Mika

Mika had a kinder and more passive exterior, but life beat it out of her. Mocked for atypical behaviors and struggles with learning and understanding others, she quickly realized that if she left her true self available, it would be picked apart until there was nothing left. So she learned how to exude a confident exterior, filled with charisma and wit that allows her to maneuver through most social encounters. It helped her work through her dream of an acting career, as staying afloat and avoiding being torn apart by the industry was just an extension of what she had to do every day.

Plans got thwarted as she developed a melanoma that progressed into cancer, needing to remove her eye. She was not afraid of being blind but the time taken away from her work to do the procedure and recover would put a wrench to her career progress, not to mention the perception of her eye now being "gory" and unfit for most roles. She didn't have money to purchase prosthetics.

Out of fear, she pivoted: marine biology, something she had a hobbyist interest on became her new major. It was not the most prestigious job, but it paid the bills and featured animals that she always had a fondness for. Not only that, it allowed her to slow down and continue her transition, something she found she lacked the time due to the pressure of certain acting jobs. Currently, she is attempting to manage her current career while attempting to go back to acting once more — though she is still mostly landing roles of male characters. She doesn't like to think about it