S065 - McDuffy, Mitch [DECEASED]

#1

Name: Mitch McDuffy
Gender: Male
Age: 17
Grade: 12
School: John Endecott Memorial Academy
Hobbies and Interests: Video games, airsoft, basketball, esports, climbing

Appearance: Mitch stands at 5'6" and weighs 125 lbs, possessing a lean physique courtesy of an active lifestyle and a naturally high metabolism. He is of Irish ancestry, with fair skin marred by acne scars, dull blue eyes and curly auburn hair that just barely reaches his shoulders. He possesses an angular face framed by a long chin, a pronounced nose, fuzzy eyebrows and distinctly protruding ears that are mostly hidden by his medium-length hair. He has very recently attempted to grow a beard, but the results thus far have been light and patchy.

He owns a wide collection of video game t-shirts, which for the majority of the year he often hides under one of his many hoodies whenever he's at school, with the exception of summer where he tends towards more neutral t-shirts. For the Winter Trip, he wore a black, short-sleeved Halo t-shirt over a white long-sleeved t-shirt, along with a bright orange parka, dark blue jeans, black fingerless gloves and dark grey boots.

Biography: Born in the summer of 2004, Mitch McDuffy has spent the majority of his life living in the same small suburban neighbourhood in Salem, Massachusetts. His father Devin works at an airsoft field, his mother Jolene is a fitness instructor and former cheerleader, both of whom were married for eight years before divorcing in 2010. Two years before his birth his parents also had a daughter named Kerry, with whom he has a strained relationship on account of her being something of a bully during most of his adolescence.

Since an early age, Mitch has always been something of an active child, rarely able to keep himself still for very long without going for a run or clambering on top of something he shouldn't. He would often cause his parents no end of grief whenever they took him outside, where he'd frequently put himself in danger climbing trees or balancing precariously on high walls, which resulted in a handful of broken limbs and early hospital visits. Nevertheless, his parents would take great efforts to funnel his adventurous tendencies by introducing him to indoor rock climbing, a passion of his that continues to this very day.

Outside his self-destructive habits, his early childhood was relatively straightforward, with things only starting to skew somewhat when Jolene discovered that her husband was having an affair with other women behind her back. Unsurprisingly this would lead to their divorce, Jolene taking custody over Mitch and Kerry, and Devin limited to one visit a week. Whilst Kerry resents their father for being unfaithful, Mitch's sympathies remain with Devin, which has caused further strain on his relationship with his older sister.

Unlike his sister, Mitch would still regularly spend time with his father, particularly when he was old enough for his dad to let him play airsoft at his place of work. Ever eager to find new avenues to indulge in his competitive spirit and desire to prove himself, Mitch would quickly grow to love the sport, especially as it was one of the few ways he and his father could bond outside of their mutual love of basketball. Over time he would become something of a regular player, even turning his airsoft birthday parties into an annual event amongst his friends.

Though his mother never particularly approved of his passion for airsoft, she did support his love of basketball, even managing to save up enough to take him to see a local Boston Celtics game. Attending this game at the age of 13 would inspire him to dream of becoming a professional basketball player himself, these aspirations of professional play lasting all the way through to high school, where he would seek to enroll for the basketball team at John Endecott Memorial Academy.

Though he was able to make the team, there was however one issue: Mitch was not actually very good at basketball, his eagerness and passion translating to others as blind overconfidence and a tendency to show off. This often put him at odds with his teammates, who were struggling as it was to get the basketball team to stand out without Mitch trying to pull trick shots every game, almost leading to him being kicked off the team on a number of occasions. Fortunately, though he would eventually improve to a level where he wasn't an active hindrance, though by that point his interest in playing professionally had waned, part of the reason being another hobby of his that went from a casual pastime to a burning passion.

Ever since he got to play on his father's PS3, Mitch has loved video games. He wouldn't own his own console until he was 14, gifted to him by his father after his mother refuted his frequent requests for one, which he would begin to play frequently during his spare time. As the years pressed on, this appreciation would develop into an intense passion, particularly when it came to competitive online shooters that were featured heavily in the esports scene. Not to mention basketball games such as the NBA 2K series, where he would make up for his lack of skill playing basketball in real life by mastering the sport virtually.

This growing passion has understandably been something of a concern for his parents, his mother in particular feeling worried that this has led to him becoming more sedentary than he used to be. Not helping matters is when his growing interest in esports and live streamers led to him giving up on his former dream of becoming a basketball player, and instead he now aspires to become a professional gamer and Twitch streamer. This in particular has put him at odds with his parents, his mother disapproving and father ambivalent, both of whom keep pressuring him to think of what he wants to do for college. As of yet, he remains resolute in his lack of interest in attending college, instead wanting to focus on building his online persona "McDuffinator" to the point where he can eventually make a living off his favourite hobby.

Despite this, his school attendance hasn't waned significantly, though he is a coaster by nature who puts the bare minimum into getting passing grades. Outside of basketball there isn't much about academic life that appeals to him, nor does he ever see himself as someone suited to working a desk job, though this hasn't stopped his sister from constantly making jokes about his destiny to spend his life flipping burgers. He is, however, always keen to try new things, and as such leapt whole-heartedly at the opportunity to go skiing for the first time when the winter trip came along.

Socially, he tends to fare better, though his social life hasn't been without it's hiccups. He likes to see himself as a class clown, though his attempts at living up to this often come across as more awkward than anything else. Nevertheless, his boisterous and fun-loving nature means he's not been without his fair share of friends, though they tend to be somewhat superficial in nature, his apparent inability to take anything seriously limiting him from forming truly close bonds with anyone.

To a certain degree, his irreverent attitude to life very much sums him up as a person, and how he views the world. He's never had particularly noteworthy political inclinations, or strong personal beliefs, instead taking something of a carefree worldview to how he approaches everything in his life. Whenever he's been asked why he never takes anything more seriously, he tends to give some variation of the following answer: Life is short, so why not have fun with it?

Advantages: Mitch is in decent physical condition, and has a foolhardy spirit that allows him to take risks where others are likely to be more hesitant. His experience with airsoft might give him a minor advantage versus someone with zero experience with firearms, and his competitive nature will be a key motivator.
Disadvantages: Mitch is overconfident to a fault, his airsoft experience likely to give him the false impression that he is skilled with using actual firearms. His inability to take things seriously will likely come back to bite him, and his tendency to take risks without much consideration for his safety could end up being his undoing.

Designated Number: Student No. 065

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Designated Weapon: Digging bar

Conclusion: A suitable punishment for anyone who plays airsoft, digging their own grave. - Josie Knight