Post by Esperanza on Jun 8, 2007 22:15:42 GMT
Name: Esperanza Lancaster
Nicknames: It’s a bit difficult to shorten her first name past ‘Spera, and more often than not, her buddies simply call her Lancaster.
Race: Human
Occupation: LAPD Homicide detective
Gender: Female
Skin Color: Medium tan
Age: 33
Clothing: As suggested by the department, Esperanza wears smartly tailored suits to work, usually charcoal-grey or black, with some kind of bright blouse underneath; red or violet, perhaps. Her shoes are feminine, but comfortable. Off-duty, she is far more casual – all about the jeans and t-shirts (usually with some kind of smart-ass remark emblazoned over her chest). The weather in L.A. is hardly terrible, but she does have a knee-length grey duster, just in case.
Height: 5’2”
Weight: 113lbs
Tattoos: A fairly elaborate hummingbird on her left shoulder.
Piercings: One in each ear
Jewellery: Esperanza owns only a few pieces of jewelry, but they are precious to her: a pearl necklace passed down from her mother’s side of the family (kept safely at her apartment), a crucifix from her father, and a charm bracelet from her brothers.
Body Modifications: Most of Esperanza’s scars are products from years of horseplay, but her current job has left its mark, too. She was shot in the side by a suspect, and both the entry and exit wounds left scars.
Hair
Length: Reaches her elbows
Style: Evenly cut all around, no layers. Esperanza will normally keep it back in a tight braid for convenience.
Color: Black
Facial Hair[/u]
Length: N/A
Style: N/A
Eyes[/u]
Color: Brown
Oddities: N/A
Personality: Esperanza has a bit of a Napolean complex. She isn’t snappish or mean-spirited, she just doesn’t seem to realize the fact that she’s…well, vertically challenged. Growing up the youngest of six -- and the elder five all men – Esperanza has never been shy or timid. She’s been known to rough-house with her male colleagues, and is more than able to take as well as she gives. Most of her closest friends do happen to be male.
Like most of her family, Esperanza is a passionate individual, though she has frequently toed the line into ‘overzealous’. She is more prone to playing the ‘bad cop’ in an interrogation situation, and has occasionally gone overboard: she was written up once for manhandling a perpetrator. With a fairly black-and-white view on crime, she isn’t what one would call merciful, but she is a firm believer in the ‘innocent until proven guilty’. Kind of.
Weaknesses: Mortality is, indeed, a burden for Lancaster. Her temper has blinded her in the past, causing her to lash out needlessly during interrogations or when she is under high stress. During a wrestling match with one of her older brothers, she injured her shoulder. The joint bothers her if she overworks it, and will occasional pop out of place, which can be very painful.
Then, there is her partner, Drew Stabler. He is only two years her junior, but for once, Esperanza isn’t the one being watched out for. She has the tendency to be overprotective, and her affection for Drew could easily be used against her.
Abilities: Many of her skills come from the training she received at the academy, mainly marksmanship and self-defense. Her hand-to-hand combat skills are more advanced, given her upbringing, but she can hold her own in a firefight; she does prefer to use handguns, however.
Outside of her police work Esperanza is a fairly talented ballroom dancer. Of course, she is well-versed in some of the Latin dances – rumba, cha cha, Argentine tango, and salsa – as well as traditional waltz and jive. ‘Twinkletoes’ is slowly becoming a popular nickname for her around the department, much to her chagrin, but she gets her own laughs when the boys come along to ask for help in impressing their girlfriends. Esperanza has also been known to play a little bit of football (as in soccer – real football) with her guy friends, and the occasional game of basketball.
Weapons: Standard-issue Glock for work, and her own personal Sig Sauer. She typically keeps the Glock at her waist on the right, and will wear the Sig Sauer on her left hip, should she need it.
Prized Possessions: Her job is most definitely one of the things that she holds dear to her. That, along with her partner, and the gifts from her family.
Home(s): A decently-sized apartment on Cole’s half of L.A. (though Esperanza is unaware of such boundaries).
History: By the time their fifth child came into the world, Magdalena and Colin Lancaster had definitely mellowed out. Although, after Guillermo, Amistad, Felipe, Esteban, and Iago, they were certainly surprised to find their last little bundle of joy was not going to fit the name they had picked out for her. So, instead of Luis, they decided to name the little girl for her grandmother, and Esperanza Lancaster was christened at La Iglesia de Nuestra Dama in Malagá, Spain.
Unfortunately, ‘Spera was not raised in the Costa del Sol for long; her father’s company required that he return to California, and his family with him. By then, their little girl was hardly discernable from one of the boys, though her parents did put their collaborative foot down when she was busted in middle school for rough-housing at lunch. But, no matter what, they could not encourage the young girl to separate herself from her brothers. She was especially close to Guillermo, their eldest, and with the help of her five brothers, Esperanza turned out to be a fairly well-adjusted (if a little violent) young woman.
It was really no surprise that she wanted to follow Guillermo into the police force. Magdalena and Colin weren’t exactly thrilled to have their youngest and only girl going into such a dangerous profession, but they supported her, and like her brother, she flew through her academy training. While her brother was content to stay close to home, Esperanza felt she had bigger fish to fry, opting to transfer to Los Angeles. Compared to her hometown, L.A. is a booming metropolis. Esperanza misses her family terribly, sometimes, but she is more than happy with her place in the LAPD and wouldn’t change it for the world.