🥐 create a family with a twist

[moonwriteen]

[name_f]Toccara[/name_f] [name_f]Yvonne[/name_f] Whilhoite (29) is the godmother of [name_u]Paris[/name_u] Buller , a survivor of narcissistic abuse from her addict boyfriend and also a friend of [name_f]Melody[/name_f] and [name_f]Serene[/name_f] because of her reading the Thousand Dreams blog for daily motivation and feminine empowerment. Being a reader of Thousand Dreams and one of the most dedicated fans of what [name_f]Serene[/name_f] does as a blogger and influencer, she comments on almost every one of [name_f]Serene[/name_f] 's posts including her more viral post, the one which featured a homeless woman named [name_f]Roberta[/name_f] with whom she identified - she became homeless herself when she decided to escape her abusive single mother who would beat her and force her into cleaning the bathroom for hours due to being a massive germaphobe. [name_f]Toccara[/name_f] was forced to hop between various retail jobs and janitor jobs , but still lived hand to mouth and had no-one to rely on because she didn’t know her father and her grandparents were both suffering from dementia at a nursing home. Her only dream was to be loved for once and so when stumbling upon [name_f]Serene[/name_f] 's blog she really enjoyed [name_f]Serene[/name_f] 's LGBTQ+ love story with her wife, cute pictures made by [name_f]Genna[/name_f] and so on. She eventually stopped living in motels and just went to the nursing home where her maternal grandparents lived to become a janitor there. She was happy to be able to see them daily because they were the only ones to spoil her and show her love as a child , even though neither of her grandparents truly recognised her. She made a connection to the male physical therapist who worked there and soon enough they became a couple. She felt like she could show him vulnerability , that he valued compassion the same way she did - he had a [name_m]Gordon[/name_m] Setter puppy , [name_f]Bertha[/name_f], whom he seemed to love like a daughter already and had incredible patience for the senior citizens he worked in physical therapy with, including her grandparents. Now, [name_f]Toccara[/name_f] knows that him showing this compassion was nothing more than narcissistic love bombing and mirroring her so that he could have a sense of power over her. It all started going downhill when [name_f]Toccara[/name_f] wanted something more out of life than just being a janitor and started saving up money to go to university , started going to a agility and frisbee-related dog owner club in town. Her boyfriend would constantly tell her that [name_f]Toccara[/name_f] shouldn’t go to university , that it will only indoctrinate her in left-wing ideology and make their relationship fall apart because they won’t see eachother at work and she’ll probably get just a part-time job to focus on her studies. He also started being harsh or even abusive towards [name_f]Bertha[/name_f] the [name_m]Gordon[/name_m] setter and calling her friends from the frisbee and agility club "crazy , desprate mutt ladies “. It felt to [name_f]Toccara[/name_f] like her boyfriend totally changed and was trying to isolate her from society , holding her back from achieving her dreams, so she read Thousand Dreams blog even more for outside validation. The straw that broke the camels back was when [name_f]Toccara[/name_f] noticed that her boyfriend was taking prescription drugs from the nursing home and presumably using them to get high - he had been lethargic and perpetually sleepy at that time. Her boyfriend tried to gaslight her into thinking that he was only doing this to numb the pain of seeing senior citizens at the nursing home suffer everyday , she believed him and set aside money from her college fund to go to couple’s therapy , they both went there but the boyfriend wasn’t cooperating and was acting like he knew everything better than everyone. [name_f]Toccara[/name_f] decided to go dancing wirh him to blow off some steam but unfortunately he bought drugs there and was trying to get her to try them , even physically trying to push a pill into her mouth while holding one of her hands up by the wrist. She shouted at him " [name_u]Jay[/name_u], I told you I’m not taking any drugs!” and spat the pill , but he would refuse to led go of her wrists and she was terrified that it may turn into a serious case of assult , one even more severe than the ones she used to get from her mom. Fortunately , an unknown man pushed [name_u]Jay[/name_u] away from [name_f]Toccara[/name_f] and kicked him so she was able to escape. The man introduced himself as [name_m]Daris[/name_m] and offered to drive her to the nearest women’s shelter. Upon arriving there she thanked him and they exchanged phone numbers because he promised to bring her traditional Bosnian food - he did the next day and then the next, started visiting her with his partners [name_f]Hedra[/name_f] and [name_f]Solei[/name_f] … [name_f]Toccara[/name_f] didn’t feel alone for once and felt empowered to confront [name_u]Jay[/name_u] along with her three friends to get back the money she had been saving with him and take [name_f]Bertha[/name_f] away from the narcissist that was love-bombing her. She saw the [name_m]Gordon[/name_m] Setter laying in her own feces and being severly malnorusihed. [name_f]Solei[/name_f] and [name_f]Hedra[/name_f] called the local sheriff to report on animal cruelty while [name_f]Toccara[/name_f] went to comfort the dog and [name_m]Daris[/name_m] was protecting all of them from Jay’s potential agression. Currently , [name_u]Jay[/name_u] is in federal prison for charges of animal cruelty and domestic violence and [name_f]Toccara[/name_f] is able to rent an apartment while still being friends with [name_f]Hedra[/name_f], [name_m]Daris[/name_m] and [name_f]Solei[/name_f] and walking her dog , [name_f]Bertha[/name_f], daily. 2022 was one of the best years of her life because she met her favourite blogger [name_f]Serene[/name_f] at a convention and also met the love of her life there - her fiance , with whom she has a healthy , fulfilling relationship , they both love dogs and contribute to their local community by volounteering. His family embraced [name_f]Toccara[/name_f] despite her difficult past and her future mother in law even gave her the family recipe for sugar cream pie , so she can pass it further onto her daughter and so on…

[name_f]Toccara[/name_f] is happy with her fiance , her dog [name_f]Betha[/name_f] and her future daughter, and her goddaughter [name_u]Paris[/name_u] is telling everyone that " She’ll get two sisters in 2023 " because both [name_u]Paris[/name_u] ’ mom [name_f]Solei[/name_f] and [name_f]Toccara[/name_f] are pregnant. They attend the same antenatal clases as [name_f]Birdie[/name_f] [name_m]Clark[/name_m] - whom [name_f]Toccara[/name_f] immediately was able to recognise from [name_f]Serene[/name_f] 's and [name_f]Melody[/name_f] 's metions of her and of course [name_f]Serene[/name_f] 's blog post in Thousand Dreams which mentined her incredible journey from homlessness to having her little miracle. The two became very close friends to the point where [name_f]Birdie[/name_f] offered to give her a discount on a maternity photography session made by [name_f]Birdie[/name_f] 's boyfriend [name_u]Carter[/name_u]. [name_f]Toccara[/name_f] doesn’t know if she wants [name_f]Solei[/name_f] ,Birdie or her fiance 's sister to be her daughter’s godmother but she hopes that there will be no tension between the women regarding that issue.

Genna was created by @I_meme_it
Serene was created by @CherryBomb50
Birdie was created by @jinxed_peach
Carter was created by @kitkatcookie

[CherryBomb50]

[name_m]Leodis[/name_m] [name_u]Hudson[/name_u] [name_u]Riviera[/name_u] (29) is Toccara’s true love - not [name_u]Jay[/name_u] and [name_m]Leodis[/name_m] is happy for [name_f]Toccara[/name_f] herself. [name_f]Toccara[/name_f] is a strong woman and from her, he’s learned you can be strong and still need help. [name_m]Leodis[/name_m] was from a toxic neighborhood that had the belief that asking or using help was “weak”. [name_m]Leodis[/name_m], the youngest of three, hated being in the one family on the block who didn’t have that mindset. Granted, it could be worse. He could be the only person in his family to not have that mindset and he’s grateful that’s not the case and he had older siblings who would help him without him feeling pressure. Still, he feels there were some important times in his life where he needed help and wished he just asked for it instead of trying to mangle it himself.

[name_m]Leodis[/name_m] has taken a job as a basketball coach after doing exceptionally well on basketball and getting to college through a scholarship. However, he’s been motivated to not just coach basketball but coach life. He’s not officially a trained therapist and never acts like he’s something he isn’t, but he loves the feeling of motivation. His siblings also take up volunteering and help people all the time. He’s also grateful for good memories and he’s never forgotten the convention centre he met [name_f]Toccara[/name_f]. His family immediately clicked with her and were very warm to her. [name_f]Toccara[/name_f] stated she couldn’t get by without help of her own; from [name_m]Daris[/name_m], [name_f]Genna[/name_f], [name_f]Serene[/name_f], [name_f]Melody[/name_f], [name_f]Solei[/name_f], [name_f]Hedy[/name_f], and now [name_m]Leodis[/name_m] and his family. [name_m]Leodis[/name_m] adored this and the relationship progressed very smoothly. His whole family wanted them to stay together and [name_m]Leodis[/name_m] really knew [name_f]Toccara[/name_f] was a keeper. They got engaged and soon after, [name_f]Toccara[/name_f] announced her pregnancy. [name_m]Leodis[/name_m] is well aware his sister has interest in being the Godmother, but she is respectful of the other prospective candidates.

With the help (because help is always supported) of [name_u]Carter[/name_u] maternity photographer, the two took maternity photos. But months before that photoshoot, they took other photos with [name_u]Carter[/name_u] with a special date. The baby’s due date? Nope, the wedding date! The two wanted to marry in [name_u]February[/name_u], knowing it’s romantic vibes, but wanted an outdoor wedding where it wasn’t so cold. They chose the last day, the 28th, because sometimes you have to save the best for last. Aside from their own families; they’ve gotten [name_u]Carter[/name_u], [name_f]Birdie[/name_f], [name_m]Daris[/name_m], [name_f]Genna[/name_f], [name_f]Serene[/name_f], [name_f]Melody[/name_f], [name_f]Roberta[/name_f], [name_f]Solei[/name_f], [name_f]Hedy[/name_f], [name_u]Paris[/name_u], and several other friends to attend the wedding as well. Was a wedding with a pregnant bride untraditional? Sure. Is [name_f]Toccara[/name_f] walking down the aisle rather than being walked down untraditional? Sure. Was having [name_u]Paris[/name_u] share flower girl duties with [name_f]Bertha[/name_f] the “flower dog” untraditional? Sure. But this is 2023, weddings aren’t about tradition, they’re meant to celebrate love for the couple however the couple wants!

💍Toccara and Leodis's Wedding⚘️

It’s the 28th of [name_u]February[/name_u] 2023, a nice and sunny day on an open meadow, as [name_f]Toccara[/name_f] and [name_m]Leodis[/name_m] get ready to be wed by the priest. All the guests are dressed in nice clothes, suits, and dresses, and all of them are either already seated or walking to their seats. The bride, [name_f]Toccara[/name_f], is walking down the aisle herself, as she has grown too strong to need someone walking her down. Behind her is [name_u]Paris[/name_u] tossing flower petals on a basket tied to “flower dog” [name_f]Bertha[/name_f]. The groom, [name_m]Leodis[/name_m], is waiting at the altar for [name_f]Toccara[/name_f] on the other side with the priest.

When [name_f]Toccara[/name_f] gets down to the aisle, the ceremony begins. The priest begins to speak at his podium, talking about marriage; the promises the two lovers are to make to each other, how marriage means that the two now truly are ‘one’. [name_m]Leodis[/name_m] vows to [name_f]Toccara[/name_f], “Toccara, since the day I met you, you have made me smile. You have been the kindest and most touching woman I could ever ask for. I knew getting into a romantic relationship with you that I would never see you as anything lesser than who you are. There’s no other words to say how what I see in you - I love you. From this day forward, I am proud to say now and forever that I am your husband. I vow to make your days as bright as any moment I’ve felt with you by my side. You’ve came a long way, you deserve to celebrate the rest of your life.” [name_f]Toccara[/name_f] makes her vows, “Leodis, from the moment I’ve met you, I knew my life would not be the same. This love was something different, something to make me the happiest woman I never thought I’d be. You are my best friend, you hold my heart, you hold our beautiful baby-to-be, and you hold my future. From the day we first said, “I love you”, I knew we would only be saying it more. I don’t see a future where I’m not telling you that I love you. You have always been there for me and I have always been there for you. I cherish this day as a celebration of love and a celebration of what I’ve always wanted after everything I’ve gone through. I know I never expected this, but it means so much that it happened. I love you, Leodis.”

The 5-year-old son of [name_f]Genna[/name_f] and [name_f]Serene[/name_f], who serves as ring bearer, delivered the rings to the altar. The priest asked [name_m]Leodis[/name_m] if he is ready to take [name_f]Toccara[/name_f] as his lawfully wedded wife until the end of time. [name_m]Leodis[/name_m] stated, “I do,” placing the ring on Toccara’s finger. The same question was asked to [name_f]Toccara[/name_f]. She stated, “I do,” and placed the ring on Leodis’s finger. And with the words, “You may kiss the bride,” the two shared a passionate kiss at the altar with the attendees clapping and congratulating the couple.

After the ceremony came the reception, where the couple had their first dance. The rest of the attendees danced soon after and the couple opened their wedding gifts. They finished the day off with a delicious meal and wedding cake. The couple shared a sweet moment together at the table and everyone enjoyed the event. The event closed off with the guests heading home and the two driving off, [name_m]Just[/name_m] Married. They’re living happily right now, excited for their honeymoon and in some time, for the birth of their first child!

[kitkatcookie]

cw: car accidents

[name_f]Selenia[/name_f] " [name_f]Eleni[/name_f] " [name_u]Carmen[/name_u] Petrescu (30) is another attendee of [name_m]Leodis[/name_m] and Tocarra’s wedding, being Hedy’s best friend. The two met in high school, after they were both forced to wait on the sidelines during a swimming lesson that proved chaotic due to a fight breaking out [someone allegedly knew someone else’s boyfriend was cheating on them with someone’s sister], and the fact they had to freeze while a screaming match ensued created a natural understanding between both girls’. Eleni’s typically been the more conventionally outgoing personality, being especially firm about her boundaries and opinions, although [name_f]Hedra[/name_f] points out it’s fitting thanks to her career as a fashion photographer: she’s travelling frequently, enduring the demands of high strung professionals and adjusting shoots quickly to accommodate designers. She was a member of the debate team at school and whole never a captain, [name_f]Eleni[/name_f] was excellent when a curve ball needed to be thrown.

Childhood was a little chaotic and difficult for [name_f]Eleni[/name_f]. When her parents were readying to divorce,
her mom was hit by a drunk driver and even though she managed to recover successfully, it took a medically enduced coma and extensive physical therapy to see her well enough to take primary custody of her daughter. During this time, [name_f]Eleni[/name_f] was cared for by her dad, who proved less than responsible. He was the fun parent when she was little but once actual maturity was required, he proved incapable of providing it. [name_f]Eleni[/name_f] was often having to ready herself for school, make sure she was on time to be taken to the hospital by her maternal grandparents with limited support, and generally came to understand the cause of the split during this period. Her mother had once seemed overbearing and too serious, yet when the impractical nature of her father was fully exposed, it made Eleni’s views on her mom soften considerably, and she experienced a lot of guilt in her teens when reflecting on her initial response to the separation.

Now a parent herself - having chosen to conceive her 5-month-old son through IVF - [name_f]Eleni[/name_f] and her dad are on better terms, as she’s seen him grow up in the years since his disastrous parenting was endured by her. She won’t let him babysit unless her stepmom’s also around [not that she’s acknowledged her timing as deliberate, as there’s still lingering animosity between her parents and she knows he’ll accused her mother of poisoning her thoughts], however with Hedy’s support, Eleni’s let go of her more unforgiving tendencies - granted they’re never despaired over where exes are concerned. The pair often joke her son and Paris’s’ unborn sibling need to become best of friends like themselves, but it’s not something they’ll force or rush by any means. Right now, Eleni’s just enjoying a slower pace of life raising her child, although it amuses her how several of her friends in the fashion world have sent expensive clothes for him: appreciated however they’re always covered in bibs as she knows staining is inevitable.

[moonwriteen]

[name_u]Arthur[/name_u] [name_u]Quentin[/name_u] Lichtenberg (28) is [name_f]Eleni[/name_f] 's partner and the one she concieved her son throigh IVF with. They’ve been together for years. [name_f]Eleni[/name_f] met [name_u]Arthur[/name_u] when working with an interior designer who wanted [name_f]Eleni[/name_f] to photograph her designs - [name_u]Arthur[/name_u] was a carpenter making custom pieces for her clients. [name_f]Eleni[/name_f] and [name_u]Arthur[/name_u] both disliked the designer , thinking she was very elitist and tries to micromanage everyone she hired. This mutual dislike of their employer made them talk more - flexible working hours allowed frequent smoke breaks together and going for lunches - even though [name_f]Eleni[/name_f] is the one who would buy a subway sandwich or Starbucks coffee & cookies while [name_u]Arthur[/name_u] would just sit beside her and bring his own food - he has celiac and because he was forced to experiment with food to fit the condition, he would always cook his own lunch and cooking itself became his passion even though he treated getting his apprenticeship as a carpenter seriously. He was never academically savvy and his parents highly criticized him for going to trade school rather than college , but [name_u]Arthur[/name_u] ignored them and did his own thing - the person who taught him the trade became sort of a father figure as opposed to his real father who was always cold and aloof. The issues with father figures were something [name_u]Arthur[/name_u] and [name_f]Eleni[/name_f] would talk about often. [name_u]Arthur[/name_u] also appreciated that [name_f]Eleni[/name_f] wasn’t classist and didn’t treat him as lesser or dumber just because he never went to university.

At first the relationship was casual because [name_f]Eleni[/name_f] was travelling a lot for work and [name_u]Arthur[/name_u] was in the process of setting up his own woodworking shop , however when they got done with that in their mid-twenties , they moved in together and started thinking of eachother seriously. [name_f]Eleni[/name_f] didn’t mind being a mom and given that their relationship at the start of their life together was very sensual and lustful, they started spontanousely trying for a baby. However after realising that their efforts to get pregnant nearly each month are futile, they made the decision to consult a fertility specialist. It turned out that the issue laid with [name_u]Arthur[/name_u] and for a brief period of time [name_u]Arthur[/name_u] was in denial about it , refusing treatment and often blowing up with anger. [name_f]Eleni[/name_f] wanted to break up with him until she found out that those outbursts are caused by Arthur’s father harassing him and telling him that he’s not man enough because of those problems. [name_f]Eleni[/name_f] and [name_u]Arthur[/name_u] made the mutual decision to go completely no contact with Arthur’s father - and since they’re married , it meant isolating Arthur’s mother too to some extent because she’s always been passive about her husband 's behaviour towards [name_u]Arthur[/name_u] and never directly stood up to him even if she was quietly supportive of [name_u]Arthur[/name_u] behind closed doors.

After going no contact with [name_u]Arthur[/name_u] 's father and spending more time together [name_u]Arthur[/name_u] and [name_f]Eleni[/name_f] went back to fertility treatment and were very lucky to get pregnant on the first try with IVF. [name_u]Arthur[/name_u] is over the moon being a father and also proud that he was the one to make his son’s basssinet with his own hands (as well as other furniture) in his woodworking shop. [name_u]Arthur[/name_u] 's gift in [name_f]Toccara[/name_f] and [name_m]Leodis[/name_m] ’ wedding were personalised bedside tables for the couple with the inscriptions " Mrs. [name_f]Toccara[/name_f] [name_u]Rivera[/name_u] " and " Mr. [name_m]Leodis[/name_m] [name_u]Rivera[/name_u] " while also making a similliar small table for [name_f]Toccara[/name_f] 's future daughter that reads " [name_m]Little[/name_m] Miss [name_u]Rivera[/name_u] ". [name_f]Toccara[/name_f] cried upon recieving it because she knows from [name_f]Hedy[/name_f] and [name_f]Eleni[/name_f] that it sometimes takes [name_u]Arthur[/name_u] months to do woodworking pieces and she didn’t expect something so personal. [name_u]Arthur[/name_u] didn’t mind because he knew that by making those gifts , the newlyweds would remember it and [name_f]Eleni[/name_f] would also be proud of her partner’s thoughtfulness.

[name_u]Arthur[/name_u] had a blast at the wedding and has decided that he wants to propse to [name_f]Eleni[/name_f] next month. He knows the wedding is sure to lack his father and may lack his mother’s presence, but seeing [name_f]Toccara[/name_f] handle her wedding as a strong independent woman gave him courage that he can manage it too despite the hurt.

[cara_murvolio]

[name_u]Emerson[/name_u] “Emrys” [name_m]Vasile[/name_m] Lichtenberg (5 months) is [name_f]Eleni[/name_f] and Arthur’s son. Thankfully spared the discord regarding his paternal grandparents, [name_u]Emrys[/name_u] is a very happy little boy whose making great progress in his development. His favourite stuffed animal is a walrus purchased by Eleni’s mother, who’s been named Valdo, in reference to the very endearing way his dad used to pronounce the ‘v’ sound as a toddler. The only concern his parents have is what’s going to happen when Tocarra’s daughter arrives, as [name_u]Emrys[/name_u] is absolutely loving being the baby of the friend group who everyone dotes upon and coos over. Then again, it might be ideal for if [name_u]Arthur[/name_u] and [name_f]Eleni[/name_f] decide they want to give him a younger sibling…

[moonwriteen]

[name_f]Frida[/name_f] [name_u]Thames[/name_u] [ [name_u]Rivera[/name_u] ] Dolliver (31) is one of the people who doted upon [name_u]Emrys[/name_u] the most. She’s the middle child of the three [name_u]Rivera[/name_u] siblings but always felt like the oldest because of being generally the most serious and practical one. Her brothers joke that she never grew out of her " emo phase" and [name_f]Frida[/name_f] kind of agrees - she was named after the eccentric painter [name_f]Frida[/name_f] [name_u]Kahlo[/name_u] whom her Mexican-American father regarded as someone whose art helped him be reintroduced to his heritage. Her middle name , on the other hand , is a nod to Frida’s mother who’s actually [name_f]British[/name_f] - she and [name_f]Frida[/name_f] 's father met at a company retreat to [name_u]London[/name_u] and would often admire the [name_u]River[/name_u] [name_u]Thames[/name_u] as a romantic place to go on secret dates. [name_f]Frida[/name_f] is glad that her family lives in the US after all - being somewhat of a patriot and recognising the general openess of Americans to be a factor which helps her fluctuate between being an ambivert and introvert - she’s frequently forced out of her shell by her very extroverted neighbours who have frequent barbecues where their twin sons can play with [name_f]Frida[/name_f] 's daughter and the adults can talk enjoying good food.

[name_f]Frida[/name_f] thinks that it’s her father 's passion for art which truly helped her choose her career path even if she followed her natural inclinactions when it comes to her part-time job. She has a Master’s degree in Museum Studies and a minor in [name_u]French[/name_u]. She works as the curator of one of the largest museums in the state. She’s drawn to the quiet atmosphere and the thirst for knowledge that those who visit the museum have. She even had guests recently - a film crew doing a documentry about the history of the 50 US states where an interview with [name_f]Frida[/name_f] was featured. She could tell the young man interviewing her had puppy eyes and was trying to awkardly flrt off camera. She found that quite invasive and told him off - she’s been married since she was 24 with her university sweetheart who’s an etnomologist and they had a daughter shortly after getting married, meaning she’s about to turn 6. [name_m]Even[/name_m] though she remains an only child so far, she’s definitely not the only child in [name_f]Frida[/name_f] 's life - she works a part-time job as a nanny for quite the wealthy clientele who appreciate her fun and engaging way of teaching kids [name_u]French[/name_u] (and her credentials to do that). She also acted as sort of the nanny at the wedding , dressing up as the [name_f]Disney[/name_f] princess [name_f]Tiana[/name_f] and bringing coloring books , age-appropriate puzzles and riddles and many , many toys - some of which were her daughter’s own and [name_f]Frida[/name_f] was proud how frequently her 6-year-old shared. The kids also really liked [name_f]Frida[/name_f] 's surname , calling her " Mrs. [name_u]Doll[/name_u] " instead of Dolliver.

Unfortunately , it was not all that rosy - turns out that one of the kids she looks after is the affair baby of [name_f]Birdie[/name_f] 's ex - and [name_f]Frida[/name_f] was worried that it is going to somewhat establish a rivarly that goes beyond the friendly rivarly that [name_f]Birdie[/name_f] & [name_f]Frida[/name_f] have between themselves and [name_f]Solei[/name_f] about who’s going to be the godmother of Toccarra and [name_m]Leodis[/name_m] ‘s child. Fortunately , no drama occurred when the fact was accidentally reveal , as [name_f]Birdie[/name_f] couldn’t care less any longer for her ex-husband and is very happy with [name_u]Carter[/name_u] , while also being aware that it’s not the kids’ fault having a horrible father like [name_f]Birdie[/name_f] 's ex. [name_f]Frida[/name_f] just confirmed that [name_f]Birdie[/name_f] 's ex only visits the kid on weekends and reportedly has moved on to yet another woman , leaving the mother of the nannied kid in angry because of skipping child support payments. [name_f]Birdie[/name_f] feels bad for the woman’s financial situation but also is happy to hear that the trash threw itself out of another woman’s life like it did with Biridie 's.

[kitkatcookie]

cw: child abandonment, cheating mentioned

[name_u]Skylark[/name_u] " [name_u]Sky[/name_u] " [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] Dunlaw (3) is the aforementioned child of Birdie’s ex-husband and his former secretary, who’s now estranged from her father. In spite of his fixation on having a child - and lacking the empathy to give his former wife time, or even considering what she wanted - Sky’s father quickly found himself ‘bored’ with the actual responsibility of parenting. Worse for him, he found her mother wasn’t as devoted to their time together and instead prioritised [name_u]Sky[/name_u], something he struggled to accept thanks to how he thrived on her attention.

To instigate their affair, he lied that [name_f]Birdie[/name_f] had deceived him about her medical history, and refused to consider any of his suggestions about how to start a family…which of course backfired when his fed up girlfriend actually did some digging into his background when she noticed how disinterested he seemed in being a father. The truth led to a huge row between the pair: but of course, the sleazeball in question had already been lining up a new victim, sorry, romantic interest, to jump onto when his current partner tired of him.

Thankfully, Sky’s mom’s managed to protect her from the brunt of this. She’s a very quiet little girl however once comfortable, her laughter’s infectious and she absolutely adores princesses of any kind, so Frida’s idea was a resounding success. Right now she also wants to start tap dancing classes, but her mom’s holding out for another year as she thinks 3 is a little too young, never mind the fact Sky’s still shy around new children and might be overwhelmed in the classroom environment. Still, she’s a very happy child who doesn’t really miss her father - after all, their relationship was bare minimum.

---

Birdie is credited to @jinxed_peach

[CherryBomb50]

Warning for toxic relationships and several failed marriages.

[name_f]Brienna[/name_f] [name_f]Kaia[/name_f] [Perigo] Dunlaw (30) is Sky’s mother, who has understood and accepted herself as a single mother. Her surname change wasn’t from marriage, it’s actually changing from her father’s to her mother’s surname. [name_f]Brienna[/name_f] herself isn’t close to her own father given she believes his attention is mainly focusing on the other woman he married - his sixth wife. Some of Brienna’s friends make [name_u]Henry[/name_u] the 8th jokes about her father and she doesn’t mind, in fact she’s made some herself. She feels anyone who marries six times should be well prepared for those jokes. Granted, none of his wives are dead although [name_f]Brienna[/name_f] does find the marriages insane - especially since she’s the daughter of his fourth wife!

Wife 1 was a woman that he married when they were both 18. This marriage lasted 4 years and didn’t have any children, simply ending when they fell out of love. 3 years later, he married Wife 2 at 25. They thought being a little older would make it more stable but were wrong - it didn’t last longer than 8 weeks! After 3 more years, he married Wife 3, which was lasting 6 years until he started falling for another woman. He painted Wife 3 as an annoying stalker so this other woman wouldn’t blame him for the third failing marriage. [name_m]Just[/name_m] after he and Wife 3 divorced, it actually did seem like she was stalking him with her numerous phone calls in a short period of time that he wasn’t answering. However she wasn’t stalking her ex-husband, she actually had something important to tell him and was angered he was ignoring her. He moved on with the woman he was falling for and 3 years later, she became Wife 4 and Brienna’s mother. At 38, the two welcomed [name_f]Brienna[/name_f]. He was always busy and never had time for his wife and daughter. The marriage only lasted 2 years and Brienna’s mother, who was never told of his first two marriages, finding out on her own, got full custody. It was actually 16 years before he married again. Nobody wanted to be in a relationship with this man. He stopped focusing on marriages and went to dating. At 56, realising nobody local was interested in him, he looked for a foreign lover. He found a date with someone halfway around the world and questioned the hefty pay, but believed it was for travel expenses for her. What he didn’t realise was that this wasn’t a dating site but a mail-order bride site and he paid to marry this woman! While technically an accidental marriage, he decided to go along with it since he already spent the money, but he and Wife 5’s marriage quickly got annulled. Brienna’s father has since moved miles away to another county and married Wife 6 about a decade after he moved, but information about her is unknown and [name_f]Brienna[/name_f] doesn’t know if the two are even still married or not.

[name_f]Brienna[/name_f] is unaware of what the other wives are doing and doesn’t focus on them in her life, but sometimes she wonders what they were like married to her father. She often pities them, especially Wife 3. She was worried when she was told he cut her off and didn’t let her say what she needed to tell him. [name_f]Brienna[/name_f] was hoping the concern wasn’t a serious terminal illness or some medical disaster like that, but she’s done a quick search and is relieved the woman is alive and healthy. She’s very close with her mother and knows it’s not her fault that she married a man who can’t keep a marriage - after all Brienna’s mother found out far too late about his history. [name_f]Brienna[/name_f] felt really bad when she was a pregnant from a male co-worker whom she didn’t know was having affairs against [name_f]Birdie[/name_f]. However Brienna’s mother comforted her during this difficult time, never judged her, and has been a wonderful grandmother to [name_u]Sky[/name_u]. [name_f]Brienna[/name_f] has made herself happier through [name_u]Sky[/name_u] and is free to discuss princesses whenever she wants. She loves Sky’s cute puffy dresses and she is so happy [name_u]Sky[/name_u] lives a good life despite only one active parent. [name_f]Brienna[/name_f] doesn’t discuss her baby daddy to [name_u]Sky[/name_u] given that the little girl is pleased just how she is. [name_u]Sky[/name_u] also doesn’t know about the marriages Brienna’s father had, especially since [name_f]Brienna[/name_f] herself hardly knows the other women and her own mother doesn’t like to talk about it. Sometimes [name_f]Brienna[/name_f] wonders if any of the other women had children of their own, regardless of who the father was, but mostly just hopes they’re happy. [name_f]Brienna[/name_f] loves seeing [name_f]Frida[/name_f] around and is grateful she’s the best nanny she can be when she watches [name_u]Sky[/name_u]. [name_f]Brienna[/name_f] hopes [name_f]Frida[/name_f] isn’t too stressed out by the Dunlaw past because she really loves seeing [name_f]Frida[/name_f] and knows she’s a wonderful nanny. Plus [name_u]Sky[/name_u] has been getting a close bond once she got to know Frida’s nearly-6-year-old daughter, who is another princess-loving girly cutie.

[moonwriteen]

(tw: need of a bone marrow transplant)
[name_f]Judith[/name_f] [name_f]Pamela[/name_f] Dunlaw (68) is [name_f]Brienna[/name_f] 's mother and [name_u]Sky[/name_u] 's maternal grandmother. She’s very happy that [name_f]Brienna[/name_f] and her have a relationship good enough for [name_f]Brienna[/name_f] to decide she wants to herself and [name_u]Sky[/name_u] to have her maiden name as a surname.

She admits that she was in love with [name_f]Brienna[/name_f] 's father for a very long time. She justified his lack of attention towards her with him being busy as the chef of a very popular and prestigious local Italian restuarant. [name_f]Judith[/name_f] also knew that her ex-husband’s 3rd wife tried to park in the parking lot of the restuarant and wait there for him, as well as was very persistant with calling him and leaving him text messages - [name_f]Judith[/name_f] was told that it was just obsession with him and his money that was a result of his hard work as a chef, so [name_f]Judith[/name_f] naturally being in love with him tried to shoo her away and even called the police on her once resulting in the 3rd wife being held in county jail until the sheriff discovered she was pregnant… With the child of her ex-husband and that was the reason she was so persistant at conctacting him because she wanted to secure a future for her son. Now, [name_f]Brienna[/name_f] 's older half-brother has sickle cell anemia and desperately needs a bone marrow transplant, so his mother contacted [name_f]Judith[/name_f] this time to find out if [name_f]Brienna[/name_f] would test herself to figure out if she could be a match for him. Siblings have only 1/4 chances of being a match, so that’s not a guarantee, but ther is always hope. [name_f]Judith[/name_f] and [name_f]Brienna[/name_f] had an in-depth conversation about it and although [name_f]Brienna[/name_f] is shocked to have a half-brother , she is ready to help him medically if he agrees to get to know her and [name_u]Sky[/name_u]. If anything, it’s more about [name_u]Sky[/name_u] than [name_f]Brienna[/name_f] herself because [name_f]Brienna[/name_f] really wants her daughter to have a male role model.

It’s not easy for [name_f]Judith[/name_f] as she doesn’t really know how she would react at one of her ex-husband’s wives or their chidlren becoming a part of their life. [name_f]Judith[/name_f] still works through the trauma he put her through , focusing on her work with the senior community, organising travel abroad , Microsoft Office workshops and many more. [name_f]Judith[/name_f] was a Human Resources manager through most of her career so it would pain her to stop working with people after retirement. Overall, she’s happy that she doesn’t have to do it , although she sometimes uses her activities as an excuse to avoid looking inward.

She loves her daughter and especially granddaughter [name_u]Sky[/name_u] very much , so she’s always happy to take care of [name_u]Sky[/name_u] when [name_f]Brienna[/name_f] is at work. She is not the kind of grandma to "spoil " grandchildren, trying to teach [name_u]Sky[/name_u] responsibility and she already cleans the table after herself when finishing eating. She’s also glad that [name_u]Sky[/name_u] made friends with her nanny 's daughter , although she acknowledges that a friendship between a 6-year-old and a 3-year-old may be kind of unfulfilling on the older girl’s end, so she tries to convince [name_f]Brienna[/name_f] to sign [name_u]Sky[/name_u] up for kindergarten. However, she would need financia assistance from [name_u]Sky[/name_u] 's father to do that, and given that he, too, is absent from [name_u]Sky[/name_u] 's life and focused on yet another woman, [name_f]Judith[/name_f] often feels guilty that [name_f]Brienna[/name_f] " inherited " her own inclination to feel like she needs to " change " irresponsible men and is glad that [name_f]Brienna[/name_f] ultimately accepted her fate as a single mother for the time, whether [name_u]Sky[/name_u] will gain a stepfather in the future or not.

[jinxed_peach]

[name_u]Trace[/name_u] [name_u]Wallace[/name_u] [name_m]Buchanan[/name_m] [31] is the son of [name_f]Judith[/name_f] ex-husband and his 3rd wife. His mother fell hard and fast for his father in a whirlwind romance that culminated in their spontaneous marriage a few weeks later. [name_u]Early[/name_u] on in their married life they were able to keep things still fairly interesting, maintaining their attraction to one another for a few years until seemingly all of a sudden things began to cool off considerably. Unbeknownst to his mother that was when the other woman entered his life. His mother didn’t want to divorce since she felt it would be vindication to all the people who declared that getting married as fast as they did would only end in disaster and she was just too stubborn to let them learn they were right.

They muddled through another few years of marriage before [name_f]Brienna[/name_f] and Trace’s father asked for a divorce and their relationship came to an end. [name_u]Or[/name_u] so they thought. That was when Trace’s mother found out she was pregnant. She knew that asking for his involvement would be too much to ask but she knew that she was entitled to some semblance of child support though as she attempted to contact him all her requests to speak to him fell on deaf ears and she resolved to raise her child as a single mother. [name_m]Hence[/name_m] why he also has his mother’s last name instead of his father’s.

Shortly after his birth he was diagnosed with sick cell anemia. Most of his childhood his symptoms were relatively mild but as he aged they became worse and worse. Eventually leading to his need for a bone marrow transplant at this stage. He’s trying not to get his hopes up too high since he knows that the odds that [name_f]Brienna[/name_f] is a match, and even if she is there’s no guarantee that this procedure will help with his symptoms and pain. Regardless of how things medically work out during their relationship, [name_u]Trace[/name_u] is still interested in having a potential friendly relationship with his half-sister if she’s open to it. His partner has also encouraged the two siblings to be more interactive with one another. They’re a nurse who met [name_u]Trace[/name_u] during one of his hospital stays, while dating your medical team is not particularly advised it seems the Buchanans have a penchant for falling for those they shouldn’t be.

[CherryBomb50]

[name_f]Glory[/name_f] [name_f]Maudette[/name_f] [name_m]Buchanan[/name_m] (68) is Trace’s mother and Wife 3 in the infamous 6 wives. She’s always had a sense of cautiousness for herself since her divorce although she’s felt disgusted and distraught over her ex-husband’s ignorance. He didn’t just abandon [name_u]Trace[/name_u], he practically wouldn’t even listen to her over her calls and personal waits outside the restaurant. It was only worse when he portrayed her as a creepy stalker, and felt wrong when [name_f]Judith[/name_f] initially believed him. However, that’s both behind [name_f]Glory[/name_f] and [name_f]Judith[/name_f] - neither of them were given an honest statement about the past two, now five wives. [name_f]Glory[/name_f] wonders if Wife 6 is aware of the five other marriages but she’s never interacted with the other wives since the divorce. Ironically, she and Wife 1 attended the same school growing up, but they were never friends at any point. While [name_f]Glory[/name_f] doesn’t like her ex-husband or her place as Wife 3 (not that any place would be good), she does not regret having [name_u]Trace[/name_u] as a son.

[name_m]Even[/name_m] though [name_f]Glory[/name_f] didn’t initally feel comfortable with [name_f]Brienna[/name_f], due to [name_f]Brienna[/name_f] being a child of another wife, she’s eventually found a respect for her. When [name_f]Glory[/name_f] explained her situation with her ex-husband as a pregnancy with [name_u]Trace[/name_u], [name_f]Judith[/name_f] told her that she was grateful [name_f]Glory[/name_f] had [name_u]Trace[/name_u] in her life despite his father being the same awful ex-husband. [name_f]Judith[/name_f] confessed to [name_f]Glory[/name_f] that her daughter [name_f]Brienna[/name_f] was initially very nervous about the news Glory’s ex-husband refused to listen to, because [name_f]Brienna[/name_f] was worried it was a serious illness [name_f]Glory[/name_f] had. While [name_f]Glory[/name_f] didn’t want [name_f]Brienna[/name_f] to worry about this and urged [name_f]Judith[/name_f] to tell her otherwise, she felt a sense of humanity restored that [name_f]Brienna[/name_f] worried about her and was angry at her father for leaving her. And [name_f]Brienna[/name_f] didn’t know yet that she was technically half-right - while [name_f]Glory[/name_f] didn’t have the painful disease, she was pregnant at the time with a son who would have one. After this conversation, [name_f]Glory[/name_f] and [name_f]Judith[/name_f] got along with one another and [name_f]Judith[/name_f] told [name_f]Brienna[/name_f] the real news. [name_f]Glory[/name_f] doesn’t know it, but if [name_f]Brienna[/name_f] was a match for bone marrow donation, she’d definitely give the donation. She didn’t even hesitate to donate if she was eligible, she immediately picked up from [name_f]Judith[/name_f] explaining the disease that [name_u]Trace[/name_u] needed a bone marrow transplant and she asked right away if she can test to be a match. [name_f]Brienna[/name_f] knows there’s a higher chance she isn’t but she does want to go for it if she can; she’s only recently known of her half-brother and she would be devastated to see it all go so soon before really getting a chance to know him. Since this knowledge, [name_f]Brienna[/name_f] has educated herself more on sickle cell anaemia.

[name_f]Glory[/name_f] has made amends with the people who warned her not to marry her ex-husband. After all, they were there for her in ways her ex-husband wasn’t. [name_f]Glory[/name_f], a writer of romance novels, had been waiting for her own whirlwind romance before realising now that it wasn’t what she needed for her life, especially given what she got. She has since not remarried and focused on her son, which she’s been nothing but caring towards. [name_f]Glory[/name_f] has admired Trace’s strength and willpower and truly hopes he will get the bone marrow transplant he needs. [name_f]Glory[/name_f] is aware that [name_u]Trace[/name_u] has found a girlfriend and motivates him to go after her although she’s hoping this woman is dating him for the right reasons and not trying to take advantage of [name_u]Trace[/name_u] as her patient. However nothing makes her happy quite like seeing [name_u]Trace[/name_u] happy and she knows he isn’t just pretending to be happy.

[moonwriteen]

(tw: unexpected pregnancy)
[name_f]Naisha[/name_f] [name_f]Brigitte[/name_f] Suskind ( 32 ) is a nurse and [name_u]Trace[/name_u] 's SO. She and [name_u]Trace[/name_u] secretly developed a relationship when [name_u]Trace[/name_u] became an ever-more reappearing guest in the hospital she works at. [name_f]Naisha[/name_f] had some hesitation because she was aware that she shouldn’t be crossing the patient-care provider boundary, but [name_u]Trace[/name_u] 's easy-going ways and dark humor really made her days brighter. He was especially protective of her when [name_f]Naisha[/name_f] was verbally mistreated by other patients and [name_f]Naisha[/name_f] found it not only endearing but kind of romantic. She , unlike [name_u]Trace[/name_u] , has a full family but her father is a trucker who used to go on very long work trips to [name_u]Alaska[/name_u] , so she knew how it was spending large chunks of time. Although she’s a little scared of properly meeting [name_f]Glory[/name_f] as [name_u]Trace[/name_u] 's girlfriend, she’s glad that [name_u]Trace[/name_u] treats her seriously enough to consider it. She even reads [name_f]Glory[/name_f] 's romance novels so the " a little starstruck " factor truly doesn’t help. [name_f]Naisha[/name_f] however is confident than she can take proper care of [name_u]Trace[/name_u] and assist him in his healing journey following the bone marrow transplant provided that they have a donor.
However, there is one problem - medical bills. Nurses do not have the most generous salaries , neither do truckers or massage therapists like her dad or mom. While [name_f]Glory[/name_f] is relatively upper-middle class as a result of the popularity of her books , [name_f]Naisha[/name_f] would hate to mooch off her future mother-in-law. That’s why when she recently found out she was nearly eight weeks pregnant,
[name_f]Naisha[/name_f] immediately considered abortion, wanting to prioratize the financial aspect of [name_u]Trace[/name_u] 's health rather than the baby-related costs. However, being conflicted about the long-term consequences of abortion as a decision, she went on to visit a Crisis Pregnancy Centre for support. Some people in her life tried to politicize that decision of hers which was the absolutely biggest blow to her friendships that she has ever experienced. To [name_f]Naisha[/name_f] , visiting a Crisis Pregnancy Centre was not a political stance or an admission or where she stands on the problem of abortion-related legislation, but rather a deeply personal attempt to getting the help (including psychological help) that she needed. She was able to get an obstetric ultrasound confirming the pregnancy and a small number of free baby-related items, as well as a consultation with a licensed therapist who surprisingly didn’t try to push any particular beliefs onto her but rather pushed her to examine how she really feels about her relationship , how she sees the future of the child and also examining the same that would come with asking her parents or [name_u]Trace[/name_u] 's parents for financial support.

[name_f]Naisha[/name_f] has since informed [name_u]Trace[/name_u] about the pregnancy and has decided that ultimately the decision of keeping it or not should be in both their hands because she deeply trusts [name_u]Trace[/name_u] and wouldn’t be able to make her mind without him - she wants to know where they stand on the future of the baby , but even their own future. She knows it won’t be easy but hopes that [name_u]Trace[/name_u] 's love will help her get through.

[CherryBomb50]

[name_f]Davina[/name_f] [name_f]Océane[/name_f] Suskind (58) is Naisha’s mother, who doesn’t have a lot of money but enjoys every working day as a massage therapist. [name_f]Davina[/name_f] is protective but respectful of her daughter. She is the calm anchor while [name_f]Naisha[/name_f] is the sweet romantic personality. They have a healthy and positive relationship despite their differences in personality, the best description of it would be a “loving mother and her free-spirited daughter.” [name_f]Davina[/name_f] wishes [name_f]Naisha[/name_f] would make a better salary in a more high-paying, but she knows that is not the way of her daughter and that [name_f]Naisha[/name_f] deserves to follow her dreams regardless of the pay. After all, [name_f]Davina[/name_f] herself is living her dream despite low pay and ultimately, she’s glad [name_f]Naisha[/name_f] isn’t missing out. She’s hoping [name_f]Naisha[/name_f] has a better life and isn’t letting funds get in the way of things, but that’s because [name_f]Davina[/name_f] doesn’t quite know [name_f]Naisha[/name_f] is pregnant.

[name_f]Davina[/name_f] would support [name_f]Naisha[/name_f] and Trace’s decisions no matter what, especially since [name_f]Davina[/name_f] had been in a somewhat similar situation. When she was 40, she believed she had gotten pregnant again, which she worried about since she didn’t feel she could fund for another child, plus her body was feeling “too old” to carry another child inside her. She didn’t tell anyone, which thankfully was the right choice since it turned out she was not pregnant after all, and she never had another child. Had this been a true pregnancy, [name_f]Davina[/name_f] didn’t know what she would do in the situation and would have likely leaned towards an abortion, but ultimately didn’t know.

For now, she’s happy to be Naisha’s mother! She adores her daughter and how much she’s grown and how kindly she nurses her patients. When [name_f]Naisha[/name_f] was 13, relationship between them would be a loving but very distant one. [name_f]Davina[/name_f] was older and wiser, while [name_f]Naisha[/name_f] only just entering teen years. [name_f]Davina[/name_f] would try to guide her daughter and protect her, but would likely strain the relationship between the two, as [name_f]Naisha[/name_f] would feel like she is being treated like a child. The two would have a complicated relationship, but they would ultimately love each other. Sometimes [name_f]Davina[/name_f] worries she was too bossy while [name_f]Naisha[/name_f] worries she was too ungrateful, but this is the past and all behind them - the two truly cared about one another and they’re incredibly close now. [name_f]Davina[/name_f] knows her husband is away a lot trucking but she’s never treated him like a deadbeat husband or father and she’s always an appreciative person towards him. Davina’s best friend is the mother of the [name_u]Rivera[/name_u] family and [name_f]Davina[/name_f] has visited the UK with her best friend and learned about her [name_f]British[/name_f] culture.

[moonwriteen]

[name_f]Helen[/name_f] [name_f]Janet[/name_f] Pillsworth (68) & [name_u]Tatum[/name_u] [name_f]Amanda[/name_f] [ Pillsworth ] Aibel (34) are a mother and daughter duo and neighbours of [name_f]Davina[/name_f] . [name_f]Helen[/name_f] even appears as a client and really admires [name_f]Davina[/name_f] 's therapeutic massage skills which have truly helped with her back problems. [name_f]Helen[/name_f] also has a friendship with [name_f]Davina[/name_f] and the mother of the [name_u]Rivera[/name_u] family - much like [name_f]Davina[/name_f] , [name_f]Helen[/name_f] learned a lot about [name_f]British[/name_f] culture through Mrs. [name_u]Rivera[/name_u] and plans to visit [name_u]London[/name_u] as a tourist one day. She’s not the type to talk about her past openly. If she was , then she would probably tell her story to her friends - That story being that she first got married at 18 and divorced at 22 after falling out of love because the man would try too hard to impress his boss and get a promotion from an apprentice cook to a line cook.

To this day she doesn’t eat Italian food because of how obsessed her ex husband was with it and how inanimate objects such as kitchen-related equipment seemed to [name_f]Helen[/name_f] to be more worthy of her husband’s love and care than she herself was.

After 4 years of trying to convince him to slow down at work and think more seriously about his family . she grew resentful of her husband and eventually filed for divorce. Years of gaslighting caused her to think that she was the one being in the wrong for not wanting to prioritize her career and so from the age of 22 until her 30th birthday she gave her all working in film production and eventually rose up in popularity as a movie editor from making indie movies to a succesful Hollywood production. However, there was some shady business and misogony towards female actresses going on. Moreover, one of the actors was a little too friendly with the crew and kept asking [name_f]Helen[/name_f] to go out with him - not handling the rejection well because he thought that if he had his 5 minutes of fame as an actor and comedian, he wouldn’t face rejection from " average " people.

In the 2000s his popularity declined due to an insensitive joke about [name_f]Hurricane[/name_f] [name_f]Katrina[/name_f] and so [name_f]Helen[/name_f] thankfully doesn’t have to watch his face on TV anymore.

The pushy actor-comedian made her reflect on her life and made her remember a pact she made in her school days with a childhood friend - that if she wasn’t married at 30 she would marry him as a “marriage of convenience”. There she was, 30 and divorced for the past 8 years.

Well, the friend agreed to marry her then if she moved out of state and stayed at his ranch taking care of horses. She agreed and with her second husband she had two children - her firstborn daughter [name_u]Tatum[/name_u] and then a son at 36. [name_f]Helen[/name_f] acknowledges that between her and her husband there has never been and probably never will be any burning love, but there is a friendship, loyalty and understanding in that marriage and they have a good company for eachother in their senior years. [name_f]Helen[/name_f] didn’t even reasearch her first husband and doesn’t know that he managed to " collect " five other wives since then. [name_u]Tatum[/name_u] knows this from his social media but also is aware that [name_f]Helen[/name_f] wouldn’t care. [name_u]Tatum[/name_u] knows that her mother’s life was very eventful up until she settled down with her and her brother’s dad - people to this day don’t believe [name_u]Tatum[/name_u] when she truthfully tells peopel that her godmother is a moderately famous sitcom actress from the 80s. ’

[name_u]Tatum[/name_u] has found a lot of support in [name_f]Helen[/name_f] and in her godmother since she was forced to move back in with her parents following the separation that she is going through with her current husband, who filed for divorce because he chose the loyalty to his mother - a just-no mother-in-law who always put [name_u]Tatum[/name_u] down - over his wife and 9-year-old daughter. [name_u]Tatum[/name_u] doesn’t want the divorce but also knows that her husband’s family will never properly respect her because they see her as the “intruder” who prevented their son from staying in his home town and taking over the family busineess - a pencil factory they were eventually forced to sell off. [name_u]Tatum[/name_u] knew that her husband didn’t want to take it over and wanted to be a court reporter instaed. It pains her that her daughter is going to be just another child of divorcees when truly , [name_u]Tatum[/name_u] still loves her husband and wishes that the marriage didn’t have to end because of a family-related conflict - especially because [name_u]Tatum[/name_u] had tried to be civil with her mother-in-law all her marriage and things seemed neutral between them since the birth of their daughter until the family was forced to sell the pencil factory. [name_u]Tatum[/name_u] is happy that at least her daughter is enjoying the time with her grandparents and enjoying the horses at the ranch - she had been riding horses since age 6 and it’s been her favourite hobby. [name_u]Tatum[/name_u] knows that whether or not the divorce goes into effect, her husband will not disappear from her life because they still have to tell their daughter something important - namely, that she was adopted as a baby. Nobody knows this but [name_u]Tatum[/name_u] , her husband , both families and [name_u]Tatum[/name_u] 's best friend from the hospital where she works as an anaesthesiologist - [name_f]Naisha[/name_f] , a registered nurse. [name_u]Tatum[/name_u] also knows about Naisha’s situation regarding her unexpected pregnancy and has referred [name_f]Naisha[/name_f] to the adoption agency where she had a chance to meet her daughter in case [name_f]Naisha[/name_f] and her fiance decided that they wanted to give the baby away to a loving family.

[kitkatcookie]

[name_f]Farrah[/name_f] [name_u]Camille[/name_u] Suskind (16) is Davina’s niece and Naisha’s cousin, born to Davina’s younger half-brother and his partner. She’s been introduced their neighbours thanks to her work as babysitter, looking after Tatum’s 9-year-old daughter when she and [name_f]Helen[/name_f] need a moment to themselves, not that [name_f]Farrah[/name_f] ever complains about the work: other people’s kids tend to listen to her more than her own brothers do. Farrah’s the eldest of 4, her youngest sibling being her 5-year-old sister, and usually she’s content in this position, unless it’s the annual time for her life to be raked over with a fine tooth comb by her siblings. There’s a practical conspiracy her brother’s have going that [name_f]Farrah[/name_f] has a secret boyfriend, and in spite of there being no truth to this belief, nothing can dissuade them when the amateur sleuths get together. It’s best to humour this time, but Farrah’s careful to not unleash the duo on her unsuspecting friends, and doesn’t discuss babysitting matters either when there’s a chance she’ll be overheard.

This partially stems from her first consistent job, which was perhaps the most dramatic introduction she could have had. The couple who’s son she looked after - a very easygoing 7-year-old who usually just wanted to draw or read in peace, while [name_f]Farrah[/name_f] kept him company completing homework - had a marriage collapsing, and on several occasions she overheard them arguing while sat in their car; something that mostly freaked her out in the sense she could’ve been pulled into things. Thankfully, this never happened, but their subsequent divorce proceedings were the centre of local gossip, and [name_f]Farrah[/name_f] found her first year of high school dominated by people asking what she knew, as they’d overheard their parents discussing this situation and wanted more context.

She avoids drama like the plague, as [name_f]Farrah[/name_f] admits she doesn’t have the personality type to weather it well, and her friends are likewise inclined. The closest she came to being a central player [again if you count her bystander role to the end of a marriage she knew next to nothing about] was when two of her circle - infamous for their PDA - broke up, and no-one knew why for quite some time. [name_f]Farrah[/name_f] was someone privy to the truth [that one member of the pair had developed feelings for someone else, who attended the same science group they did at the local college labs], and she spoke to her mom extensively about feeling torn: by no means was her friend a bad person, but she couldn’t agree with how they went about ending things, leading to some awkwardness when everyone hung out. Thankfully, Farrah’s now cleared of this situation and calm has resumed, although the rumours someone in her economics class has a crush on her are not something she’s ignorant to by any means…

[jinxed_peach]

[name_f]Marilyn[/name_f] [name_f]Elsie[/name_f] Suskind [5] is Farrah’s youngest sister and one of the many siblings who occasionally torments her. It’s really the middle two siblings between [name_f]Farrah[/name_f] and [name_f]Marilyn[/name_f] that tend to grill the 16 year old, [name_f]Marilyn[/name_f] just kind of goes along with it since she thinks her older siblings are all the coolest people around. Usually she’s just sort of generically agreeing with them and whatever crazy ideas they come up with.

[name_f]Marilyn[/name_f] is especially sort of intrigued by the idea of [name_f]Farrah[/name_f] having a secret boyfriend, she’s at that age where dramatic romances and fairytales are just about as cool as she things her siblings are. Though she wouldn’t really mind if [name_f]Farrah[/name_f] didn’t have her prince charming just yet, [name_f]Marilyn[/name_f] still things she’s pretty cool all on her own.

[CherryBomb50]

[name_m]Aurelio[/name_m] [name_m]Théo[/name_m] Suskind (10) is one of the brothers to [name_f]Marilyn[/name_f] and [name_f]Farrah[/name_f] and yes, he assumes [name_f]Farrah[/name_f] has a secret boyfriend. The reason why is because [name_m]Aurelio[/name_m] is quite the “projector”. His best buddy has a rivalry with a girl who’s a better speller than him although both are super good. [name_m]Aurelio[/name_m] always likes to playfully tease his friend and go, “Oh please, you secretly like her.” While [name_m]Aurelio[/name_m] has a convincing point given his friend’s behaviour, he knows it’s not true. In actuality, [name_m]Aurelio[/name_m] likes this girl and he’s projecting it on his friend!

[name_m]Aurelio[/name_m] truthfully doesn’t know if [name_f]Farrah[/name_f] is dating anyone or not but the other brother has a lot of “evidence” that [name_f]Farrah[/name_f] is “dating” someone in one of her classes. [name_m]Aurelio[/name_m] finds this nothing but cool and now he keeps wanting to find more information on this “boyfriend”. [name_m]Aurelio[/name_m] has come to the “conclusion” that the guy in her economics class is her boyfriend and has told his brother and nobody else, but [name_f]Marilyn[/name_f] has overheard what they’re saying. [name_f]Marilyn[/name_f] hasn’t gotten involved with that much although she did try to conspire that the guy [name_f]Farrah[/name_f] is “dating” is actually a prince, however she quickly lost interest when she learned the guy wasn’t a real prince. While [name_m]Aurelio[/name_m] can be into conspiring, he avoids drama too and wants to be more like [name_f]Farrah[/name_f] in that way. He only knows about the man with 6 wives from his aunt [name_f]Davina[/name_f] and also one of his former teachers, who is Wife 6, and he never liked the latter much as a teacher anyway. His current teacher is super cool however and a very laid-back instructor, which he loves. He loves physical education best but he’s good at history as well. [name_m]Aurelio[/name_m] also avoids drama by busying himself with hobbies, actually being quite a great keyboard player.

[jinxed_peach]

[name_m]Giuseppe[/name_m] ’ [name_u]Gio[/name_u] ’ [name_m]Tommaso[/name_m] Zingarelli [37] is an Aurelio’s science teacher, typically known by his students as ‘Mr.Z’ as his last name is kind of a mouthful. He began his teaching career as a teaching assistant in Farrah’s class when she was a fifth grader, and he’ll probably be teaching [name_f]Marilyn[/name_f] when she’s of age too, so he’s become an acquaintance of the entire family as well. [name_f]Helen[/name_f] and [name_u]Tatum[/name_u] and Tatum’s nine year old daughter are people he’s heard of through the Suskind family though he’s never had the pleasure of meeting them beyond an occasional passing by at the grocery store.

A dedicated teacher [name_u]Gio[/name_u] always places the wellbeing of his class highly on his list of priorities if not above all else. He always tries to make his teaching plans as engaging as possible and avoids repeating past lessons or reusing other material to keep things interesting. His classroom is also just as interesting, he keeps alternative seating just as pillows, stools, and yoga balls available as well as a bucket of fidget toys since he himself has ADHD and knows what a difference it can make to have your hands occupied when your mind is heavily distracted.

However no amount of stress balls, fidget spinners, and pop-its can help with the current distraction that’s weighing on Gio’s mind at the moment. Though [name_u]Gio[/name_u] is currently happily single, he has had a few steady girlfriends in the past, including one who interestingly enough, shares a link with [name_f]Glory[/name_f] [name_m]Buchanan[/name_m], [name_f]Judith[/name_f] Dunlaw, and their mutual ex-husband. Him and his second wife, though the marriage lasted only eight weeks, conceived a single child during their union who was raised primarily by her mother alone and eventually grew up to meet [name_u]Gio[/name_u] in their shared creative writing class during their sophomore year of college.

They shared many interests, including the desire to go into a career involving working with children with [name_u]Gio[/name_u] entering teaching and his girlfriend going into social work. They continued to date through sophomore year but when senior year of college came along [name_u]Gio[/name_u] took an opportunity to study abroad in [name_f]Italy[/name_f]. Being of Italian heritage he couldn’t pass up a chance to get closer to his family roots. Being that they would be apart for a year and neither one of them were particularly willing to put up with the struggles that came with a long distance relationship since they were so young and relatively immature, the couple chose to take the year off from their relationship and if they wanted to rekindle things after graduation they would keep one another in mind.

His year studying in [name_f]Italy[/name_f] was great and truly enriched his life and education. A piece of him still wondered what life would be like if he had stayed with his ex, eventually deciding to try and reconnect with her once he came back. When he returned back to his hometown for graduation he had found that she had left town and none of their usual mutual friends were able to get a hold of her. As much as the lack of closure distressed him, [name_u]Gio[/name_u] took the event as just one of those things that comes with the unpredictable nature of life. Since then [name_u]Gio[/name_u] has always continued to carry a bit of a torch for his ex, being teased by his friends that she was ‘the one that got away.’ That nickname would stick until a bombshell dropped on Gio’s life recently.

His ex reached out to him out of the blue over social media, said she was in town, and that she’d like to meet up with him. Thinking it was just a moment to catch up he accepted and they shared a simple meal at a diner. Though it quickly became apparent that the subject of the conversation would be much more serious. Gio’s ex explained that the reason she ‘disappeared’ that year was because she was pregnant, with Gio’s baby. She had every intention of telling him, but with him being in [name_f]Italy[/name_f] he was hard to track down and by the time he came back from [name_f]Italy[/name_f] she had left to move in with her grandmother as she was growing concerned about becoming a pariah as a pregnant senior. Since then she’s had a good life, raising her now fifteen year old and having a decent career in social work like she planned, but the one thing she wasn’t able to do was give her child the answers they wanted to hear about their father. After seeing and recognizing [name_u]Gio[/name_u] in a FaceBook post honoring his teaching she knew that it was a sign and that it was time to come clean.

Now knowing that he was suddenly a father to not just a child but a teenager, [name_u]Gio[/name_u] was informed by his ex that she wasn’t telling him of his parental status to force any commitment from him, just so that both he and their child could have a little bit of closure about their lost love/absent father and that it’s up to him if he wants to be involved from now on. The teenager has already made it clear that if [name_u]Gio[/name_u] is willing, they would like to meet him.

At the moment [name_u]Gio[/name_u] is leaning towards agreeing to at least meet the kid, possibly actually step up and be the father he should’ve been fifteen years ago. It’s just a lot of information to take in all at once. His closest work friend and fellow teacher has been his sounding board for all his worries and ideas at the moment. They’re encouraging him to follow his instinct and meet them. In his heart, it’s what [name_u]Gio[/name_u] wants to do, he’s just worried that he’s going to somehow screw it all up. Maybe the best thing to do is just bite the bullet and go through with it. He’ll never know if he doesn’t take the leap right?

[name_f]Judith[/name_f] Dunlaw was created by @moonwriteen

[name_f]Glory[/name_f] [name_m]Buchanan[/name_m] was greated by @CherryBomb50

[I_meme_it]

[name_m]Maximilian[/name_m] ’ [name_u]Max[/name_u] ’ [name_m]Oratio[/name_m] Hallferey (15) is Gio’s son, who’s soon going to meet him in person, something he’s openly anxious about. If they do meet, [name_u]Max[/name_u] doesn’t want to appear as a burden to his father, or some forced responsibility that could be resented. He also doesn’t want his mom to feel rejected if they bond, given how hard she’s worked to care for and raise him, on top of getting her own future secured and facing people’s unfair judgements. Now he’s a teenager - with an enthusiasm for heavy metal and alternative culture - [name_u]Max[/name_u] has remained true to his belief’s in valuing everyone’s differences, and isn’t afraid of speaking up should someone make a comment about him or his friends’.

Until the age of 7, [name_u]Max[/name_u] and his mom lived with his great-grandma, as it wasn’t financially viable for them to move out as his mom’s career was stabilising. The apartment they live in is a 15 minute bus journey away from his great-grandma’s house and she’s still alive and well, with [name_u]Max[/name_u] visiting her as often as possible. She used to let him use her garage for his karate practice, the place where [name_u]Max[/name_u] met his best friend, who’s also from a single parent household - something they quickly bonded over.

While he hasn’t continued practicing martial arts, [name_u]Max[/name_u] is a keen archer who has weekly lessons, on top of playing the cello and bass guitar. He isn’t in a band currently, as he admits he doesn’t know if he could handle the stresses that can crop up, and then there’s the fact [name_u]Max[/name_u] is a history buff who absolutely wants to pursue this academically; his particular interest being medieval Europe. Although he didn’t have contact with his paternal family, Maxs’ mom did all she could to ensure he had a connection to his Italian heritage, most notably in his middle name. [name_u]Max[/name_u] is currently learning Italian, but if he does meet with [name_u]Gio[/name_u], he’s not sure he’ll mention this, given the pressure that could follow.

[jinxed_peach]

[name_f]Cassie[/name_f] [name_f]Alicia[/name_f] Hallferey [37] is Max’s mother and ex-girlfriend of [name_u]Gio[/name_u]. Single parenting has always been a part of her life as she was raised by a single mother. Her mother was wife number two out of six wives who were all at least briefly married to a certain man who just can’t seem to keep a woman by his side for the life of him. Although last [name_f]Cassie[/name_f] heard, the woman he married at sixty-six is still with him. Only time will tell whether or not it lasts, though Cassie’s not particularly invested in his life considering how little effort he’s shown in hers. With the use of social media she’s got some sparse contact with her half-siblings such as [name_u]Trace[/name_u] [name_m]Buchanan[/name_m] and [name_f]Brienna[/name_f] Dunlaw but they all have busy lives and frankly, not much in common. So they don’t really talk all that much. [name_f]Glory[/name_f] [name_m]Buchanan[/name_m] did reach out to her when [name_u]Trace[/name_u] was in need of bone marrow transplant, but [name_f]Cassie[/name_f] was unable to donate due to her having been diagnosed with fibromyalgia in her late twenties.

When they first met in that creative writing class [name_f]Cassie[/name_f] truly fell in love with him, but fearing that things would work out like her parents’ relationship she was afraid to commit to him, hence why she wasn’t too fussed by their separations. Until she fainted one day while walking to class, she went to the university health center where a nursing student administered a pregnancy test for her which, sure enough, came up positive.

Despite her fear of commitment [name_f]Cassie[/name_f] felt a strong connection to her unborn child from the start and knew right away that she wanted to keep the baby even in the face of the less than ideal circumstances. Though she knew that finishing school would be a challenge, she also worried about Gio’s reaction considering her own father’s response to her mother’s pregnancy. So she spoke with her academic advisor and arranged a plan to graduate early. It took pretty much all she had, but [name_f]Cassie[/name_f] did it, walking the stage with all the other graduates as the only one of them who had bump beginning to show through her robes.

After finishing school she moved in with her grandmother who was the only person she had told about her pregnancy and the only person who attended Max’s birth. After they moved out of her grandmother’s home and out on their own it wasn’t nearly as scary as she feared. [name_f]Cassie[/name_f] was able to get started in her career shortly thereafter and has been working since then.

Now that [name_u]Gio[/name_u] and [name_u]Max[/name_u] are set to meet in the next few days and suddenly all that fear that she had yet to feel as been flooding back. It’s not that she’s worried about Gio’s reaction, more so she’s worried about her own. Mostly that she’s beginning to fear that the second she lays eyes on [name_u]Gio[/name_u] again, she’ll fall in love with him all over again…

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Trace was created by me

Brienna was created by @CherryBomb50