character ask meme thing

[kawuli]

I might just do some of these for fun, but if you are curious about anything/anyone in particular, go ahead and ask. (some answers are spoilery so I'll probably evade those, just so you know)

1. Does your character have siblings or family members in their age group? Which one are they closest with?
2. What is/was your character’s relationship with their mother like?
3. What is/was your character’s relationship with their father like?
4. Has your character ever witnessed something that fundamentally changed them? If so, does anyone else know?
5. On an average day, what can be found in your character’s pockets?
6. Does your character have recurring themes in their dreams?
7. Does your character have recurring themes in their nightmares?
8. Has your character ever fired a gun? If so, what was their first target?
9. Is your character’s current socioeconomic status different than it was when they were growing up?
10. Does your character feel more comfortable with more clothing, or with less clothing?
11. In what situation was your character the most afraid they’ve ever been?
12. In what situation was your character the most calm they’ve ever been?
13. Is your character bothered by the sight of blood? If so, in what way?
14. Does your character remember names or faces easier?
15. Is your character preoccupied with money or material possession? Why or why not?
16. Which does your character idealize most: happiness or success?
17. What was your character’s favorite toy as a child?
18. Is your character more likely to admire wisdom, or ambition in others?
19. What is your character’s biggest relationship flaw? Has this flaw destroyed relationships for them before?
20. In what ways does your character compare themselves to others? Do they do this for the sake of self-validation, or self-criticism?
21. If something tragic or negative happens to your character, do they believe they may have caused or deserved it, or are they quick to blame others?
22. What does your character like in other people?
23. What does your character dislike in other people?
24. How quick is your character to trust someone else?
25. How quick is your character to suspect someone else? Does this change if they are close with that person?
26. How does your character behave around children?
27. How does your character normally deal with confrontation?
28. How quick or slow is your character to resort to physical violence in a confrontation?
29. What did your character dream of being or doing as a child? Did that dream come true?
30. What does your character find repulsive or disgusting?
31. Describe a scenario in which your character feels most comfortable.
32. Describe a scenario in which your character feels most uncomfortable.
33. In the face of criticism, is your character defensive, self-deprecating, or willing to improve?
34. Is your character more likely to keep trying a solution/method that didn’t work the first time, or immediately move on to a different solution/method?
35. How does your character behave around people they like?
36. How does your character behave around people they dislike?
37. Is your character more concerned with defending their honor, or protecting their status?
38. Is your character more likely to remove a problem/threat, or remove themselves from a problem/threat?
39. Has your character ever been bitten by an animal? How were they affected (or unaffected)?
40. How does your character treat people in service jobs?
41. Does your character feel that they deserve to have what they want, whether it be material or abstract, or do they feel they must earn it first?
42. Has your character ever had a parental figure who was not related to them?
43. Has your character ever had a dependent figure who was not related to them?
44. How easy or difficult is it for your character to say “I love you?” Can they say it without meaning it?
45. What does your character believe will happen to them after they die? Does this belief scare them?

Comments

[kawuli.livejournal.com]

2. What is/was your character’s relationship with their mother family like?

Rokia's grandparents immigrated from Mali when her grandfather won a green card lottery, and live near Detroit. Salif was born in Mali but they moved when he was really young so he doesn't remember it much. Rokia's mom, Fatoumata, was born in the US. She left home when she was 16 because her dad's idea of how to parent a teenage girl was pretty much "she stays home, no boys allowed but also marry young and be a housewife" enforced by corporal punishment that bordered on abusive. She came home when she got pregnant with Rokia, but ends up getting back together with the crowd she ran around with as a teenager, who've since gotten more involved in drugs and so forth, and gets kicked out when Rokia's grandpa finds out she's been using. At which point she calls up Salif, who's living in Chicago and offers her a place to stay, because he's well aware that their dad is not the easiest person to live with.

Once he gets tired of her coming in and out at odd hours and things start disappearing when Fatoumata's around, he tells her to find another place to live, but he keeps an eye on Rokia when he can. So she basically grows up in and out of the shop where he works (and then becomes manager of). They move through a series of Rokia's mom's boyfriends and various other precarious living situations until Rokia and her sisters end up in the foster system pretty soon after Kadi is born (when Rokia is 9 or so). Basically Rokia misses so much school taking care of the girls and her mom that social services starts coming around, and while it takes a while for things to get processed because the south side of Chicago isn't exactly known for effective public services, eventually the kids get taken away. (They all 3 have different fathers, none of whom are involved at all).

Rokia actually tries to help her mom retain custody, because the three girls keep getting broken up and Rokia figures okay, well, if mom has custody at least we'll be together and I can take care of the girls and it'll be fine. So she gets really mad and frustrated and confused when her mom doesn't really fight to keep them, but she keeps trying all through the process until finally mom's parental rights are terminated, when Rokia's maybe 14. She also keeps getting in trouble for sneaking out to visit Allie and Kadi when they're in different places, so while their social workers can't always keep them together they try to at least make sure they're nearby.

Sara and Matt are basically Rokia's family, too: they meet because Matt works for Sal after school, starting when he's 14 (and Rokia's 12), and Sara and Matt are friends since forever, went to school together, etc. Sara's parents immigrated from... let's say Guatemala (Sara was born in Chicago), and she has a whole extended family that's super close, a combination of documented and undocumented and US Citizen and they all look out for each other. So the idea that Rokia basically doesn't have family beyond Sal and her mom and sisters is BAFFLING to Sara, and kinda sad, and frustrating because why doesn't SAL just take the girls (because Magda, as in other universes), or Rokia's grandparents (because they're out of state, at first, and then because they don't check out because Rokia's grandfather is still not interested in accepting US childraising norms), or...just ????? Rokia on the other hand is completely overwhelmed by Sara's family and also doesn't speak much Spanish so when she goes to family things she kind of hides behind Sara the whole time.

Sara's family was initially NOT THRILLED that she was a) marrying a woman and b) not marrying that nice Rivera boy down the block his parents are so great they would get along so well they played together as kids and everyone thought etc etc etc. But they get over it by the time the girls actually get married, and Sara's mom and aunts and grandma become VERY PROTECTIVE of the two of them and look out for Rokia's sisters after Rokia and Sara leave for California/Alaska, and probably show up at Heidi and Marc's place with tamales like HERE WE FEED PEOPLE BECAUSE SAYING I LOVE YOU IS COMPLICATED.

.....and i was gonna do some other ones but then that got ludicrously long omg