Gurney Able

Gurney Able pictured in front of Judge King.

Gurney Able is a character role-played by ontheforefront

## Background

Gurney Able was born in Tennessee on October 25, 1997. He grew up in seclusion from society due to his reclusive family who held extreme religious beliefs. Gurney found solace in a local library who's selection was almost entirely made up of textbooks and law manuals that were abrasively outdated. He did, however, escape this Jesus-fueled rancor by testifying as a witness to his grandfather's trial. Elder Able was found guilty of several murders, putting to rest the string of brutal deaths attributed to the Appa-gotcha Ripper (Gurney's grandfather's moniker for the many hikers he murdered along the mountain ranges they lived near).

After the trial, Gurney Able was struck by a vehicle driven by his grandmother who sought to punish the young Gurney for his testimony. Gurney was terribly injured and still goes through physical therapy to this day. He moves with a limp and finds institutions without disability accessibility atrocious. After his grandfather's conviction, the rest of the Able family were soon swept up into the Tennessee prisons given their involvement in the Appa-gotcha Ripper's murders. Gurney was sent to live with a foster family of profound members of the Satanic Temple and adheres to their rituals and philosophies.

### Los Santos

Gurney Able knew he wanted to continue his work in the courthouse and moved to Los Santos. He successfully filled the role of Legal Assistant (Aide) for Judge Katarina King. He works closely with Sammie, the bailiff of the LS Courthouse. He oversaw the court proceedings of the Don's trial and shared much of his free time with taxi driver Jacques. He sought out aid from the EMS and received medkits, citing the necessity of the courthouse staff to have the supplies available given the multiple assassination attempts on Katarina King's life. He also struck up a friendship with Carlos after being granted a sedan from his dealership. Gurney is certain that Carlos and his staff will benefit from firearm licenses and has been pushing Judge King to grant them.

### Turtle Man

Gurney Able was kidnapped the day after the Don's sentencing by three masked men while he was shambling to the bank near the courthouse. It was Gurney's first kidnapping and he attempted to gain some rapport with the robbers as they drove him to a convenience store. One of the men, a man wearing a cute turtle mask and hot burger pants, was put in charge of the cooperative Legal Aide and they both shared admiration for the amenities of the convenience store and the 4 week planner that was available in the office. Ironically, it was the turtle man's first robbery and that he felt the other two burglars were far more experienced and pushing him towards becoming a career criminal. Gurney bonded with the turtle man and insisted he could help him steer away from this life of crime given it was his first offense. Before he could get a reply, an officer had been restrained and kidnapped outside and Turtle Man escaped with his fellow burglars, leaving a bereft and shocked Gurney behind to give a police report.

While at the police station, Gurney insisted to the police chief, Bubba T. Law, that the Turtle Man deserved representation in his defense, but lamented that he himself couldn't do it due to his status as the victim in the case. Chief Bubba insisted that Gurney might have Stockholm Syndrome, but Mr. Able rebuffed this seeing as his name wasn't Stockholm and fearing the stigma associated with mental disorder (being physically disabled is highly debilitating for Gurney).

Gurney was later kidnapped by the Los Santos Butcher that same day, robbed, and shot dead. He was later revived by Yang.

Thus began an obsession with tracking down and confronting the Turtle Man. Gurney went through an anxiety fueled panic and drove throughout the city in a manic fury, harassed the police officers on duty at the station, and raved about the Turtle Man to the loiterers in front of the Burger Shot. Gurney now holds the firm belief that all masks ought to be a felony and all car trunks should be banned in order to halt the high number of kidnappings and robberies in Los Santos.

Gurney sought to hunt down Turtle Man by relying on his desperate rants on twitter, an increasingly worried courthouse staff, hiring a soft-handed investigator, and his degrading mental state. It was clear Gurney Able did have feelings for Turtle Man that needed confirmation/confrontation, given the harrowing experience of being a hostage and having his very life threatened. He was galvanized further after he learned that the animal masked criminals were working alongside the Los Santos Butcher. Seeing that his obsession was sinking into a cruel and violent path, the legal aide debased himself on twitter in order to meet with his beloved Turtle Man and put the trauma of his kidnapping to rest.

#### Moving On

Gurney received a message from who he assumed to be the Turtle Man, pleading for help to break out of the life of crime he found himself in. Gurney was elated. If he could flip the Turtle Man, arrest the other burglars, and put a stop to the Butcher's reign of terror. Primarily, he wanted to prove to Chief Bubba and Judge King that he was a valuable asset and not an incompetent weirdo.

The Turtle Man, however, held Gurney at gunpoint and said awful things about himself and what would happen if Gurney refused to discontinue his pursuit. Seeing no other option, Mr. Able obliged and regrets his actions. He is forever changed by his encounter with Turtle Man and his trauma fueled ambitions have leaked into his romantic appeals. It has also charged his interest in conservation efforts for sea turtles and tackling the Los Santos seaside pollution.

**Post Judge King**

Since the departure of Judge Katarina King, Gurney Able has sworn himself to bettering the city of Los Santos however possible. After establishing the Los Santos chapterhouse for The Satanic Temple, Gurney Able successfully organized two pride marches during pride month, voiced his concerns to the city officials and citizens concerned about the rising militarization of the police, offering swimming lessons and further certification free of charge to all in order to help curb the many cases of drowned persons, and has recently taken a position as a therapist for the Pillbox Hospital. His next goal was to raise interest and understanding of jury procedure to all citizens by putting on an improv production of Twelve Angry Men. He quickly lost interest when it became clear he could buy his own home showed to him by Zeb.

Gurney Able performed a concert at the Satanic Chapterhouse and was just a few thousand short of the $200,000 goal, but is revitilized by his short trip out of state to handle a parole hearing for his grandfather and grandmother, both of whom are criminals and responsible for the limp and poor posture Gurney lives with. Musical talents aside, he also hopes to bring in his foster uncle Edgar Batboyd in to give various lectures concerning history and individuals people should know about.

## Trivia

* One of the first City Council secretaries in TSRP.