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 Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 8:34 am
Name: Kathryn McAdams Nickname: Kat, KitKat (Only those she gives permission to can use the last name) Age: 19 Birthday: June 10 Sign: Gemini Gemstone: Alexandrite (traditional) Blood Type: A- Fav. Food: Pasta - Kathryn's partial to a broad range of pasta and will eat most types but her favorites are spaghetti and lasagna. Hated Food: Seafood. If it comes from the ocean there is a good chance that Kathryn will turn up her nose. This applies to freshwater fish as well. Hobbies: Reading -- It is a solid guarantee that Kathryn will always have one book close by for times when there is free time to be found. Kathryn's passion for the written word started when her parents would read to Kathryn when she was a child. As she learned to read for herself the urge to expand her literary world grew exponentially. Instead of buying makeup and jewelry Kathryn spent her money on books. Kathryn's favorite genre of books would be Fantasy and Science-Fiction. Her collection at home reflects her love for the genre. Kathryn doesn't really have favorites authors as she will read anything within her two favorite genres of books. If she likes it enough the first time most likely it'd be sought out and added to her collection. She is a frequent visitor to the Destiny City Library and is considering applying for a job in the one place that feels like a second home. Stuffed Up -- Besides collecting books Kathryn has a secondary guilty pleasure ... stuffed animals. Her parents tend to turn a blind eye to their daughter's ever-growing collection. Kathryn sees herself as a rescuer of abandoned stuffed critters. If there is nothing in the stores that catches her eye she will seek out stuffed animals from garage sales and second-hand stores. The animal must still be intact in order for Kathryn to take it home with her. Not all stuffed animals that she brings home stay there though. There are times when attachments must be broken and usually Kathryn will end up donating the toys to a good cause. Nature Enthusiast -- The local flora and fauna fascinate Kathryn even though she’s been in Destiny City her entire life. There is always some new lesson to learn about the world in which she lives in and she strives to understand everything. To this effect Kathryn likes to take walks usually by herself into the woods. Usually she'll take along a book from the library on flora and fauna as a reference guide to what she might encounter. It is on these solo trips that Kathryn might decide that there is something worth taking home. Usually it'll be flowers that she will collect. Once she arrives home she'll preserve the cutting that she takes by sealing it in wax paper. There will be times though when she'll partake in an organized nature walk being hosted by different societies. The weather is also tied into nature in her mind. Kathryn will sit and watch a thunderstorm just for the sheer pleasure gained from watching the climate shift and change. It soothes her in a way that can’t be explained. No artwork of nature though adorns Kat's walls. She prefers to keep images that she finds on the internet stored in folders on her computer. Cooking -- This is a budding interest that Kathryn is starting to grow fond of. She likes to spend time quietly amassing ingredients and putting them together in just the right way to create something delicious. As it is just a hobby she is growing into there are a lot of times that what she is trying to cook turns out horribly wrong. She will try to pick up pointers from watching cooking programs on television. Watching cooking competitions like Iron Chef however doesn't point out what one has to do to become successful. It only demonstrates how lacking in skills Kathryn is. So most times it'll be recipes that she'll find in cookbooks that she will try. With books there are easy to follow instructions. Cooking takes a lot of practice but Kathryn is determined to enjoy her future successes at the art. Virtues:Compassionate -- Caring can go a long way to improving someone's day. Kathryn firmly believes that the little actions such as a few thoughtful words or a kind deed can brighten anyone's day. Usually these words and deeds are used on those closest to Kathryn's heart - like family and friends. Although if there is even a total stranger that looks like they could use a little cheering up Kathryn won't turn away just because she doesn't know the person. This compassion of Kathryn's also extends to those of the animal kingdom - much to her parent's chagrin. If Kathryn finds a wounded creature she tends to try and care for the animal. Domesticated pet or wild creature - it doesn't matter. She'll give it her all to make anyone and anything feel better. Honest -- Since she was little Kathryn's parent's have instilled the philosophy of "Honesty is the best policy" and Kathryn has this belief ingrained in the very center of her core. She prides herself on being an honest individual. If she finds a wallet on the street Kathryn will take it upon herself to locate the owner of said wallet. She doesn't return it for the possible monetary gain of a reward. She returns it because it's the right thing to do. It's almost like Kat views the world in black and white ... with a very thin line of gray in between. She seldom walks the line that borders the white and grey. Although she does fool herself from time to time by thinking that telling half-truths to someone won't be that bad if it is to protect someone she's with. Although after that has happened Kat will struggle with the morality of her decision. Dedicated (I Need to Finish This) -- Assigned any sort of task Kathryn strives for nothing short of finishing it. Whether the task is a cleaning chore or homework she isn't satisfied at all until she believes that the work has been done to the best of her standards. This can tie into her “Forgetful?” flaw to a great degree. She will be so busy working on finishing whatever she is doing that she ends up losing track of time. Think of Kat's dedication for finishing a task as a never-ending loop. If she believes that if there is an error in her work she will go back and fix it - even if there is nothing really to fix. This creates new side problems and before you know it ... there is a really big mess and one frustrated teenager in the middle of it. Eventually she’ll discover that there was nothing wrong to begin with and quietly correct her mistakes before going on to do something else. Flaws: Obsessed (I want that!) -- As much as she wants to deny it - Kathryn has a bad habit for wanting things that she likes right at that moment. It doesn't matter if it’s necessary to own the item at the time she'll just decide that she needs it. Be it a stuffed animal or a book or something she sees on television that piques her interest Kathryn won't rest until she manages get what she wants. It drives her parents crazy at times. They don't understand where their daughter's obsession comes from. They have tried and failed to stamp out Kathryn's impulsiveness with no luck. Now they just often remind Kathryn that money has finite levels. Nothing really escapes Kathryn's obsessive nature - no person either. She will obsess over certain actors and actresses alike. However with obsessing over people it's a little hard to obtain them and this frustrates Kathryn to no end. It's almost seems at times like she wants to start a people collection. Of course she never will ... but the thought never really disappears. Forgetful? -- Anyone who knows Kathryn fairly well they might be willing to admit that Kathryn is forgetful. Names, items, important dates: there is a good chance that Kathryn will forget something. For example, Kathryn will go to the store to buy groceries and either forget what she needs to shop for or she will have the list but forget the money to pay for said groceries. With forgetting events: be it one of her hobbies or something interesting going on in town – Kathryn is bound to be so wrapped up in the moment that she will end up being late as a result for something else. Doing household chores can even cause problems. She will be cleaning and then realize that she was supposed to meet her friends an hour ago. Her parents have given up on endless suggestions that Kat use a scheduler because she'll most likely forget to use it. The one exception to Kathryn's forgetfulness are books on loan from the library. She'll always return those way before the due date. Thin-Skinned (Sensitive) -- Kathryn dislikes her shortcomings being pointed out. At times it can be very hurtful to hear what people might think of you. Kathryn is very sensitive to criticism and teasing. Whether it's her parents criticizing her over her obsessive nature or perhaps friends criticizing/teasing her about how forgetful she is - Kathryn will react in the same manner. Her attitude will turn defensive. She'll begin to get verbally aggressive with those that are teasing her. (ie: telling someone to essentially "shut the f*ck up"). If that doesn't stop the teasing Kathryn begins to withdraw from the group in an effort to hide the tears that want to fall. At home, if her parents are going on about something, Kathryn will most likely retreat to her room and lose herself in one of her books and try to forget what she's heard. PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION 
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Posted: Tue May 04, 2010 1:51 pm
Crit time by your favorite person ever~
xD
ANYWAY first off. What most of the stampers are going to ask is if she does anything that engages her with other people. Her flaws say that she has a hard time engaging with others. Is there something she does that would engage her with others? Like talking over Pruest or why Bella Swan is such a Mary Sue? She gets out doors, which is good (so she isn't a hermit), but she needs something that she could do with others. RP is with others tefla. ^^
Also, her virtues seem to tie well with her first flaw and hobbies, but I'm not sure how the last one fits in. HOW does she get rilled up? What does she take offense too?
She's got two of each, but you could expand on her a little. She's very bookwormy. Maybe add a layer that when she does interact she's entertaining with her knowledge of readings or something?
Otherwise, good start tefla. ^^
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Posted: Tue May 04, 2010 5:16 pm
Thanks for the Crit Makette. I've made some changes based on your critique. Both of her flaws have been worked over.
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Posted: Tue May 11, 2010 6:45 am
(( I know my character just meets the minimum amount for hobbies/virtues/flaws but I'd like to see if she's ready for approval ))
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Posted: Sat May 15, 2010 4:02 am
I'm opening the floor for crits on Kathryn
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Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 1:42 am
Bare minimum on all three sections is too little for me. If it was only one of them that was at the minimum, fair enough. But all of them with only two just doesn't develop the character enough for my tastes. I don't get enough of a sense of her, and it leaves you too free to develop her secondary traits without gaining approval or crit on them.
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Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 8:09 am
-goes into edit mode again-
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Posted: Sat May 22, 2010 10:59 pm
As someone who has a character with only two virtues and two flaws, I can assure you RPing is quite difficult -- the bare minimum is a good place to start, but in the end it honestly leaves you wanting more to be desired. I'm not saying that it's impossible -- I highly, highly encourage you to consider getting more than just "bare minimum." With her flaw "Hard to Relate to," it will be difficult RPing. If she's quiet and withdrawn, your character might spend most of the RP sitting there and monologuing her thoughts to herself. By doing that, there's very little for those you are RPing with to do something. The result? Kathryn could get ignored to the point that a good portion of her RPs can be summarized as this: "Kathryn sat still and listened." It IS possible to make her difficult to relate to. Take Violet from M.K. Anderon's Feed for example. She's the same age as the rest of her "peers" in the book, however her social awkwardness alienates her from not only her friends, but boyfriend too. Instead of making her quiet and withdrawn, what if she tries to join in, but fails? Mis-using slang, dressing in outdated fashion, etcetc. Right now, being "very quiet and withdrawn" would make RPing and even finding RP quite difficult. RP is all about interaction -- if a character doesn't have interaction, then more often than not the RP will end early because there's very little to do. What does Kathryn bring to the RP table? Aside from her knowledge of plants and books, what does she do that would make people want to talk with her? It's Always the Quiet Ones seems to come out of left field to me. There isn't ANYWHERE in the rest of her profile that hints at her temper, and seems rather disjointed from the rest of it. "When her attention is diverted she isn't aware of the picture she presents to members of the opposite gender. Male students are drawn in with Kathryn being totally unaware." What do you mean? Male students are attracted to her? This is unfair to male players, as it seems to hint that they will automatically be drawn to her, even if their character happens to swing the other way or is already in another relationship, or if they don't like blondes. Character flaws and virtues need to affect characters on a daily basis. Her explosive temper needs to either flare up more often, or she needs to drop the introverted/withdrawn bits enough to enable her to push others away with insults/harsh words. Right now, I can't get a good picture of her character. ;;; Adding another pair of flaws/virtues as kali suggested may help. Also: Virtues are things that prompt other characters to look UP to your character. Flaws are things that prompt other character to look DOWN on your character. Hope this helps! 
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Posted: Sun May 23, 2010 2:58 am
Thank you for the Crit Marushii. I guess I need to work on things some more so I can nail Kathryn down just right.
May 23 - Took out current flaws and the Virtue "Studious" ...
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Posted: Sat Jun 05, 2010 4:57 am
Ah, we're moving in the right direction! Looking better, though still a few things I think need fleshing out.
I like the Reading hobby. You explain the history of it quite well, as well as adding in her excursions to the Library to give some social interaction possibilities as well <3 You might also want to add what sort of books, or genres, she likes? Favourite authors?
Stuffed Up is a cute hobby. I think Kat would get along with Serah very well - Serah loves to drag people shopping for stuffed animals!
A bit more detail on Nature Enthusiast, please? Does she go on nature walks? Collect or document any flora and fauna? Bird watching? What form does her love for nature take? What activities does she do, apart from sitting out in thunderstorms? ... Hmm, does she like or collect art of nature? I only ask because the comment about thunderstorms makes me think of all the beautiful photography out there of lightning striking, etc.
I always appreciate when people aren't good at their chosen hobby <3 So realistic. So for her Cooking does Kat read/buy a lot of cooking books? Does she watch cooking shows on tv? (Perhaps a fan of Masterchef or Iron Chef?)
I don't think Trustworthy is the right name for that virtue. Trustworthy is more about keeping secrets, or being trusted to be left on her own or given higher responsibilities. I would possibly rename it Honor-Bound or My Word Is My Bond. I can tell that she won't break her word if she can avoid it, but are there any requests for help that she would turn down? Like flat-out doing someone else's homework for them, or letting slackers copy her class notes? And if her word is broken (perhaps not by her own fault, maybe she was held up by other circumstances), how does she react?
How does Kat's Honest nature feel about white lies? Is she fine with that, in order to protect others, as long as she feels she's still doing the morally right thing?
You definitely need another flaw. Also, the way you write Honest as a flaw, isn't. A flaw should make HER look bad. Not something that gets her into trouble with bad people for being so good.
So, still some work needed, but you're coming along in leaps and bounds! Much better than the first time I read the profile ^_^
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Posted: Sat Jun 05, 2010 11:03 pm
Thank you again for helpful crit kali. I've made some changes and fleshed out a few areas that needed attention
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Posted: Mon Jun 07, 2010 1:15 am
Her virtues to me come of as making her too good in a moral sense. She'll try not to break promises, she'll help anyone and any creature who needs help, and she's honest to the point of selflessness. To me, she's too good to be true -- is this the image Kathryn tries to make everyone see? Why?
I don't see her flaws matching up to and working with her virtues. She's a selfless person who will help others to the point of not asking for anything in return, but she can become obsessive with a "knack for wanting things that she likes right at that moment." To have a "knack" at something means you have an unusually gifted skill at it, so to have a skill at wanting things just strikes me as being odd.
The flaw just states that she'll become obsessed over something, and she "won't rest until she manages get what she wants." How does she go about getting what she wants? Does she actively persue it? Is she obsessive-compulsive? What if her bestest best friend in the entire world has what she wants? Would she still go for it? How? Would she just drop hints about wanting it until her friend gave in and gave it to her? Or would Kathryn ask her friend where she got it and then immediately take off to go to the store and buy one? Alternatively, what if her friend refuses to give the item up or talk about it -- what would Kathryn do? Sulk? Tantrum? Your character strikes me as being a VERY passive person -- I'd like to see something that makes her tick.
With "Out of Sync," this doesn't seem to be a personality trait to me. Instead, it feels as if she's not keeping up with the current trends/latest crazes due to being too bogged down with all the secrets and promises she makes. Perhaps consider changing it to something along the lines of trying too hard to fit in? To be more exact, "Out of Sync" deals more with what she possesses in terms of items and not who she is as a person. Will she ever copycat someone to try and fit in? Will she hero-worship different people and mimic them in an attempt to get other people to like her?
I think you have something going with "The constant pressure to be part of the "in crowd" is what is driving her to fail." Perhaps consider changing the flaw to how poorly she deals with peer pressure?
How is Kathryn's "perfectionist" a flaw? Usually, being a perfectionist is a virtue. I think there needs to be more emphasis on what makes it a flaw, as currently it strikes me as a character quirk than anything else. Is she more anxious about projects and things to the point where she'll fret and worry about something not being perfect to the point where she will not stop making "adjustments" to a project until someone forcibly pulls her away?
Will Kathryn ever try to "perfect" something in such a way that she makes things worse? How does being a perfectionist tie into her hobbies, like cooking? When a recipie calls for a half cup of sugar, does she have to use an exact cup of sugar no matter what? And then fret over it not being sweet enough to the point of adding just a little bit more in such a way that completely ruins the dish?
TL;DR: You're heading off in the right direction! Her virtues need to be tied a bit more tightly in with her flaws to make them better mesh. For instance, because she is so compassionate, she turns into a perfectionist in order to prevent the need from anyone to help her?
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Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2011 5:20 pm
July 26, 2011
Okay. :: takes out Application and wipes off the dust ::
It's been over a year since I last made changes.
I took out the Honor-Bound Virtue and replaced it with "Dedicated" ... I've also made a small change to her Honesty Virtue as well.
For the Flaws I've updated her Obsession Flaw and changed the Out of Sync to something different. I've also introduced a new flaw for Kathryn that I think is a little more fitting.
So Crit away on the new changes. ^.^
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Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2011 11:20 pm
You don't really describe peer pressure in the Rising Pressure flaw- Does she struggle with the urge to give in and eventually cave, causing her to be a push over? Or are you trying to say that despite her want to be liked, she'd rather stick to her morals and ethics? With the latter I would say that's more of a virtue than a flaw. It's hard to tell what you're trying to say or what exactly the flaw is supposed to be with that one.
You mention in a few flaws that she gets snarky or moody when her issues and buttons are pressed(such as her lifestyle choices and collecting obsession), maybe you could work with that?
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Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2011 4:33 pm
I think Obsessive might work a little better split into two different traits, since you have two different things going on here: the first is the actual obsessive part where she's very impulsive and gets tunnel-vision towards these impulses, and the second is that she tends to get kind of Bratty and whines at / guilt-trips her friends when they're stopping her from getting what she wants. Those both work just fine as flaws, they just need to be separated!
The Rising Pressure seems a bit more like a virtue than a flaw. It's saying that she's able to avoid and resist peer pressure and maintain self-control around drugs and alcohol, which is hardly a bad thing! If she'll up and abandon her friends for a wider variety of reasons -- and ones that aren't necessarily GOOD reasons -- this would work a lot better.
If the "stuff she doesn't like to see" can also be less serious things like the speakers playing music she doesn't like / the drinks being off-brand / people are talking about stuff she isn't interested in, and she sees those as a reason to turn around and leave, THAT would make it a flaw -- since this way it isn't that she's resisting peer pressure, but that she's being overly picky about who she hangs out with and under what circumstances.
For What Time is it? are you trying to say she's Forgetful? If so, spelling that out in plain English would make that trait seem a bit more solid!
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