Character Spotlight: Braum

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Character Spotlight: Braum
The Braum Workout

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The goats are wise!  Eat everything!  Climb everything! And if something kicks you, kick it back!

Name: Braum, the Heart of the Freljord

Game: League of Legends

Skill/Attributes:

• Helpful
• Strong
• Durable
• Protective
• Holy crap giant-ass door shield
• Mustache

Overview:

Braum is the newest champions from League of Legends!  I freaking love this guy, so although we frequently do characters more ensconced in the hallowed halls of gaming, we’re going to make an exception for him.  Braum’s obviously a big dude, so we’re gonna stick him in the tank archetype, and what’s really awesome is he’s our first true paladin – a tank whose sole motivation is to watch over his teammates!

For those who don’t play LoL, the Freljord, where Braum hails from, is the Nordic-inspired northern reach of Runeterra, full of ice, snow, and strange frozen beasties.  Occupied by three different tribes, many of the Freljord’s denizens are cool towards others, or even outright hostile.  Braum, however, goes against the grain in this regard.  Let’s take a look at what makes him tick!

Concussive Blows

“Today we fight each other. Tomorrow, we may fight together.”

Braum’s strikes are outright stunning (puns of damage!)  His in-game passive gives him the ability to lock down his opponents by beating them about the head and shoulders (sometimes with his head and shoulders!)  As such, I would definitely recommend boxing as a potential martial art to study.  Braum’s definitely got the build and striking capabilities of a heavyweight boxer.  Alternatively, combat sambo would also be a nice fit, though it involves a bit more grappling than Braum does (at least in game).

To Deadlift the World

“Troublemaker toss is best game.”

Braum rips entire trees out of the ground.  Braum single-handedly stops avalanches.  Braum punches through a freaking mountain.  Obviously, this is a BIT much to expect in real life, but who’s to say we can’t aspire to greatness?  Taking our cue from Braum we’re going to be moving out into the big wide world for our fitness training this time, getting huge by lifting the world.  Oh yeah, a door may be involved, too.  Maybe.

The Heart of the Freljord

“The heart is the strongest muscle.”

Braum is huge.  His unbreakable door shield is also huge.  They’re both very physically intimidating.  Braum’s personality is equally huge, though, and his boisterous, unquenchable spirit is infectious.  He leaps to the aid of his allies, delivering them from adversity and bearing the brunt of his foes attacks with his massive shoulders.  His feats have become legend in the village he hails from, and while normally one could chalk that up to “big fish in a little pond” syndrome, Braum is definitely a big fish no matter what pond he finds himself in.

You’ve probably met larger-than-life characters like this before.  If you aspire to be like one, you need to make a conscious effort towards it.  Help those in need.  This doesn’t mean do everything everyone asks of you all the time (it’s very easy to wear yourself out this way), but if someone genuinely needs help, then put yourself in their corner.  Don’t become a victim of the “bystander effect.”

I frequently tell you to live boldly (at least once every blog post and email).  This is evident more in Braum than almost any other character I’ve profiled.  Like everything else in life, living boldly comes easier with practice.  Frequently, the easiest way to evaluate how boldly you’re living is to think about how often you say “yes.”  Now, of course, you want to be smart about the choices you make in life.  That said, more often than not, saying “yes”  can lead to a more interesting, bold, and exciting life.  Sure, you may incur a few more bruises, and sometimes a few more responsibilities, and heck, you may even end up doing a bit more work than you typically do.  But, more often than not, your life will become more enriched, and more fulfilling.

The Manliest of Mustaches

Yup.

So that’s it for today!  Check back on Friday for The Braum Workout!  Until then, live Braumly, change the world, and continue to be awesome!

Dan “DaRatmastah” Wallace

PS: I wanted to post every freaking Braum quote here, but of course that would look silly.  They’re all fantastic, though.  Go here to see and hear them: http://leagueoflegends.wikia.com/wiki/Braum/Background