Gabriel Gomez

Born in Mexico, his parents moved to the US when he was very young, never really staying in one place for long. He quickly learned not to get attached to people or places, knowing he wouldn't be around for long anyway. The younger siblings he eventually got (a sister, then a brother) ended up being the closest thing he ever had to friends. After moving to Wyoming, and the birth of his brother soon after, things finally seemed to settle down a little and Gabriel was content with his simple, quiet life. But in his early teens his father found new work in New York City and uprooted their family once again, this time finding a more permanent home there. Much to his surprise he ended up making a few friends (and a couple enemies) in high school, as a couple students tried to befriend him, while a few others disliked him for his grumpy attitude. At the age of 19, right after an "incident" with another student (Luca), he finds he's been drafted and is forced to serve in he US military during the Vietnam War. Though difficult, boot camp pushed his limits, both mentally and physically, beyond what he thought he was capable of, and raised what (very little) confidence he had in himself. And during his training he found he had a natural talent with a machine gun, despite never having fired or even held a gun in his life up to that point.

Personality

Not one for jokes and small talk, Gabriel is very serious and straightforward and prefers to get his point across in as few words as possible. With his curtness and the almost constant frown on his face he comes across as being cold and mean, (and tbh, he is quite grumpy and dislikes a lot of people...), but he's also a good, compassionate person with a big heart...the type that would be willing to run into a burning building to save someone's trapped kitty. :3 He hates to see innocent people hurt and is especially protective of those he's closest to. He tries not to show much emotion and is usually calm and levelheaded in most situations, only opening up and showing a bit more emotion to people he feels comfortable around. But stoic as he tries to be he obviously isn't made of stone and can't always hide his depression, fear, or frustration when dealing with the psychological & emotional trauma he is eventually put through.

Mannerisms

He generally keeps his head bowed and his eyes cast down or off to the side (especially when in public), and prefers to avoid eye contact with other people, even when talking. (However, if he has an important point to make, he stares into the other person's eyes rather intently as he speaks.) Although he is straight-faced/frowning most of the time his eyebrow tends to twitch when he's irritated, and he will sometimes even roll his eyes at people. He will usually try to avoid smiling if he can (should anything make him want to smile, that is), going so far as to hold his mouth tightly shut or cover it with his hand. He never laughs, and even when he does find something amusing he'll simply say "that's funny." (if anything) Oddly enough, him being "mean" to another person and doing things such as calling them names or criticizing them/their actions (in addition to talking more and actually being nice sometimes XD,) is a sure sign he is feeling more comfortable around them, as normally he would say as few words as possible and avoid saying anything that could provoke further conversation(s).

Voice

As one might expect he speaks in a calm and level (but not monotone) voice most of the time. Soft, and just loud enough to be heard. Surprisingly though, it sometimes conveys more emotion than he would like and it wavers when he’s sad or upset, and he may raise his voice or even yell at people when extremely angry. (Which usually comes as a surprise when people see him react this way for the first time. XD) He cusses a lot, more than is probably expected from him, and has a habit of muttering swear words or disparaging remarks at or about others in Spanish.

Preferences

Likes: Solitude, Coffee, Chicken, Thunderstorms, Cool Weather/Fall, Hiking, Camping
Dislikes: Cigarette smoke, noisy people, city life, crowded places

Looks

Hair: Dark brown (a shade or two darker than his eyes), usually cut very short, in either a buzz cut or crew cut. (When he was younger he allowed his hair to grow a little longer and had short bangs in the front with a part down the middle, but he never has this style again as an adult.)

Eyes: Dark brown, wide eyes, with dark circles underneath (due to lack of sleep), sometimes extreme enough to look almost as though he's wearing makeup or has two black eyes.

Build: He is a bit on the short side with a thin, but fairly athletic build, and has very little body hair.

Scars/Body Modifications/Other distinguishing features: Has big ears that stick out and a serious case of resting bitch face.

Clothing

He is very fond of heavy, long-sleeved clothing, such as bomber jackets and flannel shirts, which he wears with plain t-shirts underneath, and pairs with blue jeans. While in the army he generally just wears his fatigues.