"Can a mortal be more righteous than God? Can even a strong man be more pure than his Maker?" - Job 4:17
"Even angels long to look into these things." - Peter 1:12
Name: Hudson Barnett (he/they)
Age: about his early 30s
Birthday: March 7th, ???? ♓︎
Height: 5'11"
Location: NYC baby!!
Occupation: pediatric nurse for a local children's hospital
Hobbies: gardening, volunteering for local food/homeless shelters, collecting journals and stationary
Most Treasured Possession: a hardback copy of the bible with a navy blue cover and gold lettering, the thin pages tinged yellow and worn with age after being read cover to cover over the years. inside, a small envelope rests alongside the ribbon bookmark, containing an old scrawled out note from Hudson's mom.
"People have understandable reasons for being so squeamish about it - religion, I mean." He admits with a sheepish smile, one you could swear had an aura of warmth surrounding it despite the lack of contact. "I've heard more than a fair share of stories while working, volunteering, all that stuff. It makes it easy to see why people make those choices, why they think that kind of power doesn't exist. It certainly takes a lot to have faith, not just in God but in anything really, no matter how much we think we understand about it." He stands from his seat on the bench, dusting off his scrubs before extending his hand. The streetlamp behind his head cascades yellow light down on his head, almost like a mocking halo. "In the end, it's not my place to judge - it's His, isn't it? Just makes it so that's one less thing I have to worry about."
face claim: daniel bruhl ofc, specfically from his newest sweater jacket campaign :)
🌼 more background below the cut! 🌼
Hudson Barnett was always a good little Christian boy growing up. In the smaller suburbia town of Greenport, New York, he was raised by a single mom, Betty Barnett - a local devout Christian who loved everything and everyone, but no one more than her own son. Hudson's father had passed away just after he was born, dying under mysterious circumstance that no one could really explain, but that didn't bother Hudson too much. He was just as happy to enjoy the company of his mother, whether it was late at night helping her sew her quilts while watching television, helping pull out nasty weeds from her back garden, or holding her hand and waddling through the isles of Sunday mass.
As he grew older, Hudson had quite the attachment to all things related to the outdoors, but even more so to people. He loved listening to people, talking to them and asking them questions, and was especially proficient in consoling them during hard times. Hudson quickly became known as a local empath of sorts, somehow always being able to read a room and someone's emotions from the smallest hints they would give away. He'd always say he doesn't know how he does it, he just does. He can sense when something's wrong, no matter how far down or locked away the matter may be within someone's heart.
Of course being a good student with A's and B's across the board, Hudson found himself going for a public university rather than a private religious institute (or a hike for pilgrimage as gently suggested by his mother) after high school. He already knew enough about his own faith and religion, and being the little scientist he always was, he wanted to learn more about the big ol world that was now at his feet. His mind was first drawn to the natural sciences in his undergrad studies, much like his youth, which eventually led him to excel extremely well in studies of medicine (you might even swear he was fluent in Latin with how well he could memorize and pull out medical terminology at the drop of a hat).
Now contently living his adult life as a nurse at Saint Mary's Hospital for Children in Queens, he can't help but let questions wander in his mind about his odd yet still somehow mundane existence. What happens to him when he wakes up in the dead of night, surrounded by journals and scrawled out notes in a seemingly ancient language that he could never hope to translate or understand? How badly will his faith be tested and bent when he starts seeing strange shadows in the night, when he talks to one person one moment and ends up holding their arm harshly the next, with no memory of how he got there? Will his morbid curiosity about the mysterious origins of his father drive him to dig deeper, much deeper than he would ever intend to go?
This may be a little odd but maybe Hudson while he’s gardening? Like what his garden looks like and what he grows? How he treats the plants themselves?
*CLAPS HANDS* MY TIME HAS COME!!
or, well, hudson's time has come, but regardless im SO happy you asked :)) and i may have possibly almost forgotten about the gardening thing LOL
(if anyone else has any qs for/about my boy hudson, don't hesitate to send them in!! i love talking about my lovely little angel man whenever i get the chance)
so with that, have some hudson gardening hcs, as a treat! :) 🌿
hudson's gardening skills are something he learned from his mother Betty, who would often use it as a learning opportunity to show him how amazing the world is, and "how it provides for us and cares for us, just like Him."
it wasn't a very large garden, just a small bed of seasonal veggies and occasional fruits in their backyard, but it was something hudson always loved helping with, and he never minded getting his hands dirty. it was also a lovely way to give back to their community, with him and betty often walking to a local community shelter to donate the fresh produce to people in need.
hudson's garden nowadays though isn't so much...a garden, persay. when you move to the Big City, it's hard to find a place to live with that kind of space, let alone some sort of lawn in the first place. hudson initially started with a simple pot or two of simple herbs like basil and sage in his kitchen window when he first moved away from home. it was one of the ways he managed to stave off homesickness when he went out on his own, and has only grown his little personal garden since
granted while it hasn't grown much in size, the variety can be pretty surprising depending on the season. he sticks to smaller but manageable veggies most of the time, installing his own window planters for more space to do so. simple things like tomatoes, garlic, carrots, green beans, you name it! (he did try something ambitious with a cantalope one particularly warm summer...though it ended rather tragically)
hudson is more a practical gardener than a florist, but he certainly has his soft spot for particular flowers and other types of fauna. he definitely has a few house plants lying around, including a big monstera of to the side of his living room. he unfortunately hasn't found his way with flowers quite yet, but he does like keeping a bouquet in a nice vase on his kitchen counter, usually from the family of a patient he took care of at the children's hospital (he also has a collection of other things like that, such as family christmas cards and thank you notes, but that's a story for another time)
if you're around him long enough, you may notice something odd about the way he interacts with plants, but not in a bad way. despite him already having a naturally green thumb, you swear for a second whenever he approaches a slightly wilted flower in a store window, it perks up just slightly in his presence. you also notice somehow the flowers he gives you on dates have a longer shelf life than you'd expect, despite him insisting he doesn't grow that sort of thing himself...it's quite peculiar, but you don't ever think about it too long.
bonus: hudson absolutely used to eat dandelions when he was a little baby and would crawl around in his mom's front yard in the weeds...now he just makes dandelion wine like a normal person :)
“I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news." - Luke 1:19
"But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer." - Romans 13:4
Name: Gabe Thompson
Age: ??? (though he looks/claims to be in his early/mid 30s)
Birthday: unknown, but he sure as hell acts like a gemini ♊️💀
Height: 5'11" (but he insists he has half an inch over Hudson)
Location: NYC, mainly in Manhattan in Greenwich Village
Occupation: ???
Hobbies: drinking, finding cool bars/speakeasies to show his friends, wandering through libraries and art museums, learning about history
"See, it's all about timing," The sultry man before you explains, looking into the shallow depths of his cocktail glass, "Divine timing, you might say. You never know what sort of things could be lurking around the corner, hunting you in the shadows when you're not looking. Fate is always trying to find and weave it's way back to you." He pauses, thoughtfully, carefully eyeing the dark brandied cherry at the bottom of his drink before his dark eyes find yours, twinkling in the dim bar's lighting with something that you could only call...remembrance.
"Fate has led me to a lot of things...but sometimes, I can't help but wonder if He's fighting tooth and nail to keep me away from prophecy."
fc: the duke of hastings himself, Regé-Jean Page!!
⚔️ more background below the cut! ⚔️
If you were to ask Gabe Thompson about the meaning of life, then ooh boy, get ready to split a few bottles of red wine while this man provides a riveting discussion with his thoughts about his own existence. Don't think though this is just a moment for him to just run his cute mouth - he just as curious if not more so than to hear your thoughts about the whole existing thing. He has a curious mind, but not curious in a clueless, naive way. He almost seems to be intelligent seemingly beyond his years and whether there's some truth to that...well, it remains to be seen.
Gabe is a history man first and an ass man second, so you'll most likely find him perusing the local history museums and historic monuments dotted around NYC. He's not a tourist by any means though, a born and bred New Yorker with a severe intrigue for the past in the context of the present, and a fellow graduate of NYU, where he met Hudson in their shared freshman university seminar. Even though they may seem like complete opposites, with Gabe being a sultry savant extrovert, and Hudson leaning towards a more reserved personality, the two get along like the brothers they never had. Gabe would always be the one to help Hudson push his boundaries (at least as far as he'd allow himself to be pushed), while Hudson would often be pulling Gabe back to Earth with phrases like "Listen, I know that party sounds fun, but isn't our group project due tomorrow??"
Along with Hudson, Gabe is also seen with some people in his close circle of friends, but you'll most likely find him on his own in most cases, or even just disappearing completely for a bit of time. There's no need to worry though, since he always seems to pop up again right when you start to get suspicious worry.
If you get closer to him though, there's definitely an air of mystery about him as a person, especially regarding the vagueness with which he treats his own past, given his passion for times gone by in almost every other sense. You may even find that sometimes you feel like his eyes never leave you, even when he's not physically with you - not in a stalkery sense though, of course, he's too polite for that. It's more like...a sense of omnipotence, so to speak. Like a portrait painting in a gallery where the eyes always seem to follow you, always watching, always anticipating, simply lying in wait...but for what?
"Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unaware." - Hebrews 13:2
“We reached for each other, and I thought of how many nights I had lain awake loving him in silence.” - The Song of Achilles
Name: Josh(ua) Green (he/him)
Age: 32
Birthday: January 24th, 1989
Height: 5'10"
Location: the outskirts of New York City, NY
Occupation: Barista/Grad Student at NYU/Aspiring Novelist
Hobbies: watching indie movies, writing (and to a lesser degree, editing), playing/collecting tabletop games, photography (really he just dabbles in it from time to time, definitely not a professional)
Most Treasured Possession: an old polaroid photo in a frame that's too large for the picture itself on his desk. it shows him and his childhood best friend, their mouths open wide and beaming from laughter, hugging each other tightly in silly out-of-fashion suits that were clearly rented and slightly too big. a date is scrawled on the back in black ink - Prom Night, 2006.
He shoves his hands back into the pockets of his denim jacket, his collar popped to fight the sudden gusts surrounding him as he walked. He shrugs, his shoulders tight and high on his stalky frame. "I'm just kind of wandering aimlessly, y'know? Just like everyone else. No one really knows what they actually want, I think. I mean, I thought I used to, but then it just...didn't happen. And y’know, that's okay - life is full of disappointments and compromises, blah blah blah.” He pauses, spinning on his heels to face you while continuing to walk. “But, if something good comes your way, if it just strolls past or miraculous floats by, you take it - you grab the goddamn thing,” He points his finger firmly towards you, as if to try and push you back with the air, “And you hold onto it for dear fucking life."
He lets out a brief, slightly frustrated puff of air as he comes to a stop at the end of the sidewalk, the maw of the subway threatening to consume him whole. A white cloud forms from his breath in an instant front of his face as it kisses the cold wind, and you finally notice the speckled snowflakes now decorating his messy hair. "Just...trust me on that one, okay?"
fc: the cutest spider dude around, andrew garfield
🌀 more background below the cut! 🌀
Joshua Green was never going to be the perfect little angel child anyone wanted him to be. Being the youngest of two, with a looming older sister and overbearing religious parents, his life was filled with the usual hellfire and damnation talk that people typically associate with christianity and religion as a whole. Josh wasn't the fittest kid either, being bullied often in school while his family moved from place to place, seeming to finally settle down in a small suburbia just outside of New York City. He was sent off to the local public school, since his parents could only pay for one to go to the uppity christian private academy nearby, where he met his closest friend, Hudson Barnett.
Once the two of them met in the 5th grade, they were practically the definition of inseparable. From playing together on the playground, to running around the pews and aisles of the church after mass, to sharing notes and tutoring each other in the respective classes they struggled in, Hudson and Josh were as close as they could be...or, maybe a little too close, since in 8th grade Josh realized he had a crush on his religious, clueless, and (assumedly straight) best friend.
While working through the terrifying maze of realizing you're gay as a child with strict religious parents, which came with it's own bouts of trauma and hardship, he eventually finally came out to his family after his sister left for college his junior year of high school (and about a year after he came out to Hudson, but that's a story for later), leaving with his bags in tow to live with Hudson and his mom Betty. They accepted him with open arms, and even now while he's on his own pursuing graduate studies at NYU, they both still insist on helping him out with whatever he needs, whenever he needs it - betty even helped cover some of his tution for his undergrad, along with Hudson.
However, upon a fateful and casual reunion with his best friend when they finally find the time for each other, it seems that Josh's life would never truly be the same again - after all, isn't it a bit ironic to fall for an angel?
How does Hudson destress after a busy/stressful day? (You mentioned wine and my brain kinda spiraled to that question NANNSNS)
LOL UR GOOD honestly i still need to figure out how i destress after a busy day BUT im sure hudson has his own little way with things :)
this actually got a little angtsy and surprsingly smutty lmao but i hope you enjoy!
when the wings retract (unwinding with hudson hcs) ⛅️
despite this man being a literal angel incarnate (unknown to him as of yet), hudson can have some pretty rough days. the man is a nurse after all, let alone at a children's hospital of all places, so sometimes he unfortunately has to see and witness some pretty gruesome and heavy stuff in the ER. he's long enough into his career to not be naive to those types of situations, but of course, it doesn't stop the pain completely.
if he's having a pretty rough time (specifically during/post-work), the first thing he usually does is takes a moment to remind himself that there was no more he could do. he did all he could, the best he could, and that was that. he tries to keep himself out of his own head, at least until he gets off his shift for the day/night/whenever he gets off.
instead of music for his commute back, he throws on a podcast - again, something to keep him out of his head - and listens to the semi-absent chatter while he texts some of his friends (maybe even a familiar friendly mortician if it's not too late in his time zone 👀). if his usual suspect best friends reply (more on those guys later) he'd tell them about his day a little, and depending on how bad the day was, may or may not accept an invitation to go out to get his mind off things and make him feel better.
at the mention of wine, despite making dandelion wine and all that jazz, hudson is purely a social drinker! if he does drink when out with his friends to destress, it's usually a cider or a light beer, maybe a bubbly white wine if they're out at a nicer place or when the mood strikes. he likes light, fruity drinks, but nothing too overpowering. one intense college party and too many tiki drinks and screwdrivers can do that to you.
of course though, if he has an s/o, he's going to shoot them a text too. he probably wouldn't tell you right away that things were off, asking you about their day and typical check in things like that. he'd smile at his phone like a goober seeing you typing or sending him funny pictures from the day, and ofc be honest when you start asking him the same thing back. he'd probably ask if you'd want to come over and chill at his place too, get some take out and just cuddle without a care in the world.
one of the best ways you can pick up on if hudson is feeling okay is his breathing - he tends to have a lot more deep sighs and exhales when he's down, along with the occasional frustrated huff depending on the circumstance. usually when he gets home after a bad day, he turns the lights down to a reasonable level, then collapses on the couch of his bed, just letting his breath leave while he takes in everything around him, including his thoughts. depending on how bad it was at the hospital, he might shed a few tears, but he'll be okay! he just needs some solid alone time like the rest of us would.
once you show up, he makes sure to get cleaned up and decent before answering the door, pulling you into a sweet, warm hug and kissing your head, holding you like you were the most precious thing in the whole world. he only lets you go briefly to let you wander to the couch or the bed, then goes right back to having his arms around you, holding you close and just taking you in for all you are, and how much he loves and cares about you.
you guys would order some food (probably pad thai since that's one of his favs), and either eat it on his bed/couch or move to his little kitchen bar. hed talk more about his day, and he might be a little worried about bumming you out with the details, especially given his line of work, but you assure him he's fine to speak freely about his worries and feelings...but he'd also be eager to just shove some noodles and tofu in his mouth while he watches you talk, the both of you either having some pretty solid deep dialogue, or just joking it out to try and lighten the mood.
once you both kind of settle down for the evening, where hudson is back in that contemplative mood, just holding you in his arms and gently stroking your arms or your face, he'd just press a light kiss to your cheek. he obviously asks if you're okay with him kissing you, no matter how long you've been together, and if you're happy to let him do so, you'd probably smooch it up for a good long while :3c
and honestly? there could be a small chance it gets a little steamy. it could be one of those nights where hudson get wrapped up in his thoughts, thinking about how grateful he is for his life and how somehow his path led him to you, he just might want to show you how much you mean to him in a much more...physical sense (of course, only if you're feeling up to it)
every kiss is so soft, so gentle, and absolutely overflowing with love. he kisses your cheek, your nose, your lips, your neck...pretty soon you lose track of where your skin ends and his lips begin, with how much he ravishes you with his rather literal undying love.
he undresses you like a treasure wrapped in delicate silk, gently undressing you like a gift hand delivered from the man upstairs himself. his hands are slightly calloused but still soft and gentle, groping you gently and holding you close, making love to you softly, slowly, to show you just how much he adores you.
he might be a tiny bit prickly if you ask to help him out, but if you phrase it as something that you want, he's more than happy to oblige. he's focused more on what you're feeling, making you feel like you're floating in bliss, and he kind of gets a secondary high from it in a roundabout way
of course, whether its after sex or just in general, he's gonna want to just veg out to some tv and cuddle for a while most likely, maybe with some hot tea (he prefers earl grey or raspberry with a touch of sweetner, usually honey). hudson's favorite comfort show is probably arrested development, since it's just so absurdly funny to him, along with shows like parks and rec or the good place (oh the irony)
i know i talked about the whole breathing thing before, but one the signs to notice if it's really bad for hudson is if he calls his mom. yes this man is a momma's boy through and through, don't get me wrong, but if he's calling her after a bad day at work, then it was really, really bad. in that case he needs all the support and rest he can get, and usually shortly after plans a weekend trip upstate to visit his mom and get away from the big city. he likes to go up there to get away since his mom usually always needs some type of help around the house, whether it's cleaning things up, baking things, or tending to her garden - and of course, hudson is more than happy to help :))
along with the comforts of home, he may find solace in attending mass if sunday is around the corner, or even just a saying a small prayer at home before a meal or bed (and if you're there as his s/o but aren't particularly religious/christian, he won't pressure you to do come along or do anything you don't want to).
it makes him feel better when he can directly do some good in someone's life when he's feeling blue, so maybe he'd also hit the local places he volunteers at depending on the circumstances. besides, there's always good out there to balance the bad - that's just how the universe works. :) it may take some time for him to come around after a bad funk, but he always has faith that things will be better. the sun always comes out tomorrow, doesn't it?
I just found out about the existence of Hudson and he seems so careful and thoughtful not me being a hoe but does he have moments going feral for his s/o? 👀🥵
well anon, welcome to the angelverse! im so glad you like hudson so far and hopefully you'll like his friends to come >:) but to answer your q, surprisingly yes!!
hudson actually considers himself demisexual - part of that is just due to how he was raised/his religion, part of it is how his genuine attraction to people functions, and another part is just him being surprisingly easy to fluster.
i wouldn't say he'd go absolutely feral persay at least in his human form - his angel form might be another story, but we'll get to that, but he acts kind of more like those scenes in cartoons where the heart like leaps out of their chest? if that makes sense?
as an example - say you and him were going for a nice out with some of his friends to a nice little cocktail bar, and you decided to put on a cute little cocktail dress with tights, heels, the whole shebang. he'd definitely have a moment when he answers the door and just freezes like a deer in headlights, his breath sputtering like a bad car engine, and he just lets out a weak "y-you look great! :,D"
hudson is a very restrained man - not by his religion or sexuality or anything like that mind you, he's just very, almost painfully polite. you could literally come home from dinner and give him a full-on strip tease, and this man would sit as still as a statue flustered out of his mind and not lay a hand on you out of politeness. eventually though if you help him ease out of his near-virginal awkwardness, the best way to do so would be to guide his hands for him. it helps click in his brain that "oh! it's okay to touch you!", and then he can mostly take it from there. once he gets into a groove, he definitely starts to go a little more traditionally feral so to speak.
he'd pick you up and grab you, whispering little "sorry"s in between bites and kisses on the way to bed (or the couch, or the wall, or the kitchen counter, whatever works for you), and probably start kind of letting his mouth run loose (in more ways than one) - first it starts out as sweet, with him talking about your outfit and how beautiful he thinks you are...but then maybe it starts to dip into slightly unholy territory. the best way to describe it is that he'd want to be all over you all at once, because you're so beautiful, so pretty, and he's so grateful to have you in his life, that he just can't contain all that big ol lovin in his heart anymore and needs to express it. and of course, maybe it also would be a sort of confessional moment for him - not as in like confessing his love, more like confessing about the time he stared at your boobs for too long, or how he thought about how nice your legs are while riding the subway earlier that day.
if you guys were farther into your relationship, he'd definitely be a bit more open as far as engaging sex himself/first. there's definitely be more nights where he just sees you and hes like "MINE" (even though he's not particularly possessive) and makes sweet sweet love to you till the sun rises :))
I am in love with Hudson! Ah, okay so I have to ask (and I’m going personal with this) how would he react to having a mostly pagan (omniest) s/o that occasionally goes to church/participates in church events with him. I find myself doing this out of respect for my family and friends and I was originally raised as a Roman Catholic, my belief system just changed.
oh my gosh, first of all, thank you so much!! im so glad more people are loving on hudson - it feels so good to see all the reception about him since ive been in SUCH a writing rut lately, so i really appreciate it ;w; hudson loves you too bestie :D
that being said, hudson would ABSOLUTELY love a pagan/omniest s/o! he'd obviously love his s/o no matter what religious beliefs they have (he loves having engaging conversations about it all with no pressure to 'convert' or anything), but i think the utmost important thing would be your comfort. obviously he's aware that there are some aspects of his religion that can make people uncomfortable (i would hope it's obvious hudson isn't one of those assholes that preaches hellfire and horrible things to anyone remotely different than him), and while he loves it when his s/o wants to participate in that important aspect of his life, he wants you to be totally aware that you do NOT have to unless you truly want to. (this also gives me a moment to touch on the fact that even hudson doesn't go to mass every sunday LOL, this man is an on-call nurse most of the time, but he does try to go when he can.)
but it also goes both ways!! hudson would be super curious about pagan stuff and pagan traditions, especially bc he's aware that most christian traditions are stolen based off of pagan holidays and celebrations. he'd definitely try his best to keep track of all the holidays and text you the day of like "happy yule honeybun!! let me know if you want to go attend a bonfire or something! :D", this man is well researched and educated when it comes to anything his s/o cares about.
