The Nerds

look, the gang's all here! if you're looking for details on their first meetings, history, general dynamic, and meta, then you've come to the right place.

Members

 * Carson Mackenzie
 * Sasha Rodriguez
 * Luke Phillips
 * Ethan Lazzari-Qian
 * Mia Lazzari-Qian
 * Blair Moore
 * Lizzie Brooks

Meeting
Sasha meets Mia, then introduces her to Carson. Mia introduces Carson and Sasha to Blair. Mia introduces Sasha to Ethan, and Sasha introduces the twins to Luke the same day. Sasha introduces the twins to Carson. Mia introduces Blair to Carson and Sasha. So in terms of years, Blair & Mia have known each other the longest (obviously discounting Ethan and Mia). Next, by a nose, is Luke & Sasha, followed by Carson & Sasha + Luke. Then it's Sasha & Mia, then Blair & Ethan & Luke & Carson. Then Lizzie comes along all by her lonesome.
 * 1) Ethan & Mia grew up together.
 * 2) High school: Mia meets Blair, then introduces her to Ethan shortly after. Sasha meets Luke.
 * 3) College: Sasha meets Carson, then introduces her to Luke.

Lizzie
Lizzie becomes friends with Carson, who introduces her to the rest. Sasha and Luke are the first to befriend Lizzie, and they help her get more comfortable with Ethan and Mia. Blair is last.

she's the final boss...

the final boss of friendship.

(Lizzie needs to lvl up to unlock Blair's route.)

History
Events that happen before the beginning of the series, i.e. before they meet Lizzie. (i have no idea where else to put this stuff.)

That One Movie Night
Luke likes horror films like Blair does, but he's not into any of her noire recommendations and why don't they just go see an action film instead? Sasha likes action films but they saw those last time, can't they watch a foreign film? just once pretty please? Mia loves those, but Blair and Ethan grumble that they don't want to pay attention to subtitles again. Besides, why can't Ethan get a choice for once? how come they never want to see a romance film, like he suggests? Because they're boring, Luke says. Carson stays quiet because she always goes along with whatever they want. because, well, the last time Carson chose the movie, Sasha talks about how they all left the theater bawling their eyes out (except Carson). Ethan brought small packs of tissues to hand out. Mia and Sasha were grateful, but Blair and Luke denied needing any (Luke asked for some in private later and Blair just bit down on her tongue to prevent any more crying).

Ethan's Birthday
contentmint: who comes up with the idea to make Ethan something as thanks for looking out for their stomachs, and how does it turn out? |D duskcastle: Sasha! she wants to throw him a surprise party for his birthday. Mia thinks it must be perfect, after all this is her twin brother. Luke wants to bring all kinds of board games but Mia has a schedule for all of the activities and there is a limited time for everything because clearly they have to do everything. Blair wants to help with the decor but Mia's constant /hovering/ gosh Mia it doesn't have to be perfect no shut up Luke it really doesn't. contentmint: Blair has to balance out their devoted perfectionism duskcastle: Lizzie frets over the cake because it totally doesn't look as nice as Ethan's and she's still hesitant about baking, but she really wanted to try. contentmint: Ethan would be proud of his protege duskcastle: meanwhile, Carson just watches the mild chaos unfold. someone has to get started on the snack buffet contentmint: Carson... y u no help out duskcastle: that is exactly Sadie's tentative question. "no it's ok they're fine" contentmint: what's Sasha doing in all of this? duskcastle: picking the best tunes and setting up the stereo, completely oblivious to the chaos behind her contentmint: i'm imagining her listening to her music and picking the tracks out out, jamming out on headphones... meanwhile Mia and Luke are running around and balancing on each other's shoulders putting up decorations and Blair is snarking and Carson is eating and Sadie is looking very afraid duskcastle: yes perfect!!! exactly the imagery!! contentmint: she takes off her headphones to test the speakers and then she turns around and Mia and Luke somehow got everyone tangled up in the streamers all in a pile on the floor. Carson has whipped cream smeared on her face. Blair looks dead inside. duskcastle: "wahappun" is her only response to the madness. contentmint: "i don't want to talk about it" says Blair to Sasha. Sadie's just trying to help out where she can. Blair and Carson are just being completely useless. (gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "useless lesbians") well maybe Blair isn't being completely useless. she's helping out, at a reasonable pace. Mia and Luke are the ones running around like chickens with their heads cut off, bumping into each other and stepping on toes duskcastle: exactly. Blair and her Only Sane Person misery. meanwhile, Lizzie is fretting over the cake in the kitchen, entirely oblivious, up until she hears all the weird crash and thuds in the living room.

The "Shit Bitch You Is Fine" Bear
#sasha totally influenced luke to do this#in some way

Luke is just so shy to do it at first! Sasha gives him the right amount of edge. “also look if you’re not going to do it i’m gonna steal it for Mia ok?”

Sasha doesn't even leave a note. that would spoil who it was from!!! she just sneaks in, leaves the bear, and goes... it's like she were never even there. she does the same for Mia, and she thinks she's so sneaky about it...

the next morning, Mia walks up to her and kisses her on the cheek "thank you for the teddy."

Blair just finds it on her bed one day. among all her dark covers, there is this giant teddy bear with an equally giant heart. the look on her face... "what the heck is this thing." she's terrified of it at first. "no, Witch, don't touch it, it's evil!"

she comes out of her room running with the teddy bear in hand, straight to Sasha. "you! you did this!" face bright red and so flustered. (Blair Moore: not as smooth as people think)

Luke and/or Ethan films Sasha leaving the teddies in Mia's and Blair's rooms and the reactions the next morning, for adorable, hilarious posterity.

and then Lizzie comes along
Blair just seems so cool and interesting and so pretty and she's always writing something and Lizzie desperately wants to know what she writes and to know everything about her (wow Lizzie that's gay). Lizzie tries really really hard to get to know Blair, but it's like banging your head into a spiked wall

Blair doesn't think much of Lizzie, at first, who can go rather unnoticed in general. but Blair does notice Lizzie’s continued attempts to befriend her; people don't usually try to become her friend. Blair does not know what to do about this soft shy thing that wants to cuddle up to her, she is confusion. she tries to be cold and barbed but somehow this soft thing keeps coming back...

but they are nerdy kindred spirits... Lizzie can sense it. Blair just doesn't realize at first.

Lizzie keeps trying to coax Blair into conversation, which Blair doesn't really budge on until Mia nudges her and assures Blair that Lizzie is trying to be friends with her, not make fun of her in some way. it takes a lot from Lizzie. she tries not to let it show, but Blair’s continues silent rejection makes her really insecure. Carson is there to comfort and reassure Lizzie that Blair isn’t trying to be mean, she’s just difficult to get to know. (in Blair's corner, Mia. in Lizzie's corner, Carson. it's Blair vs Lizzie in the battle of friendship)

Luke tried to help too! “don’t worry Lizzie, she’s not trying to be mean! she’s way meaner to me most days so she’s actually being kind of nice to you!” Lizzie thinks to herself that she isn’t entirely reassured by Luke’s words, but it’s the thought that counts.

then, Lizzie tries asking Blair her likes and dislikes. one thing that signifies a milestone is that Blair offers to share her poetry with Lizzie. (how do they get to this point?)

she asks everyone for advice, and everyone gives answers based on their own experiences with Blair going to Mia for advice would be a good idea, but if only Lizzie could calm her nerves because Mia is the next person she suffers grievous anxiety about, because Mia is equally pretty and mysterious.

Sasha tells Lizzie that Mia is absolutely harmless. "sure she's super pretty and super smart and super sweet and composed and talented and - why do you look so nervous Lizzie" this has the same energy as Luke's advice about Blair.

On Being a "Good Girl"
Lizzie, however, resents the expectation of being a "good girl," especially from her family. It always felt like punishment, like she has to push down every negative feeling.

Mia feels similarly, what with all her anxiety of feeling she has to live up to so much.

One thing Sasha very adamant about is that every girl is allowed to feel things strongly, to be loud, to express herself with vehemence.

For Blair, it's mostly society telling her she has to be a good girl, but it's like, fuck it--it's not like there's anyone watching over her anyway, so who is there to reinforce that to her? She's the one who most adamantly rejects even trying to conform to the role. Goth girl all the way!! (Until college, then she tones it down some.)

As for Sadie, she needs to be a "good girl" in the way that's most "proper." Her parents consider themselves liberals, for the most part, but as white suburban parents, they still mandate a level of conformity. She needs to be popular and have good grades, a fair-sized circle of (also popular) friends, the perfect boyfriend, a "normal" social life. A "good all-American girl."

She's easily peer pressured too. Her ~*friends*~ all have similar type of parents too, and a lot of their parents are friends with her parents. They make for a clique-y social group. They do things like have wine and cheese parties, think their kids are the good types of kids. Sadie's father always likes to talk about how much of a good couple Sadie and her boyfriend are too, particularly to said boyfriend's father. (In reality, he's a bullying bigot, and the parents aren't much better.)

thisisfine.jpg: Sadie most of the time, when being with her parents and social group. She thinks her friends are honestly massive jerks, and that one day she'll spontaneously combust from it. She's actually really jealous of Lizzie and the jock nerds, they always look so happy and seem to genuinely enjoy each others' company.

Seating Arrangement
Lizzie > Carson > Sasha > Luke > Ethan > Mia > Blair

which at round tables means Blair sits next to Lizzie. it kind of makes sense because they're the most outside the group

MBTI Types

 * Lizzie is an INFJ. Sasha is an ENFP or ESFJ. Carson is an ENFP or ENFJ. Blair is definitely an INFP.

Cats

 * Mia would be a pretty Siamese kitty with a cute lavender ribbon around her neck. (Also, you may imagine Mia holding a cute Siamese kitty and posing for a pets magazine.)
 * Ethan would be a ragamuffin or ragdoll (basically a fluffier version of the Siamese) and have a tuxedo coat.
 * Sasha would be a Somali or Bengali. or Abyssian? In any case, a lanky and super high energy cat because That is Just Sasha (lbr Sasha is so high energy at times, particularly on the track. most people just see the blurry vision of her limbs speeding past at times)
 * Lizzie would be something smol and fluffy. Or a Burmese since they have cute squishy looking faces and lovely temperaments.
 * Carson would be a Maine Coone because Big.

Attractiveness
In terms of attractiveness, the group would rank themselves and each other as the following: In terms of time spent on their appearance:
 * Mia!!!
 * Ethan
 * Blair & Sasha
 * Kim
 * Carson
 * Ivy
 * Luke and Lizzie
 * 1) Mia and Ethan are definitely at the top
 * 2) Sasha and Luke are behind them, though Luke spends most of his pretty care time on his hair
 * 3) (Blair is behind them, but only on poetry night. a lil bit of dark eye shadow, a bit of dark lipstick. BUT ONLY ON POETRY NIGHT)
 * 4) Lizzie does the most basics of basics: brushes her hair, sometimes some foundation and blush
 * 5) On a typical day, Blair. she does occasionally like to wear dark lipstick, as it goes well with her icy flares to put the fear into men’s hearts.
 * 6) Carson wakes up, combs the knots out of her hair, and wraps it in a pony tail. done.

Dancing
They go to a club every other Friday night, where there are a couple bands playing chill music when it’s not poetry night. The nerds just chill out at one of the booths.
 * Blair does not dance, ever
 * Sasha is always lively
 * Luke has two left feet
 * Ethan knows the electric slide
 * Mia likes slow dancing, but she also loves jazzing it up with Sasha. they're so cute together, they almost make Blair want to dance with them...
 * Lizzie can square dance but like heck she’ll tell the others that. (Carson does not know at first. i don’t know how she finds out but she thinks it’s cute and tries to get Lizzie to dance for her, which doesn’t work until she asks Lizzie if she’d feel less shy with a partner... which ends up with Lizzie having sore toes for several nights)

Sexuality
duskcastle
 * i am not usually very concrete about them they are all... gay??? queer???
 * originally i thought to make Sasha pan! but i could never really figure out if she actually liked guys or if i was basing this off a stereotype of her liking everyone so she /must/ be pan,,, she does like everyone! i just don’t think that necessarily should mean she’s romantically/sexually attracted to all genders. and by that i mean she’s mostly just not into dudes. she tried but it never went anywhere
 * Carson has gender issues so labels are difficult for her
 * Mia thinks she is mostly gay but is open to pretty dudes and nb folk
 * Blair is open to ladies and nb folk, tho she does wander toward more feminine people
 * Luke is very boy-love. in the earlier drafts he had a crush on Sasha but in the current timeline he’s never attracted to her, and it means he also never crushes on Mia. another bullet dodged
 * Ethan is pan!
 * Lizzie thinks she’s gay but she’s also never met a nb person so who knows for her

Swimwear/at the beach
Carson and Luke both wear a t-shirt and trunks. Sasha wears a bikini top + trunks. she likes the freedom to run across the beach and she loves beach ball Mia wears a cute skirt bikini set Ethan wears a wet suit Blair wears general casual clothes. she doesn't like swim wear Lizzie also wears casual clothes. she doesn't feel confident enough for swim swear, though she adds a cute summer hat

Driving

 * 1) Carson: steady, focused, and attentive; always uses her turn signals; watches out for pedestrians; makes sure never to run over any crossing animals
 * 2) Ethan: like Carson, but a bit more impatient
 * Mia: like Carson, but occasionally prone to road rage... but only in morning rush hour traffic!
 * 1) Blair: under that cool and seemingly collected gaze lies... a poor sense of direction
 * 2) Sasha: drives too fast
 * 3) Luke: easily distracted