ARMIN SYLVER has been spotted in town. They have been living here for ALL HIS LIFE, ON AND OFF, in RIVERBANK RESIDENTIAL. They are ENCOURAGING and MERCURIAL, as far as newcomers should be concerned when approaching them at ST MARIE HOSPITAL, where they work as a PHYSIOTHERAPIST.
Board.
TW: Fire, burns.
Armin Egbert Sylver was born and raised in Ennora until he was about 12, when he moved to New York City to pursue a professional dance career.
He was a prodigy in all kinds of dance, but contemporary dance caught his heart at a very early age. He loved telling stories with his body.
At about 16, Armin had achieved success and fame in the dancing world after winning several national and international dance competitions.
Socials weren't that big by then, but his YouTube channel had a large following, which is where he got most of his gigs from. He was a guest on TV shows and asked to appear on music videos several times during this period of time. He truly felt like he'd achieved success, but never took it for granted and constantly worked on getting better, often pushing himself through 8+ hours straight of training and rehearsals.
A couple of months before turning 19, Armin was invited to perform as the lead dancer for an opera show. It would be filmed for TV, so the production was HUGE. They had a full live orchestra, about 20 other dancers, and 5 of the biggest opera singers in the world. The stage was covered in candles, wanting to capture the classical vibe of the music style, but even though they considered the risks, they never thought it would turn into a catastrophe that would be talked about for decades after.
A cello player accidentally knocked down a couple of candles, which kick-started the tragedy like a line of dominoes. Someone's dress caught on fire, and as she ran to get help, the stage curtains were set ablaze, and it all went downhill from there.
Armin was taught that no matter what, the show had to go on, so even after the panicked screams of the woman, he figured it would all be handled off stage. It all happened so fast: the curtains lit up, and part of them fell onto the stage, right where Armin was standing; his costume was reached by the flames, and almost entirely consumed by them.
Most of the performers and attendees at the event were quickly evacuated out of the building, but some of them weren't as lucky– Armin included in that list. He was rushed to the hospital as soon as they could handle the fire, but there was enough damage already done. About 40% of his body was covered in third-degree burns.
The recovery was long and arduous, not to mention how painful it was. He was told he would be able to recover most of the elasticity and mobility of his skin, even over the grafts. Armin thought he wanted to get back into dancing. He would have a new story to tell, and the inspiration pushed him to get back to full shape.
On his comeback show, however, Armin stood in the middle of the stage, and as soon as he felt the big light over him, cold shivers moved down his spine as he broke into a full-body sweat. He doesn't remember what happened next, just that he came back to his senses on a couch in the green room, his coach holding an ice pack to the back of his neck. That was the last time Armin set foot on a stage.
He was young, barely 20 years old. The life he knew was over, but he'd found a new source of inspiration in his physical therapists, who always had the kindest words to cheer him up and push him forward. After moving back to Ennora, Armin went back to school to become a physiotherapist and, hopefully, become an inspiration to others.
He has scars all over his body. The most prominent are on his legs, so he rarely ever wears shorts. He has a few scars on his back, torso, and arms, which he says he wears proudly, but he does get slightly self-conscious about them every now and then. Another prominent scar he can't really hide is one on his neck.
He still dances when he's alone and records himself, but doesn't post them anywhere. His social media content as a dancer changed to easy exercises and physiotherapy techniques people can follow at home.
Whatever time he doesn't spend working, he spends at the gym. He's in peak physical shape and sometimes posts about it too. He's not above the thirst traps.
