Pop

Pop is a character in *BERZERK!* Pop is part of The Team, a government sponsored group of young heroes that is maintained by Origin.

## Early-Life

Reese West was born in Staten Island, NY, and lived with their mother, father, and little sister named Poppy. Reese had a relatively awesome childhood. Their mom was a history teacher who loved nature  and would take Reese and Poppy on hikes. Reese was especially close to Poppy. Although they were two years apart and rather different, they were the best of friends. The West family was the normal nuclear American family.

At school, Reese had many friends and was extremely social. Their loud, and at times eccentric personality attracted other kids in their class to them. Although they were great at making friends, their learning disabilities often made school hard for them. Their dyslexia was one of their biggest struggles at school, making it difficult for them to read and write. Reese’s father spent time tutoring them, insisting that even with their disabilities, Reese was still smart. They were still special. The two would spend time together outside of tutoring by building toys together. Their father was an engineer with a love of antique toys, and Reese would help him restore, repair, and clean up after working on toys. The first toy they made together was a small wooden car.

To say that Reese had the picture perfect early childhood wouldn’t be an opinion, but a fact.

## Discovering Powers

Reese and Poppy loved fireworks. Every Fourth of July the West family would travel to see the local fireworks display. Reese used to imagine making fireworks themself and would play pretend with Poppy, giggling and smiling as Reese would make firework sounds and pretend to see them flying in the air. Often, Reese would gather things from their father’s supplies and try to build their own fireworks. These faux fireworks would never work. Regardless of their failures, Reese was determined to make real fireworks. Something in Reese’s gut told them they could make fireworks, if they really tried.

Reese was ten years old and it was the last day of school. Poppy had received top marks in all of her classes, and Reese wanted to celebrate. They wanted to create a firework for Poppy. That night, they went to their backyard and concentrated. Reese closed their eyes, and when they opened them, a little firework popped out. They were excited, and tried again. They were able to make small fireworks.

With their discovery, they went back inside the house to show off their newfound abilities. Inside the house, their sister was preoccupied with a TV show and their parents were bickering about dinner. They tried to get everyone’s attention. Nobody listened. They did a little firework to try to get their attention again. Nobody paid attention yet again.

Nobody seemed to care about their discovery. Reese was annoyed and angry. In what felt like a flash, Reese saw a red light followed by darkness. When they awoke, they were being wheeled into an ambulance, and the house was burning.

## Joining The Team

After being in the hospital for several days, it was decided that Reese was a threat to the public. After being in a holding facility for several weeks, Origin arrived to retrieve Reese and bring them into his program. Out of all of the kids, Reese probably had the harshest training, in an effort to control their powers. However, you wouldn’t be able to tell with the way they compose themself. After joining the team, Reese felt as though they can become a hero, rather than a threat.

## Powers and Abilities

* **Firework Blasts:** Pop can generate colorful, explosive fireworks. These blasts can vary in size and shape, based on Pop's desired use. Pop also has an empathic bond with theses blasts. Their feelings affect the color of the blast. Weather conditions like wind and lightning can also alter the blasts.
* **Heat Resistance:** Pop can withstand high temperatures of heat. In return, they can not be hurt by the power of their own blasts.
	+ However, they can still be hurt by objects and materials that are affected by the blasts.

## Weaknesses

* **Age:** Because of their age and inexperience, Pop can often be reckless and impulsive with their actions. This can largely set back The Team and missions. Because of their age as well, they are more likely to be affected by the opinions, pressures, and thoughts of others.
* **Water**: Large amounts of water, and submersion can render Pop's fireworks useless. The water does not allow for Pop's fireworks to ignite.
* **Weather Conditions**: The weather can both negatively and positively affect the blasts. Pop always needs to be aware of how temperature, humidity, and other various weather conditions can affect the blasts.

## Paraphernalia

* **Fanny Pack:** Pop carries a fanny pack with various items inside:
	+ Candy.
	+ First aid supplies.
	+ iPod shuffle with their favorite songs.
	+ Various nicknacks like small wooden toys and small explosive gags.

## Trivia

* Pop collects vintage toys and fixes up.
	+ Pop has an affinity for other vintage things as-well, such video games, music, etc.
* Pop considers Legacy to be their best friend.
* Pop has learning disabilities.
	+ Kaitlyn used her experience with learning disabilities when fleshing out Pop as a character.
* As decided by Amy, the Taylor Swift songs that best reflect Pop are, "Betty" and "It's Nice To Have A Friend," and their album is *Fearless.*
* When originally creating Pop, Will started by creating their name. Pop was chosen because Will was working on James Bruenger-Arreguin's senior project, *POP!.*
	+ Will thought it would be funny.