Modern AU's
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Police AU
Arran is a generational; his father was a cop, his grandfather was a cop, and his great-grandfather was also a member of the august profession. It's been his entire life and shaped him profoundly as a human. Between his time in the military and then policing, he's developed a very different worldview than most the people around him. This at once grants him clarity of action while socially isolating him from those who don't want to hear it.
His friends would describe him as something of a man's man. Arran has a number of hobbies he's passionate about, such as hunting, boating, and equestrianism. When he's not working or on call, he can often be found working on the family ranch or riding the back trails of the home. He's had a number of relationships, most of them on-again off-again, and as he's getting older so too is that lack of a steady partner in his life becoming more pronounced. There's a good deal of family pressure to settle down and he pushes back against it. Arran doesn't want to 'settle' in anything. It'll be the right person or it'll be nothing.
Arran believes in what he does; he's not much of a humanitarian and the current climate of political correctness irritates him to no end. He can usually keep his comments private to a trusted group of people who are of like mind. He keeps off social media specifically to avoid getting into trouble about such things. Despite that, he's generous with his time and volunteers around the community, as well as retaining a sense of cautious compassion. He'll give a person the benefit of the doubt until he has a reason not to... at which time they'll never get the benefit of the doubt again.
So far he's managed to avoid the pitfalls of injury and alcoholism which are rife in his profession. He struggles not to be defined solely by his job as well but finds it harder and harder to interact with 'normal' people. 'Normal' people don't kick in doors for a living and point guns at others on high-risk search warrants.
Arran keeps himself in excellent condition; every day he doesn't work out, he figures the bad guys do, so he stays on his game. He's a tall man, with a broad-shouldered construction comprised of well-toned muscle and flexibility. His blonde hair is kept short to his head and he's debated buzzing it off more than once but has yet to take the leap. He usually lets a small beard grow just around his chin and mouth; it's not regulation for the rank and file but being a part of the special teams gives him some leeway to skirt the line. His scent is pleasant, a dash of mild cologne on top of his deodorant with a firewood-scented shaving soap, which he's wise enough not to overpower himself with. Sometimes, especially if it's been raining, he'll have a faint odor of wet dog from his four-legged partner. His left arm has a half-sleeve tattoo with Marine and law enforcement motifs.
On duty, Arran wears the uniform of his agency. He keeps himself presentable and squared away. Boots shined, pants ironed with a sharp crease, outer vest carrier free of dirt or garbage. A few stray dog hairs are bound to cling to him here and there, which irritates him but which he also recognizes there's nothing to be done about. When called out or working with the SWAT team, he trades his uniform in for the dark-colored armor of the unit. Much more heavily armed and armored, Arran typically wears a balaclava to conceal his face for safety reasons. He doesn't need one of the offenders to track him down more easily than they might otherwise do so.
Off duty, Arran favors jeans and tee shirts. He's a denim man and his clothing is made for working outdoors more often than not. He keeps himself presentable, making sure he does laundry regularly, and is always armed if he's outside his house. Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. Life's taught him all too often what happens to those who are unprepared for things to go wrong. While the odds of something going catastrophically wrong in a given time and place where he's at are low, he likes being prepared. Arran's made some enemies in the criminal world from his job and they're not going to catch him with his pants down.
Life on the Force
Arran's a veteran of the Marine Corp with two tours of duty overseas in the sandbox to his record as well as a purple heart from when he didn't duck quick enough. He did five years active duty, three on the reserve, then came out in time to get his name in the running at the Sheriff's Office. His impeccable service record and family connections made him a shoe-in for hiring and Arran found himself working law enforcement within the year.
He's good at his job; instincts he developed overseas have served him well on the street. While most people can't be dealt with like enemy combatant, he can talk most folks down from making a stupid decision, and he's more than capable of using force against those who persist. Arran enjoys martial arts and other athletic pursuits which give him a keen understanding of his body and its abilities. He's cautious and alert, hyper-awareness being an ingrained trait. He's a defensive tactics and firearm instructor as well as a member of the SWAT team.
Arran's newest partner is his K-9, Thor. He's enjoying being a dog handler so far and Thor enjoys his trips out to the family ranch. The pair make a good team and the human half is a lot fonder of the canine half than he lets on. The pair train together regularly and he's looking forward to many productive years with the dog.
Off Hours
While Arran would say he lives at work, and it's true to a degree, it's also true he gets a good amount of time off between vacation days, personal days, and his normal rotation. Even when on call for the SWAT team, he's free to do what he likes so long as he doesn't get intoxicated. Arran's favorite place to spend time is the family ranch. Despite being from a long line of law enforcement, they've always had a passion for equestrianism, and he's no exception. Arran owns his own horse, a chestnut-colored stallion he's named Strider in honor of the Lord of the Rings character. He's had the horse for nearly a decade now and spends much of his off hours in the care of the animal. The two have a good understanding and when the weather allows he's fond of taking long rides.
He has a small network of work friends who he hangs out with semi-regularly. He's not much of a bar hopper, though he'll indulge here and there, and he's always down for a trip or something new. He's fond of being outdoors and is a skilled hunter as well as fisherman, disdaining trophy killers as disrespectful to the sport. His family owns a small bass boat which he takes out during the spring and summer on the lake their property abuts. Another summertime favorite is his Harley; he's a member of a law enforcement riding group and does several road trips a year with them.
Arran is also fond of quieter activities. He's an avid reader who believes in a personal ethos of balancing the body and mind. He went to college on the GI Bill and holds a Bachelors degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Accounting. Usually he'll make a few extra bucks doing taxes for people around the beginning of the year.
He's not an exceptionally spiritual person and describes himself as 'open minded' when the topic comes up. He pays lip service to a higher power and isn't offended by others beliefs in such but isn't particularly pious himself. He believes in trying to be a good person and doing unto others. It's served him well enough in life to date. Arran was also raised with a conservative mentality towards women rooted in older codes of chivalry. He respects the fairer sex and shows it by opening doors, letting them go first, and the like. He'll pay for the dates unless told it makes his companion uncomfortable and he doesn't feel like he's owed more for doing so. He's not a priest and has no objections to relationships of a physical nature outside of marriage but he's not a sleep around. Intimacy is a personal, private thing to him and should be shared between people comfortable with one another. He's not above the possibility of a fling but it would be outside the norm for him.
Where social issues are concerned, Arran is fairly moderate. So long as a person's life choices don't impede or infringe on his own choices, he's content to live and let live. He holds some stereotypes due to his life experiences and profession which may not be the accepted norm. His general disdain for what he calls "Social Justice Warriors" is barely concealed in private. He has the good sense and courtesy to keep off-color opinions to himself in mixed company but will speak more freely with other cops he trusts. He's killed people before and seen some of the worst of humanity; he believes the world is simply better off without some people in it. He's very proud of his service in the military and police, taking criticism of either poorly.
