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 Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2009 1:52 pm
 Once upon a time, there was a girl. We shall call her Chrys.
Chrys found this snazzy web site called Gaia, and in her short two and a half years on the site,
made some pretty snazzy friends. These friends were snazzy because they were made of awesome
they supported her and encouraged her when she was ordinarily too shy to do much herself.
Several of these snazzy friends were part of this snazzy shop called LOTUS. Chrys found the
concept (what else!) snazzy, and when an opening for a semi-custom came, she finally got her
arse in gear to create a character - snazzy or otherwise - to fit into the world that had been so carefully
created. Drawing from her own heritage of Naples, Italy, a new version of an old character was born, and thus,
her quest for a Time Unification Seeker was underway!
Please, take a gander and enjoy your stay!
[ 02.12 ] Filled in the last of Ber's family info; added the Fedora. HISTORY, HERE WE COME!
[ 02.10 ] Elaborated on Likes/Dislikes, filled in Appearance and Personality!
[ 02.07 ] Added Likes/Dislikes, Hobbies and Skills.
[ 02.02 ] Added a few more details about Ber: what part of Italy he's from, his reason for joining.
[ 02.01 ] Added family info.
[ 01.30 ] Bernardo is being set up! Changed format to Ber; added info about the Cornicello.
[ 01.29 ] Oops! Gab scrapped - SORRY EAMANE! D:
[ 01.28 ] Added the Hat info and some goods about Gabi.
[ 01.26 ] Setting up ol' Gabi-butt~
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Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2009 1:53 pm
[ The Gondola's Path ]
1. Why Am I Here?
2. You're Here Now!
3. Bernardo; the Stallion Himself
4. When You're Here, You're Family
5. The Roots Run Deep: From Grape to Fine Wine
6. Italia & How Her People Wear Her
7. Just Beneath The Surface
[ Partenopei Etiquette ]  Follow Gaia ToS .1 Follow the Shop Rules .2 Follow the Daisy Code .3 Constructive crits are loved .4 We cook pizza al taglio. Deal with it. .5
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Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2009 1:54 pm
[ Bernardo ]
Name: Bernardo Falcone
Meaning: Derived from the Germanic element bern "bear" combined with hard "brave, hardy".
Alias: Brad; occasionally answers to "Bear" (Ber) but absolutely not Bernie.
Gender: Male
Age: 33
Nationality: Italian; specifically hails from Naples, Italy.
Reason(s) for joining LOTUS: Want something done right? Do it yourself - at least, that's what Bernardo believes. He's a terrible workaholic and trusts no one to do anything right, so naturally, he must take part to ensure the safety of time's passage. Selfishly, he wants to go back to his time, where it seemed he was finally setting his life on a straight enough path to follow.
Pertinent skills: Diplomatic; Ber is grace under fire, rarely ruffled to the extent of lashing out, always seeking a peaceful and agreeable resolution when possible - the man disdains confrontation immensely. Analytical; a "Master of Sword," obtained from his years at Accademia Nazionale di Scherma when he was forced out of his college of choice to join the Famiglia. Ber has a very accute sense of finding and exploiting one's weakness in a fight, using this to support his diplomacy as necessary. Seasoned; as much as he loathes it, Ber can and does hold his own in a fight - his strongest skills lay in fencing and shooting (guns), with brawling and kendo as secondary. He avoids fighting as much as possible, but when push comes to shove, his strength and size make him a natural soldier to whatever cause he puts his weight behind.
Era: Time broke in early-to-mid 1980's.
Personality: An aloof creature with precious little interest in anything outside of his work. Brad is married to his job, finding social interaction beyond his workspace to be difficult at best, something he suffers for the sake of said job. He is, at the very least, polite upon first meeting; his temper, while hard to rouse, is not something that can easily be defused, forgotten over time but rarely forgiven. There's very few things that can get under his skin and rankle him enough to take any personal interest.
Beneath that rough and unpleasant exterior is what some may call a teddy bear. His loyalty is second to none and his heart isn't the cold nugget of ice he makes it appear to be (just well encased in a few layers of steel). He has a hard time trusting others but will extend every effort of help and support available to him if he does call you a friend. One may find he's simply suffering from a past grievance that never sat right with him, a flaw in himself that he is very well aware of.
Appearance: A giant of a man at 6'4", his body is lean and full between 210-220lbs; he wears it as muscle, but you'd not be able to tell his build beneath his clothes. His hair is that of raven-wing black, the type that seems to have blue/purple highlights in the right light, kept short (never reaches his eyes nor his shoulders) and brushed forward for an almost shaggy appearance. Unusually dark blue eyes that are just off enough to call indigo are set beneath severe dark brows, narrowed in such a manner to give him the illusion of always being angry or annoyed. He has an unremarkable stern nose set over a thin line of a mouth, lacking any sign of laugh and smile lines that are prominant in Italians of his age. The man's square jaw and near-prominant cheekbones give him an almost feral look, overall a man who looks a lot less pleasant than he really is.
Hobbies: Working, Fencing (Master of Sword), Kendo (not a Master), playing the Saxophone (alto), sailing, more to come.
Likes: Straight-forward words; riddles and 'beating around the bush' annoys him to no end - being direct will earn his respect. Creativity; a mind open to the arts of any form is one well received by the stoic man; hailing from a city of romance, he can well appreciate many an aesthetic. 'Unique' appearances; he seems to be inclined to pause to look at things - people or otherwise - who aren't quite normal, and aren't quite run-of-the-mill. Medium-well meat; he doesn't like his meat bleeding. Fresh apples; his favorite snack. Artichoke; a lesser known guilty pleasure of his to enjoy, with melted butter! Winter; his favorite season - nothing beats a fireplace while the snow drifts from the heavens. Cooking; something he's very good at but rarely does. Working; workaholic.
Dislikes: Confrontation; he does not like being pinned down or cornered, especially if the manner is accusational or cruel. Assumptions; one of the fastest ways to earn his anger is ignorance. False pretense; hand-in-hand with being straight-forward, the quickest way to make sure he never trusts you is an act of dishonesty, no matter how minor. Soggy vegetables; just, no. Fish; he's never had a taste for fish, but is known to force down sushi on occasion. Sweets; he simply doesn't like sugary things. Crowds; large groups of people make him nervous. Heat; he prefers the cold embrace of Winter over the oppressive air of Summer. Crowds IN the heat; utter and complete loathing.
References: These are by no means an unwavering depiction of how he should be; these are simply a visual for those who like them. :3
Most Accurate: Brad & Alex
Others: By Hippori | By Ray Kitsune
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Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2009 1:55 pm
Family Relations
Giovani
Father; Deceased
A built man with hair of iron and ebon, parted in the middle and resting above his ears, kept trim and short elsewhere. Never one to have a hint of stubble, he bore the strong-lined jaw of the South rather than the soft, rounder faces of Northern Italy. Severe brows did nothing to soften his olive eyes, but his gaze was enough to warm his grim-looking expression when he was with his family. He didn't smile much, the lack thereof always making him look younger without laugh-lines to show his age.
A hard working man and a member of the Camorra mafia, who dabbled in the information gathering aspects of the Famiglia but mostly worked in protection. 'Vani (called 'Vanaduchi' by the Famiglia; using real names was a no-no) was a large man, likely where Bernardo inherited his height, but a very gentle giant despite his job. His work ethic was second to none, never failing to complete what task was given to him no matter the odds, bearing more than a few scars as proof of his success and near-failures; as a husband and a father, he was doting and warm, loving his children more than life itself. He made sure they were never wanting and that they never lived extravagantly, all the money made in less-than-ethical means being put in bank accounts for their future. 'Vani loved his wife and tried to heed her pleas and become less active in the Famiglia, not wanting to divorce the woman he was devoted to and lose his children.
Giovani died in a 'harbor accident' at age 38, when a drunk crane operator dropped a heavy load on the man during a job. His death was ruled as an accidental homicide.
Isabella
Mother; Deceased
A beautiful and ample display of the Italian woman; long lusterous black hair with only a swath of grey in her bangs, slender brows set over vivid indigo eyes (unusual for the South; gossipers said it had to do with her eye for art). She was always smiling, a curl of full lips sent on a heart-shaped face, her body full and voluptuous as any proper Italian woman should be.
She was the apple of Giovani's eye from the day they met on the harbor in Naples, she with a band of traveling artists and he working as a hired hand to protect one of them. Their courtship was fast and fiery in their youth, marrying after three months of seeing each other, ushering in the birth of their son, Bernardo, not but two years later. Isabella gave up her artistic travels for the sake of being a house wife, which she did without complaint or question for her loving husband and son. Five years later bore her a daughter, Alessandra. She was the perfect picture of motherhood, complete with the stern reprimands for demand of homework to be done and hobbies to be had, cooking meals to feed a small army and painting only after dark when the children were in bed.
Sometime before Alessandra's birth, she found the truth nature of Giovani's work when he came home with a bullet in his leg, and desperately begged with him to give up the life of a Camorristi for the sake of their family. It was a cause of strain between them for many years, but eventually her husband came around and tried to turn down jobs that weren't necessary, trying to stay with the family. She noticed that some of his 'co-workers' were taking an interest in them, but never spoke of it; had she had warned her husband, he may not have died that day on the harbor.
Her guilt consumed her, sending her children off to a friend in east Ireland to keep them out of the grasp of the Famiglia; within months, she died, medically of an enlarged heart.
Alessandra
Sister; Younger
Not at all the lovely picture her mother painted, she took more after her father, strong in build with the firm jaw and warm demeanor. She inherited her mother's feisty nature, long black hair and wanderlust; vivid green eyes drew from her father's father, ample assets on her lean frame definitely from her mother.
A constant source of energy and movement, 'Alex,' as she prefers to go by, is a steadfast creature who keeps her brother on his toes constantly. She's always in action, even when at rest, be it the tick of a foot or the biting of her lip, she simply has a hard time doing nothing. She loved her father, only 11 years old when he died, not entirely able to understand what had happened at that point. When her brother left, she opted to stay in Ireland, picking up the native dialect and taking such a fascination in the land and culture that she stayed even for college. She did, however, transfer back to Italy halfway through her term, although she continued to visit her 'other parents' throughout the course of her studies.
Alex graduated and became a distinguished cartographer, having a remarkable eye for distance and calculating it accurately, remembering minor details with only the briefest of glances. When time broke, she was visiting her brother in Italy. Her current whereabouts are unknown.
Angela
Ex-Wife
A driven woman much like Ber himself, dedicated to her work and very good at it. A head of sun-blonde hair drawn in long and ample curls, fair complexion and medium blue eyes, full smiling lips of pink, she was the heart of every boy in high school. Lucky - or unlucky - as it were, she and Ber hit it off when he transferred for his last year, dating until she graduated college and marrying shortly after.
She was studying abroad from the United States, actually helping him immensely with his English. The blonde was rather taken with the dark foreigner, pursuing him and ultimately bullying him into a date. They were inseperable thereafter. "Angel," as he liked to call her, was a very hands-on individual, actually entering college to be an acupuncturist. Wisely, she taught Ber the art of massage and he was quite good at it with his large hands, perhaps the only real thing they shared together outside of a passion for their jobs and being the best at what they did.
Angel called him at work sobbing to inform him she was pregnant. With the prospect of a child, their relationship fell apart, having no common ground to stand on or any real method of support. They divorced shortly after their daughter was born; Angela moved back to the States and took Ashlyn with her. Angela was in New York when time broke; her current whereabouts are unknown.
Ashlyn
Daughter
Just like her mother, a full head of honey curls and smiling lips, but with her daddy's indigo eyes and tan skin. Ber never had the chance to know his daughter, having only met her once when she was two. A day before time was sent into disarray, he'd received a call from Angela, hearing Ash for the first time in six years, asking to see him. He would have flown out to see her in a week's time; Ash was eight when time broke. Her current whereabouts are unknown.
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Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2009 1:56 pm
History Note: Links are included just as proof I wasn't pulling names and information out of my posterior. XD They are by no means anything you need to read in full; I'm long winded enough!
Bernardo was born in Naples, Italy, in the Porto Quarter, to a well-off family. There was nothing remarkable or special about his birth, a product of two people in love and starting a family. His life was stable and not all that unusual, his mother staying at home to tend to the house and his studies when he was home from school, his father often out until late at night or at times gone for days. He never thought anything of it, nor did his mother. His parents welcomed the birth of their daughter five years later, a healthy bundle of energy named Alessandra.
Their lives were peaceful. They never were wanting for food or clothes, but were rarely spoiled, rewarded for a good grade or a good deed but never for wanting of the material. There was money going into accounts for their future; bills were paid; food was on the table. There was precious little they could ask for in life.
Until one clear night when Giovani came home with a bullet in his leg.
Both Bernardo and his sister - he ten, she five - had been awakened by his mother's hushed, frantic cries and questions and his father's quiet but stern responses, watching them around the corner of the hall. They'd heard everything, about his confession of working for the Camorra family, a 'bouncer' of the Alfieri clan. He'd been shot in a routine 'guard dog' job, not the first time he'd been injured but the first it had been too obvious to hide. Isabella was distraught.
It shouldn't have been so big to have found the well-to-do giant of a man to be working for the Famiglia, but it tore his mother so, and their lives were never quite the same at that point. His parents bickered more, or worse, didn't talk for days. He could hear his mother plead with him at night, and at some point when he was nearing the cusp of teenage years, the fighting stopped. His father was home more often. Things seemed to be going well.
Shortly before his 16th birthday, Giovani died in a harbor accident. Or so it was ruled - his mother mourned her husband's loss heavily, blaming herself, and in her grief and fear, sent her children away to friends she'd met in her travels in the far reaches of Ireland. They didn't know how long they'd stay, but Bernardo never forgave his father for hurting his mother so. He never got to tell her he'd take care of her, as the months passed on, and took her life with them. The hospital had attributed it to a large heart that couldn't compensate for the smaller half; Bernardo attributed it to his father, and hated the man for destroying their family.
Such were the thoughts of a teen in the middle of angst, throwing himself into his school work and ignoring his 'adopted' family's plea to talk to them. He spoke only to his sister, and sparingly at that.
It was while in Ireland that he met Angela, a transfer student from the United States. She demanded a date of him, the odd dark-haired foreign boy, and after one night of star-gazing and sharing their passion for their futures, they were inseperable. He graduated a year later, waiting for her to follow suit while deciding what college to go into (she was a year his junior); he managed to convince her to return to Italy with him, where he entered the Italian military for his obligatory one year service for his country.
Angela and Bernardo married shortly after. He then entered Politecnico di Milano (Technical University) to major in architecture, Angela already enrolled in TCM, also in Italy for the duration of his service. When he was 20, he was called to the front office of the college; he was met by his father's 'co-workers,' who with a few hushed words about his sister and pretty girlfriend, managed to get him to drop out of the college and follow them somewhere to 'talk.'
Bernardo found himself confronted by the Casalesi clan of the Famiglia, who were embroiled in a street-war with his father's own clan. His strength and service in the military had piqued their interest in the fallen man's son, unfortunately for him. They promised the safety of Alessandra and Angela for his cooperation, and even the return of the Falcone family hierloom, thus freeing him and his family line from being bound to the mafia. He had no choice but to agree, immediately put into Accademia Nazionale di Scherma (National Academy and Fence School of Naples) to better hone his skills. Within a handful of years, Bernardo earned the title "Master of Sword" and became quite the eagle eye with a gun under the supervision of his 'superiors.' He was an unwilling pawn, but quite a weapon to their arsenal as he grew.
The years saw a handful of shoot outs in the street, he himself embarking on escorts much as his father had, using his intimidating size to his advantage. He was a smooth diplomat, due both to his dislike of confrontation and his desire to finish any tasks given to him by the Famiglia. At 25, Angela called him in tears because she was pregnant; she didn't want the baby, but she was keeping it, and was leaving to the United States since he was never home. Both of them being workaholics did little for their relationship - their divorce was amicable, even preferred as it put her out of danger. She visted him three years later to introduce his daughter, a brief and bittersweet moment, but it too passed.
The years tumbled on. He was five years shy of his father's age when he had died, the age he would too be released from 'duty.' Angela called him out of the blue, letting him speak with his eight year old daughter, who expressed a desire to see him. He was being phased out of the main runs between the Quarters and the business of guarding. Once again, things were starting to look good.
He was anticipating the arrival of his sister to watch over his estate while he was in New York and finish his business affairs when time broke.
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Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2009 1:57 pm
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Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 4:11 pm
The More You Know...
This area is compromised of little factoids about Bernardo that wouldn't normally come up in history or any method of traditional information giving. I just want to expand on his personality a little more, because he is very much human with all his flaws. 3nodding
Fact 1:
Ber's full name is Bernardo Leonard Falcone, named after both his grandfather's. He hates his name, and prefers to go by 'Brad.' The head of the Fencing school he went to shares a similar name [Bernard Leonardi]!
Fact 2:
He is pansexual.
Fact 3:
Ber has a bad habit of chewing on toothpicks; he says gum is too messy and tobacco tastes disgusting.
Fact 4:
He is an amorous drunk, and thus does not drink with others unless he trusts them.
Fact 5:
The man has a horrible weakness for small, cute things. He's scared to death to handle little animals because he's afraid he'll hurt them by accident.
Fact 6:
Although his ex-wife was a beautiful and buxom blonde, he's found he's attracted - both for friendship or otherwise - to folk who don't quite fit the bill of 'normal.' He seems to have a strange fascination with lip rings.
Fact 7:
He has no piercings and no tattoos.
Fact 8:
Bernardo is tri-lingual: he can speak and write in Italian, Gaelic (Dublin) and English fluently, although he speaks in English with a noticeable accent.
Fact 9:
He's a big man, but he keeps his build honestly by exercising daily. A few miles of running and a handful of sets of sit ups and push ups are always put into his morning routine.
Fact 10:
Jazz is a guilty pleasure of his; he finds the music 'like singing from the soul,' and is actually quite good at playing the sax (alto).
Fact 11:
He loathes Americanized pizza. He otherwise enjoys most Americanized foods.
Fact 12:
Believe it or not, he's a deeply romantic person and has a great deal of respect for all art forms; he is easily fascinated by museums and is taken with sculpture. You may never see it in your life or his, but it's there. >w>
Fact 13:
If Ber had one great secret (which isn't a secret as much as it's something he wont admit), it would be that he is an excellent ballroom dancer. It was something his then-wife had asked of him and he had obliged to take lessons in.
More to come as I think of info!
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Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 4:13 pm
*SNIPS IMAGINARY YELLOW RIBBON* Open for crits! 4laugh
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Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 4:57 pm
*FIRSTS!*
I'm probably bias *shot* but I think he'll make a great addition to LOTUS Chrys. I especially enjoyed reading about his history and the facts you put in there, really rounds him out a great deal and I also enjoyed the pictures you posted of him in his general info.
Everything's very well rounded, his back history and family history is very interesting and of course, I plain all around love B! Good luck to you hun!
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Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2009 5:02 pm
 He will always be Brad to me, and scary to Fiach. xD
I love your concept and how you adapted it to fit into LOTUS, Chrys. I can't wait for the end of the contest and a chance to see Jyoti's results! (And I can't really find anything to crit about him, he sounds great - which reminds me, you still owe me an RP in .NET.) Good luck in the contest, Chrys! ^^
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