Andrew Swainson

From Survival Of The Fittest

Name: Andrew Swainson
Gender: Male
Age: 16
Grade: Sophomore
School: Hobbsborough High School
Hobbies and Interests: Playing the bass, Skateboarding

Appearance: Andrew has naturally red hair. God knows how; his mom has blonde hair and his dad has brown, as well as his brother. If someone were to be blunt they would describe him as a ginger kid, but he isn't quite so pale that he fits this category. He has squinty eyes, so much so that you can't tell what color they are. He is fairly short and scrawny, but it doesn't seem to bother him at all. His favourite attire consists of skateshoes (preferrably Adio), black jeans with a wallet chain, a green longsleeve Dropkick Murphys shirt and a black UK-style cap with a Flogging Molly patch on the back. He carries his skateboard with him practically everywhere he goes.

Biography: Andrew spent his whole life in his brother's shadow. Oliver, his older sibling, was born with the supreme gift of endless creativity and incredible artistic talent. In 2nd grade he was impressing his parents and teachers with his crayon masterpieces. It only grew from there. Year after year Oliver's artistic merit evolved, and Andrew found himself taking a backseat to his brothers achievement. I mean, just look at this opening paragraph. His parents devoted time and money to art courses for young Oliver, nurturing his gift with great enthusiasm. Desperately seeking his medium, Andrew tried his hand at everything he could think of, finding little he could work with as far as natural talent went. By the end of gradeschool he had pretty much given up trying to find anything he was really good at, and worse still Oliver had become quite adept at track and field and soccer, joining both teams and gaining recognition once again. Andrew loved his brother, he really did, but it was becoming hard to cope with his success.

His first semester in highschool was pure hell. He didn't fit in with any of the groups at Southside, he didn't participate in any extra-curricular activities, and he was picked on by one of Oliver's friends. Worse still, Oliver never stood up for him at all. He simply told Andrew that he was like that with everybody. He wasn't though. He would save an extra helping of malevolence for young Swainson, pulling such classics as stuffing him into lockers. This abuse went on until one day when his 'friend' was aggressively trying to bum a few bucks off of him. Andrew told him off for once, and soon found out just how big a mistake that was. The guy beat him to a pulp and threw him in a locker once again, this time shoving a piece of lead from metal shop in the lockpiece, trapping him inside. Andrew banged his fists against the door and called for help, but to no avail; everyone was in class already. Everyone that is, except for Nich Finlayson. Nich, who was lighting up in the stairwell and just barely heard Andrew's cries, came to see what was up. Then without saying a word (and with much effort) he managed to pull the lead piece out and opened the door. Swainson thanked him profusely and expected him to leave, but instead he took a keen interest in Andrew's problem, asking who it was, why they did it, and if he needed any help dealing with the asshole. He did. So Nich handled the situation with a couple of his burnout friends one day after school, and the guy never bothered Andrew again. This was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. And a complete turnaround for Swainson's fortune.

Nich became Swainson's best friend, watching out for him and bringing him to all the burnout social events. He even introduced him to punk and ska, building a strong foundation for Andrew's musical intrest to grow. Soon he was engulfed in the underground punk scene, and a well known regular at shows. He even survived several moshpits, a large undertaking considering his small stature. He became a self-proclaimed anarchist (which we can forgive him for; it's a common staple of punk enthusiasts). But what was important was that he was finally gaining the self-confidence he'd lacked his entire life. At the same time, though, there wasn't anything he was particularly good at. This was remedied when Nich started a new band (his old one being officially broken-up) and offered Swainson a spot. Andrew told him he didn't have any musical talent. Nich said that's ok, you don't need any talent to play bass! And he did just that.

This year is going well; Swainson is actually becoming a competent musician. He isn't a natural, but he's working hard at it and is making a lot of progress. He has also found a keen interest in skateboarding, which he isn't half-bad at either. He's especially good at acid drops, being the only one among his friends able to drop from the top ledge at the rotary building, throw in a quick airwalk, and land it. He is well-liked among his group and has made a couple friends outside of the burnouts. He has aquired a few bad habits from his friends, but it's nothing serious. He owes his entire social life to Nich and aknowledges this from time to time. As a result, he would "gladly take a bullet for him" as he claims.

Advantages: He is a quick thinker and is good at getting himself out of sticky situations. He is also fairly agile, and has developed good motor skills.

Disadvantages: He is physically weak and isn't all that brave either. He has a lousy sense of direction.

Number: B09

Student information originally written by CycoKiller, added to roster on 27 October 2006.

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Designated Weapon: GLOCK 27
Conclusions: A coward with no sense of direction, huh? Even though he got a decent enough weapon, I peg him for an early exit. If the more motivated competitors don't mow him down, he'll probably run into a danger zone on accident or something stupid.