hey, isn’t that ZIGMUND ‘ZIG’ MALDONADO, who looks a little like TAYLOR ZAKHAR PEREZ? i hear HE is a THIRTY ONE year old CIS MAN who works as a FIREFIGHTER & SECRET MALE STRIPPER who has been in town for 6 YEARS. they AREN’T a member of one of aspen creek’s founding families. you can usually find them at WILLOW STREET or SUNNYVALE BASKETBALL COURT. if you ask me, they remind me a lot of A SMILE THAT CAN LIGHT UP ANY ROOM, LEFTOVER GLITTER STUCK TO YOUR HAIR, THE SMELL OF SMOKE, A SHOT OF VODKA, A BRAVE FACADE. just keep an eye on them & see if their true colors shine through!
tw for illness, cancer, fire, death.
FULL NAME: zigmund mateo maldonado. NICKNAMES: zig. FAMILY: romina maldonado ( mother ). tba ( younger sister, wc ) PETS: n/a at the moment. AGE: thirty-one. DATE OF BIRTH: august 2nd. ZODIAC: leo. SEXUAL ORIENTATION: homosexual, homoromantic. OCCUPATION: firefighter & secret male stripper.
about zigmund.
Zig was born in Fort Worth, Texas as the oldest son of a single mother, with a sister only a few years younger than him. They were abandoned early on by a father who decided he didn’t want to raise his kids anymore and left their home city. Romina was left alone with them but always made sure that they were given everything a lower-class mother could provide them. The Maldonado kids were taken care by a grandmother for the first years of their lives, and Ana Lucia did the best that she could to help her daughter in her old age, just so that Romina could get back to work. Zigmund understood from a young age that life wasn’t easy and that he’d have to work much harder than his peers to get where he wanted to.
When he was only ten, catastrophe hit and a neighbor’s house caught fire, taking half of their home down with it. Their family was left unharmed, quickly saved by the local firefighters, but what little they had was unfortunately burned away. They moved to a one-bedroom apartment after that and Romina started working two jobs so that they could start over. A sick elderly mother and two kids under her cares, Zig could see that his mother was constantly tired and unhappy. And he promised himself that he’d give her the life she so desperately needed once he was old enough to. In his young age, he started to help more around the house with chores — cleaning, cooking, doing the dishes and the laundry. He didn’t mind it, it gave him a sense of purpose and made him into the man he’s turned out to be now.
When his teenage years rolled in, Zig had started to study to become a firefighter. It hadn’t been his initial dream but it became that quickly after the fire that tore down their home. He studied at school, and then later at home after he was done with his chores. And by the time he graduated from high school, Zig was accepted at the Fire Academy, bringing so much pride to his mother’s eyes. He worked a few years as a probationary firefighter, acquiring the needed training and experience, and has now been acting as a firefighter for seven years. He’s working his way towards a lieutenant promotion now.
When Zig had freshly became an official firefighter, his grandmother unfortunately passed away. And only months later, his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. With Zig’s new salary and health insurance, he was able to run to his mother’s aid and get her the best treatment as possible. Within a year, Romina was thankfully stable but their life in Fort Worth just didn’t make any sense anymore. Romina was tired and needed a calmer place to rest and heal, which led to Zig asking for transfer to another post and being sent to North Carolina. Zigmund and his mother packed their bags without looking back, knowing that they were leaving a bad past behind and starting fresh somewhere else. His sister, however, didn’t bulge. She didn’t want to leave her life in Texas and after a couple of fights, Zig decided that it wasn’t worth it.
They have been in Aspen Creek for six years now. And things were perfect for a while there, until his mother’s cancer returned about a year ago and Zig had to bend himself over to get her the treatment needed. He called his sister for help, but that was a waste of time as they only screamed at each other on the phone, and that’s what lead to his secret job of male stripper. He was desperate for the money, knowing that he couldn’t just leave his mother to wither away due to her illness, so he decided to dance in the undergrounds of The Cave under the alias of Valentino and the mask of whatever’s sexy during that month.
Romina’s treatment has been working and she’s slowly healing in her own time whilst her son works harder than everyone he knows in order to keep things that way. In order to give her the life she deserves. She has currently moved to live with him in Willow Street to give him peace of mind.
Despite a hardworking and dedicated nature, Zig still finds time to be an absolute flirt whenever he wants to. He’s grown to like his secret life, sometimes taking advantage of this hidden persona to enjoy a night out at The Cave after he’s done with his shows. Don’t be fooled by those puppy eyes and sincere smile — you’ll be laughing and before you know it, you’ll be waking up in the morning on his bed. He’s a menace, but he has a good heart and is completely devoted to his family, which balances things out.
