Ottavio Casagrande

[Ottavio Casagrande]

The Basics

Name: Ottavio Manuel Casagrande
Nicknames: Otto
Age: 16
Orientation: Heterosexual
Desired Rank/Job: Student
Powers:
Hypnotic Suggestion:
Ability to place another person in a hypnotic trance, leaving them vulnerable to suggestion, which varies in strength depending on the will of the individual subject. This ability cannot overbear someone’s will to the point of death, or to change their core values, and can last no longer than 15 minutes. Ottavio can only manage hypnotic suggestion through voice. His side effects can include headaches, drowsiness, mental backlash, and then sore throats and frequent laryngitis.
Play By: Tyler Posey

The Details

Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Brown
Any Piercings? None
Any Tattoos? None
Any Scars? None
General Appearance:
The main impression one gets of Ottavio is that he is put together. Handsome, dark hair always gelled, an easy smile on his face, and neat clothes. Oh, God, almost obsessively neat clothes. He prefers button down shirts, suit jackets and slacks. Every once in a while you can catch him in just a t-shirt. But generally it is formal attire for him most of the time. 

Admittedly it isn't nice formal attire because, frankly, he can't afford it. His family is far from rich. He's slender, and stands at about 5'10." He's pretty sure he's done growing at this point and isn't all too thrilled about it. He carries himself like you can picture an aristocrat walking--straight back, slight head tilt, graceful walk. His eyes are always sharp and interested, and the smile he wears invites you to join in on the joke, even if you don't know what it's about.

That said, there is something certainly off about the young man. Neat clothes, yes, but there is never a moment where he seems to be relaxed or at ease--except, perhaps, alone in his room with a book. Rarely can he be found in a pair of sweats or something that doesn't look it just came off the ironing board. It's obvious he favors appearances. He also rarely looks anything except pleasantly curious--it's rare to see him upset or angry, although the latter is hardly alarming. Eyes narrow and a mouth tightens, and that's it. He's controlled rather than passionate and elegant rather than warm. Hardly the typical 16 year old. His face is angular--all high cheek bones and square jaw. His skin has a warm olive tan tone to it that looks quite exotic. Striking, and he knows it. But it's a cool kind of beauty rather than a welcoming one.
Personality:
Formal. Elegant. Polite. These are words that are usually used to describe Ottavio. With them come less friendly ones, such as guarded, manipulative and arrogant. They're all, frankly, true. Despite coming from a family that talked a lot, Ottavio manages to use his words efficiently to say as little as possible (mind, perhaps it's because everyone in his family talked so much that this came up). He doesn't say much and he gets to the point quickly when he has to, but one never gets the impression that he's doing it to be rude or to push you off. He also isn't blunt. Instead, he treads the delicate balance of being polite and somewhat roundabout while managing to say very little. He also smiles all the time, so perhaps that helps. He doesn't joke around much, although he'll laugh if someone else does. Friendly, yes, but not warm.

He is guarded. Not in obvious ways. He's friendly enough to newcomers and people who have known him for a while. But he doesn't let them know him. He doesn't talk about personal things that relate to himself. Now his conversation partners, on the other hand--completely different ballgame. Those he'll happily dive into, learning all the facts and details. Partially because it distracts from himself and partially because it gives him something to use. He is manipulative. He takes things people give him--facts, information, things they like or dislike--and subtly uses it to his advantage or to get what he needs. It's not for nefarious purposes. Usually it's just to get them to leave him alone about something personal. But it is certainly a trend.

He values appearances more than actual relationships. And as for intimate relationships, you can forget them. Yes, he is a 16 year old boy, and yes, he does find people attractive. However, he doesn't act on them or any such feelings. He has a hard time forming close friendships with anyone who hasn't had challenges like he has. Relationships, real romantic ones, are pretty much out of the question for the time being. That isn't to say he hasn't had his crushes. Usually he acknowledges the feelings and then moves on. It's better for everyone.

However, he has a soft spot for people who have had it rougher than him. People from bad backgrounds, challenges with their powers--he invites them to join him. For once, it's not because of manipulation. Part of it is because he needs to protect in others what he views himself as having lost. And part of it is because deep down, he actually likes building people up to be stronger and feel better about themselves. But it's not like he'll admit that to anyone. Ever.

Your Vices

Likes:
Clean clothes
Clean sheets
Warm climates
Quiet places
Books
Video games
Alone time
Being treated like an adult
Independence
Leading roles
Waltzing
Ballets
Dislikes:
Snow
Winter
Messiness
Sloppy dressing
Dirty clothes
Being talked down to
Forced to obey instructions
Headaches
Laryngitis (he gets it a lot)
Being mocked for being able to do ballet
Being limited
Heavy metal (ugh)
Strengths:
Hypnotism
Slight of hand magic tricks
Ballet
Waltzing
Intelligence
Manipulation
Weaknesses:
Talking about things that matter
Admitting to mistakes
Making friends instead of making followers
Chatspeak (he just doesn't get it)
Cooking
Telling jokes
Fears:
Personal contact
Secret:
Very few know of his abuse. Even fewer know of his dancing skills. For a good reason.

Family Ties

Father: Manuel Casagrande (55)
Mother: Carmen Vega (45)
Siblings:Esperanza Casagrande, sister (22)
Any Other Important People: Uncle Gino Casagrande

History

Warning: This bio has references to child abuse

There is a joke in the Casagrande family that their ancestors were all petty criminals. They find photos in attics of knife merchants and others posing with infamous Mafioso members. However, Manuel Casagrande was hardly a criminal. He was a professor in engineering who came to the States late in life seeking an environment where the students and the other professors cared. He liked Italy, but the country despaired and despite the free education offered, conditions were poor. America was better, he was told. More hopeful. Harder working. So he came on a working visa with a construction project, planning to get his green card. America was certainly harder working. His English was somewhat poor, and while waiting to get his degree successfully translated (a process that took two years), he met Carmen Vega at the construction project he worked on in the meantime. She was pretty, younger than him, and spoke a bit of Italian from her college days. She helped him learn English and Spanish. He proposed to her with a tiny diamond engagement ring, all he could afford, and promised to marry her as soon as he got a job working as a professor again. He was true to his word. Their daughter, Esperanza, came after. And then came Ottavio.

Ottavio was a cheerful baby and child, albeit not one that could ever get a word in. Between his father the engineer, always ranting in some weird mangle of languages about his latest project; his six-year-old sister; and his mother who was always telling him to eat more, it's difficult to say if he would've ever gotten a shot at speaking even if he had been the chatty sort. Theirs was a happy household. Manuel and Carmen had arguments loud enough to raise the roof but both held faith and family in high values and created a very loving household for their children. In fact, Ottavio's only complaint was that he had issues, once he came to school, figuring out what language he should be speaking, since conversations in the household were a hodgepodge of Spanish, Italian and English. But he did well in school. And he enjoyed it. His parents also put him into ballet as they always caught him dancing around the house. He was quite good at that too, and loved the challenges of the movements.

The only thing he did not enjoy was his yearly trips to Italy to see the Casagrande side of the family. His parents encouraged the trips, as both believed strongly in family ties. But Ottavio never felt comfortable around his Uncle Gino, despite the fact that most of his other young cousins loved him due to his ability to do magic tricks. His parents encouraged Gino to teach him some of these tricks, but Ottavio still complained vocally about his uncle until he was about nine, when suddenly, he stopped, and didn't say anything. That year he was very quiet, more so than usual. He had nightmares and became extremely skittish out in public, but, no matter what his parents or sister tried, they couldn't get him to speak. That year, he shook all the way over on the long flight to Italy and spent most of the time in the guest room he and his sister shared. It was Esperanza, one of the few who could ever get him to talk, who got the truth out of him. There was a huge row between Manuel and his siblings. It resulted in the family packing their bags and returning to America three days early. They haven't been back since. They tried putting him into therapy, or talking about it, or doing anything. But whenever the issue came up Ottavio flatly refused to speak. Eventually one of the counselors advised to give him time. He would talk about it when he was ready.

Three years went by. The family went back to relatively normal, except, perhaps, more quiet than it had been before. Carmen and Manuel couldn't quite forgive themselves for not noticing and treated their son like glass. Esperanza went to college. And when Ottavio turned 13, weird things started happening. Occasionally, his parents would find themselves zoning out, and then waking up to find that they'd made an order for some weird new thing, like a skateboard that Ottavio had wanted. It was when the boy had "suggested" a better grade for a paper in school that he got caught. The recruiters came and took him to Hammel. While his parents call and write quite frequently, and visit as well, Ottavio doesn't interact with anyone but Esperanza much. He has friends and does well in school, but continues to rarely speak about what happened to him. He is, however, still in therapy.

Roleplay Example

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Name: Lugia
Age: I'm feeling twenty-twoooo.
Experience: 11 years.
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Ready To Play? Always.

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