Profile
TL;DR version:
So to sum him up shortly, he's a ~65 year old actor from Poland, who, at that age, lives in USA. Back in his country he used to be one of the greatest stars, and was a very passionate activist against his government, but the problems related to being that activist (he was thrown in jail for example) and a nasty divorce led to him being exhausted with his previous life, so he decided to leave all of it, since the government forced him to do so anyway.
In US he's sort of nobody and he likes it that way, it's somehow relieving not to be well known anymore. He's still an actor but he only plays some very minor roles, usually in bad movies too. This time is when he lets himself show his true colors by dressing way more extraordinarily than before, and by exploring his bisexuality, since before he's only been with a single woman for years. Now he spends most of his time on partying and enjoying life to the fullest (though it's exhausting in it's own way)
Stuff I associate with him are leather clothes, like jackets or pants, colorful shirts, unusual outfits, stuff with fur or feathers, earrings and/or a bit of colorful eyeshadow, he often wears aviator sunglasses too. He likes old movies, colorful drinks, meeting new people, but most of all he loves travelling and discovering new stuff- be it beautiful landscapes, fascinating animals or new sexual experiences.
And full bio for masochists:
Childhood, war
The modern Orest was born in 1937, the year he originally dies in. A big chunk of his first years resembles what happened in that story too, though the rough history of 20th Century plays a big part in it too.
After all, WW II started when he was 2, he's 8 when it ends. Of course it was a huge trauma for him (especially since his dad, a famous botanist, professor of Jagielloński University, was arrested during Sonderaktion Krakau and spent a year in concentration camp), "thankfully", since he was still a child then, some memories have faded, and war in Kraków was quite calm in comparision to other Polish cities. Both of his parents and his siblings survived the war. He is more of a rebel here and he often disagrees with his father, but they have good relations overall. After he moves out he spends less and less time with his family though, he's quite distanced from them in the next years.
Meeting Lidia
He always wanted to be an actor and nobody protested against that, so he started studying and practicing as soon as he could. During his education he met his future wife, a promising singer, Lidia. He's 21 then, Lidia is 19, and soon they unexpectedly become parents. They got married only a few months before their first son, Henryk was born. (And of course, having a kid while they weren't fully prepared for it yet affected both him and his parents. That argument will be used a lot by both of them....)
They don't worry much at that time though, and soon after it, in 1961 their only daughter, Łucja, joins her brother. Around that year Orest finishes his education and gets officially employed by his dream theatre, Teatr Stary. He spends most of his life in Cracow there, exept for a small break in 71-74 when the worked for Teatr Słowackiego.
Orest's and Lidia's marriage is intense and it's quite obvious for everyone around them that they rushed with it and they shouldn't really be together, these two don't see it yet though. For now they're happy, despite their arguments, strong, clashing personalities and all. Their life is full of passion and they both were looking for that. A few years after they got married they both become quite famous too - Orest got leading roles in some huge movies already (since he's quite active in film), Lidia is one of the most popular rock singers of her time. Being constantly watched by the entire country puts a lot of pressure on them too.
Difference of views
Meanwhile, their life under communist regime is hard, and Orest completely doesn't accept it, using every possible opportunity to protest against it. He pays for that with less opportunities to make movies, his life being a lot rougher than what it could have been, and being beat up from time to time...they can't do much more to him though, the entire country loves him and observes him constantly.
Lidia...sings a lot of ~rebel~ songs but it's more complicated than that. She's really privlidged, since her dad is a rather important politician, has a lot of money and power, and she uses that embarrassingly often. So it's quite hypocritical. She did attend some protests, gotta give her that, but after some time she stopped, and her songs are more of empty words at this point.
Things get worse
Politics definitely is one of the main problems of these two, and it's always a great excuse to have arguments. The passion changes, fades, and their differences begin to rise.
They both look at people around them and wonder what their life would look like if they shared it with another person.
Despite all of that they both still have moments of strong interest in each other, both when it comes to spending time together, discussing stuff, but also lust for each other. And with that their last child, Józef, is born. Born too late, since that marriage is already dead then. (Not literally though, they spend a few more years together.)
Orest's politics era
Soon Orest entirely dedicates his life to work and politics, spending more and more time outside home. He loves to have excuses to take a role that requires him to leave for weeks. Lidia focuses on her music, concerts and friends too, but she's a better parent at that time, tbh, and has a lot of time for her children too. This Orest is...way worse at being a father than the original one was. He loves them, and the time he actually has for them is spent awesomely, and they admire him, but he's barely there at some point.
They're both fair with each other, there's no bullying, no cheating. But they're both miserable and avoid each other more or less consciously.
Leaving the country
A few years pass and one of the most intense periods of communist Poland begins, there's a lot of protests, people are done, miserable. And Orest is strongly dedicated to participating in this. He's often mad at his wife for her indifference.
He goes to every event he can, police beats him up. And at some point, around the time when Solidarność, a famous opposition organisation, is formed, Orest gets arrested and actually spends a few months in prison.
It's bad, worse than bad really. He is put through a lot of fucked up trials and quite literally tortured too. And his relationship with Lidia is so bad at this point she doesn't feel obligated to do anything about it. She likely tried, but he's gonna believe she ignored it. He's sure about it later, but he never actually asked.
After all of it he is tired. He's exhausted with his private life, frustrations, he's done with the fact that no matter what people do, what he does, this country is still broken and ruled by terrible people. It become so much worse. And some of recent historical events broke him completely, though I won't go into details since it's not a history lesson.
Overall he's just exhausted. And when his torturers suggest he should leave the country and go to the disgusting West he so admires, he just goes for it. And for context, it's a suggestion only the most unwanted oppositionists could hear, normally the government would do anything it could to not let anyone leave. But sometimes they wanted to get rid of someone, and he was one of them.
It's seen as a deeply immoral act though, it's like collaborating with the people he fought against. People immediately know about his decision, and everyone hates him. Not just friends, not just colleagues from theatre or the organisation... the entire goddamn country.
He's finished.
Meanwhile two of his children are adults already, and they all live their life, without him, whether he's next to them, or in jail, or across the border...so he convinces himself it doesn't matter. In this story he actually gets divorced, and it's a mutual decision, they're both relieved and want to try something new now.
He needs to decide where to go right away, since that’s how immigrants from Poland are treated at that moment of history - if they want to be accepted in some country, they have to go to it right away, otherwise they’re not treated as refugees anymore. So he chooses to go to the States.
Orest in States, a summary
Once again I don't want to make a whole history lesson out of it, but I need to point out what level of fresh start (and isolation) it is. From someone loved and respected by everyone, a symbol, he falls into a complete pit of hatred and disgrace. He doesn't get to see and experience most of it directly, but he's aware of it and the Poles he meet in the US love to remind him about it.
So he just avoids them, and for a long time Polish community in States is something he hates and doesn't want to have much to do with. Not just for that, of course, especially since he knows it's mostly justified and he would likely see himself the same way... but he's quite tired of other aspects of them too and generally just doesn't want to be a part of them. He wants to blend in with the new environment, as if he's always lived here.
That's when the ultimate evolution of Orest the Jerk begins too. It kind of started in Poland, with his bitterness about the country and politics, and his relations with Lidia, but it wasn't nearly as deep as it gets now. He really begins to be an asshole for a lot of people, mostly focused on his own wellbeing and mood, which he ignored for so long just so he would please others and be the perfect idol/actor/husband. Now he's focusing on himself, and doing it wrong too, it just went from 0 to 100.
Of course his main focus after arrival is to find some job for himself, and that's what other Poles in America are useful for. With his popularity in his motherland it's not too difficult to find some people who'd support him here and let him play some not-too-important roles. And he's satisfied with that. His new "career" starts this way. Back in the country he was one of the greatest, chosen for main roles in movies and theatre, he was a star. And he was super ambitious, always making sure to do his best, even with the smallest projects. Now he's playing tiny episodes, unimportant background characters, mostly in action movies. Most of the roles he's playing are just "evil Russians", figures always needed in this kind of movies. Most directors expect the same thing from him over and over again, just talking with an exaggerated Russian accent and being scary. And dying in interesting ways.
This new life would be a tragedy for old Orest. If you'd tell him 5 years ago that this is his future, he wouldn't believe it, or he'd say this is his worst nightmare. Now he's okay with it, he's even happy with it. Just like he was broken when it comes to politics, his other ambitions fleeted away too. It's freeing for him not to try anymore. It's also relieving to have barely anything to do, just enough to live comfortably, after years of overworking himself and always being watched...
Now he had time for himself, for his newly found passions, and for building his new life.
He gave up, and he was happy with it.
He has so much more time for discovering new things, and he uses that opportunity. He's discovering a whole new life for himself. He now frequents local bars and clubs, looking for new friends and possible dates. He spends most of his free time on using the money he earns through making bad movies. Using nearly every opportunity for one night stands and other non-commital relations, after years of being a "proper" citizen, "respected" actor, "modest" husband, he's like a dog off the leash now, nearly trying to become an opposite of his former self.
He's so excited to meet new people, to experience new things, sexually or not. And he's just so happy to finally explore his bisexuality.
Although it's not always safe or good.
I don't have to tell anyone it's not too easy in 80s, and he experiences lots of bad things too, often simply because of his current irresponsibility. He was beat up over being dressed in a specific way, or for visiting some places. He caught some...diseases before he learnt that he might be a little more responsible about that too. (Nothing too serious, so he was very lucky, but it's enough to make him rethink his decisions and pause his very intense way of living)
Sadly he's irresponsible in other ways too, and very much focused on himself. He's not looking for any relationships, and he's open about it, which is fair, but then he also doesn't seem to understand that people may, and will get attached to him over time. That not everything revolves around him and his pleasure.
One night stands and other random hookups aren't really a problem, but there are people he meets regularly, or his friends that also become his lovers, and these things get complicated. He often warns that he's not looking for anything serious, that it's just fun and all, but sadly he also thinks it's enough. That it's his way of possible escape if something changes. And things often change. He's charming, he's full of passion, he's a goddamn actor with a pretty face and deep voice, and he's great at telling stories. For many people it's hard not to get attached to him in one way or another, and he really hates and avoids it now, he's afraid of showing any deeper affection.
He broke many hearts, he pushed some people into real depressive episodes and miserable state. He's guilty of being a total asshole sometimes. And there's no excuse for it, it was just bad. He expected everyone to feel the same, to be like robots, acting and feeling the way he wants them to. He tries to change himself from the most sensitive and empathetic person ever to some insensitive asshole only focusing on pleasure, thinking it will make him happy.
It made his life miserable at some point too, when it all became too much, and too many people expected too much from him at once. He started therapy soon after arriving in States, but at that desperate time he also started taking very strong meds, despite many doctors' warnings. He asks for the heaviest stuff possible, hoping it'll magically fix his life. And with time, it helps, but he also hates what he becomes after them. After long months of taking them he's relieved he's free of them, and sadly it shapes his views on meds in the future (so he's thinking "they are all bad" and ignoring the fact that most of them, modern ones especially, aren't nearly as heavy.)
He moved a lot since he started living in States. He started with renting tiniest flats, so he'd have a lot of money for other things. After some time his shit flats were even less noticeable for him since he was spending a lot of time at other people's places or simply at parties.
He also spent a big chunk of time in campers, both with other people and alone - he got used to them during shooting of some movies, and he liked that concept, so he even got one for himself eventually.
There comes time for upgrades though. If he wants to live his intense life of a Cool Guy, he needs to pretend a tiny bit less and actually get some more normal apartment. So he moves to (and eventually buys) a bigger one more because he wants to prove something or act in front of others, rather than just for himself and his needs...
He's got quite a lot of new friends now so a bigger flat is useful, though.
He sticks to that for a long time, he travels a lot so he generally doesn't have a strong need for building some true home/comfort place for himself. He wants to see new places, experience new things, and he just works all around States. So his needs are fairly simple, he doesn't get too attached to a specific place or setting.
Eventually, after years of saving up and discovering himself, he decides he's ready for settiling down a little bit. He chooses that "place for himself", decides on a specific city and a group of friends he usually hangs up with. He's got some kind of routine again - his favourite places and activities.
And he buys himself a house, one that's partly designed for him specifically. It's not huge, but it's a really big upgrade in comparision to everything he had before. Just a pretty modern, suburb kind of house, one quite too big for one person. It's likely the end of 90s, or more possibly, beginning of 2000s then.
He indulges himself in different kinds of fun and extravagant clothing. He experiments with makeup sometimes. And he's happy to discover and develop these new parts of himself. The more wild his new ideas get, the happier he is. Though he still absolutely wears "regular" clothing too, and often just looks like a regular middle aged guy. He just likes to get more adventurous with it sometimes.
An important part of his fresh start is how limited his contact with family has gotten. He didn't choose to isolate, but Polish-American relations are very rough then and he literally couldn't exchange letters with them. It was a terrible pain for him, and one of the factors that made him try to surpass any feelings and to change his very personality.
For a long time he has no way of contacting his kids at all, and sadly it's a good fuel for Lidia, for making them forget the good things and make them follow what other people say, that he's a traitor of his motherland and he doesn't deserve the family he's left. They still love him and miss him, but these moments of doubt happen and it'll be difficult to fix it.
After he can contact them again, he clings to it desperately, flooding them with letters and other stuff. He's really happy to reunite with them. Later it calms down, and becomes more of a routine, and both sides get more quiet...
After internet was developed further and communicators became a thing, he fund computers for all of his kids and strongly encouraged (well, pushed them) to contact him through these, so happy to hear them more often, and to see them too. Eventually that became less exciting too, and he started doing it less, focusing more and more on his current life and people surrounding him. His kids grew too, all of them being young adults, even starting their own families now. So they didn't seek his attention as much too. In 2000s he became guilty of being quiet for quite long periods of time, and he wasn't really present in the life of his kids, thinking they don't need him anymore.
~to be continued~
Bonus babbling/analysis on Orest's relationship with Lidia https://docs.google.com/document/d/1z6LEM4a3cdwsPznbdr6jMxrZPHFty_yhYNemAqgkrLw/edit
(0) mar 16, 1937 Orest is born
(8 when it ends) 1939 - 1945 WW II, no comment needed
feb 12, 1940 Lidia is born
(21) 1958 Orest and Lidia meet for the first time
(22) 1959 Henryk is born (1st child), Lidia and Orest got married a few (3?) months before it
(24) 1961 Łucja is born, Orest finishes university soon after
(24+) 1961-1971, 1974-~1982 Orest works for his theatre, Teatr Stary (returns to it in 1974 and stays there until he stops performing when everyone did, in 1982)
(31) 1968 Poland becomes hell for a few months, especially if you like to protest as Orest does...
(32) 1969 Józef, last child, is born
1971-74 Orest works for Teatr Słowackiego
(39) 1976 politics becomes intense in Poland again and Orest takes a part in it, getting beat up quite a few times
(44) December 1981 Life in Poland becomes shittier than it was
(45)1982 Orest gets arrested for a few months and it's rough as fuck.
Around this time government tells Orest to GTFO or his life will be a nightmare, and he leaves Poland.
(48?) ~1984/1985 Orest starts living and acting in United States
(~62) ~1999 Orest starts living in his current house
