[OOC: Principality of Seborga - Bio]
2.) Estranged - Growing up, he attempted to keep in touch with the brothers by handmade cards and social networking sites. However, he never utilized these options for his parents when he moved to town in the United States. He's fallen terribly out of touch with them and their relationship has become quite strained. It's at the point where he's just afraid to face them and all the obligations he left behind back in Seborga. He gives himself piece of mind by reasoning that he will return one day and set things right.
3.) Ambition - All Marcello really wants in life is to make something of himself. He has big dreams of becoming someone great, but has hardly any idea what this really means let alone how to go about getting there. All his little triumphs, however, seem to go unnoticed and he's rarely satisfied with them. Someday he'd like to be able to write home with great news for his family. In recent years he's developed an image of himself that makes people, even his cousins, shake their heads or roll their eyes. He aims to fix that. Someday Marcello will be a star, a sensation! It has to come true!
4.) Languages - He learned English in school in addition to French and a bit of German. (This is due to Seborga's geographical location being somewhat at a crossroads.) Although the two latter are kind of terrible, his French is a bit better because his mother is half French and speaks it fluently. Marcello feels he has perfected his American slang and accents by watching cartoons.
5.) Swimming - Marcello used to be a professional swimmer and was the star captain on the swim team in school. His proudest moment was when he won a regional tournament his third year. His cousin Feliciano even showed up unexpectedly to watch the game, since he was in Italy on a business trip. Marcello was in the running to perform at the Olympics and had a coach. But it was a little too much of a commitment for him to handle. Everything fell through when moved to America. He still feels hidden guilt for blowing his chance and letting his parents down.
6.) Music - One of Marcello's unexpected talents is his magnificent ear for music. In his mind there is a miniature encyclopedia of instruments, even rare ones. He can pick up almost anything and, after a few minutes of tinkering, begin to play. Music is not his whole life, but his life would not be whole without it. Despite his talent for acoustics, he prefers listening to pop songs most of the time.
7.) Independence - In some ways, Marcello is terribly stubborn. He arrived with no money, job, and or place to stay. Even though he was in pretty bad shape he refused to call upon his cousins for help even though they're fairly well off. He prefers to do things on his own, in his own way. He likes to be able to prove to himself that he can be independent. That's a pretty big deal to him. He'll never accept handouts or job offers to work for family members. The past several months have proven harder and harder to live independently, due to sudden bouts of bad luck. He may have to turn to his famiglia sooner than he thinks.
8.) Education - Marcello is a high school dropout. Very few people actually know this, including his parents. Embarrassed by this, Marcello has developed this almost chronic impulse to lie about his education. After a while it gets hard for him to keep his stories straight because he rarely seems to remember what he's told who. He feels a bit awkward around college students, and maybe even a little envious. Inside he feels like he's messed up his future. He'd like to go to college one day, but at this point it feels impossible.
9.) Romance - He is a bit of a Romeo. Flirtatious and friendly, he captured all the girls' hearts in school. Not only because he was swim captain, but because he was just naturally good-spirited, confident and outgoing. Truthfully, he's actually pretty sheltered. Now in an environment completely different, he's learning quickly that romance can be a lot more complicated. He's an affectionate and loving person, but he has zero experience sexually. He just never took it farther than kissing with anyone. He's never once considered the possibility of a relationship with anything other than a female, but almost at the subconscious level he's becoming a bit more curious.
10.) Flowers - Anything floral is kind of a big deal to Marcello, just as it is to many native Seborgans. Marcello has carried on the tradition of making a livelihood out of growing flowers. Not too long after coming to Liberty, he established a flower shop called the Mimosa, named after the native Seborgan blossom that is the crown jewel of the shop. He's not the best at the art of growing and arranging, but he's getting better with time. Oddly, this is one hobby in which it doesn't even cross his mind that it may come off as "unmanly", despite his sensitivity to that image.
A Secret About Marcello You'll Probably Never Know
For a brief time while he was in high school he had a friend with mafia connections (particularly in the counterfeiting business - a tame side of organized crime) get him some extra pocket money whenever he wanted. But now, this same group has been trying to get Marcello to return the favors by squeezing information about the Vargas brothers (especially Romano) out of him. He's been avoiding this of course, but it isn't always easy. Marcello also has no clue why they want this information, seeing as he doesn't know that his family is involved in the mafia themselves.
A Writing Sample
Enough was enough. Marcello was happy to make people smile with a nice bouquet of flowers as much as anyone, but running a flower and gift shop around the holiday season was proving do be more exhausting than he'd ever thought possible. Not only did the chilly season make the plants require more time and attention - thank goodness for greenhouses, though! - but he also to balance it with the staggering increase of customers at the front. He was thankful to have Berwald, but even between the two of them it was tough. He needed to get away, if only for fifteen minutes or so.
And so it was that he found himself at the Sentient Bean coffee shop that afternoon, seated by the window and sipping an outstanding peppermint blend. Marcello wasn't a huge coffee-drinker, but he figured seasonal treats were always worth a try. Soon all the holiday fun would be over until another year, after all. Best to enjoy it.
He hummed a little tune to himself as he nursed the drink gingerly, resisting the urge to gulp and instead allowed the taste to linger on his palette. It looked like everyone was busy this time of year. The place was booming!
A fellow shimmied over to him and asked if he needed his spare seat. Marcello smiled and raised a hand in kind gesture, "Nope! Go ahead!" And he watched as the man dragged it and pulled it out for his girlfriend at a nearby table. Marcello blinked at the scene, then looked around once more. Were there always this many couples in the room? He glanced out the window, and again he saw couples huddling close and hurrying to find their next heaven from the frigid air.
"What a mess you've gotten yourself into, Marcello," He said peering down into his rippling reflection, not even completely sure what exactly he meant in those words. But one thing was for sure. "This picture's all wrong, you know."
He lifted the drink to his lips again and sighed, looking out the window again.
"Everyone's in love but you." The whisper fell from his lips as almost an afterthought. But he was right. What kind of backward mixed up world had he found himself in?
He thought about Lili for a while. His drink went cold.
3.) Ambition - All Marcello really wants in life is to make something of himself. He has big dreams of becoming someone great, but has hardly any idea what this really means let alone how to go about getting there. All his little triumphs, however, seem to go unnoticed and he's rarely satisfied with them. Someday he'd like to be able to write home with great news for his family. In recent years he's developed an image of himself that makes people, even his cousins, shake their heads or roll their eyes. He aims to fix that. Someday Marcello will be a star, a sensation! It has to come true!
4.) Languages - He learned English in school in addition to French and a bit of German. (This is due to Seborga's geographical location being somewhat at a crossroads.) Although the two latter are kind of terrible, his French is a bit better because his mother is half French and speaks it fluently. Marcello feels he has perfected his American slang and accents by watching cartoons.
5.) Swimming - Marcello used to be a professional swimmer and was the star captain on the swim team in school. His proudest moment was when he won a regional tournament his third year. His cousin Feliciano even showed up unexpectedly to watch the game, since he was in Italy on a business trip. Marcello was in the running to perform at the Olympics and had a coach. But it was a little too much of a commitment for him to handle. Everything fell through when moved to America. He still feels hidden guilt for blowing his chance and letting his parents down.
6.) Music - One of Marcello's unexpected talents is his magnificent ear for music. In his mind there is a miniature encyclopedia of instruments, even rare ones. He can pick up almost anything and, after a few minutes of tinkering, begin to play. Music is not his whole life, but his life would not be whole without it. Despite his talent for acoustics, he prefers listening to pop songs most of the time.
7.) Independence - In some ways, Marcello is terribly stubborn. He arrived with no money, job, and or place to stay. Even though he was in pretty bad shape he refused to call upon his cousins for help even though they're fairly well off. He prefers to do things on his own, in his own way. He likes to be able to prove to himself that he can be independent. That's a pretty big deal to him. He'll never accept handouts or job offers to work for family members. The past several months have proven harder and harder to live independently, due to sudden bouts of bad luck. He may have to turn to his famiglia sooner than he thinks.
8.) Education - Marcello is a high school dropout. Very few people actually know this, including his parents. Embarrassed by this, Marcello has developed this almost chronic impulse to lie about his education. After a while it gets hard for him to keep his stories straight because he rarely seems to remember what he's told who. He feels a bit awkward around college students, and maybe even a little envious. Inside he feels like he's messed up his future. He'd like to go to college one day, but at this point it feels impossible.
9.) Romance - He is a bit of a Romeo. Flirtatious and friendly, he captured all the girls' hearts in school. Not only because he was swim captain, but because he was just naturally good-spirited, confident and outgoing. Truthfully, he's actually pretty sheltered. Now in an environment completely different, he's learning quickly that romance can be a lot more complicated. He's an affectionate and loving person, but he has zero experience sexually. He just never took it farther than kissing with anyone. He's never once considered the possibility of a relationship with anything other than a female, but almost at the subconscious level he's becoming a bit more curious.
10.) Flowers - Anything floral is kind of a big deal to Marcello, just as it is to many native Seborgans. Marcello has carried on the tradition of making a livelihood out of growing flowers. Not too long after coming to Liberty, he established a flower shop called the Mimosa, named after the native Seborgan blossom that is the crown jewel of the shop. He's not the best at the art of growing and arranging, but he's getting better with time. Oddly, this is one hobby in which it doesn't even cross his mind that it may come off as "unmanly", despite his sensitivity to that image.
A Secret About Marcello You'll Probably Never Know
For a brief time while he was in high school he had a friend with mafia connections (particularly in the counterfeiting business - a tame side of organized crime) get him some extra pocket money whenever he wanted. But now, this same group has been trying to get Marcello to return the favors by squeezing information about the Vargas brothers (especially Romano) out of him. He's been avoiding this of course, but it isn't always easy. Marcello also has no clue why they want this information, seeing as he doesn't know that his family is involved in the mafia themselves.
A Writing Sample
Enough was enough. Marcello was happy to make people smile with a nice bouquet of flowers as much as anyone, but running a flower and gift shop around the holiday season was proving do be more exhausting than he'd ever thought possible. Not only did the chilly season make the plants require more time and attention - thank goodness for greenhouses, though! - but he also to balance it with the staggering increase of customers at the front. He was thankful to have Berwald, but even between the two of them it was tough. He needed to get away, if only for fifteen minutes or so.
And so it was that he found himself at the Sentient Bean coffee shop that afternoon, seated by the window and sipping an outstanding peppermint blend. Marcello wasn't a huge coffee-drinker, but he figured seasonal treats were always worth a try. Soon all the holiday fun would be over until another year, after all. Best to enjoy it.
He hummed a little tune to himself as he nursed the drink gingerly, resisting the urge to gulp and instead allowed the taste to linger on his palette. It looked like everyone was busy this time of year. The place was booming!
A fellow shimmied over to him and asked if he needed his spare seat. Marcello smiled and raised a hand in kind gesture, "Nope! Go ahead!" And he watched as the man dragged it and pulled it out for his girlfriend at a nearby table. Marcello blinked at the scene, then looked around once more. Were there always this many couples in the room? He glanced out the window, and again he saw couples huddling close and hurrying to find their next heaven from the frigid air.
"What a mess you've gotten yourself into, Marcello," He said peering down into his rippling reflection, not even completely sure what exactly he meant in those words. But one thing was for sure. "This picture's all wrong, you know."
He lifted the drink to his lips again and sighed, looking out the window again.
"Everyone's in love but you." The whisper fell from his lips as almost an afterthought. But he was right. What kind of backward mixed up world had he found himself in?
He thought about Lili for a while. His drink went cold.