Walking through the picturesque streets of Cardinal Hill, you find Len Cresta, the 24 year old puppeteer & puppet maker originally from Chicago, IL. Living alongside them in such a small town, you know that they're colourful and naive, but what you might not know is that they are a human, and that they’re hiding something… ― Nick Pugliese, gay, man, and he/him.
Content warnings - parental death.
Basics -
Full name: Len Valentino Cresta
Nickname/s: Lenny
Preferred name/s: Len or Lenny
Gender: Man
Pronouns: He/him
Age: Twenty-four
Birthday: February 27th
Zodiac: Pisces
Magic status: Non-magical, a human
Sexuality: Gay
Relationship status: Currently seeing Calvin Roach
Occupation: Puppeteer & puppet maker (& business owner, unknown to most)
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Backstory -
Len was born and raised in Chicago, the place where his parents - one from Sorrento, Italy, and one from Tokyo, Japan - met a mere one year prior.
His mother came from a family full of artists, many of them notable names in the art scene of Tokyo, if not further. She moved to Chicago following a job prospect, and left all of her dreams behind for the sake of Len's father.
His father was a business man who had travelled many places before he ended up in Chicago. He had a nasty habit of burning all of his bridges before he took off to follow the next best business idea.
Because of his father's drive and his habit for conducting business that wasn't always legal, Len lived an affluent life growing up.
He had plenty of friends in his upbringing, and for the most part he was unaware of the fact that they cared more for the cool and expensive toys and games that he owned than they did for him as a person.
While Len was unable to realise that he was being used, he certainly felt the loneliness. He turned to media and art to find an escape, and very quickly found a passion in puppet making and puppeteering as a main medium.
He was encouraged by members of his mother's family, some who had experience with traditional Japanese puppetry, and he even began to spend school breaks in Tokyo with his family in order to bond over art and learn new skills.
Entering his mid to late teens, Len was taken under his father's wing, and he began being trained to take over the business when the time came. Len wanted nothing less, particularly the more he learnt, but it wasn't all bad at the time.
Content warning - parental death. Unfortunately the time to take over the business came too soon. When he was in his early twenties, spending time away with his family in Tokyo, Len's parents were killed in a tragic accident.
He took ownership of the business, though he left it in the capable hands of his late parents' employees and partners. At first he considered moving to Tokyo full time, but after meeting someone who caught his eye, he followed them to their hometown of Cardinal Hill.
Things didn't last long between the pair, but Len found Cardinal Hill to be magical, and decided that it wasn't at all a bad place to be for a while longer.
Personality & more -
Len is an extremely sweet person, albeit a little shy at first. Once he gets talking, however, he hardly ever stops.
He somehow has so much confidence that exists alongside of his shyness. He's expressive, artistic, and proud of who he is.
He doesn't speak about the business that he owns, not unless he uses it to brush off anyone's questions about how he can afford certain aspects of his life.
He spent a summer working in a low level position on a Jim Henson project before he moved to Cardinal Hill, which was the best moment of his life. He took Jim Henson's recent death incredibly hard.
After all of the experiences that Len has had in his life, more than anything, he wishes to find connection and love. He prioritises his career, passions, and hobbies semi-high, but he believes that nothing matters without love. This is part of the reason why he's still in Cardinal Hill, rather than pursuing bigger job prospects or life experiences.
Len very easily feels ashamed and guilty for his wrongdoings, as proud as he is. He doesn't admit this, but it might play an additional part in why he remains in small town Washington working mostly remotely.
