My Analysis on Aleksander

On two other sites, I have created characters bearing the surname Krupp, making them directly related to Aleksander. Two sets of siblings - Skander and Skylar (Twins) and Isabella and Ivan - have become the future kids of my little Russian dude. However, after going into the same sort of weird phase all writers seems to go through, I connected with Alek and figured out a few details about him.

First of all, Alek cannot love. He simply can't. He does not have that ability. He is often seen a drunk, a manwhore, someone who toys with people to get what he wants. That's not far from the truth, but Alek is made up of layers (like an onion ). The outer layer is what he is, but the inner layers are what made him be that way, with the core of it all being his inability to truly connect with anyone.

Let's look at his relationships.

His mother, Abigail:
His mother had him at age 31, which is relatively old for any mother. She was struggling to keep her job and care for her sons, something that has plagued her ever since. She tried to be caring, loving, a good mother, but she was also a woman with dreams and her children were getting in the way. With the arrival of her last child, Larissa, things only got worse for her.

To Alek, she tried to be a role model as it was her the one the boy saw most often. From a young age, Alek tried to make her smile as much as he could, tried to make sure she was happy. She, in return, gave him everything he wanted. What he didn't get, however, was the feeling that she loved him. She was always there, of course, but it always felt like she was there by obligation. This, I think, is a major factor in feeling like he doesn't have to love someone, regardless of what their relationship may be. I think this was his very first example.

His father, Jett:
Being a professor meant staying away for the school term, which meant Alek only saw him during breaks, holidays and summer vacations. To say that Jett was a father/authority figure for the boy would be a lie, as Jett was more preoccupied with not losing his job to better, younger professors. Though he wasn't a bad father, his emotional absence mirrored that of Abigail. Young Alek grew up watching him immerse himself in his profession, rarely making time for life. From his father, Alek developed his sense of recklessness, of a desperate need to be anything but the man who sat at his desk for hours, grading essays and homework and exams for kids he wouldn't see again, most likely.

His brother, Rudi:
I love the relationship between Alek and Rudi because he is the closest Alek will ever come to loving someone. They grew up together, with Rudi always leading the way for Alek. When their parents weren't around, Rudi was. Young Alek (around birth to 11 years old) loved Rudi in the best way he could. Or at least tried to love him.  Alek cared for Rudi the way any brother would, except he always thought "Rudi's going to leave me one day. Might as well get used to that." Then with Rudi's sexuality being revealed, Alek felt betrayed in the sense that he was ready for something to happen to Rudi, to either physically die or distance himself from Alek, but he wasn't ready to lose his brother to something like homosexuality.

I think that was when Alek began to realize that he didn't actually have good feelings. What little he had were usually just accepting of something. Not liking it. He didn't like that his brother liked men, but Alek didn't do anything about it. He let Rudi live his life, all the while worrying about what people thought of him. In this moment of his life, Alek went after the thing most often confused with love: lust. I think this is where his hook ups sprouted from; a lack of positive feeling, a lack of anything, really. He wanted, so desperately, to feel like he loved someone so he took girls in his arms and decided to have a moment where he fooled himself into thinking he loved them and they loved him back. I don't think he still wants to feel something. After a while, Alek came to terms with his emotional detachment as well, something that he accepts as a part of him and thus the hook ups are now only a way for him to pass the time.

In a sense, I think that's why Alek accepts Rudi the way he is, because his brother accepted him with all the bandaids and cracks and little fears that he won't even admit to himself.

His sister, Larissa:
Alek and Larissa have never liked each other. When Larissa was born, whatever attention Alek had was instantly Larissa's. He doesn't like her, she doesn't like him. He doesn't like that she's a good girl, the kind of girl that parents swoon over because of excellent marks and generally great morals and standards. She doesn't like him because he's...well, he's wild.

Miranda Cunningham:
Alek likes her in a physical way. He would probably push her out of the way if a bullet was coming at her (that is, is he was within arm's reach), but he wouldn't stand in front of her. All he feels for her is just, again, lust. He likes her body and he likes some of her personality, but he isn't and will never be in love with her. Probably, the closest he will ever come to love her is by giving her his loyalty the way he gives it to Rudi.

I would like to explore this with Jo a bit further, because I like MirandaMiranda/Alek threads.

Phineas Button:
Though Alek cares for the kid, he sees him the way his own mother saw him. As in, Alek is there with him because he has to be. Most of the time - though not all - he is around to pick up Phineas because he took the boy in. Alek has no real love for the boy either, but he does care. Alek is more grateful than anything to Phineas, because the young dropout is and will be the closest thing Alek will have to a younger brother, or in any case, a son.

Agnes Beaumont:
Originally a hook up, Alek was once again unable to love Agnes. This, I think, is why Agnes and Alek are able to look past their brief hook up history and become relatively okay friends. Again, Alek won't jump in front of Agnes if a bullet was coming for her, but he might move her out of the way. What works with them, I think, is that Agnes isn't looking for love, just loyalty, and Alek has no love to give but enough loyalty to spare. Just like with Phineas, Alek will be grateful to have Agnes's son close to him, as it will be a twisted little version of what Alek simply cannot have.

With Alek, there is none of that #BadBoyTurnedGood stuff.  He can confuse his feelings for love but it's actually not real love, and I don't think he ever will truly know what it's like to love someone. He may know people, but he doesnt have a real connection with them. The ones he does have a connection with are few, as seen with Rudi.

Alek isn't actually touched by anyone. Because of this, he can't perform a Patronus and he never will be able to. He won't ever have any real happiness, only moments of acceptance.

If I ever write otherwise, it's because I'm either tired or drunk. And, I have to say, Alek has now become my 2nd favorite character (out of mine, of course). Nobody can top my Ollie.