— red thread.

Character Development Questions: Hard Mode

1. Does your character have siblings or family members in their age group? Which one are they closest with?

Karina has one younger brother, Noah (27), one older half-brother, Xander (34), and one younger half-sister (adoptive), Leks (27). She grew up with Xander and Leks but Noah grew up with their father and his step-mother. When she was younger, she was closest with Xander because he was her protector, but as she’s grown up, she’s actually closest with Noah because they share a lot of similar interests. 

16. Which does your character idealize most: happiness or success?

She definitely idealizes happiness most. Karina had a difficult childhood and because of things that happened to her, she has worked really hard in her adult life to move past those things and become a happy person, or as happy as she believes she’s allowed to be.

17. What was your character’s favorite toy as a child?

When she was really young, Karina would have had a large doll house or a Barbie house which she would have designed with furniture, probably things she made by hand with whatever scraps of trash, cardboard, and paint she could find. 

26. How does your character behave around children?

Karina is extremely caring and almost motherly. She possibly cannot have children of her own due to trauma to her body but she loves being around kids and it shows in the way she lights up with them. 

45. What does your character believe will happen to them after they die? Does this belief scare them?

Character Development Questions: Hard Mode

9. Is your character’s current socioeconomic status different than it was when they were growing up?

James’s family was very poor when he was young because of his father’s gambling addiction and massive debt. His father forced him to work in order to help bring in money so James rarely went to school and had difficulties with things such as reading and math until he met Lia. Now, James feels more at ease since he has a decent job and he has Lia as his family, though he still considers himself to be of a lower status than even her.

Lia’s family was what people probably would have considered middle class. Her parents owned the circus of which she later became a part as a performer, and when they died, their assets and money went to her since they had no other children. She doesn’t feel as though her life is any different than it was. 

15. Is your character preoccupied with money or material possession? Why or why not?

James definitely thinks about money and material possessions, mainly because when he was young, he really didn’t have much of anything. Any toys he had were things he found in trash or things he stole in order to entertain himself. Any money he had or earned was ultimately taken by his father so he really didn’t have a chance to have anything of his own, even when he earned it. But, he also understands that material possessions and money won’t bring him the same kind of happiness that other things would bring him. 

Because she never really had to worry about finances, Lia doesn’t have the same concerns with money that James has. She is more often to spend money on frivolous items, though she has learned to budget herself and have some self-control, but when there is something she wants, or especially something she wants to give to someone else, Lia will use her money somewhat carelessly and she will show affection at times by giving gifts.

38. Is your character more likely to remove a problem/threat, or remove themselves from a problem/threat?

James more than likely would remove himself from a problem or a threat. He is more nonconfrontational than the opposite and chooses to walk away from problems, even ones he could solve easily by simply talking or working things out. He especially gets frustrated easily and tends to judge situations quickly, so he’s learned to remove himself before he does or says something stupid that would hurt someone else.

“I’ve never been a coach before.” Rio mumbled, though even in her mumble she sounded somewhat excited at the idea. She listened to his next words carefully, taking note of his worries and thoughts.

“That makes sense, though. You worry more about what certain people might think of you. Like a boss or a potential partner more so than a friend or an acquaintance, since the boss or partner might have a bigger affect on your life long term. But if they agree to go on a date with you, then obviously they have some good opinion of you. Why would they suddenly be laughing at you?” She leaned forward on her elbows and held her cheeks in her hands, her eyes narrowing slightly as she smiled. “That’s so cute. So you’ve kind of admired her from afar? You could dive right in and just ask her out. Or you could talk to her and see if you can figure out food she likes to eat or things she likes to do.”

Woosung thought she sounded almost excited and he instantly had a moment of insecurity where he wondered if she would laugh at him later on. He shook the thought away quickly and listened patiently to what she had to say, almost scoffing at the very idea of talking with his crush about anything other than work. 

She seemed to stop talking suddenly, causing Kakeru to once again glance in her direction for a moment. It would have been nice to sit and have a conversation where he was able to give his full attention, to make eye contact and see the emotions in her face when she spoke, but that was impossible in the current situation.

“I sell it. Either that, or I just give it away. I have some put away as well. My brother keeps telling me I need to promote my work online and sell it that way, but I don’t know… I’ve never been the type that liked using technology much, and I like the physical interaction when I hand the piece over. It’s more satisfying for me that way.” He’d always had a hard time taking advice from others when it came to anything regarding his artwork, whether it was the art itself or the selling.

His mind went back to what she had mentioned before about displaying artists’ works with her designs. Perhaps it was a level of insecurity that always led him to have that small, irritating thought that maybe people offered help or jobs out of pity for him. Certainly that wasn’t the case. He hadn’t shown himself as being so pitiful or downtrodden around Karina. Plus he was in a much better place than the past, so he tried to push the insecure thoughts out of his mind as much as possible. “I can show you some of my works later, maybe when we stop somewhere to eat. But don’t feel like you have to say you want to use them for your work if they don’t fit. I like bold and bright colors, so they might be hard to match with things.”

Karina realized she was trying to make some kind of connection with him again, something that they could have that would at least make the ride a little less awkward. Instead, it seemed to backfire a little, until he continued to open up to her. Even if it was surface level conversation about work, it did put Karina more at ease with him and she wondered if her mindset was making everything worse on its own, since he didn’t seem to acknowledge the things she’d already let slip. 

She didn’t know it but she’d been staring at him for some time. Familiar as his features were, Karina couldn’t stop finding little things about his face that seemed new or different but actually weren’t. Maybe it was the fact that the last time she was around him was when they were young so that recognition was there but time had weathered his look enough that she thought him a different person. The same, but different. 

He mentioned food and Karina’s stomach grumbled. She didn’t know how long they had been on the road already but her last meal was early, much earlier than she’d wanted to eat, but her nerves had gotten the better of her and the only thing she could think to do while she waited for the appointed time was to cook. Chewing on her bottom lip, Karina studied him to try to see whether he’d heard anything but she couldn’t tell and to try to cover it up, she carried on with their conversation.

Since she’d arrived, weeks after James had found them a place to live safely, Lia had been told countless times to remain in her living quarters where they shared a modest home and for the most part, she had adhered to James’s rules. But Lia had grown bored of being locked away in a cage. She felt as though she’d read every book, mended every article of her clothing, written enough words to fill several manuscripts, and all Lia wanted was to explore, so she’d taken to sneaking out while James was working. Down to the minute, Lia could predict when and where James was going to be at any given time, since she had gently nudged him for information and calculated the details of his work.

Today, she was exploring a particularly dark hallway which James was adamant she keep from as it seemed to be a place where the price was often seen traveling, but Lia was fearless and she was sick of being told what she could and could not do. Even though she loved James dearly as a brother, he was so overbearing at times that Lia couldn’t stop the infiltrating wishes that he would ease up a little. They were both well cared for by the family, likely due to some kind of deal James had struck with the king in exchange for his own servitude.