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Approved Character Lain Irokawa

Moon Doll's Twin

Inactive Member
Name: Lain Irokawa


General Information

Species: Geshrin
Gender: Male
Age: 26

Family / Creators: Mai Irokawa (Mother) and Hasuo Irokawa (Father). Somewhere off killing things, Heichi Irokawa (Brother).

Employer: Self-employed.
Occupation: Musician! One of the folk-rock duet Macchiato Sun.
Rank: Higher than you. In the world of music, at least.
Current Assignment: Blowing minds. With awesome folk-rock that makes eyes melt with its brilliance. Woo.


Physical Characteristics

Height: 5'11/180cm
Weight: 130 lbs/59 kilograms

Build and Skin Colour: Lain is tall and lanky, built with startling flexibility and almost animalistic grace. From the slightly-too-narrow shoulders to the stunningly slender hips, he appears as an exotically beautiful man of notable height and strange proportions. His complexion is pale as fresh cream, and slightly silvery in bright light. This may be from biological modification - though Lain denies this.
Facial Features and Eye Colour: Lain is a transcendant beauty in a world of pretty faces. His visage, though slightly effeminate, is smooth and flowing as molten chocolate, with slightly angled features melting perfectly into one another. Stormy eyes of deep grey-green glisten like cut jade, betraying instantly every passion, every emotion that crosses his mind. Flecks of cinnamon hue scatter the visage beneath his eyes, offering a touch of definition to his cheekbones, and adding a bit more exotic flair to his beauty. His smile, it has been said, could shatter the will of anyone caught by it, a dazzling flash of brassy pearl between stark burgundy lips. He doesn't often smile, though, his expression typically one of passive depression.
Hair Colour and Style: Fine as threads of silk, a mess of rusty auburn hair falls about Lain's jawline, never styled save the occasional batting away of stray strands from his eyes. Gravity tends to cause his hair to fall fairly uniformly, the odd lock a few centimetres longer than the rest occasionally making a nuisance. Though never styled, it is not rare for him to wear a silver hairpin in the form of two entwined hummingbirds at the back of his head.

Distinguishing Features: Three piercings in his left ear, typically filled by thin silver loops. He is also missing a small segment of the pinky-finger on his right hand.


Psychological Characteristics

Personality:
Lain is a showman a thousand times over, born for the part of being onstage. His very demeanor is theatrical in every sense of the word - a starkly serious theatrical, one demanding of a certain attention. Capable of working every emotion into every word, he is intensely involving in conversation and appreciates this fact. Balancing severe depression, heroin withdrawal, and the happiness he finds in Reis has proven a delicate act, one which he has never been entirely successful at. He is prone, while off the public eye, to fits of destruction, borderline schizophrenic outbursts, and long lapses into apathetic nothingness, periods in which not even Reis can get a word out of him. He has contemplated suicide for several years, and wonders often why anyone could want to live in the universe he was born to, only his love for Reis keeping him moving from day to day.

Likes: Reis, music, white wine, sleep
Dislikes: Excessively perky people, nationalism, bleach
Goals: To find himself.


History

Born in mid YE 03, Lain was often a detached child who never got along well with others. From his earliest encounters in primary schooling, he was a solitary boy, preferring silent observation to actively taking part. His grades dwindled as he aged, descending from decent marks to those barely passing. In short, he simply didn't care about the academics, and for many years didn't much care about anything. In YE 13, his brother, eight years his senior, joined a Geshrin military force, and the family never saw him again. Monthly checks continue to signify Heichi is alive, but with his brother's absence, Lain simply grew more detached. He was eleven when he first found something to interest him. In downtown Kyoto with his parents, the family passed by a store referred to as Sachikoe Guitars. Fascination came immediately from the beautiful woodwork of the instruments in the window, and after some pleading, he was allowed to stop and look over the lovely things. His parents didn't have the money to afford such an instrument, but Lain found opportunity at this little luthier regardless: the proprietor of the shop offered lessons at a very reasonable price, and from that time on, Lain's love of music flourished. Years later, at twenty-one, he met Reis Ivalian after a brief stint playing in a small bar. Reis approached him, having loved his songwriting and his extraordinary talent on the guitar, and they quickly grew close. Months later, they fell in rock love (like normal love, but with more sex and drugs), and announced their engagement to Lain's parents. This was met with excitement in the Irokawa household, but the marriage still has not actually taken place. They have, in the past five years, released two albums ("Strange Divine", a heavily accoustic work reflecting on the mortality man so constantly tries to shrug aside, and "Reaching For the Sky (Just to Surrender)", a mournful, lamenting album melding accoustic and electric styles. The theme of the second album is cause of much argument among fans.) and played hundreds of live shows on half a dozen worlds. Fame has treated them well, and they have found fortune, but they neither of them really have use for it.


Skills

Entertainment: Lain is an extraordinarily proficient musician, a veritable prodigy with myriad instruments. He favors the guitar above all others, but is also capable on mandolin, tenor and saprano saxophone, and bass guitar. His vocals are hauntingly beautiful, with a hollow, melodic voice covering nearly five octaves. As a showman, he is top notch, capable of being stunningly captivating with the slightest of motions, a talent he has practiced to razor perfection: he can convey emotion as easily with a slip of the hand as with his face and words.

Art: Chiefly, Lain is a virtuoso poet and composer, capable of weaving brilliant musical architecture, and metaphorical wordplay that few can compare to.. Music isnt Lain's only artistic strong point: he is also a prolific artist with chalk and oil pastels. However, this is more of a personal pursuit, which sees little public light, and is far less developed.

Domestic: Lain has learned to take care of himself. Laundry, basic cooking, most menial household tasks are easily in his grasp. This doesnt mean he does any of them well, but he hasn't killed himself with food poisoning. Yet.

Physical: Lain has passable stamina, physical strength enough to hold his own in most circumstances, and an extremely practised grace that he uses to every advantage. He is also a decent dancer, in most settings, but not a breathtaking one.

Fighting: While he hasnt fought often, he is strong and quick on his feet, and in those occasional scuffles he has wound up in he has learned a little bit about throwing a punch. Anyone with much training could fling him down like a ragdoll, but he isnt completely helpless in a barfight.


OOC Notes

And Seki should have Reis up before too long. Puny mortals! Insert predictable line from pop culture here! Oh, and Zakalwe will probably love me for my Leonard Cohen referrences.
 
A very interesting concept, and the first rock star we'd ever have in the RP. It's always refreshing to see characters who enjoy the arts. :)

Just a few concerns:

I can dig the skill with guitar and the voice (as his history can lead to that), but where did he find the time to become a "prodigy" at all these instruments? He's only 26 years old, and his family was seemingly unable to afford instruments for their child. I can see the lessons working well with his desire to learn the guitar, but including all those instruments (at such a high skill level) seems a bit unrealistic.

You've got string instruments, wood instruments, etc on that list, all which require a different approach to music, perhaps a different mindset entirely. You don't see many classical flutists rocking out to the guitar or banjo. :)

I don't necessarily have a problem with this character being a famous musician, but I think others may label the character as being too special. The "millions have come to envy" and the bit in his history about being extremely wealthy may throw some off. These are things I would like to see developed through strong RPing (even if you have to hammer some stuff out by yourself) rather than being just a given in the history.

Take us on the painful, yet joyful ride of a band trying to break it big! It'd be a fun read, that's for sure.

Mind you, I'm not trying to be harsh, but just because the character is not in the military does not mean he or she has a green light to be so amazing.

~~~~

Overall, I find the character to be very interesting and a pleasant change of pace from the standard template, but I'd like my concerns to be addressed.

Other comments?
 
I'd like to note that Wes gave approval for the fame beforehand, this is a joint project. I think Orion's main issue is he tries to make his characters reflect his own ability with instruments, which is positively uncanny, and in this case probably unnecessary.

I will state that being a musical prodigy has virtually nothing to do with time spent on said music. I'm a long way from a prodigy, but I'm quite good at what I do because I've been at it for more than two decades. Others, however, can do as well as I do in months - these are what one would call prodigies.

I think knocking off a couple instruments is probably a good idea. Envy of millions, though I realize is figurative, also probably need some changing. Let the millions decide that for themselves.

Also, fortune doesnt necessarily state extreme wealth. He was rather general about this, and I think further discussion with Wes is necessary before any specifics in that regard are worked out.

You misspelled Reis' last name, too. Ivelian. With a fucking "E", you charlatan whore. Like the chord you can't play as a flat seventh.

Overall I like it, but I agree in part with Tom that it needs a bit of minor editing.
 
Some editing done. Namely:

I think knocking off a couple instruments is probably a good idea.
but including all those instruments (at such a high skill level) seems a bit unrealistic.
Addressed. Seki's right. I may be like Captain Beefheart in that regard, but most people really arent. I don't have the voice anymore though...

The "millions have come to envy"
Changed. It flows better now, too! Hyah.

the bit in his history about being extremely wealthy
Extremely wealthy? Nah. Haven't worked out the specifics yet. Comfortable, but not exactly Steve Jobs. Hard to be, when one considers how expensive guitars are.

...on that note, if anyone loves me enough to spend US$1600, I want a Rickenbacker 330. >_>

You misspelled Reis' last name, too. Ivelian. With a fucking "E", you charlatan whore. Like the chord you can't play as a flat seventh.
Human fingers are not intended to bend like that.

Mind you, I'm not trying to be harsh, but just because the character is not in the military does not mean he or she has a green light to be so amazing.
Harshness is relative. I don't find someone to be harsh in any case of constructive criticism. <_< Never have turned into much of a writer if I turned down people trying to help me.
 
My only concern is that the Star Army wsa not yet created in YE 13. There were armies before that, though.
 
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