Artyom Vladislavovich Toptunov (a.k.a. Trotsky)
Artyom was born Toptunov Artyom Vladislavovich in a remote rural town of Ukraine. With the death of his family caused by the Mega Corps, SovOil, he built a strong hatred towards the Big Corpos that control the world.
He rebelled and fought against the power in place, destroying assets from SovOil in a violent form of revenge. He worked under a revolutionary that went by the handle "Lenin", leading the small folks towards a new world where they are in control. In the end, Lenin was arrested and exiled, their organization disolved and Artyom left without hope for a brighter future. With the news that Lenin was now in Night City leading a new gang called the Night City Soviets, Artyom decided to move to the Pacifica Confederation as well.
There he saw much of the same problems that rotted Neo-Soviet Russia to the core. In 2045 though, there is yet a fragment of hope. After the war, the Mega Corps that had once controlled Night City are weak, and many vie for control once more. He thus had a chance to break the Big Corpos and bring forth the winds of change, bring support to the small folks by getting rid of the system.
Thus, he joined the Night City Soviets, a gang operating from the combat zone to the south of the island.They are very violent and target almost exclusively the corrupt Mega Corps, trying to destroy from outside and within. There are those that are thrilled to see such a group quickly rise through the ranks in a few years, but most wouldn't want to see them come into power, for they are simply too violent, too dangerous to lead.
Needless to say, Artyom is a very charismatic and intelligent person, though a very violent and flawed individual as well. Only time will tell what Lenin, their leader, will do of him.
He could be a dangerous, yet powerful ally...
Or a terrible, ruthless and vicious enemy...
Physical Description
Slim and with an average physique for those that partake in gang activities. All lean muscle and speed.
He has no body augmentations, at all. He is missing his left eye but didn't seek a replacement, even if he lives in a place where he could easily get one. Hands covered in old and new scars.
Thick, neatly cut short beard. Short brown hair and grey eye. Sharp nose and eyebrows, with a nice kind smile.
Left eye is missing and left side of face almost always covered in bandages.
Can usually be seen sporting black jeans and t-shirt. Oversized glowing neon yellow tracksuit bearing the symbol of the hammer and sickle, with black fur lining the interior and thick bomber collar. Black combat boots with glowing neon yellow shoelaces. Old ratty brown Ushanka, with a red star at the front, dating from a long-passed war.
Mental characteristics
Born in a rural town in Ukraine, Artyom Vladislavovich's parents soon realized that he was a smart and quick-witted boy. Wanting to give him all the chances in life, they raked in the debts to move to Leningrad in order to give him an education. There Artyom enrolled in one of the best schools, though he soon realized that his status brought him trouble from his peers. He was bullied and hated by most of the other students who saw him as undeserving of being in their presence.
He lived with his family in the streets, for his parents couldn't afford the pricy apartments of the city. Illness, gang wars and hunger were a constant problem for them and studying in that kind of environment was doubly difficult. His parents worked for SovOil and tolled for many hours a day, in the hope of giving their children a better chance than they had had. They accumulated the side jobs and were rarely seen by their children who were left in the streets when they weren't at school.
At the tender age of 15, his whole family was murdered. He came home to see that his brothers and sisters had been killed in cold blood, his parents nowhere to be seen. For the longest time he didn't know if they were still alive or not. Not long after, he was accosted by a representative of SovOil, saying that the Mega Corps had high hopes for him to climb the ladder as the bright boy he was. They promised that they would keep paying for his studies if he promised he would work in the scientific divisions of the Corpo when he was done. With nothing else, he accepted the offer and was moved to a prestigious school funded with SovOil dirty money.
The years went by, and he got in the best university in Leningrad. There he studied chemistry and was even working on his master's degree while he worked for the research division of SovOil. While working there, he chanced upon some classified documents that revealed what had happened to his family. His parents were indebted to the company and had failed multiple times to pay up. SovOil was getting fed up with them and decided to simply get rid of them entirely, sending a message to the other debtors that they shouldn't mess with them. They decided to keep Artyom alive and out of the loop. for he was one of the brightest minds in his school. He could be used and molded to fit the Mega Corps needs. He would be a nice investment and would, in time, pay for what his family had once owed.
This event completely broke Artyom, he left the university and SovOil overnight and sought a gang in the seedy parts of town. He joined with a gang and let go of the careful calculated control he had built up over the last years. He was violent, rebellious, vicious, reveling in the pain of others. Eventually he came to join a gang led by Lenin, with the goal of destroying SovOil. He could get his revenge. Many were the assets, factories and scientists of the Mega Corps that were destroyed during that time. Executives were caught, tortured and then simply killed in the most brutal of ways. In Artyom's mind, they weren't kidnapped for ransom, no, simply for the pleasure of revenge.
In time, Lenin got caught by SovOil and the government. He hadn't been careful and had exposed his face to the public, making him easily recognizable. He was tortured in order to get information on the rest of his gang, but little information was gained that way. The Mega Corps wanted nothing but to kill him and be rid of the menace at that point, yet they were uncertain if this was the right course of action. The public, those that lived in misery and in the streets, were sympathetic of the cause Lenin was defending. If it was to be revealed that he had been killed by the government and SovOil, there would be a revolt coming from the lower classes. After all, the gang had been working hard at getting the sympathy and approval of the people. Instead, they decided to send him away, exile him from the motherland. They made a show of it too, making sure to show the people that they were magnanimous, in an effort to shift the public's opinion of them.
Lucky for him, Artyom's informations weren't revealed and he wasn't in SovOil's radar for his blatant destruction of their assets under the gang.
Eventually, Artyom heard that Lenin had formed a gang in Night City, the "Night City Soviets". Eager to get back in the gang and fight the good fight, Artyom flew to the Pacifica Confederation, to Night City. There the Mega Corps weren't as strong as they had once been, this was their chance to bring forth the winds of change.
Only time will tell if Artyom, "Trotsky", will succeed in his endeavors.
Received the best education he could possibly have in Neo-Soviet Russia. A chemist, he was on his way to get his master's degree when he left university.
A very bright mind, he could have been an acclaimed researcher, if only he had remained ignorant of his family's fate.
Has many jobs here and there. He works in various places and with a plethora of different people from various spheres of life. He tries to keep quiet about his involvements with the Night City Soviets.
He keeps all these odd jobs in order to gain valuable intel in order to carry on his mission to destroy the Mega Corps with the Night City Soviets.
Gained many awards in science and research during his time in the labs of SovOil. Made a few breakthroughs that deserved him a few minutes of fame and the hope of the people that he would keep inventing and discovering new things.
Was unable to help bring an end to SovOil in Neo Soviet Russia, what with the gang being dissolved before anything could be done.
He hopes this time will be different.
PTSD, Sadistic Personality Disorder
An insanely bright man, capable of grasping the character of anyone in a matter of seconds and adapt to it depending on the situation. Knows much about chemistry and science, but uses it to craft bombs and the likes rather than research to better the world.
Sees the world in black and white. There is no grey, either you are against him or with him.
Personality Characteristics
Motivated with bringing down the Mega Corps and destroying the current system. He desires nothing more than to bring back the ideals of socialism and communism up front and center.
Likes:
Kibble, "Extra Fluffy Pancake" Flavor
Torturing Mega Corps Execs
Sniper Rifles
Dislikes:
Mega Corps
Capitalism
Orange Juice
Will go out of his way to save those in need (that he deems to be innocent or virtuous, what with his flawed view of the world). Tries his best to give back and help the poor and helpless.
Takes a sick enjoyment in torturing others, especially higher ups in the Mega Corps. Enjoys violence in general.
Social
Acts like he is grander than life, as if he was above most of the other persons around him.
Has a slight Ukrainian accent and usually speaks with care in using the right grammar or terminology. Sometimes will employ slang and the likes if the situation is appropriate.
Friend (Important)
Towards Lucas "Cell" Preston
Friend (Vital)
Towards Toptunov Artyom "Trotsky" Vladislavovich
History
In the early days of the year 2045, Artyom got into a fight in the War Zones of Night City. His gang, the Night City Soviets, were fighting against Arasaka goons that were passing there in the hope of retrieving vital intel. The scuffle didn't end well for either party involved. Artyom hid himself in a narrow alleyway, wounded and exhausted, hoping that he wouldn't be found out. Trauma Team was, after all, investigating the location in the hope of finding the Arasaka members that had subscriptions with them. With Arasaka members still present and ready to roll, this would mean the end for him.
A young Trauma Team MedTech, Lucas Preston, found him in the alleyway in a pool of his own blood. Artyom motioned for him not to say a word of the situation to the others, and Lucas complied. He whispered to Artyom that he would be back soon in order to help him. The young man concealed the revolutionary as best he could and went back to the rest of Trauma Team that were beginning to wrap up.
A few hours later, Lucas came back and brought Artyom to his apartment in order to help him. A fragile friendship began to bud as Lucas insisted Artyom remain in his home for at least a few days to recuperate. After all, he had lost quite a fair bit of blood as well as his left eye. Those days were the quietest, the most tranquil Artyom had ever been in his life. It was nice.
In the end, they exchanged contacts and became good friends. Artyom is trying to keep the Night City Soviets out of the equation for now, but who knows how long that will last.
Nicknames & Petnames
Lucas calls Artyom "Art".
Artyom call Lucas "солнышко" (little sun), it's pronounced "SOLnyshkuh"
Relationship Reasoning
They both are able to find a certain calm and tranquility in their relationship. What with Artyom being part of one of the most violent gangs and Lucas working in Trauma Team, they both need to find the chance to slow down and think about other things.
Commonalities & Shared Interests
They both enjoy staying in, ordering pizza or cooking pancakes, and watching series. They also enjoy going to festivals and taking walks in quiet parts of town.
Both enjoy being in quiet, calm places and relaxing. They both also like exploring new places and discovering new kinds of food.
Customer, Friend (Important)
Client, Friend
Towards Toptunov Artyom "Trotsky" Vladislavovich
History
In 2044, Artyom found by chance the scrapyard from which Giuseppe operates. Impressed with the tools, arts and tech the old man could make, he started coming more and more. Most of the time he'd buy something, be it a gun, a tech tool, various components that could very well have been used for bomb making, etc. Other times he'd come just to chat with the Italian.
A friendship is slowly starting to bud between the two, Artyom even told the old man that if he ever had troubles with the local gangs, he only had to call him, and he'd come to help in a flash.
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