@themckaytriarchy asked: lilac : what was your muse’s childhood like ?how has their upbringing affected them as they’ve aged ? [Somnus, a tricky one!]
Botanical HCs
Accepting
Dang Cereal I always love it when ya give me a challenge. His childhood I’ll admit I haven’t gotten to just yet. But I have what i have been working on below a read more. I’m working backwards.
I’ve been working on answering that question, researching how specific countries, Italy & Canada the most, treated gays in the 1940s-1960s. I’m guessing he was in his mid-twenties when he met Daken at least, considering mutants weren’t known to the public & Ted Carter didn’t know until about 1962 I don’t think he hid that out of fear.
I think him being gay during his time was something more commonly talked about... well the response to gays wasn’t all that great in many countries during that time. Not going to go into detail about it but I feel Somnus knew from a young age. & had to do research on other forms to figure out about his powers. It might have even taken him a few experiences to even realize he’s even a mutant.
So as he grew up, as the oldest child (i think his siblings were born later in his parents life considering he raised them after his tryst with Akihiro.), I believe it was a happy childhood. But I get the feeling he was never truly open about himself with his family from Aki’s narrative. Gives me the impression that he possible never truly felt that he belongs & in a lot of ways it didn’t matter. He took the moments he could within dreams for himself & within the living world he spent it with his family. Focusing on raising his family when he was awake, sending them through collage, watching them grow & living with them in a way that they would flourish & during his first lifetime it was enough.
As for specific childhood events, I’m still figuring that out like a writer nibbling the back of a pen.
