Danil Bayot

**Danil Bayot** is gay and homophobic

Charlie Namjilyn (Close friend)

## Appearance

Danil is a tall, lanky young man with a resting angry expression. He often wears band tees under his signature blue hoodie. These clothes are often accompanied by not-quite-ripped jeans and the same pair of beat up black converse he's had since the senior year of high school.

## History

### Background

Danil is a second-generation immigrant, born to two parents who immigrated from the Philippines a year or so before he was born. His father, before the immigration, was a rather influential business man, so he managed to carry over some of his wealth into the US. His mother came from a somewhat locally known family and there were some rumors that her marriage with her husband was more-or-less arranged. Regardless, their faith in the Roman Catholic church was mutual, and this was definitely a driving force in the relationship and family dynamic.

Danil’s father, while he was growing up, was rather tough on him, believing that Danil would have to be the “strong older brother” to his younger siblings. However, as the years would pass, another child would never come, making Danil an only child. While his mother doted on him and did her best to provide him love, his father grew resentful towards him. He believed that because Danil hadn’t “tried hard enough” to become stronger for his future siblings, God decided that the family was not deserving of another child. This pushed Danil to be constantly trying to prove himself to the only other male in his household- whether it be through academic or physical ability. He pushed himself to serve in the local Catholic church (a prominent religion in his town, New Orleans), becoming an altar boy as soon as he met the requirements. Then, as he approached junior high, he joined the wrestling team, as that was the only athletic sport that appealed to him. This is where he properly met Percy and got to know him- as they had of course seen each other around their school and at the church (associated with the school.) They both bonded over being new to the sport and began to push each other to become stronger. These two remained both as friends and as classmates as they entered high school. Percy would be the one to introduce Danil to older American movies and the art of cinematography.  It was during one of their film-watching sessions during sophomore year that Danil began to feel something brewing within him. He realized that his feelings for Percy were more than the average platonic feelings one should have. He went home early, unsettled, and avoided Percy for a few days. This didn’t last long, as Percy showed up at Danil’s house after school one day, begging to talk to him- something like this had never occurred in their friendship. Danil reluctantly let him into his room and the truth was eventually pried out of him. Percy initially reacted calmly, but stated that he did not feel that way towards Danil and he soon left. That’s what Danil thought, anyway, but in actuality, his friend went downstairs to his father and told him his “concerns' ' about Danil’s future and who he was as a person. Danil’s father nearly immediately called him downstairs after Percy actually left, where he was reprimanded for his “sinful” thoughts and perceived harmful behavior (that never actually happened.) Danil was forced to quit the wrestling team, both by his father and rumors that Percy himself had begun circulating. Danil’s last two years of high school were spent in relative isolation as he began to solely focus on graduating, avoiding both his peers and his family as much as possible. In his free time, he would begin to analyze film, specifically the found footage genre. This is what would later on spark his YouTube channel with his friends in college. He applied to attend Arizona State University, intending to study film as his major. He was accepted and practically fled there as soon as he could, driving his busted 2004 Toyota Tacoma all the way there with the pocket change he could gather for food and gas.