Name: Kevin Ma Occupation: Assistant Manager at Retrocity / Sex Worker Age: 30 (July 10) Sexuality: Pansexual Pronouns: He/Him Species: Human Hometown: Port Leiry, Oregon Relationship Status: Single Personality Traits: Chaotic, resilient, generous, insistent, sarcastic, open-minded
Biography (tw: chronic illness, mentions of parental death)
Growing up in Port Leiry as a human is a bit of a strange experience, but not in any way that Kevin knows how to articulate. From an early age, he simply accepted that there were unexplained things in the world and trying to dig for answers about it caused more issues than they were worth. He'd grown up hearing the local legends and stories from his cousins and parents. It was fun, particularly around Halloween, but he's never given much more thought to it beyond that. If people want to go around claiming that they're witches, then he's not going to tell them they can't.
But it did spark a desire for Kevin to see what else was out there. He was looking for the stability and certainty that never seemed to be present in Port Leiry. There was always just something unsettlingly off. New York City on the other hand felt exciting but familiar through books and movies. Kevin really found himself while at NYU, growing more comfortable in who he was outside of his family and their expectations. He made friends who encouraged him to go beyond what he thought himself capable of, and Kevin began to see a future himself that was more than just returning home to take over his father’s business one day.
Kevin couldn't even call these the best-laid of plans, but they are inevitably derailed when he gets sick during his sophomore year. At first, he just thinks it's the flu, a chill settling deep in his bones with an ache he can't quite shake. But then he starts to feel fatigue that never seems to go away, and finally he drags 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 returns to Port Leiry two and a half years after he leaves it, moving back in with his parents and taking a year off to stabilize his condition. It's not like the movies, where there's a firm diagnosis and doctors magically know what to do. Instead, it's a series of frustrating steps, trial and error until he finds a routine and regimen that works for him. He's not strong enough to leave home again, so he enrolls at Tideview, finishing out his degree in computer science while trying to find yet another path to follow.
His father dies just as he's graduating, and it feels like yet another sign to get him to remain in Port Leiry. Kevin gets the job at Retrocity initially because he's been one of its best customers since the arcade opened. And when Galaga goes down right as he's about to get the high score again, he decides he wants to learn how to get the machine working again. When he's not exchanging tickets for prizes or tinkering with the out of order machines, he's often playing the games himself, equal parts a hobby and a way to keep his motor functions in shape.
The Game So Far
Kevin has a rude introduction to the existence of the supernatural when he stumbles on Aria feeding from Autumn behind Alleycatz. It becomes clear that the folk stories that he’s heard his entire life are more than just tall tales. From there, things seem to descend into madness rapidly. First, it’s Aria, then Jude, then Autumn, then Tressa. Everyone around him seems to be moving on to bigger and better things while he remains stuck, coming up on the ten-year anniversary of falling ill in the first place.
His mother makes a failed run for mayor, and he learns that money is tight since his dad passed. The part-time job at Retrocity is a labor of love, but it doesn’t do much in terms of paying the bills, and he wouldn’t dare ask Morgan for a raise. A chance encounter with Kali Shukla has her making him a job offer that he’s unable to refuse. He tells his mom not to worry about it when he hands her the extra money, and her relieved smile makes it worth it.
Plot Ideas
Arcade Customers - Kevin’s been a long-standing fixture at the arcade since he was in high school, first as a customer, and then as an employee. Unlike Morgan, he’s a bit more up to date on recent games so he’s happy to nerd out over the latest Soulsborne game or JRPG.
Clients (One Night Stands or Regulars) - Kevin is new at sex work but not necessarily inexperienced. However, doing sex work in the city he grew up in could also potentially lead to some uncomfortable conversations.
Connections
Boss Mom (Morgan Moss) - Kevin’s relationship with his mom isn’t nearly as fraught as the one he had with his dad, but there are a great many things that they don’t talk about. For those topics, Kevin goes to Morgan. She and Brad were the first adults he came out to, and he is able to be vulnerable with her in a way that he could never be with his own mother.
The Bestie (Aria Boughton) - Kevin met Aria while attending NYU together, and they kept in touch after he moved back home. When she moved to Port Leiry, they fell back in with each other like no time had passed at all. He found it easy to integrate Aria into his life at the arcade and is glad that she seems to have found some semblance of happiness here.
The Found Sister (Autumn Howell) - He was mostly only making polite small talk when he struck up a conversation with the girl behind the counter at Alleycatz, but he quickly finds that Autumn has a sharp wit and dark sense of humor that makes him laugh. She’s quickly become an important part of his life, made more prevalent with her relationship to Aria.
The First Love (Jude Grigsby) - At first, it was easy to brush it off as hanging at the arcade or playing video games together, but it became harder to explain away when they were sneaking kisses in Kevin’s truck or behind Retrocity. Kevin doesn’t blame Jude for the way things ended, as it became obvious that they aren't the same kids they once were.
The Devil (Viktoria Lomidze and Kali Shukla) - For whatever reason, Kevin has grabbed the attention of two very old and very powerful vampires. He’s fine.
