KARINA

the main character

Karina got cabin fever on day 1 of quarantine. She FaceTimes at least three people a day, for hours at a time. And when she's not FaceTiming, she's intruding on her brother Morten's privacy. (But hey, that's what happens when he locks himself in his room for hours on end.)

However, does she do online schooling? . . . Of course not. Ever since her school announced that the last semester would not affect her overall GPA, she hasn't even looked at the coursework, much less thought about it. Instead, she spends her days yearning to go outside and talk with people.

And yeah, sometimes she sneaks out of the house - with a mask - and explores the woods outside of her house. But to be fair, they're not that crowded (at least, not anymore).

MORTEN

Karina's brother, the nerd, and the morally upright

Morten isn't having a horrible time with quarantine. He's found that he prefers online schooling to in-person schooling, although he's been struggling with the technology piece. Why can't teachers mail him the necessary materials instead of using the Internet? He much prefers using his textbook, rather than Zoom lectures.

But he's been studying and learning more than ever before! Since fishing isn't really an option right now, reading has taken priority. He read thirty nonfiction books last week alone. And he's also been taking handwritten notes (his favorite) for a research project he's working on. No, the research project isn't required for school. It's just for fun.

All his friends think that Morten has dropped off the face of the earth because he hasn't contacted them at all since quarantine started. He's just fine with that.

And by the way, don't mention the word "coronavirus" near him, because he's legitimately terrified of it. It's the other reason why he won't leave his room.

LYSANDER

the mom friend

The minute online schooling was announced, Lysander went immediately to his Passion Planner and planned out the next three months of life, along with setting up a new daily routine. Unlike a bunch of his fellow classmates whose lives become disorganized and chaotic, HIS life is scheduled out to the minute. From waking up at 4:30 AM and doing a rigorous exercise routine, to getting homework done the day it's assigned (getting straight As in the process), Lysander has Got It Together.

But Karina's FaceTimes keep throwing off this schedule, and it annoys him to no end. Even though he loves talking with her, he urges her to FaceTime at 5 PM precisely, rather than picking random times throughout the day. She doesn't listen.

On the other hand, Lysander wishes that his father didn't have to work at home, because now he's stuck with Towering Expectations constantly. Despite his busy schedule, his father still thinks he can do more and insists that he do all the chores of the house. All of them.

Lysander didn't plan for this.

SYLVE

the cynic

Sylve believes that the virus is completely political, and so she's taken to Twitter to scream at people constantly. She got 2k followers on her first day, but also a lot of hate comments. She takes great pride in being salty in replies to said hate comments, claiming that she's "outspoken."

In between her Twitter usage, she spends her days watching a ton of YouTube videos and starting all the TV shows she meant to watch, but never did. She only does the bare minimum for her classes because there are more important social issues to attend to!

She also got a kitten that she loves with all her heart. Its name is Misty.

IRIS

the ray of sunshine + cinnamon roll #1

Iris's mental health has really gone off the deep end. Her typically happy-go-lucky attitude is replaced with tears and gloom when she's alone. So she makes sure that she's almost never alone. She spends a lot of time with her siblings, of which there are many, helping them with schoolwork as best she can. She attends all her Zoom classes - not because she cares about the class, but because she needs that human interaction.

But when she can't talk with anybody, she plays some happy pop music and practices sewing and handlettering! She's been meaning to try them for forever, but she's never gotten the chance.

She's not particularly afraid of the virus: she's never once gotten sick, due to her amazing immune system. The only reason she stays indoors is because no one else will go out with her. And Karina doesn't go walking in the woods as much anymore.

ASPEN

#authorfavorite + the quiet one + cinnamon roll #2

Aspen has basically quarantined his entire life, so he makes no adjustment in his schedule. In fact, he's so comfortable with quarantine that Lysander feels compelled to FaceTime him every day to make sure that Aspen hasn't become one with his bedroom.

He spends most of the day tending to the myriad of plants he grows in his bedroom. He has names for them all, but he doesn't tell them to anyone - names are personal things, after all! Otherwise, he takes naps and does a lot of thinking. He only does schoolwork when he's bored.

Two months in, his siblings force him to get a job at a grocery store to help pay the bills, and he's absolutely miserable. He doesn't mind wearing masks, as it gives him a sense of anonymity, but the small talk he has to take part in absolutely kills him.

Aspen has no idea what's happening in the rest of the world. He stopped looking at the news three years ago and never looked back.

KAI

the angsty one

Kai decided to start a one-man band featuring himself. He started learning electric guitar and bought a drum kit off of Amazon. Lately, he's been writing super-emo songs with titles such as "Bleeding For You" and "Darkness of the Sword." He thinks he's being poetic. No one has the heart to tell him that his sounds sound like trash.

He tried to FaceTime Karina at 1 AM a few times, but she's since blocked him.

Kai doesn't think the virus is that big of a deal. He's been advocating for places to reopen since day one. And he thinks he's being edgy by not wearing a mask. But all he does is get strange looks from Wal-Mart employees because his dark hair is curling past his shoulders and he doesn't ever put it in a ponytail.
*deep breath*

If you made it through all of that, THANK YOU. That was a lot of characters, but I genuinely enjoyed spending 67k words with them. except not Kai. I don't like Kai. we have a very love-hate relationship

I don't really know what I'm going to do next in my writing life. I have some ideas, but nothing certain yet. One thing's for sure, though: Project Chaos is going on the back burner for the next few months.

Now excuse me while I proceed to collapse from sleep deprivation.

-Nicole <3