Marco Bodt

PLAYER
Name: Devitas
Age: 18
Personal Journal: batatadesofa
E-mail: bibaalol@gmail.com
AIM/MSN/etc: AIM: deevtias

CHARACTER
Name: Marco Bodt
Canon: Shingeki no Kyojin / Attack on Titan
Age: 16
Timeline: During the battle of Trost.
If playing another character from the same canon, how will you deal with this?: N/A

Personality:

From what is seen of Marco, he’s constantly shown as being one of the few people who, in light of their situation, manages to maintain their calm and composure throughout the series. He’s shown as an idealistic person, joining the military for the sake of wanting to serve the King and protect mankind.

Among the military, it’s known that only the top ten graduates are able to make it into the Military Police, who serve inside the confines of Wall Sina, the innermost of the three walls, and the tallest one among them. Also of note, is that it’s the one whose residents are safest from the titans. This is important to mention when referring to Marco’s motivations, because, as stated by him, he wants to try his hardest to make it into the military police.

His reasons, however, aren't exactly what one might jump to conclude, which puts him in stark contrast of other people who seek to join the Military Police for the fact that it’s farthest from the titans, such as Jean. Marco doesn't simply want to live a life of comfort and luxury, he actually wishes to serve as close to the king as possible, and be in his immediate servitude. This apparent naive display of his might make one believe that, with such a motivation, he would never come close to making it, given that “serving the king” is quite redundant, since mankind itself is in danger of extinction.

Still, Marco, through hard work and dedication, sets himself apart from the rest of the graduates, managing to stand as the seventh top graduate amongst hundreds, thus opening up the pathway to fulfilling his dream and standing alongside the Military Police in defense of the King, which serves as proof of his excellent abilities, both academic and practical, given that both count for the final grade.

During his three years of military practice, he’s shown to befriend Jean, a character that’s introduced as rather dislikeable, given his (self-broadcasted) desire to be among the top 10 soldiers only to be able to live a cozy and safe life inside Wall Sina, and is said to, in an exposition by their instructor (and also shown through his various appearances) that he has a personality that invites friction with others, due to him being so bluntly honest. Despite all his glaring flaws, Marco stays by his side and becomes his rather close friend, being able to look beyond the more superficial features of the other teenager and forging a close bond with him, doing his best to keep him from fights with Eren, going as far as having to hold Jean to keep him from assaulting Eren..

The day after the newly appointed soldiers graduate, meaning, the day before they pick between the garrison, the scouting legion, or the military police, Mankind is assaulted by the Colossal Titan once more, on the city of Trost, which is connected to Wall Rose, and as a result, it breaks the wall as it did five years prior, allowing the titans to enter. The military was dispatched, including the new recruits, among which was Marco. After the beginning of what was a massacre of soldiers, the (now out of gas) survivors found themselves struggling as to what they should do, given they didn’t have enough gas to climb the wall, and the supply center was overrun with titans. With the aid of the Rogue titan, and under Jean’s lead, a good portion of the survivors were able to make it into the supply center, and through Armin’s plan, which was encouraged by Marco, as he helped Armin boost his self-certainty by assuring him he was able to make the right decision, they managed to retake the supply room to re-fill their gas canisters. In this scene, some of his most iconic words are said to Jean:

“You are not strong, Jean. That’s why you can understand how the weak feel. And you are good at judging the situation correctly. You always clearly know what you are supposed to do, don’t you? Your orders were right. That’s why I could run. That’s why I am alive.”

These are sincere words coming from him, not that he’d ever lie for any reason whatsoever, and they show just how much trust he has deposited in his friend, who three years ago seemed to be the personification of “Douche-lord”, and just how much of himself he’s able to open up to him. He has absolutely no issue in turning to Jean and telling him that if it wasn’t for him, he’d be dead. Gone. It also shows how comfortable he feels around him, comfortable enough to tell him, with all the honesty and no ill-meaning at all, that he’s not strong, and because of that he’s a natural leader that can easily judge the circumstances and act on it, and make it into a compliment.

Later on, after they have climbed the wall and escaped into the interior of Wall Rose, his calm and collected demeanor is shown as he tries to comfort a comrade who is having a panic attack and wants to kill himself right there so he wouldn't have to die eaten alive. He attempts to use every possible means to make him calm down, whilst keeping his own cool after having risked his own life and subjecting himself to being eaten by a titan, even if it ends not working in anything as the other man backs away.

All in all, Marco is a very trustworthy person, as well as top notch friend. He’s kind, sociable, brave, and overall a remarkable individual, who doesn’t give nearly enough credit to his own abilities.
He’s not afraid to give praise where it’s worth, but also not afraid of being assertive when the time calls for it. He has values, morals, and goals, which motivate him to better himself as much as he can so he can achieve his objectives, all whilst putting other people’s needs before his own, and not hesitating a single moment to try and save them if they’re in any danger, putting his own uncertainties aside for the sake of his friend’s safety.

Background: His story can be found here! Spoilers abound.

Strengths/Weaknesses:

Strengths:

- Being ranked seventh top among hundreds of trainees, Marco possesses very honed combat skills and awareness.
- Excellent 3-D awareness
- In a chart provided officially, Marco possesses 10 out of 10 in Social Skills, which is also shown various times throughout the series.
- His ability to keep calm and collected at all times often allows him to be there to help others out when they feel distressed and/or in panic.

Weaknesses:

- He can be a little harsh on himself at times, under-valuing his own abilities as a soldier and as a leader.
- He often second guesses his actions, and prefers observing out of the fear he’s not as good and useful as his equals and that he would just get in the way.

Abilities: Besides his well honed combat skills, he’s able to use the 3-d Maneuver Gear, which allows him to move around in three dimensions rather than two using a system that utilizes gas pressure for propulsion and grappling hooks for maneuvering, given there are hooking points nearby.

First Person: [ He could have sworn he’d just send a hook flying to a nearby tower. He could have sworn he’d just barely escaped a titan’s grip, but a flicker of his eyelids and suddenly he’s locked in some form of an iron container. Stumbling, he tried to get a grip of the closest object, and as soon as he manages to lean against an odd windowed wall, said windowed wall opens, leading him to stumble backward toward an odd, unfamiliar scenario. It doesn’t take him long to get a good footing on the group, but as soon as he looks toward the horizon, confusion settles in as his brain catches up to what actually happened. The last thing he remembers is darting off to help Eren carry the boulder, but now... no Eren, no boulder, and most importantly, no titans. He takes a quick look around, before remembering he was accompanied back when he was still on the air with his 3-D maneuver gear. ]

Jean?! Connie?! Annie?!

[ No result. Resolute to find out what was happening, he sets off toward the exit of the station, before he felt something unfamiliar press against his skin. A quick inspection reveals an oddly shaped pocket watch, and after some tinkering with it, his own image shows up on the screen. Hey, maybe someone could hear him, he thinks. Given the scarcity of leads he has, looking like an idiot talking to a pocket watch is the least of his worries. ]

H-hello? Can anyone hear me?

[ Once again, no immediate response, but he keeps trying. ]

This is Marco Bodt, from the 104th recruit squad, reporting in! What happened?! Where am I?!

[ Admittedly, the notion of trying to talk to a pocket watch made him feel a bit silly, but beyond silly, he feels slightly distressed. He’s stuck in some random place while his colleagues fight with their lives on the line to help protect mankind’s last hope, and he’s not there to offer the services he’s been training for three years with dedication to deliver. It shakes him up a bit, but there’s no time to sit around worrying, he thinks to himself. He has to get to the bottom of this and quickly. In a quick motion, he shoves the watch in the front pocket of his jacket, and promptly heads for the exit. ]

Third Person:

It was impossible to believe the idea of a world without titans. Impossible to accept that he wasn't living under the constant threat of a second invasion, and that he wasn't in any danger of getting eaten. It was impossible to think he’d be somewhere with these much resources available, where people are able to just... live their lives for themselves. This was a thought that has nearly never crossed Marco’s mind, and as he sat on the ground at the park, it struck him.

Even if it wasn't going to last forever, at that moment, he was living for himself, and all his comrades at the city. He didn't have to die eaten alive, something he had begun bracing himself for three years ago, when he began his military training. Of course, on the occasion that he gets sent back to Trost, he’d be, once more, willing to give his life for the protection of mankind without hesitation. But at the moment... he didn't have to. And, albeit making him slightly conflicted, it made him feel at peace. No, not the kind of peace where you pretend your problems are gone. The true kind of peace where he can live, even if only for a short while. The very notion that he was free to do as he wanted was sort of bewildering, and yet, left him with a gigantic smile on his face.

He left himself fall on the grassy incline, as the sun shone on his face, and closed his eyes. The one thing he could want more was for the rest of his team to arrive, so that everyone could feel the solace that was to live in a world without the restrictions of the three walls, and without the imminent threat of the titans.