RED Sniper | ||||||||||||||||||
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"at the end of the day, long as there's two people left on the planet, someone is gonna want someone dead"
History
Sniper (born as Roger White) was a fairly lonely child — he had his parents, but that was about it. Being told to always be polite to others, he always remained relatively quiet after meeting someone new to prevent saying the wrong thing. When a bad word or anything of the sort did slip out of his mouth, he would feel the wrath of his mother, who was pretty much a stickler for manners. Needless to say, Roger didn't have many friends, and after he finished grade school, didn't feel much of a need to continue his education.
Not entirely sure as to what to pursue for a career, Roger was badgered by his father to go to college and get some sort of degree, preferably one in the medical field as the elder White had always wanted to be a doctor, but never could afford college himself. So, begrudgingly, Roger headed to one of the best colleges in Australia, only to find himself quite overwhelmed by the workload given to him. After a semester of struggling through classes, he dropped out and spent two years in the Outback hunting wild game, a pastime he had always hoped he could turn into a career. Unfortunately, though skilled at being a huntsman, he quickly learned that it wasn't a great source of income. At that point, he had a choice: go back home and live with his parents, or find an actual, well-paying job. Choosing the latter, he began to look through the classified ads in the newspaper for that job. A large advertisement for the Reliable Excavation and Demolition company was the first thing that caught his eye — he would be able to put his hunting skills to use there, since apparently, it was a job where he'd have to hunt and attack the members of an opposing company, the Builders League United. He quickly put in an application and was called in for an interview a few days later.
After getting the job, he decided to no longer go by his actual name and only answer to Sniper, as the bow and arrow and sniper rifle really, really interested him. He could attack the enemy without ever being spotted, and he could remain alone for a good portion of the day. Sounded perfect! His parents absolutely hated the idea of their only son spending his days in a war zone, though, and his father unfortunately believed that Sniper was now a crazed gunman and nothing more. Sniper occasionally sent postcards to his mother, one of which he made clear for her to inform his father that he went back to college and became a doctor, so that the elder White would drop the subject.
However, a year or so after working at RED, Sniper was stabbed in the back by an enemy Spy disguised as a friendly Medic, and though he expected to respawn at the same point as he was familiar with, he ended up at a very strange, very foreign world.
Personality
Sniper is known to be a man who usually keeps to himself. After all, he lives in a camper van and spends a large portion of each day scoping out enemies while in hiding — something an outgoing person wouldn't necessarily be known to do. Though relatively quiet, he's seen to be a helpful teammate by his fellow REDs, as by staying far away from the front lines, he can easily scope out and shoot enemies with either his sniper rifle or the Huntsman, a sturdy wooden bow paired with equally tough arrows.
Once defeating an enemy, Sniper shows his polite side by removing his hat and lowering his head. This is a way of showing respect for the fallen BLU, and most likely a way of showing that the fight between them was a decent one — meaning, Sniper was challenged the entire time, which is a good way to learn and build new fighting skills.
Be polite. Be efficient. Have a plan to kill everyone you meet.
The above italics are Sniper's personal mantra — it's stated in the Meet The Sniper video and it describes the man to a T. The early part of the video shows him climbing a tower and quickly shooting the enemy with his sniper rifle, and fleeing the scene as soon as he's spotted, essentially wasting no time at all. Later, he shoots a BLU Soldier, BLU Medic, and BLU Pyro with the same rifle all in succession, only stopping to reload ammunition, though that takes only a few seconds. Finally, in the same video, Sniper impales the enemy Spy with his kukri (basically a gigantic knife that is usually carried on his back, though it's kept in a sleeve and therefore never actually seen until used in combat) then quickly removes his hat, lowers his head, and quietly pays respect.
Sniper is a grown man, though he still talks to his parents, and the video shows this as he spends a decent amount of time talking to his father, who insists that his son is a crazed gunman. Clearly the subject annoys him, since by the end of the video he asks for his mother to be put on the phone and, though no further conversation is shown, it's likely that he has an easier time explaining to his mother his career choice. During the official Sniper Update on the Team Fortress 2 website, a postcard written by Sniper to his mother is shown. In the postcard, he explains what has happened to him lately and how he's fine (though in all honesty, his career entails many injuries, though his parents most likely don't have to know that), as well as a small note that his father should be informed he has changed his career to be in the medical field, though that's entirely false. Sniper has to intentions of changing his career — he only wants his father to drop the subject for good.
Abilities
Sniper has no powers, per se, but he's skilled with the sniper rifle as well as the bow and arrow. He can also wield the kukri with ease, and can switch between each weapon effortlessly. He's great at watching the battlefield from the side lines and attacking from a distance, and if it's absolutely necessary, he can put his jarate skills to use.
Jarate is, in simple terms, a form of combat not to be associated with karate. It's when a mason jar is filled with urine and thrown at the enemy, causing them to be more susceptible to damage as well as being caught on fire. Jarate does actually put fellow teammates who are on fire out, however. Hopefully Sniper won't have to actually use that form of combat here.
Relationships
Important relationships and connections.