Week One; Introduction to 12:18 Tomorrow Morning

Background
The story that I will be using, 12:18 Tomorrow Morning, is the product of various poems I wrote between July 2014 and January 2016. I usually wrote them in the early hours of the day, when I was unable to sleep and was left with my thoughts, and they reflect my state of mind at the time. Upon rediscovering them, I realised that I could turn them into a story that was fleshed out, based around my experiences at the time when I was seventeen to eighteen years old. The emotions of people in their late teens are very interesting to me, as they experience every feeling with such ferocity that it feels like the world is ending. I wanted to explore these emotions by reflecting on my past experiences and putting them into a different context. 

Synopsis
Sixteen year old Alex is about to go into his second to last year of secondary college when his childhood best friend, Mark, comes back from China. After four years apart, their relationship has changed, and Alex has to navigate his new found feelings for the boy he grew up with.

Characters

Alex: is the main character, sixteen years old at the beginning of the story. He is very close with his friends, Carlos, Jaemin and Aiden, despite living out of town. He is sarcastic and witty and spends a lot of time in his own head, thinking through his actions to a fault. He loves summer despite the heat and humidity of Auckland, and he considers his music taste to be perfect. He is second generation South Korean.

Mark: seventeen years old and in the year above most of the other characters, Mark is trying to find his place as he moves to New Zealand after living in China for four years. He is living apart from his family for the first time in his life, wanting to complete his secondary college education in New Zealand so that he can go to university in Auckland. His family stayed behind in Shanghai for his father's job, so Mark is staying with Brian before his family joins him later in the year. He is second gen South Korean, and his Korean name is Minhyung.

Carlos: one of Alex and Mark's best friends, Carlos is dating Jaemin, despite Alex having had feelings for him in the past. His family is housing Mark while he waits for his family. Carlos cares a lot about his friends and is fiercely loyal. He is more clean cut than the rest of them; not wanting to get involved with drugs or alcohol if he can avoid it. He spends a lot of time worrying about his boyfriend. He is second gen South Korean.

Jaemin: the jokester of the group, Jaemin feels comfortable with everyone and anyone. He is a bit more slack than the rest of the group, falling behind in his studies despite his boyfriend's constant concern. He makes light of almost every situation he's in, which causes his boyfriend to become exasperated with him. He is second gen South Korean

Aiden: Jake was born earlier in the year than his friends, meaning that he is in the year above them with Mark. A hard worker, Aiden is head boy of their college and takes great care with his responsibilities. He seems to have figured out the perfect balance of work and relaxation, and finds it easy to get along with everyone, even if he finds all his friends coupling off. Aiden is second generation Chinese.

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