B047 - Leung, Marcus[/DECEASED]

[Ruggahissy]

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Name: Marcus Leung
Gender: Male
Age: 18
Grade: 12
School: Aurora High School
Hobbies and Interests: Academics, drawing, painting, chess, parties

Appearance: Marcus is somewhat small, standing at 5'6" and weighing in at about 124 pounds. Marcus spends most of his time indoors, leaving him with pale skin and not a lot of muscle on his frame. His hair, black as is usual for a Chinese-American, is long enough to just hang over his brow and cover the top of his ears. His face is long with soft edges, making him appear a few years younger than he is. His dark brown eyes are usually underlined by faint dark circles for having spent too much time studying and not enough time sleeping. His nose is small and flat, and complements his narrow mouth. Marcus doesn't smile often, but when he does, one can see the dimples that add to the smile's energy.

Marcus' wardrobe is geared toward the simple and functional as opposed to the stylish and fashionable. In the spring and summer, Marcus wears khakis with a t-shirt, either plain or branded with a logo of a past church fundraising event, and plain white runners. In the fall and wintertime, Marcus layers up with a zip-up hoodie over a regular pullover sweater, with khakis and a pair of tan boots. Sometimes, Marcus wears a Seahawks cap, a Christmas gift from his father from a few years ago. For the school trip, Marcus wore a pair of khaki shorts, a striped white t-shirt, and his favorite Seahawks cap.

Biography: Marcus was born in April of 1994. At the time, his parents Matthew and Michelle were attending Aurora High School as juniors.

Matthew and Michelle went back to Aurora for their senior year of high school. Matthew also took a part-time job as a barista at Starbucks to help cover costs. When they were at home, Matthew and Michelle could not spend much time playing with their son; they had to focus on their grades for getting into college. As such, Marcus spent most of his first year being cared for by his grandparents while his parents studied.

When his parents graduated, Marcus was already 14 months old. They had missed little Marcus' first words and his first steps, and were determined to not miss any more of their son's milestones in life. Unfortunately, they still had to think about their family's future. They had both been accepted to the University of Washington, but in the end, it was decided that Matthew would continue studying for an engineering degree, while Michelle would stay home to take care of their son. Matthew had been awarded a scholarship, but he still continued to work part-time; Michelle also took some time to work at her parents' workplace. For two years, they maintained this arrangement.

Marcus saw little of his father over the next few years, though his mother was a more frequent presence. They had moved out of his paternal grandparents' house after Matthew's first year in college, after having saved up some money after scholarships and child care. When Marcus was three years old, his mother also started taking classes at the college, leaving him in the care of the on campus daycare during class hours.

By the time Marcus started school, he had been deeply imprinted by his parents' dedication to their education. Having watched his father put everything into his studies, and then come out with a degree and a stable job working for the City of Seattle, had taught Marcus that focusing on academics was a sure way to success. Marcus didn't have as much natural brilliance and talent as his father, but he made up for that with hard work.

As much as his parents loved each other and their son, that did not protect them from the harsh reality of their situation. Matthew had not wanted to be an engineer, nor had Michelle wanted to be an accountant, but those were tried and true professions and their son's well-being was more important than their passions. Stress was high between the rigors of work, juggling social events, and balancing budgets, and Marcus was not insulated from the arguments that broke out in the house. His parents never involved him directly, but Marcus knew deep down that he was in part responsible for the strife in the house. As a result, Marcus developed a low sense of self-worth: he is uneasy at the prospect of good things happening to him, preferring instead that others reap those benefits.

Marcus' parents experienced a mild conversion in their faith after his birth, and began going to church regularly with his grandparents. Much of his parents' support in raising him came from some of the more open and loving parishioners of St. Edward's Catholic Church, although there were also a fair share of people who looked on the family with disdain. Not being able to afford putting Marcus through private school in his early years, his parents arranged for him to join in the church's Sunday School program. By the time Marcus was old enough for junior high and high school, he elected to stay in public school to stay with his few friends and to minimize the cost of his education. Although Marcus goes to church regularly, he is mostly ambivalent towards the faith, seeing it more as just a thing to do every week than anything more.

At school, Marcus makes his way around the various social circles, but never really settling in any one of them. By picking up various pieces of information, whether it be gossip or opinions on popular culture and recent events, from his classmates, he expands his knowledge base to handle almost any conversation topic that might come up in the cafeteria or in the hallways. Parroting into conversations generally gets Marcus some trust with his classmates, and he has gotten experienced in using his conversational knowledge to direct debates and arguments to a neutral outcome. Despite all the information he picks up, he often does not internalize his classmates' opinions or form strong ones of his own. As such, whenever Marcus gets invited to join in on a social group's activities, he typically will decline. On some level, Marcus would enjoy nothing more than to go to the Friday night house party. Yet, he feels that going to an event like that would worry his parents, so instead, he falls back on his excuse of needing to spend more time on schoolwork.

His dedication to his studies extends to all academic subjects, but he has a soft spot for the fine arts. Marcus' mother used to love to paint, and he picked up art from an early age to bring some of the joy of art back to her. While he has been encouraged to pursue further education and a career in the fine arts, Marcus feels deep down that he should instead focus on achieving a professional degree to better support his parents. Marcus does not pride himself on his artistic talent, but he is far from unskilled with a pencil or brush. Few of his peers notice this though, as Marcus tends to stick to his books when at school. The only place where he may be found with a sketchbook in hand is during meetings of the Chess Club, when he is short a partner to play with. Chess was a hobby Marcus had picked up from his paternal grandfather; they started playing together when Marcus was nine, and it was something Marcus took to quickly. Marcus likes playing chess, not to pit his wits against others, but as an environment over which he could carry a relaxed conversation.

Marcus and his parents share an unorthodox relationship. As he was raised primarily by his grandparents, Marcus has come to see his parents more like an older brother and sister than as parental figures; the small age gap between him and his parents amplifies this relationship. He generally speaks very freely with his parents about a variety of subjects, but also has little appreciation for any attempts to shelter him from the outside world. Still, he tries to act in a way to not worry them. Marcus occasionally finds it difficult to relate to some of his classmates and friends when the subject turns their family life, as the way he relates to his parents is different from the rest of his classmates.

Advantages: Marcus is very observant, and is prone to notice things that appear out of the ordinary. He is good at reading people and determining how to defuse tense situations. He is usually helpful, which may be useful in gaining allies. Marcus tends to keep his head cool to think rationally, even under stressful situations.
Disadvantages: From his small size and stature, Marcus is not very physically fit, and would easily be overpowered by many of his peers. His easy-going nature may make him an easy target for people looking for targets to exploit. Marcus has a low sense of self-worth, making him prone to psychological manipulation.

Designated Number: Male Student No. 047

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Designated Weapon: Falchion
Conclusion: Chinese are industrious people, but this boy is softer than pile of gravy. The time for self doubt has already run out and you aren't getting more. - Abby Soto


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