Brash (OrphicIsBR41NDE4D)

***Spoiler Warning:** This article contains spoilers for the comic!*

## Brash

### Sibling(s):

Hope, Adamant and QuietAggravating, Joyous and Troublesome (half-siblings/cousins)

### Other:

Watchful, Wild, Jasper the First and Breccia (grandparents)
Clever and Careful (aunts)
Bold and Cheerful (cousins)
Daffodil (first cousin, once removed)

### Mate(s):

Simoom

**Brash** is a fan character of *I Hope So* made by orphic. Originally an heir from the Golden Grove, he now travels the savannah alongside his companion, Simoom.

## Summary

> *Brash is born an only cub to Jasper and Vicious sometime after the events of Chapter 14 in a bid on Vicious' behalf to not only regain favor with Jasper but cope with the sudden recurrent loss in her immediate family. It doesn't pan out, as you can imagine.*
>
>

## Appearance

Brash is a large golden-brown lion with a thick caramel mane, reaching his lower stomach, that darkens at it's edges. His eyes are a bright yellowish-orange and, similarly to Jasper, the markings on their lower lids connect to his muzzle. Hidden beneath his fringe, he has a stripe much like Hopeful. His upper lids, cheek fluff, ear rims and tail tip are all a dark brown.

## Backstory

Quiet's violent and unanticipated demise paired with the subsequent dispersal of Brash's remaining sisters resulted in Vicious doubling down, instead of reflecting, on her need to have total control over her children at all times; believing, wholeheartedly, that it's in their best interest that she does.

Brash, having been born alone and being the only cub of hers present at the time, wound up taking the brunt of this recently revitalized desire for complete and utter authority. He'd been kept on an increasingly tight leash throughout adolescence and into early adulthood—something that'd conflicted greatly with the headstrong-bordering-on-arrogant nature he'd inherited from both of his parents—'earning' him his name after he confronted his mother about it.

While he had initially tried to combat the epithet, any attempts he had made were shut down almost immediately with growing hostility from Vicious each time. He had eventually backed down after she alluded to Hope and her 'fussiness' over the issue too, having been fed propaganda from a very young age about her 'attempted assassination' of their father, her probable involvement in Adamant's disappearance, and the gruesome deaths they most certainly faced as Travellers after the fact.

In spite of the very present friction in his relationship with Vicious, it'd still been better than the one he had with his father— if you could even really call it that. While Jasper certainly hadn't been winning any 'Father of Year' awards prior when it came to parenting his other children, he was downright avoidant with Brash. This was primarily due to the resemblance he bore, especially in the face and pelt (its hue being lighter than his or Vicious'), to the late Clever and the timing of his birth; the King worrying that the lioness who'd figured out his plans and been set on justifiably killing him might've been reincarnated back into his life as some sort of punishment... as if her soul wouldn't have better things to do than put up with his abuse again.

Jasper's evasion of the cub tended to aggravate the insecurities he'd purposefully fostered within Vicious' psyche when it came to child-rearing which would then result in her projecting her shame onto Brash— the 'cause' of it. This would take many forms over the years, some more overt than others, but she'd always endeavor to not say it outright and would often try to soften the blows after the fact through words or displays of affection.

This, like it is for most abusers, was more for her benefit than his; providing her peace of mind when it came to her poor behavior and justifying any future instances. Although Brash had been able to recognize how unfair her treatment of him was pretty early on due to his conviction towards being in the right, it took him far longer to realize that this cycle of her lashing out before placating him wasn't the unfortunate side effect of her lashing out in her grief then feeling remorse but her actively manipulating him into staying.

He ends up a Traveller partially to escape the toxic relationship he had with his mother (along with to spite her) but also in an attempt to find his scattered siblings; hoping to, one day, find solidarity and companionship amongst them. Around this time is when he realizes he's picked up some of his parents' less desirable traits, either due to the fact they'd been purposefully instilled or had developed as a defense mechanism, aggression and entitlement being the most troublesome.

After having it pointed out to him by other Travellers, he'd initially been pretty resistant, struggling to cope with the idea that he was anything like his own abusers. However, after multiple incidents accompanied by a growing sense of dread that they might be right, he was able to track down one of the more patient cats he'd accosted who'd been willing to lend an ear and offer some perspective after seeing how contrite he was; emphasizing the fact that he wasn't a reflection of his parents and, given what they'd been told, the fact that he was here having this conversation at all attested to that.

He continued on his journey, more mindful than before, but quickly encountered a new hurdle; he didn't actually know how to survive as a Traveller without bullying others into submission and, due to equal parts pride and shame, refused to seek out help. He managed to scrape by at first, having been a healthy weight when he'd gone off on his own, but was getting uncomfortably thin by the time he came across the Starlit Stretch—home to another pride who'd been beneath King Edge's 'protection'.

The pride offered the weary Traveller a warm welcome causing Brash to inadvertently draw the ire of the lonesome Simoom which only worsened when the lion, wanting to prove himself useful, attempted to chase the other off of their territory.

*(More TBA)*

## Trivia

* Name meanings:
	+ Brash: *"Strong, energetic, or irreverent", "Self-assertive in a rude, noisy, or overbearing way", "Loose, broken rock or ice."*
	+ Brazen: *"Endure an embarrassing or difficult situation by behaving with apparent confidence and lack of shame.*"
* Brash's name in Danish would be "Fræk" according to @arsenicalloyed14.
* If Brash was...
	+ ...a dasher, his name would be "Derecho" according to Simoom.
	+ ...in Thundering Mountains, his name would be "Breccia II" after his paternal grandmother.
	+ ...in Red Stone, his name would be "Acacia."
	+ ...in Edge's Kingdom, his name would be "Glare."
	+ ...in Kingblessed Coast, his name would be "Mussel."
* While Jasper believes Brash might be Clever's reincarnation, due to his own paranoia and Brash's paler pelt, Careful suspects he might be Bold's.
* As a cub, Brash enjoyed singing like his older sister Quiet. This was heavily discouraged by both of his parents though so he stopped.
* Brash has Barbary lion ancestry through his father, Jasper.

## Family Tree

    = **Male**

    = **Female**

    = **Unknown/Other**

## Gallery

Reference artwork of Brash (@CalicoPikachu)Reference artwork of Brash as an elder (@CalicoPikachu)Reference artwork of Brash as an older lion (@CalicoPikachu)Reference artwork of Brash as an adolescentReference artwork of Brash as a cubReference artwork of Brash as a young cub (@CalicoPikachu)Brash and Desert having a talk (@Sochy)Brash and Dancer (@rcadecarpet) taking a stroll (@Magentialice)Cub Brash and Vicious in the tall grassBrash, Darkness, Luminary, Bright and Brilliance training (@ShamaxWolf)Brash playing with Lucent and Brilliance as cubs (@ShamaxWolf)Older Brash and Diamond sparring (@CalicoPIkachu)Brash and Simoom cuddlingBrash and Simoom playing (@CalicoPikachu)She IS the big sister, after all......revenge. (@Clovers\_spirit)Chibis of Brash and Simoom being teased by the rest of the IHS cast (@CalicoPikachu)Brash and Simoom walking together (@Gamba\_16)Brash guarding Simoom after they made a kill (@MOONANDAMBER)Chibi of an older Brash (@Ausilotus)Joyous comforting a cub BrashCub Brash dozing with CarefulAggravating and Troublesome playing with a cub BrashJasper facing off with a teenage Brash (@CalicoPikachu)Vicious grooming Brash as an older cub (@CalicoPikachu)Cub Brash sparring with Lucent as Brilliance looks on with disdainCub Brash and Jasper "defending" the Golden Grove from Warrior and Wisher (@Sochy and Yasei)Simoom teasing Brash for his bed head (@GrassyEggroll)Hopeful telling Brash about Clever"And this is Simoom, my ex-boyfriend." "You need to stop introducing me to people like that."Brash with his sisters, Adamant and Hope (@CalicoPikachu)Younger Brash giving Jasper a rough time (@CalicoPikachu)Brash and Hope bumping muzzlesBright and Simoom talking about Darkness and Brash (@rcadecarpet)Pride art of Simoom and Brash (@rcadecarpet)Headshots of Fierce (@BrackenStorm268), Stoic (@TheCartonistCat), and Brash (@TheCartonistCat)Spirited (@Jordanakabookie) being antagonized by a young Brash