[richard armitage — 48 — he/him] Introducing GERARD OWENS. Word on the street is they are a REPAIR TECHNICIAN, having been around for 5 YEARS. Though they are OPINIONATED and IMPATIENT, they can also be DILIGENT and INTELLIGENT. In the chaos of New York City, they’re sure to fit right in.
✉ FUN FACT: yes, the general look of being exhausted beyond means is genetic. yes, he will always make up the dumbest reason of why if anyone asks.
CONNECTIONS .
BIOGRAPHY . tw — terminal illness
Gerard grew up in a family that viewed the patriarch a bit too seriously. He was a daddy’s boy, always looked up to his father that taught him how to be a ‘man’. When in reality, all that son of a gun was doing was warping Gerard's view of the world to enact his own insecurities and childish behaviors — pass along that generational trauma that was constantly swept under the rug.
His parents fought often, and there were times where things got physical. All his mother did was take each and every degrading word without lashing back, and that tore at Gerard. He still acted like the son his father wanted to see, but he took the time to listen to his mother as well; to understand her views and reason, and relate to the tenderness he also had within him — just like any other person did.
Yet the strain in his home created the perfect breeding ground for him to learn how to compartmentalize like a champ. Over time, it seemed like his emotions became stunted. He wore a stoic mask day and night, but it wasn’t a façade to him. Not for a very long time.
A few stunts encouraged by sticky fingers were pulled once he graduated from school. Half of his tests of skill rewarded him with some quick cash ( even became quite the salesman ) and the itch for bigger, grander schemes soon whet his greed.
At least, it started to but then some romcom bullshit happened and he fell stupidly in love with a kleptomaniac and.. well, ideally the rest would’ve been history. They could’ve gotten married, gone on some high stakes operations, lived and breathed gold and gems.. but half of that never happened. The most that did occur was their marriage and a few treasured successes. Quick to fall in love, quick to marry — no one could’ve seen what ailing future was in store of his wife.
To watch her health deteriorate in such an aggressive manner isn’t something he’ll ever recover from. Of course, he remained supportive and tried his damndest to keep morale up however he could, but it wasn’t enough. Nothing was enough. Not even the coveted skills of thievery or silver tongue he'd become so good at utilizing — the very same she'd so gleefully gushed over the second time they met.
What good was he if he couldn’t fix the one thing he cherished and loved? Gerard said his last goodbye on a sweltering summer’s evening. It was her last wish to be freed if she ever succumbed to being unresponsive for an extended period of time. And what better day to do it when her most favored weather was in play? Her death was marked at 9:32 p.m. The same time they had met all those years ago.
Things were never the same after that. Gerard fell so out of tune with himself, most considered him barely alive. The reminder of her always too strong for him to find any comfort or joy he once experienced.
Time never did heal his grief completely, but it’s made things bearable. Gerard runs a little electronics repair shop that doubles as a drop-off for other things to be fixed as well — firearms, artifacts, etc. so long as it can be moved without being seen. Anything bigger and/or more precarious that needs to be restored in another location is also doable, but the client is responsible for covering his traveling expenses.
