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Post by Quinn Kielty on Feb 12, 2012 18:04:07 GMT -5
    Quinn Aiden Kielty
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Under the circumstances I’ve been shockingly nice
Six-feet-and-four-inches tall Quinn was born in Bristol, Connecticut way back in May of 1962. He wasn’t popular or unpopular, although other kids did tend to make fun of his then-lanky frame. He led a pretty normal childhood, grew up with dogs and learned to love snakes. He knew from a very young age that he wanted to be a teacher, particularly interested in teaching English. When he was at university, he met a woman studying law. Her name was Janice, she had beautiful golden curls, she was five-feet-and-three-inches tall and she was the most intelligent, amazing woman he’d ever known. They dated for a few years... but just before both of them were due to graduate, things changed. Janice became moody and jealous, and if Quinn even so much as looked at another human being, she punished him by slapping him, kicking him, biting him. He would have left her if it weren’t for one tiny little problem. Quinn loved her. Putting it down to graduation nerves, he never brought it up with her. Besides, it was infrequent anyway. And he had a surprise for her.
After graduation, he took Janice out to her favourite restaurant. It was quiet and serene and the food was delicious. She had recently been offered a place interning at a prestigious law firm and she was pretty excited, and when Quinn asked her if she’d marry him of course her answer was the loudest ‘yes’ he’d heard in his life. However, as the day drew closer, she grew ever more moody. She would kick and scratch him for the littlest things - once he bought the wrong cereal on the way home from work and she opened it, poured it over him and made him clear it up. She hadn’t seriously hurt him so he figured, again, that it was nerves. She’d be better after the wedding. She really did love him. She even told him so, sobbing in his arms after slapping him for walking in when she was trying on wedding dresses. The cut under his eye from where she scratched him healed up nicely. You’d never even know it happened. So they both pretended it didn’t.
When Quinn was 25, Janice became pregnant. While the newly-employed English teacher was excited and couldn’t wait to make plans, Janice was less than pleased. She’d eventually have to go on maternity leave, and then what? Would they take her back at work? How could anyone love her, looking this big? It’s all your fault. What if the kid has red hair? What if it looks as stupid as you? No amount of reassurance helped, and she became increasingly violent. Quinn never once raised a hand to her. Not because she was pregnant. He was afraid.
The bruising was getting harder to hide at work. He never thought he’d ever have to use the “I walked into a door” excuse. But it was okay. She’d be better when the baby arrived... just hormones...
And he was right for once. Little Adam James Kielty was born prematurely on the 25th of January, 1988, and the proud mother even exclaimed sleepily that “oh, look! he’s got your gorgeous eyes!” And for a few months, everything was normal. Daddy went out to work during the day and gave mommy a rest through the night by taking care of their little bundle of joy. Unfortunately, the peace did not last long.
The last thing Quinn expected was to be hit squarely in the back of the head with a heavy ornament while singing a lullaby to his child. Luckily, Adam had been in his cot, having just been put down. She hissed that his shrill, irritating voice was going to disturb the neighbours and kept him from sleeping, and that if he kept it up he’d have more to worry about than a decorative jug. Afraid of waking the child - or worse - he kept quiet as ordered and slept off the head injury.
The abuse continued over nineteen more years, until their son left home. Not once did he ever fight back, afraid that Janice would leave as she threatened and take her child with her. She knew the legal system like the back of her hand, and it was certain that, if she left, he would never be able to see his son again. And though she never touched Adam, he worried himself sick that, if she left, she might harm him. So he kept quiet. He even lost his job over it when she refused to let him leave the house for two weeks. When Adam left home, however, and he began to really fear for his life, he started divorce proceedings.
He thought Adam would take it badly, but the boy admitted that he had realised in his early teens that his mother was abusive towards his father and he was relieved that Quinn had finally taken it upon himself to walk out. However, the divorce left him with practically nothing, despite being able to prove that Janice had been cruel towards him. So after a couple of years’ recovery, he decided to make a new start in California.
You want your freedom, take it
While tall, Quinn is an unassuming man and is about as threatening as he looks. That is to say, not very. He’s a gentle fellow who likes to make sure his students and colleagues know that his door is open for anyone needing advice or a shoulder to cry on or what have you. He prefers to settle issues without violence and gets nervous when people are fighting. He has a tendency to take things to heart; for example, if you were to complain that he had done something wrong or criticise something he made/did/said, he would be fairly upset by it for the rest of the day. Perhaps longer if you meant it in a hostile fashion. However, he’s very good at pretending there’s nothing wrong. Actually, he’s almost always smiling. It’s the way he protects himself from judgement.
Despite his nervous nature, Quinn is very good at speaking in public and commands his classes pretty well. He doesn’t shout unless he’s really, really angry, and so far no student has tested his limit. But he is new... it might only be a matter of time. At his work, he is passionate and it’s clear the he loves what he does. It’s clear that he has great knowledge of what he teaches, and he hopes that he can affect his students in the way his own teachers affected him. If his passion can inspire anything in any student, he’ll be happy. He’s also pretty easygoing when he feels most comfortable, and it’s in a classroom where he’s in his element.
He has terrible self-esteem issues and body issues and can’t yet bring himself to look in the mirror at the scars he sustained over the twenty-two years of abuse. If there’s one thing he cannot stand however, it’s bullies, people who pick on the most vulnerable and he hates staying quiet about that. He’s made it a goal to try to speak out against abuse in all its forms, but doesn’t know where to start, or indeed if anyone will listen.
All Quinn wants now is to lead a normal life, no longer in fear of anyone. He's trying to put the past behind him and doesn't want to bring it up to everyone, but while he will talk about it if people ask him, he still gets upset by it from time to time. He'd usually rather play video games, read, watch TV, look after his two pet corn snakes, socialise, daydream... you know. Be normal.
That’s what I’m counting on
He’s relatively new to the community, so he’s going to need friends. He gets on with most kinds of people although violent people, confrontational people and loud people are the ones he tends to watch out for. He enjoys sci-fi and video games, so anyone else who likes these things definitely get an invite to his home for an ass-kicking to play any of his vast collection of games or for a Star Trek marathon. Unless they’re a student because... that would be creepy.
I used to want you dead but
If you happen to be his ex-wife, you are definitely an enemy. Bullies, abusive people, anyone he starts to feel very uncomfortable around. Anyone who can’t respect his personal space or make fun of him for flinching. He really doesn’t like that.
Now I only want you gone
Having been a victim of domestic abuse for twenty-two years, he doesn’t trust easily. Whoever dates him, male or female, needs to understand that when he flinches, it’s not because of them. Rather, it’s because of what his ex did to him. Fear is so deeply ingrained in him. He’s trying his best to get better, and he wants to move on. However, he’s also afraid that he won’t recognise the signs if he ends up in another bad relationship, and that he’ll make the same excuses and tell himself it’ll get better when there are no signs that it will. So patience and care is definitely required.
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I’m up for any sort of plot with Quinn, be it angsty or lulzy, serious or fun! You can shoot me a PM, shout at me in the cbox, or e-mail me.
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