Penelope Birkin

Penelope, often referred to as Penny by her peers, is a Varsity Council Cheerleader attending Thirlcrest Academy. She currently holds the position of Co-Captain (2ic). She is played by neIIycat.
==Appearance==
Penny is of below average height, making her one of the shortest on the cheer team, yet one of the heaviest due to her background as a gymnast - as a result, Penny is also one of the most athletic cheerleaders, gifting her with the ability to lift most girls with ease and preform impressing stunts and tumbling routines. She sports long, brown curls that she fashions into a bun atop her head, with star-shaped glasses. During the winter, Penny is seen in a black ushanka and black coat. 
Penny, whilst on campus, takes great pride in her position on the cheer team, and as a result can often be seen sporting the cheerleading costume underneath a cropped Cheerleading letterman - adorned with typical cheer patches and custom made ones to represent her pride. 
Penny is the younger sister to current jock, Ken Birkin, and the twin sister of Danny Birkin - a former student of Thirlcrest. Penny looks strikingly similar to her brothers. 
==Characteristics==
Within her time on campus and her ascension of the ranks in Cheerleading, Penny's attitude has become more of a stern, yet caring one - she cares deeply for her cheerleader peers, and is often seen mingling and chatting with all students around campus. However, Penny, like many other cheerleaders, is known to have a mean streak - especially concerning Astronomy Club members. If she feels insulted or threatened, she will not hesitate to default into mean insults and name-calling. Still, Penny maintains a rather happy attitude, as long as she isn't being crossed. She is noted to openly have more wits about her than other Cheerleaders on the team, making her a daunting force in the means of gossip and rumour-spreading.
Once upon a time, it was often debated if Penny intentionally made herself seem dumber than she looks, due to her grades being above average for someone in the Varsity programme. This is still a conflict of interest surrounding Penny, as she will often revert to acting like her own ditzy or usual self once confronted with trouble she can't get out of, making the rumour all but confirmed to those who see her switch between the two states. 
It's clear Penny's true talent resides in gymnastics and acrobatics - as she is a captain of tumbling within Cheerleading - but she takes a keen interest in other activities, such as cooking. She is the current president of the schools Cooking Club. 
==Character Background==
Born to a Brazilian mother and American father, Penny's upbringing was typical of most American suburban families - Penny never encountering any troubles at school or with her parents early on in her life. Penny was born as a twin to her brother, Danny - and the two were inseparable throughout their childhoods and teenage years, until the creation of Havoc Hive. From a young age, Penny showed a keen interest in gymnastics, acrobatics and combat sports, such as professional wrestling. 
When Penny was five years old, her father surprised her with a trip to Atlanta, Georgia, to watch the Olympic gymnasts in person. Penny was so besotted with the gymnasts that she begged her parents to enrol her in a gymnastics class. They agreed, and Penny began her career as a gymnast alongside her brother - going on to compete in back-to-back competitions with him, and eventually becoming state champions of their respective genders together. 
During her early teenage years, Penny's mother was diagnosed with a slow, yet terminal form of cancer. Heartbroken and lost, Penny's father began to obsessively seek cures for his wife - eventually finding solace and false-hope within a Catholic church. Unfortunately, this church was almost predatory toward her Father and his families grief, Mr Birkin then becoming obsessed with religion and donating large amounts of their family savings into it - causing strain between the family, for the first time ever. It wasn't only the money that Mr Birkin began to forfeit in his religious journey; he became gradually more uncomfortable that Danny, his youngest son, was more timid and 'feminine' than his older brother, Ken. 
As a result of Mr Birkin's growing paranoia surrounding Christ and religion, he abruptly enrolled his children into a Catholic school, which offered certain 're-education' programmes as apart of their curriculum. Unfortunately, Penny's brother Danny was subjected to these lessons, and became mentally unwell as a result, leading to him becoming addicted to opioids. A few months after her twins first battle with addiction, Penny's mother passed away due to complications surrounding her cancer.
Heartbroken and enraged, Penny saw it fit to take matters into her own hands, and conducted a savage attack on a teacher at her school. In a blind rage, Penny beat a re-education teacher with a fold up steel chair, as her brother cowered in the corner of the room. Once the police arrived, Penny was arrested - as was Danny, refusing to be apart from his sister, even if it meant implicating himself in a crime he didn't commit. 
As apart of a settlement agreement between her Father and the victim, both Penny and Danny were ordered to attend Thirlcrest Academy.
==Relationships==
===Ken Birkin===
Penny and Ken maintain a close relationship with one and other, which was only amplified with the relapse and general decline of their brother, Danny. Penny seeks comfort and advice from her brother often, despite thinking he can be a little meat-headed and not think things through. Ken is fiercely protective of Penny - to her annoyance, most of the time. 
=== Danny Birkin ===
Penny and Danny, despite being inseparable their entire lives, now have an extremely strained relationship, which began when Danny began becoming addicted to opioids as a result of bullying at Thirlcrest. Danny beat Elliot in a blind, protective rage - causing Penny to cut contact with him, which is often attributed to be the catalyst of him becoming a member of the Hive. Before Penny's mother passed, she made the promise that she would look out for her brother and care for him, and Penny believes she broke it. 
=== Elliot Thompson ===
Elliot and Penny began their tumultuous relationship on the night of the Fall Formal, when Penny abruptly ditched the dance to speak with Elliot on the bleachers. There, they connected with each other - and despite their tendency to argue and rip apart, became infatuated with each other. Elliot's position in the Peacekeepers often causes strain and tension on their relationship, with Penny constantly assuring him that nothing would change the way she feels for him. 
That is until Winter of 2007, when Elliot's mental health began to take a turn for the worst, leading him to be under the impression that violence was the sure way to solve all of his problems. Penny, after months of standing by and watching him be hurt and hurt others, decided she would not bear to watch him ruin himself, causing her to leave him. Penny still harbours deep feelings for Elliot, but unfortunately did what she always tends to do - running from someone who needs her. 
== Trivia ==
- Penny can't swim. This is considered her highest insecurity, and she becomes extremely defensive over it. 
- Penny, curiously, has a slight obsession with the cartoon cat, Garfield. She has a lot of Garfield merch and memorabilia in her dorm room, and even has Garfield pyjamas. 
Category:Characters