S031 - Panicker, Abhishek [DECEASED]

#1

Name: Abhishek Panicker
Gender: Male
Age: 17
Grade: 12th
School: John Endecott Memorial Academy
Hobbies and Interests: Politics, accordion, debate, trolling, video games, communist history, sewing

Appearance: Abhishek is shorter than average, at only 5'5", and he is thin, at only 125 pounds. He has a small frame with narrow, rounded shoulders, and though he is in shape, he is not particularly muscular; he exercises only to maintain a feminine, attractive physique. His body is almost entirely devoid of hair due to a mix of genetics and his active interest in removing it. He is of mixed Indian and European descent, though he takes more after his father's side of the family; he has moderate brown skin with warm undertones, and his skin tans more than it burns.

Abhishek has straight, raven-black hair, styled as a long bob with side-swept bangs. His face is round and oval-shaped, and he has a soft, delicate appearance; as a result, others often mistake him for a girl. He has a button nose with subtle freckles across the bridge and on parts of his cheeks. His eyebrows are thin and well-groomed, with a brownish-black color, slightly lighter than his hair. He has expressive eyes of bright brown color, decorated with subtle eyeliner; his eyes have small dark spots below them due to heavy computer use and a lack of sleep. Abhishek grows a minimal amount of facial hair; he painstakingly eliminates it when it does appear.

His voice is somewhat high-pitched, and he trains it to sound more feminine than average; he often speaks with a dramatic, theatrical flair, owing to his eccentricities.

Abhishek has a strange sense of style, evident in his usual outfits when not constrained by rules; he adorns them with pins, patches, and badges, which display various historical and pop culture references. However, he wears more subdued outfits at school because of the dress code. In addition, Abhishek almost always wears a metal necklace with an oval, claw-set amber glass pendant; it was a gift from his late grandfather and is of immense sentimental value to Abhishek.

On the day of the trip's occurrence, Abhishek sported an outfit suitable to the school's dress code, much to his chagrin. He wore an unbuttoned red-over-red checkerboard-pattern dress-shirt over a thin white sweater, a pair of faded blue jeans, prescription clubmaster-style glasses, a gray knit beanie, and the necklace he received from his grandfather.

Biography: Abhishek Panicker was born in Salem, Massachusetts, the second child—he has a brother, Adarsh Panicker, who is two years his senior—of Rajendra Panicker and Joyce Panicker (née Sharron), both of whom are mid-level accountants at the Frye & Company management consulting firm. The two met at the firm shortly after they received their jobs and found they shared many similarities; they both worked in data entry and received job offers from the company shortly after graduating from their post-secondary education. They also shared similar economic statuses, indifference towards politics, and views of the world around them. Eventually, after filing the proper paperwork with Human Resources, the two pursued a brief—but successful—romance and quickly married.

Abhishek's parents were both born into relatively poor, working-class families; as a result, they were determined to break from their roots and succeed where others before them failed. The two poured themselves into their work, taking long hours in the hopes of climbing the corporate ladder and becoming successful, despite the monotony and stress of their work. Abhishek's father, in particular, viewed career advancement as the only measure of his success and worth as a person and became devoted to his employment, valuing it far above his happiness or health.

While the couple successfully managed their work-life balance when raising Adarsh, this balance didn't survive the birth of their second child, Abhishek. Abhishek's parents had more difficulty raising two children than only one; while they managed to do so, it forced them to split their time between Adarsh and Abhishek. The two also had contention between them due to their differing views on how they should parent; Rajendra was heavy-handed, harsh, and argumentative, while Joyce was distant and hands-off.

Adarsh was a diligent, quiet, and obedient child who caused little trouble and for whom Rajendra and Joyce held great affection; the same did not apply to Abhishek, an intelligent but distracted, troublesome, and loud child who often disregarded directions and caused problems. His brother quickly became the favorite child, a fact which Abhishek's parents scarcely concealed from him; when his brother received regular praise, Abhishek would receive constant criticism for his difficulty and inattentiveness. They hoped this would drive Abhishek to become more like his brother; however, it only frustrated him, as they didn't recognize him even when he tried his best. In addition, it drove a wedge between the siblings; Abhishek resented his older sibling for setting what he felt were impossible expectations, and the two siblings, while they eventually reconciled, would never grow particularly close.

Abhishek often found himself alone; he had few friends, and his parents preferred to spend their free time with his older brother rather than him. He often found himself playing video games on the computer to help him escape the feelings of loneliness he experienced; in particular, he grew to enjoy Source games, with the Half-Life and Portal games proving to be his favorites. He loved them for the intelligent design of the levels and the feeling of power he experienced when interacting with the systems they presented, such as the Gravity Gun and the Portal Gun.

Around the time that Abhishek entered sixth grade, his parents received important promotions due to their efficiency and work ethic; however, it came with the caveat of more difficult working hours, which would allow them to spend less time at home. The promotion became a predicament, and they could no longer spend as much time with their children; they enlisted Rajendra's father, Kailash Panicker, a metalworker who had immigrated from Kerala, a state in India, to take care of the children while they went to work. Kailash treated his grandsons equally, unlike their parents; as a result, Abhishek grew close to his grandfather, the first person to show pride in him.

Abhishek developed an interest in some of Kailash's hobbies due to their close relationship; in particular, he learned how to play the accordion, which his grandfather had learned to play after immigrating to the United States of America. While Abhishek initially had difficulty operating the instrument, he learned to play it with the guidance of his grandfather; over time, he became quite skilled. As Abhishek continued to practice the use of the instrument, he decided to create a Youtube channel to record his progress, as well as to show off the songs and covers he felt the proudest of; Abhishek continues to upload the videos despite low viewership, considering the experience as the part that matters.

During middle school, Abhishek achieved middling grades; the sole exception was in Social Studies, a class he found far more interesting than others. While Abhishek understood the curriculum, he had trouble staying motivated on assignments; he often handed in rushed, poor-quality work, and his grades subsequently declined. This decline became evident in eighth grade, which caused frustration for his parents, who held their children to high standards of academic success; however, neither of them could agree on a solution to the problem. Rajendra wanted to enforce a strict study regimen and strip Abhishek of his hobbies as a punishment; Joyce believed this would only make Abhishek more uncooperative and proposed that they offer the children rewards for higher marks. Rajendra reluctantly agreed, and, to his surprise, the strategy worked; having a tangible reward for better grades helped Abhishek stay motivated, and his grades improved significantly.

In his sophomore year of high school, Abhishek and his family suffered a personal tragedy; his grandfather, Kailash, suffered an unexpected heart attack, and while they brought him to a hospital in time, he died following complications during his treatment. The family was devastated, and their grief only increased with the medical bill they received, which their insurance did not adequately cover. Rajendra and Joyce buried themselves in their work to ignore the heartache and offset the bill, while Abhishek, devoid of the one person he felt understood him, became depressed and withdrawn. At school, he soon began to display a dark sense of humor; he would make fun of bad situations and unfortunate events to cope with his pain.

Abhishek, during this period, became more politically aware, a fact caused by the stress of the medical bills and a surge of far-right rhetoric in the mainstream media during the presidency of Jared Canon. His parents were indifferent to politics and were relatively content as long as the economy was strong, but Abhishek had different views. He took an interest in socialism and the history of countries that practiced it and believed their theories and methods of governance were fascinating; eventually, he began to consider himself a socialist and later a communist, driven by his hatred of the existing economic system.

At the same time, Abhishek joined a political discussion forum to discuss his newly-discovered ideas and views. At first, he enjoyed it, but he gradually became frustrated due to toxicity, poor administration, and having to defend himself from personal criticism and ad-hominem arguments. He began to take out his stress on the forum; he acted in bad faith intentionally, disrupting discussions with nonsensical argumentation and the Gish gallop. He insulted the users he didn't like and made hasty excuses and defenses whenever he came under scrutiny; this behavior gradually made him a highly controversial forum member. Abhishek has come close to being banned on several occasions; occasional positive contributions, a history of—now tarnished—good behavior and a reduction in activity following controversies are the only things keeping him on the website.

Abhishek also joined the high school debate club; he initially held a poor reputation due to an unwillingness to take the debates seriously, often making ridiculous claims and strawman arguments. On the rare occasions where he showed a willingness to participate, though, he conveyed his points articulately and effectively; he has gradually made efforts to become a better debater, which has earned him a small amount of credit from his fellow members. He is skilled at taking devil's advocate positions and puts significant effort into arguing points he doesn't necessarily believe. He occasionally reverts to his trolling when he feels his opponents act in bad faith, though he tries to avoid doing this in scored debates; still, Abhishek is not above making small jabs at his opponents, which frequently remain unnoticed.

Abhishek began participating in elective sewing classes at John Endecott Memorial Academy, mostly because he wanted to sew socialist patches onto his clothes. While he was not allowed to do so due to the school's dress code, he soon developed a more genuine interest in the process; he continued to take the class and has become proficient at sewing over time. He continues to sew in his spare time; he often attaches flag patches and other accessories to his clothing outside of school and repairs them when necessary.

Abhishek found himself among a group of similarly-minded peers at John Endecott Memorial Academy due to his political beliefs; they helped to comfort him through the stress of his situation following the death of his grandfather. Their presence made him feel less alone with the problems in his life, and he formed close bonds with his newly-found friends; Abhishek quickly became devoted to them. Over time, this friend group crystallized into a group that they affectionately dubbed the "Vanguard" as a reference to Leninist theory; Abhishek remains an active member and participant of the friend group.

Around his sophomore year, Abhishek realized that he felt attracted to both girls and boys; as a result, he concluded that he was bisexual. He came out to his family quickly but received little support; his father was displeased and argued with Abhishek, and his mother was indifferent. Later, in junior year, Abhishek also began to use the money he received from grades to experiment with how he dressed and styled himself; Abhishek discovered that he preferred to style himself in feminine or androgynous ways. He also began to exercise in a way that helped him build a more feminine body shape and trained his voice somewhat; nonetheless, he considers himself male, albeit feminine. As before, Abhishek received little support; he was not discouraged, however, as he had become accustomed to their lack of approval of his endeavors.

Abhishek's grades are above-average, steadily within the mid-B to the high-A range. His highest grades are in Social Studies and his elective classes, where he consistently excels, despite occasional reprimands for wisecracking. His lowest marks are in Mathematics and English Language Arts, which he finds tedious; despite this, he is still a good student. However, Abhishek's disciplinary record is poor, as he frequently finds himself in detention for various infractions; the most severe of these infractions was during the Class Vice Presidential Election, from which he received a disqualification after insulting Principal MacArthur.

Socially, Abhishek is divisive at best and hated at worst; many students consider him to be a combination of insensitive, annoying, or rude. He did receive some credit from his peers following his stunt in the election, which saw him receive a surprisingly large amount of write-in protest votes. He does have genuine friendships at school, but they consist primarily of the other members of the "Vanguard," to whom he is more emotionally open and friendly. He is in a relationship with another member of the friend group, a boy named Noah Karimi-Fallah; the two are very close and care deeply for one another. Abhishek has a strained relationship with his family; he and his father do not get along due to Rajendra's rigid, unaccepting personality, and he is distant from his mother, who is not active in his life. Abhishek and his brother, Adarsh—currently studying accounting at the University of Southern California—are remote, separated by their differences in upbringing and personality.

When he eventually graduates from high school, Abhishek plans to take a gap year; during that time, he'll decide on his plans for his future. He is considering studying journalism or political science, much to the chagrin of his parents; they insist that he follow in their footsteps and pursue a career in accounting, though he has chosen to disregard this.

Advantages: Abhishek is intelligent when he chooses to be; he may be able to think his way out of situations with creative problem-solving. He has a tight-knit group of friends in the form of the "Vanguard," who he can rely on as allies. Abhishek is not discouraged by others; attempts to hurt him emotionally will likely prove pointless. Due to his exercise, he is fit and may far better than some of his less active peers.
Disadvantages: Abhishek is generally divisive among the population of John Endecott Memorial Academy; he will have a difficult time finding allies outside of his established friendships. His flippant, insolent personality is frustrating to many and may provoke other students. Abhishek bristles under the authority of others; as a result, he may act in ways that are unconducive to the game and suffer punishment as a result. He is also emotionally reliant on the support of his established friendships and relationships; separated from those he cares about, he may crack under pressure.

Designated Number: Student No. 031

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Designated Weapon: Shuriken x5

Conclusion: Throwing points at people isn't going to work so well in this setting, even if we're giving you sharper points than you're used to - Abby Soto