When you live with others, it can become hard to know exactly where you end and others begin. Each new combination of residents gives rise to its own aesthetics of space and unique spirit; it’s rarely up to any individual to set the terms of behavior, but everyone notices the shift when any one resident leaves. There’s a messy, magic art to living together, especially when hierarchies are not clear: conflict becomes unavoidable, a facility with communication and relationship management becomes a top skill. But so does creativity: you each find yourself doing things you’d never imagined, meeting and befriending people from other worlds; and slowly, together, this becomes the Sort of Group you are. Not every combination is good, or even viable, of course — group living only works when everyone involved takes a bare minimum interest in each other’s life and wellbeing. But as long