M26: AARONS, JERRY [DECEASED]

#1

DECEASED

Name: Jerry Aarons
Gender: Male
Age: 16
Hobbies and Interests: Fantasy novels, football, the military

Appearance: Jerry sports a robust frame, standing 5'9" tall and weighing 160 lbs. His Native American blood lends his complexion a full, greyish tint during the long, sunless winter months, which blossoms into a deep, healthy bronze during the summer. His other features also recall this heritage: heavy eyebrows, deep brown eyes, and full face with high cheekbones. A black ponytail reaches down past his shoulder blades onto his well-muscled back.

During the winter months, Jerry most often wears his letterman's jacket or a hoodie with a t-shirt and cargo jeans. When the weather warms up, he favors a light t-shirt or tank top and shorts. Most of the time, he sticks with utilitarian hiking boots unless he is running or otherwise training for football. He is, overall, a decent-looking guy who might be called handsome if he tended more to his appearance.

Biography: Born in the Northwestern United States, Jerry's family moved to Pittsburgh while he was still quite young. Their official motive was work reasons, but their real reasoning was somewhat of an open secret - His father, a full-blooded Kllalam, had yet to serve his second five-year term in the military and wanted to ensure that his mother, a Pittsburgh native, had family to support her during his long absence. He was shipped out not long after. It was a tough time for all of them, and a very influential one on the young Jerry. While clinging to his mother for support, he grew also to idolize his father, bravely leaving home to keep America safe.

Happily for all involved, Mr. Aarons returned home safely, ready to enjoy the presence of the family he'd put on hold, delighting his son with stories from his service. Jerry planned to follow in his footsteps even before he was truly cognizant of mandatory military service. The realization made him even more determined to be a hero, to stand out in the inevitable sea of unwilling draftees.

The question of race is one that has always been in Jerry’s mind. For the other children in elementary school, he wasn’t Caucasian, so he was a target, no questions asked. How, he thought, could they look down upon a future American hero? The answer came in the form of superheroes on TV and in comic books. There were people who wanted Superman, Batman, Spider-Man dead. They were called villains. Learning about his heritage, how his ancestors had been there since time immemorial, before the ancestors of all those jeering villains, produced a sort of dichotomy within his mind. In time, of course, this simplistic worldview became less cut-and-dried. But he retained his coping strategy of turning on other minorities, adding to it a steadfast Native pride.

Academically, Jerry has always been pretty average. Scoring neither exceptionally high nor exceptionally low in most subjects, his performance has never been a big issue for him or for his parents. He has always done well in reading, thanks to his fondness for adventure tales, sword-and-sorcery and sci-fi alike. Laser-firing commandos, sword-swinging heroes, any defender of the free peoples, they all reminded him how much of a hero his dad was, and how much of a hero he himself would become.

Physical fitness has always been a part of his life. From walks with his mom as a small boy to training for football in highschool, he was always kept himself active. His vision of the future makes being physically fit a priority, and in the shorter term, he hopes to earn a spot on the team’s starting lineup as a senior. From time to time during his training, he has considered his fitness in regards to participation in the Program, but is always quick to brush the thought away. Like most teens, he prefers not to think about the selection process. And for him, the notion of training specifically for the Program is as silly as picking out a house specifically to buy after winning the lottery.

Advantages: Jerry is in great shape physically. Racism from his classmates has given him a drive to continually prove himself to them, and his own racist leaning makes him determined to beat them for himself.
Disadvantages: The same racist attitudes present potential problems for Jerry. Thousands of derogatory assertions have created creeping doubts within his mind, leaving him insecure at his core. Years of misguided coping strategies and retaliation mean he has found occasions to cause offense to practically everyone besides the rare fellow Native.

Designated Number: Male Student #26

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Designated Weapon: Ornate Comb
Conclusion: Well, even with the awful weapon, M26 has a shot. It will all depend on his early game performance; if he can actually get himself established, he may carry things, but the odds favor his better-equipped peers.

DECEASED