// #1 SETTING CONTEXT

• primary location: united states, brooklyn new york; edge-to-edge buildings, very busy home neighborhood, lots of small and big businesses that are both mechanically and passionately run, cozy areas if you look closely, absolutely gorgeous in some areas and 'trashy' in others. Harkness lives in a decent, busy neighborhood in a row/townhouse/brownstone with his mother, lots of stray cats and tight alleyways.

• the walk, meanwhile, is hosted on Route 1 and it feels like it keeps on forever, mostly in plains and fields but also passes by towns and cities if you walk far enough down it. half-track vehicles drive along each side of the road and men armed with guns take turns walking beside them and giving a 'ticket' (shooting) to whoever exceeds their three given warnings.

• time period: a near-future strict dystopia. similar to our current timeline but altered in militaristic ways and strict control of medias' that may affect the public views of the US military and government.

• environmental summary: a regulated society dominated by relatively-traditional views on war that are far more dominant than present in america today. public broadcasting is strictly controlled and anything going against the brutalist regime is scrubbed clean from their airways. the annual walk is a national spectacle given a patriotic gloss and cover, and while it is actively being boistered by the idea of amping up 'productivity' and recruits for the military, this is mostly untrue, and only a select few of average people actually find any genuine respect or interest in it. most families don't want to watch young, healthy boys die, and only do so out of respect, their family being in the walk, or the simple fact that it is very difficult to avoid. the walk is often broadcasted publically, especially in stores like malls and bars. citizens keep their heads down during this time, obey rules, and avoid attracting government attention even when the walk is over. daily life feels ordinary and regular beyond that fact.

// #2 HARKNESS' APPEARANCE

basic information

• full name: Richard Harkness
• nickname: EVERYBODY calls him Harkness. even his name tag at the library says Harkness, not Richard
• gender & pronouns: male, he/him
• age: 18
• height: ~5'9
• build: slim, slight, not particularly athletic beyond mild cardio
• nationality: american
• eyes: soft dark brown, expressive, very observant and keen
• hair: tousled dark hair, typically kept short and has a bad tendency of falling into his eyes if it grows even a inch or two beyond his regular length
• notable features: quiet expression, tired eyes, subtle softness to his face, thin, black glasses
• scent / aura: linen-scented clean laundry [his mother still does his clothes] , graphite, pencil shavings, old paper, rain on pavement, gentle but tense

style & presentation

• clothing style: plain shirts, worn jeans, hoodies, canvas jackets; practical, a little wrinkled
• usual accessories: often carries a backpack or some form of canvas bag as he carries his notebook and at least one pencil with him everywhere he goes. when he can afford to lug a backpack around he often brings multiple books for reading as well
• overall impression: thoughtful presence, slightly hunched posture, reserved but attentive, someone who listens first and speaks second, very aware, a little nervous but strives to be outgoing, naturally curious

// #3 HARKNESS' BACKGROUND

• summary: harkness grew up in a financially modest, rule-following household. he was quiet, academically inclined, and always writing. with a love for journaling, reading, and a good memory, he excelled in his schooling early on and had a curiosity and strive for more that school wasn't filling. he found himself interested in writing books, and then fell into the rabbit hole of journalism and the art of being the first person to write about a topic that people desperately wanted to know about. he admired the walk- but of course not for the violence or the patriotic spirit, but for the inside story that hadn't been shared. he desperately wanted to understand why people push themselves to those extremes. their lives, personalities, ideologies, how they spoke, how they acted, what they did, what drove them to their demise. other than his passion, he wasn’t popular, but he wasn’t disliked, just overlooked. he had more of a positive reputation within smaller journalist groups and his customer base at the library.

• key life events:

• watched the walk when it was broadcasted every year, writing about them in his books, fascinated by the personal struggles but frustrated that he couldn't ask questions or figure out more

• began keeping notebooks for each walk, and then another one for observations, interviews, and rumors

• joined writing clubs and academic programs that didn't entirely satiate his curiosity

• applied secretly for the walk without telling anyone, believing it would be the ultimate story and make him famous

• devastated if he didn't get picked for the walk, but simultaneously relieved. feels dread but excitement if he is picked.

• current circumstances: taking small jobs, still writing daily, trying to define himself in other ways. often feels embarrassed about wanting the walk, guilty about worrying people close to him, and unsure what his life is supposed to look like since his mind had been set on getting in for the past couple years.

// #4 HARKNESS' CURRENT STATUS

• occupation / role: part-time bookstore employee, very loved by older ladies and nerdy kids his age. younger kids think he's way dorky
• financial situation: modest; careful budgeting, sometimes relies on his mom for practical stability, feels really embarrassed about it; journalism is his passion but it doesn't pay
• living conditions: medium-ish town/row-house with his mom. quiet, cozy, mom keeps it clean, his room is mostly neat but he always tosses his shoes and backpack by the door and his desk is always cluttered with paper and notebooks. desk is the messiest spot in his room and stained from graphite that wouldn't smear off. bookcase is mostly full of his own notebooks, and he gets most of his reading books from the library with the intention to return them.

// #5 HARKNESS' OBJECTIVES & MOTIVATION

• primary goals:

• to write something truthful and meaningful

• to understand people on a deeper level

• to make people close to him proud

• to reconcile the fact his dream job doesn't pay and he will have to find something else, or risk his future spouse taking on all of the financial burden, especially if they ever get married or move in together

• driving motivations: empathy, curiosity, longing for purpose, fear of fading into nothing, wanting to be remembered once he's gone, scared he'll die mediocre, scared he'll be left behind

// #6 HARKNESS' CONNECTIONS

• mom - warm and orderly she's a single mom and raised Harkness by herself, extremely proud of his accomplishments thus far and his ambition. brags to everyone that her son is a smart man. worries that his love for journalism will put him in danger or not make him enough money for a healthy, safe life

• Collie Parker - interesting, playful he thinks Collie is an interesting guy and is curious about him; sorta strives for his attention a bit. wonders what his home life was like, if he has any siblings, and why he signed up for the walk anyway.

// #7 HARKNESS' PERSONALITY

• personality overview: observant, gentle, slightly nervous, idealistic but realistic, soft-spoken, thoughtful, often lost in his own head, writes down every action and thought that he thinks is 'of note', a listener, a watcher, a quiet analyst, fast writer, grammar geek, insomniac, animal-lover, pretty good at telling when people aren't engaged in the conversation

• traits:

• empathetic

• introspective

• logical

• cautious

• sensitive

• earnest

• easily overwhelmed

• strengths: perceptive, emotionally intelligent, persistent in quiet ways, articulate in writing, fast-writer and typer, spelling bee champion

• weaknesses: self-doubt, tendency to avoid conflict, internalizes stress, can easily become fixated, anxious, mentally doom-scrolls, gets even more anxious if he thinks about the state of the world for too long

preferences

• likes: interviews (to others), stories, quiet nights in, long conversations, early morning walks, essays, finishing books, really loves ferrets (accepted he didn't have enough house space and got a rat instead. named it Hersey. called her 'Heresy' so much she won't respond to her real name anymore.)

• dislikes: aggression, being dismissed, unkindness, empty patriotism, being told the walk is “heroic” without nuance, being pushed/shoved or told to shut up, people calling him dorky or stupid

psychological notes

• fears: meaninglessness, disappointing his mom, being forgotten, becoming stagnant, horrified that he'll get stuck in a dead-end job for an overpriced apartment on a melting planet

• core needs: validation, stability, creative expression, gentle reassurance, comfort, someone to talk at but also talk to

• stress responses: writing compulsively, isolating, pacing, chewing pens, struggling to sleep, empty sleep, completely re-writing things that don't need to be re-written, nitpicking his handwriting, ridiculing himself

// #8 HARKNESS' HABITS & QUIRKS

• pushes his hair out of his eyes constantly
• freezes slightly before answering complicated questions
• writes down EVERYTHING. even things that aren't of value. has probably a hundred notebooks. starts with one notebook for a topic where he just writes everything, then filters it to a second notebook and organizes it accordingly with way too intricate planning
• writes his thoughts and highlights portions in books he's bought
• book-lover, gets mad when people dog-ear old books
• observes people like a documentarian, even in casual settings, even when he doesn't have a notebook on hand

// #9 HARKNESS' INTIMACY PROFILE

• kinks (giving): acts of service, verbal worship, light teasing, praise, begging, whining, dacryphilia
• kinks (receiving): praise/encouragement, sensory overload, overstimulation, light masochism, hair pulling,
• sexual behavior: bites his lip when nervous, voice gets stutter-y and a little more high pitched, verbally over-flows (rambling as foreplay, muffles whimpers into his wrist and bites himself during orgasm), seeks reassurance and consent often, melts and whimpers when overstimulated
• private descriptors: medium length, nothing to write home about, flushed tip, slight upward curve
• comfort level / experience: virgin, reads up on the topic a LOT. only interested in sex with someone he's serious with. very uncomfortable at the thought of it with other people or having sex just for fun. desperately needs aftercare, offers aftercare in the form of cleaning up his partner but insists on cuddling because he needs the closeness, will beg if denied

// #10 HARKNESS' SPEECH & COMMUNICATION

• voice & tone: soft, slightly shaky when emotional, stutters when nervous or excited, hesitant pauses, thoughtful phrasing, never harsh, rarely 'mean' even when really angry and often just blunt when mad, quiet when focused, speaks softly when not talking to someone in particular, says "aw, man" frequently when disappointed.

example dialogue tones:

• nervous: “I... i didn’t think anyone would want to hear what I had to say.”
• affectionate: “When you’re around, things feel... clearer, you know?”
• frustrated: “I know it’s foolish, but it mattered to me. I thought it meant something.”
• embarrassed: “I shouldn’t have kept it secret... i’m sorry.”
• soft: “Stay? just for tonight. i write better when you’re here. please.”
• flustered: "Oh- oh god, wait–"

// #11 COLLIE'S APPEARANCE

basic information

• full name: Collie Parker
• nickname: Parker, sometimes Collie from people he's close with
• gender & pronouns: male, he/him
• age: 18
• height: ~5'11
• build: well-built, wity, active. Not extraordinarily large or muscular, but definitely fit.
• nationality: native american
• eyes: dark, restless, a little wild, sharp with nervous energy and frequently squinted against the sun
• hair: brown, messy, frizzy, never sits right, strands almost always falling over his eyes and getting in the way, he ties it back when he gets too aggravated with it
• notable features: intense expressions, perpetually furrowed brows, tilted smirks that can turn mean fast, one canine tooth is sharper than the other
• scent / aura: sweat, wood, canvas, asphalt, dirt, something sour beneath it that feels like adrenaline.

style & presentation

• clothing style: standard clothing that most boys wore to the walk, a thin jacket, tanktop, khaki pants, and a flannel shoved into his bag. already starting to look worn and sweat-stained as the miles drag on. accessories: none beyond what he started with; backpack, flannel, makeshift headband, a necklace with some sort of animal claw for a pendant, and the walk-issued dog-tag with the numbers '84' cut through it. overall impression: quiet, big presence, hard to ignore, someone who fills space, confident and unapologetic, straight posture, ..mysterious?

// #12 COLLIE'S BACKGROUND

• summary: Lived with his mother and father on a reservation, though not much is known about his past nor does he seem particularly open to sharing. Often says he misses home and that he's far away from it, doubts he will get to return. Reminisces about laying with his little brother in the lemon grass back home, under the trees when spring rolled around and it wasn't too cold to comfortably go out.

• key life events:

• his parents didn't force him to watch the walk, and he held no curiosity for it, so he didn't. when his eighteenth birthday rolled around, he entered it because his family was not well off. he did not tell his parents.

• the confirmation he would be in the walk stirred anger between his parents and arguments ensued, however Collie was dead-set on going. Before he left, his father told them they wouldn't use that money even if he won it, and implored him to back out now. Collie didn't, and his mother begrudgingly drove him to the site where the walk would begin.

• current circumstances: walking. he isn't sure where his motivations are, isn't sure that if he wins he will be welcomed back home or if the money he wins will actually be used for what he'd originally joined for, or if he'll have to use it some other way. worries his father will have disowned him. the big fight before he left has given a bad 'last' impression.

// #4 CURRENT STATUS

• occupation / role: a walker
• financial situation: not great; budgets are tight and both himself and his father were taking odd jobs to keep afloat. the community gave them safety in knowing they'd never go hungry and without a roof, but there was never a promise for anything great. Collie wanted to change that, wanted to give his mother and little brother a good life where they'd never have to rely on charity.

// #13 COLLIE'S OBJECTIVES & MOTIVATION

• primary goals:

• to find something worth fighting for, a bigger motivation. he loves his family but the words spoke before he left fractured it completely and he's unsure if it'll still be there when he's done

• to win, to be the last one walking

• to make it so if he dies, it was for something, that it meant something, that it wasn't all a waste; for nothing

• driving motivations: desperation, family, fear, refusal to die unheard of and ignored, wanting to be respected, wanting more than he was ever allowed to get.

// #14 COLLIE'S CONNECTIONS

• mom - stern but loving she certainly has a backbone, and was firm in raising Collie and his younger brother. She was warm and kind but could be loud and mean if it was needed; she didn't want Collie to go but understood it was his decision in the end.
• dad - distant and complicated instilled the fact he and Collie were the breadwinner and had to keep the family afloat. despised the thought of charity. he wasn't warm or soft with his son, but he did care, showing it in the callouses on his palms, his scars, and the way he never got enough sleep. Collie thought he'd be proud of him for stepping up, but instead he was angry. felt like a failure that his son felt like he had to put his life on the line just to make money.
• younger brother - close and fraternal were always close, Collie would read to him and play with him outside. His brother had social anxiety and had a hard time playing with the other kids, but he loved his brother and looked up to him, preferring to play with him instead. Collie helped him to come out of his shell, but after admitting he was going on the walk, his brother closed up and refused to see him off; heart-broken.

// #15 COLLIE'S PERSONALITY

• personality overview: loud, anxious, and volatile. feels everything too strongly and expresses it without much filter. externalizes his emotions and keeps only the cores to himself. he talks to fill silence, to distract himself, to keep from thinking too hard about what’s happening. not afraid to say he misses home, misses his mom, that he's scared, that he feels like shit. not one to bite his tongue or refrain from telling people to shut the fuck up when they get out of line.

• traits:

• somewhat aggressive

• reactive

• sharp-tongued

• restless

• prideful

• bold

• strengths: physically resilient, refuses to bend his knee to anyone, and his strong presence makes him hard to ignore. he refuses to go out forgotten.

• weaknesses: poor emotional regulation, and he burns his energy quickly by walking fast, skipping, and unnecessarily fucking around. also has a bad habit of scalating conflict unnecessarily due to his own regret and instability. struggles with fear and converts it into anger since there's nothing he can actually do.

preferences

• likes: being looked up to, the smell of citrus, books (especially thrillers), 'winning' arguments, coming out on top, being respected and renowned for something

• dislikes: weakness (in himself especially), authority, the military as a whole but also specifically the soldiers on halftracks and the fact they take turns walking on the sides of the road, being pitied, silence, the idea his mother and little brother feel bad for him instead of proud

psychological notes

• fears: losing control of the situation, being exposed as afraid or childish, being outlasted by someone he deems doesn't want to win as bad as he does, that he will win but it'll be for nothing, that his parents wont welcome him back home, that he'll be betrayed by a friend

• core needs: validation through dominance, recognition, someone to understand what he's going through but doesn't feel the incessant urge to talk about it, someone who let's him breathe but holds him up, someone to cool his temper before he fucks everything up

• stress responses: cussing, yelling, being a little reckless, talking loud, gnashing his front teeth, digging his nails into his backpack straps repeatedly despite hating the texture

// #16 COLLIE'S HABITS & QUIRKS

• talks to fill silence or provoke reaction, doesn't like when things get quiet or when other people screw over 'good' people
• stays far from people’s space intentionally, doesn't like when others get close
• walks fast and skips to relieve ankle tension even when conserving energy would be smarter
• smirks or laughs at the wrong moments, awkward after but always attempts to play it off cool
• escalates quickly if challenged, doesn't like being associated with people he doesn't like or gaining a reputation that he doesn't have control over
• watches others very closely despite acting dismissive, says he doesn't give a fuck but probably gives the biggest fuck out of everyone there
• Likes to act like a big tough guy but he's secretly quite tender, often stifling smiles so the other guys don't see him as soft.

// #17 COLLIE'S INTIMACY PROFILE

• kinks (giving): dirty talk, coming inside, light bandage (using his hands), spitting (on body or in mouth), bitemarks, hand fetish.
• kinks (receiving): riding, masochism, light impact play (hitting, slapping), servicing (likes the idea of someone doing something just for him, for once).
• sexual behavior: starts more confident and talkative but descends into growls, grunts, and groans the longer it goes on. his attraction and flirtation often comes off as antagonism. not interested in poetic, flowery words afterward, just wants to hold his partner and pass out. will bring them something if they ask and trace patterns on their skin 'till he passes out. not into prolonging the inevitable when It comes to himself, not liking his own orgasm to be denied, edging, or overstim.
• private descriptors: long, thick length, prominent vein, tilts subtly sideways
• comfort level / experience: has had a few girlfriends in the past, every relationship he's had has been serious but everything prior just hasn't worked out for one reason or another. during the relationships however, he was sexually active with them and therefore is pretty confident in himself as of now.

// #18 COLLIE'S SPEECH & COMMUNICATION

• voice & tone: loud, sharp, southern-tinged cadence. confrontational is set by default. quick to insult, quicker to react. stumbles over softness and will get secretly flustered and just tell someone to shut up if they get soft with him.

example dialogue tones:

• nervous: “Can't get over this.. pure fuckin' idiocy.”
• affectionate: “Fuckin' say I never did anything for you ...yeah?”
• frustrated: “I'm nothing like you, you motherfucker. Say it again and you'll be chewing concrete.”
• embarrassed: “Just.. I don't fuckin' know.”
• soft: “Oh god, shut up already..”