Post by Orlando Pareja on Sept 16, 2019 23:27:03 GMT -5
The Basics
Name: Orlando Pareja Moncada
Nicknames: Dad (his children), Lando (Glenn)
Age: 46 (November 23rd 1973)
Pronouns: He/him
Orientation: Heterosexual
Desired Rank/Job: In-house counsel
Powers: Force Field Generation - Orlando is able to generate force fields. He finds it easier to place them around himself, although with some effort he can place them around other people, which proved useful when he had multiple toddlers running about the house.
Energy Conversion - Orlando can absorb and convert energy into another form of energy. He has the easiest time converting kinetic energy into heat, but can also use light, sound, and electricity. Because of this he can act as a backup generator in the event of a power outage, but only for twenty minutes at a time, and then he needs to rest for a few hours.
As a result of his powers he has constant static cling, which he tries to discharge before hugging the people close to him, or before shaking hands. He's also somewhat slower moving than other people, because if he expends too much energy then he can't control his energy conversion and the excess energy his body stores expends itself in unpredictable and sometimes dangerous ways.
Play By: José María Yazpik
The Details
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Height: 6'2
Any Piercings? no
Any Tattoos? no
Any Scars? none noticeable
General Appearance: Orlando is the proverbial tall, dark and handsome man of stories. He never shaves his mustache, and rarely his beard - the one time he opted for the clean shaven look he almost didn't recognize himself in the mirror, his youngest child cried and refused to come near him, and Valentina teased him about it. He keeps his hair on the short side largely because his work requires some amount of first impressions and not solely excellent debate skills.
For work he has a very traditional look, with dark suits and red ties with the occasional more interesting one for holidays. When not at work he's a jeans and boots kind of guy. He doesn't like to wear clothing that's too similar to what his children wear even when casual. In the winter he has a pair of leather gloves, which were a gift from Valentina a couple of years ago. His mother knits him a new hat every single year, and so he's amassed quite a collection. Occasionally some of the older hats make their way to the local charities because even with the duration of Vermont winters he couldn't possibly wear all of them. In the summer he often goes shirtless when not at work, which shows just how hirsute a man he is. His hairs are still dark even on his chest, although there's a gray here and there that only Valentina has ever had cause to get close enough to see.
His confidence comes through in the way he holds himself, posture straight but not rigid. He walks with slow purpose, and isn't one for fidgeting. He has thick hands and a strong grip, but as his expression is often one of smiles this isn't intimidating usually. In the courtroom, however, he adopts a sterner countenance and his competitive nature truly shines.
In his youth he was thin, and he remains on the trimmer side thanks to a lot of time at the gym and a love of running and cycling.
Personality: Being the youngest child instilled in Orlando a drive to win that has lasted him through his entire life. He's not necessarily much fun to play with for people who aren't evenly matched, though, because he doesn't slow down or water down his skills for anyone. And that has included his own children, because how will they learn to play to their full capabilities if he goes easy on them?
Although he wants to outpace everyone else he doesn't take it personally when other people win, instead turning his attention to scrutinizing his own performance to see where he could improve. And then he works on that.
In fact, he takes very little personally, even when perhaps he should. Racism and xenophobia bother him, because those can lead to violence against his person (or, worse, his family) but your run of the mill obnoxiousness doesn't bother him. He doesn't worry when someone takes their time to get back to him, he doesn't rage when a car cuts him off on the highway, he doesn't get upset when one of his children has a meltdown and screams at him that he's the meanest father who has ever lived and they're never talking to him again.
The downside of this is that he is absolutely terrible at understanding other people's angst. He never could relate to any of Glenn's troubles with his power, and he struggles with the amount of angst involved in raising five teenagers even with the help of other Hammel staff.
He's organized and capable, and between that and his grounded personality he's a good person to have in a team. His competitive nature in that case doesn't turn on his teammates, but rather his drive for success becomes a drive to see the group succeed. He'll strive to see this happen even if it means working overtime to make it happen. Additionally, he has no problems taking on leadership positions (but doesn't need to take them), enjoys speaking in front of people, and has zero of the social anxiety that makes group work unbearable for some.
When it comes to his friends and his family (which he considers everyone at Hammel) he's exceptionally loyal. He's willing to inconvenience himself for the greater good of the people he cares about, even if that means it might interfere with his desire to succeed.
Your Vices
Likes:
+ Chocolate
+ Modernist art
+ Folk rock
+ Iguanas
+ Competitions
Dislikes:
- Pop music
- unsustainable agriculture policy
- tablets for children
- little yappy dogs
- shaving
Strengths:
+ Confident
+ Debate
+ Driven
+ Loyal
+ Calm
Weaknesses:
- Understanding sensitive people
- Overly competitive
- Ships babies
- Overbearing
- family
Family Ties
Father: Emilio Pareja (b. 1946)
Mother: Romina Mancado (b. 1948)
Siblings:Raul Pareja (b. 1969), Diego Pareja (b. 1971)
Spouse: Valentina Pareja (Hammel Alumni)
Any Other Important People:
Children, all Hammel students: Alondra (18), Marlene(17), Oscar(15), Natalia (14), Araceli (13)
BFFs since college: Glenn Traupel and Ezra Keeti
History
Orlando grew up in Mesquite, Nevada as part of a family who had been in America since 1912. His mother's family came from California, where they had been involved in agriculture. His father's family had come from Texas, but by the time Orlando came along they'd been ensconced in Nevada for several decades, picking cotton or hand cutting raisin grapes to lay out in the sun.
There was a lot of pride in their heritage among the Pareja and Moncada families, and although everyone spoke English there was an expectation of conversational Spanish, as well. The older generation hoped for a bit more than that, but it was difficult to teach children two languages simultaneously when only one of those was used outside of the little Mexican-American community they lived in.
He was a good student with a drive to succeed not only out of a love of learning, but because he wanted to beat the grades of his fellow students and of his older brothers. Being the youngest meant there was nothing new he could do, but he could stand out by exceeding expectations set by those who had come before.
He was twelve years old when his powers manifested. A routine argument with his brothers lead to a routine demand that they leave him alone, and, miraculously, they were repelled backwards as his demand was accompanied by the generation of force fields surrounding him. He thought his powers were kind of cool, and also thought it was kind of cool that he was the only one of his brothers to follow in granddad Moncada's footsteps by attending Hammel. While there his trainer had to continuously remind him not to overexert himself with frivolous usage, which was a difficult lesson for him to learn.
While at Hammel he met Glenn and Ezra, as well as Valentina. She devastated him during their first debate, and he fell hard. To his amazement she reciprocated his feelings, and they began an enthusiastic courtship. Valentina took quickly to his friends, and they to her, which was a bonus.
When he was a teenager the Latin American debt crises sparked a wave of immigration, not all legal. The increase in immigration saw as corollary an increase in racism and xenophobia launched against him. Never mind that his family weren't any more recently immigrated than many others, particularly since several of his schoolmates had mothers who were war brides. But even those who didn't direct their racism at him and his family had no problems with wide generalizations about Mexicans, even when he was present, and no amount of "But we don't mean you" erased the sting of those words.
He might not have considered law school an option if his family hadn't joked about it frequently. Every debate event where he tore an opponent to shreds, every assignment he went above and beyond on, they would joke that he was destined to be the family lawyer. And when it came to choose a school he thought perhaps law wasn't such a bad idea, after all.
He went to college in California, choosing Berkeley due in part to its liberal reputation. He hoped this would mean a bit less xenophobia. And if not that, at least his little Hammel quartet had all applied there as well.
After law school Orlando and Valentina found jobs at a local law firm, although there was far more paperwork than court involved. Shortly after graduation they married in a ceremony slightly larger than Valentina had hoped for, the size a necessity given that Orlando's entire family expected to attend. And while he had to ask his brothers to be groomsmen, he also wanted Glenn and Ezra in the wedding party.
They had their first child seven months after marriage after a relatively uneventful pregnancy. Two parents working in a law office wasn't the easiest of lives, especially with a newborn. They had a difficult time managing their time and expectations, but then Glenn mentioned that Hammel was looking to replace the attorney who had worked there when they were students. The hours were more flexible, and there was financial help with housing for all Hammel faculty, and so after discussing matters with Valentina they moved.
Not long after arriving in Pilot Ridge they had another child, and then another....by the time they were done there were five little people running around their house. They couldn't have done it without help from Glenn, who offered babysitting services regularly.
What About You?
Name: Oreo
Age: old
Experience: two decades
How Did You Find Us? I am eternal
Ready To Play?let me write!
