Declan Elijah Gallagher; the mom friend
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Full Name: Declan Elijah Gallagher
Pronouns: he, him, they, them
Birthday: May 9th, 1994
Birthplace: Carroll, California
Current Home: Poppy Court
Occupation: Licensed Educational Psychologist
Religion: Agnostic, Raised Episcopalian
Orientation: Queer with a preference for masculine presenting people
Status: dating Vince
a personal library filled with old well-loved books
a contagious laugh full of warmth and life
his grandmother's calloused hands
the sun setting on the California coast
an out-of-tune grand piano
Face Claim: Paul Mescal Height: 6'0"
Build: athletic but soft around the edges
Dominant Hand: Right
Tattoos: both of his grandparents names on his ankles
Outfit Clothing Style: He usually wears button-ups, dress pants, and sweaters in earth tones with converse or vans. He only wears dress shoes if he has to.
Tufts of soft, curly sable hair
Thick, expressive eyebrows that always give away his feelings
Singing Voice: Godspeed James Blake
empathetic, patient, warm | delicate, reserved, clumsy
Enneagram: 2w1. Hey Alexa, play Two by Sleeping At Last.
Spoken Languages: English
Driver’s License: Yes
High School: Carroll County High
University: Stanford, Delta Tau Delta, UCLA
Pets: Lily, a crotchy old cat that belonged to his grandparents. He was named Lily before they found out he was a boy but kept the name
Declan was raised by his grandparents in a small farmhouse filled to the brim with love and laughter. The California heat always killed the grass and the occasional rain turned the yard into a mud pit. Although Declan's biological mother, and his grandparents' only daughter, died during childbirth, he was never lonely. His grandmother was strict but gave her love out freely and abundantly. His grandfather was silly and creative and desperately tried to get his grandson to share his interest in antique cars. The garages on the farm were filled with unique vehicles for his grandfather to tinker with, but Declan didn't see the appeal. Instead, Declan preferred the company of the grand piano or a good book.
As a child, he fell in love with music after attending the local Episcopal church with his grandmother, who was a devout worshiper. Declan never felt close to religion, but there was something magical about an eight-part choir that moved his soul. It was there he learned how to play piano and eventually guitar. He joined the choir and sang all throughout grade school.
In middle school, Declan began to struggle with anxiety and depression and a good experience with a child therapist sparked his interest in psychology. He was always the mom friend and the person his friends came to with their problems. It wasn’t a surprise he ended up in the helping profession.
Declan was studious and attentive. He knew he'd have to leave his small town for university, but it was hard to imagine leaving his grandparents and the close-knit community he called home. He was offered a full-ride to Stanford for undergrad, where he studied psychology. Declan went on to complete his master's and doctoral program at UCLA in Clinical Psychology. His grandfather passed away during the final year of his doctoral program. It didn't come as a surprise to anyone because of his age-related physical and cognitive decline, but it was still hard nonetheless.
He fell in love with Los Angeles and at the age of twenty-nine, completed his licensure and opened a private practice specializing in testing and assessment for adolescents. Although he was often busy with work, he tried to visit his grandparents in Carroll a few times a year or invite them to visit his apartment in LA.
During the winter of his thirtieth year, his grandmother passed away, leaving everything to Declan. This included the farmhouse, the collection of antique cars, and a sizable inheritance. After arranging the funeral, Declan realized he had a hard decision to make. He would either sell his childhood home and return to LA, or uproot his life in the city and return home to Carroll. He chose Carroll. It was his home after all.
Since returning to Carroll, Declan has fallen into an easy routine. He joined a silly rock band as their lead singer. On Sundays, he volunteers as the pianist for the Episcopal church and still loves the choir. When he's not working as a full-time clinical psychologist offering testing and assessment for children, he's attempting to tinker with his new collection of antique cars and trying to renovate his childhood home despite having no idea what he's doing.
