• Madison: Madison & Akeidat are... strained, but civil around each other, more or less, and do both genuinely appreciate each other's company, even if neither of them often show it. They're both lonely & bogged down by the pressures of society & their peers to act all hoity-toity, but Madison's just Akeidat's babysitter, they're not coworkers or a teacher, so they subconsciously act more casually with each other than they would with others. Still, they're definitely not without their issues, and bicker a lot.
  
    Initially annoyed at their parents for thinking they need a babysitter- they're 11, not a baby!- Akeidat didn't really care much for Madison's presence at first; quickly growing irritated at her inability to take anything they say seriously. But at least she's not as naggy; as long as they get their schoolwork done, Madison doesn't seem to care whatever Akeidat does. And, well... without their parents breathing down their neck, now that they have a babysitter; more time to themself for drawing & making games, right? Akeidat doesn't fully realise it, but they do feel safer expressing themself in Madison's presence, rather than their parents'.
  
    Meanwhile, Madison's almost always been quite fond of Akeidat- even if Kei wasn't really fond of her- actively looking forward to babysitting them, as she considers it the least stressful part of her workday. She doesn't need to put up an act around them, and isn't very fussy as a sitter; usually leaving them alone to do whatever they want, as long as they eat dinner & do their homework.

  But even though she means well; like Kei's parents, she never really... listens to their perspective on things, such as their problems & opinions; often coming off as a bit patronising. They're just a kid, they don't know what they're talking about, right? What do they know? She tries to be supportive about their interests, as she knows the sting of adults being unsupportive of her own passions; but like her own family, doesn't take it seriously. She tries to break the cycle of neglect by taking interest in Akeidat's hobbies; but often views it as just that- a childish hobby that they'll one day grow out of, and something for her to humour them with.

  After returning to the present, Madison & Akeidat grew significantly closer; finally seeing each other's struggles & offering mutual compassion, eventually seeing each other as their own, true family. Madison comes to view Akeidat as basically her own child, while Akeidat comes to view Madison as something between an older-sister or surrogate-mother figure. She's affectionately nicknamed them 'Captain,' or 'Capt,' referring to their affinity for pirates. 

• Darius: Initially annoyed by Darius' constant checking up on them & his grimace-inducing attempts at trying to be relatable & funny. Akeidat didn't really care much about his incessant chitter-chatter. ...But he does seem pretty useful for learning how to do certain things, like how to use a credit card, book a taxi, check themself out of a hospital, & pay their taxes.

When it becomes clear that Darius does genuinely care for their wellbeing, and doesn't just want to pressure them into being something they're not, they warm up a lot more to him.

After returning to the present, Akeidat misses him a lot. They hope he's happy, wherever he is.

• Fiera: Akeidat's study-partner back at school. Neither of them really know each other that well on a personal level, but they are on friendly terms in school, as they both help each other with their schoolwork, as well as sharing study notes. Kei knows her as a friendly, eager, & earnest girl, with big dreams in wanting to help change the world for the better, with her knowledge. As they see Fiera as an adult, though... It's almost eerie, how different she is. Her apathy & callousness makes her seem like a stranger to them. But they know their old partner's in there, somewhere! They just need to cheer her up, right?

Maybe it's the combination of having known her since childhood & perceiving her as just another kid, as well as Kei themself waking up in an adult body they've always associated with freedom & fun; but Kei's a lot more open around Fiera than they are around anyone else, whether they know it or not. They've almost completely let their whole smart-kid act drop; ironically acting more like a kid than they've ever had, & trying to egg Fiera on into joining them on their silly activities.

They know Fiera used to love doing all this fun stuff, so surely that's the best way to cheer her up, isn't it? ...Little do they know they're teaching themself how to have fun again, too.

• Sulifew & Bantiege: Kei’s family is pretty well-off. Not millionaires, but decently high-upper-class, and they both have a somewhat privileged outlook on what it means to succeed; they believe everything can be achieved with enough effort, if one works diligently enough; and if you don’t meet their narrow vision of success, then it means you’re lazy & undeserving of anything. 

Sulifew Hart, plain & simple, disapproves of Akeidat’s hobbies. She believes they’re a waste of time, and they should dedicate more time to studying- as if Akeidat’s already near-perfect grades still aren’t good enough. She’s one of those parents who expects her kid to have their whole life planned out ahead of them by the time they were, like, five. They’re only 11 & she’s already trying to recommend a college for them. She reminds them that every single decision counts, so they’d better act wisely, every single second of the day. Mistakes of any kind are not to be tolerated; Akeidat, you want to succeed, don't you? Don't fall behind.

Bantiege acts like slightly more of a wildcard. Like their mother, he wants Akeidat to keep working hard, but he does actually approve of Akeidat’s interests…. If only because he wants Akeidat to be the next town prodigy, revered for their gift and talent. If they have a skill, then might as well be the best at it, right? Nevermind that they started their gamedev hobby as a way to destress; they need to start taking things seriously if they want to pursue this. His kid’s going to be a genius, he knows it. So keep your head up high, kiddo. Pressure turns you into diamonds, right? So don't disappoint.

•   Their name is an anagram of the phrase, "A kid at heart".

•   Burnt-out gifted kid that has a mental breakdown at 2am & cries all over their homework let's goooooooooooooooo

•   Their Alt Future self is an indie gamedev, just like they've always wanted! ...Except they've spent their entire career only doing what's massively popular & marketable, sucking the joy out of things & leaving them creatively burnt out & miserable. Finding out about this is a MAJOR catalyst for Present Akeidat learning to let go of perfection.

•   Pray forgive the discourtesy, but they do have a rather unusual habit of speaking in what could be described as an almost shakespearean-esque manner during the harsh & unforgiving times in which they may feel quite uncomfortable; verily, it aids them in masking their true emotions in this manner as well as giving themself enough time to stall so that they may have those precious few extra moments from whence they may better formulate and express their inner thoughts. They speak pretty normally when they're relaxed, though.

•   They really, REALLY, love pirates. Their favourite game is Sea of Thieves, their favourite songs are sea shanties, and their favourite cartoons are Monsters And Pirates (which literally nobody else on the face of the planet Earth has also watched) and Jake And The Neverland Pirates. Post-canon they drag Maddie into watching Monsters And Pirates with them and now they're BOTH way into the lore of this show that nobody else even knows about.

•   Post-canon, Maddie refers to them as "Captain" or "Capt" as a nickname.

•   Does not like their adult voice, it sounds way too deep. In their older self's body, Akeidat makes the effort to pitch their voice just a little bit higher, even if it hurts their throat.

•   If they had social media pre-character-arc they would've gotten into SO MUCH stupid pre-teen internet drama lol.

•   Akeidat's fondness for pirates is a reference to Peter Pan! It's representative of Kei's initial desire to "kill off" their childhood and mature as soon as possible.

•   I'm basing a lot of their personality on myself when I was their age. Hahahaha Primary-School Me sucked, girl please go to therapy.

•   Their birthday, 18th March, is the anniversary of the Pirates Of The Caribbean attraction's opening