Vladimir Tepes
Posted: Fri Jul 30, 2021 8:17 am
Name: Vladimir Cristian Tepes
Gender: Male
Age: 18
Grade: 12th
School: John Endecott Memorial Academy
Hobbies and Interests: Business, theatre, fencing, lacrosse, conservative politics
Appearance: Vladimir is 5'7" and weighs 141 pounds. He has a lean build thanks to a strict diet and balanced exercise regimen. His skin is quite fair which, coupled with his blue-grey eyes and light blond, near-silver hair contributes to a pallor overall appearance. He has sharply angled earlobes and a slightly wider than average nose for his otherwise thin face, set with high cheekbones and thin lips. He has a port-wine stain on his forehead just left-of-center that runs to his temple. He also has a less obvious scar on his upper lip, the result of surgery to fix a cleft palate at birth. The scar has mostly faded but is visible upon careful observation, and runs from the center of his lip to his septum.
Vladimir enjoys a formal sense of style at both school and home. His typical school outfit consists of a white tailored shirt, dark grey waistcoat with matching dress pants, a solid-color tie, and black loafers. On Fridays, he dresses business casual and forgoes both the tie and the waistcoat in favor of a blazer or track jacket. At home in the evenings, he changes into a polo shirt and slacks with sneakers or, if his family is entertaining guests, a tuxedo. Vladimir prefers to have his hair slicked back and high, with it coming to a slight point in the back. He has no tattoos or piercings, though he has entertained the idea of the latter.
Biography: Vladimir Cristian Tepes was born in Bucharest, Romania on July 29th, 2003, the only child of Vasile and Raisa Tepes. Vladimir's birth was premature and fraught with challenges; he suffered from Newborn respiratory distress syndrome (NRDS) and a cleft palate that aggravated his respiratory problems. The first two months of the child's life were spent in a Bucharest hospital. Money was no object to the Tepes family when it came to giving Vladimir the best care possible, as Raisa came from an extremely wealthy family of such prestige that when they married, it was Vasile who took her name. Thanks to the best doctors money could buy, Vladimir survived his infancy, though he remained frail and physically weak through much of his boyhood.
While the Tepes family was wealthy, Vladimir did not live as lavishly as one would expect. Raisa's father, Vladislav (whom Vladimir was named after in an attempt to curry favor), disapproved of Vasile. Raisa had married out of love against her father's wishes, and as such, was largely disinherited from the family wealth, with allowances given only in consideration of his new grandson. After several years of Raisa and Vasile pleading, Vladislav finally relented and agreed to pay for Vladimir's education, as well as affording a loan equivalent to 2 million USD to Vasile in order to give him a chance to prove himself. In the meantime, Raisa, Vasile, and Vladimir all lived in a modest house in Dorobanți, a neighborhood in one of Bucharest's northern districts.
Vladimir spent most of his early pre-school childhood in the company of his mother. Raisa carefully budgeted the family allowance and decided to forego hiring a nanny, though she did hire a housekeeper to clean three times a week. Vasile spent much of his time overseas in the United States founding and running an import business focusing on European home goods, causing Vladimir to bond much more strongly with his mother while his father was regarded as an aloof, somewhat mysterious figure who intimidated him on the occasions he did return home. The threat of punishment from his father played a role in his schooling. When Vladimir was five years old, Vladislav paid for a tutor to teach Vladimir English with the intent of sending him to an American academy as he once had sent Raisa. The tutor quickly assessed that Vladimir was a bright child who was eager to learn, adapted to most concepts well, and loved success... but when challenged beyond his current level, was quick to grow irritable and angry, growling threats. Alerted at such aggressive behavior, Raisa told Vladimir to behave or else his father would be told of his wrongdoings. This was typically enough to scare Vladimir straight, though his temper persisted and would rise or fall depending on the day.
Once a month, Vladimir would be brought to see his grandfather at the Tepes estate, either by both parents or, more often than not, just his mother. Vladimir was amazed at the luxurious home in which his grandfather lived, but was greatly intimidated by the man himself. Vladislav was not an especially warm man and could seem distant. However, in his own way, he cared a great deal for his grandson just as much as he did his daughter, with whom his relationship was gradually repairing. One day, requesting a walk alone with his grandson through the garden, Vladislav engaged his grandson in a long talk. He told Vladimir about his family's history, that the Tepes wealth was old and storied but was nearly taken away from them when the Communist party came to power in 1965. Much of the family's wealth had to be liquidated and transferred to an offshore account, and for a time, a late-20s Vladislav lived in the United States where he actively spoke out against communism. Raisa would be born there sometime before Vladislav could move back to his homeland in 1990. He told Vladimir all of this, he explained, in order to deliver the point that he was capable of great things, so long as he worked hard and wanted it badly enough to protect what he had earned from those who might take it. The conversation was formative to Vladimir, so much so that it inspires his present-day ambitions, as well as his pro-conservative leanings as communism had threatened to take everything his family had. He came to understand that his grandfather did care for him, though he never truly felt love from the man, the same way he felt it from his mother.
Vladimir attended primary school at the Cambridge School of Bucharest, where he had his first taste of social life. Well aware of his pedigree and family history by this point, Vladimir convinced himself at a very young age that he was capable of greater things than his peers, which drove him to succeed academically. While his grades were good, he would occasionally find himself struggling with a subject. Sometimes this subject was mathematics, sometimes it was language or literature. The pressure to not only succeed but to excel occasionally got to him, usually to the pleasure of classmates who found him too arrogant to get along with or befriend. Indeed, Vladimir was all too happy to throw his name and status into a conversation, whether the situation called for it or not. His tendency to brag, general abrasiveness, and refusal to back down from just about anybody resulted in him getting into a few fights. Because of his persistent frailty, Vladimir suffered these confrontations poorly. By his fourth year, he had started to learn it was better to pick his battles more carefully and save the goading for when a teacher was in view.
Vasile's business started to achieve great success, which earned him some praise in Vladislav's view. By the time the family moved into a much larger house nearer to the Tepes estate, Vladimir was ten years old. His father was around even less than he was before as the demands of the company grew. Vladimir didn't mind the absence too much, as he was more concerned with enriching himself. Outside of his formal education, he read classic works in both Romanian and English, being especially fond of the works of Shakespeare and Mihai Eminescu. Holding an inherent love for drama, Vladimir attended opera with his grandfather. While he found La Boheme detestable, he was enthralled by the second opera he went to, a performance of Carmen. From that moment, Vladimir developed an affection for theatre, though merely as an attendant and enthusiast; acting is something he considers pedestrian and beneath him.
In an effort to benefit him physically, Vladislav suggested to Raisa that Vladimir take up horseback riding. This was a short-lived venture, as it turned out he did not get along with horses in the slightest and found them to be too temperamental and easily spooked. As a secondary suggestion, Vladimir took up fencing; the sport was considered aristocratic and graceful enough to befit somebody of his standing, and the benefits to his stamina and general fitness were obvious enough. Vladimir began to train as a fencer at the age of eleven, participating in private meets as his school did not have a fencing program. Despite his weakness, he surprisingly turned out to be naturally talented. Over the past seven years, Vladimir has consistently trained in the art of fencing, overcoming his childhood frailty and growing skilled enough at the sport that he eagerly anticipates participating in an Ivy League fencing team.
During Vladimir's final year of primary school, Vasile's business acquired its closest competitor, making Tepes Imports the largest export/import company in New England. Having paid back his loan in full with wealth to spare and only getting richer by the day, Vladislav finally accepted his daughter's life choices and recognized her claim to the family fortune once more. Fabulously wealthy once more, Raisa and Vladimir joined Vasile in Massachusetts. Vasile had been living in high-rise apartments in downtown Boston for the past couple of years and wanted a more pleasant home for the family. With Vladimir's schooling in mind, Raisa chose Salem, Massachusetts. It was close to work, and Vladimir could attend John Endecott Memorial Academy as she had years ago when her father sent her abroad. When she attended JEM, it was a somewhat prestigious private academy. However, the school had in recent years become a public school, a detail unbeknownst to her until they'd purchased a house in a wealthy neighborhood of Salem and were set to enroll Vladimir in school. At Vladimir's insistence, he attended John Endecott anyway, wishing to attend the same school as his mother and assuring both his parents that he would be attending Harvard as they'd planned regardless.
During his freshman year of high school and his first year of school in America, Vladimir chose to speak rarely and associate with few if any of his classmates. Many assumed he could speak little English. While he could understand English perfectly, Vladimir did indeed speak with a very thick accent and occasionally struggled in rapid conversation. Fearing that he could come off as dull or unintelligent, he opted to stay quiet for the first year and attended speech coaching the following summer, whereupon he returned far more vocal toward his classmates.
Just as in Romania, Vladimir held a haughty, somewhat pompous attitude and was selective about the company he kept. He typically preferred the company of other wealthy students when possible, but would make an exception for the exceptionally intelligent, talented, or simply those who interested him. Though his exclusionary nature meant he was sure to make some enemies, Vladimir held little regard for the opinion of those he deemed beneath him, which was a significant portion of the school. To him, he didn't need to be popular with the majority; he only needed to be popular with upper society, or whatever passed for it here. While he retained his quick temper from his childhood, Vladimir had since learned to compose himself in a public setting, though certain things can pierce his stoic facade. In particular, he is very proud of his name, sharing it with one of Wallachia's most respected historical figures, and is acutely aware of the association with vampires in English literature and American media. Therefore, comparisons to vampires are met with disdain, fury, or even bored exasperation as references grow tired. In regards to finding people interesting, Vladimir soon discovered that he could hold strong feelings towards his classmates regardless of gender. Generally uncomfortable with the idea of dating or sex, Vladimir has not yet explored these longings for deep emotional connections.
Academically, Vladimir prides himself on excellence just as he always has, and strives to gets A's in every class. He runs into difficulty when a subject fails to interest him, with social studies being his weakest area unless dealing with European history. When struggling with a class, he becomes chronically irritable due to the stress and extra workload he takes on in order to ensure he keeps his GPA as high as possible. Even in his worst subjects, he never scores worse than a B+. As far as extracurricular activities are concerned, Vladimir is tantalized by theatre but has limited ways to interact with it, as he prefers not to act or perform labor as part of the stage crew. Instead, he watches every production the school puts on and writes (usually scathing) critiques of them. As JEM lacks a fencing team, he only performs fencing outside of school, still eager to one day join Harvard's fencing team. In the meantime, he keeps his exercise by playing lacrosse, which is both delightfully novel to him and high-brow enough to not turn him away. As with most students, he plays various positions on the field and is relatively skilled at the sport. His eyes are so light in color, however, that he struggles to see when the sun is at certain angles, forcing him to have a shade on his helmet.
Vladimir is still very close to his mother, who he sees as the strongest personal connection in his life and would do anything to please her. He sees his grandfather once or twice a year when the family flies to Romania. While he holds a deep respect for his grandfather for how he's shaped and influenced his life, Vladimir never became emotionally close to him and usually mentions him as a symbol of status. Living with his father has somewhat improved their relationship. Being close to his father who, in Vladimir's eyes, made something of himself with little help, has fostered an interest in the family business, inspiring Vladimir to attend Harvard to attain a business degree so that he might one day take over Tepes Imports. With a mind for fiscal matters and considering his formative years spent with his grandfather, Vladimir has strong conservative leanings and feels liberal values are geared toward siphoning wealth from those who have earned it through hard work and sacrifice. While these beliefs can put him at odds with some of his peers, they are right at home with family and preferred company. With no siblings or pets, Vladimir prefers his own company much of the time and is happy that way, only occasionally seeking companionship from those aside from his parents.
Advantages: Vladimir is a calculating individual who, in spite of his abrasive attitude, excels at forming important alliances if he thinks there is something to gain from it. He is a highly skilled fencer and thus good with a blade, and years of training both fencing and playing lacrosse have built up a high school athletic level of stamina.
Disadvantages: Preferring few associates, Vladimir is no stranger to making enemies through his abrasive attitude. He is confident to a fault in his own abilities, challenging others when he thinks he has the upper hand, needlessly inviting confrontation. His pale skin burns easily and refuses to tan, and his eyes are similarly sensitive to light. He is severely allergic to garlic, enough so that it can induce a fatal allergic reaction.
Gender: Male
Age: 18
Grade: 12th
School: John Endecott Memorial Academy
Hobbies and Interests: Business, theatre, fencing, lacrosse, conservative politics
Appearance: Vladimir is 5'7" and weighs 141 pounds. He has a lean build thanks to a strict diet and balanced exercise regimen. His skin is quite fair which, coupled with his blue-grey eyes and light blond, near-silver hair contributes to a pallor overall appearance. He has sharply angled earlobes and a slightly wider than average nose for his otherwise thin face, set with high cheekbones and thin lips. He has a port-wine stain on his forehead just left-of-center that runs to his temple. He also has a less obvious scar on his upper lip, the result of surgery to fix a cleft palate at birth. The scar has mostly faded but is visible upon careful observation, and runs from the center of his lip to his septum.
Vladimir enjoys a formal sense of style at both school and home. His typical school outfit consists of a white tailored shirt, dark grey waistcoat with matching dress pants, a solid-color tie, and black loafers. On Fridays, he dresses business casual and forgoes both the tie and the waistcoat in favor of a blazer or track jacket. At home in the evenings, he changes into a polo shirt and slacks with sneakers or, if his family is entertaining guests, a tuxedo. Vladimir prefers to have his hair slicked back and high, with it coming to a slight point in the back. He has no tattoos or piercings, though he has entertained the idea of the latter.
Biography: Vladimir Cristian Tepes was born in Bucharest, Romania on July 29th, 2003, the only child of Vasile and Raisa Tepes. Vladimir's birth was premature and fraught with challenges; he suffered from Newborn respiratory distress syndrome (NRDS) and a cleft palate that aggravated his respiratory problems. The first two months of the child's life were spent in a Bucharest hospital. Money was no object to the Tepes family when it came to giving Vladimir the best care possible, as Raisa came from an extremely wealthy family of such prestige that when they married, it was Vasile who took her name. Thanks to the best doctors money could buy, Vladimir survived his infancy, though he remained frail and physically weak through much of his boyhood.
While the Tepes family was wealthy, Vladimir did not live as lavishly as one would expect. Raisa's father, Vladislav (whom Vladimir was named after in an attempt to curry favor), disapproved of Vasile. Raisa had married out of love against her father's wishes, and as such, was largely disinherited from the family wealth, with allowances given only in consideration of his new grandson. After several years of Raisa and Vasile pleading, Vladislav finally relented and agreed to pay for Vladimir's education, as well as affording a loan equivalent to 2 million USD to Vasile in order to give him a chance to prove himself. In the meantime, Raisa, Vasile, and Vladimir all lived in a modest house in Dorobanți, a neighborhood in one of Bucharest's northern districts.
Vladimir spent most of his early pre-school childhood in the company of his mother. Raisa carefully budgeted the family allowance and decided to forego hiring a nanny, though she did hire a housekeeper to clean three times a week. Vasile spent much of his time overseas in the United States founding and running an import business focusing on European home goods, causing Vladimir to bond much more strongly with his mother while his father was regarded as an aloof, somewhat mysterious figure who intimidated him on the occasions he did return home. The threat of punishment from his father played a role in his schooling. When Vladimir was five years old, Vladislav paid for a tutor to teach Vladimir English with the intent of sending him to an American academy as he once had sent Raisa. The tutor quickly assessed that Vladimir was a bright child who was eager to learn, adapted to most concepts well, and loved success... but when challenged beyond his current level, was quick to grow irritable and angry, growling threats. Alerted at such aggressive behavior, Raisa told Vladimir to behave or else his father would be told of his wrongdoings. This was typically enough to scare Vladimir straight, though his temper persisted and would rise or fall depending on the day.
Once a month, Vladimir would be brought to see his grandfather at the Tepes estate, either by both parents or, more often than not, just his mother. Vladimir was amazed at the luxurious home in which his grandfather lived, but was greatly intimidated by the man himself. Vladislav was not an especially warm man and could seem distant. However, in his own way, he cared a great deal for his grandson just as much as he did his daughter, with whom his relationship was gradually repairing. One day, requesting a walk alone with his grandson through the garden, Vladislav engaged his grandson in a long talk. He told Vladimir about his family's history, that the Tepes wealth was old and storied but was nearly taken away from them when the Communist party came to power in 1965. Much of the family's wealth had to be liquidated and transferred to an offshore account, and for a time, a late-20s Vladislav lived in the United States where he actively spoke out against communism. Raisa would be born there sometime before Vladislav could move back to his homeland in 1990. He told Vladimir all of this, he explained, in order to deliver the point that he was capable of great things, so long as he worked hard and wanted it badly enough to protect what he had earned from those who might take it. The conversation was formative to Vladimir, so much so that it inspires his present-day ambitions, as well as his pro-conservative leanings as communism had threatened to take everything his family had. He came to understand that his grandfather did care for him, though he never truly felt love from the man, the same way he felt it from his mother.
Vladimir attended primary school at the Cambridge School of Bucharest, where he had his first taste of social life. Well aware of his pedigree and family history by this point, Vladimir convinced himself at a very young age that he was capable of greater things than his peers, which drove him to succeed academically. While his grades were good, he would occasionally find himself struggling with a subject. Sometimes this subject was mathematics, sometimes it was language or literature. The pressure to not only succeed but to excel occasionally got to him, usually to the pleasure of classmates who found him too arrogant to get along with or befriend. Indeed, Vladimir was all too happy to throw his name and status into a conversation, whether the situation called for it or not. His tendency to brag, general abrasiveness, and refusal to back down from just about anybody resulted in him getting into a few fights. Because of his persistent frailty, Vladimir suffered these confrontations poorly. By his fourth year, he had started to learn it was better to pick his battles more carefully and save the goading for when a teacher was in view.
Vasile's business started to achieve great success, which earned him some praise in Vladislav's view. By the time the family moved into a much larger house nearer to the Tepes estate, Vladimir was ten years old. His father was around even less than he was before as the demands of the company grew. Vladimir didn't mind the absence too much, as he was more concerned with enriching himself. Outside of his formal education, he read classic works in both Romanian and English, being especially fond of the works of Shakespeare and Mihai Eminescu. Holding an inherent love for drama, Vladimir attended opera with his grandfather. While he found La Boheme detestable, he was enthralled by the second opera he went to, a performance of Carmen. From that moment, Vladimir developed an affection for theatre, though merely as an attendant and enthusiast; acting is something he considers pedestrian and beneath him.
In an effort to benefit him physically, Vladislav suggested to Raisa that Vladimir take up horseback riding. This was a short-lived venture, as it turned out he did not get along with horses in the slightest and found them to be too temperamental and easily spooked. As a secondary suggestion, Vladimir took up fencing; the sport was considered aristocratic and graceful enough to befit somebody of his standing, and the benefits to his stamina and general fitness were obvious enough. Vladimir began to train as a fencer at the age of eleven, participating in private meets as his school did not have a fencing program. Despite his weakness, he surprisingly turned out to be naturally talented. Over the past seven years, Vladimir has consistently trained in the art of fencing, overcoming his childhood frailty and growing skilled enough at the sport that he eagerly anticipates participating in an Ivy League fencing team.
During Vladimir's final year of primary school, Vasile's business acquired its closest competitor, making Tepes Imports the largest export/import company in New England. Having paid back his loan in full with wealth to spare and only getting richer by the day, Vladislav finally accepted his daughter's life choices and recognized her claim to the family fortune once more. Fabulously wealthy once more, Raisa and Vladimir joined Vasile in Massachusetts. Vasile had been living in high-rise apartments in downtown Boston for the past couple of years and wanted a more pleasant home for the family. With Vladimir's schooling in mind, Raisa chose Salem, Massachusetts. It was close to work, and Vladimir could attend John Endecott Memorial Academy as she had years ago when her father sent her abroad. When she attended JEM, it was a somewhat prestigious private academy. However, the school had in recent years become a public school, a detail unbeknownst to her until they'd purchased a house in a wealthy neighborhood of Salem and were set to enroll Vladimir in school. At Vladimir's insistence, he attended John Endecott anyway, wishing to attend the same school as his mother and assuring both his parents that he would be attending Harvard as they'd planned regardless.
During his freshman year of high school and his first year of school in America, Vladimir chose to speak rarely and associate with few if any of his classmates. Many assumed he could speak little English. While he could understand English perfectly, Vladimir did indeed speak with a very thick accent and occasionally struggled in rapid conversation. Fearing that he could come off as dull or unintelligent, he opted to stay quiet for the first year and attended speech coaching the following summer, whereupon he returned far more vocal toward his classmates.
Just as in Romania, Vladimir held a haughty, somewhat pompous attitude and was selective about the company he kept. He typically preferred the company of other wealthy students when possible, but would make an exception for the exceptionally intelligent, talented, or simply those who interested him. Though his exclusionary nature meant he was sure to make some enemies, Vladimir held little regard for the opinion of those he deemed beneath him, which was a significant portion of the school. To him, he didn't need to be popular with the majority; he only needed to be popular with upper society, or whatever passed for it here. While he retained his quick temper from his childhood, Vladimir had since learned to compose himself in a public setting, though certain things can pierce his stoic facade. In particular, he is very proud of his name, sharing it with one of Wallachia's most respected historical figures, and is acutely aware of the association with vampires in English literature and American media. Therefore, comparisons to vampires are met with disdain, fury, or even bored exasperation as references grow tired. In regards to finding people interesting, Vladimir soon discovered that he could hold strong feelings towards his classmates regardless of gender. Generally uncomfortable with the idea of dating or sex, Vladimir has not yet explored these longings for deep emotional connections.
Academically, Vladimir prides himself on excellence just as he always has, and strives to gets A's in every class. He runs into difficulty when a subject fails to interest him, with social studies being his weakest area unless dealing with European history. When struggling with a class, he becomes chronically irritable due to the stress and extra workload he takes on in order to ensure he keeps his GPA as high as possible. Even in his worst subjects, he never scores worse than a B+. As far as extracurricular activities are concerned, Vladimir is tantalized by theatre but has limited ways to interact with it, as he prefers not to act or perform labor as part of the stage crew. Instead, he watches every production the school puts on and writes (usually scathing) critiques of them. As JEM lacks a fencing team, he only performs fencing outside of school, still eager to one day join Harvard's fencing team. In the meantime, he keeps his exercise by playing lacrosse, which is both delightfully novel to him and high-brow enough to not turn him away. As with most students, he plays various positions on the field and is relatively skilled at the sport. His eyes are so light in color, however, that he struggles to see when the sun is at certain angles, forcing him to have a shade on his helmet.
Vladimir is still very close to his mother, who he sees as the strongest personal connection in his life and would do anything to please her. He sees his grandfather once or twice a year when the family flies to Romania. While he holds a deep respect for his grandfather for how he's shaped and influenced his life, Vladimir never became emotionally close to him and usually mentions him as a symbol of status. Living with his father has somewhat improved their relationship. Being close to his father who, in Vladimir's eyes, made something of himself with little help, has fostered an interest in the family business, inspiring Vladimir to attend Harvard to attain a business degree so that he might one day take over Tepes Imports. With a mind for fiscal matters and considering his formative years spent with his grandfather, Vladimir has strong conservative leanings and feels liberal values are geared toward siphoning wealth from those who have earned it through hard work and sacrifice. While these beliefs can put him at odds with some of his peers, they are right at home with family and preferred company. With no siblings or pets, Vladimir prefers his own company much of the time and is happy that way, only occasionally seeking companionship from those aside from his parents.
Advantages: Vladimir is a calculating individual who, in spite of his abrasive attitude, excels at forming important alliances if he thinks there is something to gain from it. He is a highly skilled fencer and thus good with a blade, and years of training both fencing and playing lacrosse have built up a high school athletic level of stamina.
Disadvantages: Preferring few associates, Vladimir is no stranger to making enemies through his abrasive attitude. He is confident to a fault in his own abilities, challenging others when he thinks he has the upper hand, needlessly inviting confrontation. His pale skin burns easily and refuses to tan, and his eyes are similarly sensitive to light. He is severely allergic to garlic, enough so that it can induce a fatal allergic reaction.