Application for reimsacademy
( fandom student application )
PLAYER INFORMATION
PLAYER: Xander
AGE: 24
CONTACT: AIM - derglitzkrieg
PERSONAL LJ: der_glitzkrieg
CHARACTERS PLAYED: n/a
CHARACTER INFORMATION
NAME: RED Pyro (AU name: Michael Redding)
CANON: Team Fortress 2
CANON REFERENCE: http://wiki.teamfortress.com/wiki/Pyro
AGE: 16
GENDER: Male
YEAR IN SCHOOL: HS1
ENROLLMENT: Sponsorship
APPEARANCE: Michael is short, only around 5'5", and stocky -- alright, let's be honest, he's overweight, but there is some muscle under the fat. He has short, messy light red hair and green eyes, with long sideburns. His most noticeable feature, however, is something that's trouble him for years: he has severe burn scars over most of his body. The right side of his face is badly scarred, part of his right ear missing, both hands, his chest, his right arm, and left leg, with more minor scarring on his right. He also has scars from skin grafts on his back.
PERSONALITY: Michael, or Pyro as he prefers to be called, is unpredictable and violent, with a flair for fire. He likes setting fires and watching things burn. Fire calms him down, part of the reason his pyromania is so bad. He acts out in violent ways when bullied or teased and is strong, despite his physical size. In the orphanages and halfway homes he lived in, he would frequently attack anyone who looked at him funny.
Due to having few outlets for his anger at the world, he's withdrawn, bitter, and hateful. His words are usually laced with sarcasm and little can make him care. He doesn't really like other people, as most of them have either abandoned him or bullied him. He doesn't find joy in the same things as most "normal" people and likes to make it a point to rain on their parade. He also gets very bitter when he sees couples together, as he feels like no one would ever want to be with him (mostly because of how he looks, this is totally ignoring his "charming" personality).
If he does manage to make friends, or if he doesn't mind someone's company, a happier, joking side comes out. These moments are rare, though, and don't last long. He'll actually smile, when given this opportunity. He has a joy for practical jokes that can be dangerous, such as lighting trash cans on fire, lighting people's hair on fire, and loading cigarettes with things to make them explode when they're lit.
In spite of his violent side and quick temper, Pyro can be very caring, but mostly towards animals. He's a very lonely person and finds solace with them, as he feels they don't judge him the way people do. This is why he was given a therapy animal as part of a court order -- a white rabbit named Hephaestus. The rabbit keeps him calm and allows him to interact with people in a normal way.
COMPUTER APTITUDE: Average. Nothing special, knows his way around the internet and that's about it.
AU HISTORY: From a young age, Michael had a problem and fascination with fire. The moment he was able to light matches and work a "childproof" lighter, he sparked grass fires and lit anything else he could find nearby on fire. He had burned his fingertips so many times that it didn't even hurt anymore. He was discouraged and told not to play with fire, but never listened. An accident happened when he was five years old, involving an old Zippo lighter and the living room curtains. The subsequent fire killed his parents and nearly killed him. He was left severely burned and was hospitalized for quite some time.
When he was released, he was released into a state-run orphanage. None of his extended family wanted anything to do with him. Despite the fire being ruled accidental, they blamed Michael for it. Due to his scarring, he was quickly turned into an outcast at his new "home". He was bullied and tormented. This was about the time Michael started getting violent. No one wanted to even get near him after hearing about the fights he got into. He had successfully isolated himself. Despite numerous psychiatrists and therapists attempts to calm his anger, little helped aside from animal therapy. He could never keep the animals, though, so his anger was never really under control.
He found a positive outlet, though, in one of the cooks that worked for the home he lived in. The man taught Michael how to cook and use his love of fire for something positive. It did help him for a short time, but the bullying started up again, undoing anything positive. He was moved out into several other homes, but always ended up back where he started. He was undesirable and unwanted. He eventually ended up on the streets, homeless with nowhere to go.
He gave carnival and circus work a try -- it was something to get him off the streets and allowed him to use fire for something positive, rather than arson. He was given an outlet once again and showed a talent for working with fire. He even gained a few friends amongst the workers, something he'd never had before. He built props for his part of the show and got more and more creative. He was 15 by the time Reliable Excavation and Demolition (RED) discovered him. It was far from a coincidence that they found him. The company had been combing records worldwide, both criminal and otherwise, to find people suitable for their needs. Tracking him down was the difficult part, due to his transience. A representative of the company was sent to the carnival Pyro worked at to see if his antisocial behaviour was too good to be true. They took a keen interest in Pyro's past, his general lack of regard for human life, and his talents with fire. He had no fear of fire and didn't care if he hurt people. Plus, he was able to build his own weapons out of things he had lying around -- mainly flamethrowers, but a couple of improvised melee-style weapons, too. It was just what RED was looking for in one of their new mercenaries. Plus, he had no ties to anyone. No one would ask questions if he went missing.
He was promised a job if he would go to a school far from where he lived on their dime, a job that would let him do whatever he pleased with fire. Not mentioned to him was the fact that it was essentially a mercenary job where he probably wouldn't live very long. It was talked up as an opportunity to burn anything that got in his way. An opportunity to help defend RED's property and secrets from a bitter rival company. An opportunity to put his unique talents to good use. A perfect job in this cutthroat world of business. Could he pass this chance up? No, of course not. So he agreed. A woman employed by RED would act as his legal guardian, a woman by the name of Ms. Pauling. She could play the part of a "caring" mother convincingly enough to get Pyro through the court system.
As he had to return to court due to his criminal record (there was a bit of trouble getting him out of the country), thanks to some legal wrangling by RED (they bribed the judge), he was able to get a release to leave the country...On the condition that he get a therapy animal to help keep his violent urges calm. He was given a white rabbit that he named Hephaestus. With this new lease of life, he heads to Reims with the first shred of optimism he's felt in life.
SAMPLES
INTRANET/1ST PERSON SAMPLE: [Pyro's in what looks to be one of the chemistry labs. His scarred face appears in the view of the camera and he grins.]
Today we're going to have an interesting chemistry lesson, for once. This is a bunsen burner. [He motions to the one in front of him.] And this is a spark lighter. [He scrapes squeezes the one in his hand to make a few sparks appear. He then lights the bunsen burner and his grin grows wider.]
You guys should know that sometimes minerals burn with an interesting light, right? This shit is so cool, I can't keep it to myself. I can tell what minerals are in the dishes here just by burning 'em.
... Oh, right, you, uh, might want to wear goggles while you're doing this. Safety first or some bullshit. [He snaps a pair of goggles on, that grin never leaving his face. He proceeds to dip a wire loop in some powder in one of the dishes. He's entranced by the fire itself and it takes him a moment before he starts his 'experiment'. The flame flashes crimson.]
Strontium. [He cleans the loop and does it again. The flame is golden in colour.] Iron. [And again. A bright, white flash is seen.] Magnesium. [Again. An emerald flame.] Copper. [Continuing on, a light blue flame.] Arsenic. [And finally, a dark violet.] Potassium.
This is how fireworks get all their pretty colours. See? Fire's good for learning something. Now go burn something and see what colour it turns. [He flashes one last grin to the camera before shutting it off.]
LOG/3RD PERSON SAMPLE: Freak. Monster. Mutant. He thought the insults would stop by the time he got to this school, that it would be different, for once. He should have known better than to have a single shred of optimism; it only ever ended with him being disappointed and angrier. Nothing ever changed.
He threw down his books and flopped onto his bed. His roommates weren't around, so he was alone for a few glorious moments. The only sound in the room came from Hephaestus, scratching around in his enclosure. Pyro stared at the ceiling and sighed. Foolish. So fucking foolish. He was an idiot for every hoping, much less thinking, that anyone would treat him like a human being. The noise from Hephaestus grew a little louder. Pyro sat up and peered into the cage.
"You always know when I'm feeling like this," he said quietly as he reached down to pick up the white rabbit.
He set the creature in his lap and began to stroke his fur. A smile came to his face. He was still alone in the world with just a goddamned rabbit for company, but a rabbit that made this okay...Well, not okay, but better. He was never really sure why petting the rabbit soothed his anger so much, but he didn't care; it was a moment where he didn't have to feel angry or upset. The only thing that mattered, at the moment, was making this rabbit happy. He'd forgotten about the taunts, the stares, and the looks that followed him everywhere. In this short period of time, everything was forgotten and it was good.
HAVE YOU READ THE FAQ? You'll have to unleash the rabid wombat.