01. BASICS
NAME: Javier Silva Leal TITLE: The Pretender DATE OF BIRTH: January 10th, 1993 ( Twenty-five years old ) PLACE OF BIRTH: Mexico City, Mexico PREFERRED PRONOUNS: He/Him SEXUAL & ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: Bisexual & Biromantic OCCUPATION: Graduate student FIELD OF STUDY: Literature and Creative Writing
02. PERSONALITY
MBTI: ISTJ POSITIVE TRAITS: Orderly, Dutiful, Loyal & Polite NEGATIVE TRAITS: Stubborn, Secretive, Cynical & Aggressive
03. BIOGRAPHY
Javier Silva Leal was the firstborn in his family, and as such, things would always be different for him than they were for the two siblings that followed after him. It shouldn’t have mattered that much that he was the first and the he was a boy, but somehow it did, as if only he could be the sole heir to carry out his family’s legacy like in older times. Right from infancy his parents expected so much of him and the concepts of being well behaved, responsible and accomplished became close friends of his. Mom and dad’s word was law, and it was easy to order him around, to tell him what he had to do and how to do it. Little Javier was uncomplicated at that age and he always complied, content to see his parents smile and be proud of him when he did things right.
As he grew older he noticed his parents were never as strict or demanding towards Ricardo and even less with Naty, the youngest one. No, it was Javier the one who had to maintain his excellent grades. It was Javier the one who had to stay in the track team because he was so good at running, and he would surely win another medal in the upcoming competition. It was Javier the one who had to stay in piano lessons because how would he quit after all the years he’d already invested in that? It was Javier who had to stay in English and French classes because he was naturally talented with languages, and his mother said one day it would surely come in handy to know those languages. It was up to Javier to be the perfect son.
It was suffocating, even though there was no malice in his parents’ pressure and expectations. More than a son, at times it felt like he was a possession to parade around and to brag about. But he had a house, a family that cared for him, the benefit of a good education and everything he could want. Guilt often ate at him for having the audacity to claim it all forfeit only for some abstract notion he had of not truly having a life. Javier never talked about it with anyone except with his brother, who on the other hand had grown up overshadowed by his older brother up on his high pedestal. The two brothers never resented each other for their circumstances, if anything the found comfort and understanding in one another. Ricardo often told him that Javier had two faces: the one he showed to the whole world which had been crafted with the help of their parents, and the other one was the real Javier, the one only Ricardo knew.
When the time to enter university came he took the opportunity to study abroad and left Mexico to attend Columbia University, enrolling in their writing program. It took a while to convince his parents that writing could be a serious career path and they were finally swayed, in only by the trust that their son’s work could one day join the rich legacy of Mexican authors that shaped their country’s literature, like Juan Rulfo or Carlos Fuentes did. So even his love for writing began to be measured by more grand expectations.
After graduating he wasn’t ready to go back to his country, so he was quick to look for graduate programs and found a perfect fit in Turing Academy. His grades and extracurriculars gained him acceptance into the prestigious academy right away and Javier left New York for Boston two years ago. He’s enjoyed his time at Turing and has even made a few friends, though he has a way of staying on the surface without others really noticing he’s showing only that one face his brother spoke about, not the true one, because of course, they don’t know that side of him exists at all.
As of late, Javier has been questioning if pursuing writing is something he truly wants for him or if it’s something that he’s only continued doing because of his parents. At least he has been able to keep those doubts at the back of his mind whenever he is inside The Grid. In that virtual reality there are no expectations to meet, not pressure to do or be anything other than what he wants to be. There he feels like he is truly himself. He feels at home.
04. FAMILY
Marco Antonio Silva: Father
Carolina Silva (née Leal): Mother
Ricardo Silva: Younger brother
Natalia Silva: Younger sister
05. CONNECTIONS
The Leader: Friend
The Hacker: At odds with
The Gregarious: Becoming friends
06. AVATAR
AVATAR’S FACECLAIM: Michael Fassbender (Aguilar de Nerha) SPECIAL SKILLS/POWERS: Intangibility, Enhanced agility & Alchemic combat (he is able to transform matter around him for combat purposes, creating obstacles for his opponents or even weapons for himself). WEAKNESSES/LIMITATIONS: His intangibility does not work by default, he has to be focused for that skill to work, so if he gets attacked by surprise and is not in his intangible state, he will be harmed. Also, his intangibility is rendered useless when he loses a life, he must have all 3 of his lives to be able to use that skill. His alchemic combat skill is ruled by balance: he can only use the matter that is at his disposal (and it must be solid or liquid, he cannot transform air or sheer energy into solids).
JAVIER SILVA is portrayed by Diego Boneta and he is currently TAKEN.
