The Schlesingers

Francis "Franny" Iqyan

He/she. 26. 183cm.

Being the eldest sibling (in a frankly fucked-up family) who had to learn to look out for himself at a very young age, Franny worked his entire life to create a place for him and his brother Matthias, and, later on, their children. He often reacts quickly and dramatically, though has taken steps to grow into a more calm, thoughtful person. Values family above all else. Struggles with BPD and disordered eating, though his endless love for the children is overwhelmingly healing for the symptoms of this. When Franny begins to recognise something is beautiful, he will never ever stop worshipping it.

For people who want to know about Franny and Matthias's family (but mainly what happened with Franny), this is the section for you. Franny's parents were both present, however his dad was a clinical narcissist and his mother a picky, flighty, generally rude woman. While they had a large house completely paid off by his father, neither parent paid any attenton to their children and this left both boys an unhealthy weight with matted hair, constantly unwashed clothing, and no understanding of basic hygiene as both parents didn't invest in things like shampoo or healthy food. His entire life Franny was picked on for his feminine appearance, as well as his dirty appearance, and he felt nobody loved him, turning to porn and the most disgusting fetishes he could find in order to feel like somebody out there might want him in any way. While their family often had gatherings, where they would head to their uncle's home most of the time, these gatherings were a great source of distress for Franny as their uncle was a creep. Franny had his first experience with any type of sexual contact through his Uncle Robin's manipulation and this left him with a desperate need to unload all this "secret, special knowledge" onto his brother, Matthias, as he had no idea how else to deal with what was being done to him and he loved Matty. Matthias, also painfully neglected all his life, attached to his brother and they became a sort of loving but incestuous pair of best friends. Their dad eventually caught them kissing and sent them to therapy, but neither parent ever attempted to talk about this behaviour with either child—he just looked at them with disgust, separated them, and let their mother do the same, hoping that shaming them would make them "become normal". It did not work.

Matthias Abbas

He/him. 21. 167cm.

His resting bitch face steers most people away from so much as acknowledging him; combined with a generally straightforward and snarky personality, Matthias found himself extremely isolated from a young age—aside from the warm and constant presence of Franny. Coping (though, he never quite needed the socialisation, anyway) includes burying things, frightening people on purpose, and, his most intense interest: creating life. He is the creator of Von, and the mind behind Rhyn's ears, tail and teeth. Treat him like a cat; he's quite the lovey-dovey softie when he arbitrarily decides to like you.

More about Matthias can be uncovered in this section. From Franny's family history, you now know quite a bit, but Matthias had to carry the load of Franny's constant mood swings, melodrama, and of course the sexual abuse. He grew quite scared of Franny, going from being excited for Franny to meet him at the bus stop to go home, to wishing he could die before the last bell of the school day rang. He spent his entire life trying to avoid his older brother, who was so clingy and so terrifying, especially when he hit puberty, and so possessive of Matthias, that he learned it was better to ignore everybody and do everything by himself forever, lest all people turn out to be like Franny. When Matthias was 14 and Franny 19, their parents died, and Matthias was taken into their aunt's home, who lived with her wife. Franny sneaked into their home one day and assaulted Matthias due to his twisted idea of "love". Traumatised again and again, Matthias knew he was lucky to have such a good life now with his aunt and her wife, but he can never shake the fear that Franny, or any man, one day, will hurt him, especially if they get too close. And then Franny escapes from prison—but Matthias doesn't know that this is good. He will not see his brother for a very long time, and when he does, the best thing will happen.

Rhyn

He/him. 9. 136cm.

Adopted into the family at age 4, where he was essentially stalked by Franny and eventually found outside the local daycare in tattered clothes and tears with no responsible adult in sight. This heartbreaking display was so regular that people believed the boy was a ghost. He uttered the word, "Dad," for the first time under Franny's care and ever since then has been as joyful, spoiled and carefree as a puppy, but when he is anxious, he will thump and cling and cry. A lot. He loves sugar cookies, hates pizza, and is extremely sensitive to texture—he'll let you know all about it.

Von

She/her. 6 (since creation date). 170cm.

Detached and immortal, Von's purpose in life is to be dutiful, reliable and trustworthy. She usually stands by the front door as a monitoring system, and has an aptitude for navigation. She might have the least "humanity" of the family due to her robotic brain, but her helpfulness never goes unnoticed; even Ommie quite likes her as she never tells a secret. Her body is made up of a store mannequin and wires, and she only remembers to blink a few times per day.

Ommie

He/they. 4 (about 16 in human years). 110cm.

Ommie was never human to begin with—a lost and vulnerable offspring of two octopus people—and was found clinging to the hem of Franny's pants when he was no bigger than a fingernail. He was born smaller than usual, with impaired vision that eventually led to blindness, and his eyes need careful maintenance to prevent infection. Now, he stands at around 3 feet (minus the eight orange tentacles) and has always expressed a depressive, shy, easily irritable personality. Although he craves Franny's presence because he is the only person who can sense how badly Ommie desires love and parental care, he finds himself straying from common ways of thinking and often has fantasies of trashing the house, running away and becoming an outsider since he feels so much like one already.

Deep down, he has a heroic mindset and feels satisfied when he helps people or saves them from potential danger. The only thing is, is that he would so much rather spend time ruminating at the bottom of the bathtub, his entire body submerged so that Franny will worry and let him sling on his back as he makes dinner.

Ommie and Rhyn always seem to be fighting for Franny's attention, which Franny loves, but of course it leads to trouble. Ommie doesn't like Rhyn at all, while Rhyn despises the texture of Ommie's skin and the residue his tentacles leave behind. However, they can both be won over with a simple compliment.