Fen

Born on Havaiki to two immigrant parents, he has lived most of his life here, leaving sometimes to visit his grandparents across the ocean in two different countries. Growing up with thalassemia, he was often unable to participate in physically-taxing activities with other children his age. His parents, insisting on sheltering him assiduously, did not help his chances of forming a social circle.

Adventurous in spirit but often denied the freedom to satiate it, Fen devoured a great amount of fiction in his childhood, watching the decade-old animated series that were always airing on Havaiki TV, then discovered novels and comics, which were easier to enjoy at his own leisure. He later started producing his own stories and comics in notebooks.

In middle school, rumours were spread about Fen and his frequent absence, reaffirming his desire to keep to himself. His high school classmates are not as mean, but with cliques forming and social norms governing popularity, he often finds himself being left out. No one is openly hostile, but others find it hard to relate to him through the barrier of his introversion, and often believe he is "odd" or unfriendly.

It was by serendipity that he first met Pala after school. Soon they were spending all their class breaks together, and events came to pass that led them both to hold their friendship in the highest regard.

The year they turned sixteen, Pala took up an intern job at the Promenade Hotel, and he became a part-time pizza delivery guy. One day during that fateful summer break, Fen decided to meet her before work...(the rest is omitted due to spoilers)

• Fen cares a lot about his appearance, but his hair especially. He gets it trimmed at least once monthly and keeps a comb in his pocket to comb down loose strands during breaks between classes.
• He occasionally likes wearing dresses; his parents are a little concerned about whether it might draw hard looks from conservative neighbours, but they try to be open and hip about it.
• Fen keeps an accordion folder that’s bursting with everything from year old school notes to loose sketches of comic pages to that origami crane his friend Kerai folded him out of an ad flyer. When will he clear it out? Never.
• Fen grew up surrounded by various languages and speaks five at at least a conversational level: English, Japanese, Malay, Malaysian Mandarin, and Fijian.
• His extended family, living in three countries, is very large: his maternal aunt has five children and he babysits them when he visits.
• Fen is very fond of superhero comics and the magical girl genre, and a lot of his writing and art is inspired by both genres.
• His favourite show is a magical girl series set in outer space titled The Magnolia Order, which has been airing in Havaiki for five years. It inspired him to start drawing.
• Fen's first name, in English, means "marshy wetland". In Chinese (棻) it means "sweet wood". His last name means "relating to trees". A very botanical name as you can see.