Gage Petronzi

[Gage Petronzi]

GAGE PETRONZI

a warning
TO THE PEOPLE

PREFERRED NAME(S): None
AGE: 23
APPARENT AGE: 23
SPECIES: Creature
SUB-SPECIES: Gill Monster
GENDER: Male
ORIENTATION: Heterosexual

the good
AND THE EVIL

HEIGHT: 6’1”
BUILD/WEIGHT: about 170 lbs, muscular.
EYES: In human form, his eyes are blue. In marine form his eyes are more like those of a fish with an amber coloring.
HAIR: In human form he has close-cropped dark hair. In marine form he has no hair.
PLAYED BY: Wentworth Miller
PERSONAL STYLE: Gage has expensive taste in clothing, but has a casual style. He wears a lot of Armani and Dolce and Gabbana. He likes well-fitting jeans (usually pre-worn and ripped). He has a lot of t-shirts, polo shirts, and casual button-downs. He wears a lot of red or gray in particular. He has several pairs of sneakers. Occasionally he’ll break out a jacket or a hoodie, but the cold doesn’t really bother him.

this
IS WAR

HISTORY:

Gage was born in Los Angeles, California. His parents were wealthy, so he never wanted for anything growing up. He lived with his parents in the city until he was five years old when they relocated to Sunnydale. His parents felt a smaller town would be a better environment for their son than the city. Gage adjusted well to the move and was quick to make friends. He did well in school and took an interest in sports as a kid. His father was thrilled, having been an athlete in high school and college. On top of school, Gage was enrolled in both baseball and football. Growing up, he was always a team player and a hard worker.

As Gage got older, he displayed a talent for sports, making his father push him harder to nurture his gifts. This caused some problems between his parents, as his mother didn’t approve of how hard his father pushed him. Gage enjoyed sports and also wanted to please his father, so he continued to try his hardest to balance school and sports.

Swimming was never a sport Gage considered becoming a part of. When he was thirteen he had a bad shoulder injury that required surgery. It was unlikely he’d be able to play contact sports again, which was devastating for both Gage and his father. As part of his rehabilitation, his doctor recommended swimming to help him strengthen his shoulder without damaging it further. He wasn’t unfamiliar with swimming. He and his family had a pool he swam in all the time. He’d just never considered it very useful. Gage began swimming as much as possible, wanting to do all he could to get back into sports.

When Gage started going to Sunnydale High School he began using the pool in the off hours, utilizing its size and depth to get more out of his swimming. The swim team’s coach took notice of him, particularly how fast and hard he swam. He clearly wasn’t trained, but he had fire and determination. Coach Marin approached Gage during his freshman year and asked if he had any interest in joining the swim team. Having never considered it before, Gage took some time to think about the offer. After discussing it with his father, Gage decided to join the team.

At first Gage struggled, having never swam competitively. As he made friends and balanced his classes, Gage attended swim practice and took some hazing from the team. He became determined to get a handle on swimming and become a part of the team. He trained hard, put in extra time after practice and at home. He pushed himself as hard as he could, and eventually it started to show. By Gage’s sophomore year he’d earned the respect of his team and his coach. His teammates became his friends and he became popular. School got easier. Everybody wanted to be his friend, girls were lining up to date him, and he got invited to all the best parties. He was rich, popular – he was the guy everybody loved and envied.

By junior year he was on the varsity swim team and he’d become one of the team’s strongest swimmers. Despite the team’s lack luster reputation, having lost most of their meets, they started to come out of their slump with a string of victories. At first Gage didn’t think much of it. He just figured the guys were all working hard and doing well. But he started to feel different. When he swam it started to feel effortless, like he didn’t even have to try to do it well, which wasn’t normal to him. He also started to feel fatigued after working out at the gym or going for a run. He got headaches, started getting depressed, and acted more aggressive than usual. After talking to some of the guys on the team, Gage realized they all shared the same symptoms.

When the team confronted the coach, he told them there was a supplement in the steam they all sat in after practice. He said the effects of the supplement were temporary and they’d wear off. The team went about their lives as usual. Gage’s grades began to suffer due to poor behavior and a lack of motivation. However, his teachers began cutting him slack (at the request of Principal Snyder). He got used to not having to work so hard for once. He stopped putting any effort into his classes when he bothered to show up at all, and he walked around like he owned the school.

When members of the swim team started going missing Gage was quietly suspicious, but he didn’t think much of it until Buffy Summers started following him around. When she told him two members of the swim team had been killed by something he blew her off. He was quick to take her more seriously after he was attacked by Angelus. Soon after, Gage was changing in the locker room and he was horrified when he transformed into a giant fish monster. He lived in the sewer with the others until they were able to escape.

Unable to transform back into men at the time, Gage and the team fled to the ocean, where they learned to live in the water, like fish. They became a family of sorts, sticking together for a time as they figured things out together. Once he lived with his new form for a while, Gage started testing himself, seeing how long he could live underwater without coming up for air. How long he could stay on land after coming out of the water. At first he thought he could only remain on land for a few hours. After that he’d start to have trouble breathing and feel dried out.

After an incident involving poor time management while on land, Gage didn’t make it back to the water in time and he passed out on the beach where he eventually transformed back into a human. He was found by beach goers and picked up by an ambulance. When he awoke he was in a hospital in Los Angeles and he was feeling disoriented and confused. He couldn’t remember who he was, or how he’d gotten to Los Angeles. The doctors suspected he’d sustained some sort of head injury and kept him for observation.

Over the next few days, Gage began having odd dreams as his memory returned in bits and pieces. He remembered what his parents looked like and that he’d spent a lot of time in the pool. The authorities began reaching out to the public to identify Gage, and it wasn’t long before his family came forward to claim him. Gage returned home and spent several weeks feeling confused and frustrated as he tried to remember his identity. He was never able to explain his disappearance. Being in a familiar place did help to jog his memory, gradually.

Gage re-enrolled in high school the following school year, wanting to finish his education and earn his diploma. His parents enrolled him in a private school in L.A., not wanting to put him back in the public school system. Gage excelled in his classes and, eventually, regained most of his memories. However, some parts of his past remained fuzzy while others never fully returned. But, he remembered enough to get a grasp on his life and his identity. When he graduated from high school in 2000 he felt like he was starting over in a way. He went to UCLA, where he studied Business for four years.

Gage lived on campus with a roommate and he realized with the stress of exams he became very aggressive and hostile. He started keeping up a strict exercise routine, finding it served as a good outlet for his pent up emotions. He also started swimming at a pool in the local gym. He found he felt very at home in the water, and swimming became a regular part of his daily routine along with a run in the morning. During exams he took extra time out during the day to swim. He had a few friends and dated quite a bit, but he had trouble making close connections with people. He still felt a little disassociated with himself and his arrogant and sometimes hostile behavior tended to put people off.

Recently Gage graduated from UCLA and rented an apartment in the city. He has been scouring various corporations and businesses looking for an opportunity to prove himself. He’s an ambitious businessman with a cutthroat attitude… and a bit of mild memory loss.

FATHER: Guiseppe Petronzi
MOTHER: Christina Petronzi
SIBLINGS: None
OTHER RELATIONS: None
ROMANTIC TIES: None relevant
ALLIES: None that he knows of
ENEMIES: Probably anyone that meets him

to the soldier
THE CIVILIAN

PERSONALITY: Gage grew up in a very privileged lifestyle. He always got anything he wanted without having to work too hard for it. He was humbled a little when he first entered high school and had to prove himself to the swim team, but once he was accepted he became downright snobby. He had money, talent, and popularity, which earned him the respect most people had to work for. His bout with amnesia has changed him a bit, and he had to work to get ahead in college.

Although Gage is now no stranger to hard work, he still comes off as an arrogant, self-centered jerk at times. Gage is an intelligent businessman with a desire to be his own boss one day. He focuses most of his energy on achieving his goals and becoming his own man, independent of his family’s money. All in all, Gage is a strong-willed, ambitious young man brimming with confidence on the outside. Inwardly, he’s desperately looking to feel comfortable in his own skin and he’s hiding a deep-rooted insecurity about himself.

Unknown to Gage, he is actually a Gil Monster and he has the ability to shift into a marine creature. This aspect of himself has given his personality a primal edge. He tends to be more aggressive and impulsive than he would have been before. He tends to isolate himself from others and the sound and smell of the ocean tend to sooth him. In a pinch, a swim in a pool will do the job. In marine form he retains some semblance of himself, but it is often over-ridden by primal instincts and desires.

LIKES: list a minimum of 5 things this character likes.

1. the beach
2. sports
3. jogging
4. history
5. technology

DISLIKES: list a minimum of 5 things this character dislikes.

1. taking orders
2. memory loss
3. not being taken seriously
4. seafood – for some reason it just feels wrong…
5. romantic comedies

the martyr
THE VICTIM

POWERS AND ABILITIES:

Note: Currently these abilities are unknown to Gage.

Transformation – Gage can transform into a humanoid marine creature. He could will himself to change if he knew how, and a change could be brought on by stress, negative stimuli (such as pain), or environmental triggers (such as others of his kind). He transforms by shedding his skin, a quick but painful process to endure. He emits a strong fishy odor just before he shifts.

Teeth and Claws – In marine form Gage grows long claws and sharp teeth that can bite through bone.

Superhuman Swimming – Gage can swim faster than the average human, and he can remain underwater much longer than a normal human. In marine form he can live underwater for long periods of time and he can swim much faster than a human.

Toxic Blood – Gage’s blood repels vampires. It may not be poisonous, but it’s highly unpleasant to drink.

VULNERABILITIES:

Mortal – Other than a few minor differences, Gage is like any other human when in human form. He can get sick and get injured like anyone else.

Shifting – Gage is highly vulnerable when shifting. It’s also a very painful process to shift into his marine form as well as to return to his human form.

Amnesiac – Although Gage has regained the bulk of his memories, there is still quite a bit he doesn’t remember. This is often a hindrance.

Carnivorous – Gage has an alarming appetite for meat. In marine form he will eat anything with a pulse if he’s hungry. In human form he’ll settle for rare steak. Occasionally he has episodes where he experiences an overwhelming hunger nothing seems to satisfy. He will try to satiate himself with raw meat. It usually works, but even he thinks it’s a disgusting habit.

SKILLS AND STRENGTHS: describe a minimum of 5 skills and strengths this character has.

1. He’s athletic and he can defend himself if he needs to.
2. He has a good head for business and organization.
3. He’s an excellent swimmer.
4. He’s fairly intelligent, though he may not seem it unless properly motivated.
5. When he sets his mind on something, he sees it through.

FLAWS AND WEAKNESSES: describe a minimum of 5 flaws and weaknesses this character has.

1. He often over-estimates himself.
2. He’s generally a bit arrogant and he can be downright mean.
3. He has no idea he’s kind of a monster.
4. He’s deeply insecure about himself.
5. He’s prone to emotional outbursts.

this
IS WAR

WRITING SAMPLE:

Gage focused on the road as he drove. He stared out his windshield, his eyes a bit glazed behind his sunglasses. Long drives always made his mind wander. He thought about the job interviews he’d gone to that week. He’d blown them both – he knew he had. He should have presented himself better. Maybe he could have taken it down a notch, maybe he’d been too aggressive. But, wasn’t that the point? It took aggression to make it in the business world.

He blinked as he noticed the light turn red up ahead.

“Crap!”

Gage slammed his foot down on the brake pedal of his Lexus. The car came to a sudden halt and he glanced in his rear-view mirror just as he felt the impact of the car behind him on his bumper.

“Oh, son of a…”

He threw the shifter into park and unclipped his seatbelt before throwing open the driver’s side door. His heart was already starting to pound as he slammed the door behind him and approached the other car. A man his father’s age got out of the other car and Gage whipped off his sunglasses to look him in the eye.

“Hey, watch where you’re going,” he shouted.

The man gave him a surprised look that quickly turned into a scowl.

“You’re the one who almost ran a red light, kid.”

Gage took a step closer to the man, feeling his breathing increase.

“Oh, so I stop at a red light and that gives you the right to rear-end me? The last I checked two wrongs don’t make a right… sir.”

He tacked the sir on as an afterthought, a reflex, really. He’d always been taught to respect his elders, although in this case the “sir” came out slightly sarcastic.

“Look, I don’t want to have to get the police involved in this,” the man said. “Why don’t we just exchange information and deal with this like adults.”

Gage glared at him, clenching and unclenching his fists. He thought about it for a moment and, as much as he hated to admit it, he was acting like an ass. He hadn’t been paying attention. He’d slammed on his brakes too fast. Even if the guy behind him was probably going a little fast to be approaching a red light, Gage wasn’t exactly innocent either. He took a few deep breaths through his nostrils and nodded.

“Fine.”

He slipped his sunglasses back on and reached inside his jacket pocket for a business card. He didn’t actually have a business of his own yet, but he’d had the cards made anyway. Supposedly it showed ambition and confidence. So far it didn’t seem to be doing him much good. He handed the guy the business card and shoved his hands in the pockets of his khakis while he waited for the other guy to give him his information. The man examined the card for a long moment and looked Gage up and down.

“Patronzi… Are you Joe Patronzi’s boy?”

Gage blinked in surprise. Back in his family’s days in Sunnydale everyone had known who he was, but in L.A. his family was just one of many others with names for themselves.

“Uh… Yes, sir,” he said hesitantly.

The man seemed to consider his answer before shaking his head and handing the card back to Gage. Gage didn’t take it right away.

“Don’t worry about it,” the man said.

Gage frowned.

“No, it’s fine,” Gage said. “Just give me your information and we can take care of this.”

The man shook his head.

“Your old man’s an old business associate of mine,” he said. “He’ll take care of it.”

He tucked the card into the front pocket of Gage’s denim jacket and waved a hand.

“I’ll get in touch with your father and everything will be handled,” he said. “Just get where you’re going in one piece, okay, kid?”

The man disappeared into the driver’s seat of his car as a few horns behind him honked. Gage glanced up at the traffic light. It was green. He sighed and grudgingly got back in his car to continue driving down the road.

it's the moment of truth
AND THE MOMENT TO LIE

OCCUPATION: Aspiring business owner
UNIQUE ITEMS: Sometimes claws, teeth, and webbed feet
FEARS: He’s not a fan of vampires, although he doesn’t remember that.
SECRETS: He’s a fish monster.
FUN FACT: He likes dancing, though he doesn’t normally do it in public, unless he’s drunk.

the moment to live
AND THE MOMENT TO DIE

the moment to fight
TO FIGHT

[Whistler]

APPROVED!

Hmm. Can't say I've heard of you. I guess an amnesiac fish-guy can't do much harm on either side of the scale. Welcome aboard.