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a son called Gabriel
Dec. 31st, 2035 01:59 pm
Gabriel Harkin
Affliction stalked me still. It would not be denied.
Affliction stalked me still. It would not be denied.
BASICS
nickanmes: Gabe
pronouns: he/him
dob: March 5
nationality: Northern Irish
religion: Catholic
sexuality: gay
PERSONA
positive
kind. curious. loving.
kind. curious. loving.
neutral
devout. intelligent. determined.
devout. intelligent. determined.
negative
angry. taciturn. people-pleaser.
angry. taciturn. people-pleaser.
CONTENT WARNINGS
opt-out
If there is any aspect of Gabriel's past that you would prefer to not engage with or would prefer not come up in tags, please do let me know. Comments are screened, so please feel free to let me know if there are particular subjects or details to avoid or if you'd prefer not to interact with Gabriel at all.
If there is any aspect of Gabriel's past that you would prefer to not engage with or would prefer not come up in tags, please do let me know. Comments are screened, so please feel free to let me know if there are particular subjects or details to avoid or if you'd prefer not to interact with Gabriel at all.
religion
Gabriel is an Irish Catholic young man from the 1970s, with very backwards ideas of what it means to be homosexual (among other things). Toward the end of his canon, he is embracing who he is but still has a lot of uncertainty regarding his relationship with religion. He is, however, still a devout Catholic and has a big dose of Catholic guilt. However, he also finds joy and comfort in his religion - at one point he considered joining the priesthood. Religion and religious angst could come up in his tags.
Gabriel is an Irish Catholic young man from the 1970s, with very backwards ideas of what it means to be homosexual (among other things). Toward the end of his canon, he is embracing who he is but still has a lot of uncertainty regarding his relationship with religion. He is, however, still a devout Catholic and has a big dose of Catholic guilt. However, he also finds joy and comfort in his religion - at one point he considered joining the priesthood. Religion and religious angst could come up in his tags.
abuse
Gabriel has been a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of a clergy member and has had encounters with questionable consent with an older male student.
Gabriel has been a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of a clergy member and has had encounters with questionable consent with an older male student.
family
Spoilers for the book?? But Gabriel was adopted by his aunt and uncle after being born out of wedlock.
Spoilers for the book?? But Gabriel was adopted by his aunt and uncle after being born out of wedlock.
WANTED LINES
exploring
Whether it's his sexuality, his faith, his education, or his politics, Gabriel has a lot to figure out. I'm interested in threads/PSLs that would give him opportunities to figure himself out. This could involve coming to terms with his past or planning for his future.
Whether it's his sexuality, his faith, his education, or his politics, Gabriel has a lot to figure out. I'm interested in threads/PSLs that would give him opportunities to figure himself out. This could involve coming to terms with his past or planning for his future.
coping/growing
Gabriel has been through some shit, but for the most part he has tried to heal and move forward. That doesn't mean the journey is straightforward or easy, and I'd love chances to explore both the struggles and the triumphs. This could involve dealing with/talking about the abuse he's experienced, but doesn't necessarily need to.
Gabriel has been through some shit, but for the most part he has tried to heal and move forward. That doesn't mean the journey is straightforward or easy, and I'd love chances to explore both the struggles and the triumphs. This could involve dealing with/talking about the abuse he's experienced, but doesn't necessarily need to.
AUs
Open to AUing Gabriel into other canons, other settings, other times! Also happy to make him older (early-mid 20s).
Open to AUing Gabriel into other canons, other settings, other times! Also happy to make him older (early-mid 20s).
BACKGROUND
content warning for some religious trauma, sexual abuse by a clergy member, consenting sex between teenagers, and questionable behavior with an older student.
Gabriel Harkin is the oldest son of Eileen and Harry, a working-class couple in the countryside of Northern Ireland. Always clever, he enters school early after testing well on entry examinations. From the start, he struggles with Henry Lynch, a boy that bullies him in their early school years. Gabriel prays for God to kill Henry in a car crash, but Henry dies around age eight when he is swept into a flooded river. Gabriel blames himself for Henry’s death, despite his parents’ assurance that God would never answer prayers like that.
Over the next several years, Gabriel struggles with his sexuality, and has a number of encounters with boys his age and a little older. He's accepted into the local Catholic boy's school, Saint Malachy's, and suffers further bullying, mostly from boys older than him. Formative to his struggles with his sexuality are encounters with an older boy, Noel, who shows him dirty magazines and teaches him ‘games’ that other boys play together.
After making a poor showing on his O-levels, Gabriel begins acting out more and is eventually held after class. His teacher, Father Cornelius, reprimands him and, when the classroom is empty, he fellates Gabriel; Gabriel dissociates, staring out a window until it’s over. Afterward Gabriel panics, wondering how Noel and Cornelius knew they could do things like that to him (or with him), terrified that there is something about him that tells people that he fantasizes about men. He eventually confesses the abuse by Cornelius to his Uncle Brendan, a former priest, and begs him not to tell his parents. The confession relieves some stress and Gabriel is able to focus on retaking his O-levels. Around seventeen, Gabriel is successfully aroused by engaging in sexual acts with a girl for the first time ever and believes himself cured. He begins dating a Protestant girl, and for the first time sees a potential future for himself. However, while studying for his A-levels, a test that will grant him a place at a university, the pressure triggers a panic attack centered around his failure to be normal.
Gabriel tearfully confesses to his mother that he’s afraid of becoming a homosexual. She brings him to see a priest and to the family doctor; the former assures him this is just a phase and the latter prescribes him Valium to get through his A-levels. He passes, successfully earning him a place at his first-choice university. Eager to move on with his life, Gabriel is devastated to learn that his mother told his father about his "phase" and during the heated argument that follows, Eileen lets it slip that Gabriel is not her son but Brendan’s. There is eventually reconciliation, but Gabriel makes the decision to attend university in England, hoping that the distance will give him space to learn who he is.
Gabriel Harkin is the oldest son of Eileen and Harry, a working-class couple in the countryside of Northern Ireland. Always clever, he enters school early after testing well on entry examinations. From the start, he struggles with Henry Lynch, a boy that bullies him in their early school years. Gabriel prays for God to kill Henry in a car crash, but Henry dies around age eight when he is swept into a flooded river. Gabriel blames himself for Henry’s death, despite his parents’ assurance that God would never answer prayers like that.
Over the next several years, Gabriel struggles with his sexuality, and has a number of encounters with boys his age and a little older. He's accepted into the local Catholic boy's school, Saint Malachy's, and suffers further bullying, mostly from boys older than him. Formative to his struggles with his sexuality are encounters with an older boy, Noel, who shows him dirty magazines and teaches him ‘games’ that other boys play together.
After making a poor showing on his O-levels, Gabriel begins acting out more and is eventually held after class. His teacher, Father Cornelius, reprimands him and, when the classroom is empty, he fellates Gabriel; Gabriel dissociates, staring out a window until it’s over. Afterward Gabriel panics, wondering how Noel and Cornelius knew they could do things like that to him (or with him), terrified that there is something about him that tells people that he fantasizes about men. He eventually confesses the abuse by Cornelius to his Uncle Brendan, a former priest, and begs him not to tell his parents. The confession relieves some stress and Gabriel is able to focus on retaking his O-levels. Around seventeen, Gabriel is successfully aroused by engaging in sexual acts with a girl for the first time ever and believes himself cured. He begins dating a Protestant girl, and for the first time sees a potential future for himself. However, while studying for his A-levels, a test that will grant him a place at a university, the pressure triggers a panic attack centered around his failure to be normal.
Gabriel tearfully confesses to his mother that he’s afraid of becoming a homosexual. She brings him to see a priest and to the family doctor; the former assures him this is just a phase and the latter prescribes him Valium to get through his A-levels. He passes, successfully earning him a place at his first-choice university. Eager to move on with his life, Gabriel is devastated to learn that his mother told his father about his "phase" and during the heated argument that follows, Eileen lets it slip that Gabriel is not her son but Brendan’s. There is eventually reconciliation, but Gabriel makes the decision to attend university in England, hoping that the distance will give him space to learn who he is.
k . eastern usa . PM
