｢ application ｣
PLAYER
✧ NAME: muse
✧ LJ USERNAME: waroom
✧ CONTACT (EMAIL, AIM, MSN, PLURK, ETC.):
CHARACTER
✧ NAME: Dino Cavallone
✧ SERIES: Katekyo Hitman REBORN!
✧ HISTORY:
✧ TIMELINE: Chapter 135; after the closure of the Varia arc, but prior to Reborn's disappearance.
✧ PERSONALITY:
Dino Cavallone lives immersed in the world of mafia -- it’s a world of mask and shadow, and it requires that its players master the sophisticated job of an actor with an ever-shifting role. The Mafioso is a businessman with blood caked underneath his fingernails, and the Don is a father who shelters his family in a house of bones. So, naturally, Dino himself has become more than adept at constantly altering the face he shows to the world; if a person meets the clumsy man who can barely take a step without tripping on his shoelaces, they’d have a hard time believing that the same being could ever lead a mafia famiglia that’s five thousand members strong. In a world like this one, it isn’t hard to see how something like this could work in Dino’s favor.
It’s this fluid nature that makes Dino hard to sum up in just a few simple words; instead, it’s easier to identify the sort of roles that he plays and then dissect his personality according to the garnishes of these masks. Of course, that isn’t to say that Dino is being outright deceptive with any aspect of his personality - rather, he handles social interactions with the sort of finesse that allows him to tweak aspects of his personality to better suit the situation at hand.
And yet, no matter what, the things that make him Dino always manage to shine through.
DON CAVALLONE.
By the time Dino took hold of his family’s reins, the Cavallone famiglia had already suffered a long fall from grace - although the manga never goes into implicit detail about their former strength, it seems to be fairly common knowledge that they were once a powerful family who were then reduced to eating scraps from the tables of stronger families just to stay alive. And then along came Dino, whose clumsy, cowardly nature as a child implied nothing but that he’d be another weak leader in a long, unfortunate line. However, the Vongola hitman Reborn stepped in as the boy’s tutor and proceeded to whip him into shape - by the time Reborn was done with him, he’d evolved Dino from a weakling child into a man fit to lead a mafia famiglia. Furthermore, Dino’s got a knack for managing money and resources - seems like there was potential hidden underneath that hopeless shell after all - and he puts this skill to use in turning his family’s status around. And it works. By the time the manga opens, Dino’s managed to rebuild his family; they’ve undergone a metamorphosis under his hand, and they’re now the third strongest mafia family in the current system. So, it’s obvious that Dino’s quite the leader - all he needed was someone to beat him into shape, and Reborn’s a world-class master at that task.
And as a Don, Dino’s kindness towards others sets him apart - Fuuta even ranks him as number one as far as Mafioso who are concerned about the welfare of civilians. He’s very protective of the innocent people who, unbeknownst to them, live within the shadows of his underworld empire, and he’s invested in keeping them out of harm’s way as much as he’s able. When the Ninth asks him to kill Gokudera if the Smokin' Bomb takes a job and abandons Tsuna, Dino is already ready to smuggle the boy to Italy and spare his life. And, naturally, this same consideration is even deeper when it comes to his own family. To Dino, his family is more than just pieces of his business empire; they’re beloved family members, and he treats them as such. And, despite their good natured teasing, it’s obvious that they adore him. In turn, Dino’s love for his family runs so deeply that his athleticism even falls when he’s not around them or acting for their benefit - his entire being is hardwired with a deep love for his family, and he’s learned well that a leader’s job is most often to serve.
Surrounded by his family, Dino Cavallone is a force to be reckoned with. The Cavallone family’s reach extends far, and Dino’s often a source of information for Reborn or any other of his allies. In the anime, he’s the source of the intel concerning Rokudo Mukuro’s jailbreak, and when he takes over Hibari’s training in later chapters, he already seems privy to the mechanics of rings and flames, despite the fact that such weaponry won’t come into common use or knowledge for many years to come. Naturally, information is a powerful weapon within their world, and Dino makes it his prerogative to stay well-connected and in the know. This also explains his attentive involvement to the development of Cavallone allies; he even trains Hibari personally at Reborn’s request, and spends plenty of time in the Daily Life arc checking in periodically on Tsuna and his progress. Of course, it isn’t purely a business move - Dino grows attached to the Vongola kids, but it’d be short-sighted to say that their success wouldn’t come with some gain to him.
The obligations and roles of a Don run deep, and Dino seems to handle them with a masterful hand. This is the mask that’s engraved deeply with duty and family, one that he was born to wear.
BUCKING HORSE
Dino’s not a violent person by nature, but that’s not to say he doesn’t enjoy a good fight. In later chapters, he states that he’d rather not bother with the boxes and rings that have become so common - he prefers a good old-fashioned melee fight to settle things, and he’s perfectly able to hold his own. However, he seems to be a fairly relaxed fighter; his stance is loose and almost slouched, and he’s inclined to throw in bits of teasing banter as the fight goes on. Even when he’s deadly serious during a fight, it’s difficult to tell just from his demeanor - Dino stays level-headed and relaxed, and it’s able to give him an edge when it comes to seeing minute openings in an opponent’s defense.
Furthermore, he’s also shown to be more than willing to leap to an ally’s defense in a fight. The first instance of this is when he steps between the Varia swordsman Squalo and the young Vongola guardians, thoroughly prepared to go toe-to-toe with the Varia assailant in order to save Tsuna’s skin. Later on, he offers to remain behind and fight Byakuran off for as long as he can so that Tsuna and the others can escape. On one hand, it can be argued that protecting the Vongola will ultimately serve to protect his family’s interests as a whole, but the sort of person that Dino is seems to imply that he’s honestly willing to go to the mat to protect his friends.
This is the mask adorned with the cock-sure smirk and the vivid sleeve of tattoos - the Bucking Horse prepared to take arms to protect what and who he loves.
DINO
And yet, no matter what sort of role he’s filling, Dino remains Dino through and through.
At heart, Dino’s the perfect big brother - he’s the sort of person with a permanent smile and the sort of easy-going nature that lets him make friends with almost anyone. Within minutes of meeting Tsuna, he adopts him as a surrogate little brother, even though the beginning of that meeting was peppered with painfully honest observations about the up-and-coming Vongola 10th. But Dino says himself that Tsuna reminds Dino of his younger self - clumsy, cowardly, and all-around useless. Still, it’s obvious that he cares a lot about Tsuna - not just as a future ally, but a person -- and this sort of investment is what Dino’s all about. He’s the sort of person who manages to find a place to worm into someone’s life, and then he’s there with a smile like the sun. And once he’s a friend, he’s the sort of ally that anyone would want on their side; he’s loyal to a fault, and always respects the sort of debt that he accumulates to others. For instance, he takes on the difficult job of training Hibari to pay off his debt to Reborn for tutoring him all those years ago. And, naturally, it’s obvious that he’d give his life to save his family - perhaps it’s a Don’s greatest duty to stay alive and continue to lead the family, but that isn’t the way Dino operates.
And without his family around, he’s a pretty hopeless mess - always tripping over his shoelaces, spilling his food all over the place, tumbling down every flight of stairs that he sets eyes on - but he’s always quick to pop up with a grin and an excuse to explain away his clumsiness. In life, too, he’s an indomitable spirit - when something knocks him down, he climbs back up to his feet and keeps tripping merrily along. No disaster can break his spirit, no opponent can cow his resolve.
A good trait for a man who can barely take a step without tripping, for sure.
✧ ABILITIES/POWERS:
There’s no doubt that being able to hold your own in a fight is important for any character in a shounen manga, and Dino demonstrates time and time again that he’s able to go head-to-head with some of the manga’s toughest fighters. As long as his men are around, he’s shown to have a great amount of proficiency with his bullwhip - he uses it to catch a grenade in mid-air and fling it away before it explodes and he’s able to use it to subdue his pet turtle after it goes berserk. In addition, Dino’s able to tutor one of the manga’s strongest fighters, Hibari Kyouya, simply by taking him to various locations across the globe and sparring with him repeatedly. Although the outcomes of their various fights are never clearly seen, it’s obvious that Dino is able to hold his own against Hibari, which is a feat that most of the characters in REBORN! aren’t able to lay claim to. Finally, when the concept of flames and boxes are fully introduced in the TYL arc, Dino is shown to use Sky Flames to battle, and is revealed to have a knowledge of how boxes and flames work together long before most characters are even aware of their abilities. In addition to his abilities with his bullwhip and his flames, Dino has mastered the knack of taking a hit while dodging the full force of the blow - this is one of the reasons he’s able to stick it out with Hibari, since he’s able to absorb a massive blow without being incapacitated. Needless to say, the trick takes a careful amount of timing and skill, so the fact that Dino is able to pull it off says plenty about his capabilities as a fighter.
However, Dino’s biggest weakness lies in the fact that he’s only functional when he’s around his family. According to Reborn, Dino is “the type that can only use his abilities for the family or in front of the family” - if he’s separated from them or acting independently of them, his athletic ability drops to an estimated fifty percent of his full capacity. Of course, Dino’s in a stubborn sort of denial about the whole thing; when Reborn mentions it to Tsuna, Dino’s always quick to come up with some excuse explaining away his clumsiness and laughing off Reborn’s assertion. Without his family, Dino becomes his own worst enemy - he spills food all over the place, trips over his own two feet, and causing all sorts of mini-disasters everywhere that he goes.
And although it isn’t a personal ability, Dino’s pet turtle Enzio definitely deserves a special mention of his own. Enzio is a unique pet known as a snapping sponge turtle, set apart from other turtles by the stars on his shell… oh, and the fact that he’ll swell up when he’s dropped in water. The level that he swells is determined by the size of the body of water that he’s dropped in - Dino pours a bottle of water over him at one point and makes him about the size of a football; however, when he’s dropped in a river, he becomes about the size of a house. Enzio tends to be a pretty grouchy little turtle even when he’s tiny, but when he swells up? Well, he’s perfectly capable (and willing!) to devour a house, and he causes more than a few misadventures when he tumbles into a body of water and proceeds to do his Godzilla impersonation.
✧ TIME OF ARRIVAL: Day.
✧ MASK DESIGN:
Dino's mask is styled after a classic Venetian mask -- typically worn during the infamous Carnevale as a way for festival-goers to hide their identity and social status; the rich mingled with the poor, the sinners with the saints. However, Dino's mask differs from that of the volta mask style pictured; namely, his mask is composed only of the black and gold eyepiece, and lacks the lower part of the mask as well as the feathers and tasseled embellishments around the top. The mask draws upon two sources in his life for inspiration -- the most obvious is his Italian heritage, while the more subtle is his position as the tenth boss of the Cavallone mafia family. In his own world, Dino is accustomed to using the laws of omerta to mask his true identity to the majority of the population; while his name is well-known in the mafia underworld, omerta allows him to move about the world as nothing more than a businessman. Dino's welfare, and that of his family, depends on his ability to exist as one thing while playing the part of another -- much like the attenders of the Carnevale in Venice, what you see isn't always what you get.
✧ PLACE OF SOLACE:
The most important thing to Dino is his family, and so his place of solace would naturally be his own home. The Cavallone estate is large enough to house more than one family within its walls, and it's styled after the classic architecture of most Italian homes. However, despite the fact that the home will be replicated down to the smallest detail within Promenade, it still remains empty of the one thing that makes it matter most to him -- the members of his family. Without them, the house is little else to Dino but some sort of memoir of the place where he longs to return. Home.
SAMPLES
✧ FIRST PERSON:
[ When the PORTAL flickers on and begins to broadcast, it captures nothing else but the ceiling and the distinct sound of… chewing. For a few moments, the snacking continues uninterrupted, and then whatever’s chomping on the PORTAL manages to shift it enough to knock it off the edge of the desk it was resting on. There’s a noisy clatter as the device tumbles to the floor, finally landing on the floor with a muted thump. Miraculously, the fall doesn’t interrupt the broadcast, and the camera lands at enough of an angle to record a new viewpoint of the room - to the left of a camera is the table on which the PORTAL used to rest, and the head of a small green turtle is just barely visible as it peeks over the edge and down at its lost meal; to the right are the black-and-white sneakers of the other occupant of the room, obviously too absorbed in studying the room’s mirror to notice the small ruckus.
-- For a few seconds, that is. ]
-- Ah, hey! Enzio, did you --? [ Said shoes move towards the fallen device, tripping over the edge of the bed and stumbling over an untied shoelace before a hand reaches down to reclaim the PORTAL from the floor. It’s obvious that the owner of the device has no idea that its recording, and the camera jars and pans wildly as the man holds the PORTAL with one hand and scoops his turtle up with the other. ] It’s not food! If you were hungry, you should have --
. . .
[ There’s a pause, then the PORTAL flips over to reveal the speaker peering down at it with a furrow in his brow. ] … Red light… does that mean it’s…? [ Another pause, then a laugh. ] … Recording, I guess.
Well, this was a little bit earlier than I planned, but… might as well, right? [ The camera shudders as the man shifts, plopping Enzio back down on the table and angling the camera to better capture his face. ] First things first, yeah? So, to whoever’s watching - hey! I’m Dino, and it looks like I’m new here. So, I was wondering… anyone want to give me a heads-up on this place? [ There’s a sheepish laugh, and Dino lifts his free hand to rub the back of his head. ] Getting picked up and dropped into a new… place overnight isn’t exactly my area of expertise. So, yeah, anything I should know before I head out?
And, -- oh! If anyone from back home can see this, let me know. I can’t be the only one here, mm? I mean, if -- [ Dino attempts to plop down on the nearby bed, only to manage to miss it entirely. There’s a startled yelp, the PORTAL goes flying as he loses his grip on it, and there’s a series of thumps and bumps as Dino hits the floor and the little PORTAL hits the wall. Already, the video is full of static and video skips as the device reels from the impact, but the last thing it manages to record is a laugh and a -- ] … Whoops. Hope it has a warran --
[ Fzzzt. And the screen goes black. ]
✧ THIRD PERSON:
By the time he stirs underneath the blankets, some part of Dino already senses that something is wrong. After all, this is the first time in ages that he’s woken due to the feeling of sunlight and not the shrill chirp of an alarm, and the bed underneath him feels… alien. The sheets are still faintly chilly - almost as if he hasn’t been sleeping here long - and the mattress doesn’t dip with that familiar contour of his shape. For a moment, his semi-conscious mind gropes blindly for details - did he fall asleep last night in a hotel? were they traveling?
It’s this sense of unease that drags him the rest of the way out of sleep; the Italian pushes himself up with one hand and rubs blearily at one of his eyes, raking a hand through sleep-rumpled blonde hair and fighting back a yawn. Already, some part of him is asleep and absorbing details - he fell asleep in his clothes; Enzio is already plodding at a turtle’s pace over the surface of the bedside table; his whip is a comforting coil pressing against his side; he’s -
-- He catches movement at the corner of his eye, and it’s enough to make him attempt to jolt out of bed and face whoever’s in the room with him. … Of course, the move would have worked better if he hadn’t managed to tangle his legs up in the sheets, and so the intended leap from bed turns into a startled flail and a face-first plummet to the floor. Still, Dino manages to drag himself back up onto his feet with minimal injury - naturally, he bangs his head against the nightstand during the attempt! - and then his entire attention is focused on the source of that movement. Already, he can tell that this room isn’t familiar, and he can’t feel his family close-by, so that means that he’s been --
. . .
And that’s when he comes face-to-face with the Mirror. At first, he can’t even process what he’s seeing - it’s the sight of his desk, littered with its usual clutter of paperwork, and a pair of hands are hard at work scribbling numbers and notes and signatures over the messy pile. Dino steps closer, almost cautiously, and that’s when he notices that… it’s his hands; the familiar tattoos stretching over the skin of his arm, the barely visible papercut on the inner part of his index finger. It’s such a bizarre feeling to watch his own hands work over the paperwork that he remembers clearly enough from yesterday that he’s forced to flex his own fingers just to assure himself that he’s still in control of his own body.
For a few moments, the view shows nothing but this other version of himself scribbling away his desk, and then the view jerks and shifts upwards as if someone had caught his attention. And Dino’s blood runs cold as the new viewpoint shows Romario standing at the other side of his desk, obviously following their typical morning ritual of bringing Dino a Coke while he works. It’s obvious that the two are speaking with one another despite the lack of sound, and Romario cracks a smile at something Dino’s other self says. And even though Dino already knows it’s futile, he slams a fist against the solid surface of the Mirror in some hopeless attempt to catch Romario’s attention. “Hey! Romario! He’s not--!”
-- Me freezes in the Italian’s throat; after all, from what he can tell, the other him is convincing enough to have Romario completely fooled, and Dino knows well enough that his right-hand knows him better than anyone else. It’s almost like this part of him is trapped here while his body runs on auto-pilot, and it doesn’t seem like anything he can do here will carry over enough to the “real” world to catch anyone’s attention. And Dino knows that he should be doing his best to gather information on this new place and figuring out how to get himself out of here and back to his family, but… he’s stunned momentarily by the sight of his own body seemingly moving out of its own free will, and it’s… crippling, this wave of sudden homesickness that washes over him when Romario chuckles at something Dino says in the other world. After all, this other him has access to his unsuspecting family, and Dino’s entire self is straining to find some way to make it back through this mirror to protect them. One of his hands curls into a loose fist, brow furrowing and teeth sinking lightly into his lower lip as he thinks of a way out of this.
’Stay calm. Think. There’s a way out, there always is…’
He’s so absorbed in the task at hand that he misses it when Enzio starts chewing happily on the unnoticed PORTAL device lying on the table, but the sound of the turtle knocking the little device off the table and onto the floor is enough to make him snap to attention. Right, right. There’s no sense getting all wrapped up in what the mirror is showing him, not if he wants to find a way to protect the family that it’s displaying. If he’s stuck here, then here is where he’ll have to find a way to fight himself free and back home to them.
So, his tone is already light when he turns to reclaim the device off the floor, admonishing the unrepentant turtle perched on the edge of the table. “Ah, hey! Enzio, did you --?”
No matter what, Dino swears that he’ll find his way back home.
No matter what.
✧ ORIGINAL CHARACTER QUESTION: not applicable.
✧ NAME: muse
✧ LJ USERNAME: waroom
✧ CONTACT (EMAIL, AIM, MSN, PLURK, ETC.):
- AIM: tonfaphilia
- PLURK: tonfaphilia
- EMAIL: piecesofxabsolution[@]gmail[dot]com
- Neku Sakuraba ; The World Ends With You ; em0phones
CHARACTER
✧ NAME: Dino Cavallone
✧ SERIES: Katekyo Hitman REBORN!
✧ HISTORY:
- Wikipedia → Scroll down to the little blurb entitled "Dino".
- Reborn Wiki
- Vongola 101
✧ TIMELINE: Chapter 135; after the closure of the Varia arc, but prior to Reborn's disappearance.
✧ PERSONALITY:
Dino Cavallone lives immersed in the world of mafia -- it’s a world of mask and shadow, and it requires that its players master the sophisticated job of an actor with an ever-shifting role. The Mafioso is a businessman with blood caked underneath his fingernails, and the Don is a father who shelters his family in a house of bones. So, naturally, Dino himself has become more than adept at constantly altering the face he shows to the world; if a person meets the clumsy man who can barely take a step without tripping on his shoelaces, they’d have a hard time believing that the same being could ever lead a mafia famiglia that’s five thousand members strong. In a world like this one, it isn’t hard to see how something like this could work in Dino’s favor.
It’s this fluid nature that makes Dino hard to sum up in just a few simple words; instead, it’s easier to identify the sort of roles that he plays and then dissect his personality according to the garnishes of these masks. Of course, that isn’t to say that Dino is being outright deceptive with any aspect of his personality - rather, he handles social interactions with the sort of finesse that allows him to tweak aspects of his personality to better suit the situation at hand.
And yet, no matter what, the things that make him Dino always manage to shine through.
DON CAVALLONE.
By the time Dino took hold of his family’s reins, the Cavallone famiglia had already suffered a long fall from grace - although the manga never goes into implicit detail about their former strength, it seems to be fairly common knowledge that they were once a powerful family who were then reduced to eating scraps from the tables of stronger families just to stay alive. And then along came Dino, whose clumsy, cowardly nature as a child implied nothing but that he’d be another weak leader in a long, unfortunate line. However, the Vongola hitman Reborn stepped in as the boy’s tutor and proceeded to whip him into shape - by the time Reborn was done with him, he’d evolved Dino from a weakling child into a man fit to lead a mafia famiglia. Furthermore, Dino’s got a knack for managing money and resources - seems like there was potential hidden underneath that hopeless shell after all - and he puts this skill to use in turning his family’s status around. And it works. By the time the manga opens, Dino’s managed to rebuild his family; they’ve undergone a metamorphosis under his hand, and they’re now the third strongest mafia family in the current system. So, it’s obvious that Dino’s quite the leader - all he needed was someone to beat him into shape, and Reborn’s a world-class master at that task.
And as a Don, Dino’s kindness towards others sets him apart - Fuuta even ranks him as number one as far as Mafioso who are concerned about the welfare of civilians. He’s very protective of the innocent people who, unbeknownst to them, live within the shadows of his underworld empire, and he’s invested in keeping them out of harm’s way as much as he’s able. When the Ninth asks him to kill Gokudera if the Smokin' Bomb takes a job and abandons Tsuna, Dino is already ready to smuggle the boy to Italy and spare his life. And, naturally, this same consideration is even deeper when it comes to his own family. To Dino, his family is more than just pieces of his business empire; they’re beloved family members, and he treats them as such. And, despite their good natured teasing, it’s obvious that they adore him. In turn, Dino’s love for his family runs so deeply that his athleticism even falls when he’s not around them or acting for their benefit - his entire being is hardwired with a deep love for his family, and he’s learned well that a leader’s job is most often to serve.
Surrounded by his family, Dino Cavallone is a force to be reckoned with. The Cavallone family’s reach extends far, and Dino’s often a source of information for Reborn or any other of his allies. In the anime, he’s the source of the intel concerning Rokudo Mukuro’s jailbreak, and when he takes over Hibari’s training in later chapters, he already seems privy to the mechanics of rings and flames, despite the fact that such weaponry won’t come into common use or knowledge for many years to come. Naturally, information is a powerful weapon within their world, and Dino makes it his prerogative to stay well-connected and in the know. This also explains his attentive involvement to the development of Cavallone allies; he even trains Hibari personally at Reborn’s request, and spends plenty of time in the Daily Life arc checking in periodically on Tsuna and his progress. Of course, it isn’t purely a business move - Dino grows attached to the Vongola kids, but it’d be short-sighted to say that their success wouldn’t come with some gain to him.
The obligations and roles of a Don run deep, and Dino seems to handle them with a masterful hand. This is the mask that’s engraved deeply with duty and family, one that he was born to wear.
BUCKING HORSE
Dino’s not a violent person by nature, but that’s not to say he doesn’t enjoy a good fight. In later chapters, he states that he’d rather not bother with the boxes and rings that have become so common - he prefers a good old-fashioned melee fight to settle things, and he’s perfectly able to hold his own. However, he seems to be a fairly relaxed fighter; his stance is loose and almost slouched, and he’s inclined to throw in bits of teasing banter as the fight goes on. Even when he’s deadly serious during a fight, it’s difficult to tell just from his demeanor - Dino stays level-headed and relaxed, and it’s able to give him an edge when it comes to seeing minute openings in an opponent’s defense.
Furthermore, he’s also shown to be more than willing to leap to an ally’s defense in a fight. The first instance of this is when he steps between the Varia swordsman Squalo and the young Vongola guardians, thoroughly prepared to go toe-to-toe with the Varia assailant in order to save Tsuna’s skin. Later on, he offers to remain behind and fight Byakuran off for as long as he can so that Tsuna and the others can escape. On one hand, it can be argued that protecting the Vongola will ultimately serve to protect his family’s interests as a whole, but the sort of person that Dino is seems to imply that he’s honestly willing to go to the mat to protect his friends.
This is the mask adorned with the cock-sure smirk and the vivid sleeve of tattoos - the Bucking Horse prepared to take arms to protect what and who he loves.
DINO
And yet, no matter what sort of role he’s filling, Dino remains Dino through and through.
At heart, Dino’s the perfect big brother - he’s the sort of person with a permanent smile and the sort of easy-going nature that lets him make friends with almost anyone. Within minutes of meeting Tsuna, he adopts him as a surrogate little brother, even though the beginning of that meeting was peppered with painfully honest observations about the up-and-coming Vongola 10th. But Dino says himself that Tsuna reminds Dino of his younger self - clumsy, cowardly, and all-around useless. Still, it’s obvious that he cares a lot about Tsuna - not just as a future ally, but a person -- and this sort of investment is what Dino’s all about. He’s the sort of person who manages to find a place to worm into someone’s life, and then he’s there with a smile like the sun. And once he’s a friend, he’s the sort of ally that anyone would want on their side; he’s loyal to a fault, and always respects the sort of debt that he accumulates to others. For instance, he takes on the difficult job of training Hibari to pay off his debt to Reborn for tutoring him all those years ago. And, naturally, it’s obvious that he’d give his life to save his family - perhaps it’s a Don’s greatest duty to stay alive and continue to lead the family, but that isn’t the way Dino operates.
And without his family around, he’s a pretty hopeless mess - always tripping over his shoelaces, spilling his food all over the place, tumbling down every flight of stairs that he sets eyes on - but he’s always quick to pop up with a grin and an excuse to explain away his clumsiness. In life, too, he’s an indomitable spirit - when something knocks him down, he climbs back up to his feet and keeps tripping merrily along. No disaster can break his spirit, no opponent can cow his resolve.
A good trait for a man who can barely take a step without tripping, for sure.
✧ ABILITIES/POWERS:
There’s no doubt that being able to hold your own in a fight is important for any character in a shounen manga, and Dino demonstrates time and time again that he’s able to go head-to-head with some of the manga’s toughest fighters. As long as his men are around, he’s shown to have a great amount of proficiency with his bullwhip - he uses it to catch a grenade in mid-air and fling it away before it explodes and he’s able to use it to subdue his pet turtle after it goes berserk. In addition, Dino’s able to tutor one of the manga’s strongest fighters, Hibari Kyouya, simply by taking him to various locations across the globe and sparring with him repeatedly. Although the outcomes of their various fights are never clearly seen, it’s obvious that Dino is able to hold his own against Hibari, which is a feat that most of the characters in REBORN! aren’t able to lay claim to. Finally, when the concept of flames and boxes are fully introduced in the TYL arc, Dino is shown to use Sky Flames to battle, and is revealed to have a knowledge of how boxes and flames work together long before most characters are even aware of their abilities. In addition to his abilities with his bullwhip and his flames, Dino has mastered the knack of taking a hit while dodging the full force of the blow - this is one of the reasons he’s able to stick it out with Hibari, since he’s able to absorb a massive blow without being incapacitated. Needless to say, the trick takes a careful amount of timing and skill, so the fact that Dino is able to pull it off says plenty about his capabilities as a fighter.
However, Dino’s biggest weakness lies in the fact that he’s only functional when he’s around his family. According to Reborn, Dino is “the type that can only use his abilities for the family or in front of the family” - if he’s separated from them or acting independently of them, his athletic ability drops to an estimated fifty percent of his full capacity. Of course, Dino’s in a stubborn sort of denial about the whole thing; when Reborn mentions it to Tsuna, Dino’s always quick to come up with some excuse explaining away his clumsiness and laughing off Reborn’s assertion. Without his family, Dino becomes his own worst enemy - he spills food all over the place, trips over his own two feet, and causing all sorts of mini-disasters everywhere that he goes.
And although it isn’t a personal ability, Dino’s pet turtle Enzio definitely deserves a special mention of his own. Enzio is a unique pet known as a snapping sponge turtle, set apart from other turtles by the stars on his shell… oh, and the fact that he’ll swell up when he’s dropped in water. The level that he swells is determined by the size of the body of water that he’s dropped in - Dino pours a bottle of water over him at one point and makes him about the size of a football; however, when he’s dropped in a river, he becomes about the size of a house. Enzio tends to be a pretty grouchy little turtle even when he’s tiny, but when he swells up? Well, he’s perfectly capable (and willing!) to devour a house, and he causes more than a few misadventures when he tumbles into a body of water and proceeds to do his Godzilla impersonation.
✧ TIME OF ARRIVAL: Day.
✧ MASK DESIGN:
Dino's mask is styled after a classic Venetian mask -- typically worn during the infamous Carnevale as a way for festival-goers to hide their identity and social status; the rich mingled with the poor, the sinners with the saints. However, Dino's mask differs from that of the volta mask style pictured; namely, his mask is composed only of the black and gold eyepiece, and lacks the lower part of the mask as well as the feathers and tasseled embellishments around the top. The mask draws upon two sources in his life for inspiration -- the most obvious is his Italian heritage, while the more subtle is his position as the tenth boss of the Cavallone mafia family. In his own world, Dino is accustomed to using the laws of omerta to mask his true identity to the majority of the population; while his name is well-known in the mafia underworld, omerta allows him to move about the world as nothing more than a businessman. Dino's welfare, and that of his family, depends on his ability to exist as one thing while playing the part of another -- much like the attenders of the Carnevale in Venice, what you see isn't always what you get.
✧ PLACE OF SOLACE:
The most important thing to Dino is his family, and so his place of solace would naturally be his own home. The Cavallone estate is large enough to house more than one family within its walls, and it's styled after the classic architecture of most Italian homes. However, despite the fact that the home will be replicated down to the smallest detail within Promenade, it still remains empty of the one thing that makes it matter most to him -- the members of his family. Without them, the house is little else to Dino but some sort of memoir of the place where he longs to return. Home.
SAMPLES
✧ FIRST PERSON:
[ When the PORTAL flickers on and begins to broadcast, it captures nothing else but the ceiling and the distinct sound of… chewing. For a few moments, the snacking continues uninterrupted, and then whatever’s chomping on the PORTAL manages to shift it enough to knock it off the edge of the desk it was resting on. There’s a noisy clatter as the device tumbles to the floor, finally landing on the floor with a muted thump. Miraculously, the fall doesn’t interrupt the broadcast, and the camera lands at enough of an angle to record a new viewpoint of the room - to the left of a camera is the table on which the PORTAL used to rest, and the head of a small green turtle is just barely visible as it peeks over the edge and down at its lost meal; to the right are the black-and-white sneakers of the other occupant of the room, obviously too absorbed in studying the room’s mirror to notice the small ruckus.
-- For a few seconds, that is. ]
-- Ah, hey! Enzio, did you --? [ Said shoes move towards the fallen device, tripping over the edge of the bed and stumbling over an untied shoelace before a hand reaches down to reclaim the PORTAL from the floor. It’s obvious that the owner of the device has no idea that its recording, and the camera jars and pans wildly as the man holds the PORTAL with one hand and scoops his turtle up with the other. ] It’s not food! If you were hungry, you should have --
. . .
[ There’s a pause, then the PORTAL flips over to reveal the speaker peering down at it with a furrow in his brow. ] … Red light… does that mean it’s…? [ Another pause, then a laugh. ] … Recording, I guess.
Well, this was a little bit earlier than I planned, but… might as well, right? [ The camera shudders as the man shifts, plopping Enzio back down on the table and angling the camera to better capture his face. ] First things first, yeah? So, to whoever’s watching - hey! I’m Dino, and it looks like I’m new here. So, I was wondering… anyone want to give me a heads-up on this place? [ There’s a sheepish laugh, and Dino lifts his free hand to rub the back of his head. ] Getting picked up and dropped into a new… place overnight isn’t exactly my area of expertise. So, yeah, anything I should know before I head out?
And, -- oh! If anyone from back home can see this, let me know. I can’t be the only one here, mm? I mean, if -- [ Dino attempts to plop down on the nearby bed, only to manage to miss it entirely. There’s a startled yelp, the PORTAL goes flying as he loses his grip on it, and there’s a series of thumps and bumps as Dino hits the floor and the little PORTAL hits the wall. Already, the video is full of static and video skips as the device reels from the impact, but the last thing it manages to record is a laugh and a -- ] … Whoops. Hope it has a warran --
[ Fzzzt. And the screen goes black. ]
✧ THIRD PERSON:
By the time he stirs underneath the blankets, some part of Dino already senses that something is wrong. After all, this is the first time in ages that he’s woken due to the feeling of sunlight and not the shrill chirp of an alarm, and the bed underneath him feels… alien. The sheets are still faintly chilly - almost as if he hasn’t been sleeping here long - and the mattress doesn’t dip with that familiar contour of his shape. For a moment, his semi-conscious mind gropes blindly for details - did he fall asleep last night in a hotel? were they traveling?
It’s this sense of unease that drags him the rest of the way out of sleep; the Italian pushes himself up with one hand and rubs blearily at one of his eyes, raking a hand through sleep-rumpled blonde hair and fighting back a yawn. Already, some part of him is asleep and absorbing details - he fell asleep in his clothes; Enzio is already plodding at a turtle’s pace over the surface of the bedside table; his whip is a comforting coil pressing against his side; he’s -
-- He catches movement at the corner of his eye, and it’s enough to make him attempt to jolt out of bed and face whoever’s in the room with him. … Of course, the move would have worked better if he hadn’t managed to tangle his legs up in the sheets, and so the intended leap from bed turns into a startled flail and a face-first plummet to the floor. Still, Dino manages to drag himself back up onto his feet with minimal injury - naturally, he bangs his head against the nightstand during the attempt! - and then his entire attention is focused on the source of that movement. Already, he can tell that this room isn’t familiar, and he can’t feel his family close-by, so that means that he’s been --
. . .
And that’s when he comes face-to-face with the Mirror. At first, he can’t even process what he’s seeing - it’s the sight of his desk, littered with its usual clutter of paperwork, and a pair of hands are hard at work scribbling numbers and notes and signatures over the messy pile. Dino steps closer, almost cautiously, and that’s when he notices that… it’s his hands; the familiar tattoos stretching over the skin of his arm, the barely visible papercut on the inner part of his index finger. It’s such a bizarre feeling to watch his own hands work over the paperwork that he remembers clearly enough from yesterday that he’s forced to flex his own fingers just to assure himself that he’s still in control of his own body.
For a few moments, the view shows nothing but this other version of himself scribbling away his desk, and then the view jerks and shifts upwards as if someone had caught his attention. And Dino’s blood runs cold as the new viewpoint shows Romario standing at the other side of his desk, obviously following their typical morning ritual of bringing Dino a Coke while he works. It’s obvious that the two are speaking with one another despite the lack of sound, and Romario cracks a smile at something Dino’s other self says. And even though Dino already knows it’s futile, he slams a fist against the solid surface of the Mirror in some hopeless attempt to catch Romario’s attention. “Hey! Romario! He’s not--!”
-- Me freezes in the Italian’s throat; after all, from what he can tell, the other him is convincing enough to have Romario completely fooled, and Dino knows well enough that his right-hand knows him better than anyone else. It’s almost like this part of him is trapped here while his body runs on auto-pilot, and it doesn’t seem like anything he can do here will carry over enough to the “real” world to catch anyone’s attention. And Dino knows that he should be doing his best to gather information on this new place and figuring out how to get himself out of here and back to his family, but… he’s stunned momentarily by the sight of his own body seemingly moving out of its own free will, and it’s… crippling, this wave of sudden homesickness that washes over him when Romario chuckles at something Dino says in the other world. After all, this other him has access to his unsuspecting family, and Dino’s entire self is straining to find some way to make it back through this mirror to protect them. One of his hands curls into a loose fist, brow furrowing and teeth sinking lightly into his lower lip as he thinks of a way out of this.
’Stay calm. Think. There’s a way out, there always is…’
He’s so absorbed in the task at hand that he misses it when Enzio starts chewing happily on the unnoticed PORTAL device lying on the table, but the sound of the turtle knocking the little device off the table and onto the floor is enough to make him snap to attention. Right, right. There’s no sense getting all wrapped up in what the mirror is showing him, not if he wants to find a way to protect the family that it’s displaying. If he’s stuck here, then here is where he’ll have to find a way to fight himself free and back home to them.
So, his tone is already light when he turns to reclaim the device off the floor, admonishing the unrepentant turtle perched on the edge of the table. “Ah, hey! Enzio, did you --?”
No matter what, Dino swears that he’ll find his way back home.
No matter what.
✧ ORIGINAL CHARACTER QUESTION: not applicable.