[hider=Alexander “Sasha” Karamazov Vanburen][CENTER][h1][color=c4df9b]Alexander Karamazov Vanburen[/color][/h1][/CENTER]
[i][color=c4df9b]"The truth will set you free."[/color][/i]
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[sub] [color=c4df9b]Alexander Karamazov Vanburen

Him/He   [b]|[/b]   28   [b]|[/b]   Russian-American   [b]|[/b]   5'8"  [b]|[/b]   165 lbs     [/color]
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[color=c4df9b]Inquisitive[/color]
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Skills & Talents[/sub]
[color=c4df9b][i]"What I have here is a symphony of melancholy sorrow and a crescendo of madness."[/i][/color]
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[sub][b][color=c4df9b]High Intellect Musician[/color] ⫻[/b] Alexander is a skilled musician and composer, having been a first chair violinist, the pianist of his church, and an occasional singer. He has also composed multiple works, most of which are orchestral pieces, though he also plays covers of famous songs on his YouTube channel. 

[b][color=c4df9b]Unarmed Combatant[/color]  ⫻[/b] His late paranoid mother had him trained in self defense classes after a bout of school bullying. Thus, Alexander has been trained in a Krav Maga program. While by no means a master of it, he can hold well on his own.
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[/cell][cell][sub][b] Appearance[/b][/sub]
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[color=c4df9b][i]"Bozhe moi. I look good."[/i][/color]

[indent]Alexander considers himself humble and does not say it aloud, but there is no denying that he has an attractive look. He possesses blue eyes, though they seem to be grey from a different angle. To add to that, he has chestnut colored hair that he usually styles with a sideward wipe, though sometimes he just lets it grow long enough to cover his ears. At times, he would dye them white or grey, though his co workers usually disapprove of it, and he has thus usually refrained from doing so. Much of the time, he seems to be grumpy as he will not smile at strangers, but this is only because of his Russian upbringing, and could be noted to be rather boisterous when in the company of friends and family. He dresses well, usually having a black or grey jacket over a t-shirt of a color of his choosing. He is slightly below average in terms of height, though he likes it that way. 

Alexander wears a necklace with a silver cross around his neck all of the time, and often keeps a pair of black leather gloves on his hands. On his wrists are a pair of segmented platinum bracelets. [/indent]

[/cell][/row][/table][sub][b] [color=c4df9b]Psychology[/color][/b][/sub]
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[color=c4df9b][i]"What did I do to deserve this fate?"[/i][/color]

[INDENT][color=c4df9b][b]MAIN GOAL  ⫻[/b][/color] To be honest, Alexander is not sure what his goals are anymore. Sure, he does everything to help anyone that asks for his aid, but what does he want for himself? Maybe he'd like to finally find the love of his life.

[color=c4df9b][b]PHILOSOPHY  ⫻[/b][/color] Alexander is an honest man, one that will not hesitate the truth even if it hurts. He believes that lies will always continue to fester as long as they are kept, and the results of their unraveling will become worse and worse. In addition, he is rather sentimental, and has indomitable loyalty to friends and family. Alex is quite devout, and often does the sign of the cross when in distress. 

Despite being unable to tell a white lie to make anyone else feel better, he does believe in comforting others in time of need, even if his ways are less on the talking side, and more on simple listening, and, well, touch. 

[color=c4df9b][b]SEXUALITY  ⫻[/b][/color] Straight. Seeks for love but has always failed in it.

[color=c4df9b][b]FEARS  ⫻[/b][/color] Alexander fears clowns. And heights. Seriously, however, he fears that his nightmares of losing the function of his hands would come true, as his entire livelihood and career are built upon them. He also fears going deaf.

[color=c4df9b][b]REPUTATION  ⫻[/b][/color] As one of the first children to be sired by James Vanburen, Alexander commands some measure of respect from the rest of the family, at least from those that know he existed. He is known to spoil the younger ones with chocolates and candy, and is well liked. At least until he talks about how much he dislikes their father.

[color=c4df9b][b]THOUGHTS ABOUT FATHER  ⫻[/b][/color] The last time that Alexander has seen his father was when he was just ten years old, when James abandoned him and his mother for another of his uncountable affairs. Thus, they have a nonexistent relationship, having only come to the funeral just to see if the old man was really dead. He blames James for everything wrong with his life; his mother's drug addiction, his incapability of finding a girlfriend, and… well, everything.

[color=c4df9b][b]FLAWS  ⫻[/b][/color] Alexander is quite straightforward in both speech and thinking. As such, he usually won’t understand most idioms, and would go as far as break them by explaining how one cannot jump upon a gun. In addition, he is quite impulsive, and may end up in trouble because of it. He also has frequent bouts of depression, which holds him back from getting better at what he does, or just accepting that he is already good at things.
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[sub][b] [color=c4df9b]Backstory[/color][/b][/sub]
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[color=c4df9b][i]"Oh, look. So many screwups."[/i][/color]

[indent]Alexander Karamazov Vanburen was one of the first set of children that James Vanburen brought into existence. He was the child of a certain Svetlana Sergeyevna Karamazov, who met James while in a club. She was a Russian immigrant who had come to America right after the breakup of the Soviet Union, as the country had been thrown into civil and social unrest after the downfall of Communism. James’ charm was irresistible, and soon enough, she was pregnant. She gave birth to a boy, whom she named Alexander after her late father.

For all its worth, Alexander, most usually known by his Russian nickname of Sasha, knew James as his father. They had a decent dad-son relationship for the most part; it was nothing special, nor was there anything particularly terrible with it. That was, when James disappeared from their lives when Alexander was 10. He kept on asking where his dad went, only to be met with silence. Apparently, his mother did not know that she was not the first, or would she be the last. It didn’t take the boy long to realize that they had been abandoned, and over the years, he would grow to despise James Vanburen, going as far as using only his mother’s maiden surname in legal documents. 

Since then, he would lead a mostly normal life in New York City, studying music in the university (it was in his high school days when he had those self defense classes). It was here that he found his passion for life; the keys of the piano, the strings of the violin, and the assembled voices of the choir. Eventually, he would become a professional musician, living an idyllic existence in a clean apartment. He was a violinist of the Chamber Orchestra of New York, the pianist of his church, and the owner of a YouTube channel that had garnered a moderate following of 120,000 subscribers. However, his mother had soon gone down the path of drug addiction. There was nothing more devastating for him than to see that the woman he loved the most go to rehab again and again. He blamed himself, as he hadn’t been a good son all these years, and then proceeded to blame James for leaving them. Then, she overdosed and died. This would be the driving force for Alexander to slide into a depressive state, though he was very good at hiding it from friends. After all, the pills that the psychiatrist had given him were doing their purpose well… for now.

Then he was informed by his half-siblings that their father was dead. Alexander had come to know that his father was one hell of a harem maker, and had met a few of his half brothers and sisters for some time before that. He had been on a lull of activity during that time; he had taken a few days of leave, and was just relaxing. He did not like his father at all, but he decided to come along anyway just to see if it was really true. It was.

For some reason, he was saddened by James’ passing, even if he told himself that he detested the old man. Sitting down on a couch with his anti-depressant pills on hand, he would find himself surrounded by shifting darkness, a cloud of black shrouding the entire room like a storm with no wind. Out of the shadows emerged a face; it was an Apparition. It fed upon sadness and guilt. It was a comforting presence, even if it was a dark entity, as it had good intentions. There and then, the Spectre promised one thing: he could see his mother again, and whenever he wanted. Ah, and he had this weird tattoo on his neck for some reason. Oh, no...

A year after the funeral, he found himself slowly being turned to stone, his movements beginning to slow down as his hands began to show signs of being turned to hard rock. Panicking, he spoke to the Spectre, asking what was happening to his body. The Apparition took a while to answer, but it concluded that the death of James Vanburen had triggered some kind of curse in everyone that bore his name, and the only solution was to stay in Araminta, or become a statue. Distraught that his father still screwed up other people's lives after death, Alexander hastily moved to Araminta, at which he found that the curse receded the closer he got to the city. He resigned from the New York Chamber Orchestra, instead opting to teach children and teenagers instruments. He didn't earn as much as before, and he had to live in the one place that reminded him of his father. Still, all of these were a small price to pay for not dying...
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[sub][b] [color=c4df9b]Abstraction[/color][/b][/sub]
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[color=c4df9b][i]"Hello darkness, my old friend."[/i][/color]

[indent][color=c4df9b][b]TYPE  ⫻[/b][/color] Aberration (Affixed)
[color=c4df9b][b]ABSTRACTION ⫻[/b][/color] The Spectre; a ghost-like shadow that hangs around Alexander as a cloud of black and green. It seems to be nice...

[color=c4df9b][b]ABSTRACTION DESCRIPTION  ⫻[/b][/color] First and foremost, the Spectre allows Alexander to speak with the dead, summoning their ghosts from the afterlife in order for them to have a conversation. Secondly, it also allows him to become a ghost, granting him immunity against non-magic attacks and the ability to phase through solid objects. However, he is unable to breath while incorporeal, nor could he interact with the universe while in that state.

When Alexander is in a normal corporeal state, the Spectre also allows him to conjure a pair of chains made of magical metal, which are usually channeled through his bracelets.
[color=c4df9b][b]AURA SENSING  ⫻[/b][/color] None

[color=c4df9b][b]LIMITS  ⫻[/b][/color] Alexander can only summon one spirit at a time, and can only do it once an hour. He can keep a ghost summoned for a short amount of time, probably for like one insightful conversation! Afterward, the ghost will go back to the other side - however, it's possible for certain spirits who don't necessarily want to come back to resist it. Alexander's immune to physical attacks while in his ghost state but other magical attacks can still damage him. He can maintain his ghost state as long as he can hold his breath.

[color=c4df9b][b]WEAKNESSES  ⫻[/b][/color]  While in his ghost state he is susceptible to non-physical magical attacks such as fire and electricity.

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[sup][b] Other[/b][/sup]
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[color=c4df9b][i]"Hug me, bro."[/i][/color]

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[hider=Raymond Salazar Vanburen][CENTER][h1]Raymond Salazar Vanburen[/h1][/CENTER]
[i]"Be quiet, colonizer."[/i]
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[sub]Raymond Salazar Vanburen

He/Him   [b]|[/b]   33  [b]|[/b]   Hispanic American  [b]|[/b]   5’10”  [b]|[/b] 170 lbs [sup]_______________________________________________[/sup]
Enduring
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Skills & Talents[/sub]
[i]"Smile for the camera!"[/i]
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[b]Expert Filmmaker/Journalist/Photographer  ⫻[/b] Having been good at films and investigation alike since his high school days, Ray has been a documentary film maker for the last ten years. It's how he makes money, though now that he is stuck in Araminta… well.

[b]Magic Knowledge /// [/b] Having read through James' library quite a bit, Ray is knowledgeable about the world of magic, though he is not a true expert. 

[b]Comforter  ⫻[/b] Are you sad? Give this guy a ring. He'll listen to your rants for the next four hours and not complain about it. [/sub][/hider]

[/cell][cell][sub][b] Appearance[/b][/sub]
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[i]"I'm Chili."[/i]

[indent]Raymond is known as a thrifty man, wearing the same outfit almost everyday. He often complains that excessively bright colors make someone look like a clown, and to this end, prefers wearing a knee length trench coat, with a black or grey shirt inside, a complimentary checkered blue scarf, and leather gloves. On his hands is a cane, which he would sometimes tip with sharp rocks if threatened. His hair is a light brown, accented by a forming beard that he often forgets to shave. Tattoos and piercings are simply not his thing, preferring his skin to be unadulterated by artificial additions. At times, he would wear glasses, though he usually goes around with shades. [/indent]

[/cell][/row][/table][sub][b] Psychology[/b][/sub]
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[i]"Don't mind me. I'm watching."[/i]

[INDENT][b]MAIN GOAL  ⫻[/b] Ray seeks to fix the turning-to-stone problem, so that he could go back to his life of vlogging and travel. After that… well, guess he wants to keep it that way. 

[b]PHILOSOPHY  ⫻[/b] Ray is something of an enigma, as he keeps up a nice exterior with that bright smile and optimistic attitude. However, beneath that wry smirk is a mind that is actively seeking the best ways to neutralize a foe, whether it is through using geokinesis to stop them from using magic, or making them keep shut with blackmail. He may appear as an eccentric man with a love for tea and a friendly face, but make no mistake; threatening him, or those around him will make him go all out.

[b]SEXUALITY  ⫻[/b] Asexual. What's with wanting to exchange fluids anyway?!

[b]FEARS  ⫻[/b] Ray has an irrational fear of little holes. Ironically enough, he is also heavily claustrophobic. Plus, he fears that the curse of the stone will never leave the Vanburens, which means… he can't travel.

[b]REPUTATION  ⫻[/b] Ray is generally well liked amongst the Vanburens, as he is faithful in being a regular in family reunions. While he isn't usually much of a talker, when he does speak, it would be obvious that Ray cares for everyone. Yes. Even Junior.

[b]THOUGHTS ABOUT FATHER  ⫻[/b] He had a more or less stable relationship with James, though Ray does not think of him as the perfect overlord like many people do; he sees James as irrevocably flawed, and someone that did so many mistakes that there was no point in trying to right them all.

[b]FLAWS  ⫻[/b] Ray often forgets about himself in his quest to make others feel better. It is like he is carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, and won't let anyone help him with it.
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[sub][b] Backstory[/b][/sub]
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[i]"Same old story. Unfaithful dad. I studied hard. I have magic. Boom."[/i]

[indent]Raymond was born in Araminta, the only child of James Vanburen and Felicita Salazar, an expatriate from Cuba. James and Felicita didn’t seem to last long after that (oh wow, who would have guessed?!), and the two broke their relationship rather amicably. Ray would see his father on weekends, coming along with his mother to the Vanburen estate just to see how many other children that the haremizer had progenitated over the decades. He was just a young child back then, though, and did not understand the circumstances they were all in. He thought of them as friends and playmates at the time, and of course, they were. What he did not learn at the time, however, was that they were all half siblings of his; the products of dozens of failed marriages and affairs.

As he grew up, he would see that his father was an incredibly flawed man, and though he carried the Vanburen name, Ray didn’t tell anyone about it unless they asked, as he thought that it was extremely unfortunate to be someone from such a messed up family. Either way, he then took on journalism in college. In the end, he finished with decent marks; though Ray did not have flying honors, he was still quite good at both. He went around the world, filming documentaries and expanding his rock collection.

He would awaken his abstraction during that fateful day, when an explosion of unknown origin occurred in the place where he was staying in. Ray had been filming there with a team when the quake struck, destroying the building they were in and burying him and some others under debris.

There he was, trapped under rocks and metal, dealing with a diminishing air supply. He prayed and cried, as if there was one feeling that all humans shared, it was the fear of death before achieving something great. Hours passed, and he felt his air tightening as the oxygen in the little enclosed space he was in was running out. 

And then it happened. A tattoo of golden light appeared on his wrist, and the power of instinct awoke within him. With a simple gesture, Ray threw off all the debris that was keeping him and his friends trapped. They had passed out, but he had not. This was not a coincidence.

Ray would keep his abilities a secret as he went back to Araminta, keeping a more or less regular job for his education. At least, until his siblings went back to the city, saying that they're turning to stone...
 [/indent]

[sub][b] Abstraction[/b][/sub]
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[i]"This rocks..."[/i]

[indent][b]TYPE  ⫻[/b] Awakened

[b]ABSTRACTION ⫻[/b] Terrakinesis; an ability that he gained after getting trapped under debris after an explosion. The Awakened tattoo appears as a globe on his wrist.

[b]ABSTRACTION DESCRIPTION  ⫻[/b] Ray has the ability to control and shape any earth derived materials around himself. Thus, metal, stone, earth, and mud are fair game. He is able to control them as long as he could see it, and could wield up to 500 kilograms of materiel at a single given time. Wielding his powers also requires hand gestures and lower body movements. In combat, he will always have shoes and gloves made from earthen materials, which allow him to rapidly slide on the ground, crawl on inert surfaces like a lizard, and make improvised cuffs with his gloves. (In other words, basically an Earthbender) 

[b]AURA SENSING  ⫻[/b] Ray is capable of seeing the auras of people that are currently stepping on earth based materials within ten meters. 

[b]LIMITS  ⫻[/b] Emotional-Fields interfere with the ability to a degree, and he has a hard time using his ability on the Extra-Normal. He can hit them with a rock just fine, but can't seem to bind them in stone regardless of how hard he tries. The ability has a range of around ten meters, and he has a weight limit of around 500kg. The act of lifting up stone and moving it is incredibly taxing, so he finds it draining when he uses his ability.

[b]WEAKNESSES  ⫻[/b] When Ray uses his abstraction, he finds himself weighed down and this really hurts him in confrontations against faster foes. The act of bending earth also causes nasty cracks to form on his skin, and they could get easily infected if they aren't treated.
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[sup][b] Other[/b][/sup]
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[i]"I am watching you."[/i]

[indent]Anyyyything else?[/INDENT]
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