Post by Arthur Kirkland on Jun 1, 2011 0:12:05 GMT -5
[/u][/size]His little whispers. Love me. Love me. That’s all I ask for. Love me. Love me.
►►Character Name
Nation ► England.
Human Name ► Arthur Kirkland.
Age ► Twenty-three-years-old.
Gender ► Male.
Species ► Human (Upper Class).
Description ►
He battered his tiny fist to feel something. Wondered what it’s like to touch and feel something.
Likes ►
Arthur may not be the best alcoholic. His natural inhibitions disappear, he gets rowdy, sometimes surly, and in short becomes the type of person who can be a hassle to deal with. To the public he is rightfully embarrassed by such behavior. Of course, what Arthur will never say is that he secretly relishes in the brief respite from acting like a gentleman that being smashed allows him.
✔ Baking || Cooking || Puttering Around the Kitchen.
Perhaps he is not the best of cooks, but Arthur’s lack of skill has no bearing on his love for working in the kitchen. There’s something soothing about the smell of scones baking in the oven or the taste of one of his pies after he’s spent all afternoon toiling away over the ingredients. Sure, he may burn things a few times, but Arthur’s pies and sweets can put others to shame.
✔ Battles || Fighting || Hunting || Raiding.
It goes against every bit of him that tries to maintain this image of a gentleman, but Arthur holds a secret love for a good fight. He craves the challenge of going against someone who is his equal, loves the way it makes his blood pump. It’s the same sort of feeling he gets when he’s on a dangerous hunt or raiding some ruins for ancient treasure, a feeling of total and complete power.
✔ Being a Parent || Children || Looking After Little Ones.
Though a number of his pet peeves in grown adults would make one think otherwise, Arthur has always had a soft spot for children. Even being around one tends to soften his demeanor, showing a kinder and gentler side that few others are allowed the pleasure of experiencing. To Arthur, there are few gifts as great as a child’s lack of judgment and their innocent curiosity about the world around them.
✔ British Literature || Mythology || Old Legends || Poetry || Reading || Romance Novels.
At his heart, Arthur is an intellectual with an admiration for those who know their way around the English language. The literature of his homeland calls to him, and he finds the mythos of old to be both a point of fascination and something worthy of study. Arthur also enjoys a well written romance novel, particularly those of the old romantic style, and can’t deny the charming lure of a good poem.
✔ Butterscotch || Candies || Caramel || Chocolates || Sweets.
Arthur has a sweet tooth like few would believe, often nibbling on some piece of candy or another in order to get his fix of sugar. He’s even taken to carrying small stashes of sweets in the pockets of his coat or his sweater vest so he can still snack throughout the day unnoticed. Of course, it goes without saying that his addiction comes as a small embarrassment to him given how he scolds others about eating healthy.
✔ Coffee || Milk || Tea.
Arthur has three very important staples in his diet: coffee, milk, and tea. The milk is something he rarely drinks alone but always uses to add to his coffee or tea, while the coffee is a guilty pleasure of his. As for his tea, well, Arthur drinks tea like some people drink water and far prefers it to any other beverage. Of course, that might be because he puts a spot of alcohol in there every once in a while.
✔ Cricket || Football || Rugby.
Arthur may not seem like the sort to bother with such a thing, but he does love to roll up his sleeves every once in a while for a smashing game of cricket, football, or rugby. Sure, he might get dirty. He might also break a nose. However, the heady rush of adrenaline as he plays a particularly intense game, that bit of a thrill he gets as he maneuvers himself closer and closer to victory, is something he can’t resist.
✔ Embroidery || Knitting || Sewing.
When it comes down to it, Arthur can knit some very cozy (and admittedly somewhat itchy) sweaters. He’s not a bit shy about spending hours in his chair by the fire as he adds designs onto a pillow, knits a pair of socks or a scarf, or mends the button on a shirt or pair of pants. In fact, it’s perhaps this reason he tends to burn his food because he can get very engrossed in his sewing work.
✔ Gardening || Nature || Rain || Spending Time Outdoors.
Arthur has always held a fondness for nature. During a lazy afternoon, he’s content either sitting outside beneath the shade of a tree and basking in the silence around him or adding in a new section of flowers to his garden. Not only that, but during a light storm he loves to sit beneath his gazebo and listen to the patter of raindrops on the roof as he sips a warm cup of tea.[/ul][/size]
Dislikes ►
Arthur has a significant amount of pride and there are no harder words in the English language than those that say “I’m sorry.” At times, he may stubbornly cling to wrong viewpoints just to avoid having to apologize to someone or downplay the consequences of what he has done in order to alleviate some of his own culpability. In the end, however, he can recognize when he’s done something wrong even if he doesn’t like to.
✘ Affectionate Displays in Public || Private Moments Being Public || Sentimentality in Front of Others.
Arthur is not one for public displays, finding them to be both in poor taste and simply awkward to suffer through. Even making small gestures such as a pat on the back or a genuine smile can make him feel uncomfortable, as it is of his opinion that such tenderness is better left for private. That isn’t to say that Arthur is a cold person. Rather, he is simply one burdened with an acute sense of propriety.
✘ Attention Seekers || Melodrama || People Who Make a Big Deal Out of Nothing.
It’s not that Arthur is apathetic to someone’s suffering. He just recognizes that people can blow a situation entirely out of proportion before they cry to him as though it’s the end of the world. Of course, if they’re not coming to him about that then they are coming to him bragging about how they did something they were supposed to do in the first place.
✘ Being Bullied || Being Mocked || His Older Brothers || Harsh Teasing.
Due to a childhood filled with older brothers who picked on him, Arthur has come to associate anything that can be construed as an insult with bad memories. That isn’t to say he doesn’t understand how to do a bit of good natured ribbing now and then, or to take the same, but at times he can be sensitive to some of the insults or comments people make toward him due to past experiences.
✘ Being Helpless || Being Weak || Having to Rely on Others || Showing Vulnerabilities.
Arthur is fiercely independent by nature and used to taking care of himself and others. Yet as a result of this independence, he has come to dislike those moments when he has no other choice but to rely on someone else’s skills. Asking for help can sometimes be one of the hardest things he has to do because he hates letting anyone think he is anything less than capable.
✘ Being Used || Deception || Dishonesty || Not Having All the Information for a Situation.
Arthur hates being played for a fool. Those who lie to him and those who try to manipulate him just as he sometimes can manipulate others are people he has no desire to deal with. His pride makes it hard to accept that there are times even he can be deceived by others and, that aside, he hates being used for someone else’s benefit or entertainment.
✘ Chaos || Disorder || Messiness || Poor Personal Hygiene || Sloppiness.
There is no real excuse for someone to be a complete slob. Even a bit of tidying up and attention to one’s personal appearance can go a long way to keep things in order, something which Arthur finds fairly important. Failure to make even that minimal effort is nothing but laziness, and not a trait that Arthur can find it in himself to admire at all.
✘ Crude Behavior || Overt Perversion || Vulgarity.
Arthur is not a prude by any means. However, he feels there is no need for someone to completely forgo manners in front of others by making vulgar remarks, crude gestures, or anything of the like. If they are that desperate to say something, they can at least wait until they are in the privacy of an empty hallway or room rather than drag others who may be unwilling into their poor behavior.
✘ Disrespect || Immaturity || Lack of Manners.
Though somewhat prone to coarse speech, Arthur considers him a gentleman through and through and prides himself in both his social etiquette and maturity. Those who seem to be lacking in such talents, however, never cease to be a source of frustration for him. At times he envies them their carefree attitude, but there are also instances in which he judges them for their lack of self-control.
✘ Laziness || People Who Don’t Pull Their Own Weight || Slackers.
Arthur is not about to do everything for someone. At some point in their lives, they have to learn how to be responsible, take the initiative to do things on their own, and contribute to society in some meaningful way. Anyone who fails to do this or believes they can coast through life doing only the bare minimum tends to frustrate him, as he is a firm believer that hard work is the only thing that will get you anywhere.[/ul][/size]
Strengths ►
Arthur is not without his fears. However, that said, he doesn’t allow his fears to control him, instead pressing forward even when his feet tremble in his shoes and his muscles twitch in his terror. He may hesitate at times, and he may even wish that he could turn around and head back to the safety of his home. Yet safety is merely the luxury of delusion, and Arthur would rather seize control of a frightening situation than be ruled by it.
✔ Capable of Making Sound Plans || Intelligent || Tactician.
Arthur is a master of strategy. Capable of devising solid plans of action that often lead to success, he can dominate a conflict even when his opponent has a clear physical advantage. For this reason, Arthur’s sharp mind proves as an incredibly useful tool. He’s a tactician at heart, one who is skilled at predicting what other people will do and pinpointing their weaknesses so that he may manipulate them to his advantage.
✔ Charm || Good Manners || Social Graces.
Arthur is often a gruff person, callous to others and not exactly one for soft speech. However, when he decides to turn on the charm and bring out the good manners (which is often when a lady is about or he wishes to make or keep a good impression), he can be an outright gentleman. He’ll hold open doors, share his umbrella, offer his assistance when its needed, stand upon someone leaving a room, and otherwise practice good social etiquette.
✔ Composed || Hard to Shake || Not Easily Flustered.
Handling matters of chaos while keeping a level-head comes as second nature to Arthur. One of his greatest assets is his ability to make decisions, especially decisions that aren’t always easy, and to take decisive action despite whatever is going on around him. Arthur is also good for not panicking in dangerous situations, instead keeping calm and managing whatever crisis he faces with a grim and somewhat grumpy expression.
✔ Conniving || Manipulative || Scamming || Sneaky.
Those who say that Arthur is a wily bastard aren’t too off the mark. If he can’t get something one of the conventional ways (such as asking or outright taking), he can and will use manipulation in order to acquire what he wants. In fact, Arthur is of the mindset that should people fall for his tactics, then they are likely deserving of whatever pain comes to them for being such an open book.
✔ Determination || Perseverance.
Arthur may be stubborn as hell, but there does come some advantages to that. No matter what life throws at him, he will gather the shattered remains of his life and keep pressing forward. Giving up is not an option for him, nor will it ever be, and defeat only comes to him when he is so utterly overpowered that fighting is no longer something he’s capable of. In this way, Arthur can withstand a great deal of life’s troubles even if they leave him embittered.
✔ Doesn’t Pry Into Others’ Affairs || Keeps His Mouth Shut || Secretive.
Arthur keeps his personal affairs just that: personal. As long as no one goes prying into his business, he likes to return the favor and stay out of their business. On the off-chance that he does learn something about someone that isn’t widespread public knowledge, he doesn’t go spreading it around. There are some blows too low even for him, and acts like that have a tendency of biting him in the ass anyway.
✔ Faithful || Loyal.
No, Arthur is not a dog. Yet once someone has earned his absolutely trust and ingrained themselves so firmly in his life that he considers them a valuable part of it, his loyalty to them is unbreakable by anything less than utter betrayal. He will put up with whatever nonsense they throw at him, deal with it with a grumpy air of affection, and even fuss after them with a bit of concerned nagging.
✔ Leadership || Handling Authoritative Positions || Responsibility.
If there is one thing that Arthur handles well, it is being placed into positions of power in which he must oversee others. He has a natural talent for leading others and is capable of managing large groups of people with a firm, authoritative manner that makes others listen to him. Not only that, but Arthur is perhaps one of the most responsible people out there and is not one to shirk his duties regardless of his like for them.
✔ Quick On His Feet || Problem Solver || Resourceful.
Given his experience in solving a number of crises, Arthur has become adept at coming up with the solutions to problems on the fly. He’ll use whatever he has on hand if he has to, sometimes developing rather unorthodox means to handle a situation. Even if he’s not trying to solve a problem Arthur is quick on his feet and capable of coming up with a fairly decent plan of action on the spot, something which proves to be an invaluable asset.[/ul][/size]
Weaknesses ►
Arthur is always right and, when he is not right he is still right because being wrong is not acceptable. Of course, that could be his pride speaking, but the fact of the matter still stands that Arthur can be superior in his opinions. In many ways, he views himself as being higher than others even when all evidence points otherwise. Though this in itself does not prove to be problematic, his tendency to talk down to others as a result can be.
✘ Blunt || Rough Speech || Sharp-tongued.
For all that he plays the gentleman, Arthur sure doesn’t talk like one. Though he tries to maintain a more formal and proper way of speaking, he rarely sugarcoats what he says and is prone to slipping into British slang. That in itself would not be much of a problem, except that Arthur’s slang is hardly the sort one would utter in front of a lady and his remarks are rarely the kind that inspire warm and fuzzy feelings.
✘ British || Grumpy || Prickly.
Dealing with Arthur is about as pleasant as hugging a cactus, which is to say you’re likely to walk away crying. All right, so perhaps he isn’t that bad. However, Arthur is anything but a friendly person even to those closest to him, showing his affection with (admittedly less scathing) insults and gruff remarks in public. In private, however, he seems to be a little more agreeable, though his kindness and smiles still come in small reserves.
✘ Cynical || Pessimistic || Realistic.
Arthur is not exactly known for his glowing and optimistic view on life. If he’s not blaming his “piss poor luck” for the bad things that happen to him (and thus removing himself from the burden of responsibility for his mistakes), then he is distrusting the good things that do happen in his life. After all, happiness is never lasting and Arthur fully expects for the things he loves or enjoys to be taken away as soon as he lets his guard down.
✘ Distrustful || Private || Secretive.
Arthur does not open up to others easily. His emotions and his personal business are just that: his and personal. He doesn’t appreciate it when people go snooping in his affairs, nor is he fond of letting down his walls in order to let people in. In those few instances he does decide to open himself up to someone, it is always with a pickiness about their character and burdened by reservations he just cannot shake.
✘ Emotional Displays || Self-Expression.
To say that Arthur fails at opening himself up to others would be an understatement. Instead of bringing his emotions out into the open and discussing them with others, he prefers to swallow them and maintain his grumpy demeanor. This unhealthy habit of his can come to bite him in the ass, either through his emotions eventually overwhelming him and causing him to lash out or spilling out when he’s smashed at the pub.
✘ Fitting In || Forming Lasting Bonds || Making Friends.
Needless to say, Arthur’s oftentimes dour behavior does little to endear himself to others. Few are able to look past his gruff exterior, though to be fair the task isn’t made easy with the way Arthur willingly pushes people away and holds them at a distance. Yet, in turn, he has a hard time relating to people because of that very distance he has created, which means he’s not exactly rolling in friends or social calls.
✘ Grudges || Temper || Unforgiving || Vengeful.
Arthur may be good at keeping his composure, but that doesn’t mean he can’t get upset. As soon as his temper is sparked, it is advisable that one ducks and covers for the next one hundred years because it will take at least that long until they are forgiven. For those who upset him too much, Arthur even begins to plot often painful, humiliating, or otherwise very unpleasant acts of revenge.
✘ Prideful || Stubborn.
If there is one thing Arthur can count on in this world, it is his pride. Even if he’s lost everything valuable to him, he will draw up the tattered remains of his pride around him and keep pressing forward with a sound “sod off” to the rest of the world. This stubborn nature of his can often lead to problems, causing Arthur to stick with a losing battle, a bad decision, or to “go down with the ship” as they say because he’s unwilling to admit he’s wrong.
✘ Self-centered || Selfish.
While it is true that Arthur can worry after others, his primary concern is always himself and those he considers under his care (like a child). Anyone else can simply sod off, because he’s under no obligation to help them. That isn’t to say that Arthur won’t help others, but rather that he isn’t exactly the paragon of charity. As a result, however, when he does express moments of kindness they always make others suspicious of his motives.[/ul][/size]
Dreams ►
Arthur has struggled with his pessimistic nature, and at times envies others for their carefree nature. It would be nice to be without worry or cares, to be absolved of all responsibility and truly relax for once. Yet such a thing seems beyond the realm of possibilities at this point, and though it’s nice for him to dream he’s not going to get his hopes up. Sure, happiness would be nice, but just what is happiness anyway?
✔ Peace in His Household.
No, seriously, have you met his brothers? Sodding gits, the lot of them, and a pain in his arse to boot. Arthur may have a complicated relationship with the remainder of his family, but since they don’t plan on getting themselves killed anytime soon (something he’s not entirely sure he’s unhappy about) that means there needs to be some sort of resolution to the conflicts between them. He wouldn’t mind starting with a quiet evening in his own house.
✔ Power || Success || Wealth.
Arthur is not a man driven entirely by greed, but he is a man who doesn’t turn his nose up when he’s offered a chance to profit. He recognizes that having power and wealth offers him the luxury of relaxation and gives him a life free of worry. Such a thing, a rarity in today’s day and age, is something precious to be cherished and seized when available. Of course, he’d like to think it won’t get to his head, but…
✔ Someone He Doesn’t Have to Take Care Of.
Arthur may love taking care of others, even if he does a good job of hiding it, but sometimes it would be nice for someone to take the burden of responsibility off his shoulders. He’s not exactly looking to have someone fuss over him, but he would like someone he doesn’t feel he’s constantly cleaning up after or someone he’s constantly scolding for their poor manners. Surely there’s a competent friend for him out there somewhere, right?
✔ To Have More Kids.
What? Kids are cute! Besides, being a parent has always been the most fulfilling job Arthur’s ever had, and it’s something he wouldn’t give up for the world. He would love to have more little ones running around his house, perhaps a baby brother or sister for Elizabeth to grow up with. Sure, his own experience with siblings was awful, but that doesn’t mean every experience has to be.[/size][/ul]
Fears ►
There is a reason Arthur doesn’t trust easily. All too quickly are people willing to turn on you when it suits their advantage, casting aside any past relationship you may have had with them in order to turn a profit. Betrayal is an abuse of his trust and, even worse, the ultimate result of having been used and cast away like an old, broken toy. It’s happened to Arthur before, and he’ll be damned if it will happen again.
✘ Drowning.
Arthur has tried to learn to swim in the past, if having a trusted authority figure throw him into a lake and tell him to either swim or drown constitutes as trying to learn. Yet the ability to move around in the water in a deliberate fashion is something that has always eluded him, and as a result he has been left with a rather sound fear of drowning.
✘ Loneliness.
For all that he acts as a misanthrope, Arthur does honestly wish to be around other people. The thought of dying alone, with no one by his side and no one to care about his passing, is one that terrifies him. How depressing it is to think he may leave this world having had no impact on anyone’s life, that he has spent his years only being disliked and never knowing true affection.
✘ Running Afoul the Fae.
If there is one thing Arthur has learned in his life, it is that the fae are a tricky lot. Splitting the truth so many ways that they might as well be lying, their ability to deceive and manipulate humans has understandably left him wary. At times, fae pranks can be harmless. Yet most of the time, they can fool a man out of all that is valuable to him, and that’s something Arthur doesn’t want to risk.
✘ Something Happening to Elizabeth.
Arthur has made more than his fair share of enemies throughout his life, some of whom he knows would not be a bit shy about targeting the infant daughter he leaves at home. It is no surprise, then, that he often worries about Elizabeth, fearing that one day the security he has placed around her will not be enough to keep her safe from harm. Should such a thing ever happen, he would be absolutely devastated.[/size][/ul]
Personality ►
Almost, but not quite. Part of what adds to Arthur’s impression of unpleasantness is the fact that he isn’t an open book type of person. His emotions and his thoughts are his to know and others to only guess at. Socially, it has been ingrained in him that a proper gent does not go about flashing his feelings for all the world to see. He must keep a stiff upper lip whether he is in joy or in pain, and anything less than that is viewed as a show of weakness and vulnerability that can be exploited.
Plus, it’s a rather embarrassing display to go around like an American, shouting and grinning and engaging in obnoxious behavior without any consideration for the folks around. People tend to remember such behavior, and often not in a fond or forgiving light. Arthur has decided over the years that he would rather be known as a rigid, emotionally constipated man with no sense of humor rather than one with no sense of self-control or propriety. Sure, it doesn’t make him popular, but it keeps the embarrassing photos off Facebook.
That isn’t to say that Arthur is a complete buzz kill or that he doesn’t know how to have fun. His life goal is not, contrary to popular believe, to “kill all the fun in a room.” As long as people leave him alone with their tomfoolery, he tends to turn a blind eye to their antics. It may annoy him but that doesn’t mean he has to involve himself or let their behavior affect him, especially if it is the latter result they are seeking. In fact, all things considered, it’s pretty hard to rile him up.
This means that, despite all of the rumors, he doesn’t get into nearly as many shouting matches as most people think. He does have his moments, of course, but the fact that most accounts of them are rumor speaks to just how often he keeps his cool in otherwise frustrating situations. He may grumble, he may sigh, and he may even make some biting remark, but all in all Arthur presents himself as being a fairly collected individual. He has to. After all, a gentleman doesn’t fly off the handle in good company.
Around the wrong company, however, Arthur is not so inclined to maintain good social decorum. It is from there that the rumors and the mixed impressions come, for although Arthur can be quite the delight to a lady or an authority figure or someone highly respected in the community, he’s not nearly as generous to those who don’t deserve it. He’ll call them every name in the book if he feels like it, and if they press their luck too much around him he might even resort to a good argument just to put them in their place.
It perhaps come as no surprise, then, that with half the world thinking him a stiff gentleman and the other half of the world thinking him a prickly and temperamental man, Arthur does not make many friends. In fact, outside of a few social circles, he’s not a very popular person at all. His mixed impressions with people, coupled with his tendency to not be very open to interactions outside of a professional or formal context, make it difficult for people to relate to him. Not only that, but his lack of a smile isn’t exactly inviting.
Arthur isn’t entirely hopeless socially, of course. To anyone speaking with him, he holds an obvious intelligence and appears up to date on current affairs. He’s skilled at serious conversation, finding that it comes to him with ease, but it’s a little harder for him to comfortably deal with idle chatter or more lighthearted conversation. In this way, he can be socially awkward, always over thinking what he’s going to say and oftentimes saying things that don’t quite fit into the conversation.
There is some blame to be placed on Arthur’s sense of humor, of course, as it is a very dry, somewhat quirky, often subtle thing that few people get. To Arthur, someone botching his British slang can be a downright riot. Others, particularly those who are the perpetrator of said botching, are a little less inclined to agree. That is one of the problems with Arthur’s jokes. They are often at the expense of others, and even if they are without malice they still run the risk of offending those who are the source of his humorous remarks.
It’s not just his sense of humor that can be off putting to others. Arthur isn’t exactly the most engaging of individuals. His body language if often stiff and unwelcoming, giving away his discomfort in dealing with others socially. When he speaks, he could be as polite and proper as the Queen herself and still come across as a condescending bastard. He doesn’t mean to, of course, but his wording on things and tendency to adopt a know-it-all attitude with others comes across as insincere and carries with it a superior tone.
When speaking with others, Arthur isn’t much for touching. Even a light, playful bump of the shoulders can leave him not knowing how to respond, and when he does think of a response it is not always the socially appropriate one. Arthur can often react to affectionate gestures in public with some grumbling and a biting remark, the latter of which may come across as harsh in order to distract the person he is dealing with from his own discomfort. In this way he can be endearing as some, but only if they find such awkwardness to have a certain charm to it.
There is also an awkwardness to his genuine moments. When the shields come down and the pieces of Arthur that are vulnerable and open peak through, one can see a bit of self-consciousness in his gestures. His genuine smile is a fleeting thing, and it’s never a full smile but only ever at most a half-smile. In those rare moments he laughs, and honestly laughs rather than his usual snicker or his derisive snort, it is a soft sound, a low chuckle under his breathe as though he’s trying to hide his amusement.
Yet such moments are so rare in public than only a handful of people can attest to their existence. Some believe they don’t exist, that Arthur is truly the stern, no-nonsense person he presents himself to be. This in itself is not much of a issue, because it gives him a chance to take on more responsibilities, makes others come to him to solve their problems, and helps paint this picture of a proud, regal figure. However, there is more complexity to his character than even his first, second, and third impressions allow for.
Arthur is, as impressions suggest, a proud person at heart, stubborn to the point of being rigid and close-minded to other possibilities. His traditionalist tendencies leave room for many flaws but not much room for growth, because Arthur is set in his ways and not willing to change them. Why should he be? They’ve worked for him up until now, so why should he abandon such methods or routines just to suit the preferences of others? Though it comes with its flaws, perhaps Arthur greatest strength is that his pride gives him a strong sense of who he is.
Perhaps it is his pride, then, that lets him rise above the opinion others have of him. They can think him a misanthrope all they want, think him a bastard or a jerk or whatever they very well please. After all, the opinion of the populace at large has never been a concern of his. Why should he care what people he may never meet again, people who have no impact in his life, people he doesn’t even care for think of him? Sure, he observes propriety and social norms, but that is because that is the proper thing to do.
Arthur does not seek approval from others, nor does he gives his freely. He is not going to pat someone on the arse for doing what they’re supposed to do. That would be ridiculous. He’s not there to feed other people’s egos and, quite frankly, he finds the idea both laughable and insulting. That’s the problem with today’s society, he’ll often lecture. People do the bare minimum or what their job requires of them and then expect a disproportionate response to their actions. No one understands the concept of hard work these days.
Some will say that such a viewpoint is unnecessarily harsh. Arthur says that those people need to sod off and grow a thicker skin. A little tough love never hurt anyone, and sometimes coddling people too much ends up leading to problematic behavior in the future. He’s not going to be unnecessarily cruel to someone, but he’s not about to hold their hand and comfort them at every little thing that goes wrong. Life’s not a pity party and Arthur is a sympathy dispenser. When you make mistakes, accept the consequences and move on.
Of course, Arthur sometimes has a hard time following his own advice. His pride makes those moments when he fails hard to swallow, and when he botches something such as a relationship or an important task completely, he would much rather avoid facing what he’s done. He’ll make excuses, avoid the issue in conversation, or try to place the blame on others, because doing so is easier than confronting his own guilt. Eventually, though, he will come to accept what he’s done and he will try to make amends his own way.
It is in that attempt to make amends, often in a subtle way, that shows Arthur is not without his compassion. Saying sorry may be hard for him and talking about the problem seems a daunting prospect, but he’s willing to swallow his discomfort in order to do something nice for the person he has wronged. Just don’t point it out to him that he’s doing it. Arthur’s moments of kindness, whether driven by guilt, pity, or a sense that he needs to help someone, embarrass him and make him snappish when brought to his attention. He has a reputation to keep, after all.
Then again, it’s not really his reputation he’s worried around. There’s a reason Arthur doesn’t wear his heart on his sleeve, a reason why he treats his moments of kindness as secrets. He’s just trying to protect himself. Arthur knows all too well that there are people in this world who will seize every bit of kindness in a person and take full advantage of them, that there are people not a bit shy about wheedling people down until they are bitter, empty versions of themselves.
Some might argue that Arthur has already reached that point, but beneath that heartless exterior he still nurses a bit of kindness. He’s just been burned one too many times to express it openly. Yet break past his defenses, earn his trust and perhaps even his heart, and one can see a man aching to reach out to people but not knowing how. Arthur is a lonely person, really, one who craves being with others but is unable to balance that craving against his own desire to not be hurt again. Yet what good is a heart if one never uses it?
All right, so perhaps Arthur hates philosophical rhetoric such as that because it oversimplifies complicated issues. Besides, he’ll point out, it’s not that he doesn’t use his part. He does worry after others, after all, even if he shows it by nagging them, insulting their lifestyle choices, and lecturing them into oblivion. However, behind closed doors, Arthur is just as likely to follow up such negative attention with a pat on the back, an offering of a sweet, and some positive attention that shows he genuinely does care for someone.
It is in caring for someone that people find more of Arthur’s strengths. He’s loyal, unfailingly so, and even if he and someone he is close to are in the fight of the century, he will never stop caring. He doesn’t have it in him to shut himself off from someone he’s let in like that. Of course, just because he still cares for someone doesn’t mean he can’t hold a grudge that spans decades. His temper is not one to be trifled with. Those who earn his ire find that not only will he remember their offense, but he’ll also aim to get revenge in the most painful way possible.
Hey, what can he say? He may have a soft-side, but he’s still a scheming, conniving bastard who takes satisfaction in hitting his enemies where it hurts. In fact, picking someone apart piece by piece, targeting their every weakness until they are driven to their breaking point, is something he has developed an excellent skill in. What? Don’t be surprised. The man isn’t all sugar and rainbows. There’s a reason he’s developed a reputation for being a jerk, and it isn’t just because he tends to be unsociable and grumpy. Though, he will say there are some blows too low even for him.
Arthur’s cunning is what lets him sometimes land quips that hit a little too close to home for people. Sure, he has a sarcastic sense of humor and sometimes uses his biting wit to distract the attention from himself, but the reason both work so well is because he knows exactly which nerve to strike. He can analyze a person based on current and past interactions, find an opening in their defenses, and draw blood (more often in a metaphorical sense than a literal one) before they even realize what he’s aiming at.
Subtly is one of Arthur’s greatest strengths. Manipulation ranks right up there with it. Both can be wielded to help him hurt people to his own satisfaction or push them in a direction that benefits him. Yet, on the opposite side of the coin, he can also be incredibly blunt. It just tends to work out in a less advantageous way for him. After all, people don’t really like to hear the truth, and Arthur isn’t one to sugarcoat things just to spare someone their feelings. Does that make him insensitive? To an extent, but people need to develop thicker skin anyway.
Then again, that’s Arthur for you. He’ll put up with nonsense to an extent, but be less likely to engage in any nonsense unless his so smashed he can’t see straight. To the general population he can be a gentleman, but he can also be a hard ass, somewhat bossy and controlling person. Privately, there is that tenderness to him, and beneath his rough and gruff exterior is someone who does care for other people even if he doesn’t know how to show it in a healthy way. In the end, Arthur is just complicated and he rather likes himself that way.[/ul][/size]
History ►
Every child in the following generations had carried a touch of the fae with them. Eventually, however, the bloodline of their fae ancestor trickled down to but a few drops, so that each child would be fae-touched but never truly one of the fae. Elizabeth, as a result, had been born with a natural affinity with fertility, capable of determining early on whether a woman was pregnant or not and what gender the child would be.
Arthur had been given a heightened sense of awareness. At most, he might be able to see the shimmer of magic, perhaps detect when a powerful fae had walked through an area with their magic unbound, and even pick up on whether or not strong magic was being used against him. Other than that, though, he grew up just as blind and dumb to the world of magic as most normal humans.
For Arthur, a childhood of being fae-touched was no real different from the average childhood. He did seem to make friends with the few non-human staff his parents kept on around the house more easily than others did, perhaps because they sensed his heritage. Then again, in turn, he found connecting to humans to be a greater challenge, especially when those humans were his brothers.
In this regard, Arthur’s family life wound up being less than ideal. His mother had been a second or third wife—Arthur could never remember and didn’t think it mattered—and Arthur her only child. However, there were three other children from his father’s past relationships, all of them boys, and not one of them liked him. In fact, Arthur’s three older brothers often bullied him.
They would hide his things, push him down, tease him, and do everything in their power to otherwise torment him and make him miserable. Arthur, who had only wanted to be accepted by his older brothers, eventually gave up trying to befriend them and instead began to resent them. How cruel they were to shun his attempts at play, how awful they were for letting his pet rabbit out into the backyard so it would run away.
(Arthur had cried for weeks after that, even when his mother bought him a new rabbit.)
Perhaps some of their resentment stemmed from the fact that Arthur’s father, who had been born to an affluent family and amassed an admirable fortune on his own, planned on leaving the majority of his money and the house to Arthur rather than one of them. Perhaps they resented him for his heritage or perhaps they resented him for some reason Arthur didn’t know and would never know.
It didn’t really matter in the end.
Growing up, Arthur became a bit of an unsociable boy. His experience with his brothers made him wary of other kids, a fact that made forming friendships fairly difficult. He didn’t quite know how to relate to other boys outside of bullying them himself, and while he never stopped to his brother’s level he did become rather curt and snappish with them. Girls, however, he had a harder time associating with the behavior he had received in the past.
Maybe it’s for that reason that Arthur’s first friend was a girl rather than a boy. Marianna had been a new student to his class, a recent transfer from Portugal. Her accent had been thick, her temperament fiery, but the two had found common ground over their love for certain sports. They grew close fairly quickly, sticking together even as other groups of friends grew up and grew apart.
In his own way, Arthur had always looked after Marianna and she in turn had looked out for him. They were each others best friends, siblings in spirit even. When Marianna began to date in her later teen years, Arthur was the one that screened her partners to make sure only the best earned her attention. Marianna returned the favor, likely saving him from a bad relationship or two over the years.
The two did part when they went on to separate universities, though they kept in contact. Marianna wanted to become something great: a physicist maybe, or some sort of scientist. Arthur was content in just pursuing a degree in English or journalism or something of the like, though his father wanted him to pursue business. In the end, Arthur’s stubbornness beat out his father’s and he was allowed to study what he wanted.
He graduated in four years at the age of twenty-two, just in time to hear that Marianna was going onto a graduate school and his mother’s failing health had finally taken its toll. Five weeks after graduating, Arthur watched as they lowered his mother’s coffin into the grave. Two weeks after that, still grieving, he found work at the same company his father worked. It was only an entry level position, but it was the best his father could arrange.
All the while, Arthur kept in touch with Marianna. She seemed happy, if not a bit stressed, and excited about her studies. Except… After a while, her letters grew more worrying. There was something she was hiding, Arthur could feel it, but he couldn’t figure out what was wrong. In the end, though, he didn’t have to figure out. She came to him one day, proud face pale and hands shaking as she hugged him.
“I’m pregnant,” she told him.
She didn’t know what to do.
Arthur wasn’t much better. Concerned about her health—had she seen a doctor? Received the proper care?—he arranged an appointment with a physician and held her hand as the doctor gave her a look over in one of the rooms. She was three months along but she was in good health. As long as she took the usual precautions, everything looked as though it would be all right.
Back at his home, Arthur tried to offer his comfort as she stared into her tea cup.
“I don’t know what to do,” she admitted to him. “I’ve got my school, my career, my whole life to consider. I’m not ready to be a mom. But… I can’t just get rid of it.”
Arthur took a sip from his own cup and reached over to pat her hand. “What happened?”
It had been a fae, she explained. She couldn’t say what kind, only that he had been more beautiful than any other man she’d seen—glamour, he’d told her with a nod—and being around him was like being on a constant high. Had there been magic involved? She didn’t know. If so, she hadn’t sensed it, had been so drunk of his presence that the extra push of compelling magic wouldn’t have been needed.
Their relationship had been a one night stand, brief but passionate. The next morning, he had been gone and Marianna had gone back to her life not expecting things to be any different. Now, she sat on Arthur’s couch, tired, scared, and unsure of what direction her life would go in now. Raising a kid would mean she’d have to stay home from school, and she had heard about how hard it was to go back after quitting once.
Arthur handed her a handkerchief. “We’ll figure something out. Don’t make any hasty decisions just yet.”
In his mind, there was no doubt that he would help her through this and find a way to fix things. She was, after all, his best friend.
Worries eased somewhat by his words, Marianna stayed the night and went back to her school the next day. True to Arthur’s advice, she didn’t quit school like she expected she would have to. She went to the doctor regularly, Arthur taking off from work and flying over to be with her during the appointments, and kept an eye on her health. To her good luck, the due date fell far enough into her winter break that she might not have to miss any school.
The contractions hit her in the afternoon. By the evening, she was at the hospital well into labor. Arthur, as he had always been, stood right by her side during the delivery. Marianna gave birth to a healthy baby girl, one with eight perfect fingers, two perfect thumbs, and ten perfect little toes. She was the spitting image of her mother, with dark hair and dark eyes, and absolutely adorable. Marianna sobbed, both out of joy and out of fear.
Now what?
“I’ll take her,” Arthur blurted.
She stared at him, causing him to blush under her scrutiny.
“If you give her up for adoption, there’s no telling where she’ll end up,” he clarified, unable to look at her. “If you keep her, you have to give up your dreams and everything you’ve worked so hard for.” The financial state of her family, so vastly different from his and far less fortunate, hung between them unspoken but understood. “At least if I take her, you’ll know she’s in good hands and be able to visit.”
“Arthur…” Marianna glared. “Like hell I’m letting you take her! Think about yourself, your own career. You’re only twenty-two, too young to be tied down to a kid!”
They spent the next hour or so talking about it, sometimes yelling and sometimes speaking no louder than a whisper. Eventually, Arthur won her over and they were able to arrange the proper paperwork with a few calls.
He named the little girl Elizabeth Kirkland after his mother. Bringing her home was both the best and one of the hardest days of his life. Watching Marianna cry, watching her kiss the forehead of the little girl whose life she’d be a part of only in visits, pained him more than he could say. However, when she hugged him good bye, she whispered a tearful thank you in his ear.
“Take care of her for me.”
Arthur arrived at the family home with the baby Elizabeth in tow, still trying to get accustomed to the feeling of being a father. It was hard at first to juggle both his work and home life, and eventually he had to take some vacation time to get Elizabeth and himself both settled. He didn’t see much of his father; still grieving after his wife’s death, the man had become more and more of a recluse.
Eventually, he bought a small house outside of the country. It was easier, in the end, for him to be away from the remainder of his family rather in the house with the memories of his wife. Arthur wondered if the rumors among the staff about his mother’s spirit still lingering in the house had anything to do with it. He had never seen the spirit himself, but there had been the slight brush against his brow at night, the light hum on the air…
Perhaps there was a bit of truth to the rumors, but for Arthur this had never been a problem. If anything, it brought him a sense of comfort to think that his mother was watching over him still. He didn’t resent his father, though, for leaving. For the Elder Kirkland, trying to find peace was impossible when everywhere he looked he saw memories that left him heart broken and aching for what once was.
About six months after Elizabeth’s birth, Arthur received a visitor. A man who wasn’t quite a man, one who hid behind the face of a human but wielded the magic of the fae. He claimed to be Elizabeth’s father, demanded his daughter back. It was at that point that Arthur knew that his life as a working parent would never be easy, knew that as long as he kept Elizabeth he’d be forced to keep alert and keep her safe.
Oh well.
Some things were worth fighting for.[/ul][/size][/blockquote]
