Rueben 'Z' Paradisio


Character's Full Name: Rueben Ezekiel Paradisio

Created By: Lee

Nicknames: Z

Character Type: Mortal

Actual Age: 37

Sex: Male

Nationality: American

Hair Color: Blonde

Eye Color: Grey

Height: 6'6''

Weight: 265 pounds

Additional Languages: German, Japanese, and French, all three conversational, though not quiet fluent..

Distinguishing Characteristics: Z has long blond hair and a full beard that hangs to mid-chest and is frequently braided. Rare is his former profession, Z has no tattoos.

Personality: Z has an amazingly strong work ethic. He always strives to be ready and prepared to do whatever task he has taken on. He is a strong believer in Christianity and has always thanked `the Father" for all the blessings he has received, as well as the strength to handle the rougher times in his life. Despite his deep faith, he doesn't attend church services for a number of reasons, including the believe that nobody can tell him what or how to believe, that his relationship with God is personal, and should stay that way.

In contrast to serious nature of both his secular and ecumenical views, Z was rebellious, outrageous, silly, and holds very few topics as sacred. He enjoyed living life to the fullest, partying hard and often and in jest referred to the secret of his musical success being either the personal sex appeal of his and his bandmate's behinds and to the alleged homosexual rituals the band held while secluded in their touring bus.

Some of the few things that he always took seriously was hid dedication to his wife and children, his twin beliefs that anything worth having was worth working for and that anything worth doing was worth doing right.

An example of his silliness was a fishing trip he and his band had during downtime. The rest of the band, including security and road crew, all used professional fishing gear and lures while Z used a Barbie fishing pole and worms. Z claimed, and it has never been disputed, that he caught more fish than anyone else on that trip, and took great pride in having done so with a his "sophisticated equipment."

After Captain Tripps, Z found himself much harder pressed to be as optimistic about his life. While still thankful for everything he has had, known, and experienced, he has found moving forward to be difficult.

Skills: Z is a veteran musician, having performed for more than twenty years in mostly hard rock. He is extremely accomplished on guitar and almost as versatile on the piano. He is talented with both the saxophone and drums and is also an accomplished singer, both in typical rock and ballads.



History:
Rueben Ezekiel "Z" Paradisio was born in Watervliet, New York on January 14, 1960. His father was involved in munitions development with the US Army and his mother was a music teacher. His father instilled a solid work ethic in him, while his mother taught him patience and instilled in him a love of music. He had an older sister that went into nursing, and a younger brother that became a geological engineer.

Z was involved in music for as far back as he could remember. He studied the piano as a pre-teen, and after he had reached ten years of age, was allowed to practice on a small set of drums his father played on occasion. His greatest musical love, though, was the guitar, and he started playing that at the age of twelve. During his high school years, he was usually part of one garage band or another, frequently playing locally parties, clubs, and other venues.

In 1979, Z graduated Watervliet High School and enrolled in the Berklee College of Music. There, he met and tutored under Joe Satriani, and learned not only music theory and the business of music, but studied the guitar in a depth he had as yet not fully understood. In 1983, he graduated with a BA in Performance (Guitar) and a minor in Music Business & Management.

Shortly after his graduation, the lead guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne was killed in a plane crash. Z submitted his audition to Osbourne and was selected to be the new lead guitarist. He took to the new role with abandon, reveling in both the caliber of performance he and the band were capable, and in the lifestyle in general. In his time with Ozzy, the band produced arguably the best work of Ozzy's career. Z was heavily influenced by the lifestyle around him; he began the heavy use of alcohol and enjoyed the sexual benefits of "being in the band" far in excess of anything he had yet to experience.

Somehow, through the influence of wanton sex, binge drinking, and the adoration that goes with being a Rock-n-Roll phenomenon, Z struck up a meaningful relationship with Barbara Anne Miller. Through all the temptations of the rock star lifestyle, he managed to form a commitment to her, and in 1988, they were married. They had their first child a year later, the same year that the band produced what was possibly their best album to date.

In 1990, Z suffered an embolism. With prompt medical treatment and surgery, the condition was stabilized, but the threat of it occurring again was significant. It was decided that he should go on anti-coagulant medication. Because this type of medication was incompatible with alcohol, it was important for Z to stop drinking. With the support of Barbi, he made the decision to stop any alcohol consumption and has maintained that to this day.

During the ordeal, Z was released from Ozzy's band and a new guitarist took his place. Instead of being ungrateful, Z welcomed the time to readjust to his new lifestyle and focus on his family life. In 1992, and Barbi had their second child.

Z's removal from the band, however, did not mean that he was going to stay away from music. After a time, he embarked on solo efforts, eventually releasing an album that did moderately well on its own. In 1993, with his wife's approval and support, he started a band of his own, calling it the Black Label Society. The band did well, and with his mind clear of the alcohol abuse that had plagued him earlier, he maneuvered the band into both technical and fiscal success, drawing a loyal fan-base and regularly playing sold-out shows.

As time rolled on, Z sustained his vigil against alcohol, maintained at least a close facsimile of a family life, and toured across the United States, Europe, and Japan. His parents and siblings remained supportive, even more so after his brush with death and subsequent renewal. He became an even more impressive living legend in the world of music and solidified his image as an irreverent man that, at least publically, took nothing seriously and refused to be drawn into political drama of any kind. In 1997, he and Barbi had their third child.

From 1993 to 2000, the band produced an album each year, touring in support of each of them. Regardless, Z made sure the bad had a least a few months a year at home, each of the members working on ideas during their downtime. Invariably, when they reunited, they would record another album and then tour to support it.

In the year 2000 Z decided to take an entire year off. Despite his best intentions, the band reformed after a few months apart. Instead of recording an album, though, they only took on shows that meant something to them personally and, each of them having children, took several vacations together with, sometimes with their families. One such trip for band members only was a fishing expedition. Hayley, Z's daughter, heard about the trip and offered her father her Barbie fishing pole to use. Z accepted the offer, though he didn't tell any of the band members the reason why he has a Barbie fishing pole. Instead, he said that it was good enough for him and with a flip of his hair challenged the others to do any better.

When he returned home, he discovered that his children, along with Barbi's help, had made patio bricks with their handprints and names pressed into their surface. Z then set out to build a patio, including not only the bricks from the children, but those of himself and Barbi as well.

While the rest of the band purchased professional gear and sought out advice from professional anglers, Z went into the back yard with an old coffee can and, with the help of his children, dug up several dozen worms. In the end, Z and his Barbie fishing pole caught more fish and any of the other band members, a fact he would tease them about from time to time.

In 2001, the band recorded its ninth album and went on tour to support it. In 2002, they recorded their last album and began touring. That began to fall apart in June. By the end of June, the turnouts for the concerts began to taper off and the band members and road crew began getting sick. By the end of the week, members of Black Label Society were in the hospital, and shortly after, with most of the rest of the country, they all died, apart from Z.

Z tried to arrange to get his fallen comrades back to their families, but the whole country seemed to be falling apart. When he got the call from Barbi that Hayley was sick, though, he dropped everything. In late June, he rented a car and drove from Broken Arrow, OK to his home in Kearney, NE. In the few hours it took him to reach home, his sons had also fell ill, and Barbi had developed a cough. As helpless now as he had been with his band, Z watched his family die in the space of two days.

Not understanding why he had lived while everyone around him had died, Z didn't bother trying to make funeral arrangements for him family. Instead, he buried them in their backyard, using the bricks from the patios as their headstones. Shocked and stunned by his losses, he resolved to cherish the memories he had. While that didn't help resolve the grief, it did make it easier to move on.

Over the next week, Z helped whomever he could find in Kearney and the surrounding area. It wasn't long, though, before he came to believe he was the only survivor. That was when the dreams started; a dark man in Las Vegas promised to return his fame and give him an audience; the rock-n-roll lifestyle could be his again. At the same time, an old woman in Boulder the opportunity to adopt a new family and find people he could help. Z had no idea if the dreams were true, or if they were signs of the stress, grief, and guilt he felt at surviving when no one else would. He tried to ignore the dreams.

He went on with his life, such as it was. He moved to a small farm and, after clearing out the home and honoring the previous owners with a burial, began trying to learn how to keep the crops and remaining livestock alive and well. As days turned into weeks, he realized that he knew nothing about farming. While h could probably save enough of the crop to survive the winter, and there was enough canned food for him so survive for months, his long-term survival depending on him finding others.

In the time that had passed, the dreams had become more intense, demanding his attention. He longed for the solace of music, and felt that Las Vegas would be his ultimate destination. Boulder, however, was closer, and he wasn't sure that wouldn't be the better choice. After taking a day to consider the options, he decided to go to Boulder first. Las Vegas, if there were anything to the dreams, would still be there.

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