Demonic little runt

Ripley Aguirre "The Pilot"

@yuyotrix

Image credit: @/yuyotrix

Full Name: Ripley Lawson Aguirre Common Nicknames: Pi, Ripple, Azul Role: Aerial Assault / Support Height: 183cm (6'0") Pronouns: Any Team: R.E.D

Ripley Aguirre, better known simply as Pilot, wasn’t always the reckless, cigarette stained daredevil the mercs know today. She grew up on a quiet mexican farm, an only child surrounded by wooden toys and wide skies. Her parents taught her to build, to dance, to fix things with her hand, and encouraged her ambitions. The day she saw her first plane cutting through the clouds, something inside her changed forever. She wanted to touch the sky– and she did.

He became one of the most talented fliers in his division before a mission gone wrong sent him spiraling to the ground, a metal rod piercing his skull in the process. Ripley survived, but his mind didn’t come back in one piece. The person who woke up was still sharp and brave, but there were cracks– memory loss, emotional detachment, a growing addiction to danger. Soon, Pilot replaced Ripley.

What they lost in stability they gained in raw chaos. Pilot craves adrenaline like oxygen. They laugh at the line between life and death, often crossing it for fun. Their memory slips like sand through their fingers, they forget names, faces, even their own past. But when it comes to their team, they loves them fiercely.. sometimes too fiercely.

Among the mercs, opinions on her are… divided.

Scout thinks they're the coolest thing alive and his favorite partner in crime, though he knows better than to trust them with anything serious.

Soldier sees her as a fellow warrior, reckless but valiant. The perfect cadet to trust when you need someone to watch your six.

Pyro understands his chaos the best. Together they draw, babble, and set things on fire, speaking a language only the two of them seem to know.

Demoman shares their laughter and their drinks, but keeps one eye open (ba dum tss). He’s seen what reckless joy can do.

Heavy respects her heart, not her head. He’s the one who grabs her by the collar before she does something truly stupid.

Engineer sighs the loudest when he returns from a flight with half of the plane destroyed… again. Still, he quietly helps him piece things (and sometimes memories) back together.

Medic finds them amusing. He feeds the recklessness like a scientist feeding a lab rat, he knows better than to turn em down completely. Pilot never refuses his requests, and he enjoys every second of it.

Sniper thinks he's too loud, too bold, too everything. He keeps his distance, though begrudgingly respects the loyalty.

Spy finds her exhausting yet reliable. He knows she’d never betray the team so he weaponizes the chaos. (They also happen to share a cigarette brand, mainly the why he tolerates her)

Pilot’s unpredictable nature makes em a wild card on the battlefield, a disaster waiting to happen or a miracle in motion, depends on the wind really. They're loud, bright, unkillable, and unashamedly alive.

She fights not because she remembers why, but because it’s the only thing that still makes sense.

The Gliders

@ruthytwoshakes

Image credit: @/ruthytwoshakes

You know them, you love them, you better! Introducing Team Fortress’s very own, The Gliders! Yes you heard that right, this year our red friend comes back with a vengeance, and joined by his mysterious Blu counterpart! Representing the Special Forces, the Glider brothers are going all out, it’s employment or bust this year, and even I coward in terror at the thought of what will happen if they lose. Fly high boys! If you know what’s good for ya, vote for your favorite sugar gliders today!

And of course for our newer mercs and voters, meet the Gliders!

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a depressed middle-aged Italian man with a flight suit! The Red Glider swoops into the fight, dragging you with him via his grappling hook. Our Aviator takes a new approach to our gravel field; with his one-of-a-kind “Gliding Suit” and endless supply of ariel ammo, he’s a menace from a never before seen angle in Team Fortress 2. Above.. He's a bit outta his gourd, spending most of your life isolated in a forest studying "Italy's Shame," Leonardo Da Vinci will do that to you. But no worries! His good cooking and friendly-ish attitude will do more than enough to get you to look past his fre- OCCASIONAL!! Grazie tante! -"mad scientist" outbursts. About planes. Freak. Just whatever you do, DO NOT call it a “Flight Suit.” There’s a difference. He’s not called “The Flyer,” for pete sakes.

Ref: