Starting ages:
Adults:
-Shane Mason, 32
*Father to Spinner and Kendra. Younger half-brother to Michael Hogart; older brother to Reginald.
**A working-class man who works hard and cares deeply for his family.
***A big believer in tough love, he is encouraging towards Kendra's academic dreams, but a stern disciplinarian towards his troublemaking son.
****A habitual cigarette smoker, which will bring severe health problems.
-Francine 'Fran' Fields-Mason, 32
*Wife to Shane; mother to Spinner and Kendra. Devoted strongly to her family.
**Generally more relaxed than her husband is when it comes to discipline.
***A practicing Jewish person, unlike her Christian husband and nonpracticing children
-Reginald 'Reg/Reggie' Mason, 30
*Father to Thomas, Millie, and Dennis; husband to Melanie, and younger brother to Shane.
**Shortly after starting a career in law enforcement, he settled down and married a woman whom he had children, two twin boys, with. He would lose one of the twins to a drunk driver one fateful summer.
Soon afterwards, his wife would suffer a breakdown out of grief and die of a drug overdose, leaving him to raise the surviving twin, Thomas, by himself-until he met Melanie.
***Generally a devoted father and husband, though he can come across as overbearing and overprotective at times.
****A dedicated member of the Toronto police. He moved his family to Montreal, Quebec to get them (and himself) away from Michael's corrupting influence but, when Montreal's gang war proves too heated, has to return to his hometown.
-Melanie Brodie-Mason, 26
*I decided the stepmother should be a main female character on either JH or H, who didn't appear on The Next Generation to have room for the story. I chose Melanie because I felt she could relate the best to a shy child like Tommy.
**Her best friend, Kathleen Mead, will also have a role in the story.
***Due to his mother dying when he was very young, Melanie has been Tommy's primary maternal figure for most of his life (and officially signed adoption papers after marrying his father). As such, he calls her 'Mom'.
****Of the couple, she is the more permissive parent-but she is willing to put her foot down if she feels her kids are putting themselves in danger.
-Gregory Mason, 55 (at time of death)
*Father to Shane and Reg; paternal grandfather to the Mason kids.
**A harsh disciplinarian with a steel work ethic, which he passed along to Shane.
***Never met any of his grandkids as he passed away from a heart attack several years before Gavin's birth.
-Annette Hogart-Mason, 44 (at time of death)
*Wife to Gregory; mother to Michael, Shane. and Reg.
**Died when Carol was in her teens and Shane and Reginald were in their preteens, leaving Gregory a single father.
-Ida Lucas, 24 (at the time of her death)
*A posthumous character; Reg's late wife and the mother of Tommy.
***The marriage turned rocky, with the two beginning to separate as early as February, 1991.
****Had a breakdown in 1991 after the drunk driver killed one of her twins and died in the same year of a drug overdose.
-Judy Lucas, 50
*Ida and Fred's mother; Tommy's maternal grandmother.
**Lives in Toronto and is often visited by the Masons.
***Quite testy towards Reg, whom she holds partly responsible for her daughter's death. Though she is doting towards Tommy-and civil towards Melanie.
-Fred Lucas, 32
*Ida's older brother, uncle to Tommy, husband to Kathleen, and godfather of Millie and Dennis. Went to Degrassi and graduated in the class of '86.
**During the afterward summer, he was assisting Mary during her separation with Reg, including watching Garrett for her. One day, he was driving Garrett to his mother's house when he was struck by a car driven by a drunk driver. The collision left Garrett dead and Fred crippled.
Had an aspiring baseball career, which was cut short due to his injuries from the accident.
***Nowadays, Fred, mostly recovered from the accident (though still with a limp), lives near his mother and occasionally interacts with the Masons when they come to visit.
Close to Melanie as it was through her that he met his wife-to-be, Kathleen.
****On the surface seems a relaxed, affable fellow-but deep down has deep bitterness-especially towards the drunk driver.
-Kathleen Mead-Lucas, 26
*Melanie's best friend; Fred's wife; mother to Hannah; aunt (by marriage) to Tommy and godmother to Millie and Dennis.
**Works as a reporter on a local news channel. Though she envies her old classmate, Caitlin Ryan's success and hopes to make it big one day.
***Has strong conservative opinions, which often lead to disagreements with Melanie, but also willing to lend an ear to the kids when they come to her to ask for advice.
-Vivian Brodie, 50
*Mother to Melanie; grandmother to Millie and Dennis (also to Tommy, via adoption).
**Lives in the local area, allowing Melanie and her kids to visit.
-Martin Brodie, 50:
*Father of Melanie (and, via another woman, Mark) and ex-husband to Vivian; grandfather to Tommy (via adoption), Millie, and Dennis.
**Estranged from the family due to walking out on Melanie and her mom years ago, though he is trying to reestablish ties.
-Mark Brodie, 23
*Martin's son; Melanie's younger half brother.
***An officer in the Canadian Armed Forces. This will allow him to become a viewpoint character for Canada's involvement in the War in Afghanistan.
-Michael Hogart, 35:
*Annette's son with her first husband; Shane and Reginald's older half brother; father to Jason 'Jay' Hogart.
*A career criminal, currently the secretary of the an outlaw motorcycle club involved in the city's drug trade.
**Estranged from his half brothers due to his life of crime, which has inevitably brought about clashes due to Reginald taking on a career in law enforcement. Due to this, he has had no major involvement in the lives of any of his nephews or nieces, though he is protective of them (and somewhat, his brothers) and will respond ruthlessly with any resources at his disposal when hearing they are in harms way.
*A single father, he struggles to keep his son, Jay, from following him into his life of crime.
***A cunning rogue with superb negotiation skills and quick reflexes and strategies.
-Karl Fields, 78
*Fran's father; Spinner's maternal grandfather.
**A proud Jew; he had to flee Germany as a child (alongside his parents) to escape the Nazis. Went on to volunteer into the Canadian Armed Forces and fought in WWII.
***Often frustrated in the disinterest his grandson has in his heritage.
Kids:
-Gavin 'Spinner' Mason, 12
*Team manager of Degrassi's basketball team and the school bully, often being found picking on those smaller and weaker than him.
**Spinner does have some redeeming qualities, such as protectiveness over his younger sister and cousins.
***Has ADD, for which he takes Ritalin. Also, has insecurites about his weight, which he hides via his bullying image.
-Thomas 'Tommy' Mason, 11
*Son of Reginald; stepson of Melanie; older brother to Millie and Dennis.
**A shy person, Tommy mostly stays withdrawn, except for when he's around family (or close family friends, such as his stepmom's best friend, Kathleen, whom he affectionately calls 'Aunt Kathy').
***Was born as part of a pair of twins. However, his twin brother died at the hands of a drunk driver when he was two years old.
-Kendra Mason, 10
*Spinner's adoptive younger sister, who is much more studious than her brother.
**Is very close to Tommy.
***Will have a larger role in this story than she did in the series, such as exploring the circumstances of how the Masons adopted her, so she will be staying around for when the story reaches the later seasons.
-Millie Mason, 7
*Reginald's daughter with Melanie. It was her conception that prompted Melanie to get married to Reginald.
**Looks up to her older brother and close to her father.
*Hopes to become a cheerleader one day.
*Takes some time to adjust to the move to Toronto
-Dennis Mason, 5
*Reginald's son with Melanie. Born in Montreal, he has, before the move to Toronto, rarely interacted with his Uncle Shane's branch of the family, usually via phone calls, cards, or visits.
**The youngest of the Mason kids, he is to go to a local elementary school.
***Has symptoms of Aspergers' Syndrome.
*His parentage (specifically, the possibility that Reginald is not his biological father) has caused rows in the family in the past.
*Has insomnia and a fear of heights, particularly flying in planes.
-Hannah Lucas, 6
*Daughter of Fred and Kathleen; younger cousin to Tommy; godsister to Millie and Dennis (whom she's close to due to their closeness in age)
**Wishes to one day become a journalist like her mom
-Jason 'Jay' Hogart, 13
*Michael's son, a delinquent with a silver tongue. Due to his father's estrangement with his uncles, he has never met them or any of his cousins.
*Lost his mother at a young age.
