After the wolf attack the fact that Vans face has healthier together is a remarkable thing. However…
For the rest of their life Van has issues chewing, their jaw also dislocates all the time.
Their face is not the only place they have scares they have some big claw marks on the top of their shoulders and shoulder blade. They are all raised and didn’t heal as well as the ones on Vans face.
Vans eye… In the wolf attack Van’s retina detached and never healed well. They now have only 50% vision in that eye.
Van thought their eye would heal but over the months post attack they realised that was not going to happen (queue a break down in the realisation that they were “broken”. Also queue Tai finding them and comforting Van saying they were beautiful and handsome etc)
When Van is having nightmares Tai traces patterns around their scars to calm them.
Nat thinks Van looks and I quote “fucking sick dude”
In the summer months in the wilderness it took Van a while to go shirtless (sports bra only or not just vibe it) it wasn’t until Tai started drooling over Vans shoulder muscles that they had the confidence.
Back in society Van wishes she could go back to the wilderness where nobody would stare at her because of her scars.
In the hospital after they were rescued Van was kept in for long for reconstructive surgery on their jaw. All they ended up doing was removing some scar tissue but nothing that helped.
Tai likes to kiss all of Van’s scars obvi.
Van wears glasses with different prescriptions help their vision.
Although 50% blind bright sunlight really affect their eye so they often are wearing sunglasses.
(Stepparent Van)
Van allows Sammy to draw with felt tips around their scars to make “Sammy tattoos” , one time he accidentally used sharpies… Tai couldn’t stop laughing at the fact that Van has a 6 year olds version of a dragon on their face that wouldn’t come off.
-Van has a massive thing against loud noises. If unaware that they are going to happen they will have a melt down. (Hence in season one they covered there ears at the shot gun competition)
-Shit at reading facial queues.
-Great at sarcasm though.
- Van has hand stims when anxious, they tap fingers and chews nails. When out in public Van self regulates by tapping their thumb to each finger.
-Van has facial expressions that are stims like the scronch face.
- Probably linked to being bad at reading facial queues, Van’s face can give away everything, Tai knows this and uses it to her advantage.
- Echolalia is a big stim, mostly its film quotes but in the wilderness its any sound or phrase they picks up from the others.
-School is completely unaware of Vans ASD cause ya know it’s the 1990s and “girls don’t do autism”
-Clothes and materials are a thing that can overwhelm Van, they make sure to cut all labels out of clothes and they have to be the right texture.
- Maybe it’s a gender thing maybe it’s autism but “normal” bras are just a no go (big big melt down when Vicky made Van wear one)
-Can go non verbal.

- Tai can spot when van is going into meltdown territory and most times can get Van to do breath techniques or Tai plays with Vans hair to sooth them.
-Loves routine, even in the wilderness Van has their own chores and routine which they thrive on.
- Their childhood was the opposite of ordered and routine this resulted in some self destructive behaviours.
-Nat help in Van their younger years by giving Van an outlet and sort of routine, every Saturday was film night.
-If Van is struggling to explain feelings or ideas they will use example from movies or Tv. Tai also does this when explaining things Van may not get.
-The X files is the show that got Van into VCRs and other types of tape recording as they were never going to miss an episode.
ADULT VAN:
- Van’s store is a great excuse for Van to collect their special interest (movies) and sit all day and sort them.
- Van enjoys the store as it gives themselves a good amount of controlled social interaction, with expected conversations: that was until Tai showed up, that was very overwhelming.
-Van has safe foods all of them vegetarian as sometimes textures of food and take them back to the wilderness days.
Some of these may or may not be me projecting onto Van, shhh your face.
-the wolf attack was brutal. Tai was beyond distraught finding Van limp with their face and shoulder torn to shreds.
-Tai was so thankful when the others stopped Van was stirring on the pyre. It didn’t make sense.
- a month later Van was healing well shockingly well the open wounds turned into scares quickly. Van in themself felt stronger somehow, faster, they could pick up logs easier. Carry water from the lake quicker than anyone.
-Vans first change was violent and traumatic, they had been off for a few days, tai had noticed how they were pulling away from everyone. Refused to be touched etc.
-Van suddenly rand outside boiling hot they fell down in the snow to try and cool down. Everyone followed and watched in horror as Vans body broke and warped into a new form. What felt like forever Van rose onto their hind legs, and ran off into the woods.
-tai screamed tried to chase after Van but Nat held her back.
-Lottie looked up to the sky and pointed “the moon, she has chosen”
- the rest if the team are in awe and love Vans new power/ ability. Van has a lot of self hatred to the new version of them. They hate how they feel before transforming. They hate the rage and anger they feel bubbling under their skin.
- Shauna tries to have a go at Tai for something petty like maybe the poo bucket or not collecting enough logs, in a moment Van had Shauna up against a tree holding her at least a foot of the ground. Melissa, Gen and Akilah try and pull Van off her but they are to strong. Their arm hair claws growing. There are only two people that can calm Van and stop them from turning; Other Tai and Lottie.
- Van has always loved their hair being played with this include in wolf form who will just sit next to tai as tai scratches behind their ear
- Vans sense of smell is super charged, they are now obsessed with Tai’s small and can track the Tai round the woods.
-Van temp runs hot, like all year round. The team use them as a heat source in the freezing winter.
-Van is shredded. They went from fit (pre crash) to wasting away (that first winter, to some how gaining muscle (post change) tai enjoys they new look and will often get distracted when van takes their top off (Nat or Mari will smack tai back to reality).
what kind of events do you think while you were streaming hosts??
Hello, took me a while to clock the name of Vans shop lol
Ok so While You Were Streaming (or WYWS) is deffo more of a community hub than just a shop.
-WYWS has month long pride events from movie nights to poetry readings all for the queer community.
-Van knows a few drags queens that do children book readings, every first Saturday morning of the month.
-On major holidays Van hosts special family nights for people that need to find chosen family.
-(So I don’t know where the shop is but) Van always makes sure to include events for queer Muslims and Jewish people with the help of those community. They have a selection of movies that caterers to those groups to.
-Van has occasionally done Halloween shut-ins where all the shelves are cleared out of the way and a projector shows the classic horrors.