{ There are those whose primary ability is to spin wheels of manipulation. It is their second skin and without these spinning wheels, they simply do not know how to function. They are like toys on wheels of manipulation and control. If you remove one of the wheels, they'll never be able to feel secure, be whole. }
The Basics
Full Name:
Dmitri Vladimir Petrov
Nicknames and Aliases:
Dmitri has no nicknames, but he does insist that all performers address him as Mr. Petrov. Those on the management team are allowed to call him by his first name.
Gender:
Male
Age:
Forty-six
Ethnicity/Race:
Caucasian (Russian)
Sexual Orientation:
Dmitri lacks emotional ties to anyone, but he has no problem having casual sex with members of either gender. Therefore, he's probably pansexual.
Occupation or Act:
Dmitri owns Cirque Regalis. It was his father's before his, and he has "ruled it" under a tight grip since the man died. He also works as the head ring leader and announces most of the acts in the show. Slowly, he is allowing Robert more and more stage time.
What's on the Outside
Hair Color:
Once a dark, almost black, color, Dmitri's hair is now peppered with gray
Eye Color:
His eyes are hazel
Height:
Five feet, eleven inches
Weight:
One hundred and seventy pounds
Tattoos:
Dmitri has no tattoos.
Scars:
As for scars, Dmitri has a few on his hands and knees from playing as a boy. His most noticeable scar is a decently sized slash along the bridge of his nose that he received when he strayed to close to the tiger's cage as a teenager and the cat took a swipe at him.
Description:
Dmitri, appearance-wise, is an average looking man. He stands at a normal five feet, eleven inches and weighs around one hundred seventy pounds. Some of it is still muscle, but his muscle has atrophied over the years as he settles into a less physically exerting lifestyle and career. Still, he maintains a good build. His chin is a bit rounded, but his jaw is sharp and his cheekbones protrude from a place high on his cheeks. His face shows laugh lines, though many have never seen him laugh. A few wrinkles stretch across his forehead, but they are shallow from little use. His face stays in an almost perpetually cocky grin or a look of disgust depending merely on his mood. In general, Dmitri isn't very expressive. He bundles up emotions and masks them from the others in the circus.
Once a dark, almost black, color, Dmitri's hair is now peppered with gray
Eye Color:
His eyes are hazel
Height:
Five feet, eleven inches
Weight:
One hundred and seventy pounds
Tattoos:
Dmitri has no tattoos.
Scars:
As for scars, Dmitri has a few on his hands and knees from playing as a boy. His most noticeable scar is a decently sized slash along the bridge of his nose that he received when he strayed to close to the tiger's cage as a teenager and the cat took a swipe at him.
Description:
Dmitri, appearance-wise, is an average looking man. He stands at a normal five feet, eleven inches and weighs around one hundred seventy pounds. Some of it is still muscle, but his muscle has atrophied over the years as he settles into a less physically exerting lifestyle and career. Still, he maintains a good build. His chin is a bit rounded, but his jaw is sharp and his cheekbones protrude from a place high on his cheeks. His face shows laugh lines, though many have never seen him laugh. A few wrinkles stretch across his forehead, but they are shallow from little use. His face stays in an almost perpetually cocky grin or a look of disgust depending merely on his mood. In general, Dmitri isn't very expressive. He bundles up emotions and masks them from the others in the circus.
What's on the Inside
Personality:
{ Sleazy, two-faced, sociopathic, charismatic }
We are all products of our environment. Dmitri, of course, did not begin as a sociopath. When one meets him, it hardly comes as a surprise to hear that Dmitri's father was an abusive man who hardened Dmitri. On the outside, Dmitri is a polite man. He nods to passerbys, flashes a smile at most, and starts amicable conversation. On the inside, he plans ways to twist his words, construe meanings, and deceive others. In truth, Dmitri never truly loses his composure. He merely works the mind to bend it the way he wants. His plain, expressionless exterior hardly gives light to the terrifying individual inside. He has little regret because of his sociopathy. In fact, he killed his own father and doesn't care. In his mind, he was in the right.
Dmitri believes he is above punishment and repercussions. He (literally) can get away with murder. His charisma and charm allow him to persuade and dissuade, toying with the minds of others without thinking twice. Years of violent abuse hardened him. He connects with few people and makes few emotional attachments if any. In his mind, most fall below him in both intelligence and capability. He craves the control his father had, but he believes he uses it correctly. Despite the tight grip he has over the circus and its members, Dmitri believes he is better than the abusive father he knew. He will never admit he is wrong, for he lives in a world where he is never at fault. Instead, he convinces others that they have wronged him until they apologize for his mistakes. A lonely childhood made him crave to be the center of attention but only the good attention. He basks in the spotlight that comes with ring leading. Too long he remained in the shadow of his father. Even as some of the carnies some to realization of how sick he can be, Dmitri believes he is as safe as ever. He suffers from an inflated god-complex. His arrogance is certain to be his downfall.
Hobbies:
- Paints (usually scenery)
- Plays the violin
- Spends time around the large cats
- Juggles
- Likes to circle around people or at least move around when speaking to them
- Hums classical pieces when he walks around
- Uses sarcasm too often, plays dumb to get others to admit to things they've done
- Abused as a child
- Can speak without an accent, but speaks with a noticeable Russian accent when not announcing acts
- Undiagnosed sociopath
- Classical Music
- Imported Cigars
- Wine
- Vodka
- Being the center of attention
- Circus animals
- Sex
- Gambling
- Playing God
- Reading About History
- Whiskey
- Beer
- Cigarettes
- Being spoken to out of turn
- Tigers
- Commitment
- Yelling
- Slurs Directed at Him
- Mismatched Clothing
- Mud
What's Done Is Done
Biography
Place Of Origin: St. Petersburg, Russia
Birth Date: December 17th, 1902
History:
Dmitri has known circuses his entire life. In fact, one could say it is the only thing he knows. His father, Vladimir Petrov, met his mother, Mariya Levin, through the circus. Both also knew circuses like the back of their hands. Vlad was the manager of a Russian circus's menagerie whereas Mariya was a sword swallower. The two were instantly smitten with each other, but it was a lustful love, not a romantic love. Dmitri was conceived out of wedlock and immersed in the circus culture before he could speak. Both parents certainly cared for the young boy, but they hardly cared for each other. When the previous owner of the circus died suddenly, Vladimir Petrov took over. Vlad was a kind man to his performers and a violent man behind doors. Dmitri was hardly four when his father began to verbally abuse the boy. His mother was no better, for she cared more about her career than protecting her son from the abuse. Vladimir was her boss, technically, and she knew she would lose her job if she yelled at him for yelling at Dmitri. Therefore, the boy strayed from human contact in general and latched on to the animals in the shows. He would never recover from these developmental years full of shouting and hate.
Vladimir slowly turned to the bottle as the years went on. The lonely man became more bitter, not only toward Dmitri, but toward the performers. Physical abuse, mixed with the verbal abuse, hardened Dmitri's heart and made him hate the man he called "father". He buried his nose in books, taught himself other languages, and tried to find a niche. Having never had a traditional education, Dmitri was certain he'd be stuck in the circus business too. As his mind filled with knowledge, he grew to hate others and the trama of his youth bred a hatred for the man and woman who brought him into the world.
Dmitri was barely a teenager when Vlad moved them to America. Vladimir Petrov was never a very intelligent man, but he knew that change was coming in Russia. When Vladimir Lenin returned to Russia and began to promote rebellion, he knew that his performers would quickly identify with Lenin's ideas. With hardly any warning, Vladimir Petrov loaded his circus on to a boat and traveled across the Pacific Ocean. Dmitri had no choice but to follow the man. On the boat over, the circus lost a decent amount of performers including Dmitri's mother. Dmitri didn't mind.
The arrived in America around the time America was entering the first World War, so business was quite rough. However, once the 1920s began, prosperity spread through the nation; the circus was flooded with new customers and performers. Dmitri was excited and, for once, perhaps proud of his father for taking a chance and increasing their success. He began to learn how to perform alongside the animals of the circus, hoping he might have a career with them one day. When Dmitri was twenty-three, Vlad finally did something good for the boy; he let him work as the ring leader for the show. By then, Vladimir was far too drunk, fat, and angry to ring lead. Plus, he hardly spoke English whereas Dmitri knew English like he'd been born speaking it. For once, the idea of remaining in the circus didn't upset Dmitri. The only thing marring his vision was, of course, his father. He knew how to deal with him though.
Late one night, Dmitri snuck in to his father's train car with a crowbar in his hand. Years of abuse and anger had spoiled the boy, breeding hatred and spite within him, and he knew he had to get rid of the man. Without thinking twice, he raised the crowbar and brought it down on the drunk's skull multiple times. For a brief moment, Vlad might have woken to see Dmitri looming over him, but he was far too drunk to react. When the carnage was discovered the next day, no one mourned.
Upon looking at Vladimir's will, it was discovered that he had left the entirety to Dmitri, his only heir by blood. Some might have felt guilt, but Dmitri felt only relief and excitement, for he knew that he deserved the circus. The sociopathic tendancies within the young man blossomed. If he could get away with literal murder, what else could he get away with? With Dmitri in charge, the circus thrived through the next four years until Wall Street crashed. When the Depression hit, Cirque Regalis, as Dmitri named it, suffered greatly. Not knowing when the end would come, many performers left or took their lives, but Dmitri persisted, for he didn't know what to do without the circus. Eventually, more came and Dmitri welcomed them with open arms. During World War II, the circus faced more setbacks, but now, in the Golden Age, Dmitri's circus prospers again. He rakes in the profits more and more, conning and persuading and building an empire not quite different from the one the Bolsheviks brought down in Russia. Recently, he has begun to realize his own mortality and has begun to groom Robert for his role, but he continues to act like he owns the world. Finally, he is his own man and lives in no one's shadow.
Happiest Memory: To this day, Dmitri still remembers the roar of the crowd during his first time ring leading. He was, essentially, the center of attention and the crowd listened to each and every one of his words.
Saddest Memory: Dmitri's saddest days were those he spent reading beside the animal cages. However, he remembers them fondly, for he has only emotionally connected with the animals.
Face Claim: Mads Mikkelsen
