[name_u]Willow[/name_u] [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f] Market (13) is the daughter of [name_u]Elison[/name_u] Market, and [name_f]Julianna[/name_f] and Athena’s aforementioned niece. She’s bullied often at school, for her ASD, and her youthful appearance- she’s 13 but is often mistaken for being 10, which she hates. [name_u]Willow[/name_u] hates herself, and often makes statements like ”I wish I were never born,” which breaks Elison’s heart- all he ever wanted was to see her happy and making friends. But that’s hard for [name_u]Willow[/name_u]- her only friends are three girls in her grade, and even then she’s jealous of their more mature bodies and that they’re “perfect,” being neurotypical and all. [name_u]Elison[/name_u] reminds her that nobody is perfect but [name_u]Willow[/name_u] never listens to him. She’s often anxious and has anxiety attacks, and the only thing that’s I’ll calm her down is cuddling with her cat, [name_f]Belle[/name_f], and her unicorn onesie- she doesn’t care how immature it is, she will always love her unicorn onesie and keep it forever, saying she’ll save it for her daughter.
[name_u]Willow[/name_u] thinks she likes someone- she’s penpalling with a boy who is turning 14 soon and lives overseas. He’s kind, smart, funny and doesn’t bully her, but [name_u]Willow[/name_u] is scared to tell him how she feels, especially because she doesn’t want to ruin their friendship. He’s also interested in writing and art, two of Willow’s favorite things. But she is terrified to tell him, because this is her first crush, and she doesn’t want to ruin it!
She’s really close with her brother, and has told him about this- at first he teased [name_u]Willow[/name_u] but now he’s really supportive and encourages her to tell him before it’s too late. But [name_u]Willow[/name_u] has other things on her mind- school. It’s starting up soon and [name_u]Willow[/name_u] has had a full on panic attack related to school because she doesn’t want to see any bullies again…
tw: panic attack mentions - uncensored but not graphic
Dr. [name_f]Alice[/name_f] [name_f]Olivia[/name_f] [Davison] Market (37) is Willow’s mother and Elison’s wife. A zoologist who specialises in reptiles - specifically alligators and crocodiles - [name_f]Alice[/name_f] knows what it’s like to be shunned in social environments, due to being outside the norm. She was often asked why she wasn’t interested in ‘cuter/softer’ animals throughout high school, the impression typically being her gender should dictate this, and subsequently it breaks her heart to see how much shame [name_u]Willow[/name_u] experiences.
Due to her own experiences, she has been able to talk to her daughter about what she’s going through but doesn’t want to repeat the same mantra about not comparing yourself to others, and instead focuses on everything Willow’s friends clearly find impressive about her: such as her knowledge of art and bravery in starting the penpal friendship. She appreciates how the other girls genuinely care for her daughter and doesn’t want to see [name_u]Willow[/name_u] isolated, but at the same time doesn’t want to cross any boundaries in her eldest child’s life. Because of the panic attacks though - something [name_f]Alice[/name_f] herself has had on a few occasions, although her’s usually were exam related as she’ll admit to having a lot of academic insecurity and stress - she has been talking to [name_u]Willow[/name_u] about accessing counselling, and if her daughter wanted to move schools, [name_f]Alice[/name_f] would faciliate this entirely. She’s thankful Elison’s always willing to talk to her about these things, as when she was younger, [name_f]Alice[/name_f] often feared about being with someone who left all childcare decisions solely in her hands.
Her son has inherited her passion and is always asking her questions about the animals she works with - having clearly assigned them personalities based on his mom’s descriptions. If he wants to follow in her footsteps exactly, [name_f]Alice[/name_f] has made it clear she’ll support him, but also appreciates he might become more interested in another field once he’s older and whatever he chooses, she’ll be there for him - the same reasoning applying to [name_u]Willow[/name_u]. Having worked a lot of customer service jobs in her youth is why [name_f]Alice[/name_f] has become adept at handling pressure and people’s frustrations so well, albeit a bit unwillingly on her end. It’s also how she met [name_u]Elison[/name_u], as while working at an aquarium gift shop he was the only person to strike up a genuine conversation with her about the animals after a particularly boring shift, and it culminated in her giving him her number. The rest, as they say, is history.
[name_u]Connor[/name_u] [name_m]Drake[/name_m] Market (7) is the son of [name_f]Alice[/name_f] and [name_u]Elison[/name_u] and younger brother of [name_u]Willow[/name_u]. He’s a huge reptile fan and wants to be “just like his mother” when he grows up. He is a fan of [name_m]Steve[/name_m] [name_m]Irwin[/name_m] and the [name_m]Irwin[/name_m] family, despite [name_m]Steve[/name_m] dying before he was born. He also feels the same about [name_m]Bob[/name_m] [name_m]Ross[/name_m] and Mr. [name_m]Rogers[/name_m] and loves idolising wholesome people and likes to be a wholesome person himself. He doesn’t have a cat but lives vicariously through his friend’s cats and loves them. He doesn’t have an alligator or crocodile either and neither do his friends, but he loves them anyway even though he’s completely aware that alligators and crocodiles cannot be pets as told by his parents. He has lots of animal-loving friends but his closest pal is actually one of his paternal cousins, the son of [name_f]Julianna[/name_f] and [name_f]Athena[/name_f] and both he and his cousin know of Willow’s growing crush. He’s close with [name_u]Willow[/name_u] and definitely sees her as more mature than him and knows about the guy she likes, whereas [name_u]Connor[/name_u] isn’t falling for anyone, but he wants her to go after him and “live happily ever after”.
[name_f]Delilah[/name_f] [name_u]Elison[/name_u] “ [name_f]Lilah[/name_f] “ and [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] [name_u]Rhett[/name_u] “ [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] “ [name_m]Stavros[/name_m] (5) are twin sisters and the daughters of [name_f]Julianna[/name_f] Market and [name_f]Athena[/name_f] [name_m]Stavros[/name_m], the aforementioned basketball player. The twins were middle names after their biological father and uncle, [name_u]Elison[/name_u] [name_u]Rhett[/name_u]- while he was the donor involved in the IVF situation, the twins see him as an uncle. [name_f]Athena[/name_f] thinks [name_f]Lilah[/name_f] might have inherited her ADHD- while [name_f]Athena[/name_f] wouldn’t wish her condition on anyone, she’s glad her daughter will have her to talk to if she does end up having ADHD. If she doesn’t, of course, that’s also okay, and [name_f]Athena[/name_f] will still love and support her.
[name_f]Lilah[/name_f] and [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] just recently started kindergarten- both [name_f]Athena[/name_f] and [name_f]Julianna[/name_f] cried when they watched the twins walk through the school doors in their backpacks and back-to-school outfits- [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] wore a [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f] dress with cat prints on it- [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] loves cats and [name_f]Athena[/name_f] even bought [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] a grey tabby cat, named [name_u]Brooke[/name_u]. [name_f]Athena[/name_f] and [name_f]Julianna[/name_f] have no clue why [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] named her [name_u]Brooke[/name_u]- Poppy’s school librarian is named [name_u]Brooke[/name_u], though, and [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] is especially close with [name_u]Brooke[/name_u] and says she’s the “only teacher she actually likes,” which [name_f]Athena[/name_f] thinks might have something to do with it. [name_f]Lilah[/name_f] decided to wear a flouncy orange dress, as orange is her favourite color.
Both twins adore their big brother, who they think is the nicest, but [name_f]Lilah[/name_f] is a bit closer with him- the two will often go outside for hours and look for bugs, and keep them in a jar- but they’ll let them go later as both of them really care about animals and would hate it if the lightning bugs ‘got sick’ in the jar. They also love hanging out with [name_u]Willow[/name_u] and [name_u]Connor[/name_u]- especially [name_f]Poppy[/name_f], who looks up to [name_u]Willow[/name_u] and thinks she’s “the coolest.”
[name_u]Oleander[/name_u] [name_u]Eliott[/name_u] [name_m]Stavros[/name_m] (8) is [name_f]Lilah[/name_f] and Poppy‘s older brother. He’s a grade up from his cousin [name_u]Connor[/name_u] and his friends like to hang out with Connor’s friends too. He and [name_f]Lilah[/name_f] love bugs and find them very fascinating. They have a pet caterpillar who just recently became a butterfly. His favourite bugs are lightning bugs and he cares about them so much. [name_u]Oleander[/name_u] loves summer the best and enjoys summer acitivities but he enjoys autumn a lot too. [name_u]Oleander[/name_u] is also on great terms with [name_f]Athena[/name_f] and is on a boys’ basketball team at the rec centre near his school. The teammate he gets along with most is the son of Athena’s sister but all of his teammates are super close to him.
[name_f]Marissa[/name_f] Suranne Kenlloyd (23) is the teaching assistant for Oleander’s class, who the boy’s declared to be his favourite staff member, much to the amusement and endearment of the young woman. Teaching wasn’t always what [name_f]Marissa[/name_f] always envisioned herself doing - she was absolutely mad about dance growing up, especially the contemporary forms which suited how she saw it as a perfect means of self-expression - but it ultimately appealed to her once she was in middle school and started to worry about not making it as a professional dancer. Competitiveness has never been Marissa’s strongest suit, something she knows is needed for success in a very demanding environment, and she didn’t want to kill her love of dancing because she lacks the need to win some of her peers possess. As well as her work in schools, being mostly interested in continuing in primary education, [name_f]Marissa[/name_f] teaches dance at the studio she grew up attending [granted the management has changed since then], and is beloved there for how she’s encouraging but never demands anything of her students; instead wanting their drive to come from sincere love of dancing and not some expectancy she witnessed a lot of her friends being forced to endure.
Helicopter parenting is something Marissa’s grown talented at picking out, and her best friend was subjected to it terribly when they were growing up, worsened by how comparatively, [name_f]Marissa[/name_f] was given a lot of freedom’s by her dad. He was a single parent following the sudden passing of her mother - who had battled cancer since [name_f]Marissa[/name_f] was only 3, passing away six years later - and only remarried a couple years ago, having spent most of his life dedicated to raising his two children. While her brother was a little apprehensive, having always been more affected by the loss of their mom thanks to being younger and not having the clear memories [name_f]Marissa[/name_f] was comforted by; she accepted their dad’s decision to get back into dating readily, although she was careful to voice if she felt someone wasn’t right for him. Usually it would be a case of rushing and - given the weight of marrying a man with two children - [name_f]Marissa[/name_f] didn’t want to see him getting talked into committing for someone who didn’t treat him with the kindness and understanding he deserved.
Currently she lives with her best friend - who finally was able to get some independence when her uncle gave her a car for her 17th birthday - and their two dogs, one bought into the house by each roommate. Marissa’s had her three-legged sheepdog, [name_f]Betsy[/name_f], since she started her teaching degree, having got her as a graduation present from her dad and brother; which absolutely delighted her, and her calming presence helps ensure the dogs aren’t too crazy if the girls both have to pop out for work or to see others. It’s only a 20 minute walk for [name_f]Marissa[/name_f] to visit her dad and stepmom, which she takes frequently to make sure they’re doing alright, and typically is the person to keep an eye on her brother if he’s housesitting [organisation has always been her strong suite, while he prefers chaos that makes sense to him alone]. She’s 99% certain her students want to play matchmaker thanks to her single status, and frequently jokes with the other teachers that her bisexuality means setting her up should be much easier for them - not that she’s entirely sure she’d accept whatever date proposition the kids have cooked up, as she isn’t particularly fond of going the park.
[name_u]Monroe[/name_u] [name_u]Bennett[/name_u] Kenlloyd (49) is the single father of [name_f]Marissa[/name_f] and widower to his late wife. Compared to his sister who was more open with dating, [name_u]Monroe[/name_u] used to never want to date unless it was “the one”. He had friends who often dated people in relationships that didn’t last and he didn’t want to be that person with several exes who were never meant to be. It wasn’t until his sister told him that although his view is understandable, he’d never find “the one” if he didn’t date. [name_u]Monroe[/name_u] was apprehensive but he agreed his sister had a point and his sister made it easier for him by introducing him to a woman she felt he would be great for. That woman would eventually become Monroe’s wife and mother to [name_f]Marissa[/name_f] and her brother.
When his wife passed away from a tough but courageous battle with cancer, [name_u]Monroe[/name_u] couldn’t help but regress into the person he was before. His sister let him be this time, knowing he didn’t deserve to be pushed into a relationship, let alone another marriage, when he was far from ready. [name_u]Monroe[/name_u] is a father and his late wife was a mother so to get back into dating so quickly would be a dishonour to him but also to them and especially to her. [name_u]Monroe[/name_u] found single parenting a huge hardship since this wasn’t by choice. He met a kind woman who worked as a grief counsellor and had lots of therapy from her. It wasn’t something he got past overnight and it’s still not something he’s gotten past, but little by little, he was feeling better and happier. He’s become someone who celebrates life more and from it, he’s decided to pursue his dream of writing and illustrating children‘s books.
As of now, [name_u]Monroe[/name_u] has since remarried to the grief counsellor who guided him through the loss of his first wife. [name_u]Monroe[/name_u] is successful now as an author and enjoys even more that [name_f]Marissa[/name_f] has a job with kids too. [name_f]Marissa[/name_f] has taken the books to Oleander’s classroom and the teacher loves the books and has all of them in her classroom. His best friend is the uncle of Marissa’s best friend and he gets along with that family as well. [name_u]Monroe[/name_u] is additionally very grateful for his sister and considers her a true inspirational sibling. He still misses his first wife and remembers the charm she brought him and he couldn’t be happier their paths crossed in life.
[name_f]Amora[/name_f] [name_f]Katherine[/name_f] Hazenbeck (32) is Monroe’s sister-in-law, being the paternal half-sibling of his current wife. She’s one of three children born to the same man, all to different mothers, and they all go by their maternal surnames, having made contact with one another when they were older, [name_f]Amora[/name_f] being 17 at the time of this contact occurring. Working as an autobiographer, she’s talked to [name_f]Marissa[/name_f] on several occasions about documenting people’s lives, as her students are very interesting in storytelling and she wants to try something more unusal for them to provide some extra interest among the class. A little ironically, many people have suggested [name_f]Amora[/name_f] herself should write her life story - given the unusual nature of her father and how he bounced between states, jobs and women with very little stability or interest in settling down - but she refuses to thanks to how she feels her mother could be perceived, having been berated unfairly by several then-friends for her involvement with a highly charismatic man who easily found romantic partners when he was looking for them. [name_f]Amora[/name_f] herself is a very introverted person who’s happiest at home, where she dotes upon her pet dog - a tiny mixed breed named Papaya who she’s owned since she was 24 - and enjoys tending to her vegetable garden or making her own smoothies, juice and banana bread, very much preferring a quieter lifestyle.
While she has a long-term girlfriend, the couple currently aren’t living together permanently as Amora’s partner works as a news correspondent, travelling frequently and owning her own apartment in [name_u]New[/name_u] [name_u]York[/name_u] where she can return with more ease between assignments. The two met while studying for their masters degrees in [name_f]English[/name_f] Literature, becoming inseparable quickly thanks to a shared love of old B-Movies and going for long walks without needing to endlessly talk to feel strongly connected. Alongside her domestic pastimes, Amora’s fond of mountain hiking when she gets an opportunity, as well as collecting knitted clothing [she isn’t able to sew or crochet anything herself, annoying as it is to her]. Once Amora’s girlfriend’s able to make her schedule less hectic, they want to start a family of their own, partly inspired by how well they get along with Monroe’s children, as well as the twins born to Amora’s brother [granted that pair are much more energetic and wild in how they behave, being only 9 years old currently]. Amora’s also ensured she still lives close to her mother, who she absolutely adores and shares a profound bond with all these years on; admitting she has more of an unforgiving streak when it comes to those who judged and made unfair opinions about her based on a relationship with a deadbeat.
(tw: uncensored classism and biphobia)
[name_f]Elvira[/name_f] Xiening Hwang (32) is [name_f]Amora[/name_f] 's girlfriend and an [name_f]English[/name_f] literature major. Being a news correspondent was never her end goal , as she has always wanted to become an author but has so far been unsuccesful in publishing her fiction work - which inspired her to write non-ficition based on a certain reporting from one of her collagues - a journalist who has spent over 6 months absolutely vanishing from social media and the internet in order to work in retail jobs and other jobs with low wages. The collague wanted to share her experience working hard physical labour while cleaning , ineterracting with customers , stocking shelves and doing other work where people get treated badly all the time because of class-based prejudice and even just general rudness of society at large. The reporting on TV was a huge hit and [name_f]Elvira[/name_f] ‘s collague believes that writing their non-fiction book will make people behave more kindly to retail workers , janitors and the like. It’s quite important for both [name_f]Elvira[/name_f] and her collague - the latter is a second-generation immigrant from Honduras whose mother escaped poverty by moving in with her aunt living in the US after her husband’s death. [name_f]Elvira[/name_f] on the other hand grew up in a household where classism was commonplace and even ruined one of her first relationships - she was forced to stop seeing a boyfriend in high school after her father discovered that he lives in a part of the neighbourhood which was lower-middle-class. Eventually [name_f]Elvira[/name_f] broke free from her parents’ grip on her life by reconnecting with that ex and telling him about the fact she was bisexual - he prompted her to tell her parents which led to the paternal side of the family cutting her off. She still has a good relationship with her mother and younger brother , whose family supports their mother in going through separation and divorce.
[name_f]Elvira[/name_f] often finds herself feeling inadequate next to her girlfriend - [name_f]Amora[/name_f] 's talent in cooking and sewing makes her feel like she’s not good enough of a homemaker and fails at pulling her weight - even if she quite enjoys cleaning the house , especially when playing music and avoiding her actual job is involved - she’s a serious procrastinator and tends to compensate for that fact by writing at night - [name_f]Amora[/name_f] often jokes that their future child should have the middle name [name_u]Owl[/name_u] to honor her. She loves her young nephew from her brother’s side and her infant niece - who have similarly hippie middle names. She wishes she had more time to visit them in [name_u]New[/name_u] [name_u]Jersey[/name_u] but she swore to her collague that she’ll only slow down with her work schedule once their non-fiction book gets published.
Olympia Frances Bradbourne (31) is Elvira’s close friend and continuous source of emotional support. A single mother to a 5-year-old son, the women became friends thanks to Olympia working as a hair stylist and makeup artist, who’s responsible for getting the reporters presentable for their TV spots. However it was the manner in which Elvira treated everyone with the same kindness, respect and dignity that led to Olympia extending an offer for them to grab a coffee after work one day, as it was assuring, given her nerves at entering the industry (especially as a WOC with a young son, who’s dad was out the picture).
While she left the door open to contact for the first few years since they broke up - Olympia now reflects on the continuous immaturity of her sons’ father, a man who refused to take adult responsibilities seriously - that has now been almost entirely shut, as she doesn’t want to cause him distress. She feels her ex would be inconsistent in making contact, insensitive to their child’s needs, and prone to putting new relationships first. He has a new girlfriend but thankfully isn’t planning on having any kids with her, and the woman in question isn’t a parent, a relief for Olympia currently, but if things change, she knows she’s going to have to have a difficult conversation with the couple.
Olympia’s son absolutely rejoices every time he sees Papaya and Amora is more than happy to let the little boy accompany her on walks, if it means Elvira and Olympia have a while to chat, with his mother getting a break from parenting. She understands Elvira’s insecurities, as her own cousin - Kayra - has struggled with imposter syndrome and feeling not good enough since shattering her ankle. When her cousin was accused of toxic behaviour, Olympia reached out to sort the matter, and found such an accusation to be overzealous (to put it politely). Kayra is harder on herself than anyone around her, and she encouraged her cousin to take some time off the court, where she’d be subject to less unfair branding.
Frustrations are no stranger to Olympia - her ex has given her a sharp learning curve regarding this - but she’s always firm about honesty and not exaggerating things in the heat of a moment. She is understanding that emotions - especially stress - can make people more reactive, and has done her best to ensure her cousin isn’t too hard on herself going forwards either.
PearlineFlora “Pearl” Wellesley (25) is Olympia’s half sister. The women share a mother but have different fathers. Despite this and the age difference, they have always communicated well and have even been quite close. In fact, Pearl has always admired her older sister’s kindness, moral strength and wisdom.
Pearl works as a high school literature teacher. Her memories of college are still fresh in her mind, when she was able to combine her excellent studies and part-time job with fun parties and socialising. It was on one of these nights that she met her fiancé-to-be, with whom she had recently decided to move in together. They have been talking about it for a while but, however, it was circumstances that forced them to hurry up: a few weeks ago Pearl discovered that she is pregnant. The prospect of motherhood both frightens and delights her. She understands the challenges she will face, but at the same time she is greatly encouraged by Olympia, who is more than capable of handling such a demanding job.
Thanks to her older sister, Pearl met Elvira, with whom they share a passion for literature. Pearl had to work in the service industry when she was a student, and she understands how hard it can be. So she wholeheartedly supports the message Elvira wants to get across through her book. Pearl herself writes poems and publishes them on her blog, hoping one day to publish a collection. She also enjoys photography and crafts, which she often posts on her Instagram.
Nanami " Nana " Hanazawa (19) is one of Pearl’s former students - one of her best she’ll jokingly tell you, as she’s gone onto study literature herself. When she first joined Pearl’s class you couldn’t get two words out of Nanami: she got on with her work, always handed in assignments on time, but had no friends in the class and never felt comfortable approaching anyone thanks to her anxiety. For Nana, she only felt comfortable opening up to her specific group - who understood her diagnosis and never were unkind where mental health matters were concerned - so the placement was hellish for her initially, not wanting to speak to anyone nor really feeling able to. Pearl managed to improve things by rearranging the seating plan so Nana and another student - who’d only just come to the school, having moved from New Orleans in the summer - were sat together, leading to a friendship developing as they were both socially isolated compared to the tight knit groups existing around them. The pair are actually now roommates in their second year of college and Nana introduced them to the group she belonged to, being the first to know when they came out as nonbinary, shortly before their seventeenth birthday.
Outside of her avid approach to reading and listening to audio books, Nana’s a figure skater, who started lessons when she was six at the recommendation of her aunt. Her older sister’s an incredible gymnast - who’s actually competed on an Olympic level - and Nana avoided this like the plague as she didn’t want to be ultimately compared to her as the weaker performer; so her parents managed to find an alternate activity which she absolutely adores. Nana also enjoys candle making and baking - the latter of which primarily revolves around Japanese cuisine, having been taught to her by her mom. She runs a small bakery and cafe specialising in East Asian food - co-owned by her Korean-American close friend - while Nana’s dad is ‘professionally boring’ [as the family joke]; being a data analyst for a technology firm, however he supplements this with his large array of dad jokes - a horror if you ask Nana, her sister or younger brother, who’s just started high school.
Nana’s boyfriend, Fitz, has a younger sister who’s biracial, her biological mother being Japanese-American, and she has been introducing the little girl to this cultural heritage, with permission from the family of course. It’s very endearing to Fitz given Poppy - his sister - was a bit affronted to lose her brothers’ time to this new woman; however he just laughed it off and assured her it wouldn’t change their ice cream trips [and Poppy has now allowed Nana to come with, although she doesn’t always as she knows it’s important the siblings have time just to themselves without her also present]. The two met through her mom’s close friend’s son, Jasper, who just so happens to be Fitz’s best friend. He actually works at another bakery - and yes, every traitor and turncoat joke imaginable has been made by everyone across the families and businesses - which is POC owned as well, and within the local community, there’s a lot of support across the varying ventures, opposed to petty rivalries. Nana’s also aware of Jasper having a crush on someone he works with but she and Fitz haven’t figured out who it is yet, something they’re furiously attempting to decipher between themselves. Their shared love of mysteries is what bought them together in the first place - both belonging to a college based forum for amateur sleuths - although they’re working hard to not let Jasper know they’ve let on…
[name_u]Lauren[/name_u] [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] [name_u]Palmer[/name_u] (21) is one of Nana’s classmates in college. She is an NFL cheerleader, and is currently studying nursing. She has been with her boyfriend since high school, and she had her daughter when she was 16, and her son when she was 19. Her kids are now 5 and 2. [name_m]Little[/name_m] does she know, she and her boyfriend are about to get engaged…
[name_f]Katarine[/name_f] [name_f]Aya[/name_f] [name_m]Fuji[/name_m] (20) is a fellow NFL cheerleader of [name_u]Lauren[/name_u] and fellow literature student with [name_u]Nana[/name_u]. [name_f]Katarine[/name_f] also enjoys gymnastics and breakdancing, because like cheerleading, they also have opportunities to make stellar stunts. [name_f]Katarine[/name_f] has always been an active person and loves having such a flexible body. She’s also a Japanese biracial, her other half is Maori, and both her parents emigrated before she was born. [name_f]Katarine[/name_f] has a secret, she has a crush on Nana’s non-binary roommate but she hasn’t come out as pansexual yet, so having this crush seems quite surprising. She feels people assume she’s straight given her cheerleading career and that she’s going to “date some hunky guy”. She wouldn’t mind dating a male but jocks are not really her type. She hasn’t really thought about “types” until her crush on Nana’s roommate and she definitely loves a lot about them.
She and [name_u]Lauren[/name_u] have much different personalities but they’ve gotten along well on the team. She has helped [name_u]Lauren[/name_u] a lot throughout raising her children despite [name_u]Lauren[/name_u] having children as a teenager and [name_f]Katarine[/name_f] actually still being a virgin. Katarine’s basically caught on that Lauren’s boyfriend wants to propose to [name_u]Lauren[/name_u] but obviously she won’t tell. She just seems to find certain people to be an open book. [name_f]Katarine[/name_f] feels she is a harder read than she wants to be and she’s thanked [name_u]Nana[/name_u] and [name_u]Jasper[/name_u] for being so understanding of her. She’s been bonding as their friend recently but she’s the type to feel awkward asking people to be her friend. If someone calls [name_f]Katarine[/name_f] a friend, it makes her very happy and she will do whatever she can to keep that friendship. Despite her nerves, she’s never afraid to be proud of her Maori and Japanese roots and her life being biracial.
[name_f]Seraphine[/name_f] [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f] DuWitt (5) is Lauren’s daughter, who greatly admires [name_f]Katarine[/name_f], calling her ‘Kat’ affectionately [which only [name_f]Seraphine[/name_f] is allowed to do]. Almost everyone points out how strongly [name_f]Seraphine[/name_f] looks after her father, something else the little girl takes a great deal of pride in: her dad’s a firefighter after all, and she’ll tell absolutely anyone who’ll listen about how impressed she is by what he does. Although she doesn’t quite want to follow in his footsteps, [name_f]Seraphine[/name_f] has been inspired by her mom to consider medicine, possibly midwifery, as she absolutely fawned over her little brother when he was born, and she’s even asked if her parents will have another child, as baby’s never phase her. Thankfully for [name_u]Lauren[/name_u], her older brother and his wife have just announced they’re expecting, which [name_f]Seraphine[/name_f] was delighted to learn of. She’s even created a card for them in congratulations, and can’t wait to meet her little cousin, although her brother’s less enthusiastic about losing his status as youngest grandchild. Now at school, Seraphine’s engaging and confident nature have allowed her to make lots of friends - however she’s kept her closest friend who she met thanks to their mom’s being dear friends who met while pregnant, both being teen mom’s. Her boldness means [name_f]Seraphine[/name_f] won’t let anyone speak poorly of her mother, and although her parents are trying to dissuade her from getting into trouble through arguments - in spite of appreciating how she loves them so fiercely.
Rhysiart " [name_u]Rhys[/name_u] " [name_u]Gabriel[/name_u] DuWitt (2) is Seraphine’s little brother and the younger child of [name_u]Lauren[/name_u]. Unlike his big sister, [name_u]Rhys[/name_u] is a very shy child, almost always hiding behind his outspoken big sister, and even in the company of family he’s pretty quiet. This doesn’t stop [name_u]Rhys[/name_u] from absolutely adoring them though: he’s always super affectionate with his parents and sister, wanting to cuddle with them and show them his latest drawings or paintings. He’s a very creative kid for how he doesn’t speak up much, and his artistic expressions are probably the best insight into him and his interests: namely dinosaurs and astronauts!
[name_u]Patrice[/name_u] [name_f]Caroline[/name_f] [Forrester] DuWitt (55) is [name_u]Rhys[/name_u] and Seraphine’s paternal grandma and unofficial mother-in-law of [name_u]Lauren[/name_u]. Currently the headmistress of a small high school specifically founded for helping teens struggling in mainstream education, [name_u]Patrice[/name_u] started her career as a child psychologist and began specialising in education thanks to finding children struggling there specifically were overlooked. Technically she is a doctor but really doesn’t like mentioning this, as she feels it can come across as boastful or somehow enforcing a competition, as her sister’s a professor and it can make the [name_m]Forrester[/name_m] sisters’ seem superficial to outsiders. Learning her middle son was expecting a child at just 16 was understandably a shock for [name_u]Patrice[/name_u] and her husband, never mind his brothers, but her pragmatic personality allowed her to adapt quickly to the changes. There was a bit of discord in the first few months: namely Lauren’s parents were furious with her boyfriend and attempted to forbid contact between the couple - something [name_u]Patrice[/name_u] ended up mediating, as while she understood their upset and fears, tearing apart the parents of her then-unborn granddaughter was only going to cause more pain in the long run.
Following Rhys’s’ birth, [name_u]Patrice[/name_u] weathered some more conflict, as her youngest son was upset with his brother for casting so many questions his way due to the pregnancy; including people asserting he’d also end up having a baby while still in high school. As it stands though, [name_f]Seraphine[/name_f] and [name_u]Rhys[/name_u] are her only grandchildren as of now: her youngest is preparing for college, wanting to become an oncologist and his driven personality always reminds [name_u]Patrice[/name_u] of her dear sister; while her eldest and his girlfriend have just purchased their first home together, a process slightly delayed as they found their feet post college. Her middle son and [name_u]Lauren[/name_u] live in a property owned by Patrice’s husband, which he bought with the intention of selling, however he felt their young family needed the space more. The DuWitt’s are quite wealthy, coming from a longstanding textiles industry, however [name_u]Patrice[/name_u] has worked to make her son’s value financial independence, while being clear she and their dad are happy to help if asked.
Outside of work and spending time with her grandkids - who she cherishes and spoils with games, stories and attention - [name_u]Patrice[/name_u] enjoys yoga, swimming and playing the guitar. She’s maintained a close bond with her own older sister and they get brunch once a fortnight together, where a mandatory life catchup is insisted on. Patrice’s sister doesn’t have kids and it’s something she respects, not letting anyone cast aspersions or make assumptions [and Seraphine’s been picking up on this too, leading to more impassioned defenses]. Their childhood wasn’t the easiest, due to their parents breaking and making up on a frequent basis, which is why [name_u]Patrice[/name_u] values transparency and communication so much. She and her husband are always open with one another, having met through a summer job at the most turbulant, disorganised café imaginable, and bonded while surviving the madness. With preparations for becoming empty nesters, they’ve just adopted a Dalmatian named Jingles, who their youngest son’s decided he’ll miss terribly already.
[name_f]Sadie[/name_f] [name_f]Nicole[/name_f] [name_u]Palmer[/name_u] (nee Oakley) [23] is an adjacent face in Patrice’s life as her daughter, [name_f]Marguerite[/name_f] ‘Mags’ [name_u]Rene[/name_u] Oakley[3], attends nursery school in the same district as Patrice’s school, and the two have made polite small chat at district wide school board meetings. She is also Lauren’s sister-in-law through her older brother and the auntie to [name_f]Seraphine[/name_f] and [name_u]Rhys[/name_u] who’s currently expecting another baby, much to [name_f]Seraphine[/name_f] and her step-cousin Mags’ excitement. She’s just passed fourteen weeks along and in her early second trimester, hence why she and her husband are now telling people about the baby, while the whole ‘wait until twelve weeks to tell others’ rule is now starting to fall out of fashion, Sadie’s a bit influenced by her past.
When she was twenty she found out she was pregnant by her boyfriend at the time. Their relationship was not very strong as they had only been seeing one another for a few months, the initial spark was now faded and the reality was setting in that they just weren’t very good for each other, though [name_f]Sadie[/name_f] wanted to keep the baby. She offered to raise them on her own or co-parent platonically but her boyfriend insisted that they stay together, but the presence of a baby on the way didn’t really help their faded romance. Mags’ father was often out of the house with his friends since he wanted to avoid the dull conversations between them, and [name_f]Sadie[/name_f] didn’t even really seem to mind.
When she was eleven weeks pregnant she began experiencing cramping while at her job, she’s a florist, and she attempted to call the emergency services but fainted in the process. A Good Samaritan called instead and she awoke in the ER where she remained for the next several hours. She kept trying to call her boyfriend but it continually went to voicemail and all her text messages were ignored. She was informed that she was potentially miscarrying but it was also possible that it was only a threatened miscarriage and needed to be kept for observation due to her fainting.
The entire day she was in the hospital she didn’t hear from him. When she was discharged she went home to their apartment and told him it was over, going off on him for ignoring her while she was possibly losing their baby. She quickly gathered her things and took off to her family’s house where she stayed until she found her own apartment. The near lose made her very anxious until she delivered. Her ex seemingly fell off the face of the earth by the time [name_f]Mags[/name_f] was born, hence why she gave her her own last name. Though things could be rough as she raised her daughter on her own, meeting Lauren’s brother was a much needed breath of fresh air and the two quickly fell for one another after meeting and ended up getting married after less than a year of dating. Though there was some worry after her earlier relationship, things felt different, more vibrant and beautiful with her now husband and their marriage has been rock solid. Better than things between her and Mags’ father ever were.
[name_f]Liliana[/name_f] ’ [name_f]Lil[/name_f] ’ [name_u]Marie[/name_u] Faulkis, nee Blanton (28) is Sadie’s former midwife, who she’s remained in contact with following Mags’ birth. Having encountered several cases of deadbeat fathers’ who proclaim an interest in their unborn children and promptly go AWOL, it never fails to disappoint [name_f]Lil[/name_f], even if she’s personally acquainted with this on a deeper level. Her father was such a person, and in cases such as Sadie’s, she’s been careful to inform the mothers’ there’s a chance said men could pop back up, as her dad periodically reentered the lives of [name_f]Lil[/name_f] and her brother (who’s her junior by only 11 months), only to prove himself just as self-interested and irresponsible as he’d been when their mother was pregnant.
This is what made [name_f]Lil[/name_f] determined to become a midwife, as she wanted to support others’ and see them and their families happy once a child was welcomed into the world. While some of her colleagues can see [name_f]Lil[/name_f] as a little cynical, she doesn’t lie to herself about the difficult parts of her job, and does her best to be honest with patients, loathing the idea of setting them up for failure or unhappiness by prioritising rose-tinted ideals in the moment. Besides, as she enjoys joking, if they think she’s a cynic they should meet her brother: he’s a comedian whose career is founded on overly emphasisied pessimism.
Given her own experiences, [name_f]Lil[/name_f] didn’t actually imagine she’d get married. She knew she wanted children, but presumed she’d either adopt or go through IVF single, something she was completely comfortable with. Her husband - who uses he/they pronouns - is an oncologist, and the couple met when he was on a brief placement at the hospital where she works. They had a back-and-forth established quickly, which led to them becoming borderline inseparable on break periods, and the rest - as they say - is history. For someone usually wry, Lil’s affection and softness is always on display around him, but her friends and colleagues teasing doesn’t phase her now. She’s pregnant for a second time, and learning she’s not expecting twins again - as was the case with her 3-year-old daughters - is a relief in all honesty.
(tw: uncensored classism and biphobia) 
