Kuzma "Zhuk" Lis

SUMMARY

Nationality: Belarusian

Age: 30

Height: 5'10"

Weight: ~170 (77 kg)

Appearance: Light skin, angular face but rounded cheeks, nose slightly crooked from multiple breaks, minor facial scarring from shrapnel, scar on nose bridge, botched haircut (because he cuts it himself).

Body: Lean, built himself for agility and speed rather than brute strength, his posture is often relaxed.

Notes: Zhuk speaks in third person, referring to himself as "Zhuk" and to others as their names and pronouns.

Backstory:

Kuzma Lis comes from Belarus, a small country hidden between Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia. He grew up in an unstable environment, family-wise and location-wise. He entered the military as soon as he was the required age.

Whilst serving in the BSO (Belarusian Special Operations), Lis distinguished himself through impossible recoveries and his reckless BRAVE acts during combat. Missions that usually collapsed around other more-disciplined operatives seemed to stabilise when he improved routes, breaches, or distractions no commander would recommend. Command describes him as "effective despite refusal to behave properly".

Why Does Zhuk Behave This Way?:

During his very first live operation, a simple hostage rescue (they're never simple) turned out to be an ambush. A large, explosive device landed right into his squad, though he was protected by his comrades last second. Hours later, after regaining consciousness, he found himself pinned by his own dead teammates.

He attempted to check for survivors despite their visible conditions already indicating their fate. He tried resuscitation methods out of panic. His own condition only worsened the longer evac took to arrive. After hours of sitting, he finally radioed in for help and to give information about the situation.

This incident resulted in many injuries, including a concussion, many fractures, and long-lasting psychological damage. He was diagnosed with DPDR (Depersonalization Derealization) disorder, which manifests in emotional detachment, his habit of referring to himself in third-person, and sometimes feeling as if he isn't alive, despite knowing he is. After someone gains his trust, he grows attached easily.