basics
Name: Hope Kang
Age: 22
DOB: September 17th, 1999
Gender, Pronouns: cis woman, she/her
Sexuality: Straight, but uncertain if thatâs true
Height: 5âČ3
Tattoos/Piercings: No tattoos, single lobe on each ear
background
Hope Kang is the youngest of three children. She was born in Gravewood, and will most likely die there, to. Sheâs not sure itâs something she wants, but then again, sheâs not sure of anything. Raised by an overbearing Mother who wanted nothing less than perfection from every single one of her Children, Hope found herself with few options on where to go. Instead, sheâs sucked it up, and let herself be the perfect child.
She was only just starting High School when her eldest brother, Randal, enlisted. He had just turned eighteen, and saw it as an easy out of town, and was gone in the blink of an eye. Hope never wanted him to go. No overbearing parent was worth putting his life on the line, she tried to tell him that. It was all so stupid, he could save up for an apartment across town instead. Hope would even help him look. But, no. He was determined to fight, see the world, free himself from the tether of parents who would hold his financial instability over his head for years to come. It was six month after being stationed that they got the phone call he had been killed by a landmine. The family grieved, but no one took it harder than Hope in the silence of her bedroom where no one could see her.
A year passed since the loss of her brother, and Hope was thriving academically. Top of her classes, AP courses as a Sophomore, she was the one everyone wanted to cheat off. And, of course, sheâd let them. What was the point in saying no? It was the night that report cards came home when her elder Sister, Elodie, announced her pregnancy to the family. The house erupted into chaos. There was yelling and crying. Elodie packed two bags, and walked out the door before midnight. Hopeâs straight A report card sat stained by a spilled glass of soda on the kitchen table, forgotten.
From then on, Hope was praised as the favorite child. No one had to worry about Hope. Hope got her work done, and got good grades. Hope achieved everything that was set in front of her. Hope did exactly as her parents asked, and did her best to make everyone as happy as possible. What was there to worry about? Sheâd carry on the Kang legacy, following in her Motherâs footsteps as the Housewife extraordinaire. Sheâd have 2.5 kids and a white picket fence of her own, and build the next Gravewood generation.
She graduated Valedictorian, the title wasted on her as she settled with staying home. But, even if she had gone to College, what would she have studied? It wasnât part of the grand plan to get a higher education, and she didnât feel like she had the skills to navigate it on her own. At least staying home she didnât have to figure anything out. Her Mom signed her up for plenty of volunteer work. Sheâll tutor neighbor kids on occasion at her Momâs request, and she picked up a job at her Momâs recommendation at the coffee shop to make some extra money.
There isnât a thing in Hopeâs life that feels like her own. She feels as if sheâs a puppet on strings that will never be cut loose, unaware of her own personality, opinions, and even feelings. Everything about her has felt coerced or trained, and now that sheâs in her twenties, itâs terrifying to her. To be a full grown adult and not know who she is? It leaves a bad taste in her mouth, one that makes her want to scream in the face of her Mother, find a way to escape life in Gravewood. But, sheâs reliant now. She doesnât have the means to be her own person, and wouldnât know where to start even if she did.
The first time sheâd ever felt in control is on some website that her Mom would consider abhorrent. It was an accident that she found it, just wanting a place to talk to someone, anyone, who would listen. It didnât take her long to realize that the people there didnât seem to be interested in conversation. It would have been so easy to log off, and look the other way. But, people wanted to know her, and compliment her. It filled her with something to know she wasnât little miss perfect to the people on this website. She wasnât the High School know-it-all that did every group project on her own or the Valedictorian that attended Church every Sunday without fail. She was just some girl named Hope, that they found beautiful and lovely. And, she was hooked.Â
No one taught her the rules. She didnât know that she was supposed to hide her face, block her IP address, and keep identifiers out of her frame. For Hope, this was all just a thrill seeking adventure. It made her feel good, and everything else seemed to fall by the wayside because of it. Until, one night, she logged on to see her name scrawled across a piece of paper in black sharpie. Only then did she see her reckless behavior for what it was. The stranger insisted he meant her no harm. It just seemed like a good way to get her attention because he wanted to get to know her better.Â
Hope was hesitant at first, but the stranger told her so much about himself that it started to seem innocent enough. He really seemed to want a friend, and thatâs all she wanted, too. Someone she could tell about the struggles of living at home with an overbearing Mother. Feeling like she was going nowhere in life fast. He wanted to meet, and asked time and time again, but Hope always turned the offer down. But with everyday that passes, feeling more and more like a caged bird, Hope has to wonder if it might just be worth it.
headcanons
â Hope still lives at home with her parents, citing the fact that she doesnât want to upset her Mom by leaving her with an empty nest. In reality, Hope wouldnât move more than down the street, too petrified by the idea of her familyâs reaction if she were to ever leave town. But, itâs cheaper to stay in their house, so thatâs what she does.Â
â Hopeâs Father, Richard, avoids being home as much as possible to avoid dealing with his overbearing wife. He desperately wants to connect to Hope, but has no idea how, since Susan has morphed her into a perfect carbon copy of herself. Hope feels very little connection to her Father because of this divide, feeling like the only warmth she gets from him is when they pose for the family Christmas Card.
â Hope tried to stay in touch with her older Sister, Elodie, when she moved out. It was secret correspondence, all traces immediately wiped from her phone. But, when the baby was born, and Elodie asked Hope to steal money from their parents, Hope cut ties. Stealing (even if it was for her own flesh and blood) would end in disaster for Hope, and she couldnât handle the idea of ending up like Elodie.
â Hope worries that sheâs never had an original thought. When asked for her individual opinion, she almost always conforms to the person in front of her and what theyâd like to hear her say. Itâs a point of contention with most people, but the fear of God has been struck into her to never anger anyone. Itâs part of the reason she struggles to maintain friendships.






