“ What, don’t wanna spar with me? ” They retorted once they were noticed, followed with a small snort of a laugh. Playful, even under their ever-dry tone. As much as Jenny would love to pretend they could just outrun everything, they knew it wasn’t true. They had to keep themselves fighting ready too. Just in case. That’s how they operated, always thinking of that just in case. So that’s why they had come to the indoor training area. And though they had hoped to be alone, Olson wasn’t the worst person to be here. Even if it felt entirely unnatural for the two of them. “ Scared I’ll kick your ass? That it? ” They joked, sly grin starting to pull at the corner of their lips. “ I put up a way better fight than ol’ no-arms over there. ” They continued, gesturing quickly over to the abandoned training dummy. Maybe it wasn’t a joking matter, but that didn’t stop them. Better joke than come in too hot too quick with a ‘you good? the way you beat the shit out of that lifeless dummy was kinda wild.’
‘
" actually, yea, i am scared. i think you could kick my ass right now, i’ve seen how fast you are. “ anders returns the grin with a small smile of his own. it’s sincere, though. he can’t say that for most of his smiles. “ ‘sides, my arms already hurt like hell. wouldn’t exactly be a fair fight. ” he says this with an implication in his tone, something to suggest that he’s full of shit. not once has he ever cared about making a fight fair. truthfully, most of his fights are dirty.
anders knows it’s weird, this little ritual that he has. most of the time he’s well aware of how bizarre it might seem if you’re on the outside, looking in, but he’s never been one to care about being weird. if anything, it’s been an asset up until now. people left him alone because of it. but jenny, well, he actually doesn’t mind being around jenny. so it’s just mildly embarrassing, this lack of composure.
“ just, uh, needed to get out some... aggression. ” anders makes a small gesture to the lifeless dummy, as if that will explain it.·
sometimes, but not often, anders will get this feeling. it's an awful gnawing in the pit of his stomach, pulling at his core. it's telling him to run. to leave. he really hates when it gets like this.
the only thing that seems to help is beating the shit out of something.
so to preserve the last remaining pieces of his sanity, that's what he does. he makes his way to the training area, and he hits the training dummy until his knuckles are bruised. he wails on that thing like it owes him something, like it wronged him. he only stops when the only thing he can feel is his biceps on fire.
anders is hunched over and out of breath when he sees the other person.
"oh shit. almost scared me." he takes a deep breath, standing up straight. " i think i'm done, s'all yours if ya want it. "
There was a gentle hum throughout the marketplace, comprised of the many voices of her fellow citizens, that set Claudia at ease. These constant, indistinguishable sounds of life reassured her that all was well. The walls stood strong, and her business was thriving.
She glanced up at the person stood in front of her. She forced herself to give them a tight-lipped smile before turning her attention back on the task at hand. Good bedside manner (or whatever the equivalent might be when it was sales and not medical) was not really her strong suit, but she was trying her best. Claudia prodded the device, and then turned it over.
“Yeah, I could probably have this working by the end of next week,” she said, “What are you offering for the work?”
anders still struggles with asking people for things, or help. it was a weak point for him. he’d gotten so used to doing things on his own that now, when it comes to things like bartering, it feels like he’s cheating.
“ a book from my collection? ” his tone was a little strained, so he offered this with a hint of a smile. not forced, just not entirely genuine.
his collection was actually somewhat impressive, if you cared about books. some had been custom bound and repaired by val, ranging in genre and subject matter. anders had things from old geography textbooks to tattered copies of obsolete ‘COMPUTERS FOR DUMMIES’, but he also had books of poetry and a robust collection of novels. anything printed was basically his criteria for collecting, but he keeps the special ones hidden.
truthfully, he only wanted the damn watch because he thought it would look good with one of his coats. the glass was broken, and the leather strap looked worn and faded, but something about it just felt good.
when shane wasn’t working or training, they liked to keep their nose in a book and kept to themself. typically they’d stay confined to their small apartment but for some god forsaken reason, she chose today venture out and actually interact with the general public of jericho. she was reading an old, tattered copy of stephen king’s it and was honestly having a hard time getting through it. her father used to talk about how it was one of his favorite movies as a kid, before the world turned into what it was now. he talked about how he and his brother watched it way too young and it scared the crap out of them. shane was always curious about how scary this movie was considering the things they’ve had to live through in the 40 years since so when she found the book, she was excited to read it. only the book…well…it wasn’t like the movie. at least she sure as hell hoped it wasn’t. closing the book without even saving her spot, shane shuttered. “god, people of the old world were fucked up,” they muttered to whoever was close enough to hear. “i would not recommend this to the faint of heart,” she said, pressing her index finger to the cover.
‘
typically, anders tried his best to keep to himself in common areas. and although he wanted to preserve his small moments of solitude, he couldn’t help but perk his ears at the warning. with an attempt at subtlety, anders peered over to try and get a look at the cover. stephen king’s it.
he didn’t care much for horror. his life is already scary enough as it is, why would he want to scare himself more? but, anders is also a hypocrite. sometimes, he finds it nice to create an artificial terror that he can control. it’s cathartic. it gives him a momentary reprieve, tricking his brain into thinking he’s calling the shots. so, he’s kind of a fan.
bishop couldn’t contain the literal giggles escaping him at that moment. it was a rare moment of glee for the man. “ok ok ok. i got another one. but this is the last one. i swear. what do you call it when a snowman throws a tantrum?”
he didn’t wait for their response, quickly filling in with: “a meltdown.”
bishop leaned back in his chair, raising his hand. “i’ve got more in the tank, but we’re going to be walled up in this icy hell for quite some time. so, i better save them for when i’m old, yeah?”
fifty-nine! but still a spry, spring chicken.
the thought reminded him of spring. ah. yeah. spring. something he’d most likely never see again. there it was. the dread of an eternity of ice had settled on his shoulders again. perfect.
the joke didn't really land for anders. not because it wasn't funny (well, maybe it also wasn't funny) but mostly because anders just didn't get it. he'd never seen a snowman melt. he'd never made a snowman.
that last bit could be a product of the eternal frozen shitstorm, or it could be a product of his robbed childhood. he doesn't really ask many post-freeze babies their opinions on snowmen, so he's not sure which fucked up piece of his life he can attribute it to.
" for when you're old ? " he disregarded the joke entirely, and instead focused on bishop implying his youth. it only occurred to anders afterwards that maybe what he'd said was a touch rude.
" not that, y'know, you aren't very spry for your age. "
at a glance. how is your character perceived by those who don't know them? how does your character perceive strangers?
at first glance, anders can come be perceived as either intimidating, or rather closed off. this is largely due to the that he is closed off and reserved. it's mostly due to his upbringing, or lack thereof, and his general cynicism towards the world. he's trying to work on this, and be slightly more personable.
anders perceives mostly all strangers as potential threats or potential losses. he's extremely cautious that way, which ends up feeding into the slightly intimidating demeanor he has when meeting new people.
reveal yourself. how long does it take your character to open up to someone?
whew boy. for anders, he could honestly be happy never opening up to anyone. but, if he does, it's usually after quite a long time, and quite a lot of patience. he doesn't trust lightly, or often. even the people he does open up to, they still don't know everything and probably never will.
a reflection. what is your character like as a friend? as an enemy? as a lover?
once anders considers someone a friend, depending on their dynamics he can be rather protective. although he wouldn't like to admit it, his time alone and his lack of a family has left him with abandonment issues. he likes to pretend that his 'pushing people away' coping mechanism cancels it out. in general, he has a tendency to be rather playful, and dry. but the true sign of andy's friendship is his kindness.
as an enemy, anders can be rather vitriol, but honestly he will mostly disregard their entire existence. he has too much to do, and he'd rather not even waste the time. but if pushed to do so, he'll respond with malevolence, and in some cases he's resorted to physical violence.
honestly, anders doesn't really have much experience as a lover. he's never stuck near anybody long enough to experience anything other than brief lust. in the past he wasn't presented with the opportunity for romance, but once he was, the circle of people he actually trusts is so small that he's never had an interest in relationships.
through cross-hairs. what does your character look for in potential friends?
strength. trustfulness. honestly, someone who treats him with kindness and respect. someone who he thinks could be useful. but to be perfectly honest, he finds his most meaningful friendships to be with people who understand his need for distance, and don't punish him when he needs to take a moment for himself.
digging deeper. what is your character's relationship history?
basically none. he's had a few hookups here and there. he lost his virginity when he was 19, and left the next day. there have been a slew of sloppy handjobs, given and received. he's still unsure of what his sexuality is, or what it means. but as far as any real relationships, he's never been in one.
a truth. what is your character's view on love?
anders mostly views love as unnecessary. scary. he views it as something to lose, rather than something to gain. no matter how fulfilling it might be, the idea that he could be that vulnerable with someone only to have them leave with all of his secrets in tow is too frightening to bare. love is weakness, and anders can't afford weakness.
⌈ bill skarsgard, he/him, cis male ⌋ have you seen ANDERS OLSON walking around recently ?? you know, the THIRTY-TWO year old COUNCIL MEMBER ?? i have a question i wanted to ask but i haven't seen ANDY around. have you noticed they tend to be CYNICAL and RESERVED ?? but i guess they make up for it by being AMBITIOUS and OPEN-MINDED. i've heard they're often found TEACHING HIMSELF TO COOK. anyways, if you see them let them know to come find me. ———— kai, 24, cst, self-harm, csa.
[ stats ]
name: anders olson
nickname(s): andy (close friends only), ders, olson
age: thirty-two
sexuality: unsure, bisexual
pronouns: he/him
gender identity: cis male
occupation: council member
[ personality ]
positives: ambitious, open-minded, adaptable, intelligent, focused
negatives: cynical, reserved, stubborn, aggressive, jealous, nosy
hobbies: collecting old books, reading, trying out new recipes, going for runs, whittling, writing poetry
temperament: for how pessimistic he really is it often manifests in him being rather reserved and closed off. he's trying to be more personable, and appear more friendly. he tends to have a soft spot for kids and good parents. anders will straight up look at you and lie to your face if he doesn't want to offer up the truth, but he tries to keep his lies geared towards keeping his own secrets, rather than lying just to lie. although sometimes he's lacking in manners, he will usually return some level of kindness if it's given to him. there's no guarantee that he'll be overtly kind back, but he will at least try to show his appreciation in his own way.
[ before jericho ]
andy was born on an especially frigid night, flexing his powerful little lungs and gasping in one cold breath after the other. and his mother was dying.
she'd managed to make it to a small community just outside of wyoming, getting there mere days before her water broke. one of her last fleeting thoughts was ' thank god, my baby '. she spent her last moments feeling serene, like she'd saved the world by giving her son a chance to live.
unfortunately, the community didn't share those sentiments. no, they were angry. some woman they'd just met shows up long enough to dump another mouth to feed on their feet, and then she dies?
anders did not get the feel good story where the community rallied together to raise him as their own. those don't exist anymore. instead, he was treated like the burden that he was.
when he was 10 years old he came to the realization that this world was nothing but cruel. he was born into a broken society, with no family and no home to call his own. and he didn't ask for any of it.
shortly after his 13th birthday, when he'd finally started to feel useful, icebergs attacked and ravaged the community where he lived.
only a few survived, anders being one of them, but they didn't get to stay together. and honestly, he didn't really think they wanted to. most of the adults couldn't stand him, unless he was contributing to some kind of labor. they were certain he'd be dead weight.
somehow, anders still managed to survive.
despite all of his hemming and hawing about the world and how cruel it was, and how he wished he'd never been born, he was here. he was alive. and he was hellbent on staying that way.
andy drifted through a few more communities after that, never really allowing himself to take root or settle down. he was all but certain that there was no use.
when he was around 24, he ran into a group of people traveling towards a new but thriving outpost they'd heard about: jericho.
now, of course, if anyone asks he'll tell them that he found himself seeking out jericho because he craved a sense of community. he wanted that tight knit group that he never had. a place to be safe, and cared about.
the truth is, he craved ambition. there was something in anders, call it his survivors intuition, that screamed at him when jericho was brought up. something told him that this would be his chance to thrive.
[ after jericho ]
while inside the walls of jericho, anders finally felt himself start to settle, to grow roots. it was becoming the first place to ever feel like home.
although, he still kept to himself, and he never spoke about his time before jericho. it was home, nonetheless.
for the first time he felt like he was living, not just surviving.
becoming a council member filled anders with greater purpose than he ever could have realized. he knew he wanted authority, to have some kind of power or importance, but he didn't know how much he would actually care about it once he was close to it.
he takes his job very seriously, but when he's not working on advising the leader, he's taken up cooking.
it was something done out of necessity, with whatever dead animal he could find, but now it's a hobby that he practices in his free time (given that the ingredients are available)
he's trying earnestly to work on being more personable, more likable, in the hopes that it might get him closer to winning the vote if the position of governor opens up.
