Bio.

GENERAL INFO.

Full Name: Roman Alexeyevich Zemlin
Aliases: Yury Zoranovich Koshelev
Gender and Pronouns: Cis Male; He/Him
Place of Birth: Moscow, Central Federal District, Russia
Heritage: White Russian
Date of Birth: September 20th, 1985
Age: 31-41
Parents:

Siblings: Children: N/A
Other Family:

Allergies: N/A
Addictions: Alcohol
Mental Conditions/Disorders: Alcohol Dependency, Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Physical Conditions/Disorders: Pre-Hypertension (High Blood Pressure), Alcohol-Induced Hepatitis (Mid-Stage)

APPEARANCE INFO.

Features: Sharp, tired features, with somewhat downturned eyes and a long, prominent nose. Roman's skin has some permanent discoloration due to his drinking habits, as well as acne scarring and other miscellaneous blemish marks. He has a deep, jagged scar along the left side of his torso, starting just right of his heart and traveling down toward his navel. Additionally, Roman has various tattoos across his arms and chest consisting of floral patterns and large, solid inked areas. Some of these flowers include dogwood blossoms, including a special, isolated cluster tattooed on the underside of his chin (visible only when his head is tilted upward).
Voice Claim: Vladimir Burlakov
Eye Color: Light Brown
Hair Color: Medium-Dark Brown
Hairstyle: Longer, straight hair that's worn barely groomed and mostly disheveled, with a notable right-side part and his bangs cascading along the left side of his face.
Build: Average, semi-athletic build with broader shoulders, narrow hips, and some muscular definition.
Height: 5 feet and 8 inches (approx. 173 cm)
Weight: 156 pounds (approx. 71 kg)

SOCIAL INFO.

Connections:

Relationship Status: Single
Sexuality: Biseuxal

MISC. INFO

The character Flotsam belongs to my partner, Vendetta!

Similarly, the references to mythics and anti-mythic sentiment are based on Vendetta's lore. This includes the use of the word "miscegenators," which is defined as a straightforward, bigoted term for human individuals who date myths.

In the vast majority of his canon, Roman is unaware that he has a sister. He has heard rumors of a peculiar female assassin operating in similar areas to him, and further rumors of similar appearances, but it's not concerned him.

Due to Alexey's operation working on an international level, Roman is conversationally fluent in numerous languages. Alongside Russian, he is most fluent in English, French, and Mandarin.

Roman would take on the patronymic name Alexeyevich a few years into their newfound relationship as grandfather/grandson. He would surprise Alexey on his 75th birthday by signing a card with the full name, then pulling out an updated ID card to show it was official.

Roman's alcohol dependency/substance abuse is a core part of his characterization throughout most of his canon. In his current canon, he's been moderating his intake and gotten to a point of not relapsing nearly as much as he used to. However, under severe periods of prolonged stress, or during intense moments of acute stress (re: something horrific happening), he'll withdrawal completely and binge to the point of likely needing hospitalization. It's also important to note that during these binges, Roman's liver has been so broken down that, if someone finds him, he will likely (or has likely) vomit(ted) blood, as intense drinking can lead to one's liver backing up blood into the esophagus and causing it to rupture.

Likewise, another part of Roman's characterization I've explored are hypothetical recovery pathways for plots where he's in a serious relationship with others (not solely romantic; he would moderate more after learning about Valeriya, for example), which you can read HERE!

BACKGROUND.

Roman was born to a young, careless couple who had recently run away from their families to live a life on the wild-side. Prior to his conception and birth, his parents would hop across several cities, partaking in party-fueled drug binges and vivacious flings. Unfortunately, there would be a momentary pause once the realization that there was a baby on the way settled in. At least, when it came to traveling, as the young duo were very much unwilling to give up their vices. As such, when Roman was born, he was left alone on the doorstep of a quaint suburban home with nothing more than a single doorbell ring.

Thankfully, one of the home's occupants answered at such a late hour. Upon seeing the newborn Roman, the man immediately woke up his husband, and the duo brought him to a local hospital to be checked out. During the initial monitoring period, Roman developed Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) and was placed into intensive care. The duo who found him—Velimir and Zoran—would remain by his side throughout the treatment process, and would step up to adopt the infant as their own.

Under their care, Roman grew up with a happy and fairly stable childhood, with most of the trouble coming from the bullying he received in school for having two fathers. It confused him more than anything, as everything that was said about his fathers simply wasn't true in his eyes. They were kind, and loving, and they loved him as much as they loved one another. And he would carry that love with him the best he could, being mindful of others and just trying to find his spot in the world.

As a teen, he would find it alongside a beautiful transfer student named Flotsam.

She stuck out for many reasons, such as her accent and her general appearance. The latter part included notable non-human features such as visible fins and naturally pink hair. When Roman befriended her, he would learn that she was an axolotl mythic. Yet, in carrying the good nature his fathers raised him with, that wouldn't deter him from befriending her and eventually falling in love with her. While their relationship was strained given the cultural tensions between humans and myths, the two were nothing but supportive of one another. Such was demonstrated when Flotsam underwent her species' natural puberty cycle and transitioned into manhood. While Flotsam was worried that Roman would no longer like him, Roman only grew to love him more (which was, incidentally, how Roman came to realize his bisexuality). Unfortunately, though, their happiness wouldn't last much longer, as something had suddenly been wrong with Flotsam's family, and he was forced to return home and thus leave Roman. Since that fateful day, the two never saw one another again.

The weight of this, the torment he'd faced for his queerness and that of his fathers, and the natural growing pains one went through as they were forced to find themselves in the world, drew Roman to fall into trouble. Constant fights at school, failing grades, and sneaky sips of alcohol all piled up. The latter was especially bad, given his medical history and proclivity toward addictive behaviors. While it was able to be hidden for a good few years, things eventually came to a head when Roman's fathers had found a trash bag full of emptied bottles. Worried, they attempted to stage an intervention with their 17-year-old son who—freshly home from a rough day and beaten to Hell and back—did not take well to the conversation.

Things quickly escalated, and as the night began screaming matches ensued. The peaceful home was now a war-zone, and this would provide the opportunity a few anti-myth extremists needed. See, while Roman and his fathers were human, there were people that kept tabs on them after Flotsam's existence within their neighborhood. They were seen as disgusting sympathizers—destroyers of and traitors to humanity both for their acceptance of myths and their "promotion of homosexuality." While the plan was to initially stage a break-in and kill the family in cold blood, the chaos inside provided a unique opportunity. As such, they snuck in, killed Roman's fathers, and dragged the drunken teen through the horrific scene to drill it into his mind that he was the one who did this, and that they were going to call the authorities. Panicked, and fully believing that he had killed his parents, a blood-soaked Roman fled far from the suburban home. He would eventually sneak onto a cargo train in the dead of night, and would wander aimlessly wherever he found himself unboarding. Trekking through the snowy tundra of Siberia, Roman would eventually collapse against a wooden cabin.

When he came to, Roman found himself inside and in the stern gaze of its owner, who held a shotgun in his lap and blocked the doorway with his chair. He explained how he'd found him collapsed and turning blue the cold, then demanded to know how he'd found him. Confused, Roman said he didn't even know who the old man was, or where he was for that matter. Seeing this, the man begrudingly set the weapon aside and would introduce himself as Alexey.

From there, the rest was history.

Once Alexey learned what happened, or what Roman perceived to have happened, he opted to take him in and let him lay low while figuring out what to do next. This, and he quickly picked up on the teen's penchant for alcohol after catching him stealing from his own reserves. Alexey would help Roman through that initial period of panic and grief, getting to know him and coming to see him as just a troubled soul who needed support. And, in missing what could have been, Alexey decided to take Roman under his wing. Roman, not wanting to be alone with himself, accepted the proposition and would live with Alexey full-time, working around the cabin to contribute to their shared space. This is how Roman learned of Alexey's contract business, and—perhaps against his better judgment—Alexey would offer him a job as a hitman. Believing that he had it in him to be a killer, Roman accepted this proposition, too.

The duo would work as a pair, with Alexey personally overseeing Roman's contracts and guiding him through the ranks.

Roman would find comfort in the monotony of the job, and would find an odd pleasure in the fact he wasn't just killing anybody. The targets they sought were people who had done others wrong, in some way or another. Some of it was questionable, but at the end of the day... Roman was, in his eyes, finally doing something right. And this would be affirmed when the pair took on a contract to assassinate a prominent, highly dangerous politician.

The operation was straightforward and the preparation was smooth, but there was a hitch—they weren't the only ones on the job. Nor was the political the only target. While alone, Roman was ambushed by a rival group, his communication with Alexey severed and his being severely outnumbered. He fought like a caged animal, managing to even the odds until the sole survivor rushed him and attempted to gut him. It was then that Alexey found him, taking the shot that would botch the contract but save Roman's life. The old man carried Roman away from the scene, and would bring him back to Siberia for medical treatment (as remaining in any city would surely get them caught). This fear was affirmed as, while Alexey waited for Roman to get out of emergency surgery, authorities had tested the blood at the scene and tied the assassination attempt to "the miscegenator teen who killed his parents a decade ago, Yury Zoranovich Koshelev." The only solace in that news report was a lack of recent photo. It was what allowed Alexey to lie to inquiring medical staff and give his right-hand his new name: Roman Zemlin.

Throughout the recovery process, the small hospital did what they could to keep Roman stabilized, though the surgical process was intense and had hit some crucial systems. Thankfully, as it turned out, the two were a blood donor match and Alexey was able to give what he could to aid in this process. It also turned out, while testing samples for compatibility, it was revealed that Alexey was more than that—the two were related. Left to sit with this knowledge, Alexey would think long and hard on the approach as Roman recovered. When he was woken up, Alexey decided that just being straightforward was the best approach.

Which didn't go over well, initially.

Rife with pain from everything and the overarching frustration of the failed attempt, Roman was furious with denial. He called Alexey a 'cruel bastard' for bringing something like that up at a time like this, and that that was the one topic there wouldn't be jokes about. Yet, over time, Roman realized he was serious and—when he saw the results in his folder—slowly came around to the idea. The next time they saw each other, on the day Roman was discharged, he would use his newfound strength to hug Alexey and say thanks... to his grandfather.

From there, the two would establish a closer bond than ever before, even as Roman found his footing and opted to travel the world while continuing accepting contracts. And that little cabin in Siberia would become a home that he could always return to.