the-kidd-kell

[the-kidd-kell]

everybody’s always on writing prompts like “what if there was a world where everyone had a timer ticking down to their death… but you met someone whose timer said infinity!” or “what if everyone had their cause of death tattooed across their forehead… but you met someone whose forehead said THE CREATURE!” Enough -

enough. stop with the shock value. there is no need to insert THE CREATURE; the benign concept of such a world is horrifying enough. not even in urgency, but just in banal, everyday interaction. imagine you meet someone and their timer says two years. not tomorrow, not urgently soon, but two years. enough to do quite a lot. they could fall in love in that time - could they get engaged? have a baby? you might otherwise get to know them, befriend them, but perhaps you opt not to, make a conscious choice not to invest in your own grief. what balancing act would every individual person have to participate in - I have ten years, is that long enough to be a good mother to children? is that long enough to secure a caretaker for my own mother? my wife will die a few months before me. my newborn’s timer reads nineteen years.

and cause of death. you interview for a job and emblazoned across the healthy, smiling face of the HR lady is MALNUTRITION. your country is prospering, safe, but every person you meet on the street from the babies to the old women read BOMB. BOMB. what kind of havoc would fate wreak on the world? what about the loss of privacy? how would that shape our notions of hope? idk man I think a lot of those ancient poems were right, and the fates are monsters. I’m interested by the framing of these ideas as trite horror tales when the premises themselves are so much more disturbing if simply taken to their logical ends

[the-kidd-kell]

“You don’t find your worth in someone. You find your worth within yourself and then find someone who’s worthy of you. Remember that.”

— Unknown

[the-kidd-kell]

Its okay if you're not who you thought you would be, take all the time to grieve the person you tried so hard to become when you wanted to better yourself and learn from your past mistakes. But its also okay to just love the person you are now and learn to get to know that person better. There is no shame in being who you are, even if you still have a lot to learn. You don't always have to upgrade yourself, sometimes there is peace in appreciating who you are and what you have right now.

[the-kidd-kell]

[the-kidd-kell]

I love your promts! Their all so creative and cute! I was wondering if you've already made prompts for a young couples. Like teens who love each other so much and act so loving towards each other it's tooth rotting.

If you haven't then don't mind me! Again, love your work! Keep it up!

Hi :)

Teen love is unfortunately not really my forte, but here are some things that came to my mind for a teen couple.

Teens in love

giving each other cute messages in school

talking on the phone a lot

constantly sending each other pictures

going on inexpensive dates

bringing each other to family events, but being embarrassed by nosey questions about their future plans

always trying to hold hands, wherever they go

being known as only coming as a pair

being gently (and not so gently) reminded by their friends not to forget about them

having their own "secret hiding space" to be together uninterrupted by family and friends

Hope this still helps in a way!

- Jana

[the-kidd-kell]

[the-kidd-kell]

"the bird had been following us for three days. i was starting to think that maybe one of us was already dead and we just didn't know it yet. i couldn't shake the feeling."

- excerpt from "Find Flora"

[the-kidd-kell]

“O God! How terrible to have a hope That charms and cheats you.”

— Euripides, The Heracleidae (Trans. by Ralph Gladstone)

[the-kidd-kell]

[the-kidd-kell]

grace thompson

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

name: Grace Lynn Thompson

nickname(s): Gracie

age: 17

birthday: May 31st (Gemini)

hometown: honestly, all she knows is that she was born in Little Rock, Arkansas

dwelling: she lives in her mom's loft apartment in Jacktown, Michigan

height: 5'4"

weight: 115 lbs.

hair: dirty blonde, but always lightened - so crazy thick

eye color: aquamarine blue

defining marks: scar on knee from surgery

build: athletic - small, straight, rectangle body shape

parents: Crystal Thompson and Craig Meyer

siblings: older sister, Summer Thompson

pets: none

DO THEY HAVE

love interest: Andre Aguilar-Hernandez, whom she hopes to marry. Grace started crushing on Andre three years ago, in eighth grade. He was always causing

passions: advocating for/protecting victims of sexual/domestic violence, justice, equal rights, pro-choice, witch craft, astrology

loyalties: Andre/friends - sports teams - her boundaries - healing

BEHAVIOR

habits: biting her nails, lying to appease people, getting overwhelmed, becoming burnt out, running a little bit late, accidentally flirting,

preferences in:

• Clothing: Refuses to fit into any one fashion category, loves to experiment with all kinds of colors, patterns, vibes, etc. Prefers to wear bright, vibrant colors. Loves 70s inspired fashion friends and y2k trends as well. Almost a little preppy, but always a little more out there than anyone else around her.

• Transportation: Has a light blue, convertible, Volkswagen Beetle.

• Vacation: Somewhere tropical usually, but also likes to visit the Upper Peninsula with Monica.

• Family Life: Would prefer it if it felt like her mother cared about her, maybe even spend some time with her or ask about what's going on in her. Wishes Summer never moved away. Terrified of Craig

• Music: Rap, Trap music, Alt. pop, R&B,

• Movies: scary movies, rom coms, independent films

• Books, Magazines, News: rarely reads a magazine, but will buy one if she needs something to use as a rolling tray. Really only reads textbooks or trending news reports.

• Sports: LOVES volleyball and is really, really fucking good at it. Runs in track in the spring to stay in shape, but probably will never work out again once she's done with sports

• Friends: Loves to chat and be friendly with everyone, but holds few people very near and dear. Is afraid of creating too deep attachments with friends just to have the bond fall apart when she has to leave (but, sometimes she can't help but fall hopelessly infatuated with some friends she meets). The people she considers near and dear are people she would see herself keeping in contact with if she ever did need to move suddenly again.

• Hobbies: smoking weed, partying, listening to music, volleyball practice, study dates, going out for lunch/brunch/dinner, track practice, off-season practices, going to volleyball games, going to sports games at school, hanging out with friends, hanging out with her boyfriend,

phobias: being abandoned, being vulnerable, being taken advantage of, being betrayed

likes: volleyball, weed, Andre, going out to eat, witchy shit, stones/crystals, zodiac/astrology, candles, lemon water, tarot cards, learning about chakras, having fun, making people smile, paranormal/spooky stuff, recycling, sustainability, eating clean, hanging out with friends, partying, smoking, drinking, dates with Andre, dogs, casting spells, practicing witch craft

dislikes: forgiving people, men, injustice, mean people, being told what to do, overly-promiscuous women, losing, being out of control, thinking about her childhood/Dad, victim blaming,

positive traits: spiritual, intuitive, sweet, kind, cheerful, upbeat, uplifting, eclectic, unique, soulful, active, energetic, adaptable, very ambitious, confident, bold, loud, dauntless, fun-loving, silly, witty, extroverted, sociable, self disciplined, independent, magnetic, loyal, nurturing, protective, a good friend, resilient, committed, determined, eco-conscious, usually reliable,

negative traits: holds grudges, two-faced, judgmental, sharp-tonged, petty, vengeful, has double standards, can be judgmental and unforgiving, sensitive, easily disappointed, hard on herself, unapologetic, thrill-seeking, spoiled, misguided, inconsistent, rebellious, sneaky, paranoid,

ATTITUDE ABOUT

marriage: cannot wait to marry Andre, would do it today if she could

children: can't picture herself having one right now, assumes her world/life will end as soon as she has a child

pets and animals: doesn't want to take care of anything except for herself right now, can't be bothered with any animal right now.

SOCIAL

marital status: single, but definitely with her soulmate

level of education: junior at jacktown high school

occupation: volleyball libero, hostess at a fancy restaurant

languages: just english, but also is learning spanish this year

secrets: was sexually and physically abused by her dad, hates her mom, has bad ptsd, finds the weight of the world to be super heavy often so she has to rely on her friends a lot

relationships with:

O family:

- Grannie: Grace loved and adored her Grannie with her entire heart as a child and a young teen. Grannie was the glue that held Grace's family together. So, when Grannie met her untimely passing, Grace felt super defeated. Grace says she felt the family die with Grannie. To this day, Grace still speaks to her Grannie in heaven and cries with grief periodically.

- Crystal (Mom): Grace's resentment for her mother began as a child over things that Crystal really had no control over. Now, in her late teens, Grace might even say she hates her mother. At this point in life, Grace wants to make her mom's life harder like she did to her. Grace has always felt abandoned by her mom, especially after Grannie died.

- Summer: Grace and Summer used to be really close. However, when Summer graduated high school she moved across the entire country to go to school in California. Now, Grace misses Summer everyday. Summer has always been one of her favorite people in the world since they have gone through everything together. Grace wishes she could talk to Summer more often than she does, but both girls are busy don't always have the time to sit down and talk on the phone for a while.

- Craig: Grace feels nauseous anytime she sees anything that reminds her of him. She tries her very best to block out and forget all of the abuse and torture he intentionally put her through as a child. In fact, Grace acts as if she never even knew her father these days - if anyone asks, she just says she never got to meet him to spare herself from having to expose her trauma.

O ex-partners: she's never had anything serious with anyone before Andre; just a few boys she would flirt with while she was bouncing from her mom's custody to her grandma's.

O friends:

- Monica Walker: Mo is Grace's best friend. Somehow, Grace has become co-dependent to Mo and pretty much has to see her or talk to her everyday. Grace has never in her lifetime experienced a friendship like Monica's. Despite actively trying not to make friends when she first arrived at Jacktown High, Monica was determined to make Grace her friend. The two girls share a deep bond that Grace will be forever grateful for.

- The popular girls: Grace has somewhat loose friendships with almost all of the girls in the popular clique at school. They all adore Grace for some reason, though they rarely hang out with Grace one on one. Grace does enjoy their friendships at surface level, but is wiser than to blindly become close to them just because they are popular. However, Grace has managed to become close(ish) friends with two or three girls from the group.

○ Elise Crawford: Elise, although not technically in the clique, is like Grace is often at functions held by the group. That's actually how Grace met Ellie and her best friend, Payton. These girls don't often hang out unless it's at school or a party. However, they all talk everyday at school and typically eat together at lunch.

○ Macy Dudley: Macy is a fellow baby-witch like Grace and the two have bonded over that. When the rest of the clique is talking about something Macy and Grace don't care about, you can find them having their own side conversation about tarot readings, spells, and other topics surrounded practicing witch craft.

O enemies: can be VERY vengeful, petty, mean when you have wronged her. Can be sharp-tonged, snappy, savage, etc. Doesn't have many enemies but everyone will know when she does.

[the-kidd-kell]

megan dodson

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

name: Megan Marie Dodson

nickname(s): Megs, Marie, Megan Marie

age: 22

birthday: January 11, Capricorn

height: 5'3"

weight: 120lbs.

hair: chestnut brown, ribcage length hair; bangs and highlights; thick

eye color: pale blue

defining marks: thick eyebrows; small freckles scattered throughout body

build: tall< long limbs< small chest< round behind< slim, athletic build< round face<muscular

parents: Todd and Caroline Dodson

siblings: Ivy (18), Payton (17), Charlotte (16), Maeve (!6)

pets: Waverly, a small and stout Scottish fold female cat. Megan became Waverly's mom only two years ago; Megs had been doing volunteer work at the local animal shelter for a degree requirement and met Waverly when she was born as a kitten. Megan immediately fell in love and spent the next eight weeks begging and pleading her parents to let her bring Waverly home. Waverly is very chill, lazy, and loving. Waverly spends her days either in the yard, [she literally will not leave the property (even if unsupervised)] or getting scratches from people in the lobby of the animal hospital. During the early morning and the evenings, Waverly is found right by Megan's side, wherever she is.

DO THEY HAVE

love interest: Jackson Walton Ferguson, her fiance

passions: veterinary medicine - caring for her sisters - her health -

loyalties: Jackson - her family - God - success - a better future

BEHAVIOR

habits: running every morning at cascades and going to Jack's for breakfast afterward, bringing Waverly to work, wearing the same outfits every week, falling into an everyday routine, getting coffee on lunch everyday, making sure to come home after parents are asleep,

preferences in:

• Clothing: In high school, Megan was constantly dressing to impress. She used to post a mirror selfie at least once a week saying, "look good feel good!" She loved dressing to empower herself. She loved to accessorize, do her hair, and wear a full-face of makeup. At one point in time she would ONLY wear dresses or skirts. However, once Megan graduated high school, her life started to look quite differently; she was isolated from most others except for her family, further complicated by the simple fact that she just keeps getting busier and busier, has resulted in Megan's current fashion sense, or "lack of" as her fashionista sisters would say. Megan will generally always be wearing white shoes of some kind: she has Vans, Converse, multiple shoes by Nike, Fila, Crocs - all white. Megan pretty much only wears black leggings, yoga pants, and sweatpants, she will not wear a pair of jeans unless she is forced. Megan says her leggings "are so comfortable and go with everything!" Megan is also very consistent with the kinds of tops she wears; she generally likes cropped tees, sweatshirts, cardigans etc. However, Megan really does love a good baggie sweatshirt, as long as it is one that she stole from Jack.

• Transportation: Megan was able to save up for a down payment on a brand new Jeep Wrangler a few years ago when she started commuting to Lansing for school everyday.

• Vacation: "What's that?" - Megan. Marie works way too hard for vacations and will not take one until she and her sisters are safe. Despite Jackson's constant pestering and commands for Megan to take a break to relax, even if it's just a week, Marie refuses to slow down and take a break - she's determined to have a better life

• Family Life: Megan wishes she could just pack up her sisters in a van and leave; she wishes she could save them from the horrors happening within the Dodson Household walls. With Megan's crazy work schedule, she cannot be there for her sisters as much as she wishes she could be. Additionally, Megan wishes that she could spend more time with her sisters; each of them make her day in different little ways and since she started her internship, she hasn't had the opportunity to enjoy those things.

• Music: Megan loves pop artists like: Justin Bieber, Avril Lavigne, 5 Seconds of Summer, Bazzi, 24kGoldn, blackbear, Ariana Grande, Maroon 5, XXXTENTACION, One Direction, etc. However, Megan grew up on Disney music and 2000s r&b, so those two genres will always have a spot in her heart and will ALWAYS be in her throwbacks playlist.

• Movies: Nobody in the family enjoys Disney movies as much as Megan does; she basically watches them on repeat every time she hits her hormonal period. When Megan isn't watching Disney movies, she's usually watching some kind of action or adventure movie with Jack.

• Books, Magazines, News: The only books Megan ever really has the time to read anymore are textbooks. And honestly, she'd prefer to just not read at all anymore at this point.

• Sports: Megan always loved all things running while growing up; as soon as she got into middle school she joined the track team. This is actually where she laid eyes on Jack for the first time in high school, though because she wasn't allowed to date she never did talk to him. Megan likes to run as a coping mechanism; for her, running is very mind-clearing and therapeutic. It's also energizing to her, that's why she likes to start out the day with a nice long run and a little bit of Jackson Walton

• Friends: Most of all, Megan wishes she had more time to see her girlfriends. She still has a rather small group of girlfriends that she met in high school and growing up. Whenever possible, they go for drinks together on Grand River Ave. or in a central location. However, most of the time, Megan is too busy to see her friends on a regular basis. This does have a negative affect her overall morale

• Hobbies: Megan very rarely has any free-time to really have any hobbies, that's why it was so important to her that she found a career doing something that she loved so much. Often times, Megan falls into a very specific routine of waking up every morning, going for a run and for breakfast with Jack, coming home and showering before she does her online classes and before she has to leave for her shift at Riverton Animal Hospital. Her shifts are usually about ten hours long, so she only really has time to study, eat something, maybe hit the gym, and go to bed. Like clockwork, every day literally feels the same to Megan. However, Megan is an avid runner and loves to workout - and she also is an avid plant lover and plant mom.

phobias: letting her sisters down, losing Jackson, remembering her childhood,

likes: working out, plants, learning, Jackson, white sneakers, running, wine, coffee, Waverly, working with animals, spending time with her sisters, dogs, veterinary medicine, cheesy romance, cats, scripture art, cheat days, socializing, spending time with Jackson, her Jeep {insert name}, studying, making her notes cute and easy to read, pop music, clean eating, being a plant mom, freedom, independence,

dislikes: violence, failure, resting/doing nothing, mean girls, sleep, hiding her engagement, always having a jampacked schedule, being controlled, making decisions, having this much responsibility at a young age, working her early twenties away, jeans, missing her friends,

positive traits: mentally and emotionally strong, focused, ambitious, persistent, resourceful, responsible, loyal, reliable, wise, active, goal-oriented, energetic, extremely intelligent, trendy, friendly, adaptable, empathetic, respectful, habitual, predictable, self-disciplined, faithful

negative traits: reserved (especially at first), unemotional on surface, "cold", workaholic, stubborn, buttoned-up, critical of others, unforgiving, suspicious/paranoid of others, picky, pessimistic, selfless to a fault, has a hard time sticking up for herself, spread too thin, stressed, impatient, self-critical

ATTITUDE ABOUT

marriage: Really honestly cannot wait to marry Jackson. In her eyes, he is her biggest blessing, her rock, her best friend, her e v e r y t h i n g. She can't imagine her world without him anymore - and she knows she will never have to. Jackson is so deeply in love with Megan and would truly do anything for her - he does NOT play around about Megan at all, he's very protective of her and will not hesitate to hurt someone over her. These two have such a powerful relationship and will absolutely blossom when they finally are able to get married and start their lives together. Megan is absolutely stoked to marry her best friend.

children: Megan is too terrified to ever have children of her own. She is too scared that she will end up just like her mom - an abuser. Megan absolutely refuses to bring a child into that kind of family and will not take any chances of the familial cycle breaking.

pets and animals: Megan thinks that Waverly seriously improves her life so much. Waverly has done so much for her mental health; Waverly the cat LOVES her mama and loves to snuggle up to her and snuggle and purr loudly. These daily (sometimes hourly) cuddle sessions do a lot for Megan, as does Waverly's daily routine of chirping at her for snacks or for dinner.

SOCIAL

marital status: engaged, has been for the last four months

level of education: in her fourth year of college, veterinary medicine (just needs to do her intern to graduate)

occupation: full-time MSU student who is working part-time at a paid internship with Sacred Hearts nimal Hospital, still needs to complete a full year of the internship in order to graduate, and then she's done. Payton works roughly 40-50 hours a week and makes $15/hour and roughly 1500$ every month.

languages: English - instead of doing foreign language in high school, she decided to do dual enrollment with the local community college and was able to get all of her prerequisites done before she ever graduated with her diploma.

secrets: engaged to Jack, saving up to get a house, has had sex with Jack, was sexually abused by her dad for many years of her childhood,

relationships with:

O family:

• Todd: Megan grew up loving and adoring her father. however, when she was about sixteen she started experiencing really triggering flashbacks from when she was a child, most of her dad sneaking into her bedroom at night. she doesn’t remember any of these happening but the flashbacks she’s having are definitely memories and right now she’s trying to process that. lately, she doesn’t even want to look at her father and has been avoiding coming home whenever possible. however, that’s not very easy. Megan mostly avoids her dad whenever she can, when she does talk to him she avoids looking him in the eyes and truest keep the conversations as short as possible. However, the last thing Megs wants is to confront her dad with the situation OR talk about it so she tries her best to make it seem like nothing has really changed.

- Caroline: growing up, Megan thought her mom was superwoman. however, as Megan began growing up her autonomy seemed to aggravate her mother. now that Megan is twenty, she sees that her mom has always been very controlling of her. Megan’s mom doesn’t really support any of Megan’s decisions unless they originated from her or her husband. Megan continues to try and appease her mother and stay on her good side, knowing that makes life easier. She also gets this immense feeling of happiness and pride whenever she gets compliments from her mother so she’s always searching for those.

- Ivy: Megan sees a lot of herself in Ivy. she’s so proud of her sister for being as strong as he is and having passion and faith that she does. Megan sees her sister as such a light and isn’t sure what she would if she didn’t have her responsible little sister to talk things out and rely on for help. With that being said, Megan also swears that Ivy acts older than Megan is sometimes. Megan is amazed by how mature and wise her sister is

- Payton: Megan has always had a weird relationship with Payton, who is usually very rude and cold to Megan and shuts down nearly every conversation they have. Megan knows that Payton is having a hard time being raised the way they are and Megan wishes so badly she could take Payton away from that; she thinks that if Payton wasn’t so bogged down by everything at home that she could excel in life. Megan is trying for find a way that she can connect to her wild child sister, who is the polar opposite from herself.

- Charlotte: Megan really wishes that she has a better relationship with Charlotte. The two rarely interact with each other, but Megan is ALWAYS cheering her little sister on from the sidelines, whether Charlotte can see it or not. Megan feels a lot of guilt for not being as close to Charlotte as she is her other siblings, but she knows she tries her best to reach out to her whenever she can - it just seems like Charlotte is always hiding behind a book or her laptop.

- Maeve: Megan feels like Maeve is her baby almost. Growing up, Megan did a lot of the caretaking for Maeve and honestly hasn't necessarily stopped even though Maeve is so much more independent now. Megan remembers when Maeve was nonverbal and feels an immense pride swell inside of her whenever she takes a moment to think about how far Maeve has come from her early childhood.

O ex-partners: Due to the fact that Jackson is Marie's very first (and hopefully last) relationship, she doesn't have any experience in dealing with ex-partners. Unless you would like to consider her ex-lab partners, who she still gets angry about on occasion - there's no reason she needed to carry every lab every class.

O friends:

- Anika Fields: Megan and Anika became best pals in kindergarten, when both girls both enjoyed spending their recess time weaving flower crowns made of dandelions and wildflowers. Anika is Megan's closest friend, besides Jackson. The two were inseparable until they ultimately committed to different colleges. Anika studies abroad most of the year, while Megan is working nonstop to support her sisters.

- India Palmer: Megan's most level-headed and wise friend has to be India. India became friends with Anika and Megan in middle school - when India moved to the school, Anika and Megan were the first people there to welcome her. India has pretty much always been the most mature of the friend group and can take credit for keeping Megan out of a lot of trouble when they were in high school.

- Ginni Robinson: Ginni and Megan basically met straight out of the womb. Ginni and Megan grew up in the same church together. Growing up, Megan couldn't help but compare herself to Ginni and notice where she fell short, Ginni excelled. Despite this, the two stayed friends until Megan stopped going to church in early high school, which is when things at home really started to get crazy.

- Daisy Benton: Megan met Daisy her freshman year of college at MSU and knew instantly that she was the wildcard her group of girlfriends were missing. Daisy is wild, eclectic, and very fun-loving. Daisy spends her weekends getting black out drunk with her friends on campus, something Megan wishes she could do more often.

- Charley Decker: Megan met Charley in preschool and attended the same school as him throughout her entire early education. They were in a lot of the same classes and did the same sports. However, the two really never spoke to each other until Megan began dating Charley's best friend, Jack. Since time has passed, Megan has gotten to know Charley as a reliable and understanding friend.

- Abe Peck: Another one of Jack's friends that Megan has grown to be friends with as time has passed. Megan doesn't know him as well as she does Charley, he is often around and Megan does trust him to be a good guy. Anika has a giant crush on him as well, so Megan sometimes tries to play matchmaker or wing-woman.

O enemies: When Megan decides someone is an enemy - that person will never be trusted, spoken to, thought of, or considered again. Usually, this will seemingly come out of the blue - Megan will just stop all communication with the person she is upset with, providing no explanation or fight at all. Megan always tries to treat everyone with kindness and love, regardless of what they have done for her- that's why she prefers to just go ghost mode when she is done with someone. However, on some occasions she will put on her big-girl pants and tell someone off before she stops speaking to them forever.

[the-kidd-kell]

charlotte dodson

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

name: Charlotte Belle Dodson

nickname(s): Char, Lottie, Charlabelle

age: 16

birthday: March 13th (Pisces)

height: 5'2"

weight: 115 lbs.

hair: dirty blonde/light brown, collar-bone length, sort of choppy layers that were done with kitchen scissors, long face-framing fringe, thick, semi-unmanageable, highlights and lowlights

eye color: a very bright, saturated shade of blue - often compared to robin's egg blue, even when upset they seem piercing and vibrant.

defining marks: thick eyebrows; small scars on her knees from her childhood; small mole on her left collarbone.

build: short, skinny, small bubble butt and chest, long limbs, freckles across her face and chest, thigh gap, cute button nose, slightly bow-legged

parents: Mr. and Mrs. Todd and Caroline Dodson

siblings: Lottie is the second youngest of five girls. She has three oldest sisters Megan(22), Ivy(18), and Payton(17) and she has a twin sister, Maeve, who was born approximately ten minutes after Lottie was born.

pets: none, but really desperately wants guinea pigs.

DO THEY HAVE

love interest: Charlotte really does not have any love interests, she can't stand any of the boys at her school, though she has very limited interactions with them - however, Lottie is a hopeless romantic and often daydreams of falling in love with the right guy.

passions: Charlotte has a passion for life, though sometimes this gets snuffed out for periods of time. Charlotte falls in love with the thousands of stories that come with life and the beauty of being the author of your own life story. Several of her different interests stem from this passion such as: writing, reading, and fanfiction. And with life, comes love, which she feels passionately. It is this passion for love and connection that drives Charlotte to have passion for helping others, specifically her ASD sister, Maeve. Helping people makes Charlotte feel loved, as well as being able to express her love for others.

loyalties: Charlotte is definitely loyal to a fault; she wouldn't dare go against her parents, whether it be our of fear or out of principle. Charlotte is loyal to her family, but most of all Maeve and Payton, whom she feel the most mental and spiritual connection to. Charlotte is loyal to the idea of being able to make a better life for herself one day, she is determined to be in a better place someday. However, one loyalty that Charlotte does struggle with, is her relationship with God. There are many factors going on in her life that feel a lot bigger than her relationship with "a man in the sky."

BEHAVIOR

habits: drinking coffee every morning - forgetting to jot down brainstorm notes and then forgetting what she thought about earlier - self medicating with thc - posting to her Instagram Story/Snapchat Story a few times a day - keeping all of her old journals - getting emotionally attached to clothing - shutting down when upset - doodling on everything - setting too many alarms and not waking up to them - accidentally reading until the wee hours of the morning

preferences in:

• Clothing: Charlotte's aesthetic is sort of all over the place, it bounces from boho to retro to indie. Charlotte gets a lot of outfit inspiration from media sites such as Pinterest, VSCO, and Instagram. Her fashion vibes are more cottage core and bohemian than anything. Charlotte prefers to wear a warmer color scheme, it fits really well into her aesthetic. She loves to wear mom jeans and looser fitting clothing. It's important for her to be comfortable in the clothes that she's going to be wearing for a whole day at school. However, Charlotte has noticed that if she doesn't take the time every morning to take time to pick out an outfit that feels is presentable and attractive, her overall mood will be negatively impacted. Charlotte is a person who gets emotionally attached to her clothing and often gets VERY sad when her parents raid her closet to get rid of anything they don't like - this is probably why she hoards so many clothes.

• Transportation: Charlotte has been trying to save all of her money from her job as a barista to save for her own car. Currently, Charlotte and Payton share an 2013 Honda Accord. They were able to get the car under Megan's name, and they pay all of the car payments through Megan. Payton and Lottie have affectionately named their car "Arnold." Arnold is definitely one of the best things to happen to either girl - Arnold is their getaway car. The girls hotbox Arnold most mornings and evening, constantly buying new car air fresheners and scent masking spray to avoid any penalty in the event that their parents walk by the car.

• Vacation: Charlotte hasn't ever been on vacation.

• Family Life: Charlotte would prefer it if everyone just got along and loved each other, really. Lottie doesn't have much room in her life for hate, she has been raised as a Christian and believes in treating your family with kindness and respect. With that being said, Charlotte does wish that she had a different upbringing with more nurturing and loving parents, rather than her narcissistic and cold parents who brought her up with little affection and mostly discipline/punishment/control.

• Music: Charlotte is a big fan of indie and alternative music. Some of her favorite artists are Bastille, All Time Low, AJR, Imagine Dragons, and Peach Pit. Charlotte also has two different playlists of worship music and Christian music on her Apple Music account, her favorite Christian artists being Maverick City Music, Lauren Daigle, and Hillsong Worship

• Movies: Charlotte will not watch a movie based on a book, they are always slaughtered and disrespected. However, Charlotte does love a good chick flick or a cheesy animated comedy. Maeve, Charlotte, and Ivy often times go to the movie theaters to watch the newest animated movies targeted for younger audiences. She grew up watching Disney movies and still loves them today.

• Books, Magazines, News: Charlotte really truly prefers to be nose deep in a novel of some sort, she reads more than she talks. She mostly reads works by Rainbow Rowell, Ransom Riggs, Madeleine Roux, John Green, and Jenny Han. Charlotte generally doesn't get into many series that she likes, but she follows her favorite artists and read their works as they publish them.

• Sports: Charlotte has never been much of one for playing sports; she's always preferred to be a spectator. Overall, Charlotte would prefer to write, draw, or read rather than go out and work as a team to compete.

• Friends: Charlotte would prefer to stay inside and read or write rather than go out with friends to shop, go out to eat, etc. She quite enjoys curling up in her comfy space (her room) to enjoy as much peace and quiet as she possibly can. While these preferences may have stemmed from her overall rough upbringing, these preferences are kind of set in stone in Charlotte. Maeve often makes fun of Lottie by calling her Elsa, the "queen of isolation" from Frozen and Frozen 2.

• Hobbies: reading for hours on end, writing fanfiction, scrolling through Pinterest, working at the coffee shop, going to the library to do homework, book shopping, doing chores, journaling/drawing in her journal, uploading to her blog on Tumblr, sneaking around with Payton and smoking, studying, skateboarding with Maeve

phobias: bugs, her parents, the dark, rejection, vulnerability, being abandoned, not getting into college, public speaking

likes: paperback books, taking photos of herself, making her journal spreads cute, decorating her room, boho aesthetics, being cozy, reading, new book smell, Apple products, organization, fashion trends, music for background noise, journal art, smoking weed, peace and quiet, being outside and in nature, crafting, indie aesthetics, alternative pop music, new journals, autumn, dogs, alt music, coffee, cereal, photoshoot dates with her sisters,

dislikes: school, parties, emotions, socializing, confrontation, group projects, waking up early (but she does it w no verbal complaint), tests, when people are upset with her, crinkled book pages, real life, making friends, being home, Todd and Caroline, rudeness, mornings, veggies, paper cuts, being yelled at, sweating, obnoxious customers, snow, bugs,

positive traits: empathetic, creative, imaginative, intelligent, well-spoken, helpful, caring, forgiving, sympathetic, day-dreamer, focused, bookworm, loyal, understanding, resilient, apologetic, sweet, friendly, self-driven, kind, easy to talk to,

negative traits: severely anxious, very introverted, shows no emotion on the outside, pushover, people-pleaser, idealistic, extremely sensitive, quiet, not at all competitive (if there's competition, she will just quit instead of trying), insecure, easily manipulated, shy, easily overwhelmed, untrusting, cold, blunt (sometimes rude even), pessimistic,

ATTITUDE ABOUT

marriage: Charlotte has not had very good examples or experiences when it comes to marriage and love. However, she's read so many young adult romance novels and she's read all of the fanfiction she could - she's seen what "true love" is supposed to be like and still believes in it. She doesn't know if it something she will be capable of attaining, but she believes in true love - has even vowed not to accept anything less than.

children: Charlotte has literally put zero thought into having children someday. Hasn't considered it, hasn't considered not to - just literally not at all on her radar at 16 years old. She used to help with the kids at the church and liked it, but she hasn't been going to church lately at all.

pets and animals: Charlotte would honestly love to get some guinea pigs or something - she just wants a furry little buddy to hang around and be lazy with. Charlotte quite enjoys her occasional snuggles with Waverly, Megan's cat, so maybe she would get a cat if she could. Then again, she really likes dogs too; their eyes always melt her heart. Charlotte has never had a pet and doesn't really have any experience in taking care of pets, so the idea of having one can be a bit scary and overwhelming to her.

SOCIAL

marital status: single

level of education: sophomore in high school, B average student, 3.2 cumulative GPA

occupation: works roughly 25-30 hours a week at Jacktown Java Coffee Co. on the southside of Jacktown in the downtown strip area. (including tips- she makes about $848 a month, ~16/hr.)

languages: English; though she is in the middle of her second year of Spanish at her school, she really doesn't understand a lick of the language in practice.

secrets: cheats on her homework/tests, gets SO unbelievably annoyed by Maeve sometimes that she needs a break from her, has read all of the Harry Potter books, has watched porn before with her father, reads smut,

relationships with:

O family:

- Todd: Growing up, Lottie never built any sort of relationship with her father. Since birth, Todd has neglected her needs, both emotionally and mentally. Todd's focus has always been on work first and has been known to tend to Maeve's needs over Lottie's every time. Lottie grew up feeling like she was not good enough for her father, like she wasn't worth his energy or his attention. However, things would take a turn in recent years when Todd would involve Lottie in situations that have made her feel violated, threatened, and unsafe. Now, Lottie avoids her father at all times.

- Caroline: Lottie has really never had a relationship with her mom; Caroline has never paid any mind to Lottie, including not noticing or acknowledging when Lottie has great accomplishments and successes. Sometimes, Caroline does not even notice when Lottie falls below expectations or fails to follow rules. Lottie mostly feels insignificant and forgotten by her mom given that she gets the least amount of attention from her than any other member of the family. There really isn't an emotional connection between Lottie and her mom at all.

- Megan: Lottie's relationship with Megan is actually very comparable to that of her relationship with her mother. Megan and Charlotte very rarely interact for multiple reasons; Megan is never home because she's always working her multiple jobs, as well as the fact that when Megan is home, she's more consumed with Ivy and Maeve than she is interest in either Charlotte or Payton. There is some resentment for Megan on Charlotte's side of things because Lottie feels forgotten or less important than her other sisters.

- Ivy: Charlotte works together with Ivy a lot in order to keep on top of the household chores, as well as cooking for the family and making sure everything is taken care of in order to avoid punishment or backlash from Todd and Caroline. Charlotte is often left to attempt to be the peacemaker between she and Payton, the latter of whom makes it very difficult sometimes. Charlotte does look up to Ivy, but also feels as though Ivy is somehow inheritably "better" than her, which sometimes makes her upset and unable to talk to Ivy about why she is upset with her.

- Payton: Payton is probably Charlotte's best friend in the entire world. Growing up, Charlotte has always told Payton everything. Even now, while the two are sneaking up to the attic to smoke cigarettes and blunts, Payton is Charlotte's confidant. Payton is actually a bad influence on Charlotte, but despite this Charlotte enjoys doing most of the things that Payton enjoys as well.

- Maeve: Charlotte feels a deeper, almost spiritual, bond with Maeve. Since Maeve is her twin, Charlotte understands her significantly better than most people. Despite this, Maeve and Charlotte do not always get along. Growing up, Charlotte always got in trouble for any wrong thing that Maeve did, which has resulted in certain amounts of resentment being harvested for Maeve.

O ex-partners: Charlotte has not had any sort of relationship or fling yet. She has never had a real interest in anyone she has gone to school with, and she works with all females. Not only this, Lottie is not even allowed to date at this point in her life.

O friends: Lottie gets enough social interaction from her sisters, so she thinks she doesn't really need any friends outside of her family. However, there is one girl Lottie has always been buddies with through their schooling experience together. Her name is {insert first and last name}, she and Lottie bond over their love of books and fanfiction. The two barely interact outside of school, only occasionally sending each other links to their current work in progress asking for feedback or review.

- Talia Johnston: Talia and Charlotte have been friends since elementary school; they used to do everything at school together and they would always end up with the same teacher by coincidence. Charlotte and Talia used to be pretty co-dependent with one another, but when high school hit Talia began to branch out and make her own set of friends. Charlotte isn't necessarily excluded from this group; she just feels uncomfortable in larger groups and doesn't feel like she fits in with them, despite sometimes being invited to social functions within Talia's friend group.

- Lachlan Thomas: Charlotte just recently met and befriended Lachlan after he started taking daily trips to the coffee shop that Charlotte works at five days a week. Lachlan is a year older than Charlotte, but is probably the nicest guy she's met thus far. Charlotte thinks Lachlan is cute and sweet, but she doesn't share those thoughts with him.

O enemies: If you count out her parents, Lottie has no room in her heart for enemies, to be truthful. She loves everyone and is very forgiving by nature; no one can do any wrong by her. Her resilience and sympathetic tendencies make it impossible for Lottie to hold a grudge.

[the-kidd-kell]

wow thanks

“No one is remembered for being normal.”

— Albert Einstein

[the-kidd-kell]

tag the oc who would actually put “i like long walks on the beach” on their dating profile

[the-kidd-kell]

Writing Sibling Relationships

A sibling relationship is perhaps one of the most complicated things to realistically write about. Your character dynamics and personalities will help determine their relationships but here are some things to consider:

Building their past:

Think about how they were raised. Upbringing plays a large role in impacting a person’s character, and it also helps shape relationships with siblings.

Consider their favourite memories. Good memories are important to a person, and people often seek to create new memories similar to the old good ones.  On the other side, also think about their worst memories.

Who was the oldest? Who was the baby? Birth order does have some impact on personality. It also is especially important for the earliest memories.

Think about the roles that they ended up in. Siblings do, to some extent, define themselves by how they are different from each other. They pursue different interests, take on different roles, and explore different identities. These roles can be a source of self-realisation and sometimes frustration. 

Giving siblings personalities:

Choose personality traits for each sibling. Even if the sibling is only a minor character, it’s important to know their basic personality.

Think about each character’s dreams, hopes, and struggles. What do they want in life? What are their goals? Every character needs something to strive for.

Figure out their insecurities. Everyone feels insecure about different things: skills, personality traits, perceived physical flaws etc.

The siblings in your story might have similar looks, qualities and characteristics. However it’s important to make them their own person too. 

Keep in mind that siblings might have the same habits, sometimes without even realising it. (Personal example- My eldest brother and I do not look the same. He has green eyes, mine are brown. I have dark hair, he’s blonde. Our faces are shaped different. He takes after our mum, I take after our dad. However, we have a lot of the same habits and mannerisms. We both carry ourselves in the same way, we both quirk our eyebrows in the same manner when confused. Little things like that, that when growing up I’ve picked up from him and vice versa.)

Things siblings do: (This is a generalisation)

Siblings know how to push each others buttons.

Usually they spend so much time with each other, they know exactly how to annoy their sibling and the best way to do it.

Whatever annoys your character, his (or her) siblings already know about it. If your character’s siblings decide to get on his nerves, it shouldn’t take them very long.

Most (if not all) siblings make fun of each other to some degree. Usually they are just messing with each other. Depending on the circumstances, the insult may be forgotten almost immediately.

But it’s important to consider how siblings react when someone else is picking on their brother or sister. A lot of siblings will get defensive in this situation.  Unless you have set up a reason otherwise, make sure your siblings know how to tease each other but also how to protect each other.

They rarely call each other “sis” or “bro” unless they’re trying to be annoying. This is seen a lot in films and TV but it’s not common. The occasional greeting like that is fine, but overusing it just sounds strange and unnatural.

Sibling conflict:

Siblings will argue other pretty much anything. Most of the time it’s just to get a reaction. Sometimes one will start an argument just because they’re bored.

The silent treatment! A lot of siblings, particularly children teenagers and young adults will give each other the silent treatment over the pettiest things. But it’s incredibly hard to ignore someone living in the same house as you for a long period of time.

The sibling on the receiving end of the silent treatment will usually do absurd and annoying things to get their brother or sister to speak. 

Common things siblings argue about:

The tv remote

Who is going to use the bathroom first

Someone is taking too long in the bathroom

Who gets to sit in the front seat of the car

Who the favourite is

Estranged siblings:

“Sibling relationships are our longest, but it’s also an accident by birth. There are no guarantees that the siblings will grow up with similar personalities, interests or like each other,”

You should be able to find plenty of conflict amongst brothers and sisters. But most of the time there is a resolution.

If you were to fall out with a friend, you can unfriend them, you can’t un-sister a sister, whether you like it or not you’re stuck with that person in some sense.

However, some siblings do fall out and never speak to each other again. It happens, but if this happens in your story there are a few things to consider: 

When asked about their family will your character acknowledge that they have siblings? Or will they claim to be an only child?

Why did they stop speaking?

Would they reconcile in times of crisis? For example, if a family member died would the siblings put aside their differences to deal with the situation?

Do they tell stories about their childhood that include the sibling? 

It’s important to remember that if someone has a sibling, a lot of their childhood memories and stories from growing up will have some reference or include that sibling. It’s hard to complete cut them out, they will be mentioned at some point. 

Given the entangled, long-lasting bond, what’s the price paid for suspending or ending it? 

Does the sibling have other brothers or sisters whose relationships are satisfying? “

“If they have no contact with a sibling, it’s losing a shared history and there can be a sense of guilt,” 

Or are your character’s relieved? Do they express a sense of relief. 

“Like the end of a marriage, sibling estrangement is always sad, even when it brings relief. It’s not what anyone hoped for, but sometimes it’s the wise and necessary choice.”

Ways of bringing together estranged siblings:

Write compassion between your characters. Show them trying to see things from the sibling’s viewpoint alongside their own.

Have them say what they want from their sibling moving forward. Don’t just have your characters vent all the time. Your reader might grow tired of that.

Confirmation of love and affection:

Are the siblings in your story the type to talk about feelings? Maybe they don’t talk about it but the feeling is still there. Consider showing the depth of their relationship through actions.  

(Personal example - When I was born my brothers were 4 and 6 years older than me. From what my mum has said they were both excited to have another sibling and would fight about who got to hold me first. When we were younger we used to cuddle on the sofa and play together, and frequently said I love you etc,  however as we got older that stopped. I can’t remember the last time I said I love you to either of them, which sounds terrible. But it doesn’t change the fact that I know they love me and that they know I love them, we just show it and say it in different ways.)

Relationships with parents:

How did parents or caregivers react to fights between siblings?

Was there parental favouritism, real or perceived? How did the non-favourite sibling(s) react?

Do your siblings stick together when arguing with their parents?

Would your characters lie in order to prevent their brother or sister being told off by their parents?

Some siblings will join forces to tease their parents. 

What if the siblings don’t have a good relationship with their parents:

If this is the case in your story, research it, google is your friend.

Try and read up on real life experiences.

Consider how the siblings view their parents. Do they stand together with the same opinion or do they have conflicting recollection of events?

Do the parents have a healthy relationship with each other? How has this impacted their children?

Writing siblings who have abusive parents:

If the siblings come from an abusive home, how has this affect their behaviour? 

Do the siblings ever talk about what happened? 

Do they have the share the same experience? Do they ever argue about the situation?

Are they over protective?

Has their own relationship become strained? Have they drifted apart?

Do the siblings ever acknowledge the past? If not, does this cause friction?

Common assumptions about sibling age order:

Oldest child: people pleasing, bossy, organised, punctual, natural leader, controlling, ambitious, expected to uphold family values, caretakers, financially intelligent, responsible

Middle child: flexible, easy going, independent, sometimes feels like life is unfair, sometimes will engage in attention-seeking behaviour, competitive.

Youngest child: silly or funny, risk-taking, creative, sometimes feels inferior, easily bores, friendly, outgoing, idealistic, the baby of the family.

Only child: close to parents, demanding, leaders, spoiled, self-absorbed, private in nature, may relate better to adults to kids their own age, independent, responsible

While these are common assumptions, they are not strictly true and it’s important to consider your characters personality before you apply any of these stereotypes because it may clash with how your character truly is.

Half siblings:

Half-siblings can run along several lines:

They might act like full siblings, depending on how long they’ve known each other.

They may view each other as space takers.

Your characters may feel “eh” about their half- sibling, they could just be someone who is there but they don’t have a relationship with. The half-sibling may even be a complete stranger.

Consider that they might be rivals. Are they friendly rivals or bitter rivals?

Don’t get caught up in trying to build their relationship based on what “should be” in accordance with society. As you establish these characters, let your own imagination lead you to what their relationship is. But remember that their relationship will be impacted on how the parents treat them too.

(@its-the-tear-in-my-heart ​ thanks for asking about sibling relationships. This post is more generalised than your question but I hope it helped in some way.)

[the-kidd-kell]

hi my name is kell and i need a beta reader

no, seriously, please help.

i need to borrow someone else's mind for a little while, just to take a look at the beginning of a chapter because I KNOW it's boring and i don't know how to fix it without screwing up the outline i made for the chapter.

[the-kidd-kell]

“i think we put these walls up because deep down, we’re both terrified of falling in love”

-and deep down, we both know the truth. c.r.