Oscar Ortega

[Oscar Ortega]

Oscar Juan Ortega
FACE CLAIM: Javier Bardem

♦ THE BASICS ♦

AGE: 46
GENDER: Male
ORIENTATION: Heterosexual
POSITION: Local

♦ THE ABILITY ♦

POWER: 
Toxic Spikes:

• His hands have retractable 1 inch spikes that come out of the palms and fingers of his hands. They are as hard as bone and narrow enough to pierce the skin of his victims. These spikes are shaped like the fangs of a viper in order to puncture skin and inject his venom in an individual or animal. Oscar has two separate glands attached to the spikes in order to produce two types of venoms
• The first type of venom: Neurotoxin (like cobra venom). Depending on strength and dosage of this venom, the victim will experience painful muscle spasms and an increased heart rate. After coming down from the venom, the victim will feel weakened in the muscles and may have a low heart rate. The effects, depending on the dosage and strength, lasts anywhere between ten minutes to an hour. However, the muscle weakness can last up to five days.
• The second type of venom: Hemotoxin (like brown recluse spider venom). The damage done with this toxin works much slower than the neurotoxin, but is much more harmful. Once injected, the victim will experience pain for a vast amount of time and swelling in the area the venom was injected. As the toxin remains in the victim’s body, damages their cardiovascular system, and will eventually result in necrosis in the area of the bite. The venom may also disrupt the blood from clotting, and will damage organ function if in the blood stream for a concerning amount of time. This may lead to organ failure and other damages in the tissue that is quite painful. The effects may last anywhere between one week to a month.

Toxic Resistance: He has a tolerance to the toxins his own body produces. He is also resistant to the venom of other animals that are similar to his own. However, the resistance is very hit or miss. Please see “side-effects”

LIMITATIONS:
Toxic Spikes:

• He may expose his spikes out as many times as he wants as long as both his pain tolerance and wounds on his hands allow it. He must be careful, however, in case he bleeds out. Since his hands scar over everytime he uses it, he is experiencing more and more difficulty taking them out when they heal due to his age. Years of using them has had its difficulties. These spikes cannot pierce the skin of anyone who has a tough exterior due to a mutation.
• Neurotoxins: cannot effect people with healing powers. Also cannot harm people with snake phsiology. Can only produce if he is in good health! This would include a good diet, excercise, sleep, and not being ill. If he lacks in any of these areas the production of the venom could kill or harm him.
• Hemotoxin: cannot effect people with healing powers. Also cannot harm people with spider physiology. Can only produce if he is in good health! This would include a good diet, excercise, sleep, and not being ill. If he lacks in any of these areas the production of the venom could kill or harm him.

Toxic Resistance: Can fail if too much of a single toxin or too high of a concentration of said toxin is produced. It is not an ability he has 24/7. To maintain his resistance, Oscar must be well rested, in passable physical health, must eat healthily, and see the doctor regularly to check if there is any illness that may interfere with this mutations ability. Regardless of if all of these conditions are met, the resistance may fail and leave Oscar to suffer the effects of one of his venoms.

SIDE-EFFECTS:
Toxic Spikes:

• The actual spikes themselves are painful to pull out of his hands. Once they are retracted, his hands will have wounds he must treat. Failure to do so in a timely manner will result in infection. His own blood mixes with his victims, leaving him susceptible to any blood borne disease his victim may have… but the opposite is true as well. Oscar is susceptible to whatever blood disease his victim has.
• The venoms combined: He cannot mix the two types of toxins/ produce both at the time time. If he does, he is risking his life! Having both neurotoxins and hemotoxins residing in his glands will result in Oscar becomes violently ill and hospitalized. The effects include cold sweats, night terrors, psychosis, organ failure, muscle paralysis, headaches, nausea, and potential comatose. Producing too much or a high concentration of venom can cancel his toxic resistance and affect him as it would one of his victims. Due to prolongued exposure to his venoms and his history of drug and alcohol abuse, Oscar suffers from liver and kidney damage and is at risk for organ failure. He can become sick without warning which gives him nausea, diarrhea, dillusions, decreased heart rate, issues breathing, 

Toxic Resistance: Oscar is constantly sleepy and in need of rests. If he does not at least sit down for a while, his muscles will seize from exhaustion. The issues he experiences with his Toxic Resistance may cause the hemotoxins to effect his blood clotting, resulting in rapid blood loss if he is ever cut or suffering from internal bleeding. 

♦ THE FREEFORM ♦

You're six years old. You're playing with a couple wooden toys with your sister, Maria, while your papa drinks a beer in his rocking chair. He is staring out the dusty window, looking worn. He's been doing that a lot lately. You don't understand it, but hope if you're silly enough it will make him smile. You take one of the tops from your sister and spin it fast, shouting "Look! Look, Papi!"

He does and gives you a small smile “Very nice, Oscar.” It wasn't much, but you are ecstatic he responded. You run to him and crawl onto his lap where he bounces you.

It means the world to see him smile. Even for a moment.

You're ten years old. Your parents are fighting. Over what? It sounds like money. The concept means nothing to you except it is what fills your plate. Your parents work hard to fill the stomachs of you and your siblings. It’s getting harder and harder. That’s what Papi is saying. He’s telling mami to find a better job, to talk to the Buendias and maybe they can find her something better. Papi is so, so tired. Banana growing is prosperous… but not for him. Not for your people or your family. You are suffering for it. You are hungry.

You think about the Buendias. When aunt Remedios asks you to come for supper, you go running. Her cooking is amazing. And it meant you could hang out with cousin Arcadio. You sometimes had to fight with your five siblings to get his attention... but you know he liked you the best.

You're thirteen years old. There is a banging on the door. You don't respond, just curl up tighter on your bed. You don't care who it is. The images of what you did flash in your head. You want it to go away… but the image plays.

"Oscar!" Your mami screamed. She doesn't come any closer to you. She's stuck in the doorway, shocked. She's afraid. Afraid of you. You don't know what happened. Your hands are out, palm up. You're shaking, sweating. Spikes are coming out of your hands, from your palm to your fingertips. They were tainted red. There is both vomit and blood on the ground. As well as your papi. Your hands are hot and throbbing. What is it? What happened?

He was writhing, shouting, screaming. He was in pain. You did this. You hurt your own beloved papi. And next thing you knew you heard nothing but a ringing and saw nothing but black.

The door to your room opens, the one you share with sister Alejandra and brothers Juan Diego and Miguel. None of them are with you now. Strange people enter. They are telling you that you must come with them. To the school for people like you. You don't want to go. You don't want to leave mami, papi, Juan Diego, Miguel, Alejandra, Maria, Gabriella, or cousins Arcadio Buendia and Jose Aureliano.

You try to run. But they grab you. They sit you down with Mami, Papi, and older brothers Juan and Miguel. You are the third eldest and the first to show demonic powers that these strange men called a gift. You feel as if God has punished you for being bad. Was this because you punched a little boy at eight years old? You cry but it doesn't stop them from taking you away.

You are eighteen years old. You are going to graduate from La Delgadillo Academia's high school in two months. Arcadio is with you. You are jealous that he is better than you in class, but you are still very proud of him. He is your cousin and you love him. He means the world to you. At least he will not leave you. Not yet. Arcadio was still in class for another two years, and you would be attending college classes the academy offered. It wasn't really your choice. They wouldn't have let you leave even if you wanted to.

The teachers still give you dirty looks after all these years. They don't look at you in class. The counsellor is your only friend beside Arcadio. The students hate you. So do the teachers. They tell you how they don't see you going anywhere in life, not with a power like yours. It was dangerous and they treated you like a delinquent. But you've done nothing wrong. And yet you're always sorry.

You are twenty-eight. The bottle is your friend. You have made allies with the local bartenders. They recognize you. Always welcoming. They like that you tip them good. The amber liquid is courage. It's strength. It is the support you haven't had since you were twelve years old. It allowed you to forget your poverty, your struggles, the bruises on your body and scars on your hands. You were a fighter, and the alcohol was your armour.

You begin to wonder where your life is headed. Should you try to go back to school? To contact your mami? You hadn't called home since receiving word your papi was dead. It just made you want to hit the bottom of the bottle faster. You never got to say sorry for what you did to him all those years ago.

Your life will end early if you don't do something. But you shrug, finish your beer, and stumble away to find your next hit.

You're thirty-five. You go back home to Macondo, Colombia. Mami cries when she opens the door to your old childhood home. Your family barely recognizes you. But at least you have been clean of all drugs and alcohol for seven months. They are happy for you. Glad you have taken the steps to save your own life. You cry in her arms.

Alejandra isn't there. She married and moved four hours away to raise a family. You hope she is doing okay. The rest of your family is there, though. Juan Diego talks to you about the banana plantations he took over after papi passed, and offers you a job. You accept it. It would be the most legitemate way you make money up to this point. Your family doesn't know where the money comes from that you send them. But they don't need to.

You're forty-four years old. Your cousin Arcadio is in bad shape. You have given him a phone number he could call you at whenever he needed. It isn't yours. But you use it often. 

You left home again. Your family hears from you a lot more, but even still you don't talk to them much. You get in trouble often. The cops know you by name, but you have yet to be arrested.

You wire money to Arcadio monthly. Your cousin needed you and you were helping him the best way you could. You begin to wonder if you should run away to America, just like he did. If it was the land of opportunity, you should see where it could land you. You have the money for it. You make a decision and start looking to apply for a green card.

Your are fourty-six years old. You did it. You made it to America. You visited your family one last time before going. You landed in Kalispell. What lies in store? You don't know... but you're optimistic. In America, no one knows who you are.

♦ THE PLAYER ♦

USERNAME: Kenny
AGE GROUP: 21
EXPERIENCE: So many xp
WHERE DID YOU FIND US? I've been here a while

[Fate *]

ACCEPTED!

Another intriguing character! You know what to do: claims and plotting away!