Ethan Karmon
Male
18
May 12
A young man born and raised in America with English ties. He has relatives living in London and he keeps up with them regularly. He used to attend Morres Jameson High but that will soon change.
Appearance:
Ethan proudly stands at a staggering 6’3. He was among the tallest in his grade at the time. He always was a tall boy after all. His light brown eyes could seem to turn a more hazel color in the sunlight but in the darker, drearier months his eyes appear their same stoic brown. Given his height he compliments this with his short, brown hair. He rarely styles it as he is a great proponent of just taking the brush to it after a shower and calling it good. He does have a tendency to forget this and leave the house with a bit of bedhead sometimes. His figure is about average for his grade. Not that muscular given he does not participate in sports but he keeps himself active enough to give off the illusion that he might be a more athletic individual.
Persona:
Background:
Ethan was born into a rather pleasant family in the cold state of Minnesota. When the boy was about 6 his family was to be blessed with another child, a younger sister for Adam. Though this dream was cut short on that fateful day in the hospital waiting room. Adam was far too young for the hospital setting so he was subjected to remain at home with a sitter while his parents were off. They did not return for three days and this not only made Ethan antsy, but the Sitter extremely worried. The sitter would get small answers and pieces of information here and there but nothing too concrete. Only that the parents would be returning shortly. Just two long days later, in the dreary winter evening Adam’s parents returned. Adam was expecting his parents to come home with the little sister he was promised but instead his parents returned with nothing but a detrimental burden they both blamed themselves for.
Ethan did not understand the situation as a child. He was too little to even exactly understand what an “ICU” was or why his sister was being forced to stay there. All he knew was that he wanted to see her, and he was unaware why his parents were so teary eyed and red faced. Fast forward about 3 weeks things only got worse. His parents spent most of their time alternating their lives at the Hospital where his sister was being held. If he was to recall it, it would seem his sister had been born much too early and parts of her body had yet to fully develop. Given he was a child he had no idea what this meant as to him every child seemed to be somewhat the same. Little did he know his constant questions and curiosity would only be one of the main factors in his parent’s frustration and confusion. His parents led rather prestigious lives. His father was a seasoned architect who housed one of the more prominent firms in the state and his mother was a very persuasive and powerful international business woman. So his parents being gone for work was not anything new to him and was a common thing growing up.
Another week rolled by and the situation with his sister finally climaxed. On January 17th his sister was pronounced dead in the unit she was staying at. This tormented his parents but… Ethan was still confused. No one was telling him anything and every time he asked it seemed to only make things worse.
2 years passed and life had completely changed for the now 8 year old Ethan. A bit more mature for his age given the things he had been through, he had become a quieter and reserved child. His father had taken to the bottle and his mother buried herself in her work. During the month of August things in the Karmon family would reach their boiling point. Ethan had learned to never talk or ask about his sister but his parents only started to fight. The fought and fought until a small confrontation between the two sent things over the edge. A divorce quickly followed and Adam was left with his just mother as his father left the picture.
Time moved on and old wounds healed as best they could. It only hit Adam in his early teens that what he had been through and what his parents had been through was something out of a movie or tv show. However, this was not uncommon. Sadly enough, these kinds of things happened to a lot of families and thankfully Ethan and his parents handled the divorce fairly well all things considered. Ethan was enrolled at Morres Jameson High where his mother was a member of the PTA. A very active one at that. During his time at school he made a great deal of very close friends. They would sleep over at each other’s houses, play games outside go on trips and all just grow incredibly close to each other. He was able to experience a lot of “firsts” in his life, just like taking a crush to a dance.
Ethan’s grades in school were exceptionally well. Especially in history and the sciences. Those were the two subjects that fascinated the boy the most. On one hand he could learn about the past and see how other civilizations worked with each other, and on the other he could learn and comprehend the complexities of the world around him. Well… as best as the early junior high level of science and history could get him. Little did Adam know that his mother was on the verge of a pretty prestigious promotion that would change the boy’s life forever. Early in the summer months when Ethan was just 17 his mother began to make him visit her office at work. She wanted him to meet her bosses and coworkers and get a good feel for the world of business. Shortly after these awkward meetings he realized why she was doing this. She didn’t want him to be completely shocked when he was asked to join her for their next board meeting. As the meeting droned on he had no idea what his purpose in being here was. Then, it hit him. His mother knew about it but her promotion to business and statistical manager of the company’s new branch was what they were celebrating. However, this new branch was part of their new overseas initiative and the location was based in Japan. Odaiba to be precise. It was there that Ethan was told that at the end of the summer he and his mother would be moving to Odaiba to start their new lives.
He begged and pleaded with her but there was nothing he could do. Given how things were in the States he couldn’t even try anything unless he was 18. But he was one year shy, and he didn’t even have a job or a plan or anything. The boy simply did not want to abandon his friends…
But, there was no stopping this. His summer was way too short. It was filled with great but sad memories and constant changes in moving plans and plan scheduling. The company had offered them a jet to take since her mom would her vehicle and everything. The house in Odaiba had already been decided on and while it was rather nice, Ethan was still quite upset. The last month of his summer was interrupted by impromptu Japanese lessons that he did his best to remember, but the language was so confusing for him that he could barely focus. Not to mention the fact that his life was being turned upside down.
The day finally came and he and his mother said their goodbyes and boarded the jet for Japan. The flight was long. Music, video games and the occasional movie did not help the feeling in his gut at all. While on this flight he was able to do some hard thinking… how would life be different if he and his mom had stayed together? Did his dad even want him around? He actually never visited them… but was that because his mom didn’t want him to? Regardless, that was the past. With their feet firmly planted on Japanese soil, Ethan figured it was time to… start over once again.
Life was certainly difficult. Even after all of the unpacking and switching to the new house was done he still didn’t feel ready. The language barrier was difficult to overcome and he had no friends. He was in a new time zone and his mother was usually always busy with work. Ethan learned shortly after this that he would be attending his final years of High School at a local Japanese school. His mother ensured him that it was a very prestigious school and that he would enjoy it there. How was he supposed to do this? He was an English transfer student! A few months went by and Adam celebrated a rather random and uneventful birthday party. Ethan befriended one of the drivers the company had hired to take him and his mother to an from her work as well as placed they needed to go for governmental work. He was a very kind and elderly man who spoke exceptionally good English. He helped Ethan translate some things and work on his Japanese as well as be there for him when he needed. The man served as a wonderful figure for Ethan to talk to as he seemed to be so incredibly knowledgeable.
The day finally came where Ethan and his mother would venture to the school he was set to attend before the semester started. The school was known as Asuka Academy. There he met the principal, his homeroom teacher as well as a number of the other faculty members. All of them were incredibly friendly and rather helpful to Ethan. He was told that his work would be given to him through English books and he would have extra workbooks to help him work through the problems in Japanese. The teachers assured him that if they would call on him for a question they would do their best to either speak English, or help him work through the Japanese. He was here to learn after all.
Resigned to this being his life he merely accepted it. He didn't know what to expect after all. With his school ID in hand and his textbooks picked up he and his mother made their way home. He had been given a new Asuka Academy uniform to boot. The cultural differences would be rather difficult to adhere to at first given how much had changed in his life. But, this was it now. Ethan calmly told himself that things could only get better. Who knows what the future has in store for him.
Personality:
Ethan is naturally quiet and those that gaze at him when he isn't looking might swear he looks angry or displeased. But this is simply how he gazes out at the world when he is in thought. Given how quiet he is he is a heavy thinker. He will spend hours in thought during classes or even social settings where he isn't the one being talked to. While he remains quiet he is also gathering information and listening to those that are talking. He can remember small details and things that the person talking to him swore he would have forgotten.
However, when he is around those he likes, or his close friends he seems to come out of a shell so to speak. He loves hanging out and enjoying the company of close friends more than anything. His personality used to be that of a more outgoing and almost bubbly type back when he was with his friends in the states. But life has changed and so has he.
He seems and feels quite mature for his age. He has maintained his same figure so he has kept up with being energetic in terms of exercise and outdoor activities. Though moving to this crowded city has changed that just a bit. He doesn't like to lead as to his detriment he is afraid of failure and what those around him would say if they saw him mess up. Along the lines of his flaws he tends to overthink things to a degree where it could hurt his relationships. He isn't afraid to speak what is on his mind and even though he might be quiet, he won't hesitate to help a friend.
