Archie Malcom Anderson
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"Hmmm."[ 36 | 5'10 | Caucasian-American | he/him | 184 lbs ]
[Lost]
APPEARANCE
"Forgot to shave for a while."If you looked at Archie, your first impressions would lead you to believe that he was a man down on his luck, and you wouldn’t be too far off from the truth. Underneath the worry lines, permanently frown, and his baggy clothing are broad shoulders and kind eyes. His complexion is good, as he is long past the age where he needs to worry about acne, with no natural blemishes on his person. He does however have many scars and scrapes from his rough and tumble life. Several of which are scrapes and burn scars all over his hands and a couple on his arms and legs, which appear to be nothing more than rough housing mementos.
The structure of his face is mostly angular, with high cheek bones, but his jaw squares off at his chin. Along his chin, jaw, and cheeks he wears thin but somewhat unkempt facial hair. He has thick eyebrows and lashes which frame intense blue eyes. His light brown hair though, is quickly combed with his fingers, most of the time achieving that ‘I got ready in 15 minutes’ look. He naturally walks and talks with a charming demeanor, that his exuberance infects all of his conversations and has a sort of charismatic disposition that brings out the better parts of people. It is such a shame that this side of him hasn’t shown in a while. He has a deep, strong, projecting yet somewhat gravely voice that carries a slight southern accent to it.
There isn't any one particular outfit that he leans towards. The style may change from relaxed, sometimes classy, sporty, whatever the situation demands. He generally has a rugged look to his person. Brown or black leather jackets are his preferred outerwear, but hoodies are not uncommon. He usually avoids shorts. What kind of jeans or pants doesn’t really matter to him, but he tends to shoot for boot cut jeans that tend to tighten around his waist, providing comfort and a secure fit. His shoes are boots, almost always boots. Though it may change according to the situation - sports often call for sneakers, and a fancy outing requires more refined dress shoes. These he has. As of late Archie has found himself going for clothing that is relaxed and easy to move in due to his newfound affliction.
PSYCHOLOGY
"People say I need to get out more, but I'll drink with anyone who'll buy me a beer."MAIN GOAL ⫻ Archie strongly desires to come to peace with the loss of his family, and to one day find it in himself to rebuild.
PHILOSOPHY ⫻ One day at a time, rain or shine, sleet or snow. Just keep one foot in front of the other.
SECRETS ⫻ Most of his spicy information was (thoughtlessly) laid out to dry for the town when he became a widower. Nothing of note here.
SEXUALITY ⫻ Straight.
FEARS ⫻ Very little at this point. He's a man with just about nothing to lose.
REPUTATION ⫻ Archie is well regarded, well liked, and celebrated individual in the community for his regular contributions to Araminta as a local businessman. He is one of the few university educated people in town and the only all purposes mechanic who does it all for less than anyone else. He was known as a fairly religious man even if his faith has quickly faded. Due to how recently he lost his family he has been given a pass for his lack of church attendance, although this allowance is fading with time.
QUIRKS ⫻ Archie regularly visits his wife's grave, and finds himself talking to his daughter a lot. They're not full blown conversations, but he likes to think that they would be things that he would have told her or taught her if she were still with him.
FLAWS ⫻ Oh boy that's a long list. Just read the backstory's second part for a personality summary.
BACKSTORY
"If there's a god above, he wouldn't have taken my wife and daughter away from me."Archie was born in March of 1984, and has spent most of his life facing issues with anger management. Most of his childhood life isn't too far off from normal, but as he became a teenager he began lashing out with more ferocity and anger. Nothing too atypical for a young man with known anger issues. He attended classes for this, and eventually learned how to manage himself more appropriate.
For the better part of his life, Archie has been a normal person. He went to university, got a degree, made friends, and found someone who he was compatible with. He had a dog, and then a kid. All the the while he didn't have a single major incident. The child came unexpectedly, and when he found himself becoming a father before he was ready or even wanted, things began to change. His marriage was strained, and he began to feel trapped. But he was a good father to his daughter. He refused to let his discontentment show around him. He loved his wife and daughter, he really did- and it wasn't their fault that they had been dealt the cards they had. One day while returning home from visiting the grandparents out of state, Archie's car was struck by a drunk driver. His wife died instantly, and his little girl didn't have a chance.
These days he spends most of his time at home- a waterfront home with a dock for his boat and a massive industrial garage that he uses for his mechanic business that has one too many empty rooms. After his initial encounter with what he believes to be The Black Shuck- in which he saw the cryptid at the riverbank while up the Williams river drinking, he no longer doubts the claims of all the strange happenings in the town. He however has not altered his behavior in any way. If The Horde gets him, then it gets him, see if he gives a shit.
These days, Archie has found himself drinking his sorrows away on his boat while fishing until he's gone, and then waking up in the morning in strange places with torn clothes and no recollection of what happened. Perhaps it is his punishment for his discontent with gods gifts to his life, perhaps there was no god at all. All he knows is that he is deep in a pit of self inflicted despair with no idea how to dig himself out.
Outwardly, Archie can be charming, forward, and proud. A peculiar mixture of relaxed and energetic are what makes up his disposition depending on how much alcohol is in his system. He's talkative in the right crowd and has very many stories to share regarding his hijinks, adventures, and mishapenings he has experienced throughout the extent of his life. He has a large presence and a forceful voice, coupled with charm, people tend to see him as a leader. Not because he's earned it, but because he rallies those to him well. He will pay you back if you do him a favor or if you get on his good side. This being said, he isn't very frequently refused and so the ugly side he's been at odds with for most of his lift isn't seen as often one might expect - and while he has had a history with aggression, he isn't actually too prone to being aggressive in his interactions with others. At least not anymore.
While Archie could certainly use to such measures if he felt them necessary, years of anger management classes have taught him to consider himself above such nonsense most of the time, but on that same note, he can also be very petty. He knows he's better than that, he knows that holding grudges doesn't help anything, and that doing so is not the answer. That's just over-compensating and, quite frankly, says more about him than the other person.
Archie likes to tell himself that he does what’s right because it’s right and he doesn't need another reason- but he is not some paragon of morality. He is human, and his allegiances often align with those that provide him the greatest benefit, or is of greater influence than a person of little say. He can be selfish, but he tries to be better even if he isn't always successful.
Innately, Archie is a very angry and lost individual. He cares about what the world wants too much, I mean he's just out here trying to make his own way and survive. To climb and scratch his way to the top. Perhaps that's better achieved if he hadn't had such a penchant for self destruction. He cares only for himself (with few exceptions) and isn't above taking out his anger on those around him. He has a lot of pent up rage and frustration. Of course his relationship for his immediate family is less than ideal, and this has deeply affected him and his ability to trust forgiveness. All he wants is to get out of this hole that he's himself. He wants to come to terms with his loss, and earn back the right calling himself a good man. All of these feelings are deep inside him and hidden from the world, and it is those more bitter emotions that are channeled into this fervent work driven ferocity. But on top of all his buried thoughts and feelings are layers of a persona he has chosen to portray himself as because it is what he thinks he should be. A persona that feels everything that he thinks he is supposed to feel, and this persona runs so deep he has difficulty finding the difference between what he wants, and what he thinks he should want.
SKILLS & TALENTS
"I'm good with my hands."Naturalist ⫻ Years of fishing and hunting have made Archie an adept outdoorswoman. Years of camping, bird watching, hiking, fishing, and generally exploring has made him an excellent survivalist. He is very familiar with most species of animals and plants in the local area of the northeastern USA and knows all of the constellations and other celestial objects in the sky. He is an expert fisherman and, in edition to this, he is also experienced with hunting using rifles and shotguns- although he is far from an expert tracker or huntsman.
Musician ⫻ Archie is casually capable of reading, writing, and arranging music, and adept at performing with the keyboard/Piano and acoustic guitar. He is also a vocalist- being an deep bass, one of the few events he regularly attends is open-mic nights at local bars across town performing covers of songs everyone knows or somber content of his own creation.
Engineer ⫻ Archie is formally educated as a civil and mechanical engineer and applies these talents towards his locally owned and operated mechanic business. He repairs cars, planes, boats, bikes, golf carts, firearms... you name it, he can probably fix it.
Fisherman/Mariner ⫻ Archie owns a single thirty foot
1999 Island Hopper fishing boat that he uses to either fish himself or to take others fishing on. He has spent a lot of time on the river as of late, traveling as far as Lake Erie to get away from it all and is extremely adept at handling the boat. The fish he catches he oftentimes cleans and then sells at local farmers markets or donates to the church.
EXTRA-NORMAL ABILITIES
"Quote about supernatural here here."For now, leave this part blank.
OTHER
"Want a beer?"