Brendan Conlon (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
lawofmotion) wrote2012-05-04 08:51 pm
lawofmotion) wrote2012-05-04 08:51 pm
Entry tags:
app | ataraxion
PLAYER INFORMATION
Your Name: Alex
OOC Journal:burnslikethesun
Under 18? If yes, what is your age?: n/a
Email + IM: cookie.wins@gmail.com + cookiewins
Characters Played at Ataraxion: Dean Winchester
CHARACTER INFORMATION
Name: Brendan Conlon
Canon: Warrior
Original or Alternate Universe: Original
Canon Point: Post-Sparta
Number: 081
Setting: Philadelphia, 21st Century Earth. Man has been to the moon and has built a space station but as far as huge, creepy spaceships go Brendan’s experience only stretches to the theoretical side of that.
History: Growing up in PA, USA, Brendan is the eldest of two brothers born to an alcoholic ex-Marine with a penchant for both physical and verbal abuse. Brought into the world a few years before his younger brother, Tommy, Brendan always tried his best to be more of an interesting prospect to his father than he ever really achieved. Though he had brains and the kind of determination rarely seen in other kids his age, he always watched his father’s attention get pulled in other directions. It didn’t matter whether it was alcohol or his brother’s clear affinity for athleticism and, in particular, junior wrestling, it always bothered him that his father was never interested in an underdog like him. Home was, in his memory, not a nice place to be especially knowing what his father was capable of when he’d had a few drinks and, though the opportunity arose at the tender age of 16 to flee with his mother and Tommy, he chose to stay behind.
He later explains to Tommy that he chose to stay behind because he had already fallen in love with a girl called Tess who, a few years later, became his wife and mother to his two daughters, Emily and Rosie. The conversation between the brothers sheds light on how betrayed Tommy feels by Brendan and how Brendan still regrets not even being told his mother had died from cancer a few years earlier. Privately, and only within earshot of his father at a different point, he also admits that he thought it would leave him with more of his attention now that his younger brother was gone, something he truly believed in when he was a teenager.
Previously a UFC "animal", Brendan respects Tess's wishes when they decide to have a family and stops fighting, instead turning his hand to something less physically dangerous (mostly) in the world of teaching. Taking on a job as a high school physics teacher, he is the kind of guy who is popular with both his students and his colleagues and life is good until his youngest daughter gets sick and needs open-heart surgery to save her life. Having no choice but to re-mortgage their house to pay for the surgery, he struggles to provide for his family financially from this point onwards.
Numerous meetings with his bank don't help the dire situation and he finds himself with a 90-day notice of foreclosure on their home if he doesn't find the money they need to secure their house. Feeling as though he has no better or quicker way to earn the money through teaching he lies to Tess, telling her that he has a second job as a bouncer. What he actually leaves to do some evenings is participate in underground fighting tournaments for cash he so desperately needs for their home.
In the meantime, Tommy has shown up at their father's house in Pittsburgh which prompts the old man to seek out Brendan in order to use it as an excuse to reconnect. It emerges that Brendan has enforced a rule on his now coming up to 1000 days sober father than the only contact he will allow is by mail or phone. Paddy Conlon gets the cold shoulder despite Brendan being curious about Tommy's return and how he is. In the end he rejects his father's attempt at trying to repair the massively burnt bridge between them though tells him to pass his address on to Tommy if he's interested.
It isn't until he comes home in the early hours of one morning looking more beaten up than in one piece that he confesses to Tess and tells her he isn't bouncing but instead fighting again. She isn't happy but finally starts to realize how much of a grave situation they're in. The next day rumor spreads at the school he teaches at that he's involved in fighting after hours and, though vaguely sympathetic to his situation the principal's hands are tied after the superintendent is called in. Lucky to not lose his job, Brendan is suspended without pay for the rest of the semester leaving him with no way of earning money through his teaching job. One night, while fixing his daughters' tiny toy piano for a "recital" they have planned for the next day, he and Tess talk and he explains that he can earn up to $500 per night he fights. Left with only the choice of giving in to Brendan's idea of fighting and losing their house, Tess finally concedes and the next day he goes to visit an old friend of his from his ex-UFC days: Frank.
It takes some persuading, but Frank allows Brendan to train at his gym alongside his prize fighter who is training for the massively hyped and anticipated grand prix format MMA tournament: Sparta. MMA fighters from all over the world are trying to win a place in the 16-man tournament to compete for the prize money of $5,000,000. Brendan trains as hard and as long as he used to, his days now empty from his teaching job and all of his focus on earning as much money as he can so he, Tess and the girls can continue to have a home. It isn't until that very same prize fighter injures himself and effectively puts himself out of the tournament that Brendan, now as fit as he's been in a long time, is struck with an idea. The now empty slot Frank has in the Sparta tournament Brendan sees as his opportunity to finally earn enough money for his family to be comfortable instead of always struggling to keep hold of their home. It's another half-battle but he finally persuades Frank that he'll put absolutely everything into the tournament and, ultimately, that he won't let either of them down. Frank agrees and the decision is made: Brendan is going to compete at Sparta.
Fast-forward to the tournament Brendan busts his ass over to train his hardest for and it isn't until the day before the tournament starts in Atlantic City that he realizes Tommy, his younger brother, is also competing for the Sparta title and prize money. They share eye-contact across the room but don't communicate verbally outside of that because before Brendan can make it across the room Tommy has disappeared.
Just like when he was a kid, Brendan's fights are hard, brutal and drawn-out. Tommy has such a physical presence and aggression that he has little trouble dropping his opponents like flies but for Brendan these victories are hard-fought and won on a technical front. Walking out to the classy notes of Beethoven, Brendan's attitude is to always approach each fight smart and roll with the punches until he can see an opportunity to pin his opponent, forcing them to tap out when they can't escape. It isn't until he defeats MMA legend and contender tipped to win Koba that people start to take his own shot at the title seriously and, in what the media finally explode over as the tournament draws to its final fight is something of both a cruel fate and an opportunity for a resolution: the last two men competing for the Sparta title are brothers. Brendan has to fight and beat his brother Tommy for that prize money to see that his family home remains secure.
The brothers finally go head-to-head in the final, Tommy seeming to use the fight not only as a path to the $5,000,000 winnings but also to take out the anger he feels towards Brendan. He doesn't pull his punches or kicks and Brendan, unable to really come up with anything suitable in response, allows himself to be beaten into a bloody mess until the first round finishes. It isn't until he gets Tommy into his first deep hold that the tides start to turn and, his younger brother refusing to just tap out like Brendan wants him to, he's left with no choice but to press the hold deeper, dislocating Tommy's shoulder in the process. Trying to call an end to the fight after he realizes how injured Tommy is, Brendan is visibly upset when the other man clearly can't move his arm but insists on continuing fighting anyway. He has to pull himself together before he can get back into the fight and, when he finally gets Tommy into a second hold, trapping him in a rear naked choke hold, he apologizes and tells his younger brother that everything will be okay and that he loves him. It takes a few seconds but Tommy eventually taps out and Brendan wins the fight and tournament, but his first and most pressing concern is his brother. He's forceful about anyone getting too close to Tommy and physically pushes people away before he wraps an arm around the other man's shoulders and guides him gently and tenderly out of the cage and back towards the prep rooms signaling that the brothers' broken relationship has a glimmer of hope to it now.
Personality: For a man who hails from such broken beginnings, Brendan has with perseverance and the love of his wife, Tess, become what he believes to be the best version of himself. He's dependable, reliable and warm-hearted and is through and through a family man at his core. The support and love he was missing from his own father when he was growing up is a hundred fold for his own children as he busts his ass literally to make sure they have a safe home and security as they grow up.
He is dedicated in what he does, whether that be to his family, to his students or to his colleagues at the high school he teaches at. When he commits to a goal he puts in 110% effort to make sure that he reaches it no matter how broken, bruised and bloody he might be crossing the finish line. He doesn't shy away from responsibility and, when he's made a mistake, he isn't afraid to put his hand up and admit he's screwed up. This dedication can sometimes spell out trouble and is ultimately the reason for his suspension from teaching for fighting on the amateur MMA circuit. He refuses to give in and lose his family home, and that leads to his eventual successful inclusion and string of victories at Sparta.
His sense of humor is light and as warm as the rest of his personality, his ability to be humble and genuine in his approach giving him an endearing, non-confrontational kind of demeanor even in jest. He is physically a big man and though he does usually sport some kind of cut, graze or bruise blossoming across his chiselled jaw he isn't imposing or intimidating like his brother can appear. His body language reflects this inner desire for calm, for peace and for plain, good old-fashioned getting by in life through hard work and a healthy application of being civilized and true to your own morals and beliefs.
The relationship he shares with his wife is vastly more successful than any other relationship he's had before. Their closeness gives him something good and true to hold on to and fight for and it's seeing her in the crowd at the Sparta tournament that really spurs him on to fight harder. In Brendan's world, there's nothing more important to him than Tess and their daughters and that shows in almost everything he does.
Despite being such an all-round nice, awesome and good guy, Brendan does have his faults. Despite usually possessing a level-head most of the time he can lose it when faced with dire circumstances that drive him to do things like lying to Tess about bouncing in a club. Not worrying her was his ultimate aim, but his need to provide for his family and not let them down or fail them like he feels he was failed has seen him put in the back of an ambulance before. Added to this, his broken relationship with his father and subsequent attempts by his father to repair that fall on deaf ears. He tells his father that he forgives him but he doesn't trust him, and that seems to be too large a stumbling block for him to get over. Dissimilarly, when he finally sees Tommy again after 14 years apart, he is willing to put their past behind them, going so far as showing his younger brother a photo of what he holds most dear to him: Tess and the girls. It is an olive branch that fails to be accepted by Tommy, but his willingness to share that with his brother signals the start of his wish to rebuild that bridge.
Abilities, Weaknesses and Power Limitations: Brendan is match-fit from the MMA Sparta tournament he's just competed in and it shows - he is bulky and in top physical shape and it would take a lot of physical force or powers to actually best him in hand-to-hand combat. He’s just fought and won the intensely physical tournament beating other MMA fighters and, most notably, his brother Tommy and though his style is more technical and tactical than other fighters he can still pack a heavy punch and kick.
He's also a smart guy, his ability to teach physics to a bunch of teenagers mostly thanks to his ability to make even dry subject matters interesting. He genuinely enjoys working to educate people and provoke an interest in hunger for learning and bettering yourself.
However, he is still only human and susceptible to all the things humans are - knives, guns and other weapons not to mention illness (even if his physical fitness probably spares him from some of the more low-level bugs around).
His family are also one of his biggest strengths and weaknesses all rolled up into one. There is nothing he wouldn't do for his wife and kids but at the same time, if anything ever happened to them he would be left a broken man. His still damaged relationship with Tommy is also a source of weakness and a sensitive point which can be prodded at to provoke a reaction. Their movement in the right direction together at the end of the Sparta tournament results in Brendan playing the part of over-protective big brother where he hasn't had the chance to for the last 14 years, and this is likely to be the same on board the Tranquility.
Inventory: Wedding ring, mp3 player + earphones, grappling gloves, mouth guard, short-sleeve gray training hoodie, small tatty photograph of his wife and daughters, empty water bottle
Appearance: 5' 11" (1.80 m) + 196lbs of lean fighting muscle. Fair hair cut short and neat, deep blue eyes - carries himself more like a physics teacher than he does a MMA fighter. He has scars on his face and body from old fights but none more than faded lines where his skin has been bust open by a well-placed punch or kick. Portrayed by Joel Edgerton.
Age: Early 30s
AU Clarification: n/a
SAMPLES
Log Sample:
He can feel his fists flying, muscles in his arms so far past burning he can barely feel the pain. All he knows is the sound of his gloves against his opponent’s skin, against Tommy’s already broken body. He can’t stop because he doesn’t know if he’ll be able to go through with starting again, deaf to the judge’s yelling “BREAK, BACK UP, BACK UP” until he’s physically yanked off of his brother and shoved away by the man in white and black.
He catches his father’s eye in the crowd, doesn’t know what he’s waiting for, whether he’s still so angry about how effortlessly he ripped their family apart, or whether he’s looking for that approval he never got as a kid. He heart aches so much he thinks it’s breaking and all he can see in his father is regret, acceptance that this is his fault.
Brendan barely hears Frank’s inspirational pep talk, barely feels the cold water being poured into his mouth or sees the familiar face in front of him, doesn’t acknowledge that it’s seconds that pass him by because time doesn’t matter, neither does water or Frank or his father - only Tommy does. His injured brother, the formerly happy kid ruined by the hand he was dealt... the man whose shoulder he dislocated and now has to finish off.
He stands from the low stool in his corner and only has eyes for his brother, gloves hoisted high to hide how his heart breaks at the sight, at the realization he has no choice but to finish this and not draw it out any longer. He owes Tommy more but this is all he can give for now, that and his promise it’ll be okay, that he loves him. That’s he’s sorry.
Comms Sample:
[There's a strange sort of clarity set deep in the blue eyes that have snagged on the lens of the device the man is holding between large but gentle hands, even if he's desperate to take another look around the strange place he's woken up in. This isn't home, or Frank's and it's definitely not Atlantic City, but there's a lack of panic and a bigger lack of the muscular man looking as though he's going to lose it just yet. He's going to wait until he knows all of the facts before he starts to worry.
His expression is calm if on the slightly reserved side as he thoughtfully opens his mouth to ask his first question, one that he's attempted to sense check as much as he can to try and get to the answers he'd like as fast as possible. It's been a while since he's woken up somewhere and not known how he'd arrived there, and that had always been after a fight gone wrong. Stray fists after the clackers had already sounded...
He hasn't even noticed the newly added digits dark in the skin of his bulky forearm in his confusion, not over the top of the aches and pains he's still carrying from Sparta. There are places around his body that are going to take a few more weeks to heal up but that isn't what seems important.]
Can anybody tell me where I am?
Your Name: Alex
OOC Journal:
burnslikethesunUnder 18? If yes, what is your age?: n/a
Email + IM: cookie.wins@gmail.com + cookiewins
Characters Played at Ataraxion: Dean Winchester
CHARACTER INFORMATION
Name: Brendan Conlon
Canon: Warrior
Original or Alternate Universe: Original
Canon Point: Post-Sparta
Number: 081
Setting: Philadelphia, 21st Century Earth. Man has been to the moon and has built a space station but as far as huge, creepy spaceships go Brendan’s experience only stretches to the theoretical side of that.
History: Growing up in PA, USA, Brendan is the eldest of two brothers born to an alcoholic ex-Marine with a penchant for both physical and verbal abuse. Brought into the world a few years before his younger brother, Tommy, Brendan always tried his best to be more of an interesting prospect to his father than he ever really achieved. Though he had brains and the kind of determination rarely seen in other kids his age, he always watched his father’s attention get pulled in other directions. It didn’t matter whether it was alcohol or his brother’s clear affinity for athleticism and, in particular, junior wrestling, it always bothered him that his father was never interested in an underdog like him. Home was, in his memory, not a nice place to be especially knowing what his father was capable of when he’d had a few drinks and, though the opportunity arose at the tender age of 16 to flee with his mother and Tommy, he chose to stay behind.
He later explains to Tommy that he chose to stay behind because he had already fallen in love with a girl called Tess who, a few years later, became his wife and mother to his two daughters, Emily and Rosie. The conversation between the brothers sheds light on how betrayed Tommy feels by Brendan and how Brendan still regrets not even being told his mother had died from cancer a few years earlier. Privately, and only within earshot of his father at a different point, he also admits that he thought it would leave him with more of his attention now that his younger brother was gone, something he truly believed in when he was a teenager.
Previously a UFC "animal", Brendan respects Tess's wishes when they decide to have a family and stops fighting, instead turning his hand to something less physically dangerous (mostly) in the world of teaching. Taking on a job as a high school physics teacher, he is the kind of guy who is popular with both his students and his colleagues and life is good until his youngest daughter gets sick and needs open-heart surgery to save her life. Having no choice but to re-mortgage their house to pay for the surgery, he struggles to provide for his family financially from this point onwards.
Numerous meetings with his bank don't help the dire situation and he finds himself with a 90-day notice of foreclosure on their home if he doesn't find the money they need to secure their house. Feeling as though he has no better or quicker way to earn the money through teaching he lies to Tess, telling her that he has a second job as a bouncer. What he actually leaves to do some evenings is participate in underground fighting tournaments for cash he so desperately needs for their home.
In the meantime, Tommy has shown up at their father's house in Pittsburgh which prompts the old man to seek out Brendan in order to use it as an excuse to reconnect. It emerges that Brendan has enforced a rule on his now coming up to 1000 days sober father than the only contact he will allow is by mail or phone. Paddy Conlon gets the cold shoulder despite Brendan being curious about Tommy's return and how he is. In the end he rejects his father's attempt at trying to repair the massively burnt bridge between them though tells him to pass his address on to Tommy if he's interested.
It isn't until he comes home in the early hours of one morning looking more beaten up than in one piece that he confesses to Tess and tells her he isn't bouncing but instead fighting again. She isn't happy but finally starts to realize how much of a grave situation they're in. The next day rumor spreads at the school he teaches at that he's involved in fighting after hours and, though vaguely sympathetic to his situation the principal's hands are tied after the superintendent is called in. Lucky to not lose his job, Brendan is suspended without pay for the rest of the semester leaving him with no way of earning money through his teaching job. One night, while fixing his daughters' tiny toy piano for a "recital" they have planned for the next day, he and Tess talk and he explains that he can earn up to $500 per night he fights. Left with only the choice of giving in to Brendan's idea of fighting and losing their house, Tess finally concedes and the next day he goes to visit an old friend of his from his ex-UFC days: Frank.
It takes some persuading, but Frank allows Brendan to train at his gym alongside his prize fighter who is training for the massively hyped and anticipated grand prix format MMA tournament: Sparta. MMA fighters from all over the world are trying to win a place in the 16-man tournament to compete for the prize money of $5,000,000. Brendan trains as hard and as long as he used to, his days now empty from his teaching job and all of his focus on earning as much money as he can so he, Tess and the girls can continue to have a home. It isn't until that very same prize fighter injures himself and effectively puts himself out of the tournament that Brendan, now as fit as he's been in a long time, is struck with an idea. The now empty slot Frank has in the Sparta tournament Brendan sees as his opportunity to finally earn enough money for his family to be comfortable instead of always struggling to keep hold of their home. It's another half-battle but he finally persuades Frank that he'll put absolutely everything into the tournament and, ultimately, that he won't let either of them down. Frank agrees and the decision is made: Brendan is going to compete at Sparta.
Fast-forward to the tournament Brendan busts his ass over to train his hardest for and it isn't until the day before the tournament starts in Atlantic City that he realizes Tommy, his younger brother, is also competing for the Sparta title and prize money. They share eye-contact across the room but don't communicate verbally outside of that because before Brendan can make it across the room Tommy has disappeared.
Just like when he was a kid, Brendan's fights are hard, brutal and drawn-out. Tommy has such a physical presence and aggression that he has little trouble dropping his opponents like flies but for Brendan these victories are hard-fought and won on a technical front. Walking out to the classy notes of Beethoven, Brendan's attitude is to always approach each fight smart and roll with the punches until he can see an opportunity to pin his opponent, forcing them to tap out when they can't escape. It isn't until he defeats MMA legend and contender tipped to win Koba that people start to take his own shot at the title seriously and, in what the media finally explode over as the tournament draws to its final fight is something of both a cruel fate and an opportunity for a resolution: the last two men competing for the Sparta title are brothers. Brendan has to fight and beat his brother Tommy for that prize money to see that his family home remains secure.
The brothers finally go head-to-head in the final, Tommy seeming to use the fight not only as a path to the $5,000,000 winnings but also to take out the anger he feels towards Brendan. He doesn't pull his punches or kicks and Brendan, unable to really come up with anything suitable in response, allows himself to be beaten into a bloody mess until the first round finishes. It isn't until he gets Tommy into his first deep hold that the tides start to turn and, his younger brother refusing to just tap out like Brendan wants him to, he's left with no choice but to press the hold deeper, dislocating Tommy's shoulder in the process. Trying to call an end to the fight after he realizes how injured Tommy is, Brendan is visibly upset when the other man clearly can't move his arm but insists on continuing fighting anyway. He has to pull himself together before he can get back into the fight and, when he finally gets Tommy into a second hold, trapping him in a rear naked choke hold, he apologizes and tells his younger brother that everything will be okay and that he loves him. It takes a few seconds but Tommy eventually taps out and Brendan wins the fight and tournament, but his first and most pressing concern is his brother. He's forceful about anyone getting too close to Tommy and physically pushes people away before he wraps an arm around the other man's shoulders and guides him gently and tenderly out of the cage and back towards the prep rooms signaling that the brothers' broken relationship has a glimmer of hope to it now.
Personality: For a man who hails from such broken beginnings, Brendan has with perseverance and the love of his wife, Tess, become what he believes to be the best version of himself. He's dependable, reliable and warm-hearted and is through and through a family man at his core. The support and love he was missing from his own father when he was growing up is a hundred fold for his own children as he busts his ass literally to make sure they have a safe home and security as they grow up.
He is dedicated in what he does, whether that be to his family, to his students or to his colleagues at the high school he teaches at. When he commits to a goal he puts in 110% effort to make sure that he reaches it no matter how broken, bruised and bloody he might be crossing the finish line. He doesn't shy away from responsibility and, when he's made a mistake, he isn't afraid to put his hand up and admit he's screwed up. This dedication can sometimes spell out trouble and is ultimately the reason for his suspension from teaching for fighting on the amateur MMA circuit. He refuses to give in and lose his family home, and that leads to his eventual successful inclusion and string of victories at Sparta.
His sense of humor is light and as warm as the rest of his personality, his ability to be humble and genuine in his approach giving him an endearing, non-confrontational kind of demeanor even in jest. He is physically a big man and though he does usually sport some kind of cut, graze or bruise blossoming across his chiselled jaw he isn't imposing or intimidating like his brother can appear. His body language reflects this inner desire for calm, for peace and for plain, good old-fashioned getting by in life through hard work and a healthy application of being civilized and true to your own morals and beliefs.
The relationship he shares with his wife is vastly more successful than any other relationship he's had before. Their closeness gives him something good and true to hold on to and fight for and it's seeing her in the crowd at the Sparta tournament that really spurs him on to fight harder. In Brendan's world, there's nothing more important to him than Tess and their daughters and that shows in almost everything he does.
Despite being such an all-round nice, awesome and good guy, Brendan does have his faults. Despite usually possessing a level-head most of the time he can lose it when faced with dire circumstances that drive him to do things like lying to Tess about bouncing in a club. Not worrying her was his ultimate aim, but his need to provide for his family and not let them down or fail them like he feels he was failed has seen him put in the back of an ambulance before. Added to this, his broken relationship with his father and subsequent attempts by his father to repair that fall on deaf ears. He tells his father that he forgives him but he doesn't trust him, and that seems to be too large a stumbling block for him to get over. Dissimilarly, when he finally sees Tommy again after 14 years apart, he is willing to put their past behind them, going so far as showing his younger brother a photo of what he holds most dear to him: Tess and the girls. It is an olive branch that fails to be accepted by Tommy, but his willingness to share that with his brother signals the start of his wish to rebuild that bridge.
Abilities, Weaknesses and Power Limitations: Brendan is match-fit from the MMA Sparta tournament he's just competed in and it shows - he is bulky and in top physical shape and it would take a lot of physical force or powers to actually best him in hand-to-hand combat. He’s just fought and won the intensely physical tournament beating other MMA fighters and, most notably, his brother Tommy and though his style is more technical and tactical than other fighters he can still pack a heavy punch and kick.
He's also a smart guy, his ability to teach physics to a bunch of teenagers mostly thanks to his ability to make even dry subject matters interesting. He genuinely enjoys working to educate people and provoke an interest in hunger for learning and bettering yourself.
However, he is still only human and susceptible to all the things humans are - knives, guns and other weapons not to mention illness (even if his physical fitness probably spares him from some of the more low-level bugs around).
His family are also one of his biggest strengths and weaknesses all rolled up into one. There is nothing he wouldn't do for his wife and kids but at the same time, if anything ever happened to them he would be left a broken man. His still damaged relationship with Tommy is also a source of weakness and a sensitive point which can be prodded at to provoke a reaction. Their movement in the right direction together at the end of the Sparta tournament results in Brendan playing the part of over-protective big brother where he hasn't had the chance to for the last 14 years, and this is likely to be the same on board the Tranquility.
Inventory: Wedding ring, mp3 player + earphones, grappling gloves, mouth guard, short-sleeve gray training hoodie, small tatty photograph of his wife and daughters, empty water bottle
Appearance: 5' 11" (1.80 m) + 196lbs of lean fighting muscle. Fair hair cut short and neat, deep blue eyes - carries himself more like a physics teacher than he does a MMA fighter. He has scars on his face and body from old fights but none more than faded lines where his skin has been bust open by a well-placed punch or kick. Portrayed by Joel Edgerton.
Age: Early 30s
AU Clarification: n/a
SAMPLES
Log Sample:
He can feel his fists flying, muscles in his arms so far past burning he can barely feel the pain. All he knows is the sound of his gloves against his opponent’s skin, against Tommy’s already broken body. He can’t stop because he doesn’t know if he’ll be able to go through with starting again, deaf to the judge’s yelling “BREAK, BACK UP, BACK UP” until he’s physically yanked off of his brother and shoved away by the man in white and black.
He catches his father’s eye in the crowd, doesn’t know what he’s waiting for, whether he’s still so angry about how effortlessly he ripped their family apart, or whether he’s looking for that approval he never got as a kid. He heart aches so much he thinks it’s breaking and all he can see in his father is regret, acceptance that this is his fault.
Brendan barely hears Frank’s inspirational pep talk, barely feels the cold water being poured into his mouth or sees the familiar face in front of him, doesn’t acknowledge that it’s seconds that pass him by because time doesn’t matter, neither does water or Frank or his father - only Tommy does. His injured brother, the formerly happy kid ruined by the hand he was dealt... the man whose shoulder he dislocated and now has to finish off.
He stands from the low stool in his corner and only has eyes for his brother, gloves hoisted high to hide how his heart breaks at the sight, at the realization he has no choice but to finish this and not draw it out any longer. He owes Tommy more but this is all he can give for now, that and his promise it’ll be okay, that he loves him. That’s he’s sorry.
Comms Sample:
[There's a strange sort of clarity set deep in the blue eyes that have snagged on the lens of the device the man is holding between large but gentle hands, even if he's desperate to take another look around the strange place he's woken up in. This isn't home, or Frank's and it's definitely not Atlantic City, but there's a lack of panic and a bigger lack of the muscular man looking as though he's going to lose it just yet. He's going to wait until he knows all of the facts before he starts to worry.
His expression is calm if on the slightly reserved side as he thoughtfully opens his mouth to ask his first question, one that he's attempted to sense check as much as he can to try and get to the answers he'd like as fast as possible. It's been a while since he's woken up somewhere and not known how he'd arrived there, and that had always been after a fight gone wrong. Stray fists after the clackers had already sounded...
He hasn't even noticed the newly added digits dark in the skin of his bulky forearm in his confusion, not over the top of the aches and pains he's still carrying from Sparta. There are places around his body that are going to take a few more weeks to heal up but that isn't what seems important.]
Can anybody tell me where I am?