrolled at the University of Venus as a math major. In the first semester there, he stayed relatively under the radar, but
RP Sample
There’s my little prince, always with flowers in his hair.
Fane, you’re too sweet. What would you do without Mami and me?
What's wrong? You broke my heart, Ștefan, that's what's wrong.
“I’m so, so sorry.”
Fane startled himself awake in the early hours of the morning, before dawn even had a chance to paint the city in light. A quick glance around would have told his delirious mind that the girl he had invited back to his house had long since taken her leave, and hopefully she hadn't made off with too many of his possessions while he slept. But that seemed to be far from a concern for him. When he was fully awake later, he would be grateful that she never saw him as a mess of ragged breathing and potential screams; at the moment he could only focus on finding his way back to a world that wasn’t the one fabricated in his mind.
He didn’t know how long he had been curled up and hugging his knees like that, nor how empty his expression was despite how strongly his shoulders shook with each shuddering breath. He was still trapped in the distorted world of his mind, the one that only came when he was barely awake. No one ever knew what that world looked like but whatever it was couldn’t be good, not if it made the vibrant little Romanian look so painfully lost.
Fane, you're such a soft boy.
“No, I'm not. I'm really not, Ileana.” The words tumbled out of his mouth in a quiet jumble, a retort to a sister that wasn't there. She hadn’t been there in years. Just another sign he needed to wake up more, not talk to the ghosts of his past.
Ah, there he is, the biggest whore in all of Eastern Europe. Tell me, doll, does that pretty face still get you into the wallet and beds of others-
A hastily thrown vase forced the imaginary voice to go away, and the sound of shattering glass forced his eyes to open just a bit more. Save for the moonlight leaking in through a window, his room was dark, his candles long since burned out. He could just hear his mother’s voice scolding him for falling asleep with candles burning. They could have caught something on fire. He could get hurt.
Would that be so bad?
“Oh of course it would be bad. I have a meeting tomorrow. Now, the day after tomorrow? Well, that remains to be seen.”
Misc.
~He speaks fluent Romanian, as do both of his siblings. His family always spoke in the language when at home, and to this day he still mostly speaks to his sister this way.
~While he's never said it out loud, he does feel some guilt about his mother choosing him as an heir over his own sister. Ileana has told him it's okay, that she didn't want the business as her career path anyway, but he can never be too sure.
~His little brother is to him as he was to their mother. He absolutely adores the younger boy, and would beg, borrow, and steal to see to it that he is always happy. The thing is, Ciprian doesn't want him to do any of these things.
~He tried dorm living during his college career, just for the fun of it. However, it did nothing more than earn him some nasty rumors, as well as the nickname "Slut of Beroe Hall." The funny thing is, he can actually say he only slept with a handful of people his entire time there.
~Okay let's talk his sexuality. Whether he realizes it or not, he's one slut of an ace. These may sound like two things that don't really go together, but that's how a lot of Fane's traits seem to go. In all honesty, growing up in Eros has left Fane's views on relationships and sex painfully skewed. Since he was young, he's come to the (incorrect) understanding that sex is just some expectation that goes with most relationships. That's just how it works in his mind, and he's acted accordingly. But this doesn't mean he's crazy about it. Instead, he chooses to view the whole subject as a matter of business; i.e., his body and sexual favors in exchange for the means to get things he wants. And in some twisted way, it makes him feel better. He's just taking care of business.