{application | hadriel}

[raptorcious]

PLAYER
Player name: Crystal
Contact: maledictions
Characters currently in-game: n/a!

CHARACTER
Character Name: Diego Brando
Character Age: 20
Canon: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run
Canon Point: Vol. 99 Ch. 76 - "D4C 9"
History: Here
Personality:

From a very young age, Diego learned that other people cannot be trusted or depended upon for much of anything because they are frequently only thinking of themselves. For example, when Diego was born, his mother and father buried him alive because they were more interested in having money than raising a child. His mother had a change of heart and nearly drowned when the river whisked him away, but his father never went looking for either of them again. Diego also learned this from the way in which people looked the other way when it was clear his mother was struggling/suffering. As a result, the only person that Diego has ever valued (aside from himself, of course) was his mother because she was the only one who ever attempted to provide or care for him. In fact, she went so far as to put herself second to any of Diego's needs. So, needless to say, Diego holds his mother in high esteem even after her death, idealizing her to the point he wants revenge against the people he holds accountable for her death. Those people being his father, the man who found them the day they washed up from the river, and everyone on the farm who looked the other way. He also includes people he feels have looked down upon him throughout his life as well, so it might seem like he just generally has it out for most people. However, this isn't quite true.

When it comes to most people, Diego views them as inconsequential. He even comments at one point that horses have more character than people. Which sure, he's a huge nerd for horses and he notices a lot about them because he's a genius jockey and all that, but that's still a pretty big slight against people as being basic, predictable creatures that are generally beneath him. Basically, Diego spent so much of his formative years being crushed underfoot by other people, he has grown to return the favor. His opinion of people only changes when they do one of two things: prove themselves to be in his way or prove they might be useful. In both instances, Diego doesn't value them any more than he did before. He displays a certain degree of ruthlessness regardless of whether he sees them as an obstacle or a (temporary) asset.

In terms of the former, Diego will do anything to eliminate someone in his way. And not just eliminate, but humiliate and eliminate because Diego feels no qualms about going that extra step of dragging someone down first. There's even a small part of him that revels in it because having that power over someone is highly important to him. (And will be elaborated further in another paragraph.) Take for example when he decides he wants to beat Johnny and Gyro to the corpse parts. Prior to that decision, he really couldn't have cared less about either of them except maybe as potential competition for the race and even that would have been somewhat of a stretch due to Diego's confidence in his own abilities.

When it comes to finding someone useful, Diego doesn't really care how things turn out for the people who choose to come along with him. He's grown up with a survival of the fittest mentality. So while he might deign to work with someone else? He is not holding their hand through it. This plays out each time Diego teams up with someone (even in a vague way like he did with Magenta Magenta) as he lends very little support to them directly. Instead, he expects that his partner will lend their power/talent/skill to his benefit, such as Soundman doing the dirty work of taking out Johnny and Gyro (while he reaps the reward from President Valentine) or Hotpants preventing Valentine from using his Stand's ability.

Because of this lack of regard for others that easily can be translated into ruthlessness, Diego has been described by Johnny as "hungry" and being willing to do whatever it takes to come out on top. (The latter has become so deeply associated with him that there are a number of rumors [unfounded, but still circulating] about what he has done to win/come out on top including murdering his elderly wife for her money to poisoning other horses to win races.) To a large degree, this assessment of Diego being willing to do anything is true. Aside from what was previously mentioned of how he interacts with others, Diego's early learning experiences taught him about the importance of money because with money comes sociopolitical clout. Or more simply: money equals power. Diego grew up in poverty and thus, grew up powerless. He had no control over his life in every meaning of that phrase. Thus, Diego has an understanding that the world will not hand him anything. He must rely upon his cunning as well as his brute force to claim and protect what he feels is rightfully his. (And despite growing up with not much, Diego does feel quite entitled. More on his entitlement and arrogance in a moment.) Otherwise, the elite will crush and take from him once more, and the vultures will pick apart whatever meager scraps are left.

And that would be the worst thing that could happen to Diego. More than anything, Diego hates losing/being a loser. One of the most important lessons that his mother passed on to him before she died was to hold onto his pride/dignity. This fostered his independent streak and his unwillingness to view others as equals, but it also made any alternative of compromise or glass half full point-of-view impossible for Diego. He will be the best at whatever he decides to do or apply himself towards so that everyone must look up to him. Thus, when it comes to his natural talent/connection with horses, he becomes world-renowned. When his horse is run to the point of exhaustion, he refuses to drop out of the Steel Ball Run, swearing revenge against Johnny and Gyro for making him come in such a low a place he doesn't even really rank during that stage. When he gains his Stand, Scary Monsters, the reader will notice a gigantic and rapid gain in terms of his power and control over the ability compared to what Johnny has managed to accomplish with Tusk over a much longer time frame. When it comes to chasing down the corpse parts, he eventually decides the equivalent of "fuck it, I want it all" because he sees it as the answer to getting everything he's ever desired since no one can possibly compete with that level of power. It's also arguable that when Diego died, he was actually the happiest he's ever been because he was under the impression he had managed the ultimate victory rather than being torn in half by a train. And in the end, Diego must become the best through his own power, not through charity because charity would be an insult to his pride. This has culminated in Diego being incredibly talented and driven to succeed no matter what the cost.

But that talent and drive come coupled with arrogance as I mentioned previously. And that is something incredibly important to note about Diego that it underlies everything that I've said here in some capacity. In devaluing people to the point he views them as predictable, self-serving creatures, he views himself as above that, or at the very least, with the capability of surpassing that and ascending into a position that places their fates in his hands. In having been told to always have his pride, Diego's independent streak is to the point that he knows he doesn't need anyone else. In developing himself into the cunning genius jockey that he is, Diego believes there is no way that anyone can possibly stand to challenge him because he will always find a way to outdo them. Of course, the other side to this arrogance is not deep-seated insecurity because this isn't a bluff for some soft, gooey center to keep himself protected and at an arm's length from people. In fact, his arrogance is his fatal flaw rather than something that protects him.

There is something that I have not mentioned until now because I feel that Diego is very much his own character by his own right. However, this serves to illustrate the point of why it's his arrogance, rather than anything else, that is his fatal flaw. It cannot be ignored that Diego is somewhat a strange AU version of Dio Brando. Like if instead of a vampire, Dio turned into a dinosaur. Also if there were horses and a number of instances in which balls of steel are lovingly admired instead of Italians teaching some important deep breathing exercises. Anyway. The point I am trying to make here is that their differences in temper is important because Dio's fatal flaw is his temper rather than his arrogance. Dio's anger is something that burns hot and overrides all other facets of his personality and thinking the moment his temper is struck. Dio's temper is also something that isolates him because it is such a destructive force. People fear Dio's temper and rightfully so. But fear only buys loyalty for only so long and so far. Time and time again, people abandon Dio and his goals because a greater threat comes knocking in the form of the crusaders, and his followers would rather be alive than dead.

Diego is the opposite in that his anger burns cold. Rather than letting his emotions overtake his thinking, Diego transforms what could be a self-defeating weapon into his greatest asset because it bolsters his determination in reaching his goals. Instead, it's his arrogance that is destructive because that is what isolates him. His arrogance allows him to have the confidence in his abilities, but it also allows him to treat people as expendable and continues to confirm his bias that they are only out for themselves. In other words, Diego enters a situation with another person. He is invested in achieving his own goals and does not care about the other person. Why then should another person care about him or his goals? Realistically, they are not going to, so they do not. Thus, it proves his point. On and on it goes until Diego is foolishly attacking Valentine essentially on his own with no back-up since he's out of reach from Hotpants and he throws his life away just like that.

In short, Diego is someone that has known very little kindness in his life. The only kindness he has ever known was that of his mother's, who sacrificed time and time again for his benefit, and taught him the important lesson of holding onto his pride. Diego was taught very quickly, as well, that money is equivalent to power, and power is something he should always strive to obtain. In doing so, Diego was able to hone his talents. He was able to take his anger over losing his mother and other slights made against him to create a hunger, a drive in him that will likely never be satiated until he has complete dominance over all. It fostered in him an arrogance that places him above others, viewing other people generally as predictably self-serving and overall useless. The only exceptions to that are not valued, but they are seen as obstacles or temporarily useful. The former, he relentlessly seeks revenge toward, and the latter he uses and tosses aside almost immediately. He's created a reputation in being ruthless with numerous rumors swirling about dirty tactics from murder to poisoning horses just to get ahead, but he couldn't care less about that reputation. As long as Diego accomplishes his goals (getting his revenge, obtaining the ultimate power), the rabble are free to talk all they like. It won't change the fact he's on top.

Inventory:

☼ one (1) set of clothes
☼ one (1) horse named Silver Bullet

Abilities:

Diego is what is known as a Stand user. Diego's Stand, Scary Monsters is a little unique in that he transforms into a Utahraptor rather than having a metaphysical manifestation that punches things like most of the other Stands in previous parts. Diego has the ability to also go into a hybrid form where he still retains his humanoid shape, but has more dinosaur-like features such as claws, sharper teeth, etc. This grants Diego extra strength and speed in hand-to-hand situations. In addition, Diego also has the bonus of a heightened sense of smell and motion-sensitive vision even without transforming.

In addition to the ability to transform himself, Diego has the ability to infect other living creatures with a virus that will transform them into dinosaurs. These dinosaurs must obey his will and can only transform back to their human forms when 1) he wills it or 2) he is injured enough to lose control. There is no limit to his range or the number of creatures he can infect as his dinosaurs can also infect other living creatures with bites or scratches. Finally, Diego is able to use Scary Monsters fossilize things.

Besides all of his Stand abilities, Diego is an incredibly talented jockey that's known internationally for his numerous wins and championship titles in racing. He has a deeper understanding of horses than most people, and is able to do things like identify weaknesses in a horse's patterns/rhythm to take advantage and win.

Flaws:

The most obvious bad thing that Diego ever does is that he is 110% out for himself and his own personal advancement. He leaves people he teams up with for dead, and he has no problem killing his opponents in his quest for power. This ruthlessness is so well-known and integral to him and his reputation that there are constantly rumors swirling around him about poisoning other horses or killing his elderly wife for her money.

SAMPLES
Action Log Sample: Boop