These are the characters who appear in Our Life: Now & Forever.
Main Characters
Tropes applying to the main trio
- Became Their Own Antithesis: Not as dramatic as most examples, but Qiu and Tamarack go from a charming social butterfly and energetic Cheerful Child to a loner Emo Teen and demure Shrinking Violet respectively.
- Betty and Veronica: If both Qiu and Tamarack have a crush on the MC and are jealous over them, then it is possible for the three of them to have this dynamic. With the sullen yet wisecracking Qiu and the demure yet excitable Tamarack serving as the Veronica and Betty respectively to the MC's Archie.
- Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: Invoked if the player chooses to design the MC's hair to be blonde alongside the brunette Qiu and the redhead Tamarack.
- Childhood Friends: They can start off their dynamic as this, growing up together over the course of 12 years.
- Crush Blush: Their character icons will blush if their relationship is set to Crushes.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Potentially, if one makes use of the jealousy Expression Elements that become available in Step 2.
- Platonic Life-Partners: They can be this if they’re not dating, with the Family status being centered around the idea.
- Polyamory: In Step 4, the three of them can form a V-style polyamorous relationship, where the MC dates Qiu and Tamarack, while the latter two maintain a strong platonic bond with each other.
- Puppy Love: If their interest is set to Crush in Step 1. How the MC handles it depends on the player, but Qiu and Tamarack aren’t subtle about their crushes and attempts to win the MC over.
- We Used to Be Friends: Between Steps, it’s possible to go from being at Friends or Crushes to Neighbors, resulting in this. It can’t be done after a relationship has been set to Family or Beloveds, however.
Franky Second (renameable)
The main protagonist, who moves to Golden Grove at the start of the game alongside their mother. The player is able to control almost everything about them — from their sex, gender identity, sexuality, appearance, personality, etc. Due to the wide range of customization, not all tropes will apply to any one MC.
- Aerith and Bob: Can be invoked by players due to being completely re-nameable.
- Character Customization: Starting from Step 1, the MC's name, gender and appearance can all be decided by the player. These can all be changed freely with each Step, with the exception of the MC's skin color, eye color, and last name.
- Cool Kid-and-Loser Friendship: In Step 2, the MC can be the Cool Kid to Tamarack’s Loser or the Loser to Qiu’s Cool Kid, depending on how popular you decide to make them.
- Elective Mute: If you choose enough nonverbal options, then they’ll begin automatically using nonverbal communication whenever possible, allowing them to go beyond just being The Quiet One.
- Hello, [Insert Name Here]: Both their first and last name can be changed depending on the player's choice. They can also have a nickname that they go by as well.
- Moving Angst: While it’s possible for them to take the move to Golden Grove well, it’s also possible for them to take it very, very badly.
- Multiple-Choice Past: Enforced to an even greater extent than Jamie, as very little about their life before arriving in Golden Grove is set in stone. Some options even allow the player to input their own options, such as where the MC was from before moving.
- New Transfer Student: Downplayed since they don’t transfer in mid-semester but being a new student at all in Golden Grove makes them notable.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: The nickname settings can be adjusted so that everyone will use it instead of their actual name.
- Purely Aesthetic Gender: Averted, unlike the first game in the series. While the MC’s love prospects remain unaffected, their gender can influence how characters interact with them.
- Strong Family Resemblance: They can be made to look like a miniature version of their mother, Opal. If they have the same skin tone and/or use the cranberry hair/eye tint, then Tamarack will call out the resemblance.
- Virtual Paper Doll: While most appearance details can only be changed between Steps, their outfit - including hats and accessories - can be changed regularly.
Qiu "Autumn" Lin
One of the MC’s neighbors and potential friends/romantic interests. Qiu has lived in Golden Grove their whole life and is well-known as the most popular kid in town. They’re charming and well-loved, always trying to be accommodating to anyone they come across. Despite having so many friends already, they’ve always got room for more, especially one who lives next door.
Qiu’s pronouns change during the course of the game as they come to realize that they’re genderfluid. They use he/him in Step 1, they/them in Step 2, then use they/them or he/him depending on the day in Steps 3 and 4. Their relationship with the MC and aspects of their appearance are determined by player choice.
- The Charmer: Though they always have a way with words, this is especially evident if they have a crush on the MC, being far more complimentary towards them to gain their favor.
- Curtains Match the Window: Their hair and eyes are a matching shade of dark brown.
- Emo Teen: In Step 2, becoming more closed off and unwilling to socialise with those outside of their circle. Notably, their friendship with Tamarack turns strained, which can also apply to the MC depending on their choices.
- Forgetful Jones: Downplayed. Qiu is rather scatter-brained and it takes them a while to commit things to memory. They take extensive notes to counteract this, though they’re prone to losing said notes. They give up trying by Step 2, though.
- The Gadfly: Qiu is prone to bouts of (good-natured) teasing such as insisting that the MC must be a sorcerer or a thief during their introduction or when they trick Tamarack into looking at a bag full of trash after the first day of school.
- Meaningful Name: Their name, Qiu, means ‘autumn’ (秋), which is commented on in the game. In addition, their last name, Lin, can be spelled as ‘forest’ (林), although it’s not mentioned in the game.
- Used to Be More Social: Zig-zagged. They’re a lot more closed off and annoyed by people in Step 2, shooting down almost anyone who tries to take up their time. They’re back to their old, social butterfly self in Step 3, though.
Tamarack Baumann
One of the MC’s neighbors and potential friends/romantic interests. Tamarack is new to Golden Grove as well, having arrived at her grandparents’ house less than a week before the MC moves in. She’s an excitable kid who loves the forest and chooses to play there by herself most of the time. She’s not generally interested in other children but the presence of a fellow new kid is exciting to her, giving the MC a unique in with her that most don’t people don’t have.
Her relationship with the MC and aspects of her appearance are determined by player choice.
- Cheerful Child: She’s very peppy and energetic in Step 1.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: While her hair appears more orange than blonde, Tamarack's sparkly hair is described both in-universe and by Word of God as being golden. Likewise, Tamarack is very pure-hearted.
- Innocently Insensitive: Can occasionally fall into this during Step 1 due to being a little socially unaware, such as when she unknowingly calls Qiu's notes trash to their face or the general way she interacts with Ren upon first meeting.
- Meaningful Name: A tamarack is a type of tree, which she happily discusses when meeting the MC. Likewise, her last name ‘Baumann’ means something along the lines of ‘neighbor who lives by a tree’ in German.
- Nice Girl: Generally the sweetest, kindest, and most naive out of the three protagonists.
- Pubescent Braces: Has braces in Step 2. She's rather self-conscious about them.
- Raised by Grandparents: Downplayed, as her parents are still alive and did raise her for years. She was sent to live with her grandparents before starting fifth grade in order to have a more stable and structured environment.
The Cul-de-sac
Opal
- Curtains Match the Window: Her hair and eyes are both a purple-red cranberry color.
- Glamorous Single Mother: Downplayed and justified. She chose to have the MC via anonymous sperm donor, so one can assume she made sure of her ability to raise a child before going through with it.
- Must Have Caffeine: Implied. The MC notes that she never goes a morning without coffee.
- Strong Family Resemblance: She’s partially customizable, with different skin tones and hair textures, to help her more closely resemble the MC.
Hong Lin
Qiu’s father. He’s also the real estate agent who helped Opal purchase the house.
Yi Lin
Qiu’s mother.
Dorothea Baumann
Tamarack's grandmother.
- Doting Grandparent: She’s affectionate towards her granddaughter, and can also extend this to the MC, telling them that they can address her as ‘Granny’.
Ernst Baumann
Tamarack's grandfather who is a semi-retired construction worker.
Friends
Darren / Renee "Ren" Murray
Qiu’s friend since infancy, who is two years older than the main trio at twelve. She identifies as male in Step 1, is questioning her gender by Step 2, and transitions to female in Step 3.
In Step 1, she can only be befriended by an MC who does not identify as a girl in any capacity, though she becomes much more approachable in Step 2.
- Childhood Friends: Has known and been friends with Qiu since they were babies. She is also this with Baxter, but only for Step 1, as by Step 2 they grow apart and by Step 3 Baxter has long since moved away.
- Does Not Like Men: Gender-inverted in Step 1. According to Qiu, Ren has difficulty interacting with women outside of her family, and is stand-offish towards Tamarack and an MC who identifies as female in any way. She grows out of it by Step 3, and is implied that this behavior was due to her own discomfort towards her gender identity as a child.
Baxter Alexander Ward
A friend of Qiu’s in Step 1, who’s three years older than the main trio at thirteen. His family is one of the richest in Golden Grove, and attends a high-class private school, though he often drops by to visit Ren and Qiu. He also studies ballroom dancing at the same studio where Qiu takes ballet.
For tropes about him in Our Life: Beginnings & Always, see here.
- All Love Is Unrequited: He has a crush on Qiu in Step 1, as confirmed by the developer and by his DLC in the first game. Unfortunately for him, Qiu considers them to be Just Friends and nothing more. He grows out of this by Step 2 as their age pools separate and they grow more distant.
- The Cameo: Despite this being his native home, Baxter makes a more prominent appearance in Our Life: Beginnings & Always, as well as being an unlockable love interest for that game's MC.
- Put on a Bus: By Step 2, Baxter is 17 and set to leave Golden Grove for college, but has since drifted apart from Qiu and Ren. Upon his departure, he isn't seen in town again, as confirmed by Baxter himself in OL1, who notes that he hasn't returned since.
Townspeople
Shannon Murray
Renee's mother. She's the MC, Qiu, and Tamarack's fifth grade teacher in Step 1.
- Older Than They Look: The MC is surprised to find out that she’s old enough to already have a sixteen-year-old son in Step 1. They blame it on her braids making her look younger.
