🕊️ create a family w/ a twist

[CherryBomb50]

Porter Nathaniel Charleston (17) is a mutual friend of Kayla and Sy, and the middle child of his family between Cataline and the younger 14-year-old girl. For college, he’s good at grades but he’s worried about funding. However if he wins this basketball scholarship then he would get the scholarship for college. Porter really wants this because he wants to go and because he feels he owes it to his parents. He plays on the Barracudas with Wil, Hassan, and Shane and is excited for championships, being one of their best players. He talks about basketball a lot lately and thanks to his friends, often remembers to talk about other stuff to not get too obsessed. His sister Cataline, a friend of Chris, sweetly jokes she’s Porter’s “biggest fan on the court”. Porter has been rather concerned lately about Wil’s nervous energy and tries to calm him down and make him feel better. Porter doesn’t know that Wil is being pressured by Bev to throw the championships. What scares Porter is Bev’s disdain for his mother, Pearl’s cousin, who is a co-worker of Bev. Her whole entire plan to have Wil throw the championships is due to her toxic grudge against Porter’s mother and she wants Porter to lose and not get a basketball scholarship because she hates seeing her co-worker so happy. Wil has not definitely decided to throw however and does not want to do so, but he’s in a tough situation. Some of the adults, like Cataline, Corey, and Kayla’s mother are suspecting Wil is being cajoled into something awful he doesn’t want to do.

Porter gets along with Kayla and Sy a lot and keeps Sy and Emma’s budding romance a secret. He’s also someone who avoids Bev due to issues between her and his mother. Porter finds Kayla to be a smart and responsible person and both bond over how Bev has messed things up and made them unintentionally unlikable to her. They still talk about positive things and they have gotten into hobbies like stargazing and caring for pets, both being hobbies Kayla’s younger cousins love. Porter also serves as a photographer for the school paper and for the yearbook. He knows the championship will be implemented in both so he’s excited but nervous. Like Hassan, Porter is also strictly friends with Kayla.

Shane was created by me.

Corey was created by @mynameis1.

[kitkatcookie]

Jessamy " Jess " Philippa Charleston (14) is the youngest of the trio, as well as a member of the quartet of friends Cady Milligan belongs to. Like her dear friend, Jess is drawn towards athletic pastimes, albeit her preferred sports are swimming and diving; the latter having taken up more interest as she’s gotten older thanks to the grace and acrobatics involved. There’s a quiet competitive streak to Jess: she aspires to excel at her chosen sports but firmly believes in supporting her teammates and does all she can to bolster the spirits of those she cares about; especially her siblings and friends. Thanks to the tragedy Cataline went through, Jess can hover about her especially, in part because of how young she was when her brother-in-law passed away, and she can’t help but wonder what could have been thanks to the couple’s happiness [not that she asks any questions as she doesn’t want to upset her sister]. She can be much more blunt with Porter about personal matters, but this is more so thanks to them being closer in age, and Cataline was firmly someone they admired as the oldest, so all petty bickering was reserved for the two of them.

Aside from sports, Jess usually can be found spending all her time with her three closest friends; the group having an unusual dynamic where there aren’t two pairings of best friends, but instead an equal bond and dynamic between all four girls’. Cady and Jess are usually found together most frequently because of the close proximity of where they live though, not to mention Cataline tutoring Cady in track. If she isn’t with her group, Jess enjoys writing poems - not that any of her siblings are allowed to read them as of now - usually focusing on nature and the world she observes around her; or reading. True crime is increasingly intriguing her, granted her parents monitor it, and she gets books from the library as one of her friends is a serious environmentalist who endorses borrowing opposed to buying; and Jess is the sort of friend who always tries to at least understand what those she cares about are interested in [not that she gets one of her friends’ love of chemistry at all, as science completely baffles her]. While she knows things are strictly platonic between Porter and Kayla, Jess has her suspicions there’s another member of their friend group he has a crush on, and she’s deadset on finding out if she’s correct - not that she actually knows if she wants to play matchmaker as she doesn’t think she’d be any good at it.

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Cady belongs to yours truly

[Lindseylloyd052399]

[name_u]Chelsea[/name_u] [name_f]Mae[/name_f] [name_u]Charleston[/name_u] (21) is Jess’ big cousin. She lives in San [name_m]Bernardino[/name_m], [name_u]California[/name_u], and she is an actress and pop singer. She is currently engaged to her boyfriend, and they have a daughter together.

[CherryBomb50]

Trinity “ Trina “ Baylor [left] and Judith “ Judy ” Stephanie Charleston (50) are respectively the mother and aunt of Chelsea. Judy is the mother of Cataline, Porter, and Jess. Trina and Judy are also cousins of Pearl. They’ve came from a safer family than Pearl’s but given Pearl’s parents’ secretive lifestyle, Trina & Judy’s family didn’t know how Pearl’s parents were to her. They’ve only strengthened their bond with Pearl with the help of Cady and they both try to be the best cousins to Pearl as they can. Trina and Judy both live by Pearl but they still visit Chelsea and Trina is happy as can be over becoming a grandmother to Chelsea’s daughter. Trina is super supportive to Chelsea and her fiancé and is excited to see her marry him.

Judy is supportive of all her children as well and doesn’t understand Bev’s grudge against her. Judy and Bev are co-workers and Bev has always been angry with Judy. Bev hates that Judy lets Jess read true crime, even though Judy monitors it. She also hates Porter taking snacks to basketball and calls Cataline “an enabler” for making said snacks, even though the snacks are healthy. Truth is, it’s not really Judy’s children that Bev hates, Bev just likes to nitpick the whole family, but rather Judy. Judy has worked at the company for a shorter time than Bev, yet she’s been promoted more and respected more by the bosses. While this sounds unfair, it’s because Judy is always putting 110% effort while Bev does just enough to get by and leaves stuff “for someone else to take care of”, which is usually Judy stepping in. Judy is also more liberated and doesn’t like Bev’s ways of parenting. Bev was also jealous that Porter played more games this season than Wil even though they’re both in championships. Both are stellar players but Wil is better and has more experience. Porter however is rising and becoming an amazing star player of his own and everyone’s been noticing that, which bothers Bev because she doesn’t want Porter to overshadow Wil. Wil and Porter are good friends though and they’re on the same team anyway so why would there be competition against the two boys? Lately Wil has been closer to Porter than Porter has to Wil. Their friendship isn’t breaking but Porter sees Wil getting all nervous about something he doesn’t want to talk about and the energy makes it uncomfortable for Porter after a while.

Another reason why is because, as Jess believes, Porter is falling for a fellow friend of she and Kayla. Porter is too shy at the moment to ask her out but he’s starting to show some signs he’s falling for her. Every time she talks to him, it makes his day. When he hears her name and his name in the same conversation, he feels hot and tries not to blush. When Judy asked Porter if he liked Kayla, he simply said no but when she asked if he liked the other girl, Porter paused awkwardly and then said no, but said it more nervously, followed by defensive insistence that he “really means no”. Judy’s avoided making her children feel too uncomfortable so she stops out of respect but Judy really supports this girl and her family and would be happy and accepting if they started dating.

Pearl was created by @jinxed_peach.

[Lindseylloyd052399]

[name_u]Ashley[/name_u] [name_f]Rose[/name_f] [name_u]Charleston[/name_u] (18) is Trina’s daughter and Chelsea’s younger sister. She just started college in [name_u]Houston[/name_u], [name_u]Texas[/name_u], to be a nurse. She and [name_u]Chelsea[/name_u] have younger identical twin siblings, which is obvious, because her mom is a twin!

[CherryBomb50]

[name_m]Marius[/name_m] [name_m]Frank[/name_m] [name_u]Charleston[/name_u] (50) is Trina’s husband and the father of [name_u]Chelsea[/name_u], [name_u]Ashley[/name_u], and the twins. He absolutely adores sailing and canoeing, and many other boat activities. Like his wife, [name_m]Marius[/name_m] also loves visiting his grown children after they moved. He’s not as close to [name_f]Pearl[/name_f] as his wife but he’s respected her and his mental health. For some time, he’s tried to steer away from his sister-in-law’s drama on [name_f]Bev[/name_f] and just focus on his own children but he’s seen how rude [name_f]Bev[/name_f] is and would do what he can to stop it. [name_m]Marius[/name_m] works as a bartender, a job [name_f]Bev[/name_f] absolutely disapproves even though [name_m]Marius[/name_m] is safe and he’s not trying to influence anyone into bartending. [name_m]Marius[/name_m] isn’t as comfortable with [name_m]Nizar[/name_m] and although they’re not enemies, [name_m]Marius[/name_m] knows about Nizar’s past addictions and has politely turned [name_m]Nizar[/name_m] away from the bar for the sake of reminding him to stay clean. He’s on better terms with [name_f]Fatima[/name_f] and her children however and knows [name_m]Nizar[/name_m] is a wonderful person when he’s clean. Despite Marius’s job, the underage family members are not allowed samples, no matter what [name_f]Bev[/name_f] keeps telling herself. [name_f]Trina[/name_f] and [name_f]Judy[/name_f] always tell him about Judy’s children’s sport talents and [name_m]Marius[/name_m] is definitely rooting for [name_u]Porter[/name_u] in the championships for sure. He’s also a supporter of Jess’s swimming and diving talents and Cataline’s track talents and makes sure they feel equally supported.

[Lindseylloyd052399]

[name_f]Madeline[/name_f] [name_f]Faye[/name_f] [name_u]Charleston[/name_u] (23) is Marius’ niece, as her father is Marius’ older brother. She is a dancer and model who lives in Los [name_u]Angeles[/name_u]. She is a huge dog lover, and she has two [name_u]French[/name_u] Bulldogs named [name_u]Maverick[/name_u] and [name_m]Goose[/name_m].

[CherryBomb50]

Ali Abdullah Al Omar (18) is a long-distance friend of Madeline, learning her from Cataline, who is also a long-distance friend. Madeline and Ali both attended attended Cataline’s wedding with her late husband and Cataline and Ali have seen Madeline dance long before she was famous. Ali is the second-eldest Al Omar, behind only Najah and ahead of Hassan and Diva. Ali is genderfluid, using he/they pronouns and fluctuating between being called son/child by his parents and brother/sibling by their siblings. Like their sister Diva, he is also a coffee lover but prefers tea, which the two playfully debate over from time to time. His closest person in his life is definitely Fatima and he credits her for how close they is with the family and how wonderfully kind she is at being there for them. Being closest in age to Najah, Ali has gotten close with a few of her friends. He doesn’t know every one of her friends but he’s close with about two of them and hangs out with them and Najah since Ali also cares about the environment, especially clean air.

Najah was created by @kitkatcookie.

[Lindseylloyd052399]

[name_f]Julianna[/name_f] [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] [name_m]Jacobs[/name_m] (21) is Ali’s girlfriend. She is an dancer who was originally from [name_u]Erie[/name_u], PA, but moved to [name_f]Atlanta[/name_f] when she first started dating [name_u]Ali[/name_u]. She was introduced to [name_u]Ali[/name_u] by his sister, who is her best friend.

[CherryBomb50]

Oriana Maureen Hatch (19) is a friend in Julianna and Najah’s group. She’s Ivy’s sister and her sibling closest in age, despite being 7 years younger, seeing as all of Ivy’s siblings are considerably younger. This has always made Oriana feel odd knowing her sister used to babysit her when she was younger and Oriana feels odd being an adult now. She remembers turning 18 and asking questions like, “So what bills do I have to pay now?”, “Can I still live at home or do I have to leave now because I just turned 18?”, and “Do I have to interact with middle-aged people now every day? What if they’re Karens?” She admits when she was a small child, she used to think when a person turns 18, that the police go to your door and give you a pile of bills and documents to sign and you would get arrested if you didn’t do it all right there in front of them. (Yes this is based on thoughts by my real 8-year-old self) She’s more used to adulting with the help of Ivy and is now just settling into that part of life while staying true to herself.

Oriana can be shy and jittery but she’s a cool gal and always has stories to tell. She’s supportive of Julianna and Ali and she has been friends with Najah for quite some time. She, Julianna, Najah, and two others are planning to share a house together and Oriana is thrilled to do so. Oriana currently studies physics and has been a lover of physical science for a long time. She also has a part time job at a candy shop and is nicknamed “Candygirl” by mutuals. She loves the candy and the shop is so cute, which Oriana can’t get enough of. Oriana loves Julianna’s dancing and she’s good at it too but she’s nervous to do it in public. She’s always a true-blue friend to Najah and the two talk to each other a lot about life. She doesn’t know the other future roommates as long as Najah has but every interaction she’s had with them is great.

Ivy was created by @mynameis1.

[Lindseylloyd052399]

[name_u]Madison[/name_u] [name_u]Skye[/name_u] [name_u]Rosario[/name_u] (19) is the fourth friend in the friend group. She is a hairstylist and has been with her boyfriend for nearly 2 years. She has a YouTube channel.

[CherryBomb50]

Warning for cancer (aforementioned) and general rudeness.

Clarisse Sara Sampson (17, Pictured on right, the woman on the left is Bev) is Madison’s half-sister and youngest of all siblings. In addition to Madison, she also has two other half-siblings, one being non-binary. She’s a neighbor of the infamous Bev and like Madison, she also has a boyfriend Shane who is on the basketball team the Barracudas. Clarisse always attends every game and is impressed by Shane and his amazing plays. Despite having survived leukemia, Shane has become a very fit individual and a fast player, which Clarisse highly respects. Clarisse knows Shane took a while to embrace his cancer survivor status and doesn’t really like discussing cancer unless it’s about charity. Clarisse doesn’t force any uncomfortable conversations and respects Shane for this, especially now that Shane doesn’t have it and has survived it, and whenever it gets brought up in charity-related events Clarisse knows how to talk about it. She considers Cataline a soul sister and thanks her for advice she’s given about dating and conversations like this.

Clarisse and Bev don’t get along however. Bev would always help Wil and Sy with their homework, but this was what she’d do to distract and prevent them from doing stuff they loved in the afternoons. Clarisse, a neighbour who was having a hard time keeping up with spelling and grammar, would go by to get tutoring lessons from Bev. Bev didn’t really like Clarisse but tutored her only because Clarisse and her parents would give her excellent pay. However Bev didn’t really help Clarisse that much and was always critical of her writing. Clarisse improved but mostly because Bev was so harsh and Bev wouldn’t give Clarisse credit. Half the time Clarisse believed Bev wasn’t as good at spelling and grammar than she thought and there were times Bev didn’t know what was going on but refused to admit it. Clarisse decided to leave and Bev called her a “quitter” although Clarisse didn’t give up on improving and is now with a better tutor, Madison’s boyfriend. Bev still doesn’t like Clarisse and Shane dating and insists that she would never let her sons date someone like her and sometimes rubs bad blood on Shane too for dating her, considering them both bad influences. Clarisse has good grades in school but Bev always acts like she doesn’t. Clarisse has tried to lighten the mood by talking about how thrilled she is to see the Barracudas play in the championships but Bev insists, “Don’t get too excited honey, they’re not winning the game.” Clarisse isn’t sure what to think of that or why Bev is saying that and has asked Madison what’s going on.

Shane and Cataline were created by me.

Bev was created by @mynameis1.

[kitkatcookie]

[name_f]Elena[/name_f] " [name_f]Lainey[/name_f] " [name_u]Starling[/name_u] Beckindon (17) is Clarisse’s best friend and the main person she confides in about all [name_f]Bev[/name_f] related tomfoolery - be it petty or slightly more concerning [see policing her son’s relationship]. [name_f]Lainey[/name_f] practically feels she could write a psychological profile about this woman now - given her infamy within the Barracudas social circle - but refrains from voicing any harsh opinions on the matter as she knows [name_m]Wil[/name_m] and [name_m]Sy[/name_m] endure enough with such a woman as their mom, and doesn’t want to just begin attacking her publicly. This is somewhat ironic as far as Lainey’s concerned as she knows she’s from a family background women with Bev’s personality type tend to look down on. Her mom’s a hairdresser and her dad’s a longhaul truck driver, both coming from firmly blue collar backgrounds, and they’ve taught their three children about the importance of financial responsibility, in spite of now being comfortable and never unfair in how they spend. [name_f]Lainey[/name_f] has her own job, working reception at a budget motel where she usually picks up amusing stories from customers [even the Karen’s who expect 5 star service on a money saving trip], and she believes this helps further her creative drive.

More than anything, [name_f]Lainey[/name_f] loves writing: be it penning short stories or crafting her own journalism pieces for the school paper - where she tends to try and generate some interest in things beyond what civil war the prom committee has descended into now [usually about themed events and if they’re worthwhile]. Although humour is important to her, integrity means much more, and [name_f]Lainey[/name_f] doesn’t involve herself in peddling petty gossip, as she’d hate to see someone’s reputation tarnished.

Aside from her tales and articles, [name_f]Lainey[/name_f] loves being surrounded by her friends, of which she’s got many. Her responsible yet friendly nature means she’s very easy to get on with, and while she has her core group, she frequently interacts with other circles on a daily basis when they run into each other. It isn’t a surprise, given her older brother was infamous for his class clown persona and her older sister was both prom and homecoming queen, with the gift of unassuming charisma having blessed all the Beckindon siblings; something [name_f]Lainey[/name_f] jokingly attributes to their mom, who’s profession means she’s always wrapped up in conversations with clients. In contrast, their dad’s a very shy person who keeps to himself when he isn’t working, but it never stops [name_f]Lainey[/name_f] from seeking out his company as he’s the person she used to read all her stories to. Right now she and her brother are still at home - him to save some money while attending college - whereas their sister has just got her own place with some friends, an hours drive away as she was offered a dream apprenticeship and knew she had to go for it against the odds. While [name_f]Lainey[/name_f] doesn’t have her own car she does borrow her mom’s when possible to visit, almost always accompanied by the family dog - [name_u]Olly[/name_u], a beagle - as her sister now has a puppy, and the duo love playing together as the siblings catch up.

She and her brother are usually on good terms, although his hot-cold relationship with his longterm girlfriend gives her a headache, and she’s sworn off trying to decipher what anything means when they’re in the midst of discord. By no means is there anything concerning about the pair - for how exhaustive [name_f]Lainey[/name_f] finds their shenanigans, she wouldn’t turn a blind eye to actual toxicity - but she feels they both need some time to mature before really making a go at things, as the weight of high school romances being doomed to fail is clearly something pressing both parties. She’ll usually offer her friends advice whenever called upon but dating is her major blindspot, as it just hasn’t ever really been her thing. [name_f]Lainey[/name_f] knows she’s pansexual, however feels when she meets the right person, things will go at whatever pace suits them, and also admits no-one at school has really caught her eye to spark a desire to pursue something. While she avoids drama like the plague, [name_f]Lainey[/name_f] has admitted to [name_f]Clarisse[/name_f] that if [name_f]Emma[/name_f] wanted help reuniting with [name_m]Sy[/name_m] officially, she’d be happy to facilitate the reunion…

[Lindseylloyd052399]

[name_u]Blair[/name_u] [name_u]Alma[/name_u] [name_m]Romero[/name_m] (18) is the third friend in [name_f]Clarisse[/name_f] and Elena’s friend group. She is a college student wanting to be a middle school teacher someday. She has a chinchilla named [name_f]Dolly[/name_f] back home.

[CherryBomb50]

Pier [name_u]Luca[/name_u] [name_m]Romero[/name_m] (19) is Blair’s older brother and Madison’s boyfriend. He’s good friends with Lainey’s sister and was one of the biggest campaigners to get her as prom and homecoming queen. Pier himself wasn’t ever in love with her however, given that he was with [name_u]Madison[/name_u]. Pier is bisexual and very open about this. He actually thought he was gay since he used to crush on guys during his childhood but was very attracted to [name_u]Madison[/name_u] and he came to terms with bisexuality. He has friends of all sexualities and he feels [name_u]Madison[/name_u] may be bisexual too but isn’t going to pry into that, especially seeing that it took him later than he thought to come out. Pier is also in college and majoring in education and has similar passions to [name_u]Blair[/name_u]. He’s still good friends with Lainey’s sister but he’s unsure of what to think of Lainey’s brother and his girlfriend, especially since their relationship is much more dramatic and nothing as peaceful as his and Madison’s. He knows [name_f]Lainey[/name_f] relatively well despite being in slightly different circles and knows [name_f]Clarisse[/name_f] when he and [name_u]Madison[/name_u] went on a double date with [name_f]Clarisse[/name_f] and [name_u]Shane[/name_u].

[chamwue]

[name_u]Elias[/name_u] " [name_u]Eli[/name_u] " [name_u]Benjamin[/name_u] Charmant (19) is the maternal cousin of Pier and [name_u]Blair[/name_u]. Unlike Pier and [name_u]Blair[/name_u], [name_u]Eli[/name_u] and his family resides in the U.K, much to the hilarity of Pier and [name_u]Blair[/name_u], who poke fun at his ridiculously posh accent. His older and younger siblings share this accent, though— his father had a thing for pronunciation and wanted his children to speak in a way that was “befitting of a Charmant”, whatever that means. His mother still retained her American accent (though it has somewhat of a British flair now thanks to her living in the country for a while now), so [name_u]Eli[/name_u] doesn’t really know why his dad is so adamant on his children’s accents being prim and proper.

[name_u]Eli[/name_u] is in university majoring in musical theatre, a feat that has caused a rift between him and his father. Though Eli’s dad thinks it may not be a sustainable career, [name_u]Eli[/name_u] thinks that he should be allowed to pursue his passions and do what he’s wanted to do ever since the age of ten.

He lives in a flat with his older and younger sibling. His older sibling is an intern in a big hospital and is doing pretty well for themselves, but [name_u]Eli[/name_u] thinks they don’t really like the work that they’re doing. The younger sibling is in their final year of secondary school and doesn’t want to go into pre-med, and is currently finding a way to tell their father that they got accepted into a prestigious art university that they didn’t tell him about.

[kitkatcookie]

Keziah " Kiki " Alexandra Charmant (22) is Eli’s older sister, who’s currently completing her internship, somewhat less enthusiastically now time’s passing by. Kiki’s desire had always been to pursue a career in midwifery - from an early age she’s always been drawn to childcare, doting on her younger siblings, and cousins too whenever they spent time together - however her dad convinced her to pursue medicine, with an emphasis on moving towards becoming a doctor or surgeon. She knows it wouldn’t be impossible to transfer her specialising to midwifery, her internship has focused on paediatrics, however the backlash that may ensue is something Kiki already finds exhaustive, even in thoughts alone. Kiki mediated when her dad was opposing Eli’s plans to the best of her ability - usually being the child listened to most, perhaps as she’s the oldest, or maybe thanks to being the most patient in nature - and the drain of that has made her more inclined to just going along with whatever he suggests, in spite of her increasing desire to prioritise her dreams. It’s been her best friend who she’s confided in the most about this - they’re from similar backgrounds in terms of having parents with big expectations - as Kiki still considers herself responsible for protecting Eli and their younger sibling from further strife.

A naturally easygoing person, who acknowledges her own passivity, Kiki’s accent is entirely at odds with her demeanour, something she finds amusing for how much she wishes she spoke with less of an RP tilt. When compared to the rest of their paternal family, she knows her dad’s cultivated his own, as neither of her uncles or their families speak in such a posh manner; leading to more jokes among them all given the differences and contrast. She’s very close to one cousin in particular - who’s only 5 weeks older than her - and visits them often in Dorset, sometimes managing to convince Eli and their sibling to take the train too when they’ve got a moment spare [and aren’t tired out from their own studies]. Her cousin uses they/them pronouns and it was a great relief for her that the whole family embraced this - as, while she only admits it to a few people, including Eli, Kiki was worried how their own father might react to this given his educational values. Travel is something Kiki enjoys, even the most mundane journeys, where she can just enjoy listening to her tunes, doodle in her notebook or merely cast her mind away from her internship or whatever plans she has to make for the future - sometimes it’s also organising the chores rota the siblings agreed upon [the only occasional source of discord between them].

Kiki does have a boyfriend - he’s a trans man who she met through her courses Queer Convergence [as the society has been named] - who lives ten minutes away from her flat. He’s hoping to specialise in biotechnology and supports her dreams to pursue midwifery, even if Kiki wants to keep him away from family drama as much as possible. The couple’s favourite dates are jewelry making or pottery sessions together, typically followed up by cooking with either his flatmates or Kiki’s siblings, as they don’t want to cut themselves off and lose their bonds with others as some couples are prone to doing. It usually means the pair are at events or outings with their mutual friends, who come from a very varied range of backgrounds; some working jobs opposed to uni, other’s already planning their masters degrees. They’ve been together for 2.5 years and Kiki jokes about being proud of handling things so well, as this is her first properly serious relationship after some casual dates throughout secondary school and college that fizzled out. He’s an only child himself, so Kiki does tease him about wanting to steal hers given how well they get on.

[chamwue]

[name_f]Aurora[/name_f] " [name_u]Rory[/name_u] " [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] Charmant (17) is the youngest Charmant sibling and the self-proclaimed “thorn in their father’s side.” Eli’s initial rebellion against their father’s plans for the three sparked something in [name_u]Rory[/name_u] when they were in year 12— causing them to work on a portfolio alongside their applications to more conventional colleges. [name_m]Just[/name_m] like their sister, [name_u]Rory[/name_u] was set on a path— only this time it was in biochemistry. While [name_u]Rory[/name_u] loves STEM and loved chemistry as well, they didn’t know if they wanted to pursue that for the rest of their life. Whenever they tried to bring it up to their dad, however, he would simply brush them off, forcing [name_u]Rory[/name_u] into GCSEs and A-levels they did not want to take. They scored high, but were also dreading the fact that they’d end up on a path like their older sister.

[name_u]Rory[/name_u] came out as nonbinary when they were sixteen, something their father, [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] Charmant, was very supportive of. He actually sat down with [name_u]Rory[/name_u] and talked to them about identities and gender in a way that felt productive— which was whiplash from the way he yelled at [name_u]Eli[/name_u] just hours before about not pursuing a more stable career. Saying that the Charmant siblings had a complicated relationship with their father in an understatement: the duality of having so much support and none at all have forced the siblings to rely on each other. [name_f]Kiki[/name_f] and [name_u]Eli[/name_u] have done amazing jobs in keeping their applications to an art school a secret, but [name_u]Rory[/name_u] doesn’t know what to do now that they applied to a school in the U.S through early decision and got in. They’ve got a limited amount of time to commit to the school as well, and [name_u]Rory[/name_u] has convened with their friends for hours on end, wondering how to tell their father.

They’ve even resorted to confiding in Kiki’s boyfriend, of all people— [name_u]Rory[/name_u] affectionally calls him Uncle Boyfriend— who’s been a big help in navigating the Charmants as an outsider. He says Rory’s going to have to bite the bullet and tell their dad that they got in to a college and that they want to go, because there’s no feasible way to pay for the tuition themselves. What’s also motivating [name_u]Rory[/name_u] to go to the States is their long-distance girlfriend, who also got accepted to the same university they did. [name_u]Rory[/name_u] and their girlfriend have been dating since they were 16— they met at a science summer camp and were inseparable, finally dating when camp was over. Funnily enough, Rory’s girlfriend lives very close to Pier and [name_u]Blair[/name_u], which meant that when the siblings visited the Romeros, [name_u]Rory[/name_u] would often slip away to meet her girlfriend.

[I_meme_it]

Keomi ’ [name_m]Keyes[/name_m] ’ Yamanaka (18) is Rory’s’ girlfriend and subsequent friendly associate of Pier and [name_u]Blair[/name_u] thanks to her relationship with their cousin. Having a long distance relationship is something a lot of Keyes’s’ friends can’t fathom - excluding the fact [name_u]Rory[/name_u] intends on studying in the U.S., allowing [name_m]Keyes[/name_m] much more time with them in person - but she’s someone always willing to try for what matters to her, echoed in how she approaches her interests and the bonds she’s made with her peers; her best friend having been someone she met on the 4th day of kindergarten (yes she remembers the fine details, which are ideal whenever she wants to make a romantic gesture for her significant other).

A few months older than [name_u]Rory[/name_u], [name_m]Keyes[/name_m] is likewise the youngest in her family, although she has 3 older siblings: fraternal twins and a sister, all of whom affectionately call [name_m]Keyes[/name_m] their ‘Tech Support’ as she’s always the person to go to if electronics aren’t working. She’s the co-president of her school’s Programming Club, having agreed to split responsibilities with the other leading figure so neither one of them is getting burnt out by the requirements of the position. It’s obvious she’s seen as the more easygoing and fun centered one of the pair, but never underestimate how the duo have mastered a good cop, bad cop dynamic.

Biology - her favourite traditional science that she spent hours talking to [name_u]Rory[/name_u] about when they were at camp together - has now become more of a hobby next to her computing hobbies, although she keeps involved in the animal side of things, as her family’s dog, [name_u]Makoto[/name_u] who is of no discernible breed, has quite a few health conditions, and [name_m]Keyes[/name_m] is prone to worrying about her. She jokes a lot about ‘stealing’ [name_u]Rory[/name_u] away from their family whenever the two would hangout, not that it was ever something she really felt concerns for, thanks to how much joy and sense of completion being together brings to her. [name_m]Prior[/name_m] to moving for university, [name_m]Keyes[/name_m] has plans on visiting extended family in Sapporo, and she’s been deliberating inviting [name_u]Rory[/name_u] (if they’re allowed to accompany her).

[lever_du_soleil]

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[name_f]Etsuko[/name_f] Yamanaka (24) is Keomi’s older sister, and is the oldest sibling in the Yamanaka family. [name_f]Etsuko[/name_f] has always been very dreamy and artistic, and her favorite form of art is sculpting. [name_f]Etsuko[/name_f] is currently working on her first collection of pottery, inspired by traditional Japanese pieces, and her talent is drawing a lot of attention. She has a close circle of artist friends who she often works with, and they like to visit galleries and museums together in their free time.

[name_f]Etsuko[/name_f] loves her family, but she is busy with her life and career, meaning that she doesn’t get to catch up with her siblings as often as she would like to. [name_f]Etsuko[/name_f] loves her family’s dog dearly, and she’s missed [name_u]Makoto[/name_u] so much ever since she moved out, that she adopted a 9 year old cat to keep her company, who she named [name_u]Yuki[/name_u].