"Violence isn't the answer. Unless you do that... Get over here you little punk!"
Full Name: Brandon Michael Faust
Nicknames: Just Brandon, or you can call him by his last name, Faust.
Age: 17
Godly Parent: Ares, the God of War.
Birthdate: December 19th, 1995
Home Town: Duluth, Minnesota
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Likes:
~"Strength and Honor." Brandon is obsessed with maintaining honor, stability, and general respect for all. It's something he truly appreciates in others and respects in authority figures.
~"Now that's what I like to hear!" Brandon loves games, contests, and general feats of strength and prowess. He's an athlete/warrior at heart.
~"Don't worry. You've done your part, let me take over from here..." Bravery and commitment, especially in the face of your own inequities. Brandon truly admires those who get up and keep trying even though the situation looks hopeless or the fear is too intense.
~"I could do that all day. That smile, that one moment of happiness, is worth all the hard work in the world." While he's not a fan of excessive eating, he loves to cook and prepare food, even if he's not the best there is. He loves the look on someone's face when they've eaten something he's made and it's delicious. He likes to put smiles on people's faces.
~"I hate cats, dogs are much more reliable and stalwart companions." Brandon is a dog person at heart. He turns into a total softie in front of puppies and cute dogs. He loves to wrestle and play with the larger dogs, and he'll rub bellies and throw sticks for as long as the dog is capable of putting up with him.
Dislikes:
~"Pitiful..." Though a bit of a hypocrite, Brandon hates those who looks down on others, though he looks down on bullies and other such filth.
~"Damnable numbers..." Brandon is a smart enough kid, but he's not a good student and math perplexes him to no end.
~"What do you mean we can't just decide to take the horses out! I've wanted to joust since I was three!" Brandon hates rules. He's not going to go out of his way to break all the rules and get into trouble, but he's not the type of guy to let opportunity slip by when he sees something he wants to do, even if he has to punish himself for it later.
~"When all else fails, when you're down to the end of your rope, there's nothing left to do, but stand up again once more." Cowardice. Fear is acceptable, but not even trying to face those fears is despicable.
~"How do you do that?" Gluttony and general Sloth. While Brandon likes to eat, he never pigs out unless he's gone WEEKS without food. Further, he's always got to be doing something, prepping mission briefs, practicing fighting, running the courses, doing homework. Brandon can't sit still for long periods of time unless he's REALLY engaged with something.
Fears:
~"Clowns..." Enough said.
~"Open, deep water, like the ocean. I don't know how those Poseidon kids do it." While a strong swimmer, Brandon's only ever comfortable at the shallows of a beach or a pool.
~"Feels like I can't breathe..." Brandon doesn't like enclosed spaces with lots of people in them. He's a nightmare at parties when he starts to hyperventilate.
~"High up places... don't tell anyone! Zeus is my granddad..." He had a bad experience with the high dive at a local pool. His belly was red for weeks.
~"You're gonna think this is stupid... but, losing it. What if I snap? What if I hurt someone again. I can't let that happen." Brandon lives in constant fear that something will send him over the edge like it did with his father. He doesn't remember much of anything when he flies into a rage these days, and it scares him to think that he'll end up really messing up somehow.
Demigod Powers/Skills:
~Adaptable Fighter: Brandon has gifted knowledge of how to use most weapons. While he cannot pick out the intricacies of using more exotic weapons, he can pick up their main uses and functions by studying them for a moment.
~Close Quarters: While he is no slouch at reach/ranged combat, though he pales in comparison to the Apollo Archers, Brandon is much more effective when he gets up close and personal with his opponents. He is an excellent sword/fist fighter and while he is nowhere near invincible at hand to hand combat, he is not to be underestimated.
~Boiling Point: Brandon's temper is not quick to flare up, but when it does, you best watch yourself. Brandon's rage is slightly different from other children of Ares. When Brandon "loses it", he is in no control of what he is doing. His unconscious mind has taken over and released the animal instincts inside, removing his body's mental limiters. This, while empowering, hurts Brandon just as much, unnecessarily tearing his muscles and joints. Though he does not become an unbeatable behemoth of doom, Brandon most certainly hits a little harder and moves a little faster, and though it's not much, it can still take an unprepared opponent by surprise. Approach with Caution, if Brandon is enraged, he is just as likely to hurt his friends as he is his enemies.
~Eastern Training: Thanks to his few years of martial arts, Brandon uses a style crafted from his time studying Muay Thai and Wing Chun, as well as Greek fighting forms, that utilizes every part of his body to block and redirect attacks as well as dish out heavy single target damage. This style mainly uses a single curved, bladed weapon, preferably the Sickle or the Kopis, and a thick, heavy gauntlet. These weapons are used to trip, disarm, sunder enemy weapons, and attack the opponent directly. It's movements are tricky, but deadly effective against a single target. While decently useful against groups, it doesn't make Brandon a one man army by any sense of the phrase.
Personality: Brandon is, or at least tries to be, a good guy. He is big into respecting people and giving them the benefit of the doubt. He will always offer second chances, and will abide by his own personal code whenever the situation demands it; a mix between Chivalry, Eastern Honor, and Pacifism. He developed this code unconsciously as he'd always been getting into trouble with his temper and he's the type of guy who doesn't like being in anyone's debt. He doesn't like to lose, he doesn't like boasting, and most importantly, he is obsessed with fairness. He will not engage on another who is preoccupied, fighting someone else, or unaware of his presence. "A real man looks his opponents in the eye before he lets them have it." Brandon is usually pretty polite, but he has a very nasty temper. He does not stand for people insulting others without cause, disrespecting one's peers, or the persecuting of the vulnerable for their weakness. While he very much wishes to act the White Knight, he usually finds a way to mess it up, either with harsh words, misunderstandings, and general social awkwardness. "Umm.. H-hi. I'm Brandon. It's *gulp* really nice to meet you. *smile*" He kinda clams up around pretty girls, out of habit, he was never the best at talking to women, and he remains slightly vulnerable to feminine wiles to this day. It's something he knows about, and tries his very best to overcome it, but a pretty face is usually pretty disarming to a guy who can hardly look you in the eyes, let alone life a sword against you. Brandon is, generally, pretty trusting. He tries not to read too far into things because he knows there's bound to be something he doesn't understand and he doesn't want it to affect his relationship with others. That is not to say he is gullible at all. He knows that subterfuge is a big part of war, so while he trusts people, he still only does so at arm's length. He is not the type to instantly bond to another person. His genuine friendship is hard won and long lasting, though his respect is free flowing. "I hate that vile man. He is nothing more than my sire. I choose my destiny." While Brandon knows who his father is, and how he's supposed to act according to the ancient greek standards of manliness, he often acts against such stereotypes to spite his father. He holds a lot of disdain for the god who abandoned his mother, and while he respects him like a child should respect their parent, he does not like him by any means. He does however, harbor his father's impatience, aggressive style of action taking, and general ruggedness.
History:Brandon was born in Minnesota to his mother Linda. Brandon's mother was wonderful. She was the single most caring mother anyone could ever have, but heaven help you should you piss her off. Brandon likes to joke that his temper came from her, even going to far as to call her "Mama Bear". Brandon grew up without a father, but it wasn't that bad. He had his mother and one overprotective, super strict parent was more than enough for him. While Brandon was growing up, he noticed something about him was different from the other kids. It was subtle at first. He was good at war-like games, like capture the flag and dodgeball. He was naturally a good athlete, even if he wasn't the best of students he had a mind for strategy. It even showed through at a young enough age where he felt confident taking command of other first graders to control and conquer the playground contests of tag, soccer, and capture the flag. Brandon was otherwise pretty normal, except for his temper. He noticed when he was about eight years old that something was very wrong. Other kids threw temper tantrums and nobody got hurt, people got cranky, there was some general soreness, but for the most part, everyone was generally ok. Brandon's tantrums, on the other hand, were cause to refurbish the living room. Brandon's tantrums almost killed his mother.
As Brandon got older, he learned to control his anger, he stopped hurting things without trying to and started living much more calmly. He developed a strong sense of justice, developing a very acute perception of right and wrong as well as adopting some of the ideals of Pacifism after reading about Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. in the fifth grade. As he grew, Brandon's strength grew with him. He was able to run just a little bit faster than most people, work harder, play longer, and lift heavier things. His abilities were by no means supernatural, Brandon simply thought he was a good athlete with a body for competition. Little did he know he'd been bred for battle.
However, no one is perfect. Brandon got into a few fights, not because he wanted to, but because he had to, to protect people. He fought for a homeless guy who was getting beaten by some teenage brats. He defended a little girl from some pretty sketchy old guys. He protected a nerd who was getting beat on by some jocks. Their indifference to the suffering of the meek and vulnerable was abominable to Brandon. He felt this... roaring anger well up inside him. He felt the need to punish the overconfidence, the arrogance, and the downright evilness he saw in the wrongdoers around him. Every time he lost it, Brandon felt stronger. It was after one particularly bad fight, that Brandon almost killed a boy for picking on a chained up dog. He started attending anger management immediately, and he began to practice martial arts as a way to control his raging emotions.
A few months after he turned seventeen, Brandon met his father for the first time. While before, when Brandon got angry, he was usually able to keep his wits about him and mete out punishment as was appropriate. This time, however, was the first time Brandon truly lost it. His rage at the father who wasn't there for him, who birthed him and should have taken responsibility and married the woman he made a mother, was immense. Brandon saw red, then blacked out. Brandon didn't remember much about the fight, only that he woke up feeling weak, like he'd been hit by a truck. That's when Brandon noticed the wreckage, his house was a mess. Almost all of the furniture was broken and the walls were full of dents. That's when Brandon saw her, his mother. During the fight she'd gotten involved, she was covered in bruises and scrapes. Brandon rushed to her side but it was too late. She'd taken too much damage, too much damage from him. Brandon wept as she died in his arms. Though Brandon hated his father, he loved his mother, and respected her wishes enough to go to the academy where she said he'd be safe. Brandon is a permanent resident of the academy, living in a sponsored home not far from the main campus. He lives there now, training every day to control his anger and hopefully atone for the death of his beloved mother.
Anything else? Brandon is an avid fan of Punk/Rock/Indie Rock/Folk Rock. He's got an interesting mix of music that he enjoys, and he often recommends his strange tastes to anyone who shares an interest. Brandon wears his deceased mother's bracelet on his left wrist. It's just a simple silver chain attached to a plate with his last name on it. He covers it with a studded leather wristband, to protect it.