šŸŒŸ create a family with a twist

Briana Rose Long (Born Brian Ross Long) (34) is Andyā€™s wife. They have been married since 2017, and they recently adopted a son who was born in 2019. Briana is a dancer and choreographer specializing in hip hop, modern, and jazz dance. She has been involved in helping out in the library that Andy works in, in memory of his sister.

4 Likes

[name_u]Cassio[/name_u] [name_u]William[/name_u] [name_m]Long[/name_m] (2) is [name_f]Briana[/name_f] and Andyā€™s son, who was adopted by them at 14 months old, and absolutely adores both of them. After some consultation with the agency and social worker they were with, [name_f]Briana[/name_f] and [name_u]Andy[/name_u] decided to keep his birth name, not wanting to get rid of his past in case [name_u]Cassio[/name_u] wishes to explore his identity when heā€™s older. They did decide to give him the middle name [name_u]William[/name_u] though, and itā€™s been a long used name in his maternal family, with [name_f]Briana[/name_f] having always known she wanted her firstborn boy to carry it in some capacity. Itā€™s still an affectionate joke that theyā€™re ABC though, and [name_u]Andy[/name_u] sometimes wonders if they need their next child to continue the pattern.

Cassā€™sā€™ regularly babysat by Brianaā€™s younger siblings and absolutely adores showing off his little gymnastics routines, something that charms the family endlessly. Itā€™s become a common joke between his parents that once a cousinā€™s born, [name_u]Cass[/name_u] is going to struggle sharing the attention he receives from his grandparents, so for now theyā€™re happy for him to soak it up so readily and enthusiastically. His confidence is treasured by his family though, almost as much as his smile, which lightens up the whole room and makes others cheer up once they see it.

4 Likes

cw: unhealthy lifestyle, drugs, abortion

Bellamy Beatrice ā€˜Bebeā€™ Hickham [22] is Cassioā€™s biological mother. Born as the second child to a wealthy family she spent most of her adolescence partying and shirking her responsibilities whenever she could. She went to college but just for the social aspect and ended up dropping out after a year as her grades were extremely lacking. Her parents and older sibling never really cared about her hectic lifestyle as they were busy with the family business, they rarely spoke to one another outside of Bebe asking for more money for her rent after spending what was supposed to go towards her bills on cocaine and booze..

Due to her heavy drug and alcohol use she was very familiar with her period being late or even skipping multiple months. So when it suddenly stopped it was not out of the ordinary for her. It wasnā€™t until she was seeking treatment for a UTI that she discovered she was pregnant.

Being young and, to put it simple, dumb, she knew she was not ready for a baby and decided to have an abortion. The appointment was set, she had her best friend agree to drive her home and take care of her afterwards, but when she went in the doctor discovered something during the preprocedural ultrasound. Bebe was nearly six months pregnant and past her stateā€™s cutoff for abortion.

Finding out that she would likely have to have this baby was beyond shocking. She spent the next few weeks holed up in her room thinking about what she would do, considering traveling somewhere that would allow late term abortions without medical reasons. Her best friend was her rock during this time and ensured that Bebe was eating and drinking, or otherwise taking care of herself, even helping her friend shower during this time. Eventually she came to the decision to continue her pregnancy, she was already entering the third trimester after all. Though she made her friend promise not to tell a soul as she wanted to ensure that her family didnā€™t know about the baby. There was no point in reaching out to the father either since she didnā€™t know who he was. The plan was to rent a house out of her homestate to ensure that no one from her life would know under the guise of a ā€˜girlā€™s tripā€™ with her friend.

The last few months of her pregnancy were anxiety inducing, both from the fear of her parents finding out as well as the medical testing that she had to endure. Considering that she continued to drink and use party drugs while unknowingly pregnant made the chances that her child would be effected by her lifestyle much greater than zero. Waiting on all the results were nerve-wracking, and the guilt that her own choices to abuse her own body couldā€™ve resulted in damage to someone elseā€™s weighted on her heart. Most of the tests came back negative thankfully, but the only way to be sure was to examine the baby upon their birth. Everyone waiting on bated breath to find out definitively.

When the time came that Bebe went into labor she chose to labor without pain relief, it was both a self punishment and the beginning of her choice to cut out narcotics and other drugs from her life for good. Her best friend was there with her during the entire eighteen hour labor supporting her, and even being the one to cut the babyā€™s umbilical cord. Initially Bebe didnā€™t want to hold or even look at her baby, but in a last minute decision she asked to hold him. Looking into his face she felt the love and connection that parents always talked about, but she knew that she shouldnā€™t keep him. They stared silently at one another, the peace only broken by Bebe uttering his name. Of course she hadnā€™t intended to bestow upon him a name, but in the moment it felt more right than sending him out into the world without one. A second later she passed him off to the nurse and hasnā€™t seen him since. She did end up learning from her doctor later on at a follow-up appointment though that he is a perfectly healthy baby despite her drug abuse.

In the years that have passed she continued to pursue sobriety and is now nearly three years sober. Sheā€™s an active sponsor in NA and AA meetings and has returned to college to get her degree in psychology so she can one day become an addiction counselor. In the meantime sheā€™s volunteering at a womenā€™s shelter and spends a lot of time aiding single mothers as well. While she doesnā€™t necessarily regret her choice to place her son for adoption, it has lead to a lot of unpacking to be done with the therapist that sheā€™s begun seeing in the last few months. She doesnā€™t really want to try and find him, thinking it would be too invasive and intrusive for his family. As well as being too emotionally draining for her since seeing him would only cement the fact in her heart that he is not herā€™s. Instead deciding that if he someday wants to try and find her when heā€™s older will be the only way that she would ever see him again. Largely she lives as if she had never had a child at all, attempting to move past the dark time in her life full of drugs and other bad choices.

Recently however, a woman she was working with complimented her on how she handles their cases and asked if she herself was a mother, for the first time in her life Bebe replied: ā€œYes.ā€

5 Likes

Warning for one-night stands, aforementioned alcohol references, and loss of virginity.

Gianluigi ā€œ [name_u]Gianni[/name_u] ā€œ [name_m]Arturo[/name_m] [name_m]Rossi[/name_m] (24) is Cassioā€™s biological father and Bebeā€™s former flame. [name_u]Truth[/name_u] is, [name_u]Gianni[/name_u] wouldnā€™t have been suited to be a father anyway. Not only did he not plan on being a father, but he doesnā€™t even live where [name_f]Bebe[/name_f] lives ā€” not even close. The son of a Vatican ambassador, [name_u]Gianni[/name_u] was used to having to travel everywhere with his father on his trips, not that he minded it at all. However growing up in a conservative [name_m]Roman[/name_m] Catholic family, [name_u]Gianni[/name_u] didnā€™t really feel like he knew himself, just whatever the church wanted him to be. He adored being able to travel so much when he grew up and loved the places he had visited. His ambassador father was treated very nobly and while [name_u]Gianni[/name_u] was out of the spotlight, heā€™d occasionally be treated like a prince when he went with his father, and his family would feel the luxury. Once he reached adulthood, he didnā€™t really visit places with his father anymore and he stopped living the conservative lifestyle. [name_u]Gianni[/name_u] wanted to consider moving elsewhere, preferably somewhere in [name_f]Italy[/name_f], where he visited all the time, but he would end up staying in a home in Vatican City. At least for now.

Things changed when Gianniā€™s father was on another travel, where [name_u]Gianni[/name_u] wanted to tag along with him. While he and his father werenā€™t distanced, he felt like he didnā€™t see the ā€œhumanā€ side to his father. [name_u]Gianni[/name_u] didnā€™t feel like his father had a real bond with him due to his father being busy, even if [name_u]Gianni[/name_u] did tag along. He wanted to see him as his [name_f]Papa[/name_f] and not just as Ambassador [name_m]Rossi[/name_m]. [name_u]Gianni[/name_u] had been trying at a very close bond with his father, constantly asking him what hobbies he did outside of work, how his days were, and hugging his father. His father definitely noticed [name_u]Gianni[/name_u] changed but chalked it up to the fact [name_u]Gianni[/name_u] hadnā€™t been on a trip with him in years since adulthood. The hardest part about [name_u]Gianni[/name_u] opening up was the idea of being careful with what he said and not saying anything that was against the [name_m]Roman[/name_m] Catholic views. The hardest part about his father opening up was that he was a person of few words and didnā€™t like idle chit chat.

While [name_u]Gianni[/name_u] liked the travel aspect, he wasnā€™t getting what he was looking for with his father. They didnā€™t share a hotel room and [name_u]Gianni[/name_u] didnā€™t visit every place in there that his father visited. [name_u]Gianni[/name_u] didnā€™t want to give up permanently but he needed a break to refresh his mind after everything. He ended up meeting [name_f]Bebe[/name_f], who was waiting outside a nightclub. [name_u]Gianni[/name_u] asked why she was just standing in front of there alone and doing nothing. He could speak [name_f]English[/name_f] but it was poor and grammatically incorrect. She noticed this right away but couldnā€™t help but be charmed by his accent, and she just told him she was waiting for the club to open so she can ā€œspend the rest of the night getting wrecked and hammeredā€. [name_u]Gianni[/name_u], not knowing what she meant by ā€œwrecked and hammeredā€, feared that this was a place where people physically fight each other, and decided to talk her out of it. He replied, ā€œYou no need to has gotten wrecked and hammered. Wrecked and hammered dangerous and hurt you. You have need soft peace activities and get good mood. I want to watch stars tonight and you may too if you want to.ā€ [name_f]Bebe[/name_f] figured it wouldnā€™t hurt and she needed to save money for her rent anyway, so she agreed. [name_u]Gianni[/name_u] and [name_f]Bebe[/name_f] went to a nice grass field and stargazed. They felt comfortable with each other mainly since they were so lonely and needed more bonding time. Looking at the stars gave them a sense of tranquility and was a way to just clear their minds of all their troubling thoughts. They just spent time focusing on the stars and didnā€™t say anything but after some time, decided to talk about their lives. Despite his bad [name_f]English[/name_f], [name_u]Gianni[/name_u] told [name_f]Bebe[/name_f] a lot about his life because he admired that she was someone willing to listen to him, and felt a human connection with her. One thing he notably didnā€™t mention was that he was the son of a Vatican ambassador. Although he did tell her he was from Vatican City, he enjoyed it too much that she saw him as a regular guy and he liked having this perception for a change. [name_f]Bebe[/name_f] felt it was only fair to tell him a bit about her life, which ironically she chose not to mention that she was from a wealthy family. [name_f]Bebe[/name_f] felt like her rich family life didnā€™t define her, her relatives were always boasting about the business, but she was trying to afford rent. They did find a valid human connection in one another and that would lead to [name_u]Gianni[/name_u] going back to his hotel room, but not by himself. He and [name_f]Bebe[/name_f] ended up watching movies together when [name_u]Gianni[/name_u] told her that he was leaving tomorrow to go back to Vatican City. She felt bad because they had such a great time together that night but decided to end the night with a mutual decision to have intimacy. Under different circumstances, this wouldnā€™t have happened, but truthfully, theyā€™re consenting adults. This was a massive step for [name_u]Gianni[/name_u] since he was losing his virginity to [name_f]Bebe[/name_f] but it was in his consent and he knew he had the choice and control on his own body. Also because [name_f]Bebe[/name_f] didnā€™t get ā€œwrecked and hammeredā€ as planned, she was fully able to consent as well.

The next morning was a crazy rush. [name_u]Gianni[/name_u] frantically packed up his stuff in the hotel room and had to meet his father at the lobby at 7:30am sharp. [name_f]Bebe[/name_f] was still in the room at the time and while [name_u]Gianni[/name_u] didnā€™t want to sound like he was nagging, he did need for her to leave ā€œprontoā€ so that his father would not know what he did last night with her. [name_f]Bebe[/name_f] left per his requests and at 7:30am, [name_u]Gianni[/name_u] met back with his father to fly home. Now what [name_u]Gianni[/name_u] didnā€™t know was that he had actually gotten [name_f]Bebe[/name_f] pregnant and [name_f]Bebe[/name_f] herself didnā€™t know she was pregnant. Unfortunately [name_f]Bebe[/name_f] would lose most her memory of [name_u]Gianni[/name_u] due to her getting drunk later that day, since she needed something to soothe her stress and was tired from being woken up earlier than she usually wakes up. [name_u]Gianni[/name_u] still never told his father about what he did on the last night because his father was strict with that, so he always kept it a personal secret. He has no regrets about it although he does miss [name_f]Bebe[/name_f]. Part of the excessive travel growing up wasnā€™t just the places but also the people. When [name_u]Gianni[/name_u] was 6, he met a fellow kid on a beach in [name_f]Fiji[/name_f] and was basically best friends with the other boy. When [name_u]Gianni[/name_u] was 10, he and a girl his age were the only kids on a ski trip in Switzerland and they clicked the entire day. When [name_u]Gianni[/name_u] was 17, he wasnā€™t really enjoying the excessive travels but met a teen boy on a ferry across Turkey; the teen made him so excited about Turkish culture that he had a blast the entire trip. [name_u]Gianni[/name_u] has only known these people for 1 day but remembers the fun times he had with them even if he doesnā€™t quite remember them, and he occasionally thinks and wonders what theyā€™re doing now. However, with [name_f]Bebe[/name_f] itā€™s been different especially since [name_u]Gianni[/name_u] didnā€™t want to tell anyone, but he was feeling an attraction to her. [name_u]Gianni[/name_u] hopes [name_f]Bebe[/name_f] is doing alright whatever sheā€™s doing and hopes sheā€™s not too lonely. Heā€™s not accurate, [name_f]Bebe[/name_f] is not too lonely thanks to her wonderful best friend but she is struggling with addiction. Not to mention she found out months later she was actually pregnantā€¦and [name_u]Gianni[/name_u] was the one who got her there!

What [name_u]Gianni[/name_u] didnā€™t know is that Bebeā€™s best friend doesnā€™t like him, or at least what she thinks she knows about him. She means well, she just assumes that whoever the father to Bebeā€™s child is a deadbeat father given the fact that sheā€™s never seen him or heard any contact with him. [name_f]Bebe[/name_f] doesnā€™t remember too much about [name_u]Gianni[/name_u] other than his nickname, accent, and bluish eyes. Bebeā€™s best friend and [name_u]Gianni[/name_u] have never met, she is unaware he lives in another country, and she really wants to focus more on [name_f]Bebe[/name_f] now anyway given her tough lifestyle, so theyā€™ve taken focus off from trying to find [name_u]Gianni[/name_u]. Now that [name_f]Bebe[/name_f] is aware sheā€™s taking her pregnancy to full term, especially for a child she wonā€™t be able to keep, her best friend has been giving a watchful eye. Sheā€™s been a huge rock to [name_f]Bebe[/name_f] and helped her in her path on reaching sobriety. When [name_f]Bebe[/name_f] gave birth to her biological son, the name [name_u]Cassio[/name_u] was said on a whim, as she vaguely remembered the way [name_u]Gianni[/name_u] spoke some Italian to her and she was starting to remember a little bit of him again.

In the two years since, [name_u]Gianni[/name_u] has tried to reconnect with his father. His father did have a selfish undertone about constantly talking about his own career. However, heā€™s softened up to this and tried to be nicer with his son. It feels very slow and gradual but [name_u]Gianni[/name_u] knows heā€™s making progress and he feels he can have honest conversations without being nervous. As for the other aspects of his life, heā€™s studying to be an astronomer and still finds the stars a passion of his. Heā€™s far less religious now although heā€™s not outwardly telling everyone and just spends a peaceful life without the fear of deities although he still believes in higher power. [name_u]Gianni[/name_u] has absolutely zero plans to tell his father any details regarding losing virginity ā€” because at the end of the day, itā€™s not anyoneā€™s business. He still thinks about [name_f]Bebe[/name_f] despite not even knowing [name_f]Bebe[/name_f] stood for [name_u]Bellamy[/name_u] [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f] and she didnā€™t know [name_u]Gianni[/name_u] stood for Gianluigi. Thereā€™s a lot he doesnā€™t know about her in terms of her pregnancy, the decision to put her son up for adoption, her path to sobriety, and her charitable work. He knows even if he never again sees [name_f]Bebe[/name_f], or anyone else heā€™s met once on travels, that heā€™s happy he met them and he hopes that theyā€™ll all doing okay. Whether a reunification sounds unlikely, [name_f]Bebe[/name_f] and her friend have since been able to find out [name_u]Gianni[/name_u]. While they were helping out a single mother in the shelter, [name_f]Bebe[/name_f] found an old picture on her phone and realised it was a photo of her and [name_u]Gianni[/name_u] outside with the stars in the background. [name_f]Bebe[/name_f] told that single mother that this was the only picture she had of her and her once-fling. The single mother, who was of Vatican descent (which [name_f]Bebe[/name_f] didnā€™t know given the woman had no noticeable accent) responded, ā€œHeā€™s the son of a Vatican ambassador!ā€

3 Likes

tw: domestic violence, toxic relationship


[name_f]Lavinia[/name_f] ā€˜Viā€™ [name_f]Amata[/name_f] [name_u]Royce[/name_u] [29] and [name_m]Vincenzo[/name_m] ā€˜Enzoā€™ [name_f]Amata[/name_f] [name_u]Royce[/name_u] [10mos] is a single mother and baby who currently resides at the shelter that [name_f]Bebe[/name_f] is volunteering at and the one who recognized [name_u]Gianni[/name_u] as an ambassadorā€™s son since she still pretty regularly keeps up with Vatican politics despite being American born. Back when [name_m]Cinna[/name_m] was still a twinkle in his Viā€™s eye, and even when [name_f]Vi[/name_f] was still a twinkle in her own motherā€™s eye, a young woman resided in Ciampino, a city about ten miles away from Vatican City where she had grown up before moving away as a twenty-something for work. There she met a charming expat from [name_u]America[/name_u] and the two fell in love quickly. Their ten month relationship culminated in a candlelit proposal on the beach at sunset where she of course said yes. Her parents were not approving of the whirlwind romance and refused to give their blessing, though heartbroken, the woman decided to move with her fiancĆ© back to [name_u]America[/name_u]. From then on the rest is pretty much history, the couple have since welcomed four kids, with [name_f]Vi[/name_f] being the second eldest, and have been happily married for over 30 years.

They raised their kids to be in touch with their ancestry and they took several family trips to [name_u]Rome[/name_u] during the raising of their family. The kids all have the same middle name as well, their motherā€™s maiden name, to further connect them back to their roots. The youngest of the [name_u]Royce[/name_u] family is also studying abroad in [name_u]Rome[/name_u] right now too.

[name_f]Vi[/name_f] herself has always loved her familyā€™s story in both their Vatican roots and her parents love story. Unfortunately, sheā€™s always been unlucky in love and was constantly fluxing from single to short term relationships. It was beyond frustrating for her as someone who always wanted that love like her parents. In a last ditch effort she decided to let her brother set her up with his co-worker on a blind date.

She was so nervous to meet him for dinner but shortly after appetizers she was completely at ease! He was so easy to talk to, funny, passionate, and he paid for her meal. They ended their date with a little making out in his car and plans made to see each other again. [name_f]Vi[/name_f] was completely head over heels for this man in such a way she couldnā€™t see his flaws. He was demanding, obtuse, and at times, cruel. He would belittle her for every little thing and humiliate her in front of others.

Eventually he started asking her to stop talking to her family so much, she was too blind to see how toxic their relationship was and agreed. Her family was hurt at her distancing herself but her mother, knowing how things had gone down between her and her parents, wondered if it was karma.

At a family dinner for the Amatas Viā€™s sister called out her boyfriendā€™s terrible behavior, but [name_f]Vi[/name_f] took his side and accused her of being critical for no reason. Then she vowed not to spent more time with her family until they learned to accept her boyfriend.

[name_f]Vi[/name_f] moved in with her boyfriend after about a year of dating and things only became worse from then on. Now behind their own closed doors he was more abusive, verbally, emotionally, and eventually physically. By the time she had realized her mistake in falling in love with him she didnā€™t know what to do or how to leave, and having ostracized herself from her family she couldnā€™t ask for their help either. She was trapped.

When her period was late she had thought it was from the stress of living with him, until she started experiencing morning sickness and she realized that she was pregnant. After taking a test to be sure, she wanted to get an abortion but her boyfriend discovered her used test first and guilted her into keeping the baby.

For months she was terrified, for her own life and the one inside of her. His volatile personality did not decrease during the pregnancy, if anything it worsened since he knew that she couldnā€™t escape him anymore.

There was one night where they began to fight over what [name_f]Vi[/name_f], who was seven months pregnant at the time, had made for dinner and the altercation had become physical, ending with him throwing her down the stairs. Full of adrenaline as he descended the stairs after her she grabbed a candlestick from the nearby bookshelf and attack him with it, subduing him enough to flee. The screaming had caused the neighbors to call the police who thankfully arrived right as she was running down the street. While one unit took to arresting her boyfriend another took her to the hospital to check on the baby. There she learned that her child was ok, as well as finding out that he was a boy.

In the aftermath of that night she was able to have a restraining order filed against her boyfriend and was directed towards the womenā€™s shelter as a place to stay where she could get back on her feet.

Two months later, while staying there she gave birth to her son with a fellow single mother who she had grown close with at her side during the delivery. She named her son [name_m]Vincenzo[/name_m] because it means ā€˜to conquerā€™ or ā€˜to winā€™ since she felt that with his birth she had finally achieved victory against her abusive partner. To further cement the fact that her son belonged to her and her alone she gave him her middle name for family connection and her own last name.

Sheā€™s still staying at the shelter about a year later so she can save money. Sheā€™s finally found that love that sheā€™s always been dreaming of with her son, heā€™s a very happy baby and makes many of the other women and children at the shelter smile and laugh with his contagious joy. [name_f]Vi[/name_f] may just be moving out soon though as during a clothing drive she recognized one of the volunteers, her sister. The two had a tearful reunion as neither thought they would ever see one another again, [name_f]Vi[/name_f] was forbidden to communicate with her family or to even have social media which lead to her basically falling off the face of the earth for her family. They worried that she was dead and never knew that she was even pregnant.

[name_f]Vi[/name_f] has since had a reunion with the rest of her family as well, all of the Amatas love baby [name_m]Enzo[/name_m], though there is a lot of sadness around missing Viā€™s pregnancy and the first few months of Enzoā€™s life, and is preparing to move back in with her mom and dad so they can help her keep saving money for her own place once she has her own job. The future is finally looking bright for her for the first time in years.

3 Likes

image
Warning for surgical complications (not fatal), life threatening illness (not fatal), drunkenness, and brief cheating.

[name_m]Silvio[/name_m] [name_f]Amata[/name_f] [name_u]Royce[/name_u] (24) is the youngest member of Viā€™s siblings, having just turned 24. He felt a lot of pressure as a sibling to find a ā€œroleā€ in Viā€™s life. It didnā€™t help that Viā€™s other brother found [name_f]Vi[/name_f] a boyfriend who ended up being toxic and dangerous and that Viā€™s sister tried to get [name_f]Vi[/name_f] out. [name_m]Silvio[/name_m] tried what he could to help [name_f]Vi[/name_f] but always felt a little left out and truthfully felt uncomfortable by the drama but knew helping [name_f]Vi[/name_f] was important. [name_m]Silvio[/name_m] was the type to often stay quiet when he felt inconvenienced but would get super upset if he was pushed too hard or felt mistreated enough.

The other struggle [name_m]Silvio[/name_m] had in his life was his girlfriend. Heā€™d been dating her for quite some time, even asking her to dance when they were teenagers, and kept on their relationship in young adulthood. Things hit a hard bump in the road when they were 19 and Silvioā€™s girlfriend desperately needed a kidney transplant. [name_m]Silvio[/name_m] agreed to donate and things were looking well until complications arose ā€” not for his girlfriend but for him. His temperature was high and body was reacting very poorly to the lost organ and he was kept in the hospital. He nearly died when his heart stopped but he was successfully defillibrated. His condition was very unstable but eventually he would stabilise and slowly recover. He actually didnā€™t tell his girlfriend how close he was to death because he didnā€™t want to scare her or make her blame herself, instead he just stated he was ā€œresting and recovering after surgeryā€ which technically wasnā€™t wrong. The thing that really angered [name_m]Silvio[/name_m] was when he walked in and saw his girlfriend one day drunkenly kissing another guy. He grabbed the bottle of alcohol and smashed it on the floor, then yelling, ā€œI almost died saving your life! [name_f]Do[/name_f] you want me to tell you how close I was to losing it all? And this is how you treat me? Well go ahead, just keep kissing that guy like I never mattered!ā€ He angrily stormed off.

[name_m]Silvio[/name_m] wanted to get away and started studying in [name_u]Rome[/name_u]. He contacted his family a lot but was confused why [name_f]Vi[/name_f] wouldnā€™t contact him. He didnā€™t know that the shelter was strict on outside contact. [name_m]Silvio[/name_m] texted the rest of his family and they said they didnā€™t have a clue either. [name_m]Silvio[/name_m] was also starting to think [name_f]Vi[/name_f] was dead or missing but the rest of the family didnā€™t want to tell him what they thought. So any time [name_m]Silvio[/name_m] asked if [name_f]Vi[/name_f] was okay, they wouldnā€™t respond, and [name_m]Silvio[/name_m] reluctantly stopped asking. Things got awkward and contact between [name_m]Silvio[/name_m] and the rest of the family diminished. This bothered him but he didnā€™t say this to anyone. He loved being in [name_u]Rome[/name_u] but without his family talking to him, it didnā€™t have that same warm feeling as it did when he and the family used to take trips together.

[name_m]Just[/name_m] a few weeks ago recently, [name_m]Silvio[/name_m] returned from [name_u]Rome[/name_u] and saw [name_f]Vi[/name_f] again. All his anguish melted away when he saw how happy she was and to meet his nephew [name_m]Enzo[/name_m]. [name_m]Silvio[/name_m] was grateful everything was good again and he briefly looked at the shelter his sister went to. He noticed a familiar face of someone leaving the shelter ā€” his former girlfriend whom he hadnā€™t spoke to since the day he stormed off on her. But why was she there? How did she become a single mother? And why did she stay in the shelter? [name_m]Silvio[/name_m] did not approach her but was no longer angry at her, instead feeling worry and some guilt at the way he reamed her before. He got closer with [name_f]Vi[/name_f] but didnā€™t state anything about his former girlfriend. However he felt Viā€™s personal experience could help lead him in the right path about how to talk to his ex-girlfriend and being around [name_f]Vi[/name_f] made [name_m]Silvio[/name_m] feel happier and better about the knowledge.

[name_m]Silvio[/name_m] was bonding with the rest of the family and they were cleaning up the house together to make it presentable when [name_f]Vi[/name_f] was moving back in with her parents. [name_m]Silvio[/name_m] had done a lot of the work but he made an error by putting the wrong type of wood polish on the wood floor. His brother claimed, ā€œSilvio, youā€™re using the wrong wood polish! It doesnā€™t go with that type of wood! You know what, never mind. Iā€™ll just polish the floor myself.ā€ [name_m]Silvio[/name_m] hated that he had done the most work with the house and was not being credited for that but was being scolded the moment he made a mistake. Later on, their brother realised the TV remote was missing. He asked, ā€œSilvio, get off what youā€™re doing. Why arenā€™t you even trying to help find the remote?ā€ [name_m]Silvio[/name_m] responded, ā€œBecause Iā€™ve been busy cleaning up the basement.ā€œ Silvioā€™s sister stated, ā€œNobody even goes in the basement.ā€œ [name_m]Silvio[/name_m] replied, ā€œWe were still told to clean it though. And I was the only one who did it.ā€ The two just meered, ā€œFine clean the basement. We can handle the remote control issue without you.ā€ [name_m]Silvio[/name_m] stated, ā€œNo need. I already finished it. And the bathrooms. And the hallway. I even washed the sheets and pillows in the bedroom and you people just act like I never did anything.ā€œ They replied, ā€œCalm down [name_m]Silvio[/name_m], you know weā€™re not like that and you know we wonā€™t stop caring about you.ā€ [name_m]Silvio[/name_m] asked, ā€œThen how come you stopped responding while I was studying in [name_u]Rome[/name_u]? I understand why [name_f]Vi[/name_f] stopped but you just threw me out when I repeatedly asked about her. [name_m]Even[/name_m] when I stopped, you still didnā€™t answer anything from me. Our parents barely even contacted me but I still cleaned up their house.ā€

The moment it seemed like they would respond, [name_m]Silvio[/name_m] just walked out of the house outside in the pouring rain. His brother and sister felt bad now truly and apologised, ā€œSilvio, Iā€™m sorry. We really are.ā€ [name_m]Silvio[/name_m] walked and didnā€™t look back. They followed and asked, ā€œItā€™s raining buckets and youā€™re just walking away without a jacket?ā€ [name_m]Silvio[/name_m] sneered, ā€œWhatever, at least it will wash off my smell of cleaning supplies.ā€ They asked, ā€œArenā€™t you going to get sick out there?ā€ [name_m]Silvio[/name_m] shrugged, ā€œIā€™m already coming down with something so mind your business.ā€ His brother and sister asked, ā€œOh okay but just one more question please, where are you going?ā€ [name_m]Silvio[/name_m] just scoffed, ā€œI said mind your business.ā€ [name_m]Silvio[/name_m] just kept walking until he was a speck in the distance. Truthfully, he didnā€™t have a place in mind he was planning to go. But he saw something he noticed he was getting close to and rather than going away, he only went closer. His ex-girlfriendā€™s house, the house she moved back to after leaving the shelter. [name_m]Silvio[/name_m] wasnā€™t trying to pick a fight with her though, he actually just wanted to apologise for how he yelled at her. Yeah, this felt impromptu and if it didnā€™t work out, heā€™d understand. But he finally felt like he wasnā€™t reluctant anymore. He was finally standing outside the door and before he could turn back, he rung the doorbell.

3 Likes

cw: medical issues, sexual harassment, stalking, arson,


[name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] [name_u]Juniper[/name_u] Ashworth [24] is Silvioā€™s ex-girlfriend and mother to [name_m]Soren[/name_m] [name_u]Montgomery[/name_u] [name_m]Ashford[/name_m] [3mos]. [name_m]Long[/name_m] before the latter was born [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] and [name_m]Silvio[/name_m] had begun dating during their freshman years of high school and stayed together, with [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] even picking her college based on where her boyfriend was going. That was how close they were.

Not long into college was when [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] went into spontaneous renal failure, non-surgical treatments were tried but produced no results. She was shocked when [name_m]Silvio[/name_m] volunteered to donate but was beyond thankful. Being kept in the dark about his medical aftermath was something facilitated by bother her own mother, who agreed with [name_m]Silvio[/name_m] that the guilt might be too much when she wasnā€™t ready for it, and her doctor who wanted to reduce stress on her.

[name_m]Silvio[/name_m] was her rock during her recovery, unbeknownst to her that he was going through a recovery process of his own all the while. They ended up moving in together and continued to co-habituate until the incident that ended their relationship that transpired about a year ago.

It happened when she was at a party with her friend acting as the designated driver, [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] doesnā€™t drink on account of wanting to take care of her new kidney, and was attempting to have a good time after said friend had abandoned her to make-out with a guy in another room. While sitting idly on the couch with a soda she was approached by another guy, he started flirting with her and despite her efforts to turn him down and tell him she was taken he refused to take no for an answer. The party around them was too busy to notice the way the stranger kept making moves on her and trying to get her to take a shot from the liquor bottle he had in his hand.

She pulled the bottle from his hand to prevent it spilling onto herself and in the process found the man forcing himself on her, pressing his lips against hers and putting his hand on her upper thigh. He overpowered her quickly and she was unable to force him off, then [name_m]Silvio[/name_m] walked in. He had arrived at the party since [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] had forgotten her phone and had intended to return it to her. [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] desperately wanted to explain to him what really happened but was unable to get a word out before he stormed out. She was devastated but didnā€™t want to leave her own friend without a DD so she instead took to the bathroom and cried the rest of the night. [name_m]Silvio[/name_m] had left with her phone so she was unable to explain things to him that way.

When she returned home that night to their shared apartment [name_m]Silvio[/name_m] had taken all his belongings and left without a trace. Having known that he was always a very stubborn and decisive man, there would be no changing his mind, and the guilt of what he had said began to weight on her soul. [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] decided that it was her own fault for what had happened and instead tried to accept that their relationship was over.

She tried to bury her heartbreak in her work, sheā€™s a crime statistics analyst. It got a little easier to forget about him after he left the country since she hadnā€™t known were he had gone to, but there was something that he had left with her. She was pregnant.

[name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] tried to find [name_m]Silvio[/name_m] to tell him about the baby but it was impossible to find him now that he was away in [name_u]Rome[/name_u]. Part of her wanted to terminate, but during her medical issues in her teens she had undergone treatments that had greatly reduced her fertility and was informed that having a baby naturally would be unlikely. She felt like it was a miracle that she was pregnant and desperately wanted the baby, even if the father wasnā€™t around and she really wished that he was.

Her pregnancy was fairly easy, until she realized she had a stalker. The same car would be parked outside her work and her apartment, flowers would show up at her door with love notes. She tried going to the police, fearing for her safety and that of her unborn baby, but they turned her away since it wasnā€™t enough for a case. The stalking continued, she started getting notes under her door with demands like ā€œCome to your senses and fall for me.ā€ or ā€œLet me be your prince charming.ā€ She continually brought them to the police but was repeatedly turned away since the threats werenā€™t very ā€˜threatening.ā€™

One night she woke up in the middle of the night to smoke in her apartment. She tried to escape but the door was blocked so she turned to the window, but out in the parking lot below she saw the man screaming up at her for being a ā€˜b*tchā€™ and ā€˜heartlessā€™ for continually spurning his advances, and that ā€œIt was time to pay.ā€ before he sped off in his car. [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] managed to call 911 and cover her face with a wet cloth to protect her lungs. Less than fifteen minutes later the firefighters arrived and saved her, taking her to the hospital. Finally the police officers took her seriously and started investigating her claims. For her safety they recommended she stay in a womenā€™s shelter that specialized in protecting women from dangerous men. The very same one that [name_f]Vi[/name_f] lived at.

She made other friends at the shelter, finally feeling more normal after the stalking ordeal and actually getting excited for her impending delivery. The other women at the shelter threw her a little baby shower as they do for many of the expectant mothers who stay there and she received a crochet blanket for her son. A few months later she delivered a son whom she gave a name that started with ā€˜Sā€™ to honor his father since to her knowledge she would never see him again.

When [name_m]Silvio[/name_m] was visiting the shelter she had been in the process of loading a moving truck with her belongings since her former stalker had finally been apprehended and the police deemed it safe for her to return to living on her own again. She was so busy she hadnā€™t seen him before he left and unknowingly moved into a home that was not far from Silvioā€™s parentsā€™ home.

Recently during a downpour she was attempting to get a colicky [name_m]Soren[/name_m] to settle down, holding him against her chest and bouncing and rocking and shushing him and singing to him, trying practically everything to settle the sick baby. Suddenly there was a knock at her door and fear rushed into her heart, scared that someone arriving suddenly would have ill intentions, but a glance out the window showed something more shocking. [name_m]Silvio[/name_m].

Her body moved without her mind protesting and she opened the door with her other hand, still holding her crying son, and stared wordlessly at her ex. Silvioā€™s eyes went big as saucers as he looked at the baby. Before he could ask one of the hundred questions he suddenly had [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] said ā€œCome inside before your catch your death.ā€ and stepped aside to let him in. She grabbed him a towel and asked what he was doing in her home, then listening as he explained quite the story. By the time he had finished baby [name_m]Soren[/name_m] had calmed down and began to sleep in his motherā€™s arms, through humming and fussing slightly in his sleep.

Looking down at the baby in his exā€™s lap he asked the foremost of his questions ā€œIs he mine?ā€ to which [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] broke down and explained the entire situation she had gone through and that yes, he had fathered [name_m]Soren[/name_m]. The two of them ended up profusely apologizing to one another, [name_m]Silvio[/name_m] for storming out before hearing the truth and for running away, and [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] for hiding their son from him. She placed the baby boy in a nearby bassinet and sat beside [name_m]Silvio[/name_m], saying ā€œI forgive you, I love you, I always have and never stopped.ā€ before they shared a kiss.

The couple are now back together, with [name_m]Silvio[/name_m] moving in with his ex-ex-girlfriend and son. It ended up being a perfect arrangement since now heā€™s so close to his own family to support [name_f]Vi[/name_f]. Though heā€™d be lying if he said his focus wasnā€™t 100% on making up the year of lost time to [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] and [name_m]Soren[/name_m], though she is perfectly happy to pick up right where they left off.

4 Likes

Warning for abusers.

[name_m]Valeriano[/name_m] ā€™ [name_u]Erie[/name_u] ā€™ [name_f]Amata[/name_f] [name_u]Royce[/name_u] (28) is Sorenā€™s uncle and [name_f]Vi[/name_f] & Silvioā€™s brother, knowing [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] through [name_m]Silvio[/name_m]. Heā€™s the third-eldest in the family behind the two women but he always felt closer to them due to age difference. [name_u]Erie[/name_u] feels bad for [name_m]Silvio[/name_m] for leaving him out in the past and feels like heā€™s underestimated [name_m]Silvio[/name_m] too much, based on how heā€™s conversed with [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u]. Heā€™s glad his brother and [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] are doing quite nicely in their relationship and love being parents to [name_m]Soren[/name_m]. [name_u]Erie[/name_u] knows the main reason why [name_m]Silvio[/name_m] and [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] work so well together despite their past hardships is because they listen to each other and arenā€™t afraid to own up when theyā€™re wrong. [name_u]Erie[/name_u] also got information advice from [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] about [name_f]Vi[/name_f] from [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] and Viā€™s bond at the shelter. He realises this is why [name_f]Vi[/name_f] and her ex did not work out - he was a chump and didnā€™t own up to a thing, instead literally abusing her and making it worse for himself. [name_u]Erie[/name_u] has constantly blamed himself for setting [name_f]Vi[/name_f] up with him. He too was manipulated by Viā€™s abuser, being told by him that she ā€œdoesnā€™t want to contact you because itā€™s all your faultā€ when in actuality, [name_f]Vi[/name_f] was in the single mothersā€™ shelter. [name_u]Erie[/name_u] did was he was meant to do by owning up but stated he was going to own up to [name_f]Vi[/name_f] and not to her abuser. Why would [name_u]Erie[/name_u] need to own up to the man who caused such a toxic and violent relationship? [name_u]Erie[/name_u] told off the man who abused [name_f]Vi[/name_f] stating, ā€œYou acted like such a friend to me and a ā€˜wonderful manā€™ for my sister, but you are a fraud. Youā€™re a fake friend, a fake boyfriend, and worst of all an abuser. [name_f]Vi[/name_f] was right to file a retraining order against you - stay away from our family forever.ā€ The abuser punched [name_u]Erie[/name_u] in the face for what he had said, but [name_u]Erie[/name_u] didnā€™t stand back. Viā€™s abuser was charges with multiple counts of assault and with domestic abuse. He is currently in prison. [name_u]Erie[/name_u] wishes Viā€™s relationship with him didnā€™t get as far as it did, but he never once blamed [name_f]Vi[/name_f] for anything, especially since he was also manipulated, but not to the level [name_f]Vi[/name_f] was.

[name_u]Erie[/name_u] feels like the black sheep of his family for the way he has perceived himself to his siblings and heā€™s always felt bad about that. Now he has to deal with the repercussions and heā€™d be completely understanding if [name_f]Vi[/name_f] and [name_m]Silvio[/name_m] wonā€™t talk to him. He knows they may have the potential to talk to him again but feels itā€™s because theyā€™re nice people and he questions if he really deserves it. While he was gaslit by Viā€™s ex into a lot of the self-blame, he just canā€™t get over the fact that Viā€™s life would have been so much better if [name_u]Erie[/name_u] hadnā€™t introduced him to her ex. [name_u]Erie[/name_u] loves that [name_f]Vi[/name_f] has turned herself around as a strong woman and adores nephew [name_m]Enzo[/name_m]. [name_u]Erie[/name_u] is currently a trial lawyer and is married. His wife has had a few issues with him in their marriage and heā€™s worked hard to turn it around for her. He is very focused on keeping his word - especially in a marriage vow - and heā€™s done everything he could to be there for her just as he promised. Itā€™s been getting better for the two now and theyā€™re feeling the adoration they felt when they were newlyweds. In a happy turn of events, [name_u]Erie[/name_u] and his wife announced that they were renewing vows. At the time of their marriage, they were only 18 and while they knew they were right for each other romantically, they werenā€™t ready fiscally. Their wedding was very low-budget and people whispered that they wouldnā€™t last on such a young age with not much cash. Their vow renewal is expected to be better. Things are much different now with [name_u]Erie[/name_u] and his wife taking on more successful careers and seeing what they truly wanted in one another. Itā€™s been a decade of marriage but they still feel like theyā€™re getting started - after all 10 years is short compared to a lifetime of love. But they feel more comfortable than ever and they feel with this vow renewal that they will feel more ā€œtrueā€ in their love. Heā€™s hoping his family can attend the vow renewal ceremony but heā€™s completely understanding if anyone doesnā€™t want to show up.

3 Likes

tw: abuse, manipulation, and domestic violence


[name_m]Wolfgang[/name_m] [name_m]Patrick[/name_m] [name_m]Mitchell[/name_m] [30] is Erieā€™s former co-worker, former partner of [name_f]Vi[/name_f], and father to [name_u]Enzo[/name_u]. After being arrested he was diagnosed as having narcissistic personality disorder by a prison psychologist though he displayed clear signs of the disorder long before getting the official confirmation. Such as his relationship with [name_f]Vi[/name_f]. His fragile ego and propensity to envy was the leading factor in him convincing her to cut off her family, seeing them as competing factors for her attention that he simply couldnā€™t handle. His degradation of her came as a means to lower her confidence and make her think that he was the only person who could ever love her, which in turn strengthened their bond.

His own family is not very close to him, he had a very normal childhood and his parents and siblings were quite surprised to see that he turned out in the way he did. Though his family showed up for his sentencing, they havenā€™t seen him in prison. He used to lie to [name_f]Vi[/name_f] about his childhood, claiming that he was also abused by them in order to make it seem like his actions were not abusive.

When he discovered the positive pregnancy in the bathroomā€™s trash he flew into a rage and confronted her and demanded she tell him how long she had known. After she told him it had been a few days he managed to bring himself to tears and accused her of ā€œWanting to kill our baby without telling me.ā€ The show of false emotion ended up being what convinced [name_f]Vi[/name_f] to keep the baby.

His possessive nature only increased during her pregnancy, he had felt as though he finally had managed to find a way to keep [name_f]Vi[/name_f] forever in his grasp now that they had a baby to permanently connect them. Thus lead to the increase in his other abusive tendencies as well since he thought there was no way she could escape him. More and more petty things would become the subject of his rage, such as the slightly overcooked dinner that she had served him the night of their final physical confrontation.

After [name_f]Vi[/name_f] had hit him with the candlestick he was rendered unconscious, by the time he woke up he was being handcuffed by police officers and taken to jail for multiple charges including domestic battery, disturbing the piece, and assault of on pregnant woman.

His defense case wasnā€™t very strong, further destroyed by his familyā€™s testimony. He was sentenced to 20+ years in prison with chances of parole being very slim.

2 Likes

bumpe!!

[name_f]Aracely[/name_f] [name_f]MarĆ­a[/name_f] [name_m]Dominguez[/name_m] [30] is the prison psychologist of [name_m]Wolfgang[/name_m]. She doesnā€™t know [name_f]Vi[/name_f] personally but feels a great deal of sympathy for her as she knows the situation very well and even though sheā€™s trying to alleviate the problems, she feels like she canā€™t do that much with [name_m]Wolfgang[/name_m] as heā€™s very tough to be around and isnā€™t very productive during his therapy sessions. [name_f]Aracely[/name_f] loves her job and feels itā€™s her passion but often feels like itā€™s a lot to handle sometimes. The main reason she wanted to become a prison psychologist is because her best friend was in prison and she felt like nobody was listening to her for the brief period of time she was an inmate- she was arrested for shoplifting dinner for her poor family. [name_f]Aracely[/name_f] does feel like sheā€™s making a huge difference with some people but not much with others, which disheartens her.

[name_f]Aracely[/name_f] grew up in a multicultural household, with both her parents being of [name_m]Black[/name_m] and Dominican descent (but sheā€™s part ethnically Jamaican and Puerto Rican)- of course her race and gender were both minor setbacks in attaining her job, but [name_f]Aracely[/name_f] persevered through the trials and tribulations of discrimination and a challenging college course. Additionally, her girlfriend was cheating on her. Her old girlfriend was a manipulative and cruel person, which is why [name_f]Aracely[/name_f] sometimes has such a hard time with [name_m]Wolfgang[/name_m]- because he slightly reminds her of her. To make matters worse, it was with her best friend. [name_f]Aracely[/name_f] hated both for some time, then as time passed grew to forgive them but she never wants to see her old girlfriend again.

Luckily, she has a new girlfriend whoā€™s kind and caring and altruistic and everything [name_f]Aracely[/name_f] could ever need. The two have a small studio apartment downtown and a fluffy gray-and-white cat who they affectionately named ā€œChurroā€. Aracelyā€™s girlfriend is an artist and works at the art studio which is below their apartment. [name_f]Aracely[/name_f] is so happy she has everything she needs in life now.

4 Likes

cw: serious medical conditions

[name_f]Leocadia[/name_f] " [name_f]Ada[/name_f] " [name_f]Catherine[/name_f] Gephardt (24) is Wolfgangā€™s younger sister, whose mostly been estranged from him for several years. It didnā€™t surprise [name_f]Ada[/name_f] at all to learn her brother had been going by the surname [name_m]Mitchell[/name_m]: itā€™s their motherā€™s maiden name, and surprisingly more convenient for distancing himself from her, their brother and parents. There was never any closeness between [name_m]Wolfgang[/name_m] and his siblings growing up, in spite of there only being 2 years between him and his brother, who was always more commonly found spending time with their little sister, even if [name_f]Ada[/name_f] jokingly recalls being utilised as a mini deputy when it came to enacting the rules of whatever pretend game they were obsessed with that week. He very much was someone she always confided in and trusted - even when bossing her about or telling her truths such as the goblins living in the downstairs bathroom cabinets - something that was especially prevelant in their younger years because of external matters.

When [name_f]Ada[/name_f] was six, she was diagnosed with a brain tumour, an incredibly distressing revelation for her and her family. [name_m]Wolfgang[/name_m] would subsequently go onto co-opt this ordeal, and of course, told others he was the only person constantly checking up on her and monitoring her mood at this prospect, while painting their parents as wrapped up in themselves. In actuality, [name_m]Wolfgang[/name_m] was clearly the most disinterested family member when this was going on. He resented the amount of attention [name_f]Ada[/name_f] received from others during this time, and would tell his school friends she was exaggerating her fear, solely to gain more sympathy. This callousness intensified when the tumour was successfully removed, which had the knock on effect of vindication, as [name_m]Wolfgang[/name_m] was now confident the whole situation had been overblown.

Now doing a year in placement to become an optometrist, it both did and didnā€™t surprise [name_f]Ada[/name_f] when she was informed her oldest brother was on trial. She was appalled to learn he treated [name_f]Vi[/name_f] so terribly, as while they were never close - and [name_m]Wolfgang[/name_m] often teased [name_f]Ada[/name_f] about the restrictions placed on her due to her health - the idea of him mistreating a romantic partner was too awful of a notion for her to entertain. The fact he attempted to lie about their family to excuse his behaviour was the final straw, and she never calls him her brother now, not wanting to dwell on [name_m]Wolfgang[/name_m] any more than she has to. For some time she dealt with a lot of guilt, feeling her illness was a contributing factor to his narcissism; a complex therapy has been able to soothe over time, after her mother insisted she access it. While [name_f]Ada[/name_f] would love to have a relationship with her nephew, she doesnā€™t want to step on Viā€™s toes or force her into contact with people who could remind her of her abuser; although she has sent postcards to [name_u]Enzo[/name_u] with Viā€™s approval, most of which contain stories about animals - as Adaā€™s very involved in conservation fundraising and awareness of endangered species.

2 Likes

tw: :warning: serious illness and depression :warning: but not blurred :slight_smile:
alsooo, happy international womens day, this character is a strong and independent woman (:

[name_f]Hope[/name_f] [name_f]Angelica[/name_f] [name_m]Haddon[/name_m] (21) was a few months old when she was rushed to hospital after exhibiting symptoms of advanced heart disease. She was diagnosed just before her 1st birthday, and her death was expected. [name_f]Hope[/name_f] was in the ICU till she was 1 and a half and then she had an operation and was moved to anaesthetics, where she was then moved to cardiology until she was 7 but an older patient was making her feel uncomfortable so she was moved to Paediatrics, and this is where [name_f]Ada[/name_f] comes in. she remembered [name_f]Ada[/name_f] as the ā€˜older cool girlā€™ but as they both grew older and [name_f]Hope[/name_f] and [name_f]Ada[/name_f] were in their teens [name_f]Hope[/name_f] vividly remembers [name_f]Ada[/name_f] opening up to her about the struggles of having a brain tumor, even though it had been removed at that point, she was known as the ā€˜sick girlā€™ at school. [name_f]Hope[/name_f] can relate, she spent most of her middle school experience doing maths problems and writing essays on her laptop from her hospital bed.

Her illness is a terminal illness but rapidly improved when she went back to school in her freshman year and while she was doing football in school she had extremely high blood pressure and she fainted and was taken into the ICU with high blood pressure and a new diagnosis of coronary heart disease. She was devastated but determined to keep on going. She pushed herself and did everything she could, keeping on top of meds and when she was better getting a job so she could pay for operations, because as she grew up in a household of 4 siblings, and she was the middle child, two older brothers, and a younger brother and sister and it was always a struggle for money.

Hopeā€™s parents payed for the necessary operations but couldnā€™t afford everything. She was released from hospital at age 17 and she started college, wanting to get out of the cycle of depression that she had been struggling with in her last few months in the hospital. She picked to study medicine so she can be a paediatrician, helping others like her. She got mocked by her older brother and he told her she was ā€˜only a kid herselfā€™ and ā€˜our family isnā€™t one of them families that does this kinda thingā€™ because she was the first person in her family to go to college but her little sister who is 15 at the moment wants to go to college to be an engineer. She successfully got all the grades needed, as she is used to motivating herself and pushing through.

[name_f]Hope[/name_f] moved country as soon as she could, as [name_u]America[/name_u] wasnā€™t her home anymore and she wanted a fresh start. [name_f]Hope[/name_f] considered [name_f]Italy[/name_f], where her Mom was from, or Spain, where her Dad was from but they felt to familiar, as every summer as a kid when she was up to it, they would either go to Spain or [name_f]Italy[/name_f]. She wanted a fresh start somewhere new and beautiful and most importantly, affordable with a good healthcare system. She chose [name_u]France[/name_u], sophisticated and romantic, she loved it as soon as she moved into her two bedrooms, one bathroom, open living area flat with roof to floor windows, with a view of the [name_u]Eiffel[/name_u] tower and the [name_u]River[/name_u] [name_f]Seine[/name_f].

[name_f]Hope[/name_f] started working at the Groupe Hospitalier Diaconesses [name_m]Croix[/name_m] Saint-Simon (A hospital in Paris) and there she met [name_m]Raphael[/name_m], a surgeon, he was funny and charming and she liked him instantly. Valentines day came and [name_m]Raphael[/name_m] took [name_f]Hope[/name_f] for a picnic at the Luxembourg palace and gardens. After Valentines day, [name_f]Hope[/name_f] had a heart attack which was fatal. She was so upset, and spent a few weeks in the ICU and she came back to her flat and to her surprise he had decorated the flat, and he asked her to be his girlfriend. The two dated for 1 year and a bit, until Hopeā€™s 20th birthday, and then he asked her to marry her on a boat trip on the [name_f]Seine[/name_f]. She is now expecting her first child, a baby boy. She is really anxious about her bad genetics passing onto the baby and also complications during pregnancy because she has to be there for her baby boy.

3 Likes

Wait, is Hope dead? Or is she alive? Sorry for off-topic confusion. I think Iā€™ve told almost everyone in this game that Iā€™m illiterate.

2 Likes

No :slight_smile: she is alive it was minor and was fixed

2 Likes

image

5 Likes

cw: relationship age gaps

[name_f]Reverie[/name_f] ā€™ [name_f]Evie[/name_f] ā€™ [name_f]Cordelia[/name_f] [name_m]Haddon[/name_m] (15) is Hopeā€™s younger sister and hopeful engineer. A lot of the time, her visions for the future surprise people, as Evieā€™s often characterised as an easygoing person, whoā€™s quick to laugh and tends to be naturally drawn towards making others giggle too. While not massively popular at school, she does get along with people easily, and has a tight group of friends, who are likewise from lower income backgrounds, meaning thereā€™s a shared understanding about the financial pressures and restraints of every day life.

Usually [name_f]Evie[/name_f] ignores the ongoing family politics regarding careers and class, but due to her own ambition, she has become more directly pulled into the trajectory recently. She understands thereā€™s a lot of uncertainty about the future for her brothers, as her one closest in age has opted against pursuing higher education in order to go straight into a job so thereā€™s less stress placed on the heads of their parents. [name_f]Evie[/name_f] herself is working hard to obtain a scholarship, to ease any pressures, and has been in some spats with her oldest brother more recently, although the second eldest has been mediating, and in turn helping her understand the origins of this mindset.

Given the world of medicine is often populated by wealthy people, [name_f]Evie[/name_f] knows snobbery makes her family nervous, especially her eldest brother who isnā€™t an academic (and while she tries her best to assure him that isnā€™t everything, she knows he feels frustrated about it). The prospect of meeting the family of Hopeā€™s fiance has upped the anti of these worries, and [name_f]Evie[/name_f] can see even her much more easygoing brothers have anxieties about any kind of class clash that comes from the meeting.

[name_f]Evie[/name_f] herself was shocked when she learned [name_m]Raphael[/name_m] was a qualified surgeon at the time he began dating her sister, and doesnā€™t quite know how to voice her apprehension about this, thanks to the considerable age gap between the couple. Her best friend is the person sheā€™s confided most in about the gap, as while she knows her brothersā€™ are also uneasy, speaking to them could spark an actual argument, and she wants whatā€™s only best for her sister and especially her unborn nephew.

2 Likes

[name_u]Sailor[/name_u] [name_f]Myra[/name_f] Cavendish (15) is in [name_f]Evie[/name_f] Haddonā€™s friendgroup, and [name_f]Evie[/name_f] will often confide in her about her familyā€™s struggles. [name_u]Sailor[/name_u] is no stranger to complicated family structures themself, as toxic relationships are rife within the Cavendish family. Her family is odd, to say the least- their autocratic, conservative grandfather governs the house and their parents have a strained relationship. The only reason the two havenā€™t divorced is because Sailorā€™s grandfather has condemned it, and her grandmother is bedridden sick and in hospice. [name_u]Sailor[/name_u] has one older sister, whoā€™s a flighty and petulant 21-year-old and mother to a 3 year old son, who, like his aunt is not amused by his motherā€™s antics- she will often throw tantrums when she doesnā€™t get her way. [name_u]Sailor[/name_u] and [name_f]Evie[/name_f] have bonded a lot over this kind of thing, despite their families being very different.

Unlike [name_f]Evie[/name_f], [name_u]Sailor[/name_u] is an introvert who prefers to paint rather than socialize with actual people. Her clothes are often covered in paint stains, and her room is full of paintings that sheā€™s much too shy to share with anyone. [name_u]Sailor[/name_u] is also a demigirl, using she/they pronouns, but she hasnā€™t come out to her family yet due to knowing her grandfather wouldnā€™t approve of their gender expression. However, [name_f]Evie[/name_f] and all her other friends know, and [name_u]Sailor[/name_u] is eternally grateful for their support. [name_u]Sailor[/name_u] and [name_f]Evie[/name_f] have only been friends for one year, as they met in freshman year through the other friendgroup members, but theyā€™re so glad to have met each other. [name_u]Sailor[/name_u] is actually dating one of the other friends, and the girls arenā€™t exactly official yet, but the whole group ships them. They even have their own designated ship name!! [name_u]Sailor[/name_u] knows their family wouldnā€™t accept them dating a girl but she doesnā€™t care as she feels she really likes her and itā€™s her choice anyway. They also have a black kitten named [name_u]Binx[/name_u], who ships them tooā€¦.because of course.

3 Likes

Warning for parental irresponsibility.

[name_m]Gable[/name_m] " [name_m]Gabe[/name_m] " [name_u]Brett[/name_u] Cavendish-Dean (3) is Sailorā€™s nephew, son of their sister. Granted his parents do not have any questionable age gap but definitely have a questionable ā€œmaturity gapā€. [name_m]Gabe[/name_m] is very close with his father given his motherā€™s temper tantrums and being a parent hasnā€™t calmed her down, only made her worse. [name_m]Gabe[/name_m] currently lives in an apartment with his father and fatherā€™s roommate, the latter being very respectful of his roommateā€™s parental situation and has helped his roommate to be the best father to [name_m]Gabe[/name_m] he can be. The two roommates have a brotherly bond and the roommate of Gabeā€™s father is an unofficial roommate.

On his paternal side, [name_m]Gabe[/name_m] has one paternal aunt, a relatively new member of [name_u]Sailor[/name_u] and Evieā€™s friend group. Gabeā€™s paternal aunt is well-aware and supportive of Sailorā€™s she/they gender identity. However she and the other friends will not ā€œoutā€ [name_u]Sailor[/name_u] - it is Sailorā€™s own decision in the coming out process when to reveal their preferred pronouns. Gabeā€™s father is not close with Gabeā€™s mother anymore, but he supports [name_m]Gabe[/name_m] having connection to [name_u]Sailor[/name_u]. Heā€™s actually grateful his sister is friends with [name_u]Sailor[/name_u] - at first he worried it would make things worse for [name_m]Gabe[/name_m], but granted, it actually makes things better and breaks the ice.

[name_m]Gabe[/name_m] loves cereal and loves holding onto flying things, like balloons and kites. Gabeā€™s father would like for [name_m]Gabe[/name_m] to learn skills he didnā€™t get to learn. Gabeā€™s father and his sister grew up with family members who didnā€™t like them doing anything extracurricular that they considered ā€œtoo dangerousā€ even if it wasnā€™t that dangerous. They have never been on a plane. The siblings didnā€™t know how to ride a bike until age 10 and couldnā€™t swim until teenage years. They felt embarrassed not knowing about these and felt like it was completely inconvenient to not know for so long, because there were times where this would be needed. Gabeā€™s father has promised not to deprive [name_m]Gabe[/name_m] like that, even if itā€™s not all at once, because he knows his son does not deserve to miss out. [name_m]Gabe[/name_m] rides a tricycle and is taking swim lessons but the plane trip has still not happened. Gabeā€™s father hates to admit it, but all his time being away from planes, heā€™s scared to ride for the first time. When this happens, itā€™s a first time for both of them. His sister and roommate have been nothing but supportive to him however, and equally so to [name_m]Gabe[/name_m].

3 Likes

cw: parentification, emotional neglect, unplanned pregnancy

[name_u]Blaise[/name_u] [name_f]Emilia[/name_f] Cavendish (21) is Gabeā€™s mother, Sailorā€™s sister and general source of immature antics. Some might attribute Blaiseā€™s terrible approach to responsibility to being raised in an environment defined by discord and restriction: her parents unhappy marriage, the iron fist of her grandfather and illness of her grandmother. The irony is no-one remembers that when [name_u]Blaise[/name_u] herself was a child she was parentified frequently. With her grandfather and dad fighting about the chance of a divorce, grandmother already too unwell and mother planning on moving out, she bore the brunt of responsibility where [name_u]Sailor[/name_u] was concerned for 2 and a half years, until her mom agreed to return on the grounds she moved into the summerhouse and didnā€™t have to see her husband often. [name_m]Even[/name_m] once Mrs Cavendish was back, Blaiseā€™s responsibility didnā€™t cease in entirety, as arguing with her estranged husband took precedent for a few more months until she settled.

From this point on Blaiseā€™s attitude took a sharp turn, mostly for the worst. Her defiance was accompanied by her outbursts when confronted, resenting how only bad behaviour drew any attention from her family members but unable to let go of this reliable means of gaining their eyes on her. The age gap between her and [name_u]Sailor[/name_u] - on top of the years [name_u]Blaise[/name_u] spent looking after them - meant she never spent much time around her sibling once freedom was in her line of sight. When it became obvious the adults in her life werenā€™t going to provide any of the reliability she wanted, [name_u]Blaise[/name_u] devoted time to dating, and would spend as much time out the house as possible. Gabeā€™s dad was the person who came closest to getting the full picture of her personal struggles, but she never felt able to speak properly. After all, her mom and dad didnā€™t care, she was quite scared of her authoritarian granddad and didnā€™t want to burden her grandmaā€¦so who else was there to turn to?

Pregnant was the last thing [name_u]Blaise[/name_u] should have become at 18 given her unaddressed emotional issues, however when it happened she couldnā€™t bring herself to consider termination or even an open adoption. Her grandfather raged, her father gave a dozen reminders of his disappointment, her mother barely registered it, and [name_u]Sailor[/name_u] was only 12, so everything was confusing enough for them due to the family dynamics already being fraught enough. [name_u]Blaise[/name_u] had hoped herself that giving birth would help sort out their headspace but nothing much changed. She was sill easily overwhelmed, guided by frustrated resentment and only outbursts seemed to get anyone in her family to listen. Due to [name_m]Gabe[/name_m] being the centre of his fatherā€™s world, he knew he had to break things off with [name_u]Blaise[/name_u] for the sake of their son, in spite of how devastated she was by this. Now working for a stationary company on reception duties, perhaps this could give [name_u]Blaise[/name_u] a much needed lesson in maturing. Although, even she isnā€™t feeling entirely hopefulā€¦

2 Likes