character information
name: Phinneas “Finn” Abraham Austin
faceclaim: Luke McFarlane
gender & pronouns: Male/He/Him
age: 45
birthday: 1/19/1980
place of birth: Kismet Harbor
occupation: Owner of Whisker Haven Cafe and the Live Long and Pawsper Animal Rescue
neighborhood: Cresthill Meadows
time since arriving in kismet harbor: Born and Raised - brief time away to go to college for business but has never strayed too far from home.
filling a wanted connection?: Yes - Nancy Thompson’s Nephew
biography:
TW: HOMOPHOBIA ; BULLYING ; VERBAL/PHYSICAL ABUSE ; CLOSETED ; ADULTRY ; DEATH
Phinneas was born under a Capricorn moon in the early hours of January 19th, 1980, the last day of the Capricorn zodiac. Not that Finn knew what that meant of course. His mom would tell everyone that she knew immediately that he was going to be a boy and that he was going to do great things with his life because that was the Austin way! His father, Jacob, was a police officer and his mom, Laura, a housewife, and while they allowed him to be as normal as other kids his age, his father had certain requirements that he expected his son to follow. He had to play sports and he had to be good at them “Every Austin in history has a legacy, you will be no exception” was drilled into his head every day. His father would sign him up for baseball, basketball, football, whatever the school offered, his son would play. He played because he wanted his dad to be proud of him, to earn his respect and love but there was just one problem: Finn hated sports. He liked the friends he made but not the game itself. He hated the high expectations to be good and the verbal abuse when he failed. He tried to be good, practiced until his fingers blistered and dirt became part of his DNA but he was just “mediocre” or “good” and Philip demanded perfection. His father was not going to have a “sissy” for a son. So he kept pushing himself to do better, to be the son his father wanted. A son he loved.
When his brother Seth was born, Finn was beyond thrilled. He loved being a big brother and would often care for him while his parents went out and he took it upon himself to teach him everything he had learned in his short 5 years of life. It didn’t take long, however, for Seth’s potential to appear when he started showing an interest in sports at the age of 3. After that, he became just like Finn, except unlike Finn, Seth loved every aspect of it. He quickly became the golden child and the child that his father loved most and in that moment, Finn felt free. Free enough to quit sports and focus on what he really loved to do, like photography and woodwork.
He also learned early on that he loved animals. He would see an animal in pain, or in need o rescue, and he didn’t hesitate to step in, sometimes leading to trouble, but he would not be deterred. There was never a moment where he ran away from anything, not even after running into a hornet’s nest while escaping from the school bullies. They were always teasing him about his dad, his brother, the fact that he liked to draw or had more female friends than male, and was just overall, what they called weird. They ran like cowards from the bees but not Finn. No he stood his ground and let them sting him because that meant he had won. Explaining this to his father, he expected to be told he had done good, but instead of praise, it was more verbal abuse. “You need to be more assertive and stand up for himself. “Be a man!” He’d said, despite the fact that he was only 8 years old. “No Austin man is going to be called a sissy or a girl! You need to fight back! Show them you refuse to be pushed around.” But Finn wasn’t a fighter, at least not at 8. But he stopped complaining about the bullying, enduring the teasing, the name calling, the physical assaults, telling himself that they would grow out of it.
When he got to middle and high school, Finn had grown into a good looking guy and everyone in the school took notice, especially all the young ladies. Finn would flirt and entertain the idea of taking them out, and some of them he did, but deep down, he knew it didn’t feel right. His eyes should be focusing on them, on their curves and their lips, he should want to kiss them but… he didn’t. Instead, he was distracted by the players in their uniforms, the handsome exchange student from France that kept looking at him with that amazing smile, their next door neighbor who was always swimming in the pool. He had to be careful, however because if the wrong person took notice of his gaze, well, it would not be good. He had accepted his sexuality by the time he was 14 but given the abuse he’d already endured for just being himself, not to mention how his parents would react, he stayed quiet about it and continued to play the role of “straight” guy. The only person in his family who knew his secret was his aunt Nancy. She became his biggest supporter and he would often spend his time with her and her kids when he found it hard to keep up appearances, or he just needed someone to talk to.
He joined the yearbook club when he was 16, deciding to finally put his skills to good use. He was the best in the club and was in charge of taking the photos at all the school functions and games, making sure to grab the perfect angles to take the best photo he could. It was during one such photography session that he was outed at school: He was supposed to be photographing the football team as they had made it to the state championships and it was his responsibility to grab that perfect photo but he focused too long and too hard on the star quarterback, his closeted boyfriend, their flirty smiles and looks of longing had caught the attention of the rest of the team, and someone called him out and like with all rumors, true or not, it spread like wildfire. He was expecting to have an ally in all this in his boyfriend but instead, to save face, he denied it all and said that Finn was obsessed with him and had tried to touch him inappropriately.
His parents were called to come and take him home, during which time his father was completely silent. Once home however, the punch to his face spoke volumes and told him more than he wanted to know. “Is it true? Is my son a fuckin’ faggot?!” The nod of his head was more than his father, and mother, could bear and he grabbed Finn by the collar, dragged him from the house, and locked the door before Finn could even process what had happened. He wasn’t sure what the do but went to the one place he knew he’d be safe: Nancy’s. It was only through her intervention that he was allowed back in the house to gather his things - his mother surprisingly absent during this time.
Graduation came and went and he left Kismet to head to Columbia for college, graduating in 4 years with a degree in business. Never forgetting his love for animals, and wanting to do some good in the world, Finn decided that a change of scenery would be good, he left New York to attend Auburn University, earning a bachelor’s degree in Animal Care, bringing him one step closer to his dream of owning his own company, one that would bring his love of animals and people together. He was in his 3rd year when he got the news that his mother had died. Some freak accident at home. He didn’t attend the funeral. It was during this time he met Ian. Only a year older than him, they quickly became close and after a year of dating, he proposed and of course, Finn said yes. They waited until after he graduated to get married, a small ceremony with just friends. He was happy in Alabama and didn’t feel like leaving, even if he did miss Nancy. He didn’t want to go home to Kismet Harbor, he had a good life in Alabama. They were getting ready to open an animal rescue and things were great. There was still something nagging him, however - unfinished business with his father. He couldn’t be completely whole and truly happy without confronting the man who had made his life pure hell. He had managed to drive a wedge between he and David and they hadn’t spoken in years. Finn didn’t even know where exactly he was.
After 10 years of blissful marriage, and a successful nonprofit, Finn thought he was finally ready to have a family, so after buying a few bottles of wine and the ingredients for dinner, he headed home to find a familiar car in the driveway - he and Ian’s wedding planner, but why was she there? What was Ian planning? He went inside setting everything on the counter, his mind running with a million thoughts as he heard something in the bedroom and walked in on Ian, naked, sprawled beneath their wedding planner. The two argued and he threw his ring at the pair of them before walking off. He sold the rescue, relocated back home to Kismet Harbor, and worked through their divorce remotely, not wanting to ever see the two of them again. He bought a local shop with the money he got from selling the Alabama location and opened up a cat cafe and after a few years of excellent profit, he had saved enough to open his own rescue called Live Long and Pawsper. Now the only thing missing from his life is someone to eventually share it all with.
pets: a cat named Merv and a special needs dog named Stitch
town activities:
Art of Photography
Elevated Escapades
LGBTQIA+
Mindful Madness
The Renegades
