Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā ā whoa whoa ā careful !! āĀ Ā Ā rafa reaches out instinctively to steady the other. even at the end of a twenty-four hour shift his reflexes are still sharp, and his tired eyes still remain capable of spotting the familiar glimmer of ice on the sidewalk. thereās always a couple hours after heās off the clock that he needs to unwind before he can properly go to sleep. hot chocolate from the coffee corner always seems to help the process along ā or maybe thatās just something heās trained his body to do.Ā Ā Ā ā ā you all right ?? āĀ Ā Ā he asks kindly, withdrawing his hand to tuck it back into the safety of his pocket, away from the cold air.Ā
STARTER FOR: ariela ( @arielasfmā )
EXTRA: the northmount slopes
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā a sprained wrist is the only casualty today on the northmount slope ā something that seems like a minor miracleĀ considering the minor little hiccupĀ that happened with the chairlift. snow crunches beneath his boots as he straightens and walks back toward the bus, bag slung over his shoulder. they wonāt be needing it for this particular call : life and death threats are rare in a town like northmount ā perhaps thatās only testament to the picturesque atmosphere. but picturesque hardly means devoid of idiocracy either. heās stowing things away neatly back into the bus when he hears the telltale sound of footsteps. his head turns, smile already playing on his lips even before he sees who it is. he was expecting a co-worker perhaps, but his eyes fall instead on the almost familiarĀ newscaster.Ā Ā Ā ā so we meet again ā āĀ Ā Ā itās not said unkindly, more teasing than anything as he turns to slide his bag back into place, then back toward the newscaster, standing relaxed, hands tucked into pockets.Ā Ā Ā ā iām afraid i donāt have any comments this time either. ā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā ā ( tommy martinez, twenty-eight, muse b, cis male, he/him. ) i just saw RAFAEL āRAFAā NIEVES in northmount. you know, the PARAMEDICĀ ? there they were, being their typical -OVER-ALTRUISTIC and -SHORTSIGHTED self. iāve heard some say theyāre +LEVEL-HEADED and +DOWN-TO-EARTH, but i donāt know. they sort of remind me of WARM HANDS EVEN ON THE COLDEST DAYS, A CAR FILLED WITH EVERYTHING FOR ANY EMERGENCY, & FRIENDLY SMILES OVER PEPPERMINT HOT CHOCOLATE, but thatās just me. if you see them around, let me know, okay ? and happy holidays ! ( ollie, 23, they / them, est. ) ā
THE STORY
ā rafael nievesā life is marked with the perfect kind of unremarkable childhood : the son of venezuelan immigrants who eventually found their home in the small upstate new york town of lake placid. his father in the medical field and his mother a realtor, rafa never knew the unrest and struggle that his parents had ā though that past still pressed its lessons on a young rafa, always taught to be humble and kind.
ā the great outdoors was his playground, brought up with copious amounts of sports ( cross-country, soccer, hockey, skiing, lacrosse ) and of course hiking in the seemingly long summer months. this love for the outdoors drove him to want to pursue a park & conservation management degree from paul smithās. he graduated and went on to become a forest ranger in the adirondacks.
ā however, this would turn to be temporaryĀ after only a year and a half, he decided he wanted to do moreĀ to help people, and after being engaged in a few search and rescue missions in the great wilderness, he opted to return to school once again, this time in an accredited paramedic program at hudson valley community college in troy, ny.
ā after two years, he graduated from the program and was fortunate to receive a placement as an entry level paramedic with the northmount fire department.
ā heās happy with his placement and has been in northmount for a touch over three years now.
MISC
ā rafa doesnāt believe in being overprepared. his car is full of things just in caseĀ : everything from jumper cables to a surprisingly full tool box, to a shovel, tow ropes, an ice pick, a stash of food, and others. he could survive if he ever got stranded. but this isnāt necessarily a result of paranoia ā he just likes to be prepared, for his own misfortune and other peopleās as well.
ā absolutely lovesĀ peppermint hot chocolate : the holiday season is the best in his opinion just for the sheer number of chocolate-y peppermint drinks spring into existence. coffee corner no doubt sees him a lot before and after evey shift.
ā also donāt doubt the shift goes out for breakfast together at the snowflake diner after a lot of shifts.
ā pretty adept at winter sports :Ā both downhill and xc skiing, and skating. has responded to a few calls out at the slopes ā among other places and probably has some storiesĀ to tell. the stupidity of humans knows no end. he also plays pick up hockey occasionally at the ice house.
ā makes so many hallacas during the holiday season. as is a huge sucker for bollos pelones. learned to cook from his mother ā an invaluable skill as he would learn later on in life. his go-to take out is pad thai though.
ā very good with his handsĀ š
ā fluency in spanish and english
ā very bi. very.
PERSONALITY
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā rafa is a naturally warmĀ personality, with an incredibly steadying and reassuring presence ā itās partly what makes him so good at his job. not much phases him, and even when heās panicking, heās very good at internalizing it and not letting it show. though heās no longer a ranger, rafa is still a very outdoorsy person, and perhaps that informs how down-to-earth he is as well. heās not one to brag, even after a particularly successful call, seeing it only as another job well done ā though he does feel a great sense of satisfaction when helping others. a giving heart had characterized rafa since he was quite young : from holding doors to random acts of kindness to the very nature of his chosen career. sentimentĀ holds the highest value to him, not necessarily money ā though he also believes that to an extent, money affords you the basic comfort to pursue being happing.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā however, rafaās tendency to help others can get in the way of his own well-being.Ā over-altruistic, he cannot stand to look the other way when someone is in trouble ā no matter how stupid or dangerous the situation must be. make no mistake, itās not a hero gene that drives him, just the desire to help others. at times, this has made his jobĀ take precedent over his own personal relationships, straining some of his friendships and past romantic endeavors despite his easy-going personality. his priorities ( sometimes fairly so ) have been called into question before. in the same manner, rafa can be shortsighted, failing to see the bigger picture due to tunnel vision over addressing whatās immediately at hand. this has caused some issues to get out of hand, due to not being addressed until itās too late.
APPEARANCEĀ
ā 6ā²2ā³, very physically fit
ā rather curly dark brown hair that hangs just below cheekbone length when free : usually tied up into a bun when on the job. dark brown eyes filled with warmth, calloused hands that are also almost always warm.
ā style : fitted but comfortable pants, crewneck shirts and henleys, flannels and sweaters, all in usual earth-tones and other natural looking colors like greens and blues.
ā demeanor : exceptionally calm, even in high pressure situations ; a relaxed posture, though the line of his shoulders sometimes betrays how heās watching the room for any trouble ; a low almost soft voice that gets surprisingly forceful when it has to, usually in life & death situations on the job when heās delivering commands.
OOC
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā hey guys !! iām ollie and iām happy to bring you rafa !! i tried to keep things short and i canāt wait to plot with you all.
blakekathryn
germansingergirl
janainaart
gummygunk
vaporwave
izzy806
ellievsbear
discoholicmusic
jbbartram-illu