Name: Vyacheslav “Slava” Aleksandrovich Preobrazhensky

In Cyrillic: Вячеслав “Слава” Александрович Преображенский

Age: 16 (Birthday: April 1st)
School Year: Sixth Year (Durmstrang Seventh)
Race: Human
Blood Status: Wizard-born

Appearance: Vyacheslav doesn't particularly stand out in a crowd due to his height—5’5.5” in or 166 cm, short for his age. His dark curls frame a pale face, a smattering of light freckles across his nose and cheeks. His brown eyes are alight with mischief, a constant spark accompanied by a cheeky grin. He has a tendency to leave shirts untucked and doesn't care for pristine appearances. The occasional bruise and scratch is a given considering his reckless nature.

Personality: Overconfident and thrill-seeking, Vyacheslav can become annoying to many quite quickly, especially considering the fact that he has no qualms with being loud and talking to fill the silence. He seems unable to take most things seriously, preferring to joke or cause trouble instead of confronting problems that arise. Once he is friends with someone, he is loyal and there will never be a dull moment, dragging people along with him to explore new places or exchange dares. He has a weak sense of self-preservation and would go to great lengths to protect a friend, complete a dare, or even to entertain someone.

He is unable to back down from a challenge and is headstrong, cocky, stubborn, and impulsive. He acts immediately, often without thinking, and worries about the consequences later. His verbal jabs can easily lead to physical fights. His self-control is poor in those types of situations, but overall he is happy-go-lucky and seeks fun and excitement. He is likely to show affection through teasing, going out of his way to spend more time with loved ones, and the occasional heartfelt moment.

History: Aleksandr and Sofia met when they were students at Durmstrang. They were both members of wizarding families and excelled in their respective fields. Years after their schooling ended, their paths crossed again and they married. They eventually produced a son, Vyacheslav. The first few years of his life were mostly uneventful, just a toddler exploring the world around him and his parents having to keep him out of danger. His best friend from this age onwards was Maksim, son of Mikhail and Natalia Lebedev. The adults had been close friends for years, so their sons saw each other a lot starting almost at Vyacheslav’s birth. Maksim's parents died when he was four, and he was adopted by the Preobrazhenskys. Because Vyacheslav was only three at the time, he does not remember any time when Maksim was not his brother.

They were a happy family, living a little beyond comfortably in terms of wealth. Aleksandr and Sofia have always been good parents, giving their sons proper care and attention. They are not overbearing, but they are invested in their sons' happiness. Joking, fun, kind-hearted, and fair, they are loved by their sons. They studied some Dark Magic at Durmstrang, but only use those skills when necessary for protection or specifics of their jobs, and don't care for it much otherwise. They taught their sons that magic—regardless of whether its nature is dark or not—should only be used for good.

As they got older, Vyacheslav and Maksim fed off of each other's energy and they could get a bit out of control. They are truly close and would do anything to protect one another, and this has led to many situations involving conflict with others. Vyacheslav knows that no matter what, he can count on Maksim. Dares and wildness play a large role in their friendship, and the younger of the two even joined Quidditch on a dare. He was afraid of heights—although not as severely as his brother—and he was shocked when he actually received the position. While apprehensive about it, he was never one to pass up an opportunity, so he trained hard and eventually overcame his fear, realising that he enjoyed the sport after all.

The boy's time at Durmstrang had been enjoyable so far. He continues to mess around and get into trouble, but he truly does like it there. He has not thought far enough into the future as to get a sense of which branch of magic he will go into, but he reckons that he will be staying for all eight years. Maksim plans to, and the two are virtually inseparable, so Vyacheslav sees no reason why he shouldn't accompany his brother for the remaining years.

Statistics
Stamina: 8
Evasion: 9
Strength: 17
Wisdom: 6
Arcane Power: 5
Accuracy: 20

Proof of wins: +2 stat points from Quidditch wins, +3 stat points from duel wins)

Abilities

First Ability: Evasive Maneuvers

Reducio

Vyacheslav, even at the young age of 13, had already been involved in perhaps more than his fair share of fights. His desire for the rush of adrenaline and his tendency to tease people and stir up trouble had pushed others over the edge many a time. Still, he mostly enjoyed it, even if his older brother had to come save his neck sometimes. He learned to dodge, to be light on his feet, and to sharpen his senses so that he would know when people were coming—which also helped him avoid getting caught when he set up pranks. With endless amounts of energy, reacting quickly and ducking or jumping to the side was never a problem.

At home, he got practice by dodging Maksim when messing around. While Vyacheslav was often the one to initiate it, Maksim wasn't afraid to hit back—jokingly with his fists or by throwing objects at him in a futile attempt to get him to shut up. When he was younger, a fair amount of them would hit, but he soon learned to dodge and would do so with a huge, self-satisfied grin while continuing to babble on about whatever he was annoying his brother with that day.

Once, he got to see a travelling circus. In awe of the acrobatics in the performances, he persuaded his parents to sign him up for gymnastics. He did that for years before going to Durmstrang, and continued to return there during the summers. He had a natural affinity for it, and became rather good at it after lots of practice. Using it as a way to dodge was almost too showy and unnecessary, even for him, so he used it sparingly. However, these skills and the training made him more nimble and improved his flexibility and reflexes.

A flicker in his peripheral vision, the sound of footsteps, the slight raising of a voice, an innate sense… all of them would alert the boy to impending danger. Avoiding getting hit became something ingrained in his nature, and he started doing it almost subconsciously, moving in response to the small signals before he even realised that he had spotted them. He could dodge hexes, punches, and things that his brother threw at him, often in the morning in an attempt to wake him up or if he got irritated after Vyacheslav woke him up instead. Sometimes he still got hit, but it was undeniable that he had improved greatly over the years.

Word Count: 413 words

Second Ability: Broken Broomshaft

Reducio

Quidditch. It was one of the things that Vyacheslav had become most passionate about, even if that had only taken effect in the past year. He had had a minor fear of flying until he put himself out there and joined the Quidditch team on a dare. He realised that he was starting to enjoy it, and the fear dissipated with a little bit of time and the thrill of some danger. There was always the risk of being hit with a bludger and off of his broom, but there was also the chance that he could hit back. Hard.

Impulsive, reckless, and hotheaded with a penchant for insults were not good traits to have if one wanted to stay out of trouble. Slava made no attempt to avoid it, provoking people regardless of the consequences. Light on his feet after years passed, his dodging had improved, but the fact remained that he had to get help from Maksim or flee a lot of the time. Sure, he had fists and learned to use them, and he wasn't weak, but he was often faced with bigger and stronger opponents. He had to learn to do more damage.

Training was the simplest way to improve, getting his brother and parents to help him practice or set up equipment. His parents didn't approve of the physical fighting, but it was difficult to stop him and there was no harm in being prepared with self-defense techniques in case things ever went wrong or magic couldn't be used. He managed to make some progress in this time, and he just got further with that in his years at Durmstrang, particularly during his first year of joining the Quidditch team. His motivation was rekindled by the desire to be the best at what he did. His highly competitive nature helped him improve himself and his strength.

Slava was not a boy with a tough upbringing or tragic past, and he frequently struggled to take things seriously. Despite that, he did get knocked down—literally and occasionally metaphorically—but he would always get back up again and finish what he started. His determination didn't cease and he learned to hold his own without needing as much help from his brother. He began hitting things with enough force to sometimes break them. He was a happy kid with a good heart, but a rather destructive nature. This nature was demonstrated in Quidditch by his position as a Beater and from the first time he broke someone's broom.

Word Count: 420 words

Third Ability: Charmer

Reducio

Bright eyes and an ever-present smile seemed to define Vyacheslav. Perhaps not taking things seriously made him foolish, but he enjoyed living life. He felt emotions powerfully and the joy that came with the dawn of a new day never ceased to refresh him every morning. An energetic spirit and a laugh always at the ready made him get along with many people. His impulsivity and the fact that he was rarely ever quiet got him into his fair share of trouble, but he would bounce back each time, and his recklessness made him fun. He was incredibly loyal and would do anything to make sure that the people he cared about would keep smiling.

He grew up with an older brother and parents who owned a pub. People from all over the world passed through and Slava would never hesitate to attempt to entertain them in return for a few stories. When he was little, kind visitors would buy the cute kid with a smile too wide for his own face a snack or gently tell him about their travels. Adventures had always been his favourite—both to hear about or to attempt to go on. He dragged his brother on many a fantasy quest in their childhood, most of them inspired by the tales he had been told. When a few more years went by, he took more of an interest in sports or fighting as adventures, but he still enjoyed talking to the people who spent time at the pub.

Maksim was far better at sweet-talking than Slava had ever been, but that hardly bothered him. His eagerness made up for whatever refined smooth-talking he lacked, and he developed a natural charisma as his early childhood faded away. There was something about his mirthful energy that tended to attract people without him having to try. It was in his nature to make sure that he and anyone who didn't oppose him was having fun. He had no qualms with doing things that other people would consider embarrassing or making silly faces to try to cheer a friend up. He had no training in proper etiquette compared to many of the purebloods that filled the school, but he truly cared and he was nothing if not real and genuine in everything he did.

Fake masks to make people like him was never his style. As long as his brother and his closest friends still cared about him in return, he would not worry himself with whether a stranger liked him or not. Despite that, he would never hesitate to try to impress someone or rise to a challenge, so long as it was by being himself. The more he grew up, the more sure of himself he became, and when he was confident in his own abilities, it showed. It allowed him to love other people fully without much penalty, as he knew that even if they hurt him by leaving, his family would always be there for him and he wouldn't hate himself for being unable to please everyone. The content child would instead go into most situations with an open mind and an endless amount of excitement.

Word Count: 530

Fourth Ability: Evasive Maneuvers II

Reducio

Slava had become decent at dodging, yes, but it still wasn’t enough. He was still getting hit frequently when someone attempted it – too frequently. He knew he had to do something – namely, get better. So he picked up his old training techniques that he had used to improve his dodging in the first place, which was mostly dragging his brother Maksim into whatever new idea he had for how to practice that day. It ranged from having Max throw things at him to having the two directly spar. Somehow, Maksim humored his brother nearly every time, despite Slava’s limitless energy and insistence on practicing as frequently as possible.

After many times of being hit in the face, Slava insisted he was improving. Whether this was true or not was debatable, so he started adding other forms of “training”. These were less direct, focusing instead on other aspects such as general fitness. He started running more, practicing his endurance, speed, and different types of movements such as how quickly he could move from side to side, dodging some invisible projectile. He practiced throwing and catching to improve his reflexes, seeing small improvements when returning to training with his brother.

Anyone who knew Slava would consider this unusual commitment for him. Daily workouts and practices as well as persevering through periods of stagnancy in improvement demonstrated his dedication. For a boy who jumped from hobby to hobby and couldn’t keep his attention on anything for long, his pursuit of this goal was notably different. The physical activity was an outlet for his boundless energy, and something active was less likely to bore him and more able to occupy him instead. It had always been easier for him to exercise – go for a run, do some sparring, or participate in gymnastics, go flying on his broom, play Quidditch – rather than to sit down and read or do schoolwork. He would much rather train his evasive skills than train his mind. That wasn’t to say he was stupid, he just had trouble concentrating and didn’t care much for bookishness. Instead, he sought activity, adrenaline, a more tangible feeling of life.

Even if working on improving his physical abilities was something he could focus better on, it was also something he just enjoyed. That enjoyment motivated him, and over time, he started seeing significant improvement in his ability to dodge once more, satisfying his goal.

Word Count: 404

Fifth Ability: Paragon of Health

Reducio

Slava had always been full of life. Bouncy, carefree, and energetic, his enthusiasm made him near unstoppable. Those who disliked him tended to find him annoying or insensitive, irritated by his positivity and energy that he brought to nearly every situation, regardless of whether it was the right time or place. However, to those who liked him, he was entertaining, refreshing, and charming. This would be taken a step further for those who had a full friendship or defined companionship, as they would often find themselves unusually invigorated by his presence. He would motivate people, hype them up, bring them joy, both through his actions and his general presence. It was something that came naturally to him, lifting up those around him. He was always the hype man, the energy when others grew tired, the friend there to tell you to keep going, keep pushing through it.

In Quidditch and other scenarios, this effect of Slava’s presence meant that some individuals could keep going for longer when he had been there. Something about him just allowed them to gain that extra bit of energy needed to last longer. He boosted them, understanding the importance of morale and high spirits. People could simply achieve more and do better when they had more energy and/or a support system by their side. Having teammates and companions who would lift you up or be there for you, or help to carry your burden or accomplish a task, was incredibly important and Slava recognized that. People weren’t meant to do things alone. And so while he was sometimes reckless and careless in what he charged into, occasionally accidentally putting himself or others in danger in the process, Slava always made sure to check up on his friends periodically, making sure that at the end of the day they were safe and well, and doing his best to help them if they weren’t.

As for how he helped – he was rather poor at providing emotional support with those deep, understanding conversations, but he knew how to distract, and he would physically stay with people when they were hurting even if everyone else left. No man left behind. He was never ashamed to care about people, proudly declaring his love for people both jokingly and genuinely depending on the instance. He had never shielded his emotions or masked his personality, and the love and energy he held would radiate out to others, affecting certain people particularly positively.

Word Count: 411

Note: Mentions of Maksim Preobrazhensky were approved by Ami Procoppio.

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