Charlie "Trailblazer" Kynttilä

"Whoops, I drop-kicked my anarchy symbol."

- **Charlie**

Trailblazer is a minor character that may become a side character or antagonist depending on the situation/plot.

"I'm like Sisyphus, but I like fire."

## Appearance

Charlie is a beanpole, being very lanky and thin. They have warm, tan skin, and have never been seen without their mask. They have pure white hair that reaches to the middle of their neck, which droops down enough to cover their ears and partially cover their nose. Atop their head is a black colored hat, which has a medium length visor and a squarish shape. They wear a gray cloak, which has no sleeves and goes down to their knees. On top of it, they have a pitch black poncho with loose strips of cloth hanging around its perimeter. They also have a wool scarf that is white in color, as well as a bandana colored half red and half black. Charlie wears cheap looking light-grey pants and visibly worn black shoes.

## Personality

While they're quiet most of the time, they'll sometimes talk a lot, especially with people they like. Charlie is a chaotic soul who loves to fight and set fires. They are very outspoken about their beliefs and have a strong sense of morality. For some reason, Charlie tends to speak with a lot of metaphors, as if they were trying to write poetry. They are irrationally scared of abandonment, going so far as trying to drastically change their personality or impulsively giving out gifts. Their mood fluctuates easily, going from extreme to extreme in short amounts of time. Charlie has imaginary friends who they can speak to in their head, speaking with them being what they usually do when they're stressed or feeling talkative. A lot of the time, Charlie is either obsessively studying whatever topic they've found interesting, or setting something on fire.

## Backstory

Born into a family that fluctuated between not caring about them and giving them constant gifted kid burnout, Charlie was always a bit tired. With some things not making sense to them on an emotional level, they rationalized everything, and leaned into their logic to an extreme. From their logical point of view, they began to see all the problems with the world as having a few root causes, things which could be destroyed. They would often do petty theft, sometimes because they just felt a compulsion to, but they always ended up giving whatever they stole to people they thought needed it.

They never knew why it seemed like everything could be kept away from people, until many realizations struck them at once. Charlie didn't have time to think about it much, as their shack caught on fire. Most likely, it was from a cooking accident, or from a tossed cigarette. The fire was very intriguing to them, in a way that disarmed their logic, and overwhelmed their heart. It was beautiful, though it hurt to touch.

After their parents saw them do nothing to help grab any of their belongings or put out the fire, they began to get in more and more fights with them. This made them scrap their relationship with their parents, opting to go off on their own. Although they didn't know much about fighting, they could definitely steal good, and they were impulsive enough with fire to distract people from their theft. Eventually, they got enough funds to build themselves a shelter.

It was a pretty rainy day, but Charlie was able to make a roof out of plastic bottles and used yoga mats. Something unexpected happened that day, they met a dog. After they built their shelter, a dog immediately went inside of it, and slept on Charlie's mattress. Being rather apathetic to where they slept, they let the dog stay. They eventually made friends with the dog, which they found rationally advantageous, as being close to dogs provided warmth.

After a week, a cat wandered in, then another dog, then a pigeon. At this point, Charlie didn't know what to do with all these animals. This inspired them to creating their own gang, which they believed could attract enough people to take some of the animals off their hands. When Charlie thought about it, they felt that they could also use the gang to do other stuff, like lighting things on fire and handing out free food.

Charlie had gotten a few members, which let them steal more, which let them get a grappling hook and more things to light stuff on fire. They picked up four important members, who built up the foundation of the gang and its community as well as its general aesthetic. These members were a barber who wrote novels, a main cook, a pastel-obsessed spy, and someone who thought that they were a superhero. General mischief and escapades ensued.

## Weapons and Skills

* Charlie wields, "a fucking **grappling hook**", which they can use to move around or slice enemies with.
* Their kicks are strong enough to cause lethal damage
* They are very skilled at "pulling off bullshit" and utilizing their environment
* As well as their grappling hook, Charlie has a firecracker launcher, and homemade firecrackers.

## Pillowfluff

"Cuddlebuddies in arms."

Pillowfluff is a rather odd gang that was founded by Charlie. With a horizontal power structure and command build by trust and comradery, it's a gang that doesn't really coerce its members much. Their main form of operation is theft, with members shoplifting or stealing at gunpoint (or swordpoint). Pillowfluff engages in dangerous activities, such as operating as a de facto foodbank and giving free stuff to anyone who needs it. Almost all Pillowfluff members use guns or throwing knives, with some using makeshift shields made of scrapmetal and cardboard to guard against projectiles and explosives.

The gang doesn't have requirements for what to wear, but members are suggested to put on pink clothing and ponchos. All of Pillowfluff's members are more or less kind to each other and tend to fall into the category of a community made closer through shared struggles. Its members are sometimes described as "anti-capitalist pastel hippies".

Its original members were mostly made up of people with untreated mental disorders who wanted a home or enough money to get good therapy. Because of the type of people that were in the gang, it grew a culture of mutual aid and collaboration. This characteristic persisted, to the point that the gang now uses a good portion of their funds to help pay for gang members who need mental help or medical care and sometimes shelters non-members if they need somewhere to stay. Pillowfluff members also enjoy setting fire to private property, which Charlie approves of.

## Relationships

* **Sasha "Sashima" Majewska:** While they dislike detectives in general, they have a passing respect for Sasha, and believes that she has good intentions. Under the banner of Pillowfluff, Charlie has no reason to mess with her, since they don't want to incur an unnecessary gang war. They don't have much interest in interacting with her, but they wish to form a mutual agreement of peace sometime in the future. "She's on a mission that I believe to be just. However, LOOK AT IT, her weapon is WEAK. SAUCE. No pink, no spikes, no - and she has a gun? It isn't pink either? I do regard her as a good person, but ew."

## Trivia

* Thinks they can fire giant lasers from their face
* Will at no point make references to Kamen Rider
* Favorite color is gray
* Can intimidate opponents by yelling advertisement scripts at them
* Has a tic where they shake or kick their leg
* Has a beautiful singing voice