Post by antontarasov on Jul 31, 2008 11:17:09 GMT -5
Referred By: It’s Lydia/Paris! I know that this is my third character but I’m confident that all three characters will remain active as I have juggled many characters before in the past. I couldn’t resist making this character; he came out of nowhere and I’ve managed to admittedly get obsessed with him…
Name: Anton Tarasov
Age: 18 (but seventh year)
Sex: Male
Nationality: Swedish (but half Russian)
Speech: Swedish, Russian, English, and vague Norwegian (it is speculated that this is where Durmstrang is). Anton learned English from school and television shows; Russian from his father and family, and Norweigan from some brief lessons and attending a year at Durmstrang. Although Swedish and Norwegian are very similar, Anton oddly struggled with the language; the cause of this still remains a mystery and Anton himself cannot explain it. Swedish is his native language.
Blood: Pure
Father: Viktor Mikhail Tarasov
Mother: Elsa Hilden Tarasov
Siblings: Two older brothers: Gustave, who is eight years his senior, and Demitri, who is four years his senior.
Other Family: A large extended family on his mother’s side, no close surviving relatives on his father’s side.
Family Interactions:
Born and raised in Russia during the heart of the Cold War, Stefan Tarasov, father of Viktor Tarasov (Anton’s dad), grew up in chaos. Due to the turmoil spreading in the Muggle government, Wizards of Russia began to take matters into their own hands and turmoil spread to the Wizard government as well. Even when the Muggle government had settled down into organized communism, the Wizarding world still seemed unstable. Dark Wizards were using the organized madness to cover for their dark deeds. Stefan was one of them.
But Stefan wasn’t just a pointless madman looking for any opportunity to participate in the dark arts. He was a radical; an idealist. The new ideas of the Muggle world had led him to develop his own extreme ideas. His most notorious of all, was the idea to mix the Wizarding World and Muggle World together; to live as one, where Wizard kind held the upper hand. But Stefan was not stupid, he knew well that any attempt to openly expose the Magical World could land him in prison, so he decided to take things slow and make things less obvious.
Not wanting to be anywhere near Moscow or St. Petersburg, where the Magical Russian Police had their headquarters, Stefan moved to the outer limits of Soviet rule; Estonia. Here, Stefan had little to worry about for the Soviets had claimed the land as their own but the Russian Magical Government had not. This way, there was less authority for him to deal with…although, his underestimating of the authority of this country would ultimately lead to his own death.
Here, Stefan brought his wife and only son, Viktor, to live with him. Stefan wasted no time in taking matters into his own hands; he registered himself under two names; one, magical, and another; a muggle alias. Under this alias, he began to deeply plunge himself into Muggle politics. He also attempted to seize some minor control of the Estonian Magical Government by working behind the scenes. What Stefan failed to realize, though, was that the Estonian Communists of the Muggle world that already were in power, were not so eager to see someone else enter their world and compete for control.
However, Stefan was beginning to get quite successful in his plans. He was rising up the social ladders in both worlds. Of course, he realized that his goal of merging the two worlds was next to impossible, but felt as if he was taking the first steps in that direction and that someday someone would follow in his footsteps to add more. Enjoying living a luxurious lifestyle, he invited his siblings to join him in Estonia. Only his younger brother, Mikhail, accepted the offer.
Meanwhile, his wife, Tanya, was immersing herself into the Magical social circle of Estonia. She attended the most expensive parties of the country, and began to secure a permanent place in the Elite Circle. Tall, with a stone face and dark blue eyes, she usually dressed in the most ravishing of clothes and spoke in a cold, intellectual voice. Her son, Viktor, was raised along side her. He grew accustomed to attending expensive, social parties in Estonia, and developed a very people-person personality. He grew used to listening to politics and began to enjoy them. He dressed in the finest of apparel and abided by the rules of etiquette. However, behind his good behaved face, he was ever as ambitious as his father, although, not so radical. By the time he was twenty, he had full plans of entering the political circle and gaining some power of his own.
Meanwhile, across the sea, Elsa Hilden lived in Sweden, enjoying her own spoils of living with wealthy parents of dark magic. Fair skinned, with light curls of blonde and beautiful blue eyes, she was the apple of her father’s eye. Elsa had a gentle, graceful, and elegant manner about her. She always spoke with a soft voice, abiding by the customs of her family and enjoying her family’s wealth. She was the elite girl of Swedish society, and an object of much gossip, although she never seemed to do anything out of line or scandalous in front of company. What kept people talking about her was her grace, and the legacy of her family; the dark, elegant Hildens who used their money to perform dark, mystical deeds, yet also managed to appear so proper and elegant to society.
One of five children, Elsa had two older brothers, one older sister, and one younger brother. Her sister, Anna, had married an Estonian gentleman and had made the difficult journey across the border into his homeland. Not a family to let loved ones go unvisited for a great amount of time, Elsa found herself journeying with several other members of her family to visit her sister quite often. She would often stay weeks with her sister, and attend parties and gatherings with her. It was at one of these parties that she met Viktor, Stefan’s son. The two were mutually attracted to each other, and soon this attraction grew into a courtship. Elsa found herself falling for Viktor Tarasov.
But then, tragedy struck.
Stefan had come to be despised by many individuals of both societies; muggles, and wizards alike. One day, it caught up with him. At dawn, while journeying to his Muggle Work office, Stefan was shot by a gun and left in the middle of the street to die. Panic struck his brother, Mikhail, when he heard of the news and felt immediately prompted to leave the country. But first, the family had to have it out with Stefan’s will. It turned out, that he had left a substantial amount of money to his wife (in Estonian Wizard society, women did not have automatic right to their dead husband’s money.) The rest, his property, most of his bank account, and most of his other possessions were left to Viktor. The Estonian Magical Government urged the family to sell all of their possessions and head back to Russia, where they would arrange aliases and temporary protection from the Russian government.
Viktor begged Elsa to elope with him and journey with him to Russia, but she refused. She explained that she did not intend to live in such torn conditions, and preferred her life in Sweden. She suggested that he come back with her. A fight erupted after this, and Viktor left Elsa to journey to Russia with his mother and uncle. Heartbroken, and thinking the relationship over for good, Elsa returned back to Sweden.
Viktor sold his property, grabbed his papers, and made many bank deposits so that he could prepare to wire his money over to Russia. He then proceeded to pack his things, and board a train with his mother and uncle that would take them back to Russia. However, as he waited in line to purchase his tickets, something happened. The closer he got to the ticket master, the more his thoughts focused on Elsa. It brought pain to his heart just thinking about Elsa marrying another man; for surely, she one day would. She was far too beautiful…And by the time he had reached the ticket master, he'd realized he loved her.
His mother was disappointed, but understood. After their long goodbyes, Viktor made his way back in the other direction, soon finding a ship to board and journeying to Sweden. He arrived in Stockholm, entering the first bank he saw and opened an account there. He then wired half of his money there. He first inquired if they knew where the Hildens lived, but the staff there seemed not to have to have the family’s address on record. Then he inquired of other banks, visited one they spoke of, and opened another account in this bank, wiring the rest of his money there. He also inquired of the Hilden’s whereabouts at this new bank, and the staff hesitantly gave him the information. The mentioning of the name seemed to intimidate the bankers. After this discussion, the Bankers treated him differently. He was still respected, like before, but now there was a sort of fear behind their motives. It was obvious that the Hildens held some sort of reputation.
After getting a hotel room and making arrangements, Viktor evaporated to the address given to him. He found himself in the middle of a blizzard, standing just outside a large gate. He entered the property, and soon a very elegant, gothic manor was standing before him. He knocked at two very large doors and waited for an answer. Soon, a humble house-elf was speaking to him in Swedish. He responded by giving the elf his name and asking for Elsa. The next thing Viktor knew, a beautiful, yet shaken Elsa appeared at the doorway. The two immediately embraced.
They married three months later, moving into a large estate just outside of Stockholm. Viktor quickly set his sights on entering the world of Swedish politics, and launched his ambitious plan to seize control. Using fear, manipulation, and newly found friends thanks to his involvement with the glamorous Hilden family, he quickly rose up the social ladder. It was amazing how much power a young man in his early twenties could gain in only a few short years. By his thirty second birthday, Viktor Tarasov had half the government well in his favor.
And it was also shortly after his thirty second birthday that Viktor and Elsa Tarasov’s lives were changed forever. After nine years of marriage, Elsa finally gave birth to a healthy baby son, Gustave. After his birth, Viktor continued pursuing political interests, and four years later they had another son, Demitri. They did not plan on having more children. However, three and a half years later Elsa discovered that she was pregnant once more. This third, and final son, was Anton.
Gustave’s personality reflected his Hilden heritage. Tall, with deep blue eyes and a stone face, broad shoulders and a strong sense of dignity, Gustave excelled greatly in school. He acted out of a sense of duty and followed after the Hilden ways. Gustave was very serious and somber, not one to smile or laugh very much. Demitri, was also quite serious, but very reckless. He acted against order and embraced “the new ways” of the west. While Gustave would wait patiently to hear more about the family’s involvement with the dark arts, Demitri would impatiently eavesdrop on family conversations. Demitri had more of a temper and acted impulsively. However, he was warmer than his brother and had more of a capacity to love.
Anton was the most sensitive of the three, but early on in his life learned to hide these feelings of vulnerably from his family. He also possessed a great sense of humor and loved things that were entertaining and exciting. Things that Gustave loved, simply bored the young Anton. Naturally, Anton spent more time with Demitri because of their closer ages. They also got along better because of their love of things that kept the heart beating. However, Anton would never take things as dangerously far as Demitri would, and liked to smile more often. Anton struggled with his relationship with his oldest brother, since Gustave acted so coldly. The two seemed more of acquaintances than brothers.
Anton had a friendly relationship with his father, but the two didn’t see each other very often. Viktor, out of all the members of Anton’s family, possessed the greatest warmth next to Anton. However, because of Viktor’s uninvolvement with Anton’s life, the two weren’t very close on a personal level. Anton and Elsa had a complicated relationship. Although a little cold and disconnected herself, Elsa constantly sacrificed for her son. This brought them together. However, Elsa’s obvious concern with Anton’s behavior drove them apart. These complications would only get worse as Anton got older.
When Anton was still an infant, Elsa received a visit from her sister-in-law, Mia. When Elsa and Viktor had got married, Mia still looked young and vibrant; a newly wed herself with dark brown hair and light blue eyes. However, recently, through the past few years, she'd started to age. There were wrinkles underneath her eyes and she always seemed to look tired. Her eyes appeared darker, and she seemed to only dress in black these days. Never the less, Mia retained her composure around Elsa Tarasov. By this time, Viktor had sustained much power for the Hildens and much of the family had come to look up to him. Mia was no exception. However, when she came to visit Elsa this time, something was different about her. She acted as if, for the first time in years, she was Elsa's superior and seemed to carry with her some genuine happiness. When they had finally settled down, and had finished their small talk, Mia seemed to somber out.
"She wants your help." Mia said softly.
Not fully understanding what Mia had meant, and thinking that perhaps Mia was referring to someone in the family that needed financial aide, Elsa responded casually.
"But of course! Might I ask who it is?"
"No. You don't understand." Mia said firmly. "She wants your help."
That began the Tarasov's involvement with Dark Phoenix.
The secret was kept from the children until they reached a proper age; the Tarasov's didn't trust others with their secrets; even if it was their own children. They had to prove themselves worthy. Viktor was often far too busy with his career, but lent his resources to the Hildens to use. He gradually got more involved over time. Elsa tried to stay out of it as much as she could, preferring to live a proper lifestyle where men did all the dirty work.
This secret effected the family greatly. Gustave was always trying to live up to the Hilden's expectations; Demitri was trying to uncover the secret his parents kept from him; and Anton...felt isolated. It would effect his personality in years to come. And one day, many years later, a psychologist would timidly ask Elsa if Anton had been exposed to any sort of dangerous dark magic as a child...
Height: 5'11
Weight: 157
Hair: Blonde, mostly straight but a little wavy.
Eyes: Hazel (blue mixed with other colors)
Skin Colour: Anton naturally has a very light complexion, but tans easily. Because of the time he spends outside, he usually appears light tan.
Clothing style: Anton doesn't truly have his own "style" he simply goes shopping for stuff that he believes looks good on him. That can be anything from an athletic look, to something more preppy. The only styles he purposely avoids are outfits that look gothic or depressing. He hates chains, skulls, and what he calls "man jewelry." He also hates anything that appears too feminine or too masculine.
Accessories: Sometimes Anton will wear sunglasses on his head, just to be humorous and out there. He also will wear nike braces on his arm, and other athletic lables; this more frequently.
Other: Anton has a slender build, but also a well toned body due to his athletic tendencies.
Paragraph Format: A product of Swedish and Russian heritage, Anton stands at 5'11 sporting wavy blonde hair and blue-hazel eyes. Quite comfortable with his appearance, Anton displays a general tone of light tan skin and has a sun-soaked appearance. His general facial expressions change drastically, sometimes hiding his true feelings beneath his skin. Anton also displays a look of wealth in his apparel, dressing in clothing that follows the popular trends yet somehow seems to be independent of most teenagers around him. An athletic teenager, Anton often times will also wear logos such as nike on wrist bands, and other "accessories." He detests chains, skulls, and everything he considers "man jewelry" so he avoids loose accessories all together. With quite a high fitness level, Anton visibly has a well toned body, but, never-the-less, has a slender build.
Personality: Witty, ambitious, fun-loving and manipulative, Anton generally appears a different way to each person in which he comes in contact with. He has several sides, and individuals will merely see the side he chooses to reveal. However, there are certain aspects of his personality that distinguishes him. First, would be his dark sense of humor. Many times finding serious things funny, and tragic things humorous, his evil, twisted sense of humor can be intimidating to those of more passive personalities. He spends a great deal of his time laughing, as he finds it difficult to hold in a guilty laugh. However, not only does he find “dark’ things funny, but he also has a solid sense of humor all the way around, so generally will laugh at lighter things as well. In straight-forward terms, he likes to have fun.
A second distinct personality trait of Anton is his intelligence and whit. Class material generally comes very easy to him, and he enjoys reading. He also enjoys studying subjects that actually are not part of his curriculum or homework. In fact, he prioritizes his personal studies so much that real school work gets pushed aside in his personal life and he puts little effort into it. In addition to academics and reading, Anton also has a natural gift in art. He loves to draw, and will often times find himself sketching things absent mindly during class. His most favorite thing to draw is people. Sometimes, his “drawings” will turn into vandalism.
In social interactions with Anton, it would seem as if he always speaks his mind and is openly opinionated. However, somehow, to the perceptive soul, Anton always seems to undoubtedly project himself as if he is revealing all that he feels; when really, he is hiding something more inside. Even though he may make himself look shallow; it is never simple with Anton, and there’s always something more. Anton has a cunning interior, never fully getting ride of his negative personality traits that surfaced while he was at Durmstrang, just simply, burying them as to try and make it so people don’t see. Although he appears impatient, internally he is actually very patient with people as he will slowly manipulates them into getting what he wants. He’s very social, and very observant. He pays attention, even if it doesn’t seem like it. A teenager who likes to be in control of his own life, Anton learned early on that everything that has to do yourself, has all to do with what’s going on around you; so it’s best if you keep your eyes open.
Anton can flip sides with his personality; depending on whom he is with. With dominate, outgoing people, Anton becomes the class clown, laughing and socializing in a friendly matter. But when Anton is with shy, passive people, he becomes the tormenter; taking part in psychological warfare and putting the victim through torment just for his own amusement. Anton takes humor to the extreme, sometimes, being quite rude and cruel. However, on the other hand, when dealing with those he believes to be his equals in depth and intelligence, he will show kindness and consideration. Anton has several friendly acquaintances, but few real friends. Those that are in his inner circle, often see sides of Anton that no one else does. He will slip words in tones that expose vulnerability and even some sort of twisted innocence. Anton also enjoys conversing with people and enjoys the company of those he can have a long, enjoyable conversation with the most. He seeks out the company of those whom he considers full of depth, and strength, and come with open minds. One of Anton’s weaknesses is his incapacity to settle into peace and show calmness; everything he does is in intensity. Even when exposing feelings of vulnerability, it still seems to be taken to the extreme. It could be said that he has an extreme personality and it is quite true. His emotions are always revealed in intensity.
And then, there is the unique characteristic of Anton that he likes to keep under wraps; well, it not necessarily a characteristic but more of a sort of talent and complication. His whole life Anton would sometimes suffer from dizzy spells; not being able to breathe well and feel light headed. But when Anton settled into Hogwarts and started to interact with other students in sports more often, he began to realize that he was always the fastest on the field; he could outrun everyone. He wasn’t so fast that it was out of control, and not something so big that it seemed abnormal, but he was always the fastest. However, he still would suffer from dizzy spells occasionally and he knew not why. It seemed absurd for it to be asthma, since when he took part in physical activities he was able to observe oxygen at a very high rate which added to his ability to outrun all the other guys…However, finally in incident was too much for him. While in his dorm room he experienced a great amount of pain in his chest and thought that perhaps he was having a heart attack. When the pain died down, he headed over to the Hospital Wing. He was taken to St. Mungo’s where they did a full analysis on him, including tactics used by Muggles.
Their findings were interesting, to say the least. Twelve-year-old Anton was informed, along with his parents, that he had a complicated and quite extraordinary circular system. His heart was able to pump blood at a very fast rate, as well as his blood cells could very quickly absorb oxygen and quickly pass it along; but also, his cells could hold more oxygen than the average person as well. Because of this, it often times reached the point where his circulatory system was ahead of the rest of his body, and could run and do activities on less oxygen or strain. However, they warned him that in other times, when the circulatory system was not ahead (which would happen when Anton was doing things not so demanding of him) his body would need more oxygen quickly, as the system was too fast and his cells absorbed and disregarded it too fast. Basically, he reached high and lows.
They told him the best way to cope with this is to continue doing physical activities as to make sure that his oxygen level is actually so high that it is always ahead of the rest of the bodies’ activities. He should do something physically straining before going to bed. So, now that has taken a part of Anton’s personality. He’s still fast; very fast; not so fast as you would find it so unbelievable that it had to be magic, but just fast enough that you would think he should go to the Olympics in the muggle world. He loves to run, play sports, and do anything that requires physical strain. It’s inevitable that at least once or twice a year he’ll suffer from a dizzy spell or worse, but he copes with it. Most of the time, he looks at his complications as a gift; it enables him to be full of energy and be ‘one step ahead of everyone else’. Perhaps this is another reason why on his personality he always takes things to the extreme.
Anton does a pretty good job as passing himself off as a “normal” student, not really giving way to what his real intentions are.
Socially interactive, Anton doesn't base who he talks to off "popularity" ; he can get amusement out of everyone in one way or another; he can enjoy laughing with outgoing, dominate personalities, feeling serious while having hear-to-heart conversations with people of good communication skills, and have fun tormenting others that despise him. Anton nearly finds it funny went people don’t like him, it just gives him an excuse to torment them. However, when they are rude or cruel to him; that is a different story. Anton doesn’t do “rivalries” very well, since rivalries are supposed to last long. When deeply cut or angered, Anton can turn into a very frightening person. His attempts at getting back at the person that offended him are often times down-right cruel and humiliating. Anton definitely does have a side of him that is fiercely mean, even when he loves to hang out with others and talk so much.
History: The son of Viktor and Elsa Hilden Tarasov, Anton naturally grew up in luxury as his parent’s possessed so much wealth. He became fluent in Swedish and Russian rather quickly; for, although Swedish was the national language and others around him spoke the language, Russian was spoken more in the home and by his immediate family. He learned them both at the same time, his first words being spoken in Russian although technically Swedish was his "native language." He began to pick up on English through television series and officially started to learn the language when he was seven in school. Although he was exposed to several adult influences, Anton did not socialize much with others of his own age during his early years. He spent most of his time "locked up" in the Tarasov estate.
From very early on, Elsa took a concern with her youngest son's behavior. Although it was Demitri who seemed to be more rebellious on paper, Anton was the one that concerned his mother the most; she really was the only one to take concern in a negative way. Unlike his other brothers, Anton was by far more emotional, even if he tried to hide it. The boy notably based many of his decisions of his emotions and not logic, and Elsa always got the feeling that deep under his facade Anton was hiding many things; which concerned her. Another thing that was different about him was his preference for laughter, Elsa noticed that Anton seemed to enjoy humorous things far more than her other two sons; this didn't concern her too much, it just was a mental note she made. As Anton began to grow older, his decisions became more logical even so to the extent that Elsa was actually very proud of his wit, but she never shredded the concern that Anton was hiding many things from his family.
When Anton was eight, his mother thought that it would be best if he started learning Norwegian so that his experience at Durmstrang would be more pleasant. It was a family tradition to attend the school. Not only had his father attended, but also his two brothers were currently enrolled. This had a negative effect on Anton, for, as he was constantly "locked up" in his manor, he had few other kids to socialize with since his brothers were gone at school. When Demitri came home, the two would become nuisances together and enjoy each other's company. So, Anton began learning Norweigan although it seemed as if his heart wasn't really in it (perhaps it was just boredom with learning a language so similiar to his own...)He put English first and excelled more in that language. He also studied a great deal of subjects for fun; this was one thing that his mother was extremely proud of.
When Anton turned eleven, he nervously departed to Durmstrang. In short terms, the whole thing was a disaster. Upon arriving to Durmstrang, the professors were actually awed by his whit and academic potential. He passed all pre-tests with flying colors; so greatly was his performance in them that his professors thought it unbelievable. In Potions, Charms, and Defense Against the Dark Arts, his professors recommended that he move up a year in their classes for his knowledge in the subject was far too great that it surpassed level-one potential. He also got very high marks in Transfiguration, although not high enough to be moved up a year. Teachers were in awe of his academic potential. The Norwegians thought that they were dealing with a genius. He also continued to study English while at the school. He had a roommate who could speak Russian, so they both conversed together in that language. And to keep his fluency in Swedish up to par, he wrote his entire collection of letters to home in Swedish.
However, from the start, Anton struggled with Norwegian. He could understand it quite well and could write out the language with not much of a problem, but speaking it was another story. He was very slow with his words, and for this reason, kept to himself. So, at the beginning of the year, he was labeled as shy and very much of a geek. However, the boys that did feel guilty enough about Anton's struggle with the language and befriended him, quickly found that he was anything but passive and shy and discovered him to be somewhat of a psychological bully. Even at this young age, Anton had started to become manipulative, stubborn, and vain; the fact that he was at a school were he struggled with the language only made matters worse and brought out his negative traits.
A month into school, Anton was no longer labeled as shy or geek-like. People mostly just avoided him, but didn't pay him much disrespect. Most boys were not used to dealing with a person like Anton, and Anton himself began to settle into depression. The more he stayed at Durmstrang, the more he wanted to go home. Quickly, his academic performance slipped more and more; he no longer made it a priority, and it got so bad, that he had reached the point where he was putting no effort into his work whatsoever. He also was dealing deathly with authority, even sometimes deliberately disobeying professor for amusement. The Professors themselves were shocked and outraged; but still saw his potential to become a genius and didn't want to see him miss out on that opportunity.
In the course of the next few months, Anton would get so out of line that it would lead to serious discipline. It started when a fellow first year was caught sneaking around the grounds at night. When questioned, the boy seemed terrified, and offered the excuse that he simply had been lurking around because he thought it was fun...but the fear in his eyes said something different. Finally, after intense pressure, the boy spilled that Anton had told him to go get a book from the library, with a threat added. When they questioned Anton about it, he replied casually and said that it had merely been a dare and that the boy had seemed even excited to do it...of course, Anton was lying.
Following this incident, Anton's letter's to home revealed desperate pleas to be taken home. His mother thought this idea purely ridiculous and unthinkable, and didn't even bother to tell her husband that Anton was struggling. She told herself that Anton was going throw a phase.
Already serving detentions for having a minor role in the incident prior, Anton began to rebel even more. The most notable of incidents, was his involvement in trying to break into a closet of relics. During lunch, when no one was in the potion's classroom, Anton ,seemingly, spontaneously marched into the classroom, carrying his broomstick, and shoved it into a glass case storing relics. The Professor heard, this, came out of his office, and found Anton standing there, not even concerned about being caught. Anton gave him a little smirk, and the professor dragged him down to the Headmaster's office. Luckily, Anton wasn't expelled, or even suspended, but was given dismal amounts of detention.
When Elsa heard of this, she immediately wrote her son a howler and begged him to behave. Anton seemed to respond well to this, as he corrected his behavior and ceased his disruptive ways. However, his academic performance didn't change at all, he still was failing every class. And as the days were nearing the Holidays, Anton was finally caught out of bed himself after hours, simply reading a few books by candlelight in an abandoned hallway. The school decided that their rebellious first year needed a wake up call, and decided to suspend him. He went home only a few days before the Christmas Holidays, which was actually quite convenient, for he got to spend more time with his family and recouping.
Upon arriving home, Elsa was deeply concerned, and even somewhat frightened of her son's behavior. Viktor was angry, as Elsa had not taken the time to tell him of Anton's struggles until he had been suspended. However, once Anton had returned home, he seemed back to usual, and even more friendly and respectful than ever before. After spending a few days with his family, Viktor and Elsa found it very difficult to even picture their son acting so out of line; he seemed quite friendly and kind to them. It would seem as if Durmstrang was even a good influence on him...Viktor simply came to the conclusion that the Durmstrang staff had been exaggerating.
So, Anton was sent back to Durmstrang without much of a worry from his parents (although Elsa was always concerned in the back of her mind.) The staff hesitantly dealt with him, as it was clear from the moment that Anton returned that he still had no intention of improving his grades. However, this time around, Anton, although still not very fluent in Norwegion, had become more social. Instead of taking the seat in the back corner, Anton would now take a seat dead center. He now seemed to drag his Russian roommate around (who could speak Bulgarian better by far) and it seemed as if the boy acted as a translator. His humorous, outgoing side came out and his quick, newly-found popularity made him a different type of problem for the teachers.
He was more distracting than ever; serving more detentions than ever before, and this time, getting people to do things with him. He was a nuisance, and Durmstrang was on the verge of expelling him. However, the fact that his father was Viktor Tarasov did cause some hesitation...Letters were sent to the Tarasov's, which, once again, triggered concern from Elsa that was not passed along to her husband.
The finale incident that occurred with Anton at Durmstrang took place in mid-April. Boric, one of the students that had formerly liked to make-fun of Anton for his poor talent in conversing in Norweigon, had crossed paths with Anton before classes. Then next thing everyone knew, Boric was hanging over a lake in nothing but his underwear, and Anton was swinging him from side to side using a spell. A crowd had gathered, who found the whole thing very funny, so soon enough, a Professor had arrived. The professor demanded that Anton put him down.
"Ummm...no." Anton had replied quite casually.
"What did you say?"
"I said...no." He repeated his words once again with a casual ring to it.
At that moment, outraged, the professor began to yell at Anton, giving him a series of threats as he marched closer.
"Okay, fine." At that moment, Boric was dropped into the water bellow him and Anton was shortly taken to the Headmaster's office. As the staff deliberated what to do with him, the first year mockingly suggested that they expel him. Even when he meant it as a mockery, they seized the opportunity and officially expelled him. The professors figured that they could use this as an excuse with Viktor Tarasov arrived himself. However, it was Elsa who received the news first and headed straight to Durmstrang to fetch her son. Internally, she was in a panic, but looked quite composed on the outside.
Anton actually looked quite nervous. He had spent almost his entire experience rebelling against the school but now that he had been expelled...he was actually frightened. Elsa wisped him away as quickly as possible, but they did not immediately return to Sweden as Anton had thought. Instead, Elsa journeyed to France so that he could see an unbiased psychologist. For after receiving the news that her son had been expelled, an internal fear had risen up inside Elsa. She was deathly afraid that her son was struggling with psychotic issues...and perhaps, could be on the verge of insanity. She new that if she were go to a Scandinavian therapist, or any Eastern European Psychologist, they would probably be afraid to reveal the whole truth to her since, after all, she was Elsa Hilden Tarasov. So she journeyed to France, and nervously awaited the outcome of a mental evaluation.
The Psychologist openly admitted that Anton's behavior at his school had been out of control, but told her that there was really no abnormal reasoning behind it. Although he believed that Anton had previously suffered from depression, he saw no psychological insufficiencies ...He then proceeded to carry on about Anton's amazing intellectual abilities...almost as if he were a genius. He advised Mrs. Tarasov to find ways to motivate him. He then also advised her, that although he did not have psychological insufficiencies, it would probably be best if he met with a counselor regularly to work out problems that seemed to have emerged from his past. He then nervously asked her if all was well in the Tarasov's family relations and if Anton Tarasov had been exposed to any sort of dangerous dark magic in the past...
These questions made Elsa feel quite nervous, as they made her inclined to think that perhaps this whole mess was her fault...yet, at the same time, she felt great relief that the Psychologist had confirmed that her son was indeed not crazy. Elsa left with the evaluation and headed back to Sweden with her twelve-year-old son. Anton spoke little through the whole journey, feeling awkwardness and even some embarrassment. When they arrived, they found that Viktor had already pulled a few strings and had arranged a meeting for Anton and the Hogwarts Headmistress. Viktor did not get angry at his son, instead, he avoided him and refused to look him in the eye. Anton knew that it was because of embarrassment.
So, a few weeks later, Elsa and Anton once again journeyed to another land; this time, Great Britain. Anton found the castle exciting as he recalled how many great wizards had attended the school; Harry Potter, Tom Riddle, and so many others! The very founders of the school had been brilliant themselves. When he finally met the Headmistress, he found her warm and charming, and sincerely hoped that the school would accept him, for by now he'd learned that formal education was actually important. She asked him a few questions, and Anton recited his well-rehearsed answers for her. He then was asked to leave the room as Caira LaPointe wanted a few private words with his mother. Anton took this as an opportunity to look around the school, not venturing very far and staying in looking distance from the Headmaster's entrance. He found the school inviting, and it actually pleased him. He even caught site of a few girls; something he had not seen at Durmstrang.
Before he knew it, his mother had come to fetch him and they began to leave. She said that he had done very well, but they would not know if Hogwarts had accepted him until later in the summer. The fact that they had to wait clearly made Elsa nervous, but she was confident that he had presented himself very well in front of Caira and she probably was going to give him a chance. Of course, Viktor looked into other schools in different parts of the world, but since the language problem had been such a barrier to Anton in the first place he was hesitant for Anton to apply. He also was nervous about any Russian schools, and looked down upon American ones.
In the summer, a letter came, revealing that Anton had indeed been accepted. However, since he never took his exams, he would have to repeat his first year all over again. Elsa was thrilled, and Viktor finally was able to look his son in the eye again. Anton was actually nervous, not wanting to repeat what happened the last time, but didn't reveal these feelings to anyone...
Demitri and Anton bonded that summer. As Demitri was growing older, he was beginning to get himself involved with more dark groups and such, but always managed to have time to hang out with his younger brother. He down-played the seriousness of Anton's rebellious ways in Durmstrang and the two had more fun together than ever before. Gustave, who had graduated by now, already had moved out of the estate into his own apartment in Stockholm.
When Anton was at home, he noticed that his parents were spending more time muttering things when they were alone and began to attempt, along with Demitri, to decipher what they were saying. They got a few things, such as "Dark Phoenix" and "Shadow Mage." But they never understood the exact meaning. Demitri became so persistent that his parents finally revealed their secrets to him, but Anton missed about because he was deemed too young. Anton begged Demitri to tell him, but he refused. That caused a slight rift between them, right before school was about to start.
By the time he was boarding the Hogwarts Express, Anton had shed his nervousness and was comfortable with his position. He possessed a spirit of confidence that could easily be sensed by others. His behavior did not resemble much of what he had been at Durmstrang; and didn't mention his experience there to anyone. Once he got settled in Hogwarts, he tried a little more in his assignments, putting him as one of the heads of his class. However, he still seemed to lack much motivation. He also became very social; never resorting back to his old solitary and bully-like personality traits, or, at least making them known to others.
Years passed, and Anton aged. He became very comfortable in his own skin, and Elsa developed a complicated relationship with him. Of all her children, Anton was the one that Elsa could never fully understand; perhaps, this is what forged such a strong bond between the two of them.
Meanwhile, things at home got more stressful and Anton began to feel more and more like he was being excluded. Everyone else in the family knew what was going on; and how exactly the Tarasov's were involved in the Dark Arts. Anton didn't. But the manipulative side of his personality stopped him from being overly persistent; he figured his mother would tell him once he showed little interest. And he was right, although it was not Elsa that told him, but the both of his parents. They slowly started "slipping" things around him, letting him know details little by little. It finally got to the point where Anton almost always knew everything. Finally, Viktor sat him down and told him everything; everything he knew; that they served Dark Phoenix, how they served Dark Phoenix (giving resources, spying) and that there was a war coming. By this time, Anton had been introduced enough into the idea that he supported it.
When Demitri turned eighteen, he convinced his parents that he also needed a place of his own and it was time for him to move out. His parents obliged by giving him one of the family penthouses in Stockholm, (they owned quite a few properties.) The Penthouse was quite luxurious itself, however, much more modern and enticing to a young adult than the Estate or any of the other Tarasov penthouses. Anton, wanting a little bit more independence and expressing boredom tired of living under his parents’ jurisdiction and finally manipulated his parents into letting him live with his brother. The two got along, doing their own thing but having a good relationship.
However, by the time Anton had reached the age of fourteen (which was when he moved in with Demitri), his older brother, was not only involved with Dark Phoenix, but also other minor and nearly insignificant dark organizations as well. Theses organization were closer to that of gangs; run by young, often times foolish and impulsive members; many had disputes between themselves which ended with lethal consequences.
Occasionally, during their first summer together, Demitri would take Anton with him and they would go out and do things together. On one particular occasion, Demitri and Anton headed on over to an apartment that belonged to one of Demitri's friends. They arrived, had a few drinks, and socialized. The friend went out on the deck for a smoke, and Demitri and Anton did not think much of it. However, twenty minutes later, it dawned on them that such friend had never come back inside.
Just as they were going to investigate, they were attacked by two masked figures, which began to throw killing curses in their direction. Anton and Demitri quickly reacted; one of Demitri's spells disarming one of the masked figures. However, the other masked figure copied his spell and Anton got disarmed as well. Demitri, in response, disarmed the other masked figure, but the one whom he had disarmed first plunged himself on him and they started fighting for his wand. Anton also found himself in a physical fight, trying desperately to stop the other masked figure from regaining a wand too. Between the blows, all four had ended up in the kitchen, just feet away from Anton's disarmed wand. The Masked figure that Anton was battling was successful; grabbing Anton's wand just inches away from the counter on the floor; but that did not mean defeat for Anton.
For as soon as the masked figure had touched the wand, Anton realized the threat and ideas flowed through his head. Before the Masked figure could even look up, Anton had grabbed one of the butcher knives off the counter and shoved it through the man's skull. Not having time to reach over and grabbed his wand, he pulled the knife out and walked over to where his brother and other attacker were fighting (which was only feet away). Since the masked character had his back to Anton, he sliced his neck.
There was an immediate silence that followed. Demitri was in shock of what his fourteen-year-old brother had done; yet, Anton's reaction was just to remain composed, he seemed to breathe out an air of relaxation even. Anton did not seem shaken at all and even suggested that they leave quickly; going to see if Demitri's friend was truly dead, first. Demitri couldn't believe how his brother was coping with killing someone; two people, at that. But Anton seemed fine.
The next few days Demitri pondered his younger brother's behavior. He knew Anton very well, having known him Anton's whole life, yet Anton still somehow managed to surprise him every once and awhile; and this was no exception. Finally, shock turned to surprise...surprise to intrigue, and intrigue into feeling impressed. A few months later, Anton was inducted as a spy to dark phoenix, and met her later. Anton's circulatory system complications led to a few incidents in school, passing out once or twice, but other than that, he had no major incidents. Although sometimes acting out and dealing poorly with authority, he never really did anything comparable to his actions at Durmstrang, having learned self-control. Besides that, he knew that he needed to avoid drawing attention too much attention to himself due to his dark motives...
[purple]Admin Edit[/purple]
Name: Anton Tarasov
Age: 18 (but seventh year)
Sex: Male
Nationality: Swedish (but half Russian)
Speech: Swedish, Russian, English, and vague Norwegian (it is speculated that this is where Durmstrang is). Anton learned English from school and television shows; Russian from his father and family, and Norweigan from some brief lessons and attending a year at Durmstrang. Although Swedish and Norwegian are very similar, Anton oddly struggled with the language; the cause of this still remains a mystery and Anton himself cannot explain it. Swedish is his native language.
Blood: Pure
Father: Viktor Mikhail Tarasov
Mother: Elsa Hilden Tarasov
Siblings: Two older brothers: Gustave, who is eight years his senior, and Demitri, who is four years his senior.
Other Family: A large extended family on his mother’s side, no close surviving relatives on his father’s side.
Family Interactions:
Born and raised in Russia during the heart of the Cold War, Stefan Tarasov, father of Viktor Tarasov (Anton’s dad), grew up in chaos. Due to the turmoil spreading in the Muggle government, Wizards of Russia began to take matters into their own hands and turmoil spread to the Wizard government as well. Even when the Muggle government had settled down into organized communism, the Wizarding world still seemed unstable. Dark Wizards were using the organized madness to cover for their dark deeds. Stefan was one of them.
But Stefan wasn’t just a pointless madman looking for any opportunity to participate in the dark arts. He was a radical; an idealist. The new ideas of the Muggle world had led him to develop his own extreme ideas. His most notorious of all, was the idea to mix the Wizarding World and Muggle World together; to live as one, where Wizard kind held the upper hand. But Stefan was not stupid, he knew well that any attempt to openly expose the Magical World could land him in prison, so he decided to take things slow and make things less obvious.
Not wanting to be anywhere near Moscow or St. Petersburg, where the Magical Russian Police had their headquarters, Stefan moved to the outer limits of Soviet rule; Estonia. Here, Stefan had little to worry about for the Soviets had claimed the land as their own but the Russian Magical Government had not. This way, there was less authority for him to deal with…although, his underestimating of the authority of this country would ultimately lead to his own death.
Here, Stefan brought his wife and only son, Viktor, to live with him. Stefan wasted no time in taking matters into his own hands; he registered himself under two names; one, magical, and another; a muggle alias. Under this alias, he began to deeply plunge himself into Muggle politics. He also attempted to seize some minor control of the Estonian Magical Government by working behind the scenes. What Stefan failed to realize, though, was that the Estonian Communists of the Muggle world that already were in power, were not so eager to see someone else enter their world and compete for control.
However, Stefan was beginning to get quite successful in his plans. He was rising up the social ladders in both worlds. Of course, he realized that his goal of merging the two worlds was next to impossible, but felt as if he was taking the first steps in that direction and that someday someone would follow in his footsteps to add more. Enjoying living a luxurious lifestyle, he invited his siblings to join him in Estonia. Only his younger brother, Mikhail, accepted the offer.
Meanwhile, his wife, Tanya, was immersing herself into the Magical social circle of Estonia. She attended the most expensive parties of the country, and began to secure a permanent place in the Elite Circle. Tall, with a stone face and dark blue eyes, she usually dressed in the most ravishing of clothes and spoke in a cold, intellectual voice. Her son, Viktor, was raised along side her. He grew accustomed to attending expensive, social parties in Estonia, and developed a very people-person personality. He grew used to listening to politics and began to enjoy them. He dressed in the finest of apparel and abided by the rules of etiquette. However, behind his good behaved face, he was ever as ambitious as his father, although, not so radical. By the time he was twenty, he had full plans of entering the political circle and gaining some power of his own.
Meanwhile, across the sea, Elsa Hilden lived in Sweden, enjoying her own spoils of living with wealthy parents of dark magic. Fair skinned, with light curls of blonde and beautiful blue eyes, she was the apple of her father’s eye. Elsa had a gentle, graceful, and elegant manner about her. She always spoke with a soft voice, abiding by the customs of her family and enjoying her family’s wealth. She was the elite girl of Swedish society, and an object of much gossip, although she never seemed to do anything out of line or scandalous in front of company. What kept people talking about her was her grace, and the legacy of her family; the dark, elegant Hildens who used their money to perform dark, mystical deeds, yet also managed to appear so proper and elegant to society.
One of five children, Elsa had two older brothers, one older sister, and one younger brother. Her sister, Anna, had married an Estonian gentleman and had made the difficult journey across the border into his homeland. Not a family to let loved ones go unvisited for a great amount of time, Elsa found herself journeying with several other members of her family to visit her sister quite often. She would often stay weeks with her sister, and attend parties and gatherings with her. It was at one of these parties that she met Viktor, Stefan’s son. The two were mutually attracted to each other, and soon this attraction grew into a courtship. Elsa found herself falling for Viktor Tarasov.
But then, tragedy struck.
Stefan had come to be despised by many individuals of both societies; muggles, and wizards alike. One day, it caught up with him. At dawn, while journeying to his Muggle Work office, Stefan was shot by a gun and left in the middle of the street to die. Panic struck his brother, Mikhail, when he heard of the news and felt immediately prompted to leave the country. But first, the family had to have it out with Stefan’s will. It turned out, that he had left a substantial amount of money to his wife (in Estonian Wizard society, women did not have automatic right to their dead husband’s money.) The rest, his property, most of his bank account, and most of his other possessions were left to Viktor. The Estonian Magical Government urged the family to sell all of their possessions and head back to Russia, where they would arrange aliases and temporary protection from the Russian government.
Viktor begged Elsa to elope with him and journey with him to Russia, but she refused. She explained that she did not intend to live in such torn conditions, and preferred her life in Sweden. She suggested that he come back with her. A fight erupted after this, and Viktor left Elsa to journey to Russia with his mother and uncle. Heartbroken, and thinking the relationship over for good, Elsa returned back to Sweden.
Viktor sold his property, grabbed his papers, and made many bank deposits so that he could prepare to wire his money over to Russia. He then proceeded to pack his things, and board a train with his mother and uncle that would take them back to Russia. However, as he waited in line to purchase his tickets, something happened. The closer he got to the ticket master, the more his thoughts focused on Elsa. It brought pain to his heart just thinking about Elsa marrying another man; for surely, she one day would. She was far too beautiful…And by the time he had reached the ticket master, he'd realized he loved her.
His mother was disappointed, but understood. After their long goodbyes, Viktor made his way back in the other direction, soon finding a ship to board and journeying to Sweden. He arrived in Stockholm, entering the first bank he saw and opened an account there. He then wired half of his money there. He first inquired if they knew where the Hildens lived, but the staff there seemed not to have to have the family’s address on record. Then he inquired of other banks, visited one they spoke of, and opened another account in this bank, wiring the rest of his money there. He also inquired of the Hilden’s whereabouts at this new bank, and the staff hesitantly gave him the information. The mentioning of the name seemed to intimidate the bankers. After this discussion, the Bankers treated him differently. He was still respected, like before, but now there was a sort of fear behind their motives. It was obvious that the Hildens held some sort of reputation.
After getting a hotel room and making arrangements, Viktor evaporated to the address given to him. He found himself in the middle of a blizzard, standing just outside a large gate. He entered the property, and soon a very elegant, gothic manor was standing before him. He knocked at two very large doors and waited for an answer. Soon, a humble house-elf was speaking to him in Swedish. He responded by giving the elf his name and asking for Elsa. The next thing Viktor knew, a beautiful, yet shaken Elsa appeared at the doorway. The two immediately embraced.
They married three months later, moving into a large estate just outside of Stockholm. Viktor quickly set his sights on entering the world of Swedish politics, and launched his ambitious plan to seize control. Using fear, manipulation, and newly found friends thanks to his involvement with the glamorous Hilden family, he quickly rose up the social ladder. It was amazing how much power a young man in his early twenties could gain in only a few short years. By his thirty second birthday, Viktor Tarasov had half the government well in his favor.
And it was also shortly after his thirty second birthday that Viktor and Elsa Tarasov’s lives were changed forever. After nine years of marriage, Elsa finally gave birth to a healthy baby son, Gustave. After his birth, Viktor continued pursuing political interests, and four years later they had another son, Demitri. They did not plan on having more children. However, three and a half years later Elsa discovered that she was pregnant once more. This third, and final son, was Anton.
Gustave’s personality reflected his Hilden heritage. Tall, with deep blue eyes and a stone face, broad shoulders and a strong sense of dignity, Gustave excelled greatly in school. He acted out of a sense of duty and followed after the Hilden ways. Gustave was very serious and somber, not one to smile or laugh very much. Demitri, was also quite serious, but very reckless. He acted against order and embraced “the new ways” of the west. While Gustave would wait patiently to hear more about the family’s involvement with the dark arts, Demitri would impatiently eavesdrop on family conversations. Demitri had more of a temper and acted impulsively. However, he was warmer than his brother and had more of a capacity to love.
Anton was the most sensitive of the three, but early on in his life learned to hide these feelings of vulnerably from his family. He also possessed a great sense of humor and loved things that were entertaining and exciting. Things that Gustave loved, simply bored the young Anton. Naturally, Anton spent more time with Demitri because of their closer ages. They also got along better because of their love of things that kept the heart beating. However, Anton would never take things as dangerously far as Demitri would, and liked to smile more often. Anton struggled with his relationship with his oldest brother, since Gustave acted so coldly. The two seemed more of acquaintances than brothers.
Anton had a friendly relationship with his father, but the two didn’t see each other very often. Viktor, out of all the members of Anton’s family, possessed the greatest warmth next to Anton. However, because of Viktor’s uninvolvement with Anton’s life, the two weren’t very close on a personal level. Anton and Elsa had a complicated relationship. Although a little cold and disconnected herself, Elsa constantly sacrificed for her son. This brought them together. However, Elsa’s obvious concern with Anton’s behavior drove them apart. These complications would only get worse as Anton got older.
When Anton was still an infant, Elsa received a visit from her sister-in-law, Mia. When Elsa and Viktor had got married, Mia still looked young and vibrant; a newly wed herself with dark brown hair and light blue eyes. However, recently, through the past few years, she'd started to age. There were wrinkles underneath her eyes and she always seemed to look tired. Her eyes appeared darker, and she seemed to only dress in black these days. Never the less, Mia retained her composure around Elsa Tarasov. By this time, Viktor had sustained much power for the Hildens and much of the family had come to look up to him. Mia was no exception. However, when she came to visit Elsa this time, something was different about her. She acted as if, for the first time in years, she was Elsa's superior and seemed to carry with her some genuine happiness. When they had finally settled down, and had finished their small talk, Mia seemed to somber out.
"She wants your help." Mia said softly.
Not fully understanding what Mia had meant, and thinking that perhaps Mia was referring to someone in the family that needed financial aide, Elsa responded casually.
"But of course! Might I ask who it is?"
"No. You don't understand." Mia said firmly. "She wants your help."
That began the Tarasov's involvement with Dark Phoenix.
The secret was kept from the children until they reached a proper age; the Tarasov's didn't trust others with their secrets; even if it was their own children. They had to prove themselves worthy. Viktor was often far too busy with his career, but lent his resources to the Hildens to use. He gradually got more involved over time. Elsa tried to stay out of it as much as she could, preferring to live a proper lifestyle where men did all the dirty work.
This secret effected the family greatly. Gustave was always trying to live up to the Hilden's expectations; Demitri was trying to uncover the secret his parents kept from him; and Anton...felt isolated. It would effect his personality in years to come. And one day, many years later, a psychologist would timidly ask Elsa if Anton had been exposed to any sort of dangerous dark magic as a child...
Height: 5'11
Weight: 157
Hair: Blonde, mostly straight but a little wavy.
Eyes: Hazel (blue mixed with other colors)
Skin Colour: Anton naturally has a very light complexion, but tans easily. Because of the time he spends outside, he usually appears light tan.
Clothing style: Anton doesn't truly have his own "style" he simply goes shopping for stuff that he believes looks good on him. That can be anything from an athletic look, to something more preppy. The only styles he purposely avoids are outfits that look gothic or depressing. He hates chains, skulls, and what he calls "man jewelry." He also hates anything that appears too feminine or too masculine.
Accessories: Sometimes Anton will wear sunglasses on his head, just to be humorous and out there. He also will wear nike braces on his arm, and other athletic lables; this more frequently.
Other: Anton has a slender build, but also a well toned body due to his athletic tendencies.
Paragraph Format: A product of Swedish and Russian heritage, Anton stands at 5'11 sporting wavy blonde hair and blue-hazel eyes. Quite comfortable with his appearance, Anton displays a general tone of light tan skin and has a sun-soaked appearance. His general facial expressions change drastically, sometimes hiding his true feelings beneath his skin. Anton also displays a look of wealth in his apparel, dressing in clothing that follows the popular trends yet somehow seems to be independent of most teenagers around him. An athletic teenager, Anton often times will also wear logos such as nike on wrist bands, and other "accessories." He detests chains, skulls, and everything he considers "man jewelry" so he avoids loose accessories all together. With quite a high fitness level, Anton visibly has a well toned body, but, never-the-less, has a slender build.
Personality: Witty, ambitious, fun-loving and manipulative, Anton generally appears a different way to each person in which he comes in contact with. He has several sides, and individuals will merely see the side he chooses to reveal. However, there are certain aspects of his personality that distinguishes him. First, would be his dark sense of humor. Many times finding serious things funny, and tragic things humorous, his evil, twisted sense of humor can be intimidating to those of more passive personalities. He spends a great deal of his time laughing, as he finds it difficult to hold in a guilty laugh. However, not only does he find “dark’ things funny, but he also has a solid sense of humor all the way around, so generally will laugh at lighter things as well. In straight-forward terms, he likes to have fun.
A second distinct personality trait of Anton is his intelligence and whit. Class material generally comes very easy to him, and he enjoys reading. He also enjoys studying subjects that actually are not part of his curriculum or homework. In fact, he prioritizes his personal studies so much that real school work gets pushed aside in his personal life and he puts little effort into it. In addition to academics and reading, Anton also has a natural gift in art. He loves to draw, and will often times find himself sketching things absent mindly during class. His most favorite thing to draw is people. Sometimes, his “drawings” will turn into vandalism.
In social interactions with Anton, it would seem as if he always speaks his mind and is openly opinionated. However, somehow, to the perceptive soul, Anton always seems to undoubtedly project himself as if he is revealing all that he feels; when really, he is hiding something more inside. Even though he may make himself look shallow; it is never simple with Anton, and there’s always something more. Anton has a cunning interior, never fully getting ride of his negative personality traits that surfaced while he was at Durmstrang, just simply, burying them as to try and make it so people don’t see. Although he appears impatient, internally he is actually very patient with people as he will slowly manipulates them into getting what he wants. He’s very social, and very observant. He pays attention, even if it doesn’t seem like it. A teenager who likes to be in control of his own life, Anton learned early on that everything that has to do yourself, has all to do with what’s going on around you; so it’s best if you keep your eyes open.
Anton can flip sides with his personality; depending on whom he is with. With dominate, outgoing people, Anton becomes the class clown, laughing and socializing in a friendly matter. But when Anton is with shy, passive people, he becomes the tormenter; taking part in psychological warfare and putting the victim through torment just for his own amusement. Anton takes humor to the extreme, sometimes, being quite rude and cruel. However, on the other hand, when dealing with those he believes to be his equals in depth and intelligence, he will show kindness and consideration. Anton has several friendly acquaintances, but few real friends. Those that are in his inner circle, often see sides of Anton that no one else does. He will slip words in tones that expose vulnerability and even some sort of twisted innocence. Anton also enjoys conversing with people and enjoys the company of those he can have a long, enjoyable conversation with the most. He seeks out the company of those whom he considers full of depth, and strength, and come with open minds. One of Anton’s weaknesses is his incapacity to settle into peace and show calmness; everything he does is in intensity. Even when exposing feelings of vulnerability, it still seems to be taken to the extreme. It could be said that he has an extreme personality and it is quite true. His emotions are always revealed in intensity.
And then, there is the unique characteristic of Anton that he likes to keep under wraps; well, it not necessarily a characteristic but more of a sort of talent and complication. His whole life Anton would sometimes suffer from dizzy spells; not being able to breathe well and feel light headed. But when Anton settled into Hogwarts and started to interact with other students in sports more often, he began to realize that he was always the fastest on the field; he could outrun everyone. He wasn’t so fast that it was out of control, and not something so big that it seemed abnormal, but he was always the fastest. However, he still would suffer from dizzy spells occasionally and he knew not why. It seemed absurd for it to be asthma, since when he took part in physical activities he was able to observe oxygen at a very high rate which added to his ability to outrun all the other guys…However, finally in incident was too much for him. While in his dorm room he experienced a great amount of pain in his chest and thought that perhaps he was having a heart attack. When the pain died down, he headed over to the Hospital Wing. He was taken to St. Mungo’s where they did a full analysis on him, including tactics used by Muggles.
Their findings were interesting, to say the least. Twelve-year-old Anton was informed, along with his parents, that he had a complicated and quite extraordinary circular system. His heart was able to pump blood at a very fast rate, as well as his blood cells could very quickly absorb oxygen and quickly pass it along; but also, his cells could hold more oxygen than the average person as well. Because of this, it often times reached the point where his circulatory system was ahead of the rest of his body, and could run and do activities on less oxygen or strain. However, they warned him that in other times, when the circulatory system was not ahead (which would happen when Anton was doing things not so demanding of him) his body would need more oxygen quickly, as the system was too fast and his cells absorbed and disregarded it too fast. Basically, he reached high and lows.
They told him the best way to cope with this is to continue doing physical activities as to make sure that his oxygen level is actually so high that it is always ahead of the rest of the bodies’ activities. He should do something physically straining before going to bed. So, now that has taken a part of Anton’s personality. He’s still fast; very fast; not so fast as you would find it so unbelievable that it had to be magic, but just fast enough that you would think he should go to the Olympics in the muggle world. He loves to run, play sports, and do anything that requires physical strain. It’s inevitable that at least once or twice a year he’ll suffer from a dizzy spell or worse, but he copes with it. Most of the time, he looks at his complications as a gift; it enables him to be full of energy and be ‘one step ahead of everyone else’. Perhaps this is another reason why on his personality he always takes things to the extreme.
Anton does a pretty good job as passing himself off as a “normal” student, not really giving way to what his real intentions are.
Socially interactive, Anton doesn't base who he talks to off "popularity" ; he can get amusement out of everyone in one way or another; he can enjoy laughing with outgoing, dominate personalities, feeling serious while having hear-to-heart conversations with people of good communication skills, and have fun tormenting others that despise him. Anton nearly finds it funny went people don’t like him, it just gives him an excuse to torment them. However, when they are rude or cruel to him; that is a different story. Anton doesn’t do “rivalries” very well, since rivalries are supposed to last long. When deeply cut or angered, Anton can turn into a very frightening person. His attempts at getting back at the person that offended him are often times down-right cruel and humiliating. Anton definitely does have a side of him that is fiercely mean, even when he loves to hang out with others and talk so much.
History: The son of Viktor and Elsa Hilden Tarasov, Anton naturally grew up in luxury as his parent’s possessed so much wealth. He became fluent in Swedish and Russian rather quickly; for, although Swedish was the national language and others around him spoke the language, Russian was spoken more in the home and by his immediate family. He learned them both at the same time, his first words being spoken in Russian although technically Swedish was his "native language." He began to pick up on English through television series and officially started to learn the language when he was seven in school. Although he was exposed to several adult influences, Anton did not socialize much with others of his own age during his early years. He spent most of his time "locked up" in the Tarasov estate.
From very early on, Elsa took a concern with her youngest son's behavior. Although it was Demitri who seemed to be more rebellious on paper, Anton was the one that concerned his mother the most; she really was the only one to take concern in a negative way. Unlike his other brothers, Anton was by far more emotional, even if he tried to hide it. The boy notably based many of his decisions of his emotions and not logic, and Elsa always got the feeling that deep under his facade Anton was hiding many things; which concerned her. Another thing that was different about him was his preference for laughter, Elsa noticed that Anton seemed to enjoy humorous things far more than her other two sons; this didn't concern her too much, it just was a mental note she made. As Anton began to grow older, his decisions became more logical even so to the extent that Elsa was actually very proud of his wit, but she never shredded the concern that Anton was hiding many things from his family.
When Anton was eight, his mother thought that it would be best if he started learning Norwegian so that his experience at Durmstrang would be more pleasant. It was a family tradition to attend the school. Not only had his father attended, but also his two brothers were currently enrolled. This had a negative effect on Anton, for, as he was constantly "locked up" in his manor, he had few other kids to socialize with since his brothers were gone at school. When Demitri came home, the two would become nuisances together and enjoy each other's company. So, Anton began learning Norweigan although it seemed as if his heart wasn't really in it (perhaps it was just boredom with learning a language so similiar to his own...)He put English first and excelled more in that language. He also studied a great deal of subjects for fun; this was one thing that his mother was extremely proud of.
When Anton turned eleven, he nervously departed to Durmstrang. In short terms, the whole thing was a disaster. Upon arriving to Durmstrang, the professors were actually awed by his whit and academic potential. He passed all pre-tests with flying colors; so greatly was his performance in them that his professors thought it unbelievable. In Potions, Charms, and Defense Against the Dark Arts, his professors recommended that he move up a year in their classes for his knowledge in the subject was far too great that it surpassed level-one potential. He also got very high marks in Transfiguration, although not high enough to be moved up a year. Teachers were in awe of his academic potential. The Norwegians thought that they were dealing with a genius. He also continued to study English while at the school. He had a roommate who could speak Russian, so they both conversed together in that language. And to keep his fluency in Swedish up to par, he wrote his entire collection of letters to home in Swedish.
However, from the start, Anton struggled with Norwegian. He could understand it quite well and could write out the language with not much of a problem, but speaking it was another story. He was very slow with his words, and for this reason, kept to himself. So, at the beginning of the year, he was labeled as shy and very much of a geek. However, the boys that did feel guilty enough about Anton's struggle with the language and befriended him, quickly found that he was anything but passive and shy and discovered him to be somewhat of a psychological bully. Even at this young age, Anton had started to become manipulative, stubborn, and vain; the fact that he was at a school were he struggled with the language only made matters worse and brought out his negative traits.
A month into school, Anton was no longer labeled as shy or geek-like. People mostly just avoided him, but didn't pay him much disrespect. Most boys were not used to dealing with a person like Anton, and Anton himself began to settle into depression. The more he stayed at Durmstrang, the more he wanted to go home. Quickly, his academic performance slipped more and more; he no longer made it a priority, and it got so bad, that he had reached the point where he was putting no effort into his work whatsoever. He also was dealing deathly with authority, even sometimes deliberately disobeying professor for amusement. The Professors themselves were shocked and outraged; but still saw his potential to become a genius and didn't want to see him miss out on that opportunity.
In the course of the next few months, Anton would get so out of line that it would lead to serious discipline. It started when a fellow first year was caught sneaking around the grounds at night. When questioned, the boy seemed terrified, and offered the excuse that he simply had been lurking around because he thought it was fun...but the fear in his eyes said something different. Finally, after intense pressure, the boy spilled that Anton had told him to go get a book from the library, with a threat added. When they questioned Anton about it, he replied casually and said that it had merely been a dare and that the boy had seemed even excited to do it...of course, Anton was lying.
Following this incident, Anton's letter's to home revealed desperate pleas to be taken home. His mother thought this idea purely ridiculous and unthinkable, and didn't even bother to tell her husband that Anton was struggling. She told herself that Anton was going throw a phase.
Already serving detentions for having a minor role in the incident prior, Anton began to rebel even more. The most notable of incidents, was his involvement in trying to break into a closet of relics. During lunch, when no one was in the potion's classroom, Anton ,seemingly, spontaneously marched into the classroom, carrying his broomstick, and shoved it into a glass case storing relics. The Professor heard, this, came out of his office, and found Anton standing there, not even concerned about being caught. Anton gave him a little smirk, and the professor dragged him down to the Headmaster's office. Luckily, Anton wasn't expelled, or even suspended, but was given dismal amounts of detention.
When Elsa heard of this, she immediately wrote her son a howler and begged him to behave. Anton seemed to respond well to this, as he corrected his behavior and ceased his disruptive ways. However, his academic performance didn't change at all, he still was failing every class. And as the days were nearing the Holidays, Anton was finally caught out of bed himself after hours, simply reading a few books by candlelight in an abandoned hallway. The school decided that their rebellious first year needed a wake up call, and decided to suspend him. He went home only a few days before the Christmas Holidays, which was actually quite convenient, for he got to spend more time with his family and recouping.
Upon arriving home, Elsa was deeply concerned, and even somewhat frightened of her son's behavior. Viktor was angry, as Elsa had not taken the time to tell him of Anton's struggles until he had been suspended. However, once Anton had returned home, he seemed back to usual, and even more friendly and respectful than ever before. After spending a few days with his family, Viktor and Elsa found it very difficult to even picture their son acting so out of line; he seemed quite friendly and kind to them. It would seem as if Durmstrang was even a good influence on him...Viktor simply came to the conclusion that the Durmstrang staff had been exaggerating.
So, Anton was sent back to Durmstrang without much of a worry from his parents (although Elsa was always concerned in the back of her mind.) The staff hesitantly dealt with him, as it was clear from the moment that Anton returned that he still had no intention of improving his grades. However, this time around, Anton, although still not very fluent in Norwegion, had become more social. Instead of taking the seat in the back corner, Anton would now take a seat dead center. He now seemed to drag his Russian roommate around (who could speak Bulgarian better by far) and it seemed as if the boy acted as a translator. His humorous, outgoing side came out and his quick, newly-found popularity made him a different type of problem for the teachers.
He was more distracting than ever; serving more detentions than ever before, and this time, getting people to do things with him. He was a nuisance, and Durmstrang was on the verge of expelling him. However, the fact that his father was Viktor Tarasov did cause some hesitation...Letters were sent to the Tarasov's, which, once again, triggered concern from Elsa that was not passed along to her husband.
The finale incident that occurred with Anton at Durmstrang took place in mid-April. Boric, one of the students that had formerly liked to make-fun of Anton for his poor talent in conversing in Norweigon, had crossed paths with Anton before classes. Then next thing everyone knew, Boric was hanging over a lake in nothing but his underwear, and Anton was swinging him from side to side using a spell. A crowd had gathered, who found the whole thing very funny, so soon enough, a Professor had arrived. The professor demanded that Anton put him down.
"Ummm...no." Anton had replied quite casually.
"What did you say?"
"I said...no." He repeated his words once again with a casual ring to it.
At that moment, outraged, the professor began to yell at Anton, giving him a series of threats as he marched closer.
"Okay, fine." At that moment, Boric was dropped into the water bellow him and Anton was shortly taken to the Headmaster's office. As the staff deliberated what to do with him, the first year mockingly suggested that they expel him. Even when he meant it as a mockery, they seized the opportunity and officially expelled him. The professors figured that they could use this as an excuse with Viktor Tarasov arrived himself. However, it was Elsa who received the news first and headed straight to Durmstrang to fetch her son. Internally, she was in a panic, but looked quite composed on the outside.
Anton actually looked quite nervous. He had spent almost his entire experience rebelling against the school but now that he had been expelled...he was actually frightened. Elsa wisped him away as quickly as possible, but they did not immediately return to Sweden as Anton had thought. Instead, Elsa journeyed to France so that he could see an unbiased psychologist. For after receiving the news that her son had been expelled, an internal fear had risen up inside Elsa. She was deathly afraid that her son was struggling with psychotic issues...and perhaps, could be on the verge of insanity. She new that if she were go to a Scandinavian therapist, or any Eastern European Psychologist, they would probably be afraid to reveal the whole truth to her since, after all, she was Elsa Hilden Tarasov. So she journeyed to France, and nervously awaited the outcome of a mental evaluation.
The Psychologist openly admitted that Anton's behavior at his school had been out of control, but told her that there was really no abnormal reasoning behind it. Although he believed that Anton had previously suffered from depression, he saw no psychological insufficiencies ...He then proceeded to carry on about Anton's amazing intellectual abilities...almost as if he were a genius. He advised Mrs. Tarasov to find ways to motivate him. He then also advised her, that although he did not have psychological insufficiencies, it would probably be best if he met with a counselor regularly to work out problems that seemed to have emerged from his past. He then nervously asked her if all was well in the Tarasov's family relations and if Anton Tarasov had been exposed to any sort of dangerous dark magic in the past...
These questions made Elsa feel quite nervous, as they made her inclined to think that perhaps this whole mess was her fault...yet, at the same time, she felt great relief that the Psychologist had confirmed that her son was indeed not crazy. Elsa left with the evaluation and headed back to Sweden with her twelve-year-old son. Anton spoke little through the whole journey, feeling awkwardness and even some embarrassment. When they arrived, they found that Viktor had already pulled a few strings and had arranged a meeting for Anton and the Hogwarts Headmistress. Viktor did not get angry at his son, instead, he avoided him and refused to look him in the eye. Anton knew that it was because of embarrassment.
So, a few weeks later, Elsa and Anton once again journeyed to another land; this time, Great Britain. Anton found the castle exciting as he recalled how many great wizards had attended the school; Harry Potter, Tom Riddle, and so many others! The very founders of the school had been brilliant themselves. When he finally met the Headmistress, he found her warm and charming, and sincerely hoped that the school would accept him, for by now he'd learned that formal education was actually important. She asked him a few questions, and Anton recited his well-rehearsed answers for her. He then was asked to leave the room as Caira LaPointe wanted a few private words with his mother. Anton took this as an opportunity to look around the school, not venturing very far and staying in looking distance from the Headmaster's entrance. He found the school inviting, and it actually pleased him. He even caught site of a few girls; something he had not seen at Durmstrang.
Before he knew it, his mother had come to fetch him and they began to leave. She said that he had done very well, but they would not know if Hogwarts had accepted him until later in the summer. The fact that they had to wait clearly made Elsa nervous, but she was confident that he had presented himself very well in front of Caira and she probably was going to give him a chance. Of course, Viktor looked into other schools in different parts of the world, but since the language problem had been such a barrier to Anton in the first place he was hesitant for Anton to apply. He also was nervous about any Russian schools, and looked down upon American ones.
In the summer, a letter came, revealing that Anton had indeed been accepted. However, since he never took his exams, he would have to repeat his first year all over again. Elsa was thrilled, and Viktor finally was able to look his son in the eye again. Anton was actually nervous, not wanting to repeat what happened the last time, but didn't reveal these feelings to anyone...
Demitri and Anton bonded that summer. As Demitri was growing older, he was beginning to get himself involved with more dark groups and such, but always managed to have time to hang out with his younger brother. He down-played the seriousness of Anton's rebellious ways in Durmstrang and the two had more fun together than ever before. Gustave, who had graduated by now, already had moved out of the estate into his own apartment in Stockholm.
When Anton was at home, he noticed that his parents were spending more time muttering things when they were alone and began to attempt, along with Demitri, to decipher what they were saying. They got a few things, such as "Dark Phoenix" and "Shadow Mage." But they never understood the exact meaning. Demitri became so persistent that his parents finally revealed their secrets to him, but Anton missed about because he was deemed too young. Anton begged Demitri to tell him, but he refused. That caused a slight rift between them, right before school was about to start.
By the time he was boarding the Hogwarts Express, Anton had shed his nervousness and was comfortable with his position. He possessed a spirit of confidence that could easily be sensed by others. His behavior did not resemble much of what he had been at Durmstrang; and didn't mention his experience there to anyone. Once he got settled in Hogwarts, he tried a little more in his assignments, putting him as one of the heads of his class. However, he still seemed to lack much motivation. He also became very social; never resorting back to his old solitary and bully-like personality traits, or, at least making them known to others.
Years passed, and Anton aged. He became very comfortable in his own skin, and Elsa developed a complicated relationship with him. Of all her children, Anton was the one that Elsa could never fully understand; perhaps, this is what forged such a strong bond between the two of them.
Meanwhile, things at home got more stressful and Anton began to feel more and more like he was being excluded. Everyone else in the family knew what was going on; and how exactly the Tarasov's were involved in the Dark Arts. Anton didn't. But the manipulative side of his personality stopped him from being overly persistent; he figured his mother would tell him once he showed little interest. And he was right, although it was not Elsa that told him, but the both of his parents. They slowly started "slipping" things around him, letting him know details little by little. It finally got to the point where Anton almost always knew everything. Finally, Viktor sat him down and told him everything; everything he knew; that they served Dark Phoenix, how they served Dark Phoenix (giving resources, spying) and that there was a war coming. By this time, Anton had been introduced enough into the idea that he supported it.
When Demitri turned eighteen, he convinced his parents that he also needed a place of his own and it was time for him to move out. His parents obliged by giving him one of the family penthouses in Stockholm, (they owned quite a few properties.) The Penthouse was quite luxurious itself, however, much more modern and enticing to a young adult than the Estate or any of the other Tarasov penthouses. Anton, wanting a little bit more independence and expressing boredom tired of living under his parents’ jurisdiction and finally manipulated his parents into letting him live with his brother. The two got along, doing their own thing but having a good relationship.
However, by the time Anton had reached the age of fourteen (which was when he moved in with Demitri), his older brother, was not only involved with Dark Phoenix, but also other minor and nearly insignificant dark organizations as well. Theses organization were closer to that of gangs; run by young, often times foolish and impulsive members; many had disputes between themselves which ended with lethal consequences.
Occasionally, during their first summer together, Demitri would take Anton with him and they would go out and do things together. On one particular occasion, Demitri and Anton headed on over to an apartment that belonged to one of Demitri's friends. They arrived, had a few drinks, and socialized. The friend went out on the deck for a smoke, and Demitri and Anton did not think much of it. However, twenty minutes later, it dawned on them that such friend had never come back inside.
Just as they were going to investigate, they were attacked by two masked figures, which began to throw killing curses in their direction. Anton and Demitri quickly reacted; one of Demitri's spells disarming one of the masked figures. However, the other masked figure copied his spell and Anton got disarmed as well. Demitri, in response, disarmed the other masked figure, but the one whom he had disarmed first plunged himself on him and they started fighting for his wand. Anton also found himself in a physical fight, trying desperately to stop the other masked figure from regaining a wand too. Between the blows, all four had ended up in the kitchen, just feet away from Anton's disarmed wand. The Masked figure that Anton was battling was successful; grabbing Anton's wand just inches away from the counter on the floor; but that did not mean defeat for Anton.
For as soon as the masked figure had touched the wand, Anton realized the threat and ideas flowed through his head. Before the Masked figure could even look up, Anton had grabbed one of the butcher knives off the counter and shoved it through the man's skull. Not having time to reach over and grabbed his wand, he pulled the knife out and walked over to where his brother and other attacker were fighting (which was only feet away). Since the masked character had his back to Anton, he sliced his neck.
There was an immediate silence that followed. Demitri was in shock of what his fourteen-year-old brother had done; yet, Anton's reaction was just to remain composed, he seemed to breathe out an air of relaxation even. Anton did not seem shaken at all and even suggested that they leave quickly; going to see if Demitri's friend was truly dead, first. Demitri couldn't believe how his brother was coping with killing someone; two people, at that. But Anton seemed fine.
The next few days Demitri pondered his younger brother's behavior. He knew Anton very well, having known him Anton's whole life, yet Anton still somehow managed to surprise him every once and awhile; and this was no exception. Finally, shock turned to surprise...surprise to intrigue, and intrigue into feeling impressed. A few months later, Anton was inducted as a spy to dark phoenix, and met her later. Anton's circulatory system complications led to a few incidents in school, passing out once or twice, but other than that, he had no major incidents. Although sometimes acting out and dealing poorly with authority, he never really did anything comparable to his actions at Durmstrang, having learned self-control. Besides that, he knew that he needed to avoid drawing attention too much attention to himself due to his dark motives...
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