vanilla with caramel and a cherry
Story: Timeless { backstory | index }
Title: The Family
Rating: PG-13 (language)
Challenge: Vanilla #27: routines
Toppings/Extras: cherry, caramel
Wordcount: 904
Summary: The very basics of the future Ashdown family.
Notes: Oh dear. Christmas is having a strange effect on me. Now I really want to write these guys properly... this is kind of always what I imagined happening after the plot. Cheesy?
Name-
Edward James Ashdown
Known as-
Dad/Eddie
First impression-
OK, he chuckles at his own jokes, that is not a good sign.
What’s their deal?-
Is married to Verity Ashdown. He’s gay but they love each other a lot. He has other boyfriends sometimes but emotionally seems only to have attached himself to Verity. Recently has started trying extra hard to bond with his only son but has discovered this to be extremely difficult.
Network-
He clings to close friend Isaac Prowse and a few family friends, he has met other social groups but isn’t an overtly sociable type of person.
Catchphrase-
“What the deuce is going on here?”
Name-
Verity Vanessa Ashdown (née Whitehall)
Known as-
Mum/Vera
First impression-
Wow, she’s a real blonde bombshell but I bet she’s high-maintenance.
What’s their deal?-
Loves her gay husband perhaps more than she lets on, and absolutely adores her kids although they don’t get away with a single thing. She tends to be the stricter of the two parents, to everyone’s surprise. She’s always flinging boyfriends around too, but has eyes only for Edward.
Network-
She’s made a weird assortment of friends: other mothers and the like, and they all do mummish things like yoga and aerobics and going on wild nights out.
Catchphrase-
“It’s just a bit of fun...”
Name-
Piper Ophelia Ashdown
Known as-
Piper/Pip
First impression-
What’s with the big furry boots?
What’s their deal?-
Sixteen-year-old Piper Ashdown feels that she is the only ‘normal’ person in her family. Of course, this isn’t true. Normalcy does not exist in the Ashdown universe. She’s got her father’s biting sarcasm down pat and can hold her own in almost any battle of wits.
Network-
She has a boyfriend, Tariq, who hangs around the house a lot, as well as a decent enough group of friends from the private school she attends.
Catchphrase-
“OK, wow, that is too much information.”
Name-
Trevor James Ashdown
Known as-
Grumpy Trev/Surly Trev/Teenage Trev/etc
First impression-
Door slamming in your face.
What’s their deal?-
At the wise old age of fifteen, Trevor has decided he’s had enough of his family and his life. He calls it his “so-called life”, actually. He’s going through one hell of a teenage phase and seems to pretty much despise everything. He spends a lot of time writing purple prose, slamming doors and complaining about his parents.
Network-
He has some friends that he hangs around with but nobody worth mentioning.
Catchphrase-
“Fuck off, Dad!”
Name-
Elisabeth Abigail Ashdown
Known as-
Libby
First impression-
Ain’t she sweet!
What’s their deal?-
Libby is thirteen years old and likes to study. She’s very prone to daydreaming and people often remark that she is “away with the fairies”. Since she was fairly young she has yearned to be a nurse. This suits her; unlike her siblings, she is gentle and very temperate. She is also easily frightened.
Network-
Her best friend, Kestrel Porter, is also her only friend.
Catchphrase-
“Why?”
Name-
Isobel Roberta Ashdown
Known as-
Issy/It
First impression-
Is that phone glued to her hand?
What’s their deal?-
Although only eleven, Isobel has an insanely wide social circle which she must keep constant contact with. She will not go anywhere without her phone, and if someone forces her to, she will probably start crying. Although seen as the general “annoying younger sister” by her whole family (she’s a bit of a brat), she’s brilliant with comebacks.
Network-
A ridiculously massive group of friends that she must watch constantly for the sake of “girl politics”. As of yet, she hasn’t shown a massive interest in boys, although this space is probably worth watching.
Catchphrase-
“Um, hello, can’t you see I’m on the phone?”
Name-
Louis Brandon Schwepp
Known as-
Lou/Lulu/The Lodger/The Cleaner
First impression-
His shirt has blinded me forever. Can they see it from space?
What’s their deal?-
One of Edward’s old flames who became absorbed into the household. Nobody’s sure when or why but they don’t mind because they like him a lot: he’s neurotic and loves to clean. Some speculate (well, OK, Piper speculates) that he still has feelings for Edward but there is no solid evidence for this. He’s strangely, almost horrifically nice.
Network-
Nobody’s sure if Lou even has friends outside of the house. He seems to spend his entire life doing housework.
Catchphrase-
“Absolutely!”
Name-
Rosalind Grace Ashdown
Known as-
Aunt Rosalind/Rose/Rosie
First impression-
Is she about to faint or naturally pale?
What’s their deal?-
She’s always been sickly: very susceptible to every illness, physically frail, with brittle bones and asthma to top it all off. Nevertheless, she doesn’t let it stop her and does just as she wants. Generally she’s quite shy but she’s not afraid to stand up for herself or be firm with her two foster kids. She takes quite a few pills but you wouldn’t be able to tell her apart from someone who doesn’t suffer from what she does, not really. She’s very mothering and caring.
Network-
Lives with her two foster children: three-year-old Casper and two-year-old Avery, both boys. She would like to take in more but she’s not certain she could handle it; she’s looking into taking in an older teenager to help around the house. The government gives a ton of funding to people who take in the many kids in care in Britannia City.
Catchphrase-
“Do you want any help with that?”
eta: Isobel's name is changed to Ella in all future posts.