Brandon's Book Of Scraps

[Brandon Blackwing]

lol, I don't think I watched more than the first ten minutes of Anastasia. I vaguely remember a train, but that's about it. I dunno why though, perhaps I was still traumatized by The Last Unicorn, or so... I never wanted to see that movie again, but I cannot remember why. I believe that was around the same time I watched part of Howl's Moving Castle, and was frightened by that witch of Decay so badly I quit halfway. (I was eight or so, I think.) But witches in animated movies were a good way to scare me to death when I was little. My mother still fondly tells everyone who asks about my early years that I was terrified of Ursula from The Little Mermaid...

And props to you Dru

[Drusilla]

I'll admit that Grandmother Willow from Pocahontas scared the shyke outta me...

[Brandon Blackwing]

So, I thought it would be fun to start a list with Bran's quirks and some random Brandon trivia. I've seen someone else do something akin to this, and I found it a great idea. So yeah. I might expand if I feel like it, and perhaps I'll use a different color or switch between italics and normal text to make it easy to spot edits. I'm not sure.

• Brandon's facial hair is styled in a goatee because that's the only place where his facial hair grows. Every so often he does shave though, usually when his goatee is getting too long.
• Brandon has a strong dislike for rain whenever he plans on flying around, or if he is wearing clothes. If he's naked and in human form though, he actually enjoys rain.
  
• Because he is ambidextrous, Brandon does not have a dominant hand. However, he does use a specific hand for specific tasks.
• Brandon writes with his right hand because he tends to smudge his writings with his left hand. He can write with it though, but finds it very uncomfortable to position his hand in such a way he won't smudge the ink.
• If Bran writes with his left and does not pay attention, he will start writing like he would with his right hand. Thus, his hand would move away from his body when writing, leaving him with the mirror image of what he intended to write.
• Brandon prefers to draw his plans and maps on walls with charcoal. He finds it allows for a better view on the whole picture, and he has more space as well.
• Sometimes Brandon draws using both his hands. The shapes drawn with each hand will be almost identical though. If his hands are working on the same shape, (e.g. a rectangle)the left hand will work from top to bottom, then left to right, whereas his right will do the opposite in the same order. When working on different shapes (e.g. two rectangles), his hands will move as if they were each other's mirror image.
• When fighting, Brandon has little problems with lefties, though it takes him some time to adapt because the majority of the people are right-handed and left-handed opponents are rare.
• Depending on the side of the door a lock is located, Brandon will switch his lockpick and tension wrench to the opposite arm. Because there usually is a wall close to the lock, there isn't always enough place to easily move his elbow when picking a lock. Because of that, when a lock is on the left, Bran will use his right hand to manipulate his lockpick and his left for the tension wrench. If the lock is placed on the right side, it's the complete opposite.
• Having been raised in Kalinor, Brandon speaks Symenos with the accent of the Symenestra, though his Common is devoid of such accent because his mother and step-father spoke Common with different accents. If anything, Bran has a slight Zeltivan accent when speaking common, because he was influenced most by his mother when he was little. (His mother was born and raised in Zeltiva. Bran does not know this though.)
• Brandon actually doesn't know very much about his mother's years before she met Gallan/before they came to Kalinor. In fact, it is safe to say he knows almost nothing about her personal history.
• Because of his personality, Brandon carries himself with confidence (or arrogance, depending on the beholder). As a result, Brandon has some charisma.
• Brandon has a fondness for shiny objects. Whether they be gold or just an ordinary -but very clean and shiny- piece of cutlery does not matter at all when he's on the prowl. Shiny things run a higher risk of being claimed by Bran.
• Brandon is actually more interested in the challenge and the thrill of thieving than the loot. That said, he does not like it when someone else steals for his chosen target. Not at all.
• Bran usually hoards his stolen trophies instead of selling them to a fence. If he needs money he will steal money.
• Brandon has a strong dislike of being tricked or deceived. Even when he's fooled by friends or family he doesn't take it well.
• His body is worth more than his life to him. The thought of losing a limb -or even a finger- is terrible. That is of course because his body is woven together tightly with his idea of freedom. If he were to lose an arm he'd lose a wing and be unable to fly. The same goes for a finger. Losing a leg means not being able to run anymore. The loss of a toe would be acceptable. Losing an ear, his nose or his lips is not. Whether he'd accept the loss of an eye is something he'd have to think about.
• Brandon adapts quickly when traversing from a bright to a dark area. When its the other way around he recovers rather slowly though.
• Since he deems his body sacred, Brandon would be a very boring subject for torture. He'd probably tell you everything you want to know before you can actually start. That is, if there are tools nearby or if you approach with some in your hands. If you tell him what you're about to do he'd start talking immediately as well. Just an ordinary beating won't intimidate him though.
• From time to time Brandon suffers from insomnia. This usually occurs when he's in emotional turmoil or upheaval or when he's been sleeping by day and been awake by night a lot. That said,the insomnia only keeps him awake by night.
• Brandon is actually reluctant to form a steady sexual relationship/ bond with people because he fears he would have to give up his freedom. He feels it might chain him down.
• Should he go in a relationship with someone though, Bran would like his partner to be; strong-willed, adventurous, confident in herself, lively, funny and open-minded. She'd have to be a fun person to be around, maybe a bit of a tease. If she were a thief on top of that, she'd be perfect.
• Brandon does not like the scent of most bath-oils/salts. In his opinion they smell too strongly and are more or less repulsive because of that. Perfume is no exception. Though, he does prefer that over people who stink.
• Brandon sees no problems in labeling a woman as his sister and then having a one-night stand with them. Or multiple ones. If he'd have had a blood related sister it is probable that statement would still hold true, and he might have some flings with her as well.
• Brandon believes birds are inferior to bats because bats are more acrobatic and don't flap their whole arms when flying. That birds are faster is beside the point. As is being able to see very far. Who needs that when you have echolocation?
• Brandon does not give women any special treatment when training/teaching or fighting them.
• Brandon usually doesn't really care about race when interacting with people. Of course, he does have his prejudices, but more often than not he judges a person on who they are.
• When it comes to Wind Reach's caste system though, he tends to see all the endal as conceited useless bastards. There are only a handful of endal exempt from it. This stems from the observation that all endal desire to be obeyed without question and did not have to do anything but be chosen by a Wind Eagle.
• Brandon tends to get back at people who wronged him.
• If he would be able to interact with a person who has the exact same personality, skillset, and way of thinking as himself, there's a 50-50 chance he'd either get along great or find the other extremely annoying and hate him. The latter might be a tiny bit more probable. However, he would respect the other for his skill (and maybe for his opinions on certain matters).
• Brandon likes caves and dark places, obviously because of his Kelvic nature.
• Judging people on who they are, as unbiased as he can possibly manage, might be one of his best qualities. It is also the one he shows most often.
• Brandon initially recognizes people by their scent and the sound of their voice. Only after several encounters (or a lengthy amount of time) does he start remembering their faces.
• Bran loves puns and witty conversation. It's likely because of his keen hearing.
• Also because of his keen hearing, Brandon is pretty good at mimicking the pronunciations of various foreign words or sounds. The meaning of those words isn't learned any faster than any other average person though. That said, languages do come easier than other subjects (mind based things like maths, I mean). Physical things come rather easily though, partly because Bran is more interested in those things. Even stuff like gadgeteering, though the chance he'd just be playing around with gears and springs is rather high.
• Yet again because of his keen hearing, Brandon might be a very good musician, should he actually be interested in playing music and start developing his skills in the art. Nevertheless, the latent talent is there, unused and unnoticed.
• Brandon believes that Bat Kelvics are the superior race
• Under normal circumstances, Bran only needs about three to four hours of sleep to function normally. He managed to diminish his sleep when preparing to leave Kalinor, when his parents crammed all kinds of knowledge into his head during the day and he still went for flights at night. It also came in handy when he started being a burglar in Lhavit.
• Talking about sleep, Brandon can stay awake for about three days without a wink of it, though by the end of that period he is extremely exhausted. However, in theory he could take a twenty - thirty minute nap every so often to just keep going, giving the illusion of not needing any sleep at all (though he'd actually sleep about three hours divided over a certain amount of naps).
• Brandon dislikes needlessly exhausting himself and will try to do things in such a way he won't get too tired. Stamina managing, if you will.
  

Credit goes to Adelaide Sitai

[Drusilla]

And here's your drabble.... Odessa Lethia......... Incognito Reborn Lhavit, 530-ish AV The teen stared at the urn in front of her. Daddy... Looking at it brought back many memories of a smaller her and her father, of course that was nothing compared to the stories her mother would recall and tell with a sad smile. Her father's passing still affected her mother, yet somehow she managed to smile and work away. Odessa couldn't decide if that made her mother strong or a loon. It just wasn't fair! Only having him in her life for such a short time! It made the halfling furious the more she thought about it. How could Dira be so cruel?! There were many people in the world who deserved death, her father had not been one of them, even if he had been a thief. No! Not just any thief, the Phantom Thief! Infamous throughout Lhavit! But now what would happen to his legacy? His stories? Would they all fade to dust? She looked back at the urn wondering when it was she had looked away. A noise from behind her made the teen jump, "Mabda! You almost scared me to death!" Her mother smiled, "You're more like him than you know." She seemed to glide into the room, at times her mother had the footfall of a cat. It was unnerving. The Symenestra chuckled and grabbed the teen's nose, who in turn flailed a bit. "He'd be so proud of you, you know? But staring at that urn won't bring him back, trust me on that one." "It's not fair!" Drusilla gave a sigh. "You don't think it's fair either or you wouldn't still have all his stuff!" the teen accused. The Symenestra gave another sigh, "Bitta you will see him in the next life. Once we find each other again and you are born-" "He's already started his next life!" "That may be true, but perhaps things will be swapped and he will be the long living race and I the short one. If that's the case you'll have your daddy your whole life next time. But, you are right. I miss him too." The Symenestra leaned in and hugged the halfling, pulling away she left something behind. The teen felt around her neck, "A scarf?" She gave her mother a look, however she was messing with something inside a trunk, "He'd want you to have it, your Grandbear made it for him as a boy." The teen brought the scarf to her nose and a familiar smell was found, the same as her toy bat growing up.... Her father. Something deep down inside her swore she'd protect it with her life. "He'd also want you to have all this," Drusilla handed the girl a bundle of items, it was heavy. But the teen recognized the item on the top instantly, a mask. "This... This is!" "It is. Be careful there's a key somewhere in there. Just... Don't come around me in that getup. Because my Dessa Lethia could and would never be the thief Incognito." With a smile the teen was off, leaving Drusilla to shake her head at the urn, "Are you happy now, Brandon?"

[Brandon Blackwing]

Oh my freaking gods. Yes, yes I'm happy now

Too many grin-inducing things in there; Grandbear (for real?), Bran's scarf and mask... And dead Bran Though I'm fairly sure Bran'd have said something like "Don't hate Dira, for death is the only fair thing in life", or something along those lines. Gods Damn, now I want a timeskip and start playing as Dessa

[Drusilla]

I might do some more... but just little drabbles here and there of various things, her building hopping, Dru tying a bell to her, her putting an okomo statue in the cupboard...

[Brandon Blackwing]

The Blackwing Code
(Okay, I just needed a title and since I was going to talk about honour and code, I thought this was kind of funny. Because Da Vinci Code, that's why )

True Title :

Aliases, Killing, and moral killing code

So yeah, originally I was planning to do something about pet peeves. My very own set of them, but then I thought it might not be a good idea, lest I offend someone. I mean, I'm sure that people put a lot of work in certain things, and even if they aren't around, I shouldn't shake my fist at it... though it is just a picture in a boxcode, so... But no.

Anyways, I thought I'd talk about Bran some more. About his thieving antics in specific, and a part of his personality. As per usual, I might stray off topic, so apologies for that.

Some of you might know that Brandon adopted a persona known as “Incognito” a while back, and originally he wasn't quite happy with that. He felt he'd lost his freedom, and his sense of self, seeing as he had to do whatever his 'employer' wanted. Before that, he usually used the alias “Djas”, literally “myself” in the Ancient Tongue. To be completely honest, I am very bad at names, and coming up with them. Usually I pick something one moment, run with it, and then regret it afterwards, because it doesn't sound nearly as good as it did back then. Djas was one of those times. After a while I was just like “Oh Gods, why did I pick that again? He's literally saying: I am Myself. If Bran runs into anyone who speaks the Ancient Tongue, this will be ridiculous.” And that was of course not what I wanted. But after a while I found it suited him (again -I'm kind of fickle-) and I just left it like that.

Then, Brandon was forced to work for some guy, and he became Incognito. Kind of a coincidence, but I then spun a post around that inner conflict. Bran was no longer Djas, now he was Incognito. The thief from before was gone, his identity erased. That kind of thing. So it fitted, and I was happy. Now though, Bran has taken pride in his new persona, and I think he actually enjoys putting on the mask. Well, if it's not for a job for his employer. And this has absolutely nothing to do with what I wanted to talk about. :/

Ahem. Sorry.

Getting back on topic (that was pretty bad, getting distracted before I'd even began), Brandon does stick to some code. A moral code if you will. As you might know, Brandon steals for the fun of it, for the thrill. During those larceny-filled times, he usually doesn't kill. In fact, he rarely does kill... not counting the bugs and all he catches and eats. So, this is more like his “kill code”, I guess? It dictates when he can or cannot kill people. Bran is no mindless killer, nor does he enjoy taking lives. There are certain conditions that must be met before he will kill, and while he might think about it, he usually won't do it. Not even when he's breaking and entering.

Killing to Bran, is a last resort of sorts, as well as mercy. Strangely enough, if he thinks someone deserves to die, it's usually not because he hates them or something. It's the opposite. He'd rather incapacitate, mutilate and silence those he truly hates -those who do not deserve to die- permanently. Bran can be incredibly cruel. His worst nightmare is not being able to move at all, being rid of his freedom, and that is exactly what he'd do to those he hates more than anything else. Chop of their limbs, cut out their tongue. (Okay, the latter is optional). Don't get me wrong though. He can be that cruel. That doesn't mean he always is. you'd have to piss him off really, really bad to get him that far. Even he thinks it's going a bit too far. Just like killing isn't his way of doing things, that isn't either. He'd probably regret it afterwards.

Of course, his views on who deserves to die or who doesn't are … strange. And he does realize that letting some dangerous guy live and suffer would possibly cause all sorts of trouble. Which is why he'd kill them. That way, they (usually) can't do more harm than they already have, and potential victims are spared as well. Kill off one to save many. Again, don't get me wrong. Bran is by no means a hero, nor does he intend to be. But neither is he a villain, or does he intend to be. And I don't want him to become either of those either. Bran is just a mortal. A Kelvic. He does what he thinks is right. Whether that is or is not the case does not matter. He lives his life the way he wants to, and no one can stop him from doing that. I doubt he'd even change if a God wanted him to. Bran is himself, and no-one else. He is Djas (lol, it's back).

Uhm, what I wanted to say was that Bran, by killing one person and save a whole lot of people, he merely wants to protect those he loves. He doesn't give a shyke about the rest of the world. If he can do what he wants to do, what he loves to do, and if he can protect his loved ones, and have them with him, he wouldn't even care if the whole world burns. Maybe.

Anyways, before I do anything else, here's the Code:

The Code

1. Kill for your own survival (for food, in self defense, etc)
2. Kill for your freedom (if running doesn't help)
3. Kill for those you love (if their life is in danger, or their freedom)
4. Kill for Dira
5. Kill out of mercy

Pretty straightforward, right? I'm not even sure why everything that came before this list was necessary, but whatever.

1)No explanation needed
2)An example would be if there was someone who could track him no matter where he ran to. Some kind of person who'd become extremely annoying and persistent. A constant threat to his freedom, as it were)
3)Well, I kind of explained that already in one of the paragraphs above. I'll just add that it can either be directly or indirectly.
4)Meaning those that Dira wants dead, but for one or other reason doesn't hunt down herself. Oh, and the undead of course. Or was it Unliving? Just both
5)To stop someone's suffering. Doesn't have to be physical suffering. It can be mental too.

Yeah. That. I am actually not sure why that had to be this long... I could just have done this list from the start... I'm not going to delete everything else though, seems like a waste. I mean, insights are insights, right? I think I'll stop titling these posts, obviously I can't stay on topic, and as such I don't see a reason why there should be title.

I'll just name this “Aliases, Killing, and moral killing code”


Anyway, I hope you enjoyed nonetheless

Credit goes to Adelaide Sitai

[Brandon Blackwing]

Archetypes -The Prominent Three

So, as some of you might have figured out by now, I am a sucker for personality tests and those kind of things. Doing a test to see which box is the one Bran fits into? Oh heck yes, I'll take it right away! Like most tests I do here, this one was inspired by the scrap/plotnotes of someone else; Bennar Witt. In his plotnotes, he had a nice post about the character archetypes of his PC, Benji. And I thought to myself "Why not?", so I browsed the vast expanses of the web (okay, I just did a google search, but shush) and found two things. The first was a list of the types (there's 12 of them, apparently), and I went through it a couple times, trying to figure out just which ones applied to Bran. The second thing was, of course, a test. So I took said test and compared it to both my views on Bran, and the archetypes I had figured fit him. I was not disappointed

Results
Categories

The Caregiver 30%
The Innocent 45%
The Orphan 50%
The Lover 55%
The Magician 55%
The Ruler 55%
The Sage 60%
The Creator 80%
The Destroyer 80%
The Joker 85%
The Seeker 85%
The Warrior 90%

I will go over the most prominent ones in detail -or I'll try to anyway- and perhaps give a brief bit of commentary on the more medium 50-60 score categories. Again, I'll try.

The Warrior (or Hero)

Tough and courageous, the Warrior archetype helps us to set and achieve goals, overcome obstacles and persist through difficult times. However, the Warrior archetype also tends to see others as enemies and tends to think in “either/or” terms. In truth, the Warrior behaves in a relatively simple way, seeking to simply win in any and every circumstance, no matter what confronts them, including the monsters that live inside the mind and their underlying fear of weakness. Their challenge is to bring meaning to what they do, perhaps by choosing their battles wisely, by using courage to succeed, or by developing great self-discipline where needed.

Shadow Side: The villain. This will manifest itself in your desire to win, even at the expense of other people and their well-being. The villain is also active in your life any time you feel compelled to compromise your principles in order to compete, win, or get your own way. There is also the possibility of perceiving everything as a continuous battle, where virtually everything that happens is a personal slight, threat, or challenge to be confronted.

Life Goal: Win, make a difference
Fear: Weakness, impotence
Response to Problem: Slay it, defeat it, convert it
Life Task: Fight only for what really matters
Personal Gifts: Courage, discipline, determination, skill
Personal Pitfalls: Fear of impotence leading to ruthlessness, arrogance

So. First off, I think it's really funny that the most prominent archetype in Brandon is the Hero. I mean, Bran doesn't want to be a hero, nor do I intend for him to be one. Ever. I want Bran to be a character that does what he thinks is right, and what he thinks is best. Of course, I am well aware that the Hero archetype doesn't mean a character is an actual hero. It's just ironic okay?

Looking at the descriptions, I can see Brandon in there very clearly. Bran's desire to compete and win is one of his most prominent traits, as is his desire not to give in to his fears. I suppose Brandon could be called courageous, though I'd rather call him headstrong and foolish. There's a need to prove himself to the world that guides most of his actions. That is what usually keeps him from fleeing certain battles. It is what made him enjoy being Incognito. It is also why he takes his Eiyon mark, and the responsibilities that came with so seriously. He doesn't want to lose to anything or anyone, he feels he needs to prove that he is the best, and he wants to show Dira that he is worthy of bearing her mark.

However, the fear of the opposite being true is very real in his mind, perhaps not in the foreground, but rather in the back of his mind, always there, resulting in said desires. Brandon absolutely loathes not being able to do anything, he hates being helpless, and he also hates being weak. In the gnosis thread where he got Dira's mark, nothing what he tried had any effect. The body he is so proud of was no match for Biran's newly acquired shell of flesh. His punches didn't even leave a scratch. Even fire, which he had assumed would bring him victory didn't help one bit. He'd been desperate, he'd felt helpless and weak, and he cried in both frustration and anguish when Dira confronted him. Another time something had happened was when he first met a ghost, and said ghost threw him around the room like a puppet. Then too he had felt extremely helpless, and then too he had screamed in anguish. I can't remember if he cried, but I think he did.

The shadow strangely isn't all that present in Bran, although, to gain the upper hand in just about every situation, he would indeed use other people, not giving two shykes about whether it's harmful to them or not. Unless they are people he cares about. But then still, he would warn them, and then wash his hands off of the affair. If they still chose to go against his warnings, he wouldn't feel responsible -or so he tells himself- for whatever happens to them, as it was their decision in the first place. Other than that though, I have no real knowledge of the shadow side of this archetype in Bran.

The Seeker (or Explorer)

The Seeker leaves the known to discover and explore the unknown. This inner-rugged individual braves loneliness and isolation to seek out new paths. Often oppositional, this iconoclastic archetype helps us discover our uniqueness, our perspectives and our callings. Seekers are looking for something that will improve their life in some way, but in doing so they may not realize that they have a lot already inside of themselves. They embrace learning and are ambitious, and often tend to avoid the encumbrance of support from others. Needing to “do it themselves,” they keep moving until they find their goal (and usually their true self too).

Shadow Side: The perfectionist. This will manifest itself in your life as the tendency to always strive to measure up to an impossible goal or to find the “right” solution. We see this shadow element in people whose main life activity is self-improvement: going from health club to health club, traveling the world, bouncing back and forth through self-improvement seminars and workshops, etc. If this sounds like you, you might wind up feeling as though you haven’t really accomplished anything through a lack of commitment.

Life Goal: Search for a better way (better life)
Fear: Conformity, entrapment
Response to Problem: Leave it, escape it, take off
Life Task: Be true to a Higher Self
Personal Gifts: Autonomy, ambition, identity, expanded possibilities
Personal Pitfalls: Inability to commit, chronic disappointment, alienation and loneliness

I feel as if the Seeker is tied rather tightly together with the Hero, at least in regards to Bran. I mean, the fear of weakness and the need for improving himself in some way do sould like two parts of a whole. In Bran's case it mainly is the desire to improve his skills, as well as gaining knowledge on multiple subjects (such as magic, even though he doesn't ever plan on actually using magic) in order to become even stronger and more adaptable.

His fear of entrapment seems to be the other side of the coin of his desire for freedom. Of all ways to get trapped or locked up, the worst possible way for Bran is to be trapped in his own body. For example by being paralyzed, or by losing a limb. It is of course also tied together with the feeling of autonomy, which is very important to him. Obviously there are things he cannot do alone, but the things he can do, he'd rather do alone. If he deals with personal problems, he'd rather solve them on his own, and seeking help or assistance is a hard thing for him to do, not only because of his pride, but also because he would have to admit he really does have a problem. It means he cannot run from it any longer. By the way, I feel that running from problems is the approach he takes when the problems are personal in nature.

Along with the self-dependence comes Bran's inability to commit to relationships, as he feels they too are a form of prison, in one way or another. This might also be the cause for him not having bonded yet, even though he's been on his own for years now, and despite the loneliness he feels from time to time, he does push people away, keeping them on arms length -so to speak- even if they get close to him. His occupation has probably something to do with it as well.

The Joker (or Fool)

The Joker archetype urges us to enjoy the process of our lives. Although the Joker can be prone to laziness and dissipation, the positive Joker invites us all out to play, showing us how to turn our work, our interactions with others, and even the most mundane tasks into joy. The goal of the Joker is perhaps the wisest goal of all, which is simply to enjoy life as it is, with all of its paradoxes and dilemmas. What causes most dread in the Joker is a lack of stimulation and not being “alive.” The Joker seeks to simply “be” in the present moment, perhaps like the Sage, but unlike the Sage may not truly understand the depths of this.

Shadow Side: The glutton. This will manifest itself in your life as slothful, unmotivated and hedonistic behavior that are wholly defined by lust, without any sense of wise direction or self-control.

Life Goal: Enjoyment, pleasure, aliveness
Fear: Oppression, non-aliveness
Response to Problem: Play with it, play tricks on it
Life Task: Enjoyment of the journey
Personal Gifts: Freedom, humor, life lived in the moment, exuberant joy
Personal Pitfalls: Debauchery, irresponsibility, slothfulness

One thing that stands out in the description of this type is one of the concepts I based Brandon on. As a result, you can't say I'm surprised to actually see the Joker type being one of the three most prominent ones in Brandon's character. That concept is Bran being a thrill-seeker. He needs stimulation. He needs to feel alive, and he has found a way to do so. Thievery.

One of the reasons Brandon does enjoy his criminal exploits is that they are … well... criminal. It's illegal. The very thought of doing something you're not supposed to do, something you are forbidden to do makes your heart pump faster, doesn't it? It makes you tense and nervous. There's even a slight bit of fear mixed in. Brandon loves all that. He can't get enough of it. He needs his thrills to feel alive. It's why he steals, it's why he scales walls and does free-running. And it is also why he loves a good fight. Placing himself in dangerous situations is what makes him feel alive. He never feels better than when he's walking the thin line between life and death. Does he want to die? No. He wants to live, but he doesn't want to just survive. He want to actually feel as if he is alive.

That is also a reason why he is actually so devoted to Dira, why he takes his duties as an Eiyon quite seriously. He wants to meet Dira again, he wants to feel like he did when she appeared before him. I used to think (and I still do) that Brandon has a crush on Dira -because he's Brandon, what did you expect? It's a Goddess or nothing - but I don't think that it's just because of the Goddess's personality. I don't think that she as a person, if gods can be called people, is of interest to Brandon. True, she is beautiful, and our little bat knows that and loves it, but I am fairly sure his crush on her, stems from her being the ultimate thrill. Bran described the feeling of being around Dira as “all ways he could die staring at him simultaneously, all ready to pounce” -or something along those lines. It's not just the feeling of his possible demise, it's the feeling of the certainty of his demise, and yet the possibility that he will just walk away that hooked him. It is, of course, not the only reason for his devotion.

But yes, fun. It is why he doesn't want to have an ordinary life. An ordinary job that is always the same, even if it is interesting at first. He suspects it will eventually become dull and repetitive, tedious. Something he may fear could happen to thievery as well. But that is just the fuel for his ambitions. Bigger heists. More work, more preparation, more thrill, more fun. And less of the same. And also more spoils. But that's just the least of his worries. In fact, completing a job, concluding it is not what he is looking for at all. He doesn't want to succeed, but nor does he want to fail -if he had to choose, naturally he 'd pick the former- but it's the path that leads to the conclusion he loves walking. As the description of the Joker says; it's the journey he enjoys, not the destination.

* * *

All three types are connected in multiple ways; the Hero's desire to leave his mark being a result of the Fool's need for being alive. If he can leave a mark, it means he existed, and was alive. Ordinary people don't leave marks, and certainly no big ones. Brandon wants to make a difference, but he doesn't care what kind. Positive or negative? If he just gets recorded in history as “the best thief since Yshul's mortal life” or something he'd be satisfied. Or “the man who robbed the Mint”. Thievery is just a means to an end.

In order to accomplish the goals his ambitions sets for him though, he needs the Seeker's autonomy and independence, the Fool's freedom, and the Hero's skill, strength, and determination.

Basically, Brandon is about setting ambitious goals for himself, a destination he cannot help but want to reach. For that purpose he improves himself, in both body and mind, and is willing to walk the lonely road before him. However, the journey is where the fun is had, where he finds his satisfaction and enjoyment. If he could he'd continue traveling for all eternity, but both fear of stagnation and boredom keep him from stopping, pushing him forwards. When the goal is reached, there is nothing left to do but to repeat the process.

Something like that, I suppose. I like doing analyses of Bran, but I'm not too sure whether I'm doing a good job or not. To me this all makes sense, but I'm not sure if I can convey it to whoever reads this

Either way, the rest will be for another post. Maybe. Possibly not.

Credit goes to Adelaide Sitai

[Ornea]

Hi Brandon. Tests is an interesting way to explore characters.

And as I too can’t resist tests, I did the test. For Ornea I got the following top 3.

• The Sage 100%
• The Magician 90%
• The Destroyer 90%

I guess this could pretty much sum up the storyline about how she strives for meditation, knowledge and wisdom (the sage) in order to try to balance and control the other two aspects, with their shadow sides of magic power abuse and destructive addiction. A surprisingly accurate result.

[Brandon Blackwing]

Whoa! A perfect score! @_@

Seriously though, that's really cool. Sometimes the accuracy of these things scares me

I'm quite surprised you actually read my scrap