Barclay Aldenmoor
AMBIGUOUS POET
AMBIGUOUS POET
- A purveyor of following one's own ideas, Barclay is a poet who rarely seeks to impose one interpretation over another with his works. Though he is inspired largely by mundane, everyday things (think trips to the grocery or giving his birds a bath), his poems tend toward vague language and absolute openness for any-and-everyone to make of them what they will. Likewise, Barclay is secretive about the specifics of his personal life. While he most certainly has opinions on many, many things, he prefers to keep them to himself to avoid imprinting on any overzealous fans. As such, he's often accused of being waffly about the 'important issues' or mysterious for the sake of artistic eccentricity. Honestly, those are the kinds of personal interpretations he finds fascinating.
THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL
- Despite the success he's experienced in his career, there's a constant dark cloud looming over Barclay's head, and it smells suspiciously like a crisp new dollar bill. An exaggerated fear built from watching so many other artists try and fail, he's sure with one slip up he'll lose it all and be out on the streets. In fact, he keeps an extremely tight reign on his wallet to the point where it's not just fiscally responsible, it's borderline unhealthy.
From his relationships to his well-being, so many aspects of his life are touched by his compulsion to avoid financial ruin. Many a close friend have passed birthdays without as much as a card or asked for spare change for the parking meter just to hear Barclay lie through his teeth about having any, all in the name of dodging 'unnecessary spending.' A quick glance through the pantry in his cramped apartment proves he doesn't take very good care of himself, either. He'd sooner subsist on cup ramen than spend the small fortune he believes fresh meats and produce will cost him.
Money may not buy happiness, but it pays for the roof over his head, and Barclay will neglect himself and others to keep it that way, even if it's completely unnecessary.
MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD
- Inspiration can strike as quickly as lightning, without warning, and be as fleeting as a spring rain. For a poet, losing grasp on a genius verse can be devastating. Luckily for Barclay, he's always got something handy to write with, be it tools more traditional like a pen and notepad or something completely impromptu like a golf pencil he happened to find on the ground and a grocery receipt he pulled out of his pocket. Whatever the need, there's always something within arms reach to jot things down with.
ANYTHING ELSE?
- Barclay is 36-years-old and already sports notable crow's feet. He's also got dimples. This is a really old crappy headshot I drew once. I'm the worst at designing outfits, so stuff like this, maybe? Think: looks vaguely fancy from far away, but is actually wearing a sweatshirt.
His parents divorced when he was young and his mother took sole custody of him and his two older sisters. He hasn't seen his father in over 30 years.
Born in Scotland, Barclay has already moved a good number of times in his life, from Glasgow to Edinburgh to New York to Pennsylvania. The final move to Ashdown was the only one made by choice as a legal adult. He'd love to continue traveling, but recently money has become quite tight (actually, it hasn't).
Speaking of money, Barclay's entire income doesn't rest on his poetry selling well. In fact, he's also a well known children's author under the pen name Arthur Clay and has begun dabbling with (currently unpublished) young adult titles. These are much less ambiguous than his poetry, obviously.
His most precious companions are two diamond doves named Beckett and Lachlan. They're about the only things in his life he'll pay what's necessary to properly care for.
He really, really doesn't like horses. Childhood trauma.
