We're all mad here

Married to Red Maybank, who beat her and the kids. Forged doctor’s notes, got kids out of juvie, and knew exactly who to threaten when one of hers was in trouble. Raised half her grandkids herself, whether she wanted to or not. Feared and respected. Bitingly honest and used sarcasm as a weapon. Her death gutted them, even if no one talks about it. After her death, Katie moved into her house with her kid. Everyone resents that she moved in, but no one says a word about it.

🪓 Red Maybank (Nickname, real name TBD)

The original bastard. Drank all day, picked fights with neighbors, hit his wife and kids. Charismatic when sober. Terrifying when not. Violent either way. Luke and Travis carry his temper and Malcolm pretends he doesn’t. Died before JJ was born, but he's heard stories.

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🌀 Norma & Red’s Children

🍺 Larry (46) Kids: Stephanie, Ricky, Boone, Sam

Shows up in A Rule Exception and Youth of the Nation

A mess, but still everyone’s favorite when he’s trying. Had a heart attack at 42 but won’t stop smoking. Three wives so far. Stephanie’s mom vanished when she was little. Ricky Boone and Sammy's mom stayed longer, divorced him when Sammy was 10 and moved to the mainland. Ricky lived with her during his studies. It is still a mystery how she left Sammy and Boone with Larry but she did. They keep in touch and spend summers with her. JJ liked her. Now he’s with Darlene, though it’s more on paper than anything else.

Sweet when he’s sober, loud when he’s drunk, which is most of the time. Cheats, lies, spends money he doesn’t have, and always somehow finds someone else to blame. He’s either the life of the party or crying behind the shed. JJ likes him anyway. Probably because Larry’s one of the only adults in his family who never scared him.

Usually wins either first puke or knocking the tree. JJ doesn't think he's ever punched anyone in his life and if he did, he either cried about it or blamed someone else.

🍔Darlene (Larry’s wife)

Shows up in Youth of the Nation.

Works part-time at a diner. Smokes out back with the dishwashers, then comes home and watches game shows until she falls asleep in her chair. Barely involved with the rest of the family unless Larry drags her along. Keeps her head down at parties, but once hit Jolene with her purse for insulting Stephanie. JJ doesn’t know whether to like her for that or not.

🏠 Katie (43) Kids: Toni

Shows up in A Rule Exception, mentioned in You're the best 

Lived on and off the island for most of JJ’s childhood. Moved back for good right after Norma died and moved into her house like it was always meant to be hers.

Had a stretch of bad boyfriends, real losers. Luke beat the shit out of one of them. People don’t trust her motives, especially since she never asked permission about the house, but she’s kind. Talks soft, thinks fast. Makes people plates even when they show up late. She’s the one who calls JJ sweetheart and means it. Luke likes her the most out of his siblings after they fell out with Malcolm. Is hooked on pills.

⚓️ Malcolm (44) Kids: Travis, Alyssa, Jace, Jolene

Shows up in A Rule Exception and Stray, mentioned in Nothing Left to fix

Walks around like he’s better than the rest, like he made it out clean. Used to run boats with Luke back in the day. Swears that part of his life is behind him. Keeps a little skiff behind his place and tells people he fishes now. Still sells pills out of his truck when no one’s looking. Thinks nobody knows, but everyone does. He and Luke fell out years ago after a run went bad. Each one blames the other. Is better off than his siblings and likes to brag about it.

JJ found a bag in his shed once full of pills and soaked-through bills, and stole 100 bucks, but Malcolm pretended he didn't notice.

Kicked JJ out when he took him in during one of Luke's jail stints. Truth was JJ was tormented by Jade, blamed for everything, and couldn't take it anymore, so he did everything possible to get kicked out, on purpose. Malcolm avoids JJ since then, and JJ doesn't mind at all. He looks too much like his dad anyway. He is the one who says Grace.

🍷 Patrice (Malcolm’s wife)

Shows up in A Rule Exception and Stray

Keeps her house spotless, even when everyone is tracking mud and beer cans through it. Has fake boobs, fake lashes, hair extensions, fake smiles. Cute in public, nasty bitch in private. Protective of her own kids, but not above throwing other people’s under the bus if it keeps the peace in her own yard. Thinks she’s above the worst of the family drama but knows exactly where every skeleton is buried. JJ’s chill around her, but he’s never forgotten the way she looked away when Jace or Travis went after him.

🪨 Jenna (41) Kids: Caleb and Frankie

Cold and petty. Keeps grudges forever. Doesn’t get invited to things but always shows up anyway. Had Caleb at 20, Frankie at 25. Different dads. There is a rumor she never told Frankie's dad about her.

Frankie spent more nights in Norma's house than her own growing up. Jenna never asked why. She’s been with the same man since Frankie was eight or nine, some wiry guy with long sleeves and a weasel face that makes your skin crawl. JJ never liked him.

Frankie stopped hanging around the house not long after he moved in. She doesn’t talk about it and Jenna acts like she doesn’t see it. That’s her thing. She goes quiet and lets it pass. Never raised her voice at Frankie but rarely gave a shit about her. She always liked Caleb more and never hid it, but he also left home at 17 as he couldn't stand her boyfriend. Not that anyone else can.

🪤 Jenna’s boyfriend (No name for him yet)

Stringy, bad teeth, always wearing long sleeves even in July. Never works steady “gotta keep options open” is his line. Gives JJ the creeps without doing anything openly, the kind of guy who stares too long and smiles too slow. Caleb left home early partly to avoid him. JJ never asks what went down, but he knows Frankie stayed at Norma’s more once the guy moved in. He kind of knows though and wishes he didn't.

🔥 Luke (38)

Shows up in each and every fic I wrote :D Asshole just likes to insert himself everywhere

Can light up a room or wreck it in five seconds. Usually does both. Used to run with Malcolm, boats, gear, cash jobs that didn’t last. Something went wrong between them but no one talks about it.

Says Malcolm’s a coward and Jenna is selfish, and he isn't wrong about both. Likes Katie and Larry. Everybody knows he is abusive to JJ but pretends not to. Has won one of the first punch bets, but Travis has won two.

🍷 Anna (deceased), Luke's wife

Shows up alive and kicking in Baby Shark and Other Natural Disasters, Sharks with big teeth  and Welcome to life, Kid. Is dead but mentioned in many other fics, most notably Everything I Have, You Friggin' Ruin 

JJ’s mother was beautiful, funny, reckless, and bad for everybody around her, including herself. She stayed high more than sober and went after pills, weed, whiskey, trouble, and men with the same careless hunger. Some days she was warm and bright and impossible not to love. Some days she slipped right past careless into cruel. She loved JJ, though. He knew that. She kissed his face, called him baby, taught him how to surf, how to pocket things, how to live like rules were for other people. Then she would get high and leave him alone in the same room. She died young and took something with her. What he remembers now comes in flashes – smoke, songs, her voice, little mean jokes, warmth that never stayed long enough.

🏄GENERATION TWO: The Cousins

🍭 Luke’s Kid

JJ (15)

Close to: Frankie, Ricky, Sammy

Is okay with: Caleb, Toni, Alyssa (barely), Boone (lately), Stephanie

Can't stand: Jace, Jolene, Travis

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Jenna’s Kids

🫎Caleb (21)

Tall, quiet. Told JJ to “man up” every time, but punched Boone once for making him cry. Doesn’t pretend they’re close, but he’s solid. JJ respects him for that. At the party is the one who announces Jolene puked in the shed. Was close to Frankie but dislikes her drug use so they drifted apart. Taught Frankie and JJ how to use a tattoo gun when they were 13.

🐒Frankie (16)

Shows up in Half-Truths Sell Best , A Rule Exception, You're Okay, Kid and Breaking the habit 

JJ’s closest person before the Pogues. Slept in JJ’s bed, fought off bullies, peed on Jace’s backpack in revenge. JJ can’t lie to her, avoids her eyes when he tries. Lately she’s been experimenting with drugs more, and it scares him. They don’t see each other as much at that point. She calls him when she needs him, but he avoids calling her much, not because he doesn't miss her but because she's strung out most of the time.

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🍭 Larry’s Kids

🐞Stephanie (26)

Had Emma at 17 and Jayden at 21. Worn out and sharp-tongued. Hates drama unless she’s causing it. Used to talk down to JJ when they were younger, made him cry more than once, but now they're cool. Keeps her distance from most of the family. Judges everyone, but mostly keeps her own house in order.

🐎Ricky (22)

Shows up in Half-Truths Sell Best , Breaking the Habit and A Rule Exception,

Paramedic. Weed dealer. Worked his way out of the worst of it, but never fully left. Close to JJ, Frankie, and Sammy. Always shows up. Quiet, steady, and impossible not to trust. Hates Jace. Doesn’t say it out loud, but JJ knows. The one everyone calls when something goes wrong. He’s patched up JJ more than once, helped the family after fights, injuries and overdoses and is kind of sick of all that but keeps doing it. Wasn't in Juvie but got sent to a reformation camp by Larry when younger.

🦔Boone (16)

Shows up in Youth of the Nation and A Rule Exception,

Used to bully JJ constantly. Mocked his voice, locked him in a dog cage for hours when JJ was 8. Thankfully Norma found him. JJ filled his school locker with stinky shit when he was 11 and Boone has left him more or less alone since. Maybe he feels bad, JJ is not sure. In any case he is acting decent now.

🐇Sammy (13)

Shows up in A Rule Exception,

JJ’s favorite. Sweet, soft-spoken. Still thinks the older cousins are heroes. Gave Frankie a paper flower once made from a napkin. JJ protects him fiercely, but they don’t see each other much anymore.

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🍭 Katie’s Kid

🦊Toni (9)

Shows up in A Rule Exception,

Smart, dangerous, borderline feral. Has good grades at school. Cussed out a pastor once. Locked Aiden in a cupboard for two hours while Alyssa lost her mind looking for him. JJ says nothing around her, mostly because she wins every argument. Once told Jace to eat dirt and JJ likes her for it. Everyone’s met her father, and wishes they hadn’t. Sitting on a milk crate when they enter the living room.

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🍭 Malcolm + Patrice’s Kids

🦍Travis (24)

Shows up in A Rule Exception,

Had Travis Jr. at 21. Built like a fridge and as smart as one. Was in jail for assault but claims he was innocent. Slapped JJ once for knocking over a beer. Now keeps his distance. A little afraid of Frankie.

🐀Jace (21) (twin)

JJ’s childhood nightmare. Went out of his way to make JJ miserable any chance he got. Called him whiny rat, tripped him into nettles, blamed him for everything when JJ stayed with them when Luke was locked up. JJ broke his nose at fourteen and got hell for it. Then JJ and the Pogues "helped" him lose his job. Still looks at JJ like he’s nothing to this day, and would humiliate him again any chance he got. Snitch, thief, coward. Frankie once shoved him in a ditch and JJ still thinks about it fondly. It didn't end so well for her though.

🦆Alyssa (21) (twin)

The one who takes Daisy from under the table. Dark eyes, ponytail. Had Aiden at 19. Laid back and acts sweet but turns cold quick when things don't go her way. Told Frankie she couldn’t stay with her when she needed help. Sends sarcastic or passive aggressive texts, pretending it counts as support. Helps people so that she can pretend to be the victim after.

🐍Jolene (19)

Had Micah at 18, Daisy at 19. Currently purple hair. Wore Norma’s lipstick to the funeral, then got into a screaming match with Katie. She was babysitting JJ a lot when he was younger. Smoked weed with him when he was 12, then told Luke while high. He laughed it off, but JJ never forgave her. Addict and getting worse. Patrice watches her kids more than she does, but Jolene acts like it is her problem. Larry once said she reminded them of Anna. Patrice agreed. JJ doesn't know how to feel about that(he does but pretends not to). Is close to Frankie which terrifies JJ.

🍼 GENERATION THREE: Great-Grandkids

Emma (9) and Jayden (5) – Stephanie. Jayden is the one asking about the knife. Emma is the sweetest little girl, but isn't too smart. She is the antipode to Toni, but somehow they are very close.

Travis Jr. (3) – Travis. The one with a glowstick on his mouth and no shoes.

Aiden (2) – Alyssa. Linking pinkies with Ricky.

Micah (3 months) and Daisy (1) – Jolene. Daisy cried near the bathroom and then gets hauled from under the table by Alissa. Micah is in the other room for most of it with random people checking on him(or not).

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Other random notes:

Frankie once bit Luke for hitting JJ. No one else ever tried to step in when he was being hit, and it had happened in front of most of the family.

Boone feels guilty, but JJ doesn’t trust it.

Jace would still snitch and use any opportunity to make JJ feel like shit. JJ stays alert when he’s around.