#mkwntask

[mkwnsebin-blog]

      ( task x 2. ) 

                                 character survey

Body and Appearance

1. Describe the character’s height and build. Are they heavyset, thin, short, rangy?

↪ pretty tall for a female at 168cm with a build in-between slender and lanky. mostly lanky because all she ever eats are vegetable and fish anyway.

2. Describe their posture. Do they carry themselves well or do they slouch?

↪ slouches a fair bit, especially when in an environment she is comfortable and somewhat relaxed in. the only occasions she might feel conscious enough to straighten is during moments of tension or curiosity. kind of like a cat.

3. How is their health? Are they fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities?

↪ by looks alone, seemingly healthy, but because she lacks protein, sebin is prone to tiring out easily and other related conditions (fatigue, hyperventilation). probably fairly weak but generally healthy. other than that, no known illnesses and no physical disabilities.

4. How do they move? Are they clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid?

↪ languid and lazy. sometimes she moves with softness but not necessarily graceful nor fluid. it’s because she’s constantly physically and mentally tired, and it shows in her movements.

5. Describe their complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred?

↪ very fair, almost pallid and pasty. some blemishes and scarring on her arms and legs attributable to either injuries from childhood or scratching.

6. Describe their hair: color, texture, style.

↪ naturally a solid black, but currently she has it dyed a light chestnut brown. whenever she can be bothered, sebin uses a hair mask, so texture is sleek and shiny, with a long and usually unbrushed aesthetic.

7. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?

↪ a prominent nose and round forehead that she is lowkey self-conscious about

8. What is the character’s wardrobe like? Casual, dressy, utilitarian? Bright colors, pastels, neutrals? Is it varied, or do they have six of the same suit?

↪ casual or smart-casual, depending on her mood. sebin loves straight-cut clothing with clear lines, her favorites being blazers, denim jackets, pleated skirts. she also owns items of the casual variety, such as oversized sweaters, jeans, and t-shirts. although she prefers pastel tones and light colors, they don’t match her aesthetic well, so she tends to find a comfort zone in neutrals. her wardrobe contains a variety, really, as well as berets of all the colors of the color wheel.

9. Do their clothes fit well? Do they seem comfortable in them?

↪ comfort is sebin’s requisite. second to only fashionable appearance.

Speech

1. What does this character’s voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse?

↪ smooth and airy fairy. when speaking it may drop a pitch lower, just out of habit.

2. How do they normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Do they talk easily, or do they hesitate?

↪ just like her actions, her words are languid and slither rather than flow. in normal conversations she tends to speak softly and slowly, she’s really reserved in that sense. but she talks with confidence and there’s always a sense of finality in what she says.

3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics?

↪ sebin has more or less trained herself to subdue the harsh accent involved with jeju dialect. though familiar with the vocabulary of her hometown, while she’s here in daejeon she speaks only mainland korean with a seoul accent. she also likes to enunciate her S’s a lot.

4. What language(s) do they speak, and with how much fluency?

↪ fluent in jeju dialect, korean, and fairly fluent in reading french.

5. Do they switch languages or dialects in certain situations?

↪ nope. as mentioned she’s very adamant on not using her jeju accent nor dialect, the past being something she doesn’t like to bring up with other people. sometimes she speaks french be it to tease others, or when writing to add artistic flair.

6. Are they a good impromptu speaker, or does he have to think about his words?

↪ she would be a good impromptu speaker, in the sense that sebin speaks what’s on her mind. she has a nonexistent word filter.

Mental and Emotional

1. How intelligent is this character? Are they book-smart or street-smart?

↪ unbeknownst to many and contradictory to her lifeless demeanor, sebin is very book-smart in the area of her practice. that being music theory and just music in general; from the culminating crescendo to the whispering adagio.

2. Do they think on his feet, or do they need time to deliberate?

↪ she’s very straightforward and impulsive, so deliberation is null. then again, it really depends on the weight of the situation in sebin’s point of view. if it’s over something that she holds dear to her heart, she will definitely need to take time to ponder.

3. Describe the character’s thought process. Are they more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?

↪ on the daily - intuitive and tends to be heavily reliant on emotions, though she would deny even having any said emotions. when it comes to beliefs she’s somewhat practical and a dogmatist.

4. What kind of education has the character had?

↪ only a small-town grade school and kindergarten. she switched to mokwon high in her second year and is currently pursuing a degree at mokwon university.

5. What are their areas of expertise? What, if anything, are they interested in learning more about?

↪ music theory, a fair bit of composition, and language. sebin is interested in culture and fine arts, cinematography, sculpting, but she would rather appreciate them from far than to try them herself.

6. Are they an introvert or an extrovert?

↪ leaning more towards introverted. she wouldn’t make the first move or be the one to strike up conversation, but when she does eventually engage in a conversation she doesn’t have trouble with holding them more often than needed.

7. Describe the character’s temperament. Are they even-tempered or do they have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven?

↪ although usually placid, sebin’s biggest weakness is her bitter, volatile temper. she often lets her anger drive her actions, leading to undesirable circumstances. due to her twisted mindset that the world has so cruelly wronged her, she is compelled to melancholic bouts and insensitivity, though she knows, in a way, that it’s wrong. other than that, she can be laid-back when with a person she’s taken a liking to.

8. How do they respond to new people or situations? Are they suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?

↪ she responds to the unknown with welcoming open-mindedness. she loves exploring different tastes, preferences and rationale. when facing with a new person or situation that has piqued her interest, she would subconsciously probe more into them/it, wanting to expand her horizons.

9. Are they more likely to act, or to react?

↪ not a natural-born leader, sebin has always been a follower. definitely react.

10. Which is their default: fight or flight?

↪ she is stubborn, she is self-centered and she believes in tearing down obstacles. fight.

11. Describe the character’s sense of humor. Do they appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?

↪ possessing a rather dark and morbid sense of humor herself, she has somehow depreciated her reactivity to other types of humor. she finds herself rolling her eyes or dismissing with a scoff the sort of humor that other normal college kids like her have.

12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how do they deal with them?

↪ none that have been officially diagnosed, but possibly atypical depression and a borderline bipolar disorder, from symptoms alone. she has no specific ways to deal with them, nor is she actively looking to deal with them or get them checked.

13. What moments in this character’s life have defined them as a person?

↪ the move from jeju to daejeon; picking wrong crowds to mix with during her prepubescent years; the decision to leave her parents behind.

14. What do they fear?

↪ mental breakdowns, eventual failure in her planned route, people who are always one step ahead of her, be it in terms of academics or mentally.

15. What are their hopes or aspirations?

↪ monetary success, academic success, all kinds of measurable wealth because that’s all she’s been taught to prize.

16. What is something they don’t want anyone to find out about them?

↪ the current status between herself and her family, her past in jejudo, her underprivileged background.

Relationships

1. Describe this character’s relationship with their parents.

↪ estranged by her own choice. it had been smooth up until the move to seoul, then her relationship with her parents grew sour because of either unnecessary grudge that she built from the fact that they tore her away from her childhood, or just the fact that she was beginning to change her mindset, being at the age very vulnerable to personality changes and such.

2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like?

↪ she’s an only child.

3. Are there other blood relatives to whom they are close? Are there ones they can’t stand?

↪ her blood relatives are a thing of the past now, too. she would faintly remember some aunts and uncles who were very nice to her and whom she had loved, but that’s it.

4. Are there other, unrelated people whom they consider part of their family? What are their relationships with them?

↪ her cat banjo. human relations are still a frontier when it comes to sebin based on the fact that she’s a bit guarded and most people are repelled by her persona. she doesn’t really know how to react to people who actually like her for who she is (or at least tolerate it). i guess family is also a sensitive topic.

5. Do they make friends easily, or do they have trouble getting along with people?

↪ lots of trouble. right off the bat, she doesn’t get along well with strangers. there’s always something she’s peeved about.

6. Which do they consider more important: family or friends?

↪ if it came down to it, friends. but still she’s a bit of a lone wolf.

7. What do they look for in a romantic partner?

↪ sebin is inexperienced in this field. i think she would like someone who could be patient with her, and who would accept and adore all her spikes and thorns, along with the little bit of beauty that she comes with. most importantly it has to be somebody she isn’t easily irritated with and isn’t constantly trying to screw over.

8. What is the character’s sexual orientation?

↪ assumed pansexual. other than a little crush here or there throughout the years she is, after all, inexperienced with romantic relationships. she assumes that she is open-minded enough.

9. How do they feel about sex? How important is it to them?

↪ not important at all. she believes it does not define anyone as a person and it really isn’t something she actively seeks. like, it’s not a line to tick off her bucket-list but as any other virgin, she is curious and intuitive of the act.

Beliefs

1. Do you know your character’s astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well do they fit type?

↪ a leo/cancer cusp. safe to say she identifies more with the attributes of a leo, that being arrogant, ambitious, creative, independent. but sometimes the sensitive aspects of a cancer takes over, and that’s where she gets her bouts of moodiness, introversion and nostalgia.

2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in their life?

↪ she is agnostic. in no sense does she have any spiritual or religious beliefs. she believes that everything bad that has happened in her life would all come down to the fact that there are actually no spiritual beings or entities to help her.

3. Does this character have a personal code of morals or ethics? If so, how did that begin? What would it take to compromise it?

↪ she would have her own made-up code of morals and ethics. as time grew by she threw all that she had learnt growing up with her parents out the window and carved her own beliefs. these are morals she’d picked up through the movies she’s watched, the things she’d seen on the internet, personal observations, etc. it wouldn’t take a lot to compromise it. as she easily discarded her previous code of ethics, she can just as easily abandon this one.

4. How do they regard beliefs that differ from their own? Are they tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent?

↪ curious. largely curious. though she might show some disagreement or lack of understanding towards differing beliefs at first, she is open-minded and any refutation is but natural instinct when facing something you disagree with. she will eventually try to pry or seek comprehension but she wouldn’t directly ask about it. it’s the wonder of discovering inner workings of other people and other things that she loves.

5. What prejudices do they hold? Are they irrational or do they have a good reason for them?

↪ sebin does hold prejudices quite often, as a matter of fact, and over small trivial or irrational things. in this sense, she’s very emotionally reactive. more often than not, the prejudices and grudges she holds against others are due to either personal offense or just plain dislike. also she tends to blame the sinner, not the sin.

Daily Life

1. What is the character’s financial situation? Are they rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?

↪ blatantly poor. originally a fisherman and his wife, her parents have scrimped and labored just to put sebin in mokwon, and they are still sending money to the school for her tuition fees but sebin herself does not know of this. she is currently holding two part-time jobs to salvage her situation, including daily necessities, leisure items and rent. despite all this, neither her nor her family are in debt.

2. What is their social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected them?

↪ throughout her earlier teenage years, sebin never really had an obstinate social status or clique. it’s because she has had a rather volatile and changing personality, and up until now, she had only been finding herself. only when she entered university did she find fixed interests and hobbies and settled with the Hipsters, the only clique accepting enough to keep her this long. if there’s one thing that has been established throughout all this time it is that she has always been on the lower tiers of the social pyramid.

3. Where do they live? House, apartment, trailer? Is their home their castle or just a place to crash? What condition is it in? Do they share it with others?

↪ a tiny, boxy studio apartment near the campus. initially when she first moved to daejeon and was living in a three-room apartment with her parents, she had found it suffocating. a concrete prison rather than some place she should call home. now that she’s on her own, she’s quite fond of the little apartment she rented. the furniture and decorations are rustic and mostly secondhand, but at the moment, she wouldn’t ask for more than a cozy home to embrace her brittle bones after a long day. however, it’s a tad bit cramped so her only housemate is her cat.

4. Besides the basic necessities, what do they spend their money on?

↪ she swears she shouldn’t be spending that much on expensive coffee, music records and foreign films, but she is. the older the production date, the more expensive they are. once in a blue moon when she’s feeling rich she pampers herself with new camera accessories too.

5. What are their interests or hobbies? How do they spend their free time?

↪ a huge side interest of hers is photography and her photography blog. free time is spent either watching film noir to the melody of 70’s jazz tunes, or finding a new museum or orchestra concert to go to. playing the flute is something she does too, when she feels sick of filling in the scores of her homework and wants to do something practical.

6. What are their eating habits? Do they skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods?

↪ does not usually skip meals unless she happens to oversleep breakfast or forget dinner while watching movies. sebin is a peskatarian and that mostly just means she is a pesky eater because she would only eat fish, refraining from other meat from mammals. it is incredibly hard for her to find suitable dishes when eating out, so she prefers to make something simple at home and that usually just results in salad with a side of grilled dory. she does not drink alcohol either, simply because she hates the taste.

Associations

Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is their favorite:

1. Color? dark apricot or grays 2. Smell? mixed spice over fire 3. Time of day? twilight 4. Season? autumn 5. Book? some pretentious french novel, probably 6. Music? tear in my heart - twenty-one pilots 7. Place? the crystal blue sea 8. Substance? kale juice 9. Plant? fern 10. Animal? sleek domestic cats

[mkwnmina-blog]

▬ survey | task 2

Body and Appearance

1. Describe the character’s height and build. Are they heavyset, thin, short, rangy?

Mina stands at 5′4″, or 162 cm, so she is a little on the short side when compared to others her build.  She is rather athletic after years of sports, as well as dancing and working out for her career.  Her arms are a bit more noticeably muscular as she’s the server and pitcher for volleyball and softball.

2. Describe their posture. Do they carry themselves well or do they slouch?

Naturally, Mina does slouch.  She has a habit of forcing her head down when she walks, and her shoulders often ache because of it.  Since becoming an idol, however, she has trained herself to walk with her head high and sit with her back straight while in public.

3. How is their health? Are they fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities?

She is definitely physically fit.  She works hard to maintain her health, dedicating her free time to sports and working out.  That being said, she is very likely to cheat on her diet with a little bit of persuasion.  Overall, her health is in good shape.

4. How do they move? Are they clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid?

Off stage, her movements are a bit tense.  She can be a little clumsy when she is distracted, often tripping over her own feet when her head is in the clouds.  But on stage, she is very fluid with her movements.

5. Describe their complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred?

Mina has a very pale, milky complexion that many of her fans know her for. In contrast to her dark hair, her skin is extremely light.  While she personally would enjoy getting a tan, she burns very easily and has to avoid prolonged exposure to the sun.

6. Describe their hair: color, texture, style.

Her hair is naturally black, but has been dyed a dark brown since her last promotion.  It is shoulder blade length, and is quite soft upon touch.  As it is naturally wavy, she can very easily curl or straighten her hair, depending on what her stylist decides on.

7. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?

She has a birth mark on her right wrist that she often tries to cover up, despite the fact that her fans seem to think it’s cute.  She has always thought that it was ugly, and will often wear long sleeves or bracelets to hide it.

8. What is the character’s wardrobe like? Casual, dressy, utilitarian? Bright colors, pastels, neutrals? Is it varied, or do they have six of the same suit?

Her wardrobe is very casual and relaxed.  Before becoming an idol, she often wore more urban, loose-fitting clothing, but now that she has a stylist of her own, she is a bit more stylish.  

A lookbook for her style can be found here.

9. Do their clothes fit well? Do they seem comfortable in them?

Most of Mina’s outfits are a little baggy on her, which she really appreciates. They make her feel more comfortable and relaxed.

Mental and Emotional

1. How intelligent is this character? Are they book-smart or street-smart?

She is very book-smart and is attending Mokwon University on a full scholarship.  That being said, she has picked up a few street-smarts after living rough as a child, but her book-smarts greatly outweigh it.

2. Do they think on their feet, or do they need time to deliberate?

She often needs time to deliberate, or she might make a bad decision.

3. Describe the character’s thought process. Are they more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?

Mina is thought of to be very mature, and in turn, her thought process is more logical than her peers.  Still, she does have a tendency to follow her heart rather than her head, which can lead to sticky situations at times.

4. What kind of education has the character had?

She has graduated from high school and is currently moving into her junior year at University.

5. What are their areas of expertise? What, if anything, are they interested in learning more about?

Anything musical could be considered her expertise.  She is currently majoring in music composition, and loves the fact that she can incorporate it into her current career.

6. Are they an introvert or an extrovert?

She is an extrovert, but can seem shy in certain situations.

7. Describe the character’s temperament. Are they even-tempered or do they have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven?

Usually, Mina is a very cheerful, bright person.  She looks for the best in everyone, and it is clear by how she behaves.  She also has a tendency to be motherly toward her friends and peers, which leads her to be quite responsible.  One of the worst things about her personality is how sensitive she can be, which is a downfall when she has arguments with others.

8. How do they respond to new people or situations? Are they suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?

She is very open and welcoming toward new people and situations, which could be a bad thing considering her idol state.

9. Are they more likely to act, or to react?

She is a little in the middle on this one.  It depends on what it is, and how passionate about it she is.

10. Which is their default: fight or flight?

Argue for a minute and then flight.

11. Describe the character’s sense of humor. Do they appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?

She has a pretty normal sense of humor, and really appreciates word play and puns.  As a watcher of cartoons, many people might find her humor to be a little childish, but she would argue that the jokes are for everyone.

12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how do they deal with them?

She often suffers with gender dysphoria that will hit her at random moments.  The way that she deals with it is to not deal with it.  Instead of letting others know how she feels, she masks it all with a smile.  Some days, it is difficult to even get out of bed because of her dysphoria, and it puts her into a depressive state.

13. What moments in this character’s life have defined them as a person?

There are a few different defining moments in Mina’s life, but the main three would be being sent into the foster system, being signed to Total KnockOut, and debuting as L:OVELESS’s rapper.

14. What do they fear?

She has a horrible fear of abandonment and being left alone.

15. What are their hopes or aspirations?

She hopes that L:OVELESS will one day be known as a famous, successful group.  She wants nothing but success for her group, and works very hard to try and achieve it.  She also has the secret hope that one day she will be given a nickname for the country, similar to “The Nation’s Little Sister” or “The Nation’s First Love”... in fact, she already has one in mind (”The Nation’s Angel” is too cute to pass up).

16. What is something they don’t want anyone to find out about them?

She does not want people to know exactly how uncomfortable she can be about being in a “girl group”.  She believes that people would think of it as being ungrateful or hating her members, when really, she is just uncomfortable with being associated with a certain gender.

Daily Life

1. What is the character’s financial situation? Are they rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?

Mina could be considered poor.  She does have a reasonable income now that she is an idol, but does not really make enough to be considered rich. Still, she has always been on the poorer side, and is quite comfortable with it by now.

2. What is their social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected them?

She has always been lower-class.  Growing up in foster homes, she did not have much money.  Now that she is “famous”, people don’t really think of her as lower-class, but it has hardly affected her.

3. Where do they live? House, apartment, trailer? Is their home their castle or just a place to crash? What condition is it in? Do they share it with others?

During the school year, Mina lives in the gender-neutral dorms on campus. There, she has whatever roommates are assigned to her for the year.  She spends most of her time there cleaning up and cooking for her roommates, and sleeping when she can.

During breaks, she stays in the L:OVELESS dorms with her group mates. They hardly ever spend more than a few hours there during promotions, always in and out for schedules and running on little sleep.  She is more comfortable there than she is at the University dorms.

4. Besides the basic necessities, what do they spend their money on?

She spends quite lot of money on music.  She likes to purchase physical copies of albums, and never illegally downloads anything.

5. What are their interests or hobbies? How do they spend their free time?

Most of her time is spent writing music and lyrics for upcoming material. She tries to work out every day that she has time, and will spend any extra free time either sleeping, eating, or hanging out with her friends.

6. What are their eating habits? Do they skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods?

When promoting, she is on a very strict diet.  With a decent amount of persuasion, she might cheat on her diet every now and then, but is usually pretty good about it.  Because she loves to eat, she does so quite often when not on a diet.  She also doesn’t like to drink too much, but will on occasion.

Associations

Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is their favorite:

Color?: baby blue Smell?: gardenia perfume Time of day?: dawn Season?: spring Book?: Harry Potter series Music?: k-hip hop, k-pop Place?: recording studio Substance?: none Plant?: plumeria Animal?: foxes

[mkwnsera]

▌— ✤ ❯ character survey. // *

Speech

1. What does this character’s voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse?

Not high-pitched (unless she’s excited), but not deep either. I’d say it’s somewhere in the middle.

2. How do they normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Do they talk easily, or do they hesitate?

Same as the first answer, I’d say she’s somewhere in the middle. She’s not the loudest, but she definitely isn’t the quietest either. She has a tendency to ramble incessantly (meaning she talks a lot) and she does it rather quickly, so it’s not uncommon for people to ask her to repeat herself.

3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics?

She doesn’t have a distinct accent or dialect, as she uses the standard Korean dialect. If you talk to her, you’ll notice she has certain things she’ll say a lot. These include: ah, really so, right, you don’t look (constant emphasis on the word look), cool (usually paired with really so). So, here’s an example: “You’re an actress? You don’t look like an actress. Have you ever worked on a film with Leonardo Dicaprio? Ah, that’s really so cool! He’s so handsome, right? Is he nice?”

4. What language(s) do they speak, and with how much fluency?

Korean is the only language that Sera is considered fluent in. She can speak basic English, but it’s not enough to hold a conversation and stands at the level of a two or three year old. The same would go for Spanish, but she’s not even at a basic level. Unlike English, she never tried to learn Spanish, she just took a liking to its music. She can probably sing along to certain songs, though she won’t understand what she’s saying. Definitely doesn’t know the basics either, aside from the universal term, hola.

5. Do they switch languages or dialects in certain situations?

No, but if she finds out you speak English, she’d probably try to speak it mid-conversation.

6. Are they a good impromptu speaker, or does he have to think about his words?

Sera runs off at the mouth, so she’s a pretty good impromptu speaker. However, not thinking before you speak can be an issue, so it’s not rare for her to say something and take it back.

Mental and Emotional

1. How intelligent is this character? Are they book-smart or street-smart?

Book-smart. Sera is much too naive and inexperienced to ever be considered street-smart, but when it comes to academics and out-of-the-book knowledge, she thoroughly enjoys learning, and so she manages well. I’d say she has fairly high marks, aside from math related classes, where the highest grade she’d ever get is a B.

2. Do they think on their feet, or do they need time to deliberate?

A mix of both, although she’s more prone to thinking on her feet.

3. Describe the character’s thought process. Are they more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?

I’d like to think she’s more of the logical type. Or at least, she tries to be.

4. What kind of education has the character had?

She’s been attending top-notch schools ever since she was a child, therefore was brought up to receive a quality education and nothing less. She’s currently at third year student at Mokwon, and is preparing to transition into its University division.

5. What are their areas of expertise? What, if anything, are they interested in learning more about?

Arts and crafts. She’d never pursue it as a career, as it’s just fun side-hobby but she’s especially good at creating things out of nothing and putting them to good use. 

6. Are they an introvert or an extrovert?

Extrovert. Sera is energized by interacting with friends and strangers alike, and usually prefers more stimulating environments that give her frequent opportunities to see and speak with others.

7. Describe the character’s temperament. Are they even-tempered or do they have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven?

Sera is an overall cheerful person. She’s nice to everyone, and isn’t the slightest bit aggressive or confrontational, so if you’re mean to her, she usually tries to brush it off. She’s also very “out there” and is always asking questions and exploring around outside, so.

8. How do they respond to new people or situations? Are they suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?

I’d say new people/situations mostly spark her curiosity. It’s why she’s so drawn to them.

9. Are they more likely to act, or to react?

Depends on the situation, honestly.

10. Which is their default: fight or flight?

Flight.

11. Describe the character’s sense of humor. Do they appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?

Sera has an interesting sense of humor. Jokes often confuse her, pranks that hurt people don’t sit well with her, and she doesn’t quite understand (or care for) the concept of dark humor - but she does get a common laugh out of childish things.

12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how do they deal with them?

Nope.

13. What moments in this character’s life have defined them as a person?

Her entire childhood pretty much shaped her into who she is today, so I guess that.

14. What do they fear?

Never amounting to anything, probably.

15. What are their hopes or aspirations?

By this point time, I think everyone knows that Sera is more than desperate for popularity. She’s out for everyone’s praise and approval, but beyond that, she wants to get into acting. The idea of fictional story-telling is interesting to her, and while she’s not particularly good at acting (seeing as she’s far too dramatic), she still enjoys it and wishes to someday land the lead role in a TV program or mega-theater film.

16. What is something they don’t want anyone to find out about them?

Eh, her brother, maybe? She brings him up a lot, usually to insult or make fun of him, but she usually never mentions in name, in fear that people will start using her for her relation to an idol.

Relationships

1. Describe this character’s relationship with their parents.

Sera has a semi-distant relationship with her parents, but she’s a lot closer to her father than she is to her mother. Growing up, neither party was negligent in the sense that they both looked after her and provided basic necessities, but that’s as far as it went. They were never the affectionate type, and most of their attention went to their eldest child, which made pleasing them impossible. Still, she’s very obedient and doesn’t hate either of them (she could never), but their relationship could use some improvement.

2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like?

Sera has an older brother named Ilhoon, and although he’s never treated her poorly, they don’t have a great relationship. She’s really resentful towards him and it all started with him being an over-achiever. According to an actual study, firstborn children tend to be achievement-oriented, often performing well in school and thriving in leadership positions, and that was pretty much Ilhoon growing up. He did almost everything, and that was the problem. He would accomplish something, their parents would be thrilled about it, Sera would do the exact same thing sometime down the road, and suddenly her parents wouldn’t bat an eyelash at it because, well, her brother already did it. Obviously he got an advantage because he was older than her, and if that wasn’t bad enough, everyone in their neighborhood seemed to favor him, always going on and on about how great and smart and likable he was, whereas Sera got the short end of the stick. The entire ordeal eventually turned into a competition, with Sera always attempting (and failing) to do things first or better than him, and the situation worsened altogether when Ilhoon became an idol. Now she can’t stand him, and she just slanders his name whenever she gets the opportunity.

3. Are there other blood relatives to whom they are close? Are there ones they can’t stand?

She has an extensive family, but the only relatives she could be considered ‘close to’ are the ones who currently attend Mokwon. Otherwise, she’s pretty distant from the rest of her family as well, but that has less to do with her and more to do with her parents’ superiority complex. They pretty much isolated themselves from everyone else.

4. Are there other, unrelated people whom they consider part of their family? What are their relationships with them?

Not really, but that’s not so much of a bad thing, seeing as Sera isn’t too family-oriented and doesn’t believe in the whole “blood is thicker than water” thing.

5. Do they make friends easily, or do they have trouble getting along with people?

Not everyone enjoys her presence due to her overly talkative nature, but still, she finds it easy to get along with others. Definitely the former option.

6. Which do they consider more important: family or friends?

As a result of her upbringing, she’s not really family-oriented, so friends matter more to her.

7. What do they look for in a romantic partner?

Sera has never been in a relationship, so I don’t feel like she’d look for anything in specific. Her standards are low (almost nonexistent if I must say so myself), therefore if you’re cute and you give her attention, that’s good enough.

8. What is the character’s sexual orientation?

Sera has never acknowledged her sexual orientation, but regardless, she’s pansexual (meaning not limited in choice with regards to biological sex, gender, or gender identity).

9. How do they feel about sex? How important is it to them?

Not important at all. She tends to shy away from the topic itself, and in her mind, sex is just an intimate process for reproducing, so she doesn’t care for it. Also, I’d like to bring this post to light.

Daily Life

1. What is the character’s financial situation? Are they rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?

She comes from a wealthy background, but she’s not spoiled and she doesn’t recklessly spend any of the money she’s given. I’d say she’s comfortable.

2. What is their social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected them?

Sera is considered an outcast around campus, and has been since her very first day. I don’t think that’s changed much, but she’s probably known more as the girl that talks too much - which is honestly better than nothing.

3. Where do they live? House, apartment, trailer? Is their home their castle or just a place to crash? What condition is it in? Do they share it with others?

Sera lives on campus, her suite is her home and the place that she feels most comfortable. Her actual home is two hours away in Suwon, and although it’s luxurious, it’s not a place that Sera prefers to spend her time. She’s rarely there and likes to keep as far away as possible.

4. Besides the basic necessities, what do they spend their money on?

Sera isn’t a big spender and prefers to save her money for when she’ll actually need it, but still, she’ll sometimes splurge on art supplies (because, yanno, she’s crafty). In addition, Sera is a lot more likely to spend on other people, as opposed to herself. She’s the go-to girl if you want a cup of coffee, but don’t want to buy it yourself.

5. What are their interests or hobbies? How do they spend their free time?

YouTube! Sera has a YouTube channel, where she posts all kinds of vlogs and cute DIY videos, like this and this. She has a lot of time on her hands, so working on crafty projects is her thing, and she’s good at them - hence the YouTube channel. She’s also interested in acting, which is why she’s in the drama club. 

6. What are their eating habits? Do they skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods?

She eats a standard three meals a day, as per her mother’s request, and tries to avoid snacks in between (though she’s a sucker for sweet candy). That’s about it, really, there’s nothing that’s too  interesting about her eating habits. Definitely no alcohol involved, as she usually dines inside of the cafeteria.

Associations | Favorites

1. Color?

Doesn’t have a favorite in particular, but she likes light, pastel colors like so.

2. Smell? 

Cinnamon and vanilla, be it mixed or separate. Most of her her homemade fragrances smell like this.

3. Time of day? 

Dawn. It’s a nice time to be awake, mostly because it’s pretty, and everything is still and silent.

4. Season? 

Spring.

5. Book? 

Doesn’t have one, although she probably prefers romantic novels.

6. Music? 

Standard pop music.

7. Place? 

Uh, she doesn’t have one, but anywhere that she can people-watch is nice.

8. Substance? 

Doesn’t have one.

9. Plant? 

Doesn’t have one, and would be the worst caretaker.

10. Animal?

Rabbits, with cats as a close second.

[mkwnchanso-blog]

Task #2 - character survey

Body and Appearance

1. Describe the character’s height and build. Are they heavyset, thin, short, rangy?

Chanso stands ‘tall’ at 180cm. You could describe him as on the lanky side, but he’s slightly more built than the average lanky person. His limbs are perfectly proportionate to his height.

2. Describe their posture. Do they carry themselves well or do they slouch?

His posture used to be very bad due to him always slouching over books to read them. In time he fixed this by simply reading standing up or laying down on his bed or other pieces of furniture. He likes to carry himself very well as he believes that will come in handy when meeting people, them thinking he takes care of himself and that.

3. How is their health? Are they fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities?

Chanso likes to be as healthy as he can be. He rarely gets ill and he accounts this to the way that he lives his life, possibly a safe life but that doesn’t matter to him all that much. He takes risks when he believes it to be the best time to do so.

4. How do they move? Are they clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid?

He can be very clumsy sometimes but that usually comes when he hasn’t had enough sleep, which is more often than you might think. He would like to think he carries himself very gracefully, as if he was floating on air so to speak.

5. Describe their complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred?

Clear skin has always been a gift from his parents. His parents had very clear skin and Chanso was gifted that very same gift. He doesn’t have any scars to his recollection, if he does he has probably forgot about them as he wouldn’t really pay them any mind if he had them.

6. Describe their hair: color, texture, style.

Chanso has partially sandy blonde hair. His roots of his hair currently being black also, just the top and fringe being the sandy blonde colour. It wasn’t really what he was going for colour wise but he has grown to like it. His natural hair colour would be black, which he doesn’t really like, hence why he dyes it after a certain length of time.

7. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?

His eyebrows would be the biggest feature. Honestly he would compare them to two big caterpillars, but cute ones at that. One time he had a friend who shaved them off and well, it didn’t turn out pretty for either of them.

8. What is the character’s wardrobe like? Casual, dressy, utilitarian? Bright colors, pastels, neutrals? Is it varied, or do they have six of the same suit?

Chanso usually likes to experiment with his clothing choices. His go-to clothes would probably be sweaters or hoodies or something to that likeness. If anything he will wear whatever he thinks is comfortable, it doesn’t really matter to him. He particularly likes blues, reds and yellows and you can’t go wrong with black, mostly everything in his wardrobe is black with a hint of a few other colours poking out.

9. Do their clothes fit well? Do they seem comfortable in them?

Usually he likes to get the size bigger than what he normally wears, especially for hoodies and jumpers. He would rather be warm than cold. Though having said that, he always gets clothes that fit him. Sometimes having clothes that are simply to big for you make you look ridiculous.

Speech

1. What does this character’s voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse?

Chanso’s voice can be described as quite deep but not as deep as many others that he has encountered. He would prefer his voice to be quite low pitch, he thinks there’s something appealing to people who speak like that.

2. How do they normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Do they talk easily, or do they hesitate?

He is never one to hesitate when speaking, some could say that he has diarrhea of the mouth, he would have to agree. To combat this, he likes to speak slowly and concisely in order for the participant/s to understand what he is saying.

3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics?

When it comes to accents, it’s always difficult to decipher whether or not you have one. That being due to you not usually being able to tell if you are talking any different than what you normally would. Chanso would say he doesn’t have a accent but he could never be sure.

4. What language(s) do they speak, and with how much fluency?

He is fluent in Korean and would consider himself quite good at Mandarin Chinese. He is trying to learn english but so far that has been a difficult task, but he knows that he can accomplish this. He has a good grasp on Japanese also but it good always be better.

5. Do they switch languages or dialects in certain situations?

In terms of languages, if it is possible Chanso will always speak to someone in their native language, if he is able to. It’s much easier to do this when speaking to someone whose first language is Mandarin for example as he is quite good at speaking that language. If he needs to speak in english, it is usually slower and he has to think about what he wants to say as it is difficult for him. He will always try his best no matter what.

6. Are they a good impromptu speaker, or does he have to think about his words?

An impromptu speaker would describe him to a tee. He doesn’t usually have to think about what he is going to say, only if it is a sensitive topic that he is talking about.

Mental and Emotional

1. How intelligent is this character? Are they book-smart or street-smart?

Chanso would describe himself as book-smart, learning most of what he knows from encyclopedias and other such high-referenceable media. In terms of street-smarts he would say he is working his way to being that. Usually he will apply what he knows to the situation he is in and try and get out of a difficult situation.  

2. Do they think on his feet, or do they need time to deliberate?

Depends on the situation. When writing he needs time to deliberate, he needs to feel what he is going to write. When thinking of solutions in a social setting, he is much more able to think on his feet. He likes to think he is able to make decisions easily and without much doubt.

3. Describe the character’s thought process. Are they more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?

Logic is one of the most important things to Chanso. He likes to think of facts and if they’re aren’t any, he is quite quick to either dismiss whatever he is talking about or find facts for himself. He is more of a practical person. He likes to apply himself and the things he knows to real-life situations in order to be more practical.

4. What kind of education has the character had?

Well so far Chanso is only in High School so that is the highest accreditation that he would have. Reading books in his spare time have also added to his education, often this books come from accredited sources and he feels as if he has gained ‘infinite’ knowledge from reading them.

5. What are their areas of expertise? What, if anything, are they interested in learning more about?

The truth is something Chanso would like to find out. The truth about life on earth, the cosmos and such other areas. He is particularly interested in aliens and life beyond the stars that we know. He finds it quite insulting when people are not open to the possibility of life other than our own.

6. Are they an introvert or an extrovert?

He has tendencies of both. When working on something he doesn’t like to be bothered by anyone (though few exceptions), he prefers to be by himself so he is able to talk to himself and question whatever he is researching or writing. Almost every other moment he is a people person. He is fascinated by what other people think of things and their belief system in general. Even if people disagree with him it makes for interesting conversation.

7. Describe the character’s temperament. Are they even-tempered or do they have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven?

If you looked at Chanso just on the off-chance, he would look like your typical person. In fact, his thoughts are many and his actions are sometimes few. He is quite a cheery person but on days in which he likes to question everything about everything there is to question, he is sometimes sad.

8. How do they respond to new people or situations? Are they suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?

Mostly enthusiastic. Meeting new people means new people he gets to talk about. New conversations, new opinions. He likes people and meeting new people feels like a gift from a god he doesn’t believe in.

9. Are they more likely to act, or to react?

Chanso is most likely to act. Whatever he puts his mind to he likes to act upon. Even if the thing he needs to act on is the most difficult thing in the world.

10. Which is their default: fight or flight?

One thing Chanso would never do is lay another finger on anyone. Honestly, he hates fighting and doesn’t see the point in it. Having said that he isn’t the type to run away from anything. He would prefer to talk through logical means and try to disperse the situation without harm to anyone.

11. Describe the character’s sense of humor. Do they appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?

He is easily impressed by bad puns. There’s a certain art to them as he isn’t easily able to make them himself. Also, if you tell him a science joke, it’s safe to say you’ve got him.

12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how do they deal with them?

N/A

13. What moments in this character’s life have defined them as a person?

One of the most important times in his life is when he finally accepted that there are questions he cannot answer about himself. He doesn’t know why he doesn’t like to be labelled in terms of his sexuallity, for what he knows it’s a non-issue for him.

14. What do they fear?

Everything and nothing. But yet nothing at all.

15. What are their hopes or aspirations?

Dreams of becoming a well respected journalist is on his radar. He wants to write books, help people. More than anything though, he wants to be a good person.

16. What is something they don’t want anyone to find out about them?

He’s actually very scared. The unknown terrifies him and not being able to speak to anyone about it is something he knows troubles him.

Relationships

1. Describe this character’s relationship with their parents.

Stable. He likes to believe that the relationship between his parents is one that is healthy. He can’t help but think that as he gets older, his bond with his parents becomes less and less. Their values get more different than they used to be. It was a much simpler time when he was younger.

2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like?

If he hated his parents for anything, it would be for not having any more kids. Chanso would of loved to of had a little brother or sister to care for and love. Sadly sometimes things don’t work out the way you want them to.

3. Are there other blood relatives to whom they are close? Are there ones they can’t stand?

His uncle on his father’s side is one he could happily do without. Chanso thinks of him as a pompous idiot who thinks he’s better than everyone else. Chanso hates people like that.

4. Are there other, unrelated people whom they consider part of their family? What are their relationships with them?

Unfortunately, Chanso hasn’t found anyone like that yet. He would like to though.

5. Do they make friends easily, or do they have trouble getting along with people?

He has been told that it could be somewhat difficult for someone like him to make friends, but so far he hasn’t experienced this. In his opinion it’s marvelous how everyone is together at the same point in history. If he can, he would like to make friends with everyone possible.

6. Which do they consider more important: family or friends?

His answer would be family but he isn’t so sure as he gets older.

7. What do they look for in a romantic partner?

As Chanso has never had a relationship in his life, it’s difficult to say. He would like someone who is caring towards him and other people. People who are nice to waiters in restaurants are a must, it’s very important to him as his parents owned a coffee shop and it was a regular occurrence to have not so very nice customers.

8. What is the character’s sexual orientation?

This is a question Chanso has struggled with throughout his life. At one point he thought he was gay, simply at the fact that at the time the boys around him peaked his interest. Another point he thought he was asexual. Riight now, Chanso would describe himself as not having a sexuallity. There are some things he can live without and this is one of them. The labels do not really matter to him, they’re nothing but words at the end of the day.

9. How do they feel about sex? How important is it to them?

He is not against it, but it’s not something he is particularly bothered by. He is still a virgin so he would be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about it before. When he is in a relationship with someone he cares about and they care for him, he would happily not be opposed to the idea.

Beliefs

1. Do you know your character’s astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well do they fit type?

Yes, his sign is Scorpio. Anyone who believes any of it is lying to themselves because it’s simply just made up.

2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in their life?

Chanso would describe himself as an atheist and this is very important to him. In his view, more people need to come out of the closet regarding them being an atheist as it is something you shouldn’t be ashamed of. He is not a spiritual person either, he believes that when you die, you die. He believes there is not soul and there definitely is no afterlife.

3. Does this character have a personal code of morals or ethics? If so, how did that begin? What would it take to compromise it?

As every person does, he has ethics and morals he holds himself towards. He learnt these by his parents, the people he grew up with and the books he has read throughout his life. It would take a lot for him to compromise his own beliefs. He hasn’t found any situation in which this has happened yet.

4. How do they regard beliefs that differ from their own? Are they tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent?

This is something Chanso knows he needs to work on. He likes to challenge people regarding their views and sometimes this could come across as him bashing their views but that really is not the case. In fact, all he wants to do is understand people better and found out why they believe what they do in the first place. It’s on of the reasons he lives the debate club, as he is able to do such things here.

5. What prejudices do they hold? Are they irrational or do they have a good reason for them?

Chanso would like to believe that he is a kind and loving person, for the majority, he is just this. Whatever he is thinking, he as a good reason for it. He would never hold and prejudices without a solid reason.

Daily Life

1. What is the character’s financial situation? Are they rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?

Chanso is neither rich nor is he poor. A good word you could use would be comfortable, he’s not struggling but also not rolling around in money. He doesn’t have a part time job or anything like that, which he probably look for. His money isn’t going to last forever.

2. What is their social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected them?

Chanso would be classed as a Novelist if anything. So the ‘lowest’ of the low. It doesn’t really affect Chanso that much, he doesn’t think about it often. It doesn’t stop him from moving on with his life. If people don’t want anything to do with him because of his social status then that’s their lost and own ignorance, if that’s the right word to use.

3. Where do they live? House, apartment, trailer? Is their home their castle or just a place to crash? What condition is it in? Do they share it with others?

They live in the dorms on campus. He would class it as his home but he spends most of his time outside of it, as he likes the outside more than inside. He keeps it tidy, never letting it get to unkept. He shares with a few other people, they seem nice enough to Chanso. They get along and that’s enough for him personally.

4. Besides the basic necessities, what do they spend their money on?

He likes to buy books, a lot of books. Music as well, he always likes to support the groups he likes by buying their music instead of downloading it. He likes to spend a lot of time in coffee shops, just relaxing. Most of his money might go because of that.

5. What are their interests or hobbies? How do they spend their free time?

Besides reading which is a big hobby of Chanso’s, he also enjoys gaming. He doesn’t play a lot of games as other things usually get his attention. He prefers games that have morale choices and in which Chanso can make a direct change in. His favourite game is Shin Megami Tensei IV and the SMT series in general.

6. What are their eating habits? Do they skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods?

Chanso never misses a meal and makes sure to eat breakfast, the most important meal of the deal. He likes to eat out at restaurants but usually only when he can go with other people, he doesn’t like eating by himself. He doesn’t drink alcohol as he is underage and he probably wouldn’t even if he was over the age, but maybe things will change in the future. The only food he can’t have is nuts, as he is allergic to them.

Associations

Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is their favorite:

1. Color? No particular colour but enjoys bright colours. 2. Smell? Lavender. 3. Time of day? Morning, around seven to eight am. 4. Season? Spring. 5. Book? Origin Of Species by Charles Darwin. 6. Music? He really enjoys ost’s and game soundtracks. 7. Place? Anywhere with nature. 8. Substance? Water. 9. Plant? Any carnivorous plant. 10. Animal? Any variation of dog.

[mkwnsehun-blog]

Task #2 - Character Survey

Body and Appearance

1. Describe the character’s height and build. Are they heavyset, thin, short, rangy?  

Sehun is slim but slightly muscular, showing that he worked out. He’s not the tallest out there, standing at 172cm.

2. Describe their posture. Do they carry themselves well or do they slouch?

Since he has to give a good first impression, Sehun never slouchs or anything of the sort. Well, in public that is.

3. How is their health? Are they fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities?

He works out every day and maintains his diet, health is somehow important to him. He had no illnesses or physical disabilities.

4. How do they move? Are they clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid?

Most of the time, he’s fluid but when he’s stressed, he’s really tense.

5. Describe their complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred?

Clear.

6. Describe their hair: color, texture, style.

He currently has silver hair, since it’s been bleached, his hair isn’t that soft anymore. As for the style, he puts them up or just doesn’t bother with it as long as it looks clean. ( He might straighten them from time to time)

7. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?

his smile.

8. What is the character’s wardrobe like? Casual, dressy, utilitarian? Bright colors, pastels, neutrals? Is it varied, or do they have six of the same suit?

he prefers neutrals colors but does have some bright colors here and there. He follows the current trend to give off a successful impression to the people around him. He dresses casually unless he has to meet future clients.

9. Do their clothes fit well? Do they seem comfortable in them?

Most of them yes, skinny jeans a bit too tight are a different story tho.

Speech

1. What does this character’s voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse?

he has a soothing voice, not too deep or too high pitched; it’s in the middle really.

2. How do they normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Do they talk easily, or do they hesitate?

He speaks evenly (softly when he’s annoyed and loud when someone pisses him off) and he doesn’t normally hesitate unless it’s business related, he’ll be more careful about what he says then.

3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics?

His busan accent shows when he’s annoyed but most of the time it’s hidden.

4. What language(s) do they speak, and with how much fluency?

His first language is korean and he also knows english and french, fluently and enough to make a conversation respectively.

5. Do they switch languages or dialects in certain situations?

Like said in question 3, when he’s annoyed or tired, his busan accent slips.

6. Are they a good impromptu speaker, or does he have to think about his words?

He always thinks about every details before he talks.

Mental and Emotional

1. How intelligent is this character? Are they book-smart or street-smart?

he is intelligent, he has studied law from as long as he can remember.

2. Do they think on their eet, or do they need time to deliberate?

He’s calculating so he likes to know what to expect, as such, he needs time before reaching any decision.

3. Describe the character’s thought process. Are they more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?

Logical and practical. He won’t do something that has no good side for him.

4. What kind of education has the character had?

He’s been in middle school and he is now in high school. Like previously said, he has studied law under his parents after classes every day until his second year in high school.

5. What are their areas of expertise? What, if anything, are they interested in learning more about?

Law. He knows nothing more and will only go in that direction.

6. Are they an introvert or an extrovert?

It depends on the situation but usually, he is an introvert. He prefers to be alone.

7. Describe the character’s temperament. Are they even-tempered or do they have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven?

he kind of has mood swings, a couple of words said by someone can piss him off greatly.

8. How do they respond to new people or situations? Are they suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?

Suspicious. He’s on his guard 24/7.

9. Are they more likely to act, or to react?

act.

10. Which is their default: fight or flight?

Fight. But not with his fists.

11. Describe the character’s sense of humor. Do they appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?

he does appreciate jokes but he finds puns annoying most of the time. Then again, it depends on says them.

12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how do they deal with them?

No.

13. What moments in this character’s life have defined them as a person?

In middle school when he was forced to study law everyday

14. What do they fear?

Hamsters, surprises/the unexpected

15. What are their hopes or aspirations?

He wants to become a lawyer just like his parents; corrupt and rich.

16. What is something they don’t want anyone to find out about them?

The fact that he’s lonely.

Relationships

1. Describe this character’s relationship with their parents.

They never were that close, it almost seems like a business relationship.

2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like?

He has an older brother who he always got along with, he’s his rock. Keeping him calm and making sure Sehun doesn’t make too much mistakes.

3. Are there other blood relatives to whom they are close? Are there ones they can’t stand?

He can’t stand most of his family, the only ones he likes are his brother, his uncle (on his mother’s side) and the younger childs.

4. Are there other, unrelated people whom they consider part of their family? What are their relationships with them?

His childhood friend who was the child of one of the maids that worked in his house.

5. Do they make friends easily, or do they have trouble getting along with people?

He has a lot of trouble getting along with people, since he only wants people with power around him and in the business, nobody is truly friends.

6. Which do they consider more important: family or friends?

Friends.

7. What do they look for in a romantic partner?

Someone with power who keeps him on his toes. Someone who isn’t annoying.

8. What is the character’s sexual orientation?

Bisexual.

9. How do they feel about sex? How important is it to them?

He doesn’t care that much, he had sex with a lot of people in order to get them on his side after all.

Beliefs

1. Do you know your character’s astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well do they fit type?

Sagittarius. Not that much.

2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in their life?

Neither. Those types of things are of no importance to him.

3. Does this character have a personal code of morals or ethics? If so, how did that begin? What would it take to compromise it?

Respect. He also expects honesty from people (even if he isn’t honest most of the time). Someone with no respect has no chance of even approaching him, he doesn’t compromise.

4. How do they regard beliefs that differ from their own? Are they tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent?

Indifferent. He doesn’t care at all about others and what they think as long as they don’t try to push it down his throat.

5. What prejudices do they hold? Are they irrational or do they have a good reason for them?

He thinks all rich people are the same. Manipulating and cold. Simply because that’s all he’s known until now.

Daily Life

1. What is the character’s financial situation? Are they rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?

Rich.

2. What is their social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected them?

He is a rich asshole, as such, his social status is pretty high up (it always has been)

3. Where do they live? House, apartment, trailer? Is their home their castle or just a place to crash? What condition is it in? Do they share it with others?

In a apartment with his brother. He goes there only to sleep or when he’s bored of school or trying to get clients.

4. Besides the basic necessities, what do they spend their money on?

Electronics. He’s really into all the new technology,

5. What are their interests or hobbies? How do they spend their free time?

He spends all of his free time studying law or trying to get friendly with important people.

6. What are their eating habits? Do they skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods?

He’s the one that cooks at home so he eats most of his meals, if he skips it’s because he’s sick or is in a hurry.

Associations

Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is their favorite:

1. Color? Black 2. Smell? Lilac 3. Time of day? midnight 4. Season? spring 5. Book? the maze runner 6. Music? fall out boy to classical music, he likes anything. 7. Place? Paris or Rome 8. Substance? water 9. Plant? lilacs 10. Animal? dog/wolf

[mkwnminchan-blog]

character survey // task 02.

Body and Appearance

1. Describe the character’s height and build. Are they heavyset, thin, short, rangy?

Minchan is skinny but not bony, and he is around 180 cm tall.

2. Describe their posture. Do they carry themselves well or do they slouch?

Due to the etiquette lessons his mother forced on him when he was a child, Minchan carries himself very well, people often find him rather posh-ish.

3. How is their health? Are they fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities?

He is healthy, but he is kind of out of shape, he isn’t exactly sporty, but he enjoys dancing here and there, but nothing professional.

4. How do they move? Are they clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid?

He tends to be clumsy at times, but not always, mostly when he is embarrassed.

5. Describe their complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred?

His skin is pale and he is very proud of how good his facial skin is (he takes care of it very well).

6. Describe their hair: color, texture, style.

His hair currently is black, but sometimes he dyes it, and even though it got bleached sometimes in the past, his hair is in a really good condition, it both looks and feels soft. He doesn’t style it very often, but when he does, he tries out something different most of the time.

7. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?

Nope.

8. What is the character’s wardrobe like? Casual, dressy, utilitarian? Bright colors, pastels, neutrals? Is it varied, or do they have six of the same suit?

Minchan is very fashion-centered, he always makes sure to get the newest clothes every season, but only the things he knows will fit him. Thankfully he has a good fashion sense, so he looks just on point all the time. He has every sort of clothes in his wardrobe.

9. Do their clothes fit well? Do they seem comfortable in them?

Yeah, they do, and he only buys clothes he’s comfortable with.

Speech

1. What does this character’s voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse?

His voice used to be high-pitched when he was younger, but it deepened since then.

2. How do they normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Do they talk easily, or do they hesitate?

His speech is kind of evenly and he usually talks easily, except about touchy topics.

3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics?

No, since he grew up in Seoul, he has no accent or dialect when he speaks Korean, his English pronounciation though isn’t the best (and neither is his knowledge, but he’s working on it).

4. What language(s) do they speak, and with how much fluency?

He speaks japanese rather well, and he also speaks English on a very basic level.

5. Do they switch languages or dialects in certain situations?

No.

6. Are they a good impromptu speaker, or does he have to think about his words?

He wishes he would think before he speaks, but he is a very blunt person and he can’t really filter his words.

Mental and Emotional

1. How intelligent is this character? Are they book-smart or street-smart?

He is rather intelligent, but I wouldn’t call him a genius. His general knowledge is both from books and from the street, depending on the topic.

2. Do they think on their eet, or do they need time to deliberate?

It depends on what he has to decide about.

3. Describe the character’s thought process. Are they more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?

He is more intuitive than logical.

4. What kind of education has the character had?

He had gone to some rich ass private school from kindergarten to high school.

5. What are their areas of expertise? What, if anything, are they interested in learning more about?

He is and has always been very into history. His favorite is 20th century history, he could talk about the Cold War for hours. 

6. Are they an introvert or an extrovert?

He could be both, depending on the situation, though he is mostly an extrovert.

7. Describe the character’s temperament. Are they even-tempered or do they have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven?

He is generally a cheerful person, and he is mostly pleasant to be around, but he gets offended by things rather quickly, and sometimes when he is facing situations he can’t deal with, he starts sulking.

8. How do they respond to new people or situations? Are they suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?

Depends on under what circumstances does he meet new people or situation.

9. Are they more likely to act, or to react?

He is more likely to act.

10. Which is their default: fight or flight?

Fight. He is a man with much pride so fleeing from situations isn’t really his style.

11. Describe the character’s sense of humor. Do they appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?

He describes his sense of humor as tragic, it’s not hard to make him laug with the worst puns, but he appreciates them a lot. (Who doesn’t like laughing, after all.)

12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how do they deal with them?

He doesn’t.

13. What moments in this character’s life have defined them as a person?

He would choose the time he came out to his parents as a homosexual the most defining, since that’s when he first felt he was truly himself. 

14. What do they fear?

Loneliness.

15. What are their hopes or aspirations?

He just hopes he’ll find a special someone who loves him as much as he loves them. He really isn’t hoping for anything more. He is aware of having everything.

16. What is something they don’t want anyone to find out about them?

Nothing. He is an open person... maybe a bit too open.

Relationships

1. Describe this character’s relationship with their parents.

His relationship with his parents is really good, they’ve always been spoiling him, and they are very supportive of every aspect of his life, and he never forgets to be thankful for them giving him the lifestyle he has.

2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like?

No, sadly he is an only child.

3. Are there other blood relatives to whom they are close? Are there ones they can’t stand?

No, not really, he has cousins and all but he has never been too close with them, except his parents, of course.

4. Are there other, unrelated people whom they consider part of their family? What are their relationships with them?

He had a strict but very kind teacher in middle school who was extra fond of him, he is still in contact with her, she’s practically like his second mother.

5. Do they make friends easily, or do they have trouble getting along with people?

It’s not too hard for him to get along with people, but actually considering them as friends is another thing. His father always said he shouldn’t trust people too easily, and he is keeping himself to those words.

6. Which do they consider more important: family or friends?

Both are equally important to him.

7. What do they look for in a romantic partner?

He doesn’t have big needs, he just wants his future partner to be a good friend to him as well, someone who he can talk about everything with, who would listen to him and who would trust him enough to tell him their problems as well. And he also wants someone who would make him feel loved every time, and whom he could show his more vulnerable, emotional side to without fearing they would betray him.

8. What is the character’s sexual orientation?

Minchan is homosexual, he had been aware of his attraction towards males since he was around 13. 

9. How do they feel about sex? How important is it to them?

He enjoys it and finds it important, though he hasn’t got much experience so far.

Daily Life

1. What is the character’s financial situation? Are they rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?

He’s coming from a rich family.

2. What is their social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected them?

He is considered as a rich asshole due to his financial situation and his bluntness that makes him seem rude sometimes, and he always had been that.

3. Where do they live? House, apartment, trailer? Is their home their castle or just a place to crash? What condition is it in? Do they share it with others?

He is living in an apartment alone off-campus, and he takes good care of it, though sometimes he thinks about getting a roommate, because it can get boring and lonely at times.

4. Besides the basic necessities, what do they spend their money on?

Clothes. So many clothes.

5. What are their interests or hobbies? How do they spend their free time?

His main interest is history and fashion, and he mostly spends his free time either reading a book about history or shopping. He also enjoys hanging out with friends.

6. What are their eating habits? Do they skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods?

He usually eats out because he has zero cooking skills, and is scared of accidentally setting something on fire. He doesn’t drink alcohol often, but when he does he gets drunk way too quickly.

Associations

Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is their favorite:

1. Color? His favorite color is yellow, but I associate him with blue. 2. Smell? Sweet. 3. Time of day? Early morning. 4. Season? Spring. 5. Book? He is an avid fan of the Harry Potter series. 6. Music? Electronic acoustic or indie.  7. Place? Paris 8. Substance? air 9. Plant? daffodil 10. Animal? koala

[mkwnadrienne-blog]

| yearly reflections; don’t look back now |

     ஐ~ It’s ten days into the New Year when Adrienne finally saw her father except this time, she no longer felt cheated-- like how a daughter was supposed to feel after not being able to see their father for a long time. By now, she was used to this and she knew better than to expect any sort of warmth from her only living parental figure. 

“You’re late.” Of course, those were the first words he spoke to her. Not even a greeting or even a tiny bit of pleasantries; he had always been straight to the point and painfully so. 

She bowed her head in embarrassment, muttering an apology as she took her seat across from him in the elegantly set dinner table. “My apologies, father. Kyunghwan-oppa and I had some work to do for the Student Government which took longer than we had intended.” The explanation was brief for she knew he was impatient and would most likely not want to hear a full blown story for her reasoning. Thankfully, he seemed to easily accept her answer and she knew it was because of the name she had mentioned. Her father probably liked Kyunghwan more than he did his own daughter which was no surprise really. 

“And how are things with Kyunghwan? His step-mother speaks so highly of the two of you.” At that, she sent him a forced out smile. It was getting easier and easier to pretend around him now, the expressions seemed to come more natural. The last quarter of the year found her thrown into this relationship with her university senior that had her more bruised and pained than what was healthy for any relationship. Various news outlets ceaselessly followed them and printed stories of their supposed fairytale-- it was truly fascinating the way the both of them had everyone fooled. She did not know if those around them were somehow conveniently blind or they were just really good actors to have gotten this far without anyone batting an eyelash. 

If only they knew the reality that haunted the “perfect couple,” but she had no time to dwell over regrets and wishful thinking. She was in too deep; dug herself a hole so deep that there was no way she could climb out unscathed and she highly doubted that her so-called boyfriend would lend a helping hand. 2016 may be a new year but there was no resolution in sight for the two of them, at least not until her father magically cares for her on his own will. She was putting up with the whole arrangement for the parent who held no affection for her. “We’re doing great, father. He’s been taking care of me so well. In fact, I’m pretty sure my upcoming trip to Australia for the competition would be hard. I’m going to miss oppa so much, for sure.” 

The CEO took a sip of his wine then before speaking again. “Oh yes, your coach told me that you had successfully qualified for the under-23 Australian tennis open. When are you flying out for it?” 

No congratulations, what else was knew? She took a bite of her filet mignon and allowed herself a second to savor the taste before answering. “I have yet to find out the details for it but I can simply have Mrs. Lee from the accounting office make all the arrangements for the ticket and the accommodations.” Words were not needed for her to know about his expectations for her; even without speaking she knew that he wanted her to come home with nothing but the championship to her name especially with scouts openly looking for the next players to fill the South Korean Olympic tennis team. The upcoming 2016 Summer Olympics was a painful reminder of his great disappointment when she injured herself two years back when they had been scouting for athletes. “...I am training hard, father.” 

“And I expect nothing less, Adrienne.” 

“Yes, father.” 

With that, dinner was consumed in silence just as it always was in the few times that they had dinner together. Instead of new beginnings, the New Year only presented her with the same challenges which she leave her with no other options but to face. 

[mkwnhyunshik-blog]

— yearly reflections;

“hyunshik-ah, your grades are slipping. what are you doing over there, partying and --- and --- focusing more on that basketball team of yours? this is unacceptable.”

“look, son... your mother and i are worried. this won’t look good on your record, you understand? you need to get your grades up, otherwise... well, we’ll have no choice but to have you move back home so that we can watch over your studies ourselves, like when you were younger. none of us want that, so you must do better next year, alright?”

his parents’ words resonate in his mind. the year is done, and socially, things are looking up. he’s fairly popular, a benchwarmer sure but part of the jocks nonetheless. his friends are plentiful, and for the most part he’s managed to avoid any drama that might threaten his precarious position.

but academically, things aren’t the best. his mother and father weren’t lying when they had berated him over the phone over his results. he’s gone down by a few points, perhaps, but it’s obvious that his concentration has gone elsewhere.

lying on his bed at the boys’ dorm, hyunshik sighs, staring up at the pristine ceiling free of any cracks or blemishes. mokwon is a place a lot of people dream of attending, no doubt --- for him, it’s not a privilege. it’s an expectation.

ever since he was a baby, his parents had known he would end up here, and that he would graduate with the highest marks imaginable. he had promised them when he moved that he would.

and yet, popularity has taken up a lot of his time now that he’s in university. it’s not enough to just get good marks, he wants to be someone. but to do that, he has to go to practices and games for basketball, attend parties, and rub elbows with mokwon’s royalty.

hyunshik runs a hand over his face, then glances over the textbooks littering his desk. he’s been studying every chance he gets, of course he has, but ultimately that’s not enough.

he needs to hit the books harder, but that’ll eat into his time spent socializing, molding himself into someone desirable and popular. of course, his education comes first... right?

“stop being stupid,” the jock --- no, kim hyunshik mutters to himself. of course education is first. of course it’s his priority. making sure he’s not at the bottom of the totem pole isn’t that important in comparison. it’s just not.

he turns in bed, so that he’s on his side, and buries his face in his pillow. being forced to move back home would make it harder for him to spend time with the other jocks and royalty. his parents would watch him like a hawk, and expect him home at a reasonable hour every day. that won’t do.

there has to be a way to balance the two, to not have to sacrifice too much of one for the other. if anyone can find the perfect equilibrium, he tells himself, it’s him.

otherwise...

his father’s words echoes in his mind over and over like a broken record.

    you must do better next year.

his fist clenches. “i’ll do better next year. i’ll be better,” he says quietly. a heavy breath threatens to rattle his ribcage. “i have to.”

“you say something, man?” asks one of his roommates.

“nah, you must be hearing things,” hyunshik replies, grinning. his cheeks hurt from the effort. “hey, mind turning off the lights? i don’t know about you, but i need my beauty sleep.”

his roommate scoffs, rolling his eyes good-naturedly, but turns off the lights. the moment darkness falls, like a curtain closing, his smile disappears. hyunshik closes his eyes, but sleep doesn’t come for a long time.

[mkwnsebin-blog]

( task x 1. ) yearly reflections

“first of all, i haven’t been – i’m not... a heroine...” 

                       an envious sigh impales the chasm of wintertide air. “what about you? you’re another cyberspace resident scouring my blog for some means of self-assurance in your incarcerated life.” slight disdain haunts the ends of every word, and in the glare of the camera lens she swears she sees the taunt of a serpentine smile.

                                                                                              — –  “does that make you a h e r o?”   

( xxx )

twilight luminescence leaking through the roof window of the apartment floods the concrete in blotches of light, pierce her muddy irises as she regards the clock perched on the gray wall. only ten minutes until it’s time to congratulate the earth for making yet another inevitable rotation around its axis, igniting celebratory fireworks and making up excuses for pressing kisses against the enamoring stranger you’ve been eyeing. sebin’s quaint little neighborhood is no exception from the festivities, but as usual, she leaves them in the wake of her thoughts, unable to contract the neon delirium that everyone else suffers from.

instead, she has other plans. like routine clockwork, she fixes up her too-creaky tripod and sits her too-old nikon handheld upon the construction, admiring the structure. at her feet, a warm flicker of a tail and the fond purr, purr deludes the achromatic silence with an equally inviting repose. “do you want to be a part of the video too, banjo?” she wraps her arms around the tabby, feeling a faint smile ascend her lips in a way only the feline could conjure, and welcomes him into the comforts of her lap as she settles cross-legged, across the camera, in her too-damp bed. the camera beeps once, twice, when she narrows her eyes to look at it, trying to briefly perceive the faces of those who would be watching her behind a veil of technical anonymity.

“hey, you,” she says to the unresponsive device, clearing the imaginary thicket that forms in her throat. “i thought i might make this a thing now... video diaries, i mean. maybe, this could be an open faucet for me. because i, too, tear at the seams.” and were she so delirious enough – manic enough, she might have misconstrued the incessant blinking of the recording light as an acknowledgement of her words. 

“so i guess the dawning of the new year is perfect timing. i think it’s a good opportunity for me to reflect-- no, consider. what i’ve done this year.” 

she turns to the feline body curled in her embrace. a pair of malachite eyes stare back, piercing; the twitch of a black nose, exuding as much nonchalance as that with which the waves of the ocean engulf the intrusive entities.

“first of all, i haven’t been – i’m not... a heroine...”

                        an envious sigh impales the chasm of wintertide air. “what about you? you’re another cyberspace resident scouring my blog for some means of self-assurance in your incarcerated life.” slight disdain haunts the ends of every word, and in the glare of the camera lens she swears she sees the taunt of a serpentine smile.

                                                 — – “does that make you a h e r o?”

the question is left to collect dust dirty because the uproar of hollers and shouts that chase the specters down the street, inviting the commencement of the new year, tears sebin from her trail of contemplation. the scintillating palette of blues, reds, and greens that douse the night sky pique banjo’s interest and he lifts his heavy head to mewl at the manic musicality that seems too far out of his reach. sebin reaches too, past the hour hand on the clock and the noise for the fleeting mania, but it’s light-years away. instead, she soothes banjo’s curious ears with lackadaisical strokes, meaning to convince the feline we’re better off in here.

“what does it take to be a hero, anyway? a tacky red cape and a sense of foolish righteousness?”

once the stillness of the ebbing twilight fixates back on exposed skin and bites away at her whirling thoughts, she inhales the words she can’t bear to say. she wonders if anyone is even going to watch this video in its entirety. “...what i’m saying, is, this year hasn’t been the smoothest, but it’ll only ever be as smooth as i dictate it to be.”

she grits her teeth and lets out another sigh of discontent. she’s about to cut the video, trash the memory and crawl back to her musty couch for another silent movie, but banjo has been visited by queen mab and lays asleep between her knees. she feels obligated to freeze and thinks that she is too impeccably in love with a cat. ( — but is that so much of a BAD thing?) it takes a moment before she turns back to the beckoning of the camera’s flickering light.

“i settled nicely in this stinky apartment with banjo, i’ve gotten good grades, i’m in a major that i’m passionate about. i think it’s fair to call it a sufficient achievement? what else could i desire but the shining prospects of wealth and s u c c e s s after academic life? and yes, that’s probably as far as my ‘new year’s resolutions’ go... i can barely begin to decipher the need for such ineffectual markers for oneself,” she rambles to the empty winds, an indication of thought in the crimson flesh that she nibbles between her teeth. “perhaps, i’ll try to comprehend the people in my proximity a little better... sometimes i get lonely when i’m alone. i don’t know if it’s always been this way.”

“but next year, too, i will lead life as i always have led, haunt the brood as i always have haunted, amuse myself with the idiots who try to rift my inner labyrinths 

                                  without any cord to guide them — — ” 

there is no guilt in such a declaration, only an amused grin full of white, white teeth. like the star-dusted sky we pray to for some buoyancy in these fathoms within which we so cruelly drown, sebin adores watching others dangle from intricate cobwebs of puppet strings. at least that much will remain the same, for sure. thoughts of venom and detachment flit like moon-loving fireflies along the fringes of her mind; she is a hunger for frontiers, and where the horizons have closed upon one expedition, another must dawn.

                      “maybe s o m e b o d y will finally make it worth my while.”

FIN.

[mkwnsam-blog]

[ #1 ] yearly reflections

▋ ▋ ▋ ▋ ▋ lately daejeon had come to feel like a necessity, while berlin remained a treat -- something nostalgic and grand. luckily his sister agreed, and before they knew it they were on a plane heading to germany. she was up to her ears in assignments and desperately needed a change of not only scenery, but culture as well. and the same applied to sam, but for different reasons. ever since he moved back to south korea he could only deal with the country in small doses if he wanted to stay sane. so whenever he got some time off he usually packed his bags and left for his second home, however brief of a visit. and since christmas was spent with their mother, the siblings could easily justify spending new years eve with their father when they purchased the last-minute tickets.

▋ ▋ ▋ ▋ ▋ ’with their father’, they said. but even so they ended up just the two of them in a pub. or outside a pub: if there was something they loved about germany, it was their tradition of using the outdoor seating all year round. and it was new years eve, so they’d have front row seats to see the fireworks later on. but most of all they loved to talk german in a place where they didn’t automatically turn heads by doing so, and sam donned a wide smile when he heard the word ‘bier’ somewhere over his head before his sister put the two pints of beer down. “bottoms up!” she merrily exclaimed. since he became disabled sam had to watch how much he drank if he wanted to make it to the men’s room without an accident, but in the past they always chugged the first pint to establish the hierarchy sibling-wise for the remainder of the night. but even so the vocal ‘bottoms up’ was still alive and well.

▋ ▋ ▋ ▋ ▋ ”okay...” she hummed in thought. “the worst part about 2015 has to be school, i mean jesus fucking christ." sam took small, repetitive sips of his beer as he listened to her (well-deserved) rant about university as a whole. it was ridiculous and he agreed wholeheartedly. he had never quite liked the education system in south korea, and he often wondered why he couldn’t have just gone to school in germany instead. he felt like a lot of what he went through in the past could’ve been prevented that way. but if there’s one thing therapy had taught him, it was to leave the past where it belonged: at the back of his head, easily accessible if he wanted to dwell on it and drown in ‘what if’s... okay, let’s just say the lesson hadn’t quite sunken in yet. when she reached for her own pint sam took that as his cue to start, and he ran his index finger up and down the surface of the glass in mild concentration. he had to try and rank his ‘worsts’, because a lot of things popped into his head when he opened that particular door. the question was what had truly been bad, and what he had made worse by overthinking it. surprisingly he had nothing negative to say about his physical disability anymore, and that was quite big. but they where still on the ‘worst’ part, so he stuck with that. “the nightmares...” he tried, as if taking the words in his mouth would confirm that he had chosen the greater of many evils. “i think the nightmares has been the worst part of 2015. i got the night terrors somewhat under control, but the nightmares took their place. it’s like i’m not designed to get a proper night’s sleep: i’m not allowed to.”

▋ ▋ ▋ ▋ ▋ ″your turn to start.” sam nodded and swept the last of his second pint. “sure. let’s see...” he reached for the peanuts and took a handful, then he proceeded to put one after the other in his mouth. “hm. the best thing about 2015...” this was a bit more tricky. he usually didn’t think about, or more likely acknowledge, the positive nearly as often as the negative. what had been good about this year? or more likely, what had been the best? he had done some breakthroughs in therapy, but was that really an accomplishment? correction: was that really an accomplishment he wanted to share with his sister? he didn’t want her to know that he struggled in therapy to begin with, that’d only make her worry more. no, he had to think of something else. school was pretty good. things had finally gotten interesting project-wise, and he was learning a lot of useful techniques. he was optimistic for the future, but that was hardly the best of 2015. it was nice, but it wasn’t relevant. “have patience with me.” he giggled and chucked a peanut at her when she pointed out that he was slow as a snail. moving on, then. what else had been good enough to share? ah, fuck it. he couldn’t think of anything else. “okay. the best thing about 2015 was that i became happier. i think. i’ve had more fun than i’ve had since... shit, since forever, i guess. so, you know...” sam had focused on the last few peanuts in his palm as he rambled. when he trailed off and looked up he was met with his sister’s grinning face, and wasn’t her eyes unusually watery? “aw, come one.” he huffed and chucked the last of the peanuts at her, but he couldn’t hide the tug at the corner of his lips. he was lucky that she loved him as much as he loved her, and he was happy that she could finally share in his joy as opposed to his endless sorrow.

▋ ▋ ▋ ▋ ▋ five pints and three toilet breaks later and he was rightfully buzzed and excited for the new year to come: only fifteen minutes left, and he could hardly wait. “how about the bridge?” his sister had returned after paying for their little outing, and now she wrapped her gloved hands around the handles of the wheelchair. he was a wobbly drunk, and they both knew that -- which is why sam accepted the help without any fuss. “yeah, that’d be great.” while this was their first new years eve spent in berlin, they had heard enough stories from friends and relatives to know where the fireworks looked the prettiest. it was give or take a ten minute walk from where they started, so they wouldn’t miss it. “how about new years resolutions: you got any this year?” sam reached down to tuck in a stray corner of the blanket in his lap when the breeze caught it. last december had been pretty rough on him, and he hadn’t even bothered to humor the thought of making resolutions that he didn’t care whether or not he kept in the first place. and now, when he was in a much better state, he still felt pretty ‘meh’ about the entire thing. “nah.” he craned his neck to look up at her. “not really. unless i can get away with ‘sleep better’.” he gave a neutral sigh and let his head lull forward again. “but that’s just wishful thinking at this rate.”

▋ ▋ ▋ ▋ ▋ when they reached the bridge they joined the other people currently gathered there, and with a handful of ‘excuse me’s his sister landed them a pretty good place right by the railing. berlin was beautiful at night, breathtakingly so. he felt a pang of pain in his chest as he truly acknowledged how gorgeous it was, and how he wasn’t living there anymore. he missed his life in germany from the bottom of his heart. his sister reached down to give his shoulder a gentle squeeze, but before he could tell her that he was fine she just shushed him with a smile. and within seconds he realized that he did the same. with a quiet laugh he looked ahead again, anticipation yet again rushing through his veins. 10, 9, 8... the arms that suddenly wrapped around his neck came as a surprise, but he welcomed her warmth and comfort. “i’ve got a resolution for you.” she whispered in his ear. 7, 6, 5... “yeah?” 4, 3, 2... “keep on smiling.” 1. the hitch in his throat was timed with the first firework that reached for the sky and exploded with grace. after that they just kept coming, and sam noticed how it all blurred into a sea of colors. when the first tear fell he had to reach up and take her hand. she responded by hugging him closer with her free arm, and planting a gentle kiss against the back of his head. he loved her so much. and just like that he realized that he did have a resolution to make: ‘let her love you back’.

[mkwnmina-blog]

— reflections | task 1

“I just can’t believe I know a famous person!  It’s still such a shock, but I love the brag factor.”

Mina watched the screen as her sister’s face lit up with excitement. Well, not her sister-sister, but sometimes it was a bit of a mouthful to say ‘ex-foster sibling who was adopted four years ago but we still keep in touch’, so sister was the best way to put it.  The girl was only sixteen, but the two had known each other for at least seven years.  They shared a room so many years ago, and even after they were separated, they managed to somehow stay in touch.  It started out with hand-written letters, then emails, then calling and texting, and now they held a video call at least once every few months. Despite growing older and forming completely different personalities, the two maintained a relationship that they could view as familial.

“I’m not saying that it’s something I brag about constantly, but it’s nice to throw it into a conversation every now and then.  And speaking of your fame, when are you going to introduce me to your celebrity friends?  Can’t you take me to a party or something?”

A small smile curved upward on the idol’s face, a shrug forming just out of frame, “When your parents” – still a foreign word on her lips, but she powered through – “let you catch a train to Daejeon, I’ll let you tag along to a music show.”  Not more than a few years ago, she had reacted in a similar way to the idea of stardom.  Even now, she felt glimpses of excitement when being introduced to new people, people much more famous than she could ever dream of becoming.  But with almost a full year after debut under her belt, the lime light was becoming less of a fantasy and more of her new reality.

And she really did love it!  Of course she did.  She had been dreaming of this for as long as she could remember, and now it was finally coming true!  Every time she ventured off campus, she was stopped by someone who recognized her face.  Most weekends were spent getting dolled up, wearing dresses that she could have only wished to wear when she was younger to events that were difficult to imagine.  And every single time she stepped on stage, she felt a rush of energy and happiness that couldn’t have been deemed possible when she was an adolescent.  She was truly blessed, and it was a feeling that she would never forget.

But even then, there were negative emotions that fluttered around her heart, making even the most exciting moments feel a little bittersweet.  Most surfaced due to the fact that she had debuted in a group; not because of any hope to be a solo act, but because she would forever be associated with a girl group.  More often than not, the connotation didn’t bother her too much.  She could swallow the nagging feeling inside of her and put on a smile.  And some of the time, she did feel like a girl, so it hardly made a difference.  But some days, it felt like a punch to the gut.  It was on those days that the words “miss” and “girl” and “woman” just crawled underneath her skin, making her want to itch until she couldn’t feel them anymore, or just couldn’t feel anything anymore.

She knew this would have been the case as soon as she had been approached about L:oveless.  It didn’t matter to the company what she identified as -- bigender, cisgender, agender --, as long as she had the talent they were looking for, that’s all that they cared about.  Besides, all that mattered was the group’s success.  If she had to deal with a few bad days for the other members, then she could. She would do anything for those four.

“It’s still so weird to think that you’re a rapper.  No offense, but when you first said you wanted to rap, I thought you were crazy.  You have the talent, don’t get me wrong, but you don’t look like a rap artist.  A singer, sure, but you’re too sweet to act like a rapper.”

This smile came about less naturally as she took in the words that were all too familiar.  She knew they were true, but that didn’t stop the twinge of pain that hit the left side of her chest.  Even her own “family” couldn’t view her as a rap artist.  The company had been worried about that at first, which is why they originally wanted someone else to take the position for L:oveless.  It was just fate that things didn’t work out that way, and they needed to pick another trainee to take the spot.  She was available, and she had the talent that they were looking for, so they decided that she was the best fit. But for everyone else, it didn’t really matter how hard she worked, how dedicated or talented she was; because she wasn’t rough around the edges, nobody was going to really take her seriously as a rapper.  “Yeah, I know what you mean,” Mina finally replied after a moment of silence, “a lot of people feel like my image doesn’t match my voice.”

“Still, it’s awesome that you guys have been able to accomplish so much in your first year.  Talk about the best rookie group ever, am I right?”

Finally, she felt her thoughts digging out of the negative hole they had fallen into.  They really did have a great year.  How many rookie groups can say that they won two MAMA awards before their first full year?  How many performances had they given, views had they collected, and searches had been made?  L:oveless was a force to be reckoned with, and Mina was so proud to be apart of such an amazing group.  And the fans!  The fans had to be the best part.  When she was little, all she wanted as for someone to love her, and now she had hundreds of thousands, maybe even a million different people who genuinely cared about her and supported her.  If she had to pick anything that made all of her struggles and hard work worth while, it was knowing that she acted as an inspiration to so many people.  That’s what made her life so special.  “Yeah, best rookie group ever,” Mina repeated quietly, the ghost of a smile still on her lips.

[mkwnsera]

▌— ✤ ❯ yearly reflections. // *

[ ♡ ] “--- hello?” sera opens the door to her dorm room, her head poking inside as she looks around for signs of her roommates. when she doesn’t get a response, a satisfied grin grows at the corners of her lips and she enters the living space, dropping a large cardboard box on to the floor. inside is a bunch of material she plans to use for her upcoming video log. “hello? is anyone here?” she continues, quietly creeping around the dorm until she’s sure she’s the only one. much to her liking, the entire dorm is engulfed in a comforting silence. now would be the perfect time to film that new years resolution video she’s been planning for weeks.

[ ♡ ] there’s no telling how much time she has until someone returns, so sera is quick when it comes to getting her camera equipment out. she sets the tripod up in the center of the room, angling the video camera so that it faces directly ahead. in the background, it’s the usual set up, in addition to the string of lights and cute stickers placed against the wall to make things a little less boring. once sera is pleased with the overall look of things, she finds her way to the recording device and commences the grueling filming process. 3... 2... 1...

        “annyeonghaseyo jeoneun sera-ibnida!” she waves, flashing a smile to the camera.

[ ♡ ] cut. something about her introduction felt off, requiring her to re-do it. she gently brushes her fingers through her hair, then presses a manicured finger over the ‘record’ button and tries again.

        “annyeonghaseyo jeoneun sera-ibnida!” she repeats, this time bowing and waving both of her hands towards the camera. “ah, time flies right? it’s already 2016, i can’t believe it! what did you all do for the holiday’s? did you enjoy it? did you eat a lot? was it good? i spent new years day with my family, it was so boring! we do the sa---”

[ ♡ ] cut. she remembers a youtube comment in which a user complained that she went off topic and talked too much, so she stops. perhaps they’re right. she shouldn’t ramble so much. not in her videos, certainly not in real life. maybe this year she’ll come to realize that her constant talking gets on people’s nerves, and she’ll finally stop. “i’ll just get to the point.” she says out loud, nodding her head as she hits ‘record’ and slides in front of the camera.

        “annyeonghaseyo jeoneun sera-ibnida! welcome to my channel!” a smile forces its way onto her features. again, she bows towards the camera, small hands waving around. “today’s date is january 2nd, 2016! ah, time flies, right? 2015 went by so quickly!”

[ ♡ ] cut. she lets out a frustrated sigh. for some reason, this always happens. any time she films a new video, she has to redo her introductions a million times before she’s truly satisfied. this time, she pauses because it doesn’t sound natural to her. the video has to emulate the logs of other popular youtubers, otherwise she won’t be satisfied with it.

        “annyeonghaseyo jeoneun sera-ibnida! happy new year and welcome to my channel!” she offers a smile although her cheeks are starting to hurt, then she bows and waves her hands like she’s been doing for the past five minutes. “ah, i can’t believe it’s 2016 already! time flies, right? how did you all spend new year’s day? was it good? did you eat a lot? are you excited for 2016?” the wide smile on her face extends. “i am! but ah, i’m really going to miss 2015. it was a really good year for me! i did a lot, right? i became a third year student, i started posting more on youtube, i kept myself busy with fun, creative projects, and i met a lot of new people!”

[ ♡ ] cut. finally something she’s satisfied with. when she stops the recording, she searches around her room for paper and pencil. on it, she makes sure to write down what she needs to edit into the log before she uploads it: photos of her participating in drama club festivities, the selfies she took with her sleeping roommates, and the special footage from her previous video logs. if it made her life seem fun and exciting, she would edit it into the final version of the video.

        “in 2016, i will turn eighteen and transition into university! that’s so exciting, right? i know!” she jumps up and down, hands clapping together as she stares into the camera with a look of excitement plastered across her features. 2016 will truly be her year. she swears it. “due to these future changes, i have to mature quickly, so i created a list of things i want to accomplish this year and i encourage you to also prepare a list! please share it in the comments!”

[ ♡ ] cut. to keep her videos interesting, sera includes a variety of props in all of them. once the device is no longer filming, she runs over to the cardboard box and inserts a hand inside, digging around until she finds what she needs. a desktobe globe with specific countries outlined by her own hand, reading glasses, and a pointer that she purchased for less than 4000 won.

        “the first thing on my list is to become fluent in english! now you might be wondering, ah, sera, why do you want to learn english?” she nods. “well, really, english is a very nice language, spoken by several people!” as her glasses continue to slide down, she pushes them up the bridge of her nose and then turns to the desktop globe, using her pointer for added effect. “look at all of the countries that have lots of english speakers: the united states, the united kingdom, canada, australia, south africa, new zealand!” she turns back to the camera. “ah, even lots of people i know speak english! everyone except for me! i speak very little,” she says, the last part in stressed english. “but in 2016, i promise i will become a fluent english speaker! and when i get a job one day, the employers will be proud of my ability to speak another language!”

[ ♡ ] cut. once the camera is no longer recording, she throws off the glasses, carelessly pushing the globe onto the floor. she has no idea how long she’s been recording for, but now that she thinks about it, she worries time is running out and her roommates will arrive any minute now. she quickly fetches a brand new scrapbook, tearing off the plastic packaging with her teeth. “ah, it’s so plain...” she notes, eyeing the object in her hands. she has to decorate it. it shouldn’t take long.

[ ♡ ] five minutes later, she’s sitting at the desk in her bedroom, camera filming as she stares down the surface of her desk. it’s covered in a variety of supplies. crayola markers, glitter, different kinds of glue and paper --- anything you needed for arts and crafts, it was there. “ah, how should i do this?” she asks herself, mindlessly starting with paper and scissors to assemble the scrapbook. before she realizes it, fifteen minutes has passed, and her desk is a mess. there’s excess paper everywhere, glue spilled in places it doesn’t belong, glitter staining her hands. but on the bright side, she has a fully decorated scrapbook and once she cleans up, it’s time to stand and record again.

        “the next thing i want to do in 2016 is start a scrapbook!” she holds the scrapbook up directly in front of the camera, giving the device time to focus on the object in her hands. “scrapbooks are good to collect anything you don't want to lose, from ideas to memories!” she lowers the book, taking a step back from the camera. “in 2016, i will try many new things and have many great memories, so i will use this book to document everything! to start off, i’m going to glue my first selfie of 2016 on the first page!” she says with a smile. she reaches for the polaroid camera and angles it just above her head, taking the shot. “ah, i’m so cute, right? i’m really the cutest!” she shakes the image, attempting to air it off, then holds it up in front of the lens.

[ ♡ ] and, finally, the last and most important thing on her list... her ultimate life goal: reinvent herself. since arriving at mokwon almost two years ago, sera’s one true goal has been to make something of herself. in her hometown, she was illhoon’s little sister, whereas here - she has the opportunity to make something of herself, and she refuses to start university without doing just that.

        “the last thing on my list of achievements for 2016 is to really and truly improve myself!” she proudly says towards the recording device. “this year, i will strive to give myself a better image, to be a sera that everyone knows and loves! i will appear much cooler!” she promises with a nod, holding up a variety of products ranging from makeup to multiple different hair dyes. she’s not entirely sure what color she’ll dye her hair first, but she knows she has to get rid of the brown. it’s a rather boring, tired color, and she can’t possibly improve herself if she clings to her former characteristics. “...so to start off... i will first do this!” sera turns away from the camera, picking up the pair of scissors that sits idly on her desk. she quickly runs towards her closet and returns before the camera with a random shirt picked from her wardrobe.

[ ♡ ] cut. “ah, my parents will kill me...” she says as she drops her hands, plopping down at the edge of her bed. in truth, she’s dying to cut up all of her clothes and trash them. she wants to be stylish like all of the other girls - but she can’t imagine how angry her parents would be if she destroyed her own wardrobe. she might not care to please them anymore, but her intentions were not to disappoint them either. “maybe i should call them and ask...” she tells herself, digging her phone out of her bookbag. she can lie. she can tell them she’s gained weight and her clothes no longer fit--- ah, but lying is bad, she reminds herself. she can’t do that. she can’t lie to them. instead, she can either get rid of her old clothes and be honest about it, or she can keep them... and start the new year off sporting the same stupid clothes she’s been wearing since who-knows-how-long.

[ ♡ ] the second option does nothing but elicit strong feelings of dread and disgust. she glances down at the shirt in her hands. it’s white, long-sleeved and decorated with polka dots. it’s something fit for a middle schooler which, technically, makes sense. prior to starting her first year at mokwon, it was her favorite shirt, and the fact that she still has it says a lot about the last time she updated her closet.

        before she knows it, sera is impulsively back in front of the camera, watching the red light as it blinks, indicating that she’s filming. “ah, mom, dad, i’m really sorry for this--- but in 2016, i need to be a better me who dresses with more style.” she says, although it’s pointless, she won’t include it in the video. regardless, she lifts the scissors to the shirt and begins to snip away, watching as pieces of fabric fall to the floor. and it doesn’t end there. for the next couple of minutes, sera is grabbing whatever she can from her closet, holding it up and tearing it to shreds right in front of the camera. it feels good. it feels really good, and she imagines it’ll feel better once she fits music to the footage.

[ ♡ ] cut. sera realizes she got too carried away. she can’t cut up all of her clothes just yet, otherwise she won’t have anything to wear in the meantime aside from her uniform. she eyes her surroundings, and there’s ripped and cut up clothing all over the floor. she needs time to clean it before proceeding.

        “in addition to dressing more fashionably and providing everyone with a cooler image, i will also make lots of cool friends! i will observe their cool manners, and i’ll try many new things with them! i won’t hold myself back from anything! in 2016, i will be become a prettier, much more popular me!” she states with a smile, that familiar sense of excitement returning. “please anticipate the new and improved sera! anyway, one day you’re going to see me in a movie or your favorite drama, because i will also become a sera who is known for her profound acting skills! please support me!”

[ ♡ ] cut. the video is getting too long, and sera is beginning to wonder what the comments will look like once she uploads. will people be supportive or will they criticize her new years resolutions? will anyone even care? it wasn’t like her channel was popular. she has a few hundred subscribers, and most of them are only there for her brother. but sera hasn’t mentioned him in any of her videos, nor would she ever. he’s in every other aspect of her life. he doesn’t get to be involved in her channel.

        “ah, so that’s it, everyone! those are my new years resolutions! i’d like to be fluent in english, start a scrapbook, and become a better sera for everyone to love and enjoy!” she’s smiling for the millionth time, holding a party horn to her lips and blowing into it. “please like and share this video! and comment below to tell me what your new years resolutions are! thank you for watching!” she heads to turn off the camera, but she quickly stumbles in front of it again. “--- oh, and please follow me on twitter! i finally made one. my username is sera980503, please tell all of your friends and family to follow me and please like and retweet all of my tweets, thank you!”

\\ * [ ♡ ] [ ♡ ] [ ♡ ] [ ♡ ] --- end. --- [ ♡ ] [ ♡ ] [ ♡ ] [ ♡ ] * //

[mkwnminchan-blog]

yearly reflections // selfpara

It’s been almost 3 days into the new year, and despite of never missing out on making New Year’s resolutions, Minchan still had yet to do one for 2016. “Does it even count when I’m this late…“ He murmured, looking at himself in the mirror, since in his apartment he didn’t really have anybody to talk with about things like this. ”Maybe I should put up an advertisement that I’m looking for a roommate. It’s not like I don’t have an extra bedroom…”

He quickly caught himself before his thoughts got too carried away, and he quickly moved to his desk, pulling out an empty notebook with determination evident on his face. “In 2016, I’m going to write a diary almost every day.“ He declared to no one in particular, then sat down, opening the journal. He grabbed his favorite pen, then stared at the blank page in front of him.

“Okay, let’s do this.“ Minchan nodded, before starting to write.

‘Dear Diary…‘ “No, wait how old am I, twelve?” He shook his hand before crossing out the words he had written, and began writing again.

‘Dear Diary... Dear future me who will probably cringe while reading this back, but you are still cool anyway.

So. I wanted to think through my 2015 in this entry, because many things changed in the past year, it was way busier than what I expected. First of all I moved away from home! That’s a big deal, considering I basically had my ass licked for almost twenty years, and now I have to take care of myself. I still have yet to develop my probably way too basic cooking skills. But at least I can make rice without burning the kitchen down. It’s a progress I guess?

Also I came out to my parents! It went smoother than I expected. Maybe I shouldn’t assume everything is going to be bad because movies and other people’s experiences were negative. I can’t believe I’m an outed gay man now. (Though it’s not like I’m not getting comments from assholes… I don’t know why are so many people this interested about whether I like it up in my ass or not. Whatever.)

Speaking about movies, I have decided on becoming a blogger! I’m going to post about movies I saw recently, maybe I’m going to find more people sharing my love towards them. Or maybe I should just befriend people in the uni club I’m in… Or just get more social in general, though I surely do enjoy hanging out with hyung, but I bet he gets tired of me sometimes, so I need more friends. Yeah, this should be one of my 2016 resolutions. Befriending more people.

And anyway, my biggest change in 2015 was starting University! I like Mokwon University a lot, and also I really like being able to study what I really wanted to. Though yeah, I’m kind of unsure what will I do with my History degree later, but I guess I got a lot of time on me to decide it.

Oh, and I can’t really forget about the new goal I set for 2016. I really want to know more about the fashion industry, since what’s the point in owning so many fashion items and shit if I don’t know anything? Maybe I could have a chance myself to try out modeling once. I mean no offense, but I surely have the looks for it.’>

And I guess I’m going to stop with this here, though yeah, I probably could talk about myself a lot more, but I don’t want to run out of space too soon.

So. Yeah I’m just going to finish this with, SEO MINCHAN GOOD LUCK FOR 2016.

I hope I won’t be disappointed when I read this back later.’

“Yeah, good luck, Minchan.“ He mumbled to himself as he closed the diary.

[mkwnsage]

BODY AND APPEARANCE

1. Describe the character’s height and build. Are they heavyset, thin, short, rangy?

She’s of average height and weight. She’s toned, somewhat muscular from years of swimming.

2. Describe their posture. Do they carry themselves well or do they slouch?

Sage tends to slouch, from hovering over writing notebooks and and leaning in to her canvases when painting.

3. How is their health? Are they fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities?

She’s physically fit, no sort of illnesses besides the occasional headcold. No physical disabilities.

4. How do they move? Are they clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid?

She could trip over air. The wind could blow and she’d fall over.

5. Describe their complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred?

Her skintone is dark, but she loves it since it makes her stand out in a crowd. There’s acne scars along her jawline that she’ll cover with makeup, and on her back that she doesn’t bother to cover up since it’s so rarely seen. She has a few scars on her legs from childhood accidents.

6. Describe their hair: color, texture, style.

Her hair is long, lower back length, and bleached to a light blonde color. Due to chlorine pools, her hair develops a greenish tint to it if she’s not careful. Her hair texture is a bit dry and damaged from the heavy coloring. Most of the time, she wears her hair down or braided away from her face. It’s not uncommon to find paint in her hair, as she runs her hands through her hair while working.

7. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?

Besides her hair, or the occasional paint smears all over her face and skin, not really.

8. What is the character’s wardrobe like? Casual, dressy, utilitarian? Bright colors, pastels, neutrals? Is it varied, or do they have six of the same suit?

Hipster grunge-esque. A usual outfit for Sage consists of an oversized shirt, leggings or shorts depending on the weather, boots or flats depending on the weather as well.

Lookbook inspo can be found here.

9. Do their clothes fit well? Do they seem comfortable in them?

She wears baggy clothes on purpose, and absolutely loves it.

SPEECH

1. What does this character’s voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse?

Her voice is a little on the deeper end.

2. How do they normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Do they talk easily, or do they hesitate?

Sage’s voice is soft, airy. When she speaks, it sounds as if she’s barely paying attention to the conversation, or even the words that are leaving her mouth. It’s rather calming to listen to.

3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics?

The way she speaks makes it obvious that she’s a foreigner, in a sense. Her Korean is self taught, so it’s rusty and awkward in certain areas that she didn’t get to touch up on a lot. She tends to trail off, and use “um” a lot.

4. What language(s) do they speak, and with how much fluency?

She’s completely fluent in English, since it’s her first language. After three years immerse in Daejeon, she’s somewhat fluent in Korean, though slip ups are common for her.

5. Do they switch languages or dialects in certain situations?

Not really. It would confuse her more than anyone else.

6. Are they a good impromptu speaker, or do they have to think about their words?

Not at all. Since she has to essentially translate everything in her head before she says it, she can’t think on the spot as easily as others can.

MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL

1. How intelligent is this character? Are they book-smart or street-smart?

She’s about average, B-student. Writing and literature is her specialty, while she doesn’t fare too well with maths. Probably more book-smart than street-smart, since she’s a bit on the naive side.

2. Do they think on their feet, or do they need time to deliberate?

She needs time to think before acting.

3. Describe the character’s thought process. Are they more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?

She aims to do whatever will spare feelings and keep people happy. A bit self-sacrificing.

4. What kind of education has the character had?

She’s attended public schools all her life. Due to her ADHD, though, she would also see specialists that could help her with her concentration and give tips to help with studying and learning.

5. What are their areas of expertise? What, if anything, are they interested in learning more about?

Mythology and supernatural beings. She loves to create fictional worlds with strong, stable histories to them.

6. Are they an introvert or an extrovert?

Introvert.

7. Describe the character’s temperament. Are they even-tempered or do they have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven?

Sage is extremely laidback, almost always in a good mood. It takes a lot to make her upset or angry, and if anyone manages to get her into that sort of mood, they probably deserve whatever bad things are coming their way.

8. How do they respond to new people or situations? Are they suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?

She loves to meet new people, and is always open to put herself into new situations. At the best, it’s something new and exciting, at the worst it’s a lesson learned.

9. Are they more likely to act, or to react?

React. She’s a bit on the lazy end.

10. Which is their default: fight or flight?

Fight, but only if she’s been backed into a corner and she can’t just blow them off.

11. Describe the character’s sense of humor. Do they appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?

Her sense of humor is pretty childish. She enjoys puns and wordplay the most.

12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how do they deal with them?

She was diagnosed with ADHD when she was nine. She takes medication for it, and employs methods learned during her childhood to help her stay on task, both in school and in everyday life.

13. What moments in this character’s life have defined them as a person?

Choosing to stick to her gut and her interests, rather than trying to fit in with everyone else. Every time her brother would laugh at her and tell her that something wouldn’t work, she’d only use that as fuel to try harder and prove him wrong. Choosing to move to Korea rather than stick to what was familiar in Sydney has also changed Sage, making her far more independent and responsible than she would have been if she’d stayed in Australia.

14. What do they fear?

One of Sage’s biggest fear is finding out information about her birth mother, going to meet her, and then learning that she wants nothing to do with her child, and that she didn’t regret abandoning her. It’s the main reason why, even though she’s in Korea now, she’s made no moves to find out information surrounding her birth.

15. What are their hopes or aspirations?

Later down in the future, she wants to open an art gallery and host free after-school art classes for poorer kids, so they can have something to do with their time and stay out of trouble. 

16. What is something they don’t want anyone to find out about them?

That she feels as if she’s going nowhere in life. She tries her hardest to give off the impression that she knows what she’s going and has everything planned out, when she really doesn’t. She doesn’t want her family to think that they paid to send her out to Korea just for her to have no idea what she’s doing.

RELATIONSHIPS

1. Describe this character’s relationship with their parents.

She doesn’t know her birth parents, so there’s no relationship there. As much as she wants to hate her mother for abandoning her, she can’t bring herself to. She doesn’t know the circumstances, after all. As for her adoptive parents, she’d describe the relationship as complicated. While she does love them, and appreciate them going out of their way to take care of her, she feels that their methods of handling a child of a different race than their own could have been better. She likes that they kept her birth name, but at the same time she felt alienated by it. They never taught her much about her culture, leaving her to do that on her own when she was in her late teens. She has a lot of criticisms, but still nothing but love for them.

2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like?

She has three adoptive siblings-- one older sister, one older brother, and one younger brother. She gets along with all of them, but is closest to the youngest son. Her and the oldest son butt heads often, since he’s a much more serious person while Sage is more carefree.

3. Are there other blood relatives to whom they are close? Are there ones they can’t stand?

She got along well with her adoptive cousins.

4. Are there other, unrelated people whom they consider part of their family? What are their relationships with them?

She considers any of her close friends to be siblings of a sort. Her definition of family is pretty loose, seeing as she essentially has two.

5. Do they make friends easily, or do they have trouble getting along with people?

She makes friends very easily, since she loves listening and getting to know people.

6. Which do they consider more important: family or friends?

Family-- though family doesn’t necessarily have to be blood.

7. What do they look for in a romantic partner?

Someone understanding, with a good imagination and willing to humor her and her ways. She’s not big on dramatic romantic gestures, but if someone is willing to be spontaneous with her, then they have her heart.

8. What is the character’s sexual orientation?

She’s pansexual/romantic, with no particular leaning.

9. How do they feel about sex? How important is it to them?

She’s pretty indifferent about it. It’s not important to her personally, but she can understand how others might find it important.

DAILY LIFE

1. What is the character’s financial situation? Are they rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?

Poor college student. She works a few jobs to pay the bills and make ends meet, but she doesn’t have the money to splurge like others do.

2. What is their social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected them?

She’s not at any high social status, nor does she really care. By Mokwon rankings, she’s in the middle, as a Visionary.

3. Where do they live? House, apartment, trailer? Is their home their castle or just a place to crash? What condition is it in? Do they share it with others?

She lives in Mokwon’s university dorms, and is currently looking for an apartment off campus. Right now, she just considers it as a place to live, rather than her humble abode or something to brag about. She gets along with her room mates, unless they have a problem with her to begin with.

4. Besides the basic necessities, what do they spend their money on?

Miniature stuffed animals. She likes to collect the Disney Tsum Tsums, and she’s been saving up money to get a few authentic Rilakkuma plushies.

5. What are their interests or hobbies? How do they spend their free time?

She’s an avid artist, preferring to paint with oils and watercolors. When the mood strikes her, she also writes short fiction pieces. Besides art, swimming is like her second love.

6. What are their eating habits? Do they skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods?

She relies on the school cafeteria for most of her meals. If it’s too late or she doesn’t like the selection, she’ll eat whatever instant meals she can find. She’s not a good stovetop/oven cook, she usually tries to rush the meal or she forgets that it’s cooking in the first place. She’s allergic to seafood and shellfish, which can make it somewhat difficult for her to find food to eat when out and about. She’s not a heavy drinker, only drinking during social occasions or celebrations.