(Ben Levin/30/demiguy + he/him) KEVIN MA has been in Eden Ros for a little over a year, and is from SANTA CRUZ, CA. He is 30 and works at ROSE-TINTED PINT GLASSES as a HANDYMAN/ASSISTANT MANAGER. Rumor has it, they’re a HUMAN associated with UNAFFILIATED. They are RESILIENT and GENEROUS, but also SELF-DEFEATING and IMPULSIVE. (arrow/30+/PST/N/A)
Name: Kevin Ma Occupation: Handyman/Assistant Manager at Rose-Tinted Pint Glasses Age: 30 (July 10) Sexuality: Pansexual Pronouns: He/Him Species: Human Faction: None Hometown: Santa Cruz, California Relationship Status: Single Personality Traits: Impulsive, resilient, generous, insistent, self-defeating, sarcastic, open-minded
Biography (tw: chronic illness, ableism, death)
Santa Cruz was an idyllic place to grow up. Bonfires on the beach and long days at the boardwalk all encompassed Kevin's childhood. The eldest of three and the firstborn son, the belief that he would go on to do 'great things' weighed heavy on his shoulders, even if the words were never spoken aloud. He disappointed at every turn, but it didn't stop him from trying to win his father's approval in whatever manner he could. But no matter what Kevin did, it elicited little reaction from the man who expected everything out of him.
His teenage years were fraught with confusion and self-reflection, making discoveries about himself that he wasn't sure how to talk about. He spent as much time out of the house as he could, finding refuge in a new arcade that opened up on the boardwalk. Bradley and Morgan taught him that it was okay to have his own voice, his own wants and needs that had nothing to do with making his family proud or happy. They provided him with the space he needed to figure out who he wanted to be, something that he tried not to take for granted.
For the first time in his life, it sparked a desire for Kevin to see what else was out there. Santa Cruz was peaceful, almost picture perfect, and after eighteen years, he felt like he had barely scratched the surface of what the world had to offer. New York City on the other hand felt exciting, a place where the limits were whatever he imagined them to be. Kevin really found himself while away at college, growing more comfortable in who he was outside of his family and their expectations and the bubble he had grown up in. He made friends who encouraged him to go beyond what he thought himself capable of, and was able to explore intimacy without feeling like he had to look over his shoulder all of the time.
Three and a half years passed in a whirlwind of debauchery and new experiences. A semester abroad in Scotland expanded his horizons even further, realizing that there was so much more to the world than what existed in his hometown. When he returned to the States, he began to seriously think about his future and what graduation would hold for him. Then, he got sick. At first, he thought it was the flu, from all the excitement of being abroad and taking two flights to get back to the city. The chill settled deep in his bones with an ache he couldn't quite shake, and a fatigue took hold that never seemed to go away. When Kevin finally dragged himself to the campus medical center, he thought they would give him some fluids, prescribe him some antibiotics, and send him on his way. What began instead was a four-month process of being in and out of hospitals, having tests run with inconclusive results, and more questions than answers.
He never earned the final credits he needed to graduate, instead too exhausted to make it to class half the time and running between doctor's offices for the rest. Instead of walking the stage with his peers, he returned to Santa Cruz and moved back in with his family as he worked to stabilize his condition. It wasn't like the movies, where there was a clear diagnosis and a team of doctors who magically knew what to do, with therapies and medicines that worked with no side effects whatsoever. Instead, it entailed a series of frustrating steps, trial and error until he found a routine and regimen that worked for his new normal.
Working at the arcade gave him a semblance of autonomy that he had missed since falling ill. It got him out of the house and allowed him to meet new people, and it reminded him that life didn't stop just because things didn't go as planned. Like everything else in his life thus far, meeting Thierry was unexpected. He was charismatic, but a huge nerd, someone who could make Kevin blush in one moment and pull out an obscure video game reference in the next. A few weeks after Thierry wandered into the arcade for the first time, he kissed Kevin in front of the Galaga machine and the rest was history. For a few short months, he felt like his life was going right for the first time since getting sick.
Then Brad was murdered. Kevin would never forget the look on Morgan's face when she told him. He remembered his cane clattering to the floor as his grip went slack, and his knees wobbling underneath him until Thierry's steady grip eased him into a chair. It felt wrong to sob into his arms in front of Morgan who had lost her other half, but he couldn't help it. The weeks in the aftermath were a blur, and Kevin tried to help out where he could, keeping Charlie occupied while Morgan handled the logistics. Thierry was a solid presence who weathered Kevin's grief with a wisdom that seemed far beyond his age, keeping Kevin grounded when the world seemed to tilt on its axis.
That is, until Thierry was gone too. Kevin waited for three days, expecting to turn around at any moment to see Thierry's warm smile or hear his laugh cutting through the crowd. Each text went unanswered, each one increasing in urgency until one evening, a stranger showed up with Thierry's ring, the one he called a family heirloom. With the subtlety of a sledgehammer, the hunter told Kevin that his boyfriend had been a vampire preying on innocent humans nearby. When Kevin insisted that they were wrong, that Thierry would never hurt someone like that, they gave him a look of thinly-veiled pity.
"If he hadn't yet, it'd only be a matter of time before he did. We probably saved your life."
The reveal of the supernatural hit Kevin hard, losing both Bradley and Thierry in quick succession and in such mysterious ways. When Morgan proposed moving to Eden Ros, he jumped at the chance to leave everything behind and start anew. That said, he had not expected to run straight into a supernatural hotbed. He has spent the last year simply trying to survive, all while slowly learning more about the supernatural and how deeply it is entwined in the human world, all without people like him knowing.
Headcanons
Morgan and Charlie are his family in every way that counts, especially in a completely different continent. He is very protective of both of them and the bar, and he does his best to try and fill Brad's impossibly large shoes.
Kevin has a service dog named Saturn. He rescued her from a local shelter not long after they relocated to Eden Ros, and she has been his constant companion since then. While not formally trained, she has learned how to quickly spot flares and knows how to get help when needed.
Kevin spent about a month in Eden Ros nine years ago when he was studying abroad in Scotland. Because it was the last place Kevin really spent time in before getting sick, he has romanticized the city in his head a bit.
He helps keep the machines at the bar in working order, as well as keeps his own PC updated. Video games, while they might seem childish to others, provide him with the ability to maintain his reflexes and coordination, while also feeling less trapped within his physical circumstances.
Kevin wears Thierry's ring on a chain around his neck for safekeeping. He has no idea if it is some kind of vampire heirloom or missed possession. It's the only thing he has remaining of him.
Kevin is fluent in English and Mandarin, conversational in ASL, and is in the process of learning BSL.
