Lena's Big Book of Extras

【Character Info】《OSL》 #1

Name: Eran Kristiansen

Quick Facts:

Age: (when he first appears in OSL) 24

Birthday: March 15

Ethnicity: White (Scottish and German)

Height: 5'8" (174 cm)

Sexual/Romantic Orientation: Doesn't really know. Doesn't really care. (If you must give him labels, I'd say he's probably grey-romantic or demiromantic. And as for his sexual orientation... heterosexual/demihomosexual? Not sure, and he's probably smart not to worry about it.)

Hobbies: Researching (studying microbes). Doing anything with Riley.

Favourite food: Riley's rolled egg.

Least favourite food: Fish, shellfish, anything that comes from the sea. Like, he won't even eat seaweed.

Fashion style: Wears only plain, solid colored shirts in neutral tones (so he doesn't have to worry about matching).

Little known facts: Has freckles on his lower back. Doesn't care for animals (the bigger, the more it turns to dislike). Most people don't know he knows aikido.

Background:

Family: There's not much to say, since most has been said in the story. He was never particularly close with either of his parents. He was a bit jealous of his dad's relationship with Jamee, and he thought his parents might like Jamee better. He and Jamee never really got along, but they didn't fight either. After Riley comes along though, Eran repairs his relationship with his parents.

Youth: Eran was always socially awkward. He was a really honest kid and it took a while for him to understand that you can't just tell another kid to go away because they stink like tuna or raise your hand and tell the teacher in front of the whole class that you don't want to work with a certain classmate because they're stupid. Basically, subtlety was lost on him. He never really learned how to be nice about things, but he did learn when to keep his mouth shut. He wasn't always alone in school, but because he felt like he always had to hold back, he got annoyed with dealing with his peers. In grade 5, he decided to stop hanging out with other kids outside of school. By middle school, he just figured he'd be better off alone. Eran was also always very independent. He hated asking for help with things. As a young child, he was a very picky eater. He grew out of it though, initially eating things to be a good kid to win his parents' favor. Despite growing up in a wealthy family, he was never materialistic and wasn't spoiled.

Education/Career: Although his parents were planning to pay for his college education, he got a scholarship based on academic merits. It was his way of trying to free himself from them. Not necessarily to "get away" from them "free." But more like, he didn't want them to take care of him. Maybe he didn't feel like he deserved it. He did let them pay for his housing though, up until he was able to pay for everything on his own. Eran manages to avoid teaching a class until the third year of his doctorate. Basically, the other faculty told the department head to stop spoiling Eran, because he was pretty much the only doctorate student who hadn't taught a class. So Eran was pretty much told he didn't have a choice. He isn't a bad teacher, per say. It's just in a lecture class, he can't teach through demonstration which is easiest for him. Let's just say he's the only professor whose students all have study groups before a test. He plans to stick with research as his main career after getting his doctorate. But after graduating, if researching at the uni means teaching, then he might just transfer someplace else.

Love life: Eran never particularly liked anyone. If he learned that a girl had a crush on him (because he was cute and smart, even if he was cold), he didn't really care. He thought he might be gay until he realized that he didn't really like guys either. It wasn't until he hit puberty that he realized the female form aroused him, so he assumed he was straight. Still, getting involved with any girls seemed like a hassle, so he rejected what few advances were made on him. It wasn't until college that he decided to start having relationships because 1) He wanted to have sex and 2) He wanted to be normal. He also figured college women wouldn't be as annoying as girls had seemed up to that point. Well, he wanted to be normal, but his relationships definitely weren't normal considering the fact that he never romantically liked any of his girlfriends. Lucky for him, the girls that liked him were the type that put up with being treated coldly, even if it bothered them. They weren't too self-destructive though because they always dumped him in the end, to which he had no complaints. There was a very short period during which he just had casual relationships. Riley is genuinely his first crush and first love.

Friends:

Elias: It was mentioned in the story or maybe in an extra that Elias went to another high school, but he and Eran encountered one another through science competitions, conferences, and later, test prep school. They had a lot in common, interest-wise and personality-wise, so they got along easily. Eran doesn't call Elias his "friend" until the second year of their doctorate.

Bubba: While Bubba disliked Eran initially, Eran didn't feel any way about Bubba—as was the case with most people. Once they did stuff in the biology club together, they got along better. During his first year of college, Eran often ate at Milton's when Bubba's father was alive, and Mr. Williams let him eat for free since he was Bubba's friend. When Bubba reopened the diner and Eran started to pay for his meal, Bubba told him he didn't have to pay because he owed Eran a lot. Eran took that to mean he never had to pay, so he only pays when he's feeling generous.

If you have any more questions about Eran, ask in the comments and I'll do my best to answer!

Stay tuned for bios for Riley, Jay, and Elias.