(no subject)
What do you know about this character now that s/he doesn’t yet know?
That she's smart. Not just smart, but capable of doing much larger things than she lets herself. It isn't that she thinks she's stupid, necessarily, just that she isn't capable of being as good at life as others.
What is this character’s greatest flaw?
The lack of thoughtfulness she can often display. Kate's still at a place in her life where she thinks she's owed something because of everything she's gone through with Tara. She thinks somehow that it's okay to treat people without much regard.
What do you know about this character that s/he would never admit?
That she wants to be with someone dependable, someone whose love is incapable of going anywhere, someone who will stick with her through anything, but also that she isn't deserving of this. It's easier not to think about trying to find someone for the long haul when she can't believe that anyone would honestly stick with someone forever. Even watching her dad with her mom, she's still convinced that he has to want to leave at least some of the time.
What is this character’s greatest asset?
She might not think she's going to find someone to stick with her, but she's pretty damn confident beyond that. There's the regular second guessing and insecurity of anyone, but overall, she's confident in herself. It's easier for Kate to list the things she likes about herself than the things she doesn't, even at her most cynical. Those things she doesn't like are also things she won't admit to others very often either. Marshall might get a peek at it here and there and some of her closer friends can probably see things, but she doesn't talk about them very often.
If this character could choose a different identity, who would s/he be?
Princess Valhalla Hawkwind! Or Nordic. Or Beth or Jill or Teresa or any other random name she could come up with at the time. Lying about who she is and hiding behind a costume or a different identity is something that Kate does more than once in canon and has done more than once on the island. She doesn't do it to hurt people, although in time it probably will, but she does it because it's easier than being herself at the moment.
What music does this character sing to when no one else is around?
The same music she sings to when people ARE around. One of the benefits of being relatively confident is that she's also fairly unselfconscious and isn't easily embarrassed. Music, whatever it is she's listening to, isn't something she's embarrassed about and doesn't care what people might think of whatever she's singing. That said, she probably sings alone if it's the music she's trying to write. (And not doing very well with, might I add.)
In what or whom does this character have the greatest faith?
Her family. Particularly Marshall. Tara can obviously be unreliable and although she has great faith in Max, Marshall, as far as she's concerned, is the strongest one of the whole group. She wouldn't say it, but she admires him and even when he's going through things that are difficult, she always trusts him to be there for her, too. Even if he's being a smart ass about it.
What is this character’s favorite movie?
She watches most movies while stoned, so all of them. Currently Sucker Punch, not because it's good, but because it looks pretty when she's high. She also really likes Hitchcock movies, in particular Young & Innocent.
Does this character have a favorite article of clothing? Favorite shoes?
Anything sparkly or brightly coloured. The dresses she's collected are especially important to her. They're bright and beautiful and she almost looks like an adult when she's wearing them.
Does this character have a vice? Name it.
Sex. She wasn't particularly smart or safe about it for most of her teenage years and now she's just about going crazy not having sex. She started having sex too young and used it as a way to get people to stay with her or like her more and as a result of that, often thinks guys will only ever be interested in her for sex.
Name this character’s favorite person (living or dead).
Tara Gregson. She might blame her mom's illness for things she does, she might freak out at Tara, she might resent her sometimes or think that things would be better off if she just went back on her medication, but she loves her mother. There is no one in this world as important as Tara. In canon, when Marshall is justifiably angry at Tara and Kate knows he's in the right, she still tries to convince him to come around. She might not aspire to be like her mother, but she is the most loved person in Kate's life.
What is this character’s secret wish?
To find her place. To discover where she's supposed to be and what she's supposed to be doing. Though she doesn't try to conform and isn't interested in fitting in with what's 'normal', she still wishes to find her place, whatever it might be.
What is this character’s proudest achievement?
High school diploma, bitches! That sucker is hers (early) and now she doesn't have to go back. Also, it may be a bit twisted, but she's proud that she's convinced Marshall to attend the raves and actually DO THE DRUGS. And he occasionally loosens up as a result. This is a big deal for her.
Describe this character’s most embarrassing moment.
Walking out of that restaurant bathroom, soap in her mouth and smeared all over her face. As I said above, she isn't easily embarrassed, but having one of her mother's alters physically attack her in a public place was pretty bad. She still hasn't really forgiven Alice for that, even if the time and distance have killed her anger a little bit.
What is this character’s deepest regret?
Right now, without her parents on the island, she regrets not being kinder to them when she could be. She regrets being so mad at her mom before she arrived here, she regrets giving both her parents such a hard time when they were really doing their best.
What is this character’s greatest fear?
Never seeing the rest of her family again. Always being defined by her 'crazy mother' because she lets herself be defined that way. Always embracing that definition, because it means she doesn't have to come up with anything for herself.
Describe this character’s most devastating moment.
I wouldn't use the word devastating to describe much of Kate's life up to this point. Even with Tara's DID, she's had a good life with relatively little in the way of real problems or trauma. Discovering that her mother not only had new alters, but was also hiding them was probably the closest her life comes to actually being devastating. Finding out that Buck was carrying on a relationship behind Max's back was pretty bad, too, even though she wouldn't think of it as being that bad. Her reaction was fairly standard, but it shook her trust in her parents pretty seriously.
Kate, though, would probably describe a lot of things as devastating, just to be as dramatic as possible. T stretching out her skinny jeans is probably near the top of that list.
What is this character’s greatest achievement?
She would never say it, but she thinks she's a pretty good sister to Marshall, encouraging drug use aside. What she wants is for him to be happy and even though she isn't exactly conventional, she still does her best to make sure he is.
What is this character’s greatest hope?
That everything turns out okay. That she finds something that holds her interest for longer than thirty seconds. They're relatively simply hopes still. They might always be simple hopes.
Does this character have an obsession? Name it.
Her obsessions come and go. Currently, she's pretty much obsession free.
What is this character’s greatest disappointment?
The discovery that she was different from other kids, that her mom was crazy and that people talked about it and laughed about it. She was young when it happened, still in grade school, but it was still such a disappointment, realizing what other people were like when someone was different and realizing that she was the different one.
What is this character’s worst nightmare?
Tara getting worse and worse until not only does she have to be committed, but Max leaves. He leaves them all. He leaves Marshall and Kate alone with their mother, but their mother is gone, too, because she's not really Tara anymore. She's everyone and she's no one and in the end, they don't have either parent. Both of them are gone.
Whom does this character most wish to please? Why?
Various men. Britta Perry. Hermione Granger. The men because there's still a part of her that wants to find that person who will stay, like her father does. Britta, because she thinks of her as family, almost, and wants to... not impress her, exactly, because family doesn't need to be impressed. She wants her to stay around, though. And Hermione because she's the type of girl Kate can never imagine herself being and she likes being around her.
Describe this character’s mother.
Anyone who knows Kate likely knows that Tara Gregson has DID and that, at times, this was difficult for her daughter. What they don't know is that, for all her faults, Tara is a kind hearted person who loves her children and who is in pain when her alters hurt them. She's strong willed and smart and she wants to get better. She loves Kate and Marshall with all her heart, loves her husband just as much and Kate knows these things, but she doesn't talk about them very much. She's clever and quirky and does ridiculous things that embarrass Kate sometimes (apparently not being easily embarrassed does not extend to her mother) but she's also the person Kate will always turn to when she needs to.
Describe this character’s father.
Max Gregson is the man that all men will be compared to. Sorry, dudes, you have a lot to live up to. Max might have a small anger problem, but that's sort of understandable, given the life he's led. But he's also loyal and steadfast and understanding. Even when he doesn't understand things, he often does his best to accept them, though sometimes that ends with a turducken being thrown at a wall. He's the mediator between Tara's alters and their children, sometimes even between Tara herself and the kids.
If s/he had to choose, with whom would this character prefer to live?
Eventually they'll get too old for it, but for now, it's Marshall. They're so different that they bring out the best in each other, though sometimes it's a battle to bring that part out. And even when he's being annoying and pretentious, she still loves him and she'd prefer to live with him because he's seen all of her shit and he still has to be her brother.
Where does this character fall in birth order? What effect does this have?
She's the older child and it seems like she and Marshall have switched characteristics that the first and last born usually seem to have. They are very close in age, though, so Kate doesn't necessarily see herself as being that much older than Marshall. There was no period of adjustment or jealousy when he was born, because Kate was barely a year old herself and doesn't remember life without him around. She's more wild of the two, less concerned with responsibility or being put together and adult, though she also envies that in Marshall.
Describe this character’s siblings or other close relatives.
Put together, responsible and a little uptight are all things that describe Moosh. But he's also ridiculously loving, pays incredible attention to detail, has drive and ambition that Kate wishes she had. He's smart in a way she isn't, just as quick with words (although in a slightly different way) and he takes care of her when she needs it.
Charmaine Craine is Kate's aunt (Tara's sister) and is self-absorbed and can be kind of a bitch about Tara's DID. She doesn't make the best decisions, which is probably part of why Kate likes her as much as she does. She doesn't like when Charmaine gives her mom a hard time, but there are a lot of Charmaine's traits that Kate has picked up along the way and the two are fairly similar in many ways.
Describe this character’s bedroom. Include three cherished items.
Pink, bright, a little childish. There is the usual bed, night table, desk, computer, closet filled with clothes. Her name is on the door, there are places on the wall that have to be repainted because of a hole she's made that has to be refilled. Three things in her room that she loves: The photo album Alice made her. Her iPod (it's pink!) and a purple stuffed dragon that she's had as long as she can remember.
What is this character’s birth date? How does this character manifest traits of his/her astrological sign?
Kate's (non-canon) birthdate is June 28, making her a Cancer. Moody, prone to hiding things, tenacious, those are traits that she very much embodies, as well as the desire to do anything to protect her loved ones. There are other traits that aren't like Kate at all, but it's a sign she fits relatively well.
If this character had to live in seclusion for six months, what six items would s/he bring?
(Assuming food, water and shelter are readily available.)
- Her brother (Which would change the whole seclusion thing, but Kate doesn't do seclusion well.)
- Her laptop
- A vibrator
- A comfortable pillow
- Her iPod
- A bottle of alcohol
Why is this character angry?
Because her mother is sick and never seems to get any better and it makes their lives difficult. Because people judge her based on this, because people judge her mother and her family. Because people are cruel to them sometimes and no one deserves that. She's angry that Tara didn't tell her about the new alters and she's angry with Max for not being more honest sometimes. She's angry that Tara carried on an affair with Pammy and knew about it and kept it to herself. She's angry that she can't just seem to hold onto the things she wants, that something will always be there to grab it from her. Because Tara changed her friendship with Lynda and then Lynda changed their family dynamic without even knowing who they are or what they need. She's angry that she can't seem to make a decision or focus on anything for longer than a few days. That she can't follow through with things, that she doesn't know who she's supposed to be when she grows up.
What calms this character?
As easily as they infuriate her, her family can calm her down. Music, her bedroom, being alone sometimes, having a distraction. Making money. Taking off when things get tough, getting out of Overland Park (or the Compound) and doing something different. Lying. Pretending she's someone else.
Describe a recurring dream or nightmare this character might have.
At first the water is pleasant, she's swimming or having a shower and there's nothing out of the ordinary happening. Somehow (she never remembers how or when) the water starts to get too strong or too high. The shower stall fills and she can't push the door open. The current grabs her and pulls her under. She wakes up before she drowns.
List the choices (not circumstances) that led this character to his/her current predicament.
Her only current predicament would be the jail predicament, so the obvious choice that led to that is the drug use. Kate often makes choices that end badly; drug and alcohol use, sex without protection or much thought, reacting without thinking, possibly starting a web cam business, which luckily didn't get too far before she ended up on the island.
List the circumstances over which this character has no control.
Her mother's DID is the big one. It's difficult to get past something like that, even when she tries or really, really wants to.
What wakes this character in the middle of the night?
For all the things she's dealt with, her life is relatively stress free. The occasional nightmare will pop up and wake her up, but she doesn't often have difficulty falling or staying asleep.
How would a stranger describe this character?
Loud, straightforward, kind of annoying, maybe. Rude. 'That loud blonde girl with all the hair'.
What does this character resolve to do differently every morning?
Nothing. Despite making bad decisions, Kate doesn't often think that she's the one who needs to change. She's relatively happy, despite the things that get her down now and then.
Who depends on this character? Why?
She wouldn't think that anyone depends on her. But despite what she thinks, Marshall does, at least a little.
If this character knew s/he had exactly one month to live, what would s/he do?
Panic. She'd probably be angry for most of that month. She might take advantage of the lack of consequences she'd have to face at some point, but as she isn't one for rules in general, she might not do much that was different. There would be a lot of anger, though, and a lot of 'Why me?' going on.
How would a dear friend or relative describe this character?
Loud, opinionated, sarcastic, smart, funny, witty, maybe prone to making bad decisions, but big hearted and loyal.
What is this character’s most noticeable physical attribute?
Her hair. There's a lot of it, especially now on the island, since she hasn't cut it in about a year. Or her legs. They're pretty damn long.
What is this character hiding from him/herself?
This will all end.
Write one additional thing about your character.
She has a tattoo on her hip. It matches Tara's; they got them together and she doesn't think about it very often, but it's there and it reminds her of happiness.