EMPATHEIAS APPLICATION

[sadisticwarfare]

⌈ PLAYER SECTION ⌉
Player: Redd
Contact: pokerap | AIM: writersblockredd
Age: 26
Current Characters: Ryuunosuke Uryuu | Fate/Zero | greatestcool


⌈ CHARACTER SECTION ⌉
Character: Frank Archer
Age: No age is ever given in canon. Headcanonly Archer is 36.
Canon: Fullmetal Alchemist (2003 anime)
Canon Point: After talking to Tucker in the basement about Kimbley's whereabouts but before releasing Tucker's chimeras on Mustang, Hawkeye, and Armstrong.

Background:

Frank Archer @ FMA Wiki
All of the information here applies - though it is worth mentioning that in the first anime the city is named "Liore" instead of "Reole." There are several differences between the first anime and the manga/Brotherhood when it comes to the names of places and people - I will be using the dub of the first anime for these. Archer is taken before the automail is attached, meaning that he is actually mentally stable (to some extent).

Personality:

Archer's personality depends on who you are, or rather, if you're in a position of power or not. To his superiors he's a hard-working officer with a more reserved look on government. To anyone he doesn't consider useful, he's a complete jerk. The two sides don't seem to properly fit together until one realizes that Archer doesn't bother trying to manipulate those who aren't in a position of power. His smarts lead him to believe he's superior to everyone, including those he tries to be charming toward. Even if he must push his ego aside, it's only for a limited time. Archer doesn't seem to hold a high level of respect for the Fuhrer, the leader of Amestris (due to the fact that he knows the Fuhrer is a Homunculus [a failed result of human transmutation - bringing the dead back to life - which is highly illegal in Amestris]; something that immediately gives him an edge over the Fuhrer), and is often contrary to the point of defiance in discussion with him. He shows less and less respect toward his superior officers as the series goes on and Archer is never shown saluting the Fuhrer despite how everyone around him does. He holds no respect for Bradley and even less respect for his superior officers.

Archer's favorite thing is war. His determination to start a war in Liore is only further proof of this. While war has strengthened his nation in the past, Archer does not seek to start a war for that prospect. He loves strategy and planning, but especially loves the thrill of a fight. Any excuse to kill without repercussions is one he is willing to take. He passes it off as wanting to be a "war hero" like Mustang, but in reality he simply "likes war," according to one of the soldiers who worked under him. This seems to be common knowledge within the military, but Archer hasn't actually done anything that could be considered illegal. Archer knows his views aren't common and are definitely not normal; he's very careful not to say anything that could get him thrown in prison. Kimbley is the only person he's met who shares any of his beliefs, and he was in prison for ten years for killing his superior officers during the Ishbal War. He obviously doesn't want to end up like Kimbley, and spends the majority of his time attempting to appear normal. While he can pass for normal, he does give off an inherently creepy vibe, such as when he was talking to Winry while investigating the incident at Lab Five. He doesn't seem to notice he does this.

Archer has a severe lack of morals in most areas of life. Society's "morals" concerning life and war scarcely affect him. He's willing to use others as tools to achieve his own ends. Tucker and Kimbley are prime examples of this - he recruits both of them to directly serve him. He tends to come off as inhumane and cruel when discussing those morals, but it's not entirely without benefit. He can actually argue that without morals to "get in his way" he's not forced to think about "what's right." This makes him (in his opinion) the perfect soldier. His lack of morals make him dangerous, but he would be right at home on the battlefield. Unfortunately (in his opinion), he's never seen battle. He's never commanded either, which makes it seem odd that the Fuhrer would give Archer such a position of power. While Archer understands that these morals are something most people have, he doesn't particularly care. He is shown speaking to the Fuhrer about using Philosopher's Stones to amplify alchemists' capabilities in combat and even though the Fuhrer tells him that's highly illegal, Archer presses because it would be strategic in combat. Ultimately war is far more important than anything else, including morals.

Archer is easily angered and frustrated, but most other emotions are hidden under an outer layer of cool detachment. While he is usually level-headed and takes the time to think his actions through, when he's angry Archer doesn't stop to think. Archer doesn't like showing any weakness whatsoever, and he considers most emotion to be a weakness which can be used against him. Likewise he considers friends to be similar and keeps very few. Allies, on the other hand, are always useful (at least until he decides they aren't, in which case friendly fire is always a suitable option). Archer also tends to worry a lot - he's shown actively fretting over Kimbley's whereabouts which is the most emotion he shows during the series, though this manifests in anger. He lashes out more as the series progresses, ultimately ending in Archer sending seven thousand men into the city of Liore in an attempt to kill Scar, all because Scar killed Kimbley and threw his body off a roof. Archer is not apathetic despite how frequently his expression is doing next to nothing, he feels a lot but he's not very demonstrative with it.

His cruel ruthlessness both on and off the battlefield are terrifying, leading many to whisper behind his back that he's not only a warmonger but a sadistic, inhumane monster as well. As long as they can't prove it, Archer considers himself safe. He finds it rather ironic that they call him a monster while working for one. That brings up another point: Archer holds no respect for anything not human. He's very proud of his humanity, especially after dealing with chimeras (human and animal combinations created through alchemy) and the Homunculi, like the Fuhrer. While the Homunculi might be physically superior with longevity and regeneration, being human is very important to Archer. He can acknowledge that the chimeras and the Homunculi have abilities that a human can't match but being human is a bit more important than being some abomination that's capable of more.

Archer would be absolutely terrifying on the battlefield should he ever get a chance to prove himself. He's ruthless, cruel, and dedicated to his job, but he's held back from going completely crazy by a fear of being imprisoned. He wants nothing more than to go down in history as a war hero, though going down in history period would be preferable to being forgotten. He's egotistical and temperamental, but he's also shrewd and cunning and capable of using everything he has to his advantage. He's not a man you want to anger if you have any secrets, because he'll stop at nothing to find them and use them against you.

Abilities:

Archer is a perfectly ordinary human without any sort of supernatural abilities. While he is a soldier, Archer doesn't have any combat experience and isn't any good at fighting. He likes guns and is a pretty good shot, but that's about the only thing he has going for him.

Alignment:

Piphron. Trust is an essential part of Archer's character, given that he is willing to blackmail the leader of the country in order to get what he wants. In fact, Archer doesn't trust anyone... except Kimbley. The madman who blew up his superior officers ten years ago and who could literally kill Archer with a clap of his hands. That guy. Archer is obviously upset when Kimbley goes missing and Kimbley is the only other person Archer cares about. For the most part Archer would experience distrust more than trust, but he is capable of trusting people and in a new situation like this, he won't have any choice but to trust others.

Other:

Archer will be arriving in game with just the military uniform, though this does include a standard-issue handgun (with limited ammunition, obviously).

⌈ SAMPLE SECTION ⌉
Sample:

Route 29

[Back home Archer had never liked paperwork. It was dull and more often than not there were errors that Archer had to correct, which would only lead to more paperwork. It was a frustrating cycle that had taken up the majority of his life prior to the investigation into the events surrounding Laboratory Five, but back then Archer hadn't realized just how radically his life would change.

Of course none of that matters here, since he isn't in Liore and he isn't commanding troops. His war will have to wait until he can return and hopefully Mustang won't have ruined everything for him when he's finally able to return.

But for now paperwork is sort of calming. It's repetitive and it's boring, but it's familiar and in a world like this where nothing is familiar, it's welcome. The files Archer's currently going through just need to be placed in the correct order, which is easy to do and simple enough that he can just shut his brain off for awhile and not worry about anything.

...Well, okay, he's Frank Archer, he can't exactly stop worrying. There are things to be concerned about here, such as the state of the world, ensuring he has enough money to live comfortably, trying to figure out why his amulet is going dark so quickly...

The edges of the file he's holding begin to go black and Archer drops it immediately. Apparently the noise is enough to attract someone's attention and one of his coworkers pokes their head into the room.]

Ah, my apologies. Everything's alright.

[He picks up the file and carefully hides the edge (it's charred somehow, the edge is beginning to flake already), turning so he can greet his coworker. Archer can't properly smile, so the result is a smirk, but he's trying. The coworker leaves after a moment and Archer lowers the file so he can examine the damage. Thankfully it stopped after he dropped it, but the burnt area goes straight through the file and comes out the back. A brief look inside confirms his fears - the papers within are just as burnt.]

...How unfortunate. I suppose one missing file won't be noticed.

[If there's one thing he knows about paperwork, it's that things fall through the cracks all the time. One missing file won't come down hard on his head. He'll just have to be careful with his thoughts in the future. What even caused a reaction like that? It certainly couldn't have been worry, he doesn't usually get fire unless he's angry so...

But it's not something he needs to think about right now and Archer dismisses it. It's about time for him to head home anyway.]

Questions: None!