I feel (whether right or wrong) that characters are the heart of my stories. I spend an inordinate amount of time getting into my characters’ heads and exploring their motivations, fears, desires, wants and needs. Some characters, obviously, I spend more time on and with and others are more vaguely fleshed out.

Then, contrary to conventional wisdom, I allow them into the time slip and let them evolve as they will within boundaries. As I said with My World and You, Aria evolved wholly contrarily to my expectations, which caused havoc and several painful rewrites, but I was happy more or less with how she eventually turned out by the end of the book.

These character profiles are the way I start my novels. They give me the bare basics of how the characters look, how tall they are, what they weigh, etc. It allows me to get scene blocking down in my mind and prevents me from saying things like “I looked up at Emi.” Just little things to make me look at least marginally less like a fool.

Next week will be the final update from me regarding My Winter With You and then the first chapter will be out on the 29^th! Thank you for your time and I’ll talk to you next week!

Yours,

Katsu

( ^..^)ﾉ

Character Profiles:

Kasumi Fujimura:

Age: 16

Height: 158cm (5’2”)

Weight: 48.9kg (108 lbs)

Eye Color: Brown

Hair Color: Black

Measurements: B78, 58, 82 (31B, 22, 32)

Birthplace: Tottori City, Tottori, Japan

Hometown: Daisen, Tottori, Japan

Birthday: June 3, 2003

Birth Sign: Gemini

Zodiac: Sheep

Blood Type: AB

Current Relationship Status: In a Relationship

Bio: Kasumi is a complicated girl by her own admission. Though excellent at sports, particularly running and martial arts, she also finds herself unmotivated by athletic pursuits, seeing no need to compete with others. She is smart and can be friendly and outgoing, but possesses a personality her sister, Mio, does not consider cute in the least. She tends to be sarcastic with a biting (some would say obnoxious) wit and comes across as uncaring or disinterested in things others view as important.

She once had long hair but has since cut it into a short bob haircut which she finds much easier to manage in the mornings. She has a slightly angular face with high cheekbones, large almond-shaped eyes that slant slightly upward and a small mouth with heart-shaped lips. She is generally described as somewhat fox-faced. At 13 she was the winner of the prefectural beauty pageant and was recruited vigorously as a model yet refused all further inquiries. None of her classmates, not even Mizuki, are aware she had ever competed.

Though often recruited to join sports clubs due to her skill and her brother, Jun’s reputation, she has steadfastly resisted these attempts, even though she does better than the aces of the clubs themselves in track and field, martial arts, and soccer. Her skills, beauty and aloofness have made her popular in school and somewhat intimidating, even to her older schoolmates.

Despite her reluctance she is a fujo or shrine maiden at the shrine at the base of Mount Daisen, another fact she does not advertise and actively dissuades her schoolmates from mentioning. Though extremely popular she truly only has one friend, Mizuki Agawa, her neighbor and friend since both were kindergarteners and Emi Seto, her friend since middle school. Her relationship with her brother Jun is very strained, though physically they resemble each other very closely. She sees him as a womanizing idiot with no common sense or intelligence.

Mizuki Agawa:

Age: 16

Height: 160cm (5’3”)

Weight: 58kg (128 lbs)

Eye Color: Brown

Hair Color: Black

Measurements: B82, 66, 88 (32B, 26, 34)

Birthplace: Tottori City, Tottori, Japan

Hometown: Daisen, Tottori, Japan

Birthday: September 14, 2003

Birth Sign: Virgo

Zodiac: Sheep

Blood Type: O

Current Relationship Status: In a Relationship

Bio: Mizuki is not a girl that plans things out very well. She allows life to dictate the direction she goes, content with what comes along. She doesn’t excel in any one thing but doesn’t seem all that concerned with her lack of athletic skill or even her mediocre grades. She lives her life oblivious to external forces and takes pride in being kind and a good friend.

Her long hair is usually kept in a loose braid and tied with a ribbon of whatever color happens to catch her eye that day. Her most striking feature, at least according to Kasumi, is her ears which are, she is forced to admit, quite large. Her eyes also seem to bulge ever so slightly, yet another point Kasumi mentions from time to time. Rather than being self-conscious of these features she has become quite proud of them, feeling they make her unique.

Unlike Kasumi who seems to attract attention wherever she goes, Mizuki tends to prefer flying under the radar, content to stand in Kasumi’s shadow and back her up on the off chance Kasumi ever gets into a situation she can’t handle. Though that hasn’t happened, yet, Mizuki is ready just in case.

Despite Kasumi’s open derision of her boyfriend, Yuto, she does enjoy his company, though she is reluctant to call it anything resembling love, she still is fond of him. He is awkward and cute in a way Kasumi would never understand, and he treats her kindly which is important to her. Although an only child she has always considered Kasumi more like a sister and often spends her free time at Kasumi’s house and has Kasumi over to hers.

Emi Seto: 
Age: 16
Height: 149.8cm (4’11”)
Weight: 39.8kg (86 lbs)
Eye Color: Brown
Hair Color: Black
Measurements: A76, 57, 76 (30A, 22, 30)
Birthplace: Osaka, Kansai, Japan
Hometown: Daisen, Tottori, Japan
Birthday: October 19, 2003
Birth Sign: Libra
Zodiac: Sheep
Blood Type: B

Current Relationship Status: Confessed to?

Bio: Emi loves being alive, plain and simple. She views every day as a new and exciting opportunity to exercise that most basic of pursuits, having fun. She is quick to laugh, quick to smile and quick to make friends. She often acts without thinking and rarely seems to regret when she does. She is never malicious or cruel but can come across as rather dumb when it comes to not being able to control the things she says. She asks questions, sometimes repeatedly in a bid to better understand the world around her and hopefully get some insight into her place in it.

Emi keeps her long hair pulled back in a ponytail with bangs she feels highlights her large eyes. She obsesses a bit over her weight, being a bit underweight, but figures if she continues to eat sweets at the prodigious rate she is she will eventually gain some.

Emi is smarter than she acts though she often finds herself lost if she loses concentration on a subject. Her favorite topics of discussion tend toward the sexual and she is often looked upon as someone who is unafraid of taboo or uncomfortable discussions and, in fact, relishes making others uncomfortable.

Emi has quite a few people she considers friends, though Kasumi and Mizuki are her best friends and she would do anything for them. She admires Kasumi’s cool demeanor and stunning beauty and she has her best discussions with Mizuki, the two playing off each other seamlessly. Though she works part time at a restaurant as a waitress she is constantly broke as her social game addiction keeps her poor.

Aria Somerset:

Age: 16

Height: 165cm (5’5”)

Weight: 56.7kg (125 lbs)

Eye Color: Blue

Hair Color: Blonde

Measurements: C86, 63.5, 86 (34C, 25, 34)

Birthplace: Santa Barbara, California, United States

Hometown: Daisen, Tottori, Japan

Birthday: February 26, 2003

Birth Sign: Pisces

Zodiac: Sheep

Blood Type: B

Current Relationship Status: In a Relationship

Bio: Aria finds the world a confusing place.  Born into a life of relative wealth and privilege afforded her little actual comfort. Her parents, strictly conservative, found her behavior disgraceful, especially her relationship with a fellow female student at the prestigious prep academy she attended. With little patience for their daughter’s behavior she was finally shipped off to live with her uncle, a doctor living in Japan with his wife. Although Aria gets along far better with her new family than with her parents, she is still reminded almost daily of how disappointed everyone in her family has been with her.

Being born with striking beauty, Aria has never found it any comfort. Her long blonde hair curls naturally and her eyes are a bright blue. With her striking features she often finds herself the recipient of attention, especially from males.

Aria is terrible at sports and possesses little ability with most things. She is a below average student and often finds herself overwhelmed easily. Aria finds her propensity to “go with the flow” is often the cause of no small amount of consternation for her. Although possessing a good deal of confidence afforded by her looks and wealth, that confidence is also easily shaken and she finds herself manipulated by those smarter or less scrupulous. Aria’s only talent seems to be her musical ability, being quite good at piano.

Aria is very emotional, making many days a roller coaster ride of a range of emotions she finds exhausting. Though shy she can be very single-minded when she finds something worthwhile, causing her to obsess over the object of her desire. That obsessive propensity often causes trouble since she is also easily upset when her carefully laid plans get upended, though she rarely communicates those plans to the recipient.

Saki Hideki:

Age: 15

Height: 152cm (4’10”)

Weight: 47kg (103 lbs)

Eye Color: Brown

Hair Color: Black

Measurements: C78, 60.6, 87 (33C, 25, 34)

Birthplace: Tottori City, Tottori, Japan

Hometown: Daisen, Tottori, Japan

Birthday: July 18, 2007

Birth Sign: Cancer

Zodiac: Dog

Blood Type: O

Current Relationship Status: Single

Bio: Saki is the second youngest daughter of a big family. With two older sisters, three older brothers, and one younger sister, not to mention many cousins and aunts and uncles she often finds herself dragged along at others’ pace. She is a diligent student with above average intelligence and consistently ranks in the top 10% of students in the school.

Saki spent a good deal of her time in the hospital as she had childhood leukemia and considers herself truly fortunate to have made a complete recovery from her illness and is now cancer free. To give back she volunteers at the hospital’s children’s ward as well as events around town.

Saki is a quiet girl who is uncomfortable speaking to people she doesn’t know well. When she gets truly flustered, she develops a rather pronounced stutter as her mind greatly outpaces her mouth. Although quite pretty she is uncomfortable with attention and tends to keep to herself at school, with a small and intimate group of friends.

Of all the group, she is the only one with concrete plans on what she wants to be when she gets older. She wants to be a pediatric oncologist and help kids like herself.

Komari Kagayama

Age: 24

Height: 162cm (5’4”)

Weight: 49kg (108 lbs)

Eye Color: Brown

Hair Color: Purple/Black

Measurements: C79, 61, 85 (31C, 24, 33)

Birthplace: Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan

Hometown: Daisen, Tottori, Japan

Birthday: May 24, 1996

Birth Sign: Taurus

Zodiac: Rat

Blood Type: O

Current Relationship Status: Single

Bio: Komari has always done things the way she wanted. She got a small inheritance when her grandfather died and managed to quadruple that quickly through playing stocks. She in turn invested that money into real estate, turning the property and making a profit which she invested in more property and so on until she not only had a tidy sum of money, but also a number of properties. Though she’s made a fortune in real estate and stocks, it’s not her passion. Not being one to do things which don’t suit her she purchased a property in Tottori at a bargain and quickly opened the type of shop she wanted. Anime Queen.

From her first time watching Inuyasha when she was 6, she was hooked on the bright, dramatic, thrilling world she found in the tv and later in pages of manga and figures accompanying them. With no inherent talent at art or writing herself she lives in awe of artists, writers, and musicians. Her goal for as long as she could remember was to open a shop of her own. To be surrounded by the talent which eluded her and to immerse herself in the world she’d fallen in love with.

She is loath to disclose too much information beyond the bare minimum and keeps her emotions carefully in check. She can be brusque and business like but how other people view her doesn’t now nor ever has been of any concern for her.

Mio Fujimura:

Age: 13
Height: 147.3cm (4’10”)
Weight: 40.82kg (90 lbs)
Eye Color: Brown
Hair Color: Black
Measurements: B82, 61, 84 (32B, 24, 33)
Birthplace: Daisen, Tottori, Japan
Hometown: Daisen, Tottori, Japan
Birthday: March 23, 2007
Birth Sign: Aries
Zodiac: Pig
Blood Type: AB

Current Relationship Status: Single

Bio: Mio has always taken pride in her mother’s description of her as being “mature for her age.” And views herself as the last hope her sister has of being a proper young lady. Mio values cute as a virtue above all things and is not happy when her older sister ignores that virtue, feeling she is not living up to her potential.

Sharing Kasumi’s beauty Mio is often the object of boys’ attention in her Junior High. She is polite but has no interest in them. Acting like fools and posing and preening as they do is not cute in the least and she has no time for their idiocy. Though far less blunt than her sister, she can very easily make her feelings plain when she needs to.

Mio has begun, however, to realize that the dreams her mother has for her daughters and their own wants and desires might be diametrically opposed. Thus she has become somewhat more suspicious of her mother’s motives, especially when it comes to Kasumi. She has also developed what, in her mind, is a bizarre fascination with Kasumi’s friend Emi who is everything she is not, yet somehow still manages to be cute.