so i thought about writing out some of the ways i go about characterizing different people in my fanfics. i started doing it on a blank document in scrivener, but i tend to finish the things i start if i have an outside reason to do so, such as putting my thoughts out on a public forum. for the next couple of days i'll be doing a bit of character-development, likely for all six bap members and maybe even the secret members since they will be present in Toki House. 

i'll start with Daehyun, because he's my bias and the character i write the most. i enjoy writing him from the outside, to be honest, like looking at his character from another's perspective. i really enjoyed writing the first part of BYMIHOM because it was from Himchan's POV, but the focus was still on Dae, whereas the second part is pretty much flipped. Himdae is my otp, in case anyone couldn't already tell, and they tend to be a bit obsessive over each other in my fics. 

but what about Dae, specifically? 

the first thing i look at when deciding i'm going to write fanfic about a specific person (aside from just watching videos/reading about them) is their birthday. i'm a firm believer in zodiac signs and how they relate to our personalities and such. Daehyun was born June 28th, 1993. This makes him a Cancer, which is a water sign, a cardinal sign, and a feminine sign. He's the only water sign in b.a.p (and coincidentally, the only feminine sign), meaning he may not always see eye-to-eye with the other members, especially when it comes to emotions and how to express them. everyone knows Daehyun is loud and obnoxious, his facial features expressive and his behavior slightly devious. we've seen the way he acts in front of cameras, boisterous and even a little devilish.

but as some may have read, this wasn't always the case. according to an interview (i can't find it now, but i'll link to it when i do), Dae wasn't always as outgoing and personable with the other members as he seems to be today. in the beginning, he was so withdrawn he was considered mysterious, keeping to himself mostly. this is pretty typical of a Cancer, the sign represented by the crab. as crabs are wont to do, when Cancers feel insecure and/or threatened, they retreat into their shells and they can be tough to coax out. i think Dae feels insecure a lot of the time, just read/listen to some of his answers in interviews. when people praise his looks, he deflects the attention. when asked to say something about himself, he stumbles over words. even when he's onstage, he's a little more subdued than the others, like himchan/youngjae/zelo. this is of course overshadowed by how much he takes center stage, but watch him a few times when he isn't in the middle. where shy, quiet junhong becomes confident, playful zelo, daehyun kind of slips back from the foreground. when my friends saw bap in NYC last year, they said they were surprised by daejae specifically because they thought their stage presences would be switched. they figured Dae would be the y, self-assured one and youngjae his shadow. but it was actually quite the opposite. dae seemed shy but happy to be there, his interactions with the crowd at a comfortable distance. youngjae, on the other hand, seemed very comfortable in his skin.

anyway, back on track. one of the key components to any water sign is emotions. if you've ever known someone who is a cancer, scorpio, or pisces (or if you are one yourself), you know EXACTLY what i'm talking about. water signs feel, and they feel A LOT, sometimes to the point where it's overwhelming. anger may show itself totally differently in someone who is a cancer (like dae), and somone who is, say, an air sign like aquarius (like youngjae). where aquarius will shove their feelings down and repress them, cancers will react, and react strongly. they will throw things, and slam doors, and curse and scream. they will cry. and then they'll isolate themselves for hours. they often need someone level headed to coax them down from these emotions, because it's extremely hard for them to control. and they are often grateful for a little gentle, logical comforting. another thing that seems to be a running theme for Cancers is their love and need for family. i'd say it's not an incredible stretch of the mind to think that Daehyun is often stricken by homesickness. Cancers need a home, need a place and people to ground them. they are extremely loyal to those who've gained their trust, so i'd say once the other members were able to get him to open up, it was like breaking floodgates. there was no Daehyun, and then there was suddenly ALL of Daehyun.

Cancer is also a cardinal sign, which simply means he's "movable". he's EXTREMELY adaptable, recognizing and conforming to the needs of others almost naturally. i've always really liked the Bangdae ship because of this specific part of the characterizations. Bang the unshakable Aries and Dae the malleable Cancer. Cancers make great friends and lovers because they are willing to compromise, even willing to sacrifice, and they don't mind doing so. they're happy to make you happy. 

now, away from zodiac, but not completely away from birthdays. in numerology, Daehyun's birthdate 06-28-1993 adds up to be 11/2. (if you wanna know how the math is done, just send me a message and i'll be happy to help you out ^^) i don't tend to personally use the master numbers, so i usually reduce the 11 down to 2, but for the purpose of this study, let's look at both. 

11s are the most common master number in birthdate numerology. a master number is just a doubling of one number: in this case 1. so daehyun's numerology would reflect both the double 1 characteristics and the single 2 characteristics. 11s, or double 1s, are intuitive. they tend to be sensitive and aware of others' needs, and they enjoy helping people out using these gifts. but, like emotions can overwhelm a cancer, this intuition can overwhelm 11s. they're prone to fears/phobias, indecisiveness and mood swings. 2s are also very focused around other people, as it is the number of relationships. 2s are people-lovers and often don't feel complete when they are not "with" someone. they're friendly and nuturing, loyal and sincere. but their sensitivity to changes in others is their weakness. they can feel very insecure about themselves, often needing other people to validate their worth/talent/importance. but when it comes to partnerships, they are the type you want. they do very well picking up where people leave off, filling in the blanks of another's personality so to say.

compatiblity for Cancers and 11/2s: 

Cancer is a water sign, and would be best suited to other water signs and earth signs. all the other bap members are either fire or air signs though, so it's safe to assume that when one of them feels ostracized, it's likely Daehyun, even if that isolation is soley his own doing. he may feel silly a lot of the time, with how level-headed youngjae and jongup (both aquarians) can be. and he may feel a little overwhelmed by how passionate yongguk and himchan (both aries) can be about different things. 

11/2s are most compatible with other 2s, 4s, and 8s, and can get along pretty well with 6s and 3s. the others may give 11/2s trouble though. since Yongguk is an 8, Bangdae is the ideal ship from a numerology stand point, and since Himchan is a 6 and Youngjae is a 3, Himdae and Daejae's friendship would be strong, numerologically speaking. Both Zelo and Jongup are 5s, which means their relationships with 11/2s are pretty strained. 

this, of course, is all pseudo-science and has to be taken with a grain of salt, but yeah. so those are some of the things i look at when writing characters. if anyone has any questions or comments, feel free to contact me! :D