Finlay McKenna

Out of Character (tell us just a bit about you outside RP)

Name: Sub


In Character

Name: Finlay McKenna
Age: 47
Gender: Male
Career: Freelance Computer Programmer (was a lawyer prior to going freelance)


Parents: Robert and Eileen McKenna
Grandparents: Brogan and Gina McKenna; Avery and Sheridan Burke
Siblings: Ashley, Indiana, and Logan (all: status unknown)
Aunts & Uncles: Innes and Cameron McKenna; Evelyn and Jacqueline Burke
Nieces & Nephews: Ashley, Jordan, Cassandra, Lacey, and Quinn (all: status unknown)
Cousins: Several (status unknown)
Children: Kayden
Grandkids: None yet


Skin color: Light Tan
Hair Color: Brown, but graying
Hair length: Medium-long
Eye color: Brown
Size: 5’ 11”
Build: Lanky
Picture:
Celebrity Playby Robert Carlyle


Crushes: Olivia, Samantha Carter
Mates/Spouse: Miranda (Divorced; deceased)
Status: Single



Personality: Finlay comes from a family who has done a little bit of everything – military, teaching, accounting, doctors, lawyers, singers, and so on, so there was not a lot of pressure to be any one thing in particular. Before the outbreak he was a man in a constant search for the ideal occupation, as none of the career options he pursued – prior to freelancing – ever fully satisfied him. One could surmise that Finlay’s aversion to having a boss indicates that he has some problems with authority.

Finlay is intelligent, shrewd, and calculating. Even before the outbreak he was constantly weighing his options against potential consequences... but his intentions were far more honorable (mostly) in those days. Since the outbreak Fin has become increasingly fearful, paranoid, and Machiavellian towards the remnants of society. The fear was always there in some shape or form; the paranoia and ability to detach himself from conventional morality with self-interested disregard is his solution to providing for his son in this “new” world and its dwindling resources. Finlay’s reasoning for this is that if the rest of the world won’t seem to act with integrity, then why should he?

One of Fin’s biggest flaws is his addictive personality, which is consistently his undoing throughout life. He can potentially become addicted to or thoroughly obsessed with just about anything – a food, substance, sensation, or even an activity. Before the outbreak Finlay was a huge workaholic, though has also fostered other addictions both common and unusual. The issue arises when it comes to getting Finlay to admit there is a problem, for he is as infamously stubborn as the rest of his family. Finlay does not readily accept offers of help, nor is he the first to admit when he needs assistance.

Finlay’s anger can be described as 80% bark and 20% bite, and in a single word: volcanic. It is more likely that he will be loud, swearing, and in the other person’s face rather than outright violent. This isn’t to say that Finlay is a pacifist – if the person he is angry with is not a loved one, and is someone who seems equal to or less than him with regard to physical strength, he won’t hesitate to deck the person when or if he is driven to it. In the event the person appears to have superior physical strength, Fin does not willingly engage in a fight unless he is given no other option. It would not be beneath Finlay to employ snappy, sarcastic remarks in a range from casual denial to utter disdain when angered or upset. This is more of a mask to hide his hurt than anything else; for the persistent individual, such a mask could crumble if it is handled properly.

Family and loved ones are both Finlay’s greatest strength, and his greatest weakness. It is for them that Finlay can put aside his fear and brave the most perilous of dangers in the now vicious and lawless world they have found themselves in... but it is also for them that Fin can and will stoop to the lowest wrungs of morality in order to ensure their survival.

In summary, Finlay is a self-made man – from the domineering first-born child to the strong-willed freelancing adult. He is friendly enough towards people, though would much prefer to observe them. His mind is constantly thinking, planning, and devising, for better or for worse, in an attempt to better himself and his family/loved ones. When it comes to his family he is generous, loyal, and tries to do the right thing... but often ends up accidentally making things worse. His addictive personality, with distinct regard to his workaholic tendencies, has frequently rendered him forgetful of days and events meaningful to his family. His temper is quick to boil over and requires time to simmer and cool off, but he rarely engages in physical violence with another living thing. He will take his anger out on an inanimate object before anything else. Some have called him a coward for refusing to fight or stand up to someone stronger than him. At the end of the day Finlay tries to do his best and do what is right... but sometimes what he feels is best for his family and loved ones directly conflicts with what is best for the remains of humanity at large.



Your Story Please?
Finlay is the first-born son of Robert and Eileen McKenna, in 1966 along the eastern coast of the United States. Robert was a bass singer in a band, and was frequently away from home during the touring season. Occasionally he would bring his family with him, but even then the father of four was not nearly as available as his children – or even his wife – would have liked during the height of his career. Eileen was the owner and head chef of a modest family-run diner that was heavy with Scottish, Irish, and Celtic influences in architecture and cuisine.

During the times when Robert was away, he and Eileen would request the help of their parents. While Gina and Sheridan were more than happy to pop in for a visit, it was a combination of Brogan and Avery that provided the missing father-figure in the children’s lives. Brogan and Avery were both in the military, and as veterans they both made strict parents. As grandparents they could be doting... but if one of their grandchildren misbehaved they had absolutely no problems with laying down some serious discipline.

Being the eldest child, Finlay was expected to be a lot of things. In a nutshell he felt it was expected of him to be perfect in every way – a model child for the others to take after. Fin just wanted to be a kid... but he greatly enjoyed the power trip of being the eldest son, and bossed his siblings around constantly. He hated it when his parents or grandparents would negate instructions he’d given his sisters and brother, to the point where he would mouth off to the adult that overruled him. Fin frequently overheard his grandfathers warning Eileen that he needed to be straightened out in a hurry. In an attempt to put an end to his tantrums and unruliness, both Brogan and Avery would threaten to give Finlay something to cry about. Brogan was more likely to follow through on his threats than Avery was. Robert was more of a gentle sort in the ways of discipline unless he felt it warranted otherwise; physical punishment was reserved strictly as either a last resort or for serious infractions.

Finlay was a moody teenager with a fickle social life. He preferred to watch people more than interact with them, unless it was his select group of friends. The semi-introverted tendencies he displayed often caused his family to jokingly refer to him as “the recluse of the family”... a phrase meant as affectionate, but came across to Fin as an insult. One thing Finlay craved but didn’t feel he frequently received from his family was a certain measure of acceptance; that he was good enough. He often acted out in order to get attention, particularly his father’s attention – mouthing off, sneaking out, skipping school, taking up smoking and doing all of this in open defiance, and a few other things. Finlay toed the lines of the law but did his best not to cross them; he didn’t want to do something so bad that his family would disown him.

Finlay’s grandfather, Brogan, frequently caught the youth acting out and was the first to hand out discipline for the misbehavior. Sometimes the discipline was physical, but more often than not it was in the more militaristic form of giving Finlay undesirable tasks and appearing dissatisfied with the work regardless of how hard the young man toiled. Scrubbing the household toilets, waxing the floors, preparing the family meals, painting and varnishing wooden outdoor surfaces, and yardwork were just a few of the creative punishments Brogan devised for his grandson. Finlay got into countless resentful arguments with Brogan. Now that Finlay was old enough to do those things properly, Robert tended to follow in his father’s disciplinary footsteps. Robert hoped the method would have worked wonders on his son’s behavior but all it did was make Finlay more likely to act out, and more resentful of him in the long run.

By the time Finlay graduated high school in 1982, he had narrowly avoided going to jail a few times. The adults in his life were at a loss as to how to straighten him out. Brogan had suggested sending Fin into the military, but Robert didn’t like that idea. Avery suggested letting the boy get a taste of jail time, which Eileen didn’t like. Gina and Sheridan suggested patience, and that eventually Fin might become bored if they didn’t give him the attention he wanted. Finlay had the misfortune of overhearing the family meeting about what they were going to do with him, exchanged venomous words with his father and grandfathers, and took off in a huff.

He arrived home in the back of a police car approximately one week later, despite his family’s attempts to find him with police assistance. During his time away he had gotten mixed up with the girlfriend of a local delinquent gang’s leader, been in several fights, and had confessed to police that he had committed a few small crimes. He was dirty, bloodied, and beaten. The only reason Finlay hadn’t been taken directly to jail was because of Brogan’s and Avery’s connections to the police force. Robert walked his son inside despite the boy’s insistence he didn’t need help, and Brogan assured the officers that he would make sure Finlay didn’t get into any more trouble.

Once Finlay was cleaned up and his injuries treated, Robert and Brogan held a family meeting not unlike the one Fin had walked in on a week earlier. The big difference was that now Finlay was included, and in the hot seat. Brogan was insistent that time in the military would straighten Finlay out, and Avery was in agreement. Robert, Eileen, and Gina weren’t enthused with the idea. Sheridan initially didn’t like the idea, but was swayed to her husband’s way of thinking. Finlay was outraged that his family would send him away – he saw how earnestly his family tried looking for him, and had avoided it because he was still angry with them. It was Brogan who gave Fin the ultimatum: go into the military, or face the charges that would be brought against him for his stint of crime away from home. Finlay begrudgingly chose the military; it was a far more appealing option than jail time. Brogan took Finlay to the nearest recruitment office the moment his grandson was fully recovered from his scrapes and bruises, and signed him up for the army.

Fin learned a lot of things about himself in his five year stint in the military. First of all, and already known, was that he wasn’t much of a morning person. He learned that his grandfather’s idea of “K.P. duty” was a cakewalk compared to what drill sergeants put him through as punishment. Fin didn’t mind the feel of a weapon in his hands, but when asked to train in combat of any sort with someone bigger than him he tended to chicken out or try to avoid getting hit without actually fighting at all. His drill sergeant mercilessly paired Finlay off with the recruits he seemed to fear fighting, and those same recruits had no problems teasing him about it or trying to pick fights with him when off duty.

While Finlay’s skills weren’t grand when it came to combat, his commanding officer discovered something the youth was good at. For one thing, the kid was smart... sometimes too smart for his own good. Fin’s commanding officer tried putting him in communications training and cryptanalysis; he succeeded. Finlay was also a fair tactical planner, and had interests in learning how to gather intelligence and general mechanics.

Once his five years were up, and at the rank of Specialist, Finlay said goodbye to the army with an honorable discharge. He remembered bitterly threatening his family that if they sent him away, he would stay away upon returning from the military, and rent an apartment instead of returning home. It had been an empty threat when he made it, and even though there were indeed apartments available he returned to his childhood home instead. Eileen was overjoyed. Fin’s relationship with his father and grandfathers remained tense. He occasionally tried to boss his siblings around, and found that his sisters were just as good at rebelling as he had been.

After a few months of getting reacquainted with civilian life, Finlay enrolled in college. He had decided to become involved in law enforcement. Fin never shared with his family the claims of cowardice aimed at him during his time in the military, and it was those memories in particular that kept him far away from the idea of becoming a police officer despite Brogan’s encouragement. What Fin was best at was taking intelligence and reporting on it, communicating, and keeping to the fine details. Even though he loved cracking codes, there wasn’t much call for it in law enforcement. Finlay eventually decided to put his education into learning about law with the specific intention of becoming a lawyer. The classes were boring, and there were many times Finlay could think of at least a dozen of things he’d much rather be doing on his computer.

In the 1990s Finlay had earned his Associate’s Degree and was well on his way to the next step to gaining the education needed to become a lawyer. He had finished one class and went to the cafeteria to get a quick lunch before having to dash off to yet another class. In his hurry to get what he wanted and get moving again he accidentally ran into a young woman; his papers went flying, as did her books, and Fin’s coffee ended up all over her. Finlay apologized profusely and insisted he pay for the cost to clean or replace the blouse and handbag that were now tinged with coffee. He learned that the woman’s name was Miranda, and that she had only just started taking classes at the college. Even though he insisted almost to the point of annoyance that he should pay for any cleaning or replacement, Miranda refused to take money from him. He then offered to take her to dinner; Miranda’s first response was to laugh and ask if he always spilled coffee on women he wanted to date.

After obtaining his bachelor’s degree Finlay transferred to a law school for his graduate work. He continued to date Miranda for a whole five years, managing to find time between classes and work to pursue the relationship. Finlay proposed to Miranda at a Halloween party in 1995, and they were married in mid-spring of the following year. It was also shortly after their marriage and honeymoon that Finlay acquired the last remaining pieces needed to begin practicing as a lawyer: he had a graduate degree, passed the bar exam, and obtained his certifications to practice. It wasn’t long before he found a job as an associate lawyer for a firm. Truth be told, however, Finlay wasn’t particularly fond of the firm or the line of work. He wasn’t keen on making the guilty look innocent, and he still desired to be his own boss. With all of the advancements in computers the notion of computer science and programming were looking more and more interesting. He did what he could to learn all about it in his own spare time away from his wife, during lunch breaks, or in secret during down-times at work.

Miranda and Finlay had a son, named Kayden, two weeks before Fin’s thirty-third birthday. In order to provide some extra income for the family, and because he was interested in it anyway, Finlay had started up a tiny side-business as a freelance computer programmer. The business was not established enough to thrive, but every little bit helped. When Fin wasn’t working he was sharing in the responsibilities of caring for a newborn baby. He was a very active and caring father to his son.

Finlay’s computer programming business truly started to take off around the time Kayden was turning five years old. He became busier and busier with his work, and absentminded about important dates and appointments. Miranda was increasingly more frustrated with her husband as he repeatedly forgot to make arrangements for holiday and birthday plans, and grew angrier as she had to always have a back-up plan in case Fin forgot something. It got to the point where Miranda gave Finlay and ultimatum: his work, or his family. The very next day he quit his job with the law firm to go into freelancing full-time. Finlay reasoned that while the freelancing career would entail more work, he would feasibly have more time for family this way. He did his best to separate work life and family life, being mindful to deliberately make time for his wife and son.

Slowly, however, Finlay crept back into his old habit of workaholism. He was slightly better at making time for his son: help with homework, bath times, bedtime stories, and other duties of fatherhood were penciled into his daily planner. Occasionally Fin would suggest that his parents look after Kayden for an evening while he and Miranda went on dates, in an attempt to keep their romance alive.

It didn’t take Finlay long to come to the crushing realization that the romance in his and Miranda’s marriage was now one-sided. Through noticing when she left the house, when she came home, the type of clothes left in the laundry, and ultimately some snooping around, Fin realized that his wife was having an affair. He confronted her on it, and they argued; but it didn’t stop there. The married couple bickered constantly after that incident. Fin went so far as to have his own affair, come home late, and have the tell-tale signs of cheating blatantly clear on his person... but the moment he saw Miranda’s agonized reaction to what he had done, he regretted it. He tried to make it up to her for weeks after that, being overly nice towards his wife and even begging her for forgiveness. His pleas were met with Miranda deliberately telling him when she was going out, and if she wouldn’t be home until the following morning. The implications of such a statement were obvious.

Miranda and Finlay were at each other’s throats every time they were in the same room afterwards. Fin started to notice what all of the fighting was doing to his son, and suggested that one of them should move out for a while. Miranda agreed, but insisted that Finlay was the one that needed to leave. It took all of what little bravery Fin had to approach his son and explain the news. He wouldn’t let his son watch or help him pack. He didn’t want his son to see him break. Instead he plopped the kid in front of the television with a movie, and took breaks from packing by offering to play video games with him.

Time passed, and despite couples counseling things still weren’t getting any better. By 2009 Miranda had had enough. She sent an email asking to see him when he took what would amount to a lunch break. Finlay thought this meant she wanted to join him for lunch and talk things over, and got one of the most horrifying shocks in his life when Miranda presented him with divorce papers. In dread and confusion Fin begged her to change her mind. He swore up and down that he would do his best to be a better father and husband, if they would only give him another chance, but Miranda stood firm on her decision; she felt she had given him more than his fair share of second chances.

Fin and Miranda went to court over the divorce proceedings, and the event was far from amicable. All of the venom and resentment on both sides exploded to the surface. Both parents battled for the custody of Kayden. It was eventually decided that Kayden would stay with Miranda, and Finlay would be given regular visitation rights. Many of those visits were good: Kayden often had something new to show his father in the video games Kay was best at, and unless they went to a park or a playground there was no sign Fin’s laptop or his work. Other visits weren’t so great – these were the times in which Miranda was not far away, which made Finlay awkward and nervous that Miranda would try to start something while he was there.

When Finlay wasn’t visiting with his son, he buried himself in his work. He didn’t want to face the final step in the divorce process. He wanted to deny that it had ever happened. Finlay’s latest commissioned work at that time involved creating the program for a dating website. The clients offered him a heady price for the work, wanted him to stay within reach should they require technical support, and sweetened the deal by offering him his own account with all of the paid-customer perks for free. Fin wasn’t positive he was ready for the dating scene again, but he agreed. He needed the extra money. Because Miranda wouldn’t tell Finlay what Kayden would be getting for Christmas that year, Fin gave his son a check for a considerable sum (to an 11-year-old’s perception of the world) and reminded Kayden about the concept and value of money. As the New Year approached, Finlay met a woman named Olivia on the dating website he had been commissioned to program. They had their first date on the day before New Year’s Eve.

Months went by. Finlay proved himself to be a master procrastinator when it came to finalizing his divorce with Miranda. Even though they were no longer in a relationship with each other, and both had found other people to date, Finlay wasn’t ready to make anything official.  Miranda’s boyfriend, a man named Henry, was disgusted that Fin couldn’t just put his signature to the papers and be done with it. Henry decided to take matters into his own hands, and one day took the papers over to Finlay’s apartment. One way or another, the man was going to make Fin sign the papers and be done with it. Henry happened to pick a day when Finlay was spending time with Kay. Henry and Finlay argued at the door, which quickly escalated into a physical altercation. Fin discovered that Henry was stronger than him; Kayden heard the fighting and yelled for Henry to leave his father alone. It was only with police intervention that the two men stopped fighting. Miranda was called to retrieve Kayden because Finlay had earned a bloody nose, concussion, and a cracked rib for his efforts.

When Miranda got the full story of what had happened, she pressed Finlay to sign the papers and he did so reluctantly. She wasn’t interested in filing charges against her ex-husband over the scuffle. Henry, on the other hand, insisted on pressing charges. All charges were dropped when Finlay pointed out that Henry had provoked him with a threat, and that as a former lawyer his skill and his word would get him a lot further than any “pretty boy antics” that Henry could throw into the courtroom.

During the course of time, Finlay’s freelancing business started to drop off. He was having a hard time making ends meet. Between the apartment, bills, child support, and all of the assorted commotion involved in doing one’s own payroll, there was more money going out than there was coming in. When he wasn’t working, visiting Kayden, or going out with Olivia, he started to halfheartedly search for a job. Olivia noticed this downturn in his mood, found out what was bothering him, and suggested he move into her apartment. Finlay didn’t quite know how to feel about that, or how his son would feel about going to a stranger’s home for visits. In the end he decided it was a sound financial decision for him, and moved in with her.

Everything fell into place for the rest of that year, despite some occupational slumps. He was concerned when Olivia came home from work that Christmas with a terrible cold. Finlay did what he could to help her get better, but she kept getting worse. It was eventually concluded she had the flu; when she still didn’t get better her doctor started treating her for pneumonia. By this time, however, it was too late: Fin found himself sitting at Olivia’s side in the hospital, awkward about the whole situation because he wasn’t exactly family, and afraid as more and more people seemed to arrive on the same floor with the same symptoms. News had just started going around about a massively powerful flu virus that could prove fatal. More tests were done on Olivia to see what was wrong, and the results were exactly what Finlay was worried about: Olivia had this fatal virus, and it was killing her despite all conventional attempts to treat her. Fin promised her everything would be alright – that she would recover soon and they could go home – but at the back of his mind he knew she was going to die.

Olivia’s death was one of the first of a handful in their area. Fin witnessed the exact moment she died in horror, quickly followed by panic as the hospital announced it would be under quarantine until further notice. Finlay fled from his girlfriend’s body to try and get out before the hospital locked itself down. He didn’t quite make it out of the main doors, and doctors wanted him to stay and get tests done to make sure he wasn’t also infected. Fin gave the medical professionals the slip by asking to get something to eat first, and escaping by breaking a window in a patient lounge just off the cafeteria. He made a beeline for his car, revved the engine, and sped out of the parking lot. The man was so concerned with getting away and the possibility that they would chase after him that he sped down the highway without much thought to what he was doing. In his panic he paid no attention as to where he was going.

Finlay found himself in a ghost town. There were no cars on the street, and very few occupied the various businesses along the road even though the shops and restaurants themselves looked empty. Fin needed gas and decided to investigate the nearest gas station in order to get directions. The decision turned into a huge mistake: the virus had hit this place, and hit it hard. In the wake of death and chaos, a group of individuals determined to survive by any means possible banded together to claim the city for their own. These people ambushed Finlay and took him prisoner; the best word Fin could think of to describe them was “raiders”. They took everything of monetary value in his wallet, his keys, his shoes, and his jacket. He was beaten for trying to resist or prevent them from stealing what little he had on him. The raiders threw him into the city jail, along with several other weary-looking travelers that had a similar story to Fin’s.

Raiders interrogated Finlay numerous times about who he was, where he was from, what he did for a living, and so on. They wanted a way to acquire resources and acquire them fast... and if anyone knew how to get into the vaults of the various banks in the city, it would have been a plus. When Finlay was deemed to be of little to no practical use, the leader of the raiding party gave the order for Fin and two other men to be executed. Thankfully the raiders weren’t nearly as battle-hardened as they believed themselves to be, for the moment the four of them were out of earshot, Finlay’s fellow prisoners jumped their would-be executioner. One of the prisoners died in the fight, but so didn’t the raider. Fin and the other man exchanged some brief words before going their separate ways. The other man went to warn others that the city wasn’t safe. Finlay was more concerned with getting home, hotwired his car, and made a beeline for home.

Finlay arrived at his and Olivia’s apartment a little while later; he was dirty, bloody, and exhausted. There was a spare key under the doormat of his and Olivia’s apartment that he could use to get in.

When he got inside, his father and son were already there waiting for him.



Weakness:
Potentially power-hungry, if placed in a position of power
Cowardly (despite trying to appear otherwise)
Listens intensely to his inner demons
His family and loved ones
Addictive personality
Explosive, destructive temper
Greed (after the virus hits)


Strengths:
Making and breaking codes (computer and linguistic; knows Morse Code)
Some mechanical experience
Excellent improvisation skills
Independent
Resourceful
Protective
Shrewd


Favorite Color: Dark blue

Theme song: Demons by Imagine Dragons