Valentino Montagna

Valentino Montagna / Joe Manganiello

OOC

Game Journal Portrayed By
Fall City single-dad Joe Manganiello

Basic Stats

Full Name: Valentino Anthony Montagna
Nickname(s): Val
Gender: Male
Age: 34
Date of Birth: September 18, 1983
Zodiac: Virgo
Sexuality: Straight
Relationship Status: Widower
Place of Birth: Fall City, WA
Neighborhood: John St.
Occupation: Firefighter
Pet: None

Family

Father: Alessandro Montagna
Mother: Olivia Montagna (née Falconeri)
Siblings: TBD

Wife: April Montagna (née Ryan; social worker; deceased)
Son: Leonard Montagna (5; b. November 7, 2012)

History

Val was born to the Montagna family in Fall City, Washington. His father can trace the family back to a few generations in New York, then to the Lombardy region of Italy. There are, in fact, several "old country" recipes that are passed down from generation to generation, and your nonna will put the evil eye on you if she finds out you shared the recipes outside of the family.

Val had a relatively normal and boring childhood. School, youth sports, a yearly trip to Italy to visit the family. He was 14 when the March fire happened, and the tragedy stuck with him. It sparked a fire (pun not intended) inside him to devote his life to helping others and doing what he could to prevent tragedy. The events of September 11, 2001, further cemented in him that he needed to become a firefighter. At his parents' insistence, he still went to college. So after he graduated from high school, he attended the University of Washington to get a degree in physical therapy. Upon graduation in 2005, he took the exam to become a licensed therapist, but then also immediately applied to become a firefighter in the city of Seattle. He worked part-time as a physical therapist until he finished his firefighter training and got a job with the Seattle Fire Department.

It was at a homecoming mixer at UW that he met (or re-met?) April Ryan. She was also from Fall City, so they got to talking about home, and that led to a date the following weekend. They dated throughout her years at UW, where she got her degree in social work. Shortly after her graduation, they were married in a quiet ceremony with only immediate family present. They had a quiet first few years of marriage, getting settled in their respective careers and in their relationship as well. Then in 2012, April got pregnant and their son Leo was born in November.

Life as a family of three was hectic, but Val and April both loved Leo fully. They had begun talking about having a second child in 2015 when tragedy struck. Val's truck was called out to a bad car accident. When they arrived on scene, EMS and another truck were already there, working to separate the two vehicles involved. When Val saw the car, which had been smashed between a concrete barrier and an SUV, he stood frozen. He knew that car. The stickers on the back windshield. The "Honk if You Love Honking" bumper sticker. He registered hearing screams before he realized it was him. It took three other firefighters to hold him back, and he ultimately needed to be sedated by one of the EMTs.

The following week passed in a blur. Riding in the back of the ambulance to the hospital with April's body, where a doctor declared her dead. The babysitter picking Leo up from daycare and bringing him home. Family coming for the funeral. The funeral itself. Even if pressed, Val wouldn't be able to tell you a single thing that happened between the accident and the funeral. He took a leave of absence from work as he struggled to deal with the loss of his wife and the persistent questions from his son about when mommy was going to be home. When he returned to work, he found it difficult to work alongside the men and women who had freed his wife's body from the wreckage. After another few months, he put in for a transfer to the Fall City Fire Department. He would take Leo and go home to where there would be family to help with Leo and where he wasn't constantly reminded of April (despite the fact that they had both grown up there, she was more associated with Seattle for him, as that's where they'd dated, married, and lived together).

Life back in Fall City was far more peaceful than it had been in Seattle. He found that he enjoyed the slower pace and introducing his son to the places he'd been when he was growing up, many of which hadn't changed at all in the years since he had been Leo's age. When the book about the March fire was published, he was outraged at the allegations against the Fall City emergency services, particularly the fire department. He was considerably not thrilled by the announcement that the book would be turned into a movie, and even less so when it was announced that some of it would be filmed on location in their town.

Personality

Val is the kind of guy who feels like he has to save everyone. Even when there was nothing he could have done, he'll beat himself up if something happens to someone under his jurisdiction. He's the firefighter who will go running back into the building, even as it's falling apart, to save the family cat who's hiding under the sofa. His hero complex extends to emotional heroism as well, trying to provide emotional comfort and help with the emotional well-being of those around him.

Positive Traits
  1. adventurous
  2. dedicated
  3. enthusiastic
  4. playful
  5. tolerant
Neutral Traits
  1. caring
  2. emotional
  3. empathetic
  4. sentimental
  5. stubborn
Negative Traits
  1. childish
  2. compulsive
  3. egocentric
  4. impatient
  5. hero/savior complex

Additional