lark and 15 for the asks? OR ALL OF THEM i want to hear about them!! :D
HIIIIII HELEN I LOVE YOU i'm gonna briefly touch on all of them because you have given me the ok. but wow that is a really on-mark question for lark (name subject to change) in particular so good job
I ended up taking these questions into a focus on assumed protection/responsibility moreso than the literality of 'picking up strays' but i hope it's interesting insight all the same
15. Are they the type to adopt strays (animals or people?) What or who have they “adopted” over the years?
Lark: Yes, absolutely. She has a deep affection for anyone in need and, after losing her birth family (including a younger sister), invests herself deeply and without reservation into the concept of The Found Family. She feels confident in her work settings and therefore 'picks up strays' by making a point of befriending people who feel less confident in it; when Jasper, Mari, and Quartz are new to the town she's been occupying for a few years, she's quick to sweep them all under what she thinks of as 'her protection' as well. She thinks of Quartz as 'it's my job to protect you' in particular, in a way that Quartz varies her feelings about: moments of 'this is kind of gay of her and I like it' are displaced by moments of 'doesn't she know I've been taking care of myself almost as long as she has?' And of course (with the caveat that I would not write this plotline of my own accord bc I don't know how to write young children, but am beholden to the much older version of this story written by much younger people), one of Lark's central arcs is appointing herself as the protector/adopted sister/at times functional teen mom of a much younger girl named June (lol) who suffers a family tragedy much like her own, only to have that relationship snatched away after two years, against both their wills, by their absence of a legal relationship. It is a formative trauma for her and part of what sets the stage for Lark to loosen her trust in the Found Family and renew her dream of the perceived safety of a Legal Family.
And shorter responses for the others-
Mari - yes, with the caveat that she's a lot less quick and democratic with the 'I'm your mom/sister/guard dog now!' instinct than Lark is. Still, the two share an overarching motivation to Protect.
Quartz - not as much, she tends to gravitate to people as objects of profound friendship/admiration/friendship-as-desire-as-envy than the Authority that she imbues protection with. If Mari and Lark grew up seeing parenthood or guardianship as a space of safety and protection, Quartz and Jasper grew into the notion of Parents As Deeply Flawed People much earlier. As such, Quartz is much less drawn to the idea of parenthood, whether it's picking-up-strays found family parenthood or actual parenthood, than Lark. Lark's assumption of responsibility for June scares Quartz a lot because she cannot imagine feeling that kind of responsibility. It is one of the major divides between them, one that sometimes feels unbreachable. In adulthood, she grows more comfortable with 'picking up strays' but in the context of academic mentorship and the dream of making university education more equitable. Oops i made this too long <3
Jasper - he is deeply protective of people, the 'keeps trying to die for you' to Mari's 'keeps trying to kill for you', but he feels the same reservations as Quartz regarding assumption of responsibility for a person, their life, or their happiness. Unlike her, he overcomes these reservations enough to have a child in adulthood
Leander - 100% secret horseboy with a deep affection for animals, also definitely someone who feels a little awkward around children/younger people. Combines Quartz and Jasper's concern about responsibility with being extroverted and people-motivated enough that he ranks closer to Lark and Mari on the 'picking up strays' scale. Grows into being more confident with responsibility than he maybe should, though that confidence is very much a deliberate survival strategy