Braden Parker

[Braden Parker]

BRADEN PARKER


“If we do not end war - war will end us. Everybody says that, millions of people believe it, and nobody does anything”

NAME: Braden Parker
AGE: 21 years
GENDER: Male
RACE: Human
OCCUPATION: Ex-Soldier/North
REGION: World of War
ERA: Modern Day
POWER: None
EQUIPMENT: Assault rifle, combat knife

LIKES:
- Helping others
- Feeling needed
- Being the 'hero'
- Piano music
- Fighting for a cause
- Being alone
- Making a difference
- Dark chocolate
- Being in charge

DISLIKES:
- The war
- Verbal disputes
- Death
- Unnecessary bloodshed
- Idiotic people
- Sleeping
- Irrational actions
- Feeling useless
- Being told what to do

FEARS:
- Being unable to protect people
- Dying

SECRET: A few years ago, he accidentally shot an innocent person, one of his friends. He has never forgiven himself for this unfortunate act. This is what opened his eyes to war, and is what caused him to be so bitter toward the world.

PERSONALITY: Braden is a courageous man, a brave soul who will never back down from a fight. There seems to be little he fears, or if there is, he hides it well. He likes to be the hero, and he is always rushing to the rescue of those in need. There have been many times when his superior officers have given him orders to give up, to run back to safety, and he has not listened. Braden does not believe in lost causes, and he will do everything he can to help save a life, even if it means giving up his own in the process. He cares little for himself, placing all his energy in helping others survive. The only reason that he is still breathing is simply because he still feels like he has a purpose, that there are still people out there who might need his help. It is the only thing that keeps him going; the idea of being someone’s hero, if only for a short moment in time.

Braden, although he is a soldier, hates fighting. He will never back down if challenged, but he is a person who would prefer to solve things peacefully. He did not become a soldier by choice. He was drafted into the war as soon as he turned eighteen, having absolutely no say in the matter. He used to be a soft and gentle person, but the war has hardened him and broken his spirit. He is someone who, every time he kills a person, says a silent prayer for them. When his gun fires, he stops and takes a moment to think, wondering whose life he has taken this time. Did they have a family? Did they have a wife? His occupation depresses him, and because of this he can be a rather grim person, often seeming to lack emotion. He has learned that it is easier that way, to be numb, to not feel. Some of the things he has seen while in the military are too horrifying to even describe, and because of this he often wanders around in a melancholy silence.

He also dislikes verbal disputes. This is because they remind him of how his parents fought when he was young, way back before they divorced, and the shouting often brings back unpleasant memories. He wishes that people would work together more, get along, but he knows that this will never happen; just like he knows that the war will never end, that the fighting will never stop. While he no longer serves the army, he still considers himself a soldier; a soldier of a different type though, not someone who kills people, but someone who saves lives. He prefers to roam the street and help survivors rather than to fight and kill in the combat fields. He knows that the utopia he desires will never become a reality, so he has learned to make the best of his situation. He is constantly trying to find a reason to keep living, to keep breathing.

HISTORY: Braden grew up in a quiet household. His parents never got along, and because of this they never spoke to each other. When they actually did talk, all they did was scream and shout, something that scared their son. To make matters worse, Braden’s father was an alcoholic, an aggressive man, and he would often beat him. Since Braden’s house was such an uncomfortable place, he would often spend time sitting in the park or roaming around the streets. He was a quiet boy, very shy, someone who had little friends. He had no one to talk to about his problems, so he was forced to keep all his depression and rage bottled up inside. He hated going home at night, and sometimes he would sleep outside in his neighbor’s yard or empty alleyways. He even ran away a few times, of course, someone always found him and dragged him back.

Eventually, Braden started high school. Things were pretty much the same for him, except that his parents had finally gotten a divorce. Of course, with that had been the whole dispute over who got to keep their son. Braden was so sick of their fighting that he decided he did not want to share a house with either of them. His parents were furious with this and tried to stop them, but he refused to be near either of them and took a different path; emancipation. He provided enough evidence for the court to prove that his father beat him, and he won the case. He was granted the freedom he had always desired, set free at last. Along with this freedom, however, came great responsibility, and most of his high school life was spent struggling to make a living, jumping from one job to the next.

When high school ended, Braden got a letter in the mail. He thought it was just another bill, but it turned out to be something more, something life changing. It was a notice saying that he had been drafted into the army. He was very distraught by this, and he tried many times to get out of going, but he was powerless in the decision. If he didn’t attend, he would be sentenced to prison for deserting his duty. Not wanting to be caged with a bunch of insane murderers, Braden reluctantly joined the military. He went through many months of hard training, and then was finally brought out onto the battle field. It was during this time that he saw countless horrible things, witnessing the brutal deaths of his comrades. He also realized he was one of the few soldiers with a conscience, one of the few who felt sadness after taking the life of another. Braden was unable to relate to most of his fellow soldiers, and because of this he often felt alone.

After his first year of serving, the commanding officers brought in more troops. It was in one of these men that Braden found a friend; Jarrett. He was asked to help train the boy and show him the ropes, teach him how things worked. At first Braden despised the younger and more fiery boy, but over the days the two formed some sort of bond and actually ended up becoming close friends. Unfortunately, they only got to see three battles together before Jarrett’s life was taken. It wouldn’t have been so bad if it was by the opposing forces, by the enemy; but it wasn’t. The one who took Jarrett’s life was Braden. It was an accident, something he never meant to do… but it was dark that day, and rain was pouring from the sky, making it misty and hard to see. Braden mistook Jarrett as an enemy and shot him, not knowing that it was his friend who he had aimed his gun at. It was only after the bullet had hit that he realized what he had done. He has never been able to forgive himself from this act, and he still mourns the loss of his friend, unable to let go. It was soon after this that Braden was in an accident, one that hurt his right arm so badly that he could no longer hold up a gun properly.

Braden now wanders the land alone, stoic and reserved. He still considers himself a soldier, but one of a different kind. Rather than mindlessly killing people, he travels around trying to help the remaining humans survive, trying to give the few survivors hope. He cares little for himself, and the only reason he keeps living is so that maybe he will be able to save another’s life.

ROLE-PLAY SAMPLE: Already did this - See Aryan.

~~~~~~~~~

ALIAS: Aryan

[Kuro]

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