Create a Family with a Twist 1

[moonwriteen]

[name_m]Luan[/name_m] " [name_f]Moon[/name_f] " Ji-woong Kang (27) is [name_f]Faith[/name_f] 's maternal cousin - his mom [name_f]Daniela[/name_f] is the sister of [name_f]Faith[/name_f] 's mom [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] .

[name_f]Moon[/name_f] has always been the voice of reason in his cousins’ life - especially [name_f]Faith[/name_f] took advice from him when it comes to studying routines , relationships with people in school and other general life tips. He showed her how to fight bullies without violence and rather by being confident , talking back and becoming a master of witty responses. That is how [name_f]Faith[/name_f] became popular in school , discovered her love for make-up and hair care , ultimately becoming the same source of support for her (mostly female ) friends that [name_m]Luan[/name_m] was to her.

[name_f]Moon[/name_f] knew techniques of fast reading , making flashcards etc. that were required for him to be a straight-A student and fulfill his parents’ (especially [name_f]Daniela[/name_f] 's ) expectation of academic excellence. [name_u]Taylor[/name_u] always found it laughable that they are sharing things like that - never being an academia-focused person and being jealous of [name_m]Luan[/name_m] in terms of how [name_f]Faith[/name_f] looked up to him instaed of [name_u]Taylor[/name_u]. Always regarding [name_f]Moon[/name_f] as noone more than a boring nerd, they were never close. [name_f]Moon[/name_f] did his best to get to know [name_u]Taylor[/name_u] and keep him away from trouble, but to no avail.

[name_m]Even[/name_m] if recently he has his hands full due to having a job as a middle school biology teacher, as well as a wife - [name_f]Hanako[/name_f] " [name_f]Hana[/name_f] " and infant son [name_m]Gideon[/name_m] , who he affectionately calls [name_m]Gizmo[/name_m] , he still treats being a confidant of [name_f]Faith[/name_f] very seriously.

From what [name_f]Faith[/name_f] tells him about [name_u]Juniper[/name_u] , [name_u]Taylor[/name_u] 's offensive behaviour towards him seems unfounded. It’s evident for [name_f]Moon[/name_f] that [name_u]Juniper[/name_u] deeply cares about [name_f]Faith[/name_f] , opening up to her about his past experiences and mental health, which [name_f]Faith[/name_f] never fully discloses to [name_f]Moon[/name_f].

[name_m]Luan[/name_m] thinks [name_u]Juniper[/name_u] seems goal-oriented with how he aims to be an art therapist and was top of the class as an illustration major. Living with him is something that really seems to help [name_f]Faith[/name_f] enter the adult life and have her things together. [name_m]Just[/name_m] because [name_u]Juniper[/name_u] 's friend [name_m]Rafael[/name_m] has a questionable moral compass and a reputation as playboy afraid of commitment, it’s no proof that [name_u]Juniper[/name_u] himself has rules from the same playbook - as much as [name_u]Taylor[/name_u] is convinced it means exactly that.

Recently , [name_f]Faith[/name_f] has been visiting [name_m]Luan[/name_m] and his wife [name_f]Hana[/name_f] more often, playing with [name_m]Gizmo[/name_m], being affectionate and buying him toys. She admitted to him that the way [name_u]Juniper[/name_u] talks about children and having a family melts her heart - knowing her boyfriend wants nothing more than to give a certain little human the loving family environmet that he never had. [name_f]Faith[/name_f] admits that if her and [name_u]Juniper[/name_u] 's son was guaranteed to be as cute as [name_m]Gizmo[/name_m] , she would gladly get pregnant no questions asked. [name_m]Luan[/name_m] was honest in saying to her that she shouldn’t give into the baby fever until [name_u]Juniper[/name_u] gets his therapist license and she gets her career as a make-up artist properly established. After all, as a new father he knows that parenthood means much more than just gentle hugs and cooing noises - it’s also a huge responsibility for the rest of a person’s life , not to mention the countless sleepless nights and sacrifices a new parents has to make. [name_m]Luan[/name_m] believes that while for him and [name_f]Hana[/name_f] it was 100% worth it and they love having [name_m]Gideon[/name_m] , they’re also glad his birth was an informed decision rather than a poorly planned one.

[I_meme_it]

tw: threats of violence, domestic abuse (referenced)

[name_f]Astrid[/name_f] [name_f]Sylvia[/name_f] Kinneman (24) is a good friend of Moon’s wife [name_f]Hana[/name_f] and also the ex-girlfriend of [name_u]Taylor[/name_u]. In spite of things ending between them, Astrid’s retained a bond with [name_f]Faith[/name_f] too, being a makeup artist which allowed them to naturally bond. She lives with her best friend only five minutes away from [name_f]Moon[/name_f], [name_f]Hana[/name_f] and [name_m]Gizmo[/name_m] (who she babysits frequently), eternally accompanied by her beloved [name_u]West[/name_u] [name_m]Highland[/name_m] Terrier, [name_f]Peggy[/name_f].

The crux of the breakup came down to Astrid’s issues with the guy she’d seen prior to becoming involved with [name_u]Taylor[/name_u]. Having started out as housemates, once [name_f]Astrid[/name_f] began making plans to leave the then-home she lived in due to the breakup creating tension for everyone, she found her ex was incredibly obstructive when it came to her gaining access to items left in the communal areas and they argued frequently about his petty antics. When [name_u]Taylor[/name_u] found out about this, he decided the best course of action would be threatening the young man in a manner even more sever than what [name_u]Juniper[/name_u] has been subjected to: easily intimidating him into giving [name_f]Astrid[/name_f] what she wanted by using graphic descriptions of potential violence he could inflict on him.

When she learned of what caused her ex to finally change his tune, [name_f]Astrid[/name_f] was horrified and immediately broke things off with [name_u]Taylor[/name_u]. While she was sick of being disrespected and the fighting, the idea of resorting to that behaviour - behind her back too - was something she refused to condone. This was especially because of her upbringing, witnessing her beloved mother be subjected to coercive control and mind games by her father - something she opened up to [name_u]Taylor[/name_u] about and felt betrayed considering how much this still hurts her.

[chamwue]

( tw: domestic abuse , violence )

Yueqing " [name_u]Yule[/name_u] " Zhao (20) is Faith’s friend and unfortunate acquaintance of [name_u]Taylor[/name_u].

[name_u]Yule[/name_u] was around [name_f]Faith[/name_f] and [name_u]Taylor[/name_u] growing up, and he wasn’t a good influence on her. After learning that Yule’s parents were physically abusing her, [name_u]Taylor[/name_u] actually encouraged [name_u]Yule[/name_u] to release her stress somehow— by any means necessary. Because she trusted her friend’s older brother, [name_u]Yule[/name_u] turned to kickboxing as a way to let out her stress. Things all came to a head when her father tried putting his hands on her again, and she sent him to the hospital. She was immediately disowned, and [name_u]Yule[/name_u] blames herself (and [name_u]Taylor[/name_u], to an extent) for that.

She currently lives alone in a studio apartment, and still does kickboxing. Her best friend insists that she go to therapy for her anger issues, but [name_u]Yule[/name_u] pretends that she’s fine. She’s repressed the entire incident, anyway. However, she might need to go to therapy, after all: her mother recently reached out to her saying she wanted to reconnect with her estranged daughter, and [name_u]Yule[/name_u] doesn’t know how to feel about that.

[moonwriteen]

(tw: domestic violence, sexism , attempts of financial abuse)

Daiyu " [name_u]Jade[/name_u] " Zhao (44) is [name_u]Yule[/name_u] 's mom who wants to resume contact with her. She wants to reconcile with her after finally taking her power back and slowly healing from the physical and mental scars she recieved from her husband over the years through therapy and a support system with a small group of friends.

[name_u]Jade[/name_u] is a lawyer specialising in employment law while her husband was a contract law specialist. [name_m]Just[/name_m] because employment-related contract are so common, they ended up working together on many different instances - being workers at the same law firm. Her parents were proud of their son-in-law and thought [name_u]Jade[/name_u] made a good choice by choosing him as her spouse because they wanted her to acquire social status and start building generational wealth.

Unfortunately, the cocktail parties and expensive banquets were just a facade under which [name_m]Lucius[/name_m] was nothing more than a culprit with toxic fights , controlling behaviour that separated Daiyu from anyone outside of her job environment , and eventually laying a hand on her. When she told her parents , they first suggested just praying for it to get better but otherwise had no intentions of any other help. Her mother - [name_f]Quiana[/name_f] - who always looked at nothing more than just status told her that just because she’s a woman and has [name_u]Yule[/name_u] , she’s obliged to stay with [name_m]Lucius[/name_m] no matter how bad he is - because as a woman she has no business working in law without a man “backing her up” . This was exactly the same rhetoric she heard from [name_m]Lucius[/name_m] himself - who manipulated her into thinking that if she ever tries to leave him he will take full custody of [name_u]Yule[/name_u] and leave her without a penny over the course of her legal battle. . When [name_u]Yule[/name_u] snapped and the above mentioned incident happened, she was under such a strong spell of her passive family and abusive spouse that [name_m]Lucius[/name_m] managed to intimidate and coerce her into writing [name_u]Yule[/name_u] out of her will , even if she cried for days after doing it and did so just because of pure fear & feeling of worthlessness.

In spite of the controlling behaviour her coworker - [name_u]Anne[/name_u] - managed to see beyond the facade at company parties. [name_u]Jade[/name_u] initially distrusted [name_u]Anne[/name_u] but when she revealed being an activist for women’s rights and connected her to shelters and organisations for domestic violence victims , [name_u]Jade[/name_u] eventually trusted her pure intentions. Rumours about [name_u]Jade[/name_u] and [name_m]Lucius[/name_m] spread like wildfire and some people didn’t believe Jade’s story because they couldn’t wrap their head around domestic violence happening in a high-income household like theirs - they looked so perfect and smiled like a loving couple in front of guests in their house, after all! However, [name_u]Jade[/name_u] and [name_u]Anne[/name_u] both eventually quit the law firm while [name_u]Jade[/name_u] stayed at the shelter for domestic violence victims where she was provided mental health services and talked with women of different backgrounds about their experience - gaining another 2 friends, [name_f]Yamileth[/name_f] and [name_f]Tara[/name_f] in the process. It was [name_f]Tara[/name_f] who helped her gain the courage to eventually contact [name_u]Yule[/name_u] , saying " If you don’t tell her the truth from your perspective, she will never know it.". [name_u]Jade[/name_u], [name_f]Yamileth[/name_f] and [name_f]Tara[/name_f] plan on to rent and apartament together while [name_u]Anne[/name_u] and [name_u]Jade[/name_u] are in search for a new law firm to work for, with [name_u]Anne[/name_u] also helping [name_u]Jade[/name_u] start separation and divorce proceedings.

[I_meme_it]

tw: domestic violence, emotional abuse

[name_u]Anne[/name_u] [name_u]Campbell[/name_u] Shelleck (45) is Jade’s close friend and greatest supporter when it came to helping her escape from [name_m]Lucius[/name_m]. Growing up, Anne’s home was very similar to the one [name_u]Jade[/name_u] raised [name_u]Yule[/name_u] in, being defined by picture perfect appearances, lavish parties and seeming total happiness for her, her parents and younger brother. In reality this was anything but the case. Anne’s father was incredibly abusive towards his wife, subjecting her to awful attacks of physical, mental and emotional levels when he was displeased, usually about something outside of anyone’s control. As this went on, he regularly subjected his children to verbal abuse too, belittling his daughter whose intelligence caused an insecurity in him, so he decided the best option would be destroying Anne’s confidence before it could truly blossom.

Against the odds, [name_u]Anne[/name_u] managed to excel at school and achieved her dreams of becoming a lawyer. At college she began an on-off relationship with a fellow law student, which would lead to [name_u]Anne[/name_u] becoming pregnant with her child, who came out as non-binary when they were sixteen: something she immediately accepted and is now transferring into the LGBTQIA+ section of law, wanting to help support those who face discrimination and bigotry. She allowed her brother to move in with her the second she got her own small flat too, something her father thankfully didn’t object to, as he had little time for even the son he was less personally set on undermining.

While [name_u]Anne[/name_u] and her brother were able to succeed, it pained her that her mother still stayed in the family home, thoroughly trapped under her father’s thumb and influence. It was only when he died, shortly before [name_u]Anne[/name_u] turned 37, that her mom finally seemed to break out of this spell, and now is having to go through extensive therapy to come to terms with all she and her children were exposed to. Privately, [name_u]Anne[/name_u] vowed that she would never allow anyone to be caught in the same awful environment she grew up in: constantly being at odds with herself over the fact she couldn’t get her mother to leave when she and her sibling did. While her close friend - a psychologist - has done his best to assure [name_u]Anne[/name_u] she shouldn’t take on too much responsibility, she couldn’t help herself when it dawned on her what [name_u]Jade[/name_u] was experiencing and she hasn’t looked back since.

[I_meme_it]

bump!

[lemon_swirlxx]

[name_m]Harrison[/name_m] ‘Sonny’ [name_u]Everett[/name_u] [name_m]Winters[/name_m] (43) is Anne’s friend who is a phycologist and he lives with his wife and teenage son, who he connects with as they both have panic disorder. He was really supportive when his wife was diagnosed with Huntington’s disease, but is worried about his son getting it as it is a genetic condition.

[I_meme_it]

tw: panic attacks, dissociation

[name_m]Felix[/name_m] Zhang Yong Huang-Winters (17) is [name_u]Sonny[/name_u] and his wife’s only child, who’s on the verge of beginning his final year of high school. There was no obvious trigger for Felix’s development of anxiety disorder, which manifested in a series of intense panic attacks when he was 14, and on top of the shock, these massively diminished his confidence as he felt self-conscious based on how certain classmates reacted when a maths exam triggered a dissociation for him - things he’s been working hard to overcome in more recent years.

Wanting nothing more than to travel once he graduates, [name_m]Felix[/name_m] is hoping on exploring his maternal heritage by going to [name_u]Hong[/name_u] Kong with two of his closest friends. He’s set on not rushing the next steps in life, not even sure about if he wants to attend university, but regardless of his choice, [name_m]Felix[/name_m] knows his parents will support him. Initially he was uncertain about going away following his mom’s diagnosis, but she’s encouraged him to continue pursuing his dreams and wishes, as long as he documents each of these adventures with Polaroid photos so she has memories of her own to treasure.

[moonwriteen]

[name_u]Campbell[/name_u] [name_u]Sasha[/name_u] " [name_u]Cam[/name_u] " Shelleck (17) is [name_u]Anne[/name_u] 's child who came out when they were 16 as non-bnary. They came out just a little over a year ago and were not expecting the overwhelming support they got from both their mom and dad - even if their dad isn’t as involved in their life as they wish he was. [name_u]Cam[/name_u] is admittedly quite tired by the on-and-off nature of his and [name_u]Anne[/name_u] 's relationship, majorly caused by [name_u]Anne[/name_u] 's overwhelming dedication to her job and their dad’s painful shyness which is partially because he has always been insecure about his neurodivergence and never saw himself as someone who could be a “head of a family”. [name_m]Even[/name_m] so, [name_u]Cam[/name_u] hopes they can eventually sort it out between themselves and has no intentions of intervening.

[name_u]Campbell[/name_u] is proud of their mom for actively helping the women around her , including [name_u]Jade[/name_u] and is glad that [name_u]Anne[/name_u] is now moving into the LGBTQIA+ section of law in order to help individuals in the community with an emphasis on transgender individuals. Because non-binary people are under the trans umbrella, [name_u]Campbell[/name_u] feels like they, too, want to follow that path - but are not really sure entirely.

[name_u]Campbell[/name_u] and [name_m]Felix[/name_m] have been friends since childhood and both shared a love for travelling - them being one of the best friends [name_m]Felix[/name_m] wants to take to [name_u]Hong[/name_u] Kong after high school graduation. The reason [name_u]Cam[/name_u] are not sure about going into law is precisely because they also consider Hospitality and Tourism as a major they may consider. They have three penpals - a guy from [name_f]Canada[/name_f] , a girl from [name_u]New[/name_u] Zeland and a fellow enby who lives in a different state way down [name_u]South[/name_u] from [name_u]Campbell[/name_u].

[moonwriteen]

Bump!

@lemon_swirlxx @CherryBomb50 You might like this!

[avenmaide]

[name_u]Iraia[/name_u] [name_f]Marama[/name_f] [name_m]Smith[/name_m] (17) is Cam’s penpal from [name_u]New[/name_u] [name_u]Zealand[/name_u]. They’ve been writing back and forth for five years, and it’s one of Iraia’s favorite things. She even renovated their old garage into an office space so she could have a private place to respond to Cam’s letters. Her friends don’t understand it because normally, [name_u]Iraia[/name_u] hates writing—and sitting still for hours—but [name_u]Cam[/name_u] means the world to her, especially now after [name_u]Cam[/name_u] came out as nonbinary last year. It shook Iraia’s world a little. She had to do a lot of soul-searching and rethinking to change her views on gender and sexuality. And now she’s a fierce ally, and quickly becoming more outspoken about it. A couple people at school have even come out to her, and it makes her heart so full.

[name_u]Iraia[/name_u] plays rugby and basketball, and she also dances. Basically anything that keeps her moving… except gardening. For some reason, she detests it, which is difficult because her parents run a greenhouse, and of course, that involves the whole family. She loves her parents, and she adores how cute and nerdy they both are about plants and will even go on week-long hikes with them to appreciate nature, but she’ll probably never love gardening like they do.

[CherryBomb50]

[name_f]Kiri[/name_f] [name_u]Manaia[/name_u] [name_m]Smith[/name_m] (16) is Iraia’s younger sister. The sisters get along although [name_f]Kiri[/name_f] adores gardening and is much more interested in nature than her sister. [name_f]Kiri[/name_f] even has a guinea pig named [name_f]Clover[/name_f] for her love of plants and nature. She has a pen pal too named [name_f]Gracie[/name_f] and the two of them bond over the idea of having someone to talk to who is so far away, that the secrets they share to each other won’t have as much of an effect. The two have sworn not to judge each other or to say anything that they’ve communicated to each other without permission. She and [name_u]Cam[/name_u] don’t know each other as well and have never talked but she has told [name_u]Iraia[/name_u] that she supports [name_u]Cam[/name_u] and that they deserve the best friendships they can get. Secretly [name_f]Kiri[/name_f] is a closeted lesbian, which she has told [name_f]Gracie[/name_f] but has told nobody else, not even her own family. She feels her family and friends will accept her and there’s times when she has planned to come out, but she never went through with them because of fears people will treat her differently when truly, she was always lesbian and knew it for a while.

Gracie was created by @chamwue .

[kitkatcookie]

Hiraina " [name_f]Hera[/name_f] " [name_f]Anahera[/name_f] [name_m]Smith[/name_m] (20) is [name_f]Kiri[/name_f] and Iraia’s older sister who tends to be a bit more cynical than her younger siblings, namely due to struggling with depression since she was in her mid-teens. [name_f]Hera[/name_f] doesn’t quite know what caused her mental health to deteriorate and this has often frustrated her, meaning meditation and mindfulness exercises have become very important to her as means of overcoming these persistent questions and instead putting her energy into more important matters. Having opted to delay higher education, she’s working at a dementia cafe and is becoming increasingly interested in pursuing therapy as a career path thanks to spending time speaking with the carers and loved one’s of attendees who are evidently pained by the circumstances of why the establishment exists.

Like her parents and [name_f]Kiri[/name_f], nature is highly important to [name_f]Hera[/name_f] but she involves herself with it by going for long walks in forests and conservationism is something she’s involved in. She’s also a huge fan of caving and goes with her three close friends, but isn’t going to bring either of her sister’s yet as she feels the pressure would be too much for all of them - granted she knows it might not be for them either. Hera’s also been playing the harp since she was seven and is still devoted to learning, feeling the music produced is incredibly soothing, and actually has made tapes for friends and family before if they need some relaxing background noise. Something she’s not so good at is being organised and lives in a state of chaos only she can decipher - meaning family holiday’s always result in the girl’s mom keeping a special eye on her. Right now she’s considering adopting a rescue dog, thanks to living in a property her dad inherited from his father in order to provide upkeep and maintenance, having been joined by one of her cousins.

[I_meme_it]

Bump!

[CherryBomb50]

This character is dead, but not without leaving some very deep dark secrets…

[name_u]Scott[/name_u] [name_m]Zachariah[/name_m] [name_u]Regan[/name_u] “[name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m] [name_m]Gilbert[/name_m] [name_m]Smith[/name_m]“ (20 October 1935 - 20 February 2022, aged 86) is Hera‘s late paternal grandpa. He is closest with [name_u]Iraia[/name_u] due to growing up as the only person in his family who liked rock-and-roll while the other relatives then called it “evil”. He hated soft music except Hera’s harp playing because it made him feel warm and relaxed. However it wasn’t until after his death that they learned some very strange secrets he was hiding.

Growing up, he was a rebel and wanted to join the circus. However the circus didn’t employ juveniles and at the time in January 1951, he was still 15. It was easier back then to fake identity, so he took the identity of his 22-year-old maternal cousin [name_u]Thaddeus[/name_u] who had died of polio 6 months earlier. [name_u]Thaddeus[/name_u] was an only child whose parents were already dead before him, so nobody could call him out. From there he was hired using his cousin’s identity. However to avoid suspicion, he went by the stage name “Jambo”. Jambo was famous during the 1950s as a circus performer but by the ‘60s, people were more into Woodstock music so [name_u]Scott[/name_u] did some touring in bands still using the [name_u]Thaddeus[/name_u] identity and Jambo stage name. [name_u]Scott[/name_u], knowing his parents and the rest of his family hated that kind of music, needed to get them out of the way before they found out about his identity theft, told them one day that he “loves rock music and if they want to call him a devil-worshipper, they can cut him out”, knowing they’d cut him off. While touring with his band, he met his eventual wife and had their son, the father of [name_u]Iraia[/name_u], [name_f]Kiri[/name_f], and [name_f]Hera[/name_f]. His wife first knew him as Jambo and always thought his name really was [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m] [name_m]Gilbert[/name_m] [name_m]Smith[/name_m] since people had called him by that name outside of performing, and he didn’t bother to correct her and married under the stolen name, with her taking what she thought was his last name. They only had one son in 1970 since she was an older mom, being 40 at the time and thinking he was 41 when he was actually 34, due to her believing his fake age was real.

All throughout his family life, he couldn’t get back to using his real name and age, so he left it for the fake name and age. He paid a newspaper to make an obituary for his real identity and real birth date and claim the body was cremated and ashes were in the ocean so people would assume [name_u]Scott[/name_u] [name_u]Regan[/name_u] was dead and not wonder what happened to him. His parents passed away in the late ‘80s and he attended their funeral but never spoke to anyone there and kept minimal contact. He told his wife and son that his childhood was awesome and he loved rescuing dogs, gardening, and conservation, which his son would grow up to enjoy and try passing on to his daughters. However, he never did any of that growing up and only used this to look more lively whenever asked about his past.

In the late ‘90s, he watched his son marry his wife and she also took what was her husband’s last name but not his father’s real last name. He felt guilty realising he was giving an entire generation someone else’s last name. He also worried he would get caught with the fake identity but having a common fake last name made it harder for them to track him. Besides his past fame made him rich enough to afford a great property that his son would inherit after his death. In the 2000s, his son and his son’s wife had three daughters with Maori names from the mother’s native Maori origin but all had the [name_m]Smith[/name_m] surname which meant it really was being passed down yet again. He was close with his granddaughters when they grew up mainly because he knew they were innocent children and wouldn’t know his secrets. When the girls reached adolescence, they wanted to know his past. He vividly told them all about Jambo at the circus and happily told them about his marriage to his wife and how happy he was with his son and grandchildren. He liked to enlighten them and didn’t put much focus on anything else he did. When they asked him about his other hobbies, he told them he loved basketball, small animals, and caving. His granddaughters found this cool and picked up on it, not realising these were random hobbies he said he did to get suspicion off what what he really did. He developed dementia in the 2020s and lost memory, making it harder to remember how much of his life was fabricated but he didn’t know this would give him an excuse to not answer questions about his life because he’d just forget. [name_f]Hera[/name_f] worked at the dementia cafe he went to and was close with him but her cynical nature made her believe something was off about him and it wasn’t his dementia. He died in 2022 with his family mourning him but only after his death, they realised he harboured dark secrets. After his death but before his burial, a mysterious 73-year-old man said [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m] [name_m]Gilbert[/name_m] [name_m]Smith[/name_m] died over 70 years before and that [name_m]Scott[/name_m] was lying. That man was actually the son of the real [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m] [name_m]Gilbert[/name_m] [name_m]Smith[/name_m] and he said that his father and his father’s girlfriend had him young before his father had polio and when his father got sick, his mother and him had to stay away to avoid catching it. They knew when he died and somewhat knew the Jambo character but weren’t into entertainment and didn’t know Jambo’s identity. At first the family didn’t believe him but eventually realised it was true. [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m], or rather [name_m]Scott[/name_m] was a lifetime fraudster and is taking that to the grave. Everyone was blindsided by the fact that everything of what they thought of this lovable grandpa was phony; his name, age, interests, practically everything. It was like they didn’t know him anymore. While Scott’s son accepted the inherited shelter and the girls continued their interests, the family had major trust issues after the fact. After all, who could believe he was living a lie all this time?

[I_meme_it]

[name_u]Jude[/name_u] ’ JT ’ [name_f]Theresa[/name_f] Capeson (44) was the lawyer given the unfortunate task of revealing the truth behind Scott’s actions to his family. This case has troubled JT since she agreed to take it on, feeling the actions of the man were callous in regards to the deceased man whose name he stole, and cruel where his family were concerned given the revelations they’ve been forced to deal with since the truth came out. Throughout the process of preparing the will and communicating with the [name_m]Smith[/name_m] family long after things closed up - especially Scott’s granddaughters, as JT has two teenage girls herself (both adopted), as well as two sons, the youngest being only 2 - she confided in her wife, who’s always been her greatest source of comfort.

Life wasn’t easy for JT. After coming out as gay, she was disowned by her parents and left with only an estranged paternal uncle to go to: as he had also been estranged on account of his sexuality. It took her 5 months to track him down, during which time she worked punishingly long hours to pay for her travel, however upon meeting it thankfully paid off. JT’s Uncle [name_m]Forrest[/name_m] is now the only man she sees as her father, having encouraged her to accept herself - in spite of the scars of her parents rejection - and helped encourage her to pursue her dream of studying family law: wanting to provide support, help and closure to those faced with similar pain. It was while attending a college party she met her future wife, the pair immediately bonding thanks to their love of the rock band Osibisa, who JT collects vinyls of to this day (an interest her eldest daughter also shares).

[CherryBomb50]

[name_m]Bryant[/name_m] [name_m]Mitch[/name_m] Capeson (2) is JT’s youngest son. He is loved by his parents and siblings. He and his family have a friendship with the 73-year-old son of (the real) [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m] [name_m]Smith[/name_m] because JT believed him and helped him reveal the truth to the family when no one believed [name_m]Scott[/name_m] was a lifetime deceiver. He is also forming a cute bond with his great-uncle [name_m]Forrest[/name_m], JT’s only family ally and fellow gay community member. He, his brother, and adoptive sisters are often seen together enjoying their time as a family, making JT happy that this generation is much better than her own and feels she is making the world a better place than when she came to it. [name_m]Bryant[/name_m] still needs lots of supervision but it gives him a good bond with his mothers and siblings.

[kitkatcookie]

tw: past childhood neglect

[name_f]Lydia[/name_f] [name_u]Marie[/name_u] [Anderson] Capeson (43) is JT’s wife and Bryant’s mama. The family surname was actually created by JT and [name_f]Lydia[/name_f] combining their maiden names - [name_u]Anderson[/name_u] and Capely - due to them wanting to avoid a stuffier, double barrel name. This was influenced by the fact [name_f]Lydia[/name_f] grew up in a low income household - largely getting by due to benefits, which increased after her parents separation - and she faced a lot of bullying, on account of never having many material possessions, and appearing unkempt as her parents were both prone to neglectful behaviour. [name_f]Lydia[/name_f] herself now works as a counsellor who specialises in gambling addiction, as her understanding of financial stress, trauma and ruin gives her a great deal of empathy towards those she works with - combined with insight into further repercussions for their loved one’s.

Her job means Lydia’s the stay-at-home parent, but she’s more than happy with this lot; loving to be with her family and ensuring they’re alright. Organisation is something she’s always been good at - even with two teenage daughters who’s schedules are fluid and hectic - with an infamously even temperament that’s hard to ruffle. She and JT met through a mutual friend while at university, who figured they’d click thanks to their difficult upbringings, however what started as a platonic bond developed into romance by the time [name_f]Lydia[/name_f] was graduating (being the year below her wife). [name_f]Lydia[/name_f] often acts as JT’s main confidante and source of advice, usually in regards to the stresses of her work. The [name_m]Smith[/name_m] family situation though managed to shock even the pragmatic [name_f]Lydia[/name_f], who often dreamed of running away as a child herself - to escape being ignored at home and mocked at school - but the lengths [name_u]Scott[/name_u] [name_u]Regan[/name_u] went to shook her to her core.

[I_meme_it]

[name_f]Xènia[/name_f] ’ [name_u]Shaya[/name_u] ’ [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f] [Jenkins] Capeson (18) is the eldest of [name_f]Lydia[/name_f] and JT’s children. Alongside sharing her mum’s love of vinyls, Shaya’s absolutely dedicated to music of all kinds. She plays bass guitar in her friend’s nu metal band - Eumenides - and is a trained singer as well, serving as the main backup/accompanying vocalist with her lovely, mezzo soprano voice; being completely devoted to all elements of the alternative music scene. [name_u]Shaya[/name_u] was born to a teenage mother who chose to give her up for adoption prior to giving birth: a decision JT and [name_f]Lydia[/name_f] suspect was enforced by the young woman’s parents, however details on them have proved unsurprisingly difficult to uncover - and [name_u]Shaya[/name_u] herself has always been open about not really wanting to explore her past, as she has a feeling it’ll only end in rejection and upset.

Although she has an element of cynicism about her - helped by a very sarcastic way of treating things - [name_u]Shaya[/name_u] isn’t as doom-and-gloom as a lot of people think. She’s a talented geography student with interests in environmental causes and also volunteers on weekends at a local animal shelter, having a particular affinity for cats - which may explain how the family pet, [name_m]Bas[/name_m], ended up being adopted when she was 14. Before being adopted by her mothers’ when she was 6, [name_u]Shaya[/name_u] lived with a foster family: the [name_m]Jenkins[/name_m] - whose surname she took on. She still maintains a close relationship with them even now, seeing them as her aunt and uncle, and is good friends with their biological daughter, who’s only 5 months her senior.

[CherryBomb50]

[name_f]Akiko[/name_f] [name_f]Dae[/name_f] [Yamaguchi] Capeson (17) is Shaya’s adoptive sister and the younger adoptive daughter. She was also the biological daughter of teenage parents but they are more open to contacting her, to Akiko’s delight but sometimes it makes [name_f]Akiko[/name_f] pity [name_u]Shaya[/name_u] more because [name_u]Shaya[/name_u] doesn’t have the same privileges. [name_f]Akiko[/name_f] loves the family cat but knows [name_m]Bas[/name_m] is closer with [name_u]Shaya[/name_u], which she doesn’t mind and knows in life you have to give and take and she loves her sister’s sweet love and care for the cat, which she adores. [name_f]Akiko[/name_f] isn’t a stranger to resenting people who seem more privileged than her because she has a classmate in many of her classes who isn’t a bad person, and she doesn’t hate but she somewhat dislikes because her classmate has always had successful parents and is always so perfect in school and is better at everything [name_f]Akiko[/name_f] loves, making [name_f]Akiko[/name_f] secretly resent her. [name_f]Akiko[/name_f] is a talented indie artist but doesn’t want to show her creations to this classmate because she feels said classmate would do better at her at that too and she doesn’t want her biggest hobby to feel ruined.

[name_f]Akiko[/name_f] is close with all her siblings but knows very little about the Jenkins, who used to foster her sister. [name_f]Akiko[/name_f] is a very curious person who likes to learn more about people as long as they’re not the “perfectly-perfect” type. She, [name_m]Bryant[/name_m], and her other brother often spend a lot of time with each other after [name_f]Akiko[/name_f] goes home from school every day.