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Character Information
Name: Brian Thomas / 'Hoody'
Series: Marble Hornets
Appearance: One, two, three, with the last image being what he looks like as 'Hoody'.
Age: 25-ish.
Canon Point: Post Entry #83
Canon History: Not much is known about Brian's history prior to canon, but I have dot pointed below my headcanons for this time based on canonical events and Brian's personality.
• Brian grew up in an average household with no siblings and two well off parents. They were dedicated to their work and rarely home at the same time, and Brian often felt isolated from them. Despite this, he was popular at school; he received decent grades, was good at sports, and well liked by his teachers and peers.
• He moved away to attend college, supporting himself with a part time job. Over time, his contact with his parents diminished to a bare minimum, and his old friends stopped driving the distance to see him. Brian made new friends easily enough, but he never stopped feeling like he was failing to really connect with the people around him.
• It was during his second year of college that Brian met Tim via a shared class. He had known Alex a little longer, due to shared video classes.
And from here on, the chronological timeline of canon events. (It's pretty bare bones, but I'm aware the mods are familiar with this canon! Let me know if you want more detail!)
What's not detailed in this timeline is that during Entry #51, based on Tim's experiences with the Operator and how heavily affected Brian is by what has happened to him off screen, we can assume that Brian went through a similar 'gauntlet' to Tim, and spent potentially a long amount of time in the dimension the Operator seems to preside over.
Canon Personality: After everything that's happened to Brian, his personality is rather layered, to put it kindly. While he's definitely very different post fandom-dubbed 'Slender sickness' and spending an indeterminate amount of time being fucked with in this only loosely depicted other dimension, who Brian was is still a central part of who he is, because that person isn't gone, exactly. Just buried deep.
Brian, at the beginning, radiated positivity and promise. He was quick with a cheeky joke, and often enjoyed teasing his friends. His humor often slips into self deprecating as well, but in a good-natured, accessible way. After being told he's auditioning for, ironically, the role of Brian, he says, "That's like the one thing I am good at", to Alex, while grinning widely and welcoming him to laugh along. Brian knows how to make people smile, and how to act around different types of people. He's good at reading the room, and likes making people comfortable. He also has no problem acknowledging and joking about the ways in which he's fortunate, perhaps because these things feel somewhat hollow and invaluable to him anyway. He's in his element in social situations, but they aren't something he particularly actively seeks out, either. Brian enjoys sitting around and chilling one on one as much as, if not more so, than being part of a large group. In fact, despite being socially adept, Brian can't seem to break the barrier between buddy and best friend, and he really wants someone he can talk more honestly with, and not always be 100% all smiles all the time around.
He's considerate; Brian is shown on camera hesitating to get Tim involved in Marble Hornets, because he knows Tim to be a reserved sort of person. He even questions Alex about how his project is going, and (in a gesture that is above and beyond, considering the quality of the screenplay) says to him, "Did you write this? Good job, dude." He's encouraging, and the type of person that inspires trust in others for how open and devoid of maliciousness he is. He's approachable and easy to talk to and he likes it that way. Brian wants people to be okay. He wants to help. Ultimately, he's a really good friend who feels directionless and out of place around most of the people he hangs out with.
All this said, while his good heart and much of the person he used to be remained at his core, Brian's encounters with the Operator, on camera and off, changed him greatly. As did, of course, one of his closest friends attacking him and leaving him for dead. That'll tend to do that.
His experiences cause Brian to filter away and bury deeply the person he used to be, with the express purpose of making it all hurt less. 'Hoody' isn't an alternate identity. It's not a state. It's Brian, minus the sunshine and with the addition of psychosomatic mutism. Brian, though, would not describe it that way. The way he sees it, Brian is dead. Whatever he is now, in his own words, is not human. Brian views himself as nothing more than the means to an end, and has become doggedly focused on his goals, (those being, of course, help Jay and Tim, stop Alex, find the ark) all else falling to the wayside.
Where Brian was once optimistic to a fault, he is now tinged with cynicism, all too aware of the possibility of betrayal from any angle. Interestingly though, his optimism seems to have all been channeled with single minded determination into the idea of an 'ark', an abstract concept that he pins all of his hopes on.
His sense of humor remained, but stained by what had happened to him, grew more bitter and biting, illustrated particularly by pointed jabs at Alex, and the way he grins even as Alex screams at him to "wipe that smirk off" his face. Anger has become a far more prevalent contender in his wheelhouse of emotions, something that Brian previously did not really have to deal with much. He wasn't an angry person, but now- now it is something he feels so powerfully sometimes that he doesn't know what to do with it. He doesn't have any methods for dealing with this, and is prone to lashing out and allowing his anger to fester.
The way he has disconnected himself as best he can from his own humanity also puts Brian on some shaky moral ground. He carries out some questionable actions, even if his goals aren't horrible, very much living the philosophy of 'the ends justify the means.' If threatening Jay's life is what it takes to save him, so be it. If he needs to punch Tim in the face to escape him, alright then. He definitely still cares about Tim, but with an attitude that speaks to some definite superiority undertones and the desperation to survive, will do what he thinks is best without regard to Tim's (or anyone elses!) thoughts on the matter.
Towards the end, though, even survival means little to Brian. As though he can sense the end approaching, he codes his name into one of his videos, and throws any self preservation to the wind. His goals are bigger than that.
He's tough, persistent, and ironically, considering the way he was in the past, infuriating to communicate with. Brian believes he has to drop breadcrumbs though, because if he lets the walls down too far, he knows he could be opening himself up to a world of hurt. His once strong faith in the world is shattered, and it remains to be seen if anything close to the person he once was can be salvaged from what he has become.
Personality Shifts: n/a, ended up detailing this above!
Abilities: Incredible amounts of stamina and perseverance for your average human. Able to live off very little for a prolonged time. Very good at cracking and creating codes and riddles.
Inventory: Somebody picked Brian's pockets as he lay on the ground dying slowly, so he will be showing up with nothing but the clothes (and mask!) on his back.
Sample
Thread Sample: here!
Name: Brian Thomas / 'Hoody'
Series: Marble Hornets
Appearance: One, two, three, with the last image being what he looks like as 'Hoody'.
Age: 25-ish.
Canon Point: Post Entry #83
Canon History: Not much is known about Brian's history prior to canon, but I have dot pointed below my headcanons for this time based on canonical events and Brian's personality.
• Brian grew up in an average household with no siblings and two well off parents. They were dedicated to their work and rarely home at the same time, and Brian often felt isolated from them. Despite this, he was popular at school; he received decent grades, was good at sports, and well liked by his teachers and peers.
• He moved away to attend college, supporting himself with a part time job. Over time, his contact with his parents diminished to a bare minimum, and his old friends stopped driving the distance to see him. Brian made new friends easily enough, but he never stopped feeling like he was failing to really connect with the people around him.
• It was during his second year of college that Brian met Tim via a shared class. He had known Alex a little longer, due to shared video classes.
And from here on, the chronological timeline of canon events. (It's pretty bare bones, but I'm aware the mods are familiar with this canon! Let me know if you want more detail!)
What's not detailed in this timeline is that during Entry #51, based on Tim's experiences with the Operator and how heavily affected Brian is by what has happened to him off screen, we can assume that Brian went through a similar 'gauntlet' to Tim, and spent potentially a long amount of time in the dimension the Operator seems to preside over.
Canon Personality: After everything that's happened to Brian, his personality is rather layered, to put it kindly. While he's definitely very different post fandom-dubbed 'Slender sickness' and spending an indeterminate amount of time being fucked with in this only loosely depicted other dimension, who Brian was is still a central part of who he is, because that person isn't gone, exactly. Just buried deep.
Brian, at the beginning, radiated positivity and promise. He was quick with a cheeky joke, and often enjoyed teasing his friends. His humor often slips into self deprecating as well, but in a good-natured, accessible way. After being told he's auditioning for, ironically, the role of Brian, he says, "That's like the one thing I am good at", to Alex, while grinning widely and welcoming him to laugh along. Brian knows how to make people smile, and how to act around different types of people. He's good at reading the room, and likes making people comfortable. He also has no problem acknowledging and joking about the ways in which he's fortunate, perhaps because these things feel somewhat hollow and invaluable to him anyway. He's in his element in social situations, but they aren't something he particularly actively seeks out, either. Brian enjoys sitting around and chilling one on one as much as, if not more so, than being part of a large group. In fact, despite being socially adept, Brian can't seem to break the barrier between buddy and best friend, and he really wants someone he can talk more honestly with, and not always be 100% all smiles all the time around.
He's considerate; Brian is shown on camera hesitating to get Tim involved in Marble Hornets, because he knows Tim to be a reserved sort of person. He even questions Alex about how his project is going, and (in a gesture that is above and beyond, considering the quality of the screenplay) says to him, "Did you write this? Good job, dude." He's encouraging, and the type of person that inspires trust in others for how open and devoid of maliciousness he is. He's approachable and easy to talk to and he likes it that way. Brian wants people to be okay. He wants to help. Ultimately, he's a really good friend who feels directionless and out of place around most of the people he hangs out with.
All this said, while his good heart and much of the person he used to be remained at his core, Brian's encounters with the Operator, on camera and off, changed him greatly. As did, of course, one of his closest friends attacking him and leaving him for dead. That'll tend to do that.
His experiences cause Brian to filter away and bury deeply the person he used to be, with the express purpose of making it all hurt less. 'Hoody' isn't an alternate identity. It's not a state. It's Brian, minus the sunshine and with the addition of psychosomatic mutism. Brian, though, would not describe it that way. The way he sees it, Brian is dead. Whatever he is now, in his own words, is not human. Brian views himself as nothing more than the means to an end, and has become doggedly focused on his goals, (those being, of course, help Jay and Tim, stop Alex, find the ark) all else falling to the wayside.
Where Brian was once optimistic to a fault, he is now tinged with cynicism, all too aware of the possibility of betrayal from any angle. Interestingly though, his optimism seems to have all been channeled with single minded determination into the idea of an 'ark', an abstract concept that he pins all of his hopes on.
His sense of humor remained, but stained by what had happened to him, grew more bitter and biting, illustrated particularly by pointed jabs at Alex, and the way he grins even as Alex screams at him to "wipe that smirk off" his face. Anger has become a far more prevalent contender in his wheelhouse of emotions, something that Brian previously did not really have to deal with much. He wasn't an angry person, but now- now it is something he feels so powerfully sometimes that he doesn't know what to do with it. He doesn't have any methods for dealing with this, and is prone to lashing out and allowing his anger to fester.
The way he has disconnected himself as best he can from his own humanity also puts Brian on some shaky moral ground. He carries out some questionable actions, even if his goals aren't horrible, very much living the philosophy of 'the ends justify the means.' If threatening Jay's life is what it takes to save him, so be it. If he needs to punch Tim in the face to escape him, alright then. He definitely still cares about Tim, but with an attitude that speaks to some definite superiority undertones and the desperation to survive, will do what he thinks is best without regard to Tim's (or anyone elses!) thoughts on the matter.
Towards the end, though, even survival means little to Brian. As though he can sense the end approaching, he codes his name into one of his videos, and throws any self preservation to the wind. His goals are bigger than that.
He's tough, persistent, and ironically, considering the way he was in the past, infuriating to communicate with. Brian believes he has to drop breadcrumbs though, because if he lets the walls down too far, he knows he could be opening himself up to a world of hurt. His once strong faith in the world is shattered, and it remains to be seen if anything close to the person he once was can be salvaged from what he has become.
Personality Shifts: n/a, ended up detailing this above!
Abilities: Incredible amounts of stamina and perseverance for your average human. Able to live off very little for a prolonged time. Very good at cracking and creating codes and riddles.
Inventory: Somebody picked Brian's pockets as he lay on the ground dying slowly, so he will be showing up with nothing but the clothes (and mask!) on his back.
Sample
Thread Sample: here!