#anyway breyer is probably the least blorbo-able guy in this story but if you have an ounce of taste youll enjoy him

[thebranchesofshe]

Dr. Breyer

"Human beings, in their extremities, are gross. That's just the nature of it. I don't expect anything from you except to be sick, and to want to be well. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious about you. Yours is the most advanced case of Phatch's Fever that I've ever seen."

Three words: righteous, intense, jovial.

Name: Martin Wesley Breyer

Date of birth: August 29, 1916

Age as of Chapter I: 54

Height: 6'2"

Gender: red-blooded American male.

Orientation: straight but he understands that he's a bit of a freak magnet.

Occupation: doctor but calls himself a sawbones and is only half joking.

Family: late wife Hannah, son Bartholomew, daughter Thomasin. Don't ask him about his father.

Veteran?: yes, specifically a medic in World War II. He was in his late 20's and had just started a family. It was rough.

Religion: practicing catholic, but normal about it. His take on spirituality has a lot of nuance.

Politics: a dove with the intensity and fervor of a hawk.

What does that mean?: sometimes if you want peace, you have to fight for it. He takes a firm position and the fact is, he doesn't like it when people hurt people for no good goddamn reason.

Favorite book: Trout Fishing in America by Richard Brautigan. He is an introspective, meandering sort of man in his spare time.

Favorite film: it's a toss up between Dr. Strangelove and The Sound of Music.

Favorite treat: man's greatest luxury is a good cup of coffee.

Background: grew up in Decaelo, next door to the Farnsworths, an introverted only child with a domineering and jealous father. He and Liz were sort of sweethearts, but he fell for Hannah when he went to medical school, and Liz moved on, and their friendship matured when Breyer returned to Decaelo. Hannah was Jewish and an artistic type, and she really brought him out of his shell. They had two children, Bartholomew and Thomasin. When Liz's husband left, Breyer and Hannah frequently helped her raise her children. Hannah died nine years ago from a brain tumor, leaving Breyer a widower at the relatively young age of 45, with a son who would be drafted and a teenage daughter. He and Liz endured personal tragedies around the same time, and it brought them closer together.

Would he ever date again?: He and Liz are close, they've both considered it. But a few months ago, there was a schism.

A schism? What happened?: he started talking to Homer Smoot about what happened all those years ago. In particular, his memories of her father, Clarence Farnsworth. Breyer was blunt, as usual, but sympathetic to the man who was a gentle father figure to him. Liz, however, sees it as a careless betrayal. In her defense, her father's been badly misrepresented in the past. Breyer doesn't understand what her problem is, but respects her boundaries.

Any chance of a resolution?: maybe.

So he's a doctor. How's his bedside manner?: Lyndon B. Johnson's method of persuasion has been described by journalist Mary McGrory as “an incredible, potent mixture of persuasion, badgering, flattery, threats, reminders of past favors and future advantages." Breyer is as friendly as a St. Bernard and just as frightening, mostly due to the sheer fact that he could very easily make your life a living hell. Take your fucking vitamins.

His friends?: Myra, Warren, Homer Smoot, Liz (he hopes), Julius (eventually), probably his kids most of all.

His enemies?: Breyer doesn't have enemies because most people are smart enough not to alienate the only doctor in town. That being said, he has beef with Vernon Huxley, the mortician, and Cynthia Kline, the mayor's wife and local busybody.

Anything else?: he has two cats. Their names are Burger and Noodle. He talks with Homer Smoot frequently and considers him both a friend and a confessor. At present, he is Smoot's best primary source for information on the 1929 Disaster.

What does he look like?: tall stocky white guy with a graying crew cut, a prominent nose, and friendly but discerning eyes. Wears glasses. He's a bleeding heart free spirit but looks like a total square.

In my head he's a bit 'Bob Gunton in The Shawshank Redemption' and while he's scary as hell, he's ultimately a good guy. Just don't piss him off.

I don't usually make a habit of 'fancasting' my characters, but that's the vibe.

(Breyer is actually my favorite character to write. You put him in a situation and goddamn, shit is gonna happen. He's objectively the best character in Decaelo. I enjoy him the most.)

One more thing: among his hobbies is actually... swing dancing. He used to dance competitively back in college and occasionally afterward.