Obviously, the musical takes an AU approach to the assassination of the Romanovs. The youngest daughter was either spirited away from or made an escape from the Ipatiev House, horribly injured but somehow still alive, thanks in part to the royal jewels sewn inside of her clothing stopping the bullets and bayonets from fully piercing her flesh. She woke up in a hospital in the city of Perm, with no memory of how she obtained her injuries, where she'd come from, or who she was. The nurses that coaxed her back to health took to calling her Anyuskha or Anya, and the name was as good as any for a girl without one of her own.
After she recovered, she worked at the hospital for a time, laundering the linens or working in the kitchen--never allowed to spend time at the bedsides of the patients or assist the nurses in their care, though she never knew why they wished to keep her out of sight. Eventually, Anya felt compelled to leave, convinced that there were answers waiting for her somewhere else--somewhere with a beautiful river and an important bridge. One of the nurses who had saved her placed a warm, floppy hat on her head and pressed a precious gift into her hand--a flawlessly cut diamond that had been sewn into her underclothing. "Don't tell a soul," she told the young girl, "until the moment you must."
From here, Anya began a long, slow trek across the wide expanse of her homeland. She stayed in Odessa for a time, working as a dishwasher, but her path eventually brought her to St. Petersburg--or, as it was now known, Leningrad. She was fortunate enough to find work, albeit back breaking and dirty work, as a street sweeper, but to her dismay the river Neva and the bridges that stretched across it did not satisfy her search. Her thoughts turned to a place that had always whispered in her thoughts, a place she knew would be next to impossible to travel to: Paris, France.
Through whispers on the street, Anya tracked down a con man named Dmitry and his accomplice Vlad. She begged them to help her forge exit papers so that she could leave Russia, but she was mocked and dismissed...until the room they were squatting in, the private theater in the Yusupov palace, triggered a startling, overwhelming memory in Anya's fractured mind.
Intrigued by her story and scenting an opportunity, the con men convinced Anya that she could be the missing princess, the Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanov. Though skeptical at first, Anya's naivete left her vulnerable to their convincing charms, and she began to entertain the notion that it might be true. They began to teach her the things that the Grand Duchess would know--genealogy, etiquette, posture and poise, dance--under the guise of jogging her memory, and unbeknownst to them, it worked.
Unfortunately the political and social climate of Russia was dangerous for anyone whispering the Romanov name, and the two con men and their pretend princess were found out. A trio of prostitutes, bitter that they were turned down for the role of the Grand Duchess, informed on Dmitry, Vlad and Anya to the Cheka, and Anya was brought before the Deputy Commissioner. In a lucky twist of fate, the man recently promoted to the post was someone she had met before: Gleb Vaganov, a Bolshevik officer she'd run into while working on the Nevsky Prospekt. Because he harbored a soft spot and attraction for Anya, he did not bring charges against her and instead offered her advice and a warning: leave behind her world of make-believe, hidden royals, and long dead aristocracy, before it brought her to a bad end.
Of course, Anya did not listen. She gave Dmitry her precious diamond to trade for train tickets to Paris, and they narrowly escaped Russia with their lives, pursued by the very man who had allowed Anya to escape: Gleb Vaganov. Once in Paris, it was just a matter of obtaining an audience with the Dowager Empress, a meeting Vlad secured through his old flame, the Countess Lily Malevsky-Malevitch, lady-in-waiting to the Dowager. After a performance of Swan Lake, Anya was brought before the woman she desperately hoped was her grandmother, the woman she thought would surely, surely recognize her...and the old woman refused to so much as look at her. Hardened and bitter in her grief, the Dowager accused Anya of being a fraud, just another impostor after the Romanov fortune, a willing participant in Dmitry and Vlad's con. She dismissed her without allowing Anya to say so much as a single word.
Heartbroken and furious, Anya finally saw Dmitry and Vlad for the liars and users that they were; with her memories and her past even more fractured and uncertain than before, she told Dmitry that she hated him, and ran from the theater to pack her things, intent on leaving them all behind.
It is at this point that Anya will enter the game.
Personality:
• Naive - Somehow, in spite of the difficult life she has endured since her family was murdered, Anya is naive and trusting enough to buy into Dmitry and Vlad's con. Whether this is due to her desperation, or the sheltered upbringing of a princess, it's clear that Anya can be easily taken in by even an obvious lie.
• Deceptive - It's easier to get by if one keeps their head down and doesn't attract attention, and Anya is very, very good at playing the role of a helpless, scared little girl, so much so that she plays a high ranking member of the Cheka with relative ease. Even after her deception is revealed, Gleb still views Anya as an innocent waif who needs to be protected from the world and herself, which is hardly accurate.
• Stubborn - Once her mind is made up, Anya is quick to dig her heels in and dig them in hard. Not even the very real, very threatening advice given to her by the intimidating Gleb Vaganov could convince her to give up on her plan to get to Paris.
• Temperamental - Anya is quick to become frustrated with herself and with others, a trait that connects her to her childhood even through the amnesia. Not even poverty and starvation could take the fiery temper from Anastasia Romanov.
• Mischievous - Anastasia loved to play pranks, even after her family were taken prisoner. Though she's had little time or opportunity since then, there's still a spark of a clever, sometimes cruel little trickster in Anya.
• Resourceful - Though she has tried to follow the law--it's much safer to do so than not--she has also learned to pick pockets, steal blankets or lift food when it was necessary to for survival.
• Hard-working - Anya has been an industrious member of society whenever possible, working very hard to earn every ruble whenever work could be found. She expresses a great deal of pride in her work ethic.
• Proud - In spite of the fact that she is a poor, dirty, skinny little Russian street rat, Anya carries herself with more pride than she has any rights to.
• Reckless - For a woman who has every reason to cower, Anya is brave, strong, and unshakably hopeful--foolishly so, given how many times the plan to escape from Russia nearly goes south. She is far too quick to jump into a physical confrontation when provoked, quick to suggest jumping off of a moving train, and casually takes a walk through Paris alone, which is not the smartest idea when one is a wanted fugitive, on the run from the secret police.
• Vibrant - Though it's hard to let one's charm and personality shine through when one is starving, exhausted, and scared, Anya certainly has plenty of both. And in the more aristocratic and polished world of Paris, France, stubbornness and pride can easily be considered a radiant poise and confidence.
Powers and Abilities: None, unless being very good at wielding a makeshift club to hit drunks with counts. Inventory: The music box, her diamond (though she will not be selling it).
Samples: An action-spam communication sample, and a long form sample for more internal thoughts.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
DUPLICITY
Age: 36
Contact:
Timezone: CST
Other Character(s): n/a
Door: Left
Canon: Anastasia (Musical)
Canon Point: In the middle of act 2, after the Dowager rejects her.
Age: 26
Appearance: here
History: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Duchess_Anastasia_Nikolaevna_of_Russia
Obviously, the musical takes an AU approach to the assassination of the Romanovs. The youngest daughter was either spirited away from or made an escape from the Ipatiev House, horribly injured but somehow still alive, thanks in part to the royal jewels sewn inside of her clothing stopping the bullets and bayonets from fully piercing her flesh. She woke up in a hospital in the city of Perm, with no memory of how she obtained her injuries, where she'd come from, or who she was. The nurses that coaxed her back to health took to calling her Anyuskha or Anya, and the name was as good as any for a girl without one of her own.
After she recovered, she worked at the hospital for a time, laundering the linens or working in the kitchen--never allowed to spend time at the bedsides of the patients or assist the nurses in their care, though she never knew why they wished to keep her out of sight. Eventually, Anya felt compelled to leave, convinced that there were answers waiting for her somewhere else--somewhere with a beautiful river and an important bridge. One of the nurses who had saved her placed a warm, floppy hat on her head and pressed a precious gift into her hand--a flawlessly cut diamond that had been sewn into her underclothing. "Don't tell a soul," she told the young girl, "until the moment you must."
From here, Anya began a long, slow trek across the wide expanse of her homeland. She stayed in Odessa for a time, working as a dishwasher, but her path eventually brought her to St. Petersburg--or, as it was now known, Leningrad. She was fortunate enough to find work, albeit back breaking and dirty work, as a street sweeper, but to her dismay the river Neva and the bridges that stretched across it did not satisfy her search. Her thoughts turned to a place that had always whispered in her thoughts, a place she knew would be next to impossible to travel to: Paris, France.
Through whispers on the street, Anya tracked down a con man named Dmitry and his accomplice Vlad. She begged them to help her forge exit papers so that she could leave Russia, but she was mocked and dismissed...until the room they were squatting in, the private theater in the Yusupov palace, triggered a startling, overwhelming memory in Anya's fractured mind.
Intrigued by her story and scenting an opportunity, the con men convinced Anya that she could be the missing princess, the Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanov. Though skeptical at first, Anya's naivete left her vulnerable to their convincing charms, and she began to entertain the notion that it might be true. They began to teach her the things that the Grand Duchess would know--genealogy, etiquette, posture and poise, dance--under the guise of jogging her memory, and unbeknownst to them, it worked.
Unfortunately the political and social climate of Russia was dangerous for anyone whispering the Romanov name, and the two con men and their pretend princess were found out. A trio of prostitutes, bitter that they were turned down for the role of the Grand Duchess, informed on Dmitry, Vlad and Anya to the Cheka, and Anya was brought before the Deputy Commissioner. In a lucky twist of fate, the man recently promoted to the post was someone she had met before: Gleb Vaganov, a Bolshevik officer she'd run into while working on the Nevsky Prospekt. Because he harbored a soft spot and attraction for Anya, he did not bring charges against her and instead offered her advice and a warning: leave behind her world of make-believe, hidden royals, and long dead aristocracy, before it brought her to a bad end.
Of course, Anya did not listen. She gave Dmitry her precious diamond to trade for train tickets to Paris, and they narrowly escaped Russia with their lives, pursued by the very man who had allowed Anya to escape: Gleb Vaganov. Once in Paris, it was just a matter of obtaining an audience with the Dowager Empress, a meeting Vlad secured through his old flame, the Countess Lily Malevsky-Malevitch, lady-in-waiting to the Dowager. After a performance of Swan Lake, Anya was brought before the woman she desperately hoped was her grandmother, the woman she thought would surely, surely recognize her...and the old woman refused to so much as look at her. Hardened and bitter in her grief, the Dowager accused Anya of being a fraud, just another impostor after the Romanov fortune, a willing participant in Dmitry and Vlad's con. She dismissed her without allowing Anya to say so much as a single word.
Heartbroken and furious, Anya finally saw Dmitry and Vlad for the liars and users that they were; with her memories and her past even more fractured and uncertain than before, she told Dmitry that she hated him, and ran from the theater to pack her things, intent on leaving them all behind.
It is at this point that Anya will enter the game.
Personality:
• Naive - Somehow, in spite of the difficult life she has endured since her family was murdered, Anya is naive and trusting enough to buy into Dmitry and Vlad's con. Whether this is due to her desperation, or the sheltered upbringing of a princess, it's clear that Anya can be easily taken in by even an obvious lie.
• Deceptive - It's easier to get by if one keeps their head down and doesn't attract attention, and Anya is very, very good at playing the role of a helpless, scared little girl, so much so that she plays a high ranking member of the Cheka with relative ease. Even after her deception is revealed, Gleb still views Anya as an innocent waif who needs to be protected from the world and herself, which is hardly accurate.
• Stubborn - Once her mind is made up, Anya is quick to dig her heels in and dig them in hard. Not even the very real, very threatening advice given to her by the intimidating Gleb Vaganov could convince her to give up on her plan to get to Paris.
• Temperamental - Anya is quick to become frustrated with herself and with others, a trait that connects her to her childhood even through the amnesia. Not even poverty and starvation could take the fiery temper from Anastasia Romanov.
• Mischievous - Anastasia loved to play pranks, even after her family were taken prisoner. Though she's had little time or opportunity since then, there's still a spark of a clever, sometimes cruel little trickster in Anya.
• Resourceful - Though she has tried to follow the law--it's much safer to do so than not--she has also learned to pick pockets, steal blankets or lift food when it was necessary to for survival.
• Hard-working - Anya has been an industrious member of society whenever possible, working very hard to earn every ruble whenever work could be found. She expresses a great deal of pride in her work ethic.
• Proud - In spite of the fact that she is a poor, dirty, skinny little Russian street rat, Anya carries herself with more pride than she has any rights to.
• Reckless - For a woman who has every reason to cower, Anya is brave, strong, and unshakably hopeful--foolishly so, given how many times the plan to escape from Russia nearly goes south. She is far too quick to jump into a physical confrontation when provoked, quick to suggest jumping off of a moving train, and casually takes a walk through Paris alone, which is not the smartest idea when one is a wanted fugitive, on the run from the secret police.
• Vibrant - Though it's hard to let one's charm and personality shine through when one is starving, exhausted, and scared, Anya certainly has plenty of both. And in the more aristocratic and polished world of Paris, France, stubbornness and pride can easily be considered a radiant poise and confidence.
Powers and Abilities: None, unless being very good at wielding a makeshift club to hit drunks with counts.
Inventory: The music box, her diamond (though she will not be selling it).
Samples: An action-spam communication sample, and a long form sample for more internal thoughts.