Neriss [name_f]Angela[/name_f] Guild (33) is Henry’s girlfriend, although no-one would mistake her as his soulmate. What began as a fun affair and sense of thrill to her has become a boring humdrum now she’s actually in a relationship with [name_u]Henry[/name_u], worsened by the fact she knows he’s loathed by the locals for how he treated his former wife. The only real reason she stays is because of their own children, but frequently confides in her younger sister about how badly she wants to leave. She knows her sister disapproves of how she acted- becoming involved with a notorious philanderer and having children with him - but still relies on her for emotional support, as they lost their own parents when they were young and came to depend on each other.
Working as a secretary for a veterinarian, her job provides merciful anonymity and keeps her away from the constant gossip. [name_m]Money[/name_m] can be tight too, thanks to [name_u]Henry[/name_u] having eight children: two with her, [name_f]Olwyn[/name_f] and her three siblings with his wife, and two more who were born before [name_f]Olwyn[/name_f] while he was running wild without a partner - and she can’t help but wonder how they cope with things. [name_f]Music[/name_f] is her main means of escapism, being a talented guitarist and vocalist who’d once dreamed of becoming professional but abandoned this as by her teens once cynicism set in. Her two small children are the center of her world and she loves them more than anything, hoping things turn out well for their sakes above all else.
[name_f]Branwen[/name_f] [name_f]Christina[/name_f] Guild (28) is Neriss’s sister and main source of solace, as well as an expectant mother herself. Working as a teacher and living with her architect boyfriend, she seems to have a charmed life compared to her sister’s dubious partner and constant uncertainties; but it wasn’t always this idealistic for her, and a lot of her desire to protect Neriss stems from this. From the age of 18-22, [name_f]Branwen[/name_f] was in an abusive relationship with a nightmare of a man named [name_m]Joel[/name_m], who subjected her to financial control and frequent verbal criticism stemming from his paranoid jealousy. It was her sister who helped her escape this awful situation - picking [name_f]Branwen[/name_f] up from the flat she shared with [name_m]Joel[/name_m] one morning, while he was still at work - and its subsequently hurt her to see Neriss settle with [name_u]Henry[/name_u], a man she entirely feels isn’t good enough considering his history of using and mistreating women. In spite of how little time she has for him, [name_f]Branwen[/name_f] tends to keep her mouth shut around [name_u]Henry[/name_u] to spare her sister and the children from conflict; mostly confiding in her own significant other about how much it frustrates her seeing Neriss feel trapped and unhappy. [name_f]Branwen[/name_f] still maintains contact with their social worker, [name_f]Deidre[/name_f], too; having come to view her as a secondary maternal figure after they lost their own mother, and has decided she will serve as the godmother to her unborn child - who’s gender remains a mystery.
She applies loyal kindness to her students, teaching Year 4, and will stick by them through thick and thin; doing her best to ensure lessons are inclusive for all parties, having ADD herself that means she’s especially understanding of those who struggle with concentration. Some consider [name_f]Branwen[/name_f] a bit flighty and hot tempered as she refuses to hold anything back, but her fierce loyalty to those she cares about balances out the more combative elements of her nature. Her first child is definitely her pet cat, a moggy named Apples, who she and her boyfriend adopted from a local shelter three years ago after moving in together officially. When she wants to relax, she enjoys listening to audiobooks and knitting - a habit she picked up from her nana, [name_f]Colleen[/name_f], who became the girls legal guardian after an extensive battle to prove she was well enough to look after them. The time she spent between care and returning to her nan was difficult for [name_f]Branwen[/name_f], who feels at her most content and peaceful when with her loved one’s; constantly testing the prospect of being separated from Neriss, which is why she refuses to jeopardise their relationship because of [name_u]Henry[/name_u].
[name_f]Jazmin[/name_f] [name_f]Allegra[/name_f] [name_m]Winters[/name_m] (28) went to high school with [name_f]Branwen[/name_f] and supported her when she was escaping her abusive relationship. She is a very fun and energetic person. She loves to get out and hang out with people doing a variety or activities including dancing, shopping, hiking, swimming, and bonfires. Although incredibly social she is single and lives alone with her german shepherd, [name_u]Willow[/name_u]. She takes [name_u]Willow[/name_u] out for walks and to the dog park. Her dog is her life right now. Her relationship with her father is nonexistent as he walked out on her and her mother when she was two. However she is close to her older sister, [name_f]Gianna[/name_f]. And was close to her mother, [name_f]Natalie[/name_f], before she passed away due to breast cancer. She is into Astrology and is an [name_u]Aries[/name_u], being born on [name_f]April[/name_f] 4. She works as a teacher like her friend and has always wanted children of her own and is excited to be a fun aunt for Branwen’s child and is a fun aunt to her sister’s kids, a boy and a girl.
This is [name_u]Coco[/name_u] [name_u]Zia[/name_u] [name_m]Winters[/name_m] (32), she has an estranged relationship with her younger sister [name_f]Jazmin[/name_f] after she had an affair with her boyfriend, and also Coco’s career of working in the goverment prevents her from looking after children long-term, and so when she gave birth to [name_f]Donna[/name_f] [name_f]Coralia[/name_f] [name_m]Winters[/name_m], she gave her up for adoption to a close friend of hers, so she at least knows the baby is in a good enviorment, her baby is now 6, and her and [name_f]Donna[/name_f] have a healthy relationship, but [name_f]Jazmin[/name_f] who dosen’t agree with adoption or abortion, was unhappy after she gave [name_f]Donna[/name_f] up. [name_f]Giana[/name_f] is 31, and the age gap between them is extremely close, seeing as they are only half-sisters, but [name_u]Coco[/name_u] and [name_f]Jazmin[/name_f] have the same Father, as he came back after [name_f]Gianna[/name_f] was born and is father to [name_u]Jaz[/name_u]. [name_u]Coco[/name_u] is engaged at the moment to her non-binary partner [name_u]Addison[/name_u], and they live in [name_m]Washington[/name_m] together with their three black cats, [name_f]Doe[/name_f], Fion and Cactus.
[name_f]Rhea[/name_f] [name_u]Blue[/name_u] Morall (33) is the best friend of Coco’s partner [name_u]Addison[/name_u], having known them since the pair were attending band camp together when they were just 14. Although their paths would differ - with [name_f]Rhea[/name_f] remaining involved in music while [name_u]Addison[/name_u] chose to pursue other dreams - this never dampened their closeness, acting as penpal’s due to living over an hour’s drive away from each other; and Rhea’s rural home provided a terrible reception for both internet and phone service, hence their more old fashioned means of communication. Now belonging to a successful punk/riotgrrl group - Mourning After - [name_f]Rhea[/name_f] frequently travels, but always makes sure to return home, to see her loved one’s and catch up on how they’re getting along.
Since she turned 18, [name_f]Rhea[/name_f] and her younger sister have been estranged from their parents, who were closed-minded, devout Baptists: threatening to disown their elder daughter when she came out, and still attempted to pressure her into entering a sham marriage over being her true self. Her sister has also subsequently broken away and she regularly stays with her when in the country, making sure to get her autographs and stories from those in the music scene who she’s interested in - as her sister’s always gone out of her way to help her. When not on tour, [name_f]Rhea[/name_f] enjoys going for long walks and spending time living anonymously, merely wanting to relax in her free time and eat as many pastries as humanly possible. As a vocalist, she can be a bit of a perfectionist: being proud of her husky, alto voice that’s known for its power.
[name_u]Aria[/name_u] [name_u]Indigo[/name_u] Morall (17) is Rhea’s youngest sister, and [name_u]Aria[/name_u] is still close with her two older sisters [name_f]Rhea[/name_f] and [name_f]Tessa[/name_f]. [name_f]Rhea[/name_f] dosen’t mention her much, because [name_u]Aria[/name_u] has the closest relationship with their parents, and is a Baptist, but only too please them, and does not wish to be a Baptist when she is older. She is hiding a huge secret, that she is pregnant with her long time boyfriend, none of her friends or family know. She wishes to study medicine and is afraid pregnancy will mess with her career and she will not be able to provide for the baby when it comes. She is considering the names [name_f]Anna[/name_f] [name_u]Louise[/name_u] for a girl and [name_m]Jacob[/name_m] McKenzie for a boy. She is quite popular when it comes to friends.
[name_m]Cayde[/name_m] [name_u]Elijah[/name_u] Allston (17) is Aria’s boyfriend and father of their unborn child. [name_u]An[/name_u] idealist but not always the most realistic of people, [name_m]Cayde[/name_m] feels the best solution to their worries about Aria’s parents is running away, perhaps to stay with her sister- [name_f]Thessaly[/name_f] “Tessa” Morall - or one of his cousins who live in Wisconsin. He feels guilty at the prospect of leaving his friends behind, hoping he’ll have a chance to tell them before the pair leave, but unlike his girlfriend, [name_m]Cayde[/name_m] has no pretenses when it comes to his parents. Having grown up witnessing them constantly fighting but refusing to divorce for financial reasons, [name_m]Cayde[/name_m] resents the neglect he was subjected to in the wake of this, worsened by the fact he overheard his father admitting he and his wife never wanted children. This has prompted him to swear he’ll be the best father to his unborn child possible, and he’s determined to keep this promise.
Unlike [name_u]Aria[/name_u] his naming tastes are a bit more unconventional: [name_f]Melita[/name_f] [name_f]Iris[/name_f] for a girl or [name_m]Django[/name_m] [name_m]Euan[/name_m] for a boy are his choices - but he’s hoping they can reach a compromise. [name_m]Cayde[/name_m] has been involved in modelling from a young age, and this is his basis for hoping to flee: having a good amount of savings and some contracts lined up elsewhere in the country. In spite of this, the problem is until he turns 18 his parents can dictate how he accesses the money, so as of now he feels he’s going stir crazy: waiting to finally gain independence and freedom. He worries about how [name_u]Aria[/name_u] will react to his grand plan though, as he knows she feels a greater pull of loyalty than him, and doesn’t want to see someone he loves torn apart by tough decisions - even if he knows he wants to be free of his unhappy homelife.
[name_u]Riley[/name_u] [name_f]Alice[/name_f] [name_m]Davenport[/name_m] (17) is Cayde’s ex-girlfriend and a former friend of Aria’s, who now looks upon the couple with nothing but contempt. In spite of being the one to end things with [name_m]Cayde[/name_m], she was furious when he began seeing [name_u]Aria[/name_u], feeling that they had no right to be together based on her friendship with the other girl - a reaction that shattered that relationship and split their friend group in two. In spite of her dislike of the pair, especially in the wake of their clear happiness together, [name_u]Riley[/name_u] tends to keep her distance and not give them any public grief - although she is by no means above gossiping with her group, or giving them a particular harsh side eye when seeing them together. A very astute young woman, [name_u]Riley[/name_u] has sensed a change in [name_u]Aria[/name_u] recently and is determined to figure out why, in a mixture of genuine curiosity and the remnants of ill-will; although she’s still investigating at this point and would be genuinely shocked if she had any idea pregnancy had caused this change in her unofficial nemesis. Thanks to how she handles her anger with subtlety, [name_u]Riley[/name_u] has managed to keep a good reputation in spite of her feelings - retaining her position as a member of the school council and a star member of the Textiles Club, where she regularly shows off her capabilities with a sewing machine, taking pride in her creations.
Unlike [name_m]Cayde[/name_m] and [name_u]Aria[/name_u], her home is defined by stability and happiness, in spite of it just being her mom and younger brother who she lives with. She thinks it’s better her dad left them thanks to his gambling addiction and the recklessness he treated the family finances with, leeching off his wife who’s a successful hair stylist - a trait [name_u]Riley[/name_u] cannot abide thanks to how much it wounded the woman she respects and idolises so much. While moody, she and her brother get along for the most part by keeping a distance - respecting one another’s space for the most part unless some transgression occurs (and she isn’t the kind of person people enjoy getting on the bad side of). She has a drivers license and borrows her mom’s car whenever possible, currently saving up from her babysitting jobs to purchase her own (even if it’s a total heap of junk). At weekends she often goes thrifting or buying fabric with her friends, an environment that helps her let go of her pent up feelings of rejection and dismissal at the hands of her ex. [name_u]Riley[/name_u] doesn’t want to dare right now as she knows she’s too insecure and reeling from what happened between [name_m]Cayde[/name_m] and [name_u]Aria[/name_u], but hopes one day she can find happiness again…and perhaps forgive the duo she’s felt so much resentment towards since the fateful day school gossip enlightened her to what had happened.
[name_f]Amira[/name_f] [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] Ahmed-Ebbing is Riley’s best friend, choosing to take her side when their friend group was split up. She lives with her muslim mother and her christian dad, which is really unusual in [name_m]Islam[/name_m], but her mother loved Amira’s dad, and decided that love should know no bounds. [name_f]Amira[/name_f] also lives with her three younger siblings, her sister closest in age, [name_u]Imani[/name_u], goes by [name_f]Nini[/name_f] now after becoming a [name_u]Christian[/name_u]. [name_f]Amira[/name_f] is a muslim but chooses not to wear the hijab. [name_f]Amira[/name_f] can be spiteful, but also lovely.
[name_f]Sojourner[/name_f] ‘Jojo’ [name_f]Claire[/name_f] DuPoint (17) is pretty much the only person who’s been able to maintain a friendship with both [name_u]Riley[/name_u] and [name_u]Aria[/name_u] following the friend group dividing over the dating situation. [name_f]Amira[/name_f] doesn’t necessarily approve of Jojo’s stance on things but the two prefer to not address this rather than fall into petty arguing, as the other girl understands why [name_u]Jojo[/name_u] is so staunch against embroiling herself in conflict. Having grown up in a home defined by her parents incredibly dysfunctional relationship - her dad struggling with alcoholism while her mom spent money compulsively, with financial strain inevitably leading to ugly and vicious rows - she abhors conflict thanks to how miserable this made her; now living with her paternal grandma, [name_f]Corinna[/name_f], alongside her 15-year-old sister and 11-year-old brother.
It’s common knowledge her upbringing was unhappy, but [name_u]Jojo[/name_u] would rather avoid pity and instead focus on making moves towards her dream of becoming a director, wanting to explore the stories of WOC through a multitude of genres. Her granny is very supportive of her dreams and in return she goes out of her way to help out around the house, driving her siblings to and from school as well as cooking dinner at least twice a week to put less pressure on her. With her friends she’s always a calming presence who’ll listen and try to understand a whole manner of perspectives, which is why she understands and empathises with both [name_u]Aria[/name_u] and [name_u]Riley[/name_u] given the [name_m]Cayde[/name_m] situation - not even holding anything against him, as she understands emotions are complex. She’s queer herself and has been with her girlfriend for just over a year, although things between them are blissfully much more lowkey and smooth.
[name_f]Corinna[/name_f] [name_f]Berniece[/name_f] Dupoint (80) is “Jojo”'s paternal grandmother. [name_f]Corinna[/name_f] was very disappointed to see her son suffer with alcoholism and tried to help him get treatment but eventually decided to take her grandchildren in to protect them from the fighting in the home. She still hopes that her son will get help and be able to become the boy that she raised. Despite her age she gets as involved as she can with grandchildren’s activities and to keep up with their interests. She is a retired nurse and widow who lives a mostly quite life now but when she was young she used to get up to wild shenanigans with her girlfriends many of whom she is still friends with. She is very appreciative of JoJo stepping up to help around the house but she also encourages her to “just be a kid” and spend time with her friends and on her schoolwork.
[name_f]Beulah[/name_f] [name_f]Muriel[/name_f] Flannigan, nee [name_u]Parker[/name_u] (80) is one of Corinna’s closest friends who’s known the fellow grandmother since the pair had started their first secretarial jobs many years ago. Seeing how much her old son’s alcoholism impacted her dear friend upset [name_f]Beulah[/name_f] greatly, and she’s done all in her power to support [name_f]Corinna[/name_f] through these difficult times; including making it clear her home is always open to [name_u]Jojo[/name_u] and her brother in case their grandma wants some time to herself. She’s felt very thankful to see her own three children - two sons and a daughter - have relatively stable, happy lives once they’d left home and set out into the world, albeit saddens her that her youngest child moved to Manchester with their partner, meaning in-person visits are infrequent.
The rest of Beulah’s family have remained in the same town as her and this is something she takes a great deal of comfort in - especially after losing her beloved husband, [name_u]Walter[/name_u], 6 years ago following an extensive battle with cancer. She’s soon going to become a great-grandmother, something she’s delighted about, and two of her other grandsons attend the same high school as [name_u]Jojo[/name_u] - who’d die if she knew how [name_f]Beulah[/name_f] and [name_f]Corinna[/name_f] once conspired to set them up, although this naturally came to an end once the young woman came out as gay. One of Beulah’s own grandkids came out as trans about a year ago and she’s been nothing but supportive of this, as her own brother was disowned by their parents after he came out and she refuses to see any kind of bigotry go unchecked or ignored.
Notice about the next character: This character is dead and has died years ago. Anyone who met this character met him before he died and any character who found out about him after his death date knows he is dead. Also I’ll admit the creepy fact behind why I changed his photo, it’s because the original model actually passed away a year after I created the character!
[name_m]Cosmo[/name_m] ’ [name_m]Ozzy[/name_m] ’ [name_m]Hal[/name_m] Flannigan (10 April 1999 - 20 November 2017, aged 18) was one of [name_f]Beulah[/name_f]'s grandchildren. He was the older brother of [name_f]Eliana[/name_f] but never knew her identity. He was a straight but supportive brother and said he would always support his family if they came out and supported [name_f]Eliana[/name_f] when she thought she was a gay man. [name_m]Ozzy[/name_m] was very smart and organised but still very chill and fun with his family and friends. He had no relationship or children but had many close friendships. He was accepted into his dream college and planned to major in biology, wanting a career in marine biology. He was strongly in support of protecting the oceans and sea life and devoted much of his time to save it. As a hobby, he loved to snorkel.
Having his grandfather battle cancer and knowing the hardships of [name_f]Beulah[/name_f]'s brother being disowned matured him and he used his maturity to be a smarter person in school. He and his grandparents were close and always learned from each other. A year after his grandfather [name_u]Walter[/name_u]'s death, [name_m]Ozzy[/name_m] was fatally run over in an unfortunate hit-and-run while trying to cross the street and the driver has still never been found today. Earlier that year before he died, he had plans to visit his family members in Manchester.
Eliana Angeline Flannigan (formerly Elijah Angel Flannigan) is Beulah’s trans granddaughter who came out to her family a year ago. She misses her brother Ozzy greatly but know that he would have supported her had she come out that she was accidently assigned the wrong gender at birth. She is happy that all of her family except for her baby sister who doesn’t understand yet except her. She was going strong with her boyfriend before she came out & thanfully, when she decided to, he didn’t break up with her because she was now a ‘she’ instead of the ‘he’, he had fallen in love with. She is fifteen years old.
[name_u]Jaden[/name_u] [name_u]Kyle[/name_u] [name_u]Porter[/name_u] (15) is [name_f]Eliana[/name_f]'s boyfriend. He is pansexual but has only come out to [name_f]Eliana[/name_f], his immediate family, and one best friend and still considers himself closeted in some ways. He had previously come out as gay and fears people may think he isn’t a true pansexual even though he was just discovering himself when he had attraction to more than one gender. His relationship with [name_f]Eliana[/name_f] strengthened since she came out as transgender because they both knew what it was like to have to come out again and how that was a life process. He had some belief that [name_f]Eliana[/name_f] was transgender and was born in the wrong gender but had not discussed this much, however he is extremely supportive and mutually supported by [name_f]Eliana[/name_f]. His parents are divorced, having divorced when he was 8, and he was an only child for quite some time until his mother’s remarriage, giving him a 14-year-old stepsister [name_f]Kadence[/name_f] and 12-year-old twin stepbrothers. He is very timid about the adjustment but is trying to blend himself in. He is normally very open to changes in his life.
Kadence Sierra Rhodes (14) is Jaden’s stepsister. Her father married Jaden’s mother about four months ago, and like her stepbrother, she, along with her 12-year-old twin stepbrothers had trouble adjusting to her new stepfamily. She gets along pretty well with Jaden, and a certain situation (mentioned below) brought them together.
Kadence is caring, shy, and compassionate. She loves baking and volleyball, and is on her school’s volleyball team. After Jaden came out, she was super supportive, and even made him a cake that looks like the pansexual pride flag, which sort of brought them together.
[name_f]Kira[/name_f] [name_f]Milana[/name_f] Flannigan (1) is the 1-year-old baby sister of [name_f]Eliana[/name_f], the youngest grandchild of [name_f]Beulah[/name_f], and will be the youngest overall in her family until [name_f]Beulah[/name_f]’s great-grandchild, a child of her cousin, is born. When [name_m]Ozzy[/name_m] was born, the parents were very young so they waited 7 years before having [name_f]Eliana[/name_f]. [name_f]Kira[/name_f], being 14 years younger than [name_f]Eliana[/name_f], was a surprise pregnancy after her parents in their 40s believed that they would not have any other children. [name_f]Kadence[/name_f] is very friendly to her because she supports Jaden and [name_f]Eliana[/name_f]’s relationship. They met at [name_f]Kadence[/name_f]’s volleyball game when [name_f]Eliana[/name_f] had to take her sister along that day and [name_f]Kira[/name_f] was happy by how nice [name_f]Kadence[/name_f] was to her. [name_f]Kira[/name_f] loves seeing [name_u]Jaden[/name_u] and his step-siblings when they are around. [name_f]Kira[/name_f] doesn’t understand yet that [name_f]Eliana[/name_f] is transgender but is playful and happy with her older sister and has always simply assumed [name_f]Eliana[/name_f] was just another female. She has seen pictures and videos of [name_m]Ozzy[/name_m] but her parents decided to let her wait until she is older to know [name_m]Ozzy[/name_m] had died before she was born. She is a well-behaved and well-raised baby who [name_f]Aria[/name_f] hopes her future baby will be like, but has not told anyone there about it because her pregnancy is a secret.
[name_f]Leilani[/name_f] [name_f]Miriam[/name_f] [name_f]Sommers[/name_f] (1) is Kira’s best friend. She has the same birthday as [name_f]Kira[/name_f]. She lives with her 2 Moms and her three siblings [name_f]Lulu[/name_f], [name_u]Jess[/name_u] and [name_u]Kirby[/name_u]. She is playful but a little snobby.
Shanti Kyra Sommers [née McCarthy] (34) is Leilani’s mom and best friends with Kira’s mom, despite being a decade younger than Kira’s mom. She is a proud mother to her daughters. She is also a maternal granddaughter of Corinna Berniece DuPoint. She has met Jojo DuPoint at family reunions but because she is twice Jojo’s age and on the other side of Corinna’s family, they haven’t seen each other outside reunions. She is a proud mother of Lulu, Jess, Kirby, and Leilani. She is a proud member in the Black community, being of Egyptian and Nigerian descent but also of Hawaiian descent, giving Leilani her name from her Hawaiian culture.
She has been married to her wife for 8 years. Unlike Kira’s mom, their children are closer together in age and all planned, although the couple has decided Leilani is their last child and Leilani was the only C-section of either pregnancies. Shanti was the one who gave birth to Leilani and claims Leilani and Kira were coincidentally born on the same day, she secretly planned to get the C-section on the same day and her wife has a feeling this was planned as well. Lulu and Jess are already in school and Shanti cannot be more proud of them and the great notes teachers have sent about having them as students in the class. Kirby is in daycare.
[name_f]Victoria[/name_f] [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] [name_f]Sommers[/name_f] [née White] (35) is Shanti’s wife and the other mom to [name_f]Leilani[/name_f], [name_f]Jessamine[/name_f] ‘Jess’, [name_u]Kirby[/name_u] and [name_f]Tallulah[/name_f] ‘Lulu’. She and [name_f]Shanti[/name_f] chose a new surname for themselves upon marrying, with [name_f]Sommers[/name_f] being inspired by their wedding which took place in [name_u]August[/name_u] and actually took place on a beach, inspired by how they met while [name_f]Victoria[/name_f] was teaching surfing one summer. In spite of her passion for the water, she actually works as an FX artist in the film industry and this has allowed her to have plenty of interesting experiences - being inspired by her dad, who was an assistant director in a lot of 80s campy slasher and horror films, collecting memorabilia for his children as they were growing up which [name_f]Victoria[/name_f] plans on passing down to her own children (if they want to keep these items).
She’s one of 4 kids herself meaning she has a good idea of how to help her family adjust - being especially close with her oldest daughters, thanks to being the second eldest and relating a lot to these struggles. [name_f]Victoria[/name_f] and [name_f]Shanti[/name_f] used the same donor for all of their kids to ensure a biological connection between them all, with her giving birth to the first three children thanks to having a notably high pain tolerance reflected in her many tattoos. To this day she’s close with her family and they regularly come to visit, with the children of her siblings bonding with her own kids - something she loves to see, as she never had cousins of her own growing up.
