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[broca]

APPLICATION

OOC

NAME: Leigh
AGE: 33
CONTACT: jhope
CHARACTER(S): N/A

IC

NAME: Broca
AGE: ~28 (canon does not provide ages for most of the characters, but based on information about him and his past mid-20s when he's first introduced is my best guess, and he is with the main group of the story for a few years after that.)
CANON: Arknights
CANON POINT: After the side story: Where Vernal Winds Will Never Blow.

ABILITIES: Broca can use Arts, which is more or less his world's version of magic. This magic system allows the people to transform or control energy, and in Broca's case this manifests in the form of electricity.

While Broca doesn't use his Arts as extensively as someone who specializes in casting, he does use his ability to create and control electricity during fights, though he doesn't have especially fine-tuned control over his own Arts. Depending on the output he gives when he uses his Arts, he will sometimes experience an immediate kickback, and temporarily stun himself alongside blasting his opponents with some painful bolts. This unfortunate drawback does absolutely nothing to discourage Broca from using his abilities.

VICES:
Mistrusting: To put it lightly, Broca's trust isn't exactly easily earned. After the former head of a crime syndicate he worked for left him to rot and die despite, and in fact because of Broca's many years of loyal service to him, Broca's become a bit touchy about who he lets into his life. Newly met individuals are treated with some degree of mild suspicion, and it's just as easy for someone to quickly end up on Broca's bad side than it is to wind up in his favor. Gaining this man's trust is a slow, uphill battle that might not seem worth it when Broca does absolutely nothing at all to disguise his lack of trust in others.

Familiarity does eventually breed fondness if a truly dedicated individual is willing to put in the time, but the key word here is eventually.

Combative: Part of Broca's gruff exterior was intentionally cultivated to make him look tough and scary during his time as a mafioso. While he's already tall and physically imposing, the glowering face really added to the whole vibe that this was not a man you wanted to fuck around with. Unfortunately the old adage about your face getting stuck that way seemed to at least be partly true for Broca, whose resting face now settles into a natural scowl.

However, like bright markings on a venomous animal, it's also a decent warning, because Broca isn't the cuddliest of creatures. He's standoffish at the best of times, and outright rude and abrasive at his worst. He doesn't think twice about saying exactly what he's thinking, even knowing that it will agitate the person he's speaking to, and that's if he even deigns to have a conversation of substance with them to start.

If Broca doesn't already have reason to care about a person, then he's likely to make that lack of concern obvious. It also doesn't take much to rub him the wrong way, and while he's not fight happy, he's not exactly fight avoidant either.

Stubborn: There are exactly two people in existence that can easily talk Broca into doing things he doesn't want to do, and even those two people will get an earful if he's unhappy about the decisions they've made. Broca is absolutely bullheaded in his opinions, and slow to be swayed to new ways of thinking. It's not impossible, but like so much about him it requires a lot of patience and time that probably isn't worth the investment for most people.

There are times this could be twisted around to almost be a virtue, because it does mean that Broca stands firmly by his principles, but by and large Broca's stubbornness is likely to be more of a headache than a boon.
VIRTUES:
Loyal: While Broca's natural mistrust has him holding most people at arm's length, the ironic flipside of this is that he's undyingly loyal to people who have earned that trust. His two closest friends are responsible for him still being alive to this day, and it's not something he'll soon forget, but there are other people over time that have earned Broca's loyalty in a slower, more plodding way. It's a tedious route with the risk of backsliding to gain this sort of bond with Broca, but there are few people one can find that will be so dedicated to their happiness and safety as him.

He would (probably quite literally if he had to) walk through hell and back for the people he cares for, and considering it took someone literally leaving him to die to break his trust in the first place, Broca's loyalty is a pretty hard thing to lose once it has been earned.

Curious/Ingenious: Despite the fact that he's admitted to not having strong feelings about most of the books he reads, Broca is an avid reader who spends a good deal of his quiet downtime with a book in his hands. Classics, dramas, history, and even weird interest pieces; Broca will placidly consume all books handed to him. Reading is a way for him to broaden his scope of understanding about the world, and have a greater awareness of the things that take place in them. He'll also readily suggest others do the same.

Beyond reading, Broca is a something of a jack of all trades style handyman. He can do on the go car repairs, enjoys woodworking, crafting, and makes alterations and adjustments to all sorts of mechanical equipment at the request of others. In fact, despite being a field operator at his current job who specializes mostly in combat, the Logistics department of his workplace tried to sway him into working with them instead. Broca's interests are varied, and he enjoys trying his hand at a variety of projects on top of his reading, making for an interesting contrast to his past career as mostly silent muscle for the mob.

Honest: Perhaps honest to a fault. Broca does not shy away from giving his opinion on matters he's asked about. While it can sometimes be a little unpleasant to hear (like mentioned earlier, he'll say it even if he knows it'll agitate people), a person can also count on him not to lie to them. Broca gives his honest assessment about people, things, and situations, and can be counted not to obscure necessary truths with sugar coating.

It also means that Broca himself is an easy person to trust. Whether or not someone cares for his mannerisms or demeanor, they can count on him to do exactly what he says he will, and not obfuscate important things for his own gain.

SURVEY

▶ I REGULARLY MAKE NEW FRIENDS.
▷ 5. If Broca doesn't know someone, then he doesn't have any reason to call them a friend. He's got a small handful of friends he trusts deeply, and isn't in dire need to expand his circle. Now if someone does want to put in the work to really get to know him, he'll consider calling them a friend after they've proven themselves to him.

▶ SEEING OTHER PEOPLE CRY MAKES ME WANT TO CRY TOO.
▷ 5. He doesn't like seeing other people cry, but the sight of it doesn't make him feel the need to join them. Then again, he's not an easy crier in the first place.

▶ I OFTEN MAKE A BACKUP PLAN FOR A BACKUP PLAN.
▷ 5. Backup plans are his friend Aosta's job. For awhile now Broca has been part of a trio, and his friend Chiave comes up with the general idea, Aosta irons out the wrinkles and makes the plans, and Broca executes them. He's smarter than first impressions might lead people to believe, but that sort of problem solving isn't his forte.

▶ I USUALLY STAY CALM, EVEN WHEN UNDER A LOT OF PRESSURE.
▷ 2. Absolutely. Broca went from being a literal gangster, to running with a small time gang, to being part of the paramilitary wing of a pharma company (long story...). He's always been in dicey situations that could get him killed, and been in more fights than he can remember. Staying level-headed in difficult situations is the only way he's survived until now.

▶ I AM VERY SENTIMENTAL.
▷ 3. He's not necessarily the type to hold onto keepsakes or have a collection of meaningful objects. It's the important people in his life that he can get sentimental about in his own way. Though he's not the big emotional speeches type, he would still follow them to the ends of the earth.

▶ EVEN A SMALL MISTAKE CAN CAUSE ME TO DOUBT MY OVERALL ABILITIES AND KNOWLEDGE.
▷ 4. Small mistakes happen. It might irritate him to be working on something and have it go awry, but it won't ruin his day. On occasion a particularly tough problem or big failure might get into his head for a bit, but most of the time he'll shrug it off and try tackling things from a different angle, or try the method he just used with more finesse.

▶ I AM MORE INCLINED TO FOLLOW MY HEAD THAN MY HEART.
▷ 2. Depends if he's been listening to Aosta or Chiave more recently. His friends have a lot of influence over him, and one is very much the brains while the other is the heart. In most situations Broca will go with his gut impulse, but he does try to think things through when new evidence or points of view are brought to his attention.

▶ I AM PRONE TO WORRYING THAT THINGS WILL TAKE A TURN FOR THE WORSE.
▷ 3. Things haven't always gone well for him, and he has good reason to worry about how his future will look. Broca is sick with a disease known as oripathy that has no known cure, a very checkered past, and hasn't always been treated well by the people in his life. New situations with new people especially have him taking things with slow, cautious steps.

▶ I ENJOY WATCHING PEOPLE ARGUE.
▷ 4. He doesn't really care if people argue, because he'll usually try and tune them out. Unless it directly involves him, people's arguments aren't really any of his business.

▶ I TEND TO AVOID DRAWING ATTENTION TO MYSELF.
▷ 4. He also doesn't really care if people notice him. There's no good reason for Broca to make himself invisible to others, but he doesn't go out of his way to draw attention to himself either. In most situations Broca is content to fade into the background and out of the attention of most people until he is needed.

▶ I OFTEN DO THINGS AT THE LAST POSSIBLE MOMENT.
▷ 4. Procrastination is not a problem that Broca has. He's usually prompt with projects he's working on, and starts new things as soon as he has the time to start them. That's not to say that the occasional last minute rush never happens, but it's not the norm for him.

▶ I FIND IT EASY TO EMPATHIZE WITH A PERSON WHOSE EXPERIENCES ARE VERY DIFFERENT FROM MINE.
▷ 3. Depends on the person. Depends on the experience. Some people are easier for him to to understand than others. Broca is a big reader who draws a lot of emotional meaning and understanding from the books he consumes, but his face to face interactions with people can occasionally show where Broca lacks on the emotional intelligence front. He doesn't naturally intuit the thoughts and feelings of the people around him unless they're overt. Now if someone is willing to share their story and really tell him about themselves, then his chances of understanding them increases significantly. It's not a guarantee he'll fully understand even then, but he'll at least make the effort.

▶ I BECOME BORED OR LOSE INTEREST WHEN THE DISCUSSION GETS HIGHLY THEORETICAL.
▷ 5. There are things that will go over Broca's head when it's not an area he's well informed on, but he does find these sorts of discussions interesting. Though discussion may be too generous of a word. Broca prefers to fall quiet and listen to others have these highly cerebral conversations rather than offer a lot of contribution himself.

▶ I RARELY FEEL INSECURE.
▷ 3. There was a period of his life, after the betrayal, where Broca felt more insecure than he does now. There are times he still struggles to trust all but the most important of people around him, and what they say to him, but little by little he's overcoming that particular brand of insecurity.

▶ I AM STILL BOTHERED BY MISTAKES I MADE A LONG TIME AGO.
▷ 1. One... one big mistake. One person he never should have pledged his life to. One person he never should have offered his loyalty to. He's in a place where he has people can can really rely on, people who will take care of him, but this dark cloud will probably always lurk in the back of Broca's mind for the remainder of his life.

SUIT REQUESTS: First: Diamonds, Second: Hearts
RANK REQUESTS: Random
SAMPLES: TDM: One, Two, Three