Berenike Gucciardo

A strong, steady physical fitness instructor with a fierce competitive streak. While she might appear battle-ready, she cares deeply about her community and strives for stability and foundation above all.

Some days she seems burned out, even when work is slow - something must be keeping her busy.

• ​Grace Nejem, who had also competed in the 199th season of The Program, is someone Berenike both reveres and envies. When they had competed together, Berenike would frequently find herself vying for Grace’s attention in order to best her in something. Grace could not beat her in strength, but she always used her wits and personable nature to her advantage.
  • Though Berenike made it far enough to potentially face her in the final 2, she ultimately lost to another competitor and placed third that season.
• Once activated, VITAL resists the lactic acid buildup in the muscles, sustaining the user without tiring.
  • Much of the athletic feats she excels at focus on endurance. She can train for 12 hours straight and go several days without sleeping, with her main concerns being hygiene and nutrition.
  • However, this doesn’t prevent the user from exhaustion altogether. Berenike’s endurance isn’t limitless, so she takes her breaks now and then. And her mental fortitude clearly has its limits.
• Living in Sepia City, Pennsylvania, can be very expensive. It is the city with the most superheroes as well as the most supervillains. Though people rarely get fatally injured, property destruction is common and people are often forced to spend their savings repairing and replacing their cars, living spaces, etcetera. Berenike claims to have moved to Sepia for its exorbitantly low rent costs, though she wonders if it was worth it now.
• Daggers, knives, and small swords of all kinds can be found in her collection of accoutrements. She boasts an impressive knowledge of bladed weapons, admiring those rich with wear and history.
  • Her closest companion is the Bane of the Republic, a gladius kept in a special bronze sheath.
  • Her part-time apprenticeship under mechanic Ryujin Seong involves more than just weapon-crafting, though that doesn’t stop her from honing in on it regardless.
• Ryujin was the one to help her become a fitness trainer. She was unhappy (though very proficient) with her construction job, so Ryujin encouraged her to do what she wanted, not necessarily what she was good at.
• In order to master the art of hand-to-hand combat, Berenike has trained for years in all fields of martial arts, such as karate, tae-kwon-do, and boxing. Though her Value helps her throw punches as long as it takes, she seeks to become as disciplined and precise as the best duelists.
  • She never fights dirty. Victory is everything to her, but it is only valuable if earned honorably.
  • Her bedroom walls are lined with medals and trophies. She talks about them with evident pride.
• Comics, particularly superhero comics, are a childhood interest of hers. She’ll find herself wandering in a comics store now and then, though she appears to have developed a love-hate relationship with the genre.
  • As a child, she drew and assembled her own comic books. She still has some of them in storage.
• Her palate is incredibly simple, and she doesn’t like going out of her way to cook something. As a result, a lot of what she eats is either easy-to-make breakfast food or junk food. Though not the healthiest diet, she exercises enough that her metabolism takes care of the excess.
• Only Berenike immigrated to America, the rest of her family remaining in Sicily. She claims to not regret leaving, though she still deeply misses her homeland, particularly her mother and sisters.
• Leagues of Supers appear nationwide, collaborating with government powers to establish a bureaucratic system for heroes. Berenike is well-acquainted with many of them - possibly due to her work clientele, which is largely made up of those who are physically active (and potentially Supers in disguise).
• Years ago, Sepia City was the most crime-infested city in America. Though villains still run rampant, things seem to be more under control now. Berenike gives credit to a relatively new superhero - Viktoria.
  • Viktoria’s exact Color Code is unknown, and they don’t seem to put too much weight into choosing one. When put on the spot, they’ve settled on Very Dark Brown.
• Mute as an infant, young Berenike spent much of her childhood busying herself with physical, cerebral tasks. She only learned to verbally communicate (and understand why it would be necessary in polite society) through special training. Though she can speak with no difficulty now, her tone of voice remains low and taciturn. When she shouts, it is especially gruff, as if coming from the gut.
  • She is deathly silent when concentrating; an effective intimidation technique in 1 v 1’s.
• Program staff reach out to past competitors (or ‘alumni’) now and then for features, such as in magazines and commercials. Berenike has refused all of these.
• Obscured by the opaque design of the water bottles, Berenike’s drinks are usually boba tea rather than water. She will even drink it during workouts, claiming that the sweet flavor helps her concentration.
  • She likes the brown sugar flavor the most. Her peers frequently confuse it for coffee.
• Sometimes, Berenike seems to ‘slip’ and make references to what she calls her work. It seems to involve other people and a level of physical labor. Her apartment neighbors have expressed concern, saying that they’ll hear her loudly complaining about the incompetence of the police and local government.