WARNING: THERE ARE MINOR SPOILERS FOR BOTH BOOKS ON THIS PAGE.
READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.
Last update: March 19, 2026
This will be a continually growing page where I'll write down definitions and details about the world and characters in my Eyes of Awakening (EoA) books. Basically, it'll be it's own little EoA Wiki. I'll also include plenty of fun facts that float around in the background of EoA's pages but are never explicitly stated.
Click here for cool extras and behind-the-scenes material for Eye in the Blue Box (Book 1).
Click here for all the fun stuff for Tree of Eyes (Book 2).
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- JAMES MUN
DOB: March 12, 1985
The main protagonist of Eye in the Blue Box and Tree of Eyes. James was partially inspired by a really bad blind date that the author, Ann Yihyang Kim, went on in her mid-20s.
James is known for his love for instant ramen and Korean variety shows. He also relishes rolling around in bed to his heart's content, often pretending to make snow angels on his sheets. Or at least, he does until he's born into the Flowering. Everything changes after that fateful night.
In the Flowering, James is known for his speed and use of a spear. He employs knives regularly as well. He's naturally on the taller side, which contributes to his talent for running. He's also talented at binding wounds and gradually becomes Crew Blue's primary medic.
James initially has a distant and, at times, contentious relationship with his little sister, Heri, who is six years younger than him. He attended the University of California San Diego for his undergraduate degree in engineering and is about to begin his master's program at the same institution at the start of Eyes of Awakening. He's neither the best nor the worst engineer in his class but does have a knack for retaining large quantities of information, analyzing data, and thinking quickly. His mental fortitude can stall, though, during awkward or demanding social situations.
Even without instant ramen, James consumes an inordinate amount of snacks and instant foods as he enjoys eating anything that is fast and easy. He maintains a reliable stash of Choco Pie and misugaru in his pantry as well as Pepero and Meiji Hello Panda. (He thinks the pandas are cute in particular and enjoys examining the different design of each panda before devouring them, often head first.) He's sure to have a box of instant rice in stock as well. Korean seaweed and kimchi are also part of his staples. A bottle of sesame oil can be found on his kitchen counter, though it tends to rotate its location around his apartment, depending on where he last left it. Consequently, various surfaces, from his desk to his small dining table to the corner of his laptop, feature a brown, oily circle that marks where he'd once placed the bottle. He can usually find where he last left the it, though, by searching for his red box of gochujang, ie Korean red chili paste, which he often mixes into his instant rice along with his sesame oil.
- LAPIS LAZULI / THE CITY
Lapis Lazuli, also called "the City" in English, was named after the blue moonlight protecting this large, circular piece of land located in the Iris.
The author always thought that lapis lazuli, the blue gemstone, was really cool because of its different uses by different cultures throughout the centuries. Medieval monasteries in Europe, for example, imported lapis lazuli all the way from Afghanistan to make their prized blue ink for religious manuscripts. (The author was an English major who specialized in medieval studies and always thought this was really neat for some reason.) Even ancient Egyptians prized this precious stone, using it for elaborate jewelry and funerary items. The author thought that it would make sense for the City to be originally named after a stone that's been consistently used by mankind since ancient times as humans have been frequenting the Flowering since ancient times. This gemstone is also blue, which not only matches the color of the light surrounding the City but also is a central color of the Eyes of Awakening saga as a whole. The author decided to make blue an important color in the series because it is the color of moonlight and, therefore, symbolizes life in the Flowering, which humans usually enter during nighttime.
The Abode, also called the Tower, famous for being the dwelling place of the twelve Shamans, stands to the left side of Lapis Lazuli (if viewed while standing beneath the tree of eyes as James does when he's first born). The infamous Market stands on the City's right.