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+--- Thread: Sofia Konstantinovna Vasilieva (/thread-1462.html)
Sofia Konstantinovna Vasilieva - Sofia Vasilieva - 03-16-2023
FAMILY
The Vasilievs are a prestigious crime family who maintain the veneer of respectability. Their boom to power and affluence was sped by the collapse of the Soviet Union, when organised crime in Russia reached a fever pitch of strength and influence due to an unstable government. In particular they are known for money laundering, money lending, gambling, fraud, drugs, and racketeering. Upon the birth of the ASU in 2023 the family was poised to open the city's first casino since such venues had been made illegal in 2009. Nebesa’s Gate is a lucrative and luxurious den of iniquity, and remains at the forefront of the gambling scene in Moscow.
These days the Vasilievs are rich, powerful, and prior to her death in 2046 they maintained a good relationship with Syndicate leader Yun Kao in order to facilitate their illegal interests.
It is rumoured but unproven that Sofia's father Konstantin ranks highly in the Russian mafia. He is believed to be the personal friend of Myshelov Arkadiy Tarasovich, the city’s Patron and arguably one of the most powerful men in the world next to the Ascendancy. Certainly the family knows to keep him on side, and the children have always been instructed to mind their manners around him.
Sofia's mother is the current Privilege Valentin Sulteev's youngest niece. She has three brothers and a sister, all older. Her sister Alina is married to Scion Marveet's son, Maksim.
At 26 Sofia is the youngest, and revels in her position as the overindulged baby of the family.
For more information on the crime families and other organised crime groups in DI, see here.
For more information on the other members of the Vasiliev family, see here.
BUSINESS
The Vasilievs own Nebesa’s Gate Casino, located on New Arbat Street in the heart of Moscow city. The casino consists of four game halls, a nightclub (Zaranitsa’s Dream), several restaurants including the 5* Elysian, a theatre, and a handful of bars, the most popular of which is known as Empyrean.
For more information on Nebesa's Gate, see here.
SOFIA
Sofia is tall and slender, with sculpted cheekbones, a haughty gaze, and pouty lips. Though naturally brunette she maintains various shades of blonde, being a regular at the most luxurious salons in Moscow. Her commitment to self-care is exquisite, and appearance is important to her. She is generous with time and money, provided she likes the cause or the person – or if it simply benefits her or her family’s ambitions (the enemy of my enemy is my friend, after all). For those she favours life can be very good.
At her worst Sofia is vain, wrathful and short-tempered. She is easily provoked to jealousy, possessive of those she loves (or considers hers), and has a vindictive streak a mile long when her temper is roused. She can be incredibly loyal, but this is mostly reserved for close family. Of them she is protective, though sometimes even their favour wanes into petty squabbling. The resultant rivalries get spectacularly explosive, however there are some lines she won’t cross, and ultimately her loyalty to homefires always flares anew. She lavishes attention and gifts on her nieces and nephews. The children can do no wrong.
Sofia enjoys being desired and unattainable, and usually takes offence at being slighted, particularly in lieu of another. She is very good at holding a grudge. Her dislike of someone is usually righteous; she believes wholeheartedly they have done something to earn it. However, the targets of her vengeance might easily include innocents if the object of her wrath is untouchable. This might be due to their status, power, or even their standing and value to her own family. Either way Sofia is incapable of turning the other cheek. Someone has to pay. She is passionate, vociferous, and gets easily carried away. Sometimes her siblings reign her in; other times they are the match to her gasoline.
In fashion Sofia enjoys tailored suits, furs, and flashy jewellery. She drapes herself in luxury. Despite a party-girl reputation she rarely sleeps around. In fact she can be touchy about her virtue.
Concerning the family business she generally does not choose to get her hands dirty personally, though it’s less from squeamishness than it is a flex of power. She doesn’t have to; she makes others do it for her. When it comes to necessity though, she’s hard-nosed. At her core is an iron grit, able to withstand the most dire of storms. Given her often petty preoccupations this is sometimes met with surprise, for most assume her interests do not outstrip the socialite scene. Likewise, she has a sharp mind and a good business head.
When she makes a vow, she keeps it. Commitment and integrity have great value to her. She holds others by the same high standards, and makes enemies of those who wrong or betray her.
HISTORY
In the cut throat heart of Russia’s capital, family is everything. Sofia was a sweet and loving child, yet even as a little girl she had a vicious temper. Daddy’s Little Star often became Daddy’s Little Supernova. Her natural assertiveness got her into plenty of trouble at school, where girls were supposed to be demure and impeccably mannered. Which wasn’t to say Sofia lacked the grace, just that she was ruthless in securing what she wanted for herself, and was never prepared to turn the other cheek to an insult.
At home it was called leadership.
With three big brothers she could afford to be fearless. She still can. In those days she didn’t know what daddy did, or how important Uncle Sulteev was, but she knew what power felt like. It thrilled her. As she grew older she pushed the boundaries around her to discover exactly what she could get away with. She’s never learned how to lose, let alone to do it gracefully. She was both feared and loved by her peers, being the sort of bully who rarely ends up in trouble for it – owing in part to cunning, but also due to familial connections. No one wanted to risk upsetting the Vasilievs.
By her teens she began to integrate into the darker side of family life, realising that the plethora of kind uncles and aunties that dotted her rosy childhood memories were not exactly that. She grew up at the private poker tables among men and women who were titans of the mafia world. Sofia wanted to be one of them. She wanted to be greater than them.
When she grew Sick as a teenager she hid it. Rage at the unfairness saw her through. Her block is such that hatred fuels her gift. She can only channel to exact revenge, or in the heat of extreme negative emotion.
Her older sister enjoys their privileged lifestyle without ever dirtying her hands on the bloody money their empire is built on. In contrast Sofia never desired the protection her circumstances afforded her; she desires power in her own right. She interferes in the lives of her siblings on occasion, particularly Dima, who has a terrible habit of fixating on the wrong kinds of women. Her lifestyle is glamorous. She is often at the forefront of entertaining the important people the Vasilievs must keep sweet, and is intrinsic to the intelligence network that feeds her family’s work.
Sofia's wiki page can be found here.
PREVIOUS LIVES
In the 5th and 6th Ages she lived as the Greek goddess Hera.