Create a Family (With a Twist!)

[kitkatcookie]

cw: transphobia mention

Dongyang " [name_u]Harlow[/name_u] " [name_m]Chen[/name_m] (16) is the youngest of the siblings and present holder of the Most Sensitive mantle, something they’re not always phased about [but understandably, people tend to focus on that aspect of their personality]. [name_u]Harlow[/name_u] began using they/he pronouns when they were 14, something their parents received some criticism for - some commenting the Chen’s weren’t asserting enough authority over their child - but it’s something Harlow’s always willing to fight for, as they appreciate their parents greatly for how they accept, support and encourage their identity expression. Because they have to contrast with Luwen and [name_f]Ilena[/name_f] [‘of course’ their mom always says], Harlow’s best and favourite subjects are humanities: history and geography specifically, with them having a pull towards sociology more recently as well.

Like [name_f]Ilena[/name_f], they’re less confident about their future, and it’s bought the two closer together over the years. [name_u]Harlow[/name_u] does sometimes wish they could embody her assertiveness bravery, being a much more reserved personality, even when they’re receiving praise for their academic successes. [name_f]Ilena[/name_f] and Luwen had to psyche [name_u]Harlow[/name_u] up when they received an award at school for their grades, as they considered feigning sickness to avoid having to walk before the whole school, but with the support of them and their friends, they successfully participated in the ceremony. [name_u]Harlow[/name_u] usually spends their weekends relaxing with their friends - belonging to a large group made up of tight knit pockets, but it never stops everyone coming together to have a laugh or seek out adventures - having recently started making jewelery with one of their friends. To celebrate Luwen’s graduation, [name_u]Harlow[/name_u] crafted her a bracelet with their friends’ help, and they made earrings for their mom’s birthday, with plans to create a necklace for [name_f]Ilena[/name_f] when it’s her graduation from high school.

Having a viral video star sister is something Harlow’s friends gently tease and rib them about, but it doesn’t impact on how they admire Luwen greatly, and confide in her a lot about their concerns or queries regarding the future. Harlow’s just started learning to drive and the story their sister turned into a song plays heavily on their mind, especially thanks to their friends becoming more avid about partying, and [name_u]Harlow[/name_u] themselves receiving some invites which they’ve accepted. While they can overreact sometimes - crying easily, which continously annoys them - they’re always the person you can rely on at a gathering if you feel overwhelmed, and Ilena’s actually suggested they consider becoming a counsellor thanks to how they handle people in vulnerable situations: something that Harlow’s both been flattered by and admits is increasingly appealing to them.

[jinxed_peach]

cw: cheating mentioned

[name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] ‘Chuck’ [name_f]Alana[/name_f] Bufton [16] is a friend of [name_u]Harlow[/name_u], one who loves to make jewelry in her room during her free time and taught [name_u]Harlow[/name_u] how to make them as well. She also runs an Etsy shop in the summers when she has more free time to make things and ship orders. She’s hoping to go to college for art and pursue jewelry making into her adult years, possibly someday even opening up a boutique of her own. The act of making and crafting helps her find peace in her busy home.

She was raised by a single mother for the first portion of her life. As a young woman her mother had gotten pregnant while sleeping with her married boss. To her shock she ended up conceiving triplets, [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] and her two sisters, but was determined to make things work. Her lover offered her a very large sum to keep the babies a secret from his wife, after some hesitation she took it and moved across the country to start a new life. There she met her future husband, a father of twins in their ‘Parents of Multiples’ social group. Together they had two more kids together, single births thankfully.

The family of 9 occasionally had to scrap along to make ends meet but overall each of the kids would say they had a happy childhood. Both parents were good at having fun with the kids on a budget and made many ‘core memories’ with things as simple as a blanket fort or a night of eating spaghetti with their fingers.

Both of Chuck’s triplet sisters are at school with her and [name_u]Harlow[/name_u], though they all tend to run in different circles and only really hang out at home or otherwise outside of school. [name_m]Chuck[/name_m] agrees with Illena’s idea that [name_u]Harlow[/name_u] become a counselor of sometime in the future since they’ve helped her out in some sticky situations in the past with their advice.

[jinxed_peach]

bump!

[kitkatcookie]

[name_f]Emma[/name_f] " [name_f]Em[/name_f] " [name_f]Ianthe[/name_f] Bufton (16) is the second triplet and ‘source of unnecessary sarcasm’ as her mother affectionately refers to her. The resident bookworm, reading at home isn’t necessarily an easy feat for [name_f]Em[/name_f] to accomplish, so she’s usually the one most commonly found elsewhere to get through a chapter with a modicum of peace existing around her. Given her other interests are alternative music [typically metal, but she’s branched out into a multitude of genres as she’s grown older], basketball and contributing to the school paper in the form of criticising unfair decisions impacting the student body, Em’s love of fictional novels surprises most people, as she can seem a little too cynical for such a pastime. Still, being contrary has its perks, and Em’s loathe to make herself easy to decipher by anyone’s standards, daresay calling it a point of pride by now.

She does drop her mystique much more around family though, especially her younger siblings, given her cryptic answers to questions used to frustrate them terribly; and of course, she has her friends to practice with when she needs a moment to be terribly illusive [it’s always in affectionate capacity though]. While finance has never been an issue for [name_f]Em[/name_f], the crowding of the house did used to bother her more than [name_m]Chuck[/name_m], as she’s someone who values quiet a great deal - or her variation, usually involving headphones. Sharing a room with her sisters’ was never a problem, but when someone else burst in without warning, [name_f]Em[/name_f] would quickly make herself scarce. The nearby library became her haven during these times, and [name_f]Em[/name_f] now volunteers there in thanks for how the staff were always kind to her, in spite of the fact she’d usually insist on disappearing into some corner to immerse herself in her latest novel.

For her love of journalism, engineering is something Em’s also considering pursuing at university. Her stepdad introduced her to mechanics when she was 14, and over the past two years she’s become increasingly motivated where the field’s concerned, developing a fondness for the intricate nature of the craft. [name_u]An[/name_u] ideal world would be writing pieces based around this subject, but Em’s not the sort of person to fall back on hope, and instead likes to keep all her bases covered; something she attributes to keeping her family as safe as can be. In spite of being more evasive when compared to some siblings, they really do mean the world to her. Most of her friends come from smaller households and love asking her questions about her homelife, although Em’s convinced at least one of her circle is determined to have a family just as large as there’s, and the thought of that really does make her dizzy with shock.

---

@Tasia
@rachelheth
@szinkle
@Swimmere1223
@autumn.leaves
@avenmaide

as always lmk if it’s a bother!

[szinkle]

Louisa ‘Lucy’ Paige Bufton (16) is the final triplet. Lucy, as well as her sisters, share their love of having a creative outlet & like her sister Emma, Lucy loves journalism & writing. It has been a passion of hers since a young age starting off with little poems she would leave us love notes around the house for her mother & sisters. They would typically be based off something silly like her fondness of her sister’s new shoes or her mother’s cooking. To this day she hasn’t been able to figure out a good rhyme for macaroni.

Though her passion for writing started with poetry, Lucy’s real passion is historical romance. Attending the same university as her sisters & her best friend since high school, Lucy is currently working on a degree in history which she ,of course, finds very helpful while writing her novel. Her biggest dream is to some day be a published author which her family has no doubt she will achieve. Lucy often shares updated copies of her manuscript with Em, the avid reader of the family, to get her opinion & gets nothing, but positive feedback.

Lucy just recently entered a new relationship with her aforementioned high school best friend’s older brother. They have only been together for two and a half months, but things seem to be going really well. Her best friend is practically already planning the wedding (she said something about swans…?). Though her boyfriend attends a college in another state the driver isn’t too bad and they often meet up at their favorite restaurant half way between the two cities. Lucy has met all of his friends and seems to get along with most everyone, the only one she seems to have issues with is her boyfriends freshman year dorm-mate. She has tried many times to get on his good side, but to no avail & no one is really sure why he doesn’t like her. She tries not to let it bother her, but she is a big people pleaser, so it irks her a bit. Luckily, he doesn’t come around much when she is in town, so it makes it easier for her not to think about it.

[CherryBomb50]

Warning for affairs and grandparent death.

[name_f]Feifei[/name_f] [name_m]Chen[/name_m] (16) is Lucy’s best friend and paternal cousin of Luwen, [name_f]Ilena[/name_f], and [name_u]Harlow[/name_u]. Feifei’s father is their uncle and they share the same grandfather. Their grandfather is alive but grandmother is dead. The family greatly regrets not being there at their grandmother’s final moments, while many visited during her last days, only a nurse was there during her last moments of life. Feifei’s grandmother passed a message to the nurse that she wanted to say to her family. However, Feifei’s grandmother only spoke Chinese and the nurse only spoke [name_f]English[/name_f]. Not knowing what the dying elder was speaking, the nurse frantically wrote what she believed Feifei’s grandmother spoke. Since Chinese is tonal, it’s hard for the untrained ear to decipher, and when the nurse tried to read the message their grandmother spoke, nobody could understand what she was saying since her tones were all wrong. The nurse felt bad, but the family reassured her not to blame herself — they wished they were there for her last moments after all.

Feifei’s brother, not much older than her, is dating [name_f]Lucy[/name_f]. [name_f]Feifei[/name_f] herself is not pursuing anyone after a really awkward rejection from someone she used to have a crush on, and is now focusing on studies. This doesn’t mean she’s done with love, she used to have some bad issues with former friends, took a break from friendships, but has since made great friends with [name_f]Lucy[/name_f] and found what she deserves in friendships. She misses her brother when he’s away but knows he’s having an awesome time and that’s what makes her happy. She used to be jealous of her brother growing up, seeing he literally skipped a grade, but she’s never held it against him, although she wishes she was as smart as him, a reason why she turns to studies when other aspects of her life aren’t working out for her at the moment. [name_f]Feifei[/name_f] is always kind to Lucy’s triplet sisters, half-siblings, and stepsiblings and says she couldn’t imagine what their mother went through. When she’s not talking with her brother or friends, she’s talking with her cousins…or so she thinks. What she doesn’t know is that Luwen, [name_f]Ilena[/name_f], and Harlow…are not her cousins. The Chinese message Feifei’s dying grandmother was trying to tell the nurse was that her son, Feifei’s father, isn’t actually the son of Feifei’s presumed “grandfather”. So since the grandfather [name_f]Feifei[/name_f] is presumed to share with Luwen, [name_f]Ilena[/name_f], and [name_u]Harlow[/name_u] is not her grandfather; that would mean she’s biologically not their cousin. [name_f]Feifei[/name_f] herself has no idea of this scandalous secret and how this will greatly affect the family tree, especially since she is very close with the trio and doesn’t doubt for a second that they’re not cousins.

[kitkatcookie]

cw: social isolation

[name_f]Matilda[/name_f] " [name_u]Matty[/name_u] " [name_f]Sian[/name_f] Knox-Lawson (16) is another member of Fefei and Lucy’s friend group, who tends to serve as the listening ear of everyone. Famously hard to shock, Matty’s someone adept at going with the flow and responding quickly to situations with a cool head. Still, this doesn’t mean she’s without her boundaries and is known to be talented at vanishing when she feels something’s becoming too much of a drain on her life. In middle school, this did cause a fall-out between [name_u]Matty[/name_u] and her then-best friend, who felt she was being disloyal and subsequently cut her off from that friend group [having firmly been the leader of that pack], a very difficult time [name_u]Matty[/name_u] doesn’t like to talk about. She endured 6 months of loneliness and ended up deciding to attend a high school that takes a 40 minute bus journey subsequently, as she didn’t want to risk being reminded of the people who iced her out any more.

There hasn’t been much contact between her and those people, however [name_u]Matty[/name_u] did run into a couple of the girl’s from that group at the mall once and absolute awkwardness ensued when they made contact, with [name_u]Matty[/name_u] ultimately deciding to make a quick exit before anything kicked off. This was because she was in the company of her now-best friend - who absolutely won’t stand for overlooking such poor behaviour - and the last thing [name_u]Matty[/name_u] wanted was a confrontation, even if she appreciates how they always support her through difficult situations.

Raised by her two mom’s with a younger brother, both of the Knox-Lawson siblings are adopted, and there’s been a fair bit of chaos where he’s concerned. Authority never gels well with him and he caused a lot of stress for several years, having fights with classmates and arguing with teachers, something to leave the siblings a bit distant given [name_u]Matty[/name_u] hated people trying to talk to her about passing on messages from people angry at him. Matty’s brother is currently attending a specialist academy for disruptive children, where he’s been much happier, and in the aftermath of this their relationship has improved, with the newfound calm and love of horses he’s developed earning respect from his sister, who’s relieved their mom’s aren’t constantly worrying, while being glad he’s settled and found direction in his life that isn’t chasing chaos.

When she isn’t trying her best to give advice or looking after her beloved rabbits, [name_f]Sugar[/name_f] & [name_f]Cinnamon[/name_f], Matty’s a majorette for the school band and attending dance workshops. She’s a decorated gymnast who’s dedicated to learning complex baton twirling routines and this is where her serious side comes out: do not disrupt her concentration or woe betide you. While some family members have encouraged her to consider physiotherapy as a career, Matty’s heart is firmly with gymnastics and dance, something she knows is less typically lucrative, but she’s determined to pursue it first and foremost thanks to the joy and confidence those pastimes have always gifted her. Matty’s found Feifei’s response to [name_f]Lucy[/name_f] dating her brother especially impressive, as - maybe it’s being an older sister - but the idea of a friend dating her brother would cause nothing other than dread.

[avenmaide]

CW: trauma, substance abuse, attempted murder, manipulation/affair (including implied relations with minors)

[name_f]Kasmira[/name_f] [name_f]Noelle[/name_f] [name_f]Walentyna[/name_f] Malczyk ‘ [name_f]Kasia[/name_f] ‘ (35) is Matty’s birth mother. The adoption was semi-open, so [name_f]Kasia[/name_f] has received photos and text updates throughout Matty’s whole life, but [name_f]Kasia[/name_f] agreed with Matty’s adoptive moms that there would be no physical contact until [name_u]Matty[/name_u] decided that for herself. So far, [name_u]Matty[/name_u] is still uncomfortable with it, and [name_f]Kasia[/name_f] not only doesn’t blame her, she’s actually kind of relieved.

[name_f]Kasia[/name_f] has never been at a point where she feels ready to parent. It’s enough of a struggle to take care of herself, really. She has intense bouts of depression, CPTSD, and a few health complications due to various forms of substance abuse that she is planning on going to rehab for, once she can afford it. That has been one of the biggest hurdles of her dumpster fire of a life: poverty. She wasn’t as “lucky” as [name_m]Chuck[/name_m], [name_f]Emma[/name_f], and Lucy’s mother; she didn’t get a large sum of hush money from the guy who impregnated her at 19–which is ironic, given it was the same guy.

[name_f]Kasia[/name_f] had just been an intern when she worked for [name_m]Todd[/name_m] [name_m]Jenkins[/name_m]. She was fresh out of community college—which she’d fought tooth and nail to afford by washing dishes in diners, teaching piano lessons, and applying to every scholarship she could find, including an essay about being raised by her Polish immigrant grandmother, Katarzynka, her namesake and last living relative. They were one bounced check away from being kicked out of their apartment, so when her rich boss started showering her with gifts and promising her a paid position in return for certain “favors”, [name_f]Kasia[/name_f] fell for it. She even fell for him, a little. He was charming…

But of course as soon as [name_m]Todd[/name_m] found out she was pregnant—and she found out that he had been manipulating girls like this for years and he did not take kindly to her plan to tell his wife and the police since a few of those girls were younger than her—he showed his true colors. Which were violently vibrant. [name_f]Kasia[/name_f] still has scars from where he tried to “take care” of her. She doesn’t know exactly what happened to make him stop—maybe he thought he’d been successful when she fell unconscious, or he just got freaked out and ran. Probably the latter, because as far as she can tell, he’s never tried anything that drastic again, or is just much, much, much more careful about it, and about birth control. The only other pregnancy she knows about for certain is the triplets’. But that discovery was kind of an accident. And it took almost 15 years.

Because the thing is, [name_f]Kasia[/name_f] repressed so much of her trauma that she didn’t remember Todd’s attack or even how she became pregnant until it came back in bits and pieces over the years (and unfortunately, given the amount of time that passed and lack of solid evidence, she had no legal way to make him pay for all he did). And then in one of the updates about Matty’s life, [name_f]Kasia[/name_f] saw a photo of [name_u]Matty[/name_u] hanging out with [name_m]Chuck[/name_m], [name_f]Emma[/name_f], [name_f]Lucy[/name_f], and their family. And [name_f]Kasia[/name_f] recognized their mother as her former coworker and another girl that [name_m]Todd[/name_m] had manipulated. It didn’t take much time or effort to piece it all together.

Obviously, there’s no familial connection to her and the triplets, but she feels some kind of bond to them. She especially loves the jewelry that [name_m]Chuck[/name_m] makes and hopes to buy some once she’s in a good financial place.

She’s had odds-and-ends jobs here and there. And as much as she misses living with her grandmother, she’s relieved that she has passed on to (hopefully) a better place, and that she only has to worry about taking care of herself, no other humans or pets or plants or anything of the sort.

There are some good, peaceful things in her life! She solves puzzles and writes songs (which sometimes even earn her some money when people hire her to play the piano at events). And she loves birdwatching. There’s just something comforting to her about the songs and colors and behaviors of her feathery friends. And she deserves comfort, dang it! She deserves healing and peace. And she’s determined to get it.

[CherryBomb50]

Warning for child marriage.

[name_f]Mélanie[/name_f] [name_f]Andriette[/name_f] [St. Croix] [Kéo] [Knox] Knox-Lawson (43) is one of Matty’s mothers, along with being Kasia’s friend and confidant. [name_f]Mélanie[/name_f] adores Kasia’s piano playing and feels it’s a hobby that really makes [name_f]Kasia[/name_f] feel like herself. She is a first-generation immigrant from Guinea having been adopted during her teenage years. Unlike [name_u]Matty[/name_u], [name_f]Mélanie[/name_f] doesn’t have any respect for her biological family and chooses to not focus on them. At just 13, [name_f]Mélanie[/name_f] was forced by her biological family to marry Mr. Kéo, an adult man. Supposedly doing so would benefit the St. [name_m]Croix[/name_m] family but [name_f]Mélanie[/name_f] had no desire…but unfortunately also no choice. She escaped the marriage on her wedding night to neighbouring [name_u]Senegal[/name_u], although she had nothing with her but the clothes on her back. She felt odd as a juvenile all alone - in fact, when she was escaping, she didn’t know she stumbled into a different country. She didn’t want to be in the marriage but knew she couldn’t support herself as a 13-year-old alone with no resources. So she turned herself into a Senegalese adoption centre, where she lived until her international adoption at 15. The day she was adopted is one of the greatest days she ever experienced and she is grateful for her adoptive [name_m]Knox[/name_m] family.

[name_f]Mélanie[/name_f] came to her sexuality at 20 and learned she was lesbian, something she didn’t know earlier given same-sex couples weren’t recognised in [name_u]West[/name_u] [name_f]Africa[/name_f]. [name_f]Mélanie[/name_f] doesn’t understand why child marriage is acceptable there but same-sex marriage is so forbidden. [name_f]Mélanie[/name_f] and her then-girlfriend were very close during their dating life and [name_f]Mélanie[/name_f] initially felt afraid to get into marriage again, but she ultimately decided to marry her now-wife. After all, this was the type of marriage she wanted and she believes that consenting adults (and only consenting adults) deserve to marry who they love. [name_f]Mélanie[/name_f] also is very pro-adoption given her own past as an adoptive child. Having [name_u]Matty[/name_u] and her brother adopted into Mélanie’s family was her dream.

Despite Mélanie’s past, she still has many Guinean mementos and is respecting of her culture. She knows there are many nice Guineans and that being from a country or culture doesn’t mean you have to agree with all the policies. [name_f]Mélanie[/name_f] is extremely respectful of [name_f]Kasia[/name_f] and is willing to celebrate her Polish culture with her as well. [name_f]Mélanie[/name_f] could never say anything bad about [name_f]Kasia[/name_f] since she was in a dangerous situation that she was taken advantage of, plus [name_f]Mélanie[/name_f] is equally against [name_m]Todd[/name_m] Jenkins’ exploitation of younger women and possibly girls. [name_f]Mélanie[/name_f] currently works as a psychiatrist and also works as an activist against child marriage. [name_f]Mélanie[/name_f] is proud to be an adoptive mother but she’s made sure [name_f]Kasia[/name_f] is comfortable with her level of contact with [name_u]Matty[/name_u]. [name_u]Matty[/name_u] and her brother aren’t left in the dark of [name_f]Mélanie[/name_f] or Kasia’s pasts but they respectfully leave out details that could be triggering to the two. [name_f]Mélanie[/name_f] and [name_f]Kasia[/name_f] usually don’t tell anyone these details anyway but will be honest when asked or simply say they are uncomfortable talking about it, rather than ever lying. [name_f]Mélanie[/name_f] also has a bond with a few of the other women she knows [name_m]Todd[/name_m] [name_m]Jenkins[/name_m] manipulated and she believes every one of them.

[avenmaide]

@CherryBomb50 Mélanie is lovely! You handled the topic of child marriage with so much care, and I adore the kindness and respect Mélanie has for Kasia and the other women victimized by Todd Jenkins.

Tzipporah Maysilee [Lawson] Knox-Lawson (39) is Mélanie’s wife, and mother (or ’ Tzi Tzi ‘) to Matty and her younger brother. Her relationship with Kasia isn’t quite as strong as Mélanie’s, but only because, as her wife lovingly puts it, Tzipporah has a tendency to forget that other people exist. If they’re right there in the room with her, she’ll chat with them all night long and have a grand ol’ time, but texting and phone calls? Maybe once in a blue moon. She’s very grateful to Mélanie for staying on top of updating Kasia on Matty’s life, and helping Tzipporah stay on top of her own life, too.

When Tzipporah was growing up (in the Outer Banks of North Carolina with her Kenyan-American parents and 3 siblings), she described her forgetfulness and other quirks as little “blips” in her brain. At 15, she was diagnosed with ADHD, but meds didn’t really help. And now that she’s almost 40, she’s finally figured out that she has autism, too. Which explain so much about her childhood. Like how she was absolutely obsessed with dancing by the time she was 3 but would scream every time she had to wear tights for her recitals. Her amazing, sweet parents were a little confused but got the spirit, because they didn’t put it together that she had sensory issues, but they did their best to find her comfortable tights, and to dress her patiently. But of course, they were human and yelled a couple times. Little Tzipporah soaked in the message that sometimes, to make people happy, she had to be uncomfortable. It was one of the many ways she masked (like not “fidgeting” or stimming in class, not repeating words or sounds over and over unless she was alone, and not talking for hours about her latest passion because people don’t really pay attention, anyway). She’s working on deconstructing that and being her most authentic self. Mélanie is especially good at supporting her with that, and actually listening to her until she’s done talking, and even asking questions to learn more.

When Matty started dance (to Tzi Tzi’s absolute delight; she is very diligent at being there for every second of every recital and is always happy to drop whatever she’s doing to practice with her), that was when Tzipporah pieced it together that she was autistic, because some of the other parents had sons and daughters with the same sensory issues, and Tzipporah did her hyperfocus, deep-dive-into-the-rabbit-hole thing and found sensory-friendly dancewear online. They were marketed for autistic children specifically, and that made a ton of bells go off in her head. She spent weeks researching autism before she talked to anybody about it—Mélanie being the first. She’s had some conversations with her therapist and primary care doctor, too, but where they live, it’s expensive and there’s a waitlist for an official diagnosis, so for now, she’s content with self-diagnosis. So is Matty and her brother, who have adopted the Gen Z approach of not giving a flying bleep about stigma, and understanding mental health issues oh so well.

Tzipporah stopped dancing professionally to be a stay-at-home mom, but after a couple years, she went back to it as a kind of freelance dance instructor/choreographer because she just needs dance to function. Her favorite job so far was for the local theatre’s production of Shrek the Musical, which involved kids and adults of all ages. Drama club was another special interest for her growing up, as well as movies (the latter of which being how she and Mélanie grew so close). She just saw an announcement for another production—Wicked, which she saw on Broadway during her senior trip, and she is over the moon excited. But instead of being the choreographer, she’s thinking about auditioning for the role of Elphaba. That would be her absolute dream.

She’s definitely the bubbliest, most extroverted person in the family, and she thinks a part of that is because despite the unfortunately common microaggressions she faces across all the intersected aspects of her identity (a bi, biracial, Black, Jewish woman with autism and ADHD)… she feels like she really hasn’t had any big, awful things that have happened in her life. Definitely not to the level that her wife and her daughter’s biological mother have faced, let alone the hundreds of other women and SA victims and queer people that she has known throughout her life. She grew up in a very comfortable upper-middle-class home with a large, happy family, right by the beach, and she got to travel to Kenya and other countries around the world multiple times and see just how much privilege she has. She is working on balancing her gratitude and self-awareness of that, while also acknowledging that even if her hardships were technically smaller than others’, her feelings and experiences still matter, too.

[szinkle]

[name_f]Ruth[/name_f] [name_f]Haniyah[/name_f] (Cross) [name_u]Lawson[/name_u] (38) is Tzipporah’s childhood best friend & sister-in-law. The two girls met in dance class when they were 5 years old. Ruth’s family moved to OBX from [name_u]Austin[/name_u], [name_u]Texas[/name_u] and the whole family believes it was the best decision she ever made.

It should be stated [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] never meant to fall in love with her best friends brother, but it is something she will never regret. The two started dating whilst they were both pre-med at [name_u]Duke[/name_u] University. They were both struggling through med school on their own and found comfort having the other around. It was nice to have someone they knew well to have their back. Loved blossom through their friendship.

[name_f]Ruth[/name_f] currently works in sports medicine. She is considering pursuing a physical therapy job at her alma mater and her husband things she should definitely go for it. He always says that before they know it their sons, twins aged 12, will be attending the university themselves on basketball scholarships and it would be nice to know they were in good hands. [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] always gets a good chuckle out of that.

[name_f]Ruth[/name_f] grew up in a household with her mother, grandmother, and younger sister. She was devastated when her mother & grandmother couldn’t be there for her wedding. It was a special moment for her having her little sister walk her down the aisle as well as being her maid of honor. She wants the world for little sister and is so happy to have her constant support. Ruth’s baby sister is also a dancer and though [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] herself doesn’t dance as much anymore, just a few adult ballet classes when she finds the time, her sister still dances daily and is thriving in the dance community. [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] is very proud.

[CherryBomb50]

@avenmaide Aw thanks! You’re seriously so wholesome and your writing is AMAZING! You handled everything about [name_f]Kasia[/name_f] incredibly well and she truly does deserve the Most Resilient award!

[name_m]Eddis[/name_m] [name_m]Haji[/name_m] [left] and [name_m]Brant[/name_m] [name_m]Aziz[/name_m] [right] [name_u]Lawson[/name_u] (12) are Ruth’s twin sons and Tzipporah’s sons-in-law through her brother. [name_m]Eddis[/name_m] may look bigger than [name_m]Brant[/name_m] but he’s younger by 8 minutes. [name_m]Brant[/name_m] has been smaller since he was born, having a noticeably lighter birth weight than [name_m]Eddis[/name_m]. [name_m]Brant[/name_m] can’t wait to grow up but [name_m]Eddis[/name_m] always goes, “Nooooooooo!” whenever his parents or his school give the “puberty talk”. [name_m]Eddis[/name_m] and [name_m]Brant[/name_m] have heard about the connection their parents have with [name_f]Tzipporah[/name_f] and they’re happy it’s all well, even if it does feel like a polarising way to find love. Once one of Brant’s friends had a puppy-love crush on [name_m]Eddis[/name_m], something [name_m]Brant[/name_m] felt awkward about, but eventually that friend got over the crush given crushes don’t seem to last that long at that age. Also it didn’t help that [name_m]Brant[/name_m] accidentally told [name_m]Eddis[/name_m] that his friend liked him – he was supposed to keep it a secret but it slipped out! Now the friend is on good terms with both and the three laugh it off thankfully.

Both boys are close with Ruth’s younger sister but they don’t know her mother and grandmother as well. They don’t make rash assumptions on their relationship with [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] however. They don’t know that Ruth’s mother and grandmother weren’t at her wedding. [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] and her husband keep this secret; [name_m]Brant[/name_m] would freak out and tell them while asking, “Why weren’t you at Mama’s wedding? How could you?” while [name_m]Eddis[/name_m] would have given them the silent treatment. It’s better that they don’t know about this because they couldn’t tell whether these relatives genuinely couldn’t come or if they voluntarily chose not to. The boys enjoy basketball and have recently gotten new team jerseys, which they’re proud to have and feel like proud champions when wearing them. They both have a lot of team spirit and are on the same team – they could never imagine being opponents. [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] and her husband wouldn’t want them to be opponents because both tend to get jealous of one another, especially [name_m]Eddis[/name_m] to [name_m]Brant[/name_m]. So for now, they’re proud of the boys and their gameplays on the team, rooting for them and rewarding them with a dinner of their choice after big games.

[name_m]Brant[/name_m] and [name_m]Eddis[/name_m] are both very smart boys but lately [name_m]Eddis[/name_m] has been jealous that [name_m]Brant[/name_m] has been considered for advanced classes. It’s not that [name_m]Eddis[/name_m] isn’t smart – he just doesn’t learn material as fast as [name_m]Brant[/name_m] does. He’s considering picking up another hobby besides basketball to be skilled at so he can be special as well. Most of his family is skilled in ballet but unlike [name_m]Brant[/name_m], who is very outspoken, [name_m]Eddis[/name_m] can keep a secret, although he’s not the best at making sure people don’t catch what he’s thinking about. He secretly wants to be in ballet but is too afraid to admit it. Both [name_f]Tzipporah[/name_f] and Ruth’s younger sister have caught on that [name_m]Eddis[/name_m] wants to do ballet and the whole family would have been encouraging towards this, but [name_m]Eddis[/name_m] is still quite shy. [name_m]Eddis[/name_m] doesn’t want his family to think he’s quitting basketball for ballet – he loves basketball and jokes that he’s better than [name_m]Brant[/name_m] at b-ball because he’s the bigger one. The family prefers to focus on positivity because it really strives for the twins a lot. The boys love family get-togethers and enjoy the sights of their city, neither one wants to ever move away.

[kitkatcookie]

[name_f]Ada[/name_f] [name_f]Sayyida[/name_f] [name_u]Cross[/name_u] (32) is [name_m]Eddis[/name_m] and Brant’s maternal aunt, being Ruth’s younger sister. Still thoroughly involved in dance, Ada’s fastidious when it comes to her craft, a quality about her that the twins respect and try to emulate. While she started out with ballet - following Ruth’s footsteps - [name_f]Ada[/name_f] became more interested in contemporary and interpretive pieces, something tied to her interest in writing poetry. Public speaking really isn’t something she enjoys though - even having people read what she composes is intimidating to her - but she’s found a happy medium: [name_f]Ada[/name_f] now marries the two, using her dance as a means of conveying her writing.

She still is involved in more standard composition pieces though, and is planning on focusing on teaching others’ as she phases out the competitive scene, in spite of how much she enjoys displaying her work. As her travelling has wound down, Ada’s been able to achieve another one of her childhood dreams: adopting a rescue dog. It drove her crazy when she was younger - not being allowed a pet, as her grandmother felt it would be too chaotic and messy - so now she’s got her own, it’s a dream come true.

No-one can discern what breed [name_u]Lionel[/name_u] is exactly, however that’s a moot point where Ada’s concerned: she absolutely adores him, and what means so much more to her is seeing him develop trust in people once more. Unsurprisingly, [name_u]Lionel[/name_u] is adoree by the twins, and playing with him resolves any spats they may have had in the day.

The distance between the sisters and their mother and grandmother isn’t something [name_f]Ada[/name_f] lingers her mind on much, in spite of the hurt it’s caused her and [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] privately. From her perspective, seeing them grow up and flourish has been a double edged sword for their mom and grandma: it’s a point of pride, however they don’t seem to quite connect with the adult versions of the little girls’ they raised. [name_f]Ada[/name_f] in particular struggled with her grandma’s constant doubts of her pursuit of dance, and she feels there was an unspoken degree of expectation placed on her and [name_f]Ruth[/name_f]: namely to follow an ultra academic path, marry a good guy and settle down quickly. It doesn’t mean she doesn’t want a reunion though: especially for [name_m]Eddis[/name_m] and [name_m]Brant[/name_m], that’s what [name_f]Ada[/name_f] hopes for more than she admits to anyone, bar [name_f]Ruth[/name_f].

[CherryBomb50]

Warning for toxic past relationship.

[name_m]Erez[/name_m] [name_u]Baraka[/name_u] [name_u]Lawson[/name_u] (38) is Ada’s brother-in-law, Ruth’s husband, Eddie’s and Brant’s father, and Tzipporah’s brother. He’s one of four siblings, younger than Tzi Tzi but not the youngest overall. He’s a firm believer in checking privilege but he wouldn’t change his or anyone else’s identities any other way. He knows people can still have struggles even if they’re not judged for it, much like [name_f]Tzipporah[/name_f] feels. [name_m]Erez[/name_m] was once in a very toxic relationship with a woman who badly mistreated him and forced gender roles on him, his first relationship he had. He believed he was suited with men more and was gay, believing he’d never have a wife. But [name_m]Erez[/name_m] knew deep down this wasn’t the path he wanted to take. He did like men but he knew it was the wrong idea to turn against women over one bad relationship and to make men think he was gay when he wasn’t. [name_m]Prior[/name_m] to this, [name_m]Erez[/name_m] grew up never understanding those who make themselves “be homosexual” out of fear or hatred over the gender they’re attracted to. It just doesn’t work. Turns out [name_m]Erez[/name_m] wasn’t straight either, he was bisexual. So he very much could end up with either. But it wasn’t until his friendship-turned-love with [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] that made him want to be with her. Not because she was a woman or because she was someone who wasn’t his toxic ex, but because [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] was [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] and he enjoyed her. [name_m]Erez[/name_m] is currently a plastic surgeon specialising in reconstructive surgery and he makes sure his procedures are built to last. As for [name_m]Eddis[/name_m] and [name_m]Brant[/name_m], he wants them to be happy with themselves and while neither wants a romance with anyone, they know they’ll be respected by their family and community no matter what their sexuality is.

When they planned marriage, they almost considered getting eloped. [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] felt her mother and grandmother wouldn’t attend plus one of Erez’s siblings suggested the idea. They didn’t go for it since they felt it wasn’t for them, but [name_m]Erez[/name_m] is happy the sibling who suggested it ended up getting eloped since he knew weddings weren’t for everyone. On a good note, the wedding gave a better bond between [name_m]Erez[/name_m] and [name_f]Ada[/name_f] and he was happy by how open she wanted to be there for the wedding. His own family was very welcoming for the wedding even if it felt weird that [name_f]Tzipporah[/name_f] was Ruth’s best friend prior to Ruth’s relationship with [name_m]Erez[/name_m]. You never know where you’ll find the perfect match. The Lawsons felt good about so many family members there but felt insecure knowing there were so few [name_u]Cross[/name_u] family members. He felt [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] had a right to be angered by this although he respects Ada’s decision of a reunion. [name_m]Erez[/name_m] hadn’t decided whether he wants to be involved in the reunion or not but he prefers to step back – he’s not blood-related to the [name_u]Cross[/name_u] family and they didn’t have much meeting with him, let alone skipping the wedding. However he’s heard that they couldn’t be there for the wedding, but is unsure if they actually meant they couldn’t, or if they just didn’t. [name_m]Erez[/name_m] makes himself closer with his own siblings, knowing they do care, and knows [name_f]Ada[/name_f] cares as well. He wasn’t surprised how much [name_f]Ada[/name_f] took on the dancing spirit of her older sister but he liked Ada’s individual spirit as in-law material. He even gets along with [name_u]Lionel[/name_u] still, with [name_u]Lionel[/name_u] returning the love. [name_m]Erez[/name_m] loves morning jogs and enjoys listening to musical soundtracks with his sister Tzipporah…they’ve been listening to the Wicked soundtrack and [name_f]Tzipporah[/name_f] is about to find out whether she ended up landing the role of [name_f]Elphaba[/name_f] – something [name_m]Erez[/name_m] has been rooting for her to get ever since she told him!

[mynameis1]

Jelilah [name_f]Lynette[/name_f] Crazover (12) is the girl who used to have a crush on [name_m]Eddis[/name_m] and someone who’s family is close with [name_f]Ada[/name_f] and [name_m]Erez[/name_m] and the rest of their family. Jelilah’s mother works with [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] in sports medicine and they get along really well. Jelilah is friends with both [name_m]Eddis[/name_m] and [name_m]Brant[/name_m] but she had a crush on [name_m]Eddis[/name_m] because to her [name_m]Eddis[/name_m] was the “cuter one” even though they look exactly the same. Jelilah has since gotten over this crush and is now friends with both of the boys and they love to play basketball together. Jelilah used to do ballet when she was younger and has been considering asking [name_m]Eddis[/name_m] if he is interested in her teaching some of her lessons, the only thing holding her back is that she isn’t quite sure how good of a teacher she will be.

Jelilah is a very driven young lady and has goals of becoming an astronaut when she grows up, wanting to work for NASA. She absolutely loves space and will gladly tell you all about her favorite exoplanets because she finds it a tragedy that people don’t know more about them. Her absolute favorite exoplanet is HD 189733b, which is an exoplanet 63 light years away that rains glass shards sideways at 5,400mph. Her favorite planets in the solar system are [name_m]Uranus[/name_m] and [name_u]Neptune[/name_u] because it is said they rain diamonds.

Jelilah spends a lot of time researching space but when she isn’t doing that or playing basketball with the twins, she enjoys hanging out with 3 best girlfriends who act as an emotional support towards her. Jelilah’s dad left her when she was just a baby, leaving her mom to raise her and Jelilah’s older brother by herself. Jelilah’s mom is now not taken, but she is starting to see a guy who she has not introduced Jelilah or her brother to yet. If Jelilah found out she would be angry, especially since she considers her mom to be her best friend and she doesn’t want to share with anyone or risk her mom getting hurt. Jelilah knows all about the hurt that was caused to her mother when her dad left, and she doesn’t want her mom to ever be hurt by anyone ever again. Her mom knowing this means she keeps the relationship a secret until she knows for sure that this guy is safe to introduce to her family.

[CherryBomb50]

[name_f]Pandora[/name_f] “ [name_u]Paddy[/name_u] “ [name_f]Rita[/name_f] Bufton (12) is one of Jelilah’s besties and 110% intrigued by the factual nerdiness of Jelilah. Where else could she know exoplanets? She’s from a big family yes, but still. Family photos have always been awkward for her and she often wears bright colours to stand out and to “make up for the fact that she’s usually blocked in photos”. So having 3 other besties around feels small. She and another mutual bestie have this debate that they low key want [name_f]Delilah[/name_f] to settle - [name_u]Paddy[/name_u] believes that diamonds on [name_m]Uranus[/name_m] and [name_u]Neptune[/name_u] are less valuable than [name_f]Earth[/name_f] diamonds because the planets rain them so they’re more abundant. Paddy’s “debate opponent” states they’re more valuable because one would have to travel out of the planet and onto other planets of astounding distances away just to obtain these diamonds. They’ve tried to get the last friend involved on the debate but she always insists to leave it to Jelilah.

[name_u]Paddy[/name_u] loves dance parties and often invites her friends over for them. She gets along well with Jelilah’s mother and loves the muffins she bakes. She doesn’t know what happened between Jelilah’s mother and Jelilah’s abandoning father and never asks out of respect. It baffles her that Jelilah has an older brother and wonders how active her father was in her older brother’s life before leaving the picture altogether. [name_u]Paddy[/name_u] is a good drummer and also likes to play video games about drumming. She loves to watch horse movies and enjoys horses, even though she doesn’t have a horse and is still begging for lessons. She feels she will have her own horse stable when she grows up even though she has a classmate she sits next to who used to be a total horse girl before growing out of it. [name_u]Paddy[/name_u] feels that absence makes the heart grow fonder in this case and that since she’s away from horses now, she’ll be with them more later. [name_u]Paddy[/name_u] was shocked when [name_m]Brant[/name_m] accidentally told [name_m]Eddis[/name_m] that Jelilah liked him – she knew that but she would never tell [name_m]Eddis[/name_m]! Still, she’s happy everything turned out okay for them all because she knows the twins are nice boys.

[kitkatcookie]

tw: parental death

Beatrix " Trix " Elise Rendale (15) is the youngest of Paddy’s four older sisters, the other three being triplets Chuck, Em and Lucy Bufton. The difference in their surnames is because Rendale was kept by Trix for her mother, who passed away from leukaemia when she was a toddler, and her dad wanted to ensure she always felt a connection to the parent she didn’t have a chance to properly know. On the other hand, Paddy and the triplets have their mom’s surname too, with their dad going by the surname: Hall-Bufton, meaning there’s a lot of jokes within their family about how any kind of paperwork is easy to distinguish between the varying members.

When her youngest sibling was born, Trix joked that her twin brother was greatly relieved, as he was no longer the only boy of their family [aside from their dad of course]. Growing up as one of 7 kids wasn’t always easy, especially as there could be disagreements between the twins and the triplets as they adjusted to sharing their once single parents, and of course ‘teams’ naturally broke out given they were both from sets of multiples. Trix acknowledges now that fear is what fuelled a lot of her hostility in the early days of the family forming, as she didn’t want to lose the closeness she had with her dad, and her mom’s name being erased as a side effect of a new maternal figure coming into she and her brother’s lives. Sentimentality is something she’s continued to maintain throughout her life, especially displayed with her connection of stuffed animals.

A little amusingly, Trix isn’t a very romantic person in spite of her fondness for keeping items that mean a great deal to her. She briefly dated a boy recently but found him too clingy for her liking, and it was the triplets who she turned to for advice, specifically Lucy who’s had a happy long-term relationship [even if her boyfriend’s been teased a lot by the many siblings of the family]. History’s also something Trix is fond of, and as a kid she wanted to be Lara Croft, truthfully a plan she hasn’t given up on, as archaeology fascinates her…but maybe not all the bits about fleeing from gunfire.

---

Chuck’s credited to @jinxed_peach

Em’s credited to yours truly

Lucy’s credited to @szinkle

[kitkatcookie]

bump ! ! !

@olivelovesnames
@I.have.no.idea
@moonwriteen
@Era_Laine
@ElisabethJulie
@cara_murvolio

sorry here to bother everyone again!

[cara_murvolio]

TW: parental death

[name_m]Atticus[/name_m] ’ [name_m]Tye[/name_m] ’ [name_m]Miles[/name_m] Rendale (15) is Trixs’ twin brother and the older son in the Bufton/Rendale family, who was every bit as relieved when his little brother was born as she jokes. It’s not that [name_m]Tye[/name_m] doesn’t love his sisters’ dearly, especially [name_f]Trix[/name_f], however it was difficult trying to pursue his own interests among a girl-heavy group of siblings, and there was also some longing when [name_f]Paddy[/name_f] was born, as he couldn’t engage with her the same way the others could. So, when the youngest Bufton was born, [name_m]Tye[/name_m] absolutely was enthusiastic about bonding with him, and they played dinosaur related games for hours together.

While his dream is to become a paleontologist, being the science to Trixs’ humanities in exploring the past (as their dad affectionately calls it), [name_m]Tye[/name_m] has other interests, mostly in the water. He goes swimming twice a week and also is hoping to get a divers license when he’s a bit older, but for now he goes snorkeling when the family have beach days. [name_f]Trix[/name_f] and hes’ mom was very enthusiastic about this, so [name_m]Tye[/name_m] considers it part of her that’s remained with him since she passed.

Something less public is that [name_m]Tye[/name_m] has a crush on his classmate, [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] [name_m]Thompson[/name_m] - who’s actually a triplet herself - but this is top secret information, so much so that [name_f]Trix[/name_f] has been sworn to secrecy and is the only one of the family aware of this affection. They met thanks to [name_m]Tye[/name_m] being another good friend of the boy [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] works on slam poetry with, and initially he was a bit envious of their bond, before realising this was because of his feelings for [name_f]Josephine[/name_f]. It’s not that he doesn’t trust his siblings with the information (well maybe not [name_f]Paddy[/name_f] who would definitely blurt it out) but he knows they’d try and get him to approach his crush, something [name_m]Tye[/name_m] really doesn’t feel ready for.

---

Josephine, Elizabeth and Margaret were created by @A.B.Galaxy

[I.have.no.idea]

[name_f]August[/name_f] [name_f]Nolan[/name_f] ‘Gus’ Bufton (7) is [name_m]Tye[/name_m], [name_f]Trix[/name_f], [name_f]Paddy[/name_f] and the triplets younger brother. He is very close to [name_m]Tye[/name_m], though he isn’t as interesting in dinosaurs as he was a few years ago and prefers race cars. He follows formula one with his dad and is rooting for [name_f]Logan[/name_f] Sargeant who comes from [name_m]Fort[/name_m] Lauderdale like his family. [name_f]Gus[/name_f] would really like to become a driver but currently plays little league soccer and T-Ball which he has fun at. His brother is one of the assistant coaches and attends all of Gus’s games with their parents. His sisters are less involved in his life and mostly stick together which doesn’t bother the two of them. Since he is the youngest by a few years his sisters dote on him and don’t trust him with the family secrets since he has a big mouth and tells his teachers and classmates every aspect of his familial life.