Park Gyuri - Archetype Profile

Height/Weight: 162cm/45kg
Date of Birth: May 21, 1988
Blood Type: AB

+++ARCHETYPE TRAITS+++

Background:

• FAMILY
  o Only child
  o Mother was a famous voice actress
• BACKGROUND
  o Went to same kindergarten as president’s grandchildren
  o Attended prestigious arts high school with Wonder Girls’ Yoobin, MBLAQ’s Seungho, T-ara’s Soyeon, etc
  o Child actress
  o Participated in voice acting
  o Radio show DJ
  o Rookie musical theatre actress

Personality (the traits normally used in fanfic):

• Confident/arrogant
• Cool and intimidating
• Diligent, hardworking
• Witty and sarcastic
• Passionate and determined
• Bold and flirtatious
• Straightforward and blunt
• Affectionate to dongsaengs and children

Archetype roles:

• MATRIARCH
  o “Autocracy”
  o Eldest unnie
  o Leader, mother figure
  o Respected sunbae and teacher
• RICHES AND WEALTH
  o Heiress
  o Chaebol wife/fiancée
  o Alumni/student of prestigious school/university
• CAREER
  o Celebrity/model/singer/actress
  o Businesswoman
  o Lawyer
  o Desk/office jobs
  o Secretary
  o Barista, waitress

 Romance Starter:

• Love-hate relationship
• Battle of pride
• Friendly meeting
• Arranged/business marriage
• Forbidden romance (extra-marital, outside arrangement)
• Mature and experienced beta couple

Most used love interests:

• Eunhyuk
• Jungmin
• Jonghyun

Han Seungyeon - Archetype Profile

Height/Weight: 160cm/43kg
Date of Birth: July 24,1988
Blood Type: A

+++ARCHETYPE TRAITS+++

Background:

• FAMILY
  o Only child
  o Late child
• EDUCATION
  o Studied abroad in New Jersey
  o Extremely good grades
  o Fluent in English
  o Almost got into medical school but chose entertainment career

Personality (the traits normally used in fanfic):

• Mature and diligent, hardworking
• serious during work
• Usually prepared and always able to handle situation
• Is sensitive about her height
• often nags and bickers with members over unnecessary things
• very non-athletic
• mellow but can become excited
• easily shy and flustered

Archetype roles:

• STUDENT
  o mature and intelligent bookworm
  o admired for being cute
  o sometimes mocked but admired and respected by male students
  
• OLDER SISTER/FRIEND
  o calm and wise listener, voice of reason
  o sensible and blunt adviser
  o constantly bugs lead character about food and health
  o Shoulder to lean on (never abandoning)
• PART-TIME WORKER
  o pops in and out of jobs, unpredictable for lead character to meet
  o Seen during her shift by admirer, often unnoticed to her

 Romance Starter:

• Cute first encounter
• Incidental first encounter
• Admired from afar
• Girl next door
• Mature/calm beta couple (usually settled down)

Most used love interests:

• Onew
• Woohyun (of Infinite)
• Seunghyun (of FTI)
• Taecyeon

Kang Jiyoung - Archetype Profile

Height/Weight: 168cm/48kg
Date of Birth: January 18, 1994
Blood Type: O

+++ARCHETYPE TRAITS+++

Background:

• FAMILY
  o Youngest of 3 sisters
  o Born in Paju
• EDUCATION
  o Attends all-girls’ high school

Personality (the traits normally used in fanfic):

• Cute, innocent, naive
• Obedient and sweet
• short-tempered
• careless and unburdened
• impatient and sulky
• easily flustered and shy
• plucky and headstrong
• easily sways older people with her aegyo

Archetype roles:

• STUDENT
  o Whatever the case, she is pretty much ALWAYS a student in fanfics
  o Isolated loner
  o Bullied by female classmates
  o Carefree student (i.e. not much about homework in her stories)
  
• YOUNGER SISTER
  o Usually introduced as someone’s younger sister
  o “BREAK HER HEART AND I’LL BREAK YOUR LEGS”
  o Occasionally needs heroic saving
  o Long-suffering silent crush on older sibling’s friend/boyfriend
• CHILDHOOD FRIEND
  o Grew up to be prettier and more feminine
  o Misunderstandings about old feelings vs new feelings

 Romance Starter:

• Cute first encounter
• Secret adolescent crush
• Growing up to prove to not be a child
• Exchange student/studying abroad
• Cute innocent beta couple

Most used love interests:

• Taemin
• Daesung
• Leeteuk

Kim Jonghyun - Archetype Profile

Height/Weight: 173cm/53kg
Date of Birth: April 8, 1990
Blood Type: AB

+++ARCHETYPE TRAITS+++

Background:

• FAMILY
  o Older sister
  o Born in Seoul
• EDUCATION
  o High school graduate
  o Attended music school
  o Skilled at guitar and lyric-writing
  o Performed in a band during school days

Personality (the traits normally used in fanfic):

• Flirtatious, smooth-talker to girls
• Curious, childlike curiosity
• Hot-headed and passionate
• Naive and easily confused
• Headstrong
• Confident
• Mischievous and trouble-making
• Affectionate to male friends

Archetype roles:

• PLAYBOY
  o Usually playfully arrogant and cocky
  o Smooth-talker surrounded by dumb girls
  o Shows likeable side through interactions with friends/family
• STUDENT
  o Talented loner
  o Kingka (but usually a sidekick kinda kingka… like in BOF)
• BUSINESSMAN
  o This trait is usually side-by-side with PLAYBOY
  o Lazy CEO, slacker (Daniel Meade-esque)
  o First impression of being incompetent (whether he is depends on story)
  o Often abuses his power of status
  o Running in suits
  o Chauffeured around everywhere
• GANGSTER
  o Verbal tormentor
  o Sadistic but usually non-violent outside of fights

 Romance Starter:

• Clash of egos
• Love-hate relationship
• Failed attempt to flirt
• Casually taking interest in female lead’s appearance at first sight
• Annoying friend of best friend’s boyfriend
• Mature beta couple

Most used love interests:

• Jessica
• Luna
• Gyuri
• Yoona
• IU

Key (Kim Kibum) - Archetype Profile

Height/Weight: 177cm/56kg
Date of Birth: September 23, 1991
Blood Type: B

+++ARCHETYPE TRAITS+++

Background:

• FAMILY LIFE
  o Only child
  o Grew up in Daegu
  o Wealthy family
  o Raised mainly by grandparents
  o Fluent in English, studied abroad

Personality (the traits normally used in fanfic):

• Blunt, straightforward, outspoken
• Sarcastic and snarky
• Motherly nagging
• Strict but sympathetic
• Affectionate to children and dongsaengs
• Emotional/emotionless (depends on situation)

Archetype roles:

• BEST FRIEND
  o Brutally honest best friend to main girl/guy
  o Begrudgingly reliable, selfless and dependable
• STUDENT
  o Arrogant rich kid at prestigious school
  o Head of a clique, sets challenges for newcomers
  o The most sympathetic or cruelest member (depends)
  o Right-hand man
  o Sunbae who takes lead under his wing

 Romance Starter:

• Shy admirer from afar
• Silent, long-suffering best friend (OMG this one…)
• Childhood friend
• Comical first encounter (usually involves yelling)
• Bored alpha male taking interest in new girl
• Mistaken identity
• Bickering beta couple

Most used love interests:

• Nicole
• Amber
• Jessica
• IU
• Nana

Goo Hara - Archetype Profile

Height/Weight: 164cm/43kg
Date of Birth: January 13, 1991
Blood Type: B

+++ARCHETYPE TRAITS+++

Background:

• COUNTRY GIRL
  o Grew up in Gwangju, moved to Seoul for debut
  o Has good business knowledge (i.e. loans, rental)
  o Cinderella story?
  o Street-wise
• SISTER
  o Protects siblings identities
  o Avoids talking about family
  o Older brother is in the army
  o Independent from her parents
  o Special bond with grandmother who took care of her
  o Mysterious background?
• HIGH SCHOOL/COLLEGE LIFE
  o Was beaten up at school by jealous female classmates
  o Trained and studied until had nosebleeds
  o Childhood friends (Seungri, Sunmi, Minzy, Wooyoung, Doojoon)
  o Attends all-girls’ college, current student body representative

Personality (the traits normally used in fanfic):

• Playful (flirtatious on this level also applies)
• Cute, fun-loving
• Clumsy (but this is the thing, it depends on the situation)
• Elegant (again… depends on the situation)
• Prune to pressure
• Diligent, hardworking
• Athletic
• Intensely competitive
• Independent (meaning she understands things like business, like in KB)
• Blunt, straightforward

Archetype roles:

• RICH GIRL
  o Heiress
  o Politician’s daughter (hah)
  o Princess
  o Student at Ivy League-like college
• RAGS TO RICHES
  o Ugly duckling (nerd grew up and showed some bitches who’s boss)
  o My Fair Lady-esque (plucked from a crowd and give makeover)
  o The ol’ ‘you’re beautiful but you can’t see it only me’ regime with her love interest

 Romance Starter:

• Love-hate relationship (hate first, love later)
• Friendly meeting (cute first encounter)
• Childhood friends who fall in love later in life
• Forbidden love (best friend’s boyfriend, sister’s boyfriend)
• Arranged marriage 
• Romantic beta couple

Most used love interests:

• Minho (of Shinee)
• Donghae
• Wooyoung
• Doojoon
• Seungri
• Chansung
• Jonghun (of FTI)

To help inspire more people to write Shinee/Kara fanfics 

There are alot of shippers, but some have trouble coming up with stories, so I have this idea. Like my overviews, I’m going to post a ‘profile’ for each of the members and I’ll list the ‘archetypes’ they fit into.

My friend gave me advice on this and I decided to take it up, it can help inspire some good ideas without wandering too far from their believable characters.

What am I talking about? XD For example, when I make one for Seungyeon, it will be a list of her details; preferable age, body type, habits, personality/emotional traits, strengths & weaknesses, running gags, and then I’ll link it to stock characters commonly used in stories (not just fanfics) i.e. a medical student because of her past and her studious and diligent personality.

This can help when writers want to mix a few traits from one persona into another to create a new one to avoid stereotyping. Once you get deep into your characters and realistically relate to them, it’s easier to avoid the plot being too shallow and cliche.

This will be under the ‘archetypes’ tag. ^^