Character Post: Gabriel Beryl

NOTE: This post contains spoilers for The Fifth.

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Obviously, I didn't base Gabriel on Noah Centineo, because Gabriel has been around for a lot longer than Noah.  But the first time I saw Noah in To All The Boys I Loved Before, I recognized him right away, because his affable, charming vibe in that movie is very much Gabriel's vibe.  They are also physically similar--tall, athletic, dark haired--although Gabriel has light eyes and isn't as goofy as Noah is in a lot of photos.  Noah is not the model for Gabriel, but he is a close physical approximation, and Peter Kavinsky (Noah's character in the movie) behaves very similarly to how I see Gabriel.

Gabriel is one of those rare people who seems to have it all, and pretty much does.  He's attractive, he's popular, he's nice, he loves his mom -- he's fucking sickening in his perfection, honestly.  It's interesting to me write such a good character, because (a) I myself am nowhere near as good as Gabriel and (b) good characters are often hard to make interesting (something I hope I've overcome!).

And if Gabriel was just hanging out by himself, living his life, I'm afraid I wouldn't be very interested in him.  But, fortunately, Gabriel has two secrets.  First, he's an Elemental, which, you know, pretty important secret.  But an even more important secret, honestly, is that, when it comes to his family, Gabriel is incredibly insecure.  To the outside world, he is the most successful of all his brothers, but inside his house, he is the least of them, and he feels that acutely.  He's constantly torn between his desire to please his brothers, especially Anastase, and his desire to be his own person.  And, of course, Suzanne exacerbates that.

This photo is very Gabriel.

Gabriel is an Earth, so his powers include the ability to move physical things and people emotionally.  Ironically, he doesn't need to use the mental side of his powers much, because he's pretty likable in and of himself. He's also the least naturally talented Elemental in his family, which increases his feelings of insecurity.  Of his brothers, he's closest to Merri, who shares his social facility and his engagement with the outside world.  He's also the closest of all his brothers to their mother, maybe because she, too, is an outsider in the house.

The key feeling I want readers to get from Gabriel is a sense of safety.  Gabriel is a legitimately good guy.  That's part of the reason Suzanne is so pissed when he reveals his power, because it's a betrayal of what she sees him as (and what he really is, honestly). She thought she was getting to know someone good, for a change, and instead she got lies and deceit.  But Gabriel is actually safe.  Unlike Morgan, or Anastase, or Suzanne's original boyfriend, Myke, Gabriel is reliable and wants to do the right thing.  He might not always know what that is, but unlike a lot of other people (including Suzanne) he will always try.